WorldWideScience

Sample records for platform reducing technical risks

  1. Hybrid causal methodology and software platform for probabilistic risk assessment and safety monitoring of socio-technical systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Groth, Katrina, E-mail: kgroth@umd.ed [Center for Risk and Reliability, 0151 Glenn L. Martin Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Wang Chengdong; Mosleh, Ali [Center for Risk and Reliability, 0151 Glenn L. Martin Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States)

    2010-12-15

    This paper introduces an integrated framework and software platform for probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) and safety monitoring of complex socio-technical systems. An overview of the three-layer hybrid causal logic (HCL) modeling approach and corresponding algorithms, implemented in the Trilith software platform, are provided. The HCL approach enhances typical PRA methods by quantitatively including the influence of soft causal factors introduced by human and organizational aspects of a system. The framework allows different modeling techniques to be used for different aspects of the socio-technical system. The HCL approach combines the power of traditional event sequence diagram (ESD)event tree (ET) and fault tree (FT) techniques for modeling deterministic causal paths, with the flexibility of Bayesian belief networks for modeling non-deterministic cause-effect relationships among system elements (suitable for modeling human and organizational influences). Trilith enables analysts to construct HCL models and perform quantitative risk assessment and management of complex systems. The risk management capabilities included are HCL-based risk importance measures, hazard identification and ranking, precursor analysis, safety indicator monitoring, and root cause analysis. This paper describes the capabilities of the Trilith platform and power of the HCL algorithm by use of example risk models for a type of aviation accident (aircraft taking off from the wrong runway).

  2. Hybrid causal methodology and software platform for probabilistic risk assessment and safety monitoring of socio-technical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Groth, Katrina; Wang Chengdong; Mosleh, Ali

    2010-01-01

    This paper introduces an integrated framework and software platform for probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) and safety monitoring of complex socio-technical systems. An overview of the three-layer hybrid causal logic (HCL) modeling approach and corresponding algorithms, implemented in the Trilith software platform, are provided. The HCL approach enhances typical PRA methods by quantitatively including the influence of soft causal factors introduced by human and organizational aspects of a system. The framework allows different modeling techniques to be used for different aspects of the socio-technical system. The HCL approach combines the power of traditional event sequence diagram (ESD)event tree (ET) and fault tree (FT) techniques for modeling deterministic causal paths, with the flexibility of Bayesian belief networks for modeling non-deterministic cause-effect relationships among system elements (suitable for modeling human and organizational influences). Trilith enables analysts to construct HCL models and perform quantitative risk assessment and management of complex systems. The risk management capabilities included are HCL-based risk importance measures, hazard identification and ranking, precursor analysis, safety indicator monitoring, and root cause analysis. This paper describes the capabilities of the Trilith platform and power of the HCL algorithm by use of example risk models for a type of aviation accident (aircraft taking off from the wrong runway).

  3. Reduce the risk of stock trading by using technical analysis in iran's ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Reduce the risk of stock trading by using technical analysis in iran's stock market. ... In this research, efficiency of 50 active companies of Tehran Stock ... With this observation, this research suggest forming a portfolio with zero cost by purchasing ... FAQ's · More about AJOL · AJOL's Partners · Terms and Conditions of Use ...

  4. The ARGO Project: assessing NA-TECH risks on off-shore oil platforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capuano, Paolo; Basco, Anna; Di Ruocco, Angela; Esposito, Simona; Fusco, Giannetta; Garcia-Aristizabal, Alexander; Mercogliano, Paola; Salzano, Ernesto; Solaro, Giuseppe; Teofilo, Gianvito; Scandone, Paolo; Gasparini, Paolo

    2017-04-01

    ARGO (Analysis of natural and anthropogenic risks on off-shore oil platforms) is a 2 years project, funded by the DGS-UNMIG (Directorate General for Safety of Mining and Energy Activities - National Mining Office for Hydrocarbons and Georesources) of Italian Ministry of Economic Development. The project, coordinated by AMRA (Center for the Analysis and Monitoring of Environmental Risk), aims at providing technical support for the analysis of natural and anthropogenic risks on offshore oil platforms. In order to achieve this challenging objective, ARGO brings together climate experts, risk management experts, seismologists, geologists, chemical engineers, earth and coastal observation experts. ARGO has developed methodologies for the probabilistic analysis of industrial accidents triggered by natural events (NA-TECH) on offshore oil platforms in the Italian seas, including extreme events related to climate changes. Furthermore the environmental effect of offshore activities has been investigated, including: changes on seismicity and on the evolution of coastal areas close to offshore platforms. Then a probabilistic multi-risk framework has been developed for the analysis of NA-TECH events on offshore installations for hydrocarbon extraction.

  5. Early Warning System for reducing disaster risk: the technological platform DEWETRA for the Republic of Serbia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massabo, Marco; Molini, Luca; Kostic, Bojan; Campanella, Paolo; Stevanovic, Slavimir

    2015-04-01

    Disaster risk reduction has long been recognized for its role in mitigating the negative environmental, social and economic impacts of natural hazards. Flood Early Warning System is a disaster risk reduction measure based on the capacities of institutions to observe and predict extreme hydro-meteorological events and to disseminate timely and meaningful warning information; it is furthermore based on the capacities of individuals, communities and organizations to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss. An operational definition of an Early Warning System has been suggested by ISDR - UN Office for DRR [15 January 2009]: "EWS is the set of capacities needed to generate and disseminate timely and meaningful warning information to enable individuals, communities and organizations threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the possibility of harm or loss.". ISDR continues by commenting that a people-centered early warning system necessarily comprises four key elements: 1-knowledge of the risks; 2-monitoring, analysis and forecasting of the hazards; 3-communication or dissemination of alerts and warnings; and 4- local capabilities to respond to the warnings received." The technological platform DEWETRA supports the strengthening of the first three key elements of EWS suggested by ISDR definition, hence to improve the capacities to build real-time risk scenarios and to inform and warn the population in advance The technological platform DEWETRA has been implemented for the Republic of Serbia. DEWETRA is a real time-integrate system that supports decision makers for risk forecasting and monitoring and for distributing warnings to end-user and to the general public. The system is based on the rapid availability of different data that helps to establish up-to-date and reliable risk scenarios. The integration of all relevant data for risk management significantly

  6. Case studies: Risk-based analysis of technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, D.P.; Minton, L.A.; Gaertner, J.P.

    1987-01-01

    The SOCRATES computer program uses the results of a Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) or a system level risk analysis to calculate changes in risk due to changes in the surveillance test interval and/or the allowed outage time stated in the technical specification. The computer program can accommodate various testing strategies (such as staggered or simultaneous testing) to allow modeling of component testing as it is carried out at a plant. The methods and computer program are an integral part of a larger decision process aimed at determining benefits from technical specification changes. These benefits can include cost savings to the utilities by reducing forced shutdowns with no adverse impacts on risk. Three summaries of case study applications are included to demonstrate the types of results that can be achieved through risk-based evaluation of technical specifications. (orig.)

  7. Methodology for development of risk indicators for offshore platforms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oeien, K.; Sklet, S.

    1999-01-01

    This paper presents a generic methodology for development of risk indicators for petroleum installations and a specific set of risk indicators established for one offshore platform. The risk indicators should be used to control the risk during operation of platforms. The methodology is purely risk-based and the basis for development of risk indicators is the platform specific quantitative risk analysis (QRA). In order to identify high risk contributing factors, platform personnel are asked to assess whether and how much the risk influencing factors will change. A brief comparison of probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for nuclear power plants and quantitative risk analysis (QRA) for petroleum platforms is also given. (au)

  8. Methodology for technical risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waganer, L.M.; Zuckerman, D.S.

    1983-01-01

    A methodology has been developed for and applied to the assessment of the technical risks associated with an evolving technology. This methodology, originally developed for fusion by K. W. Billman and F. R. Scott at EPRI, has been applied to assess the technical risk of a fuel system for a fusion reactor. Technical risk is defined as the risk that a particular technology or component which is currently under development will not achieve a set of required technical specifications (i.e. probability of failure). The individual steps in the technical risk assessment are summarized. The first step in this methodology is to clearly and completely quantify the technical requirements for the particular system being examined. The next step is to identify and define subsystems and various options which appear capable of achieving the required technical performance. The subsystem options are then characterized regarding subsystem functions, interface requirements with the subsystems and systems, important components, developmental obstacles and technical limitations. Key technical subsystem performance parameters are identified which directly or indirectly relate to the system technical specifications. Past, existing and future technical performance data from subsystem experts are obtained by using a Bayesian Interrogation technique. The input data is solicited in the form of probability functions. Thus the output performance of the system is expressed as probability functions

  9. Long Read Alignment with Parallel MapReduce Cloud Platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Abdulhakim Al-Absi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Genomic sequence alignment is an important technique to decode genome sequences in bioinformatics. Next-Generation Sequencing technologies produce genomic data of longer reads. Cloud platforms are adopted to address the problems arising from storage and analysis of large genomic data. Existing genes sequencing tools for cloud platforms predominantly consider short read gene sequences and adopt the Hadoop MapReduce framework for computation. However, serial execution of map and reduce phases is a problem in such systems. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce Burrows-Wheeler Aligner’s Smith-Waterman Alignment on Parallel MapReduce (BWASW-PMR cloud platform for long sequence alignment. The proposed cloud platform adopts a widely accepted and accurate BWA-SW algorithm for long sequence alignment. A custom MapReduce platform is developed to overcome the drawbacks of the Hadoop framework. A parallel execution strategy of the MapReduce phases and optimization of Smith-Waterman algorithm are considered. Performance evaluation results exhibit an average speed-up of 6.7 considering BWASW-PMR compared with the state-of-the-art Bwasw-Cloud. An average reduction of 30% in the map phase makespan is reported across all experiments comparing BWASW-PMR with Bwasw-Cloud. Optimization of Smith-Waterman results in reducing the execution time by 91.8%. The experimental study proves the efficiency of BWASW-PMR for aligning long genomic sequences on cloud platforms.

  10. Long Read Alignment with Parallel MapReduce Cloud Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Absi, Ahmed Abdulhakim; Kang, Dae-Ki

    2015-01-01

    Genomic sequence alignment is an important technique to decode genome sequences in bioinformatics. Next-Generation Sequencing technologies produce genomic data of longer reads. Cloud platforms are adopted to address the problems arising from storage and analysis of large genomic data. Existing genes sequencing tools for cloud platforms predominantly consider short read gene sequences and adopt the Hadoop MapReduce framework for computation. However, serial execution of map and reduce phases is a problem in such systems. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce Burrows-Wheeler Aligner's Smith-Waterman Alignment on Parallel MapReduce (BWASW-PMR) cloud platform for long sequence alignment. The proposed cloud platform adopts a widely accepted and accurate BWA-SW algorithm for long sequence alignment. A custom MapReduce platform is developed to overcome the drawbacks of the Hadoop framework. A parallel execution strategy of the MapReduce phases and optimization of Smith-Waterman algorithm are considered. Performance evaluation results exhibit an average speed-up of 6.7 considering BWASW-PMR compared with the state-of-the-art Bwasw-Cloud. An average reduction of 30% in the map phase makespan is reported across all experiments comparing BWASW-PMR with Bwasw-Cloud. Optimization of Smith-Waterman results in reducing the execution time by 91.8%. The experimental study proves the efficiency of BWASW-PMR for aligning long genomic sequences on cloud platforms. PMID:26839887

  11. Risk Management of P2P Internet Financing Service Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yalei, Li

    2017-09-01

    Since 2005, the world’s first P2P Internet financing service platform Zopa in UK was introduced, in the development of “Internet +” trend, P2P Internet financing service platform has been developed rapidly. In 2007, China’s first P2P platform “filming loan” was established, marking the P2P Internet financing service platform to enter China and the rapid development. At the same time, China’s P2P Internet financing service platform also appeared in different forms of risk. This paper focuses on the analysis of the causes of risk of P2P Internet financing service platform and the performance of risk management process. It provides a solution to the Internet risk management plan, and explains the risk management system of the whole P2P Internet financing service platform and the future development direction.

  12. Risk-based analysis methods applied to nuclear power plant technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, D.P.; Minton, L.A.; Gaertner, J.P.

    1989-01-01

    A computer-aided methodology and practical applications of risk-based evaluation of technical specifications are described. The methodology, developed for use by the utility industry, is a part of the overall process of improving nuclear power plant technical specifications. The SOCRATES computer program uses the results of a probabilistic risk assessment or a system-level risk analysis to calculate changes in risk due to changes in the surveillance test interval and/or the allowed outage time stated in the technical specification. The computer program can accommodate various testing strategies (such as staggered or simultaneous testing) to allow modeling of component testing as it is carried out at the plant. The methods and computer program are an integral part of a larger decision process aimed at determining benefits from technical specification changes. These benefits can include cost savings to the utilities by reducing forced shutdowns and decreasing labor requirements for test and maintenance activities, with no adverse impacts on risk. The methodology and the SOCRATES computer program have been used extensively toe valuate several actual technical specifications in case studies demonstrating the methods. Summaries of these applications demonstrate the types of results achieved and the usefulness of the risk-based evaluation in improving the technical specifications

  13. Communication in reducing facility siting risk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bisconti, A.S.

    1992-01-01

    Today, social considerations are as important as technical ones in siting new nuclear facilities. Siting any industrial facility has become extremely difficult in this era of not in my backyard (NIMBY). Even if NIMBY does not arise locally, well-organized national opposition groups can be counted on to step in to fan the flames, especially when the industrial facility has to do with anything nuclear. It is now generally recognized that the greatest risk of failure for new nuclear facilities is not technical but social. Applying lessons gained from past experience and social science research can help reduce that risk. From these lessons, six principles for public interaction and communication stand out: (1) create goodwill now; (2) involve the community early; (3) establish the need; (4) communicate controls, not risk; (5) avoid jargon; (6) understand your public

  14. Improving neurosurgical communication and reducing risk and registrar burden using a novel online database referral platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matloob, Samir A; Hyam, Jonathan A; Thorne, Lewis; Bradford, Robert

    2016-01-01

    Documentation of urgent referrals to neurosurgical units and communication with referring hospitals is critical for effective handover and appropriate continuity of care within a tertiary service. Referrals to our neurosurgical unit were audited and we found that the majority of referrals were not documented and this led to more calls to the on-call neurosurgery registrar regarding old referrals. We implemented a new referral system in an attempt to improve documentation of referrals, communication with our referring hospitals and to professionalise the service we offer them. During a 14-day period, number of bleeps, missed bleeps, calls discussing new referrals and previously processed referrals were recorded. Whether new referrals were appropriately documented and referrers received a written response was also recorded. A commercially provided secure cloud-based data archiving telecommunications and database platform for referrals was subsequently introduced within the Trust and the questionnaire repeated during another 14-day period 1 year after implementation. Missed bleeps per day reduced from 16% (SD ± 6.4%) to 9% (SD ± 4.8%; df = 13, paired t-tests p = 0.007) and mean calls per day clarifying previous referrals reduced from 10 (SD ± 4) to 5 (SD ± 3.5; df = 13, p = 0.003). Documentation of new referrals increased from 43% (74/174) to 85% (181/210), and responses to referrals increased from 74% to 98%. The use of a secure cloud-based data archiving telecommunications and database platform significantly increased the documentation of new referrals. This led to fewer missed bleeps and fewer calls about old referrals for the on call registrar. This system of documenting referrals results in improved continuity of care for neurosurgical patients, a significant reduction in risk for Trusts and a more efficient use of Registrar time.

  15. Reusable platform concepts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gudmestad, O.T.; Sparby, B.K.; Stead, B.L.

    1993-01-01

    There is an increasing need to reduce costs of offshore production facilities in order to make development of offshore fields profitable. For small fields with short production time there is in particular a need to investigate ways to reduce costs. The idea of platform reuse is for such fields particularly attractive. This paper will review reusable platform concepts and will discuss their range of application. Particular emphasis will be placed on technical limitations. Traditional concepts as jackups and floating production facilities will be discussed by major attention will be given to newly developed ideas for reuse of steel jackets and concrete structures. It will be shown how the operator for several fields can obtain considerable savings by applying such reusable platform concepts

  16. TECHNICAL RISK RATING OF DOE ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS - 9153

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cercy, M.; Fayfich, Ronald; Schneider, Steven P.

    2008-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) was established to achieve the safe and compliant disposition of legacy wastes and facilities from defense nuclear applications. The scope of work is diverse, with projects ranging from single acquisitions to collections of projects and operations that span several decades and costs from hundreds of millions to billions US$. The need to be able to manage and understand the technical risks from the project to senior management level has been recognized as an enabler to successfully completing the mission. In 2008, DOE-EM developed the Technical Risk Rating as a new method to assist in managing technical risk based on specific criteria. The Technical Risk Rating, and the criteria used to determine the rating, provides a mechanism to foster open, meaningful communication between the Federal Project Directors and DOE-EM management concerning project technical risks. Four indicators (technical maturity, risk urgency, handling difficulty and resolution path) are used to focus attention on the issues and key aspects related to the risks. Pressing risk issues are brought to the forefront, keeping DOE-EM management informed and engaged such that they fully understand risk impact. Use of the Technical Risk Rating and criteria during reviews provides the Federal Project Directors the opportunity to openly discuss the most significant risks and assists in the management of technical risks across the portfolio of DOE-EM projects. Technical Risk Ratings can be applied to all projects in government and private industry. This paper will present the methodology and criteria for Technical Risk Ratings, and provide specific examples from DOE-EM projects

  17. Risk management through dynamic technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klopp, George T.; Petersen, Thomas A.

    2004-01-01

    The wide deployment of plant specific probabilistic risk assessments for nuclear power plants has provided the means to effect a fresh risk management perspective and a fresh, risk based, regulatory outlook on nuclear power. There has been a great deal of conversation on risk based regulation within the U. S. nuclear power industry but, curiously, very little on effective risk management. This paper proposes a means to link the two subjects through the plant Technical Specifications. A revised concept for Technical Specifications is suggested which is based on deterministic analyses and probabilistic risk assessments for each plant. The revised Technical Specifications would consider, on a real-time basis, the exact state of the plant in terms of the status of key components and systems. It would depict current plant risk levels and compare those levels to the desired and limiting (alert/action) levels. It would advise the plant operator on the risk impact of proposed actions through a simple query system and illustrate the impact of such actions on plant status relative to designated risk values. The basis for the proposed approach lies in realistic deterministic plant analyses and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) deployment tools being developed, in parallel, by a number of parties in the U.S. today. These PRAs are based primarily on the existing plant responses to Generic Letter 88-20, 'Individual Plant Examinations' (IPEs). Each of these tools allows the plant operator to input, on a real-time basis, the status of key equipment and systems. The tools then provide explicit illustrations of dependency effects; updated, 'real-time' risk status indications such as core damage frequency; and, in some cases, allow the operator to assess the risk impact of removing from service selected components for maintenance or testing. These systems generally operate on personal computers and provide nearly instantaneous responses to plant queries. Moving from these tools to

  18. A surety engineering framework to reduce cognitive systems risks.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Caudell, Thomas P. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Peercy, David Eugene; Caldera, Eva O. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Shaneyfelt, Wendy L.

    2008-12-01

    Cognitive science research investigates the advancement of human cognition and neuroscience capabilities. Addressing risks associated with these advancements can counter potential program failures, legal and ethical issues, constraints to scientific research, and product vulnerabilities. Survey results, focus group discussions, cognitive science experts, and surety researchers concur technical risks exist that could impact cognitive science research in areas such as medicine, privacy, human enhancement, law and policy, military applications, and national security (SAND2006-6895). This SAND report documents a surety engineering framework and a process for identifying cognitive system technical, ethical, legal and societal risks and applying appropriate surety methods to reduce such risks. The framework consists of several models: Specification, Design, Evaluation, Risk, and Maturity. Two detailed case studies are included to illustrate the use of the process and framework. Several Appendices provide detailed information on existing cognitive system architectures; ethical, legal, and societal risk research; surety methods and technologies; and educing information research with a case study vignette. The process and framework provide a model for how cognitive systems research and full-scale product development can apply surety engineering to reduce perceived and actual risks.

  19. PREDIRCAM eHealth platform for individualized telemedical assistance for lifestyle modification in the treatment of obesity, diabetes, and cardiometabolic risk prevention: a pilot study (PREDIRCAM 1).

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, Cintia; Herrero, Pau; Cubero, José M; Iniesta, José M; Hernando, M Elena; García-Sáez, Gema; Serrano, Alvaro J; Martinez-Sarriegui, Iñaki; Perez-Gandia, Carmen; Gómez, Enrique J; Rubinat, Esther; Alcantara, Valeria; Brugués, Eulalia; Chico, Ana; Mato, Eugenia; Bell, Olga; Corcoy, Rosa; de Leiva, Alberto

    2013-07-01

    Healthy diet and regular physical activity are powerful tools in reducing diabetes and cardiometabolic risk. Various international scientific and health organizations have advocated the use of new technologies to solve these problems. The PREDIRCAM project explores the contribution that a technological system could offer for the continuous monitoring of lifestyle habits and individualized treatment of obesity as well as cardiometabolic risk prevention. PREDIRCAM is a technological platform for patients and professionals designed to improve the effectiveness of lifestyle behavior modifications through the intensive use of the latest information and communication technologies. The platform consists of a web-based application providing communication interface with monitoring devices of physiological variables, application for monitoring dietary intake, ad hoc electronic medical records, different communication channels, and an intelligent notification system. A 2-week feasibility study was conducted in 15 volunteers to assess the viability of the platform. The website received 244 visits (average time/session: 17 min 45 s). A total of 435 dietary intakes were recorded (average time for each intake registration, 4 min 42 s ± 2 min 30 s), 59 exercises were recorded in 20 heart rate monitor downloads, 43 topics were discussed through a forum, and 11 of the 15 volunteers expressed a favorable opinion toward the platform. Food intake recording was reported as the most laborious task. Ten of the volunteers considered long-term use of the platform to be feasible. The PREDIRCAM platform is technically ready for clinical evaluation. Training is required to use the platform and, in particular, for registration of dietary food intake. © 2013 Diabetes Technology Society.

  20. OpenQuake, a platform for collaborative seismic hazard and risk assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henshaw, Paul; Burton, Christopher; Butler, Lars; Crowley, Helen; Danciu, Laurentiu; Nastasi, Matteo; Monelli, Damiano; Pagani, Marco; Panzeri, Luigi; Simionato, Michele; Silva, Vitor; Vallarelli, Giuseppe; Weatherill, Graeme; Wyss, Ben

    2013-04-01

    Sharing of data and risk information, best practices, and approaches across the globe is key to assessing risk more effectively. Through global projects, open-source IT development and collaborations with more than 10 regions, leading experts are collaboratively developing unique global datasets, best practice, tools and models for global seismic hazard and risk assessment, within the context of the Global Earthquake Model (GEM). Guided by the needs and experiences of governments, companies and international organisations, all contributions are being integrated into OpenQuake: a web-based platform that - together with other resources - will become accessible in 2014. With OpenQuake, stakeholders worldwide will be able to calculate, visualize and investigate earthquake hazard and risk, capture new data and share findings for joint learning. The platform is envisaged as a collaborative hub for earthquake risk assessment, used at global and local scales, around which an active network of users has formed. OpenQuake will comprise both online and offline tools, many of which can also be used independently. One of the first steps in OpenQuake development was the creation of open-source software for advanced seismic hazard and risk calculations at any scale, the OpenQuake Engine. Although in continuous development, a command-line version of the software is already being test-driven and used by hundreds worldwide; from non-profits in Central Asia, seismologists in sub-Saharan Africa and companies in South Asia to the European seismic hazard harmonization programme (SHARE). In addition, several technical trainings were organized with scientists from different regions of the world (sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Asia-Pacific) to introduce the engine and other OpenQuake tools to the community, something that will continue to happen over the coming years. Other tools that are being developed of direct interest to the hazard community are: • OpenQuake Modeller; fundamental

  1. Risk-informed approach in US-APWR technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saji, Etsuro; Tanaka, Futoshi; Kuroiwa, Katsuya; Kawai, Katsunori

    2009-01-01

    The Risk-Managed Technical Specifications and the Surveillance Frequency Control Program have been adopted in the US-APWR Technical Specifications. These risk-informed approaches are unique among the technical specifications for the advanced light water reactor designs adopted by planned nuclear power stations in the United States. (author)

  2. Risk management: integration of social and technical risk variables into safety assessments of LWR'S

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turnage, J.J.; Husseiny, A.A.

    1980-01-01

    A risk management methodology is developed here to formalize the acceptability levels of commercial LWR power plants via the estimation of risk levels acceptable to the public and the integration of such estimates into risk-benefit analysis. Utility theory is used for developing preference models based on value trade-offs among multiple objectives and uncertainties about the impact of alternatives. The method involves reducing the various variables affecting safety acceptability decisions to a single function that provides a metric for acceptability levels. The function accomondates for technical criteria related to design and licensing decisions, as well as public reactions to certain choices

  3. Reduced waste generation technical work plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-05-01

    The United States Department of Energy has established policies for avoiding plutonium losses to the waste streams and minimizing the generation of wastes produced at its nuclear facilities. This policy is evidenced in DOE Order 5820.2, which states ''Technical and administrative controls shall be directed towards reducing the gross volume of TRU waste generated and the amount of radioactivity in such waste.'' To comply with the DOE directive, the Defense Transuranic Waste Program (DTWP) supports and provides funding for specific research and development tasks at the various DOE sites to reduce the generation of waste. This document has been prepared to give an overview of current and past Reduced Waste Generation task activities which are to be based on technical and cost/benefit factors. The document is updated annually, or as needed, to reflect the status of program direction. Reduced Waste Generation (RWG) tasks encompass a wide range of goals which are basically oriented toward (1) avoiding the generation of waste, (2) changing processes or operations to reduce waste, (3) converting TRU waste into LLW by sorting or decontamination, and (4) reducing volumes through operations such as incineration or compaction

  4. A PUBLIC PLATFORM FOR GEOSPATIAL DATA SHARING FOR DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Balbo

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a case study scenario of setting up a Web platform based on GeoNode. It is a public platform called MASDAP and promoted by the Government of Malawi in order to support development of the country and build resilience against natural disasters. A substantial amount of geospatial data has already been collected about hydrogeological risk, as well as several other-disasters related information. Moreover this platform will help to ensure that the data created by a number of past or ongoing projects is maintained and that this information remains accessible and useful. An Integrated Flood Risk Management Plan for a river basin has already been included in the platform and other data from future disaster risk management projects will be added as well.

  5. Feasibility assessment of a risk-based approach to technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atefi, B.; Gallagher, D.W.

    1991-05-01

    To assess the potential use of risk and reliability techniques for improving the effectiveness of the technical specifications to control plant operational risk, the Technical Specifications Branch of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission initiated an effort to identify and evaluate alternative risk-based approaches that could bring greater risk perspective to these requirements. In the first phase four alternative approaches were identified and their characteristics were analyzed. Among these, the risk-based approach to technical specifications is the most promising approach for controlling plant operational risk using technical specifications. The second phase of the study concentrated on detailed characteristics of the real time risk-based approach. It is concluded that a real time risk-based approach to technical specifications has the potential to improve both plant safety and availability. 33 figs., 5 figs., 6 tabs

  6. Barrier and operational risk analysis of hydrocarbon releases (BORA-Release)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sklet, Snorre; Vinnem, Jan Erik; Aven, Terje

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents results from a case study carried out on an offshore oil and gas production platform with the purpose to apply and test BORA-Release, a method for barrier and operational risk analysis of hydrocarbon releases. A description of the BORA-Release method is given in Part I of the paper. BORA-Release is applied to express the platform specific hydrocarbon release frequencies for three release scenarios for selected systems and activities on the platform. The case study demonstrated that the BORA-Release method is a useful tool for analysing the effect on the release frequency of safety barriers introduced to prevent hydrocarbon releases, and to study the effect on the barrier performance of platform specific conditions of technical, human, operational, and organisational risk influencing factors (RIFs). BORA-Release may also be used to analyse the effect on the release frequency of risk reducing measures

  7. Privacy and information security risks in a technology platform for home-based chronic disease rehabilitation and education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henriksen, Eva; Burkow, Tatjana M; Johnsen, Elin; Vognild, Lars K

    2013-08-09

    Privacy and information security are important for all healthcare services, including home-based services. We have designed and implemented a prototype technology platform for providing home-based healthcare services. It supports a personal electronic health diary and enables secure and reliable communication and interaction with peers and healthcare personnel. The platform runs on a small computer with a dedicated remote control. It is connected to the patient's TV and to a broadband Internet. The platform has been tested with home-based rehabilitation and education programs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes. As part of our work, a risk assessment of privacy and security aspects has been performed, to reveal actual risks and to ensure adequate information security in this technical platform. Risk assessment was performed in an iterative manner during the development process. Thus, security solutions have been incorporated into the design from an early stage instead of being included as an add-on to a nearly completed system. We have adapted existing risk management methods to our own environment, thus creating our own method. Our method conforms to ISO's standard for information security risk management. A total of approximately 50 threats and possible unwanted incidents were identified and analysed. Among the threats to the four information security aspects: confidentiality, integrity, availability, and quality; confidentiality threats were identified as most serious, with one threat given an unacceptable level of High risk. This is because health-related personal information is regarded as sensitive. Availability threats were analysed as low risk, as the aim of the home programmes is to provide education and rehabilitation services; not for use in acute situations or for continuous health monitoring. Most of the identified threats are applicable for healthcare services intended for patients or citizens in their own homes. Confidentiality

  8. Safety barriers on oil and gas platforms. Means to prevent hydrocarbon releases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sklet, Snorre

    2005-12-15

    /operational safety barriers are considered. The initiating events are divided into five main categories; (1) human and operational errors, (2) technical failures, (3) process upsets, (4) external events, and (5) latent failures from design. The development of the hydrocarbon release scenarios has generated new knowledge about causal factors of hydrocarbon releases and safety barriers introduced to prevent the releases. Collectively, the release scenarios cover the most frequent initiating events and the most important safety barriers introduced to prevent hydrocarbon releases. BORA-Release is a new method for qualitative and quantitative risk analysis of the hydrocarbon release frequency on oil and gas platforms. BORA-Release combines use of barrier block diagrams/event trees, fault trees, and risk influence diagrams in order to analyse the risk of hydrocarbon release from a set of hydrocarbon release scenarios. Use of BORA-Release makes it possible to analyse the effect on the hydrocarbon release frequency of safety barriers introduced to prevent hydrocarbon releases. Further, BORA-Release may be used to analyse the effect on the barrier performance of platform specific conditions of technical, human, operational, and organisational risk influencing factors. Thus, BORA-Release may improve today's quantitative risk analyses on two weak points; i) analysis of causal factors of the initiating event hydrocarbon release (loss of containment), and ii) analysis of the effect on the risk of human and organisational factors. The main focus of this thesis is safety barriers introduced to prevent hydrocarbon releases on offshore oil and gas production platforms. Thus, the results are primarily useful for the oil and gas industry in their effort to control and reduce the risk of hydrocarbon releases. The Norwegian oil and gas industry can use the results in their work to fulfil the requirements to safety barriers and risk analyses from the Petroleum Safety Authority. However, the concepts

  9. TRManager – Technical Risk Manager

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark A. Gregory

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents research into the development of a new information management technique called Technical Risk Manager. Project management involves the use of processes and information management techniques to aid decision making in the pursuit of project success. Project success may be achieved by meeting time, cost or performance criteria. Current project management practices focus on achieving time and cost project success criteria by using three information management techniques developed in the 1950s: Gantt, PERT and Critical Path Method. Technical Risk Manager has been developed to provide an information management technique that may be used to aid project management decision making in the pursuit of achieving the performance project success criteria.

  10. Streaming weekly soap opera video episodes to smartphones in a randomized controlled trial to reduce HIV risk in young urban African American/black women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Rachel; Lacroix, Lorraine J

    2012-07-01

    Love, Sex, and Choices is a 12-episode soap opera video series created as an intervention to reduce HIV sex risk. The effect on women's HIV risk behavior was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial in 238 high risk, predominately African American young adult women in the urban Northeast. To facilitate on-demand access and privacy, the episodes were streamed to study-provided smartphones. Here, we discuss the development of a mobile platform to deliver the 12-weekly video episodes or weekly HIV risk reduction written messages to smartphones, including; the technical requirements, development, and evaluation. Popularity of the smartphone and use of the Internet for multimedia offer a new channel to address health disparities in traditionally underserved populations. This is the first study to report on streaming a serialized video-based intervention to a smartphone. The approach described here may provide useful insights in assessing advantages and disadvantages of smartphones to implement a video-based intervention.

  11. Risk-based technical specifications program: Site interview results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andre, G.R.; Baker, A.J.; Johnson, R.L.

    1991-08-01

    The Electric Power Research Institute and Pacific Gas and Electric Company are sponsoring a program directed at improving Technical Specifications using risk-based methods. The major objectives of the program are to develop risk-based approaches to improve Technical Specifications and to develop an Interactive Risk Advisor (IRA) prototype. The IRA is envisioned as an interactive system that is available to plant personnel to assist in controlling plant operation. Use of an IRA is viewed as a method to improve plant availability while maintaining or improving plant safety. In support of the program, interviews were conducted at several PWR and BWR plant sites, to elicit opinions and information concerning risk-based approaches to Technical Specifications and IRA requirements. This report presents the results of these interviews, including the functional requirements of an IRA. 2 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

  12. Payment Platform

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjelholt, Morten; Damsgaard, Jan

    2012-01-01

    thoroughly and substitute current payment standards in the decades to come. This paper portrays how digital payment platforms evolve in socio-technical niches and how various technological platforms aim for institutional attention in their attempt to challenge earlier platforms and standards. The paper...... applies a co-evolutionary multilevel perspective to model the interplay and processes between technology and society wherein digital payment platforms potentially will substitute other payment platforms just like the credit card negated the check. On this basis this paper formulate a multilevel conceptual...

  13. Assessment of technical risks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jaeger, T A [Bundesanstalt fuer Materialpruefung, Berlin (Germany, F.R.)

    1978-01-01

    The safety of technical systems is so difficult to assess because the concept 'risk' contains technical-scientific factors as well as components of individual and social psychology. Immediate or short-term hazards of human life as i.e. caused by the operation of industrial plants and mediate and thus long-term hazards have to be distinguished. Characteristic for the second hazard groups is the great time-lag before the effect takes place. Thus a causal relationship can be recognized only late and not definitely. Even when the causes have been obviated the effects still show. The development of a systems-analytical model as a basis of decisive processes for the introduction of highly endangered large-scale technologies seems particularly difficult. A starting point for the quantification of the risk can still be seen in the product of the probability of realization and the extent of the damage. Public opinion, however, does not base its evaluations on an objective concept of risk but tends to have an attitude of aversion against great and disastrous accidents. On the other hand, plenty of slight accidents are accepted much more easily, even when the amount of deadly victims from accidents reaches dimensions beyond those of the rare large-scale accidents. Here, mostly the damage possible but not the probability of its occurence is seen, let alone the general use of the new technology. The value of the mathematical models for estimating risks is mainly due to the fact that they are able to clear up decisions.

  14. Introducing Platform Interactions Model for Studying Multi-Sided Platforms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Staykova, Kalina; Damsgaard, Jan

    2018-01-01

    Multi-Sided Platforms (MSPs) function as socio-technical entities that facilitate direct interactions between various affiliated to them constituencies through developing and managing IT architecture. In this paper, we aim to explain the nature of the platform interactions as key characteristic o...

  15. Methodology for risk-based analysis of technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vesely, W.E.; Gaertner, J.P.; Wagner, D.P.

    1985-01-01

    Part of the effort by EPRI to apply probabilistic risk assessment methods and results to the solution of utility problems involves the investigation of methods for risk-based analysis of technical specifications. The culmination of this investigation is the SOCRATES computer code developed by Battelle's Columbus Laboratories to assist in the evaluation of technical specifications of nuclear power plants. The program is designed to use information found in PRAs to re-evaluate risk for changes in component allowed outage times (AOTs) and surveillance test intervals (STIs). The SOCRATES program is a unique and important tool for technical specification evaluations. The detailed component unavailability model allows a detailed analysis of AOT and STI contributions to risk. Explicit equations allow fast and inexpensive calculations. Because the code is designed to accept ranges of parameters and to save results of calculations that do not change during the analysis, sensitivity studies are efficiently performed and results are clearly displayed

  16. Selection of technical risk responses for efficient contingencies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kujawski, Edouard

    2002-02-28

    The primary goal of good project risk management should be to successfully deliver projects for the lowest cost at an acceptable level of risk. This requires the systematic development and implementation of a set of Risk Response Actions (RRA) that achieves the lowest total project cost for a given probability of success while meeting technical performance and schedule. We refer to this set as the ''efficient RRA set''. This work presents a practical and mathematically sound approach for determining the efficient RRA set. It builds on some of Markowitz's portfolio selection principles and introduces several conceptual and modeling differences to properly treat project technical risks. The set of RRAs is treated as whole and not just individual risks. The efficient RRA set is determined based on ''Outcome Cost Vs Probability of Success''. The risks and RRAs are characterized using scenarios, decision trees, and cumulative probability distributions. The analysis provides information that enables decision-makers to select the efficient RRA set that explicitly takes their attitude toward project risk into account. Decision-makers should find it both useful and practical for sound decision-making under uncertainty/risk and efficiently optimizing project success. The computations are readily performed using commercially available Monte Carlo simulation tools. The approach is detailed using a realistic but simplified case of a project with two technical risks.

  17. Offshore Platform Hydrocarbon Risk Assessment – OPHRA: Feasibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duijm, Nijs Jan; Kozine, Igor; Markert, Frank

    This report describes the feasibility demonstration of a new method to perform risk assessments for offshore platforms. This method simulates the following phenomena as concurrent sequences of events using the Arena® Discrete Event Simulation (DES) software (version 14.50.00): • Release, ignition...

  18. CHNC - the information and documentation platform of the non conventional hydrocarbons Centre. Technical files

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2015-07-01

    This publication proposes a focus on various topics related to the exploitation of non conventional hydrocarbons. The first technical file addresses seismicity: definition of natural seismicity and induced seismicity, discussion of seismicity induced by hydraulic fracturing and by the re-injection of flow-back waters. Orders of magnitude of involved water volumes for hydraulic fracturing and flow-back water re-injection are given and regulatory aspects are evoked for hydraulic fracturing (definition of new rules after the Blackpool incident) and flow-back water re-injection (existing decrees in France). The second technical file addresses the techniques and evolutions in the field of hydraulic fracturing: brief presentation, detailed description of the principle and techniques of hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling, discussion of the used raw products (water, sand, additives, risks, progresses to be made), discussion of the environmental impact (fracture propagation and micro-seismic effects, seismicity, flow-back water treatment, gas emissions, noise pollution), discussion of the use of alternate fluids (fuel oil, jellied propane or butane, pure propane, hepta-fluoro-propane, CO 2 or liquid nitrogen based foams). Orders of magnitudes are given for the involved products and regulatory information is provided. The third file addresses water consumption and management: necessary water quantities for the exploitation of non conventional hydrocarbons, water supply, storage and evacuation, water use in agriculture, in energy production or in industry. Some figures are given and elements of the European directive on water are indicated. The fourth file addresses the protection of surface aquifers: risks of surface pollution, risks related to drilling operations, risks of surface water pollution related to hydraulic fracturing. Orders of magnitude and regulatory elements are given. The fifth technical file addresses the activity footprint and discusses how the

  19. Feasibility assessment of a risk-based approach to technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atefi, B.; Gallagher, D.W.

    1991-05-01

    The first phase of the assessment concentrates on (1) identification of selected risk-based approaches for improving current technical specifications, (2) appraisal of characteristics of each approach, including advantages and disadvantages, and (3) recommendation of one or more approaches that might result in improving current technical specification requirements. The second phase of the work concentrates on assessment of the feasibility of implementation of a pilot program to study detailed characteristics of the preferred approach. The real time risk-based approach was identified as the preferred approach to technical specifications for controlling plant operational risk. There do not appear to be any technical or institutional obstacles to prevent initiation of a pilot program to assess the characteristics and effectiveness of such an approach. 2 tabs

  20. Development of jacket platform tsunami risk rating system in waters offshore North Borneo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, H. E.; Liew, M. S.; Mardi, N. H.; Na, K. L.; Toloue, Iraj; Wong, S. K.

    2016-09-01

    This work details the simulation of tsunami waves generated by seaquakes in the Manila Trench and their effect on fixed oil and gas jacket platforms in waters offshore North Borneo. For this study, a four-leg living quarter jacket platform located in a water depth of 63m is modelled in SACS v5.3. Malaysia has traditionally been perceived to be safe from the hazards of earthquakes and tsunamis. Local design practices tend to neglect tsunami waves and include no such provisions. In 2004, a 9.3 M w seaquake occurred off the northwest coast of Aceh, which generated tsunami waves that caused destruction in Malaysia totalling US 25 million and 68 deaths. This event prompted an awareness of the need to study the reliability of fixed offshore platforms scattered throughout Malaysian waters. In this paper, we present a review of research on the seismicity of the Manila Trench, which is perceived to be high risk for Southeast Asia. From the tsunami numerical model TUNA-M2, we extract computer-simulated tsunami waves at prescribed grid points in the vicinity of the platforms in the region. Using wave heights as input, we simulate the tsunami using SACS v5.3 structural analysis software of offshore platforms, which is widely accepted by the industry. We employ the nonlinear solitary wave theory in our tsunami loading calculations for the platforms, and formulate a platform-specific risk quantification system. We then perform an intensive structural sensitivity analysis and derive a corresponding platform-specific risk rating model.

  1. Relative risk of home hemodialysis attrition in patients using a telehealth platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinhandl, Eric D; Collins, Allan J

    2017-12-06

    Home hemodialysis (HHD) facilitates increased treatment frequency, which may improve patient outcomes. However, attrition due to technique failure limits the clinical effectiveness of the modality. Nx2me Connected Health is a telehealth platform that enables ongoing assessment of HHD patients using NxStage equipment, and that may reduce patient burden. We aimed to assess whether use of Nx2me was associated with risk of HHD attrition. We compared risks of all-cause attrition, dialysis cessation (i.e., death or transplant), and technique failure in Nx2me users and matched control patients, using a retrospective cohort study. We also compared the likelihood of HHD training graduation in patients who initiated use of Nx2me during training with the likelihood in matched control patients. Matching factors included date of HHD initiation, NxStage treatment duration at initiation of follow-up, and prescribed treatment frequency. We used stratified Fine-Gray and Cox regression to compare risks, with adjustment for demographic factors and vascular access modality, and stratification by matched cluster. We identified 606 Nx2me users; 49.5% initiated use of Nx2me in NxStage equipment. Adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) of all-cause attrition, dialysis cessation, and technique failure were 0.80 (95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.95), 1.10 (0.86-1.41), and 0.71 (0.57-0.87), respectively, for Nx2me users vs. matched controls. AHRs were similar in patients who initiated use of Nx2me in <3 months after initiation of HHD. The AHR of HHD training graduation was 1.61 (1.10-2.36) in patients who initiated use of Nx2me within 2 weeks of training initiation vs. matched controls. Use of Nx2me was associated with lower risk of all-cause attrition, lower risk of technique failure, and higher likelihood of HHD training graduation. Further studies are needed to identify the mechanisms by which use of a telehealth platform may improve clinical outcomes and reduce patient burden. © 2017 The Authors

  2. Comprehensive risk assessment for rail transportation of dangerous goods: a validated platform for decision support

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gheorghe, Adrian V.; Birchmeier, Juerg; Vamanu, Dan; Papazoglou, Ioannis; Kroeger, Wolfgang

    2005-01-01

    Currently, the most advanced and well documented risk assessments for the transportation of dangerous goods by railway take into account:(i)statistics-based loss of containment frequencies, (ii) specification of potential consequences for a given release situations using event tree methodology as an organisational tool and (iii) consequence calculation models to determine a risk figure known as CCDF (Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function). Such procedures for the risk assessment (including for example decision-making on preventive measures) may offer only a limited insight into the causes and sequences leading to an accident and do not allow for any kind of predictive analysis. The present work introduces an enhanced solution, and a related software platform, which attempts to integrate loss of containment causes and consequences with system's infrastructure and its environment. The solution features:(i)the use of a detailed Master Logical Diagram, including fault/event tree analysis to determine a loss of containment frequency based on different initiating events, scenarios and specific basic data, (ii) the characterization of a resulting source term following a release situation, and (iii) the calculation of various potential impacts on the neighbouring site. Results are wrapped into a CCDF format for each selected traffic segment. The risk-related results are integrated on a software platform, structured as a decision support system using intelligent maps and a variety of GIS (Geographical Information System) data processing procedures. The introduction of the hot spot approach, allows us to focus on the most risk-relevant areas and to use information on various railway infrastructure elements (e.g. points, tunnels), are the basis of the new models employed. The software is applicable to any railway transportation system, comprising its technical infrastructure, rolling stock, human actions, regulation and management procedures. It provides the

  3. [Platforms are needed for innovative basic research in ophthalmology].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi-qiang

    2012-07-01

    Basic research poses the cornerstone of technical innovation in all lines including medical sciences. Currently, there are shortages of professional scientists as well as technical supporting teams and facilities in the field of basic research of ophthalmology and visual science in China. Evaluation system and personnel policies are not supportive for innovative but high-risk-of-failure research projects. Discussion of reasons and possible solutions are given here to address these problems, aiming at promoting buildup of platforms hosting novel and important basic research in eye science in this country.

  4. Risk-based technical specifications: Development and application of an approach to the generation of a plant specific real-time risk model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puglia, B.; Gallagher, D.; Amico, P.; Atefi, B.

    1992-10-01

    This report describes a process developed to convert an existing PRA into a model amenable to real time, risk-based technical specification calculations. In earlier studies (culminating in NUREG/CR-5742), several risk-based approaches to technical specification were evaluated. A real-time approach using a plant specific PRA capable of modeling plant configurations as they change was identified as the most comprehensive approach to control plant risk. A master fault tree logic model representative of-all of the core damage sequences was developed. Portions of the system fault trees were modularized and supercomponents comprised of component failures with similar effects were developed to reduce the size of the model and, quantification times. Modifications to the master fault tree logic were made to properly model the effect of maintenance and recovery actions. Fault trees representing several actuation systems not modeled in detail in the existing PRA were added to the master fault tree logic. This process was applied to the Surry NUREG-1150 Level 1 PRA. The master logic mode was confirmed. The model was then used to evaluate frequency associated with several plant configurations using the IRRAS code. For all cases analyzed computational time was less than three minutes. This document Volume 2, contains appendices A, B, and C. These provide, respectively: Surry Technical Specifications Model Database, Surry Technical Specifications Model, and a list of supercomponents used in the Surry Technical Specifications Model

  5. Reconfigurable, Intelligently-Adaptive, Communication System, an SDR Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roche, Rigoberto J.; Shalkhauser, Mary Jo; Hickey, Joseph P.; Briones, Janette C.

    2016-01-01

    The Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) provides a common, consistent framework to abstract the application software from the radio platform hardware. STRS aims to reduce the cost and risk of using complex, configurable and reprogrammable radio systems across NASA missions. The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) team made a software defined radio (SDR) platform STRS compliant by adding an STRS operating environment and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) wrapper, capable of implementing each of the platforms interfaces, as well as a test waveform to exercise those interfaces. This effort serves to provide a framework toward waveform development onto an STRS compliant platform to support future space communication systems for advanced exploration missions. The use of validated STRS compliant applications provides tested code with extensive documentation to potentially reduce risk, cost and e ort in development of space-deployable SDRs. This paper discusses the advantages of STRS, the integration of STRS onto a Reconfigurable, Intelligently-Adaptive, Communication System (RIACS) SDR platform, and the test waveform and wrapper development e orts. The paper emphasizes the infusion of the STRS Architecture onto the RIACS platform for potential use in next generation flight system SDRs for advanced exploration missions.

  6. The assessment of technical risks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jaeger, T.A.

    1978-01-01

    The safety of technical systems is so difficult to assess because the concept 'risk' contains technical-scientific factors as well as components of individual and social psychology. Immediate or short-term hazards of human life as i.e. caused by the operation of industrial plants and mediate and thus long-term hazards have to be distinguished. Characteristic for the second hazard groups is the great time-lag before the effect takes place. Thus a causal relationship can be recognized only late and not definitely. Even when the causes have been obviated the effects still show. The development of a systems-analytical model as a basis of decisive processes for the introduction of highly endangered large-scale technologies seems particularly difficult. A starting point for the quantification of the risk can still be seen in the product of the probability of realization and the extent of the damage. Public opinion, however, does not base its evaluations on an objective concept of risk but tends to have an attitude of aversion against great and disastrous accidents. On the other hand, plenty of slight accidents are accepted much more easily, even when the amount of deadly victims from accidents reaches dimensions beyond those of the rare large-scale accidents. Here, mostly the damage possible but not the probability of its occurence is seen, let alone the general use of the new technology. The value of the mathematical models for estimating risks is mainly due to the fact that they are able to clear up decisions. (orig./HP) [de

  7. A Cross-Platform Tactile Capabilities Interface for Humanoid Robots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie eMa

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the core elements of a cross-platform tactile capabilities interface (TCI for humanoid arms. The aim of the interface is to reduce the cost of developing humanoid robot capabilities by supporting reuse through cross-platform deployment. The article presents a comparative analysis of existing robot middleware frameworks, as well as the technical details of the TCI framework that builds on the the existing YARP platform. The TCI framework currently includes robot arm actuators with robot skin sensors. It presents such hardware in a platform independent manner, making it possible to write robot control software that can be executed on different robots through the TCI frameworks. The TCI framework supports multiple humanoid platforms and this article also presents a case study of a cross-platform implementation of a set of tactile protective withdrawal reflexes that have been realised on both the Nao and iCub humanoid robot platforms using the same high-level source code.

  8. Technical risks viewed from a legal point of view

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marburger, P.

    1985-01-01

    Law has to impose restrictions to technology to assure its general compatibility. The difficult problems of handling technical risks by legislation are solvable. The scientific-technical knowledge which is a prerequisite of legislation is obtainable from the technical standards worked out by private organisations and from bodies of experts under public law. The system of law must not antagonize technology. (HP) [de

  9. The use of platform dampers to reduce turbine blade vibrations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jareland, Martin H.

    2001-07-01

    Friction damping is commonly used in jet engines to reduce the vibration level of the blades and thereby increase the reliability of the engine. This thesis deals with a specific type of friction damper denoted platform damper, which is frequently used in turbine stages. A platform damper is a piece of metal located in a cavity underneath two adjacent blade platforms. It is pressed against the platforms by centrifugal force and friction forces arise in the contacts when a relative motion between the platforms occurs. In this thesis, a number of phenomena regarding platform dampers are investigated and discussed. This is performed both experimentally and theoretically. In the simulations, friction interface models valid for both macroslip and microslip are used. Macroslip means that slipping occurs in the whole contact interface and microslip means that slipping occurs in only part of the interface. The latter is most likely in the contacts between the platform damper and the blade platforms due to the high normal force and the small motions. The first paper deals with mistuning of bladed disks due to variations in the properties of the platform dampers and the closely related topic wear of the dampers. This study indicates that damper mistuning can greatly affect the blade vibrations and that damper and blade mistuning constitutes a more severe case than blade mistuning alone. It is also found that wear of the contact areas can lead either to an increase or decrease in the resonance amplitude of the blades in the studied configuration. In the second paper, so-called cottage-roof dampers are studied. Cottage-roof dampers are a type of platform damper with inclined contact surfaces. The inclination leads to a varying normal load, which complicates the analysis. A model including this effect is presented and simulations are performed both in the time and frequency domain. A parametric study is performed with the aim of finding the optimal damper design with respect to

  10. Prototype of a Web-based Participative Decision Support Platform in Natural Hazards and Risk Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zar Chi Aye

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the current state and development of a prototype web-GIS (Geographic Information System decision support platform intended for application in natural hazards and risk management, mainly for floods and landslides. This web platform uses open-source geospatial software and technologies, particularly the Boundless (formerly OpenGeo framework and its client side software development kit (SDK. The main purpose of the platform is to assist the experts and stakeholders in the decision-making process for evaluation and selection of different risk management strategies through an interactive participation approach, integrating web-GIS interface with decision support tool based on a compromise programming approach. The access rights and functionality of the platform are varied depending on the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in managing the risk. The application of the prototype platform is demonstrated based on an example case study site: Malborghetto Valbruna municipality of North-Eastern Italy where flash floods and landslides are frequent with major events having occurred in 2003. The preliminary feedback collected from the stakeholders in the region is discussed to understand the perspectives of stakeholders on the proposed prototype platform.

  11. Platform decommissioning costs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodger, David

    1998-01-01

    There are over 6500 platforms worldwide contributing to the offshore oil and gas production industry. In the North Sea there are around 500 platforms in place. There are many factors to be considered in planning for platform decommissioning and the evaluation of options for removal and disposal. The environmental impact, technical feasibility, safety and cost factors all have to be considered. This presentation considers what information is available about the overall decommissioning costs for the North Sea and the costs of different removal and disposal options for individual platforms. 2 figs., 1 tab

  12. Reducing The Risk Of Fires In Conveyor Transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheremushkina, M. S.; Poddubniy, D. A.

    2017-01-01

    The paper deals with the actual problem of increasing the safety of operation of belt conveyors in mines. Was developed the control algorithm that meets the technical requirements of the mine belt conveyors, reduces the risk of fires of conveyors belt, and enables energy and resource savings taking into account random sort of traffic. The most effective method of decision such tasks is the construction of control systems with the use of variable speed drives for asynchronous motors. Was designed the mathematical model of the system "variable speed multiengine drive - conveyor - control system of conveyors", that takes into account the dynamic processes occurring in the elements of the transport system, provides an assessment of the energy efficiency of application the developed algorithms, which allows to reduce the dynamic overload in the belt to (15-20)%.

  13. TWRS safety and technical integration risk management plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fordham, R.A.

    1996-01-01

    The objectives of the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Safety and Technical Integration (STI) programmatic risk management program are to assess, analyze, and handle risks associated with TWRS STI responsibilities and to communicate information about the actions being taken and the results to enable decision making. The objective of this TWRS STI Risk Management Plan is to communicate a consistent approach to risk management that will be used by the organization

  14. Impact of shutdown risk on risk-based assessment of technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deriot, S.

    1992-10-01

    This paper describes the current work performed by the Research and Development Division of EDF concerning risk-based assessment of Operating Technical Specifications (OTS). The current risk-based assessment of OTS at EDF is presented. Then, the level 1 Probabilistic Safety Assessment of unit 3 of the Paluel nuclear power station (called PSA 1300) is described. It is fully computerized and takes into account the risk in shutdown states. A case study is presented. It shows that the fact of considering shutdown risk suggests that the current OTS should be modified

  15. Risk based technique for improving technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, I. S.; Jae, M. S.; Kim, B. S.; Hwang, S. W.; Kang, K. M.; Park, S. S.; Yu, Y. S.

    2001-03-01

    The objective of this study is to develop the systematic guidance for reviewing the documents associated with the changes of technical specifications. The work done in this fiscal year is the following : surveys in TS requirements, TS improvements and TS regulations in foreign countries as well as Korea, surveys on the state-of-the-art of RITSs and their use in Korea, development of a decision-making framework for both the licensee and the regulation agency, description of risk measures, assessment methodology on STI/AOT, and adverse effects caused by periodic maintenance, which are explained in appendix. The results of this study might contribute to enhancing the quality of the current technical specifications and contribute to preparing the risk informed regulation program using the decision-making framework developed in this study

  16. 15 CFR 911.8 - Technical requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... PROCEDURES CONCERNING USE OF THE NOAA SPACE-BASED DATA COLLECTION SYSTEMS § 911.8 Technical requirements. (a) All platform operators of the NOAA DCS must use a data collection platform radio set whose technical... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Technical requirements. 911.8 Section...

  17. A Personalized Risk Stratification Platform for Population Lifetime Healthcare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daowd, Ali; Abidi, Samina Raza; Abusharekh, Ashraf; Abidi, Syed Sibte Raza

    2018-01-01

    Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. It is well understood that if modifiable risk factors are targeted, most chronic diseases can be prevented. Lifetime health is an emerging health paradigm that aims to assist individuals to achieve desired health targets, and avoid harmful lifecycle choices to mitigate the risk of chronic diseases. Early risk identification is central to lifetime health. In this paper, we present a digital health-based platform (PRISM) that leverages artificial intelligence, data visualization and mobile health technologies to empower citizens to self-assess, self-monitor and self-manage their overall risk of major chronic diseases and pursue personalized chronic disease prevention programs. PRISM offers risk assessment tools for 5 chronic conditions, 2 psychiatric disorders and 8 different cancers.

  18. Risk assessment analysis of the future technical unit dedicated to the evaluation and treatment of motor disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grelier, S; Thetio, M; Quentin, V; Achache, V; Sanchez, N; Leroux, V; Durand, E; Pequignot, R

    2011-03-01

    The National Hospital of Saint Maurice (HNSM) for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation aims at strengthening its position as a pivot rehabilitation and physical therapy center. The opening in 2011 of a new unit for the evaluation and treatment of motor disabilities meets this objective. This project includes several parts: clinical, financial, architectural, organizational, applied clinical research as well as dealing with medical equipments and information system. This study focuses on the risk assessment of this future technical unit. This study was conducted by a group of professionals working for the hospital. It started with the design of a functional model to better comprehend the system to be analyzed. Risk assessment consists in confronting this functional model to a list of dangers in order to determine the vulnerable areas of the system. Then the team designed some scenarios to identify the causes, securities barriers and consequences in order to rank the risks. The analysis targeted various dangers, e.g. political, strategic, financial, economical, marketing, clinical and operational. The team identified more than 70 risky scenarios. For 75% of them the criticality level was deemed initially tolerable and under control or unacceptable. The implementation of an action plan for reducing the level of risks before opening this technical unit brought the system down to an acceptable level at 66%. A year prior to opening this technical unit for the evaluation and treatment of motor disabilities, conducting this preliminary risk assessment, with its exhaustive and rigorous methodology, enabled the concerned professionals to work together around an action plan for reducing the risks. 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. A study on decision-making framework for developing risk-informed technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Beom Seock

    2002-02-01

    The utility and the nuclear research institutes in Korea have conduct research for improving inefficient requirements in technical specifications using the results of probability risk assessments and information associated with risk. However, the guidance for reviewing the improved technical specifications has not been developed. Thus, the objective of this study is to develop a decision-making framework for investigating and reviewing the documents associated with the changes of technical specifications. This work has been done for helping the regulation agency to review the improved technical specifications as well as to make decisions whether the remedy is accepted or not. The contents of this study include: 1. Surveys on Technical Specification regulations in foreign countries as well as those in Korea 2. Surveys on the state- of- the- art methodology for Risk Informed Technical Specifications and their uses in Korea 3. Development of a decision-making framework in both the licensee and the regulation agency position 4. Development and applications of a decision-making framework using Influence Diagrams. The decision-making framework for RITS using Influence Diagrams are developed and applied to an example problem in this study. This work might contribute to developing the risk informed regulation guidance for improving the quality of the current technical specifications

  20. Structural steels for fixed offshore platforms: technical challenges at the Brazilian national supply chain; Acos estruturais para plataformas fixas offshore: desafios tecnicos junto a cadeia de suprimentos nacional brasileira

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castro, Fabio Modesti Orsini de [Promon Engenharia Ltda., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2012-07-01

    This paper presents the main technical requirements for structural steel applied to the construction of bottom fixed offshore platforms, based on the most widely adopted and recognized actual standards. The mechanical properties and lab tests necessary to fulfill the Risk Management and E and P companies requirements are presented aiming to build the theoretical bases necessary for the engineering design of projects of this kind. The main types of steel available in the national market are presented at the end, giving an overall look at the Brazilian steel supply chain. (author)

  1. Definition of technical risks in terms of law

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossnagel, A.

    1986-01-01

    The legal system has to acknowledge that complete absence of risk is unattainable. The core question of the law governing technological issues therefore is: How safe is safe enough. The law cannot entirely prohibit technical risks; all it can do is aiming at proper control of unavoidable risks, making a distribution between permissible and non-permissible risks, the consequence of this approach being that a permissible risk cannot be termed to be unlawful once it because a real event. It certainly is a difficult task to find legal rules and provisions that are so perfectly geared to the technical facts and problems that they really allow technology to be controlled, supervised and, if necessary, kept in check along the lines set by the law. The article in hand discusses some proposals as to the formulation of technical risks in terms of law in order to improve existing provisions in the body of law. As an example of what needs improvement, the author discusses the acceptance and acceptability of a hazardous activity, which, the author says, is not guaranteed by the procedure alone that is currently available, namely administrative procedure and licensing procedure. The administrative procedures are said to be insufficient and not complex enough to gather all necessary and relevant information for solving the problems involved. The proposal in the article therefore is to put the question 'How safe is safe enough' to the inhabitants of the region concerned, so that the acceptance of a hazardous activity would depend on a licence issued by the competent authority, and on the approval of the population affected, as certained by a non-compulsory administrative referendum. (orig./HSCH) [de

  2. Operationalization Of The Professional Risks Assessment Activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivascu, Victoria Larisa; Cirjaliu, Bianca; Draghici, Anca

    2015-07-01

    Professional risks assessment approach (integration of analysis and evaluation processes) is linked with the general concerns of nowadays companies for their employees' health and safety assurances, in the context of organizations sustainable development. The paper presents an approach for the operationalization of the professional risk assessment activity in companies through the implementation and use of the OnRisk platform (this have been tested in some industrial companies). The short presentation of the relevant technical reports and statistics on OSH management at the European Union level underlines the need for the development of a professional risks assessment. Finally, there have been described the designed and developed OnRisk platform as a web platform together with some case studies that have validate the created tool.

  3. Interdisciplinary Analysis of Drought Communication Through Social Media Platforms and Risk Communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wygant, M.

    2015-12-01

    As droughts continue to impact businesses and communities throughout the United States, there needs to be a greater emphasis on drought communication through interdisciplinary approaches, risk communication, and digital platforms. The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the current literature on communicating drought and suggests areas for further improvement. Specifically, this research focuses on communicating drought through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It also focuses on the conglomeration of theoretical frameworks within the realm of risk communication, to provide a strong foundation towards future drought communication. This research proposal provides a critical step to advocate for paradigmatic shifts within natural hazard communication.

  4. Application and Removal of Strippable Coatings via Remote Platform - 13133

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shoffner, P.; Lagos, L.; Maggio, S.

    2013-01-01

    Florida International University's (FIU's) Applied Research Center is currently supporting the Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Office of D and D and Facility Engineering program. FIU is supporting DOE's initiative to improve safety, reduce technical risks, and limit uncertainty within D and D operations by identifying technologies suitable to meet specific facility D and D requirements, assessing the readiness of those technologies for field deployment, and conducting feasibility studies and technology demonstrations of selected technologies and working with technology vendors to optimize the design of their current technologies to accomplish dangerous and demanding tasks during D and D operations. To meet one identified technology gap challenge for a technology to remotely apply strippable coatings, fixatives and decontamination gels, FIU identified and performed an initial demonstration of an innovative remote fixative sprayer platform from International Climbing Machines (ICM). The selected technology was demonstrated spraying fixative products at the hot cell mockup facility at the Applied Research Center at FIU in November 2008 under cold (non-radioactive) conditions. The remotely controlled platform was remotely operated and entered the facility and sprayed a fixative onto horizontal and vertical surfaces. Based on the initial FIU demonstration and the specific technical requirements identified at the DOE facilities, a follow-up demonstration was expanded to include strippable coatings and a decontamination gel, which was demonstrated in June 2010 at the ICM facility in Ithaca, NY. This second technology evaluation documented the ability of the remote system to spray the selected products on vertical stainless steel and concrete surfaces to a height of 3 meters (10 feet) and to achieve sufficient coverage and product thickness to promote the ability to peel/remove the strippable coatings and decontamination gel. The next challenge was to

  5. Social risk assessment of large technical systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pasman, H.J.; Vrijling, J.K.

    2003-01-01

    A probabilistic approach to engineering advances. Since risk adhering to a technical structure can be determined quantitatively easier and more accurately than before, criteria for decision making are becoming more important. If the structure is in the public domain, and benefits are not felt, the

  6. Risk based regulation: a convenient concept for legislation and regulation in the field of technical risks?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seiler, J.H.

    1998-01-01

    Legislation and regulation concerning risk activities are traditionally based on deterministic safety measures. This may lead to inefficient results: sometimes the law requires safety measures which are - from an economic viewpoint - not justified because of their poor cost-effectiveness; sometimes it does not require safety measures although they would be very efficient. The risk based regulation approach wants to make the law more efficient and to get more safety at less costs. Legislation and regulation should be based on terms of risk rather than on deterministic rules. Risk should be expressed in quantitative terms and risk regulation should be based on the cost-effectiveness of safety measures. Thus a most efficient (in the sense of the economic analysis of the law) strategy for safety and environmental law could be established. The approach is economically reasonable and theoretically convincing. Its practical implementation however raises a lot of technical and legal questions. The project 'Risk Based Regulation' (1996-1999), sponsored by the Swiss National Fund for Scientific Research, intends to evaluate the practical feasibility of the approach from a technical and a legal view. It contains a general part which describes the risk based regulation approach and its legal and technical questions, case studies which try to practically implement the risk based regulation approach; the case studies are: storage and management of explosives in the army, storage and management of explosives for non-military purposes, safety at work, accident prevention in the non-professional field (mainly road accidents), fire protection, transportation of dangerous goods, waste disposal: traditional waste, waste disposal: radioactive waste, nuclear energy (reactor safety), a synthesis with recommendations for the future legislation and regulation in the field of technical risks. The paper presents the project and its preliminary results. (author)

  7. A technical review of flexible endoscopic multitasking platforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeung, Baldwin Po Man; Gourlay, Terence

    2012-01-01

    Further development of advanced therapeutic endoscopic techniques and natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) requires a powerful flexible endoscopic multitasking platform. Medline search was performed to identify literature relating to flexible endoscopic multitasking platform from year 2004-2011 using keywords: Flexible endoscopic multitasking platform, NOTES, Instrumentation, Endoscopic robotic surgery, and specific names of various endoscopic multitasking platforms. Key articles from articles references were reviewed. Flexible multitasking platforms can be classified as either mechanical or robotic. Purely mechanical systems include the dual channel endoscope (DCE) (Olympus), R-Scope (Olympus), the EndoSamurai (Olympus), the ANUBIScope (Karl-Storz), Incisionless Operating Platform (IOP) (USGI), and DDES system (Boston Scientific). Robotic systems include the MASTER system (Nanyang University, Singapore) and the Viacath (Hansen Medical). The DCE, the R-Scope, the EndoSamurai and the ANUBIScope have integrated visual function and instrument manipulation function. The IOP and DDES systems rely on the conventional flexible endoscope for visualization, and instrument manipulation is integrated through the use of a flexible, often lockable, multichannel access device. The advantage of the access device concept is that it allows optics and instrument dissociation. Due to the anatomical constrains of the pharynx, systems are designed to have a diameter of less than 20 mm. All systems are controlled by traction cable system actuated either by hand or by robotic machinery. In a flexible system, this method of actuation inevitably leads to significant hysteresis. This problem will be accentuated with a long endoscope such as that required in performing colonic procedures. Systems often require multiple operators. To date, the DCE, the R-Scope, the IOP, and the Viacath system have data published relating to their application in human. Alternative forms of

  8. Cloudgene: a graphical execution platform for MapReduce programs on private and public clouds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schönherr, Sebastian; Forer, Lukas; Weißensteiner, Hansi; Kronenberg, Florian; Specht, Günther; Kloss-Brandstätter, Anita

    2012-08-13

    The MapReduce framework enables a scalable processing and analyzing of large datasets by distributing the computational load on connected computer nodes, referred to as a cluster. In Bioinformatics, MapReduce has already been adopted to various case scenarios such as mapping next generation sequencing data to a reference genome, finding SNPs from short read data or matching strings in genotype files. Nevertheless, tasks like installing and maintaining MapReduce on a cluster system, importing data into its distributed file system or executing MapReduce programs require advanced knowledge in computer science and could thus prevent scientists from usage of currently available and useful software solutions. Here we present Cloudgene, a freely available platform to improve the usability of MapReduce programs in Bioinformatics by providing a graphical user interface for the execution, the import and export of data and the reproducibility of workflows on in-house (private clouds) and rented clusters (public clouds). The aim of Cloudgene is to build a standardized graphical execution environment for currently available and future MapReduce programs, which can all be integrated by using its plug-in interface. Since Cloudgene can be executed on private clusters, sensitive datasets can be kept in house at all time and data transfer times are therefore minimized. Our results show that MapReduce programs can be integrated into Cloudgene with little effort and without adding any computational overhead to existing programs. This platform gives developers the opportunity to focus on the actual implementation task and provides scientists a platform with the aim to hide the complexity of MapReduce. In addition to MapReduce programs, Cloudgene can also be used to launch predefined systems (e.g. Cloud BioLinux, RStudio) in public clouds. Currently, five different bioinformatic programs using MapReduce and two systems are integrated and have been successfully deployed. Cloudgene is

  9. Cloudgene: A graphical execution platform for MapReduce programs on private and public clouds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schönherr Sebastian

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The MapReduce framework enables a scalable processing and analyzing of large datasets by distributing the computational load on connected computer nodes, referred to as a cluster. In Bioinformatics, MapReduce has already been adopted to various case scenarios such as mapping next generation sequencing data to a reference genome, finding SNPs from short read data or matching strings in genotype files. Nevertheless, tasks like installing and maintaining MapReduce on a cluster system, importing data into its distributed file system or executing MapReduce programs require advanced knowledge in computer science and could thus prevent scientists from usage of currently available and useful software solutions. Results Here we present Cloudgene, a freely available platform to improve the usability of MapReduce programs in Bioinformatics by providing a graphical user interface for the execution, the import and export of data and the reproducibility of workflows on in-house (private clouds and rented clusters (public clouds. The aim of Cloudgene is to build a standardized graphical execution environment for currently available and future MapReduce programs, which can all be integrated by using its plug-in interface. Since Cloudgene can be executed on private clusters, sensitive datasets can be kept in house at all time and data transfer times are therefore minimized. Conclusions Our results show that MapReduce programs can be integrated into Cloudgene with little effort and without adding any computational overhead to existing programs. This platform gives developers the opportunity to focus on the actual implementation task and provides scientists a platform with the aim to hide the complexity of MapReduce. In addition to MapReduce programs, Cloudgene can also be used to launch predefined systems (e.g. Cloud BioLinux, RStudio in public clouds. Currently, five different bioinformatic programs using MapReduce and two systems are

  10. Prototype development of a web-based participative decision support platform in risk management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aye, Zar Chi; Olyazadeh, Roya; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Derron, Marc-Henri

    2014-05-01

    This paper discusses the proposed background architecture and prototype development of an internet-based decision support system (DSS) in the field of natural hazards and risk management using open-source geospatial software and web technologies. It is based on a three-tier, client-server architecture with the support of boundless (opengeo) framework and its client side SDK application environment using customized gxp components and data utility classes. The main purpose of the system is to integrate the workflow of risk management systematically with the diverse involvement of stakeholders from different organizations dealing with natural hazards and risk for evaluation of management measures through the active online participation approach. It aims to develop an adaptive user friendly, web-based environment that allows the users to set up risk management strategies based on actual context and data by integrating web-GIS and DSS functionality associated with process flow and other visualization tools. Web-GIS interface has been integrated within the DSS to deliver maps and provide certain geo-processing capabilities on the web, which can be easily accessible and shared by different organizations located in case study sites of the project. This platform could be envisaged not only as a common web-based platform for the centralized sharing of data such as hazard maps, elements at risk maps and additional information but also to ensure an integrated platform of risk management where the users could upload data, analyze risk and identify possible alternative scenarios for risk reduction especially for floods and landslides, either quantitatively or qualitatively depending on the risk information provided by the stakeholders in case study regions. The level of involvement, access to and interaction with the provided functionality of the system varies depending on the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders, for example, only the experts (planners, geological

  11. Prototype of a web - based participative decision support platform in natural hazards and risk management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aye, Z.C.; Jaboyedoff, M.; Derron, M.H.; van Westen, C.J.

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents the current state and development of a prototype web-GIS (Geographic Information System) decision support platform intended for application in natural hazards and risk management, mainly for floods and landslides. This web platform uses open-source geospatial software and

  12. Technical methods for a risk-informed, performance-based fire protection program at nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dey, M.K.

    2000-01-01

    This paper presents a technical review and examination of technical methods that are available for developing a risk-informed, performance-based fire protection program at a nuclear plant. The technical methods include 'engineering tools' for examining the fire dynamics of fire protection problems, reliability techniques for establishing an optimal fire protection surveillance program, fire computer codes for analyzing important fire protection safety parameters, and risk-informed approaches that can range from drawing qualitative insights from risk information to quantifying the risk impact of alternative fire protection approaches. Based on this technical review and examination, it is concluded that methods for modeling fires, and reliability and fire probabilistic risk analyses (PRA) are currently available to support the initial implementation of simple risk-informed, performance-based approaches in fire protection programs. (orig.) [de

  13. Licensing experience with SPINLINE digital I/C platform - 15099

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jegou, H.; Duthou, A.; Bach, J.; Burzynski, M.

    2015-01-01

    Rolls-Royce recently received a safety evaluation report from the NRC for the SPINLINE 3 digital safety instrumentation and control platform. The main Rolls-Royce interest in the NRC review was approval of the fail-safe, fault-tolerance, self-monitoring, deterministic, and communication independence features of the platform. The SPINLINE 3 platform consists of a set of standardized, modular hardware and software components and associated development tools. Rolls-Royce used a set of EPRI guidance documents to successfully develop a commercial grade dedication case of the platform. It was important to describe the technical critical characteristics for performance and dependability in the documentation submitted to NRC. The NRC audit forum was an important opportunity to effectively communicate complex technical information about the SPINLINE 3 platform. The NRC review had five interesting focus areas that offer opportunities for lessons learned. The main lesson learned is to put the same emphasis on the review for communication effectiveness as is put on the review for technical completeness and accuracy

  14. Product Platform Screening at LEGO

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, Niels Henrik; Steen Jensen, Thomas; Nielsen, Ole Fiil

    2012-01-01

    Product platforms offer great benefits to companies developing new products in highly competitive markets. Literature describes how a single platform can be designed from a technical point of view, but rarely mentions how the process begins. How do companies identify possible platform candidates...... after a few changes had been applied to the initial process layout. This case study shows how companies must focus on a limited selection of simultaneous projects in order to keep focus. Primary stakeholders must be involved from the very beginning, and short presentations of the platform concepts...

  15. Technical methods for a risk-informed, performance-based fire protection program at nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dey, M.K.

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents a technical review and examination of technical methods that are available for developing a risk-informed, performance-based fire protection program at a nuclear plant. The technical methods include ''engineering tools'' for examining the fire dynamics of fire protection problems, reliability techniques for establishing an optimal fire protection surveillance program, fire computer codes for analyzing important fire protection safety parameters, and risk-informed approaches that can range from drawing qualitative insights from risk information to quantifying the risk impact of alternative fire protection approaches. Based on this technical review and examination, it is concluded that methods for modeling fires, and reliability and fire PRA analyses are currently available to support the initial implementation of simple risk-informed, performance-based approaches in fire protection programs. (author)

  16. A Socio-Technical Exploration for Reducing & Mitigating the Risk of Retained Foreign Objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corrigan, Siobhán; Kay, Alison; O’Byrne, Katie; Slattery, Dubhfeasa; Sheehan, Sharon; McDonald, Nick; Smyth, David; Mealy, Ken; Cromie, Sam

    2018-01-01

    A Retained Foreign Object (RFO) is a fairly infrequent but serious adverse event. An accurate rate of RFOs is difficult to establish due to underreporting but it has been estimated that incidences range between 1/1000 and 1/19,000 procedures. The cost of a RFO incident may be substantial and three-fold: (i) the cost to the patient of physical and/or psychological harm; (ii) the reputational cost to an institution and/or healthcare provider; and (iii) the financial cost to the taxpayer in the event of a legal claim. This Health Research Board-funded project aims to analyse and understand the problem of RFOs in surgical and maternity settings in Ireland and develop hospital-specific foreign object management processes and implementation roadmaps. This project will deploy an integrated evidence-based assessment methodology for social-technical modelling (Supply, Context, Organising, Process & Effects/ SCOPE Analysis Cube) and bow tie methodologies that focuses on managing the risks in effectively implementing and sustaining change. It comprises a multi-phase research approach that involves active and ongoing collaboration with clinical and other healthcare staff through each phase of the research. The specific objective of this paper is to present the methodological approach and outline the potential to produce generalisable results which could be applied to other health-related issues. PMID:29642646

  17. A Socio-Technical Exploration for Reducing & Mitigating the Risk of Retained Foreign Objects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siobhán Corrigan

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available A Retained Foreign Object (RFO is a fairly infrequent but serious adverse event. An accurate rate of RFOs is difficult to establish due to underreporting but it has been estimated that incidences range between 1/1000 and 1/19,000 procedures. The cost of a RFO incident may be substantial and three-fold: (i the cost to the patient of physical and/or psychological harm; (ii the reputational cost to an institution and/or healthcare provider; and (iii the financial cost to the taxpayer in the event of a legal claim. This Health Research Board-funded project aims to analyse and understand the problem of RFOs in surgical and maternity settings in Ireland and develop hospital-specific foreign object management processes and implementation roadmaps. This project will deploy an integrated evidence-based assessment methodology for social-technical modelling (Supply, Context, Organising, Process & Effects/ SCOPE Analysis Cube and bow tie methodologies that focuses on managing the risks in effectively implementing and sustaining change. It comprises a multi-phase research approach that involves active and ongoing collaboration with clinical and other healthcare staff through each phase of the research. The specific objective of this paper is to present the methodological approach and outline the potential to produce generalisable results which could be applied to other health-related issues.

  18. Risk impact of BWR technical specifications requirements during shutdown

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Staple, B.D.; Kirk, H.K.; Yakle, J.

    1994-10-01

    This report presents an application of probabilistic models and risk based criteria for determining the risk impact of the Limiting Conditions of Operations (LCOs) in the Technical Specifications (TSs) of a boiling water reactor during shutdown. This analysis studied the risk impact of the current requirements of Allowed Outage Times (AOTs) and Surveillance Test Intervals (STIs) in eight Plant Operational States (POSs) which encompass power operations, shutdown, and refueling. This report also discusses insights concerning TS action statements

  19. Trusted computing platforms TPM2.0 in context

    CERN Document Server

    Proudler, Graeme; Dalton, Chris

    2015-01-01

    In this book the authors first describe the background of trusted platforms and trusted computing and speculate about the future. They then describe the technical features and architectures of trusted platforms from several different perspectives, finally explaining second-generation TPMs, including a technical description intended to supplement the Trusted Computing Group's TPM2 specifications. The intended audience is IT managers and engineers and graduate students in information security.

  20. Application and Removal of Strippable Coatings via Remote Platform - 13133

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shoffner, P.; Lagos, L. [Applied Research Center, Florida International University, 10555 West Flagler Street, Suite 2100, Miami, FL 33174 (United States); Maggio, S. [International Climbing Machine, 630 Elmira Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (United States)

    2013-07-01

    Florida International University's (FIU's) Applied Research Center is currently supporting the Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Office of D and D and Facility Engineering program. FIU is supporting DOE's initiative to improve safety, reduce technical risks, and limit uncertainty within D and D operations by identifying technologies suitable to meet specific facility D and D requirements, assessing the readiness of those technologies for field deployment, and conducting feasibility studies and technology demonstrations of selected technologies and working with technology vendors to optimize the design of their current technologies to accomplish dangerous and demanding tasks during D and D operations. To meet one identified technology gap challenge for a technology to remotely apply strippable coatings, fixatives and decontamination gels, FIU identified and performed an initial demonstration of an innovative remote fixative sprayer platform from International Climbing Machines (ICM). The selected technology was demonstrated spraying fixative products at the hot cell mockup facility at the Applied Research Center at FIU in November 2008 under cold (non-radioactive) conditions. The remotely controlled platform was remotely operated and entered the facility and sprayed a fixative onto horizontal and vertical surfaces. Based on the initial FIU demonstration and the specific technical requirements identified at the DOE facilities, a follow-up demonstration was expanded to include strippable coatings and a decontamination gel, which was demonstrated in June 2010 at the ICM facility in Ithaca, NY. This second technology evaluation documented the ability of the remote system to spray the selected products on vertical stainless steel and concrete surfaces to a height of 3 meters (10 feet) and to achieve sufficient coverage and product thickness to promote the ability to peel/remove the strippable coatings and decontamination gel. The next

  1. Risk-reducing mastectomy for the prevention of primary breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbine, Nora E; Lostumbo, Liz; Wallace, Judi; Ko, Henry

    2018-04-05

    Recent progress in understanding the genetic basis of breast cancer and widely publicized reports of celebrities undergoing risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) have increased interest in RRM as a method of preventing breast cancer. This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2004 and previously updated in 2006 and 2010. (i) To determine whether risk-reducing mastectomy reduces death rates from any cause in women who have never had breast cancer and in women who have a history of breast cancer in one breast, and (ii) to examine the effect of risk-reducing mastectomy on other endpoints, including breast cancer incidence, breast cancer mortality, disease-free survival, physical morbidity, and psychosocial outcomes. For this Review update, we searched Cochrane Breast Cancer's Specialized Register, MEDLINE, Embase and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) on 9 July 2016. We included studies in English. Participants included women at risk for breast cancer in at least one breast. Interventions included all types of mastectomy performed for the purpose of preventing breast cancer. At least two review authors independently abstracted data from each report. We summarized data descriptively; quantitative meta-analysis was not feasible due to heterogeneity of study designs and insufficient reporting. We analyzed data separately for bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy (BRRM) and contralateral risk-reducing mastectomy (CRRM). Four review authors assessed the methodological quality to determine whether or not the methods used sufficiently minimized selection bias, performance bias, detection bias, and attrition bias. All 61 included studies were observational studies with some methodological limitations; randomized trials were absent. The studies presented data on 15,077 women with a wide range of risk factors for breast cancer, who underwent RRM.Twenty-one BRRM studies looking at the incidence of breast cancer or disease-specific mortality, or

  2. The analysis of activities and social campaigns aimed at reducing children’s risk of traffic incidents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krzysztof Goniewicz

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Road traffic accidents and falls are the cause of over 80% of serious injuries in children. However, injuries resulting in road accidents are the leading cause of children’s death, more common than cancer and birth defects. The paper presents ways to reduce the risk of children in traffic. Various technical improvements were pointed out that could improve the safety of children. It highlighted the important role of parents and children tutors in education on road safety. It was found that injury prevention should be a systematic and organized action. This should include both the elimination of threats and actions to reduce the risk and improve the in-hospital and pre-hospital care.

  3. Implantation of Right Kidneys: Is the Risk of Technical Graft Loss Real?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Taqi T; Ahmad, Nadeem; Siddique, Kashif; Fourtounas, Konstantinos

    2018-05-01

    The left kidney (LK) is preferred by transplant surgeons, because its vein is always of good length and has a thick wall that enables safe suturing. On the other hand, the right renal vein is generally shorter and thinner walled, and well known for its technical difficulty during venous anastomosis, and can result in graft loss. We examined our living (LD) and deceased donor (DD) recipient data and compared the incidence of technical graft loss and early graft function in right and left kidneys. A cohort of 58 adult and pediatric recipients received an LD or DD kidney between January 2015 and December 2016. The donor and recipient data were retrieved and retrospectively analyzed. Technical graft loss was defined as graft thrombosis within the 7 days after transplant. Right kidneys (RKs) were not a risk factor for technical graft loss, and no graft was lost for technical reasons in either LD or DD transplants. Early graft function in LK and RKs was also comparable in the LD cohort, and there were no LKs in the DD cohort. Based on our data, the use of RKs was not a risk factor for technical graft loss and early graft function was comparable to LKs.

  4. Reduction of product platform complexity by vectorial Euclidean algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Navarrete, Israel Aguilera; Guzman, Alejandro A. Lozano

    2013-01-01

    In traditional machine, equipment and devices design, technical solutions are practically independent, thus increasing designs cost and complexity. Overcoming this situation has been tackled just using designer's experience. In this work, a product platform complexity reduction is presented based on a matrix representation of technical solutions versus product properties. This matrix represents the product platform. From this matrix, the Euclidean distances among technical solutions are obtained. Thus, the vectorial distances among technical solutions are identified in a new matrix of order of the number of technical solutions identified. This new matrix can be reorganized in groups with a hierarchical structure, in such a way that modular design of products is now more tractable. As a result of this procedure, the minimum vector distances are found thus being possible to identify the best technical solutions for the design problem raised. Application of these concepts is shown with two examples.

  5. [The Design Requirements for an E-Health Management Platform: Addressing the Needs of Adolescent Girls at High Risk of Metabolic Syndrome].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Mei-Chen; Chen, Wen-Chin; Liu, Chieh-Yu; Jou, Hei-Jen; Hsiao, Ya-Chu; Tsao, Lee-Ing

    2015-10-01

    The rising prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adolescents has not been effectively addressed by current campus-based health promotions. Using the Internet in these promotions may help health professionals achieve better healthcare management. The purpose of the present study was to explore the design requirements of an e-health management platform from the subjective perspective of adolescent girls who were at a high risk of metabolic syndrome. The findings may provide a reference for designing nursing interventions that more effectively promote healthly lifestyle habits to adolescents. This qualitative study employed a snowball approach and used a semi-structured interview guide to collect data. A total of 20 Taiwanese adolescent females who were at a high risk of metabolic syndrome, aged 16-20 years, able to speak Mandarin or Taiwanese, and willing to participate and to have their sessions tape-recorded were enrolled as participants and engaged individually in in-depth interviews. The constant comparative method was used to inductively analyze the interview data. Five main themes related to the e-health management platform emerged from the data. These themes included: an attractive and user-friendly website interface, access to reliable information and resources, provision of tailored health information, access to peer support, and self-monitoring and learning tools. The findings highlight the key design needs of an e-Health management platform from the perspective of adolescent girls who are at a high risk of metabolic syndrome. The identified themes may be addressed in future revisions / developments of these platforms in order to better address the needs of this vulnerable population and to effectively reduce the incidence of metabolic syndrome. The authors hope that the results of the present study may be used to provide better healthcare and support for adolescent girls with metabolic syndrome.

  6. Tool-based Risk Assessment of Cloud Infrastructures as Socio-Technical Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nidd, Michael; Ivanova, Marieta Georgieva; Probst, Christian W.

    2015-01-01

    Assessing risk in cloud infrastructures is difficult. Typical cloud infrastructures contain potentially thousands of nodes that are highly interconnected and dynamic. Another important component is the set of human actors who get access to data and computing infrastructure. The cloud infrastructure...... exercise for cloud infrastructures using the socio-technical model developed in the TRESPASS project; after showing how to model typical components of a cloud infrastructure, we show how attacks are identified on this model and discuss their connection to risk assessment. The technical part of the model...... is extracted automatically from the configuration of the cloud infrastructure, which is especially important for systems so dynamic and complex....

  7. Reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hibbs, R.

    2005-01-01

    Full text: The March 2005 'International conference on nuclear security, global directions for the future' noted that nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats to society. Eminent members of a multi-national panel stated that there is no one principal activity to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism and that a combination of activities is required. This paper seeks to identify those activities by analyzing the elements that comprise the risk of nuclear terrorism. For the purpose of the analysis, risk is the product of the probability of a terrorist attack (A p ), the success of a terrorist act (S p ) and the consequence (C) of the attack: R=A p * S p * C. The paper examines each of these three elements of risk with the objective of identifying what we are doing and what else we could be doing to reduce risk. It takes into consideration some historic catastrophes, examines how they might have been prevented or their consequences reduced, and if there are lessons that are applicable to reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism. The paper demonstrates that we have concentrated on only one of the three elements of risk and offer suggestions for diminishing the risk of nuclear terrorism by addressing all the elements. (author)

  8. Use of the NetBeans Platform for NASA Robotic Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabey, Nickolas J.

    2014-01-01

    The latest Java and JavaFX technologies are very attractive software platforms for customers involved in space mission operations such as those of NASA and the US Air Force. For NASA Robotic Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis (CARA), the NetBeans platform provided an environment in which scalable software solutions could be developed quickly and efficiently. Both Java 8 and the NetBeans platform are in the process of simplifying CARA development in secure environments by providing a significant amount of capability in a single accredited package, where accreditation alone can account for 6-8 months for each library or software application. Capabilities either in use or being investigated by CARA include: 2D and 3D displays with JavaFX, parallelization with the new Streams API, and scalability through the NetBeans plugin architecture.

  9. Promotion of technical harmonisation on risk-based decision making

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirchsteiger, Christian; Cojazzi, Giacomo

    2000-01-01

    The EC-JRC International Workshop on Promotion of Technical Harmonisation on Risk-Based Decision Making, held at Stresa and Ispra, Italy, 22-25 May 2000, was an experts meeting to discuss the possible need of developing an internationally accepted generic 'standard' for risk-based decision making.This paper briefly describes the workshop background, its organisation and summarises its main results and conclusions; it reflects the personal opinions of the authors and in no way commits the European Commission. (author)

  10. Multi-hazard risk analysis using the FP7 RASOR Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koudogbo, Fifamè N.; Duro, Javier; Rossi, Lauro; Rudari, Roberto; Eddy, Andrew

    2014-10-01

    Climate change challenges our understanding of risk by modifying hazards and their interactions. Sudden increases in population and rapid urbanization are changing exposure to risk around the globe, making impacts harder to predict. Despite the availability of operational mapping products, there is no single tool to integrate diverse data and products across hazards, update exposure data quickly and make scenario-based predictions to support both short and long-term risk-related decisions. RASOR (Rapid Analysis and Spatialization Of Risk) will develop a platform to perform multi-hazard risk analysis for the full cycle of disaster management, including targeted support to critical infrastructure monitoring and climate change impact assessment. A scenario-driven query system simulates future scenarios based on existing or assumed conditions and compares them with historical scenarios. RASOR will thus offer a single work environment that generates new risk information across hazards, across data types (satellite EO, in-situ), across user communities (global, local, climate, civil protection, insurance, etc.) and across the world. Five case study areas are considered within the project, located in Haiti, Indonesia, Netherlands, Italy and Greece. Initially available over those demonstration areas, RASOR will ultimately offer global services to support in-depth risk assessment and full-cycle risk management.

  11. Quantification of flood risk mitigation benefits: A building-scale damage assessment through the RASOR platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arrighi, Chiara; Rossi, Lauro; Trasforini, Eva; Rudari, Roberto; Ferraris, Luca; Brugioni, Marcello; Franceschini, Serena; Castelli, Fabio

    2018-02-01

    Flood risk mitigation usually requires a significant investment of public resources and cost-effectiveness should be ensured. The assessment of the benefits of hydraulic works requires the quantification of (i) flood risk in absence of measures, (ii) risk in presence of mitigation works, (iii) investments to achieve acceptable residual risk. In this work a building-scale is adopted to estimate direct tangible flood losses to several building classes (e.g. residential, industrial, commercial, etc.) and respective contents, exploiting various sources of public open data in a GIS environment. The impact simulations for assigned flood hazard scenarios are computed through the RASOR platform which allows for an extensive characterization of the properties and their vulnerability through libraries of stage-damage curves. Recovery and replacement costs are estimated based on insurance data, market values and socio-economic proxies. The methodology is applied to the case study of Florence (Italy) where a system of retention basins upstream of the city is under construction to reduce flood risk. Current flood risk in the study area (70 km 2 ) is about 170 Mio euros per year without accounting for people, infrastructures, cultural heritage and vehicles at risk. The monetary investment in the retention basins is paid off in about 5 years. However, the results show that although hydraulic works are cost-effective, a significant residual risk has to be managed and the achievement of the desired level of acceptable risk would require about 1 billion euros of investments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Continuous Platform Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ole Fiil

    low risks and investments but also with relatively fuzzy results. When looking for new platform projects, it is important to make sure that the company and market is ready for the introduction of platforms, and to make sure that people from marketing and sales, product development, and downstream......, but continuous product family evolution challenges this strategy. The concept of continuous platform development is based on the fact that platform development should not be a one-time experience but rather an ongoing process of developing new platforms and updating existing ones, so that product family...

  13. Open-Source 3-D Platform for Low-Cost Scientific Instrument Ecosystem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, C; Wijnen, B; Pearce, J M

    2016-08-01

    The combination of open-source software and hardware provides technically feasible methods to create low-cost, highly customized scientific research equipment. Open-source 3-D printers have proven useful for fabricating scientific tools. Here the capabilities of an open-source 3-D printer are expanded to become a highly flexible scientific platform. An automated low-cost 3-D motion control platform is presented that has the capacity to perform scientific applications, including (1) 3-D printing of scientific hardware; (2) laboratory auto-stirring, measuring, and probing; (3) automated fluid handling; and (4) shaking and mixing. The open-source 3-D platform not only facilities routine research while radically reducing the cost, but also inspires the creation of a diverse array of custom instruments that can be shared and replicated digitally throughout the world to drive down the cost of research and education further. © 2016 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  14. Identification of platform levels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, Niels Henrik

    2005-01-01

    reduction, ability to launch a wider product portfolio without increasing resources and reduction of complexity within the whole company. To support the multiple product development process, platform based product development has in many companies such as Philips, VW, Ford etc. proven to be a very effective...... product development in one step and therefore the objective of this paper is to identify levels of platform based product development. The structure of this paper is as follows. First the applied terminology for platforms will be briefly explained and then characteristics between single and multi product...... development will be examined. Based on the identification of the above characteristics five platform levels are described. The research presented in this paper is a result of MSc, Ph.D projects at the Technical University of Denmark and consultancy projects within the organisation of Institute of Product...

  15. Assessment of technical risks and R and D requirements for a magnetic confinement fusion fuel system. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DeFreece, D.A.

    1983-11-01

    This report documents a specific use and results of a novel technique for assessing the technical risks associated with the hardware development of a possible future commercial fusion power plant fuel system. Technical risk is defined as the risk that a particular technology or component which is currently under development will not achieve a set of required technical specifications. A technical risk assessment is the quantification of this risk. This Technical Risk Assessment (TRA) methodology was applied to a deuterium-tritium fuel system for a magnetic-confinement fusion power plant. The fuel system is defined to support a generic commercial reactor with at least two viable options for each critical subsystem. Each subsystem option is defined in detail including nominal performance requirements and subsystem interfaces. Subsystem experts were canvassed to obtain values for past, present and future technical performance parameters for each of the subsystem options. These forecasts are presented as probabilities of achieving given levels of performance in specific time periods for assumed funding scenarios. Several funding scenarios were examined to discern whether performance limitations are caused by funding or technology. A computerized Fuel System simulation is described which uses these subsystem performance parameter forecasts as inputs

  16. The PREVIEW Global Risk Data Platform: a geoportal to serve and share global data on risk to natural hazards

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Giuliani

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available With growing world population and concentration in urban and coastal areas, the exposure to natural hazards is increasing and results in higher risk of human and economic losses. Improving the identification of areas, population and assets potentially exposed to natural hazards is essential to reduce the consequences of such events. Disaster risk is a function of hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Modelling risk at the global level requires accessing and processing a large number of data, from numerous collaborating centres.

    These data need to be easily updated, and there is a need for centralizing access to this information as well as simplifying its use for non GIS specialists. The Hyogo Framework for Action provides the mandate for data sharing, so that governments and international development agencies can take appropriate decision for disaster risk reduction.

    Timely access and easy integration of geospatial data are essential to support efforts in Disaster Risk Reduction. However various issues in data availability, accessibility and integration limit the use of such data. In consequence, a framework that facilitate sharing and exchange of geospatial data on natural hazards should improve decision-making process. The PREVIEW Global Risk Data Platform is a highly interactive web-based GIS portal supported by a Spatial Data Infrastructure that offers free and interoperable access to more than 60 global data sets on nine types of natural hazards (tropical cyclones and related storm surges, drought, earthquakes, biomass fires, floods, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions and related exposure and risk. This application portrays an easy-to-use online interactive mapping interface so that users can easily work with it and seamlessly integrate data in their own data flow using fully compliant OGC Web Services (OWS.

  17. The PREVIEW Global Risk Data Platform: a geoportal to serve and share global data on risk to natural hazards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giuliani, G.; Peduzzi, P.

    2011-01-01

    With growing world population and concentration in urban and coastal areas, the exposure to natural hazards is increasing and results in higher risk of human and economic losses. Improving the identification of areas, population and assets potentially exposed to natural hazards is essential to reduce the consequences of such events. Disaster risk is a function of hazard, exposure and vulnerability. Modelling risk at the global level requires accessing and processing a large number of data, from numerous collaborating centres. These data need to be easily updated, and there is a need for centralizing access to this information as well as simplifying its use for non GIS specialists. The Hyogo Framework for Action provides the mandate for data sharing, so that governments and international development agencies can take appropriate decision for disaster risk reduction. Timely access and easy integration of geospatial data are essential to support efforts in Disaster Risk Reduction. However various issues in data availability, accessibility and integration limit the use of such data. In consequence, a framework that facilitate sharing and exchange of geospatial data on natural hazards should improve decision-making process. The PREVIEW Global Risk Data Platform is a highly interactive web-based GIS portal supported by a Spatial Data Infrastructure that offers free and interoperable access to more than 60 global data sets on nine types of natural hazards (tropical cyclones and related storm surges, drought, earthquakes, biomass fires, floods, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions) and related exposure and risk. This application portrays an easy-to-use online interactive mapping interface so that users can easily work with it and seamlessly integrate data in their own data flow using fully compliant OGC Web Services (OWS).

  18. Reducing drinking water supply chemical contamination: risks from underground storage tanks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enander, Richard T; Hanumara, R Choudary; Kobayashi, Hisanori; Gagnon, Ronald N; Park, Eugene; Vallot, Christopher; Genovesi, Richard

    2012-12-01

    Drinking water supplies are at risk of contamination from a variety of physical, chemical, and biological sources. Ranked among these threats are hazardous material releases from leaking or improperly managed underground storage tanks located at municipal, commercial, and industrial facilities. To reduce human health and environmental risks associated with the subsurface storage of hazardous materials, government agencies have taken a variety of legislative and regulatory actions--which date back more than 25 years and include the establishment of rigorous equipment/technology/operational requirements and facility-by-facility inspection and enforcement programs. Given a history of more than 470,000 underground storage tank releases nationwide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to report that 7,300 new leaks were found in federal fiscal year 2008, while nearly 103,000 old leaks remain to be cleaned up. In this article, we report on an alternate evidence-based intervention approach for reducing potential releases from the storage of petroleum products (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, heating/fuel oil, and waste oil) in underground tanks at commercial facilities located in Rhode Island. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a new regulatory model can be used as a cost-effective alternative to traditional facility-by-facility inspection and enforcement programs for underground storage tanks. We conclude that the alternative model, using an emphasis on technical assistance tools, can produce measurable improvements in compliance performance, is a cost-effective adjunct to traditional facility-by-facility inspection and enforcement programs, and has the potential to allow regulatory agencies to decrease their frequency of inspections among low risk facilities without sacrificing compliance performance or increasing public health risks. © 2012 Society for Risk Analysis.

  19. Technical specifications review of nuclear power plants: a risk-informed evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saldanha, Pedro Luiz da Cruz; Sousa, Anna Leticia; Frutuoso e Melo, Paulo Fernando Ferreira; Duarte, Juliana Pacheco

    2012-01-01

    The use of risk information by a regulatory body as part of an integrated decision making process addresses the way in which risk information is being used as part of an integrated process in making decisions about safety issues at nuclear plants – commonly referred to as risk-informed decision making. The risk-informed approach aims to integrate in a systematic manner quantitative and qualitative, deterministic and probabilistic safety considerations to obtain a balanced decision. Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) is a methodology that can be applied to provide a structured analysis process to evaluate the frequency and consequences of accidents scenarios in nuclear power plants. Technical Specifications (TS) are specifications regarding the characteristics of nuclear power plants (variables, systems or components) of overriding importance to nuclear safety and radiation protection, which is an integral part of plant operation authorization. Limiting Conditions of Operation (LCO) are the minimum levels of performance or capacity or operating system components required for the safe operation of nuclear plants, as defined in technical specifications. The Maintenance Rule (MR) is a requirement established by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to check the effectiveness of maintenance carried out in nuclear plants, and plant configuration control. The control of plant configuration is necessary to verify the impact of the maintenance of a safety device out of service on plant safety. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has assessed the role of probabilistic safety analysis in the regulation of nuclear power plants with the following objectives: a) to provide utilities with an approach for developing and implementing nuclear power station risk-managed technical specification programs; and b) to complement and supplement existing successful configuration risk management applications such as MR. This paper focuses on the evaluation of EPRI

  20. Technical Training seminar: Texas Instruments

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Monday 6 November TECHNICAL TRAINING SEMINAR 14:00 to 17:30 - Training Centre Auditorium (bldg. 593) Texas Instruments Technical Seminar Michael Scholtholt, Field Application Engineer / TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (US, D, CH) POWER - A short approach to Texas Instruments power products Voltage mode vs. current mode control Differentiating DC/DC converters by analyzing control and compensation schemes: line / load regulation, transient response, BOM, board space, ease-of-use Introduction to the SWIFT software FPGA + CPLD power solutions WIRELESS / CHIPCON Decision criteria when choosing a RF platform Introduction to Texas Instruments wireless products: standardized platforms proprietary platforms ( 2.4 GHz / sub 1 GHz) development tools Antenna design: example for 2.4 GHz questions, discussion Industrial partners: Robert Medioni, François Caloz / Spoerle Electronic, CH-1440 Montagny (VD), Switzerland Phone: +41 24 447 0137, email: RMedioni@spoerle.com, http://www.spoerle.com Language: English. Free s...

  1. Alternative approaches to risk-based technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atefi, B.; Gallagher, D.W.; Liner, R.T.; Lofgren, E.V.

    1987-01-01

    Four alternative risk-based approaches to Technical Specifications are identified. These are: a Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) oriented approach; a reliability goal-oriented approach; an approach based on configuration control; a data-oriented approach. Based on preliminary results, the PRA-oriented approach, which has been developed further than the other approaches, seems to offer a logical, quantitative basis for setting Allowed Outage Times (AOTs) and Surveillance Test Intervals (STIs) for some plant components and systems. The most attractive feature of this approach is that it directly links the AOTs and STIs with the risk associated with the operation of the plant. This would focus the plant operator's and the regulatory agency's attention on the most risk-significant components of the plant. A series of practical issues related to the level of detail and content of the plant PRAs, requirements for the review of these PRAs, and monitoring cf the plant's performance by the regulatory agency must be resolved before the approach could be implemented. Future efforts will examine the other three approaches and their practicality before firm conclusions are drawn regarding the viability of any of these approaches

  2. Handheld Microneedle-Based Electrolyte Sensing Platform.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, Philip R. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Rivas, Rhiana [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Johnson, David [Aquila Technologies Group, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Edwards, Thayne L. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Koskelo, Markku [Aquila Technologies Group, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Shawa, Luay [Aquila Technologies Group, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Brener, Igal [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Chavez, Victor H. [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Polsky, Ronen [Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2015-11-01

    Sandia National Laboratories will provide technical assistance, within time and budget, to Requester on testing and analyzing a microneedle-based electrolyte sensing platform. Hollow microneedles will be fabricated at Sandia and integrated with a fluidic chip using plastic laminate prototyping technology available at Sandia. In connection with commercial ion selective electrodes the sensing platform will be tested for detection of electrolytes (sodium and/or potassium) within physiological relevant concent ration ranges.

  3. Risk Reducing Effect of AIS Implementation on Collision Risk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lützen, Marie; Friis-Hansen, Peter

    2003-01-01

    AIS (Automatic Identification System) is a transponder system developed for sea traffic purposes. The system sends and receives important ship information and other safety-related information between other ships and shore-based AIS stations. The implementation of AIS has now been initiated and......, as a result, the community will undoubtedly observe an increase in navigational safety. However, to the authors? knowledge, no study has so far rigorously quantified the risk reducing effect of using AIS as an integrated part of the navigational system. The objective of this study is to fill this gap....... The risk reducing effect of AIS is quantified by building a Bayesian network facilitating an evaluation of the effect of AIS on the navigational officer?s reaction ability in a potential, critical collision situation. The time-dependent change in the risk reducing effect on ship collisions is analysed...

  4. Reducing risk and accelerating delivery of a neutron source for fusion materials research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Surrey, E., E-mail: Elizabeth.Surrey@ccfe.ac.uk [EURATOM/CCFE, Abingdon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Porton, M. [EURATOM/CCFE, Abingdon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Davenne, T.; Findlay, D.; Letchford, A.; Thomason, J. [STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell OX11 0QX (United Kingdom); Roberts, S.G.; Marrow, J.; Seryi, A. [University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3DP (United Kingdom); Connolly, B. [University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Owen, H. [University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom)

    2014-04-15

    Highlights: • Proposed neutron source for fusion materials – FAFNIR – n(d,C) stripping source. • Near term technology, reduces risk compared with IFMIF, timely data production. • Technical, economic and programme needs assessed, compatible with EU Roadmap proposals. • Safety case impacts regulatory role for source, now mainly stakeholder insurance. - Abstract: The materials engineering database relevant to fusion irradiation is poorly populated and it has long been recognized that a fusion spectrum neutron source will be required, the facility IFMIF being the present proposal. Re-evaluation of the regulatory approach for the EU proposed DEMO device shows that the purpose of the source can be changed from lifetime equivalent irradiation exposure to data generation at lower levels of exposure by adopting a defence in depth strategy and regular component surveillance. This reduces the specification of the source with respect to IFMIF allowing lower risk technology solutions to be considered. A description of such a source, the Facility for Fusion Neutron Irradiation Research, FAFNIR, is presented here along with project timescales and costs.

  5. Product Platform Performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munk, Lone

    The aim of this research is to improve understanding of platform-based product development by studying platform performance in relation to internal effects in companies. Platform-based product development makes it possible to deliver product variety and at the same time reduce the needed resources...... engaging in platform-based product development. Similarly platform assessment criteria lack empirical verification regarding relevance and sufficiency. The thesis focuses on • the process of identifying and estimating internal effects, • verification of performance of product platforms, (i...... experienced representatives from the different life systems phase systems of the platform products. The effects are estimated and modeled within different scenarios, taking into account financial and real option aspects. The model illustrates and supports estimation and quantification of internal platform...

  6. ADMS Evaluation Platform

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2018-01-23

    Deploying an ADMS or looking to optimize its value? NREL offers a low-cost, low-risk evaluation platform for assessing ADMS performance. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has developed a vendor-neutral advanced distribution management system (ADMS) evaluation platform and is expanding its capabilities. The platform uses actual grid-scale hardware, large-scale distribution system models, and advanced visualization to simulate realworld conditions for the most accurate ADMS evaluation and experimentation.

  7. Risk-based configuration control: Application of PSA in improving technical specifications and operational safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samanta, P.K.; Kim, I.S.; Vesely, W.E.

    1992-01-01

    Risk-based configuration control is the management of component configurations using a risk perspective to control risk and assure safety. A configuration, as used here, is a set of component operability statuses that define the state of a nuclear power plant. If the component configurations that have high risk implications do not occur, then the risk from the operation of nuclear power plants would be minimal. The control of component configurations, i.e., the management of component statuses, to minimize the risk from components being unavailable, becomes difficult, because the status of a standby safety system component is often not apparent unless it is tested. Controlling plant configuration from a risk-perspective can provide more direct risk control and also more operational flexibility by allowing looser controls in areas unimportant to risk. Risk-based configuration control approaches can be used to replace parts of nuclear power plant Technical Specifications. With the advances in probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) technology, such approaches to improve Technical Specifications and operational safety are feasible. In this paper, we present an analysis of configuration risks, and a framework for risk-based configuration control to achieve the desired control of risk-significant configurations during plant operation

  8. MySQL databases as part of the Online Business, using a platform based on Linux

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ion-Sorin STROE

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The Internet is a business development environment that has major advantages over traditional environment. From a financial standpoint, the initial investment is much reduced and, as yield, the chances of success are considerably higher. Developing an online business also depends on the manager’s ability to use the best solutions, sustainable on a long term. The current trend is to decrease the costs for the technical platform by adopting open-source license products. Such platform is based on a Linux operating system and a database system based on MySQL product. This article aims to answer two basic questions: “A platform based on Linux and MySQL can handle the demands of an online business?” and “Adopting such a solution has the effect of increasing profitability?”

  9. Automatic Vetting for Malice in Android Platforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-05-01

    Android Apps from Play Store Infected with Brain Test Malware. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/google- removes -13- android -apps-play-store-infected- brain-test...AUTOMATIC VETTING FOR MALICE IN ANDROID PLATFORMS IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY MAY 2016 FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT APPROVED...COVERED (From - To) DEC 2013 - DEC 2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Automatic Vetting for Malice in Android Platforms 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA8750-14-2

  10. Platform development for merging various information sources for water management: methodological, technical and operational aspects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galvao, Diogo

    2013-04-01

    As a result of various economic, social and environmental factors, we can all experience the increase in importance of water resources at a global scale. As a consequence, we can also notice the increasing need of methods and systems capable of efficiently managing and combining the rich and heterogeneous data available that concerns, directly or indirectly, these water resources, such as in-situ monitoring station data, Earth Observation images and measurements, Meteorological modeling forecasts and Hydrological modeling. Under the scope of the MyWater project, we developed a water management system capable of satisfying just such needs, under a flexible platform capable of accommodating future challenges, not only in terms of sources of data but also on applicable models to extract information from it. From a methodological point of view, the MyWater platform obtains data from distinct sources, and in distinct formats, be they Satellite images or meteorological model forecasts, transforms and combines them in ways that allow them to be fed to a variety of hydrological models (such as MOHID Land, SIMGRO, etc…), which themselves can also be combined, using such approaches as those advocated by the OpenMI standard, to extract information in an automated and time efficient manner. Such an approach brings its own deal of challenges, and further research was developed under this project on the best ways to combine such data and on novel approaches to hydrological modeling (like the PriceXD model). From a technical point of view, the MyWater platform is structured according to a classical SOA architecture, with a flexible object oriented modular backend service responsible for all the model process management and data treatment, while the information extracted can be interacted with using a variety of frontends, from a web portal, including also a desktop client, down to mobile phone and tablet applications. From an operational point of view, a user can not only see

  11. Credit networks and systemic risk of Chinese local financing platforms: Too central or too big to fail?. -based on different credit correlations using hierarchical methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Fang; Chen, Xi

    2016-11-01

    The accelerating accumulation and risk concentration of Chinese local financing platforms debts have attracted wide attention throughout the world. Due to the network of financial exposures among institutions, the failure of several platforms or regions of systemic importance will probably trigger systemic risk and destabilize the financial system. However, the complex network of credit relationships in Chinese local financing platforms at the state level remains unknown. To fill this gap, we presented the first complex networks and hierarchical cluster analysis of the credit market of Chinese local financing platforms using the ;bottom up; method from firm-level data. Based on balance-sheet channel, we analyzed the topology and taxonomy by applying the analysis paradigm of subdominant ultra-metric space to an empirical data in 2013. It is remarked that we chose to extract the network of co-financed financing platforms in order to evaluate the effect of risk contagion from platforms to bank system. We used the new credit similarity measure by combining the factor of connectivity and size, to extract minimal spanning trees (MSTs) and hierarchical trees (HTs). We found that: (1) the degree distributions of credit correlation backbone structure of Chinese local financing platforms are fat tailed, and the structure is unstable with respect to targeted failures; (2) the backbone is highly hierarchical, and largely explained by the geographic region; (3) the credit correlation backbone structure based on connectivity and size is significantly heterogeneous; (4) key platforms and regions of systemic importance, and contagion path of systemic risk are obtained, which are contributed to preventing systemic risk and regional risk of Chinese local financing platforms and preserving financial stability under the framework of macro prudential supervision. Our approach of credit similarity measure provides a means of recognizing ;systemically important; institutions and regions

  12. Risks, doubt, scientific and technical expert appraisement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Decrop, G.

    1993-01-01

    In complex systems which compose modern societies, expert report is going to take an increasing place. In its usual definition, expert is justified by a superior authority, his knowledge comes from experience, he is present as a third party where he has to work. It is often forgotten two other important points, connected with the situation: it is a tangling of technical or natural systems with a social system and above all there is a risk of uncertainty. Then, the job of expert is different from scientific work done in laboratories and different from operational work done by engineers

  13. Effects of different foot progression angles and platform settings on postural stability and fall risk in healthy and medial knee osteoarthritic adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Saad Jawaid; Khan, Soobia Saad; Usman, Juliana; Mokhtar, Abdul Halim; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan

    2018-02-01

    This study aims to investigate the effects of varying toe angles at different platform settings on Overall Stability Index of postural stability and fall risk using Biodex Balance System in healthy participants and medial knee osteoarthritis patients. Biodex Balance System was employed to measure postural stability and fall risk at different foot progression angles (ranging from -20° to 40°, with 10° increments) on 20 healthy (control group) and 20 knee osteoarthritis patients (osteoarthritis group) randomly (age: 59.50 ± 7.33 years and 61.50 ± 8.63 years; body mass: 69.95 ± 9.86 kg and 70.45 ± 8.80 kg). Platform settings used were (1) static, (2) postural stability dynamic level 8 (PS8), (3) fall risk levels 12 to 8 (FR12) and (4) fall risk levels 8 to 2 (FR8). Data from the tests were analysed using three-way mixed repeated measures analysis of variance. The participant group, platform settings and toe angles all had a significant main effect on balance ( p ≤ 0.02). Platform settings had a significant interaction effect with participant group F(3, 144) = 6.97, p fall risk as compared to the healthy group. Changing platform settings has a more pronounced effect on balance in knee osteoarthritis group than in healthy participants. Changing toe angles produced similar effects in both the participant groups, with decreased stability and increased fall risk at extreme toe-in and toe-out angles.

  14. Vývoj aplikací na platformě Java FX 8

    OpenAIRE

    Macháček, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Bachelor thesis is focused at JavaFX 8 platform. The main goal of thesis it to get read-ers familiar with this platform, its new elements and possibilities, and offer them a manual for developing RIA applications running on this platform. Thesis mainly uses authors expe-rience supported by adequate literature and technical documentation of platform for achieving its goals. The contribution consists of prepared manual written in Czech lan-guage, as well as described Scene Builder tool designed...

  15. Evaluating Process Effectiveness to Reduce Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shepherd, Christena C.

    2017-01-01

    It is well documented that government agencies do not have the same incentive as the private sector to focus on process effectiveness and continual improvement of those processes. It is also well documented whenever government agencies fail to deliver efficient, effective, consistent, and fair services to the citizens. In spite of the various "reinventing government" and "effectiveness initiatives" of the past decades, and in spite of the efforts on the part of many agencies to improve, government in general still lags behind industry in creating a culture of effective processes and systems. While the tragic events that unfolded recently in Flint, Michigan, teach us that running government "like a business" does not always take the needs of the citizenry into account, there are many lessons and techniques from the private sector that government agencies can use to improve. The incentive to improve, while mandated by various administrations1, needs to come from within the workforce, in order to effectively take root. The best, most effective incentive is to reduce, control or eliminate risk. Government agencies face some of the same risks as the private sector, while some are unique. While ISO 310002 has been around since 2009, risk has taken on increased visibility within the private sector with the advent of the emphasis on risk-based thinking in ISO 9001:20153. The relationship between risk-based thinking and effective processes is simple and direct. Those processes that are well thought out and standardized (i.e. Plan-Do-Check-Act), will have taken into account the applicable policy, statutory, regulatory, safety, quality and technical parameters, which may not occur to someone performing the process with minimal experience or training; and thus protect the employees, the public and the agency from statutory and regulatory violations; delay in providing services; non-delivery of services; harm to public or employee safety and health; cost overruns; breaches in

  16. Handbook of methods for risk-based analysis of technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samanta, P.K.; Kim, I.S.; Mankamo, T.; Vesely, W.E.

    1996-01-01

    Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operations (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements are based on deterministic analyses and engineering judgments. Improvements in these requirements are facilitated by the availability of plant-specific Probabilistic Risk Assessments (PRAs). The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research sponsored research to develop systematic, risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. A handbook of methods summarizing such risk-based approaches has been completed in 1994. It is expected that this handbook will provide valuable input to NRC's present work in developing guidance for using PRA in risk-informed regulation. The handbook addresses reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), managing plant configurations, and scheduling maintenance

  17. Building National eHealth Platforms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vassilakopoulou, Polyxeni; Grisot, Miria; Jensen, Tina Blegind

    2017-01-01

    , the coordination of work among multiple contributors, and, the handling of technical heterogeneity within the pre-existing and continuous evolving eHealth landscape. Inclusiveness is related both to the character of public platforms as “common goods”, and, to growth ambitions for public eHealth. The aim...

  18. Technical requirements of a social networking platform for senior citizens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demski, Hans; Hildebrand, Claudia; López Bolós, José; Tiedge, Winfried; Wengel, Stefanie; O Broin, Daire; Palmer, Ross

    2012-01-01

    Feeling an integrative part of a social community adds to the quality of life. Elderly people who find it more difficult to actively join activities are often threatened by isolation. Social networking can enable communication and sharing activities makes it easier to set up and maintain contacts. This paper describes the development of a social networking platform and activities like gaming and exergaming all of which aim to facilitate social interaction. It reports on the particular challenges that need to be addressed when creating a social networking platform specially designed to meet the needs of the elderly.

  19. Genesis and Evolution of Digital Payment Platforms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hjelholt, Morten; Damsgaard, Jan

    2012-01-01

    Payment transactions through the use of physical coins, bank notes or credit cards have for centuries been the standard formats of exchanging money. Recently online and mobile digital payment platforms has entered the stage as contenders to this position and possibly could penetrate societies...... thoroughly and substitute current payment standards in the decades to come. This paper portrays how digital payment paltforms evolve in socio-technical niches and how various technological platforms aim for institutional attention in their attempt to challenge earlier platforms and standards. The paper...... applies a co-evolutionary multilevel perspective to model the interplay and processes between technology and society wherein digital payment platforms potentially will substitute other payment platforms just like the credit card negated the check. On this basis this paper formulate a multilevel conceptual...

  20. Innovation Opportunities: An Overview of Standards and Platforms in the Video Game Industry

    OpenAIRE

    Laakso, Mikael; Nyman, Linus Morten

    2014-01-01

    The video game industry offers insights into the significance of standards and platforms. Furthermore, it shows examples of how new entrants can offer innovative services, while reducing their own risk, through bridging the boundaries between standards. Through an exploration of both past and present, this article aims to serve as a primer for understanding, firstly, the technological standards and platforms of the video game industry, and secondly, the recent innovations within the video gam...

  1. Platform development supportedby gaming

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkola, Juliana Hsuan; Hansen, Poul H. Kyvsgård

    2007-01-01

    The challenge of implementing industrial platforms in practice can be described as a configuration problem caused by high number of variables, which often have contradictory influences on the total performance of the firm. Consequently, the specific platform decisions become extremely complex......, possibly increasing the strategic risks for the firm. This paper reports preliminary findings on platform management process at LEGO, a Danish toy company.  Specifically, we report the process of applying games combined with simulations and workshops in the platform development. We also propose a framework...

  2. Governance of Land Use Planning to Reduce Fire Risk to Homes Mediterranean France and California

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan D. Kocher

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Wildfire is a natural part of forested Mediterranean systems. As humans continue to live and build housing in these areas, wildfire is a constant threat to homes and lives. The goal of this paper is to describe aspects of land-use planning that are used to reduce wildfire risk in institutionally divergent regions; southern France and California. By reviewing relevant legislation and planning documents and conducting in person interviews with fire and planning professionals, we identify the institutions which participate in land use planning to reduce fire risk and the key laws and regulations that guide planning decisions. Our results indicate that France has a more centralized system for planning for fire, with national level entities heavily involved in local land use planning. California, on the other hand sees almost no federal oversite, and, while state law requires local plans to include wildfire risk, most fine grain decisions are left to local planners and decision makers. In both regions, however, we see a reliance on technical support provided from outside local jurisdictions. Increased coordination between local, regional, and national governments could improve land use planning in both locations.

  3. The Common Data Acquisition Platform in the Helmholtz Association

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaever, P.; Balzer, M.; Kopmann, A.; Zimmer, M.; Rongen, H.

    2017-01-01

    Various centres of the German Helmholtz Association (HGF) started in 2012 to develop a modular data acquisition (DAQ) platform, covering the entire range from detector readout to data transfer into parallel computing environments. This platform integrates generic hardware components like the multi-purpose HGF-Advanced Mezzanine Card or a smart scientific camera framework, adding user value with Linux drivers and board support packages. Technically the scope comprises the DAQ-chain from FPGA-modules to computing servers, notably frontend-electronics-interfaces, microcontrollers and GPUs with their software plus high-performance data transmission links. The core idea is a generic and component-based approach, enabling the implementation of specific experiment requirements with low effort. This so called DTS-platform will support standards like MTCA.4 in hard- and software to ensure compatibility with commercial components. Its capability to deploy on other crate standards or FPGA-boards with PCI express or Ethernet interfaces remains an essential feature. Competences of the participating centres are coordinated in order to provide a solid technological basis for both research topics in the Helmholtz Programme ''Matter and Technology'': ''Detector Technology and Systems'' and ''Accelerator Research and Development''. The DTS-platform aims at reducing costs and development time and will ensure access to latest technologies for the collaboration. Due to its flexible approach, it has the potential to be applied in other scientific programs.

  4. The Common Data Acquisition Platform in the Helmholtz Association

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaever, P.; Balzer, M.; Kopmann, A.; Zimmer, M.; Rongen, H.

    2017-04-01

    Various centres of the German Helmholtz Association (HGF) started in 2012 to develop a modular data acquisition (DAQ) platform, covering the entire range from detector readout to data transfer into parallel computing environments. This platform integrates generic hardware components like the multi-purpose HGF-Advanced Mezzanine Card or a smart scientific camera framework, adding user value with Linux drivers and board support packages. Technically the scope comprises the DAQ-chain from FPGA-modules to computing servers, notably frontend-electronics-interfaces, microcontrollers and GPUs with their software plus high-performance data transmission links. The core idea is a generic and component-based approach, enabling the implementation of specific experiment requirements with low effort. This so called DTS-platform will support standards like MTCA.4 in hard- and software to ensure compatibility with commercial components. Its capability to deploy on other crate standards or FPGA-boards with PCI express or Ethernet interfaces remains an essential feature. Competences of the participating centres are coordinated in order to provide a solid technological basis for both research topics in the Helmholtz Programme ``Matter and Technology'': ``Detector Technology and Systems'' and ``Accelerator Research and Development''. The DTS-platform aims at reducing costs and development time and will ensure access to latest technologies for the collaboration. Due to its flexible approach, it has the potential to be applied in other scientific programs.

  5. Using the Design for Demise Philosophy to Reduce Casualty Risk Due to Reentering Spacecraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelley, R. L.

    2012-01-01

    Recently the reentry of a number of vehicles has garnered public attention due to their risk of human casualty due to fragments surviving reentry. In order to minimize this risk for their vehicles, a number of NASA programs have actively sought to minimize the number of components likely to survive reentry at the end of their spacecraft's life in order to meet and/or exceed NASA safety standards for controlled and uncontrolled reentering vehicles. This philosophy, referred to as "Design for Demise" or D4D, has steadily been adopted, to at least some degree, by numerous programs. The result is that many programs are requesting evaluations of components at the early stages of vehicle design, as they strive to find ways to reduce the number surviving components while ensuring that the components meet the performance requirements of their mission. This paper will discuss some of the methods that have been employed to ensure that the consequences of the vehicle s end-of-life are considered at the beginning of the design process. In addition this paper will discuss the technical challenges overcome, as well as some of the more creative solutions which have been utilized to reduce casualty risk.

  6. Cross-Platform Technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Cristina ENACHE

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Cross-platform - a concept becoming increasingly used in recent years especially in the development of mobile apps, but this consistently over time and in the development of conventional desktop applications. The notion of cross-platform software (multi-platform or platform-independent refers to a software application that can run on more than one operating system or computing architecture. Thus, a cross-platform application can operate independent of software or hardware platform on which it is execute. As a generic definition presents a wide range of meanings for purposes of this paper we individualize this definition as follows: we will reduce the horizon of meaning and we use functionally following definition: a cross-platform application is a software application that can run on more than one operating system (desktop or mobile identical or in a similar way.

  7. [Design and Application of High-risk Pregnancy Monitoring & Warning Internet Platform Based on Internet of Things].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Heqing; Zhang, Xiaofeng; Li, Bin

    2017-09-30

    Through illustrating the designing of high-risk pregnancy maternal-fetal monitoring system based on the internet of things, this paper introduced the specific application of using wearable medical devices to provide maternal-fetal mobile medical services. With the help of big data and cloud obstetrics platform, the monitoring and warning network was further improved, the level-to-level administration of high-risk pregnancy was realized, the level of perinatal health care was enhanced and the risk of critical emergency of pregnancy decreased.

  8. Seismic hazard and risk assessment for large Romanian dams situated in the Moldavian Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moldovan, Iren-Adelina; Popescu, Emilia; Otilia Placinta, Anica; Petruta Constantin, Angela; Toma Danila, Dragos; Borleanu, Felix; Emilian Toader, Victorin; Moldoveanu, Traian

    2016-04-01

    Besides periodical technical inspections, the monitoring and the surveillance of dams' related structures and infrastructures, there are some more seismic specific requirements towards dams' safety. The most important one is the seismic risk assessment that can be accomplished by rating the dams into seismic risk classes using the theory of Bureau and Ballentine (2002), and Bureau (2003), taking into account the maximum expected peak ground motions at the dams site - values obtained using probabilistic hazard assessment approaches (Moldovan et al., 2008), the structures vulnerability and the downstream risk characteristics (human, economical, historic and cultural heritage, etc) in the areas that might be flooded in the case of a dam failure. Probabilistic seismic hazard (PSH), vulnerability and risk studies for dams situated in the Moldavian Platform, starting from Izvorul Muntelui Dam, down on Bistrita and following on Siret River and theirs affluent will be realized. The most vulnerable dams will be studied in detail and flooding maps will be drawn to find the most exposed downstream localities both for risk assessment studies and warnings. GIS maps that clearly indicate areas that are potentially flooded are enough for these studies, thus giving information on the number of inhabitants and goods that may be destroyed. Geospatial servers included topography is sufficient to achieve them, all other further studies are not necessary for downstream risk assessment. The results will consist of local and regional seismic information, dams specific characteristics and locations, seismic hazard maps and risk classes, for all dams sites (for more than 30 dams), inundation maps (for the most vulnerable dams from the region) and possible affected localities. The studies realized in this paper have as final goal to provide the local emergency services with warnings of a potential dam failure and ensuing flood as a result of an large earthquake occurrence, allowing further

  9. Risk in technical and scientific studies: general introduction to uncertainty management and the concept of risk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apostolakis, G.E.

    2004-01-01

    George Apostolakis (MIT) presented an introduction to the concept of risk and uncertainty management and their use in technical and scientific studies. He noted that Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) provides support to the overall treatment of a system as an integrated socio-technical system. Specifically, QRA aims to answer the questions: - What can go wrong (e.g., accident sequences or scenarios)? - How likely are these sequences or scenarios? - What are the consequences of these sequences or scenarios? The Quantitative Risk Assessment deals with two major types of uncertainty. An assessment requires a 'model of the world', and this preferably would be a deterministic model based on underlying processes. In practice, there are uncertainties in this model of the world relating to variability or randomness that cannot be accounted for directly in a deterministic model and that may require a probabilistic or aleatory model. Both deterministic and aleatory models of the world have assumptions and parameters, and there are 'state-of-knowledge' or epistemic uncertainties associated with these. Sensitivity studies or eliciting expert opinion can be used to address the uncertainties in assumptions, and the level of confidence in parameter values can be characterised using probability distributions (pdfs). Overall, the distinction between aleatory and epistemic uncertainties is not always clear, and both can be treated mathematically in the same way. Lessons on safety assessments that can be learnt from experience at nuclear power plants are that beliefs about what is important can be wrong if a risk assessment is not performed. Also, precautionary approaches are not always conservative if failure modes are not identified. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that uncertainties will remain despite a quantitative risk assessment: e.g., is the scenario list complete, are the models accepted as reasonable, and are parameter probability distributions representative of

  10. Managing to reduce nuclear financial risks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sillin, J.O.

    1984-01-01

    Nuclear power plant projects have weathered volatile economic conditions and uncertain regulatory climates with varying degrees of success. Some electric utilities can point to excellent construction and operating records, while others have suffered continuous difficulties. Are the success stories the result of good luck or effective management. This article identifies the potential sources of financial risk in a nuclear project and describes several methods available to management for controlling financial liability. A commitment to the highest level of technical and managerial skills is cited as a necessary component of all successful nuclear undertakings. 4 references, 3 figures, 2 tables

  11. Digital intermediaries and cultural industries: the developing influence of distribution platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Guignard

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The last few years have seen the generalization of a communicative device which is technical and organizational integration of a terminal, an operating system, a network connection, an online platform to access applications (contents and services. Indeed, smartphones, connected TVs, tablet computers and game consoles are structured by this model which develops itself thanks to the rise of computer performance and capacity telecommunication networks. Single technical interface for users, they show, for industrial actors involved, a mode of organization cannot be reduced to a commercial intermediation. So at the heart of this configuration are the "platforms" which are a new form of goods and services distribution and carry out the renewal of uses and related practices and a change in the value chain which are in the depths of effective change, hopes and fears aroused by the devices presented in our contribution.    Our paper aims at exposing the evolution of these devices in several fields of cultural industries especially mobile and audiovisual sectors with a focus on smartphone and connected TV industry. It intends thereby to question the double dialectic in these sectors in reconfiguration (integration / disintegration activities on the one hand and disintermediation / re-intermediation on the other hand.

  12. Shaft Position Influence on Technical Characteristics of Universal Two-Stages Helical Speed Reducers

    OpenAIRE

    Мilan Rackov; Zeljko Kanovic; Sinisa Kuzmanovic; Ruzica Trbojevic

    2005-01-01

    Purchasers of speed reducers decide on buying those reducers, that can the most approximately satisfy their demands with much smaller costs. Amount of used material, ie. mass and dimensions of gear unit influences on gear units price. Mass and dimensions of gear unit, besides output torque, gear unit ratio and efficiency, are the most important parameters of technical characteristics of gear units and their quality. Centre distance and position of shafts have significant influence on output t...

  13. Online stock trading platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ion LUNGU

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The Internet is the perfect tool that can assure the market’s transparency for any user who wants to trade on the stock market. The investor can have access to the market news, financial calendar or the press releases of the issuers. A good online trading platform also provides real-time intraday quotes, trading history and technical analysis giving the investor a clearer view of the supply and demand in the market. All this information provides the investor a good image of the market and encourages him to trade. This paper wishes to draft the pieces of an online trading platform and to analyze the impact of developing and implementing one in a brokerage firm.

  14. Technical and governance considerations for advanced metering infrastructure/smart meters: Technology, security, uncertainty, costs, benefits, and risks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McHenry, Mark P.

    2013-01-01

    The fundamental role of policymakers when considering Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), or ‘smart meters for energy and water infrastructure is to investigate a broad range of complex interrelated issues. These include alternative technical and non-technical options and deployment needs, the cost and benefits of the infrastructure (risks and mitigation measures), and the impact of a number of stakeholders: consumers, distributors, retailers, competitive market operators, competing technology companies, etc. The scale and number of potential variables in the AMI space is an almost unprecedented challenge to policymakers, with the anticipation of new ancillary products and services, associated market contestability, related regulatory and policy amendments, and the adequacy of consumer protection, education, and safety considerations requiring utmost due-diligence. Embarking on AMI investment entails significant technical, implementation, and strategic risk for governments and administering bodies, and an active effort is required to ensure AMI governance and planning maximises the potential benefits, and minimise uncertainties, costs, and risks to stakeholders. This work seeks to clarify AMI fundamentals and discusses the technical and related governance considerations from a dispassionate perspective, yet acknowledges many stakeholders tend to dichotomise debate, and obfuscate both advantages and benefits, and the converse. - Highlights: • AMI presents an almost unprecedented technical and governance policy challenge. • AMI enables vertical integration of electricity, gas, water, IT, and telco entities • AMI investments involve major technical, implementation, and strategic decisions. • Adequacy of consumer education, safety, privacy, and protection is paramount. • Policy must maximise AMI benefits and minimise uncertainties, costs, and risks

  15. Technical issues of fabrication technologies of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanigawa, Hiroyasu; Sakasegawa, Hideo; Hirose, Takanori

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • The key technical issues of RAFM steel fabrication are the control of Ta, and deoxidation of the steel with a limited amount of Al addition. • Addition of Ta with poor deoxidation might results in the agglomeration of inclusions at 1/2t position. • ESR was proved to be effective removing Ta oxide inclusions and avoiding agglomeration of inclusions at 1/2t position, and achieving low oxygen concentration. -- Abstract: The key issue for DEMO application is that Reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steels fabrication technologies has to be highly assured, especially with respect to high availability, reliability and reduced activation capability on the DEMO level fabrication, which requires not a few tons but thousand tons RAFM fabrication. One of the key technical issues of RAFM fabrication is the control of Ta, and deoxidation of the steel with a limited amount of Al addition. The series of F82H (Fe–8Cr–2W–V, Ta) melting revealed that Ta have tendency to form oxide on melting process, and this will have large impact on reliability of the steels. Al is also the key elements, as it is commonly used for deoxidation of steels, and achieving lower oxygen level is essential to obtain good mechanical properties, but the maximum concentration of Al is limited in view of reduced activation capability. These tendency and limitation resulted in the Ta oxide agglomeration in the middle of plate, but the remelting process, ESR (electro slag remelting), was found to be successful on removing those Ta oxides

  16. New Design Concept for a Lifting Platform Made of Composite Material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solazzi, L.; Scalmana, R.

    2013-08-01

    Elevating work platforms are hoists equipment that are increasingly used in many applications, like in the construction industry and in the maintenance field. The maintenance of the hub of the wind turbines, for example, can be done through the use of a working platform; these structures have to reach great heights and obviously they have to satisfy the constraints induced by the highway standards, like the maximum axle load and the maximum overall dimensions. To satisfy these requests the material of the structures changed from the classic structural steel (S235 JR, S275 JR or S355JR) to high strength steel (S700 to S1100 or more), characterized by a significantly higher specific resistance. The idea of this paper is to use a composite material for the construction of the arms of an elevating platform in order to reduce the global weight of the machine. The analyses on the new kind of platform show the technical possibility to change the material of the arms with composite materials and this produces a significant reduction of the weight of the machine components, about 50 %. Being a feasibility study, still remain open some problems such as the mechanical behavior of the used composite materials (fatigue, environment effects, etc.).

  17. Technical opportunities to reduce global anthropogenic emissions of nitrous oxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winiwarter, Wilfried; Höglund-Isaksson, Lena; Klimont, Zbigniew; Schöpp, Wolfgang; Amann, Markus

    2018-01-01

    We describe a consistent framework developed to quantify current and future anthropogenic emissions of nitrous oxide and the available technical abatement options by source sector for 172 regions globally. About 65% of the current emissions derive from agricultural soils, 8% from waste, and 4% from the chemical industry. Low-cost abatement options are available in industry, wastewater, and agriculture, where they are limited to large industrial farms. We estimate that by 2030, emissions can be reduced by about 6% ±2% applying abatement options at a cost lower than 10 €/t CO2-eq. The largest abatement potential at higher marginal costs is available from agricultural soils, employing precision fertilizer application technology as well as chemical treatment of fertilizers to suppress conversion processes in soil (nitrification inhibitors). At marginal costs of up to 100 €/t CO2-eq, about 18% ±6% of baseline emissions can be removed and when considering all available options, the global abatement potential increases to about 26% ±9%. Due to expected future increase in activities driving nitrous oxide emissions, the limited technical abatement potential available means that even at full implementation of reduction measures by 2030, global emissions can be at most stabilized at the pre-2010 level. In order to achieve deeper reductions in emissions, considerable technological development will be required as well as non-technical options like adjusting human diets towards moderate animal protein consumption.

  18. Implementing Product Platforms: A Case Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ole Fiil; Mortensen, Niels Henrik

    2006-01-01

    The paper describes a case study dealing with the process of creating and implementing a product platform. The paper espessially deals with the fact that to obtain the benefits of platforms a permanent change in behaviour in product development must be ensured. This change in behaviour requires...... acceptance and approval from the organisation in general and the commitment from management to enforce agreed-upon decisions. The case study itself was performed in the Danish company LEGO Group. The case study had two objectives: To create a technical architecture and align this architecture...

  19. The 'polypill' to reduce cardiovascular risk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Patel, Vinod; Pedersen, Oluf; Morrissey, John

    2004-01-01

    This article considers data from the Steno-2 multifactorial intervention study in type 2 diabetes to which are applied the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) risk engine. Mathematical analyses support the use of a 'polypill' to reduce cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes. It is s...

  20. Benefits from reducing risk of death

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krupnick, A

    1994-07-01

    Of the categories of benefits to individuals, reductions in the risk of premature mortality are of central. concern to the public and environmental policy makers. These benefits can include those from reductions in own- risk, for example, an individual's valuation of reducing his or her own mortality risks; reductions in risk to an individual's family, friends, or co-workers (i.e., of people known to the individual); and reductions in risks to unknown individuals. The last type would be an example of altruistic value. The overall goal is to measure the welfare change from a change in the current and/or future probability of dying. The willingness to pay (WTP) reflects the amount of income taken from a person that would leave him or her indifferent to a decrease in risk, whenever it occurs. When this value is divided by the risk change, the resulting value is called the 'value of a statistical life'. Another relevant measure appearing in the literature is the value of life-years saved. A final issue concerns the type of premature mortality risks one is valuing when environmental pollution is at issue. While most effort has gone into estimating the welfare effects of a change in current probability of death of healthy workers on the job, this is more relevant for characterizing the benefits of reducing accidental death risks than death from environmental causes. Exposure to pollutants raises risks of developing cancer, chronic heart, respiratory, and other diseases that raise mortality risks in the future. Such exposure also may raise current death risks for the very old and the sick. But, surely the pollution effect that is analogous to occupational health risks-pollution exposures high enough to raise current risks of death for the healthy, prime-age person-is insignificant in the United States.

  1. Benefits from reducing risk of death

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krupnick, A.

    1994-01-01

    Of the categories of benefits to individuals, reductions in the risk of premature mortality are of central. concern to the public and environmental policy makers. These benefits can include those from reductions in own- risk, for example, an individual's valuation of reducing his or her own mortality risks; reductions in risk to an individual's family, friends, or co-workers (i.e., of people known to the individual); and reductions in risks to unknown individuals. The last type would be an example of altruistic value. The overall goal is to measure the welfare change from a change in the current and/or future probability of dying. The willingness to pay (WTP) reflects the amount of income taken from a person that would leave him or her indifferent to a decrease in risk, whenever it occurs. When this value is divided by the risk change, the resulting value is called the 'value of a statistical life'. Another relevant measure appearing in the literature is the value of life-years saved. A final issue concerns the type of premature mortality risks one is valuing when environmental pollution is at issue. While most effort has gone into estimating the welfare effects of a change in current probability of death of healthy workers on the job, this is more relevant for characterizing the benefits of reducing accidental death risks than death from environmental causes. Exposure to pollutants raises risks of developing cancer, chronic heart, respiratory, and other diseases that raise mortality risks in the future. Such exposure also may raise current death risks for the very old and the sick. But, surely the pollution effect that is analogous to occupational health risks-pollution exposures high enough to raise current risks of death for the healthy, prime-age person-is insignificant in the United States

  2. Corrected Lymphocyte Percentages Reduce the Differences in Absolute CD4+ T Lymphocyte Counts between Dual-Platform and Single-Platform Flow Cytometric Approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noulsri, Egarit; Abudaya, Dinar; Lerdwana, Surada; Pattanapanyasat, Kovit

    2018-03-13

    To determine whether a corrected lymphocyte percentage could reduce bias in the absolute cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ T lymphocyte counts obtained via dual-platform (DP) vs standard single-platform (SP) flow cytometry. The correction factor (CF) for the lymphocyte percentages was calculated at 6 laboratories. The absolute CD4+ T lymphocyte counts in 300 blood specimens infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were determined using the DP and SP methods. Applying the CFs revealed that 4 sites showed a decrease in the mean bias of absolute CD4+ T lymphocyte counts determined via DP vs standard SP (-109 vs -84 cells/μL, -80 vs -58 cells/μL, -52 vs -45 cells/μL, and -32 vs 1 cells/μL). However, 2 participating laboratories revealed an increase in the difference of the mean bias (-42 vs -49 cells/μL and -20 vs -69 cells/μL). Use of the corrected lymphocyte percentage shows potential for decreasing the difference in CD4 counts between DP and the standard SP method.

  3. The technical supervision interface

    CERN Document Server

    Sollander, P

    1998-01-01

    The Technical Control Room (TCR) is currently using 30 different applications for the remote supervision of the technical infrastructure at CERN. These applications have all been developed with the CERN made Uniform Man Machine Interface (UMMI) tools built in 1990. However, the visualization technology has evolved phenomenally since 1990, the Technical Data Server (TDS) has radically changed our control system architecture, and the standardization and the maintenance of the UMMI applications have become important issues as their number increases. The Technical Supervision Interface is intended to replace the UMMI and solve the above problems. Using a standard WWW-browser for the display, it will be inherently multi-platform and hence available for control room operators, equipment specialists and on-call personnel.

  4. Minilaparoscopic hysterectomy made easy: first report on alternative instrumentation and new integrated energy platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Ying Woo; Lim, Li Min; Fong, Yoke Fai

    2014-05-01

    Minilaparoscopy is an attractive approach for hysterectomy due to advantages such as reduced morbidities and enhanced cosmesis. However, it has not been popularized due to the lack of suitable instruments and high technical demand. We aim to highlight the first case of minilaparoscopic hysterectomy reported in Asia and the use of a new integrated energy platform, Thunderbeat. We would like to propose an alternative method of instrumentation, so as to improve the feasibility and safety of minilaparoscopic hysterectomy. The first minilaparoscopic hysterectomy in Singapore was successfully completed using the alternative instrumentation and new energy platform. There was no conversion or complication during the surgery. The patient recovered uneventfully. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of such alternative instrumentation. This approach in instrumentation and the new energy platform will improve the feasibility and speed of the surgery and ensure safety in our patients. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2014 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  5. Herd-specific interventions to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production without jeopardising technical and economic performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collineau, L; Rojo-Gimeno, C; Léger, A; Backhans, A; Loesken, S; Nielsen, E Okholm; Postma, M; Emanuelson, U; Beilage, E Grosse; Sjölund, M; Wauters, E; Stärk, K D C; Dewulf, J; Belloc, C; Krebs, S

    2017-09-01

    Pig farmers are strongly encouraged to reduce their antimicrobial usage in order to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Herd-level intervention is needed to achieve national and European reduction targets. Alternative, especially preventive measures, have to be implemented to reduce the need for antimicrobial treatments. However, little is known about the feasibility, effectiveness and return on investment of such measures. The objective of this study was to assess, across four countries, the technical and economic impact of herd-specific interventions aiming at reducing antimicrobial usage in pig production while implementing alternative measures. An intervention study was conducted between February 2014 and August 2015 in 70 farrow-to-finish pig farms located in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. Herd-specific interventions were defined together with the farmer and the herd veterinarian. Farms were followed over one year and their antimicrobial usage and technical performance were compared with values from the year before intervention. Compliance with the intervention plan was also monitored. Changes in margin over feed cost and net farm profit were estimated in a subset of 33 Belgian and French farms with sufficient data, using deterministic and stochastic modeling. Following interventions, a substantial reduction in antimicrobial use was achieved without negative impact the overall farm technical performance. A median reduction of 47.0% of antimicrobial usage was achieved across four countries when expressed in terms of treatment incidence from birth to slaughter, corresponding to a 30.5% median reduction of antimicrobial expenditures. Farm compliance with intervention plans was high (median: 93%; min-max: 20; 100) and farms with higher compliance tended to achieve bigger reduction (ρ=-0.18, p=0.162). No association was found between achieved reduction and type or number of alternative measures implemented. Mortality in suckling piglets, weaners and

  6. Risk factors for technical failure of endoscopic double self-expandable metallic stent placement by partial stent-in-stent method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawakubo, Kazumichi; Kawakami, Hiroshi; Toyokawa, Yoshihide; Otani, Koichi; Kuwatani, Masaki; Abe, Yoko; Kawahata, Shuhei; Kubo, Kimitoshi; Kubota, Yoshimasa; Sakamoto, Naoya

    2015-01-01

    Endoscopic double self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) placement by the partial stent-in-stent (PSIS) method has been reported to be useful for the management of unresectable hilar malignant biliary obstruction. However, it is technically challenging, and the optimal SEMS for the procedure remains unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for technical failure of endoscopic double SEMS placement for unresectable malignant hilar biliary obstruction (MHBO). Between December 2009 and May 2013, 50 consecutive patients with MHBO underwent endoscopic double SEMS placement by the PSIS method. We retrospectively evaluated the rate of successful double SEMS placement and identified the risk factors for technical failure. The technical success rate for double SEMS placement was 82.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 69.2-90.2). On univariate analysis, the rate of technical failure was high in patients with metastatic disease and unilateral placement. Multivariate analysis revealed that metastatic disease was a significant risk factor for technical failure (odds ratio: 9.63, 95% CI: 1.11-105.5). The subgroup analysis after double guidewire insertion showed that the rate of technical success was higher in the laser-cut type SEMS with a large mesh and thick delivery system than in the braided type SEMS with a small mesh and thick delivery system. Metastatic disease was a significant risk factor for technical failure of double SEMS placement for unresectable MHBO. The laser-cut type SEMS with a large mesh and thin delivery system might be preferable for the PSIS procedure. © 2014 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.

  7. Technical challenges in the qualitative ecological risk assessments performed on the Hanford Site operable units

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Probasco, K.M.

    1994-01-01

    Qualitative Risk Assessments (QRAS) have been selected as the method for providing the risk-driver indications for interim, remedial, and cleanup actions for the Hanford Site operable units' ecological risk assessments. This expedited response action path has been developed for the Hanford Site to facilitate time-critical decisions and generate immediate emergency cleanup actions. Tight budgets and aggressive time schedules are a major factor in the development of the QRA process. The QRA is a quick way to find immediate threats and a good precursor to a full risk assessment. However, numerous technical challenges have been identified with the QRA approach. The QRA approach differs from a baseline risk assessment in several ways. The main differences involve the use of data that have previously been gathered from the site, and the development of a ''bias-for-action'' document that would reveal qualitative risks from the contaminants identified at the operable units. Technical challenges concerning the ecological portion of these QRAs have raised questions about using the ORA for decision-making and may have weakened the validity of its use in the established procedural framework. Challenges involving such issues as the extrapolation of the contaminant data, data validation and screening techniques, receptor selections, and the final risk characterization outcome threaten the feasibility of the QRA as a decision-making tool. This discussion provides insight into resolving technical challenges and may be a ''lessons-learned'' device for those interested in the QRA approach. Ultimately, these challenges are proving to be learning tools for scientists, regulators, and ecologists and are identifying the data gaps and research direction for future ecological baseline risk assessments

  8. Technical solutions for reducing indoor residential exposures to ultrafine particles from second-hand cigarette smoke infiltration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Afshari, Alireza; Ardkapan, Siamak Rahimi; Bergsøe, Niels Christian

    2011-01-01

    was carried out in the field in a multi-storey building and cardboard and plastic foil of polyethylene were used for sealing the entire wooden floor in the receiving flat. Another technical solution examined was a novel air circulating ductwork. The efficiency of the novel air circulating ductwork...... in which smoke infiltrates from one flat to another and also to examine technical solutions for preventing or reducing infiltration of ultrafine particles from the source flat to the receiving flat. One of the technical solutions examined was sealing of the floor in the receiving flat. The study...

  9. Relationship Between Perceived Risk of Falling and Adoption of Precautions to Reduce Fall Risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blalock, Susan J; Gildner, Paula L; Jones, Jennifer L; Bowling, James M; Casteel, Carri H

    2016-06-01

    To better understand the relationship between perceived risk of falling and awareness and adoption of four specific precautions that older adults have taken to reduce this risk. Cross-sectional. Data were collected in in-person interviews conducted in the homes of study participants. Interviews conducted between March 2011 and September 2013 and lasted an average of 60-90 minutes. A stratified sampling strategy designed to enroll an equal number of homebound and nonhomebound participants was used. All participants (N = 164) were recruited from central North Carolina. Participants were asked about 1-year fall history, perceived risk of falling, restriction of activities because of fear of falling, awareness of four recommended fall prevention behaviors (exercise, annual medication review, bathroom grab bars, safe footwear), and current practice of these behaviors. In bivariate analyses, individuals who were aware of two behaviors recommended to reduce the risk of falling (exercise, use of safe footwear) and had adopted these behaviors perceived their risk of falling as lower than individuals who were aware of the recommended behaviors but had not adopted them. Moreover, in multivariate analyses, individuals who did not know that exercise is recommended to reduce the risk of falling perceived their risk of falling as lower than those who were aware of this recommendation and had adopted it. Individuals were least likely to be aware that medication reviews and exercise are recommended to reduce fall risk. Awareness of behaviors recommended to reduce fall risk appears necessary for adoption of these behaviors to reduce perceived risk. Fall-prevention campaigns should emphasize behaviors where awareness is low. © 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.

  10. Functional neural correlates of reduced physiological falls risk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsu Chun

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is currently unclear whether the function of brain regions associated with executive cognitive processing are independently associated with reduced physiological falls risk. If these are related, it would suggest that the development of interventions targeted at improving executive neurocognitive function would be an effective new approach for reducing physiological falls risk in seniors. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of 73 community-dwelling senior women aged 65 to 75 years old who participated in a 12-month randomized controlled trial of resistance training. Functional MRI data were acquired while participants performed a modified Eriksen Flanker Task - a task of selective attention and conflict resolution. Brain volumes were obtained using MRI. Falls risk was assessed using the Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA. Results After accounting for baseline age, experimental group, baseline PPA score, and total baseline white matter brain volume, baseline activation in the left frontal orbital cortex extending towards the insula was negatively associated with reduced physiological falls risk over the 12-month period. In contrast, baseline activation in the paracingulate gyrus extending towards the anterior cingulate gyrus was positively associated with reduced physiological falls risk. Conclusions Baseline activation levels of brain regions underlying response inhibition and selective attention were independently associated with reduced physiological falls risk. This suggests that falls prevention strategies may be facilitated by incorporating intervention components - such as aerobic exercise - that are specifically designed to induce neurocognitive plasticity. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00426881

  11. Does Metformin Reduce Cancer Risks? Methodologic Considerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golozar, Asieh; Liu, Shuiqing; Lin, Joeseph A; Peairs, Kimberly; Yeh, Hsin-Chieh

    2016-01-01

    The substantial burden of cancer and diabetes and the association between the two conditions has been a motivation for researchers to look for targeted strategies that can simultaneously affect both diseases and reduce their overlapping burden. In the absence of randomized clinical trials, researchers have taken advantage of the availability and richness of administrative databases and electronic medical records to investigate the effects of drugs on cancer risk among diabetic individuals. The majority of these studies suggest that metformin could potentially reduce cancer risk. However, the validity of this purported reduction in cancer risk is limited by several methodological flaws either in the study design or in the analysis. Whether metformin use decreases cancer risk relies heavily on the availability of valid data sources with complete information on confounders, accurate assessment of drug use, appropriate study design, and robust analytical techniques. The majority of the observational studies assessing the association between metformin and cancer risk suffer from methodological shortcomings and efforts to address these issues have been incomplete. Future investigations on the association between metformin and cancer risk should clearly address the methodological issues due to confounding by indication, prevalent user bias, and time-related biases. Although the proposed strategies do not guarantee a bias-free estimate for the association between metformin and cancer, they will reduce synthesis of and reporting of erroneous results.

  12. Using Artificial Intelligence to Reduce the Risk of Nonadherence in Patients on Anticoagulation Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Labovitz, Daniel L; Shafner, Laura; Reyes Gil, Morayma; Virmani, Deepti; Hanina, Adam

    2017-05-01

    This study evaluated the use of an artificial intelligence platform on mobile devices in measuring and increasing medication adherence in stroke patients on anticoagulation therapy. The introduction of direct oral anticoagulants, while reducing the need for monitoring, have also placed pressure on patients to self-manage. Suboptimal adherence goes undetected as routine laboratory tests are not reliable indicators of adherence, placing patients at increased risk of stroke and bleeding. A randomized, parallel-group, 12-week study was conducted in adults (n=28) with recently diagnosed ischemic stroke receiving any anticoagulation. Patients were randomized to daily monitoring by the artificial intelligence platform (intervention) or to no daily monitoring (control). The artificial intelligence application visually identified the patient, the medication, and the confirmed ingestion. Adherence was measured by pill counts and plasma sampling in both groups. For all patients (n=28), mean (SD) age was 57 years (13.2 years) and 53.6% were women. Mean (SD) cumulative adherence based on the artificial intelligence platform was 90.5% (7.5%). Plasma drug concentration levels indicated that adherence was 100% (15 of 15) and 50% (6 of 12) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Patients, some with little experience using a smartphone, successfully used the technology and demonstrated a 50% improvement in adherence based on plasma drug concentration levels. For patients receiving direct oral anticoagulants, absolute improvement increased to 67%. Real-time monitoring has the potential to increase adherence and change behavior, particularly in patients on direct oral anticoagulant therapy. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02599259. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  13. Handbook of methods for risk-based analyses of technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samanta, P.K.; Kim, I.S.; Mankamo, T.; Vesely, W.E.

    1994-12-01

    Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements are based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while a few may not be conducive to safety. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research has sponsored research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. This handbook summarizes these risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), scheduled or preventive maintenance, action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), and management of plant configurations resulting from outages of systems, or components. For each topic, the handbook summarizes analytic methods with data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and gives examples of evaluations

  14. Handbook of methods for risk-based analyses of technical specifications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Samanta, P.K.; Kim, I.S. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Mankamo, T. [Avaplan Oy, Espoo (Finland); Vesely, W.E. [Science Applications International Corp., Dublin, OH (United States)

    1994-12-01

    Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements are based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while a few may not be conducive to safety. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research has sponsored research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. This handbook summarizes these risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), scheduled or preventive maintenance, action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), and management of plant configurations resulting from outages of systems, or components. For each topic, the handbook summarizes analytic methods with data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and gives examples of evaluations.

  15. Demand Heterogeneity and the Adoption of Platform Complements

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G.J. Rietveld (Joost); J.P. Eggers

    2016-01-01

    textabstractThis paper offers a demand-based theory of how platform maturity affects the adoption of platform complements. We argue that differences between early and late adopters of the platform include willingness to pay for the platform-and-complement bundle, risk preferences, preference for

  16. Risk assessments for mixtures: technical methods commonly used in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    A brief (20 minute) talk on the technical approaches used by EPA and other US agencies to assess risks posed by combined exposures to one or more chemicals. The talk systemically reviews the methodologies (whole-mixtures and component-based approaches) that are or have been used ...

  17. Platformed antagonism: Racist discourses on fake Muslim Facebook pages

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Farkas, Johan; Schou, Jannick; Neumayer, Christina

    2018-01-01

    This research examines how fake identities on social media create and sustain antagonistic and racist discourses. It does so by analysing 11 Danish Facebook pages, disguised as Muslim extremists living in Denmark, conspiring to kill and rape Danish citizens. It explores how anonymous content...... producers utilize Facebook's socio-technical characteristics to construct, what we propose to term as, platformed antagonism. This term refers to socio-technical and discursive practices that produce new modes of antagonistic relations on social media platforms. Through a discourse-theoretical analysis...... of posts, images, 'about' sections and user comments on the studied Facebook pages, the article highlights how antagonism between ethno-cultural identities is produced on social media through fictitious social media accounts, prompting thousands of user reactions. These findings enhance our current...

  18. Opening the SMS platform to users : Deliverable D7.2 - RISIS project

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Besselaar, P.A.A.; Khalili, A.; de Graaf, K.A.; Idrissou, O.A.K.; van Harmelen, Frank

    2017-01-01

    In this deliverable we describe the SMS (Semantically Mapping Science) data integration platform (http://sms.risis.eu), the technical core within the RISIS data infrastructure for Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (STI). The aim of the platform is to produce richer data to be used in social

  19. Technical Research on the Electric Power Big Data Platform of Smart Grid

    OpenAIRE

    Ruiguang MA; Haiyan Wang; Quanming Zhang; Yuan Liang

    2017-01-01

    Through elaborating on the associated relationship among electric power big data, cloud computing and smart grid, this paper put forward general framework of electric power big data platform based on the smart grid. The general framework of the platform is divided into five layers, namely data source layer, data integration and storage layer, data processing and scheduling layer, data analysis layer and application layer. This paper makes in-depth exploration and studies the integrated manage...

  20. Users and Programmers Guide for HPC Platforms in CIEMAT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munoz Roldan, A.

    2003-01-01

    This Technical Report presents a description of the High Performance Computing platforms available to researchers in CIEMAT and dedicated mainly to scientific computing. It targets to users and programmers and tries to help in the processes of developing new code and porting code across platforms. A brief review is also presented about historical evolution in the field of HPC, ie, the programming paradigms and underlying architectures. (Author) 32 refs

  1. Product Platform Modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Rasmus

    for customisation of products. In many companies these changes in the business environment have created a controversy between the need for a wide variety of products offered to the marketplace and a desire to reduce variation within the company in order to increase efficiency. Many companies use the concept...... other. These groups can be varied and combined to form different product variants without increasing the internal variety in the company. Based on the Theory of Domains, the concept of encapsulation in the organ domain is introduced, and organs are formulated as platform elements. Included......This PhD thesis has the title Product Platform Modelling. The thesis is about product platforms and visual product platform modelling. Product platforms have gained an increasing attention in industry and academia in the past decade. The reasons are many, yet the increasing globalisation...

  2. Reducing cancer risk in rural communities through supermarket interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCool, Barent N; Lyford, Conrad P; Hensarling, Natalie; Pence, Barbara; McCool, Audrey C; Thapa, Janani; Belasco, Eric; Carter, Tyra M

    2013-09-01

    Cancer risk is high, and prevention efforts are often minimal in rural communities. Feasible means of encouraging lifestyles that will reduce cancer risk for residents of rural communities are needed. This project developed and tested a model that could be feasibly adopted by rural communities to reduce cancer risk. This model focuses on incorporating multi-faceted cancer risk education in the local supermarket. As the supermarket functions both as the primary food source and an information source in small rural communities, the supermarket focus encourages the development of a community environment supportive of lifestyles that should reduce residents' risk for cancer. The actions taken to implement the model and the challenges that communities would have in implementing the model are identified.

  3. Introduction to insurance mathematics technical and financial features of risk transfers

    CERN Document Server

    Olivieri, Annamaria

    2015-01-01

    This second edition expands the first chapters, which focus on the approach to risk management issues discussed in the first edition, to offer readers a better understanding of the risk management process and the relevant quantitative phases. In the following chapters the book examines life insurance, non-life insurance and pension plans, presenting the technical and financial aspects of risk transfers and insurance without the use of complex mathematical tools.   The book is written in a comprehensible style making it easily accessible to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in Economics, Business and Finance, as well as undergraduate students in Mathematics who intend starting on an actuarial qualification path. With the systematic inclusion of practical topics, professionals will find this text useful when working in insurance and pension related areas, where investments, risk analysis and financial reporting play a major role.

  4. Risk based optimization of technical specifications for operation of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-12-01

    The objective of the report is to present an overview of the risk and reliability based approaches (using a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA)) for improving nuclear power plant technical specifications (TS). In that case, it will provide an information base to the Member States in seeking PSA based applications to enhance the effectiveness of their technical specifications. To achieve this objective, the report discusses the basic objectives and reasons for seeking TS changes, the methods, data requirements and uses of different types of applications, and an overview of different applications that have been completed, including detailed descriptions of selected applications. Refs, figs and tabs

  5. Mobile Prototyping Platforms for Remote Engineering Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karsten Henke

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a low-cost mobile communication platform as a universal rapid-prototyping system, which is based on the Quadrocopter concept. At the Integrated Hardware and Software Systems Group at the Ilmenau University of Technology these mobile platforms are used to motivate bachelor and master students to study Computer Engineering sciences. This could be done by increasing their interest in technical issues, using this platform as integral part of a new ad-hoc lab to demonstrate different aspects in the area of Mobile Communication as well as universal rapid prototyping nodes to investigate different mechanisms for self-organized mobile communication systems within the International Graduate School on Mobile Communications. Beside the three fields of application, the paper describes the current architecture concept of the mobile prototyping platform as well as the chosen control mechanism and the assigned sensor systems to fulfill all the required tasks.

  6. Ideas concerning the risk problem in technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, K.W.

    1975-01-01

    Scientific and technical development is primarily meant to improve the quality of life and to reduce mortality. The increased risk thus caused for the individual leads to a longer life expectation of man and to the ethical question of choosing the safety of a technical system. One must critically choose between justifiable effort and risk. Experience in reactor engineering (technical systems with hypothetical extreme risks) leads to considerations of the analysis to determine the risk of large chemical plants for inhabited neighbourhoods and attempts to design a conceptive and computer model for a safety analysis which can be of use in decisions regarding new planning. (HP/LH) [de

  7. Nutritional strategies to reduce falls risk in older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nash, Louise; Bergin, Nick

    2018-03-23

    A literature review found an association between increased falls risk and malnutrition, sarcopenia, vitamin D deficiency and dehydration. Strategies to identify, prevent and treat these conditions can help to reduce falls risk in at-risk groups such as frail, older people. Nurses can reduce falls risk in older people by raising awareness of risk factors and embedding nutritional strategies in local falls reduction strategies. ©2018 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

  8. Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Technical Basis Guide Describing How to Perform Safety Margin Configuration Risk Management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Curtis Smith; James Knudsen; Bentley Harwood

    2013-08-01

    The INL has carried out a demonstration of the RISMC approach for the purpose of configuration risk management. We have shown how improved accuracy and realism can be achieved by simulating changes in risk – as a function of different configurations – in order to determine safety margins as the plant is modified. We described the various technical issues that play a role in these configuration-based calculations with the intent that future applications can take advantage of the analysis benefits while avoiding some of the technical pitfalls that are found for these types of calculations. Specific recommendations have been provided on a variety of topics aimed at improving the safety margin analysis and strengthening the technical basis behind the analysis process.

  9. Does retirement reduce the risk of myocardial infarction?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Kasper; Rugulies, Reiner; Rod, Naja Hulvej

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that retirement may have beneficial effects on health outcomes. In this study we examined whether the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) was reduced following retirement in a Danish population sample. METHODS: Participants were 617 511 Danish workers, born...... of 1.11 (95% confidence interval: 1.06, 1.16) when comparing retirees with active workers of the same age. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support the hypothesis that retirement reduces risk of MI. On the contrary, we find that retirement is associated with a modestly increased risk of MI....

  10. The SAMCO Web-platform for resilience assessment in mountainous valleys impacted by landslide risks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grandjean, Gilles; Thomas, Loic; Bernardie, Severine

    2016-04-01

    The ANR-SAMCO project aims to develop a proactive resilience framework enhancing the overall resilience of societies on the impacts of mountain risks. The project aims to elaborate methodological tools to characterize and measure ecosystem and societal resilience from an operative perspective on three mountain representative case studies. To achieve this objective, the methodology is split in several points: (1) the definition of the potential impacts of global environmental changes (climate system, ecosystem e.g. land use, socio-economic system) on landslide hazards, (2) the analysis of these consequences in terms of vulnerability (e.g. changes in the location and characteristics of the impacted areas and level of their perturbation) and (3) the implementation of a methodology for quantitatively investigating and mapping indicators of mountain slope vulnerability exposed to several hazard types, and the development of a GIS-based demonstration platform available on the web. The strength and originality of the SAMCO project lies in the combination of different techniques, methodologies and models (multi-hazard assessment, risk evolution in time, vulnerability functional analysis, and governance strategies) that are implemented in a user-oriented web-platform, currently in development. We present the first results of this development task, architecture and functions of the web-tools, the case studies database showing the multi-hazard maps and the stakes at risks. Risk assessment over several area of interest in Alpine or Pyrenean valleys are still in progress, but the first analyses are presented for current and future periods for which climate change and land-use (economical, geographical and social aspects) scenarios are taken into account. This tool, dedicated to stakeholders, should be finally used to evaluate resilience of mountainous regions since multiple scenarios can be tested and compared.

  11. NPP physical protection and information security as necessary conditions for reducing nuclear and radiation accident risks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pogosov, O.Yu.; Derevyanko, O.V.

    2017-01-01

    The paper focuses on the fact that nuclear failures and incidents can lead to radioactive contamination of NPP premises. Nuclear and radiation hazard may be caused by malefactors in technological processes when applying computers or inadequate control in case of insufficient level of information security.The researchers performed analysis of factors for reducing risks of nuclear and radiation accidents at NPPs considering specific conditions related to information security of NPP physical protection systems. The paper considers connection of heterogeneous factors that may increase the risk of NPP accidents, possibilities and ways to improve adequate modelling of security of information with limited access directly related to the functioning of automated set of engineering and technical means for NPP physical protection. Within the overall Hutchinson formalization, it is proposed to include additional functional dependencies on indicators specific for NPPs into analysis algorithms.

  12. Platform development: implications for portfolio management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hsuan, Juliana; Hansen, Poul H. Kyvsgård

    2007-01-01

    " The challenge of implementing industrial platforms in practice can be described as a configuration problem caused by a considerable number of variables, which often have contradictory influences on the total performance of the firm. Consequently, the specific platform decisions become extremely...... complex, possibly increasing the strategic risks for the firm. This paper reports preliminary findings on platform management process at LEGO, a Danish toy company. Specifically, we report the process of applying games combined with simulations and workshops in the platform development. We also propose...... a framework, based on the portfolio management thinking to evaluate the degree of modularity embedded in a given platform and to which extent it is aligned with other platforms."...

  13. Development and Validation of a Portable Platform for Deploying Decision-Support Algorithms in Prehospital Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reisner, A. T.; Khitrov, M. Y.; Chen, L.; Blood, A.; Wilkins, K.; Doyle, W.; Wilcox, S.; Denison, T.; Reifman, J.

    2013-01-01

    Summary Background Advanced decision-support capabilities for prehospital trauma care may prove effective at improving patient care. Such functionality would be possible if an analysis platform were connected to a transport vital-signs monitor. In practice, there are technical challenges to implementing such a system. Not only must each individual component be reliable, but, in addition, the connectivity between components must be reliable. Objective We describe the development, validation, and deployment of the Automated Processing of Physiologic Registry for Assessment of Injury Severity (APPRAISE) platform, intended to serve as a test bed to help evaluate the performance of decision-support algorithms in a prehospital environment. Methods We describe the hardware selected and the software implemented, and the procedures used for laboratory and field testing. Results The APPRAISE platform met performance goals in both laboratory testing (using a vital-sign data simulator) and initial field testing. After its field testing, the platform has been in use on Boston MedFlight air ambulances since February of 2010. Conclusion These experiences may prove informative to other technology developers and to healthcare stakeholders seeking to invest in connected electronic systems for prehospital as well as in-hospital use. Our experiences illustrate two sets of important questions: are the individual components reliable (e.g., physical integrity, power, core functionality, and end-user interaction) and is the connectivity between components reliable (e.g., communication protocols and the metadata necessary for data interpretation)? While all potential operational issues cannot be fully anticipated and eliminated during development, thoughtful design and phased testing steps can reduce, if not eliminate, technical surprises. PMID:24155791

  14. Using Distributed Data over HBase in Big Data Analytics Platform for Clinical Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dillon Chrimes

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Big data analytics (BDA is important to reduce healthcare costs. However, there are many challenges of data aggregation, maintenance, integration, translation, analysis, and security/privacy. The study objective to establish an interactive BDA platform with simulated patient data using open-source software technologies was achieved by construction of a platform framework with Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS using HBase (key-value NoSQL database. Distributed data structures were generated from benchmarked hospital-specific metadata of nine billion patient records. At optimized iteration, HDFS ingestion of HFiles to HBase store files revealed sustained availability over hundreds of iterations; however, to complete MapReduce to HBase required a week (for 10 TB and a month for three billion (30 TB indexed patient records, respectively. Found inconsistencies of MapReduce limited the capacity to generate and replicate data efficiently. Apache Spark and Drill showed high performance with high usability for technical support but poor usability for clinical services. Hospital system based on patient-centric data was challenging in using HBase, whereby not all data profiles were fully integrated with the complex patient-to-hospital relationships. However, we recommend using HBase to achieve secured patient data while querying entire hospital volumes in a simplified clinical event model across clinical services.

  15. Using Distributed Data over HBase in Big Data Analytics Platform for Clinical Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chrimes, Dillon; Zamani, Hamid

    2017-01-01

    Big data analytics (BDA) is important to reduce healthcare costs. However, there are many challenges of data aggregation, maintenance, integration, translation, analysis, and security/privacy. The study objective to establish an interactive BDA platform with simulated patient data using open-source software technologies was achieved by construction of a platform framework with Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) using HBase (key-value NoSQL database). Distributed data structures were generated from benchmarked hospital-specific metadata of nine billion patient records. At optimized iteration, HDFS ingestion of HFiles to HBase store files revealed sustained availability over hundreds of iterations; however, to complete MapReduce to HBase required a week (for 10 TB) and a month for three billion (30 TB) indexed patient records, respectively. Found inconsistencies of MapReduce limited the capacity to generate and replicate data efficiently. Apache Spark and Drill showed high performance with high usability for technical support but poor usability for clinical services. Hospital system based on patient-centric data was challenging in using HBase, whereby not all data profiles were fully integrated with the complex patient-to-hospital relationships. However, we recommend using HBase to achieve secured patient data while querying entire hospital volumes in a simplified clinical event model across clinical services.

  16. Using Distributed Data over HBase in Big Data Analytics Platform for Clinical Services

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamani, Hamid

    2017-01-01

    Big data analytics (BDA) is important to reduce healthcare costs. However, there are many challenges of data aggregation, maintenance, integration, translation, analysis, and security/privacy. The study objective to establish an interactive BDA platform with simulated patient data using open-source software technologies was achieved by construction of a platform framework with Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) using HBase (key-value NoSQL database). Distributed data structures were generated from benchmarked hospital-specific metadata of nine billion patient records. At optimized iteration, HDFS ingestion of HFiles to HBase store files revealed sustained availability over hundreds of iterations; however, to complete MapReduce to HBase required a week (for 10 TB) and a month for three billion (30 TB) indexed patient records, respectively. Found inconsistencies of MapReduce limited the capacity to generate and replicate data efficiently. Apache Spark and Drill showed high performance with high usability for technical support but poor usability for clinical services. Hospital system based on patient-centric data was challenging in using HBase, whereby not all data profiles were fully integrated with the complex patient-to-hospital relationships. However, we recommend using HBase to achieve secured patient data while querying entire hospital volumes in a simplified clinical event model across clinical services. PMID:29375652

  17. The role of color sorting machine in reducing food safety risks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eleonora Kecskes-Nagy

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available It is the very difficult problem how we can decrease food safety risks in the product, which was polluted in process of cropping. According to professional literature almost the prevention is considered as an exclusive method to keep below safe level the content of DON toxin. The source of food safety in food chain is that the primary products suit the food safety requirements. It is a very difficult or sometimes it is not possible to correct food safety risk factors - which got into the products during cultivation - in the course of processing. Such factor is fusariotoxin in fodder and bread wheat. DON toxin is the most frequent toxin in cereals. The objective of the searching was to investigate, if it is possible to decrease DON toxin content of durum wheat and to minimize the food safety risk by application milling technology with good production practice and technological conditions. The samples were taken in the first phase of milling technology just before and after color sorting. According to measuring results Sortex Z+ optical sorting decreased DON toxin content of wheat. This mean that the food safety risks can be reduced by Sortex Z+ optical sorting machine. Our experiments proved if there is color sorting in the cleaning process preceding the milling of wheat then a part of the grain of wheat infected by Fusarium sp. can be selected. This improves the food safety parameters of given lot of wheat and decrease the toxin content. The flour made from contaminated grains of wheat can be a serious food safety risk. We would like to support scientifically the technical development of milling technology with our experimental data. Normal 0 21 false false false HU X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

  18. Cross platform development using Delphi and Kylix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonald, J.L.; Nishimura, H.; Timossi, C.

    2002-01-01

    A cross platform component for EPICS Simple Channel Access (SCA) has been developed for the use with Delphi on Windows and Kylix on Linux. An EPICS controls GUI application developed on Windows runs on Linux by simply rebuilding it, and vice versa. This paper describes the technical details of the component

  19. A mini-UAV VTOL Platform for Surveying Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuldeep Rawat

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we discuss implementation of a mini-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV vertical take-off and landing (VTOL platform for surveying activities related to highway construction. Recent advances in sensor and communication technologies have allowed scaling sizes of unmanned aerial platforms, and explore them for tasks that are economical and safe over populated or inhabited areas. In highway construction the capability of mini-UAVs to survey in hostile and/or hardly accessible areas can greatly reduce human risks. The project focused on developing a cost effective, remotely controlled, fuel powered mini-UAV VTOL (helicopter platform with certain payload capacity and configuration and demonstrated its use in surveying and monitoring activities required for highway planning and construction. With an on-board flight recorder global positioning system (GPS device, memory storage card, telemetry, inertial navigation sensors, and a video camera the mini-UAV can record flying coordinates and relay live video images to a remote ground receiver and surveyor. After all necessary integration and flight tests were done the mini-UAV helicopter was tested to operate and relay video from the areas where construction was underway. The mini-UAV can provide a platform for a range of sensors and instruments that directly support the operational requirements of transportation sector.

  20. Mathematical analysis of the impact mechanism of information platform on agro-product supply chain and agro-product competitiveness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiang Qi-Jie

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available How to optimize agro-product supply chain to promote its operating efficiency so as to enhance the competitiveness of regional agricultural products has posed a problem to academic circles, business circles and governments of various levels. One way to solve this problem is to introduce an information platform into the supply chain, which this essay focuses on. Firstly, a review of existing research findings concerning the agro-product competitiveness, agro-product supply chain (ASC and information platform was given. Secondly, we constructed a mathematical model to analyze the impact of information platform on the bullwhip effect in ASC. Thirdly, another mathematical model was constructed to help compare and analyze the impact of information platform on information acquisition of members in ASC. The research results show that the implantation of information platform can mitigate the bullwhip effect in ASC, and members can determine order amount or production more close to the actual market demand. And also the information platform can reduce the time for members in ASC to get information from other members. Besides, information platform can help ASC to alleviate information asymmetry among upstream and downstream members. Furthermore, researches about the operating mechanism and pattern, technical feature and running structure of the information platform, along with their impacts on agro-product supply chain and the competitiveness of agricultural products need to be advanced.

  1. Mathematical analysis of the impact mechanism of information platform on agro-product supply chain and agro-product competitiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Qi-Jie; Jin, Mao-Zhu; Ren, Pei-Yu

    2017-04-01

    How to optimize agro-product supply chain to promote its operating efficiency so as to enhance the competitiveness of regional agricultural products has posed a problem to academic circles, business circles and governments of various levels. One way to solve this problem is to introduce an information platform into the supply chain, which this essay focuses on. Firstly, a review of existing research findings concerning the agro-product competitiveness, agro-product supply chain (ASC) and information platform was given. Secondly, we constructed a mathematical model to analyze the impact of information platform on the bullwhip effect in ASC. Thirdly, another mathematical model was constructed to help compare and analyze the impact of information platform on information acquisition of members in ASC. The research results show that the implantation of information platform can mitigate the bullwhip effect in ASC, and members can determine order amount or production more close to the actual market demand. And also the information platform can reduce the time for members in ASC to get information from other members. Besides, information platform can help ASC to alleviate information asymmetry among upstream and downstream members. Furthermore, researches about the operating mechanism and pattern, technical feature and running structure of the information platform, along with their impacts on agro-product supply chain and the competitiveness of agricultural products need to be advanced.

  2. Integrated risk - healthy technical conscience

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freeman, P. [Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, Atlanta, GA (United States)

    2015-07-01

    The personal obligation leaders and individuals internalize and exercise to ensure plant operation, maintenance, and engineering activities are conducted in a manner consistent with plant design, emergency response strategies, technical requirements and that preserve operating, design and safety margins. Technical errors are increasing, both in number and significance. Causes are common at many utilities. The majority of these engineering human performance weaknesses have not had immediate impact on station reliability and safety (not self-revealing). In some recent projects, the same weaknesses affected a station's viability.

  3. The ESA Geohazard Exploitation Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bally, Philippe; Laur, Henri; Mathieu, Pierre-Philippe; Pinto, Salvatore

    2015-04-01

    Earthquakes represent one of the world's most significant hazards in terms both of loss of life and damages. In the first decade of the 21st century, earthquakes accounted for 60 percent of fatalities from natural disasters, according to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). To support mitigation activities designed to assess and reduce risks and improve response in emergency situations, satellite EO can be used to provide a broad range of geo-information services. This includes for instance crustal block boundary mapping to better characterize active faults, strain rate mapping to assess how rapidly faults are deforming, soil vulnerability mapping to help estimate how the soil is behaving in reaction to seismic phenomena, geo-information to assess the extent and intensity of the earthquake impact on man-made structures and formulate assumptions on the evolution of the seismic sequence, i.e. where local aftershocks or future main shocks (on nearby faults) are most likely to occur. In May 2012, the European Space Agency and the GEO Secretariat convened the International Forum on Satellite EO for Geohazards now known as the Santorini Conference. The event was the continuation of a series of international workshops such as those organized by the Geohazards Theme of the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership. In Santorini the seismic community has set out a vision of the EO contribution to an operational global seismic risk program, which lead to the Geohazard Supersites and Natural Laboratories (GSNL) initiative. The initial contribution of ESA to suuport the GSNL was the first Supersites Exploitation Platform (SSEP) system in the framework of Grid Processing On Demand (GPOD), now followed by the Geohazard Exploitation Platform (GEP). In this presentation, we will describe the contribution of the GEP for exploiting satellite EO for geohazard risk assessment. It is supporting the GEO Supersites and has been further

  4. Usability studies on e-learning platforms: Preliminary study in USM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emang, Devinna Win Anak Boniface; Lukman, Raja Nurul Izzati Raja; Kamarulzaman, Muhammad Izzat Syafiq; Zaaba, Zarul Fitri

    2017-10-01

    This paper explores the end-users' experienced in regards to the usability issues in E-learning platform. An online survey utilising 116 participants were conducted to investigate the end-users understanding and satisfaction on E-learning platform in the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). The results indicates that mainly students still experiencing significant challenges in E-learning platform in regards to accessibility, technical terminologies and functionality. On the other hand, the 10 heuristic guideline is chosen to be a referral point to compare five E-learning platforms in order to assess each performance on regards to the usability criteria. Overall, USM E-learning platform can be considered in a good shape. However, there are more works to be done to improve the delivery system of the E-learning if it would like to sustain for a long period of time. Although the result is at the preliminary stage, it provides useful insights to improve the E-learning platform as one of the most popular education platform in Malaysia.

  5. Breast cancer after bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skytte, A-B; Crüger, Dorthe Gylling; Gerster, M

    2011-01-01

    This study aims to evaluate the incidence of breast cancer after risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) in healthy BRCA mutation carriers. This study is a long-term follow-up of 307 BRCA mutation carriers of whom 96 chose RRM. None of the study participants had a previous history of breast or ovarian...... cancer nor had they undergone RRM or risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) prior to the time of BRCA testing. The annual incidence of post-mastectomy breast cancer was 0.8% compared with 1.7% in the non-operated group. Implications of these findings in relation to genetic counseling...

  6. Breastfeeding Reduces Childhood Obesity Risks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liang; Collins, Candice; Ratliff, Melanie; Xie, Bin; Wang, Youfa

    2017-06-01

    The present study examined the effects of breastfeeding and its duration on the development of childhood obesity from 24 months through grade 6. U.S. longitudinal data collected from 1234 children were analyzed using logistic regression models and generalized estimating equation (GEE). Child height and weight were measured six times at ages of 24 months, 36 months, 54 months, grade 1, grade 3, and grade 6. During the early 1990s, prevalence of breastfeeding was low in the United States, 60% and 48% at 1 and 6 months, respectively. Nonsmoking, white, married mothers with both parents in the household, and with income above the poverty line, were more likely to breastfeed at 1 month of age of their babies. Obesity rate of the children increased with age from 24 months to grade 6. Logistic regression showed that breastfeeding at month 1 was associated with 53% (odds ratio [OR]: 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30-0.73) and 47% (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.36-0.78) decreased risks for childhood obesity at grades 1 and 6, respectively. GEE analysis showed that breastfeeding at 1 month reduced risk for childhood obesity by 36% (95% CI: 0.47-0.88) from ages 24 months through grade 6. Regarding breastfeeding duration, more than 6 months (vs. never) was associated with a decreased risk for childhood obesity by 42% (OR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.36-0.94). Breastfeeding at 1 month and more than 6 months reduced the risk of childhood obesity. Rate of breastfeeding was low in the United States in the 1990s, which may have had long-term implications on children.

  7. A Vehicle Management End-to-End Testing and Analysis Platform for Validation of Mission and Fault Management Algorithms to Reduce Risk for NASA's Space Launch System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trevino, Luis; Johnson, Stephen B.; Patterson, Jonathan; Teare, David

    2015-01-01

    &MA, Structures and Environments, GNC, Orion, the Crew Office, Flight Operations, and Ground Operations by assessing performance of the M&FM algorithms in terms of their ability to reduce Loss of Mission and Loss of Crew probabilities. In addition, through state machine and diagnostic modeling, analysis efforts investigate a broader suite of failure effects and detection and responses that can be tested in VMET and confirm that responses do not create additional risks or cause undesired states through interactive dynamic effects with other algorithms and systems. VMET further contributes to risk reduction by prototyping and exercising the M&FM algorithms early in their implementation and without any inherent hindrances such as meeting FSW processor scheduling constraints due to their target platform - ARINC 653 partitioned OS, resource limitations, and other factors related to integration with other subsystems not directly involved with M&FM. The plan for VMET encompasses testing the original M&FM algorithms coded in the same C++ language and state machine architectural concepts as that used by Flight Software. This enables the development of performance standards and test cases to characterize the M&FM algorithms and sets a benchmark from which to measure the effectiveness of M&FM algorithms performance in the FSW development and test processes. This paper is outlined in a systematic fashion analogous to a lifecycle process flow for engineering development of algorithms into software and testing. Section I describes the NASA SLS M&FM context, presenting the current infrastructure, leading principles, methods, and participants. Section II defines the testing philosophy of the M&FM algorithms as related to VMET followed by section III, which presents the modeling methods of the algorithms to be tested and validated in VMET. Its details are then further presented in section IV followed by Section V presenting integration, test status, and state analysis. Finally, section VI

  8. Combining technical and organisational elements in layer of protection analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boers, M.N.; Gort, J.; Versloot, N.H.A.

    2005-01-01

    Traditionally, in process industry, risks are reduced with technical solutions and organisational measures. The performance of both types of "solutions" depends on many factors and can not easily be compared. Especially the effectiveness of organisational measures such as the use of procedures,

  9. Enhancing Trusted Cloud Computing Platform for Infrastructure as a Service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    KIM, H.

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The characteristics of cloud computing including on-demand self-service, resource pooling, and rapid elasticity have made it grow in popularity. However, security concerns still obstruct widespread adoption of cloud computing in the industry. Especially, security risks related to virtual machine make cloud users worry about exposure of their private data in IaaS environment. In this paper, we propose an enhanced trusted cloud computing platform to provide confidentiality and integrity of the user's data and computation. The presented platform provides secure and efficient virtual machine management protocols not only to protect against eavesdropping and tampering during transfer but also to guarantee the virtual machine is hosted only on the trusted cloud nodes against inside attackers. The protocols utilize both symmetric key operations and public key operations together with efficient node authentication model, hence both the computational cost for cryptographic operations and the communication steps are significantly reduced. As a result, the simulation shows the performance of the proposed platform is approximately doubled compared to the previous platforms. The proposed platform eliminates cloud users' worry above by providing confidentiality and integrity of their private data with better performance, and thus it contributes to wider industry adoption of cloud computing.

  10. Classroom-Based Phonological Sensitivity Intervention (PSI) Using a Narrative Platform: An Experimental Study of First Graders at Risk for a Reading Disability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritter, Michaela J.; Saxon, Terrill F.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of classroom-based phonological sensitivity intervention (PSI) using a narrative platform for children in first grade who are at risk for a reading disability. Participants consisted of 59 first graders identified as at risk for later reading impairments. At-risk designation was dictated by…

  11. Bots mind the social-technical gap

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lee, M.; Frank, L.E.; Beute, F.; de Kort, Y.A.W.; IJsselsteijn, W.A.

    2017-01-01

    Mobile workers experience the social-technical gap when moral dilemmas occur on communication platforms, and technology cannot adapt to social contexts on ethical matters. On messaging applications, bots are non-human team members and/or assistants that can aid mobile workers manage ethical

  12. Technical Optimization of Cross-Platform Software Development Process quality and Usability of 3rd-Party Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yevgueny Kondratyev

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The article exposes developer's point of view on minimizing creation, upgrade, post-release problem solving time for applications and components, targeted to multiple operating systems, while keeping high end product quality and computational performance. Non-uniformity of analogous tools and components, available on different platforms, causes strong impact on developer's productivity. In part., differences in 3rd-party component interfaces, versions, quality of distinct functions, cause frequent switching developer's attention on issues not connected (in principle with the target project. While loss of development performance because of attention specifics is more subjective value, at least physical time spent on tools/components misbehavior compensation and normal tools configuring is measurable. So, the main thesis verified is whether it's possible to increase continuity of the development process by technical improvements only, and by which value. In addition, a novel experimental tool for interactive code execution is described, allowing for deep changes in the working program without its restart. Question under research: minimizing durations of programming-build-test-correct loop and small code parts runs, in part., improving the debugging workflow for the account of combining the interactive editor and the debugger.

  13. MRS role in reducing technical uncertainties in geological disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramspott, L.D.

    1990-06-01

    A high-level nuclear waste repository has inherent technical uncertainty due to its first-of-a-kind nature and the unprecedented time over which it must function. Three possible technical modifications to the currently planned US high-level nuclear waste system are reviewed in this paper. These modifications would be facilitated by inclusion of a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) in the system. The modifications are (1) an underground MRS at Yucca Mountain, (2) a phased repository, and (3) a ''cold'' repository. These modifications are intended to enhance scientific confidence that a repository system would function satisfactorily despite technical uncertainty. 12 refs

  14. A Sub-Hertz, Low-Frequency Vibration Isolation Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz, Gerardo, G.; Farr, William H.; Sannibale, Virginio

    2011-01-01

    One of the major technical problems deep-space optical communication (DSOC) systems need to solve is the isolation of the optical terminal from vibrations produced by the spacecraft navigational control system and by the moving parts of onboard instruments. Even under these vibration perturbations, the DSOC transceivers (telescopes) need to be pointed l000 fs of times more accurately than an RF communication system (parabolic antennas). Mechanical resonators have been extensively used to provide vibration isolation for groundbased, airborne, and spaceborne payloads. The effectiveness of these isolation systems is determined mainly by the ability of designing a mechanical oscillator with the lowest possible resonant frequency. The Low-Frequency Vibration Isolation Platform (LFVIP), developed during this effort, aims to reduce the resonant frequency of the mechanical oscillators into the sub-Hertz region in order to maximize the passive isolation afforded by the 40 dB/decade roll-off response of the resonator. The LFVIP also provides tip/tilt functionality for acquisition and tracking of a beacon signal. An active control system is used for platform positioning and for dampening of the mechanical oscillator. The basic idea in the design of the isolation platform is to use a passive isolation strut with an approximately equal to 100-mHz resonance frequency. This will extend the isolation range to lower frequencies. The harmonic oscillator is a second-order lowpass filter for mechanical disturbances. The resonance quality depends on the dissipation mechanisms, which are mainly hysteretic because of the low resonant frequency and the absence of any viscous medium. The LFVIP system is configured using the well-established Stewart Platform, which consists of a top platform connected to a base with six extensible struts (see figure). The struts are attached to the base and to the platform via universal joints, which permit the extension and contraction of the struts. The

  15. Reducing cardiovascular risk : protecting the kidney

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dobre, Daniela; Lambers Heerspink, Hiddo J.; de Zeeuw, Dick

    2009-01-01

    Progressive decline of renal function in chronic kidney disease (CKD), measured by a reduced glomerular filtration rate or albuminuria, is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), most

  16. In-Space Internet-Based Communications for Space Science Platforms Using Commercial Satellite Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerczewski, Robert J.; Bhasin, Kul B.; Fabian, Theodore P.; Griner, James H.; Kachmar, Brian A.; Richard, Alan M.

    1999-01-01

    The continuing technological advances in satellite communications and global networking have resulted in commercial systems that now can potentially provide capabilities for communications with space-based science platforms. This reduces the need for expensive government owned communications infrastructures to support space science missions while simultaneously making available better service to the end users. An interactive, high data rate Internet type connection through commercial space communications networks would enable authorized researchers anywhere to control space-based experiments in near real time and obtain experimental results immediately. A space based communications network architecture consisting of satellite constellations connecting orbiting space science platforms to ground users can be developed to provide this service. The unresolved technical issues presented by this scenario are the subject of research at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Assessment of network architectures, identification of required new or improved technologies, and investigation of data communications protocols are being performed through testbed and satellite experiments and laboratory simulations.

  17. SemMat: Federated Semantic Services Platform for Open materials Science and Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    SEMMAT: FEDERATED SEMANTIC SERVICES PLATFORM FOR OPEN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY JANUARY 2017 FINAL TECHNICAL...COVERED (From - To) JUL 2013 – JUN 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE SemMat: FEDERATED SEMANTIC SERVICES PLATFORM FOR OPEN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING...models to represent materials data. This provides a data exchange scheme for materials science , which also includes provenance information to promote

  18. Relationship between intraoperative non-technical performance and technical events in bariatric surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fecso, A B; Kuzulugil, S S; Babaoglu, C; Bener, A B; Grantcharov, T P

    2018-03-30

    The operating theatre is a unique environment with complex team interactions, where technical and non-technical performance affect patient outcomes. The correlation between technical and non-technical performance, however, remains underinvestigated. The purpose of this study was to explore these interactions in the operating theatre. A prospective single-centre observational study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical centre. One surgeon and three fellows participated as main operators. All patients who underwent a laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and had the procedures captured using the Operating Room Black Box ® platform were included. Technical assessment was performed using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills and Generic Error Rating Tool instruments. For non-technical assessment, the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills (SPLINTS) tools were used. Spearman rank-order correlation and N-gram statistics were conducted. Fifty-six patients were included in the study and 90 procedural steps (gastrojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy) were analysed. There was a moderate to strong correlation between technical adverse events (r s  = 0·417-0·687), rectifications (r s  = 0·380-0·768) and non-technical performance of the surgical and nursing teams (NOTSS and SPLINTS). N-gram statistics showed that after technical errors, events and prior rectifications, the staff surgeon and the scrub nurse exhibited the most positive non-technical behaviours, irrespective of operator (staff surgeon or fellow). This study demonstrated that technical and non-technical performances are related, on both an individual and a team level. Valuable data can be obtained around intraoperative errors, events and rectifications. © 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. A Vehicle Management End-to-End Testing and Analysis Platform for Validation of Mission and Fault Management Algorithms to Reduce Risk for NASA's Space Launch System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trevino, Luis; Patterson, Jonathan; Teare, David; Johnson, Stephen

    2015-01-01

    integrates specific M&FM algorithms, specialized nominal and off-nominal test cases, and vendor-supplied physics-based launch vehicle subsystem models. Additionally, the team has developed processes for implementing and validating these algorithms for concept validation and risk reduction for the SLS program. The flexibility of the Vehicle Management End-to-end Testbed (VMET) enables thorough testing of the M&FM algorithms by providing configurable suites of both nominal and off-nominal test cases to validate the developed algorithms utilizing actual subsystem models such as MPS. The intent of VMET is to validate the M&FM algorithms and substantiate them with performance baselines for each of the target vehicle subsystems in an independent platform exterior to the flight software development infrastructure and its related testing entities. In any software development process there is inherent risk in the interpretation and implementation of concepts into software through requirements and test cases into flight software compounded with potential human errors throughout the development lifecycle. Risk reduction is addressed by the M&FM analysis group working with other organizations such as S&MA, Structures and Environments, GNC, Orion, the Crew Office, Flight Operations, and Ground Operations by assessing performance of the M&FM algorithms in terms of their ability to reduce Loss of Mission and Loss of Crew probabilities. In addition, through state machine and diagnostic modeling, analysis efforts investigate a broader suite of failure effects and associated detection and responses that can be tested in VMET to ensure that failures can be detected, and confirm that responses do not create additional risks or cause undesired states through interactive dynamic effects with other algorithms and systems. VMET further contributes to risk reduction by prototyping and exercising the M&FM algorithms early in their implementation and without any inherent hindrances such as meeting FSW

  20. Evaluating the Cost, Safety, and Proliferation Risks of Small Floating Nuclear Reactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Michael J; Abdulla, Ahmed; Morgan, M Granger

    2017-11-01

    It is hard to see how our energy system can be decarbonized if the world abandons nuclear power, but equally hard to introduce the technology in nonnuclear energy states. This is especially true in countries with limited technical, institutional, and regulatory capabilities, where safety and proliferation concerns are acute. Given the need to achieve serious emissions mitigation by mid-century, and the multidecadal effort required to develop robust nuclear governance institutions, we must look to other models that might facilitate nuclear plant deployment while mitigating the technology's risks. One such deployment paradigm is the build-own-operate-return model. Because returning small land-based reactors containing spent fuel is infeasible, we evaluate the cost, safety, and proliferation risks of a system in which small modular reactors are manufactured in a factory, and then deployed to a customer nation on a floating platform. This floating small modular reactor would be owned and operated by a single entity and returned unopened to the developed state for refueling. We developed a decision model that allows for a comparison of floating and land-based alternatives considering key International Atomic Energy Agency plant-siting criteria. Abandoning onsite refueling is beneficial, and floating reactors built in a central facility can potentially reduce the risk of cost overruns and the consequences of accidents. However, if the floating platform must be built to military-grade specifications, then the cost would be much higher than a land-based system. The analysis tool presented is flexible, and can assist planners in determining the scope of risks and uncertainty associated with different deployment options. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

  1. Technical Note: SCUDA: A software platform for cumulative dose assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Seyoun; McNutt, Todd; Quon, Harry; Wong, John; Lee, Junghoon, E-mail: rshekhar@childrensnational.org, E-mail: junghoon@jhu.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21231 (United States); Plishker, William [IGI Technologies, Inc., College Park, Maryland 20742 (United States); Shekhar, Raj, E-mail: rshekhar@childrensnational.org, E-mail: junghoon@jhu.edu [IGI Technologies, Inc., College Park, Maryland 20742 and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National Health System, Washington, DC 20010 (United States)

    2016-10-15

    Purpose: Accurate tracking of anatomical changes and computation of actually delivered dose to the patient are critical for successful adaptive radiation therapy (ART). Additionally, efficient data management and fast processing are practically important for the adoption in clinic as ART involves a large amount of image and treatment data. The purpose of this study was to develop an accurate and efficient Software platform for CUmulative Dose Assessment (SCUDA) that can be seamlessly integrated into the clinical workflow. Methods: SCUDA consists of deformable image registration (DIR), segmentation, dose computation modules, and a graphical user interface. It is connected to our image PACS and radiotherapy informatics databases from which it automatically queries/retrieves patient images, radiotherapy plan, beam data, and daily treatment information, thus providing an efficient and unified workflow. For accurate registration of the planning CT and daily CBCTs, the authors iteratively correct CBCT intensities by matching local intensity histograms during the DIR process. Contours of the target tumor and critical structures are then propagated from the planning CT to daily CBCTs using the computed deformations. The actual delivered daily dose is computed using the registered CT and patient setup information by a superposition/convolution algorithm, and accumulated using the computed deformation fields. Both DIR and dose computation modules are accelerated by a graphics processing unit. Results: The cumulative dose computation process has been validated on 30 head and neck (HN) cancer cases, showing 3.5 ± 5.0 Gy (mean±STD) absolute mean dose differences between the planned and the actually delivered doses in the parotid glands. On average, DIR, dose computation, and segmentation take 20 s/fraction and 17 min for a 35-fraction treatment including additional computation for dose accumulation. Conclusions: The authors developed a unified software platform that provides

  2. Country risk analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    David, A.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that the oil industry has been an internationally based industry that has been heavily dependent on outside financing sources. Historically, financing came from investment houses that, in most cases, participated in the projects as equity investors. However, investment companies can no longer satisfy the capital requirements of the current high level of exploration and development activities. The current trend is to involve commercial banks on a purely lending basis. Commercial banks, by their nature, are risk averse. In the case of oil and gas exploration and production they are asked to take not only technical risk and price risk but geopolitical risk as well. Methods have been developed by commercial banks to reduce technical and price risks to point which enables them to be comfortable with a loan. However, geopolitical risks are more difficult to assess. The risk associated with many countries are the nationalization of the investment, new tax restrictions, restriction of currency movements, and/or revisions to the production sharing agreements

  3. Inadequate environmental monitoring around offshore oil and gas platforms on the Grand Bank of Eastern Canada: are risks to marine birds known?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, C M; Montevecchi, W A; Wiese, F K

    2012-08-15

    Petroleum exploration and production on the Grand Bank of eastern Canada overlaps with productive marine habitat that supports over 40 million marine birds annually. Environmental assessments for oil and gas projects in the region predict insignificant adverse effects on marine birds from oil spills, incineration in platform flares and collisions. Limited baseline data on seasonal occupancies and a failure to quantify the nature and extent of marine bird attraction to platforms and related mortality undermines these assessments. We conducted 22 surveys to offshore platforms on the Grand Bank during 1999-2003 to measure avian associations with platforms and to determine the level of monitoring needed to assess the risks to marine birds. We document seasonal shifts in marine bird occurrences and higher densities of auks (fall) and shearwaters (summer) around platforms relative to surrounding areas. The limited temporal and spatial coverage of our surveys is more robust than existing industry monitoring efforts, yet it is still inadequate to quantify the scale of marine bird associations with platforms or their associated mortality risks. Systematic observations by independent biologists on vessels and platforms are needed to generate reliable assessments of risks to marine birds. Instead, the regulatory body for offshore oil and gas in eastern Canada (Canada - Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board; C-NLOPB) supports industry self-reporting as the accepted form of environmental monitoring. Conflicting responsibilities of oil and gas regulatory agencies for both energy development and environmental monitoring are major barriers to transparency, unbiased scientific inquiry and adequate environmental protection. Similar conflicts with the oil and gas regulatory body in the United States, the former Minerals and Management Service (MMS) were identified by the U.S. President as a major contributor to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The

  4. Business risks, functions, methods of assessment and ways to reduce risk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.V. Mihalchuk

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available For successful existence in a market economy entrepreneur have to take bold actions, and this increases the risk. The article describes the concept of entrepreneurship and business risk, positive and negative aspects of functions of risk in business. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the risk properly and be able to manage it to achieve the most effective results in the market. In market conditions the problem of assessing and accounting market becomes independent theoretical and practical significance as an important component of the theory and practice of management. Risk - a key element of business activities. Development of risk situations can lead to both the occurrence of adverse effects (losses, lost profits, and positive results for a company in the form of increased profit. This article describes: the concept of entrepreneurship, risk and business risks, characteristic of positive and negative aspects of risk functions in business, methods of assessment and risk reduction, shows formulae and examples you can use to assess risk in an enterprise. Analyzing already established methods of risk assessment a number of rules were proposed in order to reduce business risk.

  5. A Mixed-Signal Embedded Platform for Automotive Sensor Conditioning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emilio Volpi

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available A mixed-signal embedded system called Intelligent Sensor InterFace (ISIF suited to fast identify, trim, and verify an architecture to interface a given sensor is presented. This system has been developed according to a platform-based design approach, a methodology that has proved to be efficient for building complex mixed-signal embedded systems with short time-to-market. Such platform consists in a wide set of optimized high-performance analog, digital, and software intellectual property (IP modules for various kinds of sensors. These IPs can be easily defined for fast prototyping of the interface circuit for the given sensor. Final ASIC implementation for the given sensor conditioning can be easily derived with reduced risk and short development time. Some case examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and flexibility of this system.

  6. A Mixed-Signal Embedded Platform for Automotive Sensor Conditioning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giambastiani Adolfo

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract A mixed-signal embedded system called Intelligent Sensor InterFace (ISIF suited to fast identify, trim, and verify an architecture to interface a given sensor is presented. This system has been developed according to a platform-based design approach, a methodology that has proved to be efficient for building complex mixed-signal embedded systems with short time-to-market. Such platform consists in a wide set of optimized high-performance analog, digital, and software intellectual property (IP modules for various kinds of sensors. These IPs can be easily defined for fast prototyping of the interface circuit for the given sensor. Final ASIC implementation for the given sensor conditioning can be easily derived with reduced risk and short development time. Some case examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and flexibility of this system.

  7. New Metrics for Evaluating Technical Benefits and Risks of DGs Increasing Penetration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Akbari, Mohammad Amin; Aghaei, Jamshid; Barani, Mostafa

    2017-01-01

    and risks should be qualified and quantified. This paper introduces several probabilistic indices to evaluate the potential operational effects of increasing penetration of renewable DG units such as wind power and photovoltaic on rural distribution network with the aid of evaluating technical benefits...... and risks trade-offs. A probabilistic generation-load model is suggested to calculate these indices which combine a large number of possible operating conditions of renewable DG units with their probabilities. Temporal and annual indices of voltage profile and line flow related attributes such as Interest...... Voltage Rise (IVR), Risky Voltage Rise (RVR), Risky Voltage Down (RVD), Line Loss Reduction (LLR), Line Loss Increment (LLI) and Line overload flow (LOF) are introduced using probability and expected values of their occurrence. Also, to measure the overall interests and risks of installing DG, composite...

  8. Periodontal disease with treatment reduces subsequent cancer risks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Ing-Ming; Sun, Li-Min; Lin, Cheng-Li; Lee, Chun-Feng; Kao, Chia-Hung

    2014-10-01

    The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between routine treatment of periodontal disease (PD) and the subsequent risks for cancers in Taiwan. Study participants were selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) system database. The PD with a routine treatment cohort contained 38 902 patients. For each treatment cohort participant, two age- and sex-matched comparison (control) cohort participants were randomly selected. Cox's proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of PD with treatment on the subsequent risk of cancer. The overall risk of developing cancer was significantly lower in the treatment cohort than in the patients without treatment (adjusted Hazard ratio = 0.72, 95% confidence interval = 0.68-0.76). The risks of developing most gastrointestinal tract, lung, gynecological and brain malignancies were significantly lower in the treatment cohort than in the comparison cohort. In contrast, the risks of prostate and thyroid cancers were significantly higher in the treatment cohort than in the comparison cohort. Our findings suggest that PD with treatment is associated with a significantly reduced overall risk of cancer and reduced risks of certain types of cancers. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Physicians. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. Radiation dose and risk to recreational fishermen from ingestion of fish caught near eight oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meinhold, A.F.; Holtzman, S.

    1998-01-01

    Offshore production of oil and gas is accompanied by a saline wastewater, called produced water. Produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico often contain elevated concentrations of radionuclides that occur naturally in the geologic reservoir along with the oil and gas. These radionuclides may accumulate in organisms that live near offshore oil and gas structures. Because recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is concentrated near oil and gas platforms, there is the potential for increased risks to recreational fishermen from the ingestion of radionuclides in fish caught near produced water discharges. This analysis investigated the potential risk to recreational fishermen from radium and lead-210 in offshore produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico. The assessment used data collected at eight discharging offshore platforms and two reference locations. These data were collected in a USDOE funded project titled ''Environmental and Economic Assessment of Discharges from Gulf of Mexico Region Oil and Gas Operations'', here called the USDOE Field Study. The risk assessments were done to support risk managers in developing regulations and permits for offshore discharges of produced water

  10. Helicopter flight simulation motion platform requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schroeder, Jeffery Allyn

    Flight simulators attempt to reproduce in-flight pilot-vehicle behavior on the ground. This reproduction is challenging for helicopter simulators, as the pilot is often inextricably dependent on external cues for pilot-vehicle stabilization. One important simulator cue is platform motion; however, its required fidelity is unknown. To determine the required motion fidelity, several unique experiments were performed. A large displacement motion platform was used that allowed pilots to fly tasks with matched motion and visual cues. Then, the platform motion was modified to give cues varying from full motion to no motion. Several key results were found. First, lateral and vertical translational platform cues had significant effects on fidelity. Their presence improved performance and reduced pilot workload. Second, yaw and roll rotational platform cues were not as important as the translational platform cues. In particular, the yaw rotational motion platform cue did not appear at all useful in improving performance or reducing workload. Third, when the lateral translational platform cue was combined with visual yaw rotational cues, pilots believed the platform was rotating when it was not. Thus, simulator systems can be made more efficient by proper combination of platform and visual cues. Fourth, motion fidelity specifications were revised that now provide simulator users with a better prediction of motion fidelity based upon the frequency responses of their motion control laws. Fifth, vertical platform motion affected pilot estimates of steady-state altitude during altitude repositionings. This refutes the view that pilots estimate altitude and altitude rate in simulation solely from visual cues. Finally, the combined results led to a general method for configuring helicopter motion systems and for developing simulator tasks that more likely represent actual flight. The overall results can serve as a guide to future simulator designers and to today's operators.

  11. POKEHEAD: An Open Source Interactive Headphone Based HCI Platform

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Højlund, Marie; Trento, Stefano; Goudarzi, Visda

    2012-01-01

    This paper introduces a novel interactive, human-computer interface and remote social communication system based on an augmented, hi-fidelity audio headphone platform. Specifically, this system- named Pokehead, currently utilizes the DUL embedded open-source accelerometer platform to gather 3-axis......, open source implementation. Our rapid prototype proved to be robust enough to work in performance for demonstration purposes and serves as a working proof of concept. In this paper we provide a technical description of our prototype, illustrate the context and motivation behind the project, and offer...

  12. Handbook of methods for risk-based analysis of technical specification requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samanta, P.K.; Vesely, W.E.

    1994-01-01

    Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements were based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while others may not be conducive to safety. Improvements in these requirements are facilitated by the availability of plant specific Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs). The use of risk and reliability-based methods to improve TS requirements has gained wide interest because these methods can: Quantitatively evaluate the risk and justify changes based on objective risk arguments; Provide a defensible basis for these requirements for regulatory applications. The US NRC Office of Research is sponsoring research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. The handbook of methods, which is being prepared, summarizes such risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), defenses against common-cause failures, managing plant configurations, and scheduling maintenances. For each topic, the handbook summarizes methods of analysis and data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and presents examples of evaluations

  13. Handbook of methods for risk-based analysis of Technical Specification requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samanta, P.K.; Vesely, W.E.

    1993-01-01

    Technical Specifications (TS) requirements for nuclear power plants define the Limiting Conditions for Operation (LCOs) and Surveillance Requirements (SRs) to assure safety during operation. In general, these requirements were based on deterministic analysis and engineering judgments. Experiences with plant operation indicate that some elements of the requirements are unnecessarily restrictive, while others may not be conducive to safety. Improvements in these requirements are facilitated by the availability of plant specific Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs). The use of risk and reliability-based methods to improve TS requirements has gained wide interest because these methods can: quantitatively evaluate the risk impact and justify changes based on objective risk arguments. Provide a defensible basis for these requirements for regulatory applications. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Office of Research is sponsoring research to develop systematic risk-based methods to improve various aspects of TS requirements. The handbook of methods, which is being prepared, summarizes such risk-based methods. The scope of the handbook includes reliability and risk-based methods for evaluating allowed outage times (AOTs), action statements requiring shutdown where shutdown risk may be substantial, surveillance test intervals (STIs), defenses against common-cause failures, managing plant configurations, and scheduling maintenances. For each topic, the handbook summarizes methods of analysis and data needs, outlines the insights to be gained, lists additional references, and presents examples of evaluations

  14. [Orange Platform].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toba, Kenji

    2017-07-01

    The Organized Registration for the Assessment of dementia on Nationwide General consortium toward Effective treatment in Japan (ORANGE platform) is a recently established nationwide clinical registry for dementia. This platform consists of multiple registries of patients with dementia stratified by the following clinical stages: preclinical, mild cognitive impairment, early-stage, and advanced-stage dementia. Patients will be examined in a super-longitudinal fashion, and their lifestyle, social background, genetic risk factors, and required care process will be assessed. This project is also notable because the care registry includes information on the successful, comprehensive management of patients with dementia. Therefore, this multicenter prospective cohort study will contribute participants to all clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease as well as improve the understanding of individuals with dementia.

  15. The community FabLab platform: applications and implications in biomedical engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephenson, Makeda K; Dow, Douglas E

    2014-01-01

    Skill development in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education present one of the most formidable challenges of modern society. The Community FabLab platform presents a viable solution. Each FabLab contains a suite of modern computer numerical control (CNC) equipment, electronics and computing hardware and design, programming, computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided machining (CAM) software. FabLabs are community and educational resources and open to the public. Development of STEM based workforce skills such as digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing can be enhanced using this platform. Particularly notable is the potential of the FabLab platform in STEM education. The active learning environment engages and supports a diversity of learners, while the iterative learning that is supported by the FabLab rapid prototyping platform facilitates depth of understanding, creativity, innovation and mastery. The product and project based learning that occurs in FabLabs develops in the student a personal sense of accomplishment, self-awareness, command of the material and technology. This helps build the interest and confidence necessary to excel in STEM and throughout life. Finally the introduction and use of relevant technologies at every stage of the education process ensures technical familiarity and a broad knowledge base needed for work in STEM based fields. Biomedical engineering education strives to cultivate broad technical adeptness, creativity, interdisciplinary thought, and an ability to form deep conceptual understanding of complex systems. The FabLab platform is well designed to enhance biomedical engineering education.

  16. The Health Systems Funding Platform: Is this where we thought we were going?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ooms Gorik

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In March 2009, the Task Force for Innovative International Financing for Health Systems recommended "a health systems funding platform for the Global Fund, GAVI Alliance, the World Bank and others to coordinate, mobilize, streamline and channel the flow of existing and new international resources to support national health strategies." Momentum to establish the Health Systems Funding Platform was swift, with the World Bank convening a Technical Workshop on Health Systems Strengthening (HSS, and serial meetings organized to progress the agenda. Despite its potential significance, there has been little comment in peer-reviewed literature, though some disquiet in the international development community around the scope of the Platform and the capacity of the partners, which appears disproportionate to the available information. Methods This case study uses documentary analysis, participant observation and 24 in-depth interviews to examine the processes of development and key issues raised by the Platform. Results The findings show a fluid and volatile process, with debate over whether ongoing engagement in HSS by Global Fund and GAVI represents a dilution of organizational focus, risking ongoing support, or a paradigm shift that facilitates the achievement of targeted objectives, builds systems capacity, and will attract additional resources. Uncertainty in the development of the Platform reflects the flexibility of the recently formed global health initiatives, and the instability of donor commitments, particularly in the current financial climate. But implicit in the conflict is tension between key global stakeholders over defining and ownership of the health systems agenda. Conclusions The tensions appear to have been resolved through a focus on national planning, applying International Health Partnership principles, though the global financial crisis and key personnel changes may yet alter outcomes. Despite its dynamic

  17. Handling Uncertainty in Social Lending Credit Risk Prediction with a Choquet Fuzzy Integral Model

    OpenAIRE

    Namvar, Anahita; Naderpour, Mohsen

    2018-01-01

    As one of the main business models in the financial technology field, peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has disrupted traditional financial services by providing an online platform for lending money that has remarkably reduced financial costs. However, the inherent uncertainty in P2P loans can result in huge financial losses for P2P platforms. Therefore, accurate risk prediction is critical to the success of P2P lending platforms. Indeed, even a small improvement in credit risk prediction would be o...

  18. The efficiency of asset management strategies to reduce urban flood risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    ten Veldhuis, J A E; Clemens, F H L R

    2011-01-01

    In this study, three asset management strategies were compared with respect to their efficiency to reduce flood risk. Data from call centres at two municipalities were used to quantify urban flood risks associated with three causes of urban flooding: gully pot blockage, sewer pipe blockage and sewer overloading. The efficiency of three flood reduction strategies was assessed based on their effect on the causes contributing to flood risk. The sensitivity of the results to uncertainty in the data source, citizens' calls, was analysed through incorporation of uncertainty ranges taken from customer complaint literature. Based on the available data it could be shown that increasing gully pot blockage is the most efficient action to reduce flood risk, given data uncertainty. If differences between cause incidences are large, as in the presented case study, call data are sufficient to decide how flood risk can be most efficiently reduced. According to the results of this analysis, enlargement of sewer pipes is not an efficient strategy to reduce flood risk, because flood risk associated with sewer overloading is small compared to other failure mechanisms.

  19. Shaft Position Influence on Technical Characteristics of Universal Two-Stages Helical Speed Reducers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Мilan Rackov

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Purchasers of speed reducers decide on buying those reducers, that can the most approximately satisfy their demands with much smaller costs. Amount of used material, ie. mass and dimensions of gear unit influences on gear units price. Mass and dimensions of gear unit, besides output torque, gear unit ratio and efficiency, are the most important parameters of technical characteristics of gear units and their quality. Centre distance and position of shafts have significant influence on output torque, gear unit ratio and mass of gear unit through overall dimension of gear unit housing. Thus these characteristics are dependent on each other. This paper deals with analyzing of centre distance and shaft position influence on output torque and ratio of universal two stages gear units.

  20. The construction of enterprise content management platform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Diyong

    2010-01-01

    The paper introduces the content management platform development background and the construction mode of Sanmen Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. It also proposes the system design architecture, especially focuses on the implementation of the project, the key technical issues and the project management experience. In addition, it describes how to classify, manage and use the unformatted information, digital assets and documents. (author)

  1. Cheetah Experimental Platform Web 1.0: Cleaning Pupillary Data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zugal, Stefan; Pinggera, Jakob; Neurauter, Manuel

    2017-01-01

    –tracking devices led to increased attention for objectively measuring cognitive load via pupil dilation. However, this approach requires a standardized data processing routine to reliably measure cognitive load. This technical report presents CEP–Web, an open source platform to providing state of the art data...

  2. Multimodal Microchannel and Nanowell-Based Microfluidic Platforms for Bioimaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geng, Tao; Smallwood, Chuck R.; Zhu, Ying; Bredeweg, Erin L.; Baker, Scott E.; Evans, James E.; Kelly, Ryan T.

    2017-03-30

    Modern live-cell imaging approaches permit real-time visualization of biological processes. However, limitations for unicellular organism trapping, culturing and long-term imaging can preclude complete understanding of how such microorganisms respond to perturbations in their local environment or linking single-cell variability to whole population dynamics. We have developed microfluidic platforms to overcome prior technical bottlenecks to allow both chemostat and compartmentalized cellular growth conditions using the same device. Additionally, a nanowell-based platform enables a high throughput approach to scale up compartmentalized imaging optimized within the microfluidic device. These channel and nanowell platforms are complementary, and both provide fine control over the local environment as well as the ability to add/replace media components at any experimental time point.

  3. Hanford Site technical baseline database. Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, P.E.

    1995-01-01

    This report lists the Hanford specific files (Table 1) that make up the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database. Table 2 includes the delta files that delineate the differences between this revision and revision 0 of the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database. This information is being managed and maintained on the Hanford RDD-100 System, which uses the capabilities of RDD-100, a systems engineering software system of Ascent Logic Corporation (ALC). This revision of the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database uses RDD-100 version 3.0.2.2 (see Table 3). Directories reflect those controlled by the Hanford RDD-100 System Administrator. Table 4 provides information regarding the platform. A cassette tape containing the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database is available

  4. Implementation of a Real-Time Microgrid Simulation Platform Based on Centralized and Distributed Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omid Abrishambaf

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Demand response and distributed generation are key components of power systems. Several challenges are raised at both technical and business model levels for integration of those resources in smart grids and microgrids. The implementation of a distribution network as a test bed can be difficult and not cost-effective; using computational modeling is not sufficient for producing realistic results. Real-time simulation allows us to validate the business model’s impact at the technical level. This paper comprises a platform supporting the real-time simulation of a microgrid connected to a larger distribution network. The implemented platform allows us to use both centralized and distributed energy resource management. Using an optimization model for the energy resource operation, a virtual power player manages all the available resources. Then, the simulation platform allows us to technically validate the actual implementation of the requested demand reduction in the scope of demand response programs. The case study has 33 buses, 220 consumers, and 68 distributed generators. It demonstrates the impact of demand response events, also performing resource management in the presence of an energy shortage.

  5. Evaluating shielding effectiveness for reducing space radiation cancer risks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cucinotta, Francis A.; Kim, Myung-Hee Y.; Ren, Lei

    2006-01-01

    We discuss calculations of probability distribution functions (PDF) representing uncertainties in projecting fatal cancer risk from galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar particle events (SPE). The PDFs are used in significance tests for evaluating the effectiveness of potential radiation shielding approaches. Uncertainties in risk coefficients determined from epidemiology data, dose and dose-rate reduction factors, quality factors, and physics models of radiation environments are considered in models of cancer risk PDFs. Competing mortality risks and functional correlations in radiation quality factor uncertainties are included in the calculations. We show that the cancer risk uncertainty, defined as the ratio of the upper value of 95% confidence interval (CI) to the point estimate is about 4-fold for lunar and Mars mission risk projections. For short-stay lunar missions ( 180d) or Mars missions, GCR risks may exceed radiation risk limits that are based on acceptable levels of risk. For example, the upper 95% CI exceeding 10% fatal risk for males and females on a Mars mission. For reducing GCR cancer risks, shielding materials are marginally effective because of the penetrating nature of GCR and secondary radiation produced in tissue by relativistic particles. At the present time, polyethylene or carbon composite shielding cannot be shown to significantly reduce risk compared to aluminum shielding based on a significance test that accounts for radiobiology uncertainties in GCR risk projection

  6. The importance of probabilistic evaluations in connection with risk analyses according to technical safety laws

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mathiak, E.

    1984-01-01

    The nuclear energy sector exemplifies the essential importance to be attached to the practical application of probabilistic evaluations (e.g. probabilistic reliability analyses) in connection with the legal risk assessment of technical systems and installations. The study is making use of a triad risk analysis and tries to reconcile the natural science and legal points of view. Without changing the definitions of 'risk' and 'hazard' in the legal sense of their meaning the publication discusses their reconcilation with the laws of natural science, their interpretation and application in view of the latter. (HSCH) [de

  7. An Assessment of Technical and Production Risks of Candidate Low-Cost Attitude/Heading Reference Systems(AHRS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuchnovicz, Daniel; Burgess, Malcolm; Hammers, William

    1999-01-01

    This report provides an assessment of technical and production risks of candidate low-cost attitude/heading reference systems (AHRS) for use in the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) airplanes. A low-cost AHRS is a key component of modem "glass cockpit" flight displays for General Aviation (GA) aircraft. The technical capabilities of several candidate low-cost AHRS were examined and described along with the technical issues involved with using all solid-state components for attitude measurement. An economic model was developed which describes the expected profit, rate of return, and volume requirements for the manufacture of low-cost AHRS for GA aircraft in the 2000 to 2020 time frame. The model is the result of interviews with GA airframe manufacturers, avionics manufacturers and historical analysis of avionics of similar complexity. The model shows that a manufacturer will break even after three years of AHRS production, realizing an 18 percent rate of return (23 percent profit) on an investment of $3.5M over the 20 year period. A start-up production estimate showed costs of $6-12M for a new company to build and certify an AHRS from scratch, considered to be a high-risk proposition, versus $0.25-0.75M for an experienced avionics manufacturer to manufacture a design under license, a low-risk proposition.

  8. Testing RISKGIS Platform with Students to Improve Learning and Teaching Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olyazadeh, R.; Aye, Z. C.; Jaboyedoff, M.; Derron, M. H.

    2016-12-01

    Nowadays, open-source developments in the field of natural hazards and risk management increase rapidly. The governments, NGOs and other research institutes are producing data for risk and disaster analysis, but a few platforms are available to bring a real-life experience to the students. This work focuses on the preliminary results of testing a WebGIS platform called RISKGIS with the bachelor students at the University of Lausanne. The platform is designed based on a geospatial open-source technology called OpenGeo (Boundless). This platform can calculate the potential risk of the buildings and assist the students to understand the situations for risk reduction mitigation and decision-making. The center of Jomsom in Nepal was selected for the first exercise that may be affected by amplifications of earthquake. The shaking intensity map was designed by an expert based on the geological characteristics and DEM (Digital Elevation Model) of the area. All buildings data were extracted from OpenStreetMap using QGIS and adapted to the platform. The video tutorial was prepared to guide the students through the platform, and 80 students have tested the application online successfully and 40 of them participated in Moodle (a free Open Source software package for educators) for online feedback and quiz. Among those, 30 of them have completely answered to both. We had interesting results for effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction based on System Usability Scale (SUS). The SUS score for this platform was 68.6 out of 100. The average result of the quiz was 9.39 out of 10 with a duration of 8 to 33 minutes to answer the quiz. There were several outliers for this duration with 2 minutes (two students) and 9 to 18 hours (three students). Further exercises will be carried out with students by adding more advanced functions to the platform and improving the willingness of participation in this online learning platform. This project is funded by Fonds d'innovation p

  9. The new transnational payments law and global consumer trade : Online platforms as providers of private legal orders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janczuk, Agnieszka

    2015-01-01

    This article uses the example of one of the best-known global payment systems provided by an online platform, PayPal, to analyze the role of private legal orders in creating new markets beyond jurisdictional borders. It shows that a relatively uniform legal order reduces risks involved in

  10. High resolution data from everyday life: coproducing a technically robust and engaging sensing platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew Machin

    2017-04-01

    We found it was feasible to integrate requirements from both researchers and patients when developing a sensing platform for dementia research. By seeking feedback from both user groups, we were better able to attend to device linkage requirements, platform functionality and acceptability, integrating these within development and procurement processes. Furthermore, we identified aspects of research setup and design that could support sustained engagement from participants, thereby improving data completeness and quality.

  11. Sandia Transportation Technical Environmental Information Center and its application to transportation risk analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, J.T.; Davidson, C.A.; McClure, J.D.

    1978-01-01

    Purpose of this paper is to describe an applied research activity which is fundamental to the conduct of transportation analyses: the collection, analysis, storage, and retrieval of information on the intensities of technical environments. This paper describes the collection system which provides such a service to official researchers in transportation analysis and the applications of this information in the area of risk analysis

  12. Advanced Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Technical Exchange Meeting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, Curtis [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2013-09-01

    During FY13, the INL developed an advanced SMR PRA framework which has been described in the report Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Detailed Technical Framework Specification, INL/EXT-13-28974 (April 2013). In this framework, the various areas are considered: Probabilistic models to provide information specific to advanced SMRs Representation of specific SMR design issues such as having co-located modules and passive safety features Use of modern open-source and readily available analysis methods Internal and external events resulting in impacts to safety All-hazards considerations Methods to support the identification of design vulnerabilities Mechanistic and probabilistic data needs to support modeling and tools In order to describe this framework more fully and obtain feedback on the proposed approaches, the INL hosted a technical exchange meeting during August 2013. This report describes the outcomes of that meeting.

  13. The design and verification of probabilistic safety analysis platform NFRisk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Wenjun; Song Wei; Ren Lixia; Qian Hongtao

    2010-01-01

    To increase the technical ability in Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) field in China,it is necessary and important to study and develop indigenous professional PSA platform. Following such principle as 'from structure simplification to modulization to production of cut sets to minimum of cut sets', the algorithms, including simplification algorithm, modulization algorithm, the algorithm of conversion from fault tree to binary decision diagram (BDD), the solving algorithm of cut sets, the minimum algorithm of cut sets, and so on, were designed and developed independently; the design of data management and operation platform was completed all alone; the verification and validation of NFRisk platform based on 3 typical fault trees was finished on our own. (authors)

  14. Vertical Relationships within Platform Marketplaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark J. Tremblay

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In two-sided markets a platform allows consumers and sellers to interact by creating sub-markets within the platform marketplace. For example, Amazon has sub-markets for all of the different product categories available on its site, and smartphones have sub-markets for different types of applications (gaming apps, weather apps, map apps, ridesharing apps, etc.. The network benefits between consumers and sellers depend on the mode of competition within the sub-markets: more competition between sellers lowers product prices, increases the surplus consumers receive from a sub-market, and makes platform membership more desirable for consumers. However, more competition also lowers profits for a seller which makes platform membership less desirable for a seller and reduces seller entry and the number of sub-markets available on the platform marketplace. This dynamic between seller competition within a sub-market and agents’ network benefits leads to platform pricing strategies, participation decisions by consumers and sellers, and welfare results that depend on the mode of competition. Thus, the sub-market structure is important when investigating platform marketplaces.

  15. Application of GNSS Methods for Monitoring Offshore Platform Deformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myint, Khin Cho; Nasir Matori, Abd; Gohari, Adel

    2018-03-01

    Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has become a powerful tool for high-precision deformation monitoring application. Monitoring of deformation and subsidence of offshore platform due to factors such as shallow gas phenomena. GNSS is the technical interoperability and compatibility between various satellite navigation systems such as modernized GPS, Galileo, reconstructed GLONASS to be used by civilian users. It has been known that excessive deformation affects platform structurally, causing loss of production and affects the efficiency of the machinery on board the platform. GNSS have been proven to be one of the most precise positioning methods where by users can get accuracy to the nearest centimeter of a given position from carrier phase measurement processing of GPS signals. This research is aimed at using GNSS technique, which is one of the most standard methods to monitor the deformation of offshore platforms. Therefore, station modeling, which accounts for the spatial correlated errors, and hence speeds up the ambiguity resolution process is employed. It was found that GNSS combines the high accuracy of the results monitoring the offshore platforms deformation with the possibility of survey.

  16. Node Primitives: an open end-user programming platform for social robots

    OpenAIRE

    Coronado, Enrique; Mastrogiovanni, Fulvio; Venture, Gentiane

    2017-01-01

    With the expected adoption of robots able to seamlessly and intuitively interact with people in real-world scenarios, the need arises to provide non-technically-skilled users with easy-to-understand paradigms for customising robot behaviors. In this paper, we present an interaction design robot programming platform for enabling multidisciplinary social robot research and applications. This platform is referred to Node Primitives (NEP) and consists of two main parts. On the one hand, a ZeroMQ ...

  17. The business impact of an integrated continuous biomanufacturing platform for recombinant protein production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walther, Jason; Godawat, Rahul; Hwang, Chris; Abe, Yuki; Sinclair, Andrew; Konstantinov, Konstantin

    2015-11-10

    The biotechnology industry primarily uses batch technologies to manufacture recombinant proteins. The natural evolution of other industries has shown that transitioning from batch to continuous processing can yield significant benefits. A quantitative understanding of these benefits is critical to guide the implementation of continuous processing. In this manuscript, we use process economic modeling and Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate an integrated continuous biomanufacturing (ICB) platform and conduct risk-based valuation to generate a probabilistic range of net-present values (NPVs). For a specific ten-year product portfolio, the ICB platform reduces average cost by 55% compared to conventional batch processing, considering both capital and operating expenses. The model predicts that these savings can further increase by an additional 25% in situations with higher-than-expected product demand showing the upward potential of the ICB platform. The ICB platform achieves these savings and corresponding flexibility mainly due to process intensification in both upstream and downstream unit operations. This study demonstrates the promise of continuous bioprocessing while also establishing a novel framework to quantify financial benefits of other platform process technologies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Procedures for evaluating technical specifications (PETS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samanta, P.K.; Boccio, J.L.; Vesely, W.E.

    1987-01-01

    In this paper, aspects of technical specifications relating to Generic Issues B-56 and B-61 are discussed from a risk-standpoint. These primarily deal with the risk issues associated with (1) adaptive diesel test requirements/surveillance test intervals, and (2) the effectiveness of cumulative outage time requirements for controlling downtime risk. Risk and reliability approaches are presented which (1) allow risk-acceptable test intervals to be determined for any diesel and (2) show the potential risk-control capability of prescribed allowed cumulative outage times. This work was conducted through NRC's Procedures for Evaluating Technical Specifications (PETS) Program. The overall objective of this program is to develop and demonstrate methodologies that utilize risk insights and reliability techniques for evaluating the scope, detailed requirements, and safety impact of plant technical specifications

  19. [Strategies for reducing risks in smoking: opportunity or threat].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Córdoba, Rodrigo; Nerín, Isabel

    2009-12-01

    The smoking control policies recommended by the World Health Organisation have achieved a slight decrease in smoking prevalence in the developed countries, although associated mortality is still very high. The use of tobacco products other than cigarettes and even medicinal nicotine (known as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)) has been proposed as a risk reduction strategy. Among the tobacco products with less individual risk than cigarettes would be any type of tobacco without smoke (smokeless) with a low content in nitrosamines and modified cigarettes; both forms included under the PREP (Potentially Reduced Exposure Products) concept. The idea would be to promote these products among those who cannot quit smoking or wish to reduce their risk without giving up nicotine intake. The possible effects of risk reduction strategies, including PREP, on the decreased prevalence and morbidity and mortality are reviewed, and the possible implications that this measure could have in our country are analysed. Tobacco control measures in Spain are recent and still insufficient. Therefore, the current priority in Spain is the development of policies of control that have shown to more than effective. The marketing and advertising of new tobacco products, even with reduced potential risk, seems more a serious threat than an opportunity for the development of smoking control policies.

  20. Reducing the Risk of Methadone Overdose

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2012-07-03

    This podcast is based on the July 2012 CDC Vital Signs report. Approximately 14 people die every day of overdoses related to methadone. Listen to learn how to reduce your risk of an overdose.  Created: 7/3/2012 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 7/3/2012.

  1. Radiographic inspection on offshore platforms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soares, Sergio Damasceno; Sperandio, Augusto Gasparoni

    1994-01-01

    One of the great challenges for non-destructive inspection is on offshore platforms, where safety is a critical issue. Inspection by gammagraphy is practically forbidden on the platform deck due to problems to personnel safety and radiological protection. Ir-192 sources are used and the risk of an accident with loss of radioisotope must be considered. It is unfeasible to use gammagraphy, because in case of an accident the rapid evacuation from the platform would be impossible. This problem does not occur when X-ray equipment is used as the radiation source. The limited practicality and portability of the X-ray equipment have prevented its use as a replacement for the gammagraphy. This paper presents the preliminary tests to see the viable use of radiographic tests with constant potential on offshore platforms. (author). 2 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs, 3 photos

  2. Atmospheric metallic and arsenic pollution at an offshore drilling platform in the Bo Sea: A health risk assessment for the workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Hong; Han, Suqin; Bi, Xiaohui; Zhao, Zhijing; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Wenjie; Zhang, Min; Chen, Jing; Wu, Jianhui; Zhang, Yufen; Feng, Yinchang

    2016-03-05

    To investigate the ambient metal pollution at the offshore drilling platform in the Bo Sea, which few studies have focused on, PM2.5 samples were collected and ten heavy metals, as well as As, were analyzed. High concentration levels of metals were observed, and the heavy metal pollution was quite serious compared to air quality standards and other marine areas. Back trajectories and wind dependent and PCA analyses showed that the marine sources included ship traffic emissions and corrosive stainless steels from the equipment at the platform as well as industrial emissions from stainless steel production and coal combustion sources, which were transported from the surrounding mainland. Both contributed greatly to the ambient metallic particles at the offshore platform. The Hazard Index values of the metals, which were much less than 1, the Carcinogenic Risk data, which were lower than the EPA's acceptable range, and the fact that the metal concentrations did not the exceed the permissible exposure limits of OSHA, indicated that the health risks from the ambient metallic particles for the oil-drilling workers were not significant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. RADIATION DOSE AND RISK TO RECREATIONAL FISHERMEN FROM INGESTION OF FISH CAUGHT NEAR EIGHT OIL PLATFORMS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MEINHOLD,A.F.; HOLTZMAN,S.

    1998-06-01

    Offshore production of oil and gas is accompanied by a saline wastewater, called produced water. Produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico often contain elevated concentrations of radionuclides that occur naturally in the geologic reservoir along with the oil and gas. These radionuclides may accumulate in organisms that live near offshore oil and gas structures. Because recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is concentrated near oil and gas platforms, there is the potential for increased risks to recreational fishermen from the ingestion of radionuclides in fish caught near produced water discharges. This analysis investigated the potential risk to recreational fishermen from radium and lead-210 in offshore produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico. The assessment used data collected at eight discharging offshore platforms and two reference locations. These data were collected in a USDOE funded project titled ``Environmental and Economic Assessment of Discharges from Gulf of Mexico Region Oil and Gas Operations'', here called the USDOE Field Study. The risk assessments were done to support risk managers in developing regulations and permits for offshore discharges of produced water.

  4. 76 FR 2369 - Priorities for Addressing Risks to the Reliability of the Bulk-Power System; Notice of Technical...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-13

    ... Addressing Risks to the Reliability of the Bulk- Power System; Notice of Technical Conference December 16.... The purpose of the conference is to discuss policy issues related to reliability of the Bulk-Power System, including priorities for addressing risks to reliability. The agenda for this conference will be...

  5. Robotic right colectomy using the Da Vinci Single-Site® platform: case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morelli, Luca; Guadagni, Simone; Caprili, Giovanni; Di Candio, Giulio; Boggi, Ugo; Mosca, Franco

    2013-09-01

    While single-port laparoscopy for abdominal surgery is technically challenging, the Da Vinci Single-Site® robotic surgery platform may help to overcome some of the difficulties of this rapidly evolving technique. The authors of this article present a case of single-incision, robotic right colectomy using this device. A 74-year-old female with malignant polyp of caecum was operated on with a single-site approach using the Da Vinci Single-Site® robotic surgery device. Resection and anastomosis were performed extra-corporeally after undocking the robot. The procedure was successfully completed in 200 min. No surgical complications occurred during the intervention and the post-operative stay and no conversion to laparotomy or additional trocars were required. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of right colectomy using the Da Vinci Single-Site® robotic surgery platform to be reported. The procedure is feasible and safe and its main advantages are restoration of triangulation and reduced instrument clashes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Information support of monitoring of technical condition of buildings in construction risk area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skachkova, M. E.; Lepihina, O. Y.; Ignatova, V. V.

    2018-05-01

    The paper presents the results of the research devoted to the development of a model of information support of monitoring buildings technical condition; these buildings are located in the construction risk area. As a result of the visual and instrumental survey, as well as the analysis of existing approaches and techniques, attributive and cartographic databases have been created. These databases allow monitoring defects and damages of buildings located in a 30-meter risk area from the object under construction. The classification of structures and defects of these buildings under survey is presented. The functional capabilities of the developed model and the field of it practical applications are determined.

  7. Reducing the Risks for Contrast-Induced Nephropathy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stacul, Fulvio

    2005-01-01

    Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is one of the most serious adverse events associated with the use of contrast media (CM). Patients who develop this complication can have increased morbidity, higher rates of mortality, lengthy hospital stays, and poor long-term outcomes. Although CIN cannot be eliminated, the chances of developing this condition can be reduced by using appropriate prevention strategies. An important first step to reduce the chance of CIN is to identify risk factors associated with this condition. Patients with a previously elevated serum creatinine level, especially when secondary to diabetic nephropathy, are at great risk for developing CIN. Other patient-related risk factors include concurrent use of nephrotoxic medications, dehydration, congestive heart failure, age greater than 70 years, and probably the presence of diabetes mellitus even if serum creatinine is normal. Adequate hydration is widely accepted as an important prophylactic measure for preventing CIN, but the optimal hydration regimen is still debatable. The risk of CIN increases with greater doses of CM, as well as with the type of CM used. A high-osmolar CM poses a greater risk of CIN than does a low-osmolar CM and, as recent but limited data suggest, the use of an iso-osmolar CM is less nephrotoxic than a low-osmolar CM in patients with renal impairment following intra-arterial procedures, although this finding needs to be verified in future clinical studies. Pharmacologic agents such as calcium channel blockers, dopamine, atrial natriuretic peptide, fenoldopam, prostaglandin E1, and endothelin receptor antagonist have not been proven effective against CIN development. Controversies still exist on the possible effectiveness of theophylline and N-acetylcysteine. Simple strategies for the prevention of CIN in at-risk patients are reviewed and unproven interventions are discussed

  8. Technical self reliance of digital safety systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Kee Choon; Lee, Dong Young [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kook Hun [Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction, Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Seung Gap [POSCON, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-04-15

    This paper summarizes the development results of the Korea Nuclear Instrumentation and Control System (KNICS) project sponsored by the Korean government. In this project, Man Machine Interface System (MMIS) architecture, two digital platforms, and several control systems are developed. One platform is a programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for a safety system and another platform is a Distributed Control System (DCS) for a non safety system. With the POSAFE Q PLC, a Reactor Protection System (RPS) and an Engineered Safety Feature Component Control System (ESF CCS) are developed. A Power Control System (PCS) is developed based on the DCS. The safety grade platform and the digital safety systems obtained approval for the Topical Report from the Korean regulatory body in February of 2009. Also a Korean utility and a vendor company determined KNICS results to apply them to the planned Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in March 2009. This paper introduces the technical self reliance experiences of the safety grade platform and the digital safety systems developed in the KNICS R and D project.

  9. Uncertainty Quantification in the Reliability and Risk Assessment of Generation IV Reactors: Final Scientific/Technical Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vierow, Karen; Aldemir, Tunc

    2009-01-01

    The project entitled, 'Uncertainty Quantification in the Reliability and Risk Assessment of Generation IV Reactors', was conducted as a DOE NERI project collaboration between Texas A and M University and The Ohio State University between March 2006 and June 2009. The overall goal of the proposed project was to develop practical approaches and tools by which dynamic reliability and risk assessment techniques can be used to augment the uncertainty quantification process in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methods and PRA applications for Generation IV reactors. This report is the Final Scientific/Technical Report summarizing the project.

  10. Uncertainty Quantification in the Reliability and Risk Assessment of Generation IV Reactors: Final Scientific/Technical Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vierow, Karen; Aldemir, Tunc

    2009-09-10

    The project entitled, “Uncertainty Quantification in the Reliability and Risk Assessment of Generation IV Reactors”, was conducted as a DOE NERI project collaboration between Texas A&M University and The Ohio State University between March 2006 and June 2009. The overall goal of the proposed project was to develop practical approaches and tools by which dynamic reliability and risk assessment techniques can be used to augment the uncertainty quantification process in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methods and PRA applications for Generation IV reactors. This report is the Final Scientific/Technical Report summarizing the project.

  11. Reducing the harms associated with risk assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montague, Peter

    2004-01-01

    Risk assessments are the intellectual products of dedicated public health and environmental professionals. Like many other products, risk assessments carry with them the potential for both good and harm. This paper briefly examines some of the harms to which risk assessments have contributed, and then suggests that the legal 'duty to warn' doctrine offers a logical and practical way to reduce some of these harms. The paper suggests concepts that could be incorporated into warnings accompanying every formal risk assessment as routine 'boiler plate' addenda, just as other potentially harmful products, such as lawn mowers and cook stoves, are accompanied by warnings. Finally, the paper briefly examines the 'Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for Environmental Professionals' (promulgated by the National Association of Environmental Professionals) and shows that the suggested warnings are consistent with recommended practices for environmental professionals

  12. Essential Means for Urban Computing: Specification of Web-Based Computing Platforms for Urban Planning, a Hitchhiker’s Guide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pirouz Nourian

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This article provides an overview of the specifications of web-based computing platforms for urban data analytics and computational urban planning practice. There are currently a variety of tools and platforms that can be used in urban computing practices, including scientific computing languages, interactive web languages, data sharing platforms and still many desktop computing environments, e.g., GIS software applications. We have reviewed a list of technologies considering their potential and applicability in urban planning and urban data analytics. This review is not only based on the technical factors such as capabilities of the programming languages but also the ease of developing and sharing complex data processing workflows. The arena of web-based computing platforms is currently under rapid development and is too volatile to be predictable; therefore, in this article we focus on the specification of the requirements and potentials from an urban planning point of view rather than speculating about the fate of computing platforms or programming languages. The article presents a list of promising computing technologies, a technical specification of the essential data models and operators for geo-spatial data processing, and mathematical models for an ideal urban computing platform.

  13. Mitigating flood exposure: Reducing disaster risk and trauma signature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shultz, James M; McLean, Andrew; Herberman Mash, Holly B; Rosen, Alexa; Kelly, Fiona; Solo-Gabriele, Helena M; Youngs, Georgia A; Jensen, Jessica; Bernal, Oscar; Neria, Yuval

    2013-01-01

    Introduction. In 2011, following heavy winter snowfall, two cities bordering two rivers in North Dakota, USA faced major flood threats. Flooding was foreseeable and predictable although the extent of risk was uncertain. One community, Fargo, situated in a shallow river basin, successfully mitigated and prevented flooding. For the other community, Minot, located in a deep river valley, prevention was not possible and downtown businesses and one-quarter of the homes were inundated, in the city's worst flood on record. We aimed at contrasting the respective hazards, vulnerabilities, stressors, psychological risk factors, psychosocial consequences, and disaster risk reduction strategies under conditions where flood prevention was, and was not, possible. Methods . We applied the "trauma signature analysis" (TSIG) approach to compare the hazard profiles, identify salient disaster stressors, document the key components of disaster risk reduction response, and examine indicators of community resilience. Results . Two demographically-comparable communities, Fargo and Minot, faced challenging river flood threats and exhibited effective coordination across community sectors. We examined the implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies in situations where coordinated citizen action was able to prevent disaster impact (hazard avoidance) compared to the more common scenario when unpreventable disaster strikes, causing destruction, harm, and distress. Across a range of indicators, it is clear that successful mitigation diminishes both physical and psychological impact, thereby reducing the trauma signature of the event. Conclusion . In contrast to experience of historic flooding in Minot, the city of Fargo succeeded in reducing the trauma signature by way of reducing risk through mitigation.

  14. A Risk Assessment Model for Reduced Aircraft Separation: A Quantitative Method to Evaluate the Safety of Free Flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassell, Rick; Smith, Alex; Connors, Mary; Wojciech, Jack; Rosekind, Mark R. (Technical Monitor)

    1996-01-01

    As new technologies and procedures are introduced into the National Airspace System, whether they are intended to improve efficiency, capacity, or safety level, the quantification of potential changes in safety levels is of vital concern. Applications of technology can improve safety levels and allow the reduction of separation standards. An excellent example is the Precision Runway Monitor (PRM). By taking advantage of the surveillance and display advances of PRM, airports can run instrument parallel approaches to runways separated by 3400 feet with the same level of safety as parallel approaches to runways separated by 4300 feet using the standard technology. Despite a wealth of information from flight operations and testing programs, there is no readily quantifiable relationship between numerical safety levels and the separation standards that apply to aircraft on final approach. This paper presents a modeling approach to quantify the risk associated with reducing separation on final approach. Reducing aircraft separation, both laterally and longitudinally, has been the goal of several aviation R&D programs over the past several years. Many of these programs have focused on technological solutions to improve navigation accuracy, surveillance accuracy, aircraft situational awareness, controller situational awareness, and other technical and operational factors that are vital to maintaining flight safety. The risk assessment model relates different types of potential aircraft accidents and incidents and their contribution to overall accident risk. The framework links accident risks to a hierarchy of failsafe mechanisms characterized by procedures and interventions. The model will be used to assess the overall level of safety associated with reducing separation standards and the introduction of new technology and procedures, as envisaged under the Free Flight concept. The model framework can be applied to various aircraft scenarios, including parallel and in

  15. Not normally manned compression platforms for the North Sea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumaran, K.S.

    1994-01-01

    Gas turbine driven gas compressors have been widely used on manned offshore facilities. Similarly unmanned gas turbine driven compressor stations have been in operation onshore with major gas transmission companies in Europe, North America and elsewhere. This paper summarizes a recent joint industry study to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of Not Normally Manned (NNM) Offshore Compression Facilities in terms of reliability, availability and maintainability. Classification of not normally manned (or unmanned) offshore facilities in the UK North Sea is in accordance with HSE Operations Notice 8. ON8 specifies criteria for offshore visits, visit hours and number of personnel on board for the operation of NNM platforms. This paper describes a typical Southern North Sea gas platform being considered for NNM compressor application. The conclusions from the study was that NNM compression is technically feasible with the facilities being able to provide an availability in excess of 98%. Life cycle costs were of the order of 70% of manned facilities thus significantly improving field development economics

  16. Communicating climate change adaptation information using web-based platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Karali

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available To facilitate progress in climate change adaptation policy and practice, it is important not only to ensure the production of accurate, comprehensive and relevant information, but also the easy, timely and affordable access to it. This can contribute to better-informed decisions and improve the design and implementation of adaptation policies and other relevant initiatives. Web-based platforms can play an important role in communicating and distributing data, information and knowledge that become constantly available, reaching out to a large group of potential users. Indeed in the last decade there has been an extensive increase in the number of platforms developed for this purpose in many fields including climate change adaptation. This short paper concentrates on the web-based adaptation platforms developed in Europe. It provides an overview of the recently emerged landscape, examines the basic characteristics of a set of platforms that operate at national, transnational and European level, and discusses some of the key challenges related to their development, maintenance and overall management. Findings presented in this short paper are discussed in greater detailed in the Technical Report of the European Environment Agency Overview of climate change adaptation platforms in Europe.

  17. Communicating climate change adaptation information using web-based platforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karali, Eleni; Mattern, Kati

    2017-07-01

    To facilitate progress in climate change adaptation policy and practice, it is important not only to ensure the production of accurate, comprehensive and relevant information, but also the easy, timely and affordable access to it. This can contribute to better-informed decisions and improve the design and implementation of adaptation policies and other relevant initiatives. Web-based platforms can play an important role in communicating and distributing data, information and knowledge that become constantly available, reaching out to a large group of potential users. Indeed in the last decade there has been an extensive increase in the number of platforms developed for this purpose in many fields including climate change adaptation. This short paper concentrates on the web-based adaptation platforms developed in Europe. It provides an overview of the recently emerged landscape, examines the basic characteristics of a set of platforms that operate at national, transnational and European level, and discusses some of the key challenges related to their development, maintenance and overall management. Findings presented in this short paper are discussed in greater detailed in the Technical Report of the European Environment Agency Overview of climate change adaptation platforms in Europe.

  18. An Optimal Strategic Business Model for Small Businesses Using Online Platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hana Kim

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available As ecommerce continues to grow, small businesses are using a variety of platforms to secure potential consumers. However, it is important for small business owners to choose an efficient business model because of constraints such as technical problems. In this study, based on platform characteristics we divide online shopping platforms into different types as follows: (1 information brokerage services; (2 online malls; and (3 omni-channel platforms. The efficiency of each group is measured by stochastic frontier analysis, and the efficiency comparison between the groups is made using meta-frontier analysis. As a result of the study, it is found that the efficiency of small business owners increases as functional integration increases, satisfying utilitarian motivations. However, a platform with greater integration that has a social presence satisfying hedonic motivations improves the efficiency of all small businesses using the platform instead of just the efficiency of a marginal number of small business owners. This study, based on the dynamic capabilities viewpoint, suggests that the omni-channel platform represents the most sustainable approach for small business owners undergoing difficulties such as technological and organizational changes.

  19. Performance of a Multiplex Serological Helicobacter pylori Assay on a Novel Microfluidic Assay Platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angela Filomena

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori occurs in 50% of the world population, and is associated with the development of ulcer and gastric cancer. Serological diagnostic tests indicate an H. pylori infection by detecting antibodies directed against H. pylori proteins. In addition to line blots, multiplex assay platforms provide smart solutions for the simultaneous analysis of antibody responses towards several H. pylori proteins. We used seven H. pylori proteins (FliD, gGT, GroEL, HpaA, CagA, VacA, and HP0231 and an H. pylori lysate for the development of a multiplex serological assay on a novel microfluidic platform. The reaction limited binding regime in the microfluidic channels allows for a short incubation time of 35 min. The developed assay showed very high sensitivity (99% and specificity (100%. Besides sensitivity and specificity, the technical validation (intra-assay CV = 3.7 ± 1.2% and inter-assay CV = 5.5 ± 1.2% demonstrates that our assay is also a robust tool for the analysis of the H. pylori-specific antibody response. The integration of the virulence factors CagA and VacA allow for the assessment of the risk for gastric cancer development. The short assay time and the performance of the platform shows the potential for implementation of such assays in a clinical setting.

  20. Reducing risks, protecting people. A harmonized approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foster, R.B.

    2000-01-01

    Risk training, education and communication usually refer to the responsibilities of those who generate risk (e.g. operators of nuclear power plants) towards those who are exposed to the risk (e.g. employees working in the plants and those living in the vicinity). In this context training, education and communication are intended to transfer information from risk professionals to a largely uninformed audience, with a view to improving standards or providing reassurance. However, with the growth of media such as the Internet those to whom such training, education and communication have traditionally been directed are now much better informed. In addition, increasing prosperity affects expectations and prompts questions, not only about the adequacy of the control measures intended to address specific hazards, but also about whether the hazardous activity is justified at all. Within the UK (and Europe) this is very evident for nuclear power, other applications of ionizing radiation, and in other areas such as genetically modified food. In consequence regulators of hazardous activities face considerable new challenges. Of course, regulators still have to formulate standards, communicate them to those responsible for risk reduction and see that the necessary controls are in place. But in addition regulators also have to be able to answer questions such as: - why is this hazardous activity (e.g. a nuclear power plant) allowed at all? - what level of risk is unacceptable? - is the approach to risk reduction sufficiently precautionary? - why shouldn't the risk be reduced further? - why are the risks from certain activities (e.g. those from ionizing radiation) controlled to much lower levels than those from other work activities? - how are decisions made, what criteria are applied and how are the stake holders involves? All this does not make life easy for regulators! The full paper will describe how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has responded to these challenges by

  1. Managing Risk, Reducing Vulnerability and Enhancing Productivity ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Managing Risk, Reducing Vulnerability and Enhancing Productivity under a Changing Climate. The countries of the Greater Horn of Africa are particularly vulnerable to drought, exacerbated by widespread poverty and dependence on rainfed agriculture. Even with normal rainfall, the region does not produce enough food to ...

  2. Information security challenges - vulnerabilities brought by ERP applications and cloud platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sinziana-Maria Rindasu

    2018-02-01

    This article aims to provide an overview of ERP applications and cloud computing platforms that are currently used in the financial and accounting field, focusing on the main technical vulnerabilities and the human factor, which is one of the most important aspects of data security.

  3. Robotic-assisted single-port donor nephrectomy using the da Vinci single-site platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaMattina, John C; Alvarez-Casas, Josue; Lu, Irene; Powell, Jessica M; Sultan, Samuel; Phelan, Michael W; Barth, Rolf N

    2018-02-01

    Although single-port donor nephrectomy offers improved cosmetic outcomes, technical challenges have limited its application to selected centers. Our center has performed over 400 single-port donor nephrectomies. The da Vinci single-site robotic platform was utilized in an effort to overcome the steric, visualization, ergonomic, and other technical limitations associated with the single-port approach. Food and Drug Administration device exemption was obtained. Selection criteria for kidney donation included body mass index da Vinci single-site platform. Our experience supported the safety of this approach but found that the technology added cost and complexity without tangible benefit. Development of articulating instruments, energy, and stapling devices will be necessary for increased application of robotic single-site surgery for donor nephrectomy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Technical Considerations for Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing with Multiplexed Libraries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatterjee, Aniruddha; Rodger, Euan J.; Stockwell, Peter A.; Weeks, Robert J.; Morison, Ian M.

    2012-01-01

    Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), which couples bisulfite conversion and next generation sequencing, is an innovative method that specifically enriches genomic regions with a high density of potential methylation sites and enables investigation of DNA methylation at single-nucleotide resolution. Recent advances in the Illumina DNA sample preparation protocol and sequencing technology have vastly improved sequencing throughput capacity. Although the new Illumina technology is now widely used, the unique challenges associated with multiplexed RRBS libraries on this platform have not been previously described. We have made modifications to the RRBS library preparation protocol to sequence multiplexed libraries on a single flow cell lane of the Illumina HiSeq 2000. Furthermore, our analysis incorporates a bioinformatics pipeline specifically designed to process bisulfite-converted sequencing reads and evaluate the output and quality of the sequencing data generated from the multiplexed libraries. We obtained an average of 42 million paired-end reads per sample for each flow-cell lane, with a high unique mapping efficiency to the reference human genome. Here we provide a roadmap of modifications, strategies, and trouble shooting approaches we implemented to optimize sequencing of multiplexed libraries on an a RRBS background. PMID:23193365

  5. Reducing Risk for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John M. Beck II; Harold J. Heydt; Emmanuel O. Opare; Kyle B. Oswald

    2010-07-01

    The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project, managed by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is directed by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, to research, develop, design, construct, and operate a prototype forth generation nuclear reactor to meet the needs of the 21st Century. As with all large projects developing and deploying new technologies, the NGNP has numerous risks that need to be identified, tracked, mitigated, and reduced in order for successful project completion. A Risk Management Plan (RMP) was created to outline the process the INL is using to manage the risks and reduction strategies for the NGNP Project. Integral to the RMP is the development and use of a Risk Management System (RMS). The RMS is a tool that supports management and monitoring of the project risks. The RMS does not only contain a risk register, but other functionality that allows decision makers, engineering staff, and technology researchers to review and monitor the risks as the project matures.

  6. Reducing Risk for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beck, John M. II; Heydt, Harold J.; Opare, Emmanuel O.; Oswald, Kyle B.

    2010-01-01

    The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project, managed by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is directed by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, to research, develop, design, construct, and operate a prototype forth generation nuclear reactor to meet the needs of the 21st Century. As with all large projects developing and deploying new technologies, the NGNP has numerous risks that need to be identified, tracked, mitigated, and reduced in order for successful project completion. A Risk Management Plan (RMP) was created to outline the process the INL is using to manage the risks and reduction strategies for the NGNP Project. Integral to the RMP is the development and use of a Risk Management System (RMS). The RMS is a tool that supports management and monitoring of the project risks. The RMS does not only contain a risk register, but other functionality that allows decision makers, engineering staff, and technology researchers to review and monitor the risks as the project matures.

  7. The Role of Semantics in Open-World, Integrative, Collaborative Science Data Platforms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, Peter; Chen, Yanning; Wang, Han; West, Patrick; Erickson, John; Ma, Marshall

    2014-05-01

    As collaborative science spreads into more and more Earth and space science fields, both participants and funders are expressing stronger needs for highly functional data and information capabilities. Characteristics include a) easy to use, b) highly integrated, c) leverage investments, d) accommodate rapid technical change, and e) do not incur undue expense or time to build or maintain - these are not a small set of requirements. Based on our accumulated experience over the last ~ decade and several key technical approaches, we adapt, extend, and integrate several open source applications and frameworks to handle major portions of functionality for these platforms. This includes: an object-type repository, collaboration tools, identity management, all within a portal managing diverse content and applications. In this contribution, we present our methods and results of information models, adaptation, integration and evolution of a networked data science architecture based on several open source technologies (Drupal, VIVO, the Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network; CKAN, and the Global Handle System; GHS). In particular we present the Deep Carbon Observatory - a platform for international science collaboration. We present and discuss key functional and non-functional attributes, and discuss the general applicability of the platform.

  8. Developing Tele-Operated Laboratories for Manufacturing Engineering Education. Platform for E-Learning and Telemetric Experimentation (PeTEX

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Erman Tekkaya

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the PeTEX-project is to establish an e-Learning platform for the development, implementation, and delivery of educational training programs in the field of manufacturing engineering. The PeTEX team designs both: a technical platform for eLearning based on “Moodle” including distributed tele-operated experimentation facilities, and didactic and socio-technical requirements for a successful online learning community. User interfaces are deployed for remote access to instruments, data analysis and multiplexed data access via network protocols. Hence, the platform provides complex tools in order to perform various activities to support the educational process, from telemetric experimentation to virtual project groups for an entire community to the purpose of domain specific learning. This paper describes important steps of interdisciplinary participatory design and development of a remote lab-prototype in the field of manufacturing engineering.

  9. Adaptive Soa Stack-Based Business Process Monitoring Platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Przemysław Dadel

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Executable business processes that formally describe company activities are well placed in the SOA environment as they allow for declarative organization of high-level system logic.However, for both technical and non-technical users, to fully benet from that element of abstractionappropriate business process monitoring systems are required and existing solutions remain unsatisfactory.The paper discusses the problem of business process monitoring in the context of the service orientation paradigm in order to propose an architectural solution and provide implementation of a system for business process monitoring that alleviates the shortcomings of the existing solutions.Various platforms are investigated to obtain a broader view of the monitoring problem and to gather functional and non-functional requirements. These requirements constitute input forthe further analysis and the system design. The monitoring software is then implemented and evaluated according to the specied criteria.An extensible business process monitoring system was designed and built on top of OSGiMM - a dynamic, event-driven, congurable communications layer that provides real-time monitoring capabilities for various types of resources. The system was tested against the stated functional requirements and its implementation provides a starting point for the further work.It is concluded that providing a uniform business process monitoring solution that satises a wide range of users and business process platform vendors is a dicult endeavor. It is furthermore reasoned that only an extensible, open-source, monitoring platform built on top of a scalablecommunication core has a chance to address all the stated and future requirements.

  10. TECHNICAL BASIS DOCUMENT FOR NATURAL EVENT HAZARDS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    KRIPPS, L.J.

    2006-01-01

    This technical basis document was developed to support the documented safety analysis (DSA) and describes the risk binning process and the technical basis for assigning risk bins for natural event hazard (NEH)-initiated accidents. The purpose of the risk binning process is to determine the need for safety-significant structures, systems, and components (SSC) and technical safety requirement (TSR)-level controls for a given representative accident or represented hazardous conditions based on an evaluation of the frequency and consequence. Note that the risk binning process is not applied to facility workers, because all facility worker hazardous conditions are considered for safety-significant SSCs and/or TSR-level controls

  11. Acid-reducing vagotomy is associated with reduced risk of subsequent ischemic heart disease in complicated peptic ulcer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shih-Chi; Fang, Chu-Wen; Chen, William Tzu-Liang; Muo, Chih-Hsin

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Persistent exacerbation of a peptic ulcer may lead to a complicated peptic ulcer (perforation or/and bleeding). The management of complicated peptic ulcers has shifted from acid-reducing vagotomy, drainage, and gastrectomy to simple local suture or non-operative (endoscopic/angiographic) hemostasis. We were interested in the long-term effects of this trend change. In this study, complicated peptic ulcer patients who received acid-reducing vagotomy were compared with those who received simple suture/hemostasis to determine the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). This retrospective cohort study analyzed 335,680 peptic ulcer patients recorded from 2000 to 2006 versus 335,680 age-, sex-, comorbidity-, and index-year matched comparisons. Patients with Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection were excluded. In order to identify the effect of vagus nerve severance, patients who received gastrectomy or antrectomy were also excluded. The incidence of IHD in both cohorts, and in the complicated peptic ulcer patients who received acid-reducing vagotomy versus those who received simple suture or hemostasis was evaluated. The overall incidence of IHD was higher in patients with peptic ulcer than those without peptic ulcer (17.00 vs 12.06 per 1000 person-years), with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.46 based on multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis controlling for age, sex, Charlson's comorbidity index, and death (competing risk). While comparing peptic ulcer patients with acid-reducing vagotomy to those with simple suture/hemostasis or those without surgical treatment, the aHR (0.58) was the lowest in the acid-reducing vagotomy group. Patients with peptic ulcer have an elevated risk of IHD. However, complicated peptic ulcer patients who received acid-reducing vagotomy were associated with reduced risk of developing IHD. PMID:27977613

  12. The Prodiguer Messaging Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denvil, S.; Greenslade, M. A.; Carenton, N.; Levavasseur, G.; Raciazek, J.

    2015-12-01

    CONVERGENCE is a French multi-partner national project designed to gather HPC and informatics expertise to innovate in the context of running French global climate models with differing grids and at differing resolutions. Efficient and reliable execution of these models and the management and dissemination of model output are some of the complexities that CONVERGENCE aims to resolve.At any one moment in time, researchers affiliated with the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) climate modeling group, are running hundreds of global climate simulations. These simulations execute upon a heterogeneous set of French High Performance Computing (HPC) environments. The IPSL's simulation execution runtime libIGCM (library for IPSL Global Climate Modeling group) has recently been enhanced so as to support hitherto impossible realtime use cases such as simulation monitoring, data publication, metrics collection, simulation control, visualizations … etc. At the core of this enhancement is Prodiguer: an AMQP (Advanced Message Queue Protocol) based event driven asynchronous distributed messaging platform. libIGCM now dispatches copious amounts of information, in the form of messages, to the platform for remote processing by Prodiguer software agents at IPSL servers in Paris. Such processing takes several forms: Persisting message content to database(s); Launching rollback jobs upon simulation failure; Notifying downstream applications; Automation of visualization pipelines; We will describe and/or demonstrate the platform's: Technical implementation; Inherent ease of scalability; Inherent adaptiveness in respect to supervising simulations; Web portal receiving simulation notifications in realtime.

  13. Model Infrastruktur dan Manajemen Platform Server Berbasis Cloud Computing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mulki Indana Zulfa

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Cloud computing is a new technology that is still very rapidly growing. This technology makes the Internet as the main media for the management of data and applications remotely. Cloud computing allows users to run an application without having to think about infrastructure and its platforms. Other technical aspects such as memory, storage, backup and restore, can be done very easily. This research is intended to modeling the infrastructure and management of computer platform in computer network of Faculty of Engineering, University of Jenderal Soedirman. The first stage in this research is literature study, by finding out the implementation model in previous research. Then the result will be combined with a new approach to existing resources and try to implement directly on the existing server network. The results showed that the implementation of cloud computing technology is able to replace the existing platform network.

  14. Information Management Platform for Data Analytics and Aggregation (IMPALA) System Design Document

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carnell, Andrew; Akinyelu, Akinyele

    2016-01-01

    The System Design document tracks the design activities that are performed to guide the integration, installation, verification, and acceptance testing of the IMPALA Platform. The inputs to the design document are derived from the activities recorded in Tasks 1 through 6 of the Statement of Work (SOW), with the proposed technical solution being the completion of Phase 1-A. With the documentation of the architecture of the IMPALA Platform and the installation steps taken, the SDD will be a living document, capturing the details about capability enhancements and system improvements to the IMPALA Platform to provide users in development of accurate and precise analytical models. The IMPALA Platform infrastructure team, data architecture team, system integration team, security management team, project manager, NASA data scientists and users are the intended audience of this document. The IMPALA Platform is an assembly of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products installed on an Apache-Hadoop platform. User interface details for the COTS products will be sourced from the COTS tools vendor documentation. The SDD is a focused explanation of the inputs, design steps, and projected outcomes of every design activity for the IMPALA Platform through installation and validation.

  15. Final report on a study of coherence in acceptability criteria for the technical aspects of risks associated with potentially hazardous installations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chicken, J.C.

    1988-01-01

    This report describes the results of the study that was made, under Contract No ECI-1390-B7221-85D, for the European Atomic Energy Community. The aim of the study was to examine and assess the feasibility of developing coherent and uniform criteria for judging the acceptability of the technical aspects of the risks associated with potentially hazardous installations. The report is arranged in five main parts. First the nature of hazardous installations is considered and this provides the basis for examination of the currently-used technical risk acceptability criteria. Next, the possible forms of criteria are explored and then universally consistent partial and overall technical risk acceptability criteria are proposed. Following this the implications of using the criteria proposed at the design, regulatory and operating levels are examined. Then, by testing the criteria against some real decisions, the practical problems of using the proposed criteria are explored. This leads to consideration of possible alternatives to the proposed criteria. Finally the conclusions that appear to be justified are summarized and the need for further work is identified

  16. Microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip Platforms: Requirements, Characteristics and Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mark, D.; Haeberle, S.; Roth, G.; von Stetten, F.; Zengerle, R.

    This review summarizes recent developments in microfluidic platform approaches. In contrast to isolated application-specific solutions, a microfluidic platform provides a set of fluidic unit operations, which are designed for easy combination within a well-defined fabrication technology. This allows the implementation of different application-specific (bio-) chemical processes, automated by microfluidic process integration [1]. A brief introduction into technical advances, major market segments and promising applications is followed by a detailed characterization of different microfluidic platforms, comprising a short definition, the functional principle, microfluidic unit operations, application examples as well as strengths and limitations. The microfluidic platforms in focus are lateral flow tests, linear actuated devices, pressure driven laminar flow, microfluidic large scale integration, segmented flow microfluidics, centrifugal microfluidics, electro-kinetics, electrowetting, surface acoustic waves, and systems for massively parallel analysis. The review concludes with the attempt to provide a selection scheme for microfluidic platforms which is based on their characteristics according to key requirements of different applications and market segments. Applied selection criteria comprise portability, costs of instrument and disposable, sample throughput, number of parameters per sample, reagent consumption, precision, diversity of microfluidic unit operations and the flexibility in programming different liquid handling protocols.

  17. High level waste (HLW) steam reducing station evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gannon, R.E.

    1993-01-01

    Existing pressure equipment in High Level Waste does not have a documented technical baseline. Based on preliminary reviews, the existing equipment seems to be based on system required capacity instead of system capability. A planned approach to establish a technical baseline began September 1992 and used the Works Management System preventive maintenance schedule. Several issues with relief valves being undersized on steam reducing stations created a need to determine the risk of maintaining the steam in service. An Action Plan was developed to evaluate relief valves that did not have technical baselines and provided a path forward for continued operation. Based on Action Plan WER-HLE-931042, the steam systems will remain in service while the designs are being developed and implemented

  18. Evaluation of a new eLearning platform for distance teaching of microsurgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messaoudi, T; Bodin, F; Hidalgo Diaz, J J; Ichihara, S; Fikry, T; Lacreuse, I; Liverneaux, P; Facca, S

    2015-06-01

    Online learning (or eLearning) is in constant evolution in medicine. An analytical survey of the websites of eight academic societies and medical schools was carried out. These sites were evaluated against parameters that define the quality of an eLearning website, as well as the shareable content object reference model (SCORM) technical standards. All studied platforms were maintained by a webmaster and regularly updated. Only two platforms had teleconference opportunities, five had courses in PDF format, and four allowed online testing. Based on SCORM standards, only four platforms allowed direct access without a password. The content of all platforms was adaptable, interoperable and reusable. But their sustainability was difficult to assess. In parallel, we developed the first eLearning platform to be used as part of a university diploma in microsurgery in France. The platform was evaluated by students enrolled this diploma program. A satisfaction survey and platform evaluation showed that students were generally satisfied and had used the platform for microsurgery education, especially the seven students living abroad. ELearning for microsurgery allows the content to be continuously updated, makes for fewer classroom visits, provides easy remote access, and especially better training time management and cost savings in terms of travel and accommodations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. Meta-analysis: Does garlic intake reduce risk of gastric cancer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodali, R T; Eslick, Guy D

    2015-01-01

    In the past 2 decades, various epidemiological studies investigated whether garlic can positively modify the risk of gastric cancer. Garlic contains numerous sulfide compounds, including diallyl trisulfide, which have anticarcinogenic properties. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine if garlic intake reduces the risk of gastric cancer. An electronic search of MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE to June 2014 was completed. There were 14 case control studies, 2 randomized controlled studies, and 1 cohort study that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We used a random effects model to calculate pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk of gastric cancer with garlic consumption. Meta-analysis of a total of 8,621 cases and 14,889 controls was conducted. Significant variability in duration of garlic intake and reference categories for amount of intake was noted. High, low, and any garlic intake were all associated with reduced risk of gastric cancer. High intake had the most significant risk reduction, OR = 0.49 (95% CI: 0.38-0.62). Heterogeneity was low (I² = 30.85, P = 0.17). A more modest risk reduction was associated with low intake, OR = 0.75 (95% CI: 0.58-0.97). Half of the studies did not separate garlic intake into high or low amounts, intake was only noted as consumption vs. non-consumption. Any amount of consumption still showed a risk reduction similar to low intake, OR = 0.77 (95% CI: 0.60-1.00). Low and any amount of consumption showed moderate heterogeneity (58% and 45%, respectively). Garlic intake appears to be associated with reduced risk of gastric cancer. Further high quality studies are required to confirm this finding and to assess the amount of garlic that needs to be consumed for protective effect.

  20. Safety targets and public risk perceptions in the nuclear field - technical treadmill or institutional responses?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wynne, B.

    1989-01-01

    The context of our treatment of risk perceptions and safety targets is the apparently wide gap between expert judgements of 'objective risks' and public perceptions of those risks. In the nuclear field the latter appear to so multiply the objective risks as seen by the experts, as to make safety targets vastly too strict (whether for routine discharges or for large accidents), thus design extravagantly expensive on any 'rational' criteria. In recent years the nuclear industry has come to terms more with the public perceptions problem, and has accepted that it is legitimate to exercise different, more severe and costly safety standards in the nuclear field if that is what society wants, as it appears to do. Whilst retaining the conviction that this is scientifically unwarranted, the industry has therefore reconciled itself somewhat to more stringent technical safety targets. (author)

  1. A Framework for Analyzing Digital Payment as a Multi-sided Platform

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kazan, Erol; Damsgaard, Jan

    2013-01-01

    payment systems and analyzing strategies of current market actors, such as banks, mobile network operators, and merchants. These market actors are identified as incumbents or contenders, and they are currently jockeying for digital payment platform leadership. We analyze three different contactless......Near Field Communication (NFC) is a promising digital payment technology that is expected to substitute cash. However, despite its potential, NFC-based payment has not reached mass adoption on the customer nor on the merchant side. This paper constructs a preliminary framework for studying digital...... payment systems implemented or planned by different actors in the European market. When synthesizing our observations, we note that all three multi-sided platforms (MSP) can provide fully functional and technically solid NFC payment systems. All three platforms seek to gain a foothold by subsidizing NFC...

  2. CAPRA - Comprehensive Approach to Probabilistic Risk Assessment: international initiative for risk management effectiveness

    OpenAIRE

    Cardona, Omar Darío; Ordaz, Mario G.; Reinoso, Eduardo; Yamín, Luis; Barbat Barbat, Horia Alejandro

    2012-01-01

    Understanding disaster risk due to hazard events, such as earthquakes, creates powerful incentives for countries to develop planning options and tools to reduce potential damages. This has been the reason why CAPRA, the risk evaluation model described in this paper, was developed with the technical and financial support of the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Strategy of United Nations for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). CAPRA is a techno-scientific metho...

  3. Reducing sequence risk using trend following and the CAPE ratio

    OpenAIRE

    Clare, A.; Thomas, S.; Smith, P. N.; Seaton, J.

    2017-01-01

    The risk of experiencing bad investment outcomes at the wrong time, or sequence risk, is a poorly understood, but crucial aspect of the risk faced by investors, in particular those in the decumulation phase of their savings journey, typically over the period of retirement financed by a defined contributions pension scheme. Using US equity return data from 1872-2014 we show how this risk can be significantly reduced by applying trend-following investment strategies. We also demonstrate that kn...

  4. Cities at risk: status of Italian planning system in reducing seismic and hydrogeological risks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grazia Di Giovanni

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Italy and its urban systems are under high seismic and hydrogeological risks. The awareness about the role of human activities in the genesis of disasters is achieved in the scientific debate, as well as the role of urban and regional planning in reducing risks. The paper reviews the state of Italian major cities referred to hydrogeological and seismic risk by: 1 extrapolating data and maps about seismic hazard and landslide risk concerning cities with more than 50.000 inhabitants and metropolitan contexts, and 2 outlining how risk reduction is framed in Italian planning system (at national and regional levels. The analyses of available data and the review of the normative framework highlight the existing gaps in addressing risk reduction: nevertheless a wide knowledge about natural risks afflicting Italian territory and an articulated regulatory framework, the available data about risks are not exhaustive, and risk reduction policies and multidisciplinary pro-active approaches are only partially fostered and applied.

  5. Simulation analysis for integrated evaluation of technical and commercial risk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutleber, D.S.; Heiberger, E.M.; Morris, T.D.

    1995-01-01

    Decisions to invest in oil- and gasfield acquisitions or participating interests often are based on the perceived ability to enhance the economic value of the underlying asset. A multidisciplinary approach integrating reservoir engineering, operations and drilling, and deal structuring with Monte Carlo simulation modeling can overcome weaknesses of deterministic analysis and significantly enhance investment decisions. This paper discusses the use of spreadsheets and Monte Carlo simulation to generate probabilistic outcomes for key technical and economic parameters for ultimate identification of the economic volatility and value of potential deal concepts for a significant opportunity. The approach differs from a simple risk analysis for an individual well by incorporating detailed, full-field simulations that vary the reservoir parameters, capital and operating cost assumptions, and schedules on timing in the framework of various deal structures

  6. Toward an E-Government Semantic Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sbodio, Marco Luca; Moulin, Claude; Benamou, Norbert; Barthès, Jean-Paul

    This chapter describes the major aspects of an e-government platform in which semantics underpins more traditional technologies in order to enable new capabilities and to overcome technical and cultural challenges. The design and development of such an e-government Semantic Platform has been conducted with the financial support of the European Commission through the Terregov research project: "Impact of e-government on Territorial Government Services" (Terregov 2008). The goal of this platform is to let local government and government agencies offer online access to their services in an interoperable way, and to allow them to participate in orchestrated processes involving services provided by multiple agencies. Implementing a business process through an electronic procedure is indeed a core goal in any networked organization. However, the field of e-government brings specific constraints to the operations allowed in procedures, especially concerning the flow of private citizens' data: because of legal reasons in most countries, such data are allowed to circulate only from agency to agency directly. In order to promote transparency and responsibility in e-government while respecting the specific constraints on data flows, Terregov supports the creation of centrally controlled orchestrated processes; while the cross agencies data flows are centrally managed, data flow directly across agencies.

  7. Reduced risk of UC in families affected by appendicitis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nyboe Andersen, Nynne; Gørtz, Sanne; Frisch, Morten

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The possible aetiological link between appendicitis and UC remains unclear. In order to investigate the hereditary component of the association, we studied the risk of UC in family members of individuals with appendicitis. DESIGN: A cohort of 7.1 million individuals was established...... million person-years of follow-up between 1977 and 2011, a total of 190 004 cohort members developed appendicitis and 45 202 developed UC. Individuals having a first-degree relative with appendicitis before age 20 years had significantly reduced risk of UC (RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.86 to 0.95); this association...... was stronger in individuals with a family predisposition to UC (RR 0.66; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.83). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with a first-degree relative diagnosed with appendicitis before age 20 years are at reduced risk of UC, particularly when there is a family predisposition to UC. Our findings question...

  8. Blurring the Lines: Leveraging Internet Technology for Successful Blending of Secondary/Post-Secondary Technical Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Kenneth; Kopischke, Kevin

    2008-01-01

    The Remote Automation Management Platform (RAMP) is a real-time, interactive teaching tool which leverages common off-the-shelf internet technologies to provide high school learners extraordinary access to advanced technical education opportunities. This outreach paradigm is applicable to a broad range of advanced technical skills from automation…

  9. Reducing Transaction Costs for Energy Efficiency Investments and Analysis of Economic Risk Associated With Building Performance Uncertainties: Small Buildings and Small Portfolios Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Langner, R.; Hendron, B.; Bonnema, E.

    2014-08-01

    The small buildings and small portfolios (SBSP) sector face a number of barriers that inhibit SBSP owners from adopting energy efficiency solutions. This pilot project focused on overcoming two of the largest barriers to financing energy efficiency in small buildings: disproportionately high transaction costs and unknown or unacceptable risk. Solutions to these barriers can often be at odds, because inexpensive turnkey solutions are often not sufficiently tailored to the unique circumstances of each building, reducing confidence that the expected energy savings will be achieved. To address these barriers, NREL worked with two innovative, forward-thinking lead partners, Michigan Saves and Energi, to develop technical solutions that provide a quick and easy process to encourage energy efficiency investments while managing risk. The pilot project was broken into two stages: the first stage focused on reducing transaction costs, and the second stage focused on reducing performance risk. In the first stage, NREL worked with the non-profit organization, Michigan Saves, to analyze the effects of 8 energy efficiency measures (EEMs) on 81 different baseline small office building models in Holland, Michigan (climate zone 5A). The results of this analysis (totaling over 30,000 cases) are summarized in a simple spreadsheet tool that enables users to easily sort through the results and find appropriate small office EEM packages that meet a particular energy savings threshold and are likely to be cost-effective.

  10. Indirect risk effects reduce feeding efficiency of ducks during spring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behney, Adam C; O'Shaughnessy, Ryan; Eichholz, Michael W; Stafford, Joshua D

    2018-01-01

    Indirect risk effects of predators on prey behavior can have more of an impact on prey populations than direct consumptive effects. Predation risk can elicit more vigilance behavior in prey, reducing the amount of time available for other activities, such as foraging, which could potentially reduce foraging efficiency. Understanding the conditions associated with predation risk and the specific effects predation risk have on prey behavior is important because it has direct influences on the profitability of food items found under various conditions and states of the forager. The goals of this study were to assess how ducks perceived predation risk in various habitat types and how strongly perceived risk versus energetic demand affected foraging behavior. We manipulated food abundance in different wetland types in Illinois, USA to reduce confounding between food abundance and vegetation structure. We conducted focal-animal behavioral samples on five duck species in treatment and control plots and used generalized linear mixed-effects models to compare the effects of vegetation structure versus other factors on the intensity with which ducks fed and the duration of feeding stints. Mallards fed more intensively and, along with blue-winged teal, used longer feeding stints in open habitats, consistent with the hypothesis that limited visibility was perceived to have a greater predation risk than unlimited visibility. The species temporally nearest to nesting, wood ducks, were willing to take more risks for a greater food reward, consistent with an increase in a marginal value of energy as they approached nesting. Our results indicate that some duck species value energy differently based on the surrounding vegetation structure and density. Furthermore, increases in the marginal value of energy can be more influential than perceived risk in shaping foraging behavior patterns. Based on these findings, we conclude that the value of various food items is not solely

  11. Cigarette smoking risk-reducing beliefs: Findings from the United States Health Information National Trends Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaufman, Annette R; Coa, Kisha I; Nguyen, Anh B

    2017-09-01

    Cigarette smoking risk-reducing beliefs are ideas that certain health promoting behaviors (e.g., exercise) may mitigate the risks associated with smoking. The objective of this study was to describe smoking risk-reducing beliefs and the belief that quitting can reduce the harmful effects of smoking among the U.S. adult population and the associations between these beliefs, current smoking status, and sociodemographics. Data were from the Health Information National Trends Survey 4 (HINTS 4) Cycles 3 and 4 (2013-2014; N=6862). Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine bivariate associations among the quit smoking belief, smoking risk-reducing beliefs, and covariates. Weighted ordinal logistic regression models examined the adjusted associations between smoking status and sociodemographics, with quit smoking belief and risk-reducing beliefs. Eighty-two percent of the population reported that quitting cigarette smoking can help reduce the harmful effects of smoking a lot: former smokers and individuals with higher educational attainment were more likely to endorse this belief than never smokers and those with lower educational attainment. Many people endorsed smoking risk-reducing beliefs about exercise (79.3%), fruits and vegetables (71.8%), vitamins (67.2%), and sleep (68.5%). Former smokers were less likely to subscribe to these beliefs than never smokers. Vulnerable populations who may be most at risk of smoking attributable morbidity and mortality were more likely to endorse risk-reducing beliefs. Future studies are needed to better understand how risk-reducing beliefs are formed and if modifying these beliefs may help to reduce cigarette smoking in the U.S. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  12. How do women at increased breast cancer risk perceive and decide between risks of cancer and risk-reducing treatments? A synthesis of qualitative research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fielden, Hannah G; Brown, Stephen L; Saini, Pooja; Beesley, Helen; Salmon, Peter

    2017-09-01

    Risk-reducing procedures can be offered to people at increased cancer risk, but many procedures can have iatrogenic effects. People therefore need to weigh risks associated with both cancer and the risk-reduction procedure in their decisions. By reviewing relevant literature on breast cancer (BC) risk reduction, we aimed to understand how women at relatively high risk of BC perceive their risk and how their risk perceptions influence their decisions about risk reduction. Synthesis of 15 qualitative studies obtained from systematic searches of SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge, PsychINFO, and Medline electronic databases (inception-June 2015). Women did not think about risk probabilistically. Instead, they allocated themselves to broad risk categories, typically influenced by their own or familial experiences of BC. In deciding about risk-reduction procedures, some women reported weighing the risks and benefits, but papers did not describe how they did so. For many women, however, an overriding wish to reduce intense worry about BC led them to choose aggressive risk-reducing procedures without such deliberation. Reasoning that categorisation is a fundamental aspect of risk perception, we argue that patients can be encouraged to develop more nuanced and accurate categorisations of their own risk through their interactions with clinicians. Empirically-based ethical reflection is required to determine whether and when it is appropriate to provide risk-reduction procedures to alleviate worry. © 2016 The Authors. Psycho-Oncology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Influence of non-preferred foot technical training in reducing lower limbs functional asymmetry among young football players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guilherme, José; Garganta, Júlio; Graça, Amândio; Seabra, André

    2015-01-01

    The functional asymmetry of the lower limbs has been regarded as a relevant factor of the performance of football players. We purposed to ascertain whether a specific technical training programme for the non-preferred foot has implications in the increasing utilisation rate of the respective member during the game. Young football players (n = 71) were randomly divided into experimental group (N = 35; 14.37 ± 1.94 years) and control group (N = 36; 14.50 ± 1.81 years). The study was developed into three stages: first, assessment of the index utilisation of both limbs during the game; second, application of a technical training programme that includes the drilling of specific motor skills exclusively directed to the non-preferred foot; and third, assessment of the new rate of both limbs' utilisation after the predefined six months. The main findings were: (1) the use of the non-preferred foot increased significantly with the technical training programme in the experimental group and remained constant in the control group; (2) the use of the preferred foot decreased significantly in the experimental group and remained similar in control group. We concluded that a systematic and specific technical training for the non-preferred foot increases its use and reduces functional asymmetry in game situation, consequently improving the player's performance.

  14. Offshore Energy Mapping for Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean: MARINA PLATFORM project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kallos, G.; Galanis, G.; Spyrou, C.; Kalogeri, C.; Adam, A.; Athanasiadis, P.

    2012-04-01

    Deep offshore ocean energy mapping requires detailed modeling of the wind, wave, tidal and ocean circulation estimations. It requires also detailed mapping of the associated extremes. An important issue in such work is the co-generation of energy (generation of wind, wave, tides, currents) in order to design platforms on an efficient way. For example wind and wave fields exhibit significant phase differences and therefore the produced energy from both sources together requires special analysis. The other two sources namely tides and currents have different temporal scales from the previous two. Another important issue is related to the estimation of the environmental frequencies in order to avoid structural problems. These are issues studied at the framework of the FP7 project MARINA PLATFORM. The main objective of the project is to develop deep water structures that can exploit the energy from wind, wave, tidal and ocean current energy sources. In particular, a primary goal will be the establishment of a set of equitable and transparent criteria for the evaluation of multi-purpose platforms for marine renewable energy. Using these criteria, a novel system set of design and optimisation tools will be produced addressing new platform design, component engineering, risk assessment, spatial planning, platform-related grid connection concepts, all focussed on system integration and reducing costs. The University of Athens group is in charge for estimation and mapping of wind, wave, tidal and ocean current resources, estimate available energy potential, map extreme event characteristics and provide any additional environmental parameter required.

  15. Technical risk and society

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindackers, K.H.

    1983-01-01

    The report explains the possibilities and limits of risk analysis, risk assessment by the citizen, especially in hearings in the course of licensing procedures, and decisive causes why assessments on the part of the citizens may fail. (HP) [de

  16. Technical Basis of Scaling Relationships for the Pretreatment Engineering Platform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuhn, William L.; Arm, Stuart T.; Huckaby, James L.; Kurath, Dean E.; Rassat, Scot D.

    2008-01-01

    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been tasked by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) on the River Protection Project-Waste Treatment Plant (RPP-WTP) project to perform research and development activities. The Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) is being designed and constructed as part of a plan to respond to an issue raised by the WTP External Flowsheet Review Team (EFRT) entitled 'Undemonstrated Leaching Processes' and numbered M12. The PEP replicates the WTP leaching process using prototypic equipment and control strategies. The approach for scaling PEP performance data to predict WTP performance is critical to the successful resolution of the EFRT issue. This report describes the recommended PEP scaling approach, PEP data interpretation and provides recommendations on test conduct and data requirements

  17. Technical Basis of Scaling Relationships for the Pretreatment Engineering Platform

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuhn, William L.; Arm, Stuart T.; Huckaby, James L.; Kurath, Dean E.; Rassat, Scot D.

    2008-07-15

    Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been tasked by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) on the River Protection Project-Waste Treatment Plant (RPP-WTP) project to perform research and development activities. The Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) is being designed and constructed as part of a plan to respond to an issue raised by the WTP External Flowsheet Review Team (EFRT) entitled “Undemonstrated Leaching Processes” and numbered M12. The PEP replicates the WTP leaching process using prototypic equipment and control strategies. The approach for scaling PEP performance data to predict WTP performance is critical to the successful resolution of the EFRT issue. This report describes the recommended PEP scaling approach, PEP data interpretation and provides recommendations on test conduct and data requirements.

  18. [Reliability theory based on quality risk network analysis for Chinese medicine injection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zheng; Kang, Li-Yuan; Fan, Xiao-Hui

    2014-08-01

    A new risk analysis method based upon reliability theory was introduced in this paper for the quality risk management of Chinese medicine injection manufacturing plants. The risk events including both cause and effect ones were derived in the framework as nodes with a Bayesian network analysis approach. It thus transforms the risk analysis results from failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) into a Bayesian network platform. With its structure and parameters determined, the network can be used to evaluate the system reliability quantitatively with probabilistic analytical appraoches. Using network analysis tools such as GeNie and AgenaRisk, we are able to find the nodes that are most critical to influence the system reliability. The importance of each node to the system can be quantitatively evaluated by calculating the effect of the node on the overall risk, and minimization plan can be determined accordingly to reduce their influences and improve the system reliability. Using the Shengmai injection manufacturing plant of SZYY Ltd as a user case, we analyzed the quality risk with both static FMEA analysis and dynamic Bayesian Network analysis. The potential risk factors for the quality of Shengmai injection manufacturing were identified with the network analysis platform. Quality assurance actions were further defined to reduce the risk and improve the product quality.

  19. Alternative Future Fleet Platform Architecture Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-27

    accelerate fielding and the research and development required to develop next-generation capabilities. Adopting this more robust counter- surveillance...produced using steel vessel rules, which reduces resiliency but thus reduces costs. • Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-mission Platform (CHAMP): This...the ship would replace aging mission specific designs with a common hull to stabilize the industrial base, reduce life cycle costs and leverage

  20. Reduction of Tribocorrosion Products When using the Platform-Switching Concept.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alrabeah, G O; Knowles, J C; Petridis, H

    2018-03-01

    The reduced marginal bone loss observed when using the platform-switching concept may be the result of reduced amounts of tribocorrosion products released to the peri-implant tissues. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the tribocorrosion product release from various platform-matched and platform-switched implant-abutment couplings under cyclic loading. Forty-eight titanium implants were coupled with pure titanium, gold alloy, cobalt-chrome alloy, and zirconia abutments forming either platform-switched or platform-matched groups ( n = 6). The specimens were subjected to cyclic occlusal forces in a wet acidic environment for 24 h followed by static aqueous immersion for 6 d. The amount of metal ions released was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Microscopic evaluations were performed pre- and postimmersion under scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive spectroscopy X-ray for corrosion assessment at the interface and wear particle characterization. All platform-switched groups showed less metal ion release compared with their platform-matched counterparts within each abutment material group ( P concept in the reduction of tribocorrosion products released from dental implants, which consequently may minimize the adverse tissue reactions that lead to peri-implant bone loss.

  1. Do Technical Aids for Patient Handling Prevent Musculoskeletal Complaints in Health Care Workers?—A Systematic Review of Intervention Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janice Hegewald

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The physical load ensuing from the repositioning and moving of patients puts health care workers at risk of musculoskeletal complaints. Technical equipment developed to aid with patient handling should reduce physical strain and workload; however, the efficacy of these aids in preventing musculoskeletal disorders and complaints is still unclear. A systematic review of controlled intervention studies was conducted to examine if the risk of musculoskeletal complaints and disorders is reduced by technical patient handling equipment. MEDLINE®/PubMed®, EMBASE®, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED, and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL® were searched using terms for nursing, caregiving, technical aids, musculoskeletal injuries, and complaints. Randomized controlled trials and controlled before-after studies of interventions including technical patient handling equipment were included. The titles and abstracts of 9554 publications and 97 full-texts were screened by two reviewers. The qualitative synthesis included one randomized controlled trial (RCT and ten controlled before-after studies. A meta-analysis of four studies resulted in a pooled risk ratio for musculoskeletal injury claims (post-intervention of 0.78 (95% confidence interval 0.68–0.90. Overall, the methodological quality of the studies was poor and the results often based on administrative injury claim data, introducing potential selection bias. Interventions with technical patient handling aids appear to prevent musculoskeletal complaints, but the certainty of the evidence according to GRADE approach ranged from low to very low.

  2. ITER technical advisory committee meeting at Garching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujiwara, M.

    1999-01-01

    The ITER Technical Advisory Committee meeting took place on 24-27 February at the Garching Joint Work Site. According to the discussions at the ITER meeting in Yokohama in October 1998, the Technical Advisory Committee was requested to conduct a thorough review of the document 'Options for the reduced technical objectives / reduced cost ITER'

  3. Comprehensive approach for probabilistic risk assessment (CAPRA): international initiative for disaster risk management effectiveness

    OpenAIRE

    Cardona, Omar D.; Ordaz Schroder, Mario Gustavo; Reinoso, Eduardo; Yamín, Luis; Barbat Barbat, Horia Alejandro

    2010-01-01

    Understanding disaster risk due to hazard events, such as earthquakes, creates powerful incentives for countries to develop planning options and tools to reduce potential damages. This has been the reason why CAPRA, the risk evaluation model described in this paper, was developed with the technical and financial support of the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Strategy of United Nations for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). CAPRA is a techno-scientific metho...

  4. Developing Reliable Telemedicine Platforms with Unreliable and Limited Communication Bandwidth

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    AFRL-SA-WP-TR-2017-0019 Developing Reliable Telemedicine Platforms with Unreliable and Limited Communication Bandwidth Peter F...Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7913 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. STINFO COPY NOTICE AND...invention that may relate to them. Qualified requestors may obtain copies of this report from the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) (http

  5. FCJ-115 Autocreativity and Organisational Aesthetics in Art Platforms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga Goriunova

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Cultural production on the Internet has developed numerous dynamics and consistencies that drive considerations of creativity, organisation and the inter-relations of media. This article presents and briefly discusses the concept of an art platform, a particularly resonant form of such cultural production. The article enquires into the ways that powers of operation are constituted by particular kinds of social, technical, aesthetic and ethical forces. The media ecological approach to which this special issue is devoted can be seen as engaging with these forces. These include those forces that are discussed here via the concepts of autocreativity and organisational aesthetics. These concepts, offered to media ecology by this article, are in turn traversed and amplified by the particular qualities and potentials of art platforms.

  6. Risk Adjusted Production Efficiency of Maize Farmers in Ethiopia: Implication for Improved Maize Varieties Adoption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sisay Diriba Lemessa

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This study analyzes the technical efficiency and production risk of 862 maize farmers in major maize producing regions of Ethiopia. It employs the stochastic frontier approach (SFA to estimate the level of technical efficiencies of stallholder farmers. The stochastic frontier approach (SFA uses flexible risk properties to account for production risk. Thus, maize production variability is assessed from two perspectives, the production risk and the technical efficiency. The study also attempts to determine the socio-economic and farm characteristics that influence technical efficiency of maize production in the study area. The findings of the study showed the existence of both production risk and technical inefficiency in maize production process. Input variables (amounts per hectare such as fertilizer and labor positively influence maize output. The findings also show that farms in the study area exhibit decreasing returns to scale. Fertilizer and ox plough days reduce output risk while labor and improved seed increase output risk. The mean technical efficiency for maize farms is 48 percent. This study concludes that production risk and technical inefficiency prevents the maize farmers from realizing their frontier output. The best factors that improve the efficiency of the maize farmers in the study area include: frequency of extension contact, access to credit and use of intercropping. It was also realized that altitude and terracing in maize farms had influence on farmer efficiency.

  7. Medical interventional procedures--reducing the radiation risks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cousins, C.; Sharp, C.

    2004-01-01

    Over the last 40 years, the number of percutaneous interventional procedures using radiation has increased significantly, with many secondary care clinicians using fluoroscopically guided techniques. Many procedures can deliver high radiation doses to patients and staff, with the potential to cause immediate and delayed radiation effects. The challenge for interventionists is to maximize benefit, whilst minimizing radiation risk to patients and staff. Non-radiologist clinicians are often inadequately trained in radiation safety and radiobiology. However, clinical governance and legislation now requires a more rigorous approach to protecting patients and staff. Protection can be ensured, and risks can be controlled, by appropriate design, procurement and commissioning of equipment; quality assurance; and optimal operational technique, backed by audit. Interventionists need knowledge and skills to reduce the risks. Appropriate training should include awareness of the potential for radiation injury, equipment operational parameters, doses measurement and recording methods and dose reduction techniques. Clinical governance requires informed consent, appropriate patient counselling and follow-up

  8. Medical interventional procedures--reducing the radiation risks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cousins, C. E-mail: claire.cousins@addenbrookes.nhs.uk; Sharp, C

    2004-06-01

    Over the last 40 years, the number of percutaneous interventional procedures using radiation has increased significantly, with many secondary care clinicians using fluoroscopically guided techniques. Many procedures can deliver high radiation doses to patients and staff, with the potential to cause immediate and delayed radiation effects. The challenge for interventionists is to maximize benefit, whilst minimizing radiation risk to patients and staff. Non-radiologist clinicians are often inadequately trained in radiation safety and radiobiology. However, clinical governance and legislation now requires a more rigorous approach to protecting patients and staff. Protection can be ensured, and risks can be controlled, by appropriate design, procurement and commissioning of equipment; quality assurance; and optimal operational technique, backed by audit. Interventionists need knowledge and skills to reduce the risks. Appropriate training should include awareness of the potential for radiation injury, equipment operational parameters, doses measurement and recording methods and dose reduction techniques. Clinical governance requires informed consent, appropriate patient counselling and follow-up.

  9. Technical Specification action statements requiring shutdown. A risk perspective with application to the RHR/SSW systems of a BWR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mankamo, T. [Avaplan Oy, Espoo (Finland); Kim, I.S.; Samanta, P.K. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)

    1993-11-01

    When safety systems fail during power operation, the limiting conditions for operation (LCOs) and associated action statements of technical specifications typically require that the plant be shut down within the limits of allowed outage time (AOT). However, when a system needed to remove decay heat, such as the residual heat removal (RHR) system, is inoperable or degraded, shutting down the plant may not necessarily be preferable, from a risk perspective, to continuing power operation over a usual repair time, giving priority to the repairs. The risk impact of the basic operational alternatives, i.e., continued operation or shutdown, was evaluated for failures in the RHR and standby service water (SSW) systems of a boiling-water reactor (BWR) nuclear power plant. A complete or partial failure of the SSW system fails or degrades not only the RHR system but other front-line safety systems supported by the SSW system. This report presents the methodology to evaluate the risk impact of LCOs and associated AOT; the results of risk evaluation from its application to the RHR and SSW systems of a BWR; the findings from the risk-sensitivity analyses to identify alternative operational policies; and the major insights and recommendations to improve the technical specifications action statements.

  10. Sighten Final Technical Report DEEE0006690 Deploying an integrated and comprehensive solar financing software platform

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O' Leary, Conlan [Sighten, Inc., San Francisco, CA (United States)

    2017-10-15

    Over the project, Sighten built a comprehensive software-as-a-service (Saas) platform to automate and streamline the residential solar financing workflow. Before the project period, significant time and money was spent by companies on front-end tools related to system design and proposal creation, but comparatively few resources were available to support the many back-end calculations and data management processes that underpin third party financing. Without a tool like Sighten, the solar financing processes involved passing information from the homeowner prospect into separate tools for system design, financing, and then later to reporting tools including Microsoft Excel, CRM software, in-house software, outside software, and offline, manual processes. Passing data between tools and attempting to connect disparate systems results in inefficiency and inaccuracy for the industry. Sighten was built to consolidate all financial and solar-related calculations in a single software platform. It significantly improves upon the accuracy of these calculations and exposes sophisticated new analysis tools resulting in a rigorous, efficient and cost-effective toolset for scaling residential solar. Widely deploying a platform like Sighten’s significantly and immediately impacts the residential solar space in several important ways: 1) standardizing and improving the quality of all quantitative calculations involved in the residential financing process, most notably project finance, system production and reporting calculations; 2) representing a true step change in terms of reporting and analysis capabilities by maintaining more accurate data and exposing sophisticated tools around simulation, tranching, and financial reporting, among others, to all stakeholders in the space; 3) allowing a broader group of developers/installers/finance companies to access the capital markets by providing an out-of-the-box toolset that handles the execution of running investor capital through a

  11. Reducing health risk assigned to organic emissions from a chemical weapons incinerator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laman, David M; Weiler, B Douglas; Skeen, Rodney S

    2013-03-01

    Organic emissions from a chemical weapons incinerator have been characterized with an improved set of analytical methods to reduce the human health risk assigned to operations of the facility. A gas chromatography/mass selective detection method with substantially reduced detection limits has been used in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared microscopy to improve the speciation of semi-volatile and non-volatile organics emitted from the incinerator. The reduced detection limits have allowed a significant reduction in the assumed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and aminobiphenyl (ABP) emission rates used as inputs to the human health risk assessment for the incinerator. A mean factor of 17 decrease in assigned human health risk is realized for six common local exposure scenarios as a result of the reduced PAH and ABP detection limits.

  12. The SPOT Project (Potentially Triggerable Offshore Seismicity and Tsunamis): a First Appraisal of the Possible Impact of Oil and Gas Platforms on the Seismic and Tsunami Risks along the Italian Coasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basili, R.; Di Bucci, D.; Antoncecchi, I.; Ciccone, F.; Teofilo, G.; Argnani, A.; Rovere, M.; Ligi, M.; Coltelli, M.; Lorito, S.; Borzi, B.; Germagnoli, F.; Di Ludovico, M.; Lignola, G. P.; Prota, A.

    2017-12-01

    The majority of oil and gas production in Europe takes place offshore and Italy is one of the European countries with the longest coastlines facing these operations. Given the generally growing energy demand, and the increasing concern toward human-driven hazards, scientists are called to provide background information for helping ensure a safe energy supply. We here present the activities of the project SPOT, which is aimed to help Italian authorities comply with the application of the Safety of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations European Directive (2013/30/EU) and the ensuing Italian codes. We carry out a reconstruction of offshore geological structures to assess the existence of potentially seismogenic faults in the surroundings of off-shore platforms. This study is a propaedeutic step for the assessment of potentially triggered seismicity connected with operations on such platforms. The descriptive parameters (3D geometry and behavior) of the identified faults will be used to estimate their natural earthquake rates. The impact of these natural earthquakes along the coasts will then be modeled in terms of expected ground shaking and tsunamis. The tsunamis potentially generated by submarine landslides induced by earthquake shaking will also be analyzed. In turn, these models will be used to estimate potential human and economic losses in a multi-hazard approach to risk assessment. Wherever the combined earthquake and tsunami modeling indicates a relevant impact along the coasts, a more detailed analysis will be carried out, also involving the operators of the related platforms, to perform specific models which also take into account production and/or storage data. Activities with a consolidated background, such as those concerning the impact scenarios of earthquakes, and more innovative activities, such as those dedicated to build up the first vulnerability/fragility curves related to tsunamis for the Italian building stock, will be integrated within the project

  13. Procedures for controlling the risks of reliability, safety, and availability of technical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-01-01

    The reference book covers four sections. Apart from the fundamental aspects of the reliability problem, of risk and safety and the relevant criteria with regard to reliability, the material presented explains reliability in terms of maintenance, logistics and availability, and presents procedures for reliability assessment and determination of factors influencing the reliability, together with suggestions for systems technical integration. The reliability assessment consists of diagnostic and prognostic analyses. The section on factors influencing reliability discusses aspects of organisational structures, programme planning and control, and critical activities. (DG) [de

  14. Hybrid platform. Economical hybrid drive for commercial vehicles; Hybrid Plattform. Wirtschaftlicher Hybridantrieb fuer Nutzfahrzeuge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wallner, S.; Lamke, M.; Mohr, M.; Sedlacek, M.; Speck, F.D. [ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Friedrichshafen (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    Up to now, hybrid systems have been adapted to their specific requirements in the various applications for trucks, buses as well as mobile and building machines. From a technical point of view, this does indeed result in optimized hybrid drives for each single vehicle application, but due to small volumes, such single developments are critical from a business point of view. ZF Friedrichshafen AG is providing a solution to the technical and economical requirements of the cost-sensitive CV segment in the form of a modular CV parallel hybrid platform composed of a hybrid module system, an inverter, a battery system, and a hybrid software integrated into the overall vehicle. Thanks to the intelligent combination of assemblies and the use of as many identical parts as possible, platforms are realized which cover power ranges between 60 and 120 kW, voltage ranges between 350 and 650 V, and battery capacities between 2 and 4 kWh. The dimensions of the platform elements are such that integration into the diverse commercial vehicle applications is made easy. The hybrid software required for the vehicle-specific functions is also configurable for the mentioned CV applications. (orig.)

  15. Towards safer roads : non-technical measures to improve road safety. Paper presented at the seminar `Black spots' in Wisla, Poland, April, 15-20, 1996.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goldenbeld, C. & Noordzij, P.C.

    1996-01-01

    This paper discusses engineering, education and enforcement in relation to hazardous road situations. If a high risk road or road site has been identified, the question is which selection of technical and non-technical measures should be taken to prevent or reduce the danger. The main argument is

  16. Reduced cancer risk in vegetarians: an analysis of recent reports.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanou, Amy Joy; Svenson, Barbara

    2010-12-20

    This report reviews current evidence regarding the relationship between vegetarian eating patterns and cancer risk. Although plant-based diets including vegetarian and vegan diets are generally considered to be cancer protective, very few studies have directly addressed this question. Most large prospective observational studies show that vegetarian diets are at least modestly cancer protective (10%-12% reduction in overall cancer risk) although results for specific cancers are less clear. No long-term randomized clinical trials have been conducted to address this relationship. However, a broad body of evidence links specific plant foods such as fruits and vegetables, plant constituents such as fiber, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight to reduced risk of cancer diagnosis and recurrence. Also, research links the consumption of meat, especially red and processed meats, to increased risk of several types of cancer. Vegetarian and vegan diets increase beneficial plant foods and plant constituents, eliminate the intake of red and processed meat, and aid in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The direct and indirect evidence taken together suggests that vegetarian diets are a useful strategy for reducing risk of cancer.

  17. Reducing the risk of Legionnaires' disease associated with cooling towers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freije, M.R. [HC Information Resources Inc., Carlsbad, CA (United States)

    2008-08-15

    To reduce the health and legal risks associated with Legionnaires' disease, facility managers should take steps to minimize Legionella bacteria in plumbing systems, open industrial equipment, water features, cooling towers, and other aerosolizing water systems. The risk of Legionnaires' disease associated with cooling towers can be reduced by controlling Legionella bacteria in cooling water and preventing transmission of the bacteria from towers to people. This paper presents nine reasonable ways to accomplish these goals. (orig.)

  18. The Symbiose project: an integrated framework for performing environmental radiological risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonze, M.A.; Mourlon, C.; Garcia-Sanchez, L.; Beaugelin, K.; Chen, T.; Le Dizes, S.

    2004-01-01

    Human health and ecological risk assessments usually require the integration of a wide range of environmental data and modelling approaches, with a varying level of detail dependent on the management objectives, the complexity of the site and the level of ignorance about the pollutant behaviour/toxicity. Like most scientists and assessors did it recently, we recognized the need for developing comprehensive, integrated and flexible approaches to risk assessment. To meet these needs, IRSN launched the Symbiose project (2002-2006) which aims first, at designing a framework for integrating and managing data, methods and knowledge of some relevance in radiological risk to humans/biota assessment studies, and second, at implementing this framework in an information management, modelling and calculation platform. Feasibility developments (currently completed) led to the specification of a fully integrated, object-oriented and hierarchical approach for describing the fate, transport and effect of radionuclides in spatially-distributed environmental systems. This innovative approach has then been implemented in a platform prototype, main components of which are a user-friendly and modular simulation environment (e.g. using GoldSim toolbox), and a hierarchical object-oriented biosphere database. Both conceptual and technical developments will be presented here. (author)

  19. Experience using EPICS on PC platforms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, J.O.; Kasemire, K.U.

    1997-03-01

    The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) has been widely adopted in the accelerator community. Although EPICS is available on many platforms, the majority of implementations have used UNIX workstations as clients, and VME- or VXI-based processors for distributed input output controllers. Recently, a significant portion of EPICS has been ported to personal computer (PC) hardware platforms running Microsoft's operating systems, and also Wind River System's real time vxWorks operating system. This development should significantly reduce the cost of deploying EPICS systems, and the prospect of using EPICS together with the many high quality commercial components available for PC platforms is also encouraging. A hybrid system using both PC and traditional platforms is currently being implemented at LANL for LEDA, the low energy demonstration accelerator under construction as part of the Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) project. To illustrate these developments the authors compare their recent experience deploying a PC-based EPICS system with experience deploying similar systems based on traditional (UNIX-hosted) EPICS hardware and software platforms

  20. Policies for Reducing Coastal Risk on the East and Gulf Coasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glickson, D.; Johnson, S.

    2014-12-01

    Hurricane- and coastal storm-related economic losses have increased substantially over the past century, largely due to expanding population and development in susceptible coastal areas. Concurrent with this growth, the federal government has assumed an increasing proportion of the financial responsibility associated with U.S. coastal storms, which may discourage state and local governments from taking appropriate actions to reduce risk and enhance resilience. Strategies to manage coastal storm risks fall into two categories: reducing the probability of flooding or wave impact (such as seawalls, storm surge barriers, beach nourishment, dune building, restoration/expansion of oyster reefs, salt marshes, and mangroves) and reducing the number or vulnerability of people or structures (such as relocation, land-use planning, and elevating or floodproofing buildings). Over the past century, most coastal risk management programs have emphasized coastal armoring, while doing little to decrease development in harm's way. This National Research Council report calls for the development of a national vision for managing coastal risks that includes a long-term view, regional solutions, and recognition of all benefits. A national coastal risk assessment is needed to identify high priority areas. Benefit-cost analysis provides a reasonable framework to evaluate national investments in coastal risk reduction, if constrained by other important environmental, social, and life-safety factors. Extensive collaboration and additional policy changes will be necessary to move from a nation that is primarily reactive to coastal disasters to one that invests wisely in coastal risk reduction and builds resilience among coastal communities.

  1. Environmental program with operational cases to reduce risk to the marine environment significantly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cline, J.T.; Forde, R.

    1991-01-01

    In this paper Amoco Norway Oil Company's environmental program is detailed, followed by example operational programs and achievements aimed to minimize environmental risks to the marine environment at Valhall platform. With a corporate goal to be a leader in protecting the environment, the appropriate strategies and policies that form the basis of the environmental management system are incorporated in the quality assurance programs. Also, included in the program are necessary organizational structures, responsibilities of environmental affairs and line organization personnel, compliance procedures and a waste task force obliged to implement operations improvements. An internal environmental audit system has been initiated, in addition to corporate level audits, which, when communicated to the line organization closes the environmental management loop through experience feed back. Environmental projects underway are significantly decreasing the extent and/or risk of pollution from offshore activities. The cradle to grave responsibility is assumed with waste separated offshore and onshore followed by disposal in audited sites. A $5 MM program is underway to control produced oily solids and reduce oil in produced water aiming to less than 20 ppm. When oil-based mud is used in deeper hole sections, drill solids disposed at sea average less than 60 g oil/kg dry cuttings using appropriate shaker screens, and a washing/centrifuge system to remove fines. Certain oily liquid wastes are being injected down hole whereas previously they were burned using a mud burner. Finally, a program is underway with a goal to eliminate sea discharge of oil on cuttings through injection disposal of oily wastes, drilling with alternative muds such as a cationic water base mud, and/or proper onshore disposal of oily wastes

  2. [The advantages of implementing an e-learning platform for laparoscopic liver surgery].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furcea, L; Graur, F; Scurtu, L; Plitea, N; Pîslă, D; Vaida, C; Deteşan, O; Szilaghy, A; Neagoş, H; Mureşan, A; Vlad, L

    2011-01-01

    The rapid expansion of laparoscopic surgery has led to the development of training methods for acquiring technical skills. The importance and complexity of laparoscopic liver surgery are arguments for developing a new integrated system of teaching, learning and evaluation, based on modern educational principles, on flexibility allowing wide accessibility among surgeons. This paper presents the development of e-learning platform designed for training in laparoscopic liver surgery and pre-planning of the operation in a virtual environment. E-learning platform makes it possible to simulate laparoscopic liver surgery remotely via internet connection. The addressability of this e-learning platform is large, being represented by young surgeons who are mainly preoccupied by laparoscopic liver surgery, as well as experienced surgeons interested in obtaining a competence in the hepatic minimally invasive surgery.

  3. Reducing mortality risk by targeting specific air pollution sources: Suva, Fiji.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isley, C F; Nelson, P F; Taylor, M P; Stelcer, E; Atanacio, A J; Cohen, D D; Mani, F S; Maata, M

    2018-01-15

    Health implications of air pollution vary dependent upon pollutant sources. This work determines the value, in terms of reduced mortality, of reducing ambient particulate matter (PM 2.5 : effective aerodynamic diameter 2.5μm or less) concentration due to different emission sources. Suva, a Pacific Island city with substantial input from combustion sources, is used as a case-study. Elemental concentration was determined, by ion beam analysis, for PM 2.5 samples from Suva, spanning one year. Sources of PM 2.5 have been quantified by positive matrix factorisation. A review of recent literature has been carried out to delineate the mortality risk associated with these sources. Risk factors have then been applied for Suva, to calculate the possible mortality reduction that may be achieved through reduction in pollutant levels. Higher risk ratios for black carbon and sulphur resulted in mortality predictions for PM 2.5 from fossil fuel combustion, road vehicle emissions and waste burning that surpass predictions for these sources based on health risk of PM 2.5 mass alone. Predicted mortality for Suva from fossil fuel smoke exceeds the national toll from road accidents in Fiji. The greatest benefit for Suva, in terms of reduced mortality, is likely to be accomplished by reducing emissions from fossil fuel combustion (diesel), vehicles and waste burning. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  4. Breast-feeding reduces the risk for childhood eczema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kull, Inger; Böhme, Maria; Wahlgren, Carl-Fredrik; Nordvall, Lennart; Pershagen, Göran; Wickman, Magnus

    2005-09-01

    The evidence for a preventive effect of breast-feeding on the development of eczema in childhood remains controversial. To investigate the effect of breast-feeding in various phenotypes of eczema to 4 years. A birth cohort of 4089 children made up the study base. Data on breast-feeding, allergic symptoms, and potential confounders were obtained from questionnaires when the children were 2 months and 1, 2, and 4 years old. At 4 years, blood specific IgE was analyzed. Children with symptoms of eczema and asthma during the period of breast-feeding were excluded in most analyses on risk assessment of eczema and asthma, respectively, to avoid disease-related modification of exposure. Exclusive breast-feeding for >or=4 months reduced the risk for eczema at the age of 4 years (odds ratio [OR], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63--0.96) irrespective of combination with asthma, sensitization to common allergens, or parental allergic disease. This decreased risk was most evident for children with onset of eczema during the first 2 years persisting to 4 years (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.45--0.77). Among children with early-onset eczema, irrespective of persistency, followed by late onset of asthma or early-onset asthma irrespective of persistency, followed by late-onset eczema to 4 years, a protective effect of breast-feeding was also seen (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.30--0.76). Breast-feeding 4 months or more reduces the risk for eczema and onset of the allergy march to age 4.

  5. A Vehicle Management End-to-End Testing and Analysis Platform for Validation of Mission and Fault Management Algorithms to Reduce Risk for NASAs Space Launch System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trevino, Luis; Johnson, Stephen B.; Patterson, Jonathan; Teare, David

    2015-01-01

    ) early in the development lifecycle for the SLS program, NASA formed the M&FM team as part of the Integrated Systems Health Management and Automation Branch under the Spacecraft Vehicle Systems Department at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). To support the development of the FM algorithms, the VMET developed by the M&FM team provides the ability to integrate the algorithms, perform test cases, and integrate vendor-supplied physics-based launch vehicle (LV) subsystem models. Additionally, the team has developed processes for implementing and validating the M&FM algorithms for concept validation and risk reduction. The flexibility of the VMET capabilities enables thorough testing of the M&FM algorithms by providing configurable suites of both nominal and off-nominal test cases to validate the developed algorithms utilizing actual subsystem models such as MPS, GNC, and others. One of the principal functions of VMET is to validate the M&FM algorithms and substantiate them with performance baselines for each of the target vehicle subsystems in an independent platform exterior to the flight software test and validation processes. In any software development process there is inherent risk in the interpretation and implementation of concepts from requirements and test cases into flight software compounded with potential human errors throughout the development and regression testing lifecycle. Risk reduction is addressed by the M&FM group but in particular by the Analysis Team working with other organizations such as S&MA, Structures and Environments, GNC, Orion, Crew Office, Flight Operations, and Ground Operations by assessing performance of the M&FM algorithms in terms of their ability to reduce Loss of Mission (LOM) and Loss of Crew (LOC) probabilities. In addition, through state machine and diagnostic modeling, analysis efforts investigate a broader suite of failure effects and associated detection and responses to be tested in VMET to ensure reliable failure

  6. Platform driven development of product families : linking theory with practice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vuuren, van W.; Halman, J.I.M.

    2001-01-01

    Firms in most industries increasingly are considering platform-based approaches to reduce complexity and better leverage investments in product design, manufacturing and marketing. Literature addresses a variety of concepts related to platform thinking: component standardization, product

  7. Downsizing Technical Communication Staff: The Risk to Corporate Success.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smudde, Peter M.

    1993-01-01

    Notes that companies responding to the struggling economy are downsizing staff, including technical communicators. Maintains that such cutbacks affect not only employee confidence and productivity but also product quality, customer satisfaction, and future sales. States that technical communicators' critical knowledge is an asset that companies…

  8. Probabilistic risk assessment for the Sandia National Laboratories Technical Area V Liquid Waste Disposal System surface impoundments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dawson, L.A.; Eidson, A.F.

    1996-01-01

    A probabilistic risk assessment was completed for a former radioactive waste disposal site. The site, two unlined surface impoundment, was designed as part of the Liquid Waste Disposal System (LWDS) to receive radioactive effluent from nuclear reactors in Technical Area-V (TA-V) at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM). First, a statistical comparison of site sampling results to natural background, using EPA methods, and a spatial distribution analysis were performed. Risk assessment was conducted with SNL/NM's Probabilistic Risk Evaluation and Characterization Investigation System model. The risk assessment indicated that contamination from several constituents might have been high enough to require remediation. However, further analysis based on expected site closure activities and recent EPA guidance indicated that No Further Action was acceptable

  9. Study Shows Aspirin Reduces Colorectal Cancer in Those at High Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    Findings from the first large clinical trial of its kind indicate that taking high doses of aspirin daily for at least 2 years substantially reduces the risk of colorectal cancer among people at increased risk of the disease.

  10. Twitter 101 and beyond: introduction to social media platforms available to practicing hematologist/oncologists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Michael A; Ahlstrom, Jenny; Dizon, Don S; Gad, Yash; Matthews, Greg; Luks, Howard J; Schorr, Andrew

    2017-10-01

    Social media utilizes specific media platforms to allow increased interactivity between participants. These platforms serve diverse groups and purposes including participation from patients, family caregivers, research scientists, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies. Utilization of these information outlets has increased with integration at conferences and between conferences with the use of hashtags and "chats". In the realm of the "e-Patient" it is key to not underestimate your audience. Highly technical information is just as useful as a basic post. With growing use, social media analytics help track the volume and impact of content. Additionally, platforms are leveraging each other for uses, including Twitter, blogs, web radio, and recorded video and images. We explore information on social media resources and applications from varying perspectives. While these platforms will evolve over time, or disappear with new platforms taking their place, it is apparent they are now a part of the everyday experience of oncology communication. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Manufacture of Platform Prototype for Digital Safety System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, S. Y.; Kim, J. S.; Kim, J. M.

    2010-01-01

    Unit controller is a basic unit of digital safety system platform prototype. The typical unit controller is comprised of CPB(CPU board), CMB(communication board), AIB(Analog input board), AOB(Analog output board), CIB(contact input board), COB(contact output board), and a subrack. It is developed according to H/W development procedure and S/W development life cycle. A digital safety system(for example, plant protection system) is the assemblies of unit controllers. CPB performs the function of each system. DSP(digital signal processor) is built in CPB. CMB is responsible for communication between unit controllers. NSD(Network Switching Device) exchanges data between the unit controllers. Each unit controller of the platform are connected to NSD through CMB. Reliability analyses on unit controller and NSD are performed. These reliability data are used as input of technical validation

  12. Comparison of human exposure pathways in an urban brownfield: reduced risk from paving roads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Kyle; Farrell, Richard E; Siciliano, Steven D

    2012-10-01

    Risk assessments often do not quantify the risk associated with soil inhalation. This pathway generally makes a negligible contribution to the cumulative risk, because soil ingestion is typically the dominant exposure pathway. Conditions in northern or rural centers in Canada characterized by large areas of exposed soil, including unpaved roads, favor the resuspension of soil particles, making soil inhalation a relevant risk pathway. The authors determined and compared human exposure to metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soil ingestion and inhalation and analyzed the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks before and after roads were paved in a northern community. To determine the inhalation exposure, three size fractions of airborne particulate matter were collected (total suspended particulates [TSP], particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 µm [PM10], and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm [PM2.5]) before and after roads were paved. Road paving reduced the concentration of many airborne contaminants by 25 to 75%, thus reducing risk. For example, before paving, the carcinogenic risk associated with inhalation of Cr was 3.4 excess cancers per 100,000 people exposed, whereas after paving, this risk was reduced to 1.6 in 100,000. Paving roads reduced the concentrations of total suspended particulates (TSP; p roads is an effective method of reducing risk from the inhalation of soil particles. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

  13. Natural disturbance reduces disease risk in endangered rainforest frog populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roznik, Elizabeth A; Sapsford, Sarah J; Pike, David A; Schwarzkopf, Lin; Alford, Ross A

    2015-08-21

    Natural disturbances can drive disease dynamics in animal populations by altering the microclimates experienced by hosts and their pathogens. Many pathogens are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture, and therefore small changes in habitat structure can alter the microclimate in ways that increase or decrease infection prevalence and intensity in host populations. Here we show that a reduction of rainforest canopy cover caused by a severe tropical cyclone decreased the risk of endangered rainforest frogs (Litoria rheocola) becoming infected by a fungal pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis). Reductions in canopy cover increased the temperatures and rates of evaporative water loss in frog microhabitats, which reduced B. dendrobatidis infection risk in frogs by an average of 11-28% in cyclone-damaged areas, relative to unaffected areas. Natural disturbances to the rainforest canopy can therefore provide an immediate benefit to frogs by altering the microclimate in ways that reduce infection risk. This could increase host survival and reduce the probability of epidemic disease outbreaks. For amphibian populations under immediate threat from this pathogen, targeted manipulation of canopy cover could increase the availability of warmer, drier microclimates and therefore tip the balance from host extinction to coexistence.

  14. Cereal fiber intake may reduce risk of gastric adenocarcinomas : The EPIC-EURGAST study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mendez, M. A.; Pera, Guillem; Aguclo, Antonio; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H. Bas; Palli, Domenico; Boeing, Heiner; Carneiro, Ftima; Berrino, Franco; Sacerdote, Carlotta; Tumino, Rosario; Panico, Salvatore; Berglund, Goeran; Manjer, Jonas; Johansson, Ingegerd; Stenling, Roger; Martinez, Carmen; Dorronsoro, Miren; Barricarte, Aurelio; Tormo, Maria J.; Quiros, Jose R.; Allen, Naomi; Key, Timothy J.; Bingham, Sheila; Linseisen, Jakob; Kaaks, Rudolf; Overvad, Kim; Jensen, Majken; Olsen, Anja; Tjonneland, Anne; Peeters, Petra H. M.; Numans, Mattijs E.; Ocke, Marga C.; Clavel-Chapelon, Francoise; Boutron-Ruault, Marie-Christine; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Lund, Eiliv; Slimani, Nadia; Jenab, Mazda; Ferrari, Pietro; Riboli, Elio; Gonzalez, Carlos A.

    2007-01-01

    Numerous case-control studies suggest dietary fiber may reduce risk of gastric cancer, but this has not been confirmed prospectively. A previous case-control study reported reduced risk of gastric cardia adenocarcinomas associated with cereal fiber, but not with fruit or vegetable fiber. To date,

  15. A familial risk enriched cohort as a platform for testing early interventions to prevent severe mental illness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uher, Rudolf; Cumby, Jill; MacKenzie, Lynn E; Morash-Conway, Jessica; Glover, Jacqueline M; Aylott, Alice; Propper, Lukas; Abidi, Sabina; Bagnell, Alexa; Pavlova, Barbara; Hajek, Tomas; Lovas, David; Pajer, Kathleen; Gardner, William; Levy, Adrian; Alda, Martin

    2014-12-02

    Severe mental illness (SMI), including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression, is responsible for a substantial proportion of disability in the population. This article describes the aims and design of a research study that takes a novel approach to targeted prevention of SMI. It is based on the rationale that early developmental antecedents to SMI are likely to be more malleable than fully developed mood or psychotic disorders and that low-risk interventions targeting antecedents may reduce the risk of SMI. Families Overcoming Risks and Building Opportunities for Well-being (FORBOW) is an accelerated cohort study that includes a large proportion of offspring of parents with SMI and embeds intervention trials in a cohort multiple randomized controlled trial (cmRCT) design. Antecedents are conditions of the individual that are distressing but not severely impairing, predict SMI with moderate-to-large effect sizes and precede the onset of SMI by at least several years. FORBOW focuses on the following antecedents: affective lability, anxiety, psychotic-like experiences, basic symptoms, sleep problems, somatic symptoms, cannabis use and cognitive delay. Enrolment of offspring over a broad age range (0 to 21 years) will allow researchers to draw conclusions on a longer developmental period from a study of shorter duration. Annual assessments cover a full range of psychopathology, cognitive abilities, eligibility criteria for interventions and outcomes. Pre-emptive early interventions (PEI) will include skill training for parents of younger children and courses in emotional well-being skills based on cognitive behavioural therapy for older children and youth. A sample enriched for familial risk of SMI will enhance statistical power for testing the efficacy of PEI. FORBOW offers a platform for efficient and unbiased testing of interventions selected according to best available evidence. Since few differences exist between familial and 'sporadic' SMI, the

  16. An Effective Health and Medical Technical Authority

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogarty, Jennifer A.

    2009-01-01

    The NASA Governance model directed the formation of three Technical Authorities, Engineering; Safety and Mission Assurance; and Health and Medical, to ensure that risks are identified and adjudicated efficiently and transparently in concert with the spaceflight programs and projects. The Health and Medical Technical Authority (HMTA) has been implemented at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) and consists of the Chief Medical Office (CMO), the Deputy CMO, and HMTA Delegates. The JSC HMTA achieves the goals of risk identification and adjudication through the discharge of the appropriate technical expertise to human space flight programs and projects and the escalation of issues within program and technical authority boards. The JSC HMTA relies on subject matter experts (SMEs) in the Space Life Sciences Directorate at JSC as well as experts from other Centers to work crew health and performance issues at the technical level, develop requirements, oversee implementation and validation of requirements, and identify risks and non-compliances. Once a risk or potential noncompliance has been identified and reported to the programs or projects, the JSC HMTA begins to track it and closely monitor the program's or project's response. As a risk is developed or a non-compliance negotiated, positions from various levels of decision makers are sought at the program and project control boards. The HMTA may support a program or project position if it is satisfied with the decision making and vetting processes (ex. the subject matter expert voiced his/her concerns and all dissenting opinions were documented) and finds that the position both acknowledges the risk and cost of the mitigation and resolves the issue without changing NASA risk posture. The HMTA may disagree with a program or project position if the NASA risk posture has been elevated or obfuscated. If the HMTA does disagree with the program or project position, it will appeal to successively higher levels of authority so that

  17. Opening remarks: regulatory initiatives toward improved technical specifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edison, G.E.

    1985-01-01

    In order to deal with the numerous problems that have evolved over the years with nuclear power plant technical specifications, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has undertaken some initiatives for improvement: 1) new operating licenses, 2) change to existing operating reactor technical specifications, 3) a broad-scoped reconsideration of the content of technical specifications, and 4) rule changes. It is believed that reliability and risk assessment techniques can be used in conjunction with manufacturer's recommendations and engineering judgment to better define the appropriate scope and depth for technical specification resulting in focusing attention on high risk-worth systems and avoidance of plant shutdown transients both intentionally and unintentionally through provisions of technical specifications

  18. Improving the action requirements of technical specifications: A risk-comparison of continued operation and plant shutdown

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, I.S.; Samanta, P.K.

    1994-01-01

    When the systems needed to remove decay heat are inoperable or degraded, the risk of shutting down the plant may be comparable to, or even higher than, that of continuing power operation with the equipment inoperable while giving priority to repairs. This concern arises because the plant may not have sufficient capability for removing decay heat during the shutdown. However, Technical Specifications (TSs) often require ''immediate'' shutdown of the plant. In this paper, the authors present risk-based analyses of the various operational policy alternatives available in such situations, with an example application to the standby service water (SSW) system of a BWR. These analyses can be used to define risk-effective requirements for those standby safety systems under discussion

  19. Improving the action requirements of technical specifications: A risk-comparison of continued operation and plant shutdown

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, I.S.; Samanta, P.K. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Mankamo, T.

    1995-04-01

    When the systems needed to remove decay heat are inoperable or degraded, the risk of shutting down the plant may be comparable to, or even higher than, that of continuing power operation with the equipment inoperable while giving priority to repairs. This concern arises because the plant may not have sufficient capability for removing decay heat during the shutdown. However, Technical Specifications (TSs) often require {open_quotes}immediate{close_quotes} shutdown of the plant. In this paper, we present risk-based analyses of the various operational policy alternatives available in such situations, with an example application to the standby service water (SSW) system of a BWR. These analyses can be used to define risk-effective requirements for those standby safety systems under discussion.

  20. Evaluation and demonstration of commercialization potential of CCSI tools within gPROMS advanced simulation platform

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lawal, Adekola [Process Systems Enterprise Inc., Cedar Knolls, NJ (United States); Schmal, Pieter [Process Systems Enterprise Inc., Cedar Knolls, NJ (United States); Ramos, Alfredo [Process Systems Enterprise Inc., Cedar Knolls, NJ (United States); Cano, Alejandro [Process Systems Enterprise Inc., Cedar Knolls, NJ (United States); Bhattacharyya, Debangsu [West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States); Mebane, David [West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States); Sahinidis, Nikolaos [Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Chowdhury, Ananya [Process Systems Enterprise Inc., Cedar Knolls, NJ (United States); Liu, Xiaohui [Process Systems Enterprise Inc., Cedar Knolls, NJ (United States); Bellinghausen, Stefan [Process Systems Enterprise Inc., Cedar Knolls, NJ (United States)

    2017-05-29

    PSE, in the first phase of the CCSI commercialization project, set out to identify market opportunities for the CCSI tools combined with existing gPROMS platform capabilities and develop a clear technical plan for the proposed commercialization activities.

  1. Risk-reducing mastectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy in unaffected BRCA mutation carriers: uptake and timing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skytte, A-B; Gerdes, Anne-Marie Axø; Andersen, M K

    2010-01-01

    from 306 healthy BRCA carriers with no personal history of ovarian or breast cancer. We found a 10-year uptake of 75% for risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy and 50% for risk-reducing mastectomy by time to event analysis. Age and childbirth influenced this decision. The uptake rate has not changed......Once female carriers of a BRCA mutation are identified they have to make decisions on risk management. The aim of this study is to outline the uptake of risk-reducing surgery in the Danish population of BRCA mutation positive women and to search for factors affecting this decision. We analysed data...

  2. D2.3 - ENCOURAGE platform reference architecture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ferreira, Luis Lino; Pinho, Luis Miguel; Albano, Michele

    2012-01-01

    documents produced in work package WP2, the framework for the detailed specification activities to be developed in the technical work packages of the project (WP3-WP6). In order to provide the required background for the ENCOURAGE platform reference, the document describes the most relevant standards...... and functionalities of the modules of the architecture logical blocks. Furthermore, the document defines the main interface standards to be used for interoperability. These functionalities and interfaces will then be specified in detail in work packages WP3-WP6. Finally, the document provides the mapping...

  3. Towards a social and context-aware multi-sensor fall detection and risk assessment platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Backere, F; Ongenae, F; Van den Abeele, F; Nelis, J; Bonte, P; Clement, E; Philpott, M; Hoebeke, J; Verstichel, S; Ackaert, A; De Turck, F

    2015-09-01

    For elderly people fall incidents are life-changing events that lead to degradation or even loss of autonomy. Current fall detection systems are not integrated and often associated with undetected falls and/or false alarms. In this paper, a social- and context-aware multi-sensor platform is presented, which integrates information gathered by a plethora of fall detection systems and sensors at the home of the elderly, by using a cloud-based solution, making use of an ontology. Within the ontology, both static and dynamic information is captured to model the situation of a specific patient and his/her (in)formal caregivers. This integrated contextual information allows to automatically and continuously assess the fall risk of the elderly, to more accurately detect falls and identify false alarms and to automatically notify the appropriate caregiver, e.g., based on location or their current task. The main advantage of the proposed platform is that multiple fall detection systems and sensors can be integrated, as they can be easily plugged in, this can be done based on the specific needs of the patient. The combination of several systems and sensors leads to a more reliable system, with better accuracy. The proof of concept was tested with the use of the visualizer, which enables a better way to analyze the data flow within the back-end and with the use of the portable testbed, which is equipped with several different sensors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Opportunities to reduce risk associated with nuclear logging techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wraight, P.D.; Robinson, E.; de Fleurieu, R.

    1991-01-01

    Nuclear logging provides petroleum exploration and production companies with data that are critical to their decisions and operations. Because this type data is so important, environmentally conscious well-logging and service companies are constantly reviewing the risks to people and environment associated with nuclear sources with the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle in mind. Opportunities to additionally reduce risks, which can be accomplished only with the active involvement of oil companies, are proposed in this paper

  5. Risk indicators as a tool for risk control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oien, K.

    2001-01-01

    This paper presents a general methodology for the establishment of risk indicators that can be used as a tool for risk control during operation of offshore petroleum installations. The risk indicators established are based on the platform specific quantitative risk analysis (QRA). The general methodology is evaluated against comparable approaches both in offshore and nuclear industry. There are two distinct features of this methodology. The first is that it is truly risk-based with the intention of covering the total risk picture. The second is that the identification of the risk factors contributing most to the total risk is based on realistic changes of each factor assessed by the platform personnel, not a theoretically assumed change. The set of risk indicators for one specific installation is presented along with test results

  6. Motivators and barriers of tamoxifen use as risk-reducing medication amongst women at increased breast cancer risk: a systematic literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiser, B; Wong, W K T; Peate, M; Julian-Reynier, C; Kirk, J; Mitchell, G

    2017-01-01

    Selective estrogen receptor modulators, such as tamoxifen, reduce breast cancer risk by up to 50% in women at increased risk for breast cancer. Despite tamoxifen's well-established efficacy, many studies show that most women are not taking up tamoxifen. This systematic literature review aimed to identify the motivators and barriers to tamoxifen use 's amongst high-risk women. Using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase plus reviewing reference lists of relevant articles published between 1995 and 2016, 31 studies (published in 35 articles) were identified, which addressed high-risk women's decisions about risk-reducing medication to prevent breast cancer and were peer-reviewed primary clinical studies. A range of factors were identified as motivators of, and barriers to, tamoxifen uptake including: perceived risk, breast-cancer-related anxiety, health professional recommendation, perceived drug effectiveness, concerns about side-effects, knowledge and access to information about side-effects, beliefs about the role of risk-reducing medication, provision of a biomarker, preference for other forms of breast cancer risk reduction, previous treatment experience, concerns about randomization in clinical trial protocols and finally altruism. Results indicate that the decision for high-risk women regarding tamoxifen use or non-use as a risk-reducing medication is not straightforward. Support of women making this decision is essential and needs to encompass the full range of factors, both informational and psychological.

  7. Development of the operational information processing platform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Hyun Kook; Park, Jeong Seok; Baek, Seung Min; Kim, Young Jin; Joo, Jae Yoon; Lee, Sang Mok; Jeong, Young Woo; Seo, Ho Jun; Kim, Do Youn; Lee, Tae Hoon

    1996-02-01

    The Operational Information Processing Platform(OIPP) is platform system which was designed to provide the development and operation environments for plant operation and plant monitoring. It is based on the Plant Computer Systems (PCS) of Yonggwang 3 and 4, Ulchin 3 and 4, and Yonggwang 5 and 6 Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). The UNIX based workstation, real time kernel and graphics design tool are selected and installed through the reviewing the function of PCS. In order to construct the development environment for open system architecture and distributed computer system, open computer system architecture was adapted both in hardware and software. For verification of system design and evaluation of technical methodologies, the PCS running under the OIPP is being designed and implemented. In this system, the man-machine interface and system functions are being designed and implemented to evaluate the differences between the UCN 3, 4 PCS and OIPP. 15 tabs., 32 figs., 11 refs. (Author)

  8. Economic risk-based analysis: Effect of technical and market price uncertainties on the production of glycerol-based isobutanol

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Loureiro da Costa Lira Gargalo, Carina; Gernaey, Krist; Sin, Gürkan

    2016-01-01

    to propagate the market price and technical uncertainties to the economic indicator calculations and to quantify the respective economic risk. The results clearly indicated that under the given market price uncertainties, the probability of obtaining a negative NPV is 0.95. This is a very high probability...

  9. Improving non-technical skills (teamwork) in post-partum haemorrhage: A grouped randomised trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Letchworth, Pippa M; Duffy, Shane P; Phillips, Dan

    2017-10-01

    To determine the effect of a decision support technology on teamwork and associated non-technical (NTS) and technical skills when teams manage post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) in the simulated environment. Multidisciplinary (MDT) maternity teams were taught how to manage post partum haemorrhage. They were randomised to the intervention: using a decision support mobile digital platform or a control group. Each team managed a post-partum simulation, which was recorded and reviewed by assessors. Primary outcome measures to assess teams NTS were the validated Global Assessment of Obstetric Team Performance (GAOTP) and Clinical Teamwork Scale (CTS). Secondary outcome measures were the 'friends and family test', technical skills, and the System Usability Scale (SUS). Sample size estimation was calculated by using 80% power 5% significance two tailed test (p1=85% p2=40%) n=34. 38 teams from August 2014-February 2016, were recruited, technical issues with failure of recording equipment meant 4 teams were excluded from teamwork analysis (1 intervention 3 control). Teamwork improved across all domains with the intervention (using a decision support mobile digital platform) p teamwork by 25% using CTS and 22% using GAOTP. Fewer technical skills were missed with the intervention (pteamwork is often cited as the cause of failures in care and we report a usable technology that assists with and improves teamwork during an emergency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Development of a test platform for controlling parallel converters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bede, Lorand; Kopacz, Csaba; Kerekes, Tamas

    2014-01-01

    a proper interleaving angle between the converters the current ripple can be reduced considerably. In order to be able to investigate the performance of these converters a safe and cheap platform is essential. The development of a test platform for such an application is challenging, since a proper...

  11. Remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop cloud platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jie; Zhu, Lingling; Cao, Fubin

    2018-01-01

    To solve the problem that the remote sensing image segmentation speed is slow and the real-time performance is poor, this paper studies the method of remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop platform. On the basis of analyzing the structural characteristics of Hadoop cloud platform and its component MapReduce programming, this paper proposes a method of image segmentation based on the combination of OpenCV and Hadoop cloud platform. Firstly, the MapReduce image processing model of Hadoop cloud platform is designed, the input and output of image are customized and the segmentation method of the data file is rewritten. Then the Mean Shift image segmentation algorithm is implemented. Finally, this paper makes a segmentation experiment on remote sensing image, and uses MATLAB to realize the Mean Shift image segmentation algorithm to compare the same image segmentation experiment. The experimental results show that under the premise of ensuring good effect, the segmentation rate of remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop cloud Platform has been greatly improved compared with the single MATLAB image segmentation, and there is a great improvement in the effectiveness of image segmentation.

  12. Case report: a balance training program using the Nintendo Wii Fit to reduce fall risk in an older adult with bilateral peripheral neuropathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakim, Renée Marie; Salvo, Charles J; Balent, Anthony; Keyasko, Michael; McGlynn, Deidre

    2015-02-01

    A recent systematic review supported the use of strength and balance training for older adults at risk for falls, and provided preliminary evidence for those with peripheral neuropathy (PN). However, the role of gaming systems in fall risk reduction was not explored. The purpose of this case report was to describe the use of the Nintendo® Wii™ Fit gaming system to train standing balance in a community-dwelling older adult with PN and a history of recurrent near falls. A 76-year-old patient with bilateral PN participated in 1 h of Nintendo® Wii™ Fit balance training, two times a week for 6 weeks. Examination was conducted using a Computerized Dynamic Posturography system (i.e. Sensory Organization Test (SOT), Limits of Stability (LOS), Adaptation Test (ADT) and Motor Control Test (MCT) and clinical testing with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale and 30-s Chair Stand. Following training, sensory integration scores on the SOT were unchanged. Maximum excursion abilities improved by a range of 37-86% on the LOS test. MCT scores improved for amplitude with forward translations and ADT scores improved for downward platform rotations. Clinical scores improved on the BBS (28/56-34/56), ABC (57.5-70.6%) and TUG (14.9-10.9 s) which indicated reduced fall risk. Balance training with a gaming system showed promise as a feasible, objective and enjoyable method to improve physical performance and reduce fall risk in an individual with PN.

  13. Applying Service Performance Guarantees to Reduce Risk Perception in the Purchase and Consumption of Higher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nooraini Mohamad Sheriff

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available The intangible nature of education is one contributor to consumers’ perception of risk prior to their purchase and consumption. This risk includes: functional risk, financial risk, temporal risk, physical risk, psychological risk and social risk. The presence of these risks often makes consumer evaluation prior to purchase and consumption difficult. Invoking a service guarantee is a platform available to enable higher educational institutions to minimize such risk perception so as to induce purchase. Specifically, service guarantee for higher education entails the application of teaching performance guarantee. This form of guarantee focuses on two important customer groups of higher educational institutions namely, students and faculty members, and focuses only on a specific performance aspect such as instructor’s performance. Thus, if students are dissatisfied with an instructor’s performance they are entitled to receive their money back. The imposition of such a teaching performance guarantee would implicate instructor’s accountability for certain aspects of their performance. It also establishes a mechanism to solicit feedback to better understand why and how instructors fail. Consequently, service performance guarantee creates a high level of customer focus and signals instructors’ care towards students

  14. Reducing risk where tectonic plates collide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomberg, Joan S.; Ludwig, Kristin A.

    2017-06-19

    Most of the world’s earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions are caused by the continuous motions of the many tectonic plates that make up the Earth’s outer shell. The most powerful of these natural hazards occur in subduction zones, where two plates collide and one is thrust beneath another. The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) “Reducing Risk Where Tectonic Plates Collide—A USGS Plan to Advance Subduction Zone Science” is a blueprint for building the crucial scientific foundation needed to inform the policies and practices that can make our Nation more resilient to subduction zone-related hazards.

  15. Sediment Management Methods to Reduce Dredging: Part 2, Sediment Collector Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-04-01

    screen. Advantages of the closed cycle include minimal impingement velocity (reducing potential for clogging) on the hopper screen, reduced risk of...opportunity to take advantage of flexibility in siting, by helping to address issues with property ownership, road access, material handling and...technical note are not to be used for advertising , publication, or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such products.

  16. Creation of an Integrated Environment to Supply e-Learning Platforms with Office Automation Features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palumbo, Emilio; Verga, Francesca

    2015-01-01

    Over the last years great efforts have been made within the University environment to implement e-learning technologies in the standard educational practice. These learning technologies distribute online educational multimedia contents through technological platforms. Even though specific e-learning tools for technical disciplines were already…

  17. What can individuals do to reduce personal health risks from air pollution?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laumbach, Robert; Meng, Qingyu; Kipen, Howard

    2015-01-01

    In many areas of the world, concentrations of ambient air pollutants exceed levels associated with increased risk of acute and chronic health problems. While effective policies to reduce emissions at their sources are clearly preferable, some evidence supports the effectiveness of individual actions to reduce exposure and health risks. Personal exposure to ambient air pollution can be reduced on high air pollution days by staying indoors, reducing outdoor air infiltration to indoors, cleaning indoor air with air filters, and limiting physical exertion, especially outdoors and near air pollution sources. Limited evidence suggests that the use of respirators may be effective in some circumstances. Awareness of air pollution levels is facilitated by a growing number of public air quality alert systems. Avoiding exposure to air pollutants is especially important for susceptible individuals with chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, children, and the elderly. Research on mechanisms underlying the adverse health effects of air pollution have suggested potential pharmaceutical or chemopreventive interventions, such as antioxidant or antithrombotic agents, but in the absence of data on health outcomes, no sound recommendations can be made for primary prevention. Health care providers and their patients should carefully consider individual circumstances related to outdoor and indoor air pollutant exposure levels and susceptibility to those air pollutants when deciding on a course of action to reduce personal exposure and health risks from ambient air pollutants. Careful consideration is especially warranted when interventions may have unintended negative consequences, such as when efforts to avoid exposure to air pollutants lead to reduced physical activity or when there is evidence that dietary supplements, such as antioxidants, have potential adverse health effects. These potential complications of partially effective personal interventions to reduce exposure or

  18. Extreme Geohazards: Reducing the Disaster Risk and Increasing Resilience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plag, Hans-Peter; Stein, Seth; Brocklebank, Sean; Jules-Plag, Shelley; Marsh, Stuart; Campus, Paola

    2013-04-01

    Extreme geohazards have the potential to escalate the global sustainability crisis and put us close to the boundaries of the safe operating space for humanity. Exposure of human assets to geohazards has increased dramatically in recent decades, and the sensitivity of the built environment and the embedded socio-economic fabric have changed. We are putting the urban environment, including megacities, in harm's way. Paradoxically, innovation during recent decades, in particular, urban innovation, has increased the disaster risk and coupled this risk to the sustainability crisis. Only more innovation can reduce disaster risk and lead us out of the sustainability crisis. Extreme geohazards (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis) that occurred regularly throughout the last few millennia mostly did not cause major disasters because population density was low and the built environment was not sprawling into hazardous areas to the same extent as today. Similar extreme events today would cause unparalleled damage on a global scale and could worsen the sustainability crisis. Simulation of these extreme hazards under present conditions can help to assess the disaster risk. The Geohazards Community of Practice of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) with support from the European Science Foundation is preparing a white paper assessing the contemporary disaster risks associated with extreme geohazards and developing a vision for science and society to engage in deliberations addressing this risk (see http://www.geohazcop.org/projects/extgeowp). Risk awareness and monitoring is highly uneven across the world, and this creates two kinds of problems. Firstly, potential hazards are much more closely monitored in wealthy countries than in the developing world. But the largest hazards are global in nature, and it is critical to get as much forewarning as possible to develop an effective response. The disasters and near-misses of the past show that adherence to scientific

  19. Crowdsourcing for Challenging Technical Problems - It Works!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Jeffrey R.

    2011-01-01

    The NASA Johnson Space Center Space Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD) and Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering (Wyle) will conduct a one-day business cluster at the 62nd IAC so that IAC attendees will understand the benefits of open innovation (crowdsourcing), review successful results of conducting technical challenges in various open innovation projects, and learn how an organization can effectively deploy these new problem solving tools to innovate more efficiently and effectively. Results from both the SLSD open innovation pilot program and the open innovation workshop conducted by the NASA Human Health and Performance Center will be discussed. NHHPC members will be recruited to participate in the business cluster (see membership http://nhhpc.nasa.gov) and as IAF members. Crowdsourcing may be defined as the act of outsourcing tasks that are traditionally performed by an employee or contractor to an undefined, generally large group of people or community (a crowd) in the form of an open call. The open call may be issued by the organization wishing to find a solution to a particular problem or complete a task, or by an open innovation service provider on behalf of that organization. In 2008, the SLSD, with the support of Wyle, established and implemented pilot projects in open innovation (crowdsourcing) to determine if these new internet-based platforms could indeed find solutions to difficult technical challenges. These unsolved technical problems were converted to problem statements, called Challenges by some open innovation service providers, and were then posted externally to seek solutions to these problems. In addition, an open call was issued internally to NASA employees Agency wide (11 Field Centers and NASA HQ) using an open innovation service provider crowdsourcing platform to post NASA challenges from each Center for the others to propose solutions). From 2008 to 2010, the SLSD issued 34 challenges, 14 externally and 20 internally. The 14 external

  20. Damage-reducing measures to manage flood risks in a changing climate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kreibich, Heidi; Bubeck, Philip; Van Vliet, Mathijs; De Moel, Hans

    2014-05-01

    Damage due to floods has increased during the last few decades, and further increases are expected in several regions due to climate change and a growing vulnerability. To address the projected increase in flood risk, a combination of structural and non-structural flood risk mitigation measures is considered as a promising adaptation strategy. Such a combination takes into account that flood defence systems may fail, and prepare for unexpected crisis situations via land-use planning, building construction, evacuation and disaster response. Non-structural flood risk mitigation measures like shielding with water shutters or sand bags, building fortification or safeguarding of hazardous substances are often voluntary: they demand self-dependent action by the population at risk (Bubeck et al. 2012; 2013). It is believed that these measures are especially effective in areas with frequent flood events and low flood water levels, but some types of measures showed a significant damage-reducing effect also during extreme flood events, such as the Elbe River flood in August 2002 in Germany (Kreibich et al. 2005; 2011). Despite the growing importance of damage-reducing measures, information is still scarce about factors that motivate people to undertake such measures, the state of implementation of various non-structural measures in different countries and their damage reducing effects. Thus, we collected information and undertook an international review about this topic in the framework of the Dutch KfC project "Climate proof flood risk management". The contribution will present an overview about the available information on damage-reducing measures and draw conclusions for practical flood risk management in a changing climate. References: Bubeck, P., Botzen, W. J. W., Suu, L. T. T., Aerts, J. C. J. H. (2012): Do flood risk perceptions provide useful insights for flood risk management? Findings from central Vietnam. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 5, 4, 295-302 Bubeck, P

  1. Technical basis document for natural event hazards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    CARSON, D.M.

    2003-01-01

    This technical basis document was developed to support the Tank Farms Documented Safety Analysis (DSA), and describes the risk binning process and the technical basis for assigning risk bins for natural event hazards (NEH)-initiated representative accident and associated represented hazardous conditions. The purpose of the risk binning process is to determine the need for safety-significant structures, systems, and components (SSC) and technical safety requirement (TSR)-level controls for a given representative accident or represented hazardous conditions based on an evaluation of the frequency and consequence. Note that the risk binning process is not applied to facility workers, because all facility worker hazardous conditions are considered for safety-significant SSCs and/or TSR-level controls. Determination of the need for safety-class SSCs was performed in accordance with DOE-STD-3009-94, ''Preparation Guide for US Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Documented Safety Analyses'', as described in this report

  2. Cost/benefit tradeoffs for reducing the energy consumption of the commercial air transportation system. Volume 1: Technical analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraus, E. F.

    1976-01-01

    The effectiveness and associated costs of operational and technical options for reduced fuel consumption by Douglas aircraft in the domestic airline fleet are assessed. Areas explored include alternative procedures for airline and flight operations, advanced and state of the art technology, modification and derivative configurations, new near-term aircraft, turboprop configuration studies, and optimum aircraft geometry. Data for each aircraft studied is presented in tables and graphs.

  3. Reducing the Risk of Methadone Overdose PSA (:60)

    Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

    2012-07-03

    This 60 second PSA is based on the July 2012 CDC Vital Signs report. Approximately 14 people die every day of overdoses related to methadone. Listen to learn how to reduce your risk of an overdose.  Created: 7/3/2012 by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Date Released: 7/3/2012.

  4. The Socio-Technical Design of a Library and Information Science Collaboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lassi, Monica; Sonnenwald, Diane H.

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: We present a prototype collaboratory, a socio-technical platform to support sharing research data collection instruments in library and information science. No previous collaboratory has attempted to facilitate sharing digital research data collection instruments among library and information science researchers. Method: We have…

  5. La banque de données platform de l'Institut français du pétrole : un outil de base pour des études de risque Ifp's Platform Databank: a Basic Implement for Risk Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bertrand A. R. V.

    2006-11-01

    information file, including a synthesis data sheet for each accident giving a selection of important facts (date, location, type of accident, etc. and summarizing the most probable sequence of events of the accident and their consequences, and (2 a computerized databank giving the most important facts for each accident in a strictly controlled language of codes and abbreviations for use in statistical analysis. The computerized databank contains 25 different parameters. Some are made up of multiple components (there are three preliminary factors, four sequences of events, etc. , and others are codes with sub-elements. Data has been entered in three different ways : as uncoded facts, as simple codes, or as complex codes. The latter have enabled a detailed analysis to be made of certain important factors, such as : (a 72 possible preliminary factors preceding the accident (b 74 different kinds of events making up a sequence of events (including 5 different types of blowout and 13 types of collision(c 196 countries, provinces or states (d 30 major geographic zones(e 139 different constructors of platforms, drillships or barges. An analysis of the number of accidents per year from 1972 to 1988 shows a good correlation with the evolution of the price of crude oil during the same period and that of world rig utilization. A comparison with the number of new rigs put onto the market from 1977 to 1988 shows a peak in accidents for the same years, reflecting the fact that new rigs are often subject to accidents at the start of operations. These comparisons serve to demonstrate the good correlation of the PLATFORM databank with results from other studies. PLATFORM can be used to draw up simple data sheets, such as the two lists given of the accidents having caused the most human casualties as well as those having caused the greatest oil spills. It can be used to furnish the probabilities of occurrence of unusual types of accidents, or to give a figure for well-known high-risk activities

  6. Pharmacist intervention reduces gastropathy risk in patients using NSAIDs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibañez-Cuevas, Victoria; Lopez-Briz, Eduardo; Guardiola-Chorro, M Teresa

    2008-12-01

    To establish a detection and intervention strategy in order to reduce the number of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) users at risk of gastropathy from receiving either inadequate or no gastroprotection. Community Pharmacies in Valencia, Spain. Prospective longitudinal intervention study without control group carried out by 79 Community Pharmacies. Patients over 18 who asked for any systemic NSAID were interviewed according to standard procedure. Pharmacist intervention was carried out when a patient at risk of serious NSAID-induced gastrointestinal complications due to inadequate or no gastric protection was identified. The doctor responsible was informed in order to then be able to assess the need to prescribe gastroprotection or change it if inadequate. In the case of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, pharmacist intervention mainly involved replacing NSAIDs for safer medications. Firstly, the number of patients who had no prescribed gastroprotection or inadequate gastroprotection was determined. Pharmacist intervention then brought about changes in pharmacotherapy in this situation. Of the 6,965 patients who asked for NSAIDs during the study period, 3,054 (43.9%) presented NSAID gastropathy risk factors. 35.6% of the latter (1,089) were not prescribed gastroprotection or were prescribed inadequate gastroprotection. Pharmacist intervention was carried out in 1,075 of these cases. On 391 occasions such risk situations were reported to doctors, who accepted pharmacist intervention on 309 occasions (79.0%) and then either prescribed gastroprotection (77% of cases); changed it (13.9%); withdrew the NSAID (5.8%) or substituted it (3.2%). 235 Pharmacist interventions took place when dispensing OTC NSAIDs. Our strategy allowed us to identify a large number of patients who asked for NSAIDs in Community Pharmacies and who were at risk of NSAID gastropathy, as they received either inadequate gastroprotection or no gastroprotection whatsoever. Moreover, the

  7. Research on website construction based on website group platform of Chengdu sport institution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Zunyu

    2018-04-01

    This paper describes the necessity of website construction based on the website group of Chengdu sport institute, and discusses the technical features of the website group, Based on the website group platform architecture, the key technologies such as Web Service, AJAX, RSS and other key technologies are used to realize the construction of the website. Based on the website group platform architecture of the site, it effectively solves the information isolated island between the sites, and realizes the information sharing and resource integration. It is also more convenient that site and other sites have composed of site group integrated operation and maintenance.

  8. Technical risk and social perception

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muench, E; Renn, O

    1982-09-01

    In insurance science and natural science risks are defined as the expected extent of damages per time unit, i.e. risks are determined by empirical data representing the average number of people who incur damages in one year or one decade. In the social sciences the concept of risk is understood as the paragon of all unforeseeable consequences of an event or an action, or even plainly as the sum of things threatening our life and environment. Of course, the intuitive understanding of the concept is also of interest: what do people consider risky, how do they assess risks and how do they cope with risky situations. It is a chief task of interdisciplinary research to investigate the tension between the scientific and intuitive perception of risks and to develop political recommendations for those responsible for decision-making.

  9. Technical risk and social perception

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muench, E.; Renn, O.

    1982-01-01

    In insurance science and natural science risks are defined as the expected extent of damages per time unit, i.e. risks are determined by empirical data representing the average number of people who incur damages in one year or one decade. In the social sciences the concept of risk is understood as the paragon of all unforeseeable consequences of an event or an action, or even plainly as the sum of things threatening our life and environment. Of course, the intuitive understanding of the concept is also of interest: what do people consider risky, how do they assess risks and how do they cope with risky situations. It is a chief task of interdisciplinary research to investigate the tension between the scientific and intuitive perception of risks and to develop political recommendations for those responsible for decision-making. (orig./UA) [de

  10. Direct Measurement of Power Dissipated by Monte Carlo Simulations on CPU and FPGA Platforms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albicocco, Pietro; Papini, Davide; Nannarelli, Alberto

    In this technical report, we describe how power dissipation measurements on different computing platforms (a desktop computer and an FPGA board) are performed by using a Hall effectbased current sensor. The chosen application is a Monte Carlo simulation for European option pricing which is a popu...

  11. eWALL: An Open-Source Cloud-Based eHealth Platform for Creating Home Caring Environments for Older Adults Living with Chronic Diseases or Frailty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kyriazakos, Sofoklis; Mihovska, Albena; Prasad, Ramjee

    2017-01-01

    present eWALL, an innovative open-source eHealth platform that aims to address these challenges by means of an advanced cloud-based infrastructure. eWALL is designed in an innovative manner and achieved technical breakthroughs in eHealth platforms, while prioritizing user and market needs that are often...... abandoned and are the major reason for technically sound solutions that fail. We consider this as an opportunity and we aim to change the eHealth systems’ experience for older adults and break the barriers for the penetration of ICT solutions....

  12. Judicial action and technical risk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buiren, S. van; Ballerstedt, E.; Grimm, D.

    1981-05-01

    In this study it is examined how the judiciary deals with those sections that are crucial for the use of nuclear energy. The authors get down to the pre-dominant problem of the law relating to technical safety. In the process they encounter the central dilemma of modern democracy, i.e. the strained relations which exist between judicial control and democratic responsibility. Since nuclear energy entered the market place, it has been the administrative courts which - in practice - have decided whether and to what extent nuclear energy may be used. On the one hand, this is a result of the fast growth of, and rapid change in, science and technology. On the other hand, it is a result of administrative law standards which have developed in the Federal Republic of Germany after World War II. The former requires the normative structure of the atomic law, the latter postulates how to deal with it. Legal protection against an act of public authority is guaranteed by the Basic Law and usually with some justification considered a splendid achievement of our state which is based on the rule of law. It has lead to developments in the atomic law and in many parts of the law relating to technical safety on which opinions are divided. In a dogmatic manner it has been legally examined to what extent an extensive review competence of the judiciary is a must, and whether there are any possibilities of judicial control of acts of public authorities without having to interfere with the original competence of administrations. (orig./HP) [de

  13. Active fans and grizzly bears: Reducing risks for wilderness campers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakals, M. E.; Wilford, D. J.; Wellwood, D. W.; MacDougall, S. A.

    2010-03-01

    Active geomorphic fans experience debris flows, debris floods and/or floods (hydrogeomorphic processes) that can be hazards to humans. Grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos) can also be a hazard to humans. This paper presents the results of a cross-disciplinary study that analyzed both hydrogeomorphic and grizzly bear hazards to wilderness campers on geomorphic fans along a popular hiking trail in Kluane National Park and Reserve in southwestern Yukon Territory, Canada. Based on the results, a method is proposed to reduce the risks to campers associated with camping on fans. The method includes both landscape and site scales and is based on easily understood and readily available information regarding weather, vegetation, stream bank conditions, and bear ecology and behaviour. Educating wilderness campers and providing a method of decision-making to reduce risk supports Parks Canada's public safety program; a program based on the principle of user self-sufficiency. Reducing grizzly bear-human conflicts complements the efforts of Parks Canada to ensure a healthy grizzly bear population.

  14. Development and Application of POSAFE-Q PLC Platform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, MyeongKyun; Song, SeungWhan; Yun, DongHwa

    2012-01-01

    The Safety-grade Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Platform named POSAFE-Q was developed so that it meets the requirements of the Safety Class 1E, Quality Class 1, and Seismic Category I. Development process of the POSAFE-Q software developed in accordance with software life cycles. The POSAFE-Q meets safety and suitability for design are based on digital I and C laws, guidelines and technical standards. The POSAFE-Q PLC obtained approval for Topical Report from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in Korea. (author)

  15. Reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers in critical care units: a 4-year quality improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, Annette; Peart, Joanna; Wright, Stephen E; McCullagh, Iain J

    2017-06-01

    Critical care patients often have several risk factors for pressure ulceration and implementing prevention interventions have been shown to decrease risk. We identified a high incidence of pressure ulcers in the four adult critical care units in our organization. Therefore, avoiding pressure ulceration was an important quality priority. We undertook a quality improvement programme aimed at reducing the incidence of pressure ulceration using an evidence-based bundle approach. A bundle of technical and non-technical interventions were implemented supported by clinical leadership on each unit. Important components were evidence appraisals; changes to mattresses; focussed risk assessment alongside mandating patients at very high risk to be repositioned two hourly; and staff training to increase awareness of how to prevent pressure ulcers. Pressure ulcer numbers, incidence and categories were collected continuously and monitored monthly by unit staff. Pressure ulcer rates reduced significantly from 8.08/100 patient admissions to 2.97/100 patient admissions, an overall relative rate reduction of 63% over 4 years. The greatest reduction was seen in the most severe category of pressure ulceration. The average estimated cost saving was £2.6 million (range £2.1-£3.1). A quality improvement programme including technical and non-technical interventions, data feedback to staff and clinical leadership was associated with a sustained reduction in the incidence of pressure ulceration in the critically ill. Strategies used in this programme may be transferable to other critical care units to bring more widespread patient benefit. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  16. Using detection and deterrence to reduce insider risk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eggers, R.F.; Carlson, R.L.; Udell, C.J.

    1988-01-01

    This paper addresses a new concept of interaction between adversary detection and deterrence. It provides an initial evaluation of the effects of these variables on the risk of theft of special nuclear material by an insider adversary and can be extended to the sabotage threat. A steady-state risk equation is used. Exercises with this equation show that deterrence, resulting from the prospect of detection, has a greater ability to reduce the risk than the detection exercise itself. This is true for all cases except those in which the probabilty of detection is 1. Cases were developed for three different types of adversaries that can be distinguished from one another by the level of detection they are willing to tolerate before they are deterred from attempting a theft. By considering the effects of detection, deterrence, and adversary type, the ground work is laid for designing cost-effective insider threat-protection systems

  17. Concept of risk: risk assessment and nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thompson, P.B.

    1980-01-01

    The dissertation is a critical examination of risk assessment and its role in public policy. Nuclear power safety safety issues are selected as the primary source of illustrations and examples. The dissertation examines how risk assessment studies develop a concept of risk which becomes decisive for policy choices. Risk-assessment techniques are interpreted as instruments which secure an evaluation of risk which, in turn, figures prominently in technical reports on nuclear power. The philosophical critique is mounted on two levels. First, an epistemological critique surveys distinctions between the technical concept of risk and more familiar senses of risk. The critique shows that utilization of risk assessment re-structures the concept of risk. The technical concept is contrasted to the function of risk within a decision-maker's conceptual agenda and hierarchy of values. Second, an ethical critique exposes the value commitments of risk assessment recommendations. Although some of these values might be defended for policy decisions, the technical character of risk assessment obfuscates normative issues. Risk assessment is shown to be a form of factual enquiry which, nonetheless, represents a commitment to a specific selection of ethical and social values. Risk assessment should not be interpreted as a primary guide to decision unless the specific values incorporated into its concept of risk are stated explicitly and justified philosophically. Such a statement would allow value questions which have been sublimated by the factual tone of the analytic techniques to be debated on clear, social and ethical grounds

  18. Reduced cancer risk in vegetarians: an analysis of recent reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amy Joy Lanou

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Amy Joy Lanou1, Barbara Svenson21Department of Health and Wellness, 2Ramsey Library, University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, NC, USAAbstract: This report reviews current evidence regarding the relationship between vegetarian eating patterns and cancer risk. Although plant-based diets including vegetarian and vegan diets are generally considered to be cancer protective, very few studies have directly addressed this question. Most large prospective observational studies show that vegetarian diets are at least modestly cancer protective (10%–12% reduction in overall cancer risk although results for specific cancers are less clear. No long-term randomized clinical trials have been conducted to address this relationship. However, a broad body of evidence links specific plant foods such as fruits and vegetables, plant constituents such as fiber, antioxidants and other phytochemicals, and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight to reduced risk of cancer diagnosis and recurrence. Also, research links the consumption of meat, especially red and processed meats, to increased risk of several types of cancer. Vegetarian and vegan diets increase beneficial plant foods and plant constituents, eliminate the intake of red and processed meat, and aid in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The direct and indirect evidence taken together suggests that vegetarian diets are a useful strategy for reducing risk of cancer.Keywords: diet, vegan, prevention

  19. Technical risk audit method (tram): development and application to the auditing of major hazard sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maddison, T.; Kirk, P.; Stansfield, R.

    1998-01-01

    The Technical Risk Audit Method (TRAM) has been developed by the UK Health and Safety Executive (UK HSE) as a risk-based auditing and inspection tool for application to Major Hazard process plant covered by the Seveso-I/Seveso-II directives. The objective of TRAM is to provide a framework in which plant inspection or audit can be undertaken and results collated. TRAM comprises a paper audit procedure and a software tool which is used to analyse the results. TRAM includes a semi-quantitative risk model, which may be used to rank risks both within and between similar facilities, using qualitative data collected during the inspection. The results of this qualitative analysis may be used to identify where inspector resources would be best deployed. To date, TRAM has been applied to a number of LPG storage and processing facilities in the UK, and the lessons learnt are being used to develop a robust version suitable for use by inspectors. The methodology will be made consistent with the risk model included in IEC 61508 'Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable electronic safety-related systems' to permit its application to a wide range of process plant and other hazardous facilities. (authors)

  20. CyberTORCS: An Intelligent Vehicles Simulation Platform for Cooperative Driving

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming Yang

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Simulation platforms play an important role in helping intelligent vehicle research, especially for the research of cooperative driving due to the high cost and risk of the real experiments. In order to ease and bring more convenience for cooperative driving tests, we introduce an intelligent vehicle simulation platform, called CyberTORCS, for the research in cooperative driving. Details of the simulator modules including vehicle body control, vehicle visualization modeling and track visualization modeling are presented. Two simulation examples are given to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed simulation platform.

  1. Innovative Corporate Initiatives to Reduce Climate Risk: Lessons from East Asia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edward B. Barbier

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Businesses, investors, and insurers are requiring better quantitative assessments of their exposure to climate risks and their impact on climate change. They are incorporating these assessments in their day-to-day management and long-term investment decisions. Already, there are efforts to develop international guidelines, common policies and legal frameworks for such assessments, as well as the desire to foster climate financing. We examine recent progress in East Asia and the rest of the world in setting targets, pricing policies, and other mechanisms to reduce climate risks. We develop a model that demonstrates how reduced climate risk management may lower the total cost of capital of firms, thus making them more attractive to investors. We discuss the additional policies needed to support improved climate risk management in investment decisions, private investments in climate science, technology and innovation (STI expansion, and more widespread adoption of climate financing and principles. Central banks, financial authorities, and governments can advance this objective by creating financial incentives to support investment decision-making. This would take into account factors such as improving climate performance, establishing better climate risk management and reporting requirements to foster green STI, and developing international guidelines and common policy and legal frameworks to support better climate risk management, assessments and reporting.

  2. Crowd Sourcing for Challenging Technical Problems and Business Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Jeffrey R.; Richard, Elizabeth

    2011-01-01

    Crowd sourcing may be defined as the act of outsourcing tasks that are traditionally performed by an employee or contractor to an undefined, generally large group of people or community (a crowd) in the form of an open call. The open call may be issued by an organization wishing to find a solution to a particular problem or complete a task, or by an open innovation service provider on behalf of that organization. In 2008, the Space Life Sciences Directorate (SLSD), with the support of Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering, established and implemented pilot projects in open innovation (crowd sourcing) to determine if these new internet-based platforms could indeed find solutions to difficult technical challenges. These unsolved technical problems were converted to problem statements, also called "Challenges" or "Technical Needs" by the various open innovation service providers, and were then posted externally to seek solutions. In addition, an open call was issued internally to NASA employees Agency wide (10 Field Centers and NASA HQ) using an open innovation service provider crowd sourcing platform to post NASA challenges from each Center for the others to propose solutions). From 2008 to 2010, the SLSD issued 34 challenges, 14 externally and 20 internally. The 14 external problems or challenges were posted through three different vendors: InnoCentive, Yet2.com and TopCoder. The 20 internal challenges were conducted using the InnoCentive crowd sourcing platform designed for internal use by an organization. This platform was customized for NASA use and promoted as NASA@Work. The results were significant. Of the seven InnoCentive external challenges, two full and five partial awards were made in complex technical areas such as predicting solar flares and long-duration food packaging. Similarly, the TopCoder challenge yielded an optimization algorithm for designing a lunar medical kit. The Yet2.com challenges yielded many new industry and academic contacts in bone

  3. Reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome at the worksite: preliminary experience with an ecological approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucini, Daniela; Zanuso, Silvano; Solaro, Nadia; Vigo, Chiara; Malacarne, Mara; Pagani, Massimo

    2016-02-01

    Given the time spent at work, the workplace represents an ideal setting to implement preventive programs for non-communicable diseases, the major cause of mortality and morbidity in Western and developing countries. We sought to verify if an ecological approach based on corporate culture, employees' education and concrete modifications of workplace environment, offering easy opportunity to assume healthy lifestyle, could be associated with reduced cardiometabolic risk. The study involved 1089 workers in two multinational companies following different workplace health promotion policies. Company A offered to all employees the opportunity to access a web platform dedicated to general information on health and diseases. Company B implemented an ecological model encompassing company culture, employees' education and concrete modifications of workplace environment, giving to all employees the opportunity to adopt healthy solutions throughout daily living at workplace. Participants volunteered self-reported clinical information using an IT tool. Numbers of Metabolic Syndrome components (MetS) were taken as proxy of cardiometabolic risk. MetS probability obtained via statistical modeling was lower in company B as compared to company A, and absenteeism was also lower in company B. Our study shows that a work environment favoring assumption of healthy lifestyle, as in company B, is associated with a lower percentage of employees with MetS components and lower absenteeism. Moreover, statistical modeling shows that individual probabilities of being without MetS elements, controlling for age and gender, is remarkably higher in company B. Our data suggest that ecological approaches might be useful in worksite prevention policies.

  4. FLAMMABLE GAS TECHNICAL BASIS DOCUMENT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    KRIPPS, L.J.

    2005-03-03

    This document describes the qualitative evaluation of frequency and consequences for DST and SST representative flammable gas accidents and associated hazardous conditions without controls. The evaluation indicated that safety-significant structures, systems and components (SSCs) and/or technical safety requirements (TSRs) were required to prevent or mitigate flammable gas accidents. Discussion on the resulting control decisions is included. This technical basis document was developed to support WP-13033, Tank Farms Documented Safety Analysis (DSA), and describes the risk binning process for the flammable gas representative accidents and associated represented hazardous conditions. The purpose of the risk binning process is to determine the need for safety-significant structures, systems, and components (SSC) and technical safety requirement (TSR)-level controls for a given representative accident or represented hazardous condition based on an evaluation of the event frequency and consequence.

  5. Risk Control of Offshore Installations. A Framework for the Establishment of Risk Indicators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oeien, Knut

    2001-07-01

    Currently quantitative risk assessments are carried out to analyze the risk level of offshore installations and to evaluate whether or not the risk level is acceptable. By way of the quantitative risk analysis the risk status of a given installation is obtained. However, the risk status is obtained so infrequently that it is inadequate for risk control. It can be compared to economic control having the economic status presented about each fifth year, which is obviously inadequate. It is important to know the risk status because this may provide an early warning about the need for remedial actions. Without frequent information about the risk status, control of risk cannot be claimed. The main objective of this thesis has been the development of a framework for the establishment of risk indicators. These risk indicators provide a status of the risk level through measuring of changes in technical, operational and organizational factors important to risk, and is thus a means to control risk during operation of offshore petroleum installations. The framework consists of a technical methodology using the quantitative risk assessment as a basis, an organizational model, and an organizational quantification methodology. Technical risk indicators are established from the technical methodology covering the risk factors explicitly included in the quantitative risk assessment. Organizational risk indicators measure changes in the organizational risk factors included in the organizational model, but not included in the quantitative risk assessment. The organizational model is an extension to the risk model in the quantitative risk assessment. The organizational quantification methodology calculates the effect of the changes measured by the organizational risk indicators. The organizational model may also be applied as a qualitative tool for root cause analysis of incidents (process leaks). Other results are an intermediate-level expert judgment procedure applicable for

  6. A Novel Software Platform Extending Advances in Monitoring Technologies to On-demand Decision Support

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ormerod, R.; Scholl, M.

    2017-12-01

    Rapid evolution is occurring in the monitoring and assessment of air emissions and their impacts. The development of next generation lower cost sensor technologies creates the potential for much more intensive and far-reaching monitoring networks that provide spatially rich data. While much attention at present is being directed at the types and performance characteristics of sensor technologies, it is important also that the full potential of rich data sources be realized. Parallel to sensor developments, software platforms to display and manage data in real time are increasingly common adjuncts to sensor networks. However, the full value of data can be realized by extending platform capabilities to include complex scientific functions that are integrated into an action-oriented management framework. Depending on the purpose and nature of a monitoring network, there will be a variety of potential uses of the data or its derivatives, for example: statistical analysis for policy development, event analysis, real-time issue management including emergency response and complaints, and predictive management. Moving these functions into an on-demand, optionally mobile, environment greatly increases the value and accessibility of the data. Increased interplay between monitoring data and decision-making in an operational environment is optimised by a system that is designed with equal weight on technical robustness and user experience. A system now being used by several regulatory agencies and a larger number of industries in the US, Latin America, Europe, Australia and Asia has been developed to provide a wide range of on-demand decision-support in addition to the basic data collection, display and management that most platforms offer. With stable multi-year operation, the platform, known as Envirosuite, is assisting organisations to both reduce operating costs and improve environmental performance. Some current examples of its application across a range of applications

  7. Technical Safety Requirements for the Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF)

    CERN Document Server

    Mahn, J A E M J G

    2003-01-01

    This document provides the Technical Safety Requirements (TSR) for the Sandia National Laboratories Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF). The TSR is a compilation of requirements that define the conditions, the safe boundaries, and the administrative controls necessary to ensure the safe operation of a nuclear facility and to reduce the potential risk to the public and facility workers from uncontrolled releases of radioactive or other hazardous materials. These requirements constitute an agreement between DOE and Sandia National Laboratories management regarding the safe operation of the Gamma Irradiation Facility.

  8. Non-technical skills in the intensive care unit

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reader, T.; Flin, R.; Lauche, K.; Cuthbertson, B.H.

    2006-01-01

    In high-risk industries such as aviation, the skills not related directly to technical expertise, but crucial for maintaining safety (e.g. teamwork), have been categorized as non-technical skills. Recently, research in anaesthesia has identified and developed a taxonomy of the non-technical skills

  9. Designing platform independent mobile apps and services

    CERN Document Server

    Heckman, Rocky

    2016-01-01

    This book explains how to help create an innovative and future proof architecture for mobile apps by introducing practical approaches to increase the value and flexibility of their service layers and reduce their delivery time. Designing Platform Independent Mobile Apps and Services begins by describing the mobile computing landscape and previous attempts at cross platform development. Platform independent mobile technologies and development strategies are described in chapter two and three. Communication protocols, details of a recommended five layer architecture, service layers, and the data abstraction layer are also introduced in these chapters. Cross platform languages and multi-client development tools for the User Interface (UI) layer, as well as message processing patterns and message routing of the Service Int rface (SI) layer are explained in chapter four and five. Ways to design the service layer for mobile computing, using Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS) and the Data Abstraction La...

  10. Hanford waste vitrification systems risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, W.C.; Hamilton, D.W.; Holton, L.K.; Bailey, J.W.

    1991-09-01

    A systematic Risk Assessment was performed to identify the technical, regulatory, and programmatic uncertainties and to quantify the risks to the Hanford Site double-shell tank waste vitrification program baseline (as defined in December 1990). Mitigating strategies to reduce the overall program risk were proposed. All major program elements were evaluated, including double-shell tank waste characterization, Tank Farms, retrieval, pretreatment, vitrification, and grouting. Computer-based techniques were used to quantify risks to proceeding with construction of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant on the present baseline schedule. Risks to the potential vitrification of single-shell tank wastes and cesium and strontium capsules were also assessed. 62 refs., 38 figs., 26 tabs

  11. Survey on the Technology Readiness Level of R and D projects for a Technical Risk Management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, S. J.; Chang, J.; Lee, K. Y.

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of applying the Technology Readiness Level/Design Readiness Level (TRL/DRL) in technical risk management is to make technology assessments, and improve communication among researchers with a consistent, systematic technology readiness Technical risk management for the Nuclear Hydrogen Production project was adopted of experience assessed with Delphi Method from the Next Generation Nuclear Plant(NGNP)of the DOE to improve the poor contactor management of the major projects which experienced cost increases and/or schedule delays in long-term. In the current phase that is doing key technology research and development projects, the technology readiness level was reviewed and applied to the Nuclear Hydrogen Production project to prepare an input for the next design phases. Based on the previous works, pre-conceptional design and key R and D works for the Nuclear Hydrogen Design and Development(NHDD) projects and the results of key research and development projects, the TRL was applied to assess the levels and compared with the advanced design stages of Westinghouse Electric Co. With this process, several issues were identified to apply the design and technology level to the familiar steps of design process and research and development projects. In order to resolve these issues, it is needed to systematically adjust and modify the current process with TRLs

  12. Using detection and deterrence to reduce insider risk

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eggers, R F; Carlson, R L; Udell, C J

    1988-06-01

    This paper addresses a new concept of interaction between adversary detection and deterrence. It provides an initial evaluation of the effects of these variables on the risk of theft of special nuclear material by an insider adversary and can be extended to the sabotage threat. A steady-state risk equation is used. Exercises with this equation show that deterrence, resulting from the prospect of detection, has a greater ability to reduce the risk than the detection exercise itself. This is true for all cases except those in which the probability of detection is 1. Cases were developed for three different types of adversaries that can be distinguished from one another by the level of detection they are willing to tolerate before they are deterred from attempting a theft. By considering the effects of detection, deterrence, and adversary type, the ground work is laid for designing cost-effective insider threat-protection systems. 2 refs., 6 figs.

  13. Platform capitalism: The intermediation and capitalization of digital economic circulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Langley

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available A new form of digital economic circulation has emerged, wherein ideas, knowledge, labour and use rights for otherwise idle assets move between geographically distributed but connected and interactive online communities. Such circulation is apparent across a number of digital economic ecologies, including social media, online marketplaces, crowdsourcing, crowdfunding and other manifestations of the so-called ‘sharing economy’. Prevailing accounts deploy concepts such as ‘co-production’, ‘prosumption’ and ‘peer-to-peer’ to explain digital economic circulation as networked exchange relations characterised by their disintermediated, collaborative and democratising qualities. Building from the neologism of platform capitalism, we place ‘the platform’ – understood as a distinct mode of socio-technical intermediary and business arrangement that is incorporated into wider processes of capitalisation – at the centre of the critical analysis of digital economic circulation. To create multi-sided markets and coordinate network effects, platforms enrol users through a participatory economic culture and mobilise code and data analytics to compose immanent infrastructures. Platform intermediation is also nested in the ex-post construction of a replicable business model. Prioritising rapid up-scaling and extracting revenues from circulations and associated data trails, the model performs the structure of venture capital investment which capitalises on the potential of platforms to realise monopoly rents.

  14. Texas Instruments Technical Seminar: Power Management and Wireless

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Monday 6 November TECHNICAL TRAINING SEMINAR 14:00 to 17:30 - Training Centre Auditorium (bldg. 593) Texas Instruments Technical Seminar: Power Management and Wireless Michael Scholtholt, Field Application Engineer / TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (US, D, CH) The range of power management products available today offers the possibility to find the best solution for each application. To select the right product it is therefore necessary to understand system requirements, how power supply products work, and where they differentiate. This Technical Training Seminar will also present an overview of how to choose the right RF platform based on markets and applications: nowadays almost everbody has at least one wireless product in use, and this tendency seems to increase significantly. Power Management Voltage mode vs. current mode control Differentiating DC/DC converters by analyzing control and compensation schemes: line / load regulation, transient response, BOM, board space, ease-of-use Introduction to evaluati...

  15. Texas Instruments Technical Seminar: Power Management and Wireless

    CERN Multimedia

    2006-01-01

    Monday 6 November TECHNICAL TRAINING SEMINAR 14:00 to 17:30 - Training Centre Auditorium (bldg. 593) Texas Instruments Technical Seminar: Power Management and Wireless Michael Scholtholt, Field Application Engineer / TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (US, D, CH) The range of power management products available today offers the possibility to find the best solution for each application. To select the right product it is therefore necessary to understand system requirements, how power supply products work, and where they differentiate. This Technical Training Seminar will also present an overview of how to choose the right RF platform based on markets and applications: nowadays almost everbody has at least one wireless product in use, and this tendency seems to increase significantly. Power Management Voltage mode vs. current mode control Differentiating DC/DC converters by analyzing control and compensation schemes: line / load regulation, transient response, BOM, board space, ease-of-use Introduction to evalu...

  16. Management and policy: political strategies and instruments of the risk types

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Renn, O.; Klinke, A.

    1998-01-01

    The main objective of the risk classification is to gain an effective and feasible policy tool for the evaluation and the management or risks. The characterisation provides a platform for designing specific political strategies and measures for each risk type. The strategies pursue the goal to transform unacceptable into acceptable risks, i.e. the risks should not be reduced to zero, but they should be reduced to a level that routine risk management becomes sufficient to ensure safety and integrity. All strategies and respective measures are arranged according to priorities. In the normal case more than one strategy and more than one measure are naturally appropriate and necessary. If resources are limited, strategies and measures should be taken in line with the priority list. The following part lists the prior strategies and the prior measures recommended for each risk type. (authors)

  17. The Design of Individual Knowledge Sharing Platform Based on Blog for Online Information Literacy Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qun, Zeng; Xiaocheng, Zhong

    Knowledge sharing means that an individual, team and organization share the knowledge with other members of the organization in the course of activities through the various ways. This paper analyzes the obstacle factors in knowledge sharing based on the technical point, and chooses the Blog technology to build a platform for improving knowledge sharing between individuals. The construction of the platform is an important foundation for information literacy education, and it also can be used to achieve online information literacy education. Finally, it gives a detailed analysis of its functions, advantages and disadvantages.

  18. Telemetry system for monitoring the ECG for patients with high cardiovascular risk. Main design requirements and technical solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, J; Meissimilly, G; Berovides, JD

    2005-01-01

    In this paper the main design requirements concerning the setting up of a telemetry ECG monitoring system are presented. The design's most important technical solutions as well as some details are also discussed. This system is intended to provide skilled medical assistance during the cardiac rehabilitation of both asymptomatic and high risk coronary patients

  19. Reduced 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Afzal, Shoaib; Bojesen, Stig E; Nordestgaard, Børge G

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated as a risk factor for dementia in several cross-sectional studies. We tested the hypothesis that reduced plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia in the general.......28 (95% CI, 1.00-1.64) for 25(OH)D less than 25 nmol/L vs. greater than or equal to 50 nmol/L, and 1.27 (95% CI, 1.01-1.60) for less than the 25th vs. more than the 50th seasonally adjusted 25(OH)D. CONCLUSIONS: We observed an association of reduced plasma 25(OH)D with increased risk of the combined end...

  20. Integrating risk management into the baselining process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jennett, N.; Tonkinson, A.

    1994-01-01

    These processes work together in building the project (comprised of the technical, schedule, and cost baselines) against which performance is measured and changes to the scope, schedule and cost of a project are managed and controlled. Risk analysis is often performed as the final element of the scheduling or estimating processes, a precursor to establishing cost and schedule contingency. However, best business practices dictate that information that may be crucial to the success of a project be analyzed and incorporated into project planning as soon as it is available and usable. The purpose or risk management is not to eliminate risk. Neither is it intended to suggest wholesale re-estimating and re-scheduling of a project. Rather, the intent is to make provisions to reduce and control the schedule and/or cost ramifications of risk by anticipating events and conditions that cannot be reliably planned for and which have the potential to negatively impact accomplishment of the technical objectives and requirements of the project

  1. The International Platform on Earthquake Early Warning Systems (IP-EEWS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, Jair; Fanchiotti, Margherita

    2017-04-01

    The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 recognizes the need to "substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030" as one of its global targets (target "g"). While considerable progress has been made in recent decades, early warning systems (EWSs) continue to be less developed for geo-hazards and significant challenges remain in advancing the development of EWSs for specific hazards, particularly for fastest onset hazards such as earthquakes. An earthquake early warning system (EEWS) helps in disseminating timely information about potentially catastrophic earthquake hazards to the public, emergency managers and the private sector to provide enough time to implement automatized emergency measures. At the same time, these systems help to reduce considerably the CO2 emissions produced by the catastrophic impacts and subsequent effects of earthquakes, such as those generated by fires, collapses, and pollution (among others), as well as those produced in the recovery and reconstruction processes. In recent years, EEWSs have been developed independently in few countries: EEWSs have shown operational in Japan and Mexico, while other regions in California (USA), Turkey, Italy, Canada, South Korea and China (including Taiwan) are in the development stages or under restricted applications. Many other countries in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Middle East, Eastern Africa, Southeast Africa, as well as Central America, South America and the Caribbean, are located in some of the most seismically active regions in the world, or present moderate seismicity but high vulnerability, and would strongly benefit from the development of EEWSs. Given that, in many instances, the development of an EEWS still requires further testing, increased density coverage in seismic observation stations, regional coordination, and further scientific

  2. Risk-based evaluation of technical specification problems at the La Salle County Nuclear Station: Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bizzak, D.J.; Trainer, J.E.; McClymont, A.S.

    1987-06-01

    Probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methods are used to evaluate alternatives to existing requirements for three operationally burdensome technical specifications at La Salle Nuclear Station. The study employs a decision logic to minimize the detailed analysis necessary to show compliance with given acceptance criteria; in this case, no risk increase resulting from a proposed change. The analyses provide insights to choose from among alternative options. The SOCRATES computer code was used for the probabilistic analysis. Results support a change to less frequent diesel generator testing, eliminations of one reactor scram setpoint, and establishing an allowed out-of-service time for valves in a reactor scram system. In each case, the change would result in a safety improvement

  3. A socio-technical, probabilistic risk assessment model for surgical site infections in ambulatory surgery centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bish, Ebru K; El-Amine, Hadi; Steighner, Laura A; Slonim, Anthony D

    2014-10-01

    To understand how structural and process elements may affect the risk for surgical site infections (SSIs) in the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) environment, the researchers employed a tool known as socio-technical probabilistic risk assessment (ST-PRA). ST-PRA is particularly helpful for estimating risks in outcomes that are very rare, such as the risk of SSI in ASCs. Study objectives were to (1) identify the risk factors associated with SSIs resulting from procedures performed at ASCs and (2) design an intervention to mitigate the likelihood of SSIs for the most common risk factors that were identified by the ST-PRA for a particular surgical procedure. ST-PRA was used to study the SSI risk in the ASC setting. Both quantitative and qualitative data sources were utilized, and sensitivity analysis was performed to ensure the robustness of the results. The event entitled "fail to protect the patient effectively" accounted for 51.9% of SSIs in the ambulatory care setting. Critical components of this event included several failure risk points related to skin preparation, antibiotic administration, staff training, proper response to glove punctures during surgery, and adherence to surgical preparation rules related to the wearing of jewelry, watches, and artificial nails. Assuming a 75% reduction in noncompliance on any combination of 2 of these 5 components, the risk for an SSI decreased from 0.0044 to between 0.0027 and 0.0035. An intervention that targeted the 5 major components of the major risk point was proposed, and its implications were discussed.

  4. Technical specification improvements to containment heat removal and emergency core cooling systems: Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sullivan, W.P.; Ha, C.; Pentzien, D.C.; Visweswaran, S.

    1988-07-01

    This report presents the results of an analysis for technical specification improvements to the emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) and containment heat removal systems (EPRI Research Project 2142-3). The objective of this project is to further develop a reliability- and risk-based methodology to provide improvements by considering groups of surveillance test intervals and allowed out-of-service times jointly. This was done for the technical specifications for the ECCS, containment heat removal equipment, and supporting systems of a boiling water reactor plant. The project (1) developed a methodology for optimizing groups of surveillance test intervals and allowed out-of-service times jointly, (2) applied the methodology in a case study of a specific operating plant, Hatch-2, and (3) evaluated benefits of the application. The results of the case study demonstrate that beneficial technical specification improvements can be realized with application of the methodology. By tightening a small group of sensitive surveillance test intervals (STIs) and allowed out-of-service times (AOTs), a larger group of less sensitive STIs and AOTs can be extended resulting in an overall plant operating cost improvement without reducing the plant safety. The reliability- and risk-based methodology and results from this project can be effectively applied for technical specification improvements at other operating plants

  5. Integration of Fractal Biosensor in a Digital Microfluidic Platform

    KAUST Repository

    Mashraei, Yousof

    2016-06-08

    The digital microfluidic (DMF) platform introduces many applications in biomedical assays. If it is to be commercially available to the public, it needs to have the essential features of smart sensing and a compact size. In this work, we report on a fractal electrode biosensor that is used for both droplet actuation and sensing C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration levels to assess cardiac disease risk. Our proposed electrode is the first two-terminal electrode design to be integrated into DMF platforms. A simulation of the electrical field distribution shows reduced peak intensities and uniform distribution of the field. When compared to a V-notch square electrode, the fractal electrode shows a superior performance in both aspects, i.e. field uniformity and intensity. These improvements are translated into a successful and responsive actuation of a water droplet with 100V. Likewise, the effective dielectric strength is improved by a 33% increase in the fractal electrode breakdown voltage. Additionally, the capability of the fractal electrode to work as a capacitive biosensor is evaluated with CRP quantification test. Selected fractal electrodes undergo a surface treatment to immobilize anti-CRP antibodies on their surface. The measurement shows a response to the added CRP in capacitance within three minutes. When the untreated electrodes were used for quantification, there was no significant change in capacitance, and this suggested that immobilization was necessary. The electrodes configuration in the fabricated DMF platform allows the fractal electrodes to be selectively used as biosensors, which means the device could be integrated into point-of-care applications.

  6. Data development technical support document for the aircraft crash risk analysis methodology (ACRAM) standard

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimura, C.Y.; Glaser, R.E.; Mensing, R.W.; Lin, T.; Haley, T.A.; Barto, A.B.; Stutzke, M.A.

    1996-01-01

    The Aircraft Crash Risk Analysis Methodology (ACRAM) Panel has been formed by the US Department of Energy Office of Defense Programs (DOE/DP) for the purpose of developing a standard methodology for determining the risk from aircraft crashes onto DOE ground facilities. In order to accomplish this goal, the ACRAM panel has been divided into four teams, the data development team, the model evaluation team, the structural analysis team, and the consequence team. Each team, consisting of at least one member of the ACRAM plus additional DOE and DOE contractor personnel, specializes in the development of the methodology assigned to that team. This report documents the work performed by the data development team and provides the technical basis for the data used by the ACRAM Standard for determining the aircraft crash frequency. This report should be used to provide the generic data needed to calculate the aircraft crash frequency into the facility under consideration as part of the process for determining the aircraft crash risk to ground facilities as given by the DOE Standard Aircraft Crash Risk Assessment Methodology (ACRAM). Some broad guidance is presented on how to obtain the needed site-specific and facility specific data but this data is not provided by this document

  7. Reduced risk HTGR concept for industrial heat application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boardman, C.E.; Lipps, A.J.

    1982-01-01

    The industrial process heat market has been identified as major market for the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR), however, this market introduces stringent availability requirements on the reactor system relative to electric plants which feed a large existing grid. The characteristics and requirements of the industrial heat markets are summarized; the risks associated with serving this market with a single large HTGR will be discussed; and the modular concept, which has the potential to reduce both safety and investment risks, will be described. The reference modular concept described consists of several small, relatively benign nuclear heat sources linked together to supply heat energy to a balance-of-plant incorporating a process gas train/thermochemical pipe line system and a normal steam-electric plant

  8. SALOME. A software integration platform for multi-physics, pre-processing and visualisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergeaud, Vincent; Lefebvre, Vincent

    2010-01-01

    In order to ease the development of applications integrating simulation codes, CAD modelers and post-processing tools. CEA and EDF R and D have invested in the SALOME platform, a tool dedicated to the environment of the scientific codes. The platform comes in the shape of a toolbox which offers functionalities for CAD, meshing, code coupling, visualization, GUI development. These tools can be combined to create integrated applications that make the scientific codes easier to use and well-interfaced with their environment be it other codes, CAD and meshing tools or visualization software. Many projects in CEA and EDF R and D now use SALOME, bringing technical coherence to the software suites of our institutions. (author)

  9. Reducing e-commerce risks using digital certificates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piščević Miloš

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available E-commerce means buying and selling goods and services across the Internet. Secured communication in e-commerce, across unsecured medium, such as the Internet, represents one of the major components in a domain of providing necessary security- critical demands, so the flow of information could go in a secure way. The Internet, as a global computer network must provide five major security services: confidentiality, data integrity, authentication, availability, and non-repudiation of information. Without guaranteeing aformentioned security goals, risks may be very high in e-commerce systems. A possible way to reduce these risks is to use digital certificates. Digital certificates provide a means of proving identity in electronic transactions, and from the point of view of computer communication they are irreplacable, but nevertheless they provide a good mechanism for implementing the major part of this security goal, and therefore, their usage in e-commerce is the major topic of this paper.

  10. Intraarticular Sacroiliac Joint Injection Under Computed Tomography Fluoroscopic Guidance: A Technical Note to Reduce Procedural Time and Radiation Dose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paik, Nam Chull

    2016-01-01

    PurposeA technique for computed tomography fluoroscopy (CTF)-guided intraarticular (IA) sacroiliac joint (SIJ) injection was devised to limit procedural time and radiation dose.MethodsOur Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective analysis and waived the requirement for informed consent. Overall, 36 consecutive diagnostic or therapeutic IA SIJ injections (unilateral, 20; bilateral, 16) performed in 34 patients (female, 18; male, 16) with a mean age of 45.5 years (range 20–76 years) under CTF guidance were analyzed, assessing technical success (i.e., IA contrast spread), procedural time, and radiation dose.ResultsAll injections were successful from a technical perspective and were free of serious complications. Respective median procedural times and effective doses of SIJ injection were as follows: unilateral, 5.28 min (range 3.58–8.00 min) and 0.11 millisievert (mSv; range 0.07–0.24 mSv); and bilateral, 6.72 min (range 4.17–21.17 min) and 0.11 mSv (range 0.09–0.51 mSv).ConclusionsGiven the high rate of technical success achieved in limited time duration and with little radiation exposure, CTF-guided IA SIJ injection is a practical and low-risk procedure.

  11. Intraarticular Sacroiliac Joint Injection Under Computed Tomography Fluoroscopic Guidance: A Technical Note to Reduce Procedural Time and Radiation Dose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paik, Nam Chull, E-mail: pncspine@gmail.com [Arumdaun Wooldul Spine Hospital, Department of Radiology (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-07-15

    PurposeA technique for computed tomography fluoroscopy (CTF)-guided intraarticular (IA) sacroiliac joint (SIJ) injection was devised to limit procedural time and radiation dose.MethodsOur Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective analysis and waived the requirement for informed consent. Overall, 36 consecutive diagnostic or therapeutic IA SIJ injections (unilateral, 20; bilateral, 16) performed in 34 patients (female, 18; male, 16) with a mean age of 45.5 years (range 20–76 years) under CTF guidance were analyzed, assessing technical success (i.e., IA contrast spread), procedural time, and radiation dose.ResultsAll injections were successful from a technical perspective and were free of serious complications. Respective median procedural times and effective doses of SIJ injection were as follows: unilateral, 5.28 min (range 3.58–8.00 min) and 0.11 millisievert (mSv; range 0.07–0.24 mSv); and bilateral, 6.72 min (range 4.17–21.17 min) and 0.11 mSv (range 0.09–0.51 mSv).ConclusionsGiven the high rate of technical success achieved in limited time duration and with little radiation exposure, CTF-guided IA SIJ injection is a practical and low-risk procedure.

  12. Preoperative short hookwire placement for small pulmonary lesions: evaluation of technical success and risk factors for initial placement failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iguchi, Toshihiro; Hiraki, Takao; Matsui, Yusuke; Fujiwara, Hiroyasu; Masaoka, Yoshihisa; Tanaka, Takashi; Sato, Takuya; Gobara, Hideo; Toyooka, Shinichi; Kanazawa, Susumu

    2018-05-01

    To retrospectively evaluate the technical success of computed tomography fluoroscopy-guided short hookwire placement before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and to identify the risk factors for initial placement failure. In total, 401 short hookwire placements for 401 lesions (mean diameter 9.3 mm) were reviewed. Technical success was defined as correct positioning of the hookwire. Possible risk factors for initial placement failure (i.e., requirement for placement of an additional hookwire or to abort the attempt) were evaluated using logistic regression analysis for all procedures, and for procedures performed via the conventional route separately. Of the 401 initial placements, 383 were successful and 18 failed. Short hookwires were finally placed for 399 of 401 lesions (99.5%). Univariate logistic regression analyses revealed that in all 401 procedures only the transfissural approach was a significant independent predictor of initial placement failure (odds ratio, OR, 15.326; 95% confidence interval, CI, 5.429-43.267; p < 0.001) and for the 374 procedures performed via the conventional route only lesion size was a significant independent predictor of failure (OR 0.793, 95% CI 0.631-0.996; p = 0.046). The technical success of preoperative short hookwire placement was extremely high. The transfissural approach was a predictor initial placement failure for all procedures and small lesion size was a predictor of initial placement failure for procedures performed via the conventional route. • Technical success of preoperative short hookwire placement was extremely high. • The transfissural approach was a significant independent predictor of initial placement failure for all procedures. • Small lesion size was a significant independent predictor of initial placement failure for procedures performed via the conventional route.

  13. Profitability of simple stationary technical trading rules with high-frequency data of Chinese Index Futures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jing-Chao; Zhou, Yu; Wang, Xi

    2018-02-01

    Technical trading rules have been widely used by practitioners in financial markets for a long time. The profitability remains controversial and few consider the stationarity of technical indicators used in trading rules. We convert MA, KDJ and Bollinger bands into stationary processes and investigate the profitability of these trading rules by using 3 high-frequency data(15s,30s and 60s) of CSI300 Stock Index Futures from January 4th 2012 to December 31st 2016. Several performance and risk measures are adopted to assess the practical value of all trading rules directly while ADF-test is used to verify the stationarity and SPA test to check whether trading rules perform well due to intrinsic superiority or pure luck. The results show that there are several significant combinations of parameters for each indicator when transaction costs are not taken into consideration. Once transaction costs are included, trading profits will be eliminated completely. We also propose a method to reduce the risk of technical trading rules.

  14. Reducing the health risks from radon in the UK overground workplace

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denman, A.R.

    2008-01-01

    In response to the potential health risk from radon in workplaces in the United Kingdom (UK), the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 include the protection of workers from excessive radon levels. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required to make risk assessments for potential hazards in the workplace. This is taken to apply to the risk from radon in premises in areas where over 1% of domestic housing properties have average annual radon levels over the Action Level. Whilst the UK Action Level in domestic housing has been set at 200 Bq·m -3 , the workplace limit is 400 Bq·m -3 . The Regulations require that this limit be compared to a 24-hour winter maximum, while in domestic properties the annual average radon level is compared to the Action Level. This paper discusses the application of the Regulations in the UK to ensure compliance and reduce risk from radon in the workplace, include use of short-term measurements, and the consideration of seasonal variation. Reduction of radon levels can be achieved by methods similar to those in domestic properties, but, in large buildings, several sump/pump systems may be required. Case studies have shown that the sump/pump system preferentially reduces radon levels at night, when workers are not usually present. Thus to achieve a significant health benefit the average radon level should be reduced below 325 Bq·m -3 . (author)

  15. Implementing a product platform in 35 man-days:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mortensen, Niels Henrik; Pedersen, Rasmus; Nielsen, Ole Fiil

    2008-01-01

    benefits are reduced costs, reduced lead time and increased ability to focus engineering resources on aspects providing value to the customer. A so-called visual approach has been utilised. By means of a Product Family Master Plan, the content and scope of the platform have been modelled and visualised...

  16. Facilitating 3D Virtual World Learning Environments Creation by Non-Technical End Users through Template-Based Virtual World Instantiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chang; Zhong, Ying; Ozercan, Sertac; Zhu, Qing

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a template-based solution to overcome technical barriers non-technical computer end users face when developing functional learning environments in three-dimensional virtual worlds (3DVW). "iVirtualWorld," a prototype of a platform-independent 3DVW creation tool that implements the proposed solution, facilitates 3DVW…

  17. EORTC Radiation Oncology Group quality assurance platform: Establishment of a digital central review facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fairchild, Alysa; Aird, Edwin; Fenton, Paul A.; Gregoire, Vincent; Gulyban, Akos; Lacombe, Denis; Matzinger, Oscar; Poortmans, Philip; Ruyskart, Pascal; Weber, Damien C.; Hurkmans, Coen W.

    2012-01-01

    Objective: Quality assurance (QA) in clinical trials is essential to ensure treatment is safely and effectively delivered. As QA requirements have increased in complexity in parallel with evolution of radiation therapy (RT) delivery, a need to facilitate digital data exchange emerged. Our objective is to present the platform developed for the integration and standardization of QART activities across all EORTC trials involving RT. Methods: The following essential requirements were identified: secure and easy access without on-site software installation; integration within the existing EORTC clinical remote data capture system; and the ability to both customize the platform to specific studies and adapt to future needs. After retrospective testing within several clinical trials, the platform was introduced in phases to participating sites and QART study reviewers. Results: The resulting QA platform, integrating RT analysis software installed at EORTC Headquarters, permits timely, secure, and fully digital central DICOM-RT based data review. Participating sites submit data through a standard secure upload webpage. Supplemental information is submitted in parallel through web-based forms. An internal quality check by the QART office verifies data consistency, formatting, and anonymization. QART reviewers have remote access through a terminal server. Reviewers evaluate submissions for protocol compliance through an online evaluation matrix. Comments are collected by the coordinating centre and institutions are informed of the results. Conclusions: This web-based central review platform facilitates rapid, extensive, and prospective QART review. This reduces the risk that trial outcomes are compromised through inadequate radiotherapy and facilitates correlation of results with clinical outcomes.

  18. Integration of the virtual model of a Stewart platform with the avatar of a vehicle in a virtual reality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herbuś, K.; Ociepka, P.

    2016-08-01

    The development of methods of computer aided design and engineering allows conducting virtual tests, among others concerning motion simulation of technical means. The paper presents a method of integrating an object in the form of a virtual model of a Stewart platform with an avatar of a vehicle moving in a virtual environment. The area of the problem includes issues related to the problem of fidelity of mapping the work of the analyzed technical mean. The main object of investigations is a 3D model of a Stewart platform, which is a subsystem of the simulator designated for driving learning for disabled persons. The analyzed model of the platform, prepared for motion simulation, was created in the “Motion Simulation” module of a CAD/CAE class system Siemens PLM NX. Whereas the virtual environment, in which the moves the avatar of the passenger car, was elaborated in a VR class system EON Studio. The element integrating both of the mentioned software environments is a developed application that reads information from the virtual reality (VR) concerning the current position of the car avatar. Then, basing on the accepted algorithm, it sends control signals to respective joints of the model of the Stewart platform (CAD).

  19. Acid-reducing vagotomy is associated with reduced risk of subsequent ischemic heart disease in complicated peptic ulcer: An Asian population study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shih-Chi; Fang, Chu-Wen; Chen, William Tzu-Liang; Muo, Chih-Hsin

    2016-12-01

    Persistent exacerbation of a peptic ulcer may lead to a complicated peptic ulcer (perforation or/and bleeding). The management of complicated peptic ulcers has shifted from acid-reducing vagotomy, drainage, and gastrectomy to simple local suture or non-operative (endoscopic/angiographic) hemostasis. We were interested in the long-term effects of this trend change. In this study, complicated peptic ulcer patients who received acid-reducing vagotomy were compared with those who received simple suture/hemostasis to determine the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD).This retrospective cohort study analyzed 335,680 peptic ulcer patients recorded from 2000 to 2006 versus 335,680 age-, sex-, comorbidity-, and index-year matched comparisons. Patients with Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection were excluded. In order to identify the effect of vagus nerve severance, patients who received gastrectomy or antrectomy were also excluded. The incidence of IHD in both cohorts, and in the complicated peptic ulcer patients who received acid-reducing vagotomy versus those who received simple suture or hemostasis was evaluated.The overall incidence of IHD was higher in patients with peptic ulcer than those without peptic ulcer (17.00 vs 12.06 per 1000 person-years), with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.46 based on multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis controlling for age, sex, Charlson's comorbidity index, and death (competing risk). While comparing peptic ulcer patients with acid-reducing vagotomy to those with simple suture/hemostasis or those without surgical treatment, the aHR (0.58) was the lowest in the acid-reducing vagotomy group.Patients with peptic ulcer have an elevated risk of IHD. However, complicated peptic ulcer patients who received acid-reducing vagotomy were associated with reduced risk of developing IHD.

  20. Barriers to reducing climate enhanced disaster risks in Least Developed Country-Small Islands through anticipatory adaptation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natasha Kuruppu

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Small Island Developing States (SIDS classified as Least Developed Countries (LDCs are particularly vulnerable to the projected impacts of climate change. Given their particular vulnerabilities, climate adaptation investments are being made through both national and international efforts to build the capacity of various sectors and communities to reduce climate risks and associated disasters. Despite these efforts, reducing climate risks is not free of various challenges and barriers. This paper aims to synthesise a set of critical socio-economic barriers present at various spatial scales that are specific to Least Developed Country SIDS. It also aims to identify the processes that give rise to these barriers. Drawing on theories from natural hazards, a systematic literature review method was adopted to identify and organise the set of barriers by focussing on both academic papers and grey literature. The data revealed a notable lack of studies on adaptation within African and Caribbean LDC-SIDS. In general, there was a paucity of academic as well as grey literature being produced by authors from LDC-SIDS to challenge existing discourses related to adaptation barriers. The most common barriers identified included those related to governance, technical, cognitive and cultural. Three key findings can be drawn from this study in relation to formal adaptation initiatives. Firstly, the lack of focus on the adaptive capacity needs of Local Government or Island Councils and communities was a key barrier to ensure success of adaptation interventions. Secondly, international adaptation funding modalities did little to address root causes of vulnerability or support system transformations. These funds were geared at supporting sectoral level adaptation initiatives for vulnerable natural resource sectors such as water, biodiversity and coastal zones. Thirdly, there is a need to recognise the significance of cultural knowledge and practices in shaping

  1. Barriers to reducing climate enhanced disaster risks in Least Developed Country-Small Islands through anticipatory adaptation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuruppu, N.; Willie, R.

    2015-12-01

    Small Island Developing States (SIDS) classified as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are particularly vulnerable to the projected impacts of climate change. Given their particular vulnerabilities, climate adaptation investments are being made through both national and international efforts to build the capacity of various sectors and communities to reduce climate risks and associated disasters. Despite these efforts, reducing climate risks is not free of various challenges and barriers. This paper aims to synthesise a set of critical socio-economic barriers present at various spatial scales that are specific to Least Developed Country SIDS. It also aims to identify the processes that give rise to these barriers. Drawing on theories from natural hazards, a systematic literature review method was adopted to identify and organise the set of barriers by focussing both on academic papers and grey literature. The data revealed a notable lack of studies on adaptation within African and Caribbean LDC-SIDS. In general, there was a paucity of academic as well as grey literature being produced by authors from LDC-SIDS to challenge existing discourses related to adaptation barriers. The most common barriers identified included those related to governance, technical, cognitive and cultural. Three key findings can be drawn from this study in relation to formal adaptation initiatives. Firstly, the lack of focus on the adaptive capacity needs of Local Government or Island Councils and communities was a key barrier to ensuring success of adaptation interventions. Secondly, international adaptation funding modalities did little to address root causes of vulnerability or support system transformations. These funds were geared at supporting sectoral level adaptation initiatives for vulnerable natural resource sectors such as water, biodiversity and coastal zones. Thirdly, there is a need to recognise the significance of cultural knowledge and practices in shaping adaptive choices of

  2. Preliminary risk assessment for nuclear waste disposal in space. Volume I. Executive summary of technical report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rice, E.E.; Denning, R.S.; Friedlander, A.L.

    1982-01-01

    Three major conclusions come from this preliminary risk assessment of nuclear waste disposal in space. Preliminary estimates of space disposal risk are low, even with the estimated uncertainty bounds. If calculated mined geologic repository (MGR) release risks remain low, and the EPA requirements continue to be met, then no additional space disposal study effort is warranted. If risks perceived by the public are significant in the acceptance of mined geologic repositories, then consideration of space disposal as an MGR complement is warranted. As a result of this study, the following recommendations are made to NASA and the US DOE: During the continued evaluation of the mined geologic repository risk over the years ahead by DOE, if any significant increase in the calculated health risk is predicted for the MGR, then space disposal should be reevaluated at that time. The risks perceived by the public for the MGR should be evaluated on a broad basis by an independent organization to evaluate acceptance. If, in the future, MGR risks are found to be significant due to some presently unknown technical or social factor, and space disposal is selected as an alternative that may be useful in mitigating the risks, then the following space disposal study activities are recommended: improvement in chemical processing technology for wastes; payload accident response analysis; risk uncertainty analysis for both MGR and space disposal; health risk modeling that includes pathway and dose estimates; space disposal cost modeling; assessment of space disposal perceived (by public) risk benefit; and space systems analysis supporting risk and cost modeling

  3. Increase plant safety and reduce cost by implementing risk-informed in-service inspection programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Billington, A.; Monette, P.

    2001-01-01

    The idea behind the program is that it is possible to 'inspect less, but inspect better'. In other words, the risk-informed In-Service Inspection (ISI) process is used to improve the effectiveness of examination of piping components, i.e. concentrate inspection resources and enhance inspection strategies on high safety significant locations, and reduce inspection requirements on others. The Westinghouse Owners Group (WOG) risk-informed ISI process has already been applied for full scope (Millstone 3, Surry 1) and limited scope (Beznau, Ringhals 4, Asco, Turkey Point 3). By examining the high safety significant piping segments for the different fluid piping systems, the total piping core damage frequency is reduced. In addition, more than 80% of the risk associated with potential pressure boundary failures is addressed with the WOG risk-informed ISI process, while typically less that 50% of this same risk is addressed by the current inspection programs. The risk-informed ISI processes are used to improve the effectiveness of inspecting safety-significant piping components, to reduce inspection requirements on other piping components, to evaluate improvements to plant availability and enhanced safety measures, including reduction of personnel radiation exposure, and to reduce overall Operation and Maintenance (O and M) costs while maintaining regulatory compliance. A description of the process as well as benefits from past projects is presented, since the methodology is applicable for WWER plant design. (author)

  4. Increase plant safety and reduce cost by implementing risk-informed In-Service Inspection programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Billington, A.; Monette, P.; Doumont, C.

    2000-01-01

    The idea behind the program is that it is possible to 'inspect less, but inspect better'. In other words, the risk-informed In-Service Inspection (ISI) process is used to improve the effectiveness of examination of piping components, i.e. concentrate inspection resources and enhance inspection strategies on high safety significant locations, and reduce inspection requirements on others. The Westinghouse Owners Group (WOG) risk-informed ISI process has already been applied for full scope (Millstone 3, Surry 1) and limited scope (Beznau, Ringhals 4, Asco, Turkey Point 3). By examining the high safety significant piping segments for the different fluid piping systems, the total piping core damage frequency is reduced. In addition, more than 80% of the risk associated with potential pressure boundary failures is addressed with the WOG risk-informed ISI process, while typically less than 50% of this same risk is addressed by the current inspection programs. The risk-informed ISI processes are used: to improve the effectiveness of inspecting safety-significant piping components; to reduce inspection requirements on other piping components; to evaluate improvements to plant availability and enhanced safety measures, including reduction of personnel radiation exposure; and to reduce overall Operation and Maintenance (O and M) costs while maintaining regulatory compliance. A description of the process as well as benefits of past projects is presented, since the methodology is applicable for VVER plant design. (author)

  5. NeuroX, a fast and efficient genotyping platform for investigation of neurodegenerative diseases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nalls, M.A.; Bras, J.; Hernandez, D.G.; Keller, M.F.; Majounie, E.; Renton, A.E.; Saad, M.; Jansen, I.E.; Guerreiro, R.; Lubbe, S.; Plagnol, V.; Gibbs, J.R.; Schulte, C.; Pankratz, N.; Sutherland, M.; Bertram, L.; Lill, C.M.; DeStefano, A.L.; Faroud, T.; Eriksson, N.; Tung, J.Y.; Edsall, C.; Nichols, N.; Brooks, J.; Arepalli, S.; Pliner, H.; Letson, C.; Heutink, P.; Martinez, M.; Gasser, T.; Traynor, B.J.; Wood, N.; Hardy, J.; Singleton, A.B.

    2015-01-01

    Our objective was to design a genotyping platform that would allow rapid genetic characterization of samples in the context of genetic mutations and risk factors associated with common neurodegenerative diseases. The platform needed to be relatively affordable, rapid to deploy, and use a common and

  6. Risk Management Improvement of Engineering Projects in Woodworking Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simona Bartkutė

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Risk is a complex phenomenon that has physical, monetary, cultural and social dimensions. Every company wants tosave money, time, increase quality, optimise manufacturing, but each factor may involve different risks with different influenceto company, its reputation. The aim of the research is to find better risk management improvement decisions, using techniquesthat could help to reduce risk impact in wood-based nonstandard production with shorter project time, smoother design process,lower costs, better project coordination, increased ability to manage problems, technical solutions.

  7. Technical criteria for terminating or reducing domestic safeguards on low-grade special nuclear material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crawford, D.W.

    1996-01-01

    A graded table for terminating or reducing domestic safeguards has been developed for use by programs and facilities within the Department of Energy in decisions regarding the need for or levels of protection of low-grade nuclear materials. Contained in this table are technical criteria which can allow for complete removal of safeguards over many special nuclear material forms and concentrations of typical low-grade materials either currently located at generating or processing sites and materials which may arise from processing operations related to stabilization and disposition activities. In addition, these criteria include higher concentration levels which may warrant maintaining some level of (albeit reduced) security on low-grade materials while allowing reductions in materials control and accountability requirements. These reductions can range from complete removal of these materials from materials control and accountability requirements such as measurements, physical inventories and recordkeeping, to deferring these measurements and physical inventories until a time that either the material is removed from the site or resubmitted for processing. It is important to note that other conditions contained in current Departmental safeguards and security policy be met prior to safeguards termination or reduction

  8. Radiation dose and risk to recreational fishermen from ingestion of fish caught near eight oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meinhold, A.F.; Holtzman, S.

    1998-06-01

    Offshore production of oil and gas is accompanied by a saline wastewater, called produced water. Produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico often contain elevated concentrations of radionuclides that occur naturally in the geologic reservoir along with the oil and gas. These radionuclides may accumulate in organisms that live near offshore oil and gas structures. Because recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is concentrated near oil and gas platforms, there is the potential for increased risks to recreational fishermen from the ingestion of radionuclides in fish caught near produced water discharges. This analysis investigated the potential risk to recreational fishermen from radium and lead-210 in offshore produced water discharged to the Gulf of Mexico

  9. Radiation dose and risk to recreational fishermen from ingestion of fish caught near eight oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meinhold, A.F.; Holtzman, S.

    1998-06-01

    Offshore production of oil and gas is accompanied by a saline wastewater, called produced water. Produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico often contain elevated concentrations of radionuclides that occur naturally in the geologic reservoir along with the oil and gas. These radionuclides may accumulate in organisms that live near offshore oil and gas structures. Because recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is concentrated near oil and gas platforms, there is the potential for increased risks to recreational fishermen from the ingestion of radionuclides in fish caught near produced water discharges. This analysis investigated the potential risk to recreational fishermen from radium and lead-210 in offshore produced water discharged to the Gulf of Mexico.

  10. The use of a checklist improves anaesthesiologists' technical and non-technical performance for simulated malignant hyperthermia management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardy, Jean-Baptiste; Gouin, Antoine; Damm, Cédric; Compère, Vincent; Veber, Benoît; Dureuil, Bertrand

    2018-02-01

    Anaesthesiologists may occasionally manage life-threatening operating room (OR) emergencies. Managing OR emergencies implies real-time analysis of often complicated situations, prompt medical knowledge retrieval, coordinated teamwork and effective decision making in stressful settings. Checklists are recommended to improve performance and reduce the risk of medical errors. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of the French Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care's (SFAR) "Malignant Hyperthermia" (MH) checklist on a simulated episode of MH crisis and management thereof by registered anesthesiologists. Twenty-four anaesthesiologists were allocated to 2 groups (checklist and control). Their technical performance in adherence with the SFAR guidelines was assessed by a 30-point score and their non-technical performance was assessed by the Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) score. Every task completion was assessed independently. Data are shown as median (first-third quartiles). Anaesthesiologists in the checklist group had higher technical performance scores (24/30 (21.5-25) vs 18/30 (15.5-19.5), P=0.002) and ANTS scores (56.5/60 (47.5-58) vs 48.5/60 (41-50.5), P=0.024). They administered the complete initial dose of dantrolene (2mg/kg) more quickly (15.7 minutes [13.9-18.3] vs 22.4 minutes [18.6-25]) than the control group (P=0.017). However, anaesthesiologists deemed the usability of the checklist to be perfectible. Registered anaesthesiologists' use of the MH checklist during a simulation session widely improved their adherence to guidelines and non-technical skills. This study strongly suggests the benefit of checklist tools for emergency management. Notwithstanding, better awareness and training for anaesthesiologists could further improve the use of this tool. Copyright © 2017 Société française d'anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  11. Profound Effect of Profiling Platform and Normalization Strategy on Detection of Differentially Expressed MicroRNAs – A Comparative Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Swanhild U.; Kaiser, Sebastian; Wagner, Carola; Thirion, Christian; Pfaffl, Michael W.

    2012-01-01

    Background Adequate normalization minimizes the effects of systematic technical variations and is a prerequisite for getting meaningful biological changes. However, there is inconsistency about miRNA normalization performances and recommendations. Thus, we investigated the impact of seven different normalization methods (reference gene index, global geometric mean, quantile, invariant selection, loess, loessM, and generalized procrustes analysis) on intra- and inter-platform performance of two distinct and commonly used miRNA profiling platforms. Methodology/Principal Findings We included data from miRNA profiling analyses derived from a hybridization-based platform (Agilent Technologies) and an RT-qPCR platform (Applied Biosystems). Furthermore, we validated a subset of miRNAs by individual RT-qPCR assays. Our analyses incorporated data from the effect of differentiation and tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment on primary human skeletal muscle cells and a murine skeletal muscle cell line. Distinct normalization methods differed in their impact on (i) standard deviations, (ii) the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, (iii) the similarity of differential expression. Loess, loessM, and quantile analysis were most effective in minimizing standard deviations on the Agilent and TLDA platform. Moreover, loess, loessM, invariant selection and generalized procrustes analysis increased the area under the ROC curve, a measure for the statistical performance of a test. The Jaccard index revealed that inter-platform concordance of differential expression tended to be increased by loess, loessM, quantile, and GPA normalization of AGL and TLDA data as well as RGI normalization of TLDA data. Conclusions/Significance We recommend the application of loess, or loessM, and GPA normalization for miRNA Agilent arrays and qPCR cards as these normalization approaches showed to (i) effectively reduce standard deviations, (ii) increase sensitivity and accuracy of

  12. Postclosure risks at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository: A review of methodological and technical issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emel, J.; Kasperson, R.E.; Goble, R.; Renn, O.

    1988-06-01

    Accordingly, the first section of the report provides an overview and critique of the risk analysis methodology proposed by the US Department of Energy (DOE 1988) in the Draft Site Characterization Plan (SCP) and related documents. The second section addresses specific technical problems associated with the site. Each section considers the significance or implications of the issues for the successful long-term isolation of radioactive wastes from the biosphere. We conclude with overall observations on the adequacy of current understandings and approaches in the waste disposal program and implications for the State of Nevada

  13. Farmers’ Technical Knowledge about Integrated Pest Management (IPM in Olive Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad S. Allahyari

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available While Integrated Pest Management (IPM is a sustainable approach of pest control, contributing to reduced use of pesticides and risks on human health and the environment, farmers have shown limited interest in practicing this method. The present study explored the levels of technical knowledge about integrated management of the olive fly (Bactrocera oleae among olive growers in Roudbar County of Iran and factors underpinning olive farmers’ technical knowledge of integrated management. Data were collected in a survey of olive farmers, on the basis of a structured questionnaire. Almost half of the farmers (48.4% had good to excellent levels of technical knowledge of integrated management, while almost a third of the farmers (35.4% had a moderate knowledge level. However, a noticeable portion of the farmers (15.9% had poor knowledge of integrated management. Moreover, most farmers showed average knowledge of the adverse effects of pesticides on human health. While most farmers showed good levels of social participation, cooperation with institutes, and participation in extension activities, they showed low levels of community involvement (involvement in a group of people that have and share common interests with each other. Olive imports and the lack of a common action for olive fly control were perceived as the main barriers of IPM adoption among most farmers. Regression analysis revealed that increased community involvement, large area under olive farming, participation in education activities, and high farming experience promoted farmers’ technical knowledge of integrated olive fly control. Strengthening growers’ technical knowledge of IPM through community involvement and extension services among inexperienced small-scale olive farmers is recommended for reducing possible unnecessary insecticide sprays in olive production.

  14. Goals and activities of the JICA technical cooperation project on reduction of seismic risk in Romania

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vacareanu, R.; Kato, H.

    2007-01-01

    Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Technical Cooperation Project on Reduction of Seismic Risk for Buildings and Structures started in Romania on October 1, 2002. The aim of the Project is to strengthen the capacity of earthquake disaster related activities in Romania. The Project approval is the result of four years of intensive efforts made by professionals from Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (UTCB), Ministry of Transport, Constructions and Tourism (MTCT), Romania, National Building Research Institute (INCERC) Bucharest, JICA, Building Research Institute (BRI), Tsukuba, and National Institute for Land, Infrastructure and Management (NILIM), Tsukuba, Japan. The duration of the Project is five years. The implementing agency is the National Center for Seismic Risk Reduction (NCSRR) as a public institution of national interest under MTCT. The activities are carried out by NCSRR in partnership with UTCB and INCERC. During the Project period, 29 young Romanian engineers were trained in Japan, 7 Japanese experts and 37 Japanese experts worked for long-term and short-term, respectively in Romania. Equipment for seismic instrumentation, dynamic characterization of soil and structural testing rising up approximately to 260 million yens (i.e. 2.17 million USD) were donated by JICA to Romania, through NCSRR. The total cost of the Project is roughly 7 million USD. The paper describes the main activities and results of the Project until the JICA Final Evaluation Mission (March 2007). (authors)

  15. Design and development of college managerment platform of application for visiting abroad based on primeton software platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CUI Yueping

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In the traditional mode,colleges use paper application form to apply for visiting abroad.This process is very complicated and takes a long time.What′s more,the audit results is not timely feedback,existing data cannot be shared,and the data are not easy to be calculated,etc.To solve the above problems,this paper introduces workflow engine,based on the Primeton Business Process Suite,the College Management Platform of application for visiting abroad is developed which can solve the operation and monitoring issues of application and review processes.Meanwhile,several elements in designing flow chart is stated combining with the platform,which include:branch,polymerization,participants,work items.After development and on-line use,it is proved that the platform can reduce labor costs,improve software quality,enhance the user experience,and effectively improve the efficiency of various departments.

  16. Integrated platform for home services using new products and services for senior citizens Call CNAV-CARSAT 2015.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noguès, Michel; Laune, Daniel; Paccard, Delphine; Coupet, Anne-Laure; Millot-Keurinck, Justine; Bototo, Narjis; Bertrand, Marine; Bousquet, Jean

    2017-03-01

    This project is part of: i) the risks of ageing prevention policy of the French retirement and occupational health insurance agency of Languedoc Roussillon (Carsat-LR) and ii) the European innovation partnership on active and healthy ageing (EIP on AHA). It aims to support senior citizens who live independently and have been identified at risk of frailty on a social or health level. The purpose is to increase legibility as well as technical and financial access to innovations for vulnerable seniors who are remote from the digital era, through a multiservice user-friendly platform. Launched at the end of 2015, the project rallies over 10 actors of the silver economy currently developing personalised ICT tools to improve the safety and comfort of seniors and the coordination between health and social care. The objective is threefold: i) developing new adapted technologies, ii) having them evaluated by retirees and professionals and iii) making them accessible to the ICT web platform which will provide tutorials and prices and collect opinions from users and professionals. 500 retirees selected by CARSAT-LR will be testing these new devices and solutions which will be provided without charge. The following will be evaluated: i) feedback from users; ii) benefits gained through accessing comprehensive and appropriate information; iii) coordination of caregivers and professionals; iv) enjoyment from using the products (access to games, social links, customer confidence, sense of safety). This is a unique opportunity to mobilise solutions in a structured manner, bringing together competing businesses under a consortium agreement. Advantages for these businesses include acceleration of development and availability of their adapted solutions as well as the possibility to test their products on a significant panel of people. Professional caregiver's data follow-up will identify seniors at risk of frailty, proposing preventive actions and local services tailored to their

  17. Risk perception of various technical options in the field of radioactive waste management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cameron, F.X.

    1996-01-01

    The author's group had a wide ranging discussion of risk and, at the very end of the discussion got to the question that was posed to them, which is that of risk perception of various technical options in the field of radioactive waste management. Some of the points that were made in this discussion is a reality that the group, as decision-makers, have to deal with, and it has to be treated as a reality. Secondly, the scientist looks at risk from the classic definition of ''probability times consequences'', but the public only looks at the consequences side of the equation, and too often the probability of something happening is treated as a probability of one that it will actually happen. A third problem that was identified in this area is that often the efforts to make the disposal of waste safer may contribute, in the public mind, to the fact that the risk is even more hazardous. And the last problem is that people do not trust what a decision maker is saying when he talks about the fact that there is little probability of something happening. The group then went on to a discussion of how he should try to treat risk perception. One point that was made is that voluntary acceptance of a risk is important. A second point that was made on how to deal with risk perception problems is that the group could try to put the risk of radioactive waste disposal in the perspective of other risks to society, from the chemical industry for instance. The group also talked about the possibility of putting the benefits in perspective for people. Another point was that the group should have different communications strategies for different audiences. But, the more the public is involved in the decision making process, the more comfortable they are going to be with the risk, and the more consistent the perception of risk may be with the scientific definition thereof. In terms of new technologies, new innovations on the generation and management of waste, although these may actually

  18. From Thoughts To Action - Linking Practice, Science, Policy And Decision Making: Dissemination Activities Of The Global Risk Forum, GRF Davos

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stal, Marc; Sutter, Corina; Ammann, Walter

    2010-05-01

    The world's growing population in combination with expanding urbanisation, globalisation and climate change has greatly aggravated the risk potential to all communities and nations. These increasing risks imply the intensification of worldwide disasters, hence collaborations and worldwide knowledge exchange to mitigate these negative impacts is mandatory. How can these exchange and collaboration activities take place? The Global Risk Forum, GRF Davos addresses the variety of risks that face communities with a special focus on climate change, natural hazards, environmental degradation as well as technical, biological risks, pandemics and terrorism - all across different political institutions, national and international organisations, countries and business sectors. One of GRF's main goals is to bridge the gap between science and practice and to promote and accelerate the worldwide exchange of know-how and experience. GRF Davos aims at targeting solutions and promoting good practice in integral risk management and climate change adaptation.. The Forum also provides and manages a network for decision-makers, practitioners and experts from politics, government, IGOs, business, science, NGOs, media and the public and works on maintaining and expanding these networks constantly to enable the dissemination of disaster and risk reduction techniques. In order to link practice, science, policy and decision making, GRF Davos has three pillars, the Risk Academy, the International Disaster and Risk Conferences and Workshops (IDRC) as well as the online Platform for Networks. With its pillars, the GRFs aims at reducing vulnerability for all types of risks and disasters to protect life, property, environment, critical infrastructure and all means of business for the worldwide community on a sustainable basis.

  19. Preconceptional motivational interviewing interventions to reduce alcohol-exposed pregnancy risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingersoll, Karen S; Ceperich, Sherry D; Hettema, Jennifer E; Farrell-Carnahan, Leah; Penberthy, J Kim

    2013-04-01

    Alcohol exposed pregnancy (AEP) is a leading cause of preventable birth defects. While randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that multi-session motivational interviewing-based interventions reduce AEP risk, a one-session intervention could facilitate broader implementation. The purposes of this study were to: (1) test a one-session motivational AEP prevention intervention for community women and (2) compare outcomes to previous RCTs. Participants at risk for AEP (N=217) were randomized to motivational interviewing+assessment feedback (EARLY), informational video, or informational brochure conditions. Outcomes were drinks per drinking day (DDD), ineffective contraception rate, and AEP risk at 3 and 6 months. All interventions were associated with decreased DDD, ineffective contraception rate, and AEP risk. Participants who received EARLY had larger absolute risk reductions in ineffective contraception and AEP risk, but not DDD. Effect sizes were compared to previous RCTs. The one-session EARLY intervention had less powerful effects than multi-session AEP prevention interventions among community women, but may provide a new option in a continuum of preventive care. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. "Check Your Smile", Prototype of a Collaborative LSP Website for Technical Vocabulary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yassine-Diab, Nadia; Alazard-Guiu, Charlotte; Loiseau, Mathieu; Sorin, Laurent; Orliac, Charlotte

    2016-01-01

    In a design-based research approach (Barab & Squire, 2004), we are currently developing the first prototype of a collaborative Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) website. It focuses on technical vocabulary to help students master any field of LSP better. "Check Your Smile" is a platform aggregating various types of gameplays for…

  1. Meta-analyses on behavioral interventions to reduce the risk of transmission of HIV.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vergidis, Paschalis I; Falagas, Matthew E

    2009-06-01

    Different behavioral interventions have found to be efficacious in reducing high-risk sexual activity. Interventions have been evaluated in both original research and meta-analytic reviews. Most of the studies have shown that interventions are efficacious among different study populations. In adolescents, both in- and out-of-the classroom interventions showed a decrease in the risk of unprotected sex. In African Americans, greater efficacy was found for interventions including peer education. For Latinos, effect was larger in interventions with segmentation in the same gender. Geographic and social isolation are barriers in approaching MSM. For IDUs, interventions provided within a treatment program have an impact on risk reduction above that produced by drug treatment alone. Finally, people diagnosed with HIV tend to reduce their sexual risk behavior. However, adherence to safe sex practices for life can be challenging. Relentless efforts for implementation of behavioral interventions to decrease high-risk behavior are necessary to decrease HIV transmission.

  2. Skin-Reducing Mastectomy in Immediate Reconstruction: How to Limit Complications and Failures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pechevy, Lolita; Carloni, Raphael; Guerid, Samia; Vincent, Pierre-Luc; Toussoun, Gilles; Delay, Emmanuel

    2017-06-01

    In hypertrophic and/or very ptotic breasts, skin-reducing mastectomy (SRM) is challenging and the risk of complications is high. Few publications have reported the use of an autologous latissimus dorsi flap (ALDF) in this indication. Most studies opt for implant reconstructions, with a high failure rate. We aimed to identify and present the technical refinements that reduce the risk of reconstruction failure in patients with hypertrophic and/or ptotic breasts with breast cancer or at risk of breast cancer after SRM with immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) utilizing an ALDF. Our retrospective study, covering a period of 18 years, included a series of 60 patients with hypertrophic and/or ptotic breasts who underwent 67 SRM and IBR procedures utilizing an ALDF. The complications were recorded and the risk factors analyzed. Sixty-seven SRMs were reviewed. Forty-nine procedures were performed with an inverted-T scar technique and 18 with a vertical scar technique. The nipple-areola complex (NAC) was preserved in 10 cases. There were eight (11.9%) cases of minor mastectomy flap necrosis after skin-reducing reconstructions, 16 (23.8%) wound dehiscences, no infections, no breast seromas, and no reconstruction failures. Smoking increased the risk of minor mastectomy flap necrosis (P = 0.048) and wound dehiscence (P = 0.002). Previous radiotherapy was associated with minor mastectomy flap necrosis (P = 0.001). The use of an ALDF together with technical refinements that preserve the vascular supply of the skin envelope leads to successful IBR with consistently good aesthetic results. Above all, it avoids failure of the reconstruction in very large or ptotic breasts. © 2017 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc. Reprints and permission: journals.permissions@oup.com

  3. Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project Technology Development Roadmaps: The Technical Path Forward for 750–800°C Reactor Outlet Temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    John Collins

    2009-08-01

    This document presents the NGNP Critical PASSCs and defines their technical maturation path through Technology Development Roadmaps (TDRMs) and their associated Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). As the critical PASSCs advance through increasing levels of technical maturity, project risk is reduced and the likelihood of within-budget and on-schedule completion is enhanced. The current supplier-generated TRLs and TDRMs for a 750–800°C reactor outlet temperature (ROT) specific to each supplier are collected in Appendix A.

  4. Reducing the risk from radioactive sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacKenzie, C.

    2006-01-01

    Each year the IAEA receives reports of serious injuries or deaths due to misuse or accidents involving sealed radioactive sources. Sealed radioactive sources are used widely in medicine, industry, and agriculture - by doctors to treat cancer, by radiographers to check welds in pipelines, or by specialists to irradiate food to prevent it from spoiling, for example. If these sources are lost or improperly discarded, a serious accident may result. In addition, the security of sealed sources has become a growing concern, particularly the potential that such a source could be used as a radioactive dispersal device or 'dirty bomb'. Preventing the loss or theft of sealed radioactive sources reduces both the risk of accidents and the risk that such sources could become an instrument of misuse. In most countries, radioactive materials and activities that produce radiation are regulated. Those working with sealed radioactive sources are required not just to have proper credentials, but also the needed training and support to deal with unexpected circumstances that may arise when a source is used. Despite these measures, accidents involving sealed sources continue to be reported to the IAEA. Among its many activities to improve the safety and security of sealed sources, the IAEA has been investigating the root causes of major accidents since the 1980s and publishing the findings so that others can learn from them. This information needs to be in the hands of those whose actions and decisions can reduce accidents by preventing a lost source from making it's way into scrap metal. The IAEA has also developed an international catalogue of sealed radioactive sources, and provides assistance to countries to safely contain sources no longer in use. To raise awareness, a Sealed Radioactive Sources Toolkit was issued that focuses on the long-term issues in safely and securely managing radioactive sealed sources. The target audiences are government agencies, radioactive sealed source

  5. EPA'S strategy to reduce risk of radon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Page, S.

    1993-01-01

    The Indoor Radon Abatement Act of 1988 (IRAA) directed EPA to undertake a variety of activities to address the growing public concern over dangers posed by exposure to indoor radon. Among other requirements, the law directed the Agency to study radon levels, evaluate mitigation methods, establish proficiency programs, assist states with program development, develop training centers, and provide public information. EPA has developed and implemented programs to address each of the key provisions of this statute. This paper presents EPA's broad national strategy to reduce radon risks. It combines and reinforces EPA's basic foundation, including its guiding policies and cooperative partnerships, with an overall management approach and focus for the future. The paper starts with an overview that introduces the strategy's four key elements: underlying policies and scientific principles, a decentralized system of states and other partners for targeting the public, multiple strategies for achieving radon risk reduction, and a strong focus on five key program priorities. This paper then discusses each of these elements in more detail and describes how they interact to guide future efforts and directions of the Agency

  6. The Platformization of the Web: Making Web Data Platform Ready

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helmond, A.

    2015-01-01

    In this article, I inquire into Facebook’s development as a platform by situating it within the transformation of social network sites into social media platforms. I explore this shift with a historical perspective on, what I refer to as, platformization, or the rise of the platform as the dominant

  7. Perceptions of Risk of Developing Skin Cancer for Diverse Audiences: Enhancing Relevance of Sun Protection to Reduce the Risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, June K; Friedewald, John; Gordon, Elisa J

    2016-03-01

    Sixty-five percent of kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) develop squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Perceptions of risk of developing skin cancer, amelioration of this risk with sun protection, and having choices among sun protection strategies may enhance sun protection use by KTRS, who are at greater risk than the general population. Thirty KTRs stratified among non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and Hispanic/Latinos evaluated three versions of the interactive, web-based, electronic sun protection program and suggested refinements. The sequence of content presentation prepared the participant to accept the credibility, accuracy, and relevance of the message. Beginning with informing participants that using sun protection reduces the chance of developing skin cancer made the information credible to KTRs. Showing skin cancer on all skin types and patient testimonials enhanced participants' awareness of their susceptibility to develop skin cancer and primed patients to receive their personal risk of developing skin cancer. Coupling presentation of knowledge about the benefits of sun protection in reducing the risk of developing skin cancer with the personal risk of getting the disease was essential to KTRs believing that they could influence their health outcome.

  8. Managing Risk and Opportunity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Torben Juul; Garvey, Maxine; Roggi, Oliviero

    outcomes. This topic is timely and of interest both to the academic community as well as to practicing managers, executives, and directors. The volume focuses on contemporary risk leadership issues based on recent research insights but avoids excessive technical language and mathematical formulas. The book...... is framed around the challenges imposed on executives and directors in dealing with an increasingly complex and unpredictable world. This requires a new risk leadership focus that not only avoids the downside risks but also considers ways to exploit the upside potential offered by a dynamic environment....... The underlying logic is built on the principles of financial economics where benefits derive from reducing bankruptcy costs and increasing future cash inflows. This provides a stringent framework for analyzing the effect of different risk management actions and behaviors in effective risk-taking organizations...

  9. Platform Innovations and System Integration for Unmanned Air, Land and Sea Vehicles Symposium. Technical Evaluation Report

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Decuypere, Roland; Selegan, David

    2007-01-01

    ...) of the Research and Technology Organization (RTO) of NATO organized a joint symposium on Platform Innovations and System Integration for Unmanned Air, Land and Sea Vehicles which met from 14-18 May 2007 in Florence Italy...

  10. The interplay between gait, falls and cognition: can cognitive therapy reduce fall risk?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segev-Jacubovski, Orit; Herman, Talia; Yogev-Seligmann, Galit; Mirelman, Anat; Giladi, Nir; Hausdorff, Jeffrey M

    2011-01-01

    In this article, we briefly summarize the incidence and significant consequences of falls among older adults, the insufficient effectiveness of commonly used multifactorial interventions and the evidence linking falls and cognitive function. Recent pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic studies that evaluated the effects of cognitive therapy on fall risk are reviewed. The results of this article illustrate the potential utility of multiple, diverse forms of cognitive therapy for reducing fall risk. The article also indicates that large-scale, randomized controlled trials are warranted and that additional research is needed to better understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the interplay between human mobility, fall risk and cognitive function. Nonetheless, we suggest that multimodality interventions that combine motor and cognitive therapy should, eventually, be incorporated into clinical practice to enable older adults and patients to move safer and with a reduced fall risk. PMID:21721921

  11. Proba-V Mission Exploitation Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goor, Erwin; Dries, Jeroen

    2017-04-01

    be available as well soon. Users can make use of powerful Web based tools and can self-manage virtual machines to perform their work on the infrastructure at VITO with access to the complete data archive. To realise this, private cloud technology (openStack) is used and a distributed processing environment is built based on Hadoop. The Hadoop ecosystem offers a lot of technologies (Spark, Yarn, Accumulo, etc.) which we integrate with several open-source components (e.g. Geotrellis). The impact of this MEP on the user community will be high and will completely change the way of working with the data and hence open the large time series to a larger community of users. The presentation will address these benefits for the users and discuss on the technical challenges in implementing this MEP. Furthermore demonstrations will be done. Platform URL: https://proba-v-mep.esa.int/

  12. Hypotheses and fundamental study design characteristics for evaluating potential reduced-risk tobacco products. Part I: Heuristic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murrelle, Lenn; Coggins, Christopher R E; Gennings, Chris; Carchman, Richard A; Carter, Walter H; Davies, Bruce D; Krauss, Marc R; Lee, Peter N; Schleef, Raymond R; Zedler, Barbara K; Heidbreder, Christian

    2010-06-01

    The risk-reducing effect of a potential reduced-risk tobacco product (PRRP) can be investigated conceptually in a long-term, prospective study of disease risks among cigarette smokers who switch to a PRRP and in appropriate comparison groups. Our objective was to provide guidance for establishing the fundamental design characteristics of a study intended to (1) determine if switching to a PRRP reduces the risk of lung cancer (LC) compared with continued cigarette smoking, and (2) compare, using a non-inferiority approach, the reduction in LC risk among smokers who switched to a PRRP to the reduction in risk among smokers who quit smoking entirely. Using standard statistical methods applied to published data on LC incidence after smoking cessation, we show that the sample size and duration required for a study designed to evaluate the potential for LC risk reduction for an already marketed PRRP, compared with continued smoking, varies depending on the LC risk-reducing effectiveness of the PRRP, from a 5-year study with 8000-30,000 subjects to a 15-year study with <5000 to 10,000 subjects. To assess non-inferiority to quitting, the required sample size tends to be about 10 times greater, again depending on the effectiveness of the PRRP. (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. User's and Programmer's Guide for HPC Platforms in CIEMAT; Guia de Utilizacion y programacion de las Plataformas de Calculo del CIEMAT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Munoz Roldan, A

    2003-07-01

    This Technical Report presents a description of the High Performance Computing platforms available to researchers in CIEMAT and dedicated mainly to scientific computing. It targets to users and programmers and tries to help in the processes of developing new code and porting code across platforms. A brief review is also presented about historical evolution in the field of HPC, ie, the programming paradigms and underlying architectures. (Author) 32 refs.

  14. Droplet Microfluidic and Magnetic Particles Platform for Cancer Typing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferraro, Davide; Champ, Jérôme; Teste, Bruno; Serra, M; Malaquin, Laurent; Descroix, Stéphanie; de Cremoux, Patricia; Viovy, Jean-Louis

    2017-01-01

    Analyses of nucleic acids are routinely performed in hospital laboratories to detect gene alterations for cancer diagnosis and treatment decision. Among the different possible investigations, mRNA analysis provides information on abnormal levels of genes expression. Standard laboratory methods are still not adapted to the isolation and quantitation of low mRNA amounts and new techniques needs to be developed in particular for rare subsets analysis. By reducing the volume involved, time process, and the contamination risks, droplet microfluidics provide numerous advantages to perform analysis down to the single cell level.We report on a droplet microfluidic platform based on the manipulation of magnetic particles that allows the clinical analysis of tumor tissues. In particular, it allows the extraction of mRNA from the total-RNA sample, Reverse Transcription, and cDNA amplification, all in droplets.

  15. Archipelago-wide island restoration in the Galápagos Islands: reducing costs of invasive mammal eradication programs and reinvasion risk.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor Carrion

    Full Text Available Invasive alien mammals are the major driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation on islands. Over the past three decades, invasive mammal eradication from islands has become one of society's most powerful tools for preventing extinction of insular endemics and restoring insular ecosystems. As practitioners tackle larger islands for restoration, three factors will heavily influence success and outcomes: the degree of local support, the ability to mitigate for non-target impacts, and the ability to eradicate non-native species more cost-effectively. Investments in removing invasive species, however, must be weighed against the risk of reintroduction. One way to reduce reintroduction risks is to eradicate the target invasive species from an entire archipelago, and thus eliminate readily available sources. We illustrate the costs and benefits of this approach with the efforts to remove invasive goats from the Galápagos Islands. Project Isabela, the world's largest island restoration effort to date, removed >140,000 goats from >500,000 ha for a cost of US$10.5 million. Leveraging the capacity built during Project Isabela, and given that goat reintroductions have been common over the past decade, we implemented an archipelago-wide goat eradication strategy. Feral goats remain on three islands in the archipelago, and removal efforts are underway. Efforts on the Galápagos Islands demonstrate that for some species, island size is no longer the limiting factor with respect to eradication. Rather, bureaucratic processes, financing, political will, and stakeholder approval appear to be the new challenges. Eradication efforts have delivered a suite of biodiversity benefits that are in the process of revealing themselves. The costs of rectifying intentional reintroductions are high in terms of financial and human resources. Reducing the archipelago-wide goat density to low levels is a technical approach to reducing reintroduction risk in the short

  16. Archipelago-wide island restoration in the Galápagos Islands: reducing costs of invasive mammal eradication programs and reinvasion risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrion, Victor; Donlan, C Josh; Campbell, Karl J; Lavoie, Christian; Cruz, Felipe

    2011-05-11

    Invasive alien mammals are the major driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation on islands. Over the past three decades, invasive mammal eradication from islands has become one of society's most powerful tools for preventing extinction of insular endemics and restoring insular ecosystems. As practitioners tackle larger islands for restoration, three factors will heavily influence success and outcomes: the degree of local support, the ability to mitigate for non-target impacts, and the ability to eradicate non-native species more cost-effectively. Investments in removing invasive species, however, must be weighed against the risk of reintroduction. One way to reduce reintroduction risks is to eradicate the target invasive species from an entire archipelago, and thus eliminate readily available sources. We illustrate the costs and benefits of this approach with the efforts to remove invasive goats from the Galápagos Islands. Project Isabela, the world's largest island restoration effort to date, removed >140,000 goats from >500,000 ha for a cost of US$10.5 million. Leveraging the capacity built during Project Isabela, and given that goat reintroductions have been common over the past decade, we implemented an archipelago-wide goat eradication strategy. Feral goats remain on three islands in the archipelago, and removal efforts are underway. Efforts on the Galápagos Islands demonstrate that for some species, island size is no longer the limiting factor with respect to eradication. Rather, bureaucratic processes, financing, political will, and stakeholder approval appear to be the new challenges. Eradication efforts have delivered a suite of biodiversity benefits that are in the process of revealing themselves. The costs of rectifying intentional reintroductions are high in terms of financial and human resources. Reducing the archipelago-wide goat density to low levels is a technical approach to reducing reintroduction risk in the short-term, and is being

  17. RADTRAN 6 Technical Manual

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weiner, Ruth F. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Neuhauser, Karen Sieglinde [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Heames, Terence John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); O' Donnell, Brandon M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Dennis, Matthew L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2014-01-01

    This Technical Manual contains descriptions of the calculation models and mathematical and numerical methods used in the RADTRAN 6 computer code for transportation risk and consequence assessment. The RADTRAN 6 code combines user-supplied input data with values from an internal library of physical and radiological data to calculate the expected radiological consequences and risks associated with the transportation of radioactive material. Radiological consequences and risks are estimated with numerical models of exposure pathways, receptor populations, package behavior in accidents, and accident severity and probability.

  18. RADTRAN 6 technical manual.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weiner, Ruth F.; Neuhauser, Karen Sieglinde; Heames, Terence John; O' Donnell, Brandon M.; Dennis, Matthew L.

    2014-01-01

    This Technical Manual contains descriptions of the calculation models and mathematical and numerical methods used in the RADTRAN 6 computer code for transportation risk and consequence assessment. The RADTRAN 6 code combines user-supplied input data with values from an internal library of physical and radiological data to calculate the expected radiological consequences and risks associated with the transportation of radioactive material. Radiological consequences and risks are estimated with numerical models of exposure pathways, receptor populations, package behavior in accidents, and accident severity and probability.

  19. The Inculcation of Generic Skills among Juveniles through Technical and Vocational Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan-Mohamed, Wan Azlinda; Yunus, Mohamed Hafis

    2009-01-01

    Generic skills are skills which contribute towards individual's effective and successful participation in the workplace. For juveniles, Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) is one of the platforms that provide them generic skills which enable them to compete for job market. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of generic…

  20. Dynamic simulation platform to verify the performance of the reactor regulating system for a research reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2015-07-01

    Digital instrumentation and controls system technique is being introduced in new constructed research reactor or life extension of older research reactor. Digital systems are easy to change and optimize but the validated process for them is required. Also, to reduce project risk or cost, we have to make it sure that configuration and control functions is right before the commissioning phase on research reactor. For this purpose, simulators have been widely used in developing control systems in automotive and aerospace industries. In these literatures, however, very few of these can be found regarding test on the control system of research reactor with simulator. Therefore, this paper proposes a simulation platform to verify the performance of RRS (Reactor Regulating System) for research reactor. This simulation platform consists of the reactor simulation model and the interface module. This simulation platform is applied to I and C upgrade project of TRIGA reactor, and many problems of RRS configuration were found and solved. And it proved that the dynamic performance testing based on simulator enables significant time saving and improves economics and quality for RRS in the system test phase. (authors)

  1. NERIS: European platform on preparedness for nuclear and radiological emergency response and recovery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duranova, T.; Bohunova, J.; Schneider, T.; Biduener, S.; Badelay, J.; Gallego, E.; Gering, F.; Hrdeman, F.; Dubreuil, G.; Murith, Ch.; Oughton, D.; Raskob, W.

    2014-01-01

    The NERIS platform was established in June 2010 to encourage European, national, regional and local authorities, technical support organisation, operators, professional organisations, research institutes, universities, and non-governmental organisations to cooperate and to facilitate access expertise and technology in maintaining competence in the field of nuclear emergency management and recovery for the benefit of European countries and citizens. 49 organisations are members of the NERIS Platform from 24 countries and 20 members are supporting organisations. The NERIS Association has been registered in August 2012 as a legal European Association under the French Law. It is operated by a management board of 10 members and the NERIS R and D Committee elaborates its strategic orientation. The NERIS Platform is linked to research projects, managed by KIT: - NERIS TP 'Towards a self sustaining European Technology Platform on Preparedness for Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Response and Recovery'. - PREPARE project on innovative integrative tools and platforms to be prepared for radiological emergencies and post-accident response in Europe. To set up a common reflection, cooperation have been established with European and international organisations: HERCA, ALLIANCE, CRPPH, ICRP and AIEA. To share issues on lessons learnt from the Fukushima accident, cooperation have been initiated with IGES (Institute for Global Environment Strategies) and with the Fukushima University. The NERIS Platform is also involved in the steering committee of the EC Project OPERRA, aiming at structuring the research in the field of radiation protection at the Horizon 2020. This paper will present the key components of the NERIS Platform and its objectives. (authors)

  2. Risk comparison of different treatment and disposal strategies of high level liquid radioactive waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang Dong

    1997-01-01

    The risk of different treatment and disposal strategies of high level liquid radioactive waste from spent fuel reprocessing is estimated and compared. The conclusions obtained are that risk difference from these strategies is very small and high level liquid waste can be reduced to middle and low level waste, if the decontamination factor for 99 Tc is large enough, which is the largest risk contributor in the high level radioactive waste from spent fuel reprocessing. It is also shown that the risk of high level radioactive waste could be reduced by the technical strategy of combining partitioning and transmutation

  3. Psychosocial factors and uptake of risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy in women at high risk for ovarian cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiser, Bettina; Price, Melanie A; Butow, Phyllis N; Karatas, Janan; Wilson, Judy; Heiniger, Louise; Baylock, Brandi; Charles, Margaret; McLachlan, Sue-Anne; Phillips, Kelly-Anne

    2013-03-01

    Bilateral risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of ovarian cancer. This study assessed factors predicting uptake of RRSO. Women participating in a large multiple-case breast cancer family cohort study who were at increased risk for ovarian and fallopian tube cancer (i.e. BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carrier or family history including at least one first- or second-degree relative with ovarian or fallopian tube cancer), with no personal history of cancer and with at least one ovary in situ at cohort enrolment, were eligible for this study. Women who knew they did not carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation segregating in their family (true negatives) were excluded. Sociodemographic, biological and psychosocial factors, including cancer-specific anxiety, perceived ovarian cancer risk, optimism and social support, were assessed using self-administered questionnaires and interviews at cohort enrolment. RRSO uptake was self-reported every three years during systematic follow-up. Of 2,859 women, 571 were eligible. Mean age was 43.3 years; 62 women (10.9 %) had RRSO a median of two years after cohort entry. Factors predicting RRSO were: being parous (OR 3.3, p = 0.015); knowing one's mutation positive status (OR 2.9, p cancer (OR 2.5, p = 0.013). Psychological variables measured at cohort entry were not associated with RRSO. These results suggest that women at high risk for ovarian cancer make decisions about RRSO based on risk and individual socio-demographic characteristics, rather than in response to psychological factors such as anxiety.

  4. Technical report on the accelerators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bex, L [ed.

    1996-12-31

    GANIL operation and the technical studies performed in 1994 are described. The milestones for 1994 are: SISSI (Source d`Ions Secondaires a Supraconducteurs Intense) has been in operation and used for secondary beam production with four different primary beams. The 100 kV platform for beam injection in the CO1 has been in operation for production of metallic beams which demand is increasing. Finally the SPIRAL project (Systeme de Production d`Ions Radioactifs Acceleres en Ligne) is in progress. In late 1994 the civil work has started in view of the installation of the machine in the north part of the GANIL machine building. (K.A.). 48 refs.

  5. Technical report on the accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bex, L.

    1995-01-01

    GANIL operation and the technical studies performed in 1994 are described. The milestones for 1994 are: SISSI (Source d'Ions Secondaires a Supraconducteurs Intense) has been in operation and used for secondary beam production with four different primary beams. The 100 kV platform for beam injection in the CO1 has been in operation for production of metallic beams which demand is increasing. Finally the SPIRAL project (Systeme de Production d'Ions Radioactifs Acceleres en Ligne) is in progress. In late 1994 the civil work has started in view of the installation of the machine in the north part of the GANIL machine building. (K.A.)

  6. Supervising simulations with the Prodiguer Messaging Platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenslade, Mark; Carenton, Nicolas; Denvil, Sebastien

    2015-04-01

    At any one moment in time, researchers affiliated with the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) climate modeling group, are running hundreds of global climate simulations. These simulations execute upon a heterogeneous set of High Performance Computing (HPC) environments spread throughout France. The IPSL's simulation execution runtime is called libIGCM (library for IPSL Global Climate Modeling group). libIGCM has recently been enhanced so as to support realtime operational use cases. Such use cases include simulation monitoring, data publication, environment metrics collection, automated simulation control … etc. At the core of this enhancement is the Prodiguer messaging platform. libIGCM now emits information, in the form of messages, for remote processing at IPSL servers in Paris. The remote message processing takes several forms, for example: 1. Persisting message content to database(s); 2. Notifying an operator of changes in a simulation's execution status; 3. Launching rollback jobs upon simulation failure; 4. Dynamically updating controlled vocabularies; 5. Notifying downstream applications such as the Prodiguer web portal; We will describe how the messaging platform has been implemented from a technical perspective and demonstrate the Prodiguer web portal receiving realtime notifications.

  7. Self-Organizing Wearable Device Platform for Assisting and Reminding Humans in Real Time

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Jin Park

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Most older persons would prefer “aging in my place,” that is, to remain in good health and live independently in their own home as long as possible. For assisting the independent living of older people, the ability to gather and analyze a user’s daily activity data would constitute a significant technical advance, enhancing their quality of life. However, the general approach based on centralized server has several problems such as the usage complexity, the high price of deployment and expansion, and the difficulty in identifying an individual person. To address these problems, we propose a wearable device platform for the life assistance of older persons that automatically records and analyzes their daily activity without intentional human intervention or a centralized server (i.e., cloud server. The proposed platform contains self-organizing protocols, Delay-Tolerant Messaging system, knowledge-based analysis and alerting for daily activities, and a hardware platform that provides low power consumption. We implemented a prototype smart watch, called Personal Activity Assisting and Reminding (PAAR, as a testbed for the proposed platform, and evaluated the power consumption and the service time of example scenarios.

  8. Demonstration Platform for near-zero energy buildings - small houses; Demonstrationsplattform foer naeranollenergibyggnader - smaahus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruud, Svein; Fahlen, Per; Axell, Monica; Kovacs, Peter; Ylmen, Peter; Staahl, Fredrik

    2011-07-01

    On behalf of the Swedish Energy Agency, SP has investigated and recommended how one could form a platform for demonstration of single family houses as nearly zero energy houses. SP suggests that TMF, the national trade and employers' association of the wood processing and furniture industry in Sweden, should administrate this platform. The reason being that members of TMF produce almost 80% of all single family houses in Sweden. TMF also has the capacity to launch a demonstration platform in a reasonable short time. SP has also compiled a set on technical criteria regarding properties related to energy use that should be met by demonstration projects within the platform. One presumption has been that a house that meets the criteria in the south of Sweden also should meet the criteria in the north of Sweden. The reason being to promote an industrialized and cost effective building process. Another ambition has been not to disfavor smaller single family houses. The main criteria are on very energy efficient building envelopes and very efficient building services systems. The criteria are therefore more detailed than the current Swedish building regulations

  9. Robust, small-scale cultivation platform for Streptomyces coelicolor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sohoni, Sujata Vijay; Bapat, Prashant Madhusudan; Lantz, Anna Eliasson

    2012-01-01

    rates of antibiotics. CONCLUSION: We observed good agreement of the physiological data obtained in the developed MTP platform with bench-scale. Hence, the described MTP-based screening platform has a high potential for investigation of secondary metabolite biosynthesis in Streptomycetes and other....... The MTP cultivations were found to behave similar to bench-scale in terms of growth rate, productivity and substrate uptake rate and so was the onset of antibiotic synthesis. Shake flask cultivations however, showed discrepancy with respect to morphology and had considerably reduced volumetric production...

  10. Advanced fuels with reduced actinide generation. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-11-01

    Nuclear energy can play an important future role in supplying the world population with energy. However, this form of energy will be successful only under certain conditions: it must meet very strict safety requirements, it must be economically competitive, and it must be acceptable to the public. Nuclear power produces radioactive wastes and in several countries the public raises concern about safety. Much development work on advanced nuclear power systems is going on in several countries, with participation of both governmental and private industries to meet these conditions. In the framework of this IAEA activity the Technical Committee Meeting on Advanced Fuels with Reduced Actinide Generation was organized. The aim of the meeting was to highlight current research activities and to identify new research areas and fields of possible co-operation. The scope of the meeting included advanced fuels for all types of nuclear reactors: light water reactors, heavy water reactors, high temperature reactors, fast reactors, molten salt reactors and for accelerator driven systems. Other topics covered a wide range of investigations made, or to be made in the Member States. Refs, figs, tabs

  11. Equity venture capital platform model based on complex network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Dongwei; Zhang, Lanshu; Liu, Miao

    2018-05-01

    This paper uses the small-world network and the random-network to simulate the relationship among the investors, construct the network model of the equity venture capital platform to explore the impact of the fraud rate and the bankruptcy rate on the robustness of the network model while observing the impact of the average path length and the average agglomeration coefficient of the investor relationship network on the income of the network model. The study found that the fraud rate and bankruptcy rate exceeded a certain threshold will lead to network collapse; The bankruptcy rate has a great influence on the income of the platform; The risk premium exists, and the average return is better under a certain range of bankruptcy risk; The structure of the investor relationship network has no effect on the income of the investment model.

  12. Aero-hydro-elastic simulation platform for wave energy systems and floating wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kallesoee, B.S.

    2011-01-15

    This report present results from the PSO project 2008-1-10092 entitled Aero-Hydro-Elastic Simulation Platform for Wave Energy Systems and floating Wind Turbines that deals with measurements, modelling and simulations of the world's first combined wave and wind energy platform. The floating energy conversion platform, Poseidon, is owned and operated by Floating Power Plant A/S. The platform has been operating for two test periods; one period where it was operating as a wave energy conversion platform only and one period where the three turbines was mounted and the platform operated as a combined wind and wave energy platform. The PSO project has equipped the platform with comprehensive measurements equipment for measuring platform motion, wave and wind conditions and turbine loads. Data from the first test period has been used for determine if the turbine could be mounted on the platform. Preliminary analysis of data from the second test period indicates that the platform is suitable as wind turbine foundation and that the turbines reduce the platform motion. (Author)

  13. Technical basis for the aboveground structure failure and associated represented hazardous conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    GOETZ, T.G.

    2003-01-01

    This technical basis document describes the risk binning process and the technical basis for assigning risk bins for the aboveground structure failure representative accident and associated represented hazardous conditions. This document was developed to support the documented safety analysis

  14. Update on raloxifene: role in reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vogel VG

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Victor G Vogel Cancer Institute, Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA, USA Abstract: Risk factors allow us to define women who are at increased lifetime risk for breast cancer, and the most important factor is age. Benign breast disease increases risk, and the most important histologies are atypical lobular or ductal hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ. Family history of breast cancer among first-degree relatives (mother, sisters, daughters also increases risk. Quantitative measures of risk give accurate predictions of breast cancer incidence for groups of women but not for individual subjects. Multiple published, randomized controlled trials, which employed selective estrogen receptor (ER modulators (SERMs, have demonstrated consistent reductions of 35% or greater in the risk of ER-positive invasive and noninvasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Professional organizations in the US now recommend the use of SERMs to reduce the risk of breast cancer in high-risk, postmenopausal women. Raloxifene and tamoxifen reduce the risk of ER-positive invasive breast cancer with equal efficacy, but raloxifene is associated with a lower risk of thromboembolic disease, benign uterine conditions, and cataracts than tamoxifen in postmenopausal women. No evidence exists establishing whether a reduction in breast cancer risk from either agent translates into reduced breast cancer mortality. Overall quality of life is similar with raloxifene or tamoxifen, but the incidence of dyspareunia, weight gain, and musculoskeletal complaints is higher with raloxifene use, whereas vasomotor symptoms, bladder incontinence, gynecologic symptoms, and leg cramps were higher with tamoxifen use. Keywords: selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs, raloxifene, risk reduction, chemoprevention

  15. The HEART score is useful to predict cardiovascular risks and reduces unnecessary cardiac imaging in low-risk patients with acute chest pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Siping; Huang, Bo; Zou, Yunliang; Guo, Jianbin; Liu, Ziyong; Pi, Dangyu; Qiu, Yunhong; Xiao, Chun

    2018-06-01

    The present study was to investigate whether the HEART score can be used to evaluate cardiovascular risks and reduce unnecessary cardiac imaging in China.Acute coronary syndrome patients with the thrombosis in myocardial infarction risk score risk HEART score group and 2 patients (1.5%) in the high risk HEART score group had cardiovascular events. The sensitivity of HEART score to predict cardiovascular events was 100% and the specificity was 46.7%. The potential unnecessary cardiac testing was 46.3%. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that per one category increase of the HEART score was associated with nearly 1.3-fold risk of cardiovascular events.In the low-risk acute chest pain patients, the HEART score is useful to physicians in evaluating the risk of cardiovascular events within the first 30 days. In addition, the HEART score is also useful in reducing the unnecessary cardiac imaging.

  16. An Internet of Things platform architecture for supporting ambient assisted living environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsirmpas, Charalampos; Kouris, Ioannis; Anastasiou, Athanasios; Giokas, Kostas; Iliopoulou, Dimitra; Koutsouris, Dimitris

    2017-01-01

    Internet of Things (IoT) is the logical further development of today's Internet, enabling a huge amount of devices to communicate, compute, sense and act. IoT sensors placed in Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) environments, enable the context awareness and allow the support of the elderly in their daily routines, ultimately allowing an independent and safe lifestyle. The vast amount of data that are generated and exchanged between the IoT nodes require innovative context modeling approaches that go beyond currently used models. Current paper presents and evaluates an open interoperable platform architecture in order to utilize the technical characteristics of IoT and handle the large amount of generated data, as a solution to the technical requirements of AAL applications.

  17. Social and ethical perspectives of landslide risk mitigation measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalsnes, Bjørn; Vangelsten, Bjørn V.

    2015-04-01

    Landslide risk may be mitigated by use of a wide range of measures. Mitigation and prevention options may include (1) structural measures to reduce the frequency, severity or exposure to the hazard, (2) non-structural measures, such as land-use planning and early warning systems, to reduce the hazard frequency and consequences, and (3) measures to pool and transfer the risks. In a given situation the appropriate system of mitigation measures may be a combination of various types of measures, both structural and non-structural. In the process of choosing mitigation measures for a given landslide risk situation, the role of the geoscientist is normally to propose possible mitigation measures on basis of the risk level and technical feasibility. Social and ethical perspectives are often neglected in this process. However, awareness of the need to consider social as well as ethical issues in the design and management of mitigating landslide risk is rising. There is a growing understanding that technical experts acting alone cannot determine what will be considered the appropriate set of mitigation and prevention measures. Issues such as environment versus development, questions of acceptable risk, who bears the risks and benefits, and who makes the decisions, also need to be addressed. Policymakers and stakeholders engaged in solving environmental risk problems are increasingly recognising that traditional expert-based decision-making processes are insufficient. This paper analyse the process of choosing appropriate mitigation measures to mitigate landslide risk from a social and ethical perspective, considering technical, cultural, economical, environmental and political elements. The paper focus on stakeholder involvement in the decision making process, and shows how making strategies for risk communication is a key for a successful process. The study is supported by case study examples from Norway and Italy. In the Italian case study, three different risk mitigation

  18. At-Risk Learner Preference in Engineering/Technical Graphics: An Exploratory Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ernst, Jeremy V.

    2011-01-01

    This exploratory study investigated learner preferences of secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) Engineering/Technical Graphics students using the VARK Questionnaire. The VARK Questionnaire is an instrument that assists in determining students' dominant preferred learning styles, whether visual, aural, reading, or kinesthetic. This study…

  19. Immediate Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Risk of Infection-Related Cancer During Early HIV Infection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Borges, Alvaro Humberto Diniz; Neuhaus, Jacqueline; Babiker, Abdel G

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND:  In the Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment (START) study, immediate combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation reduced cancer risk by 64%. We hypothesized that risk reduction was higher for infection-related cancer and determined by differences in CD4 cell counts a...

  20. Incorporating organizational factors into Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) of complex socio-technical systems: A hybrid technique formalization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohaghegh, Zahra; Kazemi, Reza; Mosleh, Ali

    2009-01-01

    This paper is a result of a research with the primary purpose of extending Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) modeling frameworks to include the effects of organizational factors as the deeper, more fundamental causes of accidents and incidents. There have been significant improvements in the sophistication of quantitative methods of safety and risk assessment, but the progress on techniques most suitable for organizational safety risk frameworks has been limited. The focus of this paper is on the choice of 'representational schemes' and 'techniques.' A methodology for selecting appropriate candidate techniques and their integration in the form of a 'hybrid' approach is proposed. Then an example is given through an integration of System Dynamics (SD), Bayesian Belief Network (BBN), Event Sequence Diagram (ESD), and Fault Tree (FT) in order to demonstrate the feasibility and value of hybrid techniques. The proposed hybrid approach integrates deterministic and probabilistic modeling perspectives, and provides a flexible risk management tool for complex socio-technical systems. An application of the hybrid technique is provided in the aviation safety domain, focusing on airline maintenance systems. The example demonstrates how the hybrid method can be used to analyze the dynamic effects of organizational factors on system risk

  1. A platform-independent method for detecting errors in metagenomic sequencing data: DRISEE.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin P Keegan

    Full Text Available We provide a novel method, DRISEE (duplicate read inferred sequencing error estimation, to assess sequencing quality (alternatively referred to as "noise" or "error" within and/or between sequencing samples. DRISEE provides positional error estimates that can be used to inform read trimming within a sample. It also provides global (whole sample error estimates that can be used to identify samples with high or varying levels of sequencing error that may confound downstream analyses, particularly in the case of studies that utilize data from multiple sequencing samples. For shotgun metagenomic data, we believe that DRISEE provides estimates of sequencing error that are more accurate and less constrained by technical limitations than existing methods that rely on reference genomes or the use of scores (e.g. Phred. Here, DRISEE is applied to (non amplicon data sets from both the 454 and Illumina platforms. The DRISEE error estimate is obtained by analyzing sets of artifactual duplicate reads (ADRs, a known by-product of both sequencing platforms. We present DRISEE as an open-source, platform-independent method to assess sequencing error in shotgun metagenomic data, and utilize it to discover previously uncharacterized error in de novo sequence data from the 454 and Illumina sequencing platforms.

  2. ASME nuclear codes and standards: Recent technical initiatives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feigel, R. E.

    1995-01-01

    Although nuclear power construction is currently in a hiatus in the US, ASME and its volunteer committees remain committed to continual improvements in the technical requirements in its nuclear codes. This paper provides an overview of several significant recent revisions to ASME' s nuclear codes. Additionally, other important initiatives currently being addressed by ASME committees will be described. With the largest population of operating light water nuclear plants in the world and worldwide use of its nuclear codes, ASME continues to support technical advancements in its nuclear codes and standards. While revisions of various magnitude are an ongoing process, several recent revisions embody significant changes based on state of the art design philosophy and substantial industry experience. In the design area, a significant revisions has recently been approved which will significantly reduce conservatisms in seismic piping design as well as provide simplified design rules. Major revisions have also been made to the requirements for nuclear material manufacturers and suppliers, which should result in clearer understanding of this difficult administrative area of the code. In the area of Section XI inservice rules, substantial studies are underway to investigate the application of probabilistic, risked based inspection in lieu of the current deterministic inspection philosophy. While much work still is required in this area, it is an important potential application of the emerging field of risk based inspection

  3. TECHNICAL COORDINATION

    CERN Multimedia

    A. Ball and W. Zeuner

    2011-01-01

    In this report we will review the main achievements of the Technical Stop and the progress of several centrally-managed projects to support CMS operation and maintenance and prepare the way for upgrades. Overview of the extended Technical Stop  The principal objectives of the extended Technical Stop affecting the detector itself were the installation of the TOTEM T1 telescopes on both ends, the readjustment of the alignment link-disk in YE-2, the replacement of the light-guide sleeves for all PMs of both HFs, and some repairs on TOTEM T2 and CASTOR. The most significant tasks were, however, concentrated on the supporting infrastructure. A detailed line-by-line leak search was performed in the C6F14 cooling system of the Tracker, followed by the installation of variable-frequency drives on the pump motors of the SS1 and SS2 tracker cooling plants to reduce pressure transients during start-up. In the electrical system, larger harmonic filters were installed in ...

  4. Environmental modeling and health risk analysis (ACTS/RISK)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Aral, M. M

    2010-01-01

    ... presents a review of the topics of exposure and health risk analysis. The Analytical Contaminant Transport Analysis System (ACTS) and Health RISK Analysis (RISK) software tools are an integral part of the book and provide computational platforms for all the models discussed herein. The most recent versions of these two softwa...

  5. A review of simulation platforms in surgery of the temporal bone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhutta, M F

    2016-10-01

    Surgery of the temporal bone is a high-risk activity in an anatomically complex area. Simulation enables rehearsal of such surgery. The traditional simulation platform is the cadaveric temporal bone, but in recent years other simulation platforms have been created, including plastic and virtual reality platforms. To undertake a review of simulation platforms for temporal bone surgery, specifically assessing their educational value in terms of validity and in enabling transition to surgery. Systematic qualitative review. Search of the Pubmed, CINAHL, BEI and ERIC databases. Assessment of reported outcomes in terms of educational value. A total of 49 articles were included, covering cadaveric, animal, plastic and virtual simulation platforms. Cadaveric simulation is highly rated as an educational tool, but there may be a ceiling effect on educational outcomes after drilling 8-10 temporal bones. Animal models show significant anatomical variation from man. Plastic temporal bone models offer much potential, but at present lack sufficient anatomical or haptic validity. Similarly, virtual reality platforms lack sufficient anatomical or haptic validity, but with technological improvements they are advancing rapidly. At present, cadaveric simulation remains the best platform for training in temporal bone surgery. Technological advances enabling improved materials or modelling mean that in the future plastic or virtual platforms may become comparable to cadaveric platforms, and also offer additional functionality including patient-specific simulation from CT data. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. The role of risk perception for risk management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Renn, Ortwin

    1998-01-01

    Are risks social constructions of different societal actors that can be checked at best against standards of consistency, cohesion and internal conventions of deduction, but cannot claim any validity outside of the actor's logical framework? Or are technical estimates of risk representations of real hazards that can and will affect people as predicted by the statistical values, regardless of the beliefs or convictions of those who conduct the assessments? Which of the two sides one takes determines the legitimate function of risk perception for management purposes. The paper argues that both extremes, the constructivist and the realist perspective, miss the point, as risks are always mental representations of threats that are capable of claiming real losses. Over the last two decades, risk analysts have dealt with both sides of risk in an additive fashion. In times in which risk management has been under serious pressure to demonstrate effectiveness and cost-efficiency, the parallel approach of pleasing the technical elite and the public alike has lost legitimacy. In order to integrate risk assessment and perception, the paper analyses the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to risk analysis and highlights the potential contributions that the technical sciences and the social sciences can offer to risk management. Technical assessments provide the best estimate for judging the average probability of an adverse effect linked to an object or activity. First, public perception should govern the selection of criteria on which acceptability or tolerability are to be judged. Second, public input is needed to determine the trade-offs between criteria. Third, public preferences are needed to design resilient strategies for coping with remaining uncertainties. A public participation model is introduced that promises an integration of analytic knowledge and deliberative process involving those who will be affected by the respective risk

  7. Encourage student learning of hydraulic matters by the use of Arduino platform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez Sinobas, Leonor; Granja García, Javier; Sánchez Calvo, Raúl

    2014-05-01

    Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for several purposes to anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. The hydraulic matters teach at the Agricultural Engineering School at the Technical University of Madrid deal with practical issues regarding the measurement of variables such as pressure, discharge, temperature and soil water content. Most of the data loggers available in the market for these variables at expensive and not always affordable. On the other hand, current students are eager to manage new technological devices thus, their skills could be oriented not only to the application of an electronic platform as Arduino to build low cost data loggers for different purposes, but to encourage their learning in the hydraulic matters improving their self esteem

  8. Opinion on the examination of the control-command general architecture of the Flamanville 3 EPR reactor and of its associated platforms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-06-01

    This report first recalls the different technical and hardware elements and components discussed by the ISRN (Nuclear Radioprotection and Safety Institute) in front of the Expert Permanent Group for nuclear reactors. These elements and components are concerning the control-command architecture as a whole, and the technical ability of networks, computers, and robots. It outlines the main principles which the control-and-command must comply with: compliance of each component of the retained technological solution with the design requirements corresponding to the safety classification, robustness of the whole control-command architecture. Then, it comments and sometimes criticizes the status of the various components of the control-command platforms with respect to this compliance. Eight recommendations are given for the SPPA T2000 control-command platform and for the robustness of the control-command architecture

  9. Risk-reducing salpingectomy with delayed oophorectomy in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers: Patients' and professionals' perspectives

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jong, M. de; Harmsen, M.G.; Hoogerbrugge, N.; Massuger, L.F.A.G.; Hermens, R.P.M.G.; Hullu, J.A. de

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To identify influencing factors of BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and their professionals for risk-reducing salpingectomy (RRS) with delayed oophorectomy (RRO) as a substitute for risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) and for study participation on this concept. METHODS: A qualitative

  10. Platform Performance and Challenges - using Platforms in Lego Company

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munk, Lone; Mortensen, Niels Henrik

    2009-01-01

    needs focus on the incentive of using the platform. This problem lacks attention in literature, as well as industry, where assessment criteria do not cover this aspect. Therefore, we recommend including user incentive in platform assessment criteria to these challenges. Concrete solution elements...... ensuring user incentive in platforms is an object for future research...

  11. The role of risk perception and technical information in scientific debates over nuclear waste storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jenkins-Smith, Hank C.; Silva, Carol L.

    1998-01-01

    This article examines how members of the lay public factor risk perceptions, trust and technical information from differing scientific sources into policy judgements about potentially hazardous facilities. Focusing on radwaste storage repositories, we examine how members of the public filter new information about potential hazards through risk perceptions, and adjust their own beliefs about risks in light of that information. Scientists play a large (and increasing) role in public policy debates concerning nuclear waste issues, in which public perceptions of human health and environmental risks often differ substantially from scientific consensus about those risks. Public concerns and uncertainties are compounded when scientists from competing groups (government agencies, scientific institutions, industries, and interest groups) make different claims about the likely health and environmental consequences of different policy options. We show the processes by which the public receive and process scientific information about nuclear waste management risks using data taken from interviews with 1800 randomly selected individuals (1200 in New Mexico, and 600 nationwide). Among the more important findings are: (1) members of the public are able to make quite reasonable estimates about what kinds of positions on the risks of nuclear waste disposal will be taken by scientists from differing organizations (e.g. scientists from environmental groups, government agencies, or the nuclear industry); (2) in assessing the credibility of scientific claims, members of the public place great emphasis on the independence of the scientists from those who fund the research; and (3) prior expectations about the positions (or expected biases) of scientists from different organizations substantially affects the ways in which members of the public weigh (and utilize) information that comes from these scientists

  12. Browser App Approach: Can It Be an Answer to the Challenges in Cross-Platform App Development?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minh Q. Huynh

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Aim/Purpose: As smartphones proliferate, many different platforms begin to emerge. The challenge to developers as well as IS educators and students is how to learn the skills to design and develop apps to run on cross-platforms. Background: For developers, the purpose of this paper is to describe an alternative to the complex native app development. For IS educators and students, the paper provides a feasible way to learn and develop fully functional mobile apps without technical burdens. Methodology: The methods used in the development of browser-based apps is prototyping. Our proposed approach is browser-based, supports cross-platforms, uses open-source standards, and takes advantage of “write-once-and-run-anywhere” (WORA concept. Contribution: The paper illustrates the application of the browser-based approach to create a series of browser apps without high learning curve. Findings: The results show the potentials for using browser app approach to teach as well as to create new apps. Recommendations for Practitioners\t: Our proposed browser app development approach and example would be useful to mobile app developers/IS educators and non-technical students because the source code as well as documentations in this project are available for downloading. Future Research: For further work, we discuss the use of hybrid development framework to enhance browser apps.

  13. Platform Constellations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Staykova, Kalina Stefanova; Damsgaard, Jan

    2016-01-01

    This research paper presents an initial attempt to introduce and explain the emergence of new phenomenon, which we refer to as platform constellations. Functioning as highly modular systems, the platform constellations are collections of highly connected platforms which co-exist in parallel and a......’ acquisition and users’ engagement rates as well as unlock new sources of value creation and diversify revenue streams....

  14. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity in childhood and adolescence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eleni-Maria Papatesta

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Childhood obesity has increased dramatically over the last decades, representing one of the most serious public health hazards of the 21st century. Efforts must be made by healthcare professionals to prevent it, as it is associated with short- and long-term risks for physical and mental health and because of the increased possibility to persist during adulthood. From antiquity human breast milk was considered the ideal nourishment for the newborn. Breastfeeding is beneficial for the mother-child dyad. Among others, existing data suggest that it reduces the risk for childhood and adolescence obesity. The mechanisms for this are numerous and include the feeding behavior breastfeeding infants acquire, their growth rate, the ‘early protein hypothesis’, the role of leptin that is found in increased levels in human milk, the dietary choices the breastfed infants make during childhood and adolescence and finally the differences in their bowel flora. Meta-analyses provide sufficient evidence for this protective effect, with a dose-response effect as to the duration of breastfeeding. Healthcare professionals involved in the care of the mother-infant dyad must encourage and support mothers to breastfeed their infants for a long period of time, if obesity were to be prevented. Aim of this review is to provide an account of existing data on the association of breastfeeding and the reduced risk of obesity in childhood and adulthood.

  15. Biodiversity information platforms: From standards to interoperability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walter Berendsohn

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available One of the most serious bottlenecks in the scientific workflows of biodiversity sciences is the need to integrate data from different sources, software applications, and services for analysis, visualisation and publication. For more than a quarter of a century the TDWG Biodiversity Information Standards organisation has a central role in defining and promoting data standards and protocols supporting interoperability between disparate and locally distributed systems. Although often not sufficiently recognized, TDWG standards are the foundation of many popular Biodiversity Informatics applications and infrastructures ranging from small desktop software solutions to large scale international data networks. However, individual scientists and groups of collaborating scientist have difficulties in fully exploiting the potential of standards that are often notoriously complex, lack non-technical documentations, and use different representations and underlying technologies. In the last few years, a series of initiatives such as Scratchpads, the EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy, and biowikifarm have started to implement and set up virtual work platforms for biodiversity sciences which shield their users from the complexity of the underlying standards. Apart from being practical work-horses for numerous working processes related to biodiversity sciences, they can be seen as information brokers mediating information between multiple data standards and protocols. The ViBRANT project will further strengthen the flexibility and power of virtual biodiversity working platforms by building software interfaces between them, thus facilitating essential information flows needed for comprehensive data exchange, data indexing, web-publication, and versioning. This work will make an important contribution to the shaping of an international, interoperable, and user-oriented biodiversity information infrastructure.

  16. Context dependency and consumer acceptance of risk reducing strategies - a choice experiment study on salmonella risks in pork

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mørkbak, Morten Raun; Christensen, Tove; Gyrd-Hansen, Dorte

    2012-01-01

    The paper investigates to what extent context dependency is present, when consumers are introduced to different risk reducing technologies and how this will affect their preferences for reductions in food risks. In particular, choice experiments are used to elicit consumer preferences for reducin...... findings of bad news having greater effect than good news – now applied to context dependency of preferences for food safety technologies....

  17. Reducing Youth Risk Behaviors Through Interactive Theater Intervention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan J. Watson

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The reduction of risk behaviors in secondary schools is a key concern for parents, teachers, and school administrators. School is one of the primary contexts of socialization for young people; thus, the investment in school-based programs to reduce risk behaviors is essential. In this study, we report on youth who participated in an intervention designed to improve decision-making skills based on positive youth development approaches. We examine changes in decision-making skills before and after involvement in the Teen Interactive Theater Education (TITE program and retrospective self-assessment of change in knowledge, abilities, and beliefs as a result of participating in TITE (n = 127. Youth that reported increases in knowledge, abilities, and beliefs due to the intervention (n = 89 were more likely to think about the consequences of their decisions and list options before making a decision compared to their counterparts that reported less overall learning (n = 38. Implications for intervention research and stakeholders are discussed.

  18. Workplace Interventions to Reduce Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorndike, Anne N

    2011-02-01

    The worksite is ideal for implementing interventions to reduce obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors. Although worksite health promotion is not new, employer-sponsored wellness programs have become more widespread due to the rising prevalence and high cost of obesity. Over the past two decades, employers and researchers focused efforts on individual-based programs to change employees' nutrition and exercise behaviors, but more recently, the worksite environment has been targeted. Overall, there is good evidence that individual-based worksite programs can produce modest weight loss, but the evidence for effects on other risk factors and on long-term health outcomes and costs is inconsistent. There is less evidence for the benefit of environmental-based interventions, and more data will be needed to establish conclusions about the benefits of these types of interventions. A major challenge for employers and researchers in the future will be to find the balance between effectiveness and economic viability of worksite wellness programs.

  19. Reduced reward anticipation in youth at high-risk for unipolar depression: A preliminary study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas M. Olino

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Offspring of depressed parents are at risk for depression and recent evidence suggests that reduced positive affect (PA may be a marker of risk. We investigated whether self-reports of PA and fMRI-measured striatal response to reward, a neural correlate of PA, are reduced in adolescent youth at high familial risk for depression (HR relative to youth at low familial risk for depression (LR. Functional magnetic resonance imaging assessments were conducted with 14 HR and 12 LR youth. All youth completed an ecological momentary assessment protocol to measure PA in natural settings and a self-report measure of depression symptomatology. Analyses found that HR youth demonstrated lower striatal response than LR youth during both reward anticipation and outcome. However, after controlling for youth self-reports of depression, HR youth demonstrated lower striatal response than LR youth only during reward anticipation. No significant differences were found between HR and LR youth on subjective ratings of PA or depressive symptoms. Results are consistent with previous findings that reduced reward response is a marker of risk for depression, particularly during reward anticipation, even in the absence of (or accounting for disrupted subjective mood. Further examinations of prospective associations between reward response and depression onset are needed.

  20. Technical risk - individual responsibility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herzog, R.

    1984-01-01

    The author, vice-president of the Federal Constitutional Court, delivered this opening address at the international symposium on nuclear liability held in Munich in September 1984 by OECD/NEA and IAEA. He starts by asking: Where does danger begin, where does risk end. It is the true and original task of the state to keep damage away from its citizens: this entails the obligation for additional garantees - not withstanding an almost greatest possible degree of safety - to at least helpfully compensate damage incurred, should such damage arise. In case of really severe accidents the essential thing is not the operator's liability but the entry of the state into that obligation, and this fact remains unchanged even if the maximum limits of liability were raised or in case of their removal. Therefore it is not necessary to be cautious about the question of unlimited liability, i.e. the unlimited entry of the state into such obligations, especially as all those responsible are convinced that there is practically no risk of that contingency occurring. (HSCH) [de