Pollution prevention projects in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Bruijn, Theo; Coenen, Franciscus H.J.M.; Lulofs, Kristiaan R.D.

1996-01-01

As part of its waste matter prevention policy, the Dutch government has tried over the past few years to stimulate pollution prevention in firms by means of so-called stimulation and learning projects. To be able to determine the effectiveness of future policies, an extensive evaluation study was

[HIV prevention program for young people--the WYSH Project as a model of "combination prevention"].

Science.gov (United States)

Ono-Kihara, Masako

2010-03-01

In face of the HIV pandemic that still grows, unsuccessful efforts of developing biomedical control measures or the failure of cognitive-behavioral approach to show sustained social level effectiveness, behavioral strategy is now expected to evolve into a structural prevention ("combination prevention") that involves multiple behavioral goals and multilevel approaches. WYSH Project is a combination prevention project for youth developed through socio-epidemiological approach that integrates epidemiology with social science such as social marketing and mixed method. WYSH Project includes mass education programs for youth in schools and programs for out-of-school youth through cyber network and peer communication. Started in 2002, it expanded nationwide with supports from related ministries and parent-teacher associations and has grown into a single largest youth prevention project in Japan.

A labview approach to instrumentation for the TFTR bumper limiter alignment project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skelly, G.N.; Owens, D.K.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on a project recently undertaken to measure the alignment of the TFTR bumper limiter in relation to the toroidal magnetic field axis. The process involved the measurement of the toroidal magnetic field, and the positions of the tiles that make up the bumper limiter. The basis for the instrument control and data acquisition system was National Instrument's LabVIEW 2. LabVIEW is a graphical programming system for developing scientific and engineering applications on a Macintosh. For this project, a Macintosh IIci controlled the IEEE-488 GPIB programmable instruments via an interface box connected to the SCSI port of the computer. With LabVIEW, users create graphical software modules called virtual instruments instead of writing conventional text-based code. To measure the magnetic field, the control system acquired data from two nuclear magnetic resonance magnetometers while the torroidal field coils were pulsed. To measure the position of the tiles on the limiter, an instrumented mechanical arm was used inside the vessel

Enabling strategic projects: assessment of key instruments for national spatial planning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Savini, F.; Salet, W.; Majoor, S.

2010-01-01

This research focuses on the instruments and tools which national planning agencies have at their disposal to intervene and get involved in strategic projects. The research examines how strategic national visions are translated into interventions in local projects across the Dutch territory. This

The Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) - building the STEM workforce by providing exciting, multi-disciplinary, student-led suborbital flight projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Dingwall, B. J.

2015-12-01

NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) recognizes that suborbital carriers play a vital role in training our country's future science and technology leaders. SMD created the Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) to offer students the opportunity to design, build, and fly instruments on NASA's unique suborbital research platforms. This paper explores the projects, the impact, and the lessons learned of USIP. USIP required undergraduate teams to design, build, and fly a scientific instrument in 18 months or less. Students were required to form collaborative multidisciplinary teams to design, develop and build their instrument. Teams quickly learned that success required skills often overlooked in an academic environment. Teams quickly learned to share technical information in a clear and concise manner that could be understood by other disciplines. The aggressive schedule required team members to hold each other accountable for progress while maintaining team unity. Unanticipated problems and technical issues led students to a deeper understanding of the need for schedule and cost reserves. Students exited the program with a far deeper understanding of project management and team dynamics. Through the process of designing and building an instrument that will enable new research transforms students from textbook learners to developers of new knowledge. The initial USIP project funded 10 undergraduate teams that flew a broad range of scientific instruments on scientific balloons, sounding rockets, commercial rockets and aircraft. Students were required to prepare for and conduct the major reviews that are an integral part of systems development. Each project conducted a Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review and Mission Readiness review for NASA officials and flight platform providers. By preparing and presenting their designs to technical experts, the students developed a deeper understanding of the technical and programmatic project pieces that

Assessment of instruments in facilitating investment in off-grid renewable energy projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Xunpeng; Liu, Xiying; Yao, Lixia

2016-01-01

Renewable off-grid solution plays a critical role in supporting rural electrification. However, off-grid Renewable Energy (OGRE) project financing faces significant challenges due to limited financing access, low affordability of consumers, high transactions costs and etc. Various supporting instruments have been implemented to facilitate OGRE investment. This study assesses the effectiveness of those instruments with a framework consists of three dimensions: feasibility, sustainability and replicability. The weights of each dimension in the framework and the scores of each instrument are assessed by expert surveys based on the Delphi method. It is suggested that all the three dimensions should be taken into consideration while assessing the instruments, among which feasibility and sustainability are considered as the most important dimensions in the assessment framework. Furthermore, the top-5 most effective instruments in facilitating OGRE investment are local engagement in operation and maintenance, loan guarantee, start-up grant, end user financing, and concessional finance. Developing countries that need to increase electrification, such as most of the ASEAN member states, could use these top scored instruments despite of their limited amount of public finance. - Highlights: •Assess the effectiveness of instruments for promoting financing for OGRE projects. •A three-dimension assessment framework: feasibility, sustainability, replicability. •Use online surveys and the Delphi method to collect experts’ assessment. •The most effective instruments: local engagement, loan guarantee, and start-up grant.

Project of an integrated calibration laboratory of instruments at IPEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, Gustavo Adolfo San Jose

2009-01-01

The Calibration Laboratory of Instruments of Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares offers calibration services of radiation detectors used in radioprotection, diagnostic radiology and radiotherapy, for IPEN and for external facilities (public and private). One part of its facilities is located in the main building, along with other laboratories and study rooms, and another part in an isolated building called Bunker. For the optimization, modernization and specially the safety, the laboratories in the main building shall be transferred to an isolated place. In this work, a project of an integrated laboratory for calibration of instruments was developed, and it will be an expansion of the current Calibration Laboratory of Instruments of IPEN. Therefore, a series of radiometric monitoring of the chosen localization of the future laboratory was realized, and all staff needs (dimensions and disposition of the study rooms and laboratories) were defined. In this project, the laboratories with X ray equipment, alpha and beta radiation sources were located at an isolated part of the building, and the wall shielding was determined, depending on the use of each laboratory. (author)

The Heartfile Lodhran CVD prevention project--end of project evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishtar, Sania; Badar, Asma; Kamal, Mohammad Umer; Iqbal, Azhar; Bajwa, Rashid; Shah, Tauqeer; Larik, Zahid; Karim, Fazle; Mehmood, Mahmood ul Hassan; Jehangir, Haroon; Azam, Syed Iqbal; Mirza, Yasir Abbas; Khan, Shahzad Ali; Qayyum, Aamra; Aqeel, Fauzia; Bakir, Abdul; Rahim, Ejaz

2007-01-01

Mainstream preventive interventions often fail to reach poor populations with a high risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Pakistan. A community-based CVD primary prevention project aimed at developing approaches to reduce risk factors in such populations was established by Heartfile in collaboration with the National Rural Support Program in the district of Lodhran. The project implemented a range of activities integrated with existing social and health service mechanisms during a three year intervention period 2000/01-03/04. These were targeted in 4 key settings: community health education, mass media interventions, training of health professionals and health education through Lady Health Workers. The project received support from the Department for International Development, U.K. At the community level, a pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental design was used for examining project outcomes related to the community component of the intervention. Pre and post-intervention (training) evaluations were conducted involving all health care providers in randomly selected workshops in order to determine baseline levels of knowledge and the impact of training on knowledge level. In order to assess practices of physician and non-physician health care providers patient interviews, with control comparisons were conducted at each health care facility. Significant positive changes were observed in knowledge levels at a community level in the district of intervention compared with baseline knowledge levels particularly in relation to a heart healthy diet, beneficial level of physical activity, the causes of high blood pressure and heart attack and the effects of high blood pressure and active and passive smoking on health. Significant changes in behaviors at a practice level were not shown in the district of intervention. However the project played a critical role in spurring national action for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and introducing

Project SAIL: An Evaluation of a Dropout Prevention Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, John L.; And Others

Project SAIL (Student Advocates Inspire Learning) is a Title IV-C Project located in Hopkins, Minnesota, designed to prevent students from dropping out of school by keeping them successfully involved in the mainstream environment. This study presents a review of other dropout prevention approaches, describes the intervention strategies involved in…

A desk evaluation review of project RAF/4/004 nuclear instruments maintenance. Project desk evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-04-15

A Project Desk Evaluation (PDE) is an intensive review process, using agreed guidelines, of the design, implementation, and the outputs of a project. This project was originally intended for six selected countries in Africa, namely, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Zaire and Zambia. Ethiopia and Tanzania joined in 1993 and it has now been extended to two other countries, Madagascar and Sudan. This is a step forward towards developing the infrastructure for nuclear instrumentation and maintenance is as many countries in Africa as require this service. A project summary along with financial data and recommendations for improvements are given. A table where total assistance provided to ten selected african countries is included.

A desk evaluation review of project RAF/4/004 nuclear instruments maintenance. Project desk evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

A Project Desk Evaluation (PDE) is an intensive review process, using agreed guidelines, of the design, implementation, and the outputs of a project. This project was originally intended for six selected countries in Africa, namely, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Zaire and Zambia. Ethiopia and Tanzania joined in 1993 and it has now been extended to two other countries, Madagascar and Sudan. This is a step forward towards developing the infrastructure for nuclear instrumentation and maintenance is as many countries in Africa as require this service. A project summary along with financial data and recommendations for improvements are given. A table where total assistance provided to ten selected african countries is included

Translation of an instrument. The US-Nordic Family Dynamics Nursing Research Project.

Science.gov (United States)

White, M; Elander, G

1992-01-01

Translation of a research instrument questionnaire from English to another language is analyzed in relation to principles involved, procedures followed, and problems confronted by nurse researchers from the US-Nordic Family Dynamics Nursing Research Project. Of paramount importance in translation are translation equivalency, congruent value orientation, and careful use of colloquialisms. It is important to recognize that copyright guidelines apply in the translation of an instrument. Approaches to solving instrument translation problems are discussed.

Aviation Safety Program: Weather Accident Prevention (WxAP) Project Overview and Status

Science.gov (United States)

Nadell, Shari-Beth

2003-01-01

This paper presents a project overview and status for the Weather Accident Prevention (WxAP) aviation safety program. The topics include: 1) Weather Accident Prevention Project Background/History; 2) Project Modifications; 3) Project Accomplishments; and 4) Project's Next Steps.

University of Houston Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Bering, E. A., III; Talbot, R. W.; Hampton, D. L.; Molders, N.; Millan, R. M.; Halford, A. J.; Dunbar, B.; Morris, G. A.; Prince, J.; Gamblin, R.; Ehteshami, A.; Lehnen, J. N.; Greer, M.; Porat, I.; Alozie, M.; Behrend, C. C.; Bias, C.; Fenton, A.; Gunawan, B.; Harrison, W.; Martinez, A.; Mathur, S.; Medillin, M.; Nguyen, T.; Nguyen, T. V.; Nowling, M.; Perez, D.; Pham, M.; Pina, M.; Thomas, G.; Velasquez, B.; Victor, L.

2017-12-01

The Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Project (USIP) is a NASA program to engage undergraduate students in rigorous scientific research, for the purposes of innovation and developing the next generation of professionals for an array of fields. The program is student led and executed from initial ideation to research to the design and deployment of scientific payloads. The University of Houston has been selected twice to participate in the USIP programs. The first program (USIP_UH I) ran from 2013 to 2016. USIP_UH II started in January of 2016, with funding starting at the end of May. USIP_UH I (USIP_UH II) at the University of Houston was (is) composed of eight (seven) research teams developing six (seven), distinct, balloon-based scientific instruments. These instruments will contribute to a broad range of geophysical sciences from Very Low Frequency recording and Total Electron Content to exobiology and ozone profiling. USIP_UH I had 12 successful launches with 9 recoveries from Fairbanks, AK in March 2015, and 4 piggyback flights with BARREL 3 from Esrange, Kiruna, Sweden in August, 2015. USIP_UH II had 8 successful launches with 5 recoveries from Fairbanks, AK in March 2017, 3 piggyback flights with BARREL 4 from Esrange, Kiruna, Sweden in August, 2016, and 1 flight each from CSBF and UH. The great opportunity of this program is capitalizing on the proliferation of electronics miniaturization to create new generations of scientific instruments that are smaller and lighter than ever before. This situation allows experiments to be done more cheaply which ultimately allows many more experiments to be done.

Financing Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) Projects: The Case of Islamic Instruments

OpenAIRE

Khan, Tariqullah

2002-01-01

Several member countries of the Islamic Development Bank have embarked upon a program of developing and maintaining infrastructure projects by the private sector in the framework of build operate and transfer (BOT) mechanism and its various variants. The present paper reviews these experiences and the peculiar risks associated with investments in these projects as compared to the risks of traditional manufacturing sector and offers a framework for Islamic instruments to finance BOT projects.

Preventing Elder Abuse: The Texas Plan for a Coordinated Service Delivery System. Collaborative Elder Abuse Prevention Project.

Science.gov (United States)

McDaniel, Garry L.

The Texas Department of Human Services, in collaboration with 13 other public and private organizations, co-sponsored a statewide Collaborative Elder Abuse Prevention project. The goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive, long-range plan for the prevention of elder abuse, a method for achieving a coordinated service delivery system for…

[Project summarize of "reestablishing disease prevention and control system of China"].

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Mo; Yu, Jingjin; Yu, Mingzhu; Duan, Yong

2005-01-01

This paper introduced the project of "reestablishing the disease control and prevention system of China" in brief, including background, objectives, funding resources, researching objects and sampling methods. This project which funded by National Outstanding Younger Fund and the research fund of MOH aimed at nailing down the key problem existed in disease control and prevention system of China, demonstrating the reasons and mechanism of key problem, developing feasible policy idea and strategy. This paper also introduced some issues concerning the reestablishing of the disease control and prevention system of China: the definition of public function, the standard of human resource allocation and the standard of financing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 8 provinces, 80 cities and 80 counties have been sampled to provide information that project needed. In addition, this project also cited some data which come from the early study, in which 3 provinces, 12 counties, 49 towns, 179 villages and 9781 rural families have been sampled and investigated.

Development of the evaluation instrument use CIPP on the implementation of project assessment topic optik

Science.gov (United States)

Asfaroh, Jati Aurum; Rosana, Dadan; Supahar

2017-08-01

This research aims to develop an evaluation instrument models CIPP valid and reliable as well as determine the feasibility and practicality of an evaluation instrument models CIPP. An evaluation instrument models CIPP to evaluate the implementation of the project assessment topic optik to measure problem-solving skills of junior high school class VIII in the Yogyakarta region. This research is a model of development that uses 4-D. Subject of product trials are students in class VIII SMP N 1 Galur and SMP N 1 Sleman. Data collection techniques in this research using non-test techniques include interviews, questionnaires and observations. Validity in this research was analyzed using V'Aikens. Reliability analyzed using ICC. This research uses 7 raters are derived from two lecturers expert (expert judgment), two practitioners (science teacher) and three colleagues. The results of this research is the evaluation's instrument model of CIPP is used to evaluate the implementation of the implementation of the project assessment instruments. The validity result of evaluation instrument have V'Aikens values between 0.86 to 1, which means a valid and 0.836 reliability values into categories so well that it has been worth used as an evaluation instrument.

Prevention of oiled wildlife project (POW)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey, T.C.

1998-01-01

The establishment of a project to analyse the nature and extent of the problem of marine oil spills and their impact on the wildlife in coastal Newfoundland was described. Pelagic seabirds were identified as the marine wildlife most affected by oil released into the ocean. The Prevention of Oiled Wildlife (POW) project was initiated by the Canadian Coast Guard, the lead agency for oil spills of unknown origin. Details of the POW project were provided. It was shown that the project serves as an interdepartmental approach to: (1) identifying past occurrences, probable sources, causes, effects and possible releases of oil into the marine environment, (2) identifying remedial measures undertaken to date to curb the release of oil, and (3) establishing a plan of action through legislation, education, detection, prosecution or any other means, to eliminate the release of oil. 14 refs., 4 tabs., 5 figs

An Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Project (USIP) to Develop New Instrument Technology to Study the Auroral Ionosphere and Stratospheric Ozone Layer Using Ultralight Balloon Payloads

Science.gov (United States)

Nowling, M.; Ahmad, H.; Gamblin, R.; Guala, D.; Hermosillo, D.; Pina, M.; Marrero, E.; Canales, D. R. J.; Cao, J.; Ehteshami, A.; Bering, E. A., III; Lefer, B. L.; Dunbar, B.; Bias, C.; Shahid, S.

2015-12-01

This project is currently engaging twelve undergraduate students in the process of developing new technology and instrumentation for use in balloon borne geospace investigations in the auroral zone. Motivation stems from advances in microelectronics and consumer electronic technology. Given the technological innovations over the past 20 years it now possible to develop new instrumentation to study the auroral ionosphere and stratospheric ozone layer using ultralight balloon payloads for less than 6lbs and $3K per payload. The University of Houston Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Project (USIP) team has built ten such payloads for launch using 1500 gm latex weather balloons deployed in Houston, TX, Fairbanks, AK, and as well as zero pressure balloons launched from northern Sweden. The latex balloon project will collect vertical profiles of wind velocity, temperature, electrical conductivity, ozone, and odd nitrogen. This instrument payload will also produce profiles of pressure, electric field, and air-earth electric current. The zero pressure balloons will obtain a suite of geophysical measurements including: DC electric field, electric field and magnetic flux, optical imaging, total electron content of ionosphere via dual-channel GPS, X-ray detection, and infrared/UV spectroscopy. Students flew payloads with different combinations of these instruments to determine which packages are successful. Data collected by these instruments will be useful in understanding the nature of electrodynamic coupling in the upper atmosphere and how the global earth system is changing. Twelve out of the launched fifteen payloads were successfully launched and recovered. Results and best practices learned from lab tests and initial Houston test flights will be discussed.

FEATURES OF AN ESTIMATION OF INVESTMENT PROJECTS AT THE ENTERPRISES OF AVIATION INSTRUMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr P. Dobrov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The relevance of this study due to the fact that the current situation in Russia is complemented by the negative effects of market reforms in the economy and economic sanctions adopted against our country and in particular the different level companies. In view of this, to effectively manage the activities and the development of aviation instrument companies and enterprises of different ownership forms are highly relevant issues related to the assessment of investment projects. The general crisis that engulfed almost all industry in Russia, demanded the application of a new ideology of the organization and management of investment projects, as well as their assessment at the enterprises of aviation instrument. In Russia, began a new stage in the development of project management establishment of a domestic methodology, complex tools and training for professional project management on the basis of domestic achievements, global experience and creativity of its processing based on the actual conditions of our country. The need for the use of project management methodology in Russia is determined by two factors: the increasing complexity of projects and the organizations that operate them, and the fact that project management is widely used in countries with market economies. Projects at the enterprises of aviation instrument making and evaluation are characterized by complexity and uncertainty, a significant dependence on the dynamic environment, including socio-economic, political, financial, economic, legislative influence of both the state and competing companies. In this paper, a study of modern methods of evaluating investment projects at the enterprises of aviation instrument. Methodology. The methodological basis of this paper appeared comparative and economic-mathematical analysis methods. Results. As part of the presentation of the present article the author, it was found that the activity of modern companies is not linear and is

Estimating unbiased economies of scale of HIV prevention projects: a case study of Avahan.

Science.gov (United States)

Lépine, Aurélia; Vassall, Anna; Chandrashekar, Sudha; Blanc, Elodie; Le Nestour, Alexis

2015-04-01

Governments and donors are investing considerable resources on HIV prevention in order to scale up these services rapidly. Given the current economic climate, providers of HIV prevention services increasingly need to demonstrate that these investments offer good 'value for money'. One of the primary routes to achieve efficiency is to take advantage of economies of scale (a reduction in the average cost of a health service as provision scales-up), yet empirical evidence on economies of scale is scarce. Methodologically, the estimation of economies of scale is hampered by several statistical issues preventing causal inference and thus making the estimation of economies of scale complex. In order to estimate unbiased economies of scale when scaling up HIV prevention services, we apply our analysis to one of the few HIV prevention programmes globally delivered at a large scale: the Indian Avahan initiative. We costed the project by collecting data from the 138 Avahan NGOs and the supporting partners in the first four years of its scale-up, between 2004 and 2007. We develop a parsimonious empirical model and apply a system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and fixed-effects Instrumental Variable (IV) estimators to estimate unbiased economies of scale. At the programme level, we find that, after controlling for the endogeneity of scale, the scale-up of Avahan has generated high economies of scale. Our findings suggest that average cost reductions per person reached are achievable when scaling-up HIV prevention in low and middle income countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The PoET (Prevention of Error-Based Transfers) Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, Jill; Chidwick, Paula

2017-01-01

The PoET (Prevention of Error-based Transfers) Project is one of the Ethics Quality Improvement Projects (EQIPs) taking place at William Osler Health System. This specific project is designed to reduce transfers from long-term care to hospital that are caused by legal and ethical errors related to consent, capacity and substitute decision-making. The project is currently operating in eight long-term care homes in the Central West Local Health Integration Network and has seen a 56% reduction in multiple transfers before death in hospital.

Waste minimization and pollution prevention technology transfer : the Airlie House Projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatrone, R.; McHenry, J.; Myron, H.; Thout, J. R.

1998-01-01

The Airlie House Pollution Prevention Technology Transfer Projects were a series of pilot projects developed for the US Department of Energy with the intention of transferring pollution prevention technology to the private sector. The concept was to develop small technology transfer initiatives in partnership with the private sector. Argonne National Laboratory developed three projects: the microscale chemistry in education project, the microscale cost benefit study project, and the Bethel New Life recycling trainee project. The two microscale chemistry projects focused on introducing microscale chemistry technologies to secondary and college education. These programs were inexpensive to develop and received excellent evaluations from participants and regulators. The Bethel New Life recycling trainee project provided training for two participants who helped identify recycling and source reduction opportunities in Argonne National Laboratory's solid waste stream. The pilot projects demonstrated that technology transfer initiatives can be developed and implemented with a small budget and within a short period of time. The essential components of the pilot projects were identifying target technologies that were already available, identifying target audiences, and focusing on achieving a limited but defined objective

Bringing in the Bard: Shakespearean Plays as Context for Instrumental Analysis Projects

Science.gov (United States)

Kloepper, Kathryn D.

2015-01-01

Scenes from the works of William Shakespeare were incorporated into individual and group projects for an upper-level chemistry class, instrumental analysis. Students read excerpts from different plays and then viewed a corresponding video clip from a stage or movie production. Guided-research assignments were developed based on these scenes. These…

Evaluation of future policy instruments - Sub-Project 2; Utvaerdering av framtida styrmedel - Delprojekt 2 inom projektet Perspektiv paa framtida avfallsbehandling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bisaillon, Mattias; Dahlen, Lisa; Detterfelt, Lia; Edner, Stig; Toren, Johan

2013-09-01

There are several recently introduced and future possible policy instruments that are of great interest to study in order to understand the future for the Swedish waste treatment market. In the energy sector, the use of system analysis models has proven to be effective in order to understand the effects and consequences of policy instruments. In the waste sector, however, such analyses have only been conducted sporadically. This in spite of the introduction of highly influential policy instruments such as producer responsibility, landfill tax and landfill ban, which together have contributed to landfilling of Swedish household waste practically has ceased. The goal of this project was, by using system analysis models, to study and evaluate the newly introduced and future possible policy instruments which affect Swedish waste treatment. The assessment was made in terms of how policy instruments affect: - the distribution of treatment technologies, - waste amounts, - greenhouse gas emissions and - the economics of waste treatment. The project was performed during 2011 and 2012 as a part of the research project 'Perspectives on sustainable waste treatment (PFA)'. During the project, discussions have taken place within the working group and the reference group on which instruments are most interesting and relevant to study. Furthermore, opinions have been gathered from the association Swedish Waste Managements policy instrument group and from various players in the industry at conferences, presentations and workshops.

Airlie House Pollution Prevention Technology Transfer pilot projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thuot, J.R.; Myron, H.; Gatrone, R.; McHenry, J.

1996-08-01

The projects were a series of pilot projects developed for DOE with the intention of transferring pollution prevention technology to private industry. The concept was to develop small technology transfer initiatives in partnership with the private sector. Argonne National Laboratory developed three projects: the microscale chemistry in education program, the microscale cost benefit study, and the Bethel New Life recycling trainee program. The two microscale chemistry projects focused on introducing microscale chemistry technologies to secondary and college education. These programs were inexpensive to develop and received excellent evaluations from participants and regulators. The recycle trainee project provided training for two participants and identified recycling and source reduction opportunities in Argonne`s solid waste stream. The pilot projects demonstrated that technology transfer initiatives can be developed and implemented with a small budget and within a short period of time. The essential components of the pilot projects were identification of target technologies that were already available, identification of target audiences, and a focus of effort to achieve a limited but defined objective.

Formative evaluation of the telecare fall prevention project for older veterans.

Science.gov (United States)

Miake-Lye, Isomi M; Amulis, Angel; Saliba, Debra; Shekelle, Paul G; Volkman, Linda K; Ganz, David A

2011-05-23

Fall prevention interventions for community-dwelling older adults have been found to reduce falls in some research studies. However, wider implementation of fall prevention activities in routine care has yielded mixed results. We implemented a theory-driven program to improve care for falls at our Veterans Affairs healthcare facility. The first project arising from this program used a nurse advice telephone line to identify patients' risk factors for falls and to triage patients to appropriate services. Here we report the formative evaluation of this project. To evaluate the intervention we: 1) interviewed patient and employee stakeholders, 2) reviewed participating patients' electronic health record data and 3) abstracted information from meeting minutes. We describe the implementation process, including whether the project was implemented according to plan; identify barriers and facilitators to implementation; and assess the incremental benefit to the quality of health care for fall prevention received by patients in the project. We also estimate the cost of developing the pilot project. The project underwent multiple changes over its life span, including the addition of an option to mail patients educational materials about falls. During the project's lifespan, 113 patients were considered for inclusion and 35 participated. Patient and employee interviews suggested support for the project, but revealed that transportation to medical care was a major barrier in following up on fall risks identified by nurse telephone triage. Medical record review showed that the project enhanced usual medical care with respect to home safety counseling. We discontinued the program after 18 months due to staffing limitations and competing priorities. We estimated a cost of $9194 for meeting time to develop the project. The project appeared feasible at its outset but could not be sustained past the first cycle of evaluation due to insufficient resources and a waning of local

Formative evaluation of the telecare fall prevention project for older veterans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saliba Debra

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Fall prevention interventions for community-dwelling older adults have been found to reduce falls in some research studies. However, wider implementation of fall prevention activities in routine care has yielded mixed results. We implemented a theory-driven program to improve care for falls at our Veterans Affairs healthcare facility. The first project arising from this program used a nurse advice telephone line to identify patients' risk factors for falls and to triage patients to appropriate services. Here we report the formative evaluation of this project. Methods To evaluate the intervention we: 1 interviewed patient and employee stakeholders, 2 reviewed participating patients' electronic health record data and 3 abstracted information from meeting minutes. We describe the implementation process, including whether the project was implemented according to plan; identify barriers and facilitators to implementation; and assess the incremental benefit to the quality of health care for fall prevention received by patients in the project. We also estimate the cost of developing the pilot project. Results The project underwent multiple changes over its life span, including the addition of an option to mail patients educational materials about falls. During the project's lifespan, 113 patients were considered for inclusion and 35 participated. Patient and employee interviews suggested support for the project, but revealed that transportation to medical care was a major barrier in following up on fall risks identified by nurse telephone triage. Medical record review showed that the project enhanced usual medical care with respect to home safety counseling. We discontinued the program after 18 months due to staffing limitations and competing priorities. We estimated a cost of $9194 for meeting time to develop the project. Conclusions The project appeared feasible at its outset but could not be sustained past the first cycle of

General and preliminary thermohydraulic, hydrogen and aerosol instrumentation plan for the Phebus Fp-project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hampel, G.; Poss, G.; Frohlich, H.K.

1989-10-01

The objective of the project was to draw up an instrumentation plan for the French core melting programme PHEBUS FP. This instrumentation plan essentially was to include proven and reliable instruments for recording various thermohydraulic, aerosol and hydrogen phenomena. The candidate measuring methods, which are known mainly from reactor safety programmes, have been described and examined for their usefulness in PHEBUS. Each method and instrument has been described in detail under various aspects such as measuring principle, measuring range, technical design, evaluation model, calibration procedure, accuracy, previous experience, commercial availability, etc. Special attention has been paid to the behaviour of the measuring transducers when exposed to radiation. First, the performance of the instruments was compared with the requirements of PHEBUS. The results of this comparison served as the basis for a measuring concept in tabular form, giving the locations of the measurements, the measuring tasks, and the number and kind of instruments that are recommended. Redundancy and cost-benefit aspects have been taken into account in qualitative terms

The NetQuakes Project - Research-quality Seismic Data Transmitted via the Internet from Citizen-hosted Instruments (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Luetgert, J. H.; Oppenheimer, D. H.; Hamilton, J.

2010-12-01

The USGS seeks accelerograph spacing of 5-10 km in selected urban areas of the US to obtain spatially un-aliased recordings of strong ground motions during large earthquakes. These dense measurements will improve our ability to make rapid post-earthquake assessments of expected damage and contribute to the continuing development of engineering standards for construction. To achieve this goal the USGS and its university partners are deploying “NetQuakes” seismographs, designed to record moderate to large earthquakes from the near field to about 100 km. The instruments have tri-axial Colibrys 2005SF MEMS sensors, clip at 3g, and have 18-bit resolution. These instruments are uniquely designed for deployment in private homes, businesses, public buildings and schools where there is an existing Broadband connection to the Internet. The NetQuakes instruments connect to a local network using WiFi and then via the Internet to USGS servers to a) upload triggered accelerograms in miniSEED format, P arrival times, and computed peak ground motion parameters immediately after an earthquake; b) download software updates; c) respond to requests for log files, execute UNIX scripts, and upload waveforms from long-term memory for quakes with peak motions below the trigger threshold; d) send state-of-health (SOH) information in XML format every 10 minutes; and e) synchronize instrument clocks to 1ms accuracy using the Network Time Protocol. NetQuakes instruments cost little to operate and save about $600/yr/site compared to instruments that transmit data via leased telemetry. After learning about the project through press releases, thousands of citizens have registered to host an instrument at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/netquakes using a Google Map interface that depicts where we seek instrument sites. The website also provides NetQuakes hosts access to waveform images recorded by instruments installed in their building. Since 3/2009, the NetQuakes project has installed over 100

Flyover Modeling of Planetary Pits - Undergraduate Student Instrument Project

Science.gov (United States)

Bhasin, N.; Whittaker, W.

2015-12-01

On the surface of the moon and Mars there are hundreds of skylights, which are collapsed holes that are believed to lead to underground caves. This research uses Vision, Inertial, and LIDAR sensors to build a high resolution model of a skylight as a landing vehicle flies overhead. We design and fabricate a pit modeling instrument to accomplish this task, implement software, and demonstrate sensing and modeling capability on a suborbital reusable launch vehicle flying over a simulated pit. Future missions on other planets and moons will explore pits and caves, led by the technology developed by this research. Sensor software utilizes modern graph-based optimization techniques to build 3D models using camera, LIDAR, and inertial data. The modeling performance was validated with a test flyover of a planetary skylight analog structure on the Masten Xombie sRLV. The trajectory profile closely follows that of autonomous planetary powered descent, including translational and rotational dynamics as well as shock and vibration. A hexagonal structure made of shipping containers provides a terrain feature that serves as an appropriate analog for the rim and upper walls of a cylindrical planetary skylight. The skylight analog floor, walls, and rim are modeled in elevation with a 96% coverage rate at 0.25m2 resolution. The inner skylight walls have 5.9cm2 color image resolution and the rims are 6.7cm2 with measurement precision superior to 1m. The multidisciplinary student team included students of all experience levels, with backgrounds in robotics, physics, computer science, systems, mechanical and electrical engineering. The team was commited to authentic scientific experimentation, and defined specific instrument requirements and measurable experiment objectives to verify successful completion.This work was made possible by the NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Project Educational Flight Opportunity 2013 program. Additional support was provided by the sponsorship of an

Amoco-US Environmental Protection Agency, pollution prevention project, Yorktown, Virginia: Project peer review. Report of the Peer Review Committee of the Amoco/EPA Pollution Prevention Project at the Yorktown, Virginia refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klee, H.; Podar, M.

1991-01-01

The Amoco/EPA Pollution Prevention Project involved a number of representatives from federal and Virginia regulatory agencies, and Amoco's refining business. Participants believed that the Project could benefit from a broader perspective than these organizations along might provide. The Project Work Group selected an independent Peer Review Process which was conducted by Resource for the Future (RFF), a Washington DC think tank. A group of technical, policy and environmental experts from diverse backgrounds served as Peer Review members. The Peer Review Committee met on three occasions to discuss (1) the Project Work Plan (2) sampling data and interpretation and (3) project conclusions and recommendations. The focus of the meeting was on the general scope and content of the project

Error begat error: design error analysis and prevention in social infrastructure projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Peter E D; Lopez, Robert; Edwards, David J; Goh, Yang M

2012-09-01

Design errors contribute significantly to cost and schedule growth in social infrastructure projects and to engineering failures, which can result in accidents and loss of life. Despite considerable research that has addressed their error causation in construction projects they still remain prevalent. This paper identifies the underlying conditions that contribute to design errors in social infrastructure projects (e.g. hospitals, education, law and order type buildings). A systemic model of error causation is propagated and subsequently used to develop a learning framework for design error prevention. The research suggests that a multitude of strategies should be adopted in congruence to prevent design errors from occurring and so ensure that safety and project performance are ameliorated. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Suicide and attempted suicide: epidemiological surveillance as a crucial means of a local suicide prevention project in Trento's Province.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Napoli, Wilma Angela; Della Rosa, Alberto

2015-09-01

The World Health Organization identifies suicide among the top 10 causes of death in many countries with an overall mortality rate of 16 per 100,000 inhabitants. Furthermore suicide attempts present a frequency 4-10 times greater than the suicidal events, representing also one of the main risk factors to lead to recurrent attempts of suicide. In 2008 the Autonomous Province of Trento launched a suicide prevention pogram called "Invitation to Life" which includes various interventions intended to counter the phenomenon of suicide in the region. Actually the epidemiological research upon the phenomenon of suicide in Trentino region is one of the main pillars of the project: it represents a fundamental requirement to identify risk and protective factors in the population in order to adopt more specific and effective preventive strategies. This article aims to present methods and instruments for epidemiological monitoring of suicide and attempted suicide which are applied in Trentino and to describe results after seven years from the beginning of the local prevention program "Invitation to life".

Initiatives for proliferation prevention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-04-01

Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a central part of US national security policy. A principal instrument of the Department of Energy's (DOE's) program for securing weapons of mass destruction technology and expertise and removing incentives for scientists, engineers and technicians in the newly independent states (NIS) of the former Soviet Union to go to rogue countries or assist terrorist groups is the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention (IPP). IPP was initiated pursuant to the 1994 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. IPP is a nonproliferation program with a commercialization strategy. IPP seeks to enhance US national security and to achieve nonproliferation objectives by engaging scientists, engineers and technicians from former NIS weapons institutes; redirecting their activities in cooperatively-developed, commercially viable non-weapons related projects. These projects lead to commercial and economic benefits for both the NIS and the US IPP projects are funded in Russian, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus. This booklet offers an overview of the IPP program as well as a sampling of some of the projects which are currently underway

Development of the Environmental Strategies Instrument to Measure Adolescent Alcohol Prevention-Related Outcomes in Community Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Cervantes, Richard C.; Goldbach, Jeremy; Yeung, Albert; Rey, Antonio

2012-01-01

Recently, evidence-based community policy approaches to preventing substance use and alcohol abuse, called environmental strategies, have gained in popularity. The environmental survey instrument (ESI) was developed to evaluate perceptions around drinking and related problems. Specifically, the authors were interested in assessing community…

Developing Spent Fuel Assembly for Advanced NDA Instrument Calibration - NGSI Spent Fuel Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Jianwei [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gauld, Ian C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Banfield, James [GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Wilmington, NC (United States); Skutnik, Steven [Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

2014-02-01

This report summarizes the work by Oak Ridge National Laboratory to investigate the application of modeling and simulation to support the performance assessment and calibration of the advanced nondestructive assay (NDA) instruments developed under the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Spent Fuel (NGSI-SF) Project. Advanced NDA instrument calibration will likely require reference spent fuel assemblies with well-characterized nuclide compositions that can serve as working standards. Because no reference spent fuel standard currently exists, and the practical ability to obtain direct measurement of nuclide compositions using destructive assay (DA) measurements of an entire fuel assembly is prohibitive in the near term due to the complexity and cost of spent fuel experiments, modeling and simulation will be required to construct such reference fuel assemblies. These calculations will be used to support instrument field tests at the Swedish Interim Storage Facility (Clab) for Spent Nuclear Fuel.

The Project Based Mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol. Credible Instruments or Challenges to the Integrity of the Kyoto Protocol?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takeuchi Waldegren, Linn

2006-03-15

The project based mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol are innovative instruments which allow projects to earn credits for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The credits can in turn be used by countries to reach their emissions targets according to the Kyoto Protocol. The Project based mechanisms are known as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Joint Implementation (JI). If the project based mechanisms are to be effective policy instruments they must ensure the integrity of the Kyoto Protocol, and their ability to promote and prove real emission reductions is critical. The environmental credibility of the project based mechanisms will also ensure their ability to promote cost effectiveness. Key concepts in this context are environmental and project additionality, and their role and value for the project based mechanisms are analyzed. Environmental additionality is established by comparing a project's emissions to a baseline. The baseline's credibility is thus vital. The concept of project additionality is somewhat controversial, but is nonetheless of equal importance. The case studies of CDM approved methodologies (AMs) and proposed projects suggest that there are credibility issues that need to be addressed if the project based mechanisms are to promote real emissions reductions.

The Escaramujo Project: Instrumentation Courses During a Road Trip Across the Americas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Izraelevitch, Federico [Fermilab

2016-11-25

The Escaramujo Project was a series of eight hands-on laboratory courses on High Energy Physics and Astroparticle Instrumentation, in Latinamerican Institutions. The Physicist Federico Izraelevitch traveled on a van with his wife and dogs from Chicago to Buenos Aires teaching the courses. The sessions took place at Institutions in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia at an advanced undergraduate and graduate level. During these workshops, each group built a modern cosmic ray detector based on plastic scintillator and silicon photomultipliers, designed specifically for this project. After the courses, a functional detector remained at each institution to be used by the faculty to facilitate the training of future students and to support and enable local research activities. The five-days workshops covered topics such as elementary particle and cosmic ray Physics, radiation detection and instrumentation, low-level light sensing with solid state devices, front-end analog electronics and object-oriented data analysis (C++ and ROOT). Throughout this initiative, about a hundred of talented and highly motivated young students were reached. With the detector as a common thread, they were able to understand the designing principles and the underlying Physics involved in it, build the device, start it up, characterize it, take data and analyze it, mimicking the stages of a real elementary particle Physics experiment. Besides the aims to awaken vocations in science, technology and engineering, The Escaramujo Project was an effort to strengthen the integration of Latinamerican academic institutions into the international scientific community.

The Esperance primary prevention of suicide project.

Science.gov (United States)

Slaven, Janine; Kisely, Stephen

2002-10-01

Suicide has been a major community concern in Esperance, a geographically isolated port on the south coast of Western Australia. To evaluate the effect of three evidence-based initiatives for the primary prevention of suicide: (i) providing suicide awareness sessions for staff members in health, education and social services; (ii) limiting the sale of over the counter analgesics (aspirin and paracetamol) to packets containing less than the minimum lethal dose; and (iii) implementing Commonwealth media guidelines in the reporting of suicides by media. Changes in knowledge, awareness, attitudes, comfort and use, before and after each intervention were assessed using standardized instruments and pro forma derived from previous work, such as the Youth Suicide Prevention Training Manual and Suicide Intervention Beliefs Scale. Percentage changes in the number of retail outlets selling over the counter analgesics to less than potentially lethal quantities (less than 8 g of paracetamol or aspirin) were also measured. Media representatives were interviewed to gain their perceptions of Commonwealth Guidelines for the reporting of suicide, and encouraged to consult the project team before reporting suicide related issues. The baseline survey illustrated that mental health staff and general practitioners were more aware of suicide issues, risk factors for suicide and awareness of professional and ethical responses than staff from other services, and were more willing to raise the issue with a person at risk. Thirty-three subjects participated in suicide awareness training of whom 21 (66%) returned questionnaires. There were significant increases in awareness of suicide-related issues and risk factors, as well as reported levels of knowledge of professional and ethical responses and comfort, competence and confidence levels when assisting a person at risk. Only three media representatives were aware of the Commonwealth Health Department Guidelines for reporting suicide and only

FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE STATE POLICY FOR THE PREVENTION OF TERRORIST ACTS IN UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mykola Bunchuk

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The article’s objective is to determine the mechanism for implementing the financial instruments of the state policy to counter terrorist acts in the territory not controlled by Ukrainian authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Methodology. Within the scientific research, for the most effective approaches at the national level to prevent the threat of international terrorism, under the conditions of the deep internal political crisis and extremely difficult economic situation, in order to improve the efficiency of public administration in developing and implementing the anti-terrorism state policies in Ukraine, the paper analyses international and domestic regulations on preventing the terrorist financing, considers factors that affect the deterioration of the social and economic situation of the temporarily occupied parts of Donbas. Results of the research allow formulating the definition of financial instruments of antiterrorist policies, the paper develops and proposes a series of organizational measures in order to prevent the terrorist financing in Ukraine. Practical implications. Based on the above, we propose an option of classification of main illegal mechanisms that may be used to finance terrorist activities in the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions uncontrolled by Ukrainian authorities, dividing them into internal and external. Given the above studied factors and classification of financing of terrorist acts in eastern Ukraine, we can assume that for the purpose of evading duty payable to relevant state bodies of Ukraine, external supplies of inventories in the uncontrolled areas of the Donetsk region, which are later obtained by illegal armed groups, are possibly carried out as follows: on behalf of a commercial entity registered in a foreign country for the Ukrainian commercial entity, registered in settlements located in the uncontrolled territory; crossing of international transit traffic that moves through the

Hearing Health in College Instrumental Musicians and Prevention of Hearing Loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Olson, Anna D; Gooding, Lori F; Shikoh, Fara; Graf, Julie

2016-03-01

College musicians exhibit greater declines in hearing than the general population and are at particular risk because they rehearse and perform daily in loud environments. Also, they engage in use of personal listening devices which increases the amount of "exposure" time. Despite increased risk, many do not use hearing protection devices (HPD). The purpose of this study was to (1) to identify the present level of education about hearing health, (2) identify the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using HPD, and (3) evaluate results among different musical instrument groups. A mixed-methods group design was used including both quantitative and qualitative instruments. SPSS was used to generate descriptive statistics, and non-parametric statistical analysis was performed on quantitative data. NVivo software was used to evaluate qualitative responses. Of the 90 college instrumental music students who participated, 12% reported a history of hearing loss, and over one-third reported tinnitus. Seventy-seven percent of participants had never received any training about hearing health and only a small percentage of students used HPD. The most cited reason for lack of protection use was its negative impact on sound quality. However, group differences were noted between brass, woodwind, and percussion musicians in terms of HPD uptake. Improving the type of information disseminated to college musicians may reduce the risk of ear-related deficits. Noise dosage information, HPD information, and prevention education grounded in theories like the Health Belief Model may increase awareness and promote greater use of HPDs in this population.

Prevention of homicidal violence in schools in Germany: the Berlin Leaking Project and the Networks Against School Shootings Project (NETWASS).

Science.gov (United States)

Leuschner, Vincenz; Bondü, Rebecca; Schroer-Hippel, Miriam; Panno, Jennifer; Neumetzler, Katharina; Fisch, Sarah; Scholl, Johanna; Scheithauer, Herbert

2011-01-01

Since 1999, Germany has experienced at least twelve serious cases of targeted school violence. This article describes two projects designed to fill the gap between universal prevention and emergency response in preventing severe forms of school violence in Germany. The Berlin Leaking Project examined the viability of preventive efforts based on early identification of leaking behavior that often precedes targeted school attacks. Leaking refers to any behavior or communication that indicates a student is preparing to carry out a violent attack. This would include explicit or implied threats of violence, apparent fascination with prior acts of violence such as Columbine, and any evidence of planning or preparation to carry out an attack. The NETWASS project will test a training program and intervention strategy based on those findings, examining the usefulness of a threat assessment approach to prevent violence by training teachers to recognize leaking behavior by students. This approach is extended by training teachers on a larger scale to identify leaking and then having a school-based team evaluate the student and initiate appropriate interventions, such as mental health services, and in some cases, law enforcement action. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Inter-laboratory project q calibration of SANS instruments using silver behenate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikram, Abarrul; Gunawan; Edy Giri, Putra; Suzuki, Jun-ichi; Knott, Robert

2000-01-01

The inter-laboratory project for q-calibration of SANS (small angle neutron scattering) using silver behenate was carried out among Indonesia National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) and Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO). The standard sample of silver behenate, [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 20 COOAg](AgBE), has been assessed as an international standard for the calibration of both x-ray and neutron scattering instruments. The results indicate excellent agreement for q calibration obtained among the three laboratories, BATAN, JAERI and ANSTO. (Y. Kazumata)

75 FR 32190 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Examining the Impact of... Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the...

Evaluation of DELTA PREP: A Project Aimed at Integrating Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence Within State Domestic Violence Coalitions

Science.gov (United States)

Freire, Kimberley E.; Zakocs, Ronda; Le, Brenda; Hill, Jessica A.; Brown, Pamela; Wheaton, Jocelyn

2018-01-01

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been recognized as a public health problem since the late 20th century. To spur IPV prevention efforts nationwide, the DELTA PREP Project selected 19 state domestic violence coalitions to build organizational prevention capacity and catalyze IPV primary prevention strategies within their states. Objective DELTA PREP’s summative evaluation addressed four major questions: (1) Did coalitions improve their prevention capacity during the project period? (2) Did coalitions serve as catalysts for prevention activities within their states during the project period? (3) Was initial prevention capacity associated with the number of prevention activity types initiated by coalitions by the end of the project? (4) Did coalitions sustain their prevention activities 6 months after the end of the project period? Results DELTA PREP achieved its capacity-building goal, with all 19 participant coalitions integrating prevention within their organizations and serving as catalysts for prevention activities in their states. At 6 months follow up, coalitions had sustained almost all prevention activities they initiated during the project. Baseline prevention capacity (Beginner vs. Intermediate) was not associated with the number of prevention activity types coalitions implemented by the end of the project. Conclusion Service and treatment organizations are increasingly asked to integrate a full spectrum of prevention strategies. Selecting organizations that have high levels of general capacity and readiness for an innovation like integrating a public health approach to IPV prevention will likely increase success in building an innovation-specific capacity, and in turn implementing an innovation. PMID:26245932

Risk prevention and management in cooperatives: An instrument to eliminate it or reduce it

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María de Jesús Ribet-Cuadot

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The article exposes a methodological proposal that covers aspects to consider in the process of managing and preventing risks, which must be developed in any business or business association, for it constitutes an indispensable instrument for risk elimination or reduction that will further aid to achieve the desired goals.  This methodology comes from an investigation that had a precise question as starting point: How to contribute to the risk management and prevention in cooperatives? This was its fundamental problem. The idea comes, of course, from the sudden awakening and ever –growing use of this type of association in a difficult economical and financial context. Its general goal is to expose a methodology for risk management and prevention in cooperatives. The methodology has the necessary flexibility to be adjusted to the peculiarities of each cooperative. Its main advantage consists of assuring a systematic approach to management and prevention that begins with a diagnostic and later elaboration of a map of risks in each area, which will all ease into constant check up and reviewing. Furthermore, it allows to assess the positive impact regarding economics, society and ecology.

Youths as partners in a community participatory project for substance use prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulbok, Pamela A; Meszaros, Peggy S; Bond, Donna C; Thatcher, Esther; Park, Eunhee; Kimbrell, Monica; Smith-Gregory, Tracey

2015-01-01

This community-based participatory research project aimed to develop strategies to prevent youth substance use in a rural county. This article (1) describes the project phases, (2) examines unique contributions and considerations of youth involvement, and (3) explores the youths' perspective. Twelve youths, aged 16 to 18 years, joined parents, community leaders, and research specialists on the community-based participatory research team. The youths were integrally involved in all phases including the community assessment, community leader interviews, selection of a substance use prevention program, and program implementation. Youths reported sustained enthusiasm, experiences of authentic leadership, development of research skills, and greater awareness of their community.

The Elder Abuse Prevention Project, Phase Two, Three and Four. Final Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Regina Univ. (Saskatchewan). Univ. Extension. Seniors Education Centre.

This document presents the final report from an educational and community development program designed to raise awareness about the abuse and neglect of the elderly. The Elder Abuse Prevention Project is briefly described in terms of project goals, objectives, the model used, the target groups served, and the evaluation processes employed. It is…

ExoGeoLab Pilot Project for Landers, Rovers and Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Foing, Bernard

2010-05-01

We have developed a pilot facility with a Robotic Test Bench (ExoGeoLab) and a Mobile Lab Habitat (ExoHab). They can be used to validate concepts and external instruments from partner institutes. The ExoGeoLab research incubator project, has started in the frame of a collaboration between ILEWG (International Lunar Exploration working Group http://sci.esa.int/ilewg), ESTEC, NASA and academic partners, supported by a design and control desk in the European Space Incubator (ESI), as well as infrastructure. ExoGeoLab includes a sequence of technology and research pilot project activities: - Data analysis and interpretation of remote sensing and in-situ data, and merging of multi-scale data sets - Procurement and integration of geophysical, geo-chemical and astrobiological breadboard instruments on a surface station and rovers - Integration of cameras, environment and solar sensors, Visible and near IR spectrometer, Raman spectrometer, sample handling, cooperative rovers - Delivery of a generic small planetary lander demonstrator (ExoGeoLab lander, Sept 2009) as a platform for multi-instruments tests - Research operations and exploitation of ExoGeoLab test bench for various conceptual configurations, and support for definition and design of science surface packages (Moon, Mars, NEOs, outer moons) - Field tests of lander, rovers and instruments in analogue sites (Utah MDRS 2009 & 2010, Eifel volcanic park in Sept 2009, and future campaigns). Co-authors, ILEWG ExoGeoLab & ExoHab Team: B.H. Foing(1,11)*#, C. Stoker(2,11)*, P. Ehrenfreund(10,11), L. Boche-Sauvan(1,11)*, L. Wendt(8)*, C. Gross(8, 11)*, C. Thiel(9)*, S. Peters(1,6)*, A. Borst(1,6)*, J. Zavaleta(2)*, P. Sarrazin(2)*, D. Blake(2), J. Page(1,4,11), V. Pletser(5,11)*, E. Monaghan(1)*, P. Mahapatra(1)#, A. Noroozi(3), P. Giannopoulos(1,11) , A. Calzada(1,6,11), R. Walker(7), T. Zegers(1, 15) #, G. Groemer(12)# , W. Stumptner(12)#, B. Foing(2,5), J. K. Blom(3)#, A. Perrin(14)#, M. Mikolajczak(14)#, S. Chevrier(14

Amoco-US Environmental Protection Agency, pollution prevention project, Yorktown, Virginia: Solid waste data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kizior, G.J.

1991-01-01

In late 1989 Amoco and the US Environmental Protection Agency initiated a joint project to review pollution prevention alternatives at Amoco Oil Company's Yorktown, Virginia, Refinery as a case study site. The report summarizes the solid waste emissions inventory, solids source identification, and the solid waste sampling program that was conducted at the Amoco Yorktown Refinery on September 25-27, 1990, in support of the Pollution Prevention Project. Major findings showed that the majority of solid waste generation occurs as end-of-pipe solids resulting from the treatment of wastewaters from the refinery sewer. Based on a regression analysis of the composition data for samples collected during this project, major upstream contributors to these solids appear to be soils. Solids from process units are also significant contributors

Formative evaluation of the telecare fall prevention project for older veterans

OpenAIRE

Miake-Lye, Isomi M; Amulis, Angel; Saliba, Debra; Shekelle, Paul G; Volkman, Linda K; Ganz, David A

2011-01-01

Abstract Background Fall prevention interventions for community-dwelling older adults have been found to reduce falls in some research studies. However, wider implementation of fall prevention activities in routine care has yielded mixed results. We implemented a theory-driven program to improve care for falls at our Veterans Affairs healthcare facility. The first project arising from this program used a nurse advice telephone line to identify patients' risk factors for falls and to triage pa...

77 FR 29351 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control; Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Initial...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control; Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Initial Review The meeting.... L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the aforementioned...

A European Seal of Approval for 'gay' businesses: findings from an HIV-prevention pilot project.

Science.gov (United States)

Sherriff, Nigel; Gugglberger, Lisa

2014-05-01

'Gay' businesses can be important settings through which to deliver health promotion interventions to vulnerable populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM) regarding HIV prevention. This article draws on data from the European Everywhere project, which represents the first scheme to develop and pre-test a common framework for HIV/STI prevention in 'gay' businesses across eight European countries. The scientific basis of the Everywhere framework was developed using a comprehensive consensus-building process over 30 months. This process included: formative scoping research; interviews with 54 'gay' businesses; meetings/workshops with representatives from project partners, 'gay' businesses, public health administrations and external experts; 15 interviews and three focus groups with project partners; a five-month pilot action phase in eight countries, together with support from the project's Advisory Group; and all Everywhere project partners including the Scientific Steering Committee. A voluntary European code setting out differentiated HIV/STI-prevention standards for 'gay' businesses (including sex venues, 'gay' and 'gay' friendly social spaces, travel agencies, hotels, dating websites) was developed and piloted in eight European cities. During a five-month pilot action, 83 'gay' businesses were certified with the Everywhere Seal of Approval representing a considerable increase on the expected pilot target of 30. Everywhere offers a major contribution to the public health and/or health promotion field in the form of a practical, policy-relevant, settings-based HIV-prevention framework for 'gay' businesses that is common across eight European countries. Findings suggest that a European-wide model of prevention is acceptable and feasible to businesses.

76 FR 27649 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Initial...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-12

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Initial Review The meeting... Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the...

75 FR 30410 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Provider...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Provider and Public Health... Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC...

Troubleshooting in nuclear instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-06-01

This report on troubleshooting of nuclear instruments is the product of several scientists and engineers, who are closely associated with nuclear instrumentation and with the IAEA activities in the field. The text covers the following topics: Preamplifiers, amplifiers, scalers, timers, ratemeters, multichannel analyzers, dedicated instruments, tools, instruments, accessories, components, skills, interfaces, power supplies, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting in systems, radiation detectors. The troubleshooting and repair of instruments is illustrated by some real examples

Instrumentation and monitoring of the nextgen road infrastructure: Some results and perspectives from the R5G project

Science.gov (United States)

Hautière, Nicolas; Bourquin, Frédéric

2017-04-01

Through the centuries, the roads - which today constitute in France a huge transport network of 1 millions kilometers length - have always been able to cope with society needs and challenges. As a consequence, the next generation road infrastructure will have to take into account at least three societal transitions: ecological, energetic and digital. The goal of the 5th generation road project (R5G©) [1], led by Ifsttar in France, aligned with the Forever Open program [2], is to design and build demonstrators of such future road infrastructures. The goal of this presentation is to present different results related to the greening of road materials [3], the design of energy-positive roads [4, 5], the test of roads that self-diagnose [6], the design of roads adapted for connected [7], autonomous [8] and electrified vehicles [9], etc. In terms of perspectives, we will demonstrate that the road infrastructures will soon become a complex system: On one side road users will benefit from new services, on the other side such massively connected and instrumented infrastructures will potentially become an opportune sensor for knowledge development in geoscience, such as air quality, visibility and fog monitoring. References: [1] R5G project. r5g.ifsttar.fr [2] Forever Open Road project. www.foreveropenroad.eu [3] Biorepavation project. www.infravation.net/projects/BIOREPAVATION [4] N. Le Touz, J. Dumoulin. Numerical study of the thermal behavior of a new deicing road structure design with energy harvesting capabilities. EGU General Assembly 2015, Apr 2015, Vienne, Austria. [5] S. Asfour, F. Bernardin, E. Toussaint, J.-M. Piau. Hydrothermal modeling of porous pavement for its surface de-freezing. Applied Thermal Engineering. Volume 107, 25 August 2016, Pages 493-500 [6] LGV BPL Instrumentation. http://railenium.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/INSTRUMENTATION-BPL-FR.pdf [7] SCOOP@F project. https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-transport/projects

Community-based osteoporosis prevention: Physical activity in relation to bone density, fall prevention, and the effect of training programmes : The Vadstena Osteoporosis Prevention Project

OpenAIRE

Grahn Kronhed, Ann-Charlotte

2003-01-01

This thesis is based on studies of the ten-year community-based intervention programme entitled, the Vadstena Osteoporosis Prevention Project (VOPP). The specific aims of the research were to describe the effects of physical activity and training programmes on bone mass and balance performance in adults, to determine whether a fall risk prevention programme could motivate personal actions among the elderly, to ascertain whether the intervention programme could reduce the incidence of forearm ...

The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration Instrument Review Project: a methodology to promote rigorous evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Cara C; Stanick, Cameo F; Martinez, Ruben G; Weiner, Bryan J; Kim, Mimi; Barwick, Melanie; Comtois, Katherine A

2015-01-08

Identification of psychometrically strong instruments for the field of implementation science is a high priority underscored in a recent National Institutes of Health working meeting (October 2013). Existing instrument reviews are limited in scope, methods, and findings. The Society for Implementation Research Collaboration Instrument Review Project's objectives address these limitations by identifying and applying a unique methodology to conduct a systematic and comprehensive review of quantitative instruments assessing constructs delineated in two of the field's most widely used frameworks, adopt a systematic search process (using standard search strings), and engage an international team of experts to assess the full range of psychometric criteria (reliability, construct and criterion validity). Although this work focuses on implementation of psychosocial interventions in mental health and health-care settings, the methodology and results will likely be useful across a broad spectrum of settings. This effort has culminated in a centralized online open-access repository of instruments depicting graphical head-to-head comparisons of their psychometric properties. This article describes the methodology and preliminary outcomes. The seven stages of the review, synthesis, and evaluation methodology include (1) setting the scope for the review, (2) identifying frameworks to organize and complete the review, (3) generating a search protocol for the literature review of constructs, (4) literature review of specific instruments, (5) development of an evidence-based assessment rating criteria, (6) data extraction and rating instrument quality by a task force of implementation experts to inform knowledge synthesis, and (7) the creation of a website repository. To date, this multi-faceted and collaborative search and synthesis methodology has identified over 420 instruments related to 34 constructs (total 48 including subconstructs) that are relevant to implementation

75 FR 28626 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): SIP 10...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): SIP 10-029, Pilot Study... Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the...

Summary of developments and future projects in nuclear power plant control and instrumentation in the Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plas, Y. van der

1990-01-01

A general view is given on the developments and trends due to instrumentation and control of the two nuclear power plants in the Netherlands around the year 1989. Several projects, under which for classification of systems and components and for emergency operating procedures, are executed in both plants. An OSART mission initiated a project to make possible the periodic test of safety commands during operation. An other large project concerned the replacement of the process presentation system in Nuclear Power Plant Borssele. In the article several other developments due to the application of I and C in existing plants are outlined generally. Since 1974, no new nuclear power plants have been constructed in the Netherlands. (author). 2 figs

Project EX-India: A classroom-based tobacco use prevention and cessation intervention program.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidhu, Anupreet Kaur; Sussman, Steve; Tewari, Abha; Bassi, Shalini; Arora, Monika

2016-02-01

Tobacco use experimentation is most frequent between the ages of 15–24 in India. Therefore, programming to counteract tobacco use among adolescents is needed. There is a lack of evidence-based teen tobacco use prevention and cessation programs. The current study provides an outcome evaluation of the Project EX tobacco use prevention and cessation program among Indian adolescents (16–18 years). An eight-session classroom-based curriculum was adapted to the Indian context and translated from English to Hindi (local language). Next, it was tested using a quasi-experimental design with 624 Indian students at baseline, involving two program and two control schools, with a three-month post-program follow-up. Project EX involves motivation enhancement (e.g., talk shows and games) and coping skills (e.g., complementary and alternative medicine) components. Program participants rated complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) activities like meditation, yoga and healthy breathing higher than talk shows and games. Compared to the standard care control condition, the program condition revealed a prevention effect, but not a cessation effect. Implications for prevention/cessation programming among Indian teens are discussed. This study was approved by the Independent Ethics Committee, Mumbai.

Long-term effects of adolescent marijuana use prevention on adult mental health services utilization: the midwestern prevention project.

Science.gov (United States)

Riggs, Nathaniel R; Pentz, Mary Ann

2009-01-01

Evaluated were effects of a drug abuse(1) prevention program, previously shown to prevent marijuana use in adolescence, on adulthood mental health service use. Analyses were conducted on 961 6th (41%) and 7th (59%) grade participants randomly assigned to intervention or control groups at baseline in 1984. These participants were followed-up through 2003 representing 15 waves of data collection. Eighty-five percent of participants were Caucasian and 56% were female. The hypothesis was that direct program effects on early adulthood mental health service use would be mediated by program effects on high school marijuana use trajectories. Structural equation models, imputing for missing data, demonstrated that MPP (Midwestern Prevention Project) program effects on mental health were mediated by the marijuana use growth curve intercept. Findings support the role of early adolescent drug use prevention programs in impacting later mental health problems. The study's limitations are noted.

76 FR 28437 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Initial...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-17

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Initial Review The meeting... Disease or Treated by Assisted Reproductive Technology, SIP11-048, Panel F,'' initial review In accordance...

Evaluation of a 5-year cervical cancer prevention project in Indonesia: opportunities, issues, and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Young-Mi; Lambe, Fransisca Maria; Soetikno, Djoko; Wysong, Megan; Tergas, Ana Isabel; Rajbhandari, Presha; Ati, Abigael; Lu, Enriquito

2013-06-01

The Cervical and Breast Cancer Prevention (CECAP) Project sought to develop a national model for cervical cancer prevention in Indonesia based on visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) to detect abnormal changes in the cervix. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a pilot project introducing VIA and cryotherapy in Indonesia and to identify lessons learned that could be applied to the national scale-up of cervical cancer prevention services. Fifty-four months (July 2007 to December 2011) of service records at 17 health centers were abstracted and analyzed. The data were used to calculate the proportion of all women aged 30-50 who received VIA screening, the VIA-positive rate, the treatment rate, and the interval between screening and treatment. The 45 050 women screened during the project included 24.4% of the total female population in the target age group in the catchment area. Throughout the 5-year project, 83.1% of VIA-positive women sought cryotherapy. During the last 18 months of the project, after data collection tools were revised to more accurately reflect when cryotherapy was received, 13% of women were treated on the same day that they were screened. Among the 74% of women treated within 1 month of screening, the mean interval between screening and treatment was 7.2 days. As cervical cancer prevention services are scaled up throughout Indonesia, changes in the service delivery model and program management are needed to increase screening coverage, promote a single-visit approach, and ensure the quality of services. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2013 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Regulatory issues of digital instrumentation and control system in Lungmen project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chuang, C.F.; Chou, H.P.

2004-01-01

The Lungmen Nuclear Power Station (LNPS) is currently under construction in Taiwan, which consists of 2 advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) units. The instrumentation and control (IC) systems of the LNPS are based on the state-of-the-art modernized fully integrated digital design. These IC systems possess many advantages and distinguished features comparing to traditional analog IC systems, they enjoy set-point stability, self-diagnostic and automatic testing ability, fault tolerance and avoidance, low power requirements, data handling and storage capability, as well as enhanced human-machine interfaces. This paper presents regulatory overviews, regulatory requirements, current major regulatory issues, as well as the areas of regulatory concerns and the lessons learned on the digital IC systems in the Lungmen Project

77 FR 30292 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Initial...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Project (SIP): Initial Review The meeting...)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease Control and...

75 FR 30410 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Outcomes...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): Outcomes of Screening... 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92- 463), the Centers for Disease Control and...

Code of Conduct for wind-power projects - Phases 1 and 2; Code of Conduct fuer windkraftprojekte. Phase 1 und 2 - Systemanalyse, Lessons Learned und Bewertung bestehender Instrumente

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strub, P. [Pierre Strub, freischaffender Berater, Binningen (Switzerland); Ziegler, Ch. [Inter Act, Basel (Switzerland)

2008-08-15

This paper discusses the results of the first two phases of a project concerning wind-power projects. The paper deals with the results of a system analysis, takes a look at lessons learned and presents an appraisal of existing instruments. A system-analysis of wind-power projects is presented with emphasis on social factors and the role of stakeholders. The success factors concerning social acceptance of wind-power projects and their special characteristics are discussed. Lessons learned are examined. Instruments for the sustainable implementation of projects are looked at, in particular with a focus on social acceptance

The Leadership Program’s Violence Prevention Project: Infusing the Arts into Conflict Resolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa M. Chauveron

2012-06-01

Full Text Available While the demand for youth violence prevention programs increases, the ability of the traditional school day schedule to accommodate violence prevention program time requirements has diminished. School reforms, such as No Child Left Behind, have pressed schools to focus more tightly on academics, often to the exclusion of subjects such as physical education and the arts. Viable violence prevention programs must offer components that supplement classroom curriculum as well as reduce violence and strike a balance between brevity and effectiveness. The Leadership Program’s (TLP universal Violence Prevention Project (VPP meets this call with a conflict resolution model for students in urban schools. The curriculum is based on a conceptual framework derived from prevention science and positive youth development delivered through the vehicle of the arts. Utilizing an engaging hybrid prevention program, this high quality 12 session model melds fidelity and adaptation to yield effective evaluation outcomes.

Reconstructing Masculinity in the Locker Room: The Mentors in Violence Prevention Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Jackson

1995-01-01

The Mentors in Violence Prevention Project seeks to reduce violence against women by inspiring male athletes and other models of traditional masculinity to challenge norms that equate strength in men with dominance over women and to use their influence for positive behavior change. (SK)

The educative prevention of the early stage of educationist’s formation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Alfonso Nazco

2010-04-01

Full Text Available The article introduces a characterization of the educative prevention stage at the early professional formation process of educacionist in Sancti Spìritus province. The study is done by the indication analysis of assistant, learning, permanence and behavior at youths who course pedagogical carrers, and haven’t expressed a desire stage yet. The main shown results dealt with the assumption of the searching variables and its indicators, the construction of instruments and the definition of aspects concerning the educative prevention at the early stage of educationist’s formation in the selected choosing. Theoretical, empirical and statistical- math, methods were used which were helped by the constructed instruments and the triangulations among them thus arriving to generalizations for the caracterization. The results have better the work at the area project of the educative prevention in adolescents and youths in the territory, witch mainly concern the desing and implementation of actions withing the pedagogical process, foccuse in the integration of institutions, socializer and educative agents functioning to eductive prevention.

Opto-mechanical design for transmission optics in cryogenic space instrumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Kroes, Gabby; Venema, Lars; Navarro, Ramón

2017-11-01

NOVA is involved in the development and realization of various optical astronomical instruments for groundbased as well as space telescopes, with a focus on nearand mid-infrared instrumentation. NOVA has developed a suite of scientific instruments with cryogenic optics for the ESO VLT and VLTI instruments: VISIR, MIDI, the SPIFFI 2Kcamera for SINFONI, X-shooter and MATISSE. Other projects include the cryogenic optics for MIRI for the James Webb Space Telescope and several E-ELT instruments. Mounting optics is always a compromise between firmly fixing the optics and preventing stresses within the optics. The fixing should ensure mechanical stability and thus accurate positioning in various gravity orientations, temperature ranges, during launch, transport or earthquake. On the other hand, the fixings can induce deformations and sometimes birefringence in the optics and thus cause optical errors. Even cracking or breaking of the optics is a risk, especially when using brittle infrared optical materials at the cryogenic temperatures required in instruments for infrared astronomy, where differential expansion of various materials amounts easily to several millimeters per meter. Special kinematic mounts are therefore needed to ensure both accurate positioning and low stress. This paper concentrates on the opto-mechanical design of optics mountings, especially for large transmission optics in cryogenic circumstances in space instruments. It describes the development of temperature-invariant ("a-thermal") kinematic designs, their implementation in ground based instrumentation and ways to make them suitable for space instruments.

Instrumentation requirements for the ESF thermomechanical experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pott, J.; Brechtel, C.E.

1992-01-01

In situ thermomechanical experiments are planned as part of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project that require instruments to measure stress and displacement at temperatures that exceed the typical specifications of existing geotechnical instruments. A high degree of instrument reliability will also be required to satisfy the objectives of the experiments, therefore a study was undertaken to identify areas where improvement in instrument performance was required. A preliminary list of instruments required for the experiments was developed, based on existing test planning and analysis. Projected temperature requirements were compared to specifications of existing instruments to identify instrumentation development needs. Different instrument technologies, not currently employed in geotechnical instrumentation, were reviewed to identify potential improvements of existing designs for the high temperature environment. Technologies with strong potentials to improve instrument performance with relatively high reliability include graphite fiber composite materials, fiber optics, and video imagery

The TARGET project in Tuscany: the first disease management model of a regional project for the prevention of hip re-fractures in the elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Piscitelli, Prisco; Brandi, Maria Luisa; Nuti, Ranuccio; Rizzuti, Carla; Giorni, Loredano; Giovannini, Valtere; Metozzi, Alessia; Merlotti, Daniela

2010-09-01

The official inquiry on osteoporosis in Italy, promoted by the Italian Senate in 2002 concluded that proper preventive strategies should be adopted at regional level in order to prevent osteoporotic fractures. Tuscany is the first Italian region who has promoted an official program (the TARGET project) aimed to reduce osteoporotic fractures by ensuring adequate treatment to all people aged ≥65 years old who experience a hip fragility fracture. this paper provides information concerning the implementation of TARGET project in Tuscany, assuming that it may represent an useful model for similar experiences to be promoted in other Italian Regions and across Europe. we have examined the model proposed for the regional program, and we have particularly analyzed the in-hospital and post-hospitalization path of hip fractured patients aged >65 years old in Tuscany after the adoption of TARGET project by Tuscany healthcare system and during its ongoing start-up phase. orthopaedic surgeons have been gradually involved in the project and are increasingly fulfilling all the clinical prescriptions and recommendations provided in the project protocol. Different forms of cooperation between orthopaedic surgeons and other clinical specialists have been adopted at each hospital for the treatment of hip fractured elderly patients. GPs involvement needs to be fostered both at regional and local level. The effort of Tuscany region to cope with hip fractures suffered from elderly people must be acknowledged as an interesting way of addressing this critical health problem. Specific preventive strategies modelled on the Tuscany TARGET project should be implemented in other Italian regions.

Development and psychometric testing of a new instrument to measure factors influencing women's breast cancer prevention behaviors (ASSISTS).

Science.gov (United States)

Khazaee-Pool, Maryam; Majlessi, Fereshteh; Montazeri, Ali; Pashaei, Tahereh; Gholami, Ali; Ponnet, Koen

2016-07-22

Breast cancer preventive behaviors have an extreme effect on women's health. Despite the benefits of preventive behaviors regarding breast cancer, they have not been implemented as routine care for healthy women. To assess this health issue, a reliable and valid scale is needed. The aim of the present study is to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a new scale, called the ASSISTS, in order to identify factors that affect women's breast cancer prevention behaviors. A multi-phase instrument development method was performed to develop the questionnaire from February 2012 to September 2014. The item pool was generated based on secondary analyses of previous qualitative data. Then, content and face validity were applied to provide a pre-final version of the scale. The scale validation was conducted with a sample of women recruited from health centers affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The construct validity (both exploratory and confirmatory), convergent validity, discriminate validity, internal consistency reliability and test-retest analysis of the questionnaire were tested. Fifty-eight items were initially extracted from the secondary analysis of previous qualitative data. After content validity, this was reduced to 49 items. The exploratory factor analysis revealed seven factors (Attitude, supportive systems, self-efficacy, information seeking, stress management, stimulant and self-care) containing 33 items that jointly accounted for 60.62 % of the observed variance. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a model with appropriate fitness for the data. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the subscales ranged from 0.68 to 0.85, and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.71 to 0.98; which is well above the acceptable thresholds. The findings showed that the designed questionnaire was a valid and reliable instrument for assessing factors affecting women's breast cancer prevention behaviors that can be used both

Outcomes of an infection prevention project focusing on hand hygiene and isolation practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Aragon, Daleen; Sole, Mary Lou; Brown, Scott

2005-01-01

Nosocomial infections are a major health problem for hospitalized patients and their families. Since the 1800s, hand hygiene has been recognized as the single best method to prevent the spread of pathogens and nosocomial infections. Despite this fact, many healthcare workers do not adhere to hand hygiene policies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a guideline for hand hygiene practices in 2002. Multifaceted approaches to improve hand hygiene have been shown to increase compliance among healthcare workers and subsequently reduce infections. A performance improvement project was initiated to implement this guideline and other strategies to prevent nosocomial infection. This article summarizes the performance improvement processes and the preliminary outcomes on adherence to infection prevention policies related to hand hygiene and isolation practices. Clinically and statistically significant increases were noted for hand hygiene prior to patient care and in wearing masks when indicated. Nurses and patient care technicians had the greatest increases in compliance. Increases in hand hygiene after patient contact and wearing of gown and gloves were also noted, but results were not statistically significant. Nosocomial infection rates from antibiotic-resistant organisms decreased in the first surveillance, but rates increased during the 1-year surveillance. Consumption of alcohol-based foam disinfectant doubled from baseline. Findings are consistent with other published studies. The project will continue with further reinforcement and education over the second year.

OECD Health Care Quality Indicator Project. The expert panel on primary care prevention and health promotion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marshall, Martin; Klazinga, Niek; Leatherman, Sheila; Hardy, Charlie; Bergmann, Eckhard; Pisco, Luis; Mattke, Soeren; Mainz, Jan

2006-01-01

PURPOSE: This article describes a project undertaken as part of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Healthcare Quality Indicator (HCQI) Project, which aimed to develop a set of quality indicators representing the domains of primary care, prevention and health

Determinants of participation in targeted preventive health checks: the TOF pilot project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruun Larsen, Lars

the identification and management of people at high risk in the population. Reach is a corner stone in the evaluation of preventive health checks. Even if the intervention is effective in itself, effect can only be expected if the intervention reaches persons who will benefit from the intervention. Objectives...... To examine the reach of a preventive healthcare intervention that systematically identifies patients at high risk of developing lifestyle-related disease, and provides targeted and coherent preventive services to these individuals. Material/Methods The study population comprises 8814 persons born between...... national registers concerning demographic information, prescriptions, and health care usage of the study population will be obtained from Statistics Denmark and analysed using logistic regression. Results Preliminary results show that 41 % consented to the project and 75 % here of participated in the joint...

75 FR 32190 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): SIP 10...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Interest Projects (SIPs): SIP 10-033, Innovative... with Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), the Centers for Disease...

Allowing for MSD prevention during facilities planning for a public service: an a posteriori analysis of 10 library design projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellemare, Marie; Trudel, Louis; Ledoux, Elise; Montreuil, Sylvie; Marier, Micheline; Laberge, Marie; Vincent, Patrick

2006-01-01

Research was conducted to identify an ergonomics-based intervention model designed to factor in musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention when library projects are being designed. The first stage of the research involved an a posteriori analysis of 10 recent redesign projects. The purpose of the analysis was to document perceptions about the attention given to MSD prevention measures over the course of a project on the part of 2 categories of employees: librarians responsible for such projects and personnel working in the libraries before and after changes. Subjects were interviewed in focus groups. Outcomes of the analysis can guide our ergonomic assessment of current situations and contribute to a better understanding of the way inclusion or improvement of prevention measures can support the workplace design process.

Support tube of in-core instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzumura, Takeshi; Saito, Shozo; Yasuda, Tetsuo; Shirosaki, Kiyotaka.

1975-01-01

Object: To permit satisfactory output measurement by preventing the bending of a in-core instrument tube within a reactor due to vibrations by means of a spring and thereby preventing mechanical damage of an adjacent fuel channel box. Structure: At a corner of a channel box of a fuel assembly, a in-core instrument tube is arranged along a channel box and has its surface provided with a plurality of removable leaf springs arranged in the direction of axis of the in-core instrument tube and each having an arcular tip. Thus, when the in-core instrument tube is inserted into the reactor, the arcular tip portions of the leaf springs are brought into plane contact with the corner of the channel box so that the in-core instrument tube is elastically supported on the channel box. Thus, there is no possibility of causing damage to the adjacent fuel channel box. (Kamimura, M.)

Instrumentation maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mack, D.A.

1976-09-01

It is essential to any research activity that accurate and efficient measurements be made for the experimental parameters under consideration for each individual experiment or test. Satisfactory measurements in turn depend upon having the necessary instruments and the capability of ensuring that they are performing within their intended specifications. This latter requirement can only be achieved by providing an adequate maintenance facility, staffed with personnel competent to understand the problems associated with instrument adjustment and repair. The Instrument Repair Shop at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory is designed to achieve this end. The organization, staffing and operation of this system is discussed. Maintenance policy should be based on studies of (1) preventive vs. catastrophic maintenance, (2) records indicating when equipment should be replaced rather than repaired and (3) priorities established to indicate the order in which equipment should be repaired. Upon establishing a workable maintenance policy, the staff should be instructed so that they may provide appropriate scheduled preventive maintenance, calibration and corrective procedures, and emergency repairs. The education, training and experience of the maintenance staff is discussed along with the organization for an efficient operation. The layout of the various repair shops is described in the light of laboratory space and financial constraints

Sustainable knowledge development across cultural boundaries: Experiences from the EU-project SILMAS (Toolbox for conflict solving instruments in Alpine Lake Management)

Science.gov (United States)

Fegerl, Michael; Wieden, Wilfried

2013-04-01

Increasingly people have to communicate knowledge across cultural and language boundaries. Even though recent technologies offer powerful communication facilities people often feel confronted with barriers which clearly reduce their chances of making their interaction a success. Concrete evidence concerning such problems derives from a number of projects, where generated knowledge often results in dead-end products. In the Alpine Space-project SILMAS (Sustainable Instruments for Lake Management in Alpine Space), in which both authors were involved, a special approach (syneris® ) was taken to avoid this problem and to manage project knowledge in sustainable form. Under this approach knowledge input and output are handled interactively: Relevant knowledge can be developed continuously and users can always access the latest state of expertise. Resort to the respective tools and procedures can also assist in closing knowledge gaps and in developing innovative responses to familiar or novel problems. This contribution intends to describe possible ways and means which have been found to increase the chances of success of knowledge communication across cultural boundaries. The process of trans-cultural discussions of experts to find a standardized solution is highlighted as well as the problem of dissemination of expert knowledge to variant stakeholders. Finally lessons learned are made accessible, where a main task lies in the creation of a tool box for conflict solving instruments, as a demonstrable result of the project and for the time thereafter. The interactive web-based toolbox enables lake managers to access best practice instruments in standardized, explicit and cross-linguistic form.

Royal Military College of Canada SLOWPOKE-2 facility. Integrated regulating and instrumentation system (SIRCIS) upgrade project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corcoran, W.P.; Nielsen, K.S.; Kelly, D.G.; Weir, R.D.

2013-01-01

The SLOWPOKE-2 Facility at the Royal Military College of Canada has operated the only digitally controlled SLOWPOKE reactor since 2001 (Version 1.0). The present work describes ongoing project development to provide a robust digital reactor control system that is consistent with Aging Management as summarized in the Facility's Life Cycle Management and Maintenance Plan. The project has transitioned from a post-graduate research activity to a comprehensively managed project supported by a team of RMCC professional and technical staff who have delivered an update of the V1.1 system software and hardware implementation that is consistent with best Canadian nuclear industry practice. The challenges associated with the implementation of Version 2.0 in February 2012, the lessons learned from this implementation, and the applications of these lessons to a redesign and rewrite of the RMCC SLOWPOKE-2 digital instrumentation and regulating system (Version 3) are discussed. (author)

Preliminary safety analysis report for project 89-GEB-610 Plutonium Finishing Plant instrumentation upgrade. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huber, T.E.

1995-01-01

This document consists of an analysis of the MICON system upgrade. This project shall install a Micon Co. distributed process monitor and control system with Sparc Sun workstation operator interfaces. The Sparc workstations are housed in consoles custom designed to human factors specifications. The distributed control system (DCS) shall have the installed capacity to monitor and control all related instruments and equipment presently connected to the panels in the PFP Power Control Room 321A as listed in the input/output list. This also includes all devices monitored and controlled by the 2736-ZB Allen Bradley programmable logic controller. The system has since assumed the control and monitoring responsibilities for Projects B- 680H ''Low Level Waste Treatment Facility'' and C-031H ''PFP Liquid Effluent Facilities''. Part of the new en's change area in Building 234-5ZA, Room 712, has been remodeled to house two consoles and one supervisor console. Local control units containing the microprocontrollers and the input/output interface circuit boards shall be wired to the instrumentation and controlled equipment. These units communicate with the Sparc workstations via a redundant data communications highway and shall be strategic, throughout the PFP facility. The DCS has already been purchased from Micon Co., located in Houston Texas, presently on site

Project of an integrated calibration laboratory of instruments at IPEN; Projeto de um laboratorio integrado de calibracao de instrumentos no IPEN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barros, Gustavo Adolfo San Jose

2009-07-01

The Calibration Laboratory of Instruments of Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares offers calibration services of radiation detectors used in radioprotection, diagnostic radiology and radiotherapy, for IPEN and for external facilities (public and private). One part of its facilities is located in the main building, along with other laboratories and study rooms, and another part in an isolated building called Bunker. For the optimization, modernization and specially the safety, the laboratories in the main building shall be transferred to an isolated place. In this work, a project of an integrated laboratory for calibration of instruments was developed, and it will be an expansion of the current Calibration Laboratory of Instruments of IPEN. Therefore, a series of radiometric monitoring of the chosen localization of the future laboratory was realized, and all staff needs (dimensions and disposition of the study rooms and laboratories) were defined. In this project, the laboratories with X ray equipment, alpha and beta radiation sources were located at an isolated part of the building, and the wall shielding was determined, depending on the use of each laboratory. (author)

Assessing gait adaptability in people with a unilateral amputation on an instrumented treadmill with a projected visual context.

Science.gov (United States)

Houdijk, Han; van Ooijen, Mariëlle W; Kraal, Jos J; Wiggerts, Henri O; Polomski, Wojtek; Janssen, Thomas W J; Roerdink, Melvyn

2012-11-01

Gait adaptability, including the ability to avoid obstacles and to take visually guided steps, is essential for safe movement through a cluttered world. This aspect of walking ability is important for regaining independent mobility but is difficult to assess in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to investigate the validity of an instrumented treadmill with obstacles and stepping targets projected on the belt's surface for assessing prosthetic gait adaptability. This was an observational study. A control group of people who were able bodied (n=12) and groups of people with transtibial (n=12) and transfemoral (n=12) amputations participated. Participants walked at a self-selected speed on an instrumented treadmill with projected visual obstacles and stepping targets. Gait adaptability was evaluated in terms of anticipatory and reactive obstacle avoidance performance (for obstacles presented 4 steps and 1 step ahead, respectively) and accuracy of stepping on regular and irregular patterns of stepping targets. In addition, several clinical tests were administered, including timed walking tests and reports of incidence of falls and fear of falling. Obstacle avoidance performance and stepping accuracy were significantly lower in the groups with amputations than in the control group. Anticipatory obstacle avoidance performance was moderately correlated with timed walking test scores. Reactive obstacle avoidance performance and stepping accuracy performance were not related to timed walking tests. Gait adaptability scores did not differ in groups stratified by incidence of falls or fear of falling. Because gait adaptability was affected by walking speed, differences in self-selected walking speed may have diminished differences in gait adaptability between groups. Gait adaptability can be validly assessed by use of an instrumented treadmill with a projected visual context. When walking speed is taken into account, this assessment provides unique

Laser light scattering instrument advanced technology development

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, J. F.

1993-01-01

The objective of this advanced technology development (ATD) project has been to provide sturdy, miniaturized laser light scattering (LLS) instrumentation for use in microgravity experiments. To do this, we assessed user requirements, explored the capabilities of existing and prospective laser light scattering hardware, and both coordinated and participated in the hardware and software advances needed for a flight hardware instrument. We have successfully breadboarded and evaluated an engineering version of a single-angle glove-box instrument which uses solid state detectors and lasers, along with fiber optics, for beam delivery and detection. Additionally, we have provided the specifications and written verification procedures necessary for procuring a miniature multi-angle LLS instrument which will be used by the flight hardware project which resulted from this work and from this project's interaction with the laser light scattering community.

A proposed framework for conducting pollution prevention design assessments (P2DAs) on U.S. Department of Energy design projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorsey, J.A.

1995-03-01

The purpose of this manual is to provide a framework for project managers, engineers, and designers to integrate pollution prevention principles and features into DOE design projects. The framework suggested is referred to as the pollution prevention design assessment (P2DA). The P2DA is based on DOE's method for conducting pollution prevention opportunity assessments (PPOAs) on existing waste-generating operations, but the P2DA is modified because the facility or process it assesses does not physically exist during design. Before the P2DA framework is introduced in the manual, recommendations for establishing the P2DA team and budget are provided. Specific pollution prevention requirements and opportunities for each design stage as delineated in DOE Order 4700.1 Project Management System are also discussed and a sample format for drafting a P2DA report is provided in the appendix. The scope of this manual includes not only the P2DA framework, but also a background discussion of pollution prevention and related topics; the regulatory requirements mandating design for pollution prevention; the benefits and barriers of designing for pollution prevention; and the impact that pollution prevention and related environmental avoidance concepts have had on the engineering profession

Large Instrument Development for Radio Astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, J. Richard; Warnick, Karl F.; Jeffs, Brian D.; Norrod, Roger D.; Lockman, Felix J.; Cordes, James M.; Giovanelli, Riccardo

2009-03-01

This white paper offers cautionary observations about the planning and development of new, large radio astronomy instruments. Complexity is a strong cost driver so every effort should be made to assign differing science requirements to different instruments and probably different sites. The appeal of shared resources is generally not realized in practice and can often be counterproductive. Instrument optimization is much more difficult with longer lists of requirements, and the development process is longer and less efficient. More complex instruments are necessarily further behind the technology state of the art because of longer development times. Including technology R&D in the construction phase of projects is a growing trend that leads to higher risks, cost overruns, schedule delays, and project de-scoping. There are no technology breakthroughs just over the horizon that will suddenly bring down the cost of collecting area. Advances come largely through careful attention to detail in the adoption of new technology provided by industry and the commercial market. Radio astronomy instrumentation has a very bright future, but a vigorous long-term R&D program not tied directly to specific projects needs to be restored, fostered, and preserved.

Instrument Remote Control via the Astronomical Instrument Markup Language

Science.gov (United States)

Sall, Ken; Ames, Troy; Warsaw, Craig; Koons, Lisa; Shafer, Richard

1998-01-01

The Instrument Remote Control (IRC) project ongoing at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Information Systems Center (ISC) supports NASA's mission by defining an adaptive intranet-based framework that provides robust interactive and distributed control and monitoring of remote instruments. An astronomical IRC architecture that combines the platform-independent processing capabilities of Java with the power of Extensible Markup Language (XML) to express hierarchical data in an equally platform-independent, as well as human readable manner, has been developed. This architecture is implemented using a variety of XML support tools and Application Programming Interfaces (API) written in Java. IRC will enable trusted astronomers from around the world to easily access infrared instruments (e.g., telescopes, cameras, and spectrometers) located in remote, inhospitable environments, such as the South Pole, a high Chilean mountaintop, or an airborne observatory aboard a Boeing 747. Using IRC's frameworks, an astronomer or other scientist can easily define the type of onboard instrument, control the instrument remotely, and return monitoring data all through the intranet. The Astronomical Instrument Markup Language (AIML) is the first implementation of the more general Instrument Markup Language (IML). The key aspects of our approach to instrument description and control applies to many domains, from medical instruments to machine assembly lines. The concepts behind AIML apply equally well to the description and control of instruments in general. IRC enables us to apply our techniques to several instruments, preferably from different observatories.

Design and manufacture NCS instruments for cement factories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Thanh Tuy; Nguyen Tien Dung; Dang Nguyet Anh; Nguyen Phuc; Khuong Thanh Tuan; Luong Duc Long; Pham Trong Quyen

2003-01-01

The ministry project 'Design and manufacture some of NCS instruments for cement factories' is a part of instrumentation for cement production in Vietnam. The objectives of the project include: 1/Design and manufacture the automatic control system for cement raw material mixing, connected to components X-ray analyzer through serial port of PC; 2/Design and manufacture the automatic discharge control system using gamma rays. The instruments, made by the project , for controlling the conveyor belt weighing machine can be easily improved for various types of conveyor belt weighing machines. Their mobility and software equipped can be adapted for requirement of modern cement production technology. The instruments are operating well in some cement factories and they are helping in quality control. (NHA)

Project C-018H, 242-A evaporator/PUREX Plant Process Condensate Treatment Facility Instrumentation and Control (I ampersand C)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupuis, A.

1995-01-01

This Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) has been prepared to demonstrate that the Collection System Instrumentation ampersand Control System for Project C-018H performs according to design. Specifically, this ATP is designed to verify the following overall system requirements: The input and outputs properly connected to the LCU terminal strips. The control system software conforms to the configuration specified by the logic diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams (P ampersand ID), and the LERF operating philosophy. Testing will be performed using actual signals. If actual signals are not available, then simulated signals will be used to complete the tests

Development of CAMAC and Fastbus instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkateswaran, Aruna; Behere, Anita; Ghodgaonkar, M.D.; Bairi, B.R.

1987-01-01

This report describes the work being done towards the development of CAMAC and Fast Bus Instrumentation under the VII Five Year Plan Project 'Modernisation of Reactor Control Instrumentation and Development of CAMAC and FAST BUS Instrumentation'. The report summarises the goals, objectives, principles and concepts of CAMAC and Fast Bus Instrumentation. While emphasizing the motivation behind the development of CAMAC and Fast Bus Instrumentation, the report brings out the current status and future plans of this development program. (author)

Pancreatitis Quality of Life Instrument: Development of a new instrument

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wahid Wassef

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The goal of this project was to develop the first disease-specific instrument for the evaluation of quality of life in chronic pancreatitis. Methods: Focus groups and interview sessions were conducted, with chronic pancreatitis patients, to identify items felt to impact quality of life which were subsequently formatted into a paper-and-pencil instrument. This instrument was used to conduct an online survey by an expert panel of pancreatologists to evaluate its content validity. Finally, the modified instrument was presented to patients during precognitive testing interviews to evaluate its clarity and appropriateness. Results: In total, 10 patients were enrolled in the focus groups and interview sessions where they identified 50 items. Once redundant items were removed, the 40 remaining items were made into a paper-and-pencil instrument referred to as the Pancreatitis Quality of Life Instrument. Through the processes of content validation and precognitive testing, the number of items in the instrument was reduced to 24. Conclusions: This marks the development of the first disease-specific instrument to evaluate quality of life in chronic pancreatitis. It includes unique features not found in generic instruments (economic factors, stigma, and spiritual factors. Although this marks a giant step forward, psychometric evaluation is still needed prior to its clinical use.

Nuclear and fundamental physics instrumentation for the ANS project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, S.J.; Faust, H.; Piotrowski, A.E.

1996-05-01

This report summarizes work carried out during the period 1991-1995 in connection with the refinement of the concepts and detailed designs for nuclear and fundamental physics research instrumentation at the proposed Advanced Neutron source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Initially, emphasis was placed on refining the existing System Design Document (SDD-43) to detail more accurately the needs and interfaces of the instruments that are identified in the document. The conceptual designs of these instruments were also refined to reflect current thinking in the field of nuclear and fundamental physics. In particular, the on-line isotope separator (ISOL) facility design was reconsidered in the light of the development of interest in radioactive ion beams within the nuclear physics community. The second stage of this work was to define those instrument parameters that would interface directly with the reactor systems so that these parameters could be considered for the ISOL facility and particularly for its associated ion source. Since two of these options involved ion sources internal to the long slant beam tube, these were studied in detail. In addition, preliminary work was done to identify the needs for the target holder and changing facility to be located in the tangential through-tube. Because many of the planned nuclear and fundamental physics instruments have similar needs in terms of detection apparatus, some progress was also made in defining the parameters for these detectors. 21 refs., 32 figs., 2 tabs

Is Project Towards No Drug Abuse (Project TND) an evidence-based drug and violence prevention program? A review and reappraisal of the evaluation studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Gorman, Dennis M

2014-08-01

This paper critically reviews the published evidence pertaining to Project Towards No Drug Abuse (Project TND). Publications from seven evaluation studies of Project TND are reviewed, and the results from these are discussed as related to the following outcomes: main effects on the use of cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana; main effects on the use of "hard drugs," defined in the evaluations as cocaine, hallucinogens, stimulants, inhalants, ecstasy and other drugs (e.g., depressants, PCP, steroids and heroin); subgroup and interaction analyses of drug use; and violence-related behaviors. Very few main effects have been found for cigarette, alcohol and marijuana use in the Project TND evaluations. While studies do report main effects for hard drug use, these findings are subject to numerous threats to validity and may be attributable to the data analyses employed. Similarly, while isolated subgroup and interaction effects were found for alcohol use among baseline nonusers and some violence-related behaviors in the early Project TND evaluations, these findings have not been replicated in more recent studies and may result from multiple comparisons between study conditions. In conclusion, there is little evidence to support the assertion that Project TND is an effective drug or violence prevention program. The broader implications of these findings for prevention science are discussed and suggestions are made as to how the quality of research in the field might be improved.

Development of advanced instrumentation for the Phebus FP project-preliminary studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hampel, G.; Poss, G.

1989-10-01

The objective of the project was to examine advanced measuring methods for on-line determination of aerosol, thermohydraulic and hydrogen parameters for their usefulness in the French core melting programme PHEBUS FP. Advanced methods that are known from reactor safety programmes as well as novel measuring techniques as used in related fields such as fuel reprocessing and in non-nuclear process technology have been described and analysed with a view to their potential application in the planned tests. Possibly necessary further developments and modifications have been identified and approaches to solution have been outlined. Special emphasis has been put on the present state of radiation resistant optical fibre wave-guides, which might be integrated in several instruments. As regards the particularly important on-line aerosol measurements in PHEBUS FP, a combined system is recommended as the most promising further development. This novel system configuration comprises the mass monitor of a MESA dust monitoring system and one or several photometers of EIR design

Investigating the Quality of Project-Based Science and Technology Learning Environments in Elementary School: A Critical Review of Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Thys, Miranda; Verschaffel, Lieven; Van Dooren, Wim; Laevers, Ferre

2016-01-01

This paper provides a systematic review of instruments that have the potential to measure the quality of project-based science and technology (S&T) learning environments in elementary school. To this end, a comprehensive literature search was undertaken for the large field of S&T learning environments. We conducted a horizontal bottom-up…

Risk and direct protective factors for youth violence: results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Multisite Violence Prevention Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, David B; Tolan, Patrick H; Gorman-Smith, Deborah; Schoeny, Michael E

2012-08-01

This study was conducted as part of a multisite effort to examine risk and direct protective factors for youth violence. The goal was to identify those factors in the lives of young people that increase or decrease the risk of violence. These analyses fill an important gap in the literature, as few studies have examined risk and direct protective factors for youth violence across multiple studies. Data on 4432 middle-school youth, from the CDC Multisite Violence Prevention Project were used. Evaluations were made of effects of variables coded as risk and direct protective factors in the fall of 6th grade on violence measured in spring of 7th and 8th grades. Factors tested included depression, delinquency, alcohol and drug involvement, involvement in family activities, academic achievement, attitudes toward school, truancy, and peer deviance. Most variables were coded with two sets of dummy variables indicating risk and protective directions of effects. Results showed that higher teacher-rated study skills were associated with lower subsequent violence across genders and ethnic groups. Affiliation with deviant peers was significantly associated with increased subsequent violence among youth reporting their race/ethnicity as white or other, marginally associated with increased violence among African-American youth, and unrelated among Latino youth. This study identified some factors than should be areas of interest for effective prevention programs. Some ethnic differences also should be considered in planning of prevention. The CDC Multisite Violence Prevention Project completed enrollment prior to July 2005. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Shield calculation of project for instrument calibration integrated laboratory of IPEN-Sao Paulo, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros, Gustavo A.S.J.; Caldas, Linda V.E.

2009-01-01

This work performed the shield calculation of the future rooms walls of the five X-ray equipment of the Instrument Calibration Laboratory of the IPEN, Sao Paulo, Brazil, which will be constructed in project of laboratory enlargement. The obtained results by application of a calculation methodology from an international regulation have shown that the largest thickness of shielding (25.7 cm of concrete or 7.1 mm of lead) will be of the wall which will receive the primary beam of the equipment with a 320 kV voltage. The cost/benefit analysis indicated the concrete as the best material option for the shielding

Development of a student engagement approach to alcohol prevention: the Pragmatics Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Buettner, Cynthia K; Andrews, David W; Glassman, Michael

2009-01-01

Significant involvement of students in the development and implementation of college alcohol prevention strategies is largely untested, despite recommendations by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and others. The purpose of the Pragmatics Project was to test a student engagement model for developing and implementing alcohol intervention strategies. The Pragmatics Project involved 89 undergraduate students on a large Midwestern university campus in the design and implementation of projects focused on reducing harm associated with high-risk drinking and off-campus parties. The engagement model used an innovative course piloted in the Human Development and Family Science department. The course successfully involved both students and the community in addressing local alcohol issues. The course design described would fit well into a Master of Public Health, Community Psychology, Health Psychology, or interdisciplinary curricula as well as the service learning model, and it is applicable in addressing other health risk behaviors.

One project`s waste is another project`s resource

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Short, J.

1997-02-01

The author describes the efforts being made toward pollution prevention within the DOE complex, as a way to reduce overall project costs, in addition to decreasing the amount of waste to be handled. Pollution prevention is a concept which is trying to be ingrained into project planning. Part of the program involves the concept that ultimately the responsibility for waste comes back to the generator. Parts of the program involve efforts to reuse materials and equipment on new projects, to recycle wastes to generate offsetting revenue, and to increase awareness, accountability and incentives so as to stimulate action on this plan. Summaries of examples are presented in tables.

"Just dreaming of them": The Berlin Project for Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse by Juveniles (PPJ).

Science.gov (United States)

Beier, Klaus M; Oezdemir, Umut C; Schlinzig, Eliza; Groll, Anna; Hupp, Elena; Hellenschmidt, Tobias

2016-02-01

The Berlin Project for Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse by Juveniles (PPJ) offers diagnostic and therapeutic help to 12-to-18-year-old juveniles with a sexual preference for the prepubescent and/or early pubescent body of children and who apply for treatment on a voluntary basis. The project goal is to prevent primary or recurrent child sexual abuse as well as primary or recurrent use of child abuse images. Treatment aims to enable affected juveniles to obtain control over their conflictual sexual behaviors. In the present article, the origin of the PPJ; its main approach, including the conception of a media campaign; as well as results from the first year of a three-year study are presented. Further, initial characterizations of juveniles taking part in the project for the first 12 months are provided. The results confirmed that the group of 12-to-18-year-old juveniles with a sexual preference for prepubescent and/or early pubescent minors exists as a target group for primary preventive measures and that they can be assessed for their sexual preferences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Texts of the Instruments concerning the Agency's Assistance to Indonesia for the Continuation of a Research Reactor Project. A Third Supply Agreement and an Amendment to the Project Agreement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-02-01

As a sequel to the assistance with the Agency has provided to the Government of Indonesia for the continuation of a research reactor project, a Third Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and the Governments of Indonesia and the United States of America. In this connection, an Amendment to the Project Agreement of 19 December 1969 has been concluded between the Agency and the Government of Indonesia. Both the Third Supply Agreement and the Amendment to the Project Agreement entered into force on 7 December 1979, pursuant to Article VI and IV respectively. The texts of both instruments are reproduced in this document for the information of all Members.

Data acquisition instruments: Psychopharmacology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartley, D.S. III

1998-01-01

This report contains the results of a Direct Assistance Project performed by Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc., for Dr. K. O. Jobson. The purpose of the project was to perform preliminary analysis of the data acquisition instruments used in the field of psychiatry, with the goal of identifying commonalities of data and strategies for handling and using the data in the most advantageous fashion. Data acquisition instruments from 12 sources were provided by Dr. Jobson. Several commonalities were identified and a potentially useful data strategy is reported here. Analysis of the information collected for utility in performing diagnoses is recommended. In addition, further work is recommended to refine the commonalities into a directly useful computer systems structure.

NEW INSTRUMENTS FOR MANAGEMENT OF CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS IN THE NEW ECONOMY STRUCTURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silka Dmitriy Nikolaevich

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Subject: the new economy structure is directly related to the active application of digital technologies. Economic processes are more formalized and for making administrative decisions it becomes possible to operate in a greater degree with precise criteria and information than probabilistic assumptions. As a subject of research, new tools for managing construction programs and projects are presented. Research objectives: the purpose of the study is to formulate general principles and directions for the digitization of economic relations in investment and construction activities to ensure the effectiveness of implementation of new generation projects. Materials and methods: to achieve the goal, the article shows the composition of state programs and projects in the construction sector and the system problems of their implementation. Organizational methods of increasing their effectiveness are considered. Results: the most promising areas of implementation of new management tools for investment and construction programs and projects are identified. Conclusions: the article shows the current dynamics of changes in technical and socio-economic systems at the level of construction sector. It is pointed out that the tasks of socio-economic nature require the development of unique approaches since the peculiarities of Russian legislation, of the prevailing norms and rules of economic activity prevent the direct replication of successful foreign experience.

Instrumentation for Nuclear Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The objective of this project was to develop and coordinate nuclear instrumentation standards with resulting economies for the nuclear and radiation fields. There was particular emphasis on coordination and management of the Nuclear Instrument Module (NIM) System, U.S. activity involving the CAMAC international standard dataway system, the FASTBUS modular high-speed data acquisition and control system and processing and management of national nuclear instrumentation and detector standards, as well as a modest amount of assistance and consultation services to the Pollutant Characterization and Safety Research Division of the Office of Health and Environmental Research. The principal accomplishments were the development and maintenance of the NIM instrumentation system that is the predominant instrumentation system in the nuclear and radiation fields worldwide, the CAMAC digital interface system in coordination with the ESONE Committee of European Laboratories, the FASTBUS high-speed system and numerous national and international nuclear instrumentation standards

The role of instrumentation and control systems in power uprating projects for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The IAEA's activities in nuclear power plant operating performance and life cycle management are aimed at increasing Member State capabilities in utilizing good engineering and management practices developed and transferred by the IAEA. In particular, the IAEA supports activities focusing on the improvement of nuclear power plant (NPP) performance, plant life management, training, power uprating, operational licence renewal, and the modernization of instrumentation and control (I and C) systems of NPPs in Member States. The subject of the I and C systems' role in power uprating projects in NPPs was suggested by the Technical Working Group on Nuclear Power Plant Control and Instrumentation in 2003. The subject was then approved by the IAEA and included in the programmes for 2004-2007. The increasing importance of power uprating projects can be attributed to the general worldwide tendency to the deregulation of the electricity market. The greater demand for electricity and the available capacity and safety margins, as well as the pressure from several operating NPPs resulted in requests for licence modification to enable operation at a higher power level, beyond the original licence provisions. A number of nuclear utilities have already gone through the uprating process for their nuclear reactors, and many more are planning to go through this modification process. In addition to mechanical and process equipment changes, parts of the electrical and I and C systems and components may also need to be altered to accommodate the new operating conditions and safety limits. This report addresses the role of I and C systems in NPP power uprating projects. The objective of the report is to provide guidance to utilities, safety analysts, regulators and others involved in the preparation, implementation and licensing of power uprating projects, with particular emphasis on the I and C aspects of these projects. As the average age of NPPs is increasing, it is becoming common for

HIV prevention costs and program scale: data from the PANCEA project in five low and middle-income countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanley Nicci

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Economic theory and limited empirical data suggest that costs per unit of HIV prevention program output (unit costs will initially decrease as small programs expand. Unit costs may then reach a nadir and start to increase if expansion continues beyond the economically optimal size. Information on the relationship between scale and unit costs is critical to project the cost of global HIV prevention efforts and to allocate prevention resources efficiently. Methods The "Prevent AIDS: Network for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis" (PANCEA project collected 2003 and 2004 cost and output data from 206 HIV prevention programs of six types in five countries. The association between scale and efficiency for each intervention type was examined for each country. Our team characterized the direction, shape, and strength of this association by fitting bivariate regression lines to scatter plots of output levels and unit costs. We chose the regression forms with the highest explanatory power (R2. Results Efficiency increased with scale, across all countries and interventions. This association varied within intervention and within country, in terms of the range in scale and efficiency, the best fitting regression form, and the slope of the regression. The fraction of variation in efficiency explained by scale ranged from 26% – 96%. Doubling in scale resulted in reductions in unit costs averaging 34.2% (ranging from 2.4% to 58.0%. Two regression trends, in India, suggested an inflection point beyond which unit costs increased. Conclusion Unit costs decrease with scale across a wide range of service types and volumes. These country and intervention-specific findings can inform projections of the global cost of scaling up HIV prevention efforts.

A reliability-based preventive maintenance methodology for the projection spot welding machine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fayzimatov Ulugbek

2018-06-01

Full Text Available An effective operations of a projection spot welding (PSW machine is closely related to the effec-tiveness of the maintenance. Timely maintenance can prevent failures and improve reliability and maintainability of the machine. Therefore, establishing the maintenance frequency for the welding machine is one of the most important tasks for plant engineers. In this regard, reliability analysis of the welding machine can be used to establish preventive maintenance intervals (PMI and to identify the critical parts of the system. In this reliability and maintainability study, analysis of the PSW machine was carried out. The failure and repair data for analysis were obtained from automobile manufacturing company located in Uzbekistan. The machine was divided into three main sub-systems: electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic. Different distributions functions for all sub-systems was tested and their parameters tabulated. Based on estimated parameters of the analyzed distribu-tions, PMI for the PSW machines sub-systems at different reliability levels was calculated. Finally, preventive measures for enhancing the reliability of the PSW machine sub-systems are suggested.

Evaluation of DELTA PREP: A Project Aimed at Integrating Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence within State Domestic Violence Coalitions

Science.gov (United States)

Freire, Kimberley E.; Zakocs, Ronda; Le, Brenda; Hill, Jessica A.; Brown, Pamela; Wheaton, Jocelyn

2015-01-01

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been recognized as a public health problem since the late 20th century. To spur IPV prevention efforts nationwide, the DELTA PREP Project selected 19 state domestic violence coalitions to build organizational prevention capacity and catalyze IPV primary prevention strategies within their states.…

Technology Transfer Programme In Reactor Digital Instrumentation And Control System (REDICS) Project: Knowledge, Experiences And Future Expectations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nurfarhana Ayuni Joha; Mohamad Puad Abu; Izhar Abu Hussin; Ridzuan Abdul Mutalib; Zareen Khan Abdul Jalil Khan; Mohd Khairulezwan Abdul Manan; Mohd Sabri Minhat; Mohd Idris Taib

2013-01-01

The PUSPATI TRIGA MARK II research reactor in Malaysia was commissioned in 1982. After 31 years of operation, Nuclear Malaysia is taking an approach for a better research and development in nuclear radiations as well as the technical services that provided. Reactor TRIGA PUSPATI (RTP) is currently upgrading its control console from analogue to digital system. The Reactor Digital Instrumentation and Control System (ReDICS) project is done on cooperation with Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Korea including the technical part from the design stage until commissioning as well as the Technology Transfer Program (TTP). TTP in this ReDICS project is a part of Human Resource and System Development Program. It was carried out from the design stage until the commissioning of the system. It covers all subjects related to the design on the digital system and the requirements for the operation of RTP. The objective of this paper is to share the knowledge and experiences gained through this ReDICS project. This paper will also discuss the future expectations from this ReDICS project for Nuclear Malaysia and its personnel, as well as to the country. (author)

Contributions of the SDR Task Network tool to Calibration and Validation of the NPOESS Preparatory Project instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Feeley, J.; Zajic, J.; Metcalf, A.; Baucom, T.

2009-12-01

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) Calibration and Validation (Cal/Val) team is planning post-launch activities to calibrate the NPP sensors and validate Sensor Data Records (SDRs). The IPO has developed a web-based data collection and visualization tool in order to effectively collect, coordinate, and manage the calibration and validation tasks for the OMPS, ATMS, CrIS, and VIIRS instruments. This tool is accessible to the multi-institutional Cal/Val teams consisting of the Prime Contractor and Government Cal/Val leads along with the NASA NPP Mission team, and is used for mission planning and identification/resolution of conflicts between sensor activities. Visualization techniques aid in displaying task dependencies, including prerequisites and exit criteria, allowing for the identification of a critical path. This presentation will highlight how the information is collected, displayed, and used to coordinate the diverse instrument calibration/validation teams.

INNOVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS IN THE EXECUTION OF EUROPEAN UNION BUDGET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FLOREA IANC MARIA MIRABELA

2017-12-01

Full Text Available One of the main reasons invoked to support the use of public funds through financial instruments is that these funds can be used several times: they are therefore "renewable". For example, if a loan granted through such an instrument was repaid after three years, the repaid money could be used later to provide a new loan. Was examined therefore examined whether this renewal effect really materialized. The extent to which funds are renewed in practice depends on the type of financial support but also on the investment period of the instrument concerned. The objective of this article is to highlight that financial instruments have been and are always a way of supporting the attraction and bringing of specific advantages compared to other forms of financing from the European Union The imbalance between the development environment of Central and Eastern Europe countries, candidate countries and EU member states, is quite large and the regions it is even more pronounced. These differences represent serious obstacles in the smooth functioning of the entire Community. The existence of the word "poverty" in some areas of the EU border disrupts the harmony and balance within the community and prevents the creation of an area of equilibrium across the European continent. Essentially, to reduce these imbalances, EU financial support to candidate countries through pre-accession structural instruments, which have a particularly important role in this process. I believe that the Financial Instruments are an effective way of mobilizing cohesion policy resources to achieve the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy. Targeting projects with potential economic viability, financial instruments provide support for investment through loans, guarantees, capital investment and other bearing mechanisms of risk, which may be combined with technical assistance, interest rate subsidies or contributions to the guarantee fees in the same operation. In addition to the

The study of KBP of road construction workers of highway AIDS prevention project before and after intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Dan; Dong, Si-Ping; Gao, Guang-Ming; Fan, Ming-Yu; Zhang, Zong-Jiu; Fang, Peng-Qian

2013-10-01

To get scientific basis for further health education through the research of the road construction workers' KBP before and after the interventions of highway AIDS prevention project. Multi-stage random sampling method was employeed to select workers of 8 sites from 14 sites along highway to investigate their AIDS knowledge, belief and performance (KBP) before and after highway AIDS prevention project. Over 90% of the investigated workers had ever heard about AIDS, and the non-skilled workers of lower educational level improved more after intervention. The correct answer rate of the three transmitting ways of AIDS of drivers which is the focused group of highway before and after intervention had the obvious statistical significance (Proad construction workers is effective and further health education of HIV prevention should be carried out among the road construction workers to improve their knowledge and awareness of avoiding the high-risk behaviors. Copyright © 2013 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carbon Footprint Reduction Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

This page outlines the major differences between Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) and Project Offsets and what types of claims each instrument allows the organization to make in regards to environmental emissions claims.

Instrument setpoints and data gathering techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leong, J.L.; Ornellas, R.P.; Atkinson, J.L.; Gross, R.S.

1994-01-01

Setpoint calculation project sizes vary greatly depending upon the level of effort required and can generally be classified as small or large depending on the number of setpoint calculations required. Small projects usually consist of new system upgrades, power uprates, and the utility's response to industry wide issues and concerns, and require between 10 and 120 setpoint calculations. Large projects usually involve design basis reconstitutions and the complete recalculating of all setpoints prioritized on system or safety related bases. Both large and small project schedules are usually directly tied to Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) commitment dates and it is not uncommon for a large project to take 2 to 3 years to complete. Setpoint calculation projects have historically been performed by the brute force technique employing a variety of methodologies. The brute force technique typically employed today involves putting together a project team large enough to perform all the scheduled setpoint calculations. Setpoint calculations vary in size and complexity and, therefore, may require a wide range of man-hours of a qualified instrument setpoint engineer's time to perform instrument input data retrieval, resolve conflicting input data values, and complete the calculation. The actual time to perform the setpoint calculation using a computer program to calculate results is relatively small in comparison with the time required for data collection and the preparation of supporting documentation. Three major issues have traditionally plagued setpoint calculation projects: data collection; methodology; and incomplete and inconsistent calculations. These traditional problems are addressed and an innovative solution to performing instrument setpoint calculation projects is presented. Through the use of the POWRTRAK database and powerful computer software programs, a new solution to an old and persistent industry challenge is established

Authentic Performance in the Instrumental Analysis Laboratory: Building a Visible Spectrophotometer Prototype

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Mark V.; Wilson, Erin

2017-01-01

In this work we describe an authentic performance project for Instrumental Analysis in which students designed, built, and tested spectrophotometers made from simple components. The project addressed basic course content such as instrument design principles, UV-vis spectroscopy, and spectroscopic instrument components as well as skills such as…

Instrumentation of air conditioning and ventilation system - R-5 project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, P.B.; Naik, C.D.; Narasingha Rao, S.N.

1977-01-01

A detailed account of instrumentation proposed for airconditioning and ventilation system in the R-5, 100 MW thermal research reactor, under construction is presented. Controls and instrumentation provided in this system are electronic, pneumatic and hydraulic in nature depending on the application. They cater to the accurate operation of the system and maintain the conditions strictly within desired tolerances. (S.K.K.)

A coordinated school health approach to obesity prevention among Appalachian youth: the Winning with Wellness Pilot Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Schetzina, Karen E; Dalton, William T; Lowe, Elizabeth F; Azzazy, Nora; VonWerssowetz, Katrina M; Givens, Connie; Pfortmiller, Deborah T; Stern, H Patrick

2009-01-01

Childhood obesity has been an increasing problem in the United States, especially in rural areas. Effective prevention approaches are needed. This article describes the development, implementation, effectiveness, feasibility, and sustainability of a school-based obesity prevention pilot project, Winning with Wellness. The program was based on the coordinated school health model and included a community-based participatory research approach aimed at promoting healthy eating and physical activity in a rural Appalachian elementary school. Findings from this preliminary project revealed improvements in nutrition offerings and increased physical activity during the school day. In addition, the program was found to be acceptable to teachers, successfully implemented utilizing both existing and newly developed resources, and sustainable as evidenced in continued practice and expansion to other area schools.

Compendium of Instrumentation Whitepapers on Frontier Physics Needs for Snowmass 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lipton, R. [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

2013-01-01

Contents of collection of whitepapers include: Operation of Collider Experiments at High Luminosity; Level 1 Track Triggers at HL-LHC; Tracking and Vertex Detectors for a Muon Collider; Triggers for hadron colliders at the energy frontier; ATLAS Upgrade Instrumentation; Instrumentation for the Energy Frontier; Particle Flow Calorimetry for CMS; Noble Liquid Calorimeters; Hadronic dual-readout calorimetry for high energy colliders; Another Detector for the International Linear Collider; e+e- Linear Colliders Detector Requirements and Limitations; Electromagnetic Calorimetry in Project X Experiments The Project X Physics Study; Intensity Frontier Instrumentation; Project X Physics Study Calorimetry Report; Project X Physics Study Tracking Report; The LHCb Upgrade; Neutrino Detectors Working Group Summary; Advanced Water Cherenkov R&D for WATCHMAN; Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC); Liquid Scintillator Instrumentation for Physics Frontiers; A readout architecture for 100,000 pixel Microwave Kinetic In- ductance Detector array; Instrumentation for New Measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background polarization; Future Atmospheric and Water Cherenkov ?-ray Detectors; Dark Energy; Can Columnar Recombination Provide Directional Sensitivity in WIMP Search?; Instrumentation Needs for Detection of Ultra-high Energy Neu- trinos; Low Background Materials for Direct Detection of Dark Matter; Physics Motivation for WIMP Dark Matter Directional Detection; Solid Xenon R&D at Fermilab; Ultra High Energy Neutrinos; Instrumentation Frontier: Direct Detection of WIMPs; nEXO detector R&D; Large Arrays of Air Cherenkov Detectors; and Applications of Laser Interferometry in Fundamental Physics Experiments.

Methods for assessing the preventability of adverse drug events: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hakkarainen, Katja Marja; Andersson Sundell, Karolina; Petzold, Max; Hägg, Staffan

2012-02-01

Preventable adverse drug events (ADEs) are common in both outpatient and inpatient settings. However, the proportion of preventable ADEs varies considerably in different studies, even when conducted in the same setting, and methods for assessing the preventability of ADEs are diverse. The aim of this article is to identify and systematically evaluate methods for assessing the preventability of ADEs. Seven databases (Cochrane, CINAHL, EMBASE, IPA, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Web of Science) were searched in September 2010 utilizing the databases' index terms and other common terminology on preventable ADEs. No limits for the years of publication were set. Reference lists of included original articles and relevant review articles were also screened. After applying predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria on 4161 unique citations, 142 (3.4%) original research articles were included in the review. One additional article was included from reference lists. Outcome measures of included studies had to include the frequency of ADEs and the assessment of their preventability. Studies were excluded if they focused on individuals with one specific type of treatment, medical condition, medical procedure or ADE. Measurement instruments for determining the preventability of ADEs in each article were extracted and unique instruments were compared. The process of assessing the preventability of ADEs was described based on reported actions taken to standardize and conduct the assessment, and on information about the reliability and validity of the assessment. Eighteen unique instruments for determining the preventability of ADEs were identified. They fell under the following four groups: (i) instruments using a definition of preventability only (n = 3); (ii) instruments with a definition of preventability and an assessment scale for determining preventability (n = 5); (iii) instruments with specific criteria for each preventability category (n = 3); and (iv) instruments

The surgical care improvement project and prevention of post-operative infection, including surgical site infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberger, Laura H; Politano, Amani D; Sawyer, Robert G

2011-06-01

In response to inconsistent compliance with infection prevention measures, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services collaborated with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the Surgical Infection Prevention (SIP) project, introduced in 2002. Quality improvement measures were developed to standardize processes to increase compliance. In 2006, the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) developed out of the SIP project and its process measures. These initiatives, published in the Specifications Manual for National Inpatient Quality Measures, outline process and outcome measures. This continually evolving manual is intended to provide standard quality measures to unify documentation and track standards of care. Seven of the SCIP initiatives apply to the peri-operative period: Prophylactic antibiotics should be received within 1 h prior to surgical incision (1), be selected for activity against the most probable antimicrobial contaminants (2), and be discontinued within 24 h after the surgery end-time (3); (4) euglycemia should be maintained, with well-controlled morning blood glucose concentrations on the first two post-operative days, especially in cardiac surgery patients; (6) hair at the surgical site should be removed with clippers or by depilatory methods, not with a blade; (9) urinary catheters are to be removed within the first two post-operative days; and (10) normothermia should be maintained peri-operatively. There is strong evidence that implementation of protocols that standardize practices reduce the risk of surgical infection. The SCIP initiative targets complications that account for a significant portion of preventable morbidity as well as cost. One of the goals of the SCIP guidelines was a 25% reduction in the incidence of surgical site infections from implementation through 2010. Process measures are becoming routine, and as we practice more evidence-based medicine, it falls to us, the surgeons and scientists, to be active

[KIPKEL--an interdisciplinary ambulatory prevention project for children with mentally ill parents].

Science.gov (United States)

Staets, S; Hipp, M

2001-09-01

Children of psychiatrically ill parents up to now have hardly been perceived as a risk group. In order to prevent these children form becoming psychiatrically ill the practice for art-therapy and psychotherapy and the social psychiatric service of the city of Hilden have developed a programme for parents having children under 18 years of age in which at least one parent suffers from endogenous psychosis or severe personality disorder. The two initiators of the KIPKEL project describe the experiences they had during the preparatory phase and while securing the financial basis and building up solid structures of cooperation. The conceptual basis of the project and problems of practical realization are presented. Finally an example of a family who participated in the programme is given. It illustrates the complex arrangement of interpersonal relationship and the course of the carework.

Performance specifications for health physics instrumentation: portable instrumentation for use in normal work environments. Part 2. Test results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenoyer, J.L.; Swinth, K.L.; Stoetzel, G.A.; Selby, J.M.

1986-09-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory evaluated a draft American National Standards Institute Standard N42.17 (ANSI N42.17) on performance specifications for health physics instrumentation through a project jointly funded by the US Department of Energy and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The evaluation involved testing a representative cross section of instruments against criteria in the standard. This report presents results of the testing program. A brief history of the project is included in the introduction. The instrumentation tested is described in general terms (i.e., types, ranges); however, no direct relationship between the results and a specific instrument model is made in this report. Testing requirements in ANSI N42.17D4, Revision 1 (May 1985) are summarized and the methods by which the tests are performed are discussed. Brief descriptions of the testing equipment are included in the methods section of the report. More detailed information about the draft standard, testing requirements and procedures, and the test equipment is included in ''Performance Specifications for Health Physics Instrumentation - Portable Instrumentation for Use in Normal Work Environments, Part 1: Manual of Testing Procedures.'' Results of testing are given in two formats: test-by-test and instrument-by-instrument. Discussion is included on significant and interesting findings, on comparisons of results from the same type of instruments from same and different manufacturers, and on data grouped by manufacturer. Conclusions are made on the applicability and practicality of the proposed standard and on instrument performance. Changes that have been made to the proposed standard based on findings of the testing program are listed and discussed. 22 refs., 11 figs., 77 tabs

Community Awareness on Rabies Prevention and Control in Bicol, Philippines: Pre- and Post-Project Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toni Rose M. Barroga

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Rabies is endemic in the Philippines. To support the rabies campaign in the Bicol region at the southeastern part of Luzon, the BAI-OIE Stop Transboundary Animal Diseases and Zoonoses (STANDZ Rabies project was implemented in the pilot provinces of Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Masbate. A community awareness survey was conducted with the residents of these provinces to determine their knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP on rabies during the start and end of the project. Qualitative, descriptive research was done with a structured KAP questionnaire. Pet owners in the pilot provinces were chosen as respondents. Results showed that respondents know that they can acquire rabies in animals through the bite of a rabid dog (pre-project implementation (PRI: 19.6%, post-project implementation (POI: 38.0%. Vaccination was the top rabies preventive measure (PRI: 61.8%, POI: 92.8%. Biting incidents were noted in some respondents, and observing the dog and killing it immediately were some of the actions taken by bite victims. If a supposed rabid dog was seen, respondents would either: immediately kill the dog (PRI: 20.3%, POI: 13.7%, report it to authorities (PRI: 26.3%, POI: 63.1%, and capture and observe the dog concerned (PRI: 13.5%, POI: 6.0%. Pet owners increased their KAP about rabies prevention and control as compared to the pre-implementation study. However, certain gaps in their KAP need to be given attention; thus continuous education of pet owners must be done.

Development of an instrument for assessing workstyle in checkout cashier work (BAsIK).

Science.gov (United States)

Kjellberg, Katarina; Palm, Peter; Josephson, Malin

2012-01-01

Checkout cashier work consists of handling a large number of items during a work shift, which implies repetitive movements of the shoulders, arms and hands/wrists, and a high work rate. The work is associated with a high prevalence of disorders in the neck and upper extremity. The concept of workstyle explains how ergonomic and psychosocial factors interact in the development of work-related upper extremity disorders. The aim of the project was to develop an instrument for the occupational health services to be used in the efforts to prevent upper extremity disorders in checkout cashier work. The instrument is based on the workstyle concept and is intended to be used as a tool to identify high-risk workstyle and needs for interventions, such as training and education. The instrument, BAsIK, consists of four parts; a questionnaire about workstyle, an observation protocol for work technique, a checklist about the design of the checkout and a questionnaire about work organization. The instrument was developed by selecting workstyle items developed for office work and adapting them to checkout cashier work, discussions with researchers and ergonomists, focus-group interviews with cashiers, observations of video recordings of cashiers, and studies of existing guidelines and checklists.

SISCAL project

Science.gov (United States)

Santer, Richard P.; Fell, Frank

2003-05-01

), combining satellite data, evaluation algorithms and value-adding ancillary digital information. This prevents the end user from investing funds into expensive equipment or to hire specialized personnel. The data processor shall be a generic tool, which may be applied to a large variety of operationally gathered satellite data. In the frame of SISCAL, the processor shall be applied to remotely sensed data of selected coastal areas and lakes in Central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, according to the needs of the end users within the SISCAL consortium. A number of measures are required to achieve the objective of the proposed project: (1) Identification and specification of the SISCAL end user needs for NRT water related data products accessible to EO techniques. (2) Selection of the most appropriate instruments, evaluation algorithms and ancillary data bases required to provide the identified data products. (3) Development of the actual Near-Real-Time data processor for the specified EO data products. (4) Development of the GIS processor adding ancillary digital information to the satellite images and providing the required geographical projections. (5) Development of a product retrieval and management system to handle ordering and distribution of data products between the SISCAL server and the end users, including payment and invoicing. (6) Evaluation of the derived data products in terms of accuracy and usefulness by comparison with available in-situ measurements and by making use of the local expertise of the end users. (7) Establishing an Internet server dedicated to internal communication between the consortium members as well as presenting the SISCAL project to a larger public. (8) Marketing activities, presentation of data processor to potential external customers, identification of their exact needs. The innovative aspect of the SISCAL project consists in the generation of NRT data products on water quality parameters from EO data. This article mainly deals

Uranium Mill Tailings remedial action project waste minimization and pollution prevention awareness program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-07-01

The purpose of this plan is to establish a waste minimization and pollution prevention awareness (WM/PPA) program for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. The program satisfies DOE requirements mandated by DOE Order 5400.1. This plan establishes planning objectives and strategies for conserving resources and reducing the quantity and toxicity of wastes and other environmental releases

Penetrating eye injuries from writing instruments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly SP

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Simon P Kelly, Graham MB ReevesThe Royal Bolton Hospital, Bolton, UKPurpose: To consider the potential for ocular injury from writing implements by presenting four such cases, and to consider the incidence of such eye injuries from analysis of a national trauma database.Methods: The Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System was searched for records of eye injuries from writing instruments to provide UK estimates of such injuries. Four patients with ocular penetrating injury from pens or pencils (especially when caused by children, and examined by the authors, are described which illustrate mechanisms of injury.Results: It is estimated that around 748 ocular pen injuries and 892 ocular pencil injuries of undetermined severity occurred annually in the UK during the database surveillance period 2000–2002. No eye injuries from swords, including toy swords and fencing foils, were reported.Conclusion: Ocular perforation sometimes occur from writing instruments that are thrown in the community, especially by children. Implications for policy and prevention are discussed. Non-specialists should have a low threshold for referring patients with eye injuries if suspicious of ocular penetration, even where caused by everyday objects, such as writing instruments.Keywords: eye injury, eye, children, mechanism, writing instruments, prevention

IAEA programme on maintenance of nuclear instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuister, P.H.

1986-01-01

The Medical Applications Section in the Division of Life Sciences of the International Atomic Energy Agency has been engaged since 1975 in activities aimed at the more effective use of nuclear instruments. Activities and achievements are described concerning the conditioning of laboratories, preventive maintenance and repair of instruments, the management thereof, space parts and the promotion of local training in these subjects. (author)

A comparison of instrumentation using Naviflex and Profile nickel-titanium engine-driven rotary instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Ottosen, S R; Nicholls, J I; Steiner, J C

1999-06-01

This study was designed to compare the changes in canal configuration resulting from instrumentation by either Profile or Naviflex instruments. Forty mesial canals in extracted human molar teeth were embedded and sectioned at two root levels. Reassembled teeth were instrumented with a modified crown-down technique as described in the Profile training video for Profile files and in a similar manner for Naviflex instruments. Superimposed pre- and postinstrumented cross-sectional root images were projected, traced, and scanned into a computer for analysis. Canal movement, in relation to the furca, and canal area change were recorded. The results showed no significant difference in canal center movement or canal area change between the Profile or Naviflex groups. The degree of canal curvature had no effect on canal center movement or canal area change.

Alberta Learning: Early Development Instrument Pilot Project Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Meaney, Wanda; Harris-Lorenze, Elayne

The Early Development Instrument (EDI) was designed by McMaster University to measure the outcomes of childrens early years as they influence their readiness to learn at school. The EDI was piloted in several Canadian cities in recent years through two national initiatives. Building on these initiatives, Alberta Learning piloted the EDI as a…

Policy instruments to decrease the climate impact of housing, personal transport and food. Detailed instrument descriptions; Ohjauskeinoja asumisen, henkiloeliikenteen ja ruoan ilmastovaikutusten hillintaeaen. Yksityiskohtaiset ohjauskeinokuvaukset

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heiskanen, E.; Perrels, A.; Nissinen, A.; Berghaell, E.; Liesimaa, V.; Mattinen, M. (eds.)

2012-03-15

Reducing consumption volumes or introducing climate conscious consumption patterns can be efficient ways to mitigate climate change. Twenty existing policy instruments affecting the greenhouse gas emissions of housing, passenger traffic and food are described in this report of the KUILU-project. The policy instruments and the possibilities to develop effective instrument packages were discussed in two expert workshops, the results of which are presented in annexes of this report. There are already several policy instruments that target on housing and passenger traffic. Their differences in estimated emission reductions are large, which can ease the prioritization and selection of the instruments for further development. So far, only one policy instrument exists that aims to reduce the climate impacts of food choices, namely a Council of State Decision of Principle on Promoting Sustainability in Public Purchasing. However, it includes several measures that can be used to influence private companies and citizens, and thus it opens the field of policy instrument for mitigation of climate impacts of food. According to the expert survey, the most effective policy instrument involved in the analysis was building regulations, and the four most effective instruments after this were the following: gradated procurement tax of cars based on emissions, gradation of car tax, taxation of transport fuels, energy taxes of housing, and the effect of ecodesign directive on appliances. The effectiveness of policy instruments related to food was assessed to be on average level. The five least effective instruments were: EU energy label, voluntary energy experts, the tax of beverage packing, energy certificates, and subsidies for energy efficiency reparation in buildings. However, the expert opinions on the effectiveness of the policy instruments varied significantly. After this report, the KUILU project continued with an analysis of the policy instrument packages and with suggestions

Policy instruments to decrease the climate impact of housing, personal transport and food. Detailed instrument descriptions; Ohjauskeinoja asumisen, henkiloeliikenteen ja ruoan ilmastovaikutusten hillintaeaen. Yksityiskohtaiset ohjauskeinokuvaukset

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heiskanen, E.; Perrels, A.; Nissinen, A.; Berghaell, E.; Liesmaa, V.; Mattinen, M. (eds.)

2012-07-01

Reducing consumption volumes or introducing climate conscious consumption patterns can be efficient ways to mitigate climate change. Twenty existing policy instruments affecting the greenhouse gas emissions of housing, passenger traffic and food are described in this report of the KUILU-project. The policy instruments and the possibilities to develop effective instrument packages were discussed in two expert workshops, the results of which are presented in annexes of this report. There are already several policy instruments that target on housing and passenger traffic. Their differences in estimated emission reductions are large, which can ease the prioritization and selection of the instruments for further development. So far, only one policy instrument exists that aims to reduce the climate impacts of food choices, namely a Council of State Decision of Principle on Promoting Sustainability in Public Purchasing. However, it includes several measures that can be used to influence private companies and citizens, and thus it opens the field of policy instrument for mitigation of climate impacts of food. According to the expert survey, the most effective policy instrument involved in the analysis was building regulations, and the four most effective instruments after this were the following: gradated procurement tax of cars based on emissions, gradation of car tax, taxation of transport fuels, energy taxes of housing, and the effect of ecodesign directive on appliances. The effectiveness of policy instruments related to food was assessed to be on average level. The five least effective instruments were: EU energy label, voluntary energy experts, the tax of beverage packing, energy certificates, and subsidies for energy efficiency reparation in buildings. However, the expert opinions on the effectiveness of the policy instruments varied significantly. After this report, the KUILU project continued with an analysis of the policy instrument packages and with suggestions

An Optional Instrument for European Insurance Contract Law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helmut Heiss

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The Principles of European Insurance Contract Law, also referred tousing the acronym PEICL, were published in September 2009. They are the result of ten years of academic work undertaken by the"Restatement of European Insurance Contract Law" Project Group. In the time since its establishment in 1999, the project has been transformed from being a stand-alone project to a part of the CoPECL (Common Principles of European Insurance Contract Law network, drafting a specific part of the Common Frame of Reference. Having continually worked under the guiding principle that "the law of insurance [in Europe] must be one," it now represents a serious option for providing Europe with a single legal framework for insurance contracts.Despite the European Council's proclamations that the Common Frame of Reference will remain a non-binding instrument, the implementation of one or more optional instruments in the future does not appear to beimprobable considering recent developments. The possibility of anoptional instrument has been expressed more than once by the European Commission in its Action Plan and Communication on European Contract Law. Other indications in favour of an optional instrument include the European Parliament's repeated references to the Common Frame of Reference as providing, at the very least, a model for a futureoptional instrument, as well as the EESC's earlier proposal of anoptional instrument as an alternative to standardising insurancecontract law. The preparation by the EESC of another (own-initiative opinion on European contract law is underway, and its presentation is anticipated in 2010. Hence, the optional instrument is evidently the subject of serious political deliberation. Using Article 1:102, the Principles of European Insurance Contract Law represent a prototype for such an instrument.

An Optional Instrument for European Insurance Contract Law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mandeep Lakhan

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The Principles of European Insurance Contract Law, also referred tousing the acronym PEICL, were published in September 2009. They are the result of ten years of academic work undertaken by the"Restatement of European Insurance Contract Law" Project Group. In the time since its establishment in 1999, the project has been transformed from being a stand-alone project to a part of the CoPECL (Common Principles of European Insurance Contract Law network, drafting a specific part of the Common Frame of Reference. Having continually worked under the guiding principle that "the law of insurance [in Europe] must be one," it now represents a serious option for providing Europe with a single legal framework for insurance contracts. Despite the European Council's proclamations that the Common Frame of Reference will remain a non-binding instrument, the implementation of one or more optional instruments in the future does not appear to beimprobable considering recent developments. The possibility of anoptional instrument has been expressed more than once by the European Commission in its Action Plan and Communication on European Contract Law. Other indications in favour of an optional instrument include the European Parliament's repeated references to the Common Frame of Reference as providing, at the very least, a model for a futureoptional instrument, as well as the EESC's earlier proposal of anoptional instrument as an alternative to standardising insurancecontract law. The preparation by the EESC of another (own-initiative opinion on European contract law is underway, and its presentation is anticipated in 2010. Hence, the optional instrument is evidently the subject of serious political deliberation. Using Article 1:102, the Principles of European Insurance Contract Law represent a prototype for such an instrument.

Performance Refactoring of Instrumentation, Measurement, and Analysis Technologies for Petascale Computing: the PRIMA Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malony, Allen D. [Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Oregon; Wolf, Felix G. [Juelich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Juelich

2014-01-31

The growing number of cores provided by today’s high-end computing systems present substantial challenges to application developers in their pursuit of parallel efficiency. To find the most effective optimization strategy, application developers need insight into the runtime behavior of their code. The University of Oregon (UO) and the Juelich Supercomputing Centre of Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) develop the performance analysis tools TAU and Scalasca, respectively, which allow high-performance computing (HPC) users to collect and analyze relevant performance data – even at very large scales. TAU and Scalasca are considered among the most advanced parallel performance systems available, and are used extensively across HPC centers in the U.S., Germany, and around the world. The TAU and Scalasca groups share a heritage of parallel performance tool research and partnership throughout the past fifteen years. Indeed, the close interactions of the two groups resulted in a cross-fertilization of tool ideas and technologies that pushed TAU and Scalasca to what they are today. It also produced two performance systems with an increasing degree of functional overlap. While each tool has its specific analysis focus, the tools were implementing measurement infrastructures that were substantially similar. Because each tool provides complementary performance analysis, sharing of measurement results is valuable to provide the user with more facets to understand performance behavior. However, each measurement system was producing performance data in different formats, requiring data interoperability tools to be created. A common measurement and instrumentation system was needed to more closely integrate TAU and Scalasca and to avoid the duplication of development and maintenance effort. The PRIMA (Performance Refactoring of Instrumentation, Measurement, and Analysis) project was proposed over three years ago as a joint international effort between UO and FZJ to accomplish

Evaluation of Instrumentation and Dynamic Thermal Ratings for Overhead Lines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, A. [New York Power Authority, White Plains, NY (United States)

2013-01-31

In 2010, a project was initiated through a partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to evaluate EPRI's rating technology and instrumentation that can be used to monitor the thermal states of transmission lines and provide the required real-time data for real-time rating calculations. The project included the installation and maintenance of various instruments at three 230 kV line sites in northern New York. The instruments were monitored, and data collection and rating calculations were performed for about a three year period.

Eight year experience in open ended instrumentation laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Manuel B.; Rosa, Carla C.; Marques, Paulo V. S.

2015-10-01

When designing laboratory courses in a Physics Major we consider a range of objectives: teaching Physics; developing lab competencies; instrument control and data acquisition; learning about measurement errors and error propagation; an introduction to project management; team work skills and scientific writing. But nowadays we face pressure to decrease laboratory hours due to the cost involved. Many universities are replacing lab classes for simulation activities, hiring PhD. and master students to give first year lab classes, and reducing lab hours. This leads to formatted lab scripts and poor autonomy of the students, and failure to enhance creativity and autonomy. In this paper we present our eight year experience with a laboratory course that is mandatory in the third year of Physics and Physical Engineering degrees. Since the students had previously two standard laboratory courses, we focused on teaching instrumentation and giving students autonomy. The course is divided in two parts: one third is dedicated to learn computer controlled instrumentation and data acquisition (based in LabView); the final 2/3 is dedicated to a group project. In this project, the team (2 or 3 students) must develop a project and present it in a typical conference format at the end of the semester. The project assignments are usually not very detailed (about two or three lines long), giving only general guidelines pointing to a successful project (students often recycle objectives putting forward a very personal project); all of them require assembling some hardware. Due to our background, about one third of the projects are related to Optics.

Assessing the quality of mental health promotion and prevention in Croatia: the case of Istria.

Science.gov (United States)

Mihic, Josipa; Novak, Miranda; Hosman, Clemens; Domitrovich, Celene

2017-06-01

While the availability of mental health promotion and prevention programs worldwide is growing, there is divergence in their level of effectiveness that has led to increasing interest in the development of 'effect management' strategies. Mental health promotion and prevention science and practice has a relatively young history in Croatia, but major investments towards its development have been made over the last decade. This paper reports on a research project that took place within the Istrian Region. The long-term goal of the initiative is to establish quality assurance indicators for mental health promotion and prevention interventions. The current study involved adapting the Dutch Preffi 2.0 instrument for use in Croatia. The content of the Preffi reflects the literature regarding research-based effect predictors. An instrument allows users to assess whether programs have been designed and implemented in ways that maximize their ability to be effective. The Preffi scores can be used for improving a program and the quality with which it is implemented. The first aim of the study is to determine if independent researchers can use the Preffi reliably as a quality assessment instrument. The second aim is to use the Preffi to describe the quality of one cohort of mental health promotion and prevention programs. The study represents the first steps toward developing a strategy for quality assurance that strengthens community capacity for effective service delivery and that could inform other countries whose mental health promotion and prevention efforts are in early stages of development. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Whole School Improvement and Restructuring as Prevention and Promotion: Lessons from STEP and the Project on High Performance Learning Communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Felner, Robert D.; Favazza, Antoinette; Shim, Minsuk; Brand, Stephen; Gu, Kenneth; Noonan, Nancy

2001-01-01

Describes the School Transitional Environment Project and its successor, the Project on High Performance Learning Communities, that have contributed to building a model for school improvement called the High Performance Learning Communities. The model seeks to build the principles of prevention into whole school change. Presents findings from…

Advanced Instrumentation for Ultrafast Science at the LCLS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berrah, Nora [Univ. of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (United States)

2015-10-13

This grant supported a Single Investigator and Small Group Research (SISGR) application to enable multi-user research in Ultrafast Science using the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world’s first hard x-ray free electron laser (FEL) which lased for the first time at 1.5 Å on April 20, 2009. The goal of our proposal was to enable a New Era of Science by requesting funds to purchase and build Advanced Instrumentation for Ultrafast Science (AIUS), to utilize the intense, short x-ray pulses produced by the LCLS. The proposed instrumentation will allow peer review selected users to probe the ultrasmall and capture the ultrafast. These tools will expand on the investment already made in the construction of the light source and its instrumentation in both the LCLS and LUSI projects. The AIUS will provide researchers in the AMO, Chemical, Biological and Condensed Matter communities with greater flexibility in defining their scientific agenda at the LCLS. The proposed instrumentation will complement and significantly augment the present AMO instrument (funded through the LCLS project) through detectors and capabilities not included in the initial suite of instrumentation at the facility. We have built all of the instrumentations and they have been utilized by scientists. Please see report attached.

Pictorial instrument of food and nutrition education for promoting healthy eating

OpenAIRE

MICALI,Flávia Gonçalves; DIEZ-GARCIA,Rosa Wanda

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT To trace the course of building a pictorial instrument that explores semiotic resources about food and nutrition education. The instrument is directed at the treatment and prevention of obesity, considering the food and nutrition problems of the Brazilian population. The criteria for photo production were: images that could cause visual impact and transmit applied nutrition information, insinuating positive and negative eating practices for promoting healthy eating, and preventing an...

Nuclear electronic instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez J, F. J.

2010-01-01

The activities carried out in the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) in the field of the nuclear electronic instrumentation included those activities corresponding to the design and production of nuclear instruments in a first stage, as well as the internal activities of design, repair and maintenance that have supported to other projects of the institution during many years. It is mentioned of the presence and constant collaboration of the ININ with the IAEA in different projects and programs. Also, it is mentioned on the establishment of the Radiation Detectors Laboratory, which for their characteristics and repair capacities of radiation detectors of cooled semiconductor, it is only in their specialty. It is emphasized the investigation and the development in the field of new radiation detectors and applications, as well as the important contribution in this field, in institutions like: Mexican Petroleum, National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards and Federal Commission of Electricity. Finally a position of the future of these activities is made, considering the speed of the advances of the electronic and nuclear technology. (Author)

Solar Energy Research Center Instrumentation Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meyer, Thomas, J.; Papanikolas, John, P.

2011-11-11

SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH CENTER INSTRUMENTATION FACILITY The mission of the Solar Energy Research Center (UNC SERC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) is to establish a world leading effort in solar fuels research and to develop the materials and methods needed to fabricate the next generation of solar energy devices. We are addressing the fundamental issues that will drive new strategies for solar energy conversion and the engineering challenges that must be met in order to convert discoveries made in the laboratory into commercially available devices. The development of a photoelectrosynthesis cell (PEC) for solar fuels production faces daunting requirements: (1) Absorb a large fraction of sunlight; (2) Carry out artificial photosynthesis which involves multiple complex reaction steps; (3) Avoid competitive and deleterious side and reverse reactions; (4) Perform 13 million catalytic cycles per year with minimal degradation; (5) Use non-toxic materials; (6) Cost-effectiveness. PEC efficiency is directly determined by the kinetics of each reaction step. The UNC SERC is addressing this challenge by taking a broad interdisciplinary approach in a highly collaborative setting, drawing on expertise across a broad range of disciplines in chemistry, physics and materials science. By taking a systematic approach toward a fundamental understanding of the mechanism of each step, we will be able to gain unique insight and optimize PEC design. Access to cutting-edge spectroscopic tools is critical to this research effort. We have built professionally-staffed facilities equipped with the state-of the-art instrumentation funded by this award. The combination of staff, facilities, and instrumentation specifically tailored for solar fuels research establishes the UNC Solar Energy Research Center Instrumentation Facility as a unique, world-class capability. This congressionally directed project funded the development of two user facilities: TASK 1: SOLAR

Long-term preventive maintenance of instrumentation control equipment for PWR plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugitani, S.; Nanba, M.

2006-01-01

Since the PWR plants in Japan have been operated more than 30 years, main instrumentation control equipment of analog systems has been renewed to digital control systems. Renewal works had to be done in short period within periodical inspection term and for several facilities. The Mitsubishi LTD group had been provided with these market needs by its digital control system (MELTAC-NplusR 3) applicable to main instrumentation control equipment for primary and secondary systems and had already finished the renewal for practical plants. (T. Tanaka)

Developing an acceptability assessment of preventive dental treatments.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyde, Susan; Gansky, Stuart A; Gonzalez-Vargas, Maria J; Husting, Sheila R; Cheng, Nancy F; Millstein, Susan G; Adams, Sally H

2009-01-01

Early childhood caries (ECC) is very prevalent among young Hispanic children. ECC is amenable to a variety of preventive procedures, yet many Hispanic families underutilize dental services. Acceptability research may assist in health care planning and resource allocation by identifying patient preferences among efficacious treatments with the goal of improving their utilization. The purposes of this study were (a) to develop a culturally competent acceptability assessment instrument, directed toward the caregivers of young Hispanic children, for five preventive dental treatments for ECC and (b) to test the instrument's reliability and validity. An instrument of five standard treatments known to prevent ECC was developed, translated, reviewed by focus groups, and pilot tested, then tested for reliability The instrument included illustrated cards, brief video clips, and samples of the treatments and was culturally appropriate for low-income Hispanic caregivers. In addition to determining the acceptability of the five treatments individually, the treatments were also presented as paired comparisons. Focus groups and debriefing interviews following the pilot tests established that the instrument has good face validity. The illustrated cards, product samples, and video demonstrations of the five treatments resulted in an instrument possessing good content validity. The instrument has good to excellent test-retest reliability, with identical time 1-time 2 responses for each of the five treatments 92 percent of the time (range 87 to 97 percent), and the same treatment of the paired comparisons preferred 75 percent of the time (range 61 to 90 percent). The acceptability instrument described is reliable and valid and may be useful in program planning efforts to identify and increase the utilization of preferred ECC preventive treatments for target populations.

Simple Screening Instruments for Chronic Disease & Personalised Prevention at the Workplace

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.A.J. Niessen (Maurice)

2014-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ Prevention refers to actions directed to preventing illness and promoting health. It includes the assessment of disease risk and early diagnosis. Preventive strategies are most commonly classified based on the level of selection being applied in the target group or

Strategy For Implementing The UN "Zero-Gravity Instrument Project" To Promote Space Science Among School Children In Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Alabi, O.; Agbaje, G.; Akinyede, J.

2015-12-01

The United Nations "Zero Gravity Instrument Project" (ZGIP) is one of the activities coordinated under the Space Education Outreach Program (SEOP) of the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTE-E) to popularize space science among pre-collegiate youths in Nigeria. The vision of ZGIP is to promote space education and research in microgravity. This paper will deliberate on the strategy used to implement the ZGIP to introduce school children to authentic scientific data and inquiry. The paper highlights how the students learned to collect scientific data in a laboratory environment, analyzed the data with specialized software, obtained results, interpreted and presented the results of their study in a standard format to the scientific community. About 100 school children, aged between 7 and 21 years, from ten public and private schools located in Osun State, Nigeria participated in the pilot phase of the ZGIP which commenced with a 1-day workshop in March 2014. During the inauguration workshop, the participants were introduced to the environment of outer space, with special emphasis on the concept of microgravity. They were also taught the basic principle of operation of the Clinostat, a Zero-Gravity Instrument donated to ARCSSTE-E by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UN-OOSA), Vienna, under the Human Space Technology Initiative (UN-HSTI). At the end of the workshop, each school designed a project, and had a period of 1 week, on a planned time-table, to work in the laboratory of ARCSSTE-E where they utilized the clinostat to examine the germination of indigenous plant seeds in simulated microgravity conditions. The paper also documents the post-laboratory investigation activities, which included presentation of the results in a poster competition and an evaluation of the project. The enthusiasm displayed by the students, coupled with the favorable responses recorded during an oral interview conducted to

CALIPSO Borehole Instrumentation Project at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, BWI: Data Acquisition, Telemetry, Integration, and Archival Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mattioli, G. S.; Linde, A. T.; Sacks, I. S.; Malin, P. E.; Shalev, E.; Elsworth, D.; Hidayat, D.; Voight, B.; Young, S. R.; Dunkley, P. N.; Herd, R.; Norton, G.

2003-12-01

The CALIPSO Project (Caribbean Andesite Lava Island-volcano Precision Seismo-geodetic Observatory) has greatly enhanced the monitoring and scientific infrastructure at the Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat with the recent installation of an integrated array of borehole and surface geophysical instrumentation at four sites. Each site was designed to be sufficiently hardened to withstand extreme meteorological events (e.g. hurricanes) and only require minimum routine maintenance over an expected observatory lifespan of >30 y. The sensor package at each site includes: a single-component, very broad band, Sacks-Evertson strainmeter, a three-component seismometer ( ˜Hz to 1 kHz), a Pinnacle Technologies series 5000 tiltmeter, and a surface Ashtech u-Z CGPS station with choke ring antenna, SCIGN mount and radome. This instrument package is similar to that envisioned by the Plate Boundary Observatory for deployment on EarthScope target volcanoes in western North America and thus the CALIPSO Project may be considered a prototype PBO installation with real field testing on a very active and dangerous volcano. Borehole sites were installed in series and data acquisition began immediately after the sensors were grouted into position at 200 m depth, with the first completed at Trants (5.8 km from dome) in 12-02, then Air Studios (5.2 km), Geralds (9.4 km), and Olveston (7.0 km) in 3-03. Analog data from the strainmeter (50 Hz sync) and seismometer (200 Hz) were initially digitized and locally archived using RefTek 72A-07 data acquisition systems (DAS) on loan from the PASSCAL instrument pool. Data were downloaded manually to a laptop approximately every month from initial installation until August 2003, when new systems were installed. Approximately 0.2 Tb of raw data in SEGY format have already been acquired and are currently archived at UARK for analysis by the CALIPSO science team. The July 12th dome collapse and vulcanian explosion events were recorded at 3 of the 4

Opportunities for AFRA NC implementing Projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

Some of the AFRA Objectives are to Establish common understanding that all networks operate under the AFRA framework as an African single intergovernmental body Align these networks with the common objectives of AFRA for strengthening activities and to define the modalities for collaboration within AFRA MSs. Some of the achievements in 2016 are: Under RAF/0/038 “Promoting Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC) in Africa through Triangular Partnerships”, adequate support was provided to facilitate the implementation of several joint project proposals submitted by Member States in various fields of activity including NDT, Radiation processing, and Education and Training in nuclear science and technology. Under RAF0041: “Sharing Best Practices in Preventive Maintenance of Nuclear Equipment”, support was provided to Member States at the Seibersdorf Laboratory to improve the maintenance of medical and scientific instrumentation through capacity development for repair services, preventive maintenance, and cost recovery through income generated from the provision of services

Upgrade of Instrumentation for Purdue Reactor PUR-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Revankar, S.T.; Merritt, E.; Bean, R.

2000-01-01

The major objective of this program was to upgrade and replace instruments and equipment that significantly improve the performance, control and operational capability of the Purdue University nuclear reactor (PUR-1). Under this major objective two projects on instrument upgrade were implemented. The first one was to convert the vacuum tube control and safety amplifiers (CSA) to solid state electronics, and the other was to upgrade the electrical and electronic shielding. This report is the annual report and gives the efforts and progress achieved on these two projects from July 1999 to June 2000

Flow karyotyping and flow instrumentation development. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GEngh, G.J. van den

1997-11-01

The project had three major aims: improvement of technology for high-speed cell and chromosome sorting; the use of such instrumentation in genome analysis; applying the principles developed and the lessons learned to automated processes for the genome program. The work was a continuation of studies that were started at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before the PI moved to the University of Washington. At Livermore, a high-speed sorter for the selection of human chromosomes was built. The instrument incorporated Livermore`s advanced sorter technology. The engineering focused on improving robustness and reliability so that the full potential of high-speed sorting would become available to the biological research laboratory. The new instrument, dubbed MoFlo for modular flow cytometer, proved to be a very practical and efficient tool during the chromosome isolation phase of the gene-library project. Its reliability and ease of operation exceeded that of the commercial instruments. The technology was licensed to two companies.

Space instrumentation: physics and astronomy in harmony?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aderin, M

2008-01-01

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited was formed as a company in 1985 and has been involved in 23 small satellite missions, making it the most successful and experienced small satellite supplier in the world. The challenge of getting a satellite into space takes a dedicated multidisciplinary team of physicists and engineers working together to achieve a common goal. In this paper the author will look at the breakdown of the teams for a number of space projects including NigeriaSAT1; one of the satellites that make up the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), which produces high quality commercial images for monitoring agriculture and the environment as well as dedicating a proportion of it's time to disaster monitoring. Commercial projects like this will be contrasted to instruments such as the Integral Field Unit (IFU) for the NIRSpec instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST is the replacement for the Hubble Space telescope). Although both projects have been running through commercial contracts at SSTL, how does the final goal of the instrument influence the synergy between the physics and the engineering needed to make it, and what, if any, economic differences are seen?

"Smoking in Children's Environment Test": a qualitative study of experiences of a new instrument applied in preventive work in child health care

OpenAIRE

Carlsson, Noomi; Alehagen, Siw; Andersson G?re, Boel; Johansson, AnnaKarin

2011-01-01

Background Despite knowledge of the adverse health effects of passive smoking, children are still   being exposed. Children's nurses play an important role in tobacco preventive work   through dialogue with parents aimed at identifying how children can be protected from   environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. The study describes the experiences of   Child Health Care (CHC) nurses when using the validated instrument SiCET (Smoking   in Children's Environment Test) in dialogue with parent...

Alberta's Tomorrow Project: adherence to cancer prevention recommendations pertaining to diet, physical activity and body size.

Science.gov (United States)

Whelan, Heather K; Xu, Jian-Yi; Vaseghi, Sanaz; Lo Siou, Geraldine; McGregor, S Elizabeth; Robson, Paula J

2017-05-01

To explore cross-sectional adherence to cancer prevention recommendations by adults enrolled in a prospective cohort in Alberta, Canada. Questionnaire data were used to construct a composite cancer prevention adherence score for each participant, based on selected personal recommendations published by the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (2007). Data were self-reported on health and lifestyle, past-year physical activity and past-year FFQ. The scores accounted for physical activity, dietary supplement use, body size, and intakes of alcohol, fruit, vegetables and red meat. Tobacco exposure was also included. Scores ranged from 0 (least adherent) to 7 (most adherent). Alberta's Tomorrow Project; a research platform based on a prospective cohort. Adult men and women (n 24 988) aged 35-69 years recruited by random digit dialling and enrolled in Alberta's Tomorrow Project between 2001 and 2009. Of the cohort, 14 % achieved adherence scores ≥5 and 60 % had scores ≤3. Overall adherence scores were higher in women (mean (sd): 3·4 (1·1)) than in men (3·0 (1·2)). The extent of overall adherence was also associated with level of education, employment status, annual household income, personal history of chronic disease, family history of chronic disease and age. Reported adherence to selected personal recommendations for cancer prevention was low in this cohort of adults. In the short to medium term, these results suggest that more work is required to identify behaviours to target with cancer prevention strategies at a population level. Future work will explore the associations between adherence scores and cancer risk in this cohort.

Performance Refactoring of Instrumentation, Measurement, and Analysis Technologies for Petascale Computing. The PRIMA Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malony, Allen D. [Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States). Dept. of Computer and Information Science; Wolf, Felix G. [Wilhelm-Johnen-Strasse, Julich (Germany). Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH

2014-01-31

The growing number of cores provided by today’s high-­end computing systems present substantial challenges to application developers in their pursuit of parallel efficiency. To find the most effective optimization strategy, application developers need insight into the runtime behavior of their code. The University of Oregon (UO) and the Juelich Supercomputing Centre of Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) develop the performance analysis tools TAU and Scalasca, respectively, which allow high-­performance computing (HPC) users to collect and analyze relevant performance data – even at very large scales. TAU and Scalasca are considered among the most advanced parallel performance systems available, and are used extensively across HPC centers in the U.S., Germany, and around the world. The TAU and Scalasca groups share a heritage of parallel performance tool research and partnership throughout the past fifteen years. Indeed, the close interactions of the two groups resulted in a cross-­fertilization of tool ideas and technologies that pushed TAU and Scalasca to what they are today. It also produced two performance systems with an increasing degree of functional overlap. While each tool has its specific analysis focus, the tools were implementing measurement infrastructures that were substantially similar. Because each tool provides complementary performance analysis, sharing of measurement results is valuable to provide the user with more facets to understand performance behavior. However, each measurement system was producing performance data in different formats, requiring data interoperability tools to be created. A common measurement and instrumentation system was needed to more closely integrate TAU and Scalasca and to avoid the duplication of development and maintenance effort. The PRIMA (Performance Refactoring of Instrumentation, Measurement, and Analysis) project was proposed over three years ago as a joint international effort between UO and FZJ to

Evaluation of an institutional project to improve venous thromboembolism prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Minami, Christina A; Yang, Anthony D; Ju, Mila; Culver, Eckford; Seifert, Kathryn; Kreutzer, Lindsey; Halverson, Terri; O'Leary, Kevin J; Bilimoria, Karl Y

2016-12-01

Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) was historically a poor performer on the venous thromboembolism (VTE) outcome measure. As this measure has been shown to be flawed by surveillance bias, NMH embraced process-of-care measures to ensure appropriate VTE prophylaxis to assess healthcare-associated VTE prevention efforts. To evaluate the impact of an institution-wide project aimed at improving hospital performance on VTE prophylaxis measures. A retrospective observational study. NMH, an 885-bed academic medical center in Chicago, Illinois PATIENTS: Inpatients admitted to NMH from January 1, 2013 to May 1, 2013 and from October 1, 2014 to April 1, 2015 were eligible for evaluation. Using the define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) process-improvement methodology, a multidisciplinary team implemented and iteratively improved 15 data-driven interventions in 4 broad areas: (1) electronic medical record (EMR) alerts, (2) education initiatives, (3) new EMR order sets, and (4) other EMR changes. The Joint Commission's 6 core measures and the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) SCIP-VTE-2 measure. Based on 3103 observations (1679 from January 1, 2013 to May 1, 2013, and 1424 from October 1, 2014 to April 1, 2015), performance on the core measures improved. Performance on measure 1 (chemoprophylaxis) improved from 82.5% to 90.2% on medicine services, and from 94.4% to 97.6% on surgical services. The largest improvements were seen in measure 4 (platelet monitoring), with a performance increase from 76.7% adherence to 100%, and measure 5 (warfarin discharge instructions), with a performance increase from 27.4% to 88.8%. A systematic hospital-wide DMAIC project improved VTE prophylaxis measure performance. Sustained performance has been observed, and novel control mechanisms for continued performance surveillance have been embedded in the hospital system. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016;11:S29-S37. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine. © 2016 Society of Hospital

Outcome results for the Ma'alahi Youth Project, a Tongan community-based obesity prevention programme for adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Fotu, K F; Millar, L; Mavoa, H; Kremer, P; Moodie, M; Snowdon, W; Utter, J; Vivili, P; Schultz, J T; Malakellis, M; McCabe, M P; Roberts, G; Swinburn, B A

2011-11-01

Tonga has a very high prevalence of obesity with steep increases during youth, making adolescence a critical time for obesity prevention. The Ma'alahi Youth Project, the Tongan arm of the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project, was a 3-year, quasi-experimental study of community-based interventions among adolescents in three districts on Tonga's main island (Tongatapu) compared to the island of Vava'u. Interventions focused mainly on capacity building, social marketing, education and activities promoting physical activity and local fruit and vegetables. The evaluation used a longitudinal design (mean follow-up duration 2.4 years). Both intervention and comparison groups showed similar large increases in overweight and obesity prevalence (10.1% points, n = 815; 12.6% points, n = 897 respectively). Apart from a small relative decrease in percentage body fat in the intervention group (-1.5%, P Youth Project had no impact on the large increase in prevalence of overweight and obesity among Tongan adolescents. Community-based interventions in such populations with high obesity prevalence may require more intensive or longer interventions, as well as specific strategies targeting the substantial socio-cultural barriers to achieving a healthy weight. © 2011 The Authors. obesity reviews © 2011 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Project W-314 DST and DCRT instrument and control systems, initial assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acree, C.D.

1996-01-01

This report contains an assessment of the instrument and control systems in the Double Shell Tank Farms and the 244-A DCRT. The assessment report contains data from physical inspection activities and an overall engineering assessment of the instruments and control systems in use in the Double Shell Tanks

A childhood obesity prevention programme in Barcelona (POIBA Project): Study protocol of the intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Martínez, Francesca; Juárez, Olga; Serral, Gemma; Valmayor, Sara; Puigpinós, Rosa; Pasarín, María Isabel; Díez, Élia; Ariza, Carles

2018-01-01

Background Childhood obesity preventive interventions should promote a healthy diet and physical activity at home and school. This study aims to describe a school-based childhood obesity preventive programme (POIBA Project) targeting 8-to-12- year-olds. Design and methods Evaluation study of a school-based intervention with a pre-post quasi-experimental design and a comparison group. Schools from disadvantaged neighbourhoods are oversampled. The intervention consists of 9 sessions, including 58 activities of a total duration between 9 and 13 hours, and the booster intervention of 2 sessions with 8 activities lasting 3 or 4 hours. They are multilevel (individual, family and school) and multicomponent (classroom, physical activity and family). Data are collected through anthropometric measurements, physical fitness tests and lifestyle surveys before and after the intervention and the booster intervention. In the intervention group, families complete two questionnaires about their children’s eating habits and physical activity. The outcome variable is the cumulative incidence rate of obesity, obtained from body mass index values and body fat assessed by triceps skinfold thickness. The independent variables are socio-demographic, contextual, eating habits, food frequency, intensity of physical activity and use of new technologies. Expected impact for public health It is essential to implement preventive interventions at early ages and to follow its effects over time. Interventions involving diet and physical activity are the most common, being the most effective setting the school. The POIBA Project intervenes in both the school and family setting and focuses on the most disadvantaged groups, in which obesity is most pronounced and difficult to prevent. Significance for public health Overweight and obesity are a major public health concern that predispose affected individuals to the development of chronic diseases. Of importance, obesity is more common among

Information needs and instrument availability for accident management : Application to YGN 3 and 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jae Whan; Park, Rae Jun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Suh, Kune Yull [Seoul Nationsl University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1996-12-01

This paper introduces the five-step methodology for identifying information needs and assessing instrument availability during the course of severe in nuclear power plants. The methodology is applied to the Yonggwang (YGN) 3 and 4 to shed light on accident management. It constructs three safety objective trees to prevent the reactor vessel failure, to prevent the containment failure, and to mitigate the fission product release from the containment. The study assesses information needs and instrument availability under severe conditions for preventing the reactor vessel failure of YGN 3 and 4, and recommends additional instruments that may prove to be vital importance in managing the accident. 6 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs. (author).

Endoscopic Instruments and Electrosurgical Unit for Colonoscopic Polypectomy

OpenAIRE

Park, Hong Jun

2016-01-01

Colorectal polypectomy is an effective method for prevention of colorectal cancer. Many endoscopic instruments have been used for colorectal polypectomy, such as snares, forceps, endoscopic clips, a Coagrasper, retrieval net, injector, and electrosurgery generator unit (ESU). Understanding the characteristics of endoscopic instruments and their proper use according to morphology and size of the colorectal polyp will enable endoscopists to perform effective polypectomy. I reviewed the characte...

The impact of occupational health and safety regulations on prevention through design in construction projects: Perspectives from Spain and the United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Aires, María Dolores; Rubio Gámez, María Carmen; Gibb, Alistair

2015-01-01

Since the mid-1990 s, Prevention through Design (PtD) has become increasingly prevalent in the built environment. The acceptance of PtD has largely been due to the removal or reduction of risks during the execution phase of construction projects. European States have had the added impetus of national legislation. This paper analyzes the influence of European Union Directive 92/57/EEC on occupational safety and health injury prevention in the project design phase. Qualitative methods comprised individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a panel of experts. Sixty individuals from construction and related professions (architects, engineers, constructors, developers, and other construction experts) answered 17 key questions to establish national perceptions of the effectiveness of Directive 92/57/EEC in Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). The implementation of PtD in the project design phase in the UK is clearer since the regulations explicitly state the obligations of project designers as well as those of the coordinator. Interviews with Spanish experts show that, in Spain, the prevention culture is less frequently realized. The most significant differences between the European Directive and national regulations which influence PtD are linked to the Health and Safety Coordinator, and Health and Safety documents.

Low-Dimensional Feature Representation for Instrument Identification

Science.gov (United States)

Ihara, Mizuki; Maeda, Shin-Ichi; Ikeda, Kazushi; Ishii, Shin

For monophonic music instrument identification, various feature extraction and selection methods have been proposed. One of the issues toward instrument identification is that the same spectrum is not always observed even in the same instrument due to the difference of the recording condition. Therefore, it is important to find non-redundant instrument-specific features that maintain information essential for high-quality instrument identification to apply them to various instrumental music analyses. For such a dimensionality reduction method, the authors propose the utilization of linear projection methods: local Fisher discriminant analysis (LFDA) and LFDA combined with principal component analysis (PCA). After experimentally clarifying that raw power spectra are actually good for instrument classification, the authors reduced the feature dimensionality by LFDA or by PCA followed by LFDA (PCA-LFDA). The reduced features achieved reasonably high identification performance that was comparable or higher than those by the power spectra and those achieved by other existing studies. These results demonstrated that our LFDA and PCA-LFDA can successfully extract low-dimensional instrument features that maintain the characteristic information of the instruments.

Scientific Instruments and Epistemology Engines

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dvořák, Tomáš

2012-01-01

Roč. 34, č. 4 (2012), s. 529-540 ISSN 1210-0250 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP401/11/2338 Institutional support: RVO:67985955 Keywords : material culture of science * scientific instruments * epistemology engines * experimental systems Subject RIV: AA - Philosophy ; Religion

Psychometric Evaluation of an Instrument for Measuring Organizational Climate for Quality: Evidence From a National Sample of Infection Preventionists.

Science.gov (United States)

Pogorzelska-Maziarz, Monika; Nembhard, Ingrid M; Schnall, Rebecca; Nelson, Shanelle; Stone, Patricia W

2016-09-01

In recent years, there has been increased interest in measuring the climate for infection prevention; however, reliable and valid instruments are lacking. This study tested the psychometric properties of the Leading a Culture of Quality for Infection Prevention (LCQ-IP) instrument measuring the infection prevention climate in a sample of 972 infection preventionists from acute care hospitals. An exploratory principal component analysis showed that the instrument had structural validity and captured 4 factors related to the climate for infection prevention: Psychological Safety, Prioritization of Quality, Supportive Work Environment, and Improvement Orientation. LCQ-IP exhibited excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach α of .926. Criterion validity was supported with overall LCQ-IP scores, increasing with the number of evidence-based prevention policies in place (P = .047). This psychometrically sound instrument may be helpful to researchers and providers in assessing climate for quality related to infection prevention. © The Author(s) 2015.

ERASMUS-F: pathfinder for an E-ELT 3D instrumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Kelz, Andreas; Roth, Martin M.; Bacon, Roland; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Nicklas, Harald E.; Bryant, Julia J.; Colless, Matthew; Croom, Scott; Ellis, Simon; Fleischmann, Andreas; Gillingham, Peter; Haynes, Roger; Hopkins, Andrew; Kosmalski, Johan; O'Byrne, John W.; Olaya, Jean-Christophe; Rambold, William N.; Robertson, Gordon

2010-07-01

ERASMUS-F is a pathfinder study for a possible E-ELT 3D-instrumentation, funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). The study investigates the feasibility to combine a broadband optical spectrograph with a new generation of multi-object deployable fibre bundles. The baseline approach is to modify the spectrograph of the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), which is a VLT integral-field instrument using slicers, with a fibre-fed input. Taking advantage of recent developments in astrophotonics, it is planed to equip such an instrument with fused fibre bundles (hexabundles) that offer larger filling factors than dense-packed classical fibres. The overall project involves an optical and mechanical design study, the specifications of a software package for 3Dspectrophotometry, based upon the experiences with the P3d Data Reduction Software and an investigation of the science case for such an instrument. As a proof-of-concept, the study also involves a pathfinder instrument for the VLT, called the FIREBALL project.

A Modular Instrumentation System for NASA's Habitat Demonstration Unit

Science.gov (United States)

Rojdev, Kristina; Kennedy, Kriss; Yim, Hester; Wagner, Raymond S.; Hong, Todd; Studor, George; Delaune, Paul

2010-01-01

NASA's human spaceflight program is focused on developing technologies to expand the reaches of human exploration and science activities beyond low earth orbit. A critical aspect of living in space or on planetary surfaces is habitation, which provides a safe and comfortable space in which humans can live and work. NASA is seeking out the best option for habitation by exploring several different concepts through the Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) project. The purpose of this HDU is to develop a fully autonomous habitation system that enables human exploration of space. One critical feature of the HDU project that helps to accomplish its mission of autonomy is the instrumentation system that monitors key subsystems operating within a Habitat configuration. The following paper will discuss previous instrumentation systems used in analog habitat concepts and how the current instrumentation system being implemented on the HDU1-PEM, or pressurized excursion module, is building upon the lessons learned of those previous systems. Additionally, this paper will discuss the benefits and the limitations of implementing a wireless sensor network (WSN) as the basis for data transport in the instrumentation system. Finally, this paper will address the experiences and lessons learned with integration, testing prior to deployment, and field testing at the JSC rock yard. NASA is developing the HDU1-PEM as a step towards a fully autonomous habitation system that enables human exploration of space. To accomplish this purpose, the HDU project is focusing on development, integration, testing, and evaluation of habitation systems. The HDU will be used as a technology pull, testbed, and integration environment in which to advance NASA's understanding of alternative mission architectures, requirements, and operations concepts definition and validation. This project is a multi-year effort. In 2010, the HDU1-PEM will be in a pressurized excursion module configuration, and in 2011 the

[From mandatory to participatory prevention: a model applied to the upholstered furniture industry].

Science.gov (United States)

Di Leone, G; Trani, G; Falco, S; Attimonelli, Rossella; Carino, M; Lagravinese, D

2008-01-01

The Italian 2006-2008 National Health Plan emphasizes synergy and cooperation between the agencies formally involved in the prevention of occupational risks, in agreement with social partners. The so-called 'triangle of the sofa industry' is an interregional geographic area south-west of Bari, Italy. In 2003 this area produced 16% of the world-wide upholstered furniture output, with more than 500 plants of varying size. The aim was to set up a network of communication and cooperation between the competent Agencies and Regions in order to address the rising trend of upper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The first step of the National Health Service Unit in Bari was to assess risk via a Ministerial research project and implement various information campaigns involving institutions, occupational physicians, private companies and public opinion. In a subsequent phase a synergy between the local Departmenst ofPrevention of the different Regions, the Italian Institute for Insurance Occupational Accidents and Disease (INAIL), the trade unions and the upholstered furniture industry Association was established. New joint experimental projects (cutting tools, ergonomic table for assemblers, instruments for isokinetic evaluation) were launched together with training programmes for management, safety technicians and workers. This kind of 'participatory prevention' is more appropriate for the goal of a collaborative effort in order to assist the companies, which is a modern interpretation of the mission of public health prevention operators.

Safety Research Experiment Facility Project. Conceptual design report. Volume VIII. Instrumentation and control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

Included are sections dealing with the following: nuclear instrumentation system, reactor control system, plant protection system, plant annunciator system, data acquisition system, and reactor cooling system instrumentation and control

The selection of embedded computer using in the nuclear physics instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Jianchuan; Nan Gangyang; Wang Yanyu; Su Hong

2010-01-01

It introduces the requirement for embedded PC and the benefits of using it in the experimental nuclear physics instrument developing and improving project. A cording to the specific requirements in the project of improving laboratory instruments. several kinds of embedded computer are compared and specifically tested. Thus, a x86 architecture embedded computer, which have ultra-low-power consumption and a small in size, is selected to be the main component of the controller using in the nuclear physics instrument, and this will be used in the high-speed data acquisition and electronic control system. (authors)

Risk Management Affecting IS/IT Project Success Through Communicative Action

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Bakker, K.F.C.; Boonstra, A.; Wortmann, J.C.

Project risk management is defined in the literature as being instrumental action based on rational problem solving. Research indicates limited positive effects of an exclusive focus of instrumental action on project success. This article proposes to extend this instrumental view through

Evaluation of Pacific Islands Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project: Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Milgrom, Peter; Tut, Ohnmar K

2009-01-01

This communication reports an outcomes evaluation of the Pacific Islands Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project. The evaluation includes children in three conditions: a) topical fluoride varnish three times per school year; b) varnish plus twice-per-day toothbrushing; and c) intervention 2 plus three-times-per-day xylitol containing gummy bear snacks at school and home visits to encourage parental involvement. For this evaluation, groups 2 and 3 have been combined. One year after project implementation, mean decayed, extracted, or filled primary teeth was 10.3 [standard deviation (SD)= 4.3] teeth for group 1, and 8.2 (SD = 4.0) teeth for the combination of groups 2 and 3 (P 0.05). Evaluation confirms the outcome of a program including both in-school twice-daily toothbrushing with fluoridated toothpaste and frequent applications of fluoride varnish.

Legal control scenario applied to embedded software in measuring instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, C.G. de; Brandao, P.C.; Leitao, F.O.

2013-01-01

This paper presents a scenario of legal control of software in measuring instruments. Such control is hampered by intrinsic problems related to software analysis and verification. To circumvent these difficulties, several projects are being developed to attack different stages of legal control, such as the model type approval, periodic verifications and metrological expertise. The proposals that will arise from these projects will be discussed among the parts and may be incorporated into the measuring instruments. (author)

A Mediation Analysis of a Tobacco Prevention Program for Adolescents in India: How Did Project MYTRI Work?

Science.gov (United States)

Stigler, Melissa Harrell; Perry, Cheryl L.; Smolenski, Derek; Arora, Monika; Reddy, K. Srinath

2011-01-01

This article presents the results of a mediation analysis of Project MYTRI (Mobilizing Youth for Tobacco Related Initiatives in India), a randomized, controlled trial of a multiple-component, school-based tobacco prevention program for sixth- to ninth-graders (n = 14,085) in Delhi and Chennai, India. A mediation analysis identifies "how"…

One project's waste is another project's resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Short, J.

1997-01-01

The author describes the efforts being made toward pollution prevention within the DOE complex, as a way to reduce overall project costs, in addition to decreasing the amount of waste to be handled. Pollution prevention is a concept which is trying to be ingrained into project planning. Part of the program involves the concept that ultimately the responsibility for waste comes back to the generator. Parts of the program involve efforts to reuse materials and equipment on new projects, to recycle wastes to generate offsetting revenue, and to increase awareness, accountability and incentives so as to stimulate action on this plan. Summaries of examples are presented in tables

Prevented Mortality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Historical and Projected Nuclear Power

Science.gov (United States)

Kharecha, Pushker A.; Hansen, James E.

2013-01-01

In the aftermath of the March 2011 accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the future contribution of nuclear power to the global energy supply has become somewhat uncertain. Because nuclear power is an abundant, low-carbon source of base-load power, it could make a large contribution to mitigation of global climate change and air pollution. Using historical production data, we calculate that global nuclear power has prevented an average of 1.84 million air pollution-related deaths and 64 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent (GtCO2-eq) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that would have resulted from fossil fuel burning. On the basis of global projection data that take into account the effects of the Fukushima accident, we find that nuclear power could additionally prevent an average of 420 000-7.04 million deaths and 80-240 GtCO2-eq emissions due to fossil fuels by midcentury, depending on which fuel it replaces. By contrast, we assess that large-scale expansion of unconstrained natural gas use would not mitigate the climate problem and would cause far more deaths than expansion of nuclear power.

Advanced instrumentation and teleoperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decreton, M.

1998-01-01

SCK-CEN's advanced instrumentation and teleoperation project aims at evaluating the potential of a telerobotic approach in a nuclear environment and, in particular, the use of remote-perception systems. Main achievements in 1997 in the areas of R and D on radiation tolerance for remote sensing, optical fibres and optical-fibre sensors, and computer-aided teleoperation are reported

W-026, health physics instrumentation operational test report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hackworth, M.F.

1998-01-01

This report documents the testing of the Health Physics Instrumentation associated with phase 2 and 3 start-up of Project W-026, WRAP. The Health Physics Instrumentation includes: Alpha and Beta Continuous Air Monitors (CAMS), Personnel Contamination Monitors (PCMs), Gamma Area Radiation Monitors (ARMs), Criticality Monitors, Alpha and Beta Smear Sample Counters, Portable Friskers, and Operator Breathing Zone Air Samplers. This OTR will cover only the Health Physics Instrumentation that was tested under the Operational test Plan for Health Physics Instrumentation (Phase 2 and 3). That instrumentation included: Alpha CAMS, Beta CAMs and ARMs located in rooms 107 and 113 of 2336-W. The remaining Health Physics Instrumentation that will be used for phase 2 and 3 start-up is tested during calibrations. These calibrations are outside the scope of the Operational Test Plan

Overview of ISTC projects related to the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, U.

2002-01-01

The field of ENVIRONMENT is the largest of the 14 technology areas within the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC). As of June 2000, more than 160 environmental projects have been selected for funding; this equals about 19% of all approved ISTC projects, one of the highest of all ISTC application areas. Provided funds total about US $55 million, 22% of the ISTC's allocated budget. The statistics verify that ENVIRONMENT is the most active technical area in reviews and funding in the ISTC. In general terms, this fact documents the strong interest of the financing parties in environmental purposes and indicates their desire to support the effort in the development of improved processes and innovative technologies for the solution of urgent environmental problems and for their future prevention in the CIS. The content and objectives of the approved projects include the following topics: Radioactive Waste Treatment and Disposal, Monitoring and Instrumentation, Modeling and Risk Assessment, Remediation and Decontamination, Environmental Health and Safety, Seismic Monitoring, and Pollution of Air and Water. The projects are devoted to nuclear and nonnuclear environmental issues in similar proportion. (author)

Introduction: The effectiveness of impact assessment instruments

OpenAIRE

Cashmore, M; Bond, A; Sadler, B

2009-01-01

The global application of impact assessment instruments to achieve a variety of policy integration goals (e.g. the mainstreaming of environmental, gender or economic efficiency concerns) continues to proliferate. These instruments represent important components of contemporary political governance and hence are an important locus for applied research. This special issue of Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal critically examines 'state-of-the-art' knowledge and understanding of the effecti...

“Project Protect” intervention. Testing a new approach for HIV prevention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasylyeva, Tetyana

2012-07-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND. “Project Protect” aims to find highly infectious individuals through screening for acute/recent infection cases and prevent HIV transmission in the risk networks of these cases through contact tracing of these networks` participants, distributing community alerts about risk of acute infection among them and accurate post-test counseling.METHODS. An ongoing pilot phase of the intervention began in Kriviy Rig and Lviv, Ukraine in November, 2011. Participants are recruited through: 1 screening for cases of acute/recent infection at voluntary counseling and testing (VCT sites and in partner organizations (including AIDS-Centers which conduct VCT; 2 visits to drug use venues, chain-referral and contact tracing. Genscreen ultra HIV Ag-Ab “special-tests” are used to detect cases of acute infection. Recent infection is defined as positive test result and preceding negative result within 6 months and/or age younger than 21 years old.RESULTS. In the two cities 173 respondents were recruited to the project, 118 special tests were done. No cases of acute infection and eleven cases of recent infection were found (8 injection drug users (IDUs with preceding negative result within 6 months, 2 IDUs younger than 21 recruited by project team; one non-IDU with preceding negative result within 6 months referred from AIDS-Center. Six recent cases were recruited through screening at VCT sites, 5 others through contact tracing. Psychologists conducted 41 interviews with recent infection cases and their risk networks` members; 176 community alert flyers were distributed to members of risk networks during the interview by psychologist, at the venue by social worker and by participants themselves; 3 drug use venues were visited by project team with concomitant HIV-testing of people present at the venue. CONCLUSIONS. Network tracing seems to be feasible and to help find recently infected people. Further research is needed to tell whether this

Instrument-related Skin Disorders in Musicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Patruno, Cataldo; Napolitano, Maddalena; La Bella, Serena; Ayala, Fabio; Balato, Nicola; Cantelli, Mariateresa; Balato, Anna

2016-01-01

Among artists, musicians may suffer from occupational skin problems; notwithstanding, these conditions have been rarely reviewed. The characteristics of individual performer and the type of instrument will determine the kind of disease. Moreover, the hours that the musician spent to advance artistic skill may influence the severity. The frequency and risk factors of instrument-related skin disorders in musicians from southern Italy were analyzed. An observational study was conducted in 628 musicians. A questionnaire including questions related to age, sex, instrument played, musical activity, previous or current skin disorders, and impact of skin symptoms on music making was submitted. Of 628 musicians, 199 (31.7%) reported suffering from at least 1 skin disease. Cutaneous diseases likely directly correlated with the use of the musical instrument were found in 129 (20.5%) of the 628 subjects. In particular, different patterns of irritant contact dermatitis were found. Skin conditions may be a significant problem in professional instrumentalists. They are mainly related to musical activity. Preventive measures should be established.

Nuclear instrument maintenance - problems, solutions, and obstacles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuister, P.H.

1983-01-01

In 200 laboratories of South-East Asia, Latin America and Africa a survey was made of the state of instrumentation for nuclear medicine. The principal cause of failures and defects was inadequate quality control and preventive maintenance. On the basis of the survey coordinated research programs were compiled for the maintenance of nuclear instruments. The four principal points of the programs are: to safeguard quality and stable electric power supplies for the instruments, to safeguard permanent temperature and humidity in the environment in which the equipment is operated, effective maintenance, and training of personnel. In the years 1981 and 1982, 14 local training courses were run in which emphasis was put on practicals and tests in mechanics and electronics

High-performance instruments in neutron arena of JHP. Preliminary version

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furusaka, M.; Itoh, S.; Otomo, T.; Arai, M.

1996-05-01

This report is a preliminary report of high-performance instruments in neutron arena of JHP (Japan Hadron Project). This report consists of as follows; neutron intensity of neutron arena, development of neutron sources in neutron arena, experimental devices and instrumentation. (J.P.N.)

Nurses' attitudes towards pressure ulcer prevention in Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Aslan, Arzu; Yavuz van Giersbergen, Meryem

2016-02-01

Pressure ulcers remain a major problem in healthcare system. Pressure ulcer incidence is widely accepted as an indicator for the quality of care. Positive attitudes towards pressure ulcer prevention have positive impacts on preventive care. The aim of this study was to identify nurses' attitude towards pressure ulcer prevention. The study design was descriptive. The study was carried out in a university hospital in Izmir, Turkey. The study population consisted of 660 nurses who work in medical and surgical clinics and intensive care units. The study sample consisted of 426 nurses who agreed to participate. Attitude towards Pressure Ulcer Prevention Instrument was used in order to evaluate nurses' attitudes. Written permissions for ethical considerations and Attitude towards Pressure Ulcer Prevention Instrument permission were obtained. Data were collected between June and July 2014. The statistics program SPSS 18 packaged software was used in the analyses of data. The average age of the nurses who took part in the study was 31.86 ± 7.09 years and the average work experience was 8.88 ± 7.41 years; 36.9% (n: 157) were working in intensive care units. The nurses' average score on the Attitude towards Pressure Ulcer Prevention Instrument was 43.74 ± 4.29 (84.12%). It was seen that the attitudes of the nurses towards the prevention of pressure ulcers was positive. To read guidelines and training time about pressure ulcer prevention affect positively attitudes towards the prevention of pressure ulcers. Copyright © 2015 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The history of thoracic surgical instruments and instrumentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hagopian, E J; Mann, C; Galibert, L A; Steichen, F M

2000-02-01

Thoracic surgical practice has evolved from the innovations of its pioneers. Beginning with the stethoscope discovered by Laënnec with his system of auscultation, to the tools we use in the dissection and control of the hilum of the lung for resection, our practice of thoracic surgery has been entwined with the development of instruments and instrumentation. The development of strategies to prevent death from the open pneumothorax began with manual control of the mediastinum and progressed through differential pressure to, finally, the technique of intubation and the methods of positive-pressure and insufflation anesthesia. The instruments we place in our hands are not enough to define our art. Entry into the chest would not be possible without the use of rib retractors, rib shears, and even periosteal elevators. Finally, to the present day of minimally invasive techniques and the application of thoracoscopy for therapeutic purposes, we find the efforts of our predecessors well developed. For the progression from the fear of the open pneumothorax to the present-day state of the ease of thoracotomy for lung resection we are indebted to those who gave so much of their time and, for some, their lives to death from tuberculosis, to allow the advancement of our practice of surgery. These great people should be remembered not only for their acceptance of novel ideas but also, more importantly, for their lack of fear of testing them.

Integrated Instrumentation for Light-Emitting Polymers Development

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jen, Alex

2000-01-01

The major objective of this project is to develop an integrated instrumentation that combines the capability of performing spin coating of uniform polymer thin films under an oxygen and moisture free...

Trojan technical specification verification project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bates, L.; Rickenback, M.

1991-01-01

The Trojan Technical Specification Verification (TTSV) project at the Trojan plant of Portland General Electric Company was motivated by the recognition that many numbers in the Trojan technical specifications (TTS) potentially lacked the consideration of instrument- and/or process-related errors. The plant setpoints were known to consider such errors, but many of the values associated with the limiting conditions for operation (LCO) did not. In addition, the existing plant instrument error analyses were based on industry values that do not reflect the Trojan plant-specific experience. The purpose of this project is to ensure that the Trojan plant setpoint and LCO values include plant-specific instrument error

MANU. Instrumentation of Buffer Demo. Preliminary Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laaksonen, R.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this work is to describe feasible measuring and monitoring alternatives which can be used, if needed, in medium to full scale nuclear waste repository deposition hole mock-up tests. The focus of the work was to determine what variables can actually be measured, how to achieve the measurements and what kind of demands comes from the modelling, scientific, and technical points of view. This project includes a review of the previous waste repository mock-up tests carried out in several European countries such as Belgium, Czech Republic, Spain and Sweden. Also information was gathered by interviewing domestic and foreign scientists specialized in the fields of measurement instrumentation and related in-situ and laboratory work. On the basis of this review, recommendations were developed for the necessary actions needed to be done from the instrumentation point of view for future tests. It is possible to measure and monitor the processes going on in a deposition hole in-situ conditions. The data received during a test in real repository conditions enables to follow the processes and to verify the hypothesis made on the behaviour of various components of the repository: buffer, canister, rock and backfill. Because full scale testing is expensive, the objectives and hypothesis must be carefully set and the test itself with its instrumentation must serve very specific objectives. The main purpose of mock-up tests is to verify that the conditions surrounding the canister are according to the design requirements. A whole mock-up test and demonstration process requires a lot of time and effort. The instrumentation part of the work must also start at early stages to ensure that the instrumentation itself will not become bottlenecked nor suffer from low quality solutions. The planning of the instrumentation work could be done in collaboration with foreign scientists which have participated to previous instrumentation projects. (orig.)

Assessing effects of a media campaign on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in Nigeria: results from the VISION Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Keating, Joseph; Meekers, Dominique; Adewuyi, Alfred

2006-05-03

In response to the growing HIV epidemic in Nigeria, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) initiated the VISION Project, which aimed to increase use of family planning, child survival, and HIV/AIDS services. The VISION Project used a mass-media campaign that focused on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention. This paper assesses to what extent program exposure translates into increased awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS. This analysis is based on data from the 2002 and 2004 Nigeria (Bauchi, Enugu, and Oyo) Family Planning and Reproductive Health Surveys, which were conducted among adults living in the VISION Project areas. To correct for endogeneity, two-stage logistic regression is used to investigate the effect of program exposure on 1) discussion of HIV/AIDS with a partner, 2) awareness that consistent condom use reduces HIV risk, and 3) condom use at last intercourse. Exposure to the VISION mass media campaign was high: 59%, 47%, and 24% were exposed to at least 1 VISION radio, printed advertisement, or TV program about reproductive health, respectively. The differences in outcome variables between 2002 baseline data and the 2004 follow-up data were small. However, those with high program exposure were almost one and a half (Odds Ratio [O.R.] = 1.47, 95% Confidence Interval [C.I.] 1.01-2.16) times more likely than those with no exposure to have discussed HIV/AIDS with a partner. Those with high program exposure were over twice (O.R. = 2.20, C.I. 1.49-3.25) as likely as those with low exposure to know that condom use can reduce risk of HIV infection. Program exposure had no effect on condom use at last sex. The VISION Project reached a large portion of the population and exposure to mass media programs about reproductive health and HIV prevention topics can help increase HIV/AIDS awareness. Programs that target rural populations, females, and unmarried individuals, and disseminate information on where to obtain condoms, are needed to reduce

Environmental Restoration Program pollution prevention checklist guide for the surveillance and maintenance project phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-09-01

DOE Order 5820.2 mandates that a surveillance and maintenance program be established in all shut-down facilities to ensure adequate containment of contamination, provide physical safety and security, and reduce potential public and environmental hazards. A key consideration in this process is the prevention of any waste to be generated from these activities. The purpose of this checklist guide is to assist the user with incorporating pollution prevention/waste minimization (PP/WM) in all Surveillance and Maintenance (S ampersand M) phase projects of the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. This guide will help users document their PP/WM activities for technology transfer and reporting requirements. Automated computer screens will be created from the checklist data to assist users with implementing and evaluating waste reduction. Users can then establish numerical performance measures to measure progress in planning, training, self-assessments, field implementation, documentation, and technology transfer. Cost savings result as users train and assess themselves and perform preliminary waste assessments

New developments in instrumentation at the W. M. Keck Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Adkins, Sean M.; Armandroff, Taft E.; Fitzgerald, Michael P.; Johnson, James; Larkin, James E.; Lewis, Hilton A.; Martin, Christopher; Matthews, Keith Y.; Prochaska, J. X.; Wizinowich, Peter

2014-07-01

The W. M. Keck Observatory continues to develop new capabilities in support of our science driven strategic plan which emphasizes leadership in key areas of observational astronomy. This leadership is a key component of the scientific productivity of our observing community and depends on our ability to develop new instrumentation, upgrades to existing instrumentation, and upgrades to supporting infrastructure at the observatory. In this paper we describe the as measured performance of projects completed in 2014 and the expected performance of projects currently in the development or construction phases. Projects reaching completion in 2014 include a near-IR tip/tilt sensor for the Keck I adaptive optics system, a new center launch system for the Keck II laser guide star facility, and NIRES, a near-IR Echelle spectrograph for the Keck II telescope. Projects in development include a new seeing limited integral field spectrograph for the visible wavelength range called the Keck Cosmic Web Imager, a deployable tertiary mirror for the Keck I telescope, upgrades to the spectrograph detector and the imager of the OSIRIS instrument, and an upgrade to the telescope control systems on both Keck telescopes.

Assessment report on NRP sub-theme 'National instruments for climate change policy'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verbruggen, H.; Nentjes, A.; Backhaus, J.G.; Jansen, H.M.A.

1995-01-01

Economic instruments for environmental protection feature in textbooks for their superior performance in terms of effectiveness and both static and dynamic efficiency, especially in cases characterized by a large number of polluters with large differences in abatement cost. These instruments are thus pre-eminently suited to be included in climate change policies. However, this proves to be very difficult as yet. The projects under this research sub-theme share a common interest in the complexities of implementing various types of economic instruments. The first project deals with the design of a European system of tradable emission rights. The second project is on the feasibility of ecological tax reform, with special reference to The Netherlands. The Climate Fund project, the third project, aims at investigating whether an international fund for side payments is an effective and efficient tool to reduce CO2 emissions. To that purpose, the world is divided into 9 regions. Finally, the fourth project uses an applied general equilibrium model to analyze the effectiveness and especially the income distributional effects of differently designed CO2 charges. The projects yield interesting results from which policy makers can benefit. There still are, however, blind spots. These and further research questions are identified. 4 refs

The introduction of radiation monitor produced by several nuclear instrument factories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Liying

2005-01-01

The paper introduce some radiation monitor products of several nuclear instrument factories include Xi'an Nuclear Instrument Factory, MGP Instruments Inc, and Canberra Industries Inc. The introduction aspects include the range, configuration, and application of products. So, the paper is reference for the designer with responsibility for radiation monitoring system of new nuclear project. (authors)

AIDS prevention project among women in Uruguay.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesce, L

1993-01-01

The recommendations of a staff member of the Paulina Luisi Movement and member of the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights were six-fold. Being a woman was considered a risk factor for AIDS. AIDS and HIV infection prevention must concentrate on prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). 1) Women's organizations have the responsibility for sensitizing health professionals about STDs and AIDS and break the "culture of silence." 2) Women's health focus must actively include prevention of AIDS/HIV. 3) The Pap test must be included routinely as part of public and individual health services and conducted with high quality standards. 4) The flow of communication about women's health issues must be initiated between health professionals and women advocates with the objective of changing concepts and attitudes and of developing complementary strategies. 5) The strategy of promoting condom use and quality information does not address the larger issue of discrimination against women. Gender relations between spouses and between patient and doctor must be based on responsibility, reciprocity, and autonomy. Strategies must aim to combat the negativity in society that prevents responsible gender relations. 6) Professional women who have an awareness of gender issues must be engaged in international and governmental institutions with decision making power. Sex and women's health have been lesser priorities. The health system has responded to women as "objects" rather than subjects of attention. Women's position sexually and socially makes them more vulnerable to AIDS and HIV infections, which may be transmitted through a single sexual contact. STDs increase the risk of AIDS. Latin American women feel shame about STDS, while men respond to STDs as a condition of their sexual virility or potency. Treatment of STDS, much less AIDS prevention, is inadequate. The health system must stop treating women as objects and give them their right to health.

Sibanye Methods for Prevention Packages Program Project Protocol: Pilot Study of HIV Prevention Interventions for Men Who Have Sex With Men in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

McNaghten, Ad; Kearns, Rachel; Siegler, Aaron J; Phaswana-Mafuya, Nancy; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Stephenson, Rob; Baral, Stefan D; Brookmeyer, Ron; Yah, Clarence S; Lambert, Andrew J; Brown, Benjamin; Rosenberg, Eli; Blalock Tharp, Mondie; de Voux, Alex; Beyrer, Chris; Sullivan, Patrick S

2014-10-16

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention intervention programs and related research for men who have sex with men (MSM) in the southern African region remain limited, despite the emergence of a severe epidemic among this group. With a lack of understanding of their social and sexual lives and HIV risks, and with MSM being a hidden and stigmatized group in the region, optimized HIV prevention packages for southern African MSM are an urgent public health and research priority. The objective of the Sibanye Health Project is to develop and evaluate a combination package of biomedical, behavioral, and community-level HIV prevention interventions and services for MSM in South Africa. The project consists of three phases: (1) a comprehensive literature review and summary of current HIV prevention interventions (Phase I), (2) agent-based mathematical modeling of HIV transmission in southern African MSM (Phase II), and (3) formative and stigma-related qualitative research, community engagement, training on providing health care to MSM, and the pilot study (Phase III). The pilot study is a prospective one-year study of 200 men in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The study will assess a package of HIV prevention services, including condom and condom-compatible lubricant choices, risk-reduction counseling, couples HIV testing and counseling, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for eligible men, and non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis for men with a high risk exposure. The pilot study will begin in October 2014. Preliminary results from all components but the pilot study are available. We developed a literature review database with meta-data extracted from 3800 documents from 67 countries. Modeling results indicate that regular HIV testing and promotion of condom use can significantly impact new HIV infections among South African MSM, even in the context of high coverage of early treatment of HIV-positive men and high coverage of PrEP for at-risk HIV

Advanced Instrumentation, Information and Control (II&C) Research and Development Facility Buildout and Project Execution of LWRS II&C Pilot Projects 1 and 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ronald Farris; Johanna Oxstrand; Gregory Weatherby

2011-09-01

results in plant status control, information management, knowledge management, and 'Real-Time-Truth' as it relates to the current plant conditions. The following report includes two attachments; each attachment represents Pilot Project 1 and 3. The two attachments also provide a report on two distinct milestones that were completed and are described below: M3L11IN06030307 - Complete initiation of two pilot projects Complete initiation of pilot projects on real-time configuration management and control to overcome limitations with existing permanent instrumentation and real-time awareness of plant configurations; two candidate projects that consider low-cost wireless technology for in situ configuration monitoring and candidate technologies and an information architecture for outage management and control will be initiated with utilities. M3L11IN06030309 - Complete data collection, R&D plans, and agreements needed to conduct the two pilot projects Complete data collection conducted at pilot project utilities to support real-time configuration management and outage control center pilot studies conducted; R&D plan for pilot projects produced and needed agreements established to support R&D activities.

Gum-compliant uncertainty propagations for Pu and U concentration measurements using the 1st-prototype XOS/LANL hiRX instrument; an SRNL H-Canyon Test Bed performance evaluation project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holland, Michael K. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); O' Rourke, Patrick E. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2016-05-04

An SRNL H-Canyon Test Bed performance evaluation project was completed jointly by SRNL and LANL on a prototype monochromatic energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence instrument, the hiRX. A series of uncertainty propagations were generated based upon plutonium and uranium measurements performed using the alpha-prototype hiRX instrument. Data reduction and uncertainty modeling provided in this report were performed by the SRNL authors. Observations and lessons learned from this evaluation were also used to predict the expected uncertainties that should be achievable at multiple plutonium and uranium concentration levels provided instrument hardware and software upgrades being recommended by LANL and SRNL are performed.

"Smoking in Children's Environment Test": a qualitative study of experiences of a new instrument applied in preventive work in child health care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlsson Noomi

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite knowledge of the adverse health effects of passive smoking, children are still being exposed. Children's nurses play an important role in tobacco preventive work through dialogue with parents aimed at identifying how children can be protected from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS exposure. The study describes the experiences of Child Health Care (CHC nurses when using the validated instrument SiCET (Smoking in Children's Environment Test in dialogue with parents. Method In an intervention in CHC centres in south-eastern Sweden nurses were invited to use the SiCET. Eighteen nurses participated in focus group interviews. Transcripts were reviewed and their contents were coded into categories by three investigators using the method described for focus groups interviews. Results The SiCET was used in dialogue with parents in tobacco preventive work and resulted in focused discussions on smoking and support for behavioural changes among parents. The instrument had both strengths and limitations. The nurses experienced that the SiCET facilitated dialogue with parents and gave a comprehensive view of the child's ETS exposure. This gave nurses the possibility of taking on a supportive role by offering parents long-term help in protecting their child from ETS exposure and in considering smoking cessation. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the SiCET supports nurses in their dialogue with parents on children's ETS exposure at CHC. There is a need for more clinical use and evaluation of the SiCET to determine its usefulness in clinical practice under varying circumstances.

Advances in instrumentation at the W. M. Keck Observatory

Science.gov (United States)

Adkins, Sean M.; Armandroff, Taft E.; Johnson, James; Lewis, Hilton A.; Martin, Christopher; McLean, Ian S.; Wizinowich, Peter

2012-09-01

In this paper we describe both recently completed instrumentation projects and our current development efforts in terms of their role in the strategic plan, the key science areas they address, and their performance as measured or predicted. Projects reaching completion in 2012 include MOSFIRE, a near IR multi-object spectrograph, a laser guide star adaptive optics facility on the Keck I telescope, and an upgrade to the guide camera for the HIRES instrument on Keck I. Projects in development include a new seeing limited integral field spectrograph for the visible wavelength range called the Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI), an upgrade to the telescope control systems on both Keck telescopes, a near-IR tip/tilt sensor for the Keck I adaptive optics system, and a new grating for the OSIRIS integral field spectrograph.

Neutron scattering instruments for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, R.K.; Fornek, T.; Herwig, K.W.

1998-01-01

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is a 1 MW pulsed spallation source for neutron scattering planned for construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This facility is being designed as a 5-laboratory collaboration project. This paper addresses the proposed facility layout, the process for selection and construction of neutron scattering instruments at the SNS, the initial planning done on the basis of a reference set of ten instruments, and the plans for research and development (R and D) to support construction of the first ten instruments and to establish the infrastructure to support later development and construction of additional instruments

International Energy Agency instrumented facilities survey for solar assisted low energy dwellings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1982-02-01

Compiled are surveys outlining the instrumentation of 38 active and passive solar projects in 9 countries (Denmark, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, and West Germany). After the surveys themselves are presented, the data are rearranged to compare answers from similar survey questions for each of the projects. These questions address building, solar system and instrumentation descriptions and meteorological, solar system and building system instrumentatation capabilities. (LEW)

System for managing operation of instrument in atomic power plant facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinzawa, Katsuo.

1982-01-01

Purpose: To facilitate the management of the operating state of instruments operated in a site without necessity of large revision and additional cables of the instruments. Constitution: Tag-shaped instrument recognition indicators and instrument operation indicators for indicating the operating states of the respective instruments are mounted on the instruments such as openable valves. Each instrument recognition indicator represents the type and symbol of the instrument, and each instrument operation indicator represents the operating state such as open state or closed state of the valve of theinstrument. A reader reads a recorded data when the reader is touched to a magnetic plate and a magnetic sheet, and the data is recorded by a recorder on the magnetic tape. In this manner, the leakage of checking the data can be prevented, and the load of an operator can be alleviated. (Kamimura, M.)

Advances in instrumentation for nuclear astrophysics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. D. Pain

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The study of the nuclear physics properties which govern energy generation and nucleosynthesis in the astrophysical phenomena we observe in the universe is crucial to understanding how these objects behave and how the chemical history of the universe evolved to its present state. The low cross sections and short nuclear lifetimes involved in many of these reactions make their experimental determination challenging, requiring developments in beams and instrumentation. A selection of developments in nuclear astrophysics instrumentation is discussed, using as examples projects involving the nuclear astrophysics group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. These developments will be key to the instrumentation necessary to fully exploit nuclear astrophysics opportunities at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams which is currently under construction.

Trials and projects on cervical cancer and human papillomavirus prevention in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Adefuye, Peter O; Broutet, Nathalie J; de Sanjosé, Silvia; Denny, Lynette A

2013-12-29

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality in women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), accounting for about 50,000 deaths annually. Until recently, cytology was the gold standard for screening and prevention of cervical cancer. This method of screening has not been successful in SSA due to a lack of human, financial and material resources and poor health care infrastructure. It is estimated that less than 5% of at risk women have ever being screened. In the past two decades alternative approaches to cytology for cervical cancer screening have been evaluated in low- and medium-income countries. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and/or Lugol's iodine (VILI) have been shown to have adequate sensitivity, although low specificity, in a number of cross-sectional research and demonstration projects. Visual inspection methods require minimal resources, are technologically accessible, and are feasible for screening for precancerous lesions. Linking screening with VIA/VILI to treatment with cryotherapy may enable screening and treatment to take place in one visit, but this is likely to result in large numbers of women being subjected to unnecessary treatment. A number of studies have shown that cryotherapy is not associated with significant side effects or complications and is well tolerated. Creating the infrastructure for screening of older women is considered desirable, despite the limitations of visual inspection methods as screening tests. Understanding the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the etiology of cervical cancer and the discovery of HPV rapid test kits, as well as the development of vaccines against the HPV oncogenic types, have created new opportunities for prevention of cervical cancer. Trials and projects have established (and are still ongoing) the feasibility of using these molecular tests for screening. The ultimate in prevention method is primary prevention, offered by the advent of prophylactic vaccines

Reactor instrumentation experience at IPEN-CNEN/SP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, A.J.

1997-01-01

The Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN) in Sao Paulo started in 1977 development of nuclear instrumentation. In 1982 two groups were established, one responsible for maintenance of electronic equipment and the other, the Nuclear Instrumentation Section (NIS), for new projects, such as a light water moderated critical facility (IPEN/MB-0). The NIS had the responsibility to execute all necessary activities to develop the ''nonconventional'' instrumentation systems: control, protection and radiation monitoring for the IPEN/MB-01 facility. After the commissioning of the critical facility the NIS group started the development of instrumentation systems for a power reactor. As a first step an overall review of the quality assurance programme was implemented. In parallel the development of self powered detectors was carried out. (author). 7 figs

Predicting child maltreatment: A meta-analysis of the predictive validity of risk assessment instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Put, Claudia E; Assink, Mark; Boekhout van Solinge, Noëlle F

2017-11-01

Risk assessment is crucial in preventing child maltreatment since it can identify high-risk cases in need of child protection intervention. Despite widespread use of risk assessment instruments in child welfare, it is unknown how well these instruments predict maltreatment and what instrument characteristics are associated with higher levels of predictive validity. Therefore, a multilevel meta-analysis was conducted to examine the predictive accuracy of (characteristics of) risk assessment instruments. A literature search yielded 30 independent studies (N=87,329) examining the predictive validity of 27 different risk assessment instruments. From these studies, 67 effect sizes could be extracted. Overall, a medium significant effect was found (AUC=0.681), indicating a moderate predictive accuracy. Moderator analyses revealed that onset of maltreatment can be better predicted than recurrence of maltreatment, which is a promising finding for early detection and prevention of child maltreatment. In addition, actuarial instruments were found to outperform clinical instruments. To bring risk and needs assessment in child welfare to a higher level, actuarial instruments should be further developed and strengthened by distinguishing risk assessment from needs assessment and by integrating risk assessment with case management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of the VLT instrument control system toward industry standards

Science.gov (United States)

Kiekebusch, Mario J.; Chiozzi, Gianluca; Knudstrup, Jens; Popovic, Dan; Zins, Gerard

2010-07-01

The VLT control system is a large distributed system consisting of Linux Workstations providing the high level coordination and interfaces to the users, and VME-based Local Control Units (LCU's) running the VxWorks real-time operating system with commercial and proprietary boards acting as the interface to the instrument functions. After more than 10 years of VLT operations, some of the applied technologies used by the astronomical instruments are being discontinued making it difficult to find adequate hardware for future projects. In order to deal with this obsolescence, the VLT Instrumentation Framework is being extended to adopt well established Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) components connected through industry standard fieldbuses. This ensures a flexible state of the art hardware configuration for the next generation VLT instruments allowing the access to instrument devices via more compact and simpler control units like PC-based Programmable Logical Controllers (PLC's). It also makes it possible to control devices directly from the Instrument Workstation through a normal Ethernet connection. This paper outlines the requirements that motivated this work, as well as the architecture and the design of the framework extension. In addition, it describes the preliminary results on a use case which is a VLTI visitor instrument used as a pilot project to validate the concepts and the suitability of some COTS products like a PC-based PLCs, EtherCAT8 and OPC UA6 as solutions for instrument control.

Using logic models in a community-based agricultural injury prevention project.

Science.gov (United States)

Helitzer, Deborah; Willging, Cathleen; Hathorn, Gary; Benally, Jeannie

2009-01-01

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has long promoted the logic model as a useful tool in an evaluator's portfolio. Because a logic model supports a systematic approach to designing interventions, it is equally useful for program planners. Undertaken with community stakeholders, a logic model process articulates the underlying foundations of a particular programmatic effort and enhances program design and evaluation. Most often presented as sequenced diagrams or flow charts, logic models demonstrate relationships among the following components: statement of a problem, various causal and mitigating factors related to that problem, available resources to address the problem, theoretical foundations of the selected intervention, intervention goals and planned activities, and anticipated short- and long-term outcomes. This article describes a case example of how a logic model process was used to help community stakeholders on the Navajo Nation conceive, design, implement, and evaluate agricultural injury prevention projects.

Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of the Adolescents and Surveillance System for the Obesity Prevention Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabacchi, Garden; Bianco, Antonino; Alessi, Nicola; Filippi, Anna Rita; Napoli, Giuseppe; Jemni, Monèm; Censi, Laura; Breda, João; Schumann, Nathali Lehmann; Firenze, Alberto; Vitale, Francesco; Mammina, Caterina

2016-03-01

The Adolescents Surveillance System for Obesity prevention (ASSO) Project aimed at developing standardized and web-based tools for collecting data on adolescents' obesity and its potential determinants. This has been implemented and piloted in the local area of Palermo city, Italy. The aim of the present study is to provide an overview of the Project's design, implementation, and evaluation, highlighting all the aspects for a potential scale-up of the surveillance system on the whole national territory and abroad, as a sustainable and effective source of data.The overall structure and management, the ASSO-toolkit, the ASSO-NutFit software, and all developed and used procedures for recruiting, training, and data collecting/analyzing are addressed. An interim evaluation has been performed through a feasibility study; a final Project evaluation has been performed reporting the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) and the attributes that a surveillance system should have.This article provides a detailed overview of the Project and highlights that ASSO can be considered a valid, logical, coherent, efficient, and sustainable surveillance system that is consistent with countries' needs and priorities.The system developed by the ASSO Project provides high-quality data and complies with several characteristics typical of a suitable surveillance system. It has a potential of being adopted within the National Health Service and other countries' Health Services for monitoring adolescents' obesity and its determinants, such as food intakes, behaviors, physical activity, and fitness profiles.

Development of an instrument to measure internalized stigma in those with HIV/AIDS.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Kenneth D; Moneyham, Linda; Tavakoli, Abbas

2011-01-01

Stigma has grave consequences for persons living with HIV/AIDS. Stigma hampers prevention of HIV transmission to sexual partners and to unborn babies, diagnosis, and early treatment, and negatively affects mental and physical health, quality of life, and life satisfaction. Internalized stigma of HIV/AIDS may have even more severe consequences than perceived or enacted stigma. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure internalized stigma in those with HIV/AIDS. Data were drawn from the Rural Women's Health Project. Research assistants administered structured interviews at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Instruments used in these analyses included a demographic data form, the Centers for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the Perceived Stigma Scale (PSS), and the Internalized Stigma of AIDS Tool (ISAT). Exploratory factor analysis confirmed that the ten items of the ISAT measure a single factor that explains 88% of the variance in the construct. Internal consistency was demonstrated by a Cronbach's alpha of .91 (Time 1), .92 (Time 2), and .92 (Time 3). Convergent validity was supported with significant positive correlations with the CES-D (rho = 0.33, p Stigma of AIDS Tool appears to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure internalization of the stigma of HIV/AIDS. It may be of value in research and clinical assessment.

Relation of project managers' personality and project performance: An approach based on value stream mapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurizio Bevilacqua

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This work investigates the influence of project managers’ personality on the success of a project in a Multinational Corporation. The methodology proposed for analyzing the project managers’ personality is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.Design/methodology/approach: Forty projects carried out in 2012 by multinational corporation, concerning new product development (NPD, have been analyzed, comparing the profile of project managers with results obtained in terms of traditional performance indexes (time delay and over-budget of projects and performance indexes usually used in “Lean Production” sector (waste time and type of “wastes”. A detailed analysis of the most important “wastes” during the project development is carried out using the Value Stream Mapping (VSM technique.Findings and Originality/value: Relying on the Myers–Briggs personality instrument, results show that extroverted managers (as opposed to introverted managers carry out projects that show lower delay and lower waste time. Introverted managers often make “Over-processing” and “Defect” types of waste. Moreover, lower delay and over-budget have been shown by perceiving managers.Research limitations: Regarding the limitations of this work it is necessary to highlight that we collected data from project managers in a retrospective way. While we believe that several aspects of our data collection effort helped enhance the accuracy of the results, future research could conduct real-time case study research to get more detailed insights into the proposed relationships and avoid retrospective bias. Moreover we focused on a single respondent, the project manager. This helped us ensure that their interpretations played an important role in product development. But, we cannot examined the opinion of team members that could be different from project managers opinion regarding some questions.Originality/value: This research provides insight useful

''Cutie Pie,'' A portable radiation instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballou, C.O.

1947-01-01

A portable beta and gamma radiation meter of exceedingly small dimensions and weight has been developed. User acceptance has been more enthusiastic than any previous instrument of its type. The circuit, using one Victoreen V-32 tube, is the simplest electronic circuit possible for radiation work and gives high sensitivity. Stability exceeds anything of comparable sensitivity which has come to our attention. The short term stability is due to a circuit which prevents emission before the cathode reaches operating temperature. Long term stability has been improved by evacuating the tube enclosure and switch. The complete, one unit instrument, weighs four pounds two ounces, and is carried with a pistol grip. Exclusive of chamber and handle, its dimensions are 3'' wide, 6 1/2'' long, and 5'' high. The case is formed of aluminum and is designed to give excellent visibility of the meter. Three ranges of approximately 50, 500 and 5000 mr/hr have been incorporated in the instruments. The instrument has been named ''Cutie Pie'' due to its diminutive size

Wind power in Argentina: Policy instruments and economic feasibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Recalde, M.

2010-01-01

Despite its great wind endowment, Argentina has not still succeeded in increasing wind power share in its wholesale market. However, the energy supply problem that this country is facing from 2004 on seems to open an opportunity for wind energy projects. A wide range of legislation has recently emerged. In this context, this paper discusses whether policy instruments in the Argentinean regulatory frame contribute to economic feasibility for wind power projects or not. To this purpose, we study wind installed capacity, Argentinean wind potential, the different promotion tools used worldwide and those employed in Argentina. Finally, we realize a feasibility study for a typical project. We found, that in spite of its high wind potential, economic feature, related to policy instruments, have been a boundary to the development of wind energy into the energy mix. (author)

Project Bibliographies: Tracking the Expansion of Knowledge Using JPL Project Publications

Science.gov (United States)

Coppin, Ann

2016-01-01

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Library defines a project bibliography as a bibliography of publicly available publications relating to a specific JPL instrument or mission. These bibliographies may be used to share information between distant project team members, as part of the required Education and Public Outreach effort, or as part of…

Non-process instrumentation surveillance and test reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrell, R.; LeDonne, V.; Donat, T.; Thomson, I.; Sarlitto, M.

1993-12-01

Analysis of operating experience, instrument failure modes, and degraded instrument performance has led to a reduction in Technical Specification surveillance and test requirements for nuclear power plant process instrumentation. These changes have resulted in lower plant operations and maintenance (O ampersand M) labor costs. This report explores the possibility of realizing similar savings by reducing requirements for non-process instrumentation. The project team reviewed generic Technical Specifications for the four major US nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) vendors (Westinghouse, General Electric, Combustion Engineering, and Babcock ampersand Wilcox) to identify nonprocess instrumentation for which surveillance/test requirements could be reduced. The team surveyed 10 utilities to identify specific non-process instrumentation at their plants for which requirements could be reduced. The team evaluated utility analytic approaches used to justify changes in surveillance/test requirements for process equipment to determine their applicability to non-process instrumentation. The report presents a prioritized list of non-process instrumentation systems suitable for surveillance/test requirements reduction. The top three systems in the list are vibration monitors, leak detection monitors, and chemistry monitors. In general, most non-process instrumentation governed by Technical Specification requirements are candidates for requirements reduction. If statistical requirements are somewhat relaxed, the analytic approaches previously used to reduce requirements for process instrumentation can be applied to non-process instrumentation. The report identifies as viable the technical approaches developed and successfully used by Southern California Edison, Arizona Public Service, and Boston Edison

Waste minimization methods for treating analytical instrumentation effluents at the source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritter, J.A.; Barnhart, C.

1995-01-01

The primary goal of this project was to reduce the amount of hazardous waste being generated by the Savannah River Siste Defense Waste Processing Technology-analytical Laboratory (DWPT-AL). A detailed characterization study was performed on 12 of the liquid effluent streams generated within the DWPT-AL. Two of the streams were not hazardous, and are now being collected separately from the 10 hazardous streams. A secondary goal of the project was to develop in-line methods using primarily adsorption/ion exchange columns to treat liquid effluent as it emerges from the analytical instrument as a slow, dripping flow. Samples from the 10 hazardous streams were treated by adsorption in an experimental apparatus that resembled an in-line or at source column apparatus. The layered adsorbent bed contained activated carbon and ion exchange resin. The column technique did not work on the first three samples of the spectroscopy waste stream, but worked well on the next three samples which were treated in a different column. It was determined that an unusual form of mercury was present in the first three samples. Similarly, two samples of a combined waste stream were rendered nonhazardous, but the last two samples contained acetylnitrile that prevented analysis. The characteristics of these streams changed from the initial characterization study; therefore, continual, in-deptch stream characterization is the key to making this project successful

Advance on solar instrumentation in China

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yihua

2015-08-01

The solar observing facilities in China are introduced with the emphasis on the development in recent years and future plans for both ground and space-based solar instrumentations. The recent solar instruments are as follows: A new generation Chinese Spectral Radioreliograph (CSRH) has been constructed at Mingantu Observing Station in Zhengxiangbaiqi, inner Mongolia of China since 2013 and is in test observations now. CSRH has two arrays with 40 × 4.5 m and 60 × 2 m parabolic antennas covering 0.4-2 GHz and 2-15 GHz frequency range. CSRH is renamed as MUSER (Mingantu Ultrawide Spectral Radiheliograph) after its accomplishment. A new 1 m vacuum solar telescope (NVST) has been installed in 2010 at Fuxian lake, 60 km away from Kunming, Yunana. At present it is the best seeing place in China. A new telescope called ONSET (Optical and NIR Solar Eruption Tracer) has been established at the same site as NVST in 2011. ONSET has been put into operation since 2013. For future ground-based plans, Chinese Giant Solar Telescope (CGST) with spatial resolution equivalent to 8m and effective area of 5m full-aperture telescope has been proposed and was formally listed into the National Plans of Major Science & Technology Infrastructures in China. The pre-study and site survey for CGST have been pursued. A 1-meter mid-infrared telescope for precise measurement of the solar magnetic field has been funded by NSFC in 2014 as a national major scientific instrument development project. This project will develop the first mid-infrared solar magnetic observation instrument in the world aiming at increasing the precision of the transverse magnetic field measurement by one order of magnitude. For future ground-based plans, we promote the Deep-space Solar Observatory (DSO) with 1-m aperture telescope to be formally funded. The ASO-S (an Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory) has been supported in background phase by Space Science Program as a small mission. Other related space solar

Assessing effects of a media campaign on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention in Nigeria: results from the VISION Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adewuyi Alfred

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In response to the growing HIV epidemic in Nigeria, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID initiated the VISION Project, which aimed to increase use of family planning, child survival, and HIV/AIDS services. The VISION Project used a mass-media campaign that focused on reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention. This paper assesses to what extent program exposure translates into increased awareness and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Methods This analysis is based on data from the 2002 and 2004 Nigeria (Bauchi, Enugu, and Oyo Family Planning and Reproductive Health Surveys, which were conducted among adults living in the VISION Project areas. To correct for endogeneity, two-stage logistic regression is used to investigate the effect of program exposure on 1 discussion of HIV/AIDS with a partner, 2 awareness that consistent condom use reduces HIV risk, and 3 condom use at last intercourse. Results Exposure to the VISION mass media campaign was high: 59%, 47%, and 24% were exposed to at least 1 VISION radio, printed advertisement, or TV program about reproductive health, respectively. The differences in outcome variables between 2002 baseline data and the 2004 follow-up data were small. However, those with high program exposure were almost one and a half (Odds Ratio [O.R.] = 1.47, 95% Confidence Interval [C.I.] 1.01–2.16 times more likely than those with no exposure to have discussed HIV/AIDS with a partner. Those with high program exposure were over twice (O.R. = 2.20, C.I. 1.49–3.25 as likely as those with low exposure to know that condom use can reduce risk of HIV infection. Program exposure had no effect on condom use at last sex. Conclusion The VISION Project reached a large portion of the population and exposure to mass media programs about reproductive health and HIV prevention topics can help increase HIV/AIDS awareness. Programs that target rural populations, females, and unmarried individuals, and

Development of a Real-Time Environmental Monitoring System, Life Cycle Assessment Systems, and Pollution Prevention Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Kocher, Walter M.

2003-01-01

Pollution prevention (P2) opportunities and Greening the Government (GtG) activities, including the development of the Real-Time Environmental Monitoring System (RTEMS), are currently under development at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The RTEMS project entails the ongoing development of a monitoring system which includes sensors, instruments, computer hardware and software, plus a data telemetry system.Professor Kocher has been directing the RTEMS project for more than 3 years, and the implementation of the prototype system at GRC will be a major portion of his summer effort. This prototype will provide mulitmedia environmental monitoring and control capabilities, although water quality and air emissions will be the immediate issues addressed this summer. Applications beyond those currently identified for environmental purposes will also be explored.

The Open AUC Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Cölfen, Helmut; Laue, Thomas M; Wohlleben, Wendel; Schilling, Kristian; Karabudak, Engin; Langhorst, Bradley W; Brookes, Emre; Dubbs, Bruce; Zollars, Dan; Rocco, Mattia; Demeler, Borries

2010-02-01

Progress in analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) has been hindered by obstructions to hardware innovation and by software incompatibility. In this paper, we announce and outline the Open AUC Project. The goals of the Open AUC Project are to stimulate AUC innovation by improving instrumentation, detectors, acquisition and analysis software, and collaborative tools. These improvements are needed for the next generation of AUC-based research. The Open AUC Project combines on-going work from several different groups. A new base instrument is described, one that is designed from the ground up to be an analytical ultracentrifuge. This machine offers an open architecture, hardware standards, and application programming interfaces for detector developers. All software will use the GNU Public License to assure that intellectual property is available in open source format. The Open AUC strategy facilitates collaborations, encourages sharing, and eliminates the chronic impediments that have plagued AUC innovation for the last 20 years. This ultracentrifuge will be equipped with multiple and interchangeable optical tracks so that state-of-the-art electronics and improved detectors will be available for a variety of optical systems. The instrument will be complemented by a new rotor, enhanced data acquisition and analysis software, as well as collaboration software. Described here are the instrument, the modular software components, and a standardized database that will encourage and ease integration of data analysis and interpretation software.

The SISTA pilot project: understanding the training and technical assistance needs of community-based organizations implementing HIV prevention interventions for African American women--implications for a capacity building strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Taleria R; Brown, Mari; King, Winifred; Prather, Cynthia; Cazaubon, Janine; Mack, Justin; Russell, Brandi

2007-01-01

The disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS among African American women in the U.S. signify the ongoing need for targeted HIV prevention interventions. Additionally, building the capacity of service providers to sustain prevention efforts is a major concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a pilot project to disseminate the Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS (SISTA), an HIV prevention intervention designed for African American women. The project was to inform the diffusion process and examine the training and technical assistance needs of participating community-based organizations. Results demonstrated a need for extensive pre-planning and skills-building prior to implementation.

Assessment and prevention of acute health effects of weather conditions in Europe, the PHEWE project: background, objectives, design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anderson Hugh

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The project "Assessment and prevention of acute health effects of weather conditions in Europe" (PHEWE had the aim of assessing the association between weather conditions and acute health effects, during both warm and cold seasons in 16 European cities with widely differing climatic conditions and to provide information for public health policies. Methods The PHEWE project was a three-year pan-European collaboration between epidemiologists, meteorologists and experts in public health. Meteorological, air pollution and mortality data from 16 cities and hospital admission data from 12 cities were available from 1990 to 2000. The short-term effect on mortality/morbidity was evaluated through city-specific and pooled time series analysis. The interaction between weather and air pollutants was evaluated and health impact assessments were performed to quantify the effect on the different populations. A heat/health watch warning system to predict oppressive weather conditions and alert the population was developed in a subgroup of cities and information on existing prevention policies and of adaptive strategies was gathered. Results Main results were presented in a symposium at the conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology in Paris on September 6th 2006 and will be published as scientific articles. The present article introduces the project and includes a description of the database and the framework of the applied methodology. Conclusion The PHEWE project offers the opportunity to investigate the relationship between temperature and mortality in 16 European cities, representing a wide range of climatic, socio-demographic and cultural characteristics; the use of a standardized methodology allows for direct comparison between cities.

Measures of Knowledge and Attitude Toward Preventive Cardiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Allred, Charlene A.; And Others

1985-01-01

The development and validation of an inventory of preventive cardiology at the University of Virginia is described. The inventory contains two instruments designed to measure medical students' preinstructional and postinstructional knowledge of and attitude toward preventive cardiology. (Author/MLW)

Pressure ulcer prevention is everyone's business: the PUPS project.

Science.gov (United States)

Blenman, Juliet; Marks-Maran, Di

2017-03-23

Prevention of pressure ulcers is one of the greatest healthcare challenges in terms of reducing patient harm. The literature shows that although numerous reports and policy documents have been published, pressure ulcer prevention remains an ongoing challenge. A number of innovations have been published offering practising nurses and managers ideas for raising awareness of skin care and preventing pressure ulcers. The majority of these have focused on patients in hospital settings with very little in the literature related to care-home and community initiatives. This article reports on an innovative approach to education for pressure ulcer prevention through collaboration between patients, carers and health and social care professionals.

Lunar ranging instrument for Chandrayaan-1

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... Committee on Scientific Values · Project Lifescape · Scientific Data of Public Interest ... Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI)proposed for the first Indian lunar ... field by precisely measuring the altitude from a polar orbit around the Moon. ... Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems, Indian Space Research Organization ...

Research and realization of signal simulation on virtual instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Qi; He, Wenting; Guan, Xiumei

2010-02-01

In the engineering project, arbitrary waveform generator controlled by software interface is needed by simulation and test. This article discussed the program using the SCPI (Standard Commands For Programmable Instruments) protocol and the VISA (Virtual Instrument System Architecture) library to control the Agilent signal generator (Agilent N5182A) by instrument communication over the LAN interface. The program can conduct several signal generations such as CW (continuous wave), AM (amplitude modulation), FM (frequency modulation), ΦM (phase modulation), Sweep. As the result, the program system has good operability and portability.

Instrumentation of steam cycle HTR's up to 900 MWe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leithner, D.E.; Winkenbach, B.

1982-06-01

Due to basic design features and inherent safety qualities in-core instrumentation is not needed in an HTR. Reactor safety requirements can be met by integral measurements. A modest spatial resolving power of the out-of-core instrumentation is sufficient for all operational purposes in small and medium sized steam cycle HTR's. Thus, the instrumentation concept of the THTR 300 MWe prototype reactor can be adopted without major changes for the HTR 450 MWe reactor project, as is demonstrated here for the neutron flux and temperature measurements. (author)

The geostationary Earth radiation budget (GERB) instrument on EUMETSAT's MSG satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Sandford, M. C. W.; Allan, P. M.; Caldwell, M. E.; Delderfield, J.; Oliver, M. B.; Sawyer, E.; Harries, J. E.; Ashmall, J.; Brindley, H.; Kellock, S.; Mossavati, R.; Wrigley, R.; Llewellyn-Jones, D.; Blake, O.; Butcher, G.; Cole, R.; Nelms, N.; DeWitte, S.; Gloesener, P.; Fabbrizzi, F.

2003-12-01

Geostationary Earth radiation budget (GERB) is an Announcement of Opportunity Instrument for EUMETSAT's Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite. GERB will make accurate measurements of the Earth Radiation Budget from geostationary orbit, provide an absolute reference calibration for LEO Earth radiation budget instruments and allow studies of the energetics of atmospheric processes. By operating from geostationary orbit, measurements may be made many times a day, thereby providing essentially perfect diurnal sampling of the radiation balance between reflected and emitted radiance for that area of the globe within the field of view. GERB will thus complement other instruments which operate in low orbit and give complete global coverage, but with poor and biased time resolution. GERB measures infrared radiation in two wavelength bands: 0.32-4.0 and 0.32- 30 μm, with a pixel element size of 44 km at sub-satellite point. This paper gives an overview of the project and concentrates on the design and development of the instrument and ground testing and calibration, and lessons learnt from a short time scale low-budget project. The instrument was delivered for integration on the MSG platform in April 1999 ready for the proposed launch in October 2000, which has now been delayed probably to early 2002. The ground segment is being undertaken by RAL and RMIB and produces near real-time data for meteorological applications in conjunction with the main MSG imager—SEVERI. Climate research and other applications which are being developed under a EU Framework IV pilot project will be served by fully processed data. Because of the relevance of the observations to climate change, it is planned to maintain an operating instrument in orbit for at least 3.5 years. Two further GERB instruments are being built for subsequent launches of MSG.

SWE-based Observation Data Delivery from the Instrument to the User - Sensor Web Technology in the NeXOS Project

Science.gov (United States)

Jirka, Simon; del Rio, Joaquin; Toma, Daniel; Martinez, Enoc; Delory, Eric; Pearlman, Jay; Rieke, Matthes; Stasch, Christoph

2017-04-01

The rapidly evolving technology for building Web-based (spatial) information infrastructures and Sensor Webs, there are new opportunities to improve the process how ocean data is collected and managed. A central element in this development is the suite of Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) standards specified by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). This framework of standards comprises on the one hand data models as well as formats for measurement data (ISO/OGC Observations and Measurement, O&M) and metadata describing measurement processes and sensors (OGC Sensor Model Language, SensorML). On the other hand the SWE standards comprise (Web service) interface specifications for pull-based access to observation data (OGC Sensor Observation Service, SOS) and for controlling or configuring sensors (OGC Sensor Planning Service, SPS). Also within the European INSPIRE framework the SWE standards play an important role as the SOS is the recommended download service interface for O&M-encoded observation data sets. In the context of the EU-funded Oceans of Tomorrow initiative the NeXOS (Next generation, Cost-effective, Compact, Multifunctional Web Enabled Ocean Sensor Systems Empowering Marine, Maritime and Fisheries Management) project is developing a new generation of in-situ sensors that make use of the SWE standards to facilitate the data publication process and the integration into Web based information infrastructures. This includes the development of a dedicated firmware for instruments and sensor platforms (SEISI, Smart Electronic Interface for Sensors and Instruments) maintained by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC). Among other features, SEISI makes use of OGC SWE standards such OGC-PUCK, to enable a plug-and-play mechanism for sensors based on SensorML encoded metadata. Thus, if a new instrument is attached to a SEISI-based platform, it automatically configures the connection to these instruments, automatically generated data files compliant with the ISO

Pollution prevention program for new projects -- Lessons learned

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lum, J. [Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)

1993-03-01

The purpose of this presentation is to relay the experience of the Office of New Production Reactors (NP) in developing and implementing its pollution prevention program. NP was established to plan, design, and construct a new safe and environmentally acceptable nuclear reactor capacity necessary to provide an assured supply of tritium to maintain the nation`s long-term deterrent capability. The Program offered the Department of Energy an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to environmental protection via minimization of environmental releases; new design offers the best opportunity for pollution prevention. The NP pollution prevention program was never fully implemented because NP`s tritium production design activity was recovery terminated. The information in this paper represented lessons learned from the last three years of NP operation.

Maintenance of nuclear medicine instruments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ambro, P

1993-12-31

Maintenance of instruments is generally of two kinds: (a) corrective maintenance, on a non-scheduled basis, to restore equipment to a functional status by repairs; (b) preventive maintenance, to keep equipment in a specified functional condition by providing systematic inspection, quality control, detection and correction of early malfunctions. Most of the instruments used in nuclear medicine are rather complex systems built from mechanical, electrical and electronic parts. Any one of these components is liable to fail at some time or other. Repair could be done only by a specialist who is able to evaluate the condition of the various parts ranging from cables to connectors, from scintillators to photomultipliers, from microprocessors to microswitches. The knowledge of the intricacies of the various electronic components required for their repairs is quite wide and varied. The electronics industry turns out more and more multi-purpose chips which can carry out the functions of many parts used in the instruments of the earlier generation. This provides protection against unauthorized copying of the circuits but it serves another purpose as well of inhibiting repairs by non-factory personnel. These trends of the instrument design should be taken into consideration when a policy has to be developed for the repairs of the hospital based equipment 1 fig., 1 tab

Maintenance of nuclear medicine instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambro, P.

1992-01-01

Maintenance of instruments is generally of two kinds: (a) corrective maintenance, on a non-scheduled basis, to restore equipment to a functional status by repairs; (b) preventive maintenance, to keep equipment in a specified functional condition by providing systematic inspection, quality control, detection and correction of early malfunctions. Most of the instruments used in nuclear medicine are rather complex systems built from mechanical, electrical and electronic parts. Any one of these components is liable to fail at some time or other. Repair could be done only by a specialist who is able to evaluate the condition of the various parts ranging from cables to connectors, from scintillators to photomultipliers, from microprocessors to microswitches. The knowledge of the intricacies of the various electronic components required for their repairs is quite wide and varied. The electronics industry turns out more and more multi-purpose chips which can carry out the functions of many parts used in the instruments of the earlier generation. This provides protection against unauthorized copying of the circuits but it serves another purpose as well of inhibiting repairs by non-factory personnel. These trends of the instrument design should be taken into consideration when a policy has to be developed for the repairs of the hospital based equipment

Novel Techniques for Background / Foreground Rejection in Particle Instruments

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Novel Techniques for Background / Foreground Rejection in Particle Instruments project addresses the need for signal contamination and background signal...

[Resource support as the basis of projects for the prevention of violence and addiction].

Science.gov (United States)

Keupp, Heiner

2004-10-01

Lastingly effective projects for the prevention of violence and addiction must ask which resources adolescents require for coping with their lives. A central criteria for a successful life is the creation of coherence in one's inner life and thus the basis for becoming capable of functioning in society. In earlier social eras, the readiness to take on ready-made identity packages was the central criteria for coping with life. Today, this depends on individual adaptation and identity work, and thus the capability for self-organisation, for "intentionality" or "embedding". Children and young people need "free spaces" in their worlds, in order to be able to outline themselves and to act formatively upon their everyday environment. The future prospects of adolescents depend upon their options for learning the "craft of freedom". Sustainable key qualifications for coping with life in globalised, digital capitalism must grasp education as a hard-headed process in which the subject's capacity for self-organisation is to be given optimal encouragement, so that the patchwork of their own identity can succeed as a self-determined creative project.

Cost-effectiveness of optimizing prevention in patients with coronary heart disease: the EUROASPIRE III health economics project.

Science.gov (United States)

De Smedt, Delphine; Kotseva, Kornelia; De Bacquer, Dirk; Wood, David; De Backer, Guy; Dallongeville, Jean; Seppo, Lehto; Pajak, Andrzej; Reiner, Zeljko; Vanuzzo, Diego; Georgiev, Borislav; Gotcheva, Nina; Annemans, Lieven

2012-11-01

The EUROASPIRE III survey indicated that the guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention are poorly implemented in patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD). The purpose of this health economic project was to assess the potential clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of optimizing cardiovascular prevention in eight EUROASPIRE III countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Italy, Poland, and the U.K.). METHODS AND RESULTS The individual risk for subsequent cardiovascular events was estimated, based on published Framingham equations. Based on the EUROASPIRE III data, the type of suboptimal prevention, if any, was identified for each individual, and the effects of optimized tailored prevention (smoking cessation, diet and exercise, better management of elevated blood pressure and/or LDL-cholesterol) were estimated. Costs of prevention and savings of avoided events were based on country-specific data. A willingness to pay threshold of €30,000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) was used. The robustness of the results was validated by sensitivity analyses. Overall, the cost-effectiveness analyses for the eight countries showed mainly favourable results with an average incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €12,484 per QALY. Only in the minority of patients at the lowest risk for recurrent events, intensifying preventive therapy seems not cost-effective. Also, the single impact of intensified cholesterol control seems less cost-effective, possibly because their initial 2-year risk was already fairly low, hence the room for improvement is rather limited. These results underscore the societal value of optimizing prevention in most patients with established CHD, but also highlight the need for setting priorities towards patients more at risk and the need for more studies comparing intensified prevention with usual care in these patients.

Asymptotics of diagonal elements of projection matrices under many instruments/regressors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Anatolyev, Stanislav; Yaskov, P.

2017-01-01

Roč. 33, č. 3 (2017), s. 717-738 ISSN 0266-4666 Institutional support: RVO:67985998 Keywords : instrumental variable estimation * inference * models Subject RIV: AH - Economics OBOR OECD: Applied Economics, Econometrics Impact factor: 1.011, year: 2016

Asymptotics of diagonal elements of projection matrices under many instruments/regressors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Anatolyev, Stanislav; Yaskov, P.

2017-01-01

Roč. 33, č. 3 (2017), s. 717-738 ISSN 0266-4666 Institutional support: Progres-Q24 Keywords : instrumental variable estimation * inference * models Subject RIV: AH - Economics OBOR OECD: Applied Economics, Econometrics Impact factor: 1.011, year: 2016

Project W-049H Collection System Acceptance Test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckles, D.I.

1994-01-01

The Acceptance Test Procedure (ATP) Program for Project W-049H covers the following activities: Disposal system, Collection system, Instrumentation and control system. Each activity has its own ATP. The purpose of the ATPs is to verify that the systems have been constructed in accordance with the construction documents and to demonstrate that the systems function as required by the Project criteria. This ATP has been prepared to demonstrate that the Collection System Instrumentation functions as required by project criteria

Psychosocial Predictors of Weight Loss among American Indian and Alaska Native Participants in a Diabetes Prevention Translational Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward J. Dill

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The association of psychosocial factors (psychological distress, coping skills, family support, trauma exposure, and spirituality with initial weight and weight loss among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs in a diabetes prevention translational project was investigated. Participants (n=3,135 were confirmed as prediabetic and subsequently enrolled in the Special Diabetes Program for Indians Diabetes Prevention (SDPI-DP demonstration project implemented at 36 Indian health care programs. Measures were obtained at baseline and after completing a 16-session educational curriculum focusing on weight loss through behavioral changes. At baseline, psychological distress and negative family support were linked to greater weight, whereas cultural spirituality was correlated with lower weight. Furthermore, psychological distress and negative family support predicted less weight loss, and positive family support predicted greater weight loss, over the course of the intervention. These bivariate relationships between psychosocial factors and weight remained statistically significant within a multivariate model, after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Conversely, coping skills and trauma exposure were not significantly associated with baseline weight or change in weight. These findings demonstrate the influence of psychosocial factors on weight loss in AI/AN communities and have substantial implications for incorporating adjunctive intervention components.

Environmental Restoration Program pollution prevention checklist guide for the facility characterization project phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-09-01

A facility characterization (FC) is conducted to determine the nature and extent contamination at a potential hazardous facility waste site. The information gathered during an FC includes (1) data on the volume and chemical nature of the waste, (2) information on the extent of contamination and the migration potential of the contaminants, (3) preliminary information on evaluation of alternative concepts that can or cannot be considered, and (4)supportive technical and cost data. For the purposes of identification, the following operational phases will be used for definition for this phase of the decommissioning and decontamination process (1) facility characterization before clean up, (2) characterization during clean up, (3) characterization of waste materials, and (4) site characterization after clean up. A key consideration in this process is the prevention of any waste to be generated from these characterization activities. The purpose of this checklist guide is to assist users with incorporating pollution prevention/waste minimization (PP/WM) in all FC phase projects of the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. This guide will help users document PP/WM activities for technology transfer and reporting requirements. Automated computer screens will be created from the checklist data to assist users with implementing and evaluating waste reduction

Installation Of A Training Center With Nuclear Instruments In The I.N.E.A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camargo B, Ana C.; Periaza C, A.

1993-01-01

In the framework of the regional technical cooperation of the countries in development, at present, the IAEA executes some investigation projects such as the program of Regional Arrangements of Technical Cooperation for Latin America and Caribbean (ARCAL), from which the program of nuclear instrumentation ARCAL II is derived and by agreement the INEA should install a reference center in Electronic and Nuclear Instrumentation. To complete this objective it has assigned the development of different sub projects, among which is the installation of a training center for operation, cares and quality control of nuclear instruments of medical applications

Modular Architecture for the Deep Space Habitat Instrumentation System

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This project is focused on developing a continually evolving modular backbone architecture for the Deep Space Habitat (DSH) instrumentation system by integrating new...

Advanced Instrumentation, Information and Control (II and C) Research and Development Facility Buildout and Project Execution of LWRS II and C Pilot Projects 1 and 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farris, Ronald; Oxstrand, Johanna; Weatherby, Gregory

2011-01-01

in plant status control, information management, knowledge management, and 'Real-Time-Truth' as it relates to the current plant conditions. The following report includes two attachments; each attachment represents Pilot Project 1 and 3. The two attachments also provide a report on two distinct milestones that were completed and are described below: M3L11IN06030307 - Complete initiation of two pilot projects Complete initiation of pilot projects on real-time configuration management and control to overcome limitations with existing permanent instrumentation and real-time awareness of plant configurations; two candidate projects that consider low-cost wireless technology for in situ configuration monitoring and candidate technologies and an information architecture for outage management and control will be initiated with utilities. M3L11IN06030309 - Complete data collection, R and D plans, and agreements needed to conduct the two pilot projects Complete data collection conducted at pilot project utilities to support real-time configuration management and outage control center pilot studies conducted; R and D plan for pilot projects produced and needed agreements established to support R and D activities.

Robotic, MEMS-based Multi Utility Sample Preparation Instrument for ISS Biological Workstation, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This project will develop a multi-functional, automated sample preparation instrument for biological wet-lab workstations on the ISS. The instrument is based on a...

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of an HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudinal instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Zometa, Carlos S; Dedrick, Robert; Knox, Michael D; Westhoff, Wayne; Siri, Rodrigo Simán; Debaldo, Ann

2007-06-01

An instrument developed in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and four attitudinal dimensions (Peer Pressure, Abstinence, Drug Use, and Threat of HIV Infection) and an instrument developed by Basen-Engquist et al. (1999) to measure abstinence and condom use were translated, cross-culturally adapted, and validated for use with Spanish-speaking high school students in El Salvador. A back-translation of the English version was cross-culturally adapted using two different review panels and pilot-tested with Salvadorian students. An expert panel established content validity, and confirmatory factor analysis provided support for construct validity. Results indicated that the methodology was successful in cross-culturally adapting the instrument developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the instrument developed by Basen-Engquist et al. The psychometric properties of the knowledge section were acceptable and there was partial support for the four-factor attitudinal model underlying the CDC instrument and the two-factor model underlying the Basen-Engquist et al. instrument. Additional studies with Spanish-speaking populations (either in the United States or Latin America) are needed to evaluate the generalizability of the present results.

Evaluating Students' Perceptions and Attitudes toward Computer-Mediated Project-Based Learning Environment: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Seet, Ling Ying Britta; Quek, Choon Lang

2010-01-01

This research investigated 68 secondary school students' perceptions of their computer-mediated project-based learning environment and their attitudes towards Project Work (PW) using two instruments--Project Work Classroom Learning Environment Questionnaire (PWCLEQ) and Project Work Related Attitudes Instrument (PWRAI). In this project-based…

Design Through Integration of On-Board Calibration Device with Imaging Spectroscopy Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Stange, Michael

2012-01-01

The main purpose of the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy (AVIRIS) project is to "identify, measure, and monitor constituents of the Earth's surface and atmosphere based on molecular absorption and particle scattering signatures." The project designs, builds, and tests various imaging spectroscopy instruments that use On-Board Calibration devices (OBC) to check the accuracy of the data collected by the spectrometers. The imaging instrument records the spectral signatures of light collected during flight. To verify the data is correct, the OBC shines light which is collected by the imaging spectrometer and compared against previous calibration data to track spectral response changes in the instrument. The spectral data has the calibration applied to it based on the readings from the OBC data in order to ensure accuracy.

Project ECHO: A Telementoring Program for Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment in Low-Resource Settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa S. Lopez

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are significantly higher in low- and middle-income countries compared with the United States and other developed countries. This disparity is caused by decreased access to screening, often coupled with low numbers of trained providers offering cancer prevention and treatment services. However, similar disparities are also found in underserved areas of the United States, such as the Texas-Mexico border, where cervical cancer mortality rates are 30% higher than in the rest of Texas. To address these issues, we have adopted the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes program, a low-cost telementoring model previously proven to be successful in increasing local capacity, improving patient management skills, and ultimately improving patient outcomes in rural and underserved areas. We use the Project ECHO model to educate local providers in the management of cervical dysplasia in a low-resource region of Texas and have adapted it to inform strategies for the management of advanced cervical and breast cancer in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. This innovative approach, using ECHO, is part of a larger strategy to enhance clinical skills and develop collaborative projects between academic centers and partners in low-resource regions.

The Healthy Skin Project: changing nursing practice to prevent and treat hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.

Science.gov (United States)

Armour-Burton, Teri; Fields, Willa; Outlaw, Lanie; Deleon, Elvira

2013-06-01

Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers are serious clinical complications that can lead to increased length of stay, pain, infection, and, potentially, death. The surgical progressive care unit at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, San Diego, California, developed the multidisciplinary Healthy Skin Project to decrease the prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers. The previous treatment plan was reviewed and modified according to current evidence-based practice. The project consisted of 3 components: creation of a position for a unit-based wound liaison nurse, staff education, and involvement of the nursing assistants. The wound liaison nurse developed and conducted bimonthly skin audits, which revealed inconsistencies in clinical practice and documentation. Education for the staff was accomplished via a self-learning module, case presentations, and 1-on-1 training. In addition, a pressure ulcer algorithm tool was developed to demonstrate step-by-step wound management and documentation. From Spring 2003 through Summer 2006, the prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers ranged from 0.0% to 18.92%, with a mean of 4.85%. After implementation of the project, the prevalence decreased to 0.0% for 17 of 20 quarters, through 2011. Prevention and a multidisciplinary approach are effective in reducing the occurrence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.

PROJECT APPROACH TO ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Інга Борисівна СЕМКО

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Project management is widely used around the world as a tool to improve business performance. Correct implementation of the program of implementation of energy efficiency is accompanied by the adoption of an appropriate legislative framework, support programs, the approval of market-based instruments. Currently, it is paying enough attention to the effective application of market-based instruments, although most of the activities in the field of energy efficiency from the economic side are quite profitable. The authors suggested the use of the methodology of project management to the management of energy-saving measures, new approaches to the place and role of project management in the hierarchy of guidance. As a result, this innovation can improve the competitiveness of enterprises. The conclusions that the energy-saving project management allows you to get the best results for their implementation by reducing the time, resources, risk reduction.

Goal Attainment Scaling: A Primary Method of Treatment and Program Evaluation in Project SAIL - A Special Education Dropout Prevention Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Linda Hall; Thompson, John L.

The manual discusses Project SAIL's (a special dropout prevention program) use of Goal Attainment Scaling as part of individualized education plans in the treatment of troubled adolescents and in overall program evaluation. The scaling is characterized as an explicit, respectful treatment contact through which the adolescent can learn to set…

Instrument for measuring fuel cladding strain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billeter, T.R.

1976-01-01

Development work to provide instrumentation for the continuous measurement of strain of material specimens such as nuclear fuel cladding has shown that a microwave sensor and associated instrumentation hold promise. The cylindrical sensor body enclosing the specimen results in a coaxial resonator absorbing microwave energy at frequencies dependent upon the diameter of the specimen. Diametral changes of a microinch can be resolved with use of the instrumentation. Very reasonable values of elastic strain were measured at 75 0 F and 1000 0 F for an internally pressurized 20 percent C.W. 316 stainless steel specimen simulating nuclear fuel cladding. The instrument also indicated the creep strain of the same specimen pressurized at 6500 psi and at a temperature of 1000 0 F for a period of 700 hours. Although the indicated strain appears greater than actual, the sensor/specimen unit experienced considerable oxidation even though an inert gas purge persisted throughout the test duration. By monitoring at least two modes of resonance, the measured strain was shown to be nearly independent of sensor temperature. To prevent oxidation, a second test was performed in which the specimen/sensor units were contained in an evacuated enclosure. The strain of the two prepressurized specimens as indicated by the microwave instrumentation agreed very closely with pre- and post-test measurements obtained with use of a laser interferometer

Making sense of project management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Annemette; Kautz, Karl; Nielsen, Peter Axel

2007-01-01

How can a software company make sense of project management when it becomes involved in software process improvement? In software development most research has an instrumental view of knowledge management thus neglecting what is probably the most important part of knowledge management namely making...... sense of practice by developers and project managers. Through an action case, we study the knowledge management processes in a Danish software company. We analyse the case through the lens of a theoretical framework. The theoretical framework focuses in particular on sensemaking, collective construed...... substantial insight which could not have been achieved through an instrumental perspective on knowledge management....

Practical considerations in developing an instrument-maintenance plan--

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guth, M.A.S.

1989-01-01

The author develops a general set of considerations to explain how a consistent, well-organized, prioritized, and adequate time-allowance program plan for routine maintenance can be constructed. The analysis is supplemented with experience from the high flux isotope reactor (HFIR) at US Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). After the preventive maintenance (PM) problem was defined, the instruments on the schedule were selected based on the manufacturer's design specifications, quality-assurance requirements, prior classifications, experiences with the incidence of breakdowns or calibration, and dependencies among instruments. The effects of repair error in PM should be also studied. The HFIR requires three full-time technicians to perform both PM and unscheduled maintenance. A review is presented of concepts from queuing theory to determine anticipated breakdown patterns. In practice, the pneumatic instruments have a much longer lifetime than the electric/electronic instruments on various reactors at ORNL. Some special considerations and risk aversion in choosing a maintenance schedule

W-030, AY/AZ tank farm cooling and miscellaneous instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cole, D.B.

1996-01-01

This is the acceptance test report for construction functional testing of Project W-030 cooling systems and related instrumentation. Project W-030 provides a ventilation upgrade for the four Aging Waste Facility tanks. The Tank Farm Cooling System consists of four forced draft cooling towers, a chilled water system, and associated controls

Economical and organizational aspects of radiopulmonology instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chikirdin, Eh.G.; Astrakhantsev, F.A.

1986-01-01

It is shown that the introduction of X-ray endoscopic rooms (radiology treatment rooms) equipped with appropriate installations into pulmonologic departments provides more valid diagnosis of carcinoma of the lungs, the cost of examinations being increased only by 15.7%. The latter can be compensated for with improved instrumentation of both preventive and general X-ray rooms

Magnetometer instrument team studies for the definition phase of the outer planets grand tour

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, P. J., Jr.

1972-01-01

The objectives of magnetic field investigations on missions to the outer planets were defined as well as an instrumentation system, a program of studies and instrument development tasks was proposed for the mission definition phase of the Outer Planets Grand Tour project. A report on the status of this program is given. Requirements were also established for the spacecraft and the mission which would insure their compatibility with the magnetic field investigation proposed for the outer planets missions and developed figures of merit for encounter trajectories. The spacecraft-instrumentation interface and the on-board data handling system were defined in various reports by the Project Team and in the reports by the Science Steering Group. The defining program for exploring the outer planets within the more restrictive constraints of the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn project included defining a limited magnetic field investigation.

The Basic Design Report of the 40M SANS Instrument

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Young Soo; Lee, Chang Hee; Hwang, Dong Gil; Kim, Hak Rho [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Tae Hwan; Choi, Sung Min [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2006-04-15

The HANARO cold neutron research facility project was launched on July 1, 2003. A state of the art SANS instrument was selected as a top-priority instrument by an instrument selection committee, which consisted of domestic users and HANARO personnel. An instrument development team and an international and domestic instrument advisory team were formulated. The guide and the instrument simulation were performed using Vitess software and the optimum basic design was completed based on the simulation results and the international advisory team reviews. The optimum design of the guide for the 40M SANS instrument was completed and the optimum basic design of the 40M the SANS instrument was also completed based on the Vitess simulation results. The Q range of the instrument will cover from 0.0008 to 1.0 A-1 and the maximum flux at a sample position can reach about 5.5x10 7 n/cm2sec. The simulation results and the basic design product will be used for the detailed design and the construction of the SANS instrument. The simulation results could be applied to the development of the other instrument.

ALADIN - Advanced Laue Diffraction Instruments using Neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemee-Cailleau, M.H.; Ouladdiaf, B.; McIntyre, G.J.

2011-01-01

Laue diffraction techniques have proven to be very attractive to a broad user community interested in obtaining detailed structural information on very small single-crystal samples or needing data collection speeds comparable to those available with the powder diffraction technique. However our experience has clearly demonstrated the negative effect of up-stream monochromatic instruments on the quality of Laue data. In order to obtain Laue diffraction data with a statistical accuracy similar to that achieved on a monochromatic instrument (neutron or X-rays), the project ALADIN (for Advanced Laue Diffraction Instruments using Neutrons) aims to: -) construct a Laue-dedicated thermal neutron guide, with m=2 super-mirror coating, providing access to the desirable wavelength bandwidth; -) installation of one of the ILL Laue diffractometers (VIVALDI or CYCLOPS) on this new guide. (authors)

Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) science instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos, R.; Hing, S.M.; Leidich, C.A.; Fazio, G.; Houck, J.R.

1989-01-01

Concepts of scientific instruments designed to perform infrared astronomical tasks such as imaging, photometry, and spectroscopy are discussed as part of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) project under definition study at NASA/Ames Research Center. The instruments are: the multiband imaging photometer, the infrared array camera, and the infrared spectograph. SIRTF, a cryogenically cooled infrared telescope in the 1-meter range and wavelengths as short as 2.5 microns carrying multiple instruments with high sensitivity and low background performance, provides the capability to carry out basic astronomical investigations such as deep search for very distant protogalaxies, quasi-stellar objects, and missing mass; infrared emission from galaxies; star formation and the interstellar medium; and the composition and structure of the atmospheres of the outer planets in the solar sytem. 8 refs

Robust Instrumentation[Water treatment for power plant]; Robust Instrumentering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wik, Anders [Vattenfall Utveckling AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

2003-08-01

Cementa Slite Power Station is a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) with moderate steam data; 3.0 MPa and 420 deg C. The heat is recovered from Cementa, a cement industry, without any usage of auxiliary fuel. The Power station commenced operation in 2001. The layout of the plant is unusual, there are no similar in Sweden and very few world-wide, so the operational experiences are limited. In connection with the commissioning of the power plant a R and D project was identified with the objective to minimise the manpower needed for chemistry management of the plant. The lean chemistry management is based on robust instrumentation and chemical-free water treatment plant. The concept with robust instrumentation consists of the following components; choice of on-line instrumentation with a minimum of O and M and a chemical-free water treatment. The parameters are specific conductivity, cation conductivity, oxygen and pH. In addition to that, two fairly new on-line instruments were included; corrosion monitors and differential pH calculated from specific and cation conductivity. The chemical-free water treatment plant consists of softening, reverse osmosis and electro-deionisation. The operational experience shows that the cycle chemistry is not within the guidelines due to major problems with the operation of the power plant. These problems have made it impossible to reach steady state and thereby not viable to fully verify and validate the concept with robust instrumentation. From readings on the panel of the online analysers some conclusions may be drawn, e.g. the differential pH measurements have fulfilled the expectations. The other on-line analysers have been working satisfactorily apart from contamination with turbine oil, which has been noticed at least twice. The corrosion monitors seem to be working but the lack of trend curves from the mainframe computer system makes it hard to draw any clear conclusions. The chemical-free water treatment has met all

Effect of the long-term care prevention project on the motor functions and daily life activities of the elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Yoshihiro; Sakuraba, Keisyoku; Kubota, Atsushi

2015-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of the long-term care prevention project and develop an effective program. [Subjects] A total of 81 elderly people (age, 79 ± 5.1 years; height, 149.2 ± 9.2 cm; weight, 54.2 ± 11.4 kg). [Methods] Grip, knee extension muscular strength, 10 m walking speed, and Timed Up and Go time were measured for evaluation of motor functions, and the "Locomo 25", a 25-question risk assessment questionnaire, was used as the judgment criterion for evaluation of daily life activities, with measurements being taken at the beginning of the project and after three months. [Results] In the motor functions evaluation, significant differences were observed in 10 m walking speed, Timed Up and Go time, and knee extension strength. In the daily life activities evaluation, scores for pain, rising movement, standing movement, indoor walking, outdoor walking, and fear of falling were significantly reduced. In addition, a significant correlation was also observed between motor functions and daily life activities. [Conclusion] The result of this study indicated that the long-term care prevention project is effective in maintaining or improving muscular strength and mitigating pain in the elderly and that it is an effective program for maintaining daily life activities. We were also able to show that it would be effective to develop programs with a low exercise intensity that can be performed on a continuing by the elderly.

The PIAFE project: instrumentation and beam studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laamyem, M.

1996-01-01

The beam transport of low energy radioactive ions over long distances was a key problem for the PIAFE project. The construction of a 18 m long portion validated the technical choices. Problems dealing with the alignment of the beam transport line supports and the quadrupoles have been solved. The beam/residual gas interaction model was confirmed through the measurement of both the charge exchange cross section and the growth of the emittance due to coulomb scattering. This work shows that low energy exotic ions can be transported over long distances with a vacuum around 10 -8 mbar

A practical tablet-based hearing aid configuration as an exemplar project for students of instrumentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Simeoni

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the configuration and digital signal processing details of a tablet-based hearing aid transmitting wirelessly to standard earphones, whereby the tablet performs full sound processing rather than solely providing a means of setting adjustment by streaming to conventional digital hearing aids. The presented device confirms the recognized advantages of this tablet-based approach (e.g., in relation to cost, frequency domain processing, amplification range, versatility of functionality, component battery rechargeability, and flags the future wider-spread availability of such hearing solutions within mainstream healthcare. The use of a relatively high sampling frequency was found to be beneficial for device performance, while the use of optional off-the-shelf add-on components (e.g., data acquisition device, high fidelity microphone, compact wireless transmitter/ receiver, wired headphones are also discussed in relation to performance optimization. The easy-to-follow configuration utilized is well suited to student learning/research instrumentation projects within the health and biomedical sciences. In this latter regard, the presented device was pedagogically integrated into a flipped classroom approach for the teaching of bioinstrumentation within an Allied Health Sciences School, with the subsequent establishment of positive student engagement outcomes.

A Practical Tablet-Based Hearing Aid Configuration as an Exemplar Project for Students of Instrumentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Simeoni, Ricardo

2015-06-11

This paper presents the configuration and digital signal processing details of a tablet-based hearing aid transmitting wirelessly to standard earphones, whereby the tablet performs full sound processing rather than solely providing a means of setting adjustment by streaming to conventional digital hearing aids. The presented device confirms the recognized advantages of this tablet-based approach (e.g., in relation to cost, frequency domain processing, amplification range, versatility of functionality, component battery rechargeability), and flags the future wider-spread availability of such hearing solutions within mainstream healthcare. The use of a relatively high sampling frequency was found to be beneficial for device performance, while the use of optional off-the-shelf add-on components (e.g., data acquisition device, high fidelity microphone, compact wireless transmitter/receiver, wired headphones) are also discussed in relation to performance optimization. The easy-to-follow configuration utilized is well suited to student learning/research instrumentation projects within the health and biomedical sciences. In this latter regard, the presented device was pedagogically integrated into a flipped classroom approach for the teaching of bioinstrumentation within an Allied Health Sciences School, with the subsequent establishment of positive student engagement outcomes.

The first results of pilot project on combined preventive suplementation of iodine- and iron deficiency conditions in Tyumen region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G V Sharuho

2010-12-01

Full Text Available In 2008–2010 pilot project were realized in Tyumen region on combined preventive maintenance iodine deficiency and iron deficiency conditions, within the framework of which children from pilot of the territory got feeding, enriched premixes of the iodine and ferric while checking group has formed the children, getting monoprevention iodized salt. In study were examined 467 children. Frequency of the goiter on ultrasonography in pilot territory fell from 19.8 to 6.4%, in checking from 12.5 to 10.1%. In group teenager on background combined micronutrient preventive maintenance frequency tests ferritin less 15 mcg/l fell for 76 weeks in four times (p = 0.000, herewith average factors in 2010 above, than in 2008 (p = 0.114. In group teenager checking territory on background monoprevention frequency of the lowered tests ferritin more, than in group on background of the combined preventive maintenance in 2 times (p = 0.004, improvements for period of the study is not revealed.Dynamics indices of iodine deficiency conditions on background of the combined preventive maintenance and monoprevention confirms greater efficiency of the simultaneous using the products fortifications iodine and iron. Shown efficiency micronutrient preventive maintenances of the latent deficit ferric fortifications bread.

Instrument choice when regulators are concerned about resource extinction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lars Gårn; Jensen, Frank; Russell, Clifford

In this paper we undertake a systematic investigation of instrument choice when preventing a population collapse rather than maximizing industry profit is the overriding concern. Contrary to what seems to be the general consensus we find that landing fees do provide more effective insurance against...... extinction than quotas under more or less the same conditions as those implying that landing fees are better at maximising industry profit. Thus, the efficiency of the regulatory instrument mainly depends on the basic information asymmetries characterizing the fishery, and is not sensitive to whether...

Instrument calls and real-time code for laboratory automation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taber, L.; Ames, H.S.; Yamauchi, R.K.; Barton, G.W. Jr.

1978-01-01

These programs are the result of a joint Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and Environmental Protection Agency project to automate water quality laboratories. They form the interface between the analytical instruments and the BASIC language programs for data reduction and analysis. They operate on Data General NOVA 840's at Cincinnati and Chicago and on a Data General ECLIPSE C330 at Livermore. The operating system consists of unmodified RDOS, Data General's disk operating system, and Data General's multiuser BASIC modified to provide the instrument CALLs and other functions described. Instruments automated at various laboratories include Technicon AutoAnalyzers, atomic absorption spectrophotometers, total organic carbon analyzers, an emission spectrometer, an electronic balance, sample changers, and an optical spectrophotometer. Other instruments may be automated using these same CALLs, or new CALLs may be written as described

Developing the health, safety and environment excellence instrument.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadfam, Iraj; Saraji, Gebraeil Nasl; Kianfar, Ali; Mahmoudi, Shahram

2013-01-07

Quality and efficiency are important issues in management systems. To increase quality, to reach best results, to move towards the continuous improvement of system and also to make the internal and external customers satisfied, it is necessary to consider the system performance measurement. In this study the Health, Safety and Environment Excellence Instrument was represented as a performance measurement tool for a wide range of health, safety and environment management systems. In this article the development of the instrument overall structure, its parts, and its test results in three organizations are presented. According to the results, the scores ranking was the managership organization, the manufacturing company and the powerhouse construction project, respectively. The results of the instrument test in three organizations show that, on the whole, the instrument has the ability to measure the performance of health, safety and environment management systems in a wide range of organizations.

Nuclear safety projects 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carl-Erik Christoffersen

1996-01-01

Action plans for the prevention of contamination in the Arctic regions is concretized in a number of international projects. The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority is responsible for the follow-up of 13 projects. The report describes the development of these projects in 1995

Collecting costs of community prevention programs: communities putting prevention to work initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Khavjou, Olga A; Honeycutt, Amanda A; Hoerger, Thomas J; Trogdon, Justin G; Cash, Amanda J

2014-08-01

Community-based programs require substantial investments of resources; however, evaluations of these programs usually lack analyses of program costs. Costs of community-based programs reported in previous literature are limited and have been estimated retrospectively. To describe a prospective cost data collection approach developed for the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program capturing costs for community-based tobacco use and obesity prevention strategies. A web-based cost data collection instrument was developed using an activity-based costing approach. Respondents reported quarterly expenditures on labor; consultants; materials, travel, and services; overhead; partner efforts; and in-kind contributions. Costs were allocated across CPPW objectives and strategies organized around five categories: media, access, point of decision/promotion, price, and social support and services. The instrument was developed in 2010, quarterly data collections took place in 2011-2013, and preliminary analysis was conducted in 2013. Preliminary descriptive statistics are presented for the cost data collected from 51 respondents. More than 50% of program costs were for partner organizations, and over 20% of costs were for labor hours. Tobacco communities devoted the majority of their efforts to media strategies. Obesity communities spent more than half of their resources on access strategies. Collecting accurate cost information on health promotion and disease prevention programs presents many challenges. The approach presented in this paper is one of the first efforts successfully collecting these types of data and can be replicated for collecting costs from other programs. Copyright © 2014 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

Development of photoacoustic water vapor and total water measuring instrument with a long term objective of becoming part of the IAGOS project

Science.gov (United States)

Tatrai, David; Bors, Noemi; Gulyas, Gabor; Szabo, Gabor; Smit, Herman G. J.; Petzold, Andreas; Bozoki, Zoltan

2016-04-01

Airborne hygrometry is one of the key topics in atmospheric and climate research that is why airborne hygrometers are almost always included in aircraft based measurement campaigns (see e.g. MOZAIC and CARIBIC). However for its successful application an airborne hygrometer has to be able to measure humidity in a wide range (1 60000 ppmV) at various total pressures with high accuracy and short response time. In addition, an instrument capable of measuring water vapor and condensed water selectively has considerable added value as the water content of clouds seems to be a very uncertain parameter in climate models. At the University of Szeged, a dual channel, photoacoustic spectroscopy based hygrometer system had been developed, that measures water vapor concentration and total water content simultaneously from the ground level up to cruising altitude [1, 2]. An early version of this system is the core hygrometer of the CARIBIC project. In the past few years efforts were made to improve further the performance and long term reliability of the system [3] while also reducing its size and weight. Most important of the recent achievements is a new data acquisition and control system with more precise control performance [4]. Many of these results have been proved by various laboratory (AquaVIT2a-b) and in-flight (DANCHAR-IFCC, AIRTOSS I-II) measurement campaigns. Based on these results the system received invitation into the IAGOS ESFRI project to become one of its core instruments. The presented work was funded by EUFAR contract no. 227159, by the Hungarian Research and Technology Innovation Fund (OTKA), project no. NN109679 and by the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 312311. [1] Szakáll, M et.al: Infrared Physics & Technology. 2006. 48, (3) 192-201 [2] Szakáll, M. et.al: Infrared Physics & Technology, 2007. 51, (2) 113-121 [3] Tátrai, D. et.al: Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 33-42, 2015 [4] Tátrai, D. et

Hygienic efficiency of radioisotope instruments application in motor-car industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tolokonnikov, M.I.; Lev, M.Ya.; Liberman, A.N.; Chictov, E.D.

1978-01-01

At the Moscow Automobile Works named after I.A. Likhachev, an analysis was made of the hygienic and technologic-economic benefits from use of radioisotope instruments. Radioisotopic sources of radiation are used for research and measuring purposes in various automatic control and monitoring systems, and in evaluating the effectiveness of cleaning facilities. The application of radioisotopic instruments contributes to achieving the maximum possible efficiency of the equipment, to the improvement of working conditions, and to the prevention of environmental pollution

University of Tennessee - Industry collaborative research and development in preventive maintenance technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Upadhyaya, B.R.

1992-01-01

The Preventive Maintenance Engineering Laboratory (PMEL) was inaugurated at the University of Tennessee Nuclear Engineering Department in September 1989. The startup funding was provided by Gilbert/Commonwealth, Inc. The purpose of PMEL is to identify maintenance-related problems in the power and process industries and to find their solutions through the development and application of emerging technologies. These include advanced digital signal processing, applied artificial intelligence (AI), artificial neural networks, and reliability based methods. The Laboratory activities are being expanded by the formation of an industrial consortium within the Measurement and Control Engineering Center at the University of Tennessee. Several research and development projects in preventive maintenance are being carried out. These include condition monitoring of air operated valves, automated diagnostics of motor operated valves, instrument calibration, verification, and estimation of expected residual life of electric motors using applied AI technology and reliability-based methods. The new methodology will be applied to other industrial subsystems. A long-term research and development project is being sponsored by the T.V.A. Nuclear Maintenance Department. The overall objective of the research program is to develop and apply advanced artificial intelligence and information processing methods to the problems of plant performance monitoring and preventive maintenance. The program includes the development of a workstation/PC-based, networking of plant information for easy access to operational and management personnel, implementation of a sensor verification system, monitoring of feedwater flow venturi fouling and heat rate balance, and integration of signal validation, command validation, and fault-tolerant control strategies

Concluding from operating experience to instrumentation and control systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pleger, H.; Heinsohn, H.

1997-01-01

Where conclusions are drawn from operating experience to instrumentation and control systems, two general statements should be made. First: There have been braekdowns, there have also been deficiencies, but in principle operating experience with the instrumentation and control systems of German nuclear power plants has been good. With respect to the debates about the use of modern digital instrumentation and control systems it is safe to say, secondly, that the instrumentation and control systems currently in use are working reliably. Hence, there is no need at present to replace existing systems for reasons of technical safety. However, that time will come. It is a good thing, therefore, that the use of modern digital instrumentation and control systems is to begin in the field of limiting devices. The operating experience which will thus be accumulated will benefit digital instrumentation and control systems in their qualification process for more demanding applications. This makes proper logging of operating experience an important function, even if it cannot be transferred in every respect. All parties involved therefore should see to it that this operating experience is collected in accordance with criteria agreed upon so as to prevent unwanted surprises later on. (orig.) [de

Ex vivo study on root canal instrumentation of two rotary nickel-titanium systems in comparison to stainless steel hand instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaudt, J; Bitter, K; Neumann, K; Kielbassa, A M

2009-01-01

To investigate instrumentation time, working safety and the shaping ability of two rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) systems (Alpha System and ProTaper Universal) in comparison to stainless steel hand instruments. A total of 45 mesial root canals of extracted human mandibular molars were selected. On the basis of the degree of curvature the matched teeth were allocated randomly into three groups of 15 teeth each. In group 1 root canals were prepared to size 30 using a standardized manual preparation technique; in group 2 and 3 rotary NiTi instruments were used following the manufacturers' instructions. Instrumentation time and procedural errors were recorded. With the aid of pre- and postoperative radiographs, apical straightening of the canal curvature was determined. Photographs of the coronal, middle and apical cross-sections of the pre- and postoperative canals were taken, and superimposed using a standard software. Based on these composite images the portion of uninstrumented canal walls was evaluated. Active instrumentation time of the Alpha System was significantly reduced compared with ProTaper Universal and hand instrumentation (P < 0.05; anova). No instrument fractures occurred in any of the groups. The Alpha System revealed significantly less apical straightening compared with the other instruments (P < 0.05; Mann-Whitney U test). In the apical cross-sections Alpha System resulted in significantly less uninstrumented canal walls compared with stainless steel files (P < 0.05; chi-squared test). Despite the demonstrated differences between the systems, an apical straightening effect could not be prevented; areas of uninstrumented root canal wall were left in all regions using the various systems.

Pulsed neutron source and instruments at neutron facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teshigawara, Makoto; Aizawa, Kazuya; Suzuki, Jun-ichi; Morii, Yukio; Watanabe, Noboru [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1997-11-01

We report the results of design studies on the optimal target shape, target - moderator coupling, optimal layout of moderators, and neutron instruments for a next generation pulsed spallation source in JAERI. The source utilizes a projected high-intensity proton accelerator (linac: 1.5 GeV, {approx}8 MW in total beam power, compressor ring: {approx}5 MW). We discuss the target neutronics, moderators and their layout. The sources is designed to have at least 30 beam lines equipped with more than 40 instruments, which are selected tentatively to the present knowledge. (author)

Knowledge exchange in the Pacific: The TROPIC (Translational Research into Obesity Prevention Policies for Communities) project

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Policies targeting obesogenic environments and behaviours are critical to counter rising obesity rates and lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Policies are likely to be most effective and enduring when they are based on the best available evidence. Evidence-informed policy making is especially challenging in countries with limited resources. The Pacific TROPIC (Translational Research for Obesity Prevention in Communities) project aims to implement and evaluate a tailored knowledge-brokering approach to evidence-informed policy making to address obesity in Fiji, a Pacific nation challenged by increasingly high rates of obesity and concomitant NCDs. Methods The TROPIC project draws on the concept of ‘knowledge exchange’ between policy developers (individuals; organisations) and researchers to deliver a knowledge broking programme that maps policy environments, conducts workshops on evidence-informed policy making, supports the development of evidence-informed policy briefs, and embeds evidence-informed policy making into organisational culture. Recruitment of government and nongovernment organisational representatives will be based on potential to: develop policies relevant to obesity, reach broad audiences, and commit to resourcing staff and building a culture that supports evidence-informed policy development. Workshops will increase awareness of both obesity and policy cycles, as well as develop participants’ skills in accessing, assessing and applying relevant evidence to policy briefs. The knowledge-broking team will then support participants to: 1) develop evidence-informed policy briefs that are both commensurate with national and organisational plans and also informed by evidence from the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project and elsewhere; and 2) collaborate with participating organisations to embed evidence-informed policy making structures and processes. This knowledge broking initiative will be evaluated via

Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Metocean Data-use, Sources, and Instrumentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sirnivas, Senu [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-02

Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Metocean Data-use, Sources, and Instrumentation presentation from Water Power Technologies Office Peer Review, FY14-FY16. This project aims to accelerate deployment of marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) technology by establishing: 1) relevant existing and evolving standards and guidelines, 2) meteorological and oceanic (metocean) data use 3) data sources, and 4) instrumentation guidance for siting, design, and operation of MHK devices along the U.S coastline.

Temperature control system for optical elements in astronomical instrumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Verducci, Orlando; de Oliveira, Antonio C.; Ribeiro, Flávio F.; Vital de Arruda, Márcio; Gneiding, Clemens D.; Fraga, Luciano

2014-07-01

Extremely low temperatures may damage the optical components assembled inside of an astronomical instrument due to the crack in the resin or glue used to attach lenses and mirrors. The environment, very cold and dry, in most of the astronomical observatories contributes to this problem. This paper describes the solution implemented at SOAR for remotely monitoring and controlling temperatures inside of a spectrograph, in order to prevent a possible damage of the optical parts. The system automatically switches on and off some heat dissipation elements, located near the optics, as the measured temperature reaches a trigger value. This value is set to a temperature at which the instrument is not operational to prevent malfunction and only to protect the optics. The software was developed with LabVIEWTM and based on an object-oriented design that offers flexibility and ease of maintenance. As result, the system is able to keep the internal temperature of the instrument above a chosen limit, except perhaps during the response time, due to inertia of the temperature. This inertia can be controlled and even avoided by choosing the correct amount of heat dissipation and location of the thermal elements. A log file records the measured temperature values by the system for operation analysis.

[Construction and validation of the "La Salle Instrument" to evaluate the ethical aspects in biomedical research on human beings].

Science.gov (United States)

Valdivia-Gómez, Gilberto Guzmán; Velasco-Jiménez, María Teresa; Domínguez-González, Alejandro; Meneses-Ruíz, Dulce María; Padilla-García, Raúl Amauri

2017-01-01

Research projects must demonstrate not only a rigorous scientific methodology, but also the ethical aspects that require profound reflection of the reviewers. Current regulations establish criteria for research projects on human health, but many of these aspects are subjective. How can the evaluation of such projects be standardized? This is the main subject of the current project. This project comprises two phases. First, the design and construction of an instrument of evaluation based on the fundamental principles of bioethics, which are autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice, and other aspects. The second phase consists of content validation through expert. During the phase of reviewing the instrument, it was necessary to make changes by adding, removing, or changing the concepts or criteria, which lead to the construction of the second version of the format. This new instrument was reviewed and analyzed by using the AGREE II instrument, and this version was validated by experts by greater than 95%. There are some recommendations to analyze the ethical aspects in research protocols involving human subjects, but they define the concepts and criteria to be evaluated. By presenting the criteria to be evaluated individually, the "La Salle instrument" allows the evaluation to be more objective and standardized.

Evaluating the impact of a community developed collaborative project for the prevention of early childhood caries: the Healthy Smile Happy Child project.

Science.gov (United States)

Schroth, Robert J; Edwards, Jeanette M; Brothwell, Douglas J; Yakiwchuk, Carol A; Bertone, Mary F; Mellon, Bernadette; Ward, Jennifer; Ellis, Marion; Hai-Santiago, Khalida; Lawrence, Herenia P; Moffatt, Michael E

2015-01-01

To determine the effectiveness of the Healthy Smile Happy Child (HSHC) project, a community-developed initiative promoting early childhood oral health in Manitoba, Canada. Specific aims were to assess improvements in caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours relating to early childhood oral health, and the burden of early childhood caries (ECC) and severe ECC (S-ECC). A serial cross-sectional study design was selected to contrast findings following the Healthy Smile Happy Child (HSHC) campaign in four communities with the previous baseline data. One community was a remote First Nation in northern Manitoba and another was a rural First Nation in southern Manitoba. The other two communities were urban centres, one of which was located in northern Manitoba. A community-development approach was adopted for the project to foster community solutions to address ECC. Goals of the HSHC program were to promote the project in each community, use existing community-based programs and services to deliver the oral health promotion and ECC prevention activities, and recruit and train natural leaders to assist in program development and to deliver the ECC prevention program. The HSHC coordinator worked with communities to develop a comprehensive list of potential strategies to address ECC. Numerous activities occurred in each community to engage members and increase their knowledge of early childhood oral health and ultimately lead them to adopt preventive oral health practices for their young children. Children under 71 months of age and their primary caregivers participated in this follow-up study. A -value ≤0.05 was statistically significant. 319 children (mean age 38.2±18.6 months) and their primary caregivers participated. Significant improvements in caregiver knowledge and attitudes were observed following the HSHC campaign, including that baby teeth are important (98.8%), that decay involving primary teeth can impact on health (94.3%), and the importance of a dental

OECD Halden reactor project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

This is the nineteenth annual Report on the OECD Halden Reactor Project, describing activities at the Project during 1978, the last year of the 1976-1978 Halden Agreement. Work continued in two main fields: test fuel irradiation and fuel research, and computer-based process supervision and control. Project research on water reactor fuel focusses on various aspects of fuel behavior under normal, and off-normal transient conditions. In 1978, participating organisations continued to submit test fuel for irradiation in the Halden boiling heavy-water reactor, in instrumented test assemblies designed and manufactured by the Project. Work included analysis of the impact of fuel design and reactor operating conditions on fuel cladding behavior. Fuel performance modelling included characterization of thermal and mechanical behavior at high burn-up, of fuel failure modes, and improvement of data qualification procedures to reduce and quantify error bands on in-reactor measurements. Instrument development yielded new or improved designs for measuring rod temperature, internal pressure, axial neutron flux shape determination, and for detecting cladding defects. Work on computer-based methods of reactor supervision and control included continued development of a system for predictive core surveillance, and of special mathematical methods for core power distribution control

Preventable coronary heart disease events from control of cardiovascular risk factors in US adults with diabetes (projections from utilizing the UKPDS risk engine).

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Nathan D; Patao, Christopher; Malik, Shaista; Iloeje, Uchenna

2014-04-15

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) carries significant risks for coronary heart disease (CHD). We examined the potential US population impact of single and composite risk factor control. Among US adults with diagnosed T2DM aged≥30 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007 to 2012, we assessed CHD events preventable using the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study CHD risk engine. We examined in all those not at goal the impact of statistical control of smoking, glycated hemoglobin, systolic blood pressure, and total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, according to the predefined criteria setting risk factors at different levels of control representing (1) "All to Goal," (2) at "Nominal Control," or (3) at "Aggressive Control." Preventable CHD events represented the difference between the number of events estimated from the control of these risk factors versus current levels of the risk factors. Of 606 men (representing 6.2 million) and 603 women (6.3 million) with DM and no previous CHD, 1.3 million men and 0.7 million women would develop a CHD event within 10 years if left uncontrolled. Controlling all risk factors to goal was projected to prevent 35% and 45% of CHD events in men and women, respectively. Nominal risk factor control was projected to prevent 36% and 38% and aggressive control 51% and 61% of CHD events, respectively. In conclusion, a significant proportion of CHD events in adults with T2DM could be prevented from composite control of risk factors often not at goal. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison and selection of client computer in nuclear instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Guizhen; Xie Yanhui; Peng Jing; Xu Feiyan

2012-01-01

The function of modern new nuclear instrument is very much. And the information degree is high requested. Through close matching for host computer and client computer, the data processing function can be carried out. This article puts forward a few of projects for the client computer of general nuclear instrument. The function and features of several common client computers, such as FPGA, ARM and DSP, are analyzed and compared. The applied scope is discussed also. At the same time, using a practical design as an example, the selection ideas of client computer are described. This article can be used for reference for the hardware design of data acquisition processing unit in nuclear instrument. (authors)

Code of Conduct for wind-power projects - Phases 1 and 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strub, P.; Ziegler, Ch.

2008-08-01

This paper discusses the results of the first two phases of a project concerning wind-power projects. The paper deals with the results of a system analysis, takes a look at lessons learned and presents an appraisal of existing instruments. A system-analysis of wind-power projects is presented with emphasis on social factors and the role of stakeholders. The success factors concerning social acceptance of wind-power projects and their special characteristics are discussed. Lessons learned are examined. Instruments for the sustainable implementation of projects are looked at, in particular with a focus on social acceptance

Modernization project of the rod control system and in-core instrumentation system for 34 units of the 900 MW French EDF fleet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavolara, Ivan; Verburgh, Pierre; Menager, Antoine

2010-01-01

Rolls-Royce and Cegelec, in partnership, carry out a unique and considerable modernisation project of two Instrumentation and Control (I and C) systems for the entire 900 MWe fleet of Electricite De France (EDF). Both rod control (RCS) and reactor in-core measurement (RIC) systems are to be modernised in the frame of the third ten-year renovation of all 34 reactor units over 9 power plants. The RCS contributes to the control of nuclear power by actuating control rod drive mechanisms that allow insertion or withdrawal of control rods. The RCS has also monitoring functions such as controlling the actual rods' position as well as the functional consistency between commands and actual positions. The RIC system measures in-core neutron flux, providing useful information to the control room as well as to the reactor unit computer for further processing. The renovated systems shall replace the existing ageing analog technology by modern digital technology based on PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers) and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) in the case of power subassemblies of RCS. Both systems rely for certain functions on a common network linking the RCS and RIC networks, improving operations and maintenance thanks to a powerful Man Machine Interface at the different locations of the systems with an extensive suite of tools and diagnostic menus. The project whose design phase started in July 2006 is now in its deployment phase after the successful site implementation of both systems at the first units of Tricastin and Fessenheim power plants, respectively in August 2009 and February 2010. The deployment shall continue with the other 32 units until 2020. Rolls-Royce has a broad range of civil nuclear expertise, including work related to licensing and safety reviews, engineering design, supply chain management, manufacturing, installation and commissioning of the nuclear island systems and equipment, as well as operational management through life support. Cegelec, with

Development of a Coding Instrument to Assess the Quality and Content of Anti-Tobacco Video Games

Science.gov (United States)

Alber, Julia M.; Watson, Anna M.; Barnett, Tracey E.; Mercado, Rebeccah

2015-01-01

Abstract Previous research has shown the use of electronic video games as an effective method for increasing content knowledge about the risks of drugs and alcohol use for adolescents. Although best practice suggests that theory, health communication strategies, and game appeal are important characteristics for developing games, no instruments are currently available to examine the quality and content of tobacco prevention and cessation electronic games. This study presents the systematic development of a coding instrument to measure the quality, use of theory, and health communication strategies of tobacco cessation and prevention electronic games. Using previous research and expert review, a content analysis coding instrument measuring 67 characteristics was developed with three overarching categories: type and quality of games, theory and approach, and type and format of messages. Two trained coders applied the instrument to 88 games on four platforms (personal computer, Nintendo DS, iPhone, and Android phone) to field test the instrument. Cohen's kappa for each item ranged from 0.66 to 1.00, with an average kappa value of 0.97. Future research can adapt this coding instrument to games addressing other health issues. In addition, the instrument questions can serve as a useful guide for evidence-based game development. PMID:26167842

Development of a Coding Instrument to Assess the Quality and Content of Anti-Tobacco Video Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Alber, Julia M; Watson, Anna M; Barnett, Tracey E; Mercado, Rebeccah; Bernhardt, Jay M

2015-07-01

Previous research has shown the use of electronic video games as an effective method for increasing content knowledge about the risks of drugs and alcohol use for adolescents. Although best practice suggests that theory, health communication strategies, and game appeal are important characteristics for developing games, no instruments are currently available to examine the quality and content of tobacco prevention and cessation electronic games. This study presents the systematic development of a coding instrument to measure the quality, use of theory, and health communication strategies of tobacco cessation and prevention electronic games. Using previous research and expert review, a content analysis coding instrument measuring 67 characteristics was developed with three overarching categories: type and quality of games, theory and approach, and type and format of messages. Two trained coders applied the instrument to 88 games on four platforms (personal computer, Nintendo DS, iPhone, and Android phone) to field test the instrument. Cohen's kappa for each item ranged from 0.66 to 1.00, with an average kappa value of 0.97. Future research can adapt this coding instrument to games addressing other health issues. In addition, the instrument questions can serve as a useful guide for evidence-based game development.

German activities in optical space instrumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, G.

2018-04-01

In the years of space exploration since the mid-sixties, a wide experience in optical space instrumentation has developed in Germany. This experience ranges from large telescopes in the 1 m and larger category with the accompanying focal plane detectors and spectrometers for all regimes of the electromagnetic spectrum (infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-rays), to miniature cameras for cometary and planetary explorations. The technologies originally developed for space science. are now also utilized in the fields of earth observation and even optical telecommunication. The presentation will cover all these areas, with examples for specific technological or scientific highlights. Special emphasis will be given to the current state-of-the-art instrumentation technologies in scientific institutions and industry, and to the future perspective in approved and planned projects.

Multipotenciostat System Based on Virtual Instrumentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arrieta-Almario Álvaro Angel

2014-07-01

Full Text Available To carry out this project an electronic multichannel system of electrochemical measurement or multipotenciostat was developed. It is based on the cyclic voltammetry measurement technique, controlled by a computer that monitors, by means of an electronic circuit, both the voltage generated from the Pc and supplied to an electrolytic cell, and the current that flows through the electrodes of it. To design the application software and the user interface, Virtual Instrumentation was used. On the other hand, to perform the communication between the multipotenciostat circuit and the designed software, the National Instruments NI9263 and NI9203 acquisition modules were used. The system was tested on a substance with a known REDOX property, as well as to discriminate and classify some samples of coffee.

Evidence-based development of school-based and family-involved prevention of overweight across Europe: The ENERGY-project's design and conceptual framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klepp Knut

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is an urgent need for more carefully developed public health measures in order to curb the obesity epidemic among youth. The overall aim of the "EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth" (ENERGY-project is the development and formative evaluation of a theory-informed and evidence-based multi-component school-based and family-involved intervention program ready to be implemented and evaluated for effectiveness across Europe. This program aims at promoting the adoption or continuation of health behaviors that contribute to a healthy energy balance among school-aged children. Earlier studies have indicated that school and family environments are key determinants of energy-balance behaviors in schoolchildren. Schools are an important setting for health promotion in this age group, but school-based interventions mostly fail to target and involve the family environment. Methods Led by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from eleven European countries and supported by a team of Australian experts, the ENERGY-project is informed by the Environmental Research Framework for Weight gain Prevention, and comprises a comprehensive epidemiological analysis including 1 systematic reviews of the literature, 2 secondary analyses of existing data, 3 focus group research, and 4 a cross European school-based survey. Results and discussion The theoretical framework and the epidemiological analysis will subsequently inform stepwise intervention development targeting the most relevant energy balance-related behaviors and their personal, family-environmental and school-environmental determinants applying the Intervention Mapping protocol. The intervention scheme will undergo formative and pilot evaluation in five countries. The results of ENERGY will be disseminated among key stakeholders including researchers, policy makers and the general population. Conclusions The ENERGY-project is an international

High-temperature gas-cooled reactor steam-cycle/cogeneration lead plant. Plant Protection and Instrumentation System design description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

The Plant Protection and Instrumentation System provides plant safety system sense and command features, actuation of plant safety system execute features, preventive features which maintain safety system integrity, and safety-related instrumentation which monitors the plant and its safety systems. The primary function of the Plant Protection and Instrumentation system is to sense plant process variables to detect abnormal plant conditions and to provide input to actuation devices directly controlling equipment required to mitigate the consequences of design basis events to protect the public health and safety. The secondary functions of the Plant Protection and Instrumentation System are to provide plant preventive features, sybsystems that monitor plant safety systems status, subsystems that monitor the plant under normal operating and accident conditions, safety-related controls which allow control of reactor shutdown and cooling from a remote shutdown area

On-line Monitoring of Instrumentation in Research Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-12-01

This publication is the result of a benchmarking effort undertaken under the IAEA coordinated research project on improved instrumentation and control (I&C) maintenance techniques for research reactors. It lays the foundation for implementation of on-line monitoring (OLM) techniques and establishment of the validity of those for improved maintenance practices in research reactors for a number of applications such as change to condition based calibration, performance monitoring of process instrumentation systems, detection of process anomalies and to distinguish between process problems/effects and instrumentation/sensor issues. The techniques and guidance embodied in this publication will serve the research reactor community in providing the technical foundation for implementation of OLM techniques. It is intended to be used by Member States to implement I&C maintenance and to improve performance of research reactors.

Evidence-Based Practices Project for Suicide Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, Philip L.; Sudak, Howard S.; Silverman, Morton M.; Litts, David A.

2007-01-01

Suicide continues to be a serious public health problem. In response to this problem, a myriad of suicide prevention programs have been developed and employed across the United States. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of many of these programs is unknown because they have not been evaluated using rigorous methods. The Evidence-Based Practices…

Refractory hypotension due to intraoperative hypothermia during spinal instrumentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ponniah Vanamoorthy

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We report a case of inadvertent hypothermia leading to severe hypotension resistant to high dose vasopressors, which responded to temperature correction in a patient undergoing spinal instrumentation surgery. A 60-year-old female developed severe hypotension during spinal instrumentation surgery. After review of all factors it was found to be secondary to hypothermia. The patient did not respond to high dose vasopressors. However, when normothermia was restored she recovered uneventfully. Patients undergoing lengthy spinal procedures in prone position are vulnerable to develop hypothermia and consequent cardiovascular depression so adequate measures should be taken to prevent hypothermia.

75 FR 42377 - Application(s) for Duty-Free Entry of Scientific Instruments

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-21

... the cells, proteins of the tissues and metallic nanostructures will be analyzed with the instrument... humans, and provide new avenues toward therapies for myelin repair and prevention of axonal damage after...

Environmental Restoration Program pollution prevention checklist guide for the feasibility study project phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-09-01

Feasibility studies (FS) determine what remedial alternatives are presented to regulators for site cleanup. A key consideration in this process is the waste to be generated. Minimizing the volume and toxicity of this waste will ultimately contribute to the selection of the best remedial option. The purpose of this checklist guide is to assist the user in incorporating pollution prevention/waste minimization (PP/WM) in all FS phase projects of the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. This guide will help users document PP/WM activities for technology transfer and reporting requirements. Automated computer screens will be created from the checklist data to assist users with implementing and evaluating waste reduction. Users can then establish numerical performance measures to measure progress in planning, training, self-assessments, field implementation, documentation, and technology transfer. Cost savings result as users train and assess themselves and perform preliminary waste assessments

Content validity of governing in Building Information Modelling (BIM) implementation assessment instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Hadzaman, N. A. H.; Takim, R.; Nawawi, A. H.; Mohamad Yusuwan, N.

2018-04-01

BIM governance assessment instrument is a process of analysing the importance in developing BIM governance solution to tackle the existing problems during team collaboration in BIM-based projects. Despite the deployment of integrative technologies in construction industry particularly BIM, it is still insufficient compare to other sectors. Several studies have been established the requirements of BIM implementation concerning all technical and non-technical BIM adoption issues. However, the data are regarded as inadequate to develop a BIM governance framework. Hence, the objective of the paper is to evaluate the content validity of the BIM governance instrument prior to the main data collection. Two methods were employed in the form of literature review and questionnaire survey. Based on the literature review, 273 items with six main constructs are suggested to be incorporated in the BIM governance instrument. The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) scores revealed that 202 out of 273 items are considered as the utmost critical by the content experts. The findings for Item Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) and Modified Kappa Coefficient however revealed that 257 items in BIM governance instrument are appropriate and excellent. The instrument is highly reliable for future strategies and the development of BIM projects in Malaysia.

Preparation of severely curved simulated root canals using engine-driven rotary and conventional hand instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Szep, S; Gerhardt, T; Leitzbach, C; Lüder, W; Heidemann, D

2001-03-01

This in vitro study evaluated the efficacy and safety of six different nickel-titanium engine-driven instruments used with a torque-controlled engine device and nickel-titanium hand and stainless steel hand instruments in preparation of curved canals. A total of 80 curved (36 degrees) simulated root canals were prepared. Images before and after were superimposed, and instrumentation areas were observed. Time of instrumentation, instrument failure, change in working length and weight loss were also recorded. Results show that stainless steel hand instruments cause significantly less transportation towards the inner wall of the canal than do nickel-titanium hand instruments. No instrument fracture occurred with hand instruments, but 30-60% breakage of instruments was recorded during instrumentation with the engine-driven devices. The working length was maintained by all types of instruments. Newly developed nickel-titanium rotary files were not able to prevent straightening of the severely curved canals when a torque-controlled engine-driven device was used.

The Help-line "Invito alla Vita": a new project for suicide prevention in Trentino region.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Napoli, Wilma; Andreatta, Olaf

2014-11-01

"Invito alla Vita" is a community-based suicide prevention project that officially started in Trentino in late 2008. The project was promoted by the local Health Services, trying from the beginning to involve other community subjects, and has been working over five years and a half in different directions, particularly promoting a phone help-line. The aims of the Invito alla Vita (IaV) Help Line have been clear from the beginning: decrease the sense of loneliness, offer encouragement and support, promote engagement with health services, reduce stigma and prejudice. Contrary to popular misconceptions, talking with people about suicide will not increase suicide risk, neither will it induce patients to commit suicide.The volunteers involved in the IaV help-line offer people empathic listening without judgment and easy tips, to reduce loneliness, sadness and supply reassurance that other people care. In this study we tried to deepen our knowledges about the volunteers' motivations and necessities to use them for creating a better system of support: we realized indeed that continuous training and supervision, along with official awards given by community institutions, are basic factors to sustain the volunteers' motives to cooperate with the help line.

Instrumentation and quantitative methods of evaluation. Progress report, January 15-September 14, 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, R.N.

1986-09-01

This document reports progress under grant entitled ''Instrumentation and Quantitative Methods of Evaluation.'' Individual reports are presented on projects entitled the physical aspects of radionuclide imaging, image reconstruction and quantitative evaluation, PET-related instrumentation for improved quantitation, improvements in the FMI cyclotron for increased utilization, and methodology for quantitative evaluation of diagnostic performance

The process evaluation of It's Your Move!, an Australian adolescent community-based obesity prevention project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simmons Annie M

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Evidence on interventions for preventing unhealthy weight gain in adolescents is urgently needed. The aim of this paper is to describe the process evaluation for a three-year (2005-2008 project conducted in five secondary schools in the East Geelong/Bellarine region of Victoria, Australia. The project, 'It's Your Move!' aimed to reduce unhealthy weight gain by promoting healthy eating patterns, regular physical activity, healthy body weight, and body size perception amongst youth; and improve the capacity of families, schools, and community organisations to sustain the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity in the region. Methods The project was supported by Deakin University (training and evaluation, a Reference Committee (strategic direction, budgetary approval and monitoring and a Project Management Committee (project delivery. A workshop of students, teachers and other stakeholders formulated a 10-point action plan, which was then translated into strategies and initiatives specific to each school by the School Project Officers (staff members released from teaching duties one day per week and trained Student Ambassadors. Baseline surveys informed intervention development. Process data were collected on all intervention activities and these were collated and enumerated, where possible, into a set of mutually exclusive tables to demonstrate the types of strategies and the dose, frequency and reach of intervention activities. Results The action plan included three guiding objectives, four on nutrition, two on physical activity and one on body image. The process evaluation data showed that a mix of intervention strategies were implemented, including social marketing, one-off events, lunch time and curriculum programs, improvements in infrastructure, and healthy school food policies. The majority of the interventions were implemented in schools and focused on capacity building and healthy eating strategies as

The process evaluation of It's Your Move!, an Australian adolescent community-based obesity prevention project.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, Louise B; Moodie, Marj M; Simmons, Annie M; Swinburn, Boyd A

2010-07-30

Evidence on interventions for preventing unhealthy weight gain in adolescents is urgently needed. The aim of this paper is to describe the process evaluation for a three-year (2005-2008) project conducted in five secondary schools in the East Geelong/Bellarine region of Victoria, Australia. The project, 'It's Your Move!' aimed to reduce unhealthy weight gain by promoting healthy eating patterns, regular physical activity, healthy body weight, and body size perception amongst youth; and improve the capacity of families, schools, and community organisations to sustain the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity in the region. The project was supported by Deakin University (training and evaluation), a Reference Committee (strategic direction, budgetary approval and monitoring) and a Project Management Committee (project delivery). A workshop of students, teachers and other stakeholders formulated a 10-point action plan, which was then translated into strategies and initiatives specific to each school by the School Project Officers (staff members released from teaching duties one day per week) and trained Student Ambassadors. Baseline surveys informed intervention development. Process data were collected on all intervention activities and these were collated and enumerated, where possible, into a set of mutually exclusive tables to demonstrate the types of strategies and the dose, frequency and reach of intervention activities. The action plan included three guiding objectives, four on nutrition, two on physical activity and one on body image. The process evaluation data showed that a mix of intervention strategies were implemented, including social marketing, one-off events, lunch time and curriculum programs, improvements in infrastructure, and healthy school food policies. The majority of the interventions were implemented in schools and focused on capacity building and healthy eating strategies as physical activity practices were seen by the teachers as

Optimized NSAIDs for Breast Cancer Prevention

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Carson, Dennis A

2006-01-01

.... Also, how these agents prevent breastcancer is not understood. This project will develop an optimized NSAID for breast cancer prevention that can betaken safely at high doses, and will determine its mechanisms of action...

The Gem Infrasound Logger and Custom-Built Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, Jacob F.; Ronan, Timothy J.

2017-01-01

Here, we designed, built, and recorded data with a custom infrasound logger (referred to as the Gem) that is inexpensive, portable, and easy to use. We also describe its design process, qualities, and applications in this article. Field instrumentation is a key element of geophysical data collection, and the quantity and quality of data that can be recorded is determined largely by the characteristics of the instruments used. Geophysicists tend to rely on commercially available instruments, which suffice for many important types of fieldwork. However, commercial instrumentation can fall short in certain roles, which motivates the development of custom sensors and data loggers. Particularly, we found existing data loggers to be expensive and inconvenient for infrasound campaigns, and developed the Gem infrasound logger in response. In this article, we discuss development of this infrasound logger and the various uses found for it, including projects on volcanoes, high-altitude balloons, and rivers. Further, we demonstrate that when needed, scientists can feasibly design and build their own specialized instruments, and that doing so can enable them to record more and better data at a lower cost.

The role of interpersonal communication in preventing unsafe abortion in communities: the dialogues for life project in Nepal.

Science.gov (United States)

Bingham, Allison; Drake, Jennifer Kidwell; Goodyear, Lorelei; Gopinath, C Y; Kaufman, Anne; Bhattarai, Sanju

2011-03-01

Legal, procedural, and institutional restrictions on safe abortion services-such as laws forbidding the practice or policies preventing donors from supporting groups who provide legal services-remain a major access barrier for women worldwide. However, even when abortion services are legal, women face social and cultural barriers to accessing safe abortion services and preventing unwanted pregnancy. Interpersonal communication interventions play an important role in overcoming these obstacles, including as part of broad educational- and behavioral-change efforts. This article presents results from an interpersonal communication behavior change pilot intervention, Dialogues for Life, undertaken in Nepal from 2004 to 2006, after abortion was legalized in 2002. The project aimed to encourage and enable women to prevent unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions and was driven by dialogue groups and select community events. The authors' results confirm that a dialogue-based interpersonal communication intervention can help change behavior and that this method is feasible in a low-resource, low-literacy setting. Dialogue groups play a key role in addressing sensitive and stigmatizing health issues such as unsafe abortion and in empowering women to negotiate for the social support they need when making decisions about their health.

Extending the frontiers of mass spectrometric instrumentation and methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schieffer, Gregg Martin [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

2010-01-01

The focus of this dissertation is two-fold: developing novel analysis methods using mass spectrometry and the implementation and characterization of a novel ion mobility mass spectrometry instrumentation. The novel mass spectrometry combines ion trap for ion/ion reactions coupled to an ion mobility cell. The long term goal of this instrumentation is to use ion/ion reactions to probe the structure of gas phase biomolecule ions. The three ion source - ion trap - ion mobility - qTOF mass spectrometer (IT - IM - TOF MS) instrument is described. The analysis of the degradation products in coal (Chapter 2) and the imaging plant metabolites (Appendix III) fall under the methods development category. These projects use existing commercial instrumentation (JEOL AccuTOF MS and Thermo Finnigan LCQ IT, respectively) for the mass analysis of the degraded coal products and the plant metabolites, respectively. The coal degradation paper discusses the use of the DART ion source for fast and easy sample analysis. The sample preparation consisted of a simple 50 fold dilution of the soluble coal products in water and placing the liquid in front of the heated gas stream. This is the first time the DART ion source has been used for analysis of coal. Steven Raders under the guidance of John Verkade came up with the coal degradation projects. Raders performed the coal degradation reactions, worked up the products, and sent them to me. Gregg Schieffer developed the method and wrote the paper demonstrating the use of the DART ion source for the fast and easy sample analysis. The plant metabolite imaging project extends the use of colloidal graphite as a sample coating for atmospheric pressure LDI. DC Perdian and I closely worked together to make this project work. Perdian focused on building the LDI setup whereas Schieffer focused on the MSn analysis of the metabolites. Both Perdian and I took the data featured in the paper. Perdian was the primary writer of the paper and used it as a

Instrumentation and Controls Division annual progress report for period ending September 1, 1973

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadowski, G.S.

1976-08-01

Research progress is described under the following topics: (1) pulse counting and analysis; (2) support for the thermonuclear division ORMAK project; (3) miscellaneous electronics development; (4) detectors of ionizing particles and radiation; (5) radiation monitoring; (6) support for the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator; (7) automatic control and data acquisition; (8) process instrumentation and control; (9) reactor instrumentation and controls; (10) instrumentation for reactor division experiments and test loops; (11) maintenance and service; and (12) ecological science studies

Patient-Reported Outcome and Quality of Life Instruments Database (PROQOLID: Frequently asked questions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perrier Laure-Lou

2005-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The exponential development of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO measures in clinical research has led to the creation of the Patient-Reported Outcome and Quality of Life Instruments Database (PROQOLID to facilitate the selection process of PRO measures in clinical research. The project was initiated by Mapi Research Trust in Lyon, France. Initially called QOLID (Quality of Life Instruments Database, the project's purpose was to provide all those involved in health care evaluation with a comprehensive and unique source of information on PRO and HRQOL measures available through the Internet. PROQOLID currently describes more than 470 PRO instruments in a structured format. It is available in two levels, non-subscribers and subscribers, at http://www.proqolid.org. The first level is free of charge and contains 14 categories of basic useful information on the instruments (e.g. author, objective, original language, list of existing translations, etc.. The second level provides significantly more information about the instruments. It includes review copies of over 350 original instruments, 120 user manuals and 350 translations. Most are available in PDF format. This level is only accessible to annual subscribers. PROQOLID is updated in close collaboration with the instruments' authors on a regular basis. Fifty or more new instruments are added to the database annually. Today, all of the major pharmaceutical companies, prestigious institutions (such as the FDA, the NIH's National Cancer Institute, the U.S. Veterans Administration, dozens of universities, public institutions and researchers subscribe to PROQOLID on a yearly basis. More than 800 users per day routinely visit the database.

Modernization projects in Santa Maria e Garona

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marcos, R.; Alutiz, J. I.; Garcia Sanchez, M.

2011-01-01

This article shows a vision of the Santa Maria de Garona power Plant modernization guidelines and it also presents the most significant projects deployed in the last decade at the power plant grouped in mechanics projects, electrical projects, instrumentations projects and IT projects. At the same time three projects are explained in more detail: the change of one of the main transformers, the evolution from paper recorders to paperless video graphic recorders and the new plant data information system. (Author)

Family Violence Prevention Programs in Immigrant Communities: Perspectives of Immigrant Men

Science.gov (United States)

Simbandumwe, Louise; Bailey, Kim; Denetto, Shereen; Migliardi, Paula; Bacon, Brenda; Nighswander, Maggie

2008-01-01

The Strengthening Families in Canada Family Violence Prevention Project was aimed at engaging immigrant and refugee communities in family violence prevention. The project, which received support from the Community Mobilization Program, National Crime Prevention Strategy, involved a partnership of four community health and education organizations.…

Multilevel perspectives on community intervention: an example from an Indo-US HIV prevention project in Mumbai, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Schensul, Stephen L; Saggurti, Niranjan; Singh, Rajendra; Verma, Ravi K; Nastasi, Bonnie K; Mazumder, Papiya Guha

2009-06-01

This paper explores the meaning and applicability of multilevel interventions and the role of ethnography in identifying intervention opportunities and accounting for research design limitations. It utilizes as a case example the data and experiences from a 6-year, NIMH-funded, intervention to prevent HIV/STI among married men in urban poor communities in Mumbai, India. The experiences generated by this project illustrate the need for multilevel interventions to include: (1) ethnographically driven formative research to delineate appropriate levels, stakeholders and collaborators; (2) identification of ways to link interventions to the local culture and community context; (3) the development of a model of intervention that is sufficiently flexible to be consistently applied to different intervention levels using comparable culturally congruent concepts and approaches; (4) mechanisms to involve community residents, community based organizations and community-based institutions; and (5) approaches to data collection that can evaluate the impact of the project on multiple intersecting levels.

Optimized NSAIDS for Breast Cancer Prevention

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Carson, Dennis A

2005-01-01

.... Also, how these agents prevent breast cancer is not understood. This project will develop an optimized NSAID for breast cancer prevention that can be taken safely at high doses, and will determine its mechanisms of action...

The Predictive Validity of Projective Measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Suinn, Richard M.; Oskamp, Stuart

Written for use by clinical practitioners as well as psychological researchers, this book surveys recent literature (1950-1965) on projective test validity by reviewing and critically evaluating studies which shed light on what may reliably be predicted from projective test results. Two major instruments are covered: the Rorschach and the Thematic…

Inspector-instrument interface in portable NDA instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halbig, J.K.; Klosterbuer, S.F.

1981-01-01

Recent electronics technology advances make it possible to design sophisticated instruments in small packages for convenient field implementation. An inspector-instrument interface design that allows communication of procedures, responses, and results between the instrument and user is presented. This capability has been incorporated into new spent-fuel instrumentation and a battery-powered multichannel analyzer

Inspector-instrument interface in portable NDA instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halbig, J.K.; Klosterbuer, S.F.

1981-01-01

Recent electronics technology advances make it possible to design sophisticated instruments in small packages for convenient field implementation. This report describes an inspector-instrument interface design which allows communication of procedures, responses, and results between the instrument and user. The interface has been incorporated into new spent-fuel instrumentation and a battery-powered multichannel analyzer

48 CFR 852.236-87 - Accident prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Accident prevention. 852... Accident prevention. As prescribed in 836.513, insert the following clause: Accident Prevention (SEP 1993) The Resident Engineer on all assigned construction projects, or other Department of Veterans Affairs...

Development and evaluation of the OHCITIES instrument: assessing alcohol urban environments in the Heart Healthy Hoods project

Science.gov (United States)

Sureda, Xisca; Espelt, Albert; Villalbí, Joan R; Cebrecos, Alba; Baranda, Lucía; Pearce, Jamie; Franco, Manuel

2017-01-01

Objectives To describe the development and test–retest reliability of OHCITIES, an instrument characterising alcohol urban environment in terms of availability, promotion and signs of consumption. Design This study involved: (1) developing the conceptual framework for alcohol urban environment by means of literature reviewing and previous alcohol environment research experience; (2) pilot testing and redesigning the instrument; (3) instrument digitalisation; (4) instrument evaluation using test–retest reliability. Setting Data for testing the reliability of the instrument were collected in seven census sections in Madrid in 2016 by two observers. Primary and secondary outcome measures We computed per cent agreement and Cohen’s kappa coefficients to estimate inter-rater and test–retest reliability for alcohol outlet environment measures. We calculated interclass coefficients and their 95% CIs to provide a measure of inter-rater reliability for signs of alcohol consumption measures. Results We collected information on 92 on-premise and 24 off-premise alcohol outlets identified in the studied areas about availability, accessibility and promotion of alcohol. Most per cent-agreement values for alcohol measures in on-premise and off-premise alcohol outlets were greater than 80%, and inter-rater and test–retest reliability values were generally above 0.80. Observers identified 26 streets and 3 public squares with signs of alcohol consumption. Intraclass correlation coefficient between observers for any type of signs of alcohol consumption was 0.50 (95% CI −0.09 to 0.77). Few items promoting alcohol unrelated to alcohol outlets were found on public spaces. Conclusions The OHCITIES instrument is a reliable instrument to characterise alcohol urban environment. This instrument might be used to understand how alcohol environment associates with alcohol behaviours and its related health outcomes, and can help in the design and evaluation of policies to reduce the

The national response for preventing healthcare-associated infections: research and adoption of prevention practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, Katherine L; Mendel, Peter; Leuschner, Kristin J; Hiatt, Liisa; Gall, Elizabeth M; Siegel, Sari; Weinberg, Daniel A

2014-02-01

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have long been the subject of research and prevention practice. When findings show potential to significantly impact outcomes, clinicians, policymakers, safety experts, and stakeholders seek to bridge the gap between research and practice by identifying mechanisms and assigning responsibility for translating research to practice. This paper describes progress and challenges in HAI research and prevention practices, as explained through an examination of Health and Human Services (HHS) Action Plan's goals, inputs, and implementation in each area. We used the Context-Input-Process-Product evaluation model, together with an HAI prevention system framework, to assess the transformative processes associated with HAI research and adoption of prevention practices. Since the introduction of the Action Plan, HHS has made substantial progress in prioritizing research projects, translating findings from those projects into practice, and designing and implementing research projects in multisite practice settings. Research has emphasized the basic science and epidemiology of HAIs, the identification of gaps in research, and implementation science. The basic, epidemiological, and implementation science communities have joined forces to better define mechanisms and responsibilities for translating HAI research into practice. Challenges include the ongoing need for better evidence about intervention effectiveness, the growing implementation burden on healthcare providers and organizations, and challenges implementing certain practices. Although these HAI research and prevention practice activities are complex spanning multiple system functions and properties, HHS is making progress so that the right methods for addressing complex HAI problems at the interface of patient safety and clinical practice can emerge.

Project Management with IT Security Focus

OpenAIRE

Felician Alecu; Paul Pocatilu; Sergiu Capisizu

2011-01-01

The paper focus on the main key points related to the IT security project management. The most important lifecycle stages are identified: IT security project proposal definition, project organization, project planning, quality planning, project team organization, IT security project activities management and project closing. The most important success factors for IT security projects are the support of top-management, customer satisfaction, prevention over remediation and continuous progress....

Retrospective evaluation of Project Envision: A community mobilization pilot program to prevent sexual violence in New York City.

Science.gov (United States)

Glenn, Lily; Fidler, Laura; O'Connor, Meghan; Haviland, Mary; Fry, Deborah; Pollak, Tamara; Frye, Victoria

2018-02-01

Sexual violence is a public health problem associated with short- and long-term physical and mental health consequences. Most interventions that aim to prevent sexual violence before it occurs target individual-level change or promote bystander training. Community-level interventions, while increasingly recommended in the sexual violence prevention field, are rarely documented in peer-reviewed literature. This paper is a targeted process evaluation of Project Envision, a 6-year pilot initiative to address social norms at the root of sexual violence through coalition building and community mobilization in three New York City neighborhoods, and reflects the perspectives of those charged with designing and implementing the program. Evaluation methods included a systematic literature review, archival source document review, and key informant interviews. Three themes emerged from the results: community identity and implications for engagement; capacity and readiness for community mobilization and consequences for implementation; and impacts on participants. Lessons learned include the limitations of using geographic boundaries to structure community interventions in urban settings; carefully considering whether communities should be mobilized around an externally-identified issue; translating theoretical frameworks into concrete tasks; assessing all coalition partners and organizations for readiness; critically evaluating available resources; and recognizing that community organizing is a skill that requires investment from funders. We conclude that Project Envision showed promise for shifting institutional norms towards addressing root causes of sexual violence in addition to providing victim services. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultural validation of a new instrument to measure leprosy-related stigma: the SARI Stigma Scale

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dadun,; Peters, Ruth M. H.; Van Brakel, Wim H.; Lusli, Mimi; Damayanti, Rita; Irwanto, A.; Bunders- Aelen, J.G.F.

Background: There is a need for comprehensive, valid and reliable instruments to assess leprosy-related stigma. This paper presents the process of the cross-cultural validation of an instrument in Cirebon District, Indonesia initiated by the Stigma Assessment and Reduction of Impact (SARI) project.

All projects related to bolivia | Page 3 | IDRC - International ...

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

All projects related to bolivia ... Topic: AQUACULTURE, FISH CULTURE, FISH PRODUCTION, FISHERY PRODUCT PROCESSING, FISH UTILIZATION, ... Project. This grant will support a study of the factors (aspects, instruments, sectors and ...

Instrumented Pipeline Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas Piro; Michael Ream

2010-07-31

This report summarizes technical progress achieved during the cooperative agreement between Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) and U.S. Department of Energy to address the need for a for low-cost monitoring and inspection sensor system as identified in the Department of Energy (DOE) National Gas Infrastructure Research & Development (R&D) Delivery Reliability Program Roadmap.. The Instrumented Pipeline Initiative (IPI) achieved the objective by researching technologies for the monitoring of pipeline delivery integrity, through a ubiquitous network of sensors and controllers to detect and diagnose incipient defects, leaks, and failures. This report is organized by tasks as detailed in the Statement of Project Objectives (SOPO). The sections all state the objective and approach before detailing results of work.

Prevention of Adolescent Problem Behavior: Longitudinal Impact of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel T. L. Shek

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The present study attempts to examine the longitudinal impact of a curriculum-based positive youth development program, entitled the Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes, on adolescent problem behavior in Hong Kong. Using a longitudinal randomized group design, six waves of data were collected from 19 experimental schools (n = 3,797 at Wave 1 in which students participated in the Project P.A.T.H.S. and 24 control schools (n = 4,049 at Wave 1. At each wave, students responded to questions asking about their current problem behaviors, including delinquency and use of different types of drugs, and their intentions of engaging in such behaviors in the future. Results based on individual growth curve modeling generally showed that the participants displayed lower levels of substance abuse and delinquent behavior than did the control students. Participants who regarded the program to be helpful also showed lower levels of problem behavior than did the control students. The present findings suggest that the Project P.A.T.H.S. is effective in preventing adolescent problem behavior in the junior secondary school years.

Instrument choice when regulators are concerned about resource extinction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Lars Gårn; Jensen, Frank; Russell, Clifford

2013-01-01

In this paper we undertake a systematic investigation of instrument choice when preventing a population collapse rather than maximizing industry profit is the overriding concern. Contrary to what seems to be the general consensus we find that landing fees do provide more effective insurance again...... the regulators total catch goals are set according to economic or precautionary principles....

Instrument control software development process for the multi-star AO system ARGOS

Science.gov (United States)

Kulas, M.; Barl, L.; Borelli, J. L.; Gässler, W.; Rabien, S.

2012-09-01

The ARGOS project (Advanced Rayleigh guided Ground layer adaptive Optics System) will upgrade the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) with an AO System consisting of six Rayleigh laser guide stars. This adaptive optics system integrates several control loops and many different components like lasers, calibration swing arms and slope computers that are dispersed throughout the telescope. The purpose of the instrument control software (ICS) is running this AO system and providing convenient client interfaces to the instruments and the control loops. The challenges for the ARGOS ICS are the development of a distributed and safety-critical software system with no defects in a short time, the creation of huge and complex software programs with a maintainable code base, the delivery of software components with the desired functionality and the support of geographically distributed project partners. To tackle these difficult tasks, the ARGOS software engineers reuse existing software like the novel middleware from LINC-NIRVANA, an instrument for the LBT, provide many tests at different functional levels like unit tests and regression tests, agree about code and architecture style and deliver software incrementally while closely collaborating with the project partners. Many ARGOS ICS components are already successfully in use in the laboratories for testing ARGOS control loops.

Good Practice Guide Waste Minimization/Pollution Prevention

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J Dorsey

1999-10-14

This Good Practice Guide provides tools, information, and examples for promoting the implementation of pollution prevention during the design phases of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects. It is one of several Guides for implementing DOE Order 430.1, Life-cycle Asset Management. DOE Order 430.1 provides requirements for DOE, in partnership with its contractors, to plan, acquire, operate, maintain, and dispose of physical assets. The goals of designing for pollution prevention are to minimize raw material consumption, energy consumption, waste generation, health and safety impacts, and ecological degradation over the entire life of the facility (EPA 1993a). Users of this Guide will learn to translate national policy and regulatory requirements for pollution prevention into action at the project level. The Guide was written to be applicable to all DOE projects, regardless of project size or design phase. Users are expected to interpret the Guide for their individual project's circumstances, applying a graded approach so that the effort is consistent with the anticipated waste generation and resource consumption of the physical asset. This Guide employs a combination of pollution prevention opportunity assessment (PPOA) methods and design for environment (DfE) philosophies. The PPOA process was primarily developed for existing products, processes, and facilities. The PPOA process has been modified in this Guide to address the circumstances of the DOE design process as delineated in DOE Order 430.1 and its associated Good Practice Guides. This modified form of the PPOA is termed the Pollution Prevention Design Assessment (P2DA). Information on current nationwide methods and successes in designing for the environment also have been reviewed and are integrated into this guidance.

PREVENTING POLLUTION USING ISO 14001 AT A PARTICLE ACCELERATOR THE RELATIVISTIC HEAVY ION COLLIDER PROJECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BRIGGS, S.L.K.; MUSOLINO, S.V.

2001-01-01

In early 1997 Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) discovered that the spent fuel pool of their High Flux Beam Reactor was leaking tritium into the groundwater. Community members, activist groups, politicians and regulators were outraged with the poor environmental management practices at BNL. The reactor was shut down and the Department of Energy (DOE) terminated the contract with the existing Management Company. At this same time, a major new scientific facility, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), was nearing the end of construction and readying for commissioning. Although environmental considerations had been incorporated into the design of the facility; some interested parties were skeptical that this new facility would not cause significant environmental impacts. RHIC management recognized that the future of its operation was dependent on preventing pollution and allaying concerns of its stakeholders. Although never done at a DOE National Laboratory before Brookhaven Science Associates, the new management firm, committed to implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) and RHIC managers volunteered to deploy it within their facility on an extremely aggressive schedule. Several of these IS0 requirements contribute directly to preventing pollution, an area where particular emphasis was placed. This paper describes how Brookhaven used the following key IS0 14001 elements to institutionalize Pollution Prevention concepts: Environmental Policy, Aspects, Objectives and Targets, Environmental Management Program, Structure and Responsibility, Operational Controls, Training, and Management Review. In addition, examples of implementation at the RHIC Project illustrate how BNL's premiere facility was able to demonstrate to interested parties that care had been taken to implement technological and administrative controls to minimize environmental impacts, while at the same time reduce the applicability of regulatory requirements to their operations

UPGRADE OF INSTRUMENTATION FOR PURDUE REACTOR PUR-1, PHASE 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Revankar, S. T.

2004-01-01

The major objective of this program is to upgrade and replace instruments and equipment that significantly improve the performance, control and operational capability of the Purdue University nuclear reactor (PUR-1). Under this major objective one project on design and installation of interface cards for channel four detector was considered. This report is the final report and gives the efforts and progress achieved on these projects from August 2002 to July 2004

Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention Awareness Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-04-01

The purpose of this plan is to document Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) projections for present and future waste minimization and pollution prevention. The plan specifies those activities and methods that are or will be used to reduce the quantity and toxicity of wastes generated at the site. It is intended to satisfy Department of Energy (DOE) requirements. This Plan provides an overview of projected activities from FY 1994 through FY 1999. The plans are broken into site-wide and problem-specific activities. All directorates at LLNL have had an opportunity to contribute input, to estimate budget, and to review the plan. In addition to the above, this plan records LLNL's goals for pollution prevention, regulatory drivers for those activities, assumptions on which the cost estimates are based, analyses of the strengths of the projects, and the barriers to increasing pollution prevention activities

Experimental plasma research project summaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-08-01

This report contans descriptions of the activities supported by the Experimental Plasma Research Branch of APP. The individual project summaries were prepared by the principal investigators and include objectives and milestones for each project. The projects are arranged in six research categories: Plasma Properties; Plasma Heating; Plasma Measurements and Instrumentation; Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics; Advanced Superconducting Materials; and the Fusion Plasma Research Facility (FPRF). Each category is introduced with a statement of objectives and recent progress and followed by descriptions of individual projects. An overall budget summary is provided at the beginning of the report

Mission Analysis for Using Preventive Radiological/Nuclear Detection Equipment for Consequence Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buddemeier, Brooke R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Wood-Zika, Annmarie R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Haynes, Daniel [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Klemic, Gladys A. [US Dept. of Homeland Security National Urban Security Technology Lab., Manhattan, NY (United States); Musolino, Stephen V. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

2017-09-01

The overall objective of this project is to research, evaluate, and test first responder preventive radiological/nuclear detection (PRND) equipment to provide state and local agencies with scientific guidance on how to effectively use this equipment for response after a radiological/nuclear release or detonation. While the equipment being tested in this effort has been specifically designed by technology manufacturers and purchased by responders for preventive detection and source interdiction operations, the fleet of PRND equipment can help fill critical needs for radiological instrumentation should a consequence management (CM) response take place, as it is currently the most widely available and fielded radiological instrumentation by state and local agencies. This effort will provide scientific guidance on the most effective way to utilize this class of equipment for consequence management missions. Gaining a better understanding of how PRND equipment can operate and perform for these missions will allow for recommendations on the tactical approach responders can use for consequence management operations. PRND equipment has been placed into service by federal, state, and local agencies throughout the nation. If the equipment capability and limitations are taken into account, this large inventory can be leveraged to support the emergency response in the aftermath of a radiological or nuclear event. With several hundred makes and models of PRND equipment, often with significantly different detection capabilities that do not align with their nominal PRND equipment type, development of a streamlined categorization scheme with respect to consequence management missions was the first step to identifying safe and effective uses of PRND equipment for radiological/nuclear incident response.

Instrumentation and Controls Division annual progress report for period ending September 1, 1974. Non-LMFBR program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadowski, G.S.

1976-09-01

Research projects are summarized under the following categories: (1) basic electronics development; (2) engineering support for research facilities; (3) pulse counting and analysis; (4) radiation detection and monitoring; (5) instrument development; (6) automatic control and data acquisition; (7) process systems and instrumentation development; (8) reactor instrumentation and controls; (9) fuel reprocessing and shipping; (10) standards laboratory; (11) instrumentation for reactor division experiments and test loops; (12) maintenance and service; (13) ecological science studies; and (14) administration and training

Instrumentation and Controls Division annual progress report for period ending September 1, 1974. Non-LMFBR program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadowski, G.S. (comp.)

1976-09-01

Research projects are summarized under the following categories: (1) basic electronics development; (2) engineering support for research facilities; (3) pulse counting and analysis; (4) radiation detection and monitoring; (5) instrument development; (6) automatic control and data acquisition; (7) process systems and instrumentation development; (8) reactor instrumentation and controls; (9) fuel reprocessing and shipping; (10) standards laboratory; (11) instrumentation for reactor division experiments and test loops; (12) maintenance and service; (13) ecological science studies; and (14) administration and training. (WHK)

Instrumentation and Controls Division, Technical Support Department Management Plan, FY 1993--FY 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adkisson, B.P.; Kunselman, C.W.; Effler, R.P.; Miller, D.R.; Millet, A.J.; Stansberry, C.T.

1993-08-01

This report describes the organization, key functions, and major activities of the Technical Support Department The Department is the programmatic support element of the Instrumentation and Controls Division. The Department`s primary focus is the support of existing equipment and systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory that are generally characterized as instrumentation and controls. The support takes the form of repair, calibration, fabrication, field engineering, preventive maintenance, software support, and record keeping.

An Evaluation of Immediate Outcomes and Fidelity of a Drug Abuse Prevention Program in Continuation High Schools: Project towards No Drug Abuse (TND)

Science.gov (United States)

Lisha, Nadra E.; Sun, Ping; Rohrbach, Louise A.; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Unger, Jennifer B.; Sussman, Steve

2012-01-01

The present study provides an implementation fidelity, process, and immediate outcomes evaluation of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (TND), a drug prevention program targeting continuation high school youth (n = 1426) at risk for drug abuse. A total of 24 schools participated in three randomized conditions: TND Only, TND and motivational…

Instrumentation of dynamic gas pulse loading system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohaupt, H.

1992-04-14

The overall goal of this work is to further develop and field test a system of stimulating oil and gas wells, which increases the effective radius of the well bore so that more oil can flow into it, by recording pressure during the gas generation phase in real time so that fractures can be induced more predictably in the producing formation. Task 1: Complete the laboratory studies currently underway with the prototype model of the instrumentation currently being studied. Task 2: Perform field tests of the model in the Taft/Bakersfield area, utilizing operations closest to the engineers working on the project, and optimize the unit for various conditions encountered there. Task 3: Perform field test of the model in DGPL jobs which are scheduled in the mid-continent area, and optimize the unit for downhole conditions encountered there. Task 4: Analyze and summarize the results achieved during the complete test series, documenting the steps for usage of downhole instrumentation in the field, and compile data specifying use of the technology by others. Task 5: Prepare final report for DOE, and include also a report on the field tests completed. Describe and estimate the probability of the technology being commercialized and in what time span. The project has made substantial technical progress, though we are running about a month behind schedule. Expenditures are in line with the schedule. Increased widespread interest in the use of DGPL stimulation has kept us very busy. The computer modeling and test instrumentation developed under this program is already being applied to commercial operations.

[Infection prevention check-in and infection prevention check-out to prevent nosocomial infections].

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, A; Schilling, M; Heidecke, C D

2010-02-01

A precondition for the success of the prevention of SSI is the complete realisation of the proven anti-infective measures in form of the multi-barrier strategy or the so-called bundles. In daily practice it is important to follow the fixed instructions, i. e., to ensure a high compliance. In much the same way as an airline pilot or co-pilot must examine whether all instruments are functioning before each take-off, a comparable procedure should be developed as a pre-operative control for the observance of all -defined measures by the responsible surgeon and for the post-operative supervision by the patient. For the control of the observance of the defined pre-operative prevention measures, a check list with 12 items was developed, named the "infection prevention check-in". The check list is authorised by the responsible surgeon be-fore each operation. For the surveillance of the general hygiene in the post-operative period the "infection prevention check-out" with 14 items was developed. Thereby the patient is able to evaluate the staff's compliance with the hygienic measures at the time of dismissal. With the introduction of the check-lists a simple means is given to involve both the team of the surgeons and the ward staff, together with the patient, into the infection prophylaxis even more effectively. In order to assess the success of those measures, the influence on the rate of SSI is to be determined prospectively. Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart, New York.

Assessment of wind turbine load measurement instrumentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morfiadakis, E; Papadopoulos, K [CRES (Greece); Borg, N van der [ECN, Petten (Netherlands); Petersen, S M [Risoe, Roskilde (Denmark); Seifert, H [DEWI, Wilhelmshaven (Germany)

1999-03-01

In the framework of Sub-Task3 `Wind turbine load measurement instrumentation` of EU-project `European Wind Turbine Testing Procedure Development`, the load measurement techniques have been assessed by laboratory, full scale and numerical tests. The existing methods have been reviewed with emphasis on the strain gage application techniques on composite materials and recommendations are provided for the optimisation of load measurement techniques. (au) EU. 14 refs.

An examination of the social determinants of health as factors related to health, healing and prevention of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in a northern context--the Brightening Our Home Fires Project, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Badry, Dorothy; Felske, Aileen Wight

2013-01-01

The Brightening Our Home Fires (BOHF) project was conceptualized as an exploratory project to examine the issue of the prevention of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) from a women's health perspective in the Northwest Territories (NT). While dominant discourse suggests that FASD is preventable by abstention from alcohol during pregnancy, a broader perspective would indicate that alcohol and pregnancy is a far more complex issue, that is, bound in location, economics, social and cultural views of health. This project was prevention focused and a social determinant of health (SDH) perspective informed this research. The BOHF project was a qualitative research project using a participatory action research framework to examine women's health and healing in the north. The methodology utilized was Photovoice. Women were provided training in digital photography and given cameras to use and keep. The primary research question utilized was: What does health and healing look like for you in your community? Women described their photos, individually or in groups around this central topic. This research was FASD informed, and women participants were aware this was an FASD prevention funded project whose approach focused on a broader context of health and lived experience. This project drew 30 participants from: Yellowknife, Lutsel 'ke, Behchokö and Ulukhaktok. These four different communities across the NT represented Dene and Inuit culture. The qualitative data analysis offered themes of importance to women's health in the north including: land and tradition; housing; poverty; food; family; health, mental health and trauma, and travel. Photovoice provides a non-threatening way to engage in dialogue on complex health and social issues.

Instruments of Inquiry: Understanding the Nature and Role of Design Tools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalsgaard, Peter

2017-01-01

Designers employ a range of tools in most design projects, yet there are few frameworks for understanding how and why they work. On the basis of a well-established school of thought, pragmatism, this paper contributes with a coherent conceptualisation of tools in design, which I label instruments...... of inquiry. This perspective underscores the crucial role that instruments play in design, and the ways in which they scaffold design creativity and exploration. In particular, it highlights that instruments not only augment our capabilities for carrying out intended actions, they also guide our perception...... and understanding of design problems and solutions. I present and discuss a framework consisting of five qualities of instruments of inquiry, which make them valuable in designerly inquiry: perception, conception, externalisation, knowing-through-action, and mediation....

Design and manufacturing of non-instrumented capsule for advanced PWR fuel pellet irradiation test in HANARO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, D. H.; Lee, C. B.; Song, K. W. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejeon (Korea)

2002-04-01

This project is preparing to irradiation test of the developed large grain UO{sub 2} fuel pellet in HANARO for pursuit fuel safety and high burn-up in 'Advanced LWR Fuel Technology Development Project' as a part Nuclear Mid and Long-term R and D Program. On the basis test rod is performed the nuclei property and preliminary fuel performance analysis, test rod and non-instrumented capsule are designed and manufactured for irradiation test in HANARO. This non-instrumented irradiation capsule of Advanced PWR Fuel pellet was referred the non-instrumented capsule for an irradiation test of simulated DUPIC fuel in HANARO(DUPIC Rig-001) and 18-element HANARO fuel, was designed to ensure the integrity and the endurance of non-instrumented capsule during the long term(2.5 years) irradiation. To irradiate the UO{sub 2} pellets up to the burn-up 70 MWD/kgU, need the time about 60 months and ensure the integrity of non-instrumented capsule for 30 months until replace the new capsule. This non-instrumented irradiation capsule will be based to develope the non-instrumented capsule for the more long term irradiation in HANARO. 22 refs., 13 figs., 5 tabs. (Author)

A National Implementation Project to Prevent Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection in Nursing Home Residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Mody, Lona; Greene, M Todd; Meddings, Jennifer; Krein, Sarah L; McNamara, Sara E; Trautner, Barbara W; Ratz, David; Stone, Nimalie D; Min, Lillian; Schweon, Steven J; Rolle, Andrew J; Olmsted, Russell N; Burwen, Dale R; Battles, James; Edson, Barbara; Saint, Sanjay

2017-08-01

.95; 95% CI, 0.88-1.03; P = .26) in adjusted analyses. The number of urine cultures ordered for all residents decreased from 3.49 per 1000 resident-days to 3.08 per 1000 resident-days. Similarly, after adjustment, the rates were shown to decrease from 3.52 to 3.09 (IRR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.77-0.94; P = .001). In a large-scale, national implementation project involving community-based nursing homes, combined technical and socioadaptive catheter-associated UTI prevention interventions successfully reduced the incidence of catheter-associated UTIs.

Performance evaluation methods and instrumentation for mine ventilation fans

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LI Man; WANG Xue-rong

2009-01-01

Ventilation fans are one of the most important pieces of equipment in coal mines. Their performance plays an important role in the safety of staff and production. Given the actual requirements of coal mine production, we instituted a research project on the measurement methods of key performance parameters such as wind pressure, amount of ventilation and power. At the end a virtual instrument for mine ventilation fans performance evaluation was developed using a USB interface. The practical perform-ance and analytical results of our experiments show that it is feasible, reliable and effective to use the proposed instrumentation for mine ventilation performance evaluation.

Development and evaluation of the OHCITIES instrument: assessing alcohol urban environments in the Heart Healthy Hoods project.

Science.gov (United States)

Sureda, Xisca; Espelt, Albert; Villalbí, Joan R; Cebrecos, Alba; Baranda, Lucía; Pearce, Jamie; Franco, Manuel

2017-10-05

To describe the development and test-retest reliability of OHCITIES, an instrument characterising alcohol urban environment in terms of availability, promotion and signs of consumption. This study involved: (1) developing the conceptual framework for alcohol urban environment by means of literature reviewing and previous alcohol environment research experience; (2) pilot testing and redesigning the instrument; (3) instrument digitalisation; (4) instrument evaluation using test-retest reliability. Data for testing the reliability of the instrument were collected in seven census sections in Madrid in 2016 by two observers. We computed per cent agreement and Cohen's kappa coefficients to estimate inter-rater and test-retest reliability for alcohol outlet environment measures. We calculated interclass coefficients and their 95% CIs to provide a measure of inter-rater reliability for signs of alcohol consumption measures. We collected information on 92 on-premise and 24 off-premise alcohol outlets identified in the studied areas about availability, accessibility and promotion of alcohol. Most per cent-agreement values for alcohol measures in on-premise and off-premise alcohol outlets were greater than 80%, and inter-rater and test-retest reliability values were generally above 0.80. Observers identified 26 streets and 3 public squares with signs of alcohol consumption. Intraclass correlation coefficient between observers for any type of signs of alcohol consumption was 0.50 (95% CI -0.09 to 0.77). Few items promoting alcohol unrelated to alcohol outlets were found on public spaces. The OHCITIES instrument is a reliable instrument to characterise alcohol urban environment. This instrument might be used to understand how alcohol environment associates with alcohol behaviours and its related health outcomes, and can help in the design and evaluation of policies to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the

Standardization and improvement of safety for radioisotope equipped instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sumi, Tetsuo

1980-01-01

The safety for radioisotope-equipped instruments is considered. The one is the safety for the source assembly. The radioisotopes employed for radioisotope-equipped instruments are sealed sources which are used in the state of being contained in the enclosures. Many of the enclosures are provided with shutter mechanism for the purpose of emitting radiation only during the period required. If the possible troubles that might lead to the accidents are sampled out of the results of field operation of radiation instruments, and the safety measures for source enclosures are considered in connection with these troubles, it is no exaggeration to say that the safety for source enclosures has been maintained by preventing the critical accidents by the management of users and the cooperation of manufactures though there were the chance for investigating the safety in the common field and the establishment of JIS Z 4614 standard. Another consideration is concerned with the measures to improve the safety. No accident in the past never guarantees no accident in the future. Accumulation of experience is most effective for those measures, and the more experiences the better. It may be most effective that the manufacturers disclose their experiences each other from the wide outlook overcoming the barrier of trade secret. Fortunately, such consciousness has risen since a few years ago, and the investigation group is doing the works in the Japan Radioisotope Association. On the other hand, the reasonable revision of the radiation injury prevention law is desired. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Instrumental and Vocal Teacher Education: Competences, Roles and Curricula

Science.gov (United States)

Lennon, Mary; Reed, Geoffrey

2012-01-01

This article focuses on selected outcomes of the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC) "Polifonia" Working Group for Instrumental and Vocal Teacher Training in Europe (2007-2010). The introduction provides the background to the project, explains the rationale and objectives, describes the research process and gives an overview of…

Sovereign cat bonds and infrastructure project financing.

Science.gov (United States)

Croson, David; Richter, Andreas

2003-06-01

We examine the opportunities for using catastrophe-linked securities (or equivalent forms of nondebt contingent capital) to reduce the total costs of funding infrastructure projects in emerging economies. Our objective is to elaborate on methods to reduce the necessity for unanticipated (emergency) project funding immediately after a natural disaster. We also place the existing explanations of sovereign-level contingent capital into a catastrophic risk management framework. In doing so, we address the following questions. (1) Why might catastrophe-linked securities be useful to a sovereign nation, over and above their usefulness for insurers and reinsurers? (2) Why are such financial instruments ideally suited for protecting infrastructure projects in emerging economies, under third-party sponsorship, from low-probability, high-consequence events that occur as a result of natural disasters? (3) How can the willingness to pay of a sovereign government in an emerging economy (or its external project sponsor), who values timely completion of infrastructure projects, for such instruments be calculated? To supplement our treatment of these questions, we use a multilayer spreadsheet-based model (in Microsoft Excel format) to calculate the overall cost reductions possible through the judicious use of catastrophe-based financial tools. We also report on numerical comparative statics on the value of contingent-capital financing to avoid project disruption based on varying costs of capital, probability and consequences of disasters, the feasibility of strategies for mid-stage project abandonment, and the timing of capital commitments to the infrastructure investment. We use these results to identify high-priority applications of catastrophe-linked securities so that maximal protection can be realized if the total number of catastrophe instruments is initially limited. The article concludes with potential extensions to our model and opportunities for future research.

Instruments for the promotion of environmental innovations. Stocktaking, evaluation and deficit analysis; Instrumente zur Foerderung von Umweltinnovationen. Bestandsaufnahme, Bewertung und Defizitanalyse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rennings, Klaus; Rammer, Christian; Oberndorfer, Ulrich [Zentrum fuer Europaeische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW), GmbH, Mannheim (DE)] (and others)

2008-03-15

In the ecological report 2006 of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany) with the title ''Environment - Innovation - Occupation'', the Federal Ministry outlines the concept of an innovative oriented environmental policy. An innovative environmental policy contributes to the reduction of the environmental pollution and the ecological damages of industrial production. In this background, the question arises, how the environmental policy can support appropriate innovative activities. For this, the research project under consideration presents the following contributions: (a) Overview of the most important instruments for the promotion of environmental innovations in Germany; (b) Estimation of the effectiveness of the instruments including gap analysis and deficit analysis; (c) Presentation of foreign Best Practice Examples (instruments and environmental political beginnings); (d) Proposals for priority environmental political starting points to the advancement of the equipment and pointing out the further research need.

Prevention of water hammers behind fast acting shut-off valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudlik, A.; Schlueter, S.; Prasser, H.M.

1999-01-01

Shut-off valves are often applied for a quick safety shut-down of pipelines for dangerous liquids. When the valve is suddenly closed at a certain flow rate, the pressure behind the valve decreases due to the momentum of the liquid. This leads to an evaporation and to a formation of a cavitation bubble if the resulting minimum pressure becomes lower than the saturation pressure at the given temperature. This type of water hammer was studied at a test facility of Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Oberhausen. The task of FZR was the development of an adequate two-phase flow instrumentation to visualise the cavitation phenomenon. During the project unique digital movie sequences of appearing and condensing cavitation bubbles were recorded, that gave valuable insights into the transient process. In the result, a new method was found to prevent the collapse of the cavitation bubbles and to avoid the corresponding pressure peaks. (orig.)

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN INVESTMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vjacheslav A. Kozlov

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the article it is proved that use of information technology today is not only something innovative distinctive feature and competitive advantage for organizations, but it is a necessary condition for effective business. The article discusses the main functionality of financial-analytical system Project Expert as an effective tool of investment project management and instrument of business planning. The main advantages which organizations get from Project Expert program use are in detail considered. Thus in the article Project Expert is considered as the effective tool of investment project management which allows to receive a number of advantages and to carry out the qualitative analysis of projects.

Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prieur, G.; Nadi, M.; Hedjiedj, A.; Weber, S.

1995-01-01

This second chapter on instrumentation gives little general consideration on history and classification of instrumentation, and two specific states of the art. The first one concerns NMR (block diagram of instrumentation chain with details on the magnets, gradients, probes, reception unit). The first one concerns precision instrumentation (optical fiber gyro-meter and scanning electron microscope), and its data processing tools (programmability, VXI standard and its history). The chapter ends with future trends on smart sensors and Field Emission Displays. (D.L.). Refs., figs

The determinants of technical efficiency of a large scale HIV prevention project: application of the DEA double bootstrap using panel data from the Indian Avahan.

Science.gov (United States)

Lépine, Aurélia; Vassall, Anna; Chandrashekar, Sudhashree

2015-01-01

In 2004, the largest HIV prevention project (Avahan) conducted globally was implemented in India. Avahan was implemented by NGOs supported by state lead partners in order to provide HIV prevention services to high-risk population groups. In 2007, most of the NGOs reached full coverage. Using a panel data set of the NGOs that implemented Avahan, we investigate the level of technical efficiency as well as the drivers of technical inefficiency by using the double bootstrap procedure developed by Simar & Wilson (2007). Unlike the two-stage traditional method, this method allows valid inference in the presence of measurement error and serial correlation. We find that over the 4 years, Avahan NGOs could have reduced the level of inputs by 43% given the level of outputs reached. We find that efficiency of the project has increased over time. Results indicate that main drivers of inefficiency come from the characteristics of the state lead partner, the NGOs and the catchment area. These organisational factors are important to explicitly consider and assess when designing and implementing HIV prevention programmes and in setting benchmarks in order to optimise the use and allocation of resources. C14, I1.

A rating instrument for fear of hospitalisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jankovic, Slobodan M; Antonijevic, Gordana V; Vasic, Ivana R; Zivkovic-Radojevic, Marija N; Mirkovic, Snjezana N; Nikolic, Bosko V; Opancina, Valentina D; Putnik, Srdjan S; Radoicic, Ljiljana R; Raspopovic, Katarina M; Stanojevic, Dragan R; Teofilov, Sladjana D; Tomasevic, Katarina V; Radonjic, Vesela

2018-04-01

To develop and validate a reliable instrument that can measure fear of hospitalisation experienced by outpatients. After having a diagnosis established, some patients experience sense of fear, unpleasantness and embarrassment due to the possibility to be admitted to a hospital. Currently, there is no available instrument for measuring fear of hospitalisation. Cross-sectional study for assessing reliability and validity of a questionnaire. The questionnaire with 17 items and answers according to the Likert scale was developed during two brainstorming sessions of the research team. Its reliability, validity and temporal stability were tested on the sample of 330 outpatients. The study was multicentric, involving patients from seven cities and three countries. Fear of hospitalisation scale showed satisfactory reliability, when rated both by the investigators (Cronbach's alpha .799) and by the patients themselves (Cronbach's alpha .760). It is temporally stable, and both divergent and convergent validity tests had good results. Factorial analysis revealed three domains: fear of being injured, trust to medical staff and fear of losing privacy or autonomy. This study developed new reliable and valid instrument for measuring fear of hospitalisation. Identification of patients with high level of fear of hospitalisation by this instrument should help clinicians to administer measures which may decrease fear and prevent avoidance of healthcare utilisation. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Measurement of obesity prevention in childcare settings: A systematic review of current instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanhope, Kaitlyn K; Kay, Christi; Stevenson, Beth; Gazmararian, Julie A

The incidence of childhood obesity is highest among children entering kindergarten. Overweight and obesity in early childhood track through adulthood. Programs increasingly target children in early life for obesity prevention. However, the published literature lacks a review on tools available for measuring behaviour and environmental level change in child care. The objective is to describe measurement tools currently in use in evaluating obesity-prevention in preschool-aged children. Literature searches were conducted in PubMed using the keywords "early childhood obesity," "early childhood measurement," "early childhood nutrition" and "early childhood physical activity." Inclusion criteria included a discussion of: (1) obesity prevention, risk assessment or treatment in children ages 1-5 years; and (2) measurement of nutrition or physical activity. One hundred thirty-four publications were selected for analysis. Data on measurement tools, population and outcomes were abstracted into tables. Tables are divided by individual and environmental level measures and further divided into physical activity, diet and physical health outcomes. Recommendations are made for weighing advantages and disadvantages of tools. Despite rising numbers of interventions targeting obesity-prevention and treatment in preschool-aged children, there is no consensus for which tools represent a gold standard or threshold of accuracy. Copyright © 2016 Asia Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using XML and Java Technologies for Astronomical Instrument Control

Science.gov (United States)

Ames, Troy; Case, Lynne; Powers, Edward I. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Traditionally, instrument command and control systems have been highly specialized, consisting mostly of custom code that is difficult to develop, maintain, and extend. Such solutions are initially very costly and are inflexible to subsequent engineering change requests, increasing software maintenance costs. Instrument description is too tightly coupled with details of implementation. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, under the Instrument Remote Control (IRC) project, is developing a general and highly extensible framework that applies to any kind of instrument that can be controlled by a computer. The software architecture combines the platform independent processing capabilities of Java with the power of the Extensible Markup Language (XML), a human readable and machine understandable way to describe structured data. A key aspect of the object-oriented architecture is that the software is driven by an instrument description, written using the Instrument Markup Language (IML), a dialect of XML. IML is used to describe the command sets and command formats of the instrument, communication mechanisms, format of the data coming from the instrument, and characteristics of the graphical user interface to control and monitor the instrument. The IRC framework allows the users to define a data analysis pipeline which converts data coming out of the instrument. The data can be used in visualizations in order for the user to assess the data in real-time, if necessary. The data analysis pipeline algorithms can be supplied by the user in a variety of forms or programming languages. Although the current integration effort is targeted for the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC) and the Submillimeter and Far Infrared Experiment (SAFIRE), first-light instruments of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), the framework is designed to be generic and extensible so that it can be applied to any instrument. Plans are underway to test the framework

Raman Life Detection Instrument Development for Icy Worlds

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, Seamus; Allen, A'Lester; Gutierrez, Daniel; Quinn, Richard C.; Chen, Bin; Koehne, Jessica E.

2017-01-01

The objective of this project is to develop a compact, high sensitivity Raman sensor for detection of life signatures in a flow cell configuration to enable bio-exploration and life detection during future mission to our Solar Systems Icy Worlds. The specific project objectives are the following: 1) Develop a Raman spectroscopy liquid analysis sensor for biosignatures; 2) Demonstrate applicability towards a future Enceladus or other Icy Worlds missions; 3) Establish key parameters for integration with the ARC Sample Processor for Life on Icy Worlds (SPLIce); 4) Position ARC for a successful response to upcoming Enceladus or other Icy World mission instrument opportunities.

Preventing childhood obesity: the sentinel site for obesity prevention in Victoria, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, A Colin; Simmons, Anne; Sanigorski, Andrea M; Kremer, Peter J; Swinburn, Boyd A

2008-12-01

In spite of greater awareness of the need for action to reduce obesity, the evidence on sustainable community approaches to prevent childhood and adolescent obesity is surprisingly sparse. This paper describes the design and methodological components of the Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention, a demonstration site in the Barwon-South West region of Victoria, Australia, that aims to build the programs, skills and evidence necessary to attenuate and eventually reverse the obesity epidemic in children and adolescents. The Sentinel Site for Obesity Prevention is based on a partnership between the region's university (Deakin University) and its health, education and local government agencies. The three basic foundations of the Sentinel Site are: multi-strategy, multi-setting interventions; building community capacity; and undertaking program evaluations and population monitoring. Three intervention projects have been supported that cover different age groups (preschool: 2-5 years, primary school: 5-12 years, secondary school: 13-17 years), but that have many characteristics in common including: community participation and ownership of the project; an intervention duration of at least 3 years; and full evaluations with impact (behaviours) and outcome measures (anthropometry) compared with regionally representative comparison populations. We recommend the Sentinel Site approach to others for successfully building evidence for childhood obesity prevention and stimulating action on reducing the epidemic.

Food Sanitation and Safety Self-Assessment Instrument for School Nutrition Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento.

Like food-service establishments, child nutrition programs are responsible for preserving the quality and wholesomeness of food. Proper food-handling practices prevent contamination and job-related accidents. Application of the evaluation instrument presented in this document to individual programs helps to define proper practices, assess the…

Designs for Evaluating the Community-Level Impact of Comprehensive Prevention Programs: Examples from the CDC Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, Albert D; Henry, David; Bradshaw, Catherine; Reischl, Thomas

2016-04-01

This article discusses the opportunities and challenges of developing research designs to evaluate the impact of community-level prevention efforts. To illustrate examples of evaluation designs, we describe six projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to evaluate multifaceted approaches to reduce youth violence in high-risk communities. Each of these projects was designed to evaluate the community-level impact of multiple intervention strategies to address individual and contextual factors that place youth at risk for violent behavior. Communities differed across projects in their setting, size, and how their boundaries were defined. Each project is using multiple approaches to compare outcomes in one or more intervention communities to those in comparison communities. Five of the projects are using comparative interrupted time-series designs to compare outcomes in an intervention community to matched comparison communities. A sixth project is using a multiple baseline design in which the order and timing of intervention activities is randomized across three communities. All six projects are also using regression point displacement designs to compare outcomes within intervention communities to those within broader sets of similar communities. Projects are using a variety of approaches to assess outcomes including archival records, surveys, and direct observations. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the designs of these projects and illustrate the challenges of designing high-quality evaluations of comprehensive prevention approaches implemented at the community level.

Instrumentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Decreton, M

2001-04-01

SCK-CEN's research and development programme on instrumentation involves the assessment and the development of sensitive measurement systems used within a radiation environment. Particular emphasis is on the assessment of optical fibre components and their adaptability to radiation environments. The evaluation of ageing processes of instrumentation in fission plants, the development of specific data evaluation strategies to compensate for ageing induced degradation of sensors and cable performance form part of these activities. In 2000, particular emphasis was on in-core reactor instrumentation applied to fusion, accelerator driven and water-cooled fission reactors. This involved the development of high performance instrumentation for irradiation experiments in the BR2 reactor in support of new instrumentation needs for MYRRHA, and for diagnostic systems for the ITER reactor.

Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decreton, M.

2001-01-01

SCK-CEN's research and development programme on instrumentation involves the assessment and the development of sensitive measurement systems used within a radiation environment. Particular emphasis is on the assessment of optical fibre components and their adaptability to radiation environments. The evaluation of ageing processes of instrumentation in fission plants, the development of specific data evaluation strategies to compensate for ageing induced degradation of sensors and cable performance form part of these activities. In 2000, particular emphasis was on in-core reactor instrumentation applied to fusion, accelerator driven and water-cooled fission reactors. This involved the development of high performance instrumentation for irradiation experiments in the BR2 reactor in support of new instrumentation needs for MYRRHA, and for diagnostic systems for the ITER reactor

Metrics-based control in outsourced software development projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ponisio, Laura; van Eck, Pascal

2012-01-01

Measurements have been recognised as vital instruments to improve control in outsourced software development projects. However, project managers are still struggling with the design and implementation of effective measurement programs. One reason for this is that although there is a large body of

Domestic offset projects in the built environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oikonomou, V.; Spijker, E.; Van der Gaast, W. [Joint Implementation Network, Laan Corpus den Hoorn 300, 9728JT Groningen (Netherlands); Flamos, A.; Spyridaki, N.A. [Department of Industrial Management, University of Piraeus, Karaoli and Dimitriou 80 Str, 185 34 Piraeus (Greece)

2012-08-15

Emission reduction activities in the European Union (EU) in- and outside the European Trading System (ETS) thus far have largely taken place separately. One possibility to combine the two is through linking Non-ETS offset project-based crediting schemes in the form of Joint Implementation or domestic offset (DO) projects with the EU ETS. Linking would allow non-ETS offset project-based CO2 credits to be traded within the ETS market. This paper discusses the merits and drawbacks of the implementation of a DO scheme in the built environment in the Netherlands. The built environment can be characterised as a sector with a great diversity and significant energy savings potential. Emphasis is paid on the modalities for estimating energy savings under DO projects. The authors discuss if next to existing EU, national or regional policies in the Netherlands, DO could spur initiatives in sub-sectors or market areas that are difficult to reach with conventional policy instruments. Thus, despite the existing policy framework in this sector, there could be still space for DO to reach the untapped energy savings potential. DO can support activities and technologies that are not covered by other policy instruments, either because they are not part of the instruments focus or are above the minimum requirements of the incumbent policy targets. It is expected that some lessons from this study in the Netherlands can be taken into account also by other countries facing similar market circumstances, which have implemented several policy instruments and are considering DO schemes as an alternative for capturing part of the untapped energy saving potential in their end use sectors. Another possible advantage of DO is that it has the potential to reduce public spending on existing policy goals, when it is considered in conjunction with existing public financing instruments. In order to tap into this potential, there are a series of hurdles in place, like additionality and the current CO2

TMI-2 instrumentation and electrical program final evaluation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayo, C.W.; Huzdovich, J.W.; Roby, A.R.; Test, L.D.

1986-11-01

This report presents the authors collective opinions on the value to the nuclear industry of the various investigations performed at TMI-2 by the Instrumentation and Electrical Program. The authors demonstrate that more attention must be given to the prevention of moisture intrusion during design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a nuclear power plant. They also point out that, while basic engineering designs of instruments are more than adequate, the applications engineering and specifications could be improved. Finally, they show that advanced testing technology, exemplified by the Electrical Circuit Characterization and Diagnostics (ECCAD) System, may be very useful as a diagnostic tool when used as part of the testing or maintenance program in a nuclear power plant

The CHARISMA project in ATOMKI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szikszai, Z.; Csedreki, L.; Furu, E.; Kertesz, Zs.; Kiss, A.Z.; Uzonyi, I.; Simon, A.

2010-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. CHARISMA (Cultural Heritage Advanced Research Infrastructures: Synergy for a Multidisciplinary Approach to Conservation / Restoration) is an EU-funded integrating activity project carried out in the FP7 Capacities Specific Programme 'Research Infrastructures'. It started in 2009 and will end in 2013. The project provides transnational access (TNA) to advanced scientific instrumentations and knowledge allowing scientists, conservators-restorers and curators to enhance their research at the field forefront. ARCHLAB permits the access to the structured scientific information and analytical data, stored in the archives of the most prestigious European museums and conservation institutions. MOLAB offers access to a portable set of advanced analytical equipment, for in situ non-invasive measurements on artworks. FIXLAB provides access to large and medium scale European installations, including the beamlines of one synchrotron radiation, one neutron source and two ion-beam analytical facilities. Access to these facilities is offered free of charge to users working in the EC Member and Associated States, particularly to first time users, and granted on the basis of project proposals which are reviewed and evaluated through a Peer Review selection. Calls are published twice a year on the CHARISMA website and the local websites of the institutions. The Laboratory of Ion Beam Applications in ATOMKI-HAS is equipped with a 5 MV Van de Graaff electrostatic accelerator, as well as ion beam analytical facilities and instruments. The assortment of ion beams and their energy range makes it possible to apply most of the non-invasive ion beam analytical techniques used for the study of cultural heritage. The following methods are available: Particle Induced X-ray Emission technique (PIXE), Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission technique (PIGE), Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA), Elastic Recoil Detection

Assessment of family history of substance abuse for preventive interventions with patients experiencing chronic pain: A quality improvement project.

Science.gov (United States)

Pestka, Elizabeth; Nash, Virginia; Evans, Michele; Cronin, Joan; Bee, Susan; King, Susan; Osborn, Kristine; Gehin, Jessica; Weis, Karen; Loukianova, Larissa

2016-04-01

This quality improvement project demonstrates that RN Care Managers, in a chronic pain programme, can assess for a family history of substance abuse in 5-10 min. Information informs treatment based on specific high risk criteria. Benefits include heightened awareness of the genetic and environmental risks associated with a family history of substance abuse, an opportunity to participate in motivational interventions to prevent or minimize consequences of substance use disorders, and likely substantial overall health-care cost savings. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Instrumentation renewal at the FIR 1 research reactor in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bars, Bruno; Kall, Leif

1982-01-01

The Finnish TRIGA Mark II reactor (FIR 1 100 kW, later 250 kW steady state power and pulsing capability up to 250 MW) has been in operation for 20 years. The reactor is the only research reactor in Finland and is an important research training and service facility, which obviously will be operated for 10...20 years ahead. The mechanical parts of the reactor are in good shape. Some minor modifications have previously been made in the instrumentation. However, the original instrumentation could hardly have been used for 10...20 years ahead without extensive modifications and modernization. After a careful evaluation and planning process the whole reactor instrumentation was renewed in 1981 at a cost of about 400 000 dollar. The renewal was carried out in cooperation with the Central Research Institute for Physics (KFKI) at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which delivered the nuclear part of the instrumentation and with the Finnish company Valmet Oy Instrument Works, which delivered the conventional instrumentation, including the automatic power control system and the control console. The instrumentation, which is located in-a new isolated control room is based on modern industrial standard modular units with standardized signal ranges, electronic testing possibilities, galvanically isolated outputs etc. The instrument renewal project was brought successfully to completion in November 1981 after only about 10 working days of shut down time. The reactor is now in routine operation and the experiences gained from the new instrumentation are excellent. (author)

Current activities and plans for polarized neutron instruments of the JSNS/J-PARC project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furusaka, M.

2005-01-01

Neutron polarization is one of the key technologies for the next generation megawatt-class pulsed spallation neutron sources, such as SNS in the US and the JSNS in Japan. To polarize or analyze neutron spin, several techniques are under development in Japan: a small d-spacing magnetic multilayer mirror, spin exchange type He-3 filter and a dynamical proton polarizer. Several application techniques related to polarized neutrons are also under development, such as, a microwave-induced optical nuclear polarization technique, which allows us to polarize protons in naphtalene doped with pentacene at 77 K; neutron focusing-SANS instrument utilizing a focusing magnet; a Drabkin spin-filter instrument that has two filters in series for neutron-pulse shaping

Policy instruments for energy conservation: A multidimensional assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giraudet, Louis-Gaetan

2011-01-01

This thesis evaluates the effectiveness of various forms of taxes, subsidies and regulations implemented to correct for market failures that may prevent energy savings. It builds on various approaches, with gradual complexity. First, a standard micro-economic model is developed to compare the static performances of these instruments. Second, the representation of consumer behaviour is strengthened in a model of the residential energy demand for space heating in France, which allows to identify the dynamic mechanisms by which instruments can correct for the main market failures. Third, an empirical evaluation of 'white certificate' schemes - tradable energy saving obligations imposed on energy operators - is made from the comparison between the British, Italian and French experiences, taking into account national institutions. The following conclusions can be drawn from these various approaches: (i) energy taxes, by encouraging both energy efficiency investment and sufficiency behaviour, are particularly effective; (ii) energy efficiency regulations have a significant impact on the diffusion of efficient technologies; (iii) subsidies to energy efficiency induce a large rebound effect; (iv) depending on the institutional environment in which they operate, white certificate schemes combine different properties of these instruments. Applied to the French residential building sector, the most effective combination of these instruments does not allow to reach the energy saving target set by the Government. (author)

Instrument for Analysis of Organic Compounds on Other Planets

Science.gov (United States)

Daulton, Riley M.; Hintze, Paul E.

2016-01-01

The goal of this project is to develop the Instrument for Solvent Extraction and Analysis of Extraterrestrial Bodies using In Situ Resources (ISEE). Specifically, ISEE will extract and characterize organic compounds from regolith which is found on the surface of other planets or asteroids. The techniques this instrument will use are supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). ISEE aligns with NASA's goal to expand the frontiers of knowledge, capability, and opportunities in space in addition to supporting NASA's aim to search for life elsewhere by characterizing organic compounds. The outcome of this project will be conceptual designs of 2 components of the ISEE instrument as well as the completion of proof-of-concept extraction experiments to demonstrate the capabilities of SFE. The first conceptual design is a pressure vessel to be used for the extraction of the organic compounds from the regolith. This includes a comparison of different materials, geometry's, and a proposition of how to insert the regolith into the vessel. The second conceptual design identifies commercially available fluid pumps based on the requirements needed to generate supercritical CO2. The proof-of-concept extraction results show the percent mass lost during standard solvent extractions of regolith with organic compounds. This data will be compared to SFE results to demonstrate the capabilities of ISEE's approach.

Fast breeder project (PSB)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-07-01

Activities performed during the 1st quarter of 1976 at or on behalf of the Gesellschaft fuer Kernforschung mbH, Karlsruhe, within the framework of the Fast Breeder Project are given a survey. The following project subdivisions are dealt with: Fuel rod development; materials testing and developments; corrosion studies and coolant analyses; physical experiments; reactor theory; safety of fast breeders; instrumentation and signal processing for core monitoring; effects on the environment; sodium technology tests; thermodynamic and fluid flow tests in gas. (HR) [de

40 CFR 117.14 - Demonstration projects.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Demonstration projects. 117.14 Section... DETERMINATION OF REPORTABLE QUANTITIES FOR HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES Applicability § 117.14 Demonstration projects... research or demonstration projects relating to the prevention, control, or abatement of hazardous substance...

Radiological instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kronenberg, S.; McLaughlin, W.L.; Seibentritt, C.R. Jr.

1986-01-01

An instrument is described for measuring radiation, particularly nuclear radiation, comprising: a radiation sensitive structure pivoted toward one end and including a pair of elongated solid members contiguously joined together along their length dimensions and having a common planar interface therebetween. One of the pairs of members is comprised of radiochromic material whose index of refraction changes due to anomolous dispersion as a result of being exposed to nuclear radiation. The pair of members further has mutually different indices of refraction with the member having the larger index of refraction further being transparent for the passage of light and of energy therethrough; means located toward the other end of the structure for varying the angle of longitudinal elevation of the pair of members; means for generating and projecting a beam of light into one end of the member having the larger index of refraction. The beam of light is projected toward the planar interface where it is reflected out of the other end of the same member as a first output beam; means projecting a portion of the beam of light into one end of the member having the larger index of refraction where it traverses therethrough without reflection and out of the other end of the same member as a second output beam; and means adjacent the structure for receiving the first and second output beams, whereby a calibrated change in the angle of elevation of the structure between positions of equal intensity of the first and second output beams prior to and following exposure provides a measure of the radiation sensed due to a change of refraction of the radiochromic material

Concept and structure of instrumentation and control of the Atucha II nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garzon, D.; Roca, J.L.

1987-01-01

The general structure of instrumentation and control of Atucha II nuclear power plant as well as the technologies used, are described: concepts of functional decentralization and physical centralization; concept of functional group and functional complex; description of the technologies used (physical support) in the project of plant instrumentation and control; description of the different automation levels on the basis of concepts of control interface, automatism, regulation, group and subgroup controls; principles of signal conditioning; concept of announcement of alarms and state: supervisory computer, description of HAS (Hard wired Alarm System) and CAS (Computer Alarm System); application of the above mentioned structure to the project of another type of plants. (Author)

Quantitative measures of corrosion and prevention: application to corrosion in agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schouten, J.C.; Gellings, P.J.

1987-01-01

The corrosion protection factor (c.p.f.) and the corrosion condition (c.c.) are simple instruments for the study and evaluation of the contribution and efficiency of several methods of corrosion prevention and control. The application of c.p.f. and c.c. to corrosion and prevention in agriculture in

Instrumentation and controls training in TVA: a story of large numbers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conner, D.L.

1981-01-01

The Tennessee Valley Authority currently has four nuclear units on line with seventeen units planned prior to the year 2000. Providing a permanent instrumentation and controls workforce, projected to be approximately 700 trades and labor craftsmen, is a formidable task requiring the cooperative efforts of many diverse groups: mangement and labor, engineers and craftsmen, students and instructors. In TVA, the primary source of skilled I and C craftsmen is through formal training programs conducted in cooperation with the craft bargaining unit, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The purpose of this paper is to describe and review the progress of two of these programs: the Instrument Mechanic Training Program and the Senior Instrument Mechanic Training Program

Waste minimization and pollution prevention awareness plan. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-07-01

The purpose of this plan is to document Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) projections for present and future waste minimization and pollution prevention. The plan specifies those activities and methods that are or will be used to reduce the quantity and toxicity of wastes generated at the site. It is intended to satisfy Department of Energy (DOE) requirements. This Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention Awareness Plan provides an overview of projected activities from FY 1994 through FY 1999. The plans are broken into site-wide and problem-specific activities. All directorates at LLNL have had an opportunity to contribute input, estimate budgets, and review the plan. In addition to the above, this plan records LLNL's goals for pollution prevention, regulatory drivers for those activities, assumptions on which the cost estimates are based, analyses of the strengths of the projects, and the barriers to increasing pollution prevention activities

Educators' Perceptions on Bullying Prevention Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

de Wet, Corene

2017-01-01

I report on an investigation into a group of Free State educators' recognition of bullying, their reactions to incidences of bullying, and their perceptions of the effectiveness of a number of bullying prevention strategies. The research instrument was a synthesis of the Delaware Research Questionnaire and questions based on findings from previous…

The Instrumentation Channel for the MUCOOL Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kahn, S. A.; Guler, H.; Lu, C.; McDonald, K. T.; Prebys, E. J.; Vahsen, S. E.

1999-01-01

The MUCOOL facility is proposed to examine cooling techniques that could be used in a muon collider. The solenoidal beam channel before and after the cooling test section are instrumented to measure the beam emittance. This instrumentation channel includes a bent solenoid to provide dispersion and time projection chambers to measure the beam variables before and after the bend. The momentum of the muons is obtained from a measurement of the drift of the muon trajectory in the bent solenoid. The timing measurement is made by determining the phase from the momentum of the muon before and after it traverses RF cavities or by the use of a fast Cherenkov chamber. A computer simulation of the muon solenoidal channel is performed using GEANT. This study evaluates the resolution of the beam emittance measurement for MUCOOL

Environmental restoration program pollution prevention checklist guide for the evaluation of alternatives project phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-09-01

Evaluation of alternative studies determine what decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) alternatives are presented to regulators for facility and site cleanup. A key consideration in this process is the waste to be generated. Minimizing the volume and toxicity of this waste will ultimately contribute to the selection of the best clean-up option. The purpose of this checklist guide is to assist the user with incorporating pollution prevention/waste minimization (PP/WM) in all Evaluation of Alternatives (EV) phase projects of the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. This guide will assist users with documenting PP/WM activities for technology transfer and reporting requirements. Automated computer screens will be created from the checklist data to help users implement and evaluate waste reduction. Users can then establish numerical performance measures to measure progress in planning, training, self-assessments, field implementation, documentation, and technology transfer. Cost savings result as users train and assess themselves, eliminating expensive process waste assessments and audit teams

Progress with the NESC spinning cylinder project and other NESC projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wintle, J.B.; Hurst, R.C.; Hemsworth, B.

1995-01-01

The first international project (NESC I) of the Network of Evaluating Steel Components is a spinning cylinder, pressurized thermal shock (PTS) experiment. The main objective of the project is to validate the non-destructive evaluation and structural mechanics procedures for PWR reactor pressure vessels under PTS conditions. Contributing organizations world-wide will participate in this blind trial which embraces all aspects of structural integrity assessment. This paper describes the progress of the project to date, covering cylinder manufacture and inspection, materials evaluation, structural analysis and test instrumentation. It emphasizes the importance of networking global expertise in a managed framework and of the partnership, co-operation and teamwork developed by the contributing organizations through the five Task Groups constituting the NESC I. Finally, five new initiatives for projects managed by the Network are currently under review and described in this paper

The Maieutic Force of Mediating Instruments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Revellino, Silvana; Mouritsen, Jan

and coordinating complex investments in inter-organizational spaces, the paper explores the role of the Chronoprogram in managing compromises and directing attention to concerns in relation to the development of an Italian piece of motorway(the Variante di Valico).The Chronoprogram acts as a mediating instrument......This paper investigates how compromising plays a role when framing, developing and appraising capital budgeting projects. Motivated by Miller & O’Leary’s (1997, 2005a, 2005b, 2007) call for further research on capital budgeting to include not only valuation practices but also practices for managing...... which leads multiple and dispersed actors to compromising on the investment project. In these compromising spaces, which enable questioning to emerge, disagreements and controversies are temporarily appeased even in the absence of an interest alignment. The mediating properties of the Chronoprogram...

The ULICE project

CERN Multimedia

Ballantine, A; Dixon-Altaber, H; Dosanjh, M; Kuchina, L

2011-01-01

ULICE is an infrastructure project funded by EC to address two different and complementary issues in cancer hadron therapy: the development of the appropriate instruments for high-performance hadrontherapy, with particular emphasis on carbon ion therapy, and the need for intensive collaboration among the existing and planned centres, as well as with the European hadrontherapy community at large.

Systems engineering real estate development projects

Science.gov (United States)

Gusakova, Elena; Titarenko, Boris; Stepanov, Vitaliy

2017-10-01

In recent years, real estate development has accumulated a wealth of experience in implementing major projects, which requires comprehension and systematization. The scientific instrument of system engineering is studied in the article and is substantively interpreted with reference to real estate development projects. The most perspective approaches and models are substantiated, allowing strategically to plan the life cycle of the project as a whole, and also to solve the engineering butt problems of the project. The relevance of further scientific studies of regularities and specifics of the life cycle of real estate development projects conducted at the Moscow State University of Economics and Management at the ISTA department is shown.

Good Practice Guide Waste Minimization/Pollution Prevention; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J Dorsey

1999-01-01

This Good Practice Guide provides tools, information, and examples for promoting the implementation of pollution prevention during the design phases of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) projects. It is one of several Guides for implementing DOE Order 430.1, Life-cycle Asset Management. DOE Order 430.1 provides requirements for DOE, in partnership with its contractors, to plan, acquire, operate, maintain, and dispose of physical assets. The goals of designing for pollution prevention are to minimize raw material consumption, energy consumption, waste generation, health and safety impacts, and ecological degradation over the entire life of the facility (EPA 1993a). Users of this Guide will learn to translate national policy and regulatory requirements for pollution prevention into action at the project level. The Guide was written to be applicable to all DOE projects, regardless of project size or design phase. Users are expected to interpret the Guide for their individual project's circumstances, applying a graded approach so that the effort is consistent with the anticipated waste generation and resource consumption of the physical asset. This Guide employs a combination of pollution prevention opportunity assessment (PPOA) methods and design for environment (DfE) philosophies. The PPOA process was primarily developed for existing products, processes, and facilities. The PPOA process has been modified in this Guide to address the circumstances of the DOE design process as delineated in DOE Order 430.1 and its associated Good Practice Guides. This modified form of the PPOA is termed the Pollution Prevention Design Assessment (P2DA). Information on current nationwide methods and successes in designing for the environment also have been reviewed and are integrated into this guidance

Facilitating Research and Learning in Petrology and Geochemistry through Classroom Applications of Remotely Operable Research Instrumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, J. G.

2012-12-01

Bringing the use of cutting-edge research tools into student classroom experiences has long been a popular educational strategy in the geosciences and other STEM disciplines. The NSF CCLI and TUES programs have funded a large number of projects that placed research-grade instrumentation at educational institutions for instructional use and use in supporting undergraduate research activities. While student and faculty response to these activities has largely been positive, a range of challenges exist related to their educational effectiveness. Many of the obstacles these approaches have faced relate to "scaling up" of research mentoring experiences (e.g., providing training and time for use for an entire classroom of students, as opposed to one or two), and to time tradeoffs associated with providing technical training for effective instrument use versus course content coverage. The biggest challenge has often been simple logistics: a single instrument, housed in a different space, is difficult to integrate effectively into instructional activities. My CCLI-funded project sought primarily to knock down the logistical obstacles to research instrument use by taking advantage of remote instrument operation technologies, which allow the in-classroom use of networked analytical tools. Remote use of electron microprobe and SEM instruments of the Florida Center for Analytical Electron Microscopy (FCAEM) in Miami, FL was integrated into two geoscience courses at USF in Tampa, FL. Remote operation permitted the development of whole-class laboratory exercises to familiarize students with the tools, their function, and their capabilities; and it allowed students to collect high-quality chemical and image data on their own prepared samples in the classroom during laboratory periods. These activities improve student engagement in the course, appear to improve learning of key concepts in mineralogy and petrology, and have led to students pursuing independent research projects, as

The SAVEMEDCOASTS Project

Science.gov (United States)

Anzidei, Marco; Patias, Petros; Forlenza, Giovanna; Trivigno, Maria Lucia; Michetti, Melania; Torresan, Silvia; Loizidou, Xenia; Petousis, Thanos; Doumaz, Fawzi; Lorito, Stefano; Brunori, Carlo Alberto; Pesci, Arianna; Carmisciano, Cosmo

2017-04-01

The SAVEMEDCOASTS Project (Sea Level Rise Scenarios along the Mediterranean Coasts), focuses on the Prevention Priority program of the European Commission ECHO A.5 "Civil protection policy, Prevention, Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction" and aims to respond to the need for people and assets prevention from natural disasters in Mediterranean coastal areas undergoing to increasing sea level rise and climate change impacts. The goals of the project are: i) to support civil protection at different levels and with different tools and methods to produce exhaustive risk assessments for different periods; ii) to improve governance and raise community awareness towards the impacts of sea level rise and related hazard; iii) to foster the cooperation amongst science, affected communities and civil protection organizations within and between targeted Mediterranean areas. Advanced methods are implied to develop multi-hazard assessments and existing databases for low-lying coastal areas already below or at less than 1 m above sea level, characterized by high economic and environmental value. The effects of sea level rise are assessed by mapping the multi-temporal scenarios of the inland extension of marine flooding and coastline position up to 2100, also temporarily increased during storms or tsunamis. They will result from i) the best available high resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTM); ii) known rates of land subsidence and iii) local sea level rise estimates. Finally, information is transferred to society, policy makers and stakeholders through an open web platform populated with collected information, videos and photo galleries, project results and guidelines. Here we show the strategy and goals of the SAVEMEDCOASTS Project.

Risk management in nuclear projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salles, Claudio J.R.

2002-01-01

The risk management will be defined by different aspects: danger or loss possibility, or responsibility for damage. The risk management is one stage of project management. The risk management is a continuous process of planning, identification, quantification, answer and risk control to maximize the success potential of activity. The reduction of risk is part of priority establishment. This work will indicate how introduce this important instrument in the management of nuclear projects. (author)

Peer-led Stress Prevention Seminars in the First Year of Medical School – A Project Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bugaj, Till Johannes

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: From the beginning of the first year of medical studies, increased psychological stress and elevated burnout prevalence rates can be registered compared to sample populations. Characterized by learning “on an equal footing”, the principle of peer-assisted learning (PAL is widely used in medical education. This report aims to showcase the development and evaluation of peer-led stress prevention seminars for first year medical students after one year of implementation.Project description: With each of the three sessions lasting 90 min., the stress prevention seminars took place in small groups (6-10 students in the period from November 2013 to January 2014 and from November 2014 to December 2014 at the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg. Led by trained peers, the seminar content ranged from psycho-educational elements, i.e. time management strategy development and test anxiety assistance, to relaxation techniques. All seminar sessions were evaluated via questionnaire. All questions were answered on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7 (1=strongly agree; 7=strongly disagree.Results: 75 students consented to participate in seminars (65% female; aged 20.5±3.3 years. The series of seminars was averagely given the school grade of 1.2±0.4 (1=very good to 6=unsatisfactory in WS 2013/14 and 1.5±0.5 in the following year and the peer tutors’ competence was evaluated as very high (1.4 to 1.5 approval rate on the Likert scale.Discussion: The seminar sessions’ importance to the students is underlined by their very positive evaluations. This offer seems to have benefited students especially during the demanding transitional phase at the start of their studies. Both the implementation of the preventive measure at an early stage as well as the use of PAL seem to have proven effective.Conclusion: PAL seems to be effective in the field of stress prevention. However, specific efficacy studies are still lacking.

Scheduling of resource-constrained projects

CERN Document Server

Klein, Robert

2000-01-01

Project management has become a widespread instrument enabling organizations to efficiently master the challenges of steadily shortening product life cycles, global markets and decreasing profit margins. With projects increasing in size and complexity, their planning and control represents one of the most crucial management tasks. This is especially true for scheduling, which is concerned with establishing execution dates for the sub-activities to be performed in order to complete the project. The ability to manage projects where resources must be allocated between concurrent projects or even sub-activities of a single project requires the use of commercial project management software packages. However, the results yielded by the solution procedures included are often rather unsatisfactory. Scheduling of Resource-Constrained Projects develops more efficient procedures, which can easily be integrated into software packages by incorporated programming languages, and thus should be of great interest for practiti...

Development of a web based instrument on higher education structures of industrial engineering

OpenAIRE

Tarba Ioan-Cristian

2017-01-01

The research and development of assisted operational instruments on higher education structures of industrial engineering represent a continuous and complex process. The present paper contributes to the building up of support elements and an assisted operational instrument on higher education structures of industrial engineering, with focus on the specific curricula. The use of tested and validated constructive solutions from other projects, as base for the new design, reduces the design time.

Mechanical, electronic and instrumentation development for tracer tests at El Berrocal site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutierrez, M.G.; Benitez, A.H.; Yllera de Llano, A.; Romero, P.R.; Aleixandre, J.; Bueno, J.; Gonzalez, O.; Tamarit, J.; Guimera, J.

1997-01-01

The international El Berrocal Project was an integrated exercise in geological, geochemical and hydrogeological characterization with the aim of understanding and modelling the past and present-day migration processes that control the behaviour and distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides in a fractured granitic environment. Information is presented concerning the design and manufacture of the instrumentation used for the large scale tracer tests performed at El Berrocal, and the instrumentation and data acquisition development is specified. (author)

Rationale and design of the PREDICE project: cost-effectiveness of type 2 diabetes prevention among high-risk Spanish individuals following lifestyle intervention in real-life primary care setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Bernardo; Cabré, Joan J; Sagarra, Ramon; Solà-Morales, Oriol; Barrio, Francisco; Piñol, Josep L; Cos, Xavier; Bolíbar, Bonaventura; Castell, Conxa; Kissimova-Skarbek, Katarzyna; Tuomilehto, Jaakko

2011-08-04

Type 2 diabetes is an important preventable disease and a growing public health problem. Based on information provided by clinical trials, we know that Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by lifestyle intervention. In view of translating the findings of diabetes prevention research into real-life it is necessary to carry out community-based evaluations so as to learn about the feasibility and effectiveness of locally designed and implemented programmes. The aim of this project was to assess the effectiveness of an active real-life primary care strategy in high-risk individuals for developing diabetes, and then evaluate its efficiency. Cost-Effectiveness analysis of the DE-PLAN (Diabetes in Europe - Prevention using Lifestyle, physical Activity and Nutritional intervention) project when applied to a Mediterranean population in Catalonia (DE-PLAN-CAT). Multicenter, longitudinal cohort assessment (4 years) conducted in 18 primary health-care centres (Catalan Health Institute). Individuals without diabetes aged 45-75 years were screened using the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score - FINDRISC - questionnaire and a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test. All high risk tested individuals were invited to participate in either a usual care intervention (information on diet and cardiovascular health without individualized programme), or the intensive DE-PLAN educational program (individualized or group) periodically reinforced. Oral glucose tolerance test was repeated yearly to determine diabetes incidence. Besides measuring the accumulated incidence of diabetes, information was collected on economic impact of the interventions in both cohorts (using direct and indirect cost questionnaires) and information on utility measures (Quality Adjusted Life Years). A cost-utility and a cost-effectiveness analysis will be performed and data will be modelled to predict long-term cost-effectiveness. The project was intended to evidence that a substantial reduction in Type 2 diabetes incidence

Bullying Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Kemp, Patrice

2016-01-01

The focus of the milestone project is to focus on bridging the gap of bullying and classroom instruction methods. There has to be a defined expectations and level of accountability that has to be defined when supporting and implementing a plan linked to bullying prevention. All individuals involved in the student's learning have to be aware of…

Radioisotope instruments

CERN Document Server

Cameron, J F; Silverleaf, D J

1971-01-01

International Series of Monographs in Nuclear Energy, Volume 107: Radioisotope Instruments, Part 1 focuses on the design and applications of instruments based on the radiation released by radioactive substances. The book first offers information on the physical basis of radioisotope instruments; technical and economic advantages of radioisotope instruments; and radiation hazard. The manuscript then discusses commercial radioisotope instruments, including radiation sources and detectors, computing and control units, and measuring heads. The text describes the applications of radioisotop

Validation of smart sensor technologies for instrument calibration reduction in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashemian, H.M.; Mitchell, D.W.; Petersen, K.M.; Shell, C.S.

1993-01-01

This report presents the preliminary results of a research and development project on the validation of new techniques for on-line testing of calibration drift of process instrumentation channels in nuclear power plants. These techniques generally involve a computer-based data acquisition and data analysis system to trend the output of a large number of instrument channels and identify the channels that have drifted out of tolerance. This helps limit the calibration effort to those channels which need the calibration, as opposed to the current nuclear industry practice of calibrating essentially all the safety-related instrument channels at every refueling outage

Endoscopic vision-based tracking of multiple surgical instruments during robot-assisted surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Jiwon; Choi, Jaesoon; Kim, Hee Chan

2013-01-01

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery is effective for operations in limited space. Enhancing safety based on automatic tracking of surgical instrument position to prevent inadvertent harmful events such as tissue perforation or instrument collisions could be a meaningful augmentation to current robotic surgical systems. A vision-based instrument tracking scheme as a core algorithm to implement such functions was developed in this study. An automatic tracking scheme is proposed as a chain of computer vision techniques, including classification of metallic properties using k-means clustering and instrument movement tracking using similarity measures, Euclidean distance calculations, and a Kalman filter algorithm. The implemented system showed satisfactory performance in tests using actual robot-assisted surgery videos. Trajectory comparisons of automatically detected data and ground truth data obtained by manually locating the center of mass of each instrument were used to quantitatively validate the system. Instruments and collisions could be well tracked through the proposed methods. The developed collision warning system could provide valuable information to clinicians for safer procedures. © 2012, Copyright the Authors. Artificial Organs © 2012, International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Sound Access Parent Outcomes Instrument (SAPOI): Construction of a new instrument for children with severe multiple disabilities who use cochlear implants or hearing aids.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayward, Denyse V; Ritter, Kathryn; Mousavi, Amin; Vatanapour, Shabnam

2016-01-01

To report on the Phase 2 development of the Sound Access Parent Outcomes Instrument (SAPOI), a new instrument focused on formalizing outcomes that parents of children with severe multiple disabilities (SMD) who use amplification prioritize as important. Phase 2 of this project involved item selection and refinement of the SAPOI based on (a) Phase 1 study participant input, (b) clinical specialist feedback, and (c) test-retest instrument reliability. Phase 1 participant responses were utilized to construct a draft version of the SAPOI. Next, clinical specialists examined the instrument for content validity and utility and instrument reliability was examined through a test-retest process with parents of children with SMD. The draft SAPOI was constructed based on Phase 1 participant input. Clinical specialists supported content validity and utility of the instrument and the inclusion of 19 additional items across four categories, namely Child Affect, Child Interaction, Parent Well-being, and Child's Device Use. The SAPOI was completed twice at one-month intervals by parents of children with SMD to examine instrument reliability across the four categories (Child Affect, Child Interaction, Parent Well-being, and Child's Device Use). Instrument reliability was strong-to-excellent across all four sections. The SAPOI shows promise as a much-needed addition to the assessment battery currently used for children with SMD who use cochlear implants and hearing aids. It provides valuable information regarding outcomes resulting from access to sound in this population that currently used assessments do not identify.

Effective dose measurement at workplaces within an instrumented anthropomorphic phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villagrasa, C.; Darreon, J.; Martin-Burtat, N.; Clairand, I.; Colin, J.; Fontbonne, J. M.

2011-01-01

The Laboratory of Ionizing Radiation Dosimetry of the IRSN (France) is developing an instrumented anthropomorphic phantom in order to measure the effective dose for photon fields at workplaces. This anthropomorphic phantom will be equipped with small active detectors located inside at chosen positions. The aim of this paper is to present the development of these new detectors showing the results of the characterisation of the prototype under metrological conditions. New evaluations of the effective dose for standard and non-homogenous irradiation configurations taking into account the real constraints of the project have been done validating the feasibility and utility of the instrument. (authors)

An instrument to perform automated quality assurance and patient dosimetry in diagnostic radiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapple, C.-L.; Faulkner, K.

1992-01-01

A computerised method of automatically monitoring tube and generator parameters to perform on-line quality assurance and patient dosimetry has been developed. A microcomputer has been interfaced to a microprocessor controlled X ray generator and dose-area product meter. The instrument prompts the operator to enter details of the examination and projection before an examination is made. The field size and dose-area product are monitored by the instrument. These data, together with information on the tube potential are used to deduce the patient entrance dose and energy imparted. Organ doses are estimated using normalised organ dose data. The accuracy and reproducibility of the instrument were investigated. Doses measured in a Rando phantom were compared with calculations made by the instrument. The instrument will compare various measured quality assurance parameters against their nominal values. The implications of this instrument for both patient dosimetry studies and effective continuous quality assurance are discussed. (author)

Design concepts for a nuclear digital instrumentation and control system platform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ou, T. C.; Chen, C. K.; Chen, P. J.; Shyu, S. S.; Lee, C. L.; Hsieh, S. F.

2010-10-01

The objective of this paper is to present the development results of the nuclear instrumentation and control system in Taiwan. As the Taiwan nuclear power plants age, the need to consider upgrading of both their safety and non-safety-related instrumentation and control systems becomes more urgent. Meanwhile, the digital instrumentation and control system that is based on current fast evolving electronic and information technologies are difficult to maintain effectively. Therefore, Institute of Nuclear Energy Research was made a decision to promote the Taiwan Nuclear Instrumentation and Control System project to collaborate with domestic electronic industry to establish self-reliant capabilities on the design, manufacturing, and application of nuclear instrumentation and control systems with newer technology. In the case of safety-related applications like nuclear instrumentation and control, safety-oriented quality control is required. In order to establish a generic qualified digital platform, the world-wide licensing experience should be considered in the licensing process. This paper describes the qualification and certification tools by IEC 61508 for design and development of safety related equipment and explains the basis for many decisions made while performing the digital upgrade. (Author)

Review of risk assessment instruments for juvenile sex offenders : What is next?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hempel, I.; Buck, N.M.L.; Cima-Knijff, M.J.; van Marle, H.

2013-01-01

Risk assessment is considered to be a key element in the prevention of recidivism among juvenile sex offenders (JSOs), often by imposing long-term consequences based on that assessment. The authors reviewed the literature on the predictive accuracy of six well-known risk assessment instruments used

Submicronic Particle Measurement Instrumentation Test Bench Data Acquisition and Control System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alberdi, J.; Barcala, J. M.; Sanz, D.; Gomez, F. J.; Molinero, A.; Navarrete, J. J.

1999-01-01

This document describes the SAD-100 system characteristics. The unit makes the instrumentation test bench data acquisition and control, SAD-100 was designed and developed by Electronic and Automation Area (CIEMAT) and Aerosol Technology in Energy Generation Project (CIEMAT). (Author) 2 refs

Instruments for the Financing Investment Opportunities in Post-Crisis Europe: The Investment Plan for Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana Trandafir

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The study is based on an analysis of the opportunities provided by The Investment Plan for Europe. The Plan, launched in December 2014, aims at stimulating additional investment at least EUR 315 billion in real economy in the 2015-2017 period and making the most of every public euro mobilized through both new and existing instrument, in order to achieve the high multiplier effect. The challenge for the Member States is to put the funds made available by these instruments to productive use in order to support sustainable jobs and growth in Europe. In this context, Romania is facing a major challenge: to promote projects of interest to investors, economically viable, sufficiently mature and consistent with EU policy priorities. According official sources, until the mid - March 2016, only two projects was selected for financing through The Investment Plan for Europe. The study contributes to the identification of the new innovative financial instruments that could improve the access to finance in general and to Romanian projects especially. The analysis uses the most recent official data, official documents published by the European Commission and other institutions in the field.

Modernization of reactor instrumentation for research reactors at Trombay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darbhe, M.D.; Chaudhuri, H.

1989-01-01

The three research reactors at Trombay, viz., Apsara, Cirus and Zerlina were commissioned in 1956, 1960 and 1961 respectively. The nuclear instrumentation designs were based on the vacuum tube technology, which was prevalent during those days. The effect of component obsolescence of critical components like vacuum tubes, magnetic amplifiers and sensitrol meter relays was strongly felt since early 1970s. Also, the failure rates of the units were observed to show an increasing trend due to ageing and lack of good quality indigenous spares. Hence it was proposed to replace the nuclear instrumentation units for the three reactors, with those employing modern, state of the art solid state devices, keeping indigenous content as high as practicable. The work started in 1977 with the preparations of specifications and the project was scheduled to be completed in 1981. The project was divided into two phases. The Phase I comprising of nuclear channels common to all reactors and Phase II consisting exclusively of regulating system units of Cirus. The salient stages of project progress and completion were: (i) Fabrication and testing of final design prototypes was completed by end of 1982. (ii) Commissioning of new units at Apsara was completed in January 1984. (iii) Commissioning of new units at Cirus was completed in September 1984. An account of experience in all these stages and problems encountered is given. (author). 6 figs

Progress with the NESC spinning cylinder project and other NESC projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wintle, J.B.; Hurst, R.C.; Hemsworth, B.

1995-01-01

The first international project (NESC I) of the Network for Evaluating Steel Components is a spinning cylinder, pressurized thermal shock (PTS) experiment. The main objective of the project is to validate the non-destructive evaluation and structural mechanics procedures for PWR reactor pressure vessels under PTS conditions. Contributing organizations world-wide will participate in this blind trial which embraces all aspects of structural integrity assessment. This paper describes the progress of the project to date, covering cylinder manufacture and inspection, materials evaluation, structural analysis and test instrumentation. It emphasises the importance of networking global expertise in a managed framework and of the partnership, co-operation and teamwork developed by the contributing organizations through the five Task Groups constituting NESC I. Finally, five new initiatives for projects managed by the Network are currently under review and described in this paper. (author). 2 refs, 6 figs

Multicenter Quality Improvement Project to Prevent Sternal Wound Infections in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodward, Cathy; Taylor, Richard; Son, Minnette; Taeed, Roozbeh; Jacobs, Marshall L; Kane, Lauren; Jacobs, Jeffrey P; Husain, S Adil

2017-07-01

Children undergoing cardiac surgery are at risk for sternal wound infections (SWIs) leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Single-center quality improvement (QI) initiatives have demonstrated decreased infection rates utilizing a bundled approach. This multicenter project was designed to assess the efficacy of a protocolized approach to decrease SWI. Pediatric cardiac programs joined a collaborative effort to prevent SWI. Programs implemented the protocol, collected compliance data, and provided data points from local clinical registries using Society of Thoracic Surgery Congenital Heart Surgery Database harvest-compliant software or from other registries. Nine programs prospectively collected compliance data on 4,198 children. Days between infections were extended from 68.2 days (range: 25-82) to 130 days (range: 43-412). Protocol compliance increased from 76.7% (first quarter) to 91.3% (final quarter). Ninety (1.9%) children developed an SWI preprotocol and 64 (1.5%) postprotocol, P = .18. The 657 (15%) delayed sternal closure patients had a 5% infection rate with 18 (5.7%) in year 1 and 14 (4.3%) in year 2 P = .43. Delayed sternal closure patients demonstrated a trend toward increased risk for SWI of 1.046 for each day the sternum remained open, P = .067. Children who received appropriately timed preop antibiotics developed less infections than those who did not, 1.9% versus 4.1%, P = .007. A multicenter QI project to reduce pediatric SWIs demonstrated an extension of days between infections and a decrease in SWIs. Patients who received preop antibiotics on time had lower SWI rates than those who did not.

Instrumentation and control engineering at ENACE (Argentine Nuclear Enterprise of Electric Power Plants S.A.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roca, J.L.; Garzon, D.

1987-01-01

This paper describes the techniques used in the project of instrumentation and control for the Atucha II nuclear power plant, from the original flow diagram of the system whose instrumentation and control is requested to the functional binary diagrams and control loops, through measurement sheets and other documentation. An account of the organization and handling of this mass of information is given, using an electronic processing system of data file for the project. A brief description of the task implied in the completing and updating of these files defines the scheme in which all the documentation development associated with a given process is included. (Author)

Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umminger, K.

2008-01-01

A proper measurement of the relevant single and two-phase flow parameters is the basis for the understanding of many complex thermal-hydraulic processes. Reliable instrumentation is therefore necessary for the interaction between analysis and experiment especially in the field of nuclear safety research where postulated accident scenarios have to be simulated in experimental facilities and predicted by complex computer code systems. The so-called conventional instrumentation for the measurement of e. g. pressures, temperatures, pressure differences and single phase flow velocities is still a solid basis for the investigation and interpretation of many phenomena and especially for the understanding of the overall system behavior. Measurement data from such instrumentation still serves in many cases as a database for thermal-hydraulic system codes. However some special instrumentation such as online concentration measurement for boric acid in the water phase or for non-condensibles in steam atmosphere as well as flow visualization techniques were further developed and successfully applied during the recent years. Concerning the modeling needs for advanced thermal-hydraulic codes, significant advances have been accomplished in the last few years in the local instrumentation technology for two-phase flow by the application of new sensor techniques, optical or beam methods and electronic technology. This paper will give insight into the current state of instrumentation technology for safety-related thermohydraulic experiments. Advantages and limitations of some measurement processes and systems will be indicated as well as trends and possibilities for further development. Aspects of instrumentation in operating reactors will also be mentioned.