The role of sophisticated accounting system in strategy management

OpenAIRE

Naranjo Gil, David

2004-01-01

Organizations are designing more sophisticated accounting information systems to meet the strategic goals and enhance their performance. This study examines the effect of accounting information system design on the performance of organizations pursuing different strategic priorities. The alignment between sophisticated accounting information systems and organizational strategy is analyzed. The enabling effect of the accounting information system on performance is also examined. Relationships ...

Sophisticated Approval Voting, Ignorance Priors, and Plurality Heuristics: A Behavioral Social Choice Analysis in a Thurstonian Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Regenwetter, Michel; Ho, Moon-Ho R.; Tsetlin, Ilia

2007-01-01

This project reconciles historically distinct paradigms at the interface between individual and social choice theory, as well as between rational and behavioral decision theory. The authors combine a utility-maximizing prescriptive rule for sophisticated approval voting with the ignorance prior heuristic from behavioral decision research and two…

The Impact of Financial Sophistication on Adjustable Rate Mortgage Ownership

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Hyrum; Finke, Michael S.; Huston, Sandra J.

2011-01-01

The influence of a financial sophistication scale on adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) borrowing is explored. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis using recent data from the Survey of Consumer Finances reveal that ARM borrowing is driven by both the least and most financially sophisticated households but for different reasons. Less…

IPTV program recommendation based on combination strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Hao

2018-01-01

Full Text Available As a new interactive service technology, IPTV has been extensively studying in the field of TV pro-gram recommendation, but the sparse of the user-program rating matrix and the cold-start problem is a bottleneck that the program recommended accurately. In this paper, a flexible combination of two recommendation strategies proposed, which explored the sparse and cold-start problem as well as the issue of user interest change over time. This paper achieved content-based filtering section and collaborative filtering section according to the two combination strategies, which effectively solved the cold-start program and over the sparse problem and the problem of users interest change over time. The experimental results showed that this combinational recommendation system in optimal parameters compared by using any one of two combination strategies or not using any combination strategy at all, and the reducing range of MAE is [2.7%,3%].The increasing range of precision and recall is [13.8%95.5%] and [0,97.8%], respectively. The experiment showed better results when using combinational recommendation system in optimal parameters than using each combination strategies individually or not using any combination strategy.

Cognitive Load and Strategic Sophistication

OpenAIRE

Allred, Sarah; Duffy, Sean; Smith, John

2013-01-01

We study the relationship between the cognitive load manipulation and strategic sophistication. The cognitive load manipulation is designed to reduce the subject's cognitive resources that are available for deliberation on a choice. In our experiment, subjects are placed under a large cognitive load (given a difficult number to remember) or a low cognitive load (given a number which is not difficult to remember). Subsequently, the subjects play a one-shot game then they are asked to recall...

Moral foundations and political attitudes: The moderating role of political sophistication.

Science.gov (United States)

Milesi, Patrizia

2016-08-01

Political attitudes can be associated with moral concerns. This research investigated whether people's level of political sophistication moderates this association. Based on the Moral Foundations Theory, this article examined whether political sophistication moderates the extent to which reliance on moral foundations, as categories of moral concerns, predicts judgements about policy positions. With this aim, two studies examined four policy positions shown by previous research to be best predicted by the endorsement of Sanctity, that is, the category of moral concerns focused on the preservation of physical and spiritual purity. The results showed that reliance on Sanctity predicted political sophisticates' judgements, as opposed to those of unsophisticates, on policy positions dealing with equal rights for same-sex and unmarried couples and with euthanasia. Political sophistication also interacted with Fairness endorsement, which includes moral concerns for equal treatment of everybody and reciprocity, in predicting judgements about equal rights for unmarried couples, and interacted with reliance on Authority, which includes moral concerns for obedience and respect for traditional authorities, in predicting opposition to stem cell research. Those findings suggest that, at least for these particular issues, endorsement of moral foundations can be associated with political attitudes more strongly among sophisticates than unsophisticates. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Aristotle and Social-Epistemic Rhetoric: The Systematizing of the Sophistic Legacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, James E.

While Aristotle's philosophical views are more foundational than those of many of the Older Sophists, Aristotle's rhetorical theories inherit and incorporate many of the central tenets ascribed to Sophistic rhetoric, albeit in a more systematic fashion, as represented in the "Rhetoric." However, Aristotle was more than just a rhetorical…

The predictors of economic sophistication: media, interpersonal communication and negative economic experiences

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kalogeropoulos, A.; Albæk, E.; de Vreese, C.H.; van Dalen, A.

2015-01-01

In analogy to political sophistication, it is imperative that citizens have a certain level of economic sophistication, especially in times of heated debates about the economy. This study examines the impact of different influences (media, interpersonal communication and personal experiences) on

PAUL AND SOPHISTIC RHETORIC: A PERSPECTIVE ON HIS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

use of modern rhetorical theories but analyses the letter in terms of the clas- ..... If a critical reader would have had the traditional anti-sophistic arsenal ..... pressions and that 'rhetoric' is mainly a matter of communicating these thoughts.

Isocratean Discourse Theory and Neo-Sophistic Pedagogy: Implications for the Composition Classroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Blair, Kristine L.

With the recent interest in the fifth century B.C. theories of Protagoras and Gorgias come assumptions about the philosophical affinity of the Greek educator Isocrates to this pair of older sophists. Isocratean education in discourse, with its emphasis on collaborative political discourse, falls within recent definitions of a sophist curriculum.…

SMEs and new ventures need business model sophistication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kesting, Peter; Günzel-Jensen, Franziska

2015-01-01

, and Spreadshirt, this article develops a framework that introduces five business model sophistication strategies: (1) uncover additional functions of your product, (2) identify strategic benefits for third parties, (3) take advantage of economies of scope, (4) utilize cross-selling opportunities, and (5) involve...

Roman sophisticated surface modification methods to manufacture silver counterfeited coins

Science.gov (United States)

Ingo, G. M.; Riccucci, C.; Faraldi, F.; Pascucci, M.; Messina, E.; Fierro, G.; Di Carlo, G.

2017-11-01

By means of the combined use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) the surface and subsurface chemical and metallurgical features of silver counterfeited Roman Republican coins are investigated to decipher some aspects of the manufacturing methods and to evaluate the technological ability of the Roman metallurgists to produce thin silver coatings. The results demonstrate that over 2000 ago important advances in the technology of thin layer deposition on metal substrates were attained by Romans. The ancient metallurgists produced counterfeited coins by combining sophisticated micro-plating methods and tailored surface chemical modification based on the mercury-silvering process. The results reveal that Romans were able systematically to chemically and metallurgically manipulate alloys at a micro scale to produce adherent precious metal layers with a uniform thickness up to few micrometers. The results converge to reveal that the production of forgeries was aimed firstly to save expensive metals as much as possible allowing profitable large-scale production at a lower cost. The driving forces could have been a lack of precious metals, an unexpected need to circulate coins for trade and/or a combinations of social, political and economic factors that requested a change in money supply. Finally, some information on corrosion products have been achieved useful to select materials and methods for the conservation of these important witnesses of technology and economy.

Combining program visualization with programming workspace to assist students for completing programming laboratory task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elvina Elvina

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Numerous Program Visualization tools (PVs have been developed for assisting novice students to understand their source code further. However, none of them are practical to be used in the context of completing programming laboratory task; students are required to keep switching between PV and programming workspace when they need to know how their code works. This paper combines PV with programming workspace to handle such issue. Resulted tool (which is named PITON has 13 features extracted from PythonTutor, PyCharm, and student’s feedbacks about PythonTutor. According to think-aloud and user study, PITON is more practical to be used than a combination of PythonTutor and PyCharm. Further, its features are considerably helpful; students rated these features as useful and frequently used.

Cognitive ability rivals the effect of political sophistication on ideological voting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hebbelstrup Rye Rasmussen, Stig

2016-01-01

This article examines the impact of cognitive ability on ideological voting. We find, using a US sample and a Danish sample, that the effect of cognitive ability rivals the effect of the traditionally strongest predicter of ideological voting political sophistication. Furthermore, the results...... are consistent with the effect of cognitive ability being partly mediated by political sophistication. Much of the effect of cognitive ability remains however and is not explained by differences in education or Openness to experience either. The implications of these results for democratic theory are discussed....

The Relationship between Logistics Sophistication and Drivers of the Outsourcing of Logistics Activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Wanke

2008-10-01

Full Text Available A strong link has been established between operational excellence and the degree of sophistication of logistics organization, a function of factors such as performance monitoring, investment in Information Technology [IT] and the formalization of logistics organization, as proposed in the Bowersox, Daugherty, Dröge, Germain and Rogers (1992 Leading Edge model. At the same time, shippers have been increasingly outsourcing their logistics activities to third party providers. This paper, based on a survey with large Brazilian shippers, addresses a gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between dimensions of logistics organization sophistication and drivers of logistics outsourcing. To this end, the dimensions behind the logistics sophistication construct were first investigated. Results from factor analysis led to the identification of six dimensions of logistics sophistication. By means of multivariate logistical regression analyses it was possible to relate some of these dimensions, such as the formalization of the logistics organization, to certain drivers of the outsourcing of logistics activities of Brazilian shippers, such as cost savings. These results indicate the possibility of segmenting shippers according to characteristics of their logistics organization, which may be particularly useful to logistics service providers.

The musicality of non-musicians: an index for assessing musical sophistication in the general population.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Müllensiefen

Full Text Available Musical skills and expertise vary greatly in Western societies. Individuals can differ in their repertoire of musical behaviours as well as in the level of skill they display for any single musical behaviour. The types of musical behaviours we refer to here are broad, ranging from performance on an instrument and listening expertise, to the ability to employ music in functional settings or to communicate about music. In this paper, we first describe the concept of 'musical sophistication' which can be used to describe the multi-faceted nature of musical expertise. Next, we develop a novel measurement instrument, the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI to assess self-reported musical skills and behaviours on multiple dimensions in the general population using a large Internet sample (n = 147,636. Thirdly, we report results from several lab studies, demonstrating that the Gold-MSI possesses good psychometric properties, and that self-reported musical sophistication is associated with performance on two listening tasks. Finally, we identify occupation, occupational status, age, gender, and wealth as the main socio-demographic factors associated with musical sophistication. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical accounts of implicit and statistical music learning and with regard to social conditions of sophisticated musical engagement.

The musicality of non-musicians: an index for assessing musical sophistication in the general population.

Science.gov (United States)

Müllensiefen, Daniel; Gingras, Bruno; Musil, Jason; Stewart, Lauren

2014-01-01

Musical skills and expertise vary greatly in Western societies. Individuals can differ in their repertoire of musical behaviours as well as in the level of skill they display for any single musical behaviour. The types of musical behaviours we refer to here are broad, ranging from performance on an instrument and listening expertise, to the ability to employ music in functional settings or to communicate about music. In this paper, we first describe the concept of 'musical sophistication' which can be used to describe the multi-faceted nature of musical expertise. Next, we develop a novel measurement instrument, the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI) to assess self-reported musical skills and behaviours on multiple dimensions in the general population using a large Internet sample (n = 147,636). Thirdly, we report results from several lab studies, demonstrating that the Gold-MSI possesses good psychometric properties, and that self-reported musical sophistication is associated with performance on two listening tasks. Finally, we identify occupation, occupational status, age, gender, and wealth as the main socio-demographic factors associated with musical sophistication. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical accounts of implicit and statistical music learning and with regard to social conditions of sophisticated musical engagement.

The New Toxicology of Sophisticated Materials: Nanotoxicology and Beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Maynard, Andrew D.; Warheit, David B.; Philbert, Martin A.

2011-01-01

It has long been recognized that the physical form of materials can mediate their toxicity—the health impacts of asbestiform materials, industrial aerosols, and ambient particulate matter are prime examples. Yet over the past 20 years, toxicology research has suggested complex and previously unrecognized associations between material physicochemistry at the nanoscale and biological interactions. With the rapid rise of the field of nanotechnology and the design and production of increasingly complex nanoscale materials, it has become ever more important to understand how the physical form and chemical composition of these materials interact synergistically to determine toxicity. As a result, a new field of research has emerged—nanotoxicology. Research within this field is highlighting the importance of material physicochemical properties in how dose is understood, how materials are characterized in a manner that enables quantitative data interpretation and comparison, and how materials move within, interact with, and are transformed by biological systems. Yet many of the substances that are the focus of current nanotoxicology studies are relatively simple materials that are at the vanguard of a new era of complex materials. Over the next 50 years, there will be a need to understand the toxicology of increasingly sophisticated materials that exhibit novel, dynamic and multifaceted functionality. If the toxicology community is to meet the challenge of ensuring the safe use of this new generation of substances, it will need to move beyond “nano” toxicology and toward a new toxicology of sophisticated materials. Here, we present a brief overview of the current state of the science on the toxicology of nanoscale materials and focus on three emerging toxicology-based challenges presented by sophisticated materials that will become increasingly important over the next 50 years: identifying relevant materials for study, physicochemical characterization, and

Procles the Carthaginian: A North African Sophist in Pausanias’ Periegesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Pablo Sánchez Hernández

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Procles, cited by Pausanias (in the imperfect tense about a display in Rome and for an opinion about Pyrrhus of Epirus, probably was not a historian of Hellenistic date, but a contemporary sophist whom Pausanias encountered in person in Rome.

Does underground storage still require sophisticated studies?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsily, G. de

1997-01-01

Most countries agree to the necessity of burying high or medium-level wastes in geological layers situated at a few hundred meters below the ground level. The advantages and disadvantages of different types of rock such as salt, clay, granite and volcanic material are examined. Sophisticated studies are lead to determine the best geological confinement but questions arise about the time for which safety must be ensured. France has chosen 3 possible sites. These sites are geologically described in the article. The final place will be proposed after a testing phase of about 5 years in an underground facility. (A.C.)

Reading wild minds: A computational assay of Theory of Mind sophistication across seven primate species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Devaine

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Theory of Mind (ToM, i.e. the ability to understand others' mental states, endows humans with highly adaptive social skills such as teaching or deceiving. Candidate evolutionary explanations have been proposed for the unique sophistication of human ToM among primates. For example, the Machiavellian intelligence hypothesis states that the increasing complexity of social networks may have induced a demand for sophisticated ToM. This type of scenario ignores neurocognitive constraints that may eventually be crucial limiting factors for ToM evolution. In contradistinction, the cognitive scaffolding hypothesis asserts that a species' opportunity to develop sophisticated ToM is mostly determined by its general cognitive capacity (on which ToM is scaffolded. However, the actual relationships between ToM sophistication and either brain volume (a proxy for general cognitive capacity or social group size (a proxy for social network complexity are unclear. Here, we let 39 individuals sampled from seven non-human primate species (lemurs, macaques, mangabeys, orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees engage in simple dyadic games against artificial ToM players (via a familiar human caregiver. Using computational analyses of primates' choice sequences, we found that the probability of exhibiting a ToM-compatible learning style is mainly driven by species' brain volume (rather than by social group size. Moreover, primates' social cognitive sophistication culminates in a precursor form of ToM, which still falls short of human fully-developed ToM abilities.

Lexical Sophistication as a Multidimensional Phenomenon: Relations to Second Language Lexical Proficiency, Development, and Writing Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Minkyung; Crossley, Scott A.; Kyle, Kristopher

2018-01-01

This study conceptualizes lexical sophistication as a multidimensional phenomenon by reducing numerous lexical features of lexical sophistication into 12 aggregated components (i.e., dimensions) via a principal component analysis approach. These components were then used to predict second language (L2) writing proficiency levels, holistic lexical…

Few remarks on chiral theories with sophisticated topology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golo, V.L.; Perelomov, A.M.

1978-01-01

Two classes of the two-dimensional Euclidean chiral field theoreties are singled out: 1) the field phi(x) takes the values in the compact Hermitiam symmetric space 2) the field phi(x) takes the values in an orbit of the adjoint representation of the comcompact Lie group. The theories have sophisticated topological and rich analytical structures. They are considered with the help of topological invariants (topological charges). Explicit formulae for the topological charges are indicated, and the lower bound extimate for the action is given

STOCK EXCHANGE LISTING INDUCES SOPHISTICATION OF CAPITAL BUDGETING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wesley Mendes-da-Silva

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This article compares capital budgeting techniques employed in listed and unlisted companies in Brazil. We surveyed the Chief Financial Officers (CFOs of 398 listed companies and 300 large unlisted companies, and based on 91 respondents, the results suggest that the CFOs of listed companies tend to use less simplistic methods more often, for example: NPV and CAPM, and that CFOs of unlisted companies are less likely to estimate the cost of equity, despite being large companies. These findings indicate that stock exchange listing may require greater sophistication of the capital budgeting process.

On the complexity of a combined homotopy interior method for convex programming

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Bo; Xu, Qing; Feng, Guochen

2007-03-01

In [G.C. Feng, Z.H. Lin, B. Yu, Existence of an interior pathway to a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker point of a nonconvex programming problem, Nonlinear Anal. 32 (1998) 761-768; G.C. Feng, B. Yu, Combined homotopy interior point method for nonlinear programming problems, in: H. Fujita, M. Yamaguti (Eds.), Advances in Numerical Mathematics, Proceedings of the Second Japan-China Seminar on Numerical Mathematics, Lecture Notes in Numerical and Applied Analysis, vol. 14, Kinokuniya, Tokyo, 1995, pp. 9-16; Z.H. Lin, B. Yu, G.C. Feng, A combined homotopy interior point method for convex programming problem, Appl. Math. Comput. 84 (1997) 193-211.], a combined homotopy was constructed for solving non-convex programming and convex programming with weaker conditions, without assuming the logarithmic barrier function to be strictly convex and the solution set to be bounded. It was proven that a smooth interior path from an interior point of the feasible set to a K-K-T point of the problem exists. This shows that combined homotopy interior point methods can solve the problem that commonly used interior point methods cannot solveE However, so far, there is no result on its complexity, even for linear programming. The main difficulty is that the objective function is not monotonically decreasing on the combined homotopy path. In this paper, by taking a piecewise technique, under commonly used conditions, polynomiality of a combined homotopy interior point method is given for convex nonlinear programming.

Differential ethnic associations between maternal flexibility and play sophistication in toddlers born very low birth weight

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Sarah J.; Montague, Erica Q.; Maclean, Peggy C.; Bancroft, Mary E.; Lowe, Jean R.

2013-01-01

Children born very low birth weight (development of self-regulation and effective functional skills, and play serves as an important avenue of early intervention. The current study investigated associations between maternal flexibility and toddler play sophistication in Caucasian, Spanish speaking Hispanic, English speaking Hispanic, and Native American toddlers (18-22 months adjusted age) in a cross-sectional cohort of 73 toddlers born VLBW and their mothers. We found that the association between maternal flexibility and toddler play sophistication differed by ethnicity (F(3,65) = 3.34, p = .02). In particular, Spanish speaking Hispanic dyads evidenced a significant positive association between maternal flexibility and play sophistication of medium effect size. Results for Native Americans were parallel to those of Spanish speaking Hispanic dyads: the relationship between flexibility and play sophistication was positive and of small-medium effect size. Findings indicate that for Caucasians and English speaking Hispanics, flexibility evidenced a non-significant (negative and small effect size) association with toddler play sophistication. Significant follow-up contrasts revealed that the associations for Caucasian and English speaking Hispanic dyads were significantly different from those of the other two ethnic groups. Results remained unchanged after adjusting for the amount of maternal language, an index of maternal engagement and stimulation; and after adjusting for birth weight, gestational age, gender, test age, cognitive ability, as well maternal age, education, and income. Our results provide preliminary evidence that ethnicity and acculturation may mediate the association between maternal interactive behavior such as flexibility and toddler developmental outcomes, as indexed by play sophistication. Addressing these association differences is particularly important in children born VLBW because interventions targeting parent interaction strategies such as

Does a more sophisticated storm erosion model improve probabilistic erosion estimates?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ranasinghe, R.W.M.R.J.B.; Callaghan, D.; Roelvink, D.

2013-01-01

The dependency between the accuracy/uncertainty of storm erosion exceedance estimates obtained via a probabilistic model and the level of sophistication of the structural function (storm erosion model) embedded in the probabilistic model is assessed via the application of Callaghan et al.'s (2008)

RSYST: From nuclear reactor calculations towards a highly sophisticated scientific software integration environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noack, M.; Seybold, J.; Ruehle, R.

1996-01-01

The software environment RSYST was originally used to solve problems of reactor physics. The consideration of advanced scientific simulation requirements and the strict application of modern software design principles led to a system which is perfectly suitable to solve problems in various complex scientific problem domains. Starting with a review of the early days of RSYST, we describe the straight evolution driven by the need of software environment which combines the advantages of a high-performance database system with the capability to integrate sophisticated scientific technical applications. The RSYST architecture is presented and the data modelling capabilities are described. To demonstrate the powerful possibilities and flexibility of the RSYST environment, we describe a wide range of RSYST applications, e.g., mechanical simulations of multibody systems, which are used in biomechanical research, civil engineering and robotics. In addition, a hypermedia system which is used for scientific technical training and documentation is presented. (orig.) [de

Sophisticating a naive Liapunov function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.; Lewins, J.D.

1985-01-01

The art of the direct method of Liapunov to determine system stability is to construct a suitable Liapunov or V function where V is to be positive definite (PD), to shrink to a center, which may be conveniently chosen as the origin, and where V is the negative definite (ND). One aid to the art is to solve an approximation to the system equations in order to provide a candidate V function. It can happen, however, that the V function is not strictly ND but vanishes at a finite number of isolated points. Naively, one anticipates that stability has been demonstrated since the trajectory of the system at such points is only momentarily tangential and immediately enters a region of inward directed trajectories. To demonstrate stability rigorously requires the construction of a sophisticated Liapunov function from what can be called the naive original choice. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the method of perturbing the naive function in the context of the well-known second-order oscillator and then apply the method to a more complicated problem based on a prompt jump model for a nuclear fission reactor

Strategic sophistication of individuals and teams. Experimental evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Sutter, Matthias; Czermak, Simon; Feri, Francesco

2013-01-01

Many important decisions require strategic sophistication. We examine experimentally whether teams act more strategically than individuals. We let individuals and teams make choices in simple games, and also elicit first- and second-order beliefs. We find that teams play the Nash equilibrium strategy significantly more often, and their choices are more often a best response to stated first order beliefs. Distributional preferences make equilibrium play less likely. Using a mixture model, the estimated probability to play strategically is 62% for teams, but only 40% for individuals. A model of noisy introspection reveals that teams differ from individuals in higher order beliefs. PMID:24926100

Combining Vertex-centric Graph Processing with SPARQL for Large-scale RDF Data Analytics

KAUST Repository

Abdelaziz, Ibrahim

2017-06-27

Modern applications, such as drug repositioning, require sophisticated analytics on RDF graphs that combine structural queries with generic graph computations. Existing systems support either declarative SPARQL queries, or generic graph processing, but not both. We bridge the gap by introducing Spartex, a versatile framework for complex RDF analytics. Spartex extends SPARQL to support programs that combine seamlessly generic graph algorithms (e.g., PageRank, Shortest Paths, etc.) with SPARQL queries. Spartex builds on existing vertex-centric graph processing frameworks, such as Graphlab or Pregel. It implements a generic SPARQL operator as a vertex-centric program that interprets SPARQL queries and executes them efficiently using a built-in optimizer. In addition, any graph algorithm implemented in the underlying vertex-centric framework, can be executed in Spartex. We present various scenarios where our framework simplifies significantly the implementation of complex RDF data analytics programs. We demonstrate that Spartex scales to datasets with billions of edges, and show that our core SPARQL engine is at least as fast as the state-of-the-art specialized RDF engines. For complex analytical tasks that combine generic graph processing with SPARQL, Spartex is at least an order of magnitude faster than existing alternatives.

Hadronic energy reconstruction in the CALICE combined calorimeter system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Israeli, Yasmine [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: CALICE-D-Collaboration

2016-07-01

Future linear electron-positron colliders, ILC and CLIC, aim for precision measurements and discoveries beyond and complementary to the program of the LHC. For this purpose, detectors with the capability for sophisticated reconstruction of final states with energy resolutions substantially beyond the current state of the art are being designed. The CALICE collaboration develops highly granular calorimeters for future colliders, among them silicon-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeters and hadronic calorimeters with scintillators read out by SiPMs. Such a combined system was tested with hadrons at CERN as well as at Fermilab. In this contribution, we report on the energy reconstruction in the combined setup, which requires different intercalibration factors to account for the varying longitudinal sampling of sub-detectors. Software compensation methods are applied to improve the energy resolution and to compensate for the different energy deposit of hadronic and electromagnetic showers.

Development Strategies for Tourism Destinations: Tourism Sophistication vs. Resource Investments

OpenAIRE

Rainer Andergassen; Guido Candela

2010-01-01

This paper investigates the effectiveness of development strategies for tourism destinations. We argue that resource investments unambiguously increase tourism revenues and that increasing the degree of tourism sophistication, that is increasing the variety of tourism related goods and services, increases tourism activity and decreases the perceived quality of the destination's resource endowment, leading to an ambiguous effect on tourism revenues. We disentangle these two effects and charact...

A general purpose tomographic program with combined inversions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Wenbin; Dong Jiafu; Li Fanzhu

1996-01-01

A general tomographic program has been developed by combining the Bessel expansion with the Zernicke expansion. It is useful for studying of the magnetic island structure of the tearing mode and in reconstructing the density profiles of impurities in tokamak plasmas. This combined method have the advantages of both expansions, i.e. there will be no spurious images in the edge and it will be of high inverse precision in the center of plasma

Do organizations adopt sophisticated capital budgeting practices to deal with uncertainty in the investment decision? : A research note

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verbeeten, Frank H M

This study examines the impact of uncertainty on the sophistication of capital budgeting practices. While the theoretical applications of sophisticated capital budgeting practices (defined as the use of real option reasoning and/or game theory decision rules) have been well documented, empirical

Linear programming

CERN Document Server

Solow, Daniel

2014-01-01

This text covers the basic theory and computation for a first course in linear programming, including substantial material on mathematical proof techniques and sophisticated computation methods. Includes Appendix on using Excel. 1984 edition.

The Value of Multivariate Model Sophistication: An Application to pricing Dow Jones Industrial Average options

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rombouts, Jeroen V.K.; Stentoft, Lars; Violante, Francesco

innovation for a Laplace innovation assumption improves the pricing in a smaller way. Apart from investigating directly the value of model sophistication in terms of dollar losses, we also use the model condence set approach to statistically infer the set of models that delivers the best pricing performance.......We assess the predictive accuracy of a large number of multivariate volatility models in terms of pricing options on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. We measure the value of model sophistication in terms of dollar losses by considering a set 248 multivariate models that differer...

Sophistic Ethics in the Technical Writing Classroom: Teaching "Nomos," Deliberation, and Action.

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, J. Blake

1995-01-01

Claims that teaching ethics is particularly important to technical writing. Outlines a classical, sophistic approach to ethics based on the theories and pedagogies of Protagoras, Gorgias, and Isocrates, which emphasizes the Greek concept of "nomos," internal and external deliberation, and responsible action. Discusses problems and…

Sophisticated Fowl: The Complex Behaviour and Cognitive Skills of Chickens and Red Junglefowl

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Garnham

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The world’s most numerous bird, the domestic chicken, and their wild ancestor, the red junglefowl, have long been used as model species for animal behaviour research. Recently, this research has advanced our understanding of the social behaviour, personality, and cognition of fowl, and demonstrated their sophisticated behaviour and cognitive skills. Here, we overview some of this research, starting with describing research investigating the well-developed senses of fowl, before presenting how socially and cognitively complex they can be. The realisation that domestic chickens, our most abundant production animal, are behaviourally and cognitively sophisticated should encourage an increase in general appraise and fascination towards them. In turn, this should inspire increased use of them as both research and hobby animals, as well as improvements in their unfortunately often poor welfare.

Assessing Epistemic Sophistication by Considering Domain-Specific Absolute and Multiplicistic Beliefs Separately

Science.gov (United States)

Peter, Johannes; Rosman, Tom; Mayer, Anne-Kathrin; Leichner, Nikolas; Krampen, Günter

2016-01-01

Background: Particularly in higher education, not only a view of science as a means of finding absolute truths (absolutism), but also a view of science as generally tentative (multiplicism) can be unsophisticated and obstructive for learning. Most quantitative epistemic belief inventories neglect this and understand epistemic sophistication as…

Musical Sophistication and the Effect of Complexity on Auditory Discrimination in Finnish Speakers

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Caitlin; Aalto, Daniel; Šimko, Juraj; Vainio, Martti; Tervaniemi, Mari

2017-01-01

Musical experiences and native language are both known to affect auditory processing. The present work aims to disentangle the influences of native language phonology and musicality on behavioral and subcortical sound feature processing in a population of musically diverse Finnish speakers as well as to investigate the specificity of enhancement from musical training. Finnish speakers are highly sensitive to duration cues since in Finnish, vowel and consonant duration determine word meaning. Using a correlational approach with a set of behavioral sound feature discrimination tasks, brainstem recordings, and a musical sophistication questionnaire, we find no evidence for an association between musical sophistication and more precise duration processing in Finnish speakers either in the auditory brainstem response or in behavioral tasks, but they do show an enhanced pitch discrimination compared to Finnish speakers with less musical experience and show greater duration modulation in a complex task. These results are consistent with a ceiling effect set for certain sound features which corresponds to the phonology of the native language, leaving an opportunity for music experience-based enhancement of sound features not explicitly encoded in the language (such as pitch, which is not explicitly encoded in Finnish). Finally, the pattern of duration modulation in more musically sophisticated Finnish speakers suggests integrated feature processing for greater efficiency in a real world musical situation. These results have implications for research into the specificity of plasticity in the auditory system as well as to the effects of interaction of specific language features with musical experiences. PMID:28450829

Musical Sophistication and the Effect of Complexity on Auditory Discrimination in Finnish Speakers.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawson, Caitlin; Aalto, Daniel; Šimko, Juraj; Vainio, Martti; Tervaniemi, Mari

2017-01-01

Musical experiences and native language are both known to affect auditory processing. The present work aims to disentangle the influences of native language phonology and musicality on behavioral and subcortical sound feature processing in a population of musically diverse Finnish speakers as well as to investigate the specificity of enhancement from musical training. Finnish speakers are highly sensitive to duration cues since in Finnish, vowel and consonant duration determine word meaning. Using a correlational approach with a set of behavioral sound feature discrimination tasks, brainstem recordings, and a musical sophistication questionnaire, we find no evidence for an association between musical sophistication and more precise duration processing in Finnish speakers either in the auditory brainstem response or in behavioral tasks, but they do show an enhanced pitch discrimination compared to Finnish speakers with less musical experience and show greater duration modulation in a complex task. These results are consistent with a ceiling effect set for certain sound features which corresponds to the phonology of the native language, leaving an opportunity for music experience-based enhancement of sound features not explicitly encoded in the language (such as pitch, which is not explicitly encoded in Finnish). Finally, the pattern of duration modulation in more musically sophisticated Finnish speakers suggests integrated feature processing for greater efficiency in a real world musical situation. These results have implications for research into the specificity of plasticity in the auditory system as well as to the effects of interaction of specific language features with musical experiences.

Reacting to Neighborhood Cues?: Political Sophistication Moderates the Effect of Exposure to Immigrants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Danckert, Bolette; Dinesen, Peter Thisted; Sønderskov, Kim Mannemar

2017-01-01

is founded on politically sophisticated individuals having a greater comprehension of news and other mass-mediated sources, which makes them less likely to rely on neighborhood cues as sources of information relevant for political attitudes. Based on a unique panel data set with fine-grained information...

Financial Sophistication and the Distribution of the Welfare Cost of Inflation

OpenAIRE

Paola Boel; Gabriele Camera

2009-01-01

The welfare cost of anticipated inflation is quantified in a calibrated model of the U.S. economy that exhibits tractable equilibrium dispersion in wealth and earnings. Inflation does not generate large losses in societal welfare, yet its impact varies noticeably across segments of society depending also on the financial sophistication of the economy. If money is the only asset, then inflation hurts mostly the wealthier and more productive agents, while those poorer and less productive may ev...

Combining landscape-level conservation planning and biodiversity offset programs: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Underwood, Jared G

2011-01-01

Habitat loss is a major factor in the endangerment and extinction of species around the world. One promising strategy to balance continued habitat loss and biodiversity conservation is that of biodiversity offsets. However, a major concern with offset programs is their consistency with landscape-level conservation goals. While merging offset policies and landscape-level conservation planning is thought to provide advantages over a traditional disconnected approach, few such landscape-level conservation-offset plans have been designed and implemented, so the effectiveness of such a strategy remains uncertain. In this study, we quantitatively assess the conservation impact of combining landscape-level conservation planning and biodiversity offset programs by comparing regions of San Diego County, USA with the combined approach to regions with only an offset program. This comparison is generally very difficult due to a variety of complicating factors. We overcome these complications and quantify the benefits to rare and threatened species of implementing a combined approach by assessing the amount of each species' predicted distribution, and the number of documented locations, conserved in comparison to the same metric for areas with an offset policy alone. We found that adoption of the combined approach has increased conservation for many rare species, often 5-10 times more than in the comparison area, and that conservation has been focused in the areas most important for these species. The level of conservation achieved reduces uncertainty that these species will persist in the region into the future. This San Diego County example demonstrates the potential benefits of combining landscape-level conservation planning and biodiversity offset programs.

Combining Primary Prevention and Risk Reduction Approaches in Sexual Assault Protection Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Menning, Chadwick; Holtzman, Mellisa

2015-01-01

Objective: The object of this study is to extend prior evaluations of Elemental, a sexual assault protection program that combines primary prevention and risk reduction strategies within a single program. Participants and Methods: During 2012 and 2013, program group and control group students completed pretest, posttest, and 6-week and 6-month…

Putin’s Russia: Russian Mentality and Sophisticated Imperialism in Military Policies

OpenAIRE

Szénási, Lieutenant-Colonel Endre

2016-01-01

According to my experiences, the Western world hopelessly fails to understand Russian mentality, or misinterprets it. During my analysis of the Russian way of thinking I devoted special attention to the examination of military mentality. I have connected the issue of the Russian way of thinking to the contemporary imperial policies of Putin’s Russia.  I have also attempted to prove the level of sophistication of both. I hope that a better understanding of both the Russian mentality and imperi...

The relation between maturity and sophistication shall be properly dealt with in nuclear power development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Yongjiang

2009-01-01

The paper analyses the advantages and disadvantages of the second generation improved technologies and third generation technologies mainly developed in China in terms of safety and economy. The paper also discusses the maturity of the second generation improved technologies and the sophistication of the third generation technologies respectively. Meanwhile, the paper proposes that the advantage and disadvantage of second generation improved technologies and third generation technologies should be carefully taken into consideration and the relationship between the maturity and sophistication should be properly dealt with in the current stage. A two-step strategy shall be taken as a solution to solve the problem of insufficient capacity of nuclear power, trace and develop the third generation technologies, so as to ensure the sound and fast development of nuclear power. (authors)

The Impact of Services on Economic Complexity: Service Sophistication as Route for Economic Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Stojkoski, Viktor; Utkovski, Zoran; Kocarev, Ljupco

2016-01-01

Economic complexity reflects the amount of knowledge that is embedded in the productive structure of an economy. By combining tools from network science and econometrics, a robust and stable relationship between a country's productive structure and its economic growth has been established. Here we report that not only goods but also services are important for predicting the rate at which countries will grow. By adopting a terminology which classifies manufactured goods and delivered services as products, we investigate the influence of services on the country's productive structure. In particular, we provide evidence that complexity indices for services are in general higher than those for goods, which is reflected in a general tendency to rank countries with developed service sector higher than countries with economy centred on manufacturing of goods. By focusing on country dynamics based on experimental data, we investigate the impact of services on the economic complexity of countries measured in the product space (consisting of both goods and services). Importantly, we show that diversification of service exports and its sophistication can provide an additional route for economic growth in both developing and developed countries.

Using Visual Basic to Teach Programming for Geographers.

Science.gov (United States)

Slocum, Terry A.; Yoder, Stephen C.

1996-01-01

Outlines reasons why computer programming should be taught to geographers. These include experience using macro (scripting) languages and sophisticated visualization software, and developing a deeper understanding of general hardware and software capabilities. Discusses the distinct advantages and few disadvantages of the programming language…

Close to the Clothes : Materiality and Sophisticated Archaism in Alexander van Slobbe’s Design Practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baronian, M.-A.

This article looks at the work of contemporary Dutch fashion designer Alexander van Slobbe (1959) and examines how, since the 1990s, his fashion practices have consistently and consciously put forward a unique reflection on questions related to materiality, sophisticated archaism, luxury,

Close to the Clothes: Materiality and Sophisticated Archaism in Alexander van Slobbe’s Design Practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baronian, M.-A.

This article looks at the work of contemporary Dutch fashion designer Alexander van Slobbe (1959) and examines how, since the 1990s, his fashion practices have consistently and consciously put forward a unique reflection on questions related to materiality, sophisticated archaism, luxury,

Knowledge is power: Customer load metering in the Victorian End-Use Measurement Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gavin, G. [CitiPower Ltd., Melbourne, VIC (Australia)

1995-12-31

The Victorian End-Use Measurement Program is a sophisticated load metering program being conducted over 500 sites in Victoria, covering the major customer sectors of residential, commercial and industrial. Its goal is to gather sufficient data to determine with statistical accuracy the load profiles of these major sectors, together with the load profiles of selected customer end-uses in the residential and commercial sectors, and selected building types in the commercial sector. This paper discusses the major elements of the program, the history of its development, the design of the statistical and operational components of the program, and its implementation in the field. In the Victorian electricity industry, with the combination of contestable customer metering and the End-Use Measurement program metering for the franchise/non-contestable market, there is now a considerable flow of customer load data. The opportunity exists for an accurate understanding of customer load needs, and the minimization of risk in business operations in the retail and wholesale market. (author).

Linear combination of forecasts with numerical adjustment via MINIMAX non-linear programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jairo Marlon Corrêa

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a linear combination of forecasts obtained from three forecasting methods (namely, ARIMA, Exponential Smoothing and Artificial Neural Networks whose adaptive weights are determined via a multi-objective non-linear programming problem, which seeks to minimize, simultaneously, the statistics: MAE, MAPE and MSE. The results achieved by the proposed combination are compared with the traditional approach of linear combinations of forecasts, where the optimum adaptive weights are determined only by minimizing the MSE; with the combination method by arithmetic mean; and with individual methods

An Assessment of Demand for a Combined PharmD-MBA Program at the University of Saskatchewan.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansell, Kerry; Bruneau-Bouchard, Antoine; Bruni-Bossio, Vincent

2016-05-13

(1) Background: Combined MBA programs are becoming increasingly popular, and it is anticipated that there will be 60 combined pharmacy-MBA programs across North America in 2015. We aimed to see if there would be support for a combined PharmD-MBA program at the University of Saskatchewan. (2) Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year pharmacy students at the University of Saskatchewan. A separate questionnaire was developed and all practicing pharmacists in Saskatchewan were emailed a link to SurveyMonkey ® (Palo Alto, CA, USA) to fill it out online. In-person and phone interviews were conducted with pharmacy stakeholders in Saskatchewan and across the country. (3) Results: Of the 265 students, 193 (72.8%) were present on the days the questionnaires were distributed, and they all completed the questionnaires. When asked if they would have pursued a combined degree if the U of S had offered it when they entered the pharmacy program, 16.6% (32/193) and 37.3% (72/193) either strongly agreed or agreed and 29.0% (56/193) were unsure. When pharmacists were asked if an MBA would be valuable or applicable in their current job, 42.2% (128/303) agreed and 13.9% (42/303) strongly agreed. When asked if they felt students graduating with a combined degree would be at an advantage for certain job opportunities upon graduation, 33.6% (100/298) strongly agreed and 55.4% (165/298) agreed. A total of 8 interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from across Canada. Of these 8 stakeholders, only 2 were aware that other combined programs were offered. All of the stakeholders were in favour of the idea of a combined degree. Some felt it was important for the program to have a clear value proposition and healthcare related content would be desirable. (4) Conclusions: Overall, pharmacist, pharmacy student, and stakeholder input indicate that a combined program could be supported at the University of Saskatchewan.

An Assessment of Demand for a Combined PharmD–MBA Program at the University of Saskatchewan

Science.gov (United States)

Mansell, Kerry; Bruneau-Bouchard, Antoine; Bruni-Bossio, Vincent

2016-01-01

(1) Background: Combined MBA programs are becoming increasingly popular, and it is anticipated that there will be 60 combined pharmacy–MBA programs across North America in 2015. We aimed to see if there would be support for a combined PharmD–MBA program at the University of Saskatchewan. (2) Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year pharmacy students at the University of Saskatchewan. A separate questionnaire was developed and all practicing pharmacists in Saskatchewan were emailed a link to SurveyMonkey® (Palo Alto, CA, USA) to fill it out online. In-person and phone interviews were conducted with pharmacy stakeholders in Saskatchewan and across the country. (3) Results: Of the 265 students, 193 (72.8%) were present on the days the questionnaires were distributed, and they all completed the questionnaires. When asked if they would have pursued a combined degree if the U of S had offered it when they entered the pharmacy program, 16.6% (32/193) and 37.3% (72/193) either strongly agreed or agreed and 29.0% (56/193) were unsure. When pharmacists were asked if an MBA would be valuable or applicable in their current job, 42.2% (128/303) agreed and 13.9% (42/303) strongly agreed. When asked if they felt students graduating with a combined degree would be at an advantage for certain job opportunities upon graduation, 33.6% (100/298) strongly agreed and 55.4% (165/298) agreed. A total of 8 interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from across Canada. Of these 8 stakeholders, only 2 were aware that other combined programs were offered. All of the stakeholders were in favour of the idea of a combined degree. Some felt it was important for the program to have a clear value proposition and healthcare related content would be desirable. (4) Conclusions: Overall, pharmacist, pharmacy student, and stakeholder input indicate that a combined program could be supported at the University of Saskatchewan. PMID:28970393

Reactive Programming in Standard ML

OpenAIRE

Pucella, Riccardo

2004-01-01

Reactive systems are systems that maintain an ongoing interaction with their environment, activated by receiving input events from the environment and producing output events in response. Modern programming languages designed to program such systems use a paradigm based on the notions of instants and activations. We describe a library for Standard ML that provides basic primitives for programming reactive systems. The library is a low-level system upon which more sophisticated reactive behavi...

A combined stochastic programming and optimal control approach to personal finance and pensions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Konicz, Agnieszka Karolina; Pisinger, David; Rasmussen, Kourosh Marjani

2015-01-01

The paper presents a model that combines a dynamic programming (stochastic optimal control) approach and a multi-stage stochastic linear programming approach (SLP), integrated into one SLP formulation. Stochastic optimal control produces an optimal policy that is easy to understand and implement....

A Snapshot of Serial Rape: An Investigation of Criminal Sophistication and Use of Force on Victim Injury and Severity of the Assault.

Science.gov (United States)

de Heer, Brooke

2016-02-01

Prior research on rapes reported to law enforcement has identified criminal sophistication and the use of force against the victim as possible unique identifiers to serial rape versus one-time rape. This study sought to contribute to the current literature on reported serial rape by investigating how the level of criminal sophistication of the rapist and use of force used were associated with two important outcomes of rape: victim injury and overall severity of the assault. In addition, it was evaluated whether rapist and victim ethnicity affected these relationships. A nation-wide sample of serial rape cases reported to law enforcement collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was analyzed (108 rapists, 543 victims). Results indicated that serial rapists typically used a limited amount of force against the victim and displayed a high degree of criminal sophistication. In addition, the more criminally sophisticated the perpetrator was, the more sexual acts he performed on his victim. Finally, rapes between a White rapist and White victim were found to exhibit higher levels of criminal sophistication and were more severe in terms of number and types of sexual acts committed. These findings provide a more in-depth understanding of serial rape that can inform both academics and practitioners in the field about contributors to victim injury and severity of the assault. © The Author(s) 2014.

The generalized algebraic modal combination (GAC) rule validation program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mertens, P.G.; Culot, M.V.; Sahgal, S.; Tinic, S.

1991-01-01

With R.G. 1.92 the NRC imposes to use the absolute values of the modal responses when performing Response Spectra modal combination with coupling factors derived from the current heuristic, stationary or pseudo-stationary random vibration models. This results in overly conservative calculations in the case of closely spaced modes of opposite signs, a case frequently encountered in dynamic analyses in particular when systems with close modal frequencies have a small mass ratio. A new generalised algebraic combination (GAC) formula and its associated coupling factor have been theoretically derived by the first author. It is based on a non-stationary, non-white noise random vibration model which fully accounts for all the time and frequency dependent aspects of the time histories. This should allow the conservative use of algebraic signs in the modal combination over the whole frequency range, and allow a derogation to the current NRC R.G. 1.92 practice to use absolute signs. The use of the industry wide accepted RS method with the GAC rule will result in more economical and safer NPPs through the reduction of an excessive and unrealistic number of seismic restraints and avoidance of prematurely fatigued plants. It is envisaged to use the GAC seismic response combination method for the evaluation of the seismic response of auxiliary class one lines attached to the primary coolant loop piping of the Beznau 1 and 2 nuclear power plants. Since the plant is in operation, it is imperative to use a methodology which is conservative but still as realistic as possible. The paper presents an introduction to the GAC rule and some aspects of the validation program, which will jointly be undertaken by WESI and NOK for obtaining acceptance by the Swiss Safety Authorities for a seismic qualification program. (author)

Indian program for development of technologies relevant to reliable, non-intrusive, concealed-contraband detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auluck, S.K.H.

2007-01-01

Generating capability for reliable, non-intrusive detection of concealed-contraband, particularly, organic contraband like explosives and narcotics, has become a national priority. This capability spans a spectrum of technologies. If a technology mission addressing the needs of a highly sophisticated technology like PFNA is set up, the capabilities acquired would be adequate to meet the requirements of many other sets of technologies. This forms the background of the Indian program for development of technologies relevant to reliable, non-intrusive, concealed contraband detection. One of the central themes of the technology development programs would be modularization of the neutron source and detector technologies, so that common elements can be combined in different ways for meeting a variety of application requirements. (author)

An introduction to programming with specifications

CERN Document Server

1991-01-01

A feature of modern advanced computing is the functional approach to programming. In this book, the authors present an introduction to the mathematics which underline functional programming, emphasizing the understanding of definition and specification--a prerequisite of good programming and problem solving with a computer. The book is self-contained, requiring a low level of mathematical sophistication and may be used as an introduction to the mathematics of programming.Provides an introduction to the functional approach to programming**Emphasizes the problem to be solved, not the pro

The sophisticated control of the tram bogie on track

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radovan DOLECEK

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the problems of routing control algorithms of new conception of tram vehicle bogie. The main goal of these research activities is wear reduction of rail wheels and tracks, wear reduction of traction energy losses and increasing of running comfort. The testing experimental tram vehicle with special bogie construction powered by traction battery is utilized for these purposes. This vehicle has a rotary bogie with independent rotating wheels driven by permanent magnets synchronous motors and a solid axle. The wheel forces in bogie are measured by large amounts of the various sensors placed on the testing experimental tram vehicle. Nowadays the designed control algorithms are implemented to the vehicle superset control system. The traction requirements and track characteristics have an effect to these control algorithms. This control including sophisticated routing brings other improvements which is verified and corrected according to individual traction and driving characteristics, and opens new possibilities.

Programming Languages for Distributed Computing Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bal, H.E.; Steiner, J.G.; Tanenbaum, A.S.

1989-01-01

When distributed systems first appeared, they were programmed in traditional sequential languages, usually with the addition of a few library procedures for sending and receiving messages. As distributed applications became more commonplace and more sophisticated, this ad hoc approach became less

Effects of a Combined Exercise Program Using an iPad for Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Juhee; Jung, Dukyoo; Byun, Jinyee; Lee, Minkyung

2016-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the function, health status, and efficacy effects of a combined exercise program using an iPad among older women in Korea, a tech-savvy country. The study employed a pretest and posttest experimental design with a control group. The experimental group of subjects comprised 16 female older adults and the control group comprised 10 who were aged 65 years or older. The experimental group participated in a supervised group-based exercise program and an individualized home-based exercise program that involved the use of an iPad. The combined group and home-based exercise program consisted of group exercise, which took place in a senior center for 30 minutes weekly, and a home-based iPad exercise program, which the subjects followed at least 3 times a week. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS ver. 9.3 TS Level 1M0) program, which utilized a chi-square test, a Fisher exact test, a t-test, and a repeated-measures ANOVA. The results showed that cognitive status changed significantly over time, and there was an interaction between group and time. Further, self-efficacy for exercise and outcome expectations for exercise changed significantly over time. Exercise programs using iPad interventions may be useful for the management of cognitive functioning and the integration of functional physical abilities in older adults.

A combined PLC and CPU approach to multiprocessor control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, J.J.; Broesch, J.D.; Coon, R.M.

1995-10-01

A sophisticated multiprocessor control system has been developed for use in the E-Power Supply System Integrated Control (EPSSIC) on the DIII-D tokamak. EPSSIC provides control and interlocks for the ohmic heating coil power supply and its associated systems. Of particular interest is the architecture of this system: both a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and a Central Processor Unit (CPU) have been combined on a standard VME bus. The PLC and CPU input and output signals are routed through signal conditioning modules, which provide the necessary voltage and ground isolation. Additionally these modules adapt the signal levels to that of the VME I/O boards. One set of I/O signals is shared between the two processors. The resulting multiprocessor system provides a number of advantages: redundant operation for mission critical situations, flexible communications using conventional TCP/IP protocols, the simplicity of ladder logic programming for the majority of the control code, and an easily maintained and expandable non-proprietary system

Low Level RF Including a Sophisticated Phase Control System for CTF3

CERN Document Server

Mourier, J; Nonglaton, J M; Syratchev, I V; Tanner, L

2004-01-01

CTF3 (CLIC Test Facility 3), currently under construction at CERN, is a test facility designed to demonstrate the key feasibility issues of the CLIC (Compact LInear Collider) two-beam scheme. When completed, this facility will consist of a 150 MeV linac followed by two rings for bunch-interleaving, and a test stand where 30 GHz power will be generated. In this paper, the work that has been carried out on the linac's low power RF system is described. This includes, in particular, a sophisticated phase control system for the RF pulse compressor to produce a flat-top rectangular pulse over 1.4 µs.

The Swift MIDEX Education and Public Outreach Program

Science.gov (United States)

Feigelson, E. D.; Cominsky, L. R.; Whitlock, L. A.

1999-12-01

The Swift satellite is dedicated to an understanding of gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the Universe since the Big Bang. A multifaceted E/PO program associated with Swift is planned. Web sites will be constructed, including sophisticated interactive learning environments for combining science concepts with with exploration and critical thinking for high school students. The award-winning instructional television program "What's in the News?", produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting and reaching several million 4th-7th graders, will create a series of broadcasts on Swift and space astronomy. A teachers' curricular guide on space astronomy will be produced by UC-Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science as part of their highly successful GEMS guides promoting inquiry-based science education. Teacher workshops will be conducted in the Appalachian region and nationwide to testbed and disseminate these products. We may also assist the production of gamma-ray burst museum exhibits. All aspects of the program will be overseen by a Swift Education Committee and assessed by a professional educational evaluation firm. This effort will be supported by the NASA Swift MIDEX contract to Penn State.

Comparing approaches to generic programming in Haskell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hinze, R.; Jeuring, J.T.; Löh, A.

2006-01-01

The last decade has seen a number of approaches to generic programming: PolyP, Functorial ML, `Scrap Your Boilerplate', Generic Haskell, `Generics for the Masses', etc. The approaches vary in sophistication and target audience: some propose full-blown pro- gramming languages, some suggest

Listening to Students: How I Came to Love My Low-Residency Program

Science.gov (United States)

Atwood, Megan

2009-01-01

Finding an academic program that caters to children's literature is hard. Many people consider children's literature no more sophisticated than its audience--an arena for those who cannot hack it either as writers or as teachers of adult literature. This author, however, found a new program--a "low residency program"--at Hamline…

Program elaborated of combined regime for on-line and off-line problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanova, A.B.; Ioramashvili, Eh.Sh.; Polyakov, B.F.; Razdol'skaya, L.A.

1979-01-01

A description of the part of operational system designed for organization of packet treatment of algol tasks combined with the on-line system is provided. A block-scheme of the operational system functioning in the packet regime is presented. The ''Director'' program is the main part of the operational system which is responsible for the functioning of the algol programs. Its starting for the first time is carried out by the operator. All the subsequent process of the operation is automized. Problems connected with the organization of interruptions appearing in the cases of failures and as a reaction for the end of operation of any algol program or some of its links are considered

Space nuclear-power reactor design based on combined neutronic and thermal-fluid analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koenig, D.R.; Gido, R.G.; Brandon, D.I.

1985-01-01

The design and performance analysis of a space nuclear-power system requires sophisticated analytical capabilities such as those developed during the nuclear rocket propulsion (Rover) program. In particular, optimizing the size of a space nuclear reactor for a given power level requires satisfying the conflicting requirements of nuclear criticality and heat removal. The optimization involves the determination of the coolant void (volume) fraction for which the reactor diameter is a minimum and temperature and structural limits are satisfied. A minimum exists because the critical diameter increases with increasing void fraction, whereas the reactor diameter needed to remove a specified power decreases with void fraction. The purpose of this presentation is to describe and demonstrate our analytical capability for the determination of minimum reactor size. The analysis is based on combining neutronic criticality calculations with OPTION-code thermal-fluid calculations

EFFECTS OF ELECTROSTIMULATION AND PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM COMBINATION ON JUMP HEIGHT IN TEENAGE ATHLETES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emilio J. Martínez-López

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of eight- week (2 days/week training periods of plyometric exercises (PT and neuromuscular electrostimulation (EMS on jump height in young athletes. Squat jump (SJ, counter movement jump (CMJ and drop jump (DJ were performed to assess the effects of the training protocols 98 athletes (100 & 200m and 100m & 110m hurdles voluntarily took part in this study, 51 males (52% and 47 females (48%, 17.91 ± 1.42 years old, and 5.16 ± 2.56 years of training experience. The participants were randomly assigned to four different groups according to the frequency and the timing of the stimulation. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the effects of every training program on jump height. Our findings suggest that compared to control (Plyometrics (PT only, the combination of 150Hz EMS + PT simultaneously combined in an 8 week (2days/week training program, we could observe significant jump height improvements in the different types of strength: explosive, explosive-elastic, and explosive-elastic-reactive. The combination of PT after < 85 Hz EMS did not show any jump height significant increase in sprinters. In conclusion, an eight week training program (with just two days per week of EMS combined with plyometric exercises has proven useful for the improvement of every kind of vertical jump ability required for sprint and hurdles disciplines in teenage athletes

Comparing approaches to generic programming in Haskell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hinze, R.; Jeuring, J.T.; Löh, A.

2006-01-01

The last decade has seen a number of approaches to data- type-generic programming: PolyP, Functorial ML, `Scrap Your Boiler- plate', Generic Haskell, `Generics for the Masses', etc. The approaches vary in sophistication and target audience: some propose full-blown pro- gramming languages, some

Large LOCA-earthquake combination probability assessment - Load combination program. Project 1 summary report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, S; Streit, R D; Chou, C K

1980-01-01

This report summarizes work performed for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by the Load Combination Program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to establish a technical basis for the NRC to use in reassessing its requirement that earthquake and large loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) loads be combined in the design of nuclear power plants. A systematic probabilistic approach is used to treat the random nature of earthquake and transient loading to estimate the probability of large LOCAs that are directly and indirectly induced by earthquakes. A large LOCA is defined in this report as a double-ended guillotine break of the primary reactor coolant loop piping (the hot leg, cold leg, and crossover) of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). Unit 1 of the Zion Nuclear Power Plant, a four-loop PWR-1, is used for this study. To estimate the probability of a large LOCA directly induced by earthquakes, only fatigue crack growth resulting from the combined effects of thermal, pressure, seismic, and other cyclic loads is considered. Fatigue crack growth is simulated with a deterministic fracture mechanics model that incorporates stochastic inputs of initial crack size distribution, material properties, stress histories, and leak detection probability. Results of the simulation indicate that the probability of a double-ended guillotine break, either with or without an earthquake, is very small (on the order of 10{sup -12}). The probability of a leak was found to be several orders of magnitude greater than that of a complete pipe rupture. A limited investigation involving engineering judgment of a double-ended guillotine break indirectly induced by an earthquake is also reported. (author)

Large LOCA-earthquake combination probability assessment - Load combination program. Project 1 summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, S.; Streit, R.D.; Chou, C.K.

1980-01-01

This report summarizes work performed for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) by the Load Combination Program at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to establish a technical basis for the NRC to use in reassessing its requirement that earthquake and large loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) loads be combined in the design of nuclear power plants. A systematic probabilistic approach is used to treat the random nature of earthquake and transient loading to estimate the probability of large LOCAs that are directly and indirectly induced by earthquakes. A large LOCA is defined in this report as a double-ended guillotine break of the primary reactor coolant loop piping (the hot leg, cold leg, and crossover) of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). Unit 1 of the Zion Nuclear Power Plant, a four-loop PWR-1, is used for this study. To estimate the probability of a large LOCA directly induced by earthquakes, only fatigue crack growth resulting from the combined effects of thermal, pressure, seismic, and other cyclic loads is considered. Fatigue crack growth is simulated with a deterministic fracture mechanics model that incorporates stochastic inputs of initial crack size distribution, material properties, stress histories, and leak detection probability. Results of the simulation indicate that the probability of a double-ended guillotine break, either with or without an earthquake, is very small (on the order of 10 -12 ). The probability of a leak was found to be several orders of magnitude greater than that of a complete pipe rupture. A limited investigation involving engineering judgment of a double-ended guillotine break indirectly induced by an earthquake is also reported. (author)

Purification through Emotions: The Role of Shame in Plato's "Sophist" 230B4-E5

Science.gov (United States)

Candiotto, Laura

2018-01-01

This article proposes an analysis of Plato's "Sophist" (230b4--e5) that underlines the bond between the logical and the emotional components of the Socratic "elenchus", with the aim of depicting the social valence of this philosophical practice. The use of emotions characterizing the 'elenctic' method described by Plato is…

Decision-Tree Program

Science.gov (United States)

Buntine, Wray

1994-01-01

IND computer program introduces Bayesian and Markov/maximum-likelihood (MML) methods and more-sophisticated methods of searching in growing trees. Produces more-accurate class-probability estimates important in applications like diagnosis. Provides range of features and styles with convenience for casual user, fine-tuning for advanced user or for those interested in research. Consists of four basic kinds of routines: data-manipulation, tree-generation, tree-testing, and tree-display. Written in C language.

The marketing concept applied to an education program.

Science.gov (United States)

Parks, S C; Moody, D L; Barbrow, E P

1984-09-01

Dietetic education programs seeking to maintain their enrollment levels may find it necessary to adopt more sophisticated marketing strategies. This article describes the application of the marketing process to an extended degree dietetic program that serves a national audience. It also presents a strategy for initiating a marketing study and marketing orientation by analyzing its internal program data. The article discusses the specific market characteristics of the program's primary market segments, and it presents further implications for dietitians at work in health care facilities, in businesses, or in private practice.

Sophisticated approval voting, ignorance priors, and plurality heuristics: a behavioral social choice analysis in a Thurstonian framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Regenwetter, Michel; Ho, Moon-Ho R; Tsetlin, Ilia

2007-10-01

This project reconciles historically distinct paradigms at the interface between individual and social choice theory, as well as between rational and behavioral decision theory. The authors combine a utility-maximizing prescriptive rule for sophisticated approval voting with the ignorance prior heuristic from behavioral decision research and two types of plurality heuristics to model approval voting behavior. When using a sincere plurality heuristic, voters simplify their decision process by voting for their single favorite candidate. When using a strategic plurality heuristic, voters strategically focus their attention on the 2 front-runners and vote for their preferred candidate among these 2. Using a hierarchy of Thurstonian random utility models, the authors implemented these different decision rules and tested them statistically on 7 real world approval voting elections. They cross-validated their key findings via a psychological Internet experiment. Although a substantial number of voters used the plurality heuristic in the real elections, they did so sincerely, not strategically. Moreover, even though Thurstonian models do not force such agreement, the results show, in contrast to common wisdom about social choice rules, that the sincere social orders by Condorcet, Borda, plurality, and approval voting are identical in all 7 elections and in the Internet experiment. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

An intensive combined training program modulates physical, physiological, biomotoric, and technical parameters in women basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Kilinç, Fatih

2008-11-01

The purpose of this study was the investigation of the effects of an intensive combined training program based on the pretest scores of a university women's basketball team on their physical, physiological, biomotoric, and technical features. Twenty-four university volunteers were equally divided into two groups: an experiment group (intensive combined training group) and a control (technical training) group. The 10-week intensive combined training program was performed on the experiment group according to their pretest outcomes. Before and at the end of each period of training, which was scheduled four times a week, the physical, physiological, biomotoric, and technical performance of each subject were determined. With respect to the pre- and posttest measurements, the basketball group showed significant differences (p training program performed on university women basketball players had a significant effect on improving their physical, physiological, biomotoric, and technical features. It proved to be highly recommendable for female basketball players who are preparing for short-term tournaments; the basketball group in this study won a championship.

STAF: A Powerful and Sophisticated CAI System.

Science.gov (United States)

Loach, Ken

1982-01-01

Describes the STAF (Science Teacher's Authoring Facility) computer-assisted instruction system developed at Leeds University (England), focusing on STAF language and major program features. Although programs for the system emphasize physical chemistry and organic spectroscopy, the system and language are general purpose and can be used in any…

Aerobic Exercise Combined with Techniques Programe Can Be Increased Groundstroke Skill of Tennis Athlet

OpenAIRE

Nasrulloh, Ahmad

2012-01-01

Professional tennis athletes should be able to master all the basic techniques of playing tennis and having physical fitness. Therefore, it is necessary to get an exercise that can give meaning to the skills and physical fitness. One of the proper exercises is with aerobic exercise combined with the technique.Aerobic exercise program combined with techniques is: (1) a number of players consisting of six to seven people with backward sequential formation techniques performing forehand and back...

[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 Survey of Graduates of Combined Emergency Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Programs: An Update.

Science.gov (United States)

Strobel, Ashley M; Chasm, Rose M; Woolridge, Dale P

2016-10-01

In 1998, emergency medicine-pediatrics (EM-PEDS) graduates were no longer eligible for the pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) sub-board certification examination. There is a paucity of guidance regarding the various training options for medical students who are interested in PEM. We sought to to determine attitudes and personal satisfaction of graduates from EM-PEDS combined training programs. We surveyed 71 graduates from three EM-PEDS residences in the United States. All respondents consider their combined training to be an asset when seeking a job, 92% find it to be an asset to their career, and 88% think it provided added flexibility to job searches. The most commonly reported shortcoming was their ineligibility for the PEM sub-board certification. The lack of this designation was perceived to be a detriment to securing academic positions in dedicated children's hospitals. When surveyed regarding which training offers the better skill set for the practice of PEM, 90% (44/49) stated combined EM-PEDS training. When asked which training track gives them the better professional advancement in PEM, 52% (23/44) chose combined EM-PEDS residency, 27% (12/44) chose a pediatrics residency followed by a PEM fellowship, and 25% (11/44) chose an EM residency then a PEM fellowship. No EM-PEDS respondents considered PEM fellowship training after the completion of the dual training program. EM-PEDS graduates found combined training to be an asset in their career. They felt that it provided flexibility in job searches, and that it was ideal training for the skill set required for the practice of PEM. EM-PEDS graduates' practices varied, including mixed settings, free-standing children's hospitals, and community emergency departments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"SOCRATICS" AS ADDRESSES OF ISOCRATES’ EPIDEICTIC SPEECHES (Against the Sophists, Encomium of Helen, Busiris

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Usacheva

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This article analyses the three epideictic orations of Isocrates which are in themselves a precious testimony of the quality of intellectual life at the close of the fourth century before Christ. To this period belong also the Socratics who are generally seen as an important link between Socrates and Plato. The author of this article proposes a more productive approach to the study of Antisthenes, Euclid of Megara and other so-called Socratics, revealing them not as independent thinkers but rather as adherents of the sophistic school and also as teachers, thereby, including them among those who took part in the educative activity of their time

Sophisticated Search Capabilities in the ADS Abstract Service

Science.gov (United States)

Eichhorn, G.; Accomazzi, A.; Grant, C. S.; Henneken, E.; Kurtz, M. J.; Murray, S. S.

2003-12-01

The ADS provides access to over 940,000 references from astronomy and planetary sciences publications and 1.5 million records from physics publications. It is funded by NASA and provides free access to these references, as well as to 2.4 million scanned pages from the astronomical literature. These include most of the major astronomy and several planetary sciences journals, as well as many historical observatory publications. The references now include the abstracts from all volumes of the Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR) since the beginning of 2002. We get these abstracts on a regular basis. The Kluwer journal Solar Physics has been scanned back to volume 1 and is available through the ADS. We have extracted the reference lists from this and many other journals and included them in the reference and citation database of the ADS. We have recently scanning Earth, Moon and Planets, another Kluwer journal, and will scan other Kluwer journals in the future as well. We plan on extracting references from these journals as well in the near future. The ADS has many sophisticated query features. These allow the user to formulate complex queries. Using results lists to get further information about the selected articles provide the means to quickly find important and relevant articles from the database. Three advanced feedback queries are available from the bottom of the ADS results list (in addition to regular feedback queries already available from the abstract page and from the bottom of the results list): 1. Get reference list for selected articles: This query returns all known references for the selected articles (or for all articles in the first list). The resulting list will be ranked according to how often each article is referred to and will show the most referenced articles in the field of study that created the first list. It presumably shows the most important articles in that field. 2. Get citation list for selected articles: This returns all known articles

Using a graphical programming language to write CAMAC/GPIB instrument drivers

Science.gov (United States)

Zambrana, Horacio; Johanson, William

1991-01-01

To reduce the complexities of conventional programming, graphical software was used in the development of instrumentation drivers. The graphical software provides a standard set of tools (graphical subroutines) which are sufficient to program the most sophisticated CAMAC/GPIB drivers. These tools were used and instrumentation drivers were successfully developed for operating CAMAC/GPIB hardware from two different manufacturers: LeCroy and DSP. The use of these tools is presented for programming a LeCroy A/D Waveform Analyzer.

Combined blockade of vascular endothelial growth factor and programmed death 1 pathways in advanced kidney cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Einstein, David J; McDermott, David F

2017-06-01

Targeted and immune-based therapies have improved outcomes in advanced kidney cancer, yet novel strategies are needed to extend the duration of these benefits and expand them to more patients. Combined inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathways with therapeutic agents already in clinical use may offer such a strategy. Here, we describe the development and clinical evaluation of VEGF inhibitors and, separately, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. We present preclinical evidence of interaction between these pathways and the rationale for combined blockade. Beyond well-known effects on pathologic angiogenesis, VEGF blockade also may decrease immune tolerance and enhance PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. We conclude with the results of several early trials of combined VEGF and PD-1/PD-L1 blockade, which demonstrate encouraging antitumor activity, and we pose questions for future study.

Fermilab advanced computer program multi-microprocessor project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nash, T.; Areti, H.; Biel, J.

1985-06-01

Fermilab's Advanced Computer Program is constructing a powerful 128 node multi-microprocessor system for data analysis in high-energy physics. The system will use commercial 32-bit microprocessors programmed in Fortran-77. Extensive software supports easy migration of user applications from a uniprocessor environment to the multiprocessor and provides sophisticated program development, debugging, and error handling and recovery tools. This system is designed to be readily copied, providing computing cost effectiveness of below $2200 per VAX 11/780 equivalent. The low cost, commercial availability, compatibility with off-line analysis programs, and high data bandwidths (up to 160 MByte/sec) make the system an ideal choice for applications to on-line triggers as well as an offline data processor

A national survey of residents in combined Internal Medicine and Dermatology residency programs: educational experience and future plans.

Science.gov (United States)

Mostaghimi, Arash; Wanat, Karolyn; Crotty, Bradley H; Rosenbach, Misha

2015-10-16

In response to a perceived erosion of medical dermatology, combined internal medicine and dermatology programs (med/derm) programs have been developed that aim to train dermatologists who take care of medically complex patients. Despite the investment in these programs, there is currently no data with regards to the potential impact of these trainees on the dermatology workforce. To determine the experiences, motivations, and future plans of residents in combined med/derm residency programs. We surveyed residents at all United States institutions with both categorical and combined training programs in spring of 2012. Respondents used visual analog scales to rate clinical interests, self-assessed competency, career plans, and challenges. The primary study outcomes were comfort in taking care of patients with complex disease, future practice plans, and experience during residency. Twenty-eight of 31 med/derm residents (87.5%) and 28 of 91 (31%) categorical residents responded (overall response rate 46%). No significant differences were seen in self-assessed dermatology competency, or comfort in performing inpatient consultations, cosmetic procedures, or prescribing systemic agents. A trend toward less comfort in general dermatology was seen among med/derm residents. Med/derm residents were more likely to indicate career preferences for performing inpatient consultation and taking care of medically complex patients. Categorical residents rated their programs and experiences more highly. Med/derm residents have stronger interests in serving medically complex patients. Categorical residents are more likely to have a positive experience during residency. Future work will be needed to ascertain career choices among graduates once data are available.

Graphical programming of telerobotic tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Small, D.E.; McDonald, M.J.

1997-01-01

With a goal of producing faster, safer, and cheaper technologies for nuclear waste cleanup, Sandia is actively developing and extending intelligent systems technologies. Graphical Programming is a key technology for robotic waste cleanup that Sandia is developing for this goal. This paper describes Sancho, Sandia most advanced Graphical Programming supervisory software. Sancho, now operational on several robot systems, incorporates all of Sandia's recent advances in supervisory control. Sancho, developed to rapidly apply Graphical Programming on a diverse set of robot systems, uses a general set of tools to implement task and operational behavior. Sancho can be rapidly reconfigured for new tasks and operations without modifying the supervisory code. Other innovations include task-based interfaces, event-based sequencing, and sophisticated GUI design. These innovations have resulted in robot control programs and approaches that are easier and safer to use than teleoperation, off-line programming, or full automation

A daily herd Markov-chain model to study the reproductive and economic impact of reproductive programs combining timed artificial insemination and estrus detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Giordano, J O; Kalantari, A S; Fricke, P M; Wiltbank, M C; Cabrera, V E

2012-09-01

Our objective was to compare the economic and reproductive performance of programs combining timed artificial insemination (TAI) and different levels of AI after estrus detection (ED) using a daily Markov-chain model. A dairy herd was modeled with every cow following daily probabilistic events of aging, replacement, mortality, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and calving. The probability of pregnancy depended on the combination of probability of insemination and conception rate (CR). All nonpregnant cows had a probability of pregnancy between the end of the voluntary waiting period and days in milk cutoff for AI. After the cutoff, cows were labeled as do not breed and replaced when milk production was below a minimum milk threshold. A similar model was created to represent a replacement heifer herd to simulate and adjust the supply and demand of replacements. The net value (NV) of a program was the sum of milk income over feed cost, replacement and mortality cost, income from newborns, and reproductive costs. The model was used to compare the NV of 19 programs. One program used 100% TAI (42% CR for first TAI and 30% for second-and-later services), whereas the other programs combined TAI with ED. The proportion of cows receiving AI after ED for the combined programs ranged from 30 to 80%, with levels of CR of 25, 30, and 35%. As the proportion of cows receiving AI after ED increased, the CR of cows receiving TAI decreased. The combined programs with CR of 35% for cows receiving AI after ED had the greatest NV and reproductive performance at all levels of ED. The program using 100% TAI had greater NV and better reproductive performance than all programs with 25% CR after ED inseminations, whereas it had very similar performance to combined programs with up to 60% of cows receiving AI after ED and 30% CR. The factor with the greatest relative contribution to the differences among programs was income over feed cost, followed by replacement and reproductive costs. Adjusting

A sophisticated simulation for the fracture behavior of concrete material using XFEM

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Changhai; Wang, Xiaomin; Kong, Jingchang; Li, Shuang; Xie, Lili

2017-10-01

The development of a powerful numerical model to simulate the fracture behavior of concrete material has long been one of the dominant research areas in earthquake engineering. A reliable model should be able to adequately represent the discontinuous characteristics of cracks and simulate various failure behaviors under complicated loading conditions. In this paper, a numerical formulation, which incorporates a sophisticated rigid-plastic interface constitutive model coupling cohesion softening, contact, friction and shear dilatation into the XFEM, is proposed to describe various crack behaviors of concrete material. An effective numerical integration scheme for accurately assembling the contribution to the weak form on both sides of the discontinuity is introduced. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been assessed by simulating several well-known experimental tests. It is concluded that the numerical method can successfully capture the crack paths and accurately predict the fracture behavior of concrete structures. The influence of mode-II parameters on the mixed-mode fracture behavior is further investigated to better determine these parameters.

Data calculation program for RELAP 5 code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silvestre, Larissa J.B.; Sabundjian, Gaiane

2015-01-01

As the criteria and requirements for a nuclear power plant are extremely rigid, computer programs for simulation and safety analysis are required for certifying and licensing a plant. Based on this scenario, some sophisticated computational tools have been used such as the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5), which is the most used code for the thermo-hydraulic analysis of accidents and transients in nuclear reactors. A major difficulty in the simulation using RELAP5 code is the amount of information required for the simulation of thermal-hydraulic accidents or transients. The preparation of the input data leads to a very large number of mathematical operations for calculating the geometry of the components. Therefore, a mathematical friendly preprocessor was developed in order to perform these calculations and prepare RELAP5 input data. The Visual Basic for Application (VBA) combined with Microsoft EXCEL demonstrated to be an efficient tool to perform a number of tasks in the development of the program. Due to the absence of necessary information about some RELAP5 components, this work aims to make improvements to the Mathematic Preprocessor for RELAP5 code (PREREL5). For the new version of the preprocessor, new screens of some components that were not programmed in the original version were designed; moreover, screens of pre-existing components were redesigned to improve the program. In addition, an English version was provided for the new version of the PREREL5. The new design of PREREL5 contributes for saving time and minimizing mistakes made by users of the RELAP5 code. The final version of this preprocessor will be applied to Angra 2. (author)

Data calculation program for RELAP 5 code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silvestre, Larissa J.B.; Sabundjian, Gaiane, E-mail: larissajbs@usp.br, E-mail: gdjian@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2015-07-01

As the criteria and requirements for a nuclear power plant are extremely rigid, computer programs for simulation and safety analysis are required for certifying and licensing a plant. Based on this scenario, some sophisticated computational tools have been used such as the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5), which is the most used code for the thermo-hydraulic analysis of accidents and transients in nuclear reactors. A major difficulty in the simulation using RELAP5 code is the amount of information required for the simulation of thermal-hydraulic accidents or transients. The preparation of the input data leads to a very large number of mathematical operations for calculating the geometry of the components. Therefore, a mathematical friendly preprocessor was developed in order to perform these calculations and prepare RELAP5 input data. The Visual Basic for Application (VBA) combined with Microsoft EXCEL demonstrated to be an efficient tool to perform a number of tasks in the development of the program. Due to the absence of necessary information about some RELAP5 components, this work aims to make improvements to the Mathematic Preprocessor for RELAP5 code (PREREL5). For the new version of the preprocessor, new screens of some components that were not programmed in the original version were designed; moreover, screens of pre-existing components were redesigned to improve the program. In addition, an English version was provided for the new version of the PREREL5. The new design of PREREL5 contributes for saving time and minimizing mistakes made by users of the RELAP5 code. The final version of this preprocessor will be applied to Angra 2. (author)

Probability-based load combinations for design of category I structures - overview of research program and recent results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reich, M.; Hwang, H.

1984-01-01

This paper discusses the probability-based load combinations for the program dealing with the design of Category I structures, currently being worked on at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The objective of this program is to develop a probabilistic approach for the safety evaluations of reactor containments and other seismic Category I structures subjected to multiple static and dynamic loadings. Furthermore, on the basis of the developed probabilistic approach, a load combination methodology for the design of seismic Category I structures will also be established. The major tasks of this program are: (1) establish probabilistic representations for various loads and structural resistance, (2) select appropriate structural analysis methods and identify limit states of structures, (3) develop a reliability analysis method applicable to nuclear structures, (4) apply the developed methodology to existing Category I structures in order to evaluate the reliability levels implied in the current design criteria, and (5) recommend load combination design criteria for Category I structures. When the program is completed, it will be possible to (1) provide a method that can evaluate the safety margins of existing containment and other Category I structures and (2) recommended probability-based load combinations and load factors for the design of Category I structures. At the present time, a reliability analysis method for seismic Category I concrete structures has been completed. By utilizing this method, it is possible to evaluate the safety of structures under various static and dynamic loads. In this paper, results of a reliability analysis of a realistic reinforced concrete containment structure under dead load, accidental pressure, and earthquake ground acceleration are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the methodology. (orig.)

Combining child social skills training with a parent early intervention program for inhibited preschool children.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Elizabeth X; Rapee, Ronald M; Coplan, Robert J

2017-10-01

Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of early intervention for anxiety in preschoolers through parent-education. The current study evaluated a six-session early intervention program for preschoolers at high risk of anxiety disorders in which a standard educational program for parents was supplemented by direct training of social skills to the children. Seventy-two children aged 3-5 years were selected based on high behavioural inhibition levels and concurrently having a parent with high emotional distress. Families were randomly assigned to either the intervention group, which consisted of six parent-education group sessions and six child social skills training sessions, or waitlist. After six months, families on waitlist were offered treatment consisting of parent-education only. Relative to waitlist, children in the combined condition showed significantly fewer clinician-rated anxiety disorders and diagnostic severity and maternal (but not paternal) reported anxiety symptoms and life interference at six months. Mothers also reported less overprotection. These gains were maintained at 12-month follow-up. Parent only education following waitlist produced similar improvements among children. Quasi-experimental comparison between combined and parent-only interventions indicated greater reductions from combined intervention according to clinician reports, but no significant differences on maternal reports. Results suggest that this brief early intervention program for preschoolers with both parent and child components significantly reduces risk and disorder in vulnerable children. The inclusion of a child component might have the potential to increase effects over parent-only intervention. However, future support for this conclusion through long-term, randomised controlled trials is needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of sophisticated fog spray models on accident analyses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roblyer, S.P.; Owzarski, P.C.

1978-01-01

The N-Reactor confinement system release dose to the public in a postulated accident is reduced by washing the confinement atmosphere with fog sprays. This allows a low pressure release of confinement atmosphere containing fission products through filters and out an elevated stack. The current accident analysis required revision of the CORRAL code and other codes such as CONTEMPT to properly model the N Reactor confinement into a system of multiple fog-sprayed compartments. In revising these codes, more sophisticated models for the fog sprays and iodine plateout were incorporated to remove some of the conservatism of steam condensing rate, fission product washout and iodine plateout than used in previous studies. The CORRAL code, which was used to describe the transport and deposition of airborne fission products in LWR containment systems for the Rasmussen Study, was revised to describe fog spray removal of molecular iodine (I 2 ) and particulates in multiple compartments for sprays having individual characteristics of on-off times, flow rates, fall heights, and drop sizes in changing containment atmospheres. During postulated accidents, the code determined the fission product removal rates internally rather than from input decontamination factors. A discussion is given of how the calculated plateout and washout rates vary with time throughout the analysis. The results of the accident analyses indicated that more credit could be given to fission product washout and plateout. An important finding was that the release of fission products to the atmosphere and adsorption of fission products on the filters were significantly lower than previous studies had indicated

Sophisticated Communication in the Brazilian Torrent Frog Hylodes japi.

Science.gov (United States)

de Sá, Fábio P; Zina, Juliana; Haddad, Célio F B

2016-01-01

Intraspecific communication in frogs plays an important role in the recognition of conspecifics in general and of potential rivals or mates in particular and therefore with relevant consequences for pre-zygotic reproductive isolation. We investigate intraspecific communication in Hylodes japi, an endemic Brazilian torrent frog with territorial males and an elaborate courtship behavior. We describe its repertoire of acoustic signals as well as one of the most complex repertoires of visual displays known in anurans, including five new visual displays. Previously unknown in frogs, we also describe a bimodal inter-sexual communication system where the female stimulates the male to emit a courtship call. As another novelty for frogs, we show that in addition to choosing which limb to signal with, males choose which of their two vocal sacs will be used for visual signaling. We explain how and why this is accomplished. Control of inflation also provides additional evidence that vocal sac movement and color must be important for visual communication, even while producing sound. Through the current knowledge on visual signaling in Neotropical torrent frogs (i.e. hylodids), we discuss and highlight the behavioral diversity in the family Hylodidae. Our findings indicate that communication in species of Hylodes is undoubtedly more sophisticated than we expected and that visual communication in anurans is more widespread than previously thought. This is especially true in tropical regions, most likely due to the higher number of species and phylogenetic groups and/or to ecological factors, such as higher microhabitat diversity.

Sophisticated Communication in the Brazilian Torrent Frog Hylodes japi.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fábio P de Sá

Full Text Available Intraspecific communication in frogs plays an important role in the recognition of conspecifics in general and of potential rivals or mates in particular and therefore with relevant consequences for pre-zygotic reproductive isolation. We investigate intraspecific communication in Hylodes japi, an endemic Brazilian torrent frog with territorial males and an elaborate courtship behavior. We describe its repertoire of acoustic signals as well as one of the most complex repertoires of visual displays known in anurans, including five new visual displays. Previously unknown in frogs, we also describe a bimodal inter-sexual communication system where the female stimulates the male to emit a courtship call. As another novelty for frogs, we show that in addition to choosing which limb to signal with, males choose which of their two vocal sacs will be used for visual signaling. We explain how and why this is accomplished. Control of inflation also provides additional evidence that vocal sac movement and color must be important for visual communication, even while producing sound. Through the current knowledge on visual signaling in Neotropical torrent frogs (i.e. hylodids, we discuss and highlight the behavioral diversity in the family Hylodidae. Our findings indicate that communication in species of Hylodes is undoubtedly more sophisticated than we expected and that visual communication in anurans is more widespread than previously thought. This is especially true in tropical regions, most likely due to the higher number of species and phylogenetic groups and/or to ecological factors, such as higher microhabitat diversity.

The reactor physics computer programs in PC's era

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nainer, O.; Serghiuta, D.

1995-01-01

The main objective of reactor physics analysis is the evaluation of flux and power distribution over the reactor core. For CANDU reactors sophisticated computer programs, such as FMDP and RFSP, were developed 20 years ago for mainframe computers. These programs were adapted to work on workstations with UNIX or DOS, but they lack a feature that could improve their use and that is 'user friendly'. For using these programs the users need to deal with a great amount of information contained in sophisticated files. To modify a model is a great challenge. First of all, it is necessary to bear in mind all the geometrical dimensions and accordingly, to modify the core model to match the new requirements. All this must be done in a line input file. For a DOS platform, using an average performance PC system, could it be possible: to represent and modify all the geometrical and physical parameters in a meaningful way, on screen, using an intuitive graphic user interface; to reduce the real time elapsed in order to perform complex fuel-management analysis 'at home'; to avoid the rewrite of the mainframe version of the program? The author's answer is a fuel-management computer package operating on PC, 3 time faster than on a CDC-Cyber 830 mainframe one (486DX/33MHz/8MbRAM) or 20 time faster (Pentium-PC), respectively. (author). 5 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs

Designing a Web Spam Classifier Based on Feature Fusion in the Layered Multi-Population Genetic Programming Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Hosein KEYHANIPOUR

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, Web spam pages are a critical challenge for Web retrieval systems which have drastic influence on the performance of such systems. Although these systems try to combat the impact of spam pages on their final results list, spammers increasingly use more sophisticated techniques to increase the number of views for their intended pages in order to have more commercial success. This paper employs the recently proposed Layered Multi-population Genetic Programming model for Web spam detection task as well application of correlation coefficient analysis for feature space reduction. Based on our tentative results, the designed classifier, which is based on a combination of easy to compute features, has a very reasonable performance in comparison with similar methods.

All for One: Integrating Budgetary Methods by Computer.

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, Jerry J.

1994-01-01

With the advent of high speed and sophisticated computer programs, all budgetary systems can be combined in one fiscal management information system. Defines and provides examples for the four budgeting systems: (1) function/object; (2) planning, programming, budgeting system; (3) zero-based budgeting; and (4) site-based budgeting. (MLF)

EU-Korea FTA and Its Impact on V4 Economies. A Comparative Analysis of Trade Sophistication and Intra-Industry Trade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michalski Bartosz

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates selected short- and mid-term effects in trade in goods between the Visegrad countries (V4: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Korea under the framework of the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea. This Agreement is described in the “Trade for All” (2015: 9 strategy as the most ambitious trade deal ever implemented by the EU. The primary purpose of our analysis is to identify, compare, and evaluate the evolution of the technological sophistication of bilateral exports and imports. Another dimension of the paper concentrates on the developments within intra-industry trade. Moreover, these objectives are approached taking into account the context of the South Korean direct investment inflow to the V4. The evaluation of technological sophistication is based on UNCTAD’s methodology, while the intensity of intra-industry trade is measured by the GL-index and identification of its subcategories (horizontal and vertical trade. The analysis covers the timespan 2001–2015. The novelty of the paper lies in the fact that the study of South Korean-V4 trade relations has not so far been carried out from this perspective. Thus this paper investigates interesting phenomena identified in the trade between the Republic of Korea (ROK and V4 economies. The main findings imply an impact of South Korean direct investments on trade. This is represented by the trade deficit of the V4 with ROK and the structure of bilateral trade in terms of its technological sophistication. South Korean investments might also have had positive consequences for the evolution of IIT, particularly in the machinery sector. The political interpretation indicates that they may strengthen common threats associated with the middle-income trap, particularly the technological gap and the emphasis placed on lower costs of production.

Climate schools plus: An online, combined student and parent, universal drug prevention program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louise K. Thornton

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Early initiation of substance use significantly increases one's risk of developing substance use dependence and mental disorders later in life. To interrupt this trajectory, effective prevention during the adolescent period is critical. Parents play a key role in preventing substance use and related harms among adolescents and parenting interventions have been identified as critical components of effective prevention programs. Despite this, there is currently no substance use prevention program targeting both students and parents that adopts online delivery to overcome barriers to implementation and sustainability. The Climate Schools Plus (CSP program was developed to meet this need. CSP is an online substance use prevention program for students and parents, based on the effective Climate Schools prevention program for students. This paper describes the development of the parent component of CSP including a literature review and results of a large scoping survey of parents of Australian high school students (n = 242. This paper also includes results of beta-testing of the developed program with relevant experts (n = 10, and parents of Australian high school students (n = 15. The CSP parent component consists of 1 a webinar which introduces shared rule ranking, 2 online modules and 3 summaries of student lessons. The parent program targets evidence-based modifiable factors associated with a delay in the onset of adolescent substance use and/or lower levels of adolescent substance use in the future; namely, rule-setting, monitoring, and modelling. To date, this is the first combined parent-student substance use prevention program to adopt an online delivery method. Keywords: Development, Prevention, Adolescent, Alcohol, Parent

Lapin Data Interchange Among Database, Analysis and Display Programs Using XML-Based Text Files

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

The purpose of grant NCC3-966 was to investigate and evaluate the interchange of application-specific data among multiple programs each carrying out part of the analysis and design task. This has been carried out previously by creating a custom program to read data produced by one application and then write that data to a file whose format is specific to the second application that needs all or part of that data. In this investigation, data of interest is described using the XML markup language that allows the data to be stored in a text-string. Software to transform output data of a task into an XML-string and software to read an XML string and extract all or a portion of the data needed for another application is used to link two independent applications together as part of an overall design effort. This approach was initially used with a standard analysis program, Lapin, along with standard applications a standard spreadsheet program, a relational database program, and a conventional dialog and display program to demonstrate the successful sharing of data among independent programs. Most of the effort beyond that demonstration has been concentrated on the inclusion of more complex display programs. Specifically, a custom-written windowing program organized around dialogs to control the interactions have been combined with an independent CAD program (Open Cascade) that supports sophisticated display of CAD elements such as lines, spline curves, and surfaces and turbine-blade data produced by an independent blade design program (UD0300).

Combining Self-Explaining with Computer Architecture Diagrams to Enhance the Learning of Assembly Language Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Y.-C.

2012-01-01

This paper investigates the impact of combining self explaining (SE) with computer architecture diagrams to help novice students learn assembly language programming. Pre- and post-test scores for the experimental and control groups were compared and subjected to covariance (ANCOVA) statistical analysis. Results indicate that the SE-plus-diagram…

The discount framing in different pricing schemes: Combined versus partitioned pricing

OpenAIRE

Matthew Lee; Dr. Frankie Law

2015-01-01

Pricing is one of the most sophisticated and critical issues which managers have to face. It is obvious that managers have been undervaluing the behavioural and psychological perspective of pricing for many years. With a clear understanding of behavioural pricing, managers are able to make extra profit for their firms. In the current study, it was interesting to investigating exactly how manipulation of discounts in the combined pricing scheme and partitioned pricing scheme affects the purcha...

A Multiple-star Combined Solution Program - Application to the Population II Binary μ Cas

Science.gov (United States)

Gudehus, D. H.

2001-05-01

A multiple-star combined-solution computer program which can simultaneously fit astrometric, speckle, and spectroscopic data, and solve for the orbital parameters, parallax, proper motion, and masses has been written and is now publicly available. Some features of the program are the ability to scale the weights at run time, hold selected parameters constant, handle up to five spectroscopic subcomponents for the primary and the secondary each, account for the light travel time across the system, account for apsidal motion, plot the results, and write the residuals in position to a standard file for further analysis. The spectroscopic subcomponent data can be represented by reflex velocities and/or by independent measurements. A companion editing program which can manage the data files is included in the package. The program has been applied to the Population II binary μ Cas to derive improved masses and an estimate of the primordial helium abundance. The source code, executables, sample data files, and documentation for OpenVMS and Unix, including Linux, are available at http://www.chara.gsu.edu/\\rlap\\ \\ gudehus/binary.html.

Toward a molecular programming language for algorithmic self-assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Patitz, Matthew John

Self-assembly is the process whereby relatively simple components autonomously combine to form more complex objects. Nature exhibits self-assembly to form everything from microscopic crystals to living cells to galaxies. With a desire to both form increasingly sophisticated products and to understand the basic components of living systems, scientists have developed and studied artificial self-assembling systems. One such framework is the Tile Assembly Model introduced by Erik Winfree in 1998. In this model, simple two-dimensional square 'tiles' are designed so that they self-assemble into desired shapes. The work in this thesis consists of a series of results which build toward the future goal of designing an abstracted, high-level programming language for designing the molecular components of self-assembling systems which can perform powerful computations and form into intricate structures. The first two sets of results demonstrate self-assembling systems which perform infinite series of computations that characterize computably enumerable and decidable languages, and exhibit tools for algorithmically generating the necessary sets of tiles. In the next chapter, methods for generating tile sets which self-assemble into complicated shapes, namely a class of discrete self-similar fractal structures, are presented. Next, a software package for graphically designing tile sets, simulating their self-assembly, and debugging designed systems is discussed. Finally, a high-level programming language which abstracts much of the complexity and tedium of designing such systems, while preventing many of the common errors, is presented. The summation of this body of work presents a broad coverage of the spectrum of desired outputs from artificial self-assembling systems and a progression in the sophistication of tools used to design them. By creating a broader and deeper set of modular tools for designing self-assembling systems, we hope to increase the complexity which is

Evolution of telemedicine in the space program and earth applications

Science.gov (United States)

Nicogossian, A. E.; Pober, D. F.; Roy, S. A.

2001-01-01

Remote monitoring of crew, spacecraft, and environmental health has always been an integral part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) operations. Crew safety and mission success face a number of challenges in outerspace, including physiological adaptations to microgravity, radiation exposure, extreme temperatures and vacuum, and psychosocial reactions to space flight. The NASA effort to monitor and maintain crew health, system performance, and environmental integrity in space flight is a sophisticated and coordinated program of telemedicine combining cutting-edge engineering with medical expertise. As missions have increased in complexity, NASA telemedicine capabilities have grown apace, underlying its role in the field. At the same time, the terrestrial validation of telemedicine technologies to bring healthcare to remote locations provides feedback, improvement, and enhancement of the space program. As NASA progresses in its space exploration program, astronauts will join missions lasting months, even years, that take them millions of miles from home. These long-duration missions necessitate further technological breakthroughs in tele-operations and autonomous technology. Earth-based monitoring will no longer be real-time, requiring telemedicine capabilities to advance with future explorers as they travel deeper into space. The International Space Station will serve as a testbed for the telemedicine technologies to enable future missions as well as improve the quality of healthcare delivery on Earth.

Programming Collective Intelligence Building Smart Web 2.0 Applications

CERN Document Server

Segaran, Toby

2008-01-01

This fascinating book demonstrates how you can build web applications to mine the enormous amount of data created by people on the Internet. With the sophisticated algorithms in this book, you can write smart programs to access interesting datasets from other web sites, collect data from users of your own applications, and analyze and understand the data once you've found it.

ActionScript 30 Design Patterns Object Oriented Programming Techniques

CERN Document Server

Sanders, William

2008-01-01

If you're an experienced Flash or Flex developer ready to tackle sophisticated programming techniques with ActionScript 3.0, this hands-on introduction to design patterns takes you step by step through the process. You learn about various types of design patterns and construct small abstract examples before trying your hand at building full-fledged working applications outlined in the book.

Game and Graphics Programming for iOS and Android with OpenGL ES 20

CERN Document Server

Marruchi-Foino, Romain; Semko, Roman

2012-01-01

Develop graphically sophisticated apps and games today! The smart phone app market is progressively growing, and there is new market gap to fill that requires more graphically sophisticated applications and games. Game and Graphics Programming for iOS and Android with OpenGL ES 2.0 quickly gets you up to speed on understanding how powerful OpenGL ES 2.0 technology is in creating apps and games for amusement and effectiveness. Leading you through the development of a real-world mobile app with live code, this text lets you work with all the best features and tools that Open GL ES 2.0 has to off

Barkley's Parent Training Program, Working Memory Training and their Combination for Children with ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Hosainzadeh Maleki

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of Barkley's parent training program, working memory training and the combination of these two interventions for children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD.In this study, 36 participants with ADHD (aged 6 to 12 years were selected by convenience sampling. Revision of the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham (SNAP questionnaire (SNAP-IV, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL and clinical interviews were employed to diagnose ADHD. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition was also implemented. The participants were randomly assigned to the three intervention groups of Barkley's parent training program, working memory training and the combined group. SNAP-IV and CBCL were used as pre-tests and post-tests across all three groups. Data were analyzed using MANCOVA (SPSS version18.There was a significant difference (p< 0.05 in the decline of attention deficit and hyperactivity /impulsivity symptoms between the combined treatment group and working memory training group and also between the combined treatment group and the parent training group in SNAP. In terms of attention problems (experience-based subscales of CBCL, there was a significant difference (p< 0.001 between the combined treatment group and working memory training group. Furthermore, compared to the working memory training and parent training groups, the combined group demonstrated a significant decline (p< 0.01 in clinical symptoms of ADHD (based on DSM.It was revealed that combined treatment in comparison with the other two methods suppressed the clinical symptoms of ADHD more significantly.

Combined Two-Stage Stochastic Programming and Receding Horizon Control Strategy for Microgrid Energy Management Considering Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongwen Li

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Microgrids (MGs are presented as a cornerstone of smart grids. With the potential to integrate intermittent renewable energy sources (RES in a flexible and environmental way, the MG concept has gained even more attention. Due to the randomness of RES, load, and electricity price in MG, the forecast errors of MGs will affect the performance of the power scheduling and the operating cost of an MG. In this paper, a combined stochastic programming and receding horizon control (SPRHC strategy is proposed for microgrid energy management under uncertainty, which combines the advantages of two-stage stochastic programming (SP and receding horizon control (RHC strategy. With an SP strategy, a scheduling plan can be derived that minimizes the risk of uncertainty by involving the uncertainty of MG in the optimization model. With an RHC strategy, the uncertainty within the MG can be further compensated through a feedback mechanism with the lately updated forecast information. In our approach, a proper strategy is also proposed to maintain the SP model as a mixed integer linear constrained quadratic programming (MILCQP problem, which is solvable without resorting to any heuristics algorithms. The results of numerical experiments explicitly demonstrate the superiority of the proposed strategy for both island and grid-connected operating modes of an MG.

A Case Study on E - Banking Security – When Security Becomes Too Sophisticated for the User to Access Their Information

OpenAIRE

Aaron M. French

2012-01-01

While eBanking security continues to increase in sophistication to protect against threats, the usability of the eBanking decreases resulting in poor security behaviors by the users. The current research evaluates se curity risks and measures taken for eBanking solutions. A case study is presented describing how increased complexity decreases vulnerabilities online but increases vulnerabilities from internal threats and eBanking users

Advanced condition monitoring program for turbine system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ono, Shigetoshi

2015-01-01

It is important for utilities to achieve a stable operation in nuclear power plants. To achieve it, plant anomalies that affect a stable operation must be found out and eliminated. Therefore, the advanced condition monitoring program was developed. In this program, a sophisticated heat balance model based on the actual plant data is adopted to identify plant anomalies at an incipient stage and the symptoms of plant anomalies are found by heat balance changes from the model calculation. The model calculation results have shown precise prediction for actual plant parameters. Moreover, this program has the diagnostic engine that helps operators derive the cause of plant anomalies. By using this monitoring program, the component reliability in the turbine system can be periodically monitored and assessed, and as a result the stable operation of nuclear power plants can be achieved. (author)

Nurturing Opportunity Identification for Business Sophistication in a Cross-disciplinary Study Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karine Oganisjana

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Opportunity identification is the key element of the entrepreneurial process; therefore the issue of developing this skill in students is a crucial task in contemporary European education which has recognized entrepreneurship as one of the lifelong learning key competences. The earlier opportunity identification becomes a habitual way of thinking and behavior across a broad range of contexts, the more likely that entrepreneurial disposition will steadily reside in students. In order to nurture opportunity identification in students for making them able to organize sophisticated businesses in the future, certain demands ought to be put forward as well to the teacher – the person who is to promote these qualities in their students. The paper reflects some findings of a research conducted within the frameworks of a workplace learning project for the teachers of one of Riga secondary schools (Latvia. The main goal of the project was to teach the teachers to identify hidden inner links between apparently unrelated things, phenomena and events within 10th grade study curriculum and connect them together and create new opportunities. The creation and solution of cross-disciplinary tasks were the means for achieving this goal.

Dynamics of cardiovascular parameters in combined aortic malformations under the influence of a physical therapy program during the rehabilitation process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serhii Kalmykov

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to study hemodynamic parameters and the reaction of the cardiovascular system to the dosed physical load of patients combined aortic defect with heart failure of the I degree under the influence of the complex physical therapy program developed by us during the rehabilitation process. Material & Methods: the study involved 26 middle-aged men with a diagnosis: combined aortic valve disease, HF I st. Result: dynamics of functional parameters of the cardiovascular system of patients under the influence of the physical therapy program is analyzed. Conclusion: the combination of morning hygienic gymnastics, therapeutic gymnastics, independent activities and dosed walking with a therapeutic massage contributes to the normalization of vascular tone, motor-vascular reflexes and blood pressure, increasing the tolerance of the cardiovascular system to physical activity.

Multilevel Regulation of Bacterial Gene Expression with the Combined STAR and Antisense RNA System.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Young Je; Kim, Soo-Jung; Moon, Tae Seok

2018-03-16

Synthetic small RNA regulators have emerged as a versatile tool to predictably control bacterial gene expression. Owing to their simple design principles, small size, and highly orthogonal behavior, these engineered genetic parts have been incorporated into genetic circuits. However, efforts to achieve more sophisticated cellular functions using RNA regulators have been hindered by our limited ability to integrate different RNA regulators into complex circuits. Here, we present a combined RNA regulatory system in Escherichia coli that uses small transcription activating RNA (STAR) and antisense RNA (asRNA) to activate or deactivate target gene expression in a programmable manner. Specifically, we demonstrated that the activated target output by the STAR system can be deactivated by expressing two different types of asRNAs: one binds to and sequesters the STAR regulator, affecting the transcription process, while the other binds to the target mRNA, affecting the translation process. We improved deactivation efficiencies (up to 96%) by optimizing each type of asRNA and then integrating the two optimized asRNAs into a single circuit. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the combined STAR and asRNA system can control gene expression in a reversible way and can regulate expression of a gene in the genome. Lastly, we constructed and simultaneously tested two A AND NOT B logic gates in the same cell to show sophisticated multigene regulation by the combined system. Our approach establishes a methodology for integrating multiple RNA regulators to rationally control multiple genes.

Evolution of a minimal parallel programming model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lusk, Ewing; Butler, Ralph; Pieper, Steven C.

2017-01-01

Here, we take a historical approach to our presentation of self-scheduled task parallelism, a programming model with its origins in early irregular and nondeterministic computations encountered in automated theorem proving and logic programming. We show how an extremely simple task model has evolved into a system, asynchronous dynamic load balancing (ADLB), and a scalable implementation capable of supporting sophisticated applications on today’s (and tomorrow’s) largest supercomputers; and we illustrate the use of ADLB with a Green’s function Monte Carlo application, a modern, mature nuclear physics code in production use. Our lesson is that by surrendering a certain amount of generality and thus applicability, a minimal programming model (in terms of its basic concepts and the size of its application programmer interface) can achieve extreme scalability without introducing complexity.

Weighted curve-fitting program for the HP 67/97 calculator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stockli, M.P.

1983-01-01

The HP 67/97 calculator provides in its standard equipment a curve-fit program for linear, logarithmic, exponential and power functions that is quite useful and popular. However, in more sophisticated applications, proper weights for data are often essential. For this purpose a program package was created which is very similar to the standard curve-fit program but which includes the weights of the data for proper statistical analysis. This allows accurate calculation of the uncertainties of the fitted curve parameters as well as the uncertainties of interpolations or extrapolations, or optionally the uncertainties can be normalized with chi-square. The program is very versatile and allows one to perform quite difficult data analysis in a convenient way with the pocket calculator HP 67/97

Sophisticated Epistemologies of Physics versus High-Stakes Tests: How Do Elite High School Students Respond to Competing Influences about How to Learn Physics?

Science.gov (United States)

Yerdelen-Damar, Sevda; Elby, Andrew

2016-01-01

This study investigates how elite Turkish high school physics students claim to approach learning physics when they are simultaneously (i) engaged in a curriculum that led to significant gains in their epistemological sophistication and (ii) subject to a high-stakes college entrance exam. Students reported taking surface (rote) approaches to…

Linear programming using Matlab

CERN Document Server

Ploskas, Nikolaos

2017-01-01

This book offers a theoretical and computational presentation of a variety of linear programming algorithms and methods with an emphasis on the revised simplex method and its components. A theoretical background and mathematical formulation is included for each algorithm as well as comprehensive numerical examples and corresponding MATLAB® code. The MATLAB® implementations presented in this book  are sophisticated and allow users to find solutions to large-scale benchmark linear programs. Each algorithm is followed by a computational study on benchmark problems that analyze the computational behavior of the presented algorithms. As a solid companion to existing algorithmic-specific literature, this book will be useful to researchers, scientists, mathematical programmers, and students with a basic knowledge of linear algebra and calculus.  The clear presentation enables the reader to understand and utilize all components of simplex-type methods, such as presolve techniques, scaling techniques, pivoting ru...

Background field removal technique using regularization enabled sophisticated harmonic artifact reduction for phase data with varying kernel sizes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kan, Hirohito; Kasai, Harumasa; Arai, Nobuyuki; Kunitomo, Hiroshi; Hirose, Yasujiro; Shibamoto, Yuta

2016-09-01

An effective background field removal technique is desired for more accurate quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) prior to dipole inversion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of regularization enabled sophisticated harmonic artifact reduction for phase data with varying spherical kernel sizes (REV-SHARP) method using a three-dimensional head phantom and human brain data. The proposed REV-SHARP method used the spherical mean value operation and Tikhonov regularization in the deconvolution process, with varying 2-14mm kernel sizes. The kernel sizes were gradually reduced, similar to the SHARP with varying spherical kernel (VSHARP) method. We determined the relative errors and relationships between the true local field and estimated local field in REV-SHARP, VSHARP, projection onto dipole fields (PDF), and regularization enabled SHARP (RESHARP). Human experiment was also conducted using REV-SHARP, VSHARP, PDF, and RESHARP. The relative errors in the numerical phantom study were 0.386, 0.448, 0.838, and 0.452 for REV-SHARP, VSHARP, PDF, and RESHARP. REV-SHARP result exhibited the highest correlation between the true local field and estimated local field. The linear regression slopes were 1.005, 1.124, 0.988, and 0.536 for REV-SHARP, VSHARP, PDF, and RESHARP in regions of interest on the three-dimensional head phantom. In human experiments, no obvious errors due to artifacts were present in REV-SHARP. The proposed REV-SHARP is a new method combined with variable spherical kernel size and Tikhonov regularization. This technique might make it possible to be more accurate backgroud field removal and help to achive better accuracy of QSM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The tool for the automatic analysis of lexical sophistication (TAALES): version 2.0.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyle, Kristopher; Crossley, Scott; Berger, Cynthia

2017-07-11

This study introduces the second release of the Tool for the Automatic Analysis of Lexical Sophistication (TAALES 2.0), a freely available and easy-to-use text analysis tool. TAALES 2.0 is housed on a user's hard drive (allowing for secure data processing) and is available on most operating systems (Windows, Mac, and Linux). TAALES 2.0 adds 316 indices to the original tool. These indices are related to word frequency, word range, n-gram frequency, n-gram range, n-gram strength of association, contextual distinctiveness, word recognition norms, semantic network, and word neighbors. In this study, we validated TAALES 2.0 by investigating whether its indices could be used to model both holistic scores of lexical proficiency in free writes and word choice scores in narrative essays. The results indicated that the TAALES 2.0 indices could be used to explain 58% of the variance in lexical proficiency scores and 32% of the variance in word-choice scores. Newly added TAALES 2.0 indices, including those related to n-gram association strength, word neighborhood, and word recognition norms, featured heavily in these predictor models, suggesting that TAALES 2.0 represents a substantial upgrade.

A Unique Master's Program in Combined Nuclear Technology and Nuclear Chemistry at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skarnemark, Gunnar; Allard, Stefan; Ekberg, Christian; Nordlund, Anders

2009-01-01

The need for engineers and scientists who can ensure safe and secure use of nuclear energy is large in Sweden and internationally. Chalmers University of Technology is therefore launching a new 2-year master's program in Nuclear Engineering, with start from the autumn of 2009. The program is open to Swedish and foreign students. The program starts with compulsory courses dealing with the basics of nuclear chemistry and physics, radiation protection, nuclear power and reactors, nuclear fuel supply, nuclear waste management and nuclear safety and security. There are also compulsory courses in nuclear industry applications and sustainable energy futures. The subsequent elective courses can be chosen freely but there is also a possibility to choose informal tracks that concentrate on nuclear chemistry or reactor technology and physics. The nuclear chemistry track comprises courses in e.g. chemistry of lanthanides, actinides and transactinides, solvent extraction, radioecology and radioanalytical chemistry and radiopharmaceuticals. The program is finished with a one semester thesis project. This is probably a unique master program in the sense of its combination of deep courses in both nuclear technology and nuclear chemistry.

xSyn: A Software Tool for Identifying Sophisticated 3-Way Interactions From Cancer Expression Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baishali Bandyopadhyay

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Constructing gene co-expression networks from cancer expression data is important for investigating the genetic mechanisms underlying cancer. However, correlation coefficients or linear regression models are not able to model sophisticated relationships among gene expression profiles. Here, we address the 3-way interaction that 2 genes’ expression levels are clustered in different space locations under the control of a third gene’s expression levels. Results: We present xSyn, a software tool for identifying such 3-way interactions from cancer gene expression data based on an optimization procedure involving the usage of UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean and synergy. The effectiveness is demonstrated by application to 2 real gene expression data sets. Conclusions: xSyn is a useful tool for decoding the complex relationships among gene expression profiles. xSyn is available at http://www.bdxconsult.com/xSyn.html .

When not to copy: female fruit flies use sophisticated public information to avoid mated males

Science.gov (United States)

Loyau, Adeline; Blanchet, Simon; van Laere, Pauline; Clobert, Jean; Danchin, Etienne

2012-10-01

Semen limitation (lack of semen to fertilize all of a female's eggs) imposes high fitness costs to female partners. Females should therefore avoid mating with semen-limited males. This can be achieved by using public information extracted from watching individual males' previous copulating activities. This adaptive preference should be flexible given that semen limitation is temporary. We first demonstrate that the number of offspring produced by males Drosophila melanogaster gradually decreases over successive copulations. We then show that females avoid mating with males they just watched copulating and that visual public cues are sufficient to elicit this response. Finally, after males were given the time to replenish their sperm reserves, females did not avoid the males they previously saw copulating anymore. These results suggest that female fruit flies may have evolved sophisticated behavioural processes of resistance to semen-limited males, and demonstrate unsuspected adaptive context-dependent mate choice in an invertebrate.

eCOMPAGT – efficient Combination and Management of Phenotypes and Genotypes for Genetic Epidemiology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Specht Günther

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background High-throughput genotyping and phenotyping projects of large epidemiological study populations require sophisticated laboratory information management systems. Most epidemiological studies include subject-related personal information, which needs to be handled with care by following data privacy protection guidelines. In addition, genotyping core facilities handling cooperative projects require a straightforward solution to monitor the status and financial resources of the different projects. Description We developed a database system for an efficient combination and management of phenotypes and genotypes (eCOMPAGT deriving from genetic epidemiological studies. eCOMPAGT securely stores and manages genotype and phenotype data and enables different user modes with different rights. Special attention was drawn on the import of data deriving from TaqMan and SNPlex genotyping assays. However, the database solution is adjustable to other genotyping systems by programming additional interfaces. Further important features are the scalability of the database and an export interface to statistical software. Conclusion eCOMPAGT can store, administer and connect phenotype data with all kinds of genotype data and is available as a downloadable version at http://dbis-informatik.uibk.ac.at/ecompagt.

Estudo teórico das transições eletrônicas usando métodos simples e sofisticados Theoretical study of electronic transitions using simple and sophisticated methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelson H. Morgon

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the use of both simple and sophisticated models in the study of electronic transitions was explored for a set of molecular systems: C2H4, C4H4, C4H6, C6H6, C6H8, "C8", C60, and [H2NCHCH(CHCHkCHNH2]+, where k = 0 to 4. The simple model of the free particle (1D, 2D, and 3D boxes, rings or spherical surfaces, considering the boundary conditions, was found to yield similar results to the sophisticated theoretical methods such as EOM-CCSD/6-311++G** or TD(NStates=5,Root=1-M06-2X/6-311++G**.

Development of a system to verify the programs used for planning of photon beams teletherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ocariz Ayala, Victor Daniel

2004-12-01

The main objective of radiotherapy is to deliver to the tumor the radiation dose prescribed by the physician, in the most possible accurate form, to save, as much as possible, the healthy tissues located in the neighborhood of the tumor. In order to reach these objectives, it is necessary to carry out a treatment planning and the more the used technologies and therapeutical procedures are sophisticated, the more the planning will be sophisticated. The most sophisticated planning systems use computer programs and are able to determine dose distributions in three dimensions. However, since they work using mathematical models, they may fail and it is necessary to evaluate their performances in order to be considered reliable. Therefore, the availability of a system capable to evaluate the performance of planning systems employed in oncological teletherapy, using ionizing radiation, becomes important. In this work, a data file to be used in radiotherapy planning system quality control (Algorithm accuracy and dose distribution) was developed and it is able to be sent by mail to the radiotherapy services that work with photon beams. (author)

Automatic compilation from high-level biologically-oriented programming language to genetic regulatory networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Beal, Jacob; Lu, Ting; Weiss, Ron

2011-01-01

The field of synthetic biology promises to revolutionize our ability to engineer biological systems, providing important benefits for a variety of applications. Recent advances in DNA synthesis and automated DNA assembly technologies suggest that it is now possible to construct synthetic systems of significant complexity. However, while a variety of novel genetic devices and small engineered gene networks have been successfully demonstrated, the regulatory complexity of synthetic systems that have been reported recently has somewhat plateaued due to a variety of factors, including the complexity of biology itself and the lag in our ability to design and optimize sophisticated biological circuitry. To address the gap between DNA synthesis and circuit design capabilities, we present a platform that enables synthetic biologists to express desired behavior using a convenient high-level biologically-oriented programming language, Proto. The high level specification is compiled, using a regulatory motif based mechanism, to a gene network, optimized, and then converted to a computational simulation for numerical verification. Through several example programs we illustrate the automated process of biological system design with our platform, and show that our compiler optimizations can yield significant reductions in the number of genes (~ 50%) and latency of the optimized engineered gene networks. Our platform provides a convenient and accessible tool for the automated design of sophisticated synthetic biological systems, bridging an important gap between DNA synthesis and circuit design capabilities. Our platform is user-friendly and features biologically relevant compiler optimizations, providing an important foundation for the development of sophisticated biological systems.

Evolution of a safeguards support program: POTAS past and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kessler, J.C.; Reisman, A.W.

1992-01-01

When the Non-Proliferation Treaty came into force, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) became for the first time responsible for implementing full-scope safeguards in many countries, including countries with large and sophisticated nuclear programs. The IAEA's Department of Safeguards did not have the safeguards technology appropriate for these rapidly expanding responsibilities, nor did it have a research and development program to respond to that need. In response to this situation, the United States initiated the US Program of Technical Assitance to IAEA Safeguards (POTAS) in 1977. This program was originally intended to be a 5-yr, $5 million program. As the United States and the IAEA began to implement this program, several things rapidly became clear. Meeting the evolving safeguards technology needs would require much more than $5 million; within the first 5 yr, the United States allocated more than $20 million. This paper summarizes the policies activities, and practices POTAS has employed in support of IAEA safeguards program

Evaluating Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs: Decades of Evolving Strategies and Practices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan Philliber

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the changing strategies for both process and outcome evaluations of teen pregnancy prevention programs over the past few decades. Implementation evaluations have emphasized discovery of what program attributes are most effective in reducing teen pregnancy and its antecedents. Outcome evaluations have moved from collecting data to measure knowledge, attitudes, and program satisfaction to measuring behavior change including postponement of sexual involvement, increased used of contraception, or reduction in teen pregnancy. High quality randomized control trials or quasi-experimental designs are being increasingly emphasized, as are sophisticated analysis techniques using multi-variate analyses, controls for cluster sampling, and other strategies designed to build a more solid knowledge base about how to prevent early pregnancy.

Ranking network of a captive rhesus macaque society: a sophisticated corporative kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Fushing, Hsieh; McAssey, Michael P; Beisner, Brianne; McCowan, Brenda

2011-03-15

We develop a three-step computing approach to explore a hierarchical ranking network for a society of captive rhesus macaques. The computed network is sufficiently informative to address the question: Is the ranking network for a rhesus macaque society more like a kingdom or a corporation? Our computations are based on a three-step approach. These steps are devised to deal with the tremendous challenges stemming from the transitivity of dominance as a necessary constraint on the ranking relations among all individual macaques, and the very high sampling heterogeneity in the behavioral conflict data. The first step simultaneously infers the ranking potentials among all network members, which requires accommodation of heterogeneous measurement error inherent in behavioral data. Our second step estimates the social rank for all individuals by minimizing the network-wide errors in the ranking potentials. The third step provides a way to compute confidence bounds for selected empirical features in the social ranking. We apply this approach to two sets of conflict data pertaining to two captive societies of adult rhesus macaques. The resultant ranking network for each society is found to be a sophisticated mixture of both a kingdom and a corporation. Also, for validation purposes, we reanalyze conflict data from twenty longhorn sheep and demonstrate that our three-step approach is capable of correctly computing a ranking network by eliminating all ranking error.

Ranking network of a captive rhesus macaque society: a sophisticated corporative kingdom.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsieh Fushing

2011-03-01

Full Text Available We develop a three-step computing approach to explore a hierarchical ranking network for a society of captive rhesus macaques. The computed network is sufficiently informative to address the question: Is the ranking network for a rhesus macaque society more like a kingdom or a corporation? Our computations are based on a three-step approach. These steps are devised to deal with the tremendous challenges stemming from the transitivity of dominance as a necessary constraint on the ranking relations among all individual macaques, and the very high sampling heterogeneity in the behavioral conflict data. The first step simultaneously infers the ranking potentials among all network members, which requires accommodation of heterogeneous measurement error inherent in behavioral data. Our second step estimates the social rank for all individuals by minimizing the network-wide errors in the ranking potentials. The third step provides a way to compute confidence bounds for selected empirical features in the social ranking. We apply this approach to two sets of conflict data pertaining to two captive societies of adult rhesus macaques. The resultant ranking network for each society is found to be a sophisticated mixture of both a kingdom and a corporation. Also, for validation purposes, we reanalyze conflict data from twenty longhorn sheep and demonstrate that our three-step approach is capable of correctly computing a ranking network by eliminating all ranking error.

IMPACT OF DIET, EXERCISE AND DIET COMBINED WITH EXERCISE PROGRAMS ON PLASMA LIPOPROTEIN AND ADIPONECTIN LEVELS IN OBESE GIRLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omar Ben Ounis

2008-12-01

Full Text Available We studied the effect of three programs, diet restriction (D, individualized exercise training (E at the maximal lipid oxidation point (LIPOXmax and diet combined with exercise (D+E, on body mass, plasma lipoprotein and adiponectin levels in obese girls. Eighteen obese adolescents girls aged 12-14 years were studied. A longitudinal intervention was carried out, consisting of a two-month diet (D; -500 kcal·day-1, of individualized exercise (E; 4 days/week, 90 min·day-1 and of diet combined with exercise (D+E. Body mass, body mass index (BMI, body fat mass, waist circumference, substrate crossover point, LIPOXmax point, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR index, fasting levels of lipids and circulatory adiponectin, were measured in all subjects before and after the program. In subjects of the D+E group, body mass, BMI, body fat mass, waist circumference, HOMA-IR, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C and total cholesterol / high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TC/HDL-C ratio were significantly lower, and HDL-C and adiponectin were higher after the program than that of subjects in the D or E groups. Diet/exercise improved the ability to oxidize lipids during exercise (crossover point: + 18.5 ± 3.4 of % Wmax; p < 0.01 and fat oxidation rate at LIPOXmax: + 89.7 ± 19.7 mg·min-1; p < 0.01. In the D+E group, significant correlations were found between changes in body mass and adiponectin and between changes in the TC/HDL-C ratio and LIPOXmax. These findings show that the combined program of diet restriction and individualized exercise training at the LIPOXmax point is necessary to simultaneously improve body mass loss, adiponectin levels, as well as metabolic parameters, in obese girls

Combining heterogeneous features for colonic polyp detection in CTC based on semi-definite programming

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shijun; Yao, Jianhua; Petrick, Nicholas A.; Summers, Ronald M.

2009-02-01

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Computed tomographic colonography (CTC) combined with a computer aided detection system provides a feasible combination for improving colonic polyps detection and increasing the use of CTC for colon cancer screening. To distinguish true polyps from false positives, various features extracted from polyp candidates have been proposed. Most of these features try to capture the shape information of polyp candidates or neighborhood knowledge about the surrounding structures (fold, colon wall, etc.). In this paper, we propose a new set of shape descriptors for polyp candidates based on statistical curvature information. These features, called histogram of curvature features, are rotation, translation and scale invariant and can be treated as complementing our existing feature set. Then in order to make full use of the traditional features (defined as group A) and the new features (group B) which are highly heterogeneous, we employed a multiple kernel learning method based on semi-definite programming to identify an optimized classification kernel based on the combined set of features. We did leave-one-patient-out test on a CTC dataset which contained scans from 50 patients (with 90 6-9mm polyp detections). Experimental results show that a support vector machine (SVM) based on the combined feature set and the semi-definite optimization kernel achieved higher FROC performance compared to SVMs using the two groups of features separately. At a false positive per patient rate of 7, the sensitivity on 6-9mm polyps using the combined features improved from 0.78 (Group A) and 0.73 (Group B) to 0.82 (p<=0.01).

Drug-device combination products: regulatory landscape and market growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Bayarri, L

2015-08-01

Combination products are therapeutic and diagnostic products that combine drugs, devices and/or biological products, leading to safer and more effective treatments thanks to careful and precise drug targeting, local administration and individualized therapy. These technologies can especially benefit patients suffering from serious diseases and conditions such as cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and diabetes, among others. On the other hand, drug-device combination products have also introduced a new dynamic in medical product development, regulatory approval and corporate interaction. Due to the increasing integration of drugs and devices observed in the latest generation of combination products, regulatory agencies have developed specific competences and regulations over the last decade. Manufacturers are required to fully understand the specific requirements in each country in order to ensure timely and accurate market access of new combination products, and the development of combination products involves a very specific pattern of interactions between manufacturers and regulatory agencies. The increased sophistication of the products brought to market over the last couple of decades has accentuated the need to develop drugs and devices collaboratively using resources from both industries, fostering the need of business partnering and technology licensing. This review will provide a global overview of the market trends, as well as (in the last section) an analysis of the drug-device combination products approved by the FDA during the latest 5 years. Copyright 2015 Prous Science, S.A.U. or its licensors. All rights reserved.

Combining Conversation Analysis and Nexus Analysis to explore hospital practices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paasch, Bettina Sletten

, ethnographic observations, interviews, photos and documents were obtained. Inspired by the analytical manoeuvre of zooming in and zooming out proposed by Nicolini (Nicolini, 2009; Nicolini, 2013) the present study uses Conversations Analysis (Sacks, Schegloff, & Jefferson, 1974) and Embodied Interaction...... of interaction. In the conducted interviews nurses report mobile work phones to disturb interactions with patients when they ring, however, analysing the recorded interactions with tools from Conversations Analysis and Embodied Interaction Analysis displays how nurses demonstrate sophisticated awareness...... interrelationships influencing it. The present study thus showcases how Conversation Analysis and Nexus Analysis can be combined to achieve a multi-layered perspective on interactions between nurses, patients and mobile work phones....

Developing close combat behaviors for simulated soldiers using genetic programming techniques.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pryor, Richard J.; Schaller, Mark J.

2003-10-01

Genetic programming is a powerful methodology for automatically producing solutions to problems in a variety of domains. It has been used successfully to develop behaviors for RoboCup soccer players and simple combat agents. We will attempt to use genetic programming to solve a problem in the domain of strategic combat, keeping in mind the end goal of developing sophisticated behaviors for compound defense and infiltration. The simplified problem at hand is that of two armed agents in a small room, containing obstacles, fighting against each other for survival. The base case and three changes are considered: a memory of positions using stacks, context-dependent genetic programming, and strongly typed genetic programming. Our work demonstrates slight improvements from the first two techniques, and no significant improvement from the last.

Above reproach: developing a comprehensive ethics and compliance program.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuspeh, A; Whalen, K; Cecelic, J; Clifton, S; Cobb, L; Eddy, M; Fainter, J; Packard, J; Postal, S; Steakley, J; Waddey, P

1999-01-01

managers can do that. Fourth, an ethics and compliance effort should be about the conduct of individuals, not about "checking the boxes" in a model plan or generating attractive written or educational materials. Such an effort is about individuals on a day-to-day basis knowing what is expected of them and doing it and about never compromising integrity, regardless of pressures faced. A great deal of progress has been made in healthcare organizations in the development of increasingly sophisticated ethics and compliance programs. A particularly energetic focus has been placed on these programs since formal government guidance regarding compliance programs was first issued in the laboratory area about two years ago and as more sophisticated automated monitoring tools have been developed. As ethics and compliance programs have become more sophisticated, certain best practices have been established. This discussion will set forth approaches to ethics and compliance in the context of what are believed to be illustrative best practices. Much of what is described here is descriptive of the efforts of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation from October 1997 to the present; however, this article has been presented not as a mere descriptive piece but rather as a set of normative guidelines. We hope that other healthcare providers will find this to be of practical use. Provider settings pose certain unique challenges that are specifically addressed in this discussion; however, many of the issues raised can be adapted to other healthcare organizations. For simplicity's sake, because the authors of this article all work on a daily basis primarily with hospitals, the article is written from a hospital perspective.

Do 'enabling technologies' affect customer performance in price-responsive load programs?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldman, Charles A.; Kintner-Meyer, Michael; Heffner, Grayson

2002-01-01

Price-responsive load (PRL) programs vary significantly in overall design, the complexity of relationships between program administrators, load aggregators, and customers, and the availability of ''enabling technologies''. Enabling technologies include such features as web-based power system and price monitoring, control and dispatch of curtailable loads, communications and information systems links to program participants, availability of interval metering data to customers in near real time, and building/facility/end-use automation and management capabilities. Two state agencies - NYSERDA in New York and the CEC in California - have been conspicuous leaders in the demonstration of demand response (DR) programs utilizing enabling technologies. In partnership with key stakeholders in these two states (e.g., grid operator, state energy agencies, and program administrators), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) surveyed 56 customers who worked with five contractors participating in CEC or NYSERDA-sponsored DR programs. We combined market research and actual load curtailment data when available (i.e., New York) or customer load reduction targets in order to explore the relative importance of contractor's program design features, sophistication of control strategies, and reliance on enabling technologies in predicting customer's ability to deliver load reductions in DR programs targeted to large commercial/industrial customers. We found preliminary evidence that DR enabling technology has a positive effect on load curtailment potential. Many customers indicated that web-based energy information tools were useful for facilitating demand response (e.g., assessing actual performance compared to load reduction contract commitments), that multiple notification channels facilitated timely response, and that support for and use of backup generation allowed customers to achieve significant and predictable load

77 FR 39194 - Combined Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-02

.... Revise paragraph (c)(5) and redesignate it as (c)(6); Sec. 120.115 Employee Assistance Program (EAP... assistance program (EAP). Finally, this rulemaking would make it clear that the agency's practice of... of the training given to both supervisors and employees in their employee assistance programs...

78 FR 41999 - Combined Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-15

...)(5) and (c)(6). The revisions read as follows: Sec. 120.115 Employee Assistance Program (EAP... of employees, must be documented as part of each employer's employee assistance program. 4. It makes... documentation of the training given to both supervisors and employees in their employee assistance programs...

The Los Alamos National Laboratory Environmental Restoration Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krueger, J.W.

1990-01-01

The LANL Environmental Restoration (ER) Program Office, established in October 1989, is faced with the challenge of assessing and cleaning up nearly 1,8000 potentially hazardous waste sites according to an aggressive corrective action schedule that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated on May 23, 1990, in a Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B Permit. To maximize program efficiency, the ER Program Office will implement a unique management approach designed to maximize the use of laboratory technical expertise. The Installation Work Plan, which provides a blueprint for the program, has been submitted to EPA for review and approval. A work plan for characterization of Technical Area 21, an early plutonium processing facility, is also nearing completion. The feasibility of an expedited cleanup of the Laboratory's worst hazardous waste release has been modelled using a computer code originally developed by LANL to assist the nuclear weapons testing program. A sophisticated Geographic Information System has been implemented to assist in data management and presentation, and the design of a Mixed Waste Disposal Facility is underway. 6 refs., 2 figs

Sophisticated Calculation of the 1oo4-architecture for Safety-related Systems Conforming to IEC61508

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayek, A; Al Bokhaiti, M; Schwarz, M H; Boercsoek, J

2012-01-01

With the publication and enforcement of the standard IEC 61508 of safety related systems, recent system architectures have been presented and evaluated. Among a number of techniques and measures to the evaluation of safety integrity level (SIL) for safety-related systems, several measures such as reliability block diagrams and Markov models are used to analyze the probability of failure on demand (PFD) and mean time to failure (MTTF) which conform to IEC 61508. The current paper deals with the quantitative analysis of the novel 1oo4-architecture (one out of four) presented in recent work. Therefore sophisticated calculations for the required parameters are introduced. The provided 1oo4-architecture represents an advanced safety architecture based on on-chip redundancy, which is 3-failure safe. This means that at least one of the four channels have to work correctly in order to trigger the safety function.

Combining semantics with non-standard interpreter hierarchies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abramov, Sergei M.; Glück, Robert

2000-01-01

This paper reports on results concerning the combination of non-standard semantics via interpreters. We define what a semantics combination means and identify under which conditions a combination can be realized by computer programs (robustness, safely combinable). We develop the underlying mathe...... mathematical theory and examine the meaning of several non-standard interpreter towers. Our results suggest a technique for the implementation of a certain class of programming language dialects by composing a hierarchy of non-standard interpreters....

Education Program on Fossil Resources Including Coal

Science.gov (United States)

Usami, Masahiro

Fossil fuels including coal play a key role as crucial energies in contributing to economic development in Asia. On the other hand, its limited quantity and the environmental problems causing from its usage have become a serious global issue and a countermeasure to solve such problems is very much demanded. Along with the pursuit of sustainable development, environmentally-friendly use of highly efficient fossil resources should be therefore, accompanied. Kyushu-university‧s sophisticated research through long years of accumulated experience on the fossil resources and environmental sectors together with the advanced large-scale commercial and empirical equipments will enable us to foster cooperative research and provide internship program for the future researchers. Then, this program is executed as a consignment business from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry from 2007 fiscal year to 2009 fiscal year. The lecture that uses the textbooks developed by this program is scheduled to be started a course in fiscal year 2010.

The effect of a combined high-intensity plyometric and speed training program on the running and jumping ability of male handball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherif, Monsef; Said, Mohamed; Chaatani, Sana; Nejlaoui, Olfa; Gomri, Daghbaji; Abdallah, Aouidet

2012-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a combined program including sprint repetitions and drop jump training in the same session on male handball players. Twenty-two male handball players aged more than 20 years were assigned into 2 groups: experimental group (n=11) and control group (n=11). Selection was based on variables "axis" and "lines", goalkeepers were not included. The experimental group was subjected to 2 testing periods (test and retest) separated by 12 weeks of an additional combined plyometric and running speed training program. The control group performed the usual handball training. The testing period comprised, at the first day, a medical checking, anthropometric measurements and an incremental exercise test called yo-yo intermittent recovery test. 2 days later, participants performed the Repeated Sprint Ability test (RSA), and performed the Jumping Performance using 3 different events: Squat jump (SJ), Countermovement jump without (CMJ) and with arms (CMJA), and Drop jump (DJ). At the end of the training period, participants performed again the repeated sprint ability test, and the jumping performance. The conventional combined program improved the explosive force ability of handball players in CMJ (P=0.01), CMJA (P=0.01) and DJR (P=0.03). The change was 2.78, 2.42 and 2.62% respectively. No significant changes were noted in performances of the experimental group at the squat jump test and the drop jump with the left leg test. The training intervention also improved the running speed ability of the experimental group (P=0.003). No statistical differences were observed between lines or axes. Additional combined training program between sprint repetition and vertical jump in the same training session positively influence the jumping ability and the sprint ability of handball players.

The State of Nursing Home Information Technology Sophistication in Rural and Nonrural US Markets.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Gregory L; Madsen, Richard W; Miller, Erin L; Wakefield, Douglas S; Wise, Keely K; Alexander, Rachel L

2017-06-01

To test for significant differences in information technology sophistication (ITS) in US nursing homes (NH) based on location. We administered a primary survey January 2014 to July 2015 to NH in each US state. The survey was cross-sectional and examined 3 dimensions (IT capabilities, extent of IT use, degree of IT integration) among 3 domains (resident care, clinical support, administrative activities) of ITS. ITS was broken down by NH location. Mean responses were compared across 4 NH categories (Metropolitan, Micropolitan, Small Town, and Rural) for all 9 ITS dimensions and domains. Least square means and Tukey's method were used for multiple comparisons. Methods yielded 815/1,799 surveys (45% response rate). In every health care domain (resident care, clinical support, and administrative activities) statistical differences in facility ITS occurred in larger (metropolitan or micropolitan) and smaller (small town or rural) populated areas. This study represents the most current national assessment of NH IT since 2004. Historically, NH IT has been used solely for administrative activities and much less for resident care and clinical support. However, results are encouraging as ITS in other domains appears to be greater than previously imagined. © 2016 National Rural Health Association.

Neutral beam systems for the magnetic fusion program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beal, J.W.; Staten, H.S.

1977-01-01

The attainment of economic, safe fusion power has been described as the most sophisticated scientific problem ever attacked by mankind. The presently established goal of the magnetic fusion program is to develop and demonstrate pure fusion central electric power stations for commercial applications. Neutral beam heating systems are a basic component of the tokamak and mirror experimental fusion plasma confinement devices. The requirements placed upon neutral beam heating systems are reviewed. The neutral beam systems in use or being developed are presented. Finally, the needs of the future are discussed

Primate empathy: three factors and their combinations for empathy-related phenomena.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, Shinya

2017-05-01

Empathy as a research topic is receiving increasing attention, although there seems some confusion on the definition of empathy across different fields. Frans de Waal (de Waal FBM. Putting the altruism back into altruism: the evolution of empathy. Annu Rev Psychol 2008, 59:279-300. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093625) used empathy as an umbrella term and proposed a comprehensive model for the evolution of empathy with some of its basic elements in nonhuman animals. In de Waal's model, empathy consists of several layers distinguished by required cognitive levels; the perception-action mechanism plays the core role for connecting ourself and others. Then, human-like empathy such as perspective-taking develops in outer layers according to cognitive sophistication, leading to prosocial acts such as targeted helping. I agree that animals demonstrate many empathy-related phenomena; however, the species differences and the level of cognitive sophistication of the phenomena might be interpreted in another way than this simple linearly developing model. Our recent studies with chimpanzees showed that their perspective-taking ability does not necessarily lead to proactive helping behavior. Herein, as a springboard for further studies, I reorganize the empathy-related phenomena by proposing a combination model instead of the linear development model. This combination model is composed of three organizing factors: matching with others, understanding of others, and prosociality. With these three factors and their combinations, most empathy-related matters can be categorized and mapped to appropriate context; this may be a good first step to discuss the evolution of empathy in relation to the neural connections in human and nonhuman animal brains. I would like to propose further comparative studies, especially from the viewpoint of Homo-Pan (chimpanzee and bonobo) comparison. WIREs Cogn Sci 2017, 8:e1431. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1431 For further resources related to this article

Coordinated school health program and dietetics professionals: partners in promoting healthful eating.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Sandra M; Cinelli, Bethann

2004-05-01

Although research indicates that school meal programs contribute to improved academic performance and healthier eating behaviors for students who participate, fewer than 60% of students choose the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program. School meal programs have a difficult time competing with foods that are marketed to young people through sophisticated advertising campaigns. Youth's preferences for fast foods, soft drinks, and salty snacks; mixed messages sent by school personnel; school food preparation and serving space limitations; inadequate meal periods; and lack of education standards for school foodservice directors challenge school meal programs as well. A coordinated school health program offers a framework for meeting these challenges and provides children and adolescents with the knowledge and skills necessary for healthful eating. This article identifies challenges facing school foodservice directors in delivering healthful meals and acquaints dietetics professionals with the coordinated school health program to be used as a tool for addressing unhealthful weight gain and promoting healthful eating.

Simulation of a combined-cycle engine

Science.gov (United States)

Vangerpen, Jon

1991-01-01

A FORTRAN computer program was developed to simulate the performance of combined-cycle engines. These engines combine features of both gas turbines and reciprocating engines. The computer program can simulate both design point and off-design operation. Widely varying engine configurations can be evaluated for their power, performance, and efficiency as well as the influence of altitude and air speed. Although the program was developed to simulate aircraft engines, it can be used with equal success for stationary and automative applications.

Effects of a combined parent-student alcohol prevention program on intermediate factors and adolescents' drinking behavior: A sequential mediation model.

Science.gov (United States)

Koning, Ina M; Maric, Marija; MacKinnon, David; Vollebergh, Wilma A M

2015-08-01

Previous work revealed that the combined parent-student alcohol prevention program (PAS) effectively postponed alcohol initiation through its hypothesized intermediate factors: increase in strict parental rule setting and adolescents' self-control (Koning, van den Eijnden, Verdurmen, Engels, & Vollebergh, 2011). This study examines whether the parental strictness precedes an increase in adolescents' self-control by testing a sequential mediation model. A cluster randomized trial including 3,245 Dutch early adolescents (M age = 12.68, SD = 0.50) and their parents randomized over 4 conditions: (1) parent intervention, (2) student intervention, (3) combined intervention, and (4) control group. Outcome measure was amount of weekly drinking measured at age 12 to 15; baseline assessment (T0) and 3 follow-up assessments (T1-T3). Main effects of the combined and parent intervention on weekly drinking at T3 were found. The effect of the combined intervention on weekly drinking (T3) was mediated via an increase in strict rule setting (T1) and adolescents' subsequent self-control (T2). In addition, the indirect effect of the combined intervention via rule setting (T1) was significant. No reciprocal sequential mediation (self-control at T1 prior to rules at T2) was found. The current study is 1 of the few studies reporting sequential mediation effects of youth intervention outcomes. It underscores the need of involving parents in youth alcohol prevention programs, and the need to target both parents and adolescents, so that change in parents' behavior enables change in their offspring. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Design and performance analysis of solid-propellant rocket motors using a simplified computer program

Science.gov (United States)

Sforzini, R. H.

1972-01-01

An analysis and a computer program are presented which represent a compromise between the more sophisticated programs using precise burning geometric relations and the textbook type of solutions. The program requires approximately 900 computer cards including a set of 20 input data cards required for a typical problem. The computer operating time for a single configuration is approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds on the IBM 360 computer. About l minute and l5 seconds of the time is compilation time so that additional configurations input at the same time require approximately 15 seconds each. The program uses approximately 11,000 words on the IBM 360. The program is written in FORTRAN 4 and is readily adaptable for use on a number of different computers: IBM 7044, IBM 7094, and Univac 1108.

The U.S. Marine Corps Combined Action Program (CAP): A Proposed Alternative Strategy for the Vietnam War

Science.gov (United States)

2002-05-01

Vietnamese men abstained from premarital sex, they openly practiced mutual masturbation . 62 In western culture, a man’s business was a man’s business, but... practice of integrating Marine with native forces marked the beginning of a nearly six year endeavor entitled the Combined Action Program or CAP. Embraced...chain of command. While the CAP platoons drew from infantry battalions primarily, their ties to them remained administrative and informal in practice

Accurate Natural Trail Detection Using a Combination of a Deep Neural Network and Dynamic Programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Adhikari, Shyam Prasad; Yang, Changju; Slot, Krzysztof; Kim, Hyongsuk

2018-01-10

This paper presents a vision sensor-based solution to the challenging problem of detecting and following trails in highly unstructured natural environments like forests, rural areas and mountains, using a combination of a deep neural network and dynamic programming. The deep neural network (DNN) concept has recently emerged as a very effective tool for processing vision sensor signals. A patch-based DNN is trained with supervised data to classify fixed-size image patches into "trail" and "non-trail" categories, and reshaped to a fully convolutional architecture to produce trail segmentation map for arbitrary-sized input images. As trail and non-trail patches do not exhibit clearly defined shapes or forms, the patch-based classifier is prone to misclassification, and produces sub-optimal trail segmentation maps. Dynamic programming is introduced to find an optimal trail on the sub-optimal DNN output map. Experimental results showing accurate trail detection for real-world trail datasets captured with a head mounted vision system are presented.

The NASA Sounding Rocket Program and space sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Gurkin, L. W.

1992-01-01

High altitude suborbital rockets (sounding rockets) have been extensively used for space science research in the post-World War II period; the NASA Sounding Rocket Program has been on-going since the inception of the Agency and supports all space science disciplines. In recent years, sounding rockets have been utilized to provide a low gravity environment for materials processing research, particularly in the commercial sector. Sounding rockets offer unique features as a low gravity flight platform. Quick response and low cost combine to provide more frequent spaceflight opportunities. Suborbital spacecraft design practice has achieved a high level of sophistication which optimizes the limited available flight times. High data-rate telemetry, real-time ground up-link command and down-link video data are routinely used in sounding rocket payloads. Standard, off-the-shelf, active control systems are available which limit payload body rates such that the gravitational environment remains less than 10(-4) g during the control period. Operational launch vehicles are available which can provide up to 7 minutes of experiment time for experiment weights up to 270 kg. Standard payload recovery systems allow soft impact retrieval of payloads. When launched from White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, payloads can be retrieved and returned to the launch site within hours.

Programs as Polypeptides.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Lance R

2016-01-01

Object-oriented combinator chemistry (OOCC) is an artificial chemistry with composition devices borrowed from object-oriented and functional programming languages. Actors in OOCC are embedded in space and subject to diffusion; since they are neither created nor destroyed, their mass is conserved. Actors use programs constructed from combinators to asynchronously update their own states and the states of other actors in their neighborhoods. The fact that programs and combinators are themselves reified as actors makes it possible to build programs that build programs from combinators of a few primitive types using asynchronous spatial processes that resemble chemistry as much as computation. To demonstrate this, OOCC is used to define a parallel, asynchronous, spatially distributed self-replicating system modeled in part on the living cell. Since interactions among its parts result in the construction of more of these same parts, the system is strongly constructive. The system's high normalized complexity is contrasted with that of a simple composome.

Programming chemical kinetics: engineering dynamic reaction networks with DNA strand displacement

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivas, Niranjan

Over the last century, the silicon revolution has enabled us to build faster, smaller and more sophisticated computers. Today, these computers control phones, cars, satellites, assembly lines, and other electromechanical devices. Just as electrical wiring controls electromechanical devices, living organisms employ "chemical wiring" to make decisions about their environment and control physical processes. Currently, the big difference between these two substrates is that while we have the abstractions, design principles, verification and fabrication techniques in place for programming with silicon, we have no comparable understanding or expertise for programming chemistry. In this thesis we take a small step towards the goal of learning how to systematically engineer prescribed non-equilibrium dynamical behaviors in chemical systems. We use the formalism of chemical reaction networks (CRNs), combined with mass-action kinetics, as our programming language for specifying dynamical behaviors. Leveraging the tools of nucleic acid nanotechnology (introduced in Chapter 1), we employ synthetic DNA molecules as our molecular architecture and toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement as our reaction primitive. Abstraction, modular design and systematic fabrication can work only with well-understood and quantitatively characterized tools. Therefore, we embark on a detailed study of the "device physics" of DNA strand displacement (Chapter 2). We present a unified view of strand displacement biophysics and kinetics by studying the process at multiple levels of detail, using an intuitive model of a random walk on a 1-dimensional energy landscape, a secondary structure kinetics model with single base-pair steps, and a coarse-grained molecular model that incorporates three-dimensional geometric and steric effects. Further, we experimentally investigate the thermodynamics of three-way branch migration. Our findings are consistent with previously measured or inferred rates for

In-core fuel management programs for nuclear power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-10-01

In response to the interest shown by Member States, the IAEA organized a co-ordinated research programme to develop and make available in the open domain a set of programs to perform in-core fuel management calculations. This report summarizes the work performed in the context of the CRP. As a result of this programme, complete in-core fuel management packages for three types of reactors, namely PWR's, BWR's and PHWR are now available from the NEA Data Bank. For some reactor types, these program packages are available with three levels of sophistication ranging from simple methods for educational purposes to more comprehensive methods that can be used for reactor design and operation. In addition some operating data have been compiled to allow code validation. (author)

MSWT-01, an alternative in combining Production Based Education (PBE) and student CSR program in Polman

Science.gov (United States)

Ananto, Gamawan; Setiawan, Albertus B.; Z, Darman M.

2014-06-01

MSWT-01, Mobile Surface Water Treatment, producing 1m3 per hour, is an alternative for providing clean water in flood disaster areas, and was developed at Bandung State Polytechnic for Manufacturing (Polman) as a part of institution research project. The combination of cartridge or membrane technology such as carbon block, MF, UF and filtration media is used for this machine, instead of coagulation-flocculation with chemical addition, due to emergency purposes related with its treatment processing time. The idea is that MSWT could be combined with Production Based Education (PBE) concept in Polman as a vocational education institution and students 'CSR', students social activities. With the number of implementation trials in real flood area condition, MSWT will be developed further based on the technical output result. The manufacturing process for improving or adding necessary features could be implemented as a student's project in PBE system. This might be an ideal combination alternative for such vocational institution that students get the product media for their PBE program and implement their work as a defined social activity. They will learn and experience related technical matters and more social interactions with the people and other disaster stakeholder as well.

Analysis of Combined Data from Heterogeneous Study Designs: A Methodological Proposal from the Patient Navigation Research program

Science.gov (United States)

Roetzheim, Richard G.; Freund, Karen M.; Corle, Don K.; Murray, David M.; Snyder, Frederick R.; Kronman, Andrea C.; Jean-Pierre, Pascal; Raich, Peter C.; Holden, Alan E. C.; Darnell, Julie S.; Warren-Mears, Victoria; Patierno, Steven; Design, PNRP; Committee, Analysis

2013-01-01

Background The Patient Navigation Research Program (PNRP) is a cooperative effort of nine research projects, each employing its own unique study design. To evaluate projects such as PNRP, it is desirable to perform a pooled analysis to increase power relative to the individual projects. There is no agreed upon prospective methodology, however, for analyzing combined data arising from different study designs. Expert opinions were thus solicited from members of the PNRP Design and Analysis Committee Purpose To review possible methodologies for analyzing combined data arising from heterogeneous study designs. Methods The Design and Analysis Committee critically reviewed the pros and cons of five potential methods for analyzing combined PNRP project data. Conclusions were based on simple consensus. The five approaches reviewed included: 1) Analyzing and reporting each project separately, 2) Combining data from all projects and performing an individual-level analysis, 3) Pooling data from projects having similar study designs, 4) Analyzing pooled data using a prospective meta analytic technique, 5) Analyzing pooled data utilizing a novel simulated group randomized design. Results Methodologies varied in their ability to incorporate data from all PNRP projects, to appropriately account for differing study designs, and in their impact from differing project sample sizes. Limitations The conclusions reached were based on expert opinion and not derived from actual analyses performed. Conclusions The ability to analyze pooled data arising from differing study designs may provide pertinent information to inform programmatic, budgetary, and policy perspectives. Multi-site community-based research may not lend itself well to the more stringent explanatory and pragmatic standards of a randomized controlled trial design. Given our growing interest in community-based population research, the challenges inherent in the analysis of heterogeneous study design are likely to become

Analysis of combined data from heterogeneous study designs: an applied example from the patient navigation research program.

Science.gov (United States)

Roetzheim, Richard G; Freund, Karen M; Corle, Don K; Murray, David M; Snyder, Frederick R; Kronman, Andrea C; Jean-Pierre, Pascal; Raich, Peter C; Holden, Alan Ec; Darnell, Julie S; Warren-Mears, Victoria; Patierno, Steven

2012-04-01

The Patient Navigation Research Program (PNRP) is a cooperative effort of nine research projects, with similar clinical criteria but with different study designs. To evaluate projects such as PNRP, it is desirable to perform a pooled analysis to increase power relative to the individual projects. There is no agreed-upon prospective methodology, however, for analyzing combined data arising from different study designs. Expert opinions were thus solicited from the members of the PNRP Design and Analysis Committee. To review possible methodologies for analyzing combined data arising from heterogeneous study designs. The Design and Analysis Committee critically reviewed the pros and cons of five potential methods for analyzing combined PNRP project data. The conclusions were based on simple consensus. The five approaches reviewed included the following: (1) analyzing and reporting each project separately, (2) combining data from all projects and performing an individual-level analysis, (3) pooling data from projects having similar study designs, (4) analyzing pooled data using a prospective meta-analytic technique, and (5) analyzing pooled data utilizing a novel simulated group-randomized design. Methodologies varied in their ability to incorporate data from all PNRP projects, to appropriately account for differing study designs, and to accommodate differing project sample sizes. The conclusions reached were based on expert opinion and not derived from actual analyses performed. The ability to analyze pooled data arising from differing study designs may provide pertinent information to inform programmatic, budgetary, and policy perspectives. Multisite community-based research may not lend itself well to the more stringent explanatory and pragmatic standards of a randomized controlled trial design. Given our growing interest in community-based population research, the challenges inherent in the analysis of heterogeneous study design are likely to become more salient

Comparing the Effectiveness of Paroxetine, Attention Modification Program and Combination of both on Improving Social Anxiety Symptoms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hosein Khedmatgozar

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Although the effectiveness of paroxetine and Attention Modification Program has been studied separately in treating social anxiety disorder, there has been no research comparing them according to the literature. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of paroxetine, Attention Modification Program (AMP and combination of both on improving the Social Anxiety Symptoms. Methods: 33 patients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for social anxiety disorder were randomly assigned in 3 groups: 11 in paroxetine group, 11 in AMP group and 11 in combined group. Treatment intervention was done during 8 weeks period. Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS were administered before and after treatment intervention. One-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA was used to determine the differences and efficacy of treatment interventions between groups. Data analysis was done by SPSS-16 software. Results: 28 participants completed the treatment period. One-way ANCOVA results showed statistically significant differences in post-treatment scores of social phobia (p=0/007, depressive symptoms (p=0.007 and daily life functioning (p=0.011 between three groups. Bonferroni correction showed that combined treatment is significantly more effective than AMP in reducing social phobia symptoms (p=0.007, depressive symptoms (p=0.022 and enhancing daily life functioning (0.019. Yet, there were no significant differences between Paroxetine and combined treatment in all post-treatment scores (p=0.890, p=1.000, p=1.000 for social phobia, depressive symptoms and daily life functioning respectively. Paroxetine showed more significant improvement of depressive symptoms (p=0.016 and enhancing daily life functioning (p=0.045 than AMP. Also, there were no significant differences between paroxetine and AMP in reducing social anxiety symptoms. Discussion: It seems that paroxetine has wider effect in reducing social

Comparing the Effectiveness of Paroxetine, Attention Modification Program and Combination of both on Improving Social Anxiety Symptoms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aliasghar Asgharnejad Farid

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Although the effectiveness of paroxetine and Attention Modification Program has been studied separately in treating social anxiety disorder, there has been no research comparing them according to the literature. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of paroxetine, Attention Modification Program (AMP and combination of both on improving the Social Anxiety Symptoms.Methods:33 patients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for social anxiety disorder were randomly assigned in 3 groups: 11 in paroxetine group, 11 in AMP group and 11 in combined group. Treatment intervention was done during 8 weeks period. Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS were administered before and after treatment intervention. One-way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA was used to determine the differences and efficacy of treatment interventions between groups. Data analysis was done by SPSS-16 software.Results:28 participants completed the treatment period. One-way ANCOVA results showed statistically significant differences in post-treatment scores of social phobia (p=0/007, depressive symptoms (p=0.007 and daily life functioning (p=0.011 between three groups. Bonferroni correction showed that combined treatment is significantly more effective than AMP in reducing social phobia symptoms (p=0.007, depressive symptoms (p=0.022 and enhancing daily life functioning (0.019. Yet, there were no significant differences between Paroxetine and combined treatment in all post-treatment scores (p=0.890, p=1.000, p=1.000 for social phobia, depressive symptoms and daily life functioning respectively. Paroxetine showed more significant improvement of depressive symptoms (p=0.016 and enhancing daily life functioning (p=0.045 than AMP. Also, there were no significant differences between paroxetine and AMP in reducing social anxiety symptoms.Discussion:It seems that paroxetine has wider effect in reducing social

Software tools to aid Pascal and Ada program design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jankowitz, H.T.

1987-01-01

This thesis describes a software tool which analyses the style and structure of Pascal and Ada programs by ensuring that some minimum design requirements are fulfilled. The tool is used in much the same way as a compiler is used to teach students the syntax of a language, only in this case issues related to the design and structure of the program are of paramount importance. The tool operates by analyzing the design and structure of a syntactically correct program, automatically generating a report detailing changes that need to be made in order to ensure that the program is structurally sound. The author discusses how the model gradually evolved from a plagiarism detection system which extracted several measurable characteristics in a program to a model that analyzed the style of Pascal programs. In order to incorporate more-sophistical concepts like data abstraction, information hiding and data protection, this model was then extended to analyze the composition of Ada programs. The Ada model takes full advantage of facilities offered in the language and by using this tool the standard and quality of written programs is raised whilst the fundamental principles of program design are grasped through a process of self-tuition.

Imagining a Stata / Python Combination

Science.gov (United States)

Fiedler, James

2012-01-01

There are occasions when a task is difficult in Stata, but fairly easy in a more general programming language. Python is a popular language for a range of uses. It is easy to use, has many high ]quality packages, and programs can be written relatively quickly. Is there any advantage in combining Stata and Python within a single interface? Stata already offers support for user-written programs, which allow extensive control over calculations, but somewhat less control over graphics. Also, except for specifying output, the user has minimal programmatic control over the user interface. Python can be used in a way that allows more control over the interface and graphics, and in so doing provide a roundabout method for satisfying some user requests (e.g., transparency levels in graphics and the ability to clear the results window). My talk will explore these ideas, present a possible method for combining Stata and Python, and give examples to demonstrate how this combination might be useful.

Synergistic Role of Balanced Scorecard/Activity Based Costing and Goal Programming Combined Model on Strategic Cost Management

OpenAIRE

Taleghani, Mohammad

2017-01-01

During the past few years, we have seen a significant shift in cost accounting and management. In the new business environment, cost management has become a critical skill, but it is not sufficient for simply reducing costs; instead, costs must be managed strategically. Application of a successful Strategic Cost Management (StraCM) system plays the significant role in success of organization performance. In this study, we want to illustrate how the goal programming model in combination with t...

Changes in selected physical, motor performance and anthropometric components of university-level rugby players after one microcycle of a combined rugby conditioning and plyometric training program.

Science.gov (United States)

Pienaar, Cindy; Coetzee, Ben

2013-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a microcycle (4 weeks) combined rugby conditioning plyometric compared with a nonplyometric rugby conditioning program on selected physical and motor performance components and anthropometric measurements of university-level rugby players. Players (18.94 ± 0.40 years) were assigned to either a control (n = 16) or experimental group (n = 19) from the U/19 rugby teams of the North-West University (South Africa). Twenty-six direct and indirect anthropometric measurements were taken, and the players performed a battery of 5 physical and motor performance tests before and after a microcycle (4 week) combined rugby conditioning plyometric (experimental group) and a nonplyometric rugby conditioning program (control group). The dependent t-test results showed that the control group's upper-body explosive power decreased significantly, whereas the stature, skeletal mass, and femur breadth increased significantly from pre- to posttesting. The experimental group showed significant increases in wrist breadth, speed over 20 m, agility, and power and work measurements of the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT). Despite these results, the independent t-test revealed that speed over 20 m, average power output at 20 seconds, relative work of the WAnT, and agility were the only components of the experimental group that improved significantly more than the control group. A microcycle combined rugby conditioning plyometric program therefore leads to significantly bigger changes in selected physical and motor performance components of university-level rugby players than a nonplyometric rugby conditioning program alone. Based on these findings, coaches and sport scientists should implement 3 weekly combined rugby conditioning plyometric programs in rugby players' training regimens to improve the players' speed, agility, and power.

HEXBU-3D, a three-dimensional PWR-simulator program for hexagonal fuel assemblies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karvinen, E.

1981-06-01

HEXBU-3D is a three-dimensional nodal simulator program for PWR reactors. It is designed for a reactor core that consists of hexagonal fuel assemblies and of big follower-type control assemblies. The program solves two-group diffusion equations in homogenized fuel assembly geometry by a sophisticated nodal method. The treatment of feedback effects from xenon-poisoning, fuel temperature, moderator temperature and density and soluble boron concentration are included in the program. The nodal equations are solved by a fast two-level iteration technique and the eigenvalue can be either the effective multiplication factor or the boron concentration of the moderator. Burnup calculations are performed by tabulated sets of burnup-dependent cross sections evaluated by a cell burnup program. HEXBY-3D has been originally programmed in FORTRAN V for the UNIVAC 1108 computer, but there is also another version which is operable on the CDC CYBER 170 computer. (author)

Embedding Number-Combinations Practice Within Word-Problem Tutoring

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Sarah R.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Fuchs, Douglas

2012-01-01

Two aspects of mathematics with which students with mathematics learning difficulty (MLD) often struggle are word problems and number-combination skills. This article describes a math program in which students receive instruction on using algebraic equations to represent the underlying problem structure for three word-problem types. Students also learn counting strategies for answering number combinations that they cannot retrieve from memory. Results from randomized-control trials indicated that embedding the counting strategies for number combinations produces superior word-problem and number-combination outcomes for students with MLD beyond tutoring programs that focus exclusively on number combinations or word problems. PMID:22661880

Field research program for unsaturated flow and transport experimentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tidwell, V.C.; Rautman, C.A.; Glass, R.J.

1992-01-01

As part of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project, a field research program has been developed to refine and validate models for flow and transport through unsaturated fractured rock. Validation of these models within the range of their application for performance assessment requires a more sophisticated understanding of the processes that govern flow and transport within fractured porous media than currently exists. In particular, our research is prioritized according to understanding and modeling processes that, if not accurately incorporated into performance assessment models, would adversely impact the project's ability to evaluate repository performance. For this reason, we have oriented our field program toward enhancing our understanding of scaling processes as they relate to effective media property modeling, as well as to the conceptual modeling of complex flow and transport phenomena

Cost-effectiveness analysis of different types of human papillomavirus vaccination combined with a cervical cancer screening program in mainland China.

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Xiuting; Gai Tobe, Ruoyan; Wang, Lijie; Liu, Xianchen; Wu, Bin; Luo, Huiwen; Nagata, Chie; Mori, Rintaro; Nakayama, Takeo

2017-07-18

China has a high prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and a consequently high burden of disease with respect to cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine has proved to be effective in preventing cervical cancer and is now a part of routine immunization programs worldwide. It has also proved to be cost effective. This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of 2-, 4-, and 9-valent HPV vaccines (hereafter, HPV2, 4 or 9) combined with current screening strategies in China. A Markov model was developed for a cohort of 100,000 HPV-free girls to simulate the natural history to HPV infection. Three recommended screening methods (1. liquid-based cytology test + HPV DNA test; 2. pap smear cytology test + HPV DNA test; 3. visual inspection with acetic acid) and three types of HPV vaccination program (HPV2/4/9) were incorporated into 15 intervention options, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated to determine the dominant strategies. Costs, transition probabilities and utilities were obtained from a review of the literature and national databases. One-way sensitivity analyses and threshold analyses were performed for key variables in different vaccination scenarios. HPV9 combined with screening showed the highest health impact in terms of reducing HPV-related diseases and increasing the number of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Under the current thresholds of willingness to pay (WTP, 3 times the per capita GDP or USD$ 23,880), HPV4/9 proved highly cost effective, while HPV2 combined with screening cost more and was less cost effective. Only when screening coverage increased to 60% ~ 70% did the HPV2 and screening combination strategy become economically feasible. The combination of the HPV4/9 vaccine with current screening strategies for adolescent girls was highly cost-effective and had a significant impact on reducing the HPV infection-related disease burden in Mainland China.

Mono- and combination drug therapies in hospitalized patients with bipolar depression. Data from the European drug surveillance program AMSP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haeberle Anne

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background For the pharmacological treatment of bipolar depression several guidelines exist. It is largely unknown, to what extent the prescriptions in daily clinical routine correspond to these evidence based recommendations and which combinations of psychotropic drugs are frequently used. Methods The prescriptions of psychotropic drugs were investigated of all in-patients with bipolar depression (n = 2246; time period 1994–2009 from hospitals participating in the drug surveillance program AMSP. For the drug use in 2010, 221 cases were analysed additionally. Results From 1994 to 2009, 85% of all patients received more than one class of psychotropic substances: 74% received antidepressants in combination therapy, 55% antipsychotics, 48% anticonvulsants and 33% lithium. When given in combination, lithium is the most often prescribed substance for bipolar depression (33%, followed by valproic acid (23%, mirtazapine and venlafaxine (16% each, quetiapine (15%, lamotrigine (14% and olanzapine (13%. Both, lithium and valproic acid are often combined with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI, but also with mirtazapine und venlafaxine. Combinations of more than one antidepressant occur quite often, whereby combinations with bupropion, paroxetine, fluoxetine or fluvoxamine are very rare. In 2010, quetiapine (alone and combined was the most frequently prescribed drug (39%; aripiprazole was administered in 10%. Conclusion Combinations of antidepressants (SSRI, mirtazapine, venlafaxine with mood stabilizers (lithium, valproic acid, lamotrigine and / or atypical antipsychotics (quetiapine, olanzapine are common. Of most of those combinations the efficacy has not been studied. The use of aripiprazole and the concomitant use of two or three antidepressants contrast the guidelines.

Sexual Behavior Among Young Carers in the Context of a Kenyan Empowerment Program Combining Cash-Transfer, Psychosocial Support, and Entrepreneurship.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman, Michael L; Selwyn, Beatrice J; Morgan, Robert O; Lloyd, Linda E; Mwongera, Moses; Gitari, Stanley; Keiser, Philip H

2016-01-01

This study examined associations between sexual initiation, unprotected sex, and having multiple sex partners in the past year with participation in a three-year empowerment program targeting orphan and vulnerable children (OVC). The Kenya-based program combines community-conditioned cash transfer, psychosocial empowerment, health education, and microenterprise development. Program participants (n = 1,060) were interviewed in a cross-sectional design. Analyses used gender-stratified hierarchical logit models to assess program participation and other potential predictors. Significant predictors of increased female sexual activity included less program exposure, higher age, younger age at most recent parental death, fewer years of schooling, higher food consumption, higher psychological resilience, and lower general self-efficacy. Significant predictors of increased male sexual activity included more program exposure, higher age, better food consumption, not having a living father, and literacy. Findings support a nuanced view of current cash transfer programs, where female sexual activity may be reduced through improved financial status but male sexual activity may increase. Targeting of OVC sexual risk behaviors would likely benefit from being tailored according to associations found in this study. Data suggest involving fathers in sexual education, targeting women who lost a parent at a younger age, and providing social support for female OVC may decrease risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission.

The development and application of the AstroFit program for complementary dark matter studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Ngoc-Lan Nelly

2013-02-01

This doctoral thesis describes the development and application of the AstroFit program. Many studies have shown the existence of dark matter (DM), a mass component that constitutes over eighty percent of the entire matter in the Universe. From historical astrophysical evidence to latest reconstructions with sophisticated methods, the gravitational effect of DM can be shown, but its nature remains unknown. Many theoretical explanations aim at describing DM, for example as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), within particular frameworks. The majority of these frameworks extend the existing standard model of particle physics (SM), so that new particles are added to the known set of elementary particles. One of these frameworks is the constrained supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM) that naturally introduces a DM candidate in form of the lightest supersymmetric particle(LSP). Searches for DM particles are undertaken in three different ways. First, directly with fixed-target experiments that measure WIMPs coming towards the Earth with nuclei of the target material. Second, indirectly by reconstructing DM signatures in particle spectra of known particles observed with ground-based telescopes, spaceborne satellites or balloon-borne experiments. And third, indirectly via direct production of DM at particle colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and energy reconstructions where missing transverse energy is presumably carried away by the DM particles. Global fit programs used in particle physics, such as Fittino, are designed to fit parameters of theories beyond the SM simultaneously that are in accordance with the experimental and observed data in order to probe models and constrain the parameter space. To explore complementarity in DM research, the AstroFit interface program has been developed to combine all available information from direct and indirect searches for DM as well as collider searches for new physics in such global fits. To demonstrate

The development and application of the AstroFit program for complementary dark matter studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nguyen, Ngoc-Lan Nelly

2013-02-15

This doctoral thesis describes the development and application of the AstroFit program. Many studies have shown the existence of dark matter (DM), a mass component that constitutes over eighty percent of the entire matter in the Universe. From historical astrophysical evidence to latest reconstructions with sophisticated methods, the gravitational effect of DM can be shown, but its nature remains unknown. Many theoretical explanations aim at describing DM, for example as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), within particular frameworks. The majority of these frameworks extend the existing standard model of particle physics (SM), so that new particles are added to the known set of elementary particles. One of these frameworks is the constrained supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM) that naturally introduces a DM candidate in form of the lightest supersymmetric particle(LSP). Searches for DM particles are undertaken in three different ways. First, directly with fixed-target experiments that measure WIMPs coming towards the Earth with nuclei of the target material. Second, indirectly by reconstructing DM signatures in particle spectra of known particles observed with ground-based telescopes, spaceborne satellites or balloon-borne experiments. And third, indirectly via direct production of DM at particle colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and energy reconstructions where missing transverse energy is presumably carried away by the DM particles. Global fit programs used in particle physics, such as Fittino, are designed to fit parameters of theories beyond the SM simultaneously that are in accordance with the experimental and observed data in order to probe models and constrain the parameter space. To explore complementarity in DM research, the AstroFit interface program has been developed to combine all available information from direct and indirect searches for DM as well as collider searches for new physics in such global fits. To demonstrate

Bio-Intelligence: A Research Program Facilitating the Development of New Paradigms for Tomorrow's Patient Care

Science.gov (United States)

Phan, Sieu; Famili, Fazel; Liu, Ziying; Peña-Castillo, Lourdes

The advancement of omics technologies in concert with the enabling information technology development has accelerated biological research to a new realm in a blazing speed and sophistication. The limited single gene assay to the high throughput microarray assay and the laborious manual count of base-pairs to the robotic assisted machinery in genome sequencing are two examples to name. Yet even more sophisticated, the recent development in literature mining and artificial intelligence has allowed researchers to construct complex gene networks unraveling many formidable biological puzzles. To harness these emerging technologies to their full potential to medical applications, the Bio-intelligence program at the Institute for Information Technology, National Research Council Canada, aims to develop and exploit artificial intelligence and bioinformatics technologies to facilitate the development of intelligent decision support tools and systems to improve patient care - for early detection, accurate diagnosis/prognosis of disease, and better personalized therapeutic management.

Combining data in non-destructive testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavayssiere, B.

1994-03-01

Non-destructive testing of some components requires quite often the use of several methods such as X-ray, ultrasonics, Eddy Currents. But the efficiency of a NDT method is highly dependent on the fact that the detectability of flaws in a specimen relies on the choice of the best method. Moreover a lot of inspection issues could benefit from the use of more than one test method, as each NDT method has its own physical properties and technological limits. Some questions still remain: how to combine data, at what level and for what functionality. Simple monomethod processes are well-known now. They include techniques like reconstruction which belongs to the so-called ill-posed problems in the field of mathematics. For NDT data processing, it has the ability to estimate real data from distorted ones coming from a probe. But, up to now there has been very few approaches for computer aided combination of results from different advanced techniques. This report presents the various mathematical fields involved towards that goal (statistical decision theory which allows the use of multiple hypothesis, non-linear decision theory for its capability to classify and to discriminate, graph theory to find the optimal path in an hypothesis graph and also fuzzy logic, multiple resolution analysis, artificial intelligence,...) and which combinations of methods are useful. Some images will illustrate this topic in which EDF is involved, and will explain what are the major goals of this work. Combining is not only an improvement of 3D visualisation which would allow to display simultaneously CAD or NDT data for example, but it consists in exploiting multisensor data collected via a variety of sophisticated techniques and presenting this information to the operator without overloading the operator/system capacities in order to reduce the uncertainty and to resolve the ambiguity inherent to mono method inspection. (author). 7 figs., 35 refs

38 CFR 21.4233 - Combination.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EDUCATION Administration of Educational Assistance Programs Programs of... combination of institutional agricultural courses and concurrent agricultural employment (see § 21.4264). A... of the training bears to full time as defined in § 21.4270(c) of this part. The institutional portion...

The NASA SETI program

Science.gov (United States)

Billingham, J.; Brocker, D. H.

1991-01-01

In 1959, it was proposed that a sensible way to conduct interstellar communication would be to use radio at or near the frequency of hydrogen. In 1960, the first Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) was conducted using a radiotelescope at Green Bank in West Virginia. Since 1970, NASA has systematically developed a definitive program to conduct a sophisticated search for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligent life. The basic hypothesis is that life may be widespread in the univers, and that in many instances extraterrestrial life may have evolved into technological civilizations. The underlying scientific arguments are based on the continuously improving knowledge of astronomy and astrophysics, especially star system formation, and of planetary science, chemical evolution, and biological evolution. If only one in a million sun-like stars in our galaxy harbors species with cognitive intelligence, then there are 100,000 civilizations in the Milky Way alone. The fields of radioastronomy digital electronic engineering, spectrum analysis, and signal detection have advanced rapidly in the last twenty years and now allow for sophisticated systems to be built in order to attempt the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence signals. In concert with the scientific and engineering communities, NASA has developed, over the last several years, a Microwave Observing Project whose goal is to design, build, and operate SETI systems during the decade of the nineties in pursuit of the goal signal detection. The Microwave Observing Project is now approved and underway. There are two major components in the project: the Target Search Element and the Sky Survey Element.

Object-oriented Programming Laws for Annotated Java Programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Falconieri Freitas

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Object-oriented programming laws have been proposed in the context of languages that are not combined with a behavioral interface specification language (BISL. The strong dependence between source-code and interface specifications may cause a number of difficulties when transforming programs. In this paper we introduce a set of programming laws for object-oriented languages like Java combined with the Java Modeling Language (JML. The set of laws deals with object-oriented features taking into account their specifications. Some laws deal only with features of the specification language. These laws constitute a set of small transformations for the development of more elaborate ones like refactorings.

Feasibility of a combined aerobic and strength training program and its effects on cognitive and physical function in institutionalized dementia patients. A pilot study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willem J R Bossers

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: We examined the feasibility of a combined aerobic and strength training program in institutionalized dementia patients and studied the effects on cognitive and physical function. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with dementia, recruited from one nursing home, participated in this non-randomized pilot study (25 women; age = 85.2±4.9 years; Mini Mental State Examination = 16.8±4.0. In phase 1 of the study, seventeen patients in the Exercise group (EG received a combined aerobic and strength training program for six weeks, five times per week, 30 minutes per session, in an individually supervised format and successfully concluded the pre and posttests. In phase 2 of the study, sixteen patients in the Social group (SG received social visits at the same frequency, duration, and format and successfully concluded the pre and posttests. RESULTS: Indices of feasibility showed that the recruitment and adherence rate, respectively were 46.2% and 86.3%. All EG patients completed the exercise program according to protocol without adverse events. After the six-week program, no significant differences on cognitive function tests were found between the EG and SG. There was a moderate effect size in favor for the EG for the Visual Memory Span Forward; a visual attention test. There were significant differences between groups in favor for the EG with moderate to large effects for the physical tests Walking Speed (p = .003, Six-Minute Walk Test (p = .031, and isometric quadriceps strength (p = .012. CONCLUSIONS: The present pilot study showed that it is feasible to conduct a combined aerobic and strength training program in institutionalized patients with dementia. The selective cognitive visual attention improvements and more robust changes in motor function in favor of EG vs. SG could serve as a basis for large randomized clinical trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: trialregister.nl 1230.

Feasibility of a combined aerobic and strength training program and its effects on cognitive and physical function in institutionalized dementia patients. A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bossers, Willem J R; Scherder, Erik J A; Boersma, Froukje; Hortobágyi, Tibor; van der Woude, Lucas H V; van Heuvelen, Marieke J G

2014-01-01

We examined the feasibility of a combined aerobic and strength training program in institutionalized dementia patients and studied the effects on cognitive and physical function. Thirty-three patients with dementia, recruited from one nursing home, participated in this non-randomized pilot study (25 women; age = 85.2±4.9 years; Mini Mental State Examination = 16.8±4.0). In phase 1 of the study, seventeen patients in the Exercise group (EG) received a combined aerobic and strength training program for six weeks, five times per week, 30 minutes per session, in an individually supervised format and successfully concluded the pre and posttests. In phase 2 of the study, sixteen patients in the Social group (SG) received social visits at the same frequency, duration, and format and successfully concluded the pre and posttests. Indices of feasibility showed that the recruitment and adherence rate, respectively were 46.2% and 86.3%. All EG patients completed the exercise program according to protocol without adverse events. After the six-week program, no significant differences on cognitive function tests were found between the EG and SG. There was a moderate effect size in favor for the EG for the Visual Memory Span Forward; a visual attention test. There were significant differences between groups in favor for the EG with moderate to large effects for the physical tests Walking Speed (p = .003), Six-Minute Walk Test (p = .031), and isometric quadriceps strength (p = .012). The present pilot study showed that it is feasible to conduct a combined aerobic and strength training program in institutionalized patients with dementia. The selective cognitive visual attention improvements and more robust changes in motor function in favor of EG vs. SG could serve as a basis for large randomized clinical trials. trialregister.nl 1230.

Rocket-Based Combined Cycle Activities in the Advanced Space Transportation Program Office

Science.gov (United States)

Hueter, Uwe; Turner, James

1999-01-01

NASA's Office of Aero-Space Technology (OAST) has established three major goals, referred to as, "The Three Pillars for Success". The Advanced Space Transportation Program Office (ASTP) at the NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala. focuses on future space transportation technologies Under the "Access to Space" pillar. The Core Technologies Project, part of ASTP, focuses on the reusable technologies beyond those being pursued by X-33. One of the main activities over the past two and a half years has been on advancing the rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) technologies. In June of last year, activities for reusable launch vehicle (RLV) airframe and propulsion technologies were initiated. These activities focus primarily on those technologies that support the decision to determine the path this country will take for Space Shuttle and RLV. This year, additional technology efforts in the reusable technologies will be awarded. The RBCC effort that was completed early this year was the initial step leading to flight demonstrations of the technology for space launch vehicle propulsion.

Long-Term Effects of Payments for Environmental Services: Combining Insights from Communication and Economics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John M. Kerr

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Interdisciplinary analytical perspectives can bring important insights to address complex sustainability problems. In this paper we present and apply a model that integrates perspectives from economics and communication sciences to address the question of what happens to pro-environmental behavior after the introduction and then the withdrawal of payment for environmental services (PES. In particular, we discuss the effects of financial incentives on social norms and the effects of norms on subsequent behavior after incentives have ended. This is important because the dominant literature on PES lacks a sophisticated understanding of social norms and fails to address what will happen to behavior once payments end. That literature addresses the potential problem that payments can crowd out or possibly crowd in intrinsic sources of motivation for pro-social behavior, but it lacks the sophisticated understanding of social norms that has the potential to help explain and address this phenomenon. We summarize experimental evidence based on our model showing that introducing a financial incentive for behavior change can change social norms around that behavior. These norms, in turn, can continue to influence behavior even after incentives have ended. PES programs can address this situation by actively evoking existing social norms in favor of conservation.

Three-dimensional sensing methodology combining stereo vision and phase-measuring profilometry based on dynamic programming

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyunki; Kim, Min Young; Moon, Jeon Il

2017-12-01

Phase measuring profilometry and moiré methodology have been widely applied to the three-dimensional shape measurement of target objects, because of their high measuring speed and accuracy. However, these methods suffer from inherent limitations called a correspondence problem, or 2π-ambiguity problem. Although a kind of sensing method to combine well-known stereo vision and phase measuring profilometry (PMP) technique simultaneously has been developed to overcome this problem, it still requires definite improvement for sensing speed and measurement accuracy. We propose a dynamic programming-based stereo PMP method to acquire more reliable depth information and in a relatively small time period. The proposed method efficiently fuses information from two stereo sensors in terms of phase and intensity simultaneously based on a newly defined cost function of dynamic programming. In addition, the important parameters are analyzed at the view point of the 2π-ambiguity problem and measurement accuracy. To analyze the influence of important hardware and software parameters related to the measurement performance and to verify its efficiency, accuracy, and sensing speed, a series of experimental tests were performed with various objects and sensor configurations.

Computer programs for capital cost estimation, lifetime economic performance simulation, and computation of cost indexes for laser fusion and other advanced technology facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pendergrass, J.H.

1978-01-01

Three FORTRAN programs, CAPITAL, VENTURE, and INDEXER, have been developed to automate computations used in assessing the economic viability of proposed or conceptual laser fusion and other advanced-technology facilities, as well as conventional projects. The types of calculations performed by these programs are, respectively, capital cost estimation, lifetime economic performance simulation, and computation of cost indexes. The codes permit these three topics to be addressed with considerable sophistication commensurate with user requirements and available data

Using management action plans to integrate program improvement efforts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meador, S.W.; Kidwell, R.J.; Shangraw, W.R.; Cardamone, E.N. [Project Performance Corporation, Sterling, VA (United States)

1994-12-31

The Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Environmental Management Program is the country`s largest and most sophisticated environmental program to date. The rapid expansion of the DOE`s environmental restoration efforts has led to increased scrutiny of its management processes and systems. As the program continues to grow and mature, maintaining adequate accountability for resources and clearly communicating progress will be essential to sustaining public confidence. The Office of Environmental Management must ensure that adequate processes and systems are in place at Headquarters, Operation Offices, and contractor organizations. These systems must provide the basis for sound management, cost control, and reporting. To meet this challenge, the Office of Environmental Restoration introduced the Management Action Plan process. This process was designed to serve three primary functions: (1) define the program`s management capabilities at Headquarters and Operations Offices; (2) describe how management initiatives address identified program deficiencies; and (3) identify any duplication of efforts or program deficiencies. The Environmental Restoration Management Action Plan is a tracking, reporting, and statusing tool, used primarily at the Headquarters level, for assessing performance in key areas of project management and control. BY DOE to communicate to oversight agencies and stakeholders a clearer picture of the current status of the environmental restoration project management system. This paper will discuss how Management Action Plans are used to provide a program-wide assessment of management capabilities.

Hanford general employee training - A million dollar cost beneficial program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, P.R.

1991-02-01

In January 1990, Westinghouse Hanford Company implemented an interactive videodisc training program entitled Hanford General Employee Training. Covering all Institute of Nuclear Power Operations general employee training objectives, training mandated by US Department of Energy orders, and training prescribed by internal Westinghouse Hanford Company policies, Hanford General Employee Training presents and manages engaging training programs individually tailored to each of the 9,000 employees. Development costs for a sophisticated program such as Hanford General Employee Training were high compared to similar costs for developing ''equivalent'' traditional training. Hardware ($500,000) and labor costs ($400,000) totaled $900,000. Annual maintenance costs, equipment plus labor, are totalling about $200,000. On the benefit side, by consolidating some 17 previous Westinghouse Hanford Company courses and more effectively managing the instructional process, Hanford General Employee Training reduced the average student training time from over 11 hours to just under 4 hours. For 9,000 employees, the computed net annual savings exceeds $1.3 million. 2 refs

Explosive Transient Camera (ETC) Program

Science.gov (United States)

Ricker, George

1991-01-01

Since the inception of the ETC program, a wide range of new technologies was developed to support this astronomical instrument. The prototype unit was installed at ETC Site 1. The first partially automated observations were made and some major renovations were later added to the ETC hardware. The ETC was outfitted with new thermoelectrically-cooled CCD cameras and a sophisticated vacuum manifold, which, together, made the ETC a much more reliable unit than the prototype. The ETC instrumentation and building were placed under full computer control, allowing the ETC to operate as an automated, autonomous instrument with virtually no human intervention necessary. The first fully-automated operation of the ETC was performed, during which the ETC monitored the error region of the repeating soft gamma-ray burster SGR 1806-21.

Nuclear Power Reactor simulator - based training program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdelwahab, S.A.S.

2009-01-01

nuclear power stations will continue playing a major role as an energy source for electric generation and heat production in the world. in this paper, a nuclear power reactor simulator- based training program will be presented . this program is designed to aid in training of the reactor operators about the principles of operation of the plant. also it could help the researchers and the designers to analyze and to estimate the performance of the nuclear reactors and facilitate further studies for selection of the proper controller and its optimization process as it is difficult and time consuming to do all experiments in the real nuclear environment.this program is written in MATLAB code as MATLAB software provides sophisticated tools comparable to those in other software such as visual basic for the creation of graphical user interface (GUI). moreover MATLAB is available for all major operating systems. the used SIMULINK reactor model for the nuclear reactor can be used to model different types by adopting appropriate parameters. the model of each component of the reactor is based on physical laws rather than the use of look up tables or curve fitting.this simulation based training program will improve acquisition and retention knowledge also trainee will learn faster and will have better attitude

Yersinia virulence factors - a sophisticated arsenal for combating host defences [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steve Atkinson

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The human pathogens Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica cause enterocolitis, while Yersinia pestis is responsible for pneumonic, bubonic, and septicaemic plague. All three share an infection strategy that relies on a virulence factor arsenal to enable them to enter, adhere to, and colonise the host while evading host defences to avoid untimely clearance. Their arsenal includes a number of adhesins that allow the invading pathogens to establish a foothold in the host and to adhere to specific tissues later during infection. When the host innate immune system has been activated, all three pathogens produce a structure analogous to a hypodermic needle. In conjunction with the translocon, which forms a pore in the host membrane, the channel that is formed enables the transfer of six ‘effector’ proteins into the host cell cytoplasm. These proteins mimic host cell proteins but are more efficient than their native counterparts at modifying the host cell cytoskeleton, triggering the host cell suicide response. Such a sophisticated arsenal ensures that yersiniae maintain the upper hand despite the best efforts of the host to counteract the infecting pathogen.

An open trial of outpatient group therapy for bulimic disorders: combination program of cognitive behavioral therapy with assertive training and self-esteem enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiina, Akihiro; Nakazato, Michiko; Mitsumori, Makoto; Koizumi, Hiroki; Shimizu, Eiji; Fujisaki, Mihisa; Iyo, Masaomi

2005-12-01

The purposes of this study were to examine the therapeutic efficacy of combined group cognitive behavioral therapy (CGCBT) and to explore the characteristics of the patients who failed to complete it. Our group cognitive behavioral therapy combined with assertiveness training for alexithymia and self-esteem enhancement therapy were attended over a 10-week period. Twenty-five participants were enrolled in the study. The clinical symptoms were assessed before and after treatment, using rating scales including the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Global Assessment of Functioning. Sixteen participants (64%) completed the CGCBT program. Completion of the CGCBT resulted in significant improvements in reducing binge-eating behavior and improving social functioning. Eight patients (32%) significantly improved using the Clinical Global Impression Change (CGI-C). Stepwise logistic regression analysis of the results indicated that a lower age (P=0.04) and psychiatric comorbidity (P=0.06) were predictors of dropout from the CGCBT program. Our CGCBT program is a promising first-line treatment for bulimic outpatients. Lower age and the presence of comorbidity had effects on dropout rates.

Impact of following self-management program for presternal keloids in combination of surgery and radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyashita, Tsuguhiro; Tateno, Atsushi; Kumazaki, Tatsuo; Hyakusoku, Hiko; Horiuchi, Junichi

1999-01-01

The combination therapy of surgical removal and the post-operative irradiation is thought as a gold standard therapy for intractable keloid. However, even when both methods were used, presternal keloids had a high incidence of recurrence. We reviewed 40 patients with presternal keloids who were treated with surgical removal and postoperative irradiation. Patients age range was 9 to 81 years (average 31.5 years, median 25 years), and the male to female ratio was 21:19. A comparative study was performed on recurrence rates by patients' age, sex, and keloid size, and with or without a self-management program that we designed. Overall relapse rate was 48%, which included minimal or partial recurrences. Of all recurrence, 57% occurred within six months and 84% within a year. The recurrence rates were 62% in male and 32% in female (P=0.057), 58% in those whose ages were less than thirty and 29% in those whose ages were thirty or greater (P=0.079), and 54% when the size of keloid was under 8 cm and 33% in 8 cm or more (P=0.240). A significant difference of recurrence rates was revealed just between the first half (67%) and the second half (32%) of therapeutic periods performed without or with the postoperative self-management program, respectively (P=0.028). It is suggested that the following application of our self-management program is useful for therapy in presternal keloids treated with surgical resection and radiation therapy. Keloids of young or male cases were exhibiting a tendency to recur. These patients should be treated with a strict self-management program. (author)

US-Japan Cooperative Program on neutron scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkinson, M.K.; Blume, M.; Stevens, D.K.; Iizumi, M.; Yamada, Y.

1987-01-01

The US-Japan Cooperative Program on Neutron Scattering was implemented through arrangements by the United States Department of Energy with the Science and Technology Agency (STA) and the Ministry of Science, Education, and Culture (Monbusho) of Japan. It involves research collaboration in neutron scattering by Japanese scientists with scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the construction of new neutron scattering equipment at both laboratories with funds provided by the Japanese government. The United States provides neutrons in exchange for the new equipment, and other costs of the program are equally shared by the two countries. The assignments of Japanese scientists to ORNL and BNL vary in length, but they correspond to about two person years annually at each laboratory. An equal number of US scientists also participate in the research program. The main research collaboration is centered around the new equipment provided by the Japanese, but other facilities are utilized when they are needed. The new equipment includes a new type of wide-angle diffractometer and equipment for maintaining extreme sample environments at ORNL and a sophisticated polarized-beam triple-axis spectrometer at BNL. 13 refs., 3 figs

Use of TCO as splitter in the optical splitting system for solar cells combination: a simulation study

Science.gov (United States)

Ayala-Mató, F.; Seuret-Jiménez, D.; Vigil-Galán, O.; Escobedo Alatorre, J. J.

2017-10-01

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are evaluated as optical splitters in combined single thin film solar cells by using theoretical considerations. The optical properties of TCOs (transmittance and reflectance) are calculated using the Drude theory for free carriers. To improve the overall efficiency of the combined solar cells, the optical properties of the TCOs are studied as a function of the electron concentration and thickness, to obtain the best fit with the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the solar cells in each case. The optimum values of the above parameters are obtained by applying a modified version of the Hooke-Jeeves method. To validate the proposal of the use of a TCO as the splitter, the short circuit current is calculated for several combined solar cell systems and the results are compared with those obtained using more sophisticated and expensive splitters, reported in the literature. The experimental results using a commercial TCO are presented, to verify the validity and feasibility of the novel concept.

Using management action plans to integrate program improvement efforts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meador, S.W.; Kidwell, R.J.; Shangraw, W.R.; Cardamone, E.N.

1994-01-01

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Environmental Management Program is the country's largest and most sophisticated environmental program to date. The rapid expansion of the DOE's environmental restoration efforts has led to increased scrutiny of its management processes and systems. As the program continues to grow and mature, maintaining adequate accountability for resources and clearly communicating progress will be essential to sustaining public confidence. The Office of Environmental Management must ensure that adequate processes and systems are in place at Headquarters, Operation Offices, and contractor organizations. These systems must provide the basis for sound management, cost control, and reporting. To meet this challenge, the Office of Environmental Restoration introduced the Management Action Plan process. This process was designed to serve three primary functions: (1) define the program's management capabilities at Headquarters and Operations Offices; (2) describe how management initiatives address identified program deficiencies; and (3) identify any duplication of efforts or program deficiencies. The Environmental Restoration Management Action Plan is a tracking, reporting, and statusing tool, used primarily at the Headquarters level, for assessing performance in key areas of project management and control. BY DOE to communicate to oversight agencies and stakeholders a clearer picture of the current status of the environmental restoration project management system. This paper will discuss how Management Action Plans are used to provide a program-wide assessment of management capabilities

Aplikasi Program Dinamik pada Metode Pelaksanaan Pengecoran Plat Lantai

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agung Sedayu

2010-05-01

Full Text Available The development of world construction projects at this time that established by widespread methods of physical implementation which more excellent and sophisticated. The contractors are competing to obtain optimum results, and reduce losses more lower. The results obtained should not give benefit one person only, the other one should not to lose and suffer. Islam guides human how they work give benefit to their own and others. Many methods, equipment, and expertise deployed by the contractor for their work more optimal, one method for optimizing the physical implementation of the project is Dynamic Programming. Dynamic Programming to solve the problem optimization is not only with one step, but the events that took place linked to each other. Case study in this paper is the application of dynamic programming of implementation method of concrete casting on floor slab of Green House building, it’s belongs to Department of Biology, UIN Maliki Malang with backward induction phase. In modern century as this era has many fast-growing method of implementation that are categorized as advanced, but the problem that the methods actually optimal in terms of cost and time, due to cost and time parameters are very important in the progress of construction projects. The methods is very sophisticated so make project to be done very fast but it is very expensive financing, or the method is still conventional and traditional so that project costs will be reduced as cheaply, but the project need long time to be finished. Where is the decision that one will be expected to demand that we use what method. Mathematical formulas of dynamic programming as recursive equation with change big problem into smaller sub-problems, so the completion of smaller problems will be found solving of the original problem. Optimization process in this case that slab casting which solved in two methods, manually calculations with a recursive formula and use software DS Win 2

New approach to the optimization of nuclear fuel cycle - application of the goal programming and the AHP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Poong Oh

1998-02-01

The front-end fuel cycle from mining to enrichment is in the maturity. Unlike the front-end fuel cycle, there are several pathways in the back-end fuel cycle. in this study five fuel cycle scenarios derived from a unique position in Korea of having a two-reactor programme of PWR and PHWR are proposed. In a selection of an optimal fuel cycle in a country, a number of attributes and factors that interact each other should be taken into account. Those factors to be considered in the study are categorized into two groups, one is tangible factor and the other is intangible factor. The major factors consist of minimizing fuel cycle cost, maximizing resource utilization, minimizing environmental impact and satisfying domestic and international politics. The long-term consequences of any decision for the back-end fuel cycle requires some sophisticated decision making tools. In this paper the Goal Programming method in combination with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is applied in the decision making process. The Goal Programming is a very useful decision making tool to solve complex and multi-objective problems. The AHP, a method of solving complex decision problems with multiple attributes or objectives shows the strength in measuring the preferences of the attributes. In the study, the AHP is used for quantification of the intangible factors of which the evaluation is done by a team of nuclear experts. A model for fuel cycle selection is established in accordance with the logic of the Goal Programming. Also an interactive computer program is developed to obtain a solution for the most optimal fuel cycle in Korea

38 CFR 21.4279 - Combination correspondence-residence program.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... VETERANS AFFAIRS (CONTINUED) VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EDUCATION Administration of Educational.... (a) Requirements for pursuit. A program of education may be pursued partly in residence and partly by correspondence for the attainment of a predetermined and identified objective under the following conditions: (1...

TclTk Pocket Reference

CERN Document Server

Raines, Paul

1998-01-01

The Tcl/Tk combination is increasingly popular because it lets you produce sophisticated graphical interfaces with a few easy commands, develop and change scripts quickly, and conveniently tie together existing utilities or programming libraries. The Tcl/Tk Pocket Reference,a handy reference guide to the basic Tcl language elements, Tcl and Tk commands, and Tk widgets, is a companion volume to Tcl/Tk in a Nutshell.

Combining science and practice in the Danish DK-SOFC program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knudsen, P.; Bagger, C.; Mogensen, Mogens Bjerg

1994-01-01

A three-year solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) development program completed in 1992 has produced 10 cm2 cells with area-specific resistances in the range 0.25 to 0.40 OMEGA cm2 at 1000-degrees-C. Cathode and interconnect materials were produced in the program. Sintering of electrodes, electrolyte...

Universal spectrum data analysis program for microsoft windows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, F.; Cai, Z.; Wang, H.

1993-01-01

We have developed a universal spectrum analysis and characterization program the Microsoft Windows environment. This sophisticated and easy to use software package can be employed in many areas for spectra data analysis, parametrization and line profile recognition. Spectra can for example be smoothed, calibrated and transformed from the laboratory frame to the projectile frame and background can be subtracted by using cubic spline functions or exponential functions. Up to 10 peaks and 40 different parameters can be fitted simultaneously either automatically by least squares routines or manually by system interactive devices. Line profiles include triangular, Gaussian, Lorentzian, Fano, Shore, post collisonal interactions functions etc., and also can be easily expanded to virtually any nonlinear fitting function. In addition, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) routines allow users to convolute, deconvolute or Fourier analyze complex spectral patterns. Specifically this program has been applied for high resolution electron- and photon emission spectra following electron or ion collision with gaseous targets. Some examples for data evaluation will be presented

Training and certification program of the operating staff for a 90-day test of a regenerative life support system

Science.gov (United States)

1972-01-01

Prior to beginning a 90-day test of a regenerative life support system, a need was identified for a training and certification program to qualify an operating staff for conducting the test. The staff was responsible for operating and maintaining the test facility, monitoring and ensuring crew safety, and implementing procedures to ensure effective mission performance with good data collection and analysis. The training program was designed to ensure that each operating staff member was capable of performing his assigned function and was sufficiently cross-trained to serve at certain other positions on a contingency basis. Complicating the training program were budget and schedule limitations, and the high level of sophistication of test systems.

Exploratory study of the radiation-protection training programs in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fields, C.D.

1982-06-01

The objective of the study was to examine current radiation training programs at a sample of utilities operating nuclear reactors and to evaluate employee information on radiation health. The study addressed three elements: (1) employee perceptions and understanding of ionizing radiation; (2) utility trainers-their background, training, and problems; (3) the content, materials, and conduct of training programs; (4) program uniformity and completeness. These areas were examined through visits to utilities, surveys, and employee interviews. The programs reviewed were developed by utility personnel who have backgrounds, for the most part, in health physics but who may have little formal training in adult education. This orientation, coupled with the inherent nature of the subject, has produced training programs that appear to be too technical to achieve the educational job intended. The average nuclear power plant worker does not have the level of sophistication needed to understand some of the information. It became apparent that nuclear power plant workers have concerns that do not necessarily reflect those of the scientific community. Many of these result from misunderstandings about radiation. Unfortunately, the training programs do not always address these unfounded but very real fears

Hanford general employee training: A million dollar cost-beneficial program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, P.R.

1991-01-01

In January, 1990, Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) implemented an interactive videodisc training program entitled Hanford General Employee Training (HGET). Following an introduction by the course instructor, students begin the interactive video segment of the course by taking a tour of an office building. In fact, this tour is simply a setting in which to give the student a checkout on safety, security, and quality issues. For example, at one point the guide leaves the room and the phone suddenly begins a steady ring. This is a particular alarm at WHC, and the student is challenged to respond correctly. Missed questions flag corresponding tutorials to be delivered either immediately or on completion of the tour. Instructors receive notification of weakoesses left unremedied. Development costs for a sophisticated program such as HGET were high compared to similar costs for developing equivalent traditional training. Hardware and labor totaled $900K. Annual maintenance costs, equipment plus labor, appear to be running about $200K. On the benefit side, by consolidating some seventeen previous WHC courses and more effectively managing the instructional process, HGET reduced the average student training time from over eleven hours to just under four hours. In the development and implementation of HGET a number of issues were resolved, some more successfully than others: (1) what about job security for former instructors? (2) how should the course be run on a daily basis? (we envisioned a combination of instructor and videodisc); (3) how high will the maintenance costs be? (higher than projected); etc. Many obstacles arise, most in connection with the large number of groups and personnel whose efforts had to be coordinated

A marketing clinical doctorate programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Montoya, Isaac D; Kimball, Olive M

2007-01-01

Over the past decade, clinical doctorate programs in health disciplines have proliferated amid both support and controversy among educators, professional organizations, practitioners, administrators, and third-party payers. Supporters argue that the explosion of new knowledge and increasing sophistication of technology have created a need for advanced practice models to enhance patient care and safety and to reduce costs. Critics argue that necessary technological advances can be incorporated into existing programs and believe that clinical doctorates will increase health care costs, not reduce them. Despite the controversy, many health disciplines have advanced the clinical doctorate (the most recent is the doctor of nursing practice in 2004), with some professions mandating the doctorate as the entry-level degree (i.e., psychology, pharmacy, audiology, and so on). One aspect of the introduction of clinical doctoral degrees has been largely overlooked, and that is the marketing aspect. Because of marketing considerations, some clinical doctorates have been more successfully implemented and accepted than others. Marketing is composed of variables commonly known as "the four P's of marketing": product, price, promotion, and place. This report explores these four P's within the context of clinical doctorates in the health disciplines.

Evolution of GPU nuclear's training program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, R.L.; Coe, R.P.

1987-01-01

GPU Nuclear Corporation (GPUN) manages the operators of Three Mile Island Unit 1 and Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Stations and the recovery activities at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 plant. From the time it was formed in January 1980 GPUN emphasized the use of behavioral learning objectives as the basis for all its training programs. This paper describes the evolution to a formalized performance based Training System Development (TSD) Process. The Training and Education Department staff increased from 10 in 1979 to the current 120 dedicated professionals, with a corresponding increase in facilities and acquisition of sophisticated Basic Principles Training Simulators and a Three Mile Island Unit 1 control Room Replica Simulator. The impact of these developments and achievement of full INPO accreditation are discussed and related to plant performance improvements

Feasibility of a combined aerobic and strength training program and its effects on cognitive and physical function in institutionalized dementia patients. A pilot study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bossers, Willem J R; Scherder, Erik J A; Boersma, Froukje; Hortobágyi, Tibor; van der Woude, Lucas H V; van Heuvelen, Marieke J G

2014-01-01

Objectives: We examined the feasibility of a combined aerobic and strength training program in institutionalized dementia patients and studied the effects on cognitive and physical function. Methods: Thirty-three patients with dementia, recruited from one nursing home, participated in this

Feasibility of a Combined Aerobic and Strength Training Program and Its Effects on Cognitive and Physical Function in Institutionalized Dementia Patients. A Pilot Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bossers, W.J.R; Scherder, E.J.A.; Boersma, F.; Hortobágyi, T.; van der Woude, L.H.V.; van Heuvelen, M.J.G.

2014-01-01

Objectives: We examined the feasibility of a combined aerobic and strength training program in institutionalized dementia patients and studied the effects on cognitive and physical function. Methods: Thirty-three patients with dementia, recruited from one nursing home, participated in this

Exploring the predictive power of interaction terms in a sophisticated risk equalization model using regression trees.

Science.gov (United States)

van Veen, S H C M; van Kleef, R C; van de Ven, W P M M; van Vliet, R C J A

2018-02-01

This study explores the predictive power of interaction terms between the risk adjusters in the Dutch risk equalization (RE) model of 2014. Due to the sophistication of this RE-model and the complexity of the associations in the dataset (N = ~16.7 million), there are theoretically more than a million interaction terms. We used regression tree modelling, which has been applied rarely within the field of RE, to identify interaction terms that statistically significantly explain variation in observed expenses that is not already explained by the risk adjusters in this RE-model. The interaction terms identified were used as additional risk adjusters in the RE-model. We found evidence that interaction terms can improve the prediction of expenses overall and for specific groups in the population. However, the prediction of expenses for some other selective groups may deteriorate. Thus, interactions can reduce financial incentives for risk selection for some groups but may increase them for others. Furthermore, because regression trees are not robust, additional criteria are needed to decide which interaction terms should be used in practice. These criteria could be the right incentive structure for risk selection and efficiency or the opinion of medical experts. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The CRAFT Fortran Programming Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douglas M. Pase

1994-01-01

Full Text Available Many programming models for massively parallel machines exist, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. In this article we present a programming model that combines features from other programming models that (1 can be efficiently implemented on present and future Cray Research massively parallel processor (MPP systems and (2 are useful in constructing highly parallel programs. The model supports several styles of programming: message-passing, data parallel, global address (shared data, and work-sharing. These styles may be combined within the same program. The model includes features that allow a user to define a program in terms of the behavior of the system as a whole, where the behavior of individual tasks is implicit from this systemic definition. (In general, features marked as shared are designed to support this perspective. It also supports an opposite perspective, where a program may be defined in terms of the behaviors of individual tasks, and a program is implicitly the sum of the behaviors of all tasks. (Features marked as private are designed to support this perspective. Users can exploit any combination of either set of features without ambiguity and thus are free to define a program from whatever perspective is most appropriate to the problem at hand.

Airbreathing combined cycle engine systems

Science.gov (United States)

Rohde, John

1992-01-01

The Air Force and NASA share a common interest in developing advanced propulsion systems for commercial and military aerospace vehicles which require efficient acceleration and cruise operation in the Mach 4 to 6 flight regime. The principle engine of interest is the turboramjet; however, other combined cycles such as the turboscramjet, air turborocket, supercharged ejector ramjet, ejector ramjet, and air liquefaction based propulsion are also of interest. Over the past months careful planning and program implementation have resulted in a number of development efforts that will lead to a broad technology base for those combined cycle propulsion systems. Individual development programs are underway in thermal management, controls materials, endothermic hydrocarbon fuels, air intake systems, nozzle exhaust systems, gas turbines and ramjet ramburners.

Attributable effects from information and outreach programs: Net to gross, NEBs, and beyond

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freeman, David Juri; Skumatz, Lisa A. [Skumatz Economic Research Associates, Inc. (SERA) (United States)

2007-07-01

Education, outreach, advertising, and training programs provide particular difficulties in evaluation, as they focus on modifying behaviors and purchases rather than directly installing measures. This paper summarizes the results of a literature review of more than 80 studies evaluating strengths and weaknesses of evaluation work on outreach and education programs. Then, the paper presents the results of several applications of advanced evaluation techniques that are being applied to outreach, education, and training programs. This paper provides the results from detailed net-to-gross (NTG) and non-energy benefits (NEB) evaluations of outreach, training, and education programs, including:A training and education geared toward commercial architects and engineers; Two similar programs geared toward residential builders and remodelers; Residential appliance-related education and outreach programs (Energy Star); and An information-based university program.We provide information from detailed evaluations of the share of energy savings and attributable effects that are due to the program's efforts (net-to-gross ratio), and the non-energy benefits (NEBs) recognized by participants. These results augment the usual evaluation studies, and provide insights that can guide informational, outreach, and training programs to maximize their effectiveness. The attribution and NEB results provide a fuller picture of the benefits from the program, support more sophisticated benefit-cost analysis, provide direction for maximizing program 'bang for the buck', and help support program decision-making and marketing.

How Neoliberal Imperialism is Expressed by Programming Strategies of Phoenix TV: A Critical Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuang Xie

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This project is a case study of Phoenix Television, which is a Hong Kong-based satellite TV network broadcasting to the global Chinese-speaking community, primarily to the mainland of China. In the theoretical framework of media imperialism and neoliberal imperialism, this study focuses on the programming strategies of Phoenix TV and examines how the global trend of neoliberalism, the Chinese government’s tight control of the media, and the sophisticated ownership of Phoenix TV intertwined to influence on its programming. The analysis of the format, content, naming, and scheduling reveals that US-inspired neoliberalism is expressed in the network’s programming strategies. This expression, in fact, is the balance that Phoenix found between the tension of global and Chinese interests, the tension between revenue making and public service, and the tension between Party-control and profit seeking.

Simple Plans or Sophisticated Habits? State, Transition and Learning Interactions in the Two-Step Task.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Akam

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The recently developed 'two-step' behavioural task promises to differentiate model-based from model-free reinforcement learning, while generating neurophysiologically-friendly decision datasets with parametric variation of decision variables. These desirable features have prompted its widespread adoption. Here, we analyse the interactions between a range of different strategies and the structure of transitions and outcomes in order to examine constraints on what can be learned from behavioural performance. The task involves a trade-off between the need for stochasticity, to allow strategies to be discriminated, and a need for determinism, so that it is worth subjects' investment of effort to exploit the contingencies optimally. We show through simulation that under certain conditions model-free strategies can masquerade as being model-based. We first show that seemingly innocuous modifications to the task structure can induce correlations between action values at the start of the trial and the subsequent trial events in such a way that analysis based on comparing successive trials can lead to erroneous conclusions. We confirm the power of a suggested correction to the analysis that can alleviate this problem. We then consider model-free reinforcement learning strategies that exploit correlations between where rewards are obtained and which actions have high expected value. These generate behaviour that appears model-based under these, and also more sophisticated, analyses. Exploiting the full potential of the two-step task as a tool for behavioural neuroscience requires an understanding of these issues.

Simple Plans or Sophisticated Habits? State, Transition and Learning Interactions in the Two-Step Task

Science.gov (United States)

Akam, Thomas; Costa, Rui; Dayan, Peter

2015-01-01

The recently developed ‘two-step’ behavioural task promises to differentiate model-based from model-free reinforcement learning, while generating neurophysiologically-friendly decision datasets with parametric variation of decision variables. These desirable features have prompted its widespread adoption. Here, we analyse the interactions between a range of different strategies and the structure of transitions and outcomes in order to examine constraints on what can be learned from behavioural performance. The task involves a trade-off between the need for stochasticity, to allow strategies to be discriminated, and a need for determinism, so that it is worth subjects’ investment of effort to exploit the contingencies optimally. We show through simulation that under certain conditions model-free strategies can masquerade as being model-based. We first show that seemingly innocuous modifications to the task structure can induce correlations between action values at the start of the trial and the subsequent trial events in such a way that analysis based on comparing successive trials can lead to erroneous conclusions. We confirm the power of a suggested correction to the analysis that can alleviate this problem. We then consider model-free reinforcement learning strategies that exploit correlations between where rewards are obtained and which actions have high expected value. These generate behaviour that appears model-based under these, and also more sophisticated, analyses. Exploiting the full potential of the two-step task as a tool for behavioural neuroscience requires an understanding of these issues. PMID:26657806

Simple Plans or Sophisticated Habits? State, Transition and Learning Interactions in the Two-Step Task.

Science.gov (United States)

Akam, Thomas; Costa, Rui; Dayan, Peter

2015-12-01

The recently developed 'two-step' behavioural task promises to differentiate model-based from model-free reinforcement learning, while generating neurophysiologically-friendly decision datasets with parametric variation of decision variables. These desirable features have prompted its widespread adoption. Here, we analyse the interactions between a range of different strategies and the structure of transitions and outcomes in order to examine constraints on what can be learned from behavioural performance. The task involves a trade-off between the need for stochasticity, to allow strategies to be discriminated, and a need for determinism, so that it is worth subjects' investment of effort to exploit the contingencies optimally. We show through simulation that under certain conditions model-free strategies can masquerade as being model-based. We first show that seemingly innocuous modifications to the task structure can induce correlations between action values at the start of the trial and the subsequent trial events in such a way that analysis based on comparing successive trials can lead to erroneous conclusions. We confirm the power of a suggested correction to the analysis that can alleviate this problem. We then consider model-free reinforcement learning strategies that exploit correlations between where rewards are obtained and which actions have high expected value. These generate behaviour that appears model-based under these, and also more sophisticated, analyses. Exploiting the full potential of the two-step task as a tool for behavioural neuroscience requires an understanding of these issues.

Participatory action research in corrections: The HITEC 2 program.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherniack, Martin; Dussetschleger, Jeffrey; Dugan, Alicia; Farr, Dana; Namazi, Sara; El Ghaziri, Mazen; Henning, Robert

2016-03-01

HITEC 2 (Health Improvement through Employee Control 2) is the follow-up to HITEC, a participatory action research (PAR) program that integrates health and work conditions interventions designed by the workforce. HITEC 2 compares intervention programs between two correctional sites, one using a pure workforce level design team and the other using a more structured and time delineated labor-management kaizen effectiveness team. HITEC 2 utilizes a seven step participatory Intervention Design and Analysis Scorecard (IDEAS) for planning interventions. Consistent with PAR, process and intervention efficacy measures are developed and administered through workforce representation. Participation levels, robustness of participatory structures and sophistication of interventions have increased at each measured interval. Health comparisons between 2008 and 2013 showed increased hypertension, static weight maintenance, and increased 'readiness to change'. The PAR approaches are robust and sustained. Their long-term effectiveness in this population is not yet clear. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Incorporating a multi-criteria decision procedure into the combined dynamic programming/production simulation algorithm for generation expansion planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, H.T.; Chen, S.L.

1989-01-01

A multi-objective optimization approach to generation expansion planning is presented. The approach is designed by adding a new multi-criteria decision (MCD) procedure to the conventional algorithm which combines dynamic programming with production simulation method. The MCD procedure can help decision makers weight the relative importance of multiple attributes associated with the decision alternatives, and find the near-best compromise solution efficiently at each optimization step of the conventional algorithm. Practical application of proposed approach to feasibility evaluation of the fourth nuclear power plant of Tawian is also presented, demonstrating the effectiveness and limitations of the approach

Analysis of Qualitative Interviews about the Impact of Information Technology on Pressure Ulcer Prevention Programs: Implications for the Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, Marilyn Murphy; Wipke-Tevis, Deidre D.; Alexander, Gregory L.

2015-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare pressure ulcer prevention programs in 2 long term care facilities (LTC) with diverse Information Technology Sophistication (ITS), one with high sophistication and one with low sophistication, and to identify implications for the Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse (WOC Nurse) Design Secondary analysis of narrative data obtained from a mixed methods study. Subjects and Setting The study setting was 2 LTC facilities in the Midwestern United States. The sample comprised 39 staff from 2 facilities, including 26 from a high ITS facility and 13 from the low ITS facility. Respondents included Certified Nurse Assistants,, Certified Medical Technicians, Restorative Medical Technicians, Social Workers, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Information Technology staff, Administrators, and Directors. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of interviews regarding communication and education strategies in two longterm care agencies. This analysis focused on focus group interviews, which included both direct and non-direct care providers. Results Eight themes (codes) were identified in the analysis. Three themes are presented individually with exemplars of communication and education strategies. The analysis revealed specific differences between the high ITS and low ITS facility in regards to education and communication involving pressure ulcer prevention. These differences have direct implications for WOC nurses consulting in the LTC setting. Conclusions Findings from this study suggest that effective strategies for staff education and communication regarding PU prevention differ based on the level of ITS within a given facility. Specific strategies for education and communication are suggested for agencies with high ITS and agencies with low ITS sophistication. PMID:25945822

Development programs of cutting-edge technologies for measurement and detection of nuclear material for safeguards and security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seya, Michio; Wakabayashi, Shuji; Naoi, Yosuke; Ohkubo, Michiaki; Senzaki, Masao

2011-01-01

The Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Nuclear Security ('ISCN', hereafter) of Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has development programs of cutting-edge technologies for measurement and detection of nuclear materials for nuclear safeguards and security, under the sponsorship of Japanese government (MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). ISCN started development programs of the following technologies this year. (1) NRF (Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence) NDA technology using laser Compton scattering (LCS) gamma-rays, (2) Alternative to 3 He neutron detection technology using inorganic solid scintillator. ISCN is also going to conduct a demonstration test of a spent fuel Pu-NDA system that is to be developed by LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) using very sophisticated neutron measurement technologies, under JAEA/USDOE cooperation agreement. This presentation shows the above programs of ISCN. (author)

GLONASS orbit/clock combination in VNIIFTRI

Science.gov (United States)

Bezmenov, I.; Pasynok, S.

2015-08-01

An algorithm and a program for GLONASS satellites orbit/clock combination based on daily precise orbits submitted by several Analytic Centers were developed. Some theoretical estimates for combine orbit positions RMS were derived. It was shown that under condition that RMS of satellite orbits provided by the Analytic Centers during a long time interval are commensurable the RMS of combine orbit positions is no greater than RMS of other satellite positions estimated by any of the Analytic Centers.

Reactive polymer coatings: A robust platform towards sophisticated surface engineering for biotechnology

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsien-Yeh

Functionalized poly(p-xylylenes) or so-called reactive polymers can be synthesized via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) polymerization. The resulting ultra-thin coatings are pinhole-free and can be conformally deposited to a wide range of substrates and materials. More importantly, the equipped functional groups can served as anchoring sites for tailoring the surface properties, making these reactive coatings a robust platform that can deal with sophisticated challenges faced in biointerfaces. In this work presented herein, surface coatings presenting various functional groups were prepared by CVD process. Such surfaces include aldehyde-functionalized coating to precisely immobilize saccharide molecules onto well-defined areas and alkyne-functionalized coating to click azide-modified molecules via Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. Moreover, CVD copolymerization has been conducted to prepare multifunctional coatings and their specific functions were demonstrated by the immobilization of biotin and NHS-ester molecules. By using a photodefinable coating, polyethylene oxides were immobilized onto a wide range of substrates through photo-immobilization. Spatially controlled protein resistant properties were characterized by selective adsorption of fibrinogen and bovine serum albumin as model systems. Alternatively, surface initiator coatings were used for polymer graftings of polyethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, and the resultant protein- and cell- resistant properties were characterized by adsorption of kinesin motor proteins, fibrinogen, and murine fibroblasts (NIH3T3). Accessibility of reactive coatings within confined microgeometries was systematically studied, and the preparation of homogeneous polymer thin films within the inner surface of microchannels was demonstrated. Moreover, these advanced coatings were applied to develop a dry adhesion process for microfluidic devices. This process provides (i) excellent bonding strength, (ii) extended

IHY - An International Cooperative Program

Science.gov (United States)

Rabello-Soares, M. Cristina; Davila, J.; Gopalswamy, N.; Thompson, B.

2007-05-01

The International Heliophysical Year (IHY) in 2007/2008 involves thousands of scientists representing over 70 nations. It consists of four distinct elements that will be described here. Taking advantage of the large amount of heliophysical data acquired routinely by a vast number of sophisticated instruments aboard space missions and at ground-based observatories, IHY aims to develop the basic science of heliophysics through cross-disciplinary studies of universal processes by means of Coordinated Investigation Programs (CIPs). The second component is in collaboration with the United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI) and consists of the deployment of arrays of small, inexpensive instruments such as magnetometers, radio antennas, GPS receivers, etc. around the world to provide global measurements. An important aspect of this partnership is to foster the participation of developing nations in heliophysics research. IHY coincides with the commemoration of 50 years of the space age that started with launch of Sputnik on October 4, 1957 and it is on the brink of a new age of space exploration where the Moon, Mars and the outer planets will be the focus of the space programs in the next years. As a result, it presents an excellent opportunity to create interest for science among young people with the excitement of discovery of space. The education and outreach program forms another cornerstone of IHY. Last but not least, an important part of the IHY activities, its forth component, is to preserve the history and memory of IGY 1957.

Learning Strategic Sophistication

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blume, A.; DeJong, D.V.; Maier, M.

2005-01-01

We experimentally investigate coordination games in which cognition plays an important role, i.e. where outcomes are affected by the agents level of understanding of the game and the beliefs they form about each others understanding.We ask whether and when repeated exposure permits agents to learn

SpecPad: device-independent NMR data visualization and processing based on the novel DART programming language and Html5 Web technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Guigas, Bruno

2017-09-01

SpecPad is a new device-independent software program for the visualization and processing of one-dimensional and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) time domain (FID) and frequency domain (spectrum) data. It is the result of a project to investigate whether the novel programming language DART, in combination with Html5 Web technology, forms a suitable base to write an NMR data evaluation software which runs on modern computing devices such as Android, iOS, and Windows tablets as well as on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X desktop PCs and notebooks. Another topic of interest is whether this technique also effectively supports the required sophisticated graphical and computational algorithms. SpecPad is device-independent because DART's compiled executable code is JavaScript and can, therefore, be run by the browsers of PCs and tablets. Because of Html5 browser cache technology, SpecPad may be operated off-line. Network access is only required during data import or export, e.g. via a Cloud service, or for software updates. A professional and easy to use graphical user interface consistent across all hardware platforms supports touch screen features on mobile devices for zooming and panning and for NMR-related interactive operations such as phasing, integration, peak picking, or atom assignment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Trailblazer Program

Science.gov (United States)

Trefney, Charles J.

1999-01-01

This paper presents the "Three Pillars of Success" for the Trailblazer Program. The topics include: 1) The "Rocket Equation" for SSTO (Single Stage To Orbit); 2) The Rocket I* Barrier; 3) Rocket-Based Combined-Cycle Engine; 4) Potential for Reusability; 5) Factors Mitigating RBCC Performance; 6) The "Trailblazer" Program; 7) Trailblazer Performance Goals; 8) Trailblazer Reference Vehicle; and 9) Trailblazer Program Architecture.

The fastclime Package for Linear Programming and Large-Scale Precision Matrix Estimation in R.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Haotian; Liu, Han; Vanderbei, Robert

2014-02-01

We develop an R package fastclime for solving a family of regularized linear programming (LP) problems. Our package efficiently implements the parametric simplex algorithm, which provides a scalable and sophisticated tool for solving large-scale linear programs. As an illustrative example, one use of our LP solver is to implement an important sparse precision matrix estimation method called CLIME (Constrained L 1 Minimization Estimator). Compared with existing packages for this problem such as clime and flare, our package has three advantages: (1) it efficiently calculates the full piecewise-linear regularization path; (2) it provides an accurate dual certificate as stopping criterion; (3) it is completely coded in C and is highly portable. This package is designed to be useful to statisticians and machine learning researchers for solving a wide range of problems.

Conceptual Design of Object Oriented Program (OOP) for Pilot Code of Two-Fluid, Three-field Model with C++ 6.0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Bub Dong; Lee, Young Jin

2006-01-01

Engineering software for design purpose in nuclear industries have been developed since early 1970s, and well established in 1980s. The most popular and common language for the software development has been FORTRAN series, until the more sophisticated GUI and software coupling is needed. The advanced computer language, such as C++, C has been developed to help the programming for the easy GUI need and reuse of well developed routines, with adopting the objective oriented program. A recent trend of programming becomes objective-oriented since the results are often more intuitive and easier to maintain than procedure program. The main motivation of this work is to capture objective oriented concepts for conventional safety analysis programs which consist of many functions and procedure oriented structures. In this work, the new objective programming with C++ 6.0 language has been tried for the PILOT code written in FORTRAN language, and conceptual OOP design of the system safety analysis code has been done

Unique molecular landscapes in cancer: implications for individualized, curated drug combinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheler, Jennifer; Lee, J Jack; Kurzrock, Razelle

2014-12-15

With increasingly sophisticated technologies in molecular biology and "omic" platforms to analyze patients' tumors, more molecular diversity and complexity in cancer are being observed. Recently, we noted unique genomic profiles in a group of patients with metastatic breast cancer based on an analysis with next-generation sequencing. Among 57 consecutive patients, no two had the same molecular portfolio. Applied genomics therefore appears to represent a disruptive innovation in that it unveils a heterogeneity to metastatic cancer that may be ill-suited to canonical clinical trials and practice paradigms. Upon recognizing that patients have unique tumor landscapes, it is possible that there may be a "mismatch" between our traditional clinical trials system that selects patients based on common characteristics to evaluate a drug (drug-centric approach) and optimal treatment based on curated, individualized drug combinations for each patient (patient-centric approach). ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

A sophisticated cad tool for the creation of complex models for electromagnetic interaction analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Dion, Marc; Kashyap, Satish; Louie, Aloisius

1991-06-01

This report describes the essential features of the MS-DOS version of DIDEC-DREO, an interactive program for creating wire grid, surface patch, and cell models of complex structures for electromagnetic interaction analysis. It uses the device-independent graphics library DIGRAF and the graphics kernel system HALO, and can be executed on systems with various graphics devices. Complicated structures can be created by direct alphanumeric keyboard entry, digitization of blueprints, conversion form existing geometric structure files, and merging of simple geometric shapes. A completed DIDEC geometric file may then be converted to the format required for input to a variety of time domain and frequency domain electromagnetic interaction codes. This report gives a detailed description of the program DIDEC-DREO, its installation, and its theoretical background. Each available interactive command is described. The associated program HEDRON which generates simple geometric shapes, and other programs that extract the current amplitude data from electromagnetic interaction code outputs, are also discussed.

Development of a system to verify the programs used for planning of photon beams teletherapy; Desenvolvimento de um sistema para verificar os programas utilizados nos planejamentos em teleterapia com feixes de fotons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ocariz Ayala, Victor Daniel

2004-12-15

The main objective of radiotherapy is to deliver to the tumor the radiation dose prescribed by the physician, in the most possible accurate form, to save, as much as possible, the healthy tissues located in the neighborhood of the tumor. In order to reach these objectives, it is necessary to carry out a treatment planning and the more the used technologies and therapeutical procedures are sophisticated, the more the planning will be sophisticated. The most sophisticated planning systems use computer programs and are able to determine dose distributions in three dimensions. However, since they work using mathematical models, they may fail and it is necessary to evaluate their performances in order to be considered reliable. Therefore, the availability of a system capable to evaluate the performance of planning systems employed in oncological teletherapy, using ionizing radiation, becomes important. In this work, a data file to be used in radiotherapy planning system quality control (Algorithm accuracy and dose distribution) was developed and it is able to be sent by mail to the radiotherapy services that work with photon beams. (author)

Newborn Screening for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency in 11 Screening Programs in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Kwan, Antonia; Abraham, Roshini S.; Currier, Robert; Brower, Amy; Andruszewski, Karen; Abbott, Jordan K.; Baker, Mei; Ballow, Mark; Bartoshesky, Louis E.; Bonagura, Vincent R.; Bonilla, Francisco A.; Brokopp, Charles; Brooks, Edward; Caggana, Michele; Celestin, Jocelyn; Church, Joseph A.; Comeau, Anne Marie; Connelly, James A.; Cowan, Morton J.; Cunningham-Rundles, Charlotte; Dasu, Trivikram; Dave, Nina; De La Morena, Maria T.; Duffner, Ulrich; Fong, Chin-To; Forbes, Lisa; Freedenberg, Debra; Gelfand, Erwin W.; Hale, Jaime E.; Celine Hanson, I.; Hay, Beverly N.; Hu, Diana; Infante, Anthony; Johnson, Daisy; Kapoor, Neena; Kay, Denise M.; Kohn, Donald B.; Lee, Rachel; Lehman, Heather; Lin, Zhili; Lorey, Fred; Abdel-Mageed, Aly; Manning, Adrienne; McGhee, Sean; Moore, Theodore B.; Naides, Stanley J.; Notarangelo, Luigi D.; Orange, Jordan S.; Pai, Sung-Yun; Porteus, Matthew; Rodriguez, Ray; Romberg, Neil; Routes, John; Ruehle, Mary; Rubenstein, Arye; Saavedra-Matiz, Carlos A.; Scott, Ginger; Scott, Patricia M.; Secord, Elizabeth; Seroogy, Christine; Shearer, William T.; Siegel, Subhadra; Silvers, Stacy K.; Stiehm, E. Richard; Sugerman, Robert W.; Sullivan, John L.; Tanksley, Susan; Tierce, Millard L.; Verbsky, James; Vogel, Beth; Walker, Rosalyn; Walkovich, Kelly; Walter, Jolan E.; Wasserman, Richard L.; Watson, Michael S.; Weinberg, Geoffrey A.; Weiner, Leonard B.; Wood, Heather; Yates, Anne B.; Puck, Jennifer M.

2015-01-01

IMPORTANCE Newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) using assays to detect T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) began in Wisconsin in 2008, and SCID was added to the national recommended uniform panel for newborn screened disorders in 2010. Currently 23 states, the District of Columbia, and the Navajo Nation conduct population-wide newborn screening for SCID. The incidence of SCID is estimated at 1 in 100 000 births. OBJECTIVES To present data from a spectrum of SCID newborn screening programs, establish population-based incidence for SCID and other conditions with T-cell lymphopenia, and document early institution of effective treatments. DESIGN Epidemiological and retrospective observational study. SETTING Representatives in states conducting SCID newborn screening were invited to submit their SCID screening algorithms, test performance data, and deidentified clinical and laboratory information regarding infants screened and cases with nonnormal results. Infants born from the start of each participating program from January 2008 through the most recent evaluable date prior to July 2013 were included. Representatives from 10 states plus the Navajo Area Indian Health Service contributed data from 3 030 083 newborns screened with a TREC test. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Infants with SCID and other diagnoses of T-cell lymphopenia were classified. Incidence and, where possible, etiologies were determined. Interventions and survival were tracked. RESULTS Screening detected 52 cases of typical SCID, leaky SCID, and Omenn syndrome, affecting 1 in 58 000 infants (95%CI, 1/46 000-1/80 000). Survival of SCID-affected infants through their diagnosis and immune reconstitution was 87%(45/52), 92%(45/49) for infants who received transplantation, enzyme replacement, and/or gene therapy. Additional interventions for SCID and non-SCID T-cell lymphopenia included immunoglobulin infusions, preventive antibiotics, and avoidance of live vaccines. Variations in

Computer Program for Analysis, Design and Optimization of Propulsion, Dynamics, and Kinematics of Multistage Rockets

Science.gov (United States)

Lali, Mehdi

2009-03-01

A comprehensive computer program is designed in MATLAB to analyze, design and optimize the propulsion, dynamics, thermodynamics, and kinematics of any serial multi-staging rocket for a set of given data. The program is quite user-friendly. It comprises two main sections: "analysis and design" and "optimization." Each section has a GUI (Graphical User Interface) in which the rocket's data are entered by the user and by which the program is run. The first section analyzes the performance of the rocket that is previously devised by the user. Numerous plots and subplots are provided to display the performance of the rocket. The second section of the program finds the "optimum trajectory" via billions of iterations and computations which are done through sophisticated algorithms using numerical methods and incremental integrations. Innovative techniques are applied to calculate the optimal parameters for the engine and designing the "optimal pitch program." This computer program is stand-alone in such a way that it calculates almost every design parameter in regards to rocket propulsion and dynamics. It is meant to be used for actual launch operations as well as educational and research purposes.

From Discovery to Justification: Outline of an Ideal Research Program in Empirical Psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Witte, Erich H.; Zenker, Frank

2017-01-01

The gold standard for an empirical science is the replicability of its research results. But the estimated average replicability rate of key-effects that top-tier psychology journals report falls between 36 and 39% (objective vs. subjective rate; Open Science Collaboration, 2015). So the standard mode of applying null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) fails to adequately separate stable from random effects. Therefore, NHST does not fully convince as a statistical inference strategy. We argue that the replicability crisis is “home-made” because more sophisticated strategies can deliver results the successful replication of which is sufficiently probable. Thus, we can overcome the replicability crisis by integrating empirical results into genuine research programs. Instead of continuing to narrowly evaluate only the stability of data against random fluctuations (discovery context), such programs evaluate rival hypotheses against stable data (justification context). PMID:29163256

Application of systems engineering methods to the development of information resource management programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofer, R.W.

1987-01-01

The Civilian Radioactive Waste Management program has presented challenges to information professionals which have never been confronted before. This is the first major research program to require full public access to a vast range of scientific and engineering data. Estimated information system life cycle requirements commensurate with the repository's 10,000 year life are unprecedented, especially when compared with the needs of the commercial nuclear industry. The range of information system users and the differences in the ability of various classes of users to access sophisticated information resources has likewise never been approached in this area before. Consequently, application of previous experience associated with the commercial nuclear power industry information system design falls far short of meeting the information management and dissemination requirements of this program. This paper describes the overall information requirements governing the data and documents associated with the site characterization phase of the geologic repository program. It further outlines a design methodology for the development of an information resource management program which responds to these criteria, emphasizing the use of a systems engineering approach. The paper concludes with a projection of future requirements for information management associated with the geologic repository program and suggested approaches to planning for these needs

Icobj Programming

OpenAIRE

Boussinot , Frédéric

1996-01-01

A simple and fully graphical programming method is presented, using a powerful means to combine behaviors. This programming is based on the notion of an «icobj» which has a behavioral aspect («object» part), a graphical aspect («icon» part), with an «animation» aspect. Icobj programming provides parallelism, broadcast event communication and migration through the network. An experimental system based on this approach is described in details. Its implementation with reactive scripts is also pr...

Combining norms to prove termination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Genaim, S.; Codish, M.; Gallagher, John Patrick

2002-01-01

Automatic termination analysers typically measure the size of terms applying norms which are mappings from terms to the natural numbers. This paper illustrates howt o enable the use of size functions defined as tuples of these simpler norm functions. This approach enables us to simplify the probl...... of the recursive data-types in the program, is often a suitable choice. We first demonstrate the power of combining norm functions and then the adequacy of combining norms based on regular types....

COMBINE7.0 - A Portable ENDF/B-VII.0 Based Neutron Spectrum and Cross-Section Generation Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woo Y. Yoon; David W. Nigg

2008-09-01

-ordinate transport code, is incoprated into COMBINE7.0. As an option, the 167 fine-group constants generated by COMBINE portion in the program can be used to cacluate regionwise spectra in the ANISN portion, all internally to reflect the one-dimensional transport correction. Results for the criticality validation calculations are included as a part of verification and validation.

COMBINE7.0 - A Portable ENDF/B-VII.0 Based Neutron Spectrum and Cross-Section Generation Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Woo Y.; Nigg, David W.

2008-01-01

-ordinate transport code, is incoprated into COMBINE7.0. As an option, the 167 fine-group constants generated by COMBINE portion in the program can be used to cacluate regionwise spectra in the ANISN portion, all internally to reflect the one-dimensional transport correction. Results for the criticality validation calculations are included as a part of verification and validation.

From Single- to Multi-Objective Auto-Tuning of Programs: Advantages and Implications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Durillo

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Automatic tuning (auto-tuning of software has emerged in recent years as a promising method that tries to automatically adapt the behaviour of a program to attain different performance objectives on a given computing system. This method is gaining momentum due to the increasing complexity of modern multicore-based hardware architectures. Many solutions to auto-tuning have been explored ranging from simple random search to more sophisticate methods like machine learning or evolutionary search. To this day, it is still unclear whether these approaches are general enough to encompass all the complexities of the problem (e.g. search space, parameters influencing the search space, input data sensitivity, etc., or which approach is best suited for a given problem. Furthermore, the growing interest in auto-tuning a program for several objectives is increasing this confusion even further. The goal of this paper is to formally describe the problem addressed by auto-tuning programs and review existing solutions highlighting the advantages and drawbacks of different techniques for single-objective as well as multi-objective auto-tuning approaches.

Can Household Benefit from Stochastic Programming Models?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Kourosh Marjani; Madsen, Claus A.; Poulsen, Rolf

2014-01-01

The Danish mortgage market is large and sophisticated. However, most Danish mortgage banks advise private home-owners based on simple, if sensible, rules of thumb. In recent years a number of papers (from Nielsen and Poulsen in J Econ Dyn Control 28:1267–1289, 2004 over Rasmussen and Zenios in J...... Risk 10:1–18, 2007 to Pedersen et al. in Ann Oper Res, 2013) have suggested a model-based, stochastic programming approach to mortgage choice. This paper gives an empirical comparison of performance over the period 2000–2010 of the rules of thumb to the model-based strategies. While the rules of thumb.......3–0.9 %-points (depending on the borrower’s level of conservatism) compared to the rules of thumb without increasing the risk. The answer to the question in the title is thus affirmative....

Propulsion/ASME Rocket-Based Combined Cycle Activities in the Advanced Space Transportation Program Office

Science.gov (United States)

Hueter, Uwe; Turner, James

1998-01-01

NASA's Office Of Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology (OASTT) has establish three major coals. "The Three Pillars for Success". The Advanced Space Transportation Program Office (ASTP) at the NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,Ala. focuses on future space transportation technologies under the "Access to Space" pillar. The Advanced Reusable Technologies (ART) Project, part of ASTP, focuses on the reusable technologies beyond those being pursued by X-33. The main activity over the past two and a half years has been on advancing the rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) technologies. In June of last year, activities for reusable launch vehicle (RLV) airframe and propulsion technologies were initiated. These activities focus primarily on those technologies that support the year 2000 decision to determine the path this country will take for Space Shuttle and RLV. In February of this year, additional technology efforts in the reusable technologies were awarded. The RBCC effort that was completed early this year was the initial step leading to flight demonstrations of the technology for space launch vehicle propulsion. Aerojet, Boeing-Rocketdyne and Pratt & Whitney were selected for a two-year period to design, build and ground test their RBCC engine concepts. In addition, ASTROX, Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and University of Alabama in Huntsville also conducted supporting activities. The activity included ground testing of components (e.g., injectors, thrusters, ejectors and inlets) and integrated flowpaths. An area that has caused a large amount of difficulty in the testing efforts is the means of initiating the rocket combustion process. All three of the prime contractors above were using silane (SiH4) for ignition of the thrusters. This follows from the successful use of silane in the NASP program for scramjet ignition. However, difficulties were immediately encountered when silane (an 80/20 mixture of hydrogen/silane) was used for rocket

Survey of using GPU CUDA programming model in medical image analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Kalaiselvi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available With the technology development of medical industry, processing data is expanding rapidly and computation time also increases due to many factors like 3D, 4D treatment planning, the increasing sophistication of MRI pulse sequences and the growing complexity of algorithms. Graphics processing unit (GPU addresses these problems and gives the solutions for using their features such as, high computation throughput, high memory bandwidth, support for floating-point arithmetic and low cost. Compute unified device architecture (CUDA is a popular GPU programming model introduced by NVIDIA for parallel computing. This review paper briefly discusses the need of GPU CUDA computing in the medical image analysis. The GPU performances of existing algorithms are analyzed and the computational gain is discussed. A few open issues, hardware configurations and optimization principles of existing methods are discussed. This survey concludes the few optimization techniques with the medical imaging algorithms on GPU. Finally, limitation and future scope of GPU programming are discussed.

The Functional Programming Language R and the Paradigm of Dynamic Scientific Programming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Trancón y Widemann, B.; Bolz, C.F.; Grelck, C.; Loidl, H.-W.; Peña, R.

2013-01-01

R is an environment and functional programming language for statistical data analysis and visualization. Largely unknown to the functional programming community, it is popular and influential in many empirical sciences. Due to its integrated combination of dynamic and reflective scripting on one

Combination of Deterministic and Probabilistic Meteorological Models to enhance Wind Farm Power Forecasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bremen, Lueder von

2007-01-01

Large-scale wind farms will play an important role in the future worldwide energy supply. However, with increasing wind power penetration all stakeholders on the electricity market will ask for more skilful wind power predictions regarding save grid integration and to increase the economic value of wind power. A Neural Network is used to calculate Model Output Statistics (MOS) for each individual forecast model (ECMWF and HIRLAM) and to model the aggregated power curve of the Middelgrunden offshore wind farm. We showed that the combination of two NWP models clearly outperforms the better single model. The normalized day-ahead RMSE forecast error for Middelgrunden can be reduced by 1% compared to single ECMWF. This is a relative improvement of 6%. For lead times >24h it is worthwhile to use a more sophisticated model combination approach than simple linear weighting. The investigated principle component regression is able to extract the uncorrelated information from two NWP forecasts. The spread of Ensemble Predictions is related to the skill of wind power forecasts. Simple contingency diagrams show that low spread corresponds is more often related to low forecast errors and high spread to large forecast errors

Biomass Supply Planning for Combined Heat and Power Plants using Stochastic Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guericke, Daniela; Blanco, Ignacio; Morales González, Juan Miguel

method using stochastic optimization to support the biomass supply planning for combined heat and power plants. Our two-phase approach combines mid-term decisions about biomass supply contracts with the short-term decisions regarding the optimal market participation of the producer to ensure......During the last years, the consumption of biomass to produce power and heat has increased due to the new carbon neutral policies. Nowadays, many district heating systems operate their combined heat and power (CHP) plants using different types of biomass instead of fossil fuel, especially to produce......, and heat demand and electricity prices vary drastically during the planning period. Furthermore, the optimal operation of combined heat and power plants has to consider the existing synergies between the power and heating systems while always fulfilling the heat demand of the system. We propose a solution...

Process evaluation of the Living Green, Healthy and Thrifty (LiGHT) web-based child obesity management program: combining health promotion with ecology and economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Jogova, Maria; Song, Joshua Eun-Soo; Campbell, Audrey Clare; Warbuton, Darren; Warshawski, Tom; Chanoine, Jean-Pierre

2013-04-01

To conduct a process evaluation of the Living Green, Healthy and Thrifty (LiGHT) program, a novel virtual child obesity management program that combines health promotion with ecology and economy (Phase 1). We carried out a mixed methods process evaluation involving qualitative and quantitative data collection in 3 phases: among 3 child-parent units, (group 1) that informed program development; 9 child-parent units (group 2) that tested the draft program and further aided program refinement; and 17 child-parent units (group 3) for a 4-week pilot of the program. In the program pilot, we assessed participants' knowledge and readiness to change pre- and postintervention and explored perceptions of the program. Participants generally felt that the online format for program delivery was convenient and accessible, the content was practical, and the integration of health-environment-economy was well received. Many parents also appreciated the involvement of the family. However, the lack of visual appeal and overabundance of text was identified as a challenge, and children/youth in particular requested assurance that their personal information (e.g. weight) was not seen by their parents. The online method of program delivery holds the unique challenge of requiring special efforts to create a sense of personal connection and community. The presence of a "Way-finder" to assist participants and discussion boards/forums are potential solutions. The LiGHT online weight management program offers an accessible, convenient weight management resource that children and families appreciate for its availability, broader educational scope, and practicality. Outcome evaluation of LiGHT will be carried out in Phase 2 of the project. Copyright © 2013 Canadian Diabetes Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program. Program update 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-04-01

The Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program (CCT Program) is a $7.14 billion cost-shared industry/government technology development effort. The program is to demonstrate a new generation of advanced coal-based technologies, with the most promising technologies being moved into the domestic and international marketplace. Clean coal technologies being demonstrated under the CCT program are creating the technology base that allows the nation to meet its energy and environmental goals efficiently and reliably. The fact that most of the demonstrations are being conducted at commercial scale, in actual user environments, and under conditions typical of commercial operations allows the potential of the technologies to be evaluated in their intended commercial applications. The technologies are categorized into four market sectors: advanced electric power generation systems; environmental control devices; coal processing equipment for clean fuels; and industrial technologies. Sections of this report describe the following: Role of the Program; Program implementation; Funding and costs; The road to commercial realization; Results from completed projects; Results and accomplishments from ongoing projects; and Project fact sheets. Projects include fluidized-bed combustion, integrated gasification combined-cycle power plants, advanced combustion and heat engines, nitrogen oxide control technologies, sulfur dioxide control technologies, combined SO{sub 2} and NO{sub x} technologies, coal preparation techniques, mild gasification, and indirect liquefaction. Industrial applications include injection systems for blast furnaces, coke oven gas cleaning systems, power generation from coal/ore reduction, a cyclone combustor with S, N, and ash control, cement kiln flue gas scrubber, and pulse combustion for steam coal gasification.

Minilaparoscopic technique for inguinal hernia repair combining transabdominal pre-peritoneal and totally extraperitoneal approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, Gustavo L; Loureiro, Marcelo P; Bonin, Eduardo A; Claus, Christiano P; Silva, Frederico W; Cury, Antonio M; Fernandes, Flavio A M

2012-01-01

Endoscopic surgical repair of inguinal hernia is currently conducted using 2 techniques: the totally extraperitoneal (TEP) and the transabdominal (TAPP) hernia repair. The TEP procedure is technically advantageous, because of the use of no mesh fixation and the elimination of the peritoneal flap, leading to less postoperative pain and faster recovery. The drawback is that TEP is not performed as frequently, because of its complexity and longer learning curve. In this study, we propose a hybrid technique that could potentially become the gold standard of minimally invasive inguinal hernia surgery. This will be achieved by combining established advantages of TEP and TAPP associated with the precision and cosmetics of minilaparoscopy (MINI). Between January and July 2011, 22 patients were admitted for endoscopic inguinal hernia repair. The combined technique was initiated with TAPP inspection and direct visualization of a minilaparoscopic trocar dissection of the preperitoneum space. A10-mm trocar was then placed inside the previously dissected preperitoneal space, using the same umbilical TAPP skin incision. Minilaparoscopic retroperitoneal dissection was completed by TEP, and the surgical procedure was finalized with intraperitoneal review and correction of the preperitoneal work. The minilaparoscopic TEP-TAPP combined approach for inguinal hernia is feasible, safe, and allows a simple endoscopic repair. This is achieved by combining features and advantages of both TAPP and TEP techniques using precise and sophisticated MINI instruments. Minilaparoscopic preperitoneal dissection allows a faster and easier creation of the preperitoneal space for the TEP component of the procedure.

Treatment of Diabetic Mice with a Combination of Ketogenic Diet and Aerobic Exercise via Modulations of PPARs Gene Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Lingyan; Xia, Jie; Wang, Dongmei; Qian, Min

2018-01-01

Type 2 diabetes is a prevalent chronic disease arising as a serious public health problem worldwide. Diet intervention is considered to be a critical strategy in glycemic control of diabetic patients. Recently, the low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is shown to be effective in glycemic control and weight loss. However, hepatic lipid accumulation could be observed in mice treated with ketogenic diet. On the other hand, exercise is a well-known approach for treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We thus hypothesize that the combination of ketogenic diet and exercise could improve insulin sensitivity, while minimizing adverse effect of hepatic steatosis. In order to test this hypothesis, we established diabetic mice model with streptozotocin (STZ) and divided them into control group, ketogenic diet group, and ketogenic diet with aerobic exercise group. We found that after six weeks of intervention, mice treated with ketogenic diet and ketogenic diet combined with exercise both have lower body weights, HbAlc level, HOMA index, and improvements in insulin sensitivity, compared with diabetes group. In addition, mice in ketogenic diet intervention exhibited hepatic steatosis shown by serum and hepatic parameters, as well as histochemistry staining in the liver, which could be largely relieved by exercise. Furthermore, gene analysis revealed that ketogenic diet in combination with exercise reduced PPARγ and lipid synthetic genes, as well as enhancing PPARα and lipid β-oxidation gene program in the liver compared to those in ketogenic diet without exercise. Overall, the present study demonstrated that the combination of ketogenic diet and a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise intervention improved insulin sensitivity in diabetic mice, while avoiding hepatic steatosis, which provided a novel strategy in the combat of diabetes. PMID:29743883

Treatment of Diabetic Mice with a Combination of Ketogenic Diet and Aerobic Exercise via Modulations of PPARs Gene Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiang; Xu, Lingyan; Xia, Jie; Wang, Dongmei; Qian, Min; Ding, Shuzhe

2018-01-01

Type 2 diabetes is a prevalent chronic disease arising as a serious public health problem worldwide. Diet intervention is considered to be a critical strategy in glycemic control of diabetic patients. Recently, the low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet is shown to be effective in glycemic control and weight loss. However, hepatic lipid accumulation could be observed in mice treated with ketogenic diet. On the other hand, exercise is a well-known approach for treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We thus hypothesize that the combination of ketogenic diet and exercise could improve insulin sensitivity, while minimizing adverse effect of hepatic steatosis. In order to test this hypothesis, we established diabetic mice model with streptozotocin (STZ) and divided them into control group, ketogenic diet group, and ketogenic diet with aerobic exercise group. We found that after six weeks of intervention, mice treated with ketogenic diet and ketogenic diet combined with exercise both have lower body weights, HbAlc level, HOMA index, and improvements in insulin sensitivity, compared with diabetes group. In addition, mice in ketogenic diet intervention exhibited hepatic steatosis shown by serum and hepatic parameters, as well as histochemistry staining in the liver, which could be largely relieved by exercise. Furthermore, gene analysis revealed that ketogenic diet in combination with exercise reduced PPAR γ and lipid synthetic genes, as well as enhancing PPAR α and lipid β -oxidation gene program in the liver compared to those in ketogenic diet without exercise. Overall, the present study demonstrated that the combination of ketogenic diet and a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise intervention improved insulin sensitivity in diabetic mice, while avoiding hepatic steatosis, which provided a novel strategy in the combat of diabetes.

$ANBA; a rapid, combined data acquisition and correction program for the SEMQ electron microprobe

Science.gov (United States)

McGee, James J.

1983-01-01

$ANBA is a program developed for rapid data acquisition and correction on an automated SEMQ electron microprobe. The program provides increased analytical speed and reduced disk read/write operations compared with the manufacturer's software, resulting in a doubling of analytical throughput. In addition, the program provides enhanced analytical features such as averaging, rapid and compact data storage, and on-line plotting. The program is described with design philosophy, flow charts, variable names, a complete program listing, and system requirements. A complete operating example and notes to assist in running the program are included.

Multi-disciplinary communication networks for skin risk assessment in nursing homes with high IT sophistication.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Gregory L; Pasupathy, Kalyan S; Steege, Linsey M; Strecker, E Bradley; Carley, Kathleen M

2014-08-01

The role of nursing home (NH) information technology (IT) in quality improvement has not been clearly established, and its impacts on communication between care givers and patient outcomes in these settings deserve further attention. In this research, we describe a mixed method approach to explore communication strategies used by healthcare providers for resident skin risk in NH with high IT sophistication (ITS). Sample included NH participating in the statewide survey of ITS. We incorporated rigorous observation of 8- and 12-h shifts, and focus groups to identify how NH IT and a range of synchronous and asynchronous tools are used. Social network analysis tools and qualitative analysis were used to analyze data and identify relationships between ITS dimensions and communication interactions between care providers. Two of the nine ITS dimensions (resident care-technological and administrative activities-technological) and total ITS were significantly negatively correlated with number of unique interactions. As more processes in resident care and administrative activities are supported by technology, the lower the number of observed unique interactions. Additionally, four thematic areas emerged from staff focus groups that demonstrate how important IT is to resident care in these facilities including providing resident-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, maintaining safety and quality, and using standardized information resources. Our findings in this study confirm prior research that as technology support (resident care and administrative activities) and overall ITS increases, observed interactions between staff members decrease. Conversations during staff interviews focused on how technology facilitated resident centered care through enhanced information sharing, greater virtual collaboration between team members, and improved care delivery. These results provide evidence for improving the design and implementation of IT in long term care systems to support

COMBINE7.1 - A Portable ENDF/B-VII.0 Based Neutron Spectrum and Cross-Section Generation Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woo Y. Yoon; David W. Nigg

2009-08-01

-ordinate transport code, is incoprated into COMBINE7.1. As an option, the 167 fine-group constants generated by COMBINE portion in the program can be used to cacluate regionwise spectra in the ANISN portion, all internally to reflect the one-dimensional transport correction. Results for the criticality validation calculations are included as a part of verification and validation.

COMBINE7.1 - A Portable ENDF/B-VII.0 Based Neutron Spectrum and Cross-Section Generation Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Woo Y.; Nigg, David W.

2009-01-01

-ordinate transport code, is incoprated into COMBINE7.1. As an option, the 167 fine-group constants generated by COMBINE portion in the program can be used to cacluate regionwise spectra in the ANISN portion, all internally to reflect the one-dimensional transport correction. Results for the criticality validation calculations are included as a part of verification and validation.

Seismic safety margins research program. Project VIII load combination project: work plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chou, C.K.; Vepa, K.; George, L.; Smith, P.D.

1979-01-01

The proposed load combination project has the following overall objectives: develop a methodology for appropriate combination of dynamic loads for nuclear power plants under normal plant operation, transients, accidents, and natural hazards; establish design criteria, load factors, and component service levels for appropriate combinations of dynamic loads or responses to be used in nuclear power plant design; determine the reliability of typical piping systems, both inside and outside the containment structure, and provide the NRC with a sound technical basis for defining the criteria for postulating pipe breaks; and determine the probabilities of a large LOCA induced directly and indirectly by a range of earthquakes

The Manhattan Project: Combined Resources for a Diversified Secondary School Reading Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Ince, Elizabeth; Colwell, Clyde G.

A secondary school reading program initiated at Manhattan (Kansas) High School and involving the efforts of teachers, students, administrators, members of the board of education, and faculty members of Kansas State University is described in this paper. The first section of the paper provides background information about the program, which…

The implementation of full ATLAS detector simulation program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rimoldi, A.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Stavrianakou, M.; Amako, K.; Kanzaki, J.; Morita, Y.; Murakami, K.; Sasaki, T.; Saeki, T.; Ueda, I.; Tanaka, S.; Yoshida, H.

2001-01-01

The ATLAS detector is one of the most sophisticated and huge detectors ever designed up to now. A detailed, flexible and complete simulation program is needed in order to study the characteristics and possible problems of such a challenging apparatus and to answer to all raising questions in terms of physics, design optimization, etc. To cope with these needs the authors are implementing an application based on the simulation framework FADS/Goofy (Framework for ATLAS Detector Simulation /Geant4-based Object-Oriented Folly) in the Geant4 environment. The user's specific code implementation is presented in details for the different applications implemented until now, from the various components of the ATLAS spectrometer to some particular testbeam facilities. Particular emphasis is put in describing the simulation of the Muon Spectrometer and its subsystems as a test case for the implementation of the whole detector simulation program: the intrinsic complexity in the geometry description of the Muon System is one of the more demanding problems that are faced. The magnetic field handling, the physics impact in the event processing in presence of backgrounds from different sources and the implementation of different possible generators (including Pythia) are also discussed

Searching for fixed point combinators by using automated theorem proving: A preliminary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wos, L.; McCune, W.

1988-09-01

In this report, we establish that the use of an automated theorem- proving program to study deep questions from mathematics and logic is indeed an excellent move. Among such problems, we focus mainly on that concerning the construction of fixed point combinators---a problem considered by logicians to be significant and difficult to solve, and often computationally intensive and arduous. To be a fixed point combinator, Θ must satisfy the equation Θx = x(Θx) for all combinators x. The specific questions on which we focus most heavily ask, for each chosen set of combinators, whether a fixed point combinator can be constructed from the members of that set. For answering questions of this type, we present a new, sound, and efficient method, called the kernel method, which can be applied quite easily by hand and very easily by an automated theorem-proving program. For the application of the kernel method by a theorem-proving program, we illustrate the vital role that is played by both paramodulation and demodulation---two of the powerful features frequently offered by an automated theorem-proving program for treating equality as if it is ''understood.'' We also state a conjecture that, if proved, establishes the completeness of the kernel method. From what we can ascertain, this method---which relies on the introduced concepts of kernel and superkernel---offers the first systematic approach for searching for fixed point combinators. We successfully apply the new kernel method to various sets of combinators and, for the set consisting of the combinators B and W, construct an infinite set of fixed point combinators such that no two of the combinators are equal even in the presence of extensionality---a law that asserts that two combinators are equal if they behave the same. 18 refs

Searching for fixed point combinators by using automated theorem proving: A preliminary report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wos, L.; McCune, W.

1988-09-01

In this report, we establish that the use of an automated theorem- proving program to study deep questions from mathematics and logic is indeed an excellent move. Among such problems, we focus mainly on that concerning the construction of fixed point combinators---a problem considered by logicians to be significant and difficult to solve, and often computationally intensive and arduous. To be a fixed point combinator, THETA must satisfy the equation THETAx = x(THETAx) for all combinators x. The specific questions on which we focus most heavily ask, for each chosen set of combinators, whether a fixed point combinator can be constructed from the members of that set. For answering questions of this type, we present a new, sound, and efficient method, called the kernel method, which can be applied quite easily by hand and very easily by an automated theorem-proving program. For the application of the kernel method by a theorem-proving program, we illustrate the vital role that is played by both paramodulation and demodulation---two of the powerful features frequently offered by an automated theorem-proving program for treating equality as if it is ''understood.'' We also state a conjecture that, if proved, establishes the completeness of the kernel method. From what we can ascertain, this method---which relies on the introduced concepts of kernel and superkernel---offers the first systematic approach for searching for fixed point combinators. We successfully apply the new kernel method to various sets of combinators and, for the set consisting of the combinators B and W, construct an infinite set of fixed point combinators such that no two of the combinators are equal even in the presence of extensionality---a law that asserts that two combinators are equal if they behave the same. 18 refs.

A multimedia adult literacy program: Combining NASA technology, instructional design theory, and authentic literacy concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Willis, Jerry W.

1993-01-01

For a number of years, the Software Technology Branch of the Information Systems Directorate has been involved in the application of cutting edge hardware and software technologies to instructional tasks related to NASA projects. The branch has developed intelligent computer aided training shells, instructional applications of virtual reality and multimedia, and computer-based instructional packages that use fuzzy logic for both instructional and diagnostic decision making. One outcome of the work on space-related technology-supported instruction has been the creation of a significant pool of human talent in the branch with current expertise on the cutting edges of instructional technologies. When the human talent is combined with advanced technologies for graphics, sound, video, CD-ROM, and high speed computing, the result is a powerful research and development group that both contributes to the applied foundations of instructional technology and creates effective instructional packages that take advantage of a range of advanced technologies. Several branch projects are currently underway that combine NASA-developed expertise to significant instructional problems in public education. The branch, for example, has developed intelligent computer aided software to help high school students learn physics and staff are currently working on a project to produce educational software for young children with language deficits. This report deals with another project, the adult literacy tutor. Unfortunately, while there are a number of computer-based instructional packages available for adult literacy instruction, most of them are based on the same instructional models that failed these students when they were in school. The teacher-centered, discrete skill and drill-oriented, instructional strategies, even when they are supported by color computer graphics and animation, that form the foundation for most of the computer-based literacy packages currently on the market may not

Exploring pima and upland cross-combinations to identify fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4 resistant cottons by combining ability of superior cultivars

Science.gov (United States)

A cotton breeding program strives to identify the best performance cultivars or breeding lines which can be used as parents in crosses. Multi-cross combinations provide the means of performance of each parent and assess the combining ability or productivity of parents through the hybridization proce...

Combination therapy in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojan Tršinar

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Background: The purpose of observational program of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS because of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH (LUTS/BPH was to acquire additional pharmaco-epidemiological data on the safety and efficacy of combination therapy with finasteride and tamsulosin.Methods: Observational program of men with BPH was conducted in urological outpatient clinics in Slovenia from April 2004 until November 2005. In open-label, non-interventional program 1173 patients were observed, who had been treated because of LUTS/BPH with combination therapy with finasteride and tamsulosin, in the framework of common treatment. At baseline and after six months of treatment for each patient the International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS questionnaire and assessment of quality of life (QL were filled in. In addition, urinary flow rate and prostate volume were determined. Adverse effects of drugs were reported spontaneously. For statistical analysis the Student’s t-test was performed.Results: Combination therapy with finasteride and tamsulosin was well tolerated. 89 (7.6 % patients discontinued with medication because of lack of efficacy or because of adverse effects of drugs. Symptom score, assessment of quality of patients’ lives and volume of prostates were significantly lower (p < 0.0001, while urinary flow rate was significantly higher (p < 0.0001 after six months of treatment with finasteride and tamsulosin.Conclusions: Combination therapy of patients with LUTS/BPH with finasteride and tamsulosin is effective and safe.

Effects of A Combined Treatment Protocol in Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Asghar Jameh-Bozorgi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS is one of the most important and worst types of peripheral nervous system, especially in upper extremity. The aim of this study was determination of the effect of a combined rehabilitation program in the treatment of patients with CRPS type I. Materials & Methods: In this quasi-experimental and before-after study, 20 patients with chronic regional pain syndrome were selected simply and their pain, range of motion, edema and muscular strength were examined and recorded before intervention. Then, patients under went a combined treatment programs included some modalities from physical and occupation therapy. Patients attended at clinic for 20 therapeutic sessions with one day intervals. Finally, data were analyzed using paired–t test. Results: Post operatively, pain and edema were decreased and range of motion and grip strength was increased significantly (P>0.05. Conclusion: Current study demonstrated that early and combined physical and occupational therapy efficient in the treatment of patients suffering from CRPS type I. This combined program can relieve pain and edema and increase ROM and grip strength.

Material Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vallgårda, Anna; Boer, Laurens; Tsaknaki, Vasiliki

2017-01-01

. Consequently we ask what the practice of programming and giving form to such materials would be like? How would we be able to familiarize ourselves with the dynamics of these materials and their different combinations of cause and effect? Which tools would we need and what would they look like? Will we program......, and color, but additionally being capable of sensing, actuating, and computing. Indeed, computers will not be things in and by themselves, but embedded into the materials that make up our surroundings. This also means that the way we interact with computers and the way we program them, will change...... these computational composites through external computers and then transfer the code them, or will the programming happen closer to the materials? In this feature we outline a new research program that floats between imagined futures and the development of a material programming practice....

Time, dose and volume factors in interstitial brachytherapy combined with external irradiation for oral tongue carcinoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yorozu, Atsunori

1996-01-01

This is a retrospective analysis of 136 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of stages I and II of the oral tongue who were treated with interstitial brachytherapy alone or in combination with external irradiation between 1976 and 1991. Control of the primary lesion and the occurrence of late complications were analyzed with respect to dose, time and tumor size with the Cox hazard model. The 5-year survival rates for stages I and II were 84.5% and 75.6%. The 5-year primary control rate was 91.3% for stage I and 77.3% for stage II (p 50 Gy compared with a brachytherapy dose 30 mm. Late complications should be reduced by using a spacer, improvements in dental and oral hygiene, and a sophisticated implant method. (author)

Sophisticated Online Learning Scheme for Green Resource Allocation in 5G Heterogeneous Cloud Radio Access Networks

KAUST Repository

Alqerm, Ismail

2018-01-23

5G is the upcoming evolution for the current cellular networks that aims at satisfying the future demand for data services. Heterogeneous cloud radio access networks (H-CRANs) are envisioned as a new trend of 5G that exploits the advantages of heterogeneous and cloud radio access networks to enhance spectral and energy efficiency. Remote radio heads (RRHs) are small cells utilized to provide high data rates for users with high quality of service (QoS) requirements, while high power macro base station (BS) is deployed for coverage maintenance and low QoS users service. Inter-tier interference between macro BSs and RRHs and energy efficiency are critical challenges that accompany resource allocation in H-CRANs. Therefore, we propose an efficient resource allocation scheme using online learning, which mitigates interference and maximizes energy efficiency while maintaining QoS requirements for all users. The resource allocation includes resource blocks (RBs) and power. The proposed scheme is implemented using two approaches: centralized, where the resource allocation is processed at a controller integrated with the baseband processing unit and decentralized, where macro BSs cooperate to achieve optimal resource allocation strategy. To foster the performance of such sophisticated scheme with a model free learning, we consider users\\' priority in RB allocation and compact state representation learning methodology to improve the speed of convergence and account for the curse of dimensionality during the learning process. The proposed scheme including both approaches is implemented using software defined radios testbed. The obtained results and simulation results confirm that the proposed resource allocation solution in H-CRANs increases the energy efficiency significantly and maintains users\\' QoS.

Fundamental geosciences program. Annual report, 1977

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Witherspoon, P.A.; Apps, J.A.

1977-01-01

The geoscience program relating to geothermal energy consists of four projects. In the project on reservoir dynamics, sophisticated codes have been written to simulate the dynamics of heat flow in geothermal reservoir systems. These codes have also been applied to the investigations of natural aquifers as a storage system for thermal energy. In the second project, core samples are studied to determine the high temperature and high pressure behavior of aquifers in the presence of saturating fluids. The third project covers the systematic evaluation of the thermodynamic properties of electrolytes in order to interpret the behavior of geothermal fluids. The fourth project involves hydrothermal solubility measurements of various minerals to elucidate the chemistry and mass transfer in geothermal systems. The second major program includes four projects which involve precise measurements and analysis of physical and chemical properties of geologic materials. These include measurements of the thermodynamic properties (viscosity, density and heat capacity) of silicate materials to help understand magma genesis and evolution, high-precision neutron activation analysis of rare and trace elements in magmatic materials, and the precise measurement of seismic wave velocities near geological faults, in order to determine the buildup of stress in the earth's crust. Third, the development program in fundamental geosciences includes six innovative projects. These projects include research in the in situ leaching of uranium ore, properties of magmas, removal of pyrite from coal, properties of soils and soft rocks, stress flow behavior of fractured rock systems, and high-precision mass spectrometry.

The Greenfoot Programming Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Kolling, Michael

2010-01-01

Greenfoot is an educational integrated development environment aimed at learning and teaching programming. It is aimed at a target audience of students from about 14 years old upwards, and is also suitable for college- and university-level education. Greenfoot combines graphical, interactive output with programming in Java, a standard, text-based…

Combining machine learning and matching techniques to improve causal inference in program evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Linden, Ariel; Yarnold, Paul R

2016-12-01

Program evaluations often utilize various matching approaches to emulate the randomization process for group assignment in experimental studies. Typically, the matching strategy is implemented, and then covariate balance is assessed before estimating treatment effects. This paper introduces a novel analytic framework utilizing a machine learning algorithm called optimal discriminant analysis (ODA) for assessing covariate balance and estimating treatment effects, once the matching strategy has been implemented. This framework holds several key advantages over the conventional approach: application to any variable metric and number of groups; insensitivity to skewed data or outliers; and use of accuracy measures applicable to all prognostic analyses. Moreover, ODA accepts analytic weights, thereby extending the methodology to any study design where weights are used for covariate adjustment or more precise (differential) outcome measurement. One-to-one matching on the propensity score was used as the matching strategy. Covariate balance was assessed using standardized difference in means (conventional approach) and measures of classification accuracy (ODA). Treatment effects were estimated using ordinary least squares regression and ODA. Using empirical data, ODA produced results highly consistent with those obtained via the conventional methodology for assessing covariate balance and estimating treatment effects. When ODA is combined with matching techniques within a treatment effects framework, the results are consistent with conventional approaches. However, given that it provides additional dimensions and robustness to the analysis versus what can currently be achieved using conventional approaches, ODA offers an appealing alternative. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Influencing Cancer Screening Participation Rates—Providing a Combined Cancer Screening Program (a ‘One Stop’ Shop Could Be a Potential Answer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Bobridge

2017-12-01

Full Text Available IntroductionParticipation in established cancer screening programs remains variable. Therefore, a renewed focus on how to increase screening uptake, including addressing structural barriers such as time, travel, and cost is needed. One approach could be the provision of combined cancer screening, where multiple screening tests are provided at the same time and location (essentially a ‘One Stop’ screening shop. This cohort study explored both cancer screening behavior and the acceptability of a combined screening approach.MethodsParticipants of the North Western Adelaide Health Study (NWAHS, South Australia were invited to participate in a questionnaire about cancer screening behaviors and the acceptability of a proposed ‘One Stop’ cancer screening shop. Data were collected from 10th August 2015 to 18th January 2016, weighted for selection probability, age, and sex and analyzed using descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analysis.Results1,562 people, 52% female (mean age 54.1 years ± 15.2 participated. Reported screening participation was low, the highest being for Pap Smear (34.4%. Common reasons for screening participation were preventing sickness (56.1%, CI 53.2–59.0%, maintaining health (51%, CI 48–53.9%, and free program provision (30.9%, CI 28.2–33.6%. Females were less likely to state that screening is not beneficial [OR 0.37 (CI 0.21–0.66, p < 0.001] and to cite sickness prevention [OR 2.10 (CI 1.46–3.00, p < 0.001] and free program [OR 1.75 (CI 1.22–2.51, p < 0.003] as reasons for screening participation. Of those who did not participate, 34.6% (CI 30.3–39.1% stated that there was nothing that discouraged them from participation, with 55- to 64-year olds [OR 0.24 (CI 0.07–0.74, p < 0.04] being less likely to cite this reason. 21% (CI 17.2–24.8% thought they did not need screening, while a smaller proportion stated not having time (6.9%, CI 4.9–9.7% and the costs associated

Effect of Combined Systematized Behavioral Modification Education Program With Desmopressin in Patients With Nocturia: A Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized, and Parallel Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sung Yong Cho

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose The aims of this study were to investigate the efficacy of combining the systematized behavioral modification program (SBMP with desmopressin therapy and to compare this with desmopressin monotherapy in the treatment of nocturnal polyuria (NPU. Methods Patients were randomized at 8 centers to receive desmopressin monotherapy (group A or combination therapy, comprising desmopressin and the SBMP (group B. Nocturia was defined as an average of 2 or more nightly voids. The primary endpoint was a change in the mean number of nocturnal voids from baseline during the 3-month treatment period. The secondary endpoints were changes in the bladder diary parameters and questionnaires scores, and improvements in self-perception for nocturia. Results A total of 200 patients were screened and 76 were excluded from the study, because they failed the screening process. A total of 124 patients were randomized to receive treatment, with group A comprising 68 patients and group B comprising 56 patients. The patients' characteristics were similar between the groups. Nocturnal voids showed a greater decline in group B (-1.5 compared with group A (-1.2, a difference that was not statistically significant. Significant differences were observed between groups A and B with respect to the NPU index (0.37 vs. 0.29, P=0.028, the change in the maximal bladder capacity (-41.3 mL vs. 13.3 mL, P<0.001, and the rate of patients lost to follow up (10.3% [7/68] vs. 0% [0/56], P=0.016. Self-perception for nocturia significantly improved in both groups. Conclusions Combination treatment did not have any additional benefits in relation to reducing nocturnal voids in patients with NPU; however, combination therapy is helpful because it increases the maximal bladder capacity and decreases the NPI. Furthermore, combination therapy increased the persistence of desmopressin in patients with NPU.

Integrated predictive maintenance program vibration and lube oil analysis: Part I - history and the vibration program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maxwell, H.

1996-12-01

This paper is the first of two papers which describe the Predictive Maintenance Program for rotating machines at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The organization has recently been restructured and significant benefits have been realized by the interaction, or {open_quotes}synergy{close_quotes} between the Vibration Program and the Lube Oil Analysis Program. This paper starts with the oldest part of the program - the Vibration Program and discusses the evolution of the program to its current state. The {open_quotes}Vibration{close_quotes} view of the combined program is then presented.

Integrated predictive maintenance program vibration and lube oil analysis: Part I - history and the vibration program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maxwell, H.

1996-01-01

This paper is the first of two papers which describe the Predictive Maintenance Program for rotating machines at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The organization has recently been restructured and significant benefits have been realized by the interaction, or open-quotes synergyclose quotes between the Vibration Program and the Lube Oil Analysis Program. This paper starts with the oldest part of the program - the Vibration Program and discusses the evolution of the program to its current state. The open-quotes Vibrationclose quotes view of the combined program is then presented

National Evaluation of the Weatherization Assistance Program: Preliminary Evaluation Plan for Program Year 2006

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ternes, Mark P [ORNL; Schweitzer, Martin [ORNL; Tonn, Bruce Edward [ORNL; Schmoyer, Richard L [ORNL; Eisenberg, Joel Fred [ORNL

2007-02-01

federal, state, and local initiatives. For example, the use of computerized audits has increased, cooling and baseload measures have been added, weatherization approaches tailored to the unique construction characteristics of mobile homes have been developed, the weatherization of large multifamily buildings has expanded and become more sophisticated, the flexibility to improve 'energy-related' health and safety has been provided, and leveraging with utilities, other state programs, and owners of large multifamily buildings has increased considerably. The Department of Energy tasked ORNL with planning the new evaluation in light of its experience in conducting the previous national evaluation and the metaevaluations. This preliminary evaluation plan, developed by ORNL, documents how the new national evaluation will be performed. In the remaining portion of this section, the purpose and fundamental questions the evaluation will address are identified and how these questions were derived is discussed.

Clinical and biochemical effects of a 3-week program of diet combined with spa therapy in obese and diabetic patients: a pilot open study

Science.gov (United States)

Fioravanti, Antonella; Adamczyk, Przemysław; Pascarelli, Nicola Antonio; Giannitti, Chiara; Urso, Renato; Tołodziecki, Michał; Ponikowska, Irena

2015-07-01

Obesity is a major risk factor for arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, dyslipidemias, and type 2 diabetes. Spa therapy has long been used for treating obesity and its comorbidities. Enlargement of adipose tissue has been linked to a dysregulation of adipokine secretion and adipose tissue inflammation. Adipokines are currently investigated as potential drug targets in these conditions. Our primary aim was to assess the clinical efficacy of a 3-week program of diet combined with spa therapy in obese patients with and without type 2 diabetes. The secondary aim was to examine whether this combined program influences the response of serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, visfatin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Fifty obese males were enrolled and 21 of these featured a type 2 diabetes. During the 3-week period of the study, the patients were on a 1,000-kcal diet and were involved in mineral bath and total body's mud-pack applications (15 procedures). Patients were assessed at baseline and at the end of the therapy for clinical and biochemical parameters (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glycemia, and adipokines). We showed that a 3-week program of spa therapy in obese patients induced significant decrease of body weight, body mass index, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, glycemia, and serum levels of leptin and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. So, a cycle of mud-bath therapy associated with a controlled diet may be a promising treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes decreasing body weight and many risk factors for atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome.

Jumping combined exercise programs reduce fall risk and improve balance and life quality of elderly people who live in a long-term care facility.

Science.gov (United States)

Cakar, E; Dincer, U; Kiralp, M Z; Cakar, D B; Durmus, O; Kilac, H; Soydan, F C; Sevinc, S; Alper, C

2010-03-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether regular combined exercise program, which consists strength, stretching and aerobic exercises and additional jumping training, improve balance, fall risk, quality of life and depression status of older people living in a residential care. A total of 168 residents who live in a long term care facility were screened. The trial began with 78 eligible participants and they were randomly grouped as combined exercises program (COM) group that includes stretching, strength and aerobic exercises, and COM plus jumping (COMpJ) group. 66 of the participants finished the trial. The groups were convened three times a week for six weeks. Each group had a warm-up, effective training and a cooling down periods. The total exercising time was no longer than 45 minutes in each group. Berg balance test and Biodex Balance System for the assessment of the dynamic balance and fall risk, short form 36 (SF 36) for the health related quality of life and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for evaluation of the depression status were used. The balance improvement and fall risk reduction were observed in both of the groups at the end of the trial; however, the improvements were statistically better in jumping combined group. Also health related quality of life improved in both groups. Regular group exercise in a long term care facility have several beneficial effects on the elderly residents in regard to balance improvement, fall risk reduction and quality of life. The addition of jumping to strength, stretching and aerobic exercises provides important contributions to balance improvement and fall risk reduction.

Report of an innovative research program for baccalaureate nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheil, E P; Crain, H

1992-10-01

In summary, an innovative low-cost way to teach undergraduate students about research and to socialize students into attending research conferences has been developed. It is not perfect yet, but with time, critical students, and responsive research-productive faculty, each program should improve. It is not surprising that sophomore students do not achieve the objectives at the same level as older students. As students move closer to the "real" world of nursing practice and develop increasing sophistication about nursing in general and research in particular, they are, hopefully, more knowledgeable consumers of nursing research. What is particularly satisfying to the planners of those Research Days is that through the experience of attending Undergraduate Research Day at various points in their educational progress, students are socialized into discussing research. Additionally, they seemed to develop some degree of comfort with this aspect of their future nursing role. The RN and former student panel participants normalized research involvement for the student attendees. Panel member stories about their mistakes and successes made students realize that nursing investigations need not be the sole property of those with doctoral degrees. A serendipitous outcome of these programs was an increased awareness by students of the specific research project in which their teachers were engaged. Students informally reported a feeling of pride and reflected accomplishment. The importance of timing in offering such programs should not have been a surprise at this urban commuter university. Unwittingly, in scheduling the Friday afternoon program the planners ignored the initial consideration that the program not impose financial hardship on students.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Noninvasive fetal QRS detection using an echo state network and dynamic programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Lukoševičius, Mantas; Marozas, Vaidotas

2014-08-01

We address a classical fetal QRS detection problem from abdominal ECG recordings with a data-driven statistical machine learning approach. Our goal is to have a powerful, yet conceptually clean, solution. There are two novel key components at the heart of our approach: an echo state recurrent neural network that is trained to indicate fetal QRS complexes, and several increasingly sophisticated versions of statistics-based dynamic programming algorithms, which are derived from and rooted in probability theory. We also employ a standard technique for preprocessing and removing maternal ECG complexes from the signals, but do not take this as the main focus of this work. The proposed approach is quite generic and can be extended to other types of signals and annotations. Open-source code is provided.

Thermal Hydraulic Fortran Program for Steady State Calculations of Plate Type Fuel Research Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khedr, H.

2008-01-01

The safety assessment of Research and Power Reactors is a continuous process over their life and that requires verified and validated codes. Power Reactor codes all over the world are well established and qualified against a real measuring data and qualified experimental facilities. These codes are usually sophisticated, require special skills and consume much more running time. On the other hand, most of the Research Reactor codes still requiring more data for validation and qualification. Therefore it is benefit for a regulatory body and the companies working in the area of Research Reactor assessment and design to have their own program that give them a quick judgment. The present paper introduces a simple one dimensional Fortran program called THDSN for steady state best estimate Thermal Hydraulic (TH) calculations of plate type fuel RRs. Beside calculating the fuel and coolant temperature distribution and pressure gradient in an average and hot channel the program calculates the safety limits and margins against the critical phenomena encountered in RR such as the burnout heat flux and the onset of flow instability. Well known TH correlations for calculating the safety parameters are used. THDSN program is verified by comparing its results for 2 and 10 MW benchmark reactors with that published in IAEA publications and good agreement is found. Also the program results are compared with those published for other programs such as PARET and TERMIC. An extension for this program is underway to cover the transient TH calculations

ITS Version 3.0: Powerful, user-friendly software for radiation modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kensek, R.P.; Halbleib, J.A.; Valdez, G.D.

1993-01-01

ITS (the Integrated Tiger Series) is a powerful, but user-friendly, software package permitting state-of-the-art modelling of electron and/or photon radiation effects. The programs provide Monte Carlo solution of linear time-independent coupled electron/photon radiation transport problems, with or without the presence of macroscopic electric and magnetic fields. The ITS system combines operational simplicity and physical accuracy in order to provide experimentalist and theorists alike with a method for the routine but rigorous solution of sophisticated radiation transport problems

An innovative approach for testing bioinformatics programs using metamorphic testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Huai

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent advances in experimental and computational technologies have fueled the development of many sophisticated bioinformatics programs. The correctness of such programs is crucial as incorrectly computed results may lead to wrong biological conclusion or misguide downstream experimentation. Common software testing procedures involve executing the target program with a set of test inputs and then verifying the correctness of the test outputs. However, due to the complexity of many bioinformatics programs, it is often difficult to verify the correctness of the test outputs. Therefore our ability to perform systematic software testing is greatly hindered. Results We propose to use a novel software testing technique, metamorphic testing (MT, to test a range of bioinformatics programs. Instead of requiring a mechanism to verify whether an individual test output is correct, the MT technique verifies whether a pair of test outputs conform to a set of domain specific properties, called metamorphic relations (MRs, thus greatly increases the number and variety of test cases that can be applied. To demonstrate how MT is used in practice, we applied MT to test two open-source bioinformatics programs, namely GNLab and SeqMap. In particular we show that MT is simple to implement, and is effective in detecting faults in a real-life program and some artificially fault-seeded programs. Further, we discuss how MT can be applied to test programs from various domains of bioinformatics. Conclusion This paper describes the application of a simple, effective and automated technique to systematically test a range of bioinformatics programs. We show how MT can be implemented in practice through two real-life case studies. Since many bioinformatics programs, particularly those for large scale simulation and data analysis, are hard to test systematically, their developers may benefit from using MT as part of the testing strategy. Therefore our work

Pipelines programming paradigms: Prefab plumbing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boeheim, C.

1991-08-01

Mastery of CMS Pipelines is a process of learning increasingly sophisticated tools and techniques that can be applied to your problem. This paper presents a compilation of techniques that can be used as a reference for solving similar problems

Combining Diffusion Models and Macroeconomic Indicators with a Modified Genetic Programming Method: Implementation in Forecasting the Number of Mobile Telecommunications Subscribers in OECD Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantinos Salpasaranis

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a modified Genetic Programming method for forecasting the mobile telecommunications subscribers’ population. The method constitutes an expansion of the hybrid Genetic Programming (hGP method improved by the introduction of diffusion models for technological forecasting purposes in the initial population, such as the Logistic, Gompertz, and Bass, as well as the Bi-Logistic and LogInLog. In addition, the aforementioned functions and models expand the function set of hGP. The application of the method in combination with macroeconomic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product per Capita (GDPpC and Consumer Prices Index (CPI leads to the creation of forecasting models and scenarios for medium- and long-term level of predictability. The forecasting module of the program has also been improved with the multi-levelled use of the statistical indices as fitness functions and model selection indices. The implementation of the modified-hGP in the datasets of mobile subscribers in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD countries shows very satisfactory forecasting performance.

The French Atomic Energy Commission program in the field of reactor instrumentation and control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golinelli, C.; Bernard, P.; Thomas, J.B.

1992-01-01

The worldwide slowing-down of the nuclear reactor construction must not lead to decrease the Research and Development effort. Particularly, in the field of the Nuclear Instrumentation and Control, new technologies are quickly changing: sensors, electronics, optronics, computer science... The nuclear industry is reluctant to the introduction of new concepts and of sophisticated technologies. Safety requires highly qualified systems. The development process must respect each step: - interest evaluation of the new idea, - designing and manufacturing of a prototype equipment, - qualification using an experimental facility or with a simulator, - qualification in operational condition (reliability, ageing, accidental standards...). We present an overview of the French CEA program covering the IC domain from the sensors to the operator screen

Estimating Typhoon Rainfall over Sea from SSM/I Satellite Data Using an Improved Genetic Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, K.; Wei, H.; Chen, L.; Liu, G.

2010-12-01

Estimating Typhoon Rainfall over Sea from SSM/I Satellite Data Using an Improved Genetic Programming Keh-Chia Yeha, Hsiao-Ping Weia,d, Li Chenb, and Gin-Rong Liuc a Department of Civil Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, 300, R.O.C. b Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Informatics, Chung Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, 300, R.O.C. c Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research, National Central University, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan, 320, R.O.C. d National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction, Taipei County, Taiwan, 231, R.O.C. Abstract This paper proposes an improved multi-run genetic programming (GP) and applies it to predict the rainfall using meteorological satellite data. GP is a well-known evolutionary programming and data mining method, used to automatically discover the complex relationships among nonlinear systems. The main advantage of GP is to optimize appropriate types of function and their associated coefficients simultaneously. This study makes an improvement to enhance escape ability from local optimums during the optimization procedure. The GP continuously runs several times by replacing the terminal nodes at the next run with the best solution at the current run. The current novel model improves GP, obtaining a highly nonlinear mathematical equation to estimate the rainfall. In the case study, this improved GP described above combining with SSM/I satellite data is employed to establish a suitable method for estimating rainfall at sea surface during typhoon periods. These estimated rainfalls are then verified with the data from four rainfall stations located at Peng-Jia-Yu, Don-Gji-Dao, Lan-Yu, and Green Island, which are four small islands around Taiwan. From the results, the improved GP can generate sophisticated and accurate nonlinear mathematical equation through two-run learning procedures which outperforms the traditional multiple linear regression, empirical equations and back-propagated network

Rehabilitation in COPD: the long-term effect of a supervised 7-week program succeeded by a self-monitored walking program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ringbaek, T; Brøndum, E; Martinez, G

2008-01-01

rehabilitation program combined with daily self-monitored training at home on exercise tolerance and health status. Two hundred and nine consecutive COPD patients who had completed a 7-week pulmonary rehabilitation program were assessed with endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT) and the St George's Respiratory...... change in SGRQ +2.0 (p = 0.40). A relative simple and inexpensive 7-week supervised rehabilitation program combined with daily self-monitored training at home was able to maintain significant improvement in exercise tolerance and health status throughout 1 year. Death and hospital admissions due to acute...

Ranking Forestry Investments With Parametric Linear Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Paul A. Murphy

1976-01-01

Parametric linear programming is introduced as a technique for ranking forestry investments under multiple constraints; it combines the advantages of simple tanking and linear programming as capital budgeting tools.

Resource programs: Draft Environmental Impact Statement Resource Programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-03-01

Every two years, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) prepares a Resource Program which identifies the resource actions BPA will take to meet its obligation to serve the forecasted power requirements of its customers. The Resource Program's Environmental Impact Statement (RPEIS) is a programmatic environmental document which will support decisions made in several future Resource Programs. Environmental documents tiered to the EIS may be prepared on a site-specific basis. The RPEIS includes a description of the environmental effects and mitigation for the various resource types available in order to evaluate the trade-offs among them. It also assesses the environmental impacts of adding thirteen alternative combinations of resources to the existing power system. This report contains the appendices to the RPEIS

Successful and rapid response of speech bulb reduction program combined with speech therapy in velopharyngeal dysfunction: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Yu-Jeong; Ko, Seung-O

2015-12-01

Velopharyngeal dysfunction in cleft palate patients following the primary palate repair may result in nasal air emission, hypernasality, articulation disorder and poor intelligibility of speech. Among conservative treatment methods, speech aid prosthesis combined with speech therapy is widely used method. However because of its long time of treatment more than a year and low predictability, some clinicians prefer a surgical intervention. Thus, the purpose of this report was to increase an attention on the effectiveness of speech aid prosthesis by introducing a case that was successfully treated. In this clinical report, speech bulb reduction program with intensive speech therapy was applied for a patient with velopharyngeal dysfunction and it was rapidly treated by 5months which was unusually short period for speech aid therapy. Furthermore, advantages of pre-operative speech aid therapy were discussed.

Sophistication and integration of plant engineering CAD-CAE systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshinaga, Toshiaki; Hanyu, Masaharu; Ota, Yoshimi; Kobayashi, Yasuhiro.

1995-01-01

In respective departments in charge of basic planning, design, manufacture, inspection and construction of nuclear power plants, by the positive utilization of CAD/CAE system, efficient workings have been advanced. This time, the plant integrated CAE system wich heightens the function of these individual systems, and can make workings efficient and advanced by unifying and integrating them was developed. This system is composed of the newly developed application system and the data base system which enables the unified management of engineering data and high speed data conversion in addition to the CAD system for three-dimensional plant layout planning. On the basis of the rich experience and the proposal of improvement of designers by the application of the CAD system for three-dimensional plant layout planning to actual machines, the automation, speed increase and the visualization of input and output by graphical user interface (GUI) in the processing of respective applications were made feasible. As the advancement of plant CAE system, scenic engineering system, integrated layout CAE system, electric instrumentation design CAE system and construction planning CAE system are described. As for the integration of plant CAE systems, the integrated engineering data base, the combination of plant CAE systems, and the operation management in the dispersed environment of networks are reported. At present, Hitachi Ltd. exerts efforts for the construction of atomic energy product in formation integrated management system as the second stage of integration. (K.I.)

A review of the EPRI hydroloads program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oehlberg, R.N.

1983-01-01

For a large, rapid, close-to-the-vessel break of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) inlet pipe, hydrodynamic loads in the primary system were speculated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to have licensing significance during the subcooled portions of a hypothetical loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). The analytical methods which are used to analyze hydroloads for licensing submittals rely on one-dimensional modeling techniques and require significant engineering judgement to couple the internal structures, such as the core support barrel, and the adjacent fluid. These analysis methods are expected to overestimate the acceleration and impact forces on primary system components. Methodology enhancements were made in a stepwise fashion, (1D, 2D, then 3D). The modified computer programs were then assessed by comparing calculated results with analytical solutions and experimental data. The calculated results compared favorably with the analytical and experimental results. Furthermore, the calculation of HDR tests V31.3 and V32 proved to be valuable for understanding the fundamental mechanics of fluid-structure interaction in large-scale systems during subcooled blowdown. The final stage of the EPRI program was to apply the coupled, 3D fluid-structure interaction methodology to the calculation of the hydrodynamic loads in a modified HDR model having a dynamic axially distributed core. EPRI's fluid-structure interaction program has resulted in state-of-the-art technology which can be applied to both nuclear licensing and engineering problems without the significant engineering judgment required of less sophisticated methods. Realistics loads can be obtained to quantify conservatisms in current licensing approaches. (orig./GL)

Stochastic Programming for Fuel Supply Planning of Combined Heat and Power Plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guericke, Daniela; Blanco, Ignacio; Morales González, Juan Miguel

The consumption of biomass to produce power and heat has increased due to the carbon neutral policies. Combined heat and power (CHP) plants often combine biomass with other fuels, e.g., natural gas. The negotiation process for supply contracts involves many uncertainties due to the long planning...... horizon. The demand for biomass is uncertain, and heat demand and electricity prices vary during the planning period. We propose a method using stochastic optimization to support the biomass and natural gas supply planning for CHP plants including short-term decisions for optimal market participation....

A Semantics for Modular General Logic Programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Etalle, Sandro

1998-01-01

Modular programs are built as a combination of separate modules, which may be developed and verified separately. Therefore, in order to reason over such programs, compositionality plays a crucial role: the semantics of the whole program must be obtainable as a simple function from the semantics of

A semantics for modular general logic programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Etalle, S.

1998-01-01

Modular programs are built as a combination of separate modules, which may be developed and verified separately. Therefore, in order to reason over such programs, compositionality plays a crucial role: the semantics of the whole program must be obtainable as a simple function from the semantics of

Impacts of C-uptake by plants on the spatial distribution of 14C accumulated in vegetation around a nuclear facility-Application of a sophisticated land surface 14C model to the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ota, Masakazu; Katata, Genki; Nagai, Haruyasu; Terada, Hiroaki

2016-10-01

The impacts of carbon uptake by plants on the spatial distribution of radiocarbon ( 14 C) accumulated in vegetation around a nuclear facility were investigated by numerical simulations using a sophisticated land surface 14 C model (SOLVEG-II). In the simulation, SOLVEG-II was combined with a mesoscale meteorological model and an atmospheric dispersion model. The model combination was applied to simulate the transfer of 14 CO 2 and to assess the radiological impact of 14 C accumulation in rice grains during test operations of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant (RRP), Japan, in 2007. The calculated 14 C-specific activities in rice grains agreed with the observed activities in paddy fields around the RRP within a factor of four. The annual effective dose delivered from 14 C in the rice grain was estimated to be less than 0.7 μSv, only 0.07% of the annual effective dose limit of 1 mSv for the public. Numerical experiments of hypothetical continuous atmospheric 14 CO 2 release from the RRP showed that the 14 C-specific activities of rice plants at harvest differed from the annual mean activities in the air. The difference was attributed to seasonal variations in the atmospheric 14 CO 2 concentration and the growth of the rice plant. Accumulation of 14 C in the rice plant significantly increased when 14 CO 2 releases were limited during daytime hours, compared with the results observed during the nighttime. These results indicated that plant growth stages and diurnal photosynthesis should be considered in predictions of the ingestion dose of 14 C for long-term chronic releases and short-term diurnal releases of 14 CO 2 , respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Positive ion portion of the LBL/LLL Neutral Beam Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pyle, R.V.; Baker, W.R.; Anderson, O.A.

1978-06-01

The positive ion portion of the Neutral Beam Development Program at the Lawrence Berkeley (LBL) and Livermore (LLL) Laboratories has two purposes: (a) to carry out general research and development in a timely way to assure that users' needs can be met in principle, and (b) to carry out specific development for users. To meet the first requirement, we have programs to develop sources capable of producing beams with high (85%) atomic fractions, long pulse lengths (10 sec to DC), and at beam energies up to 150 keV. We are also pursuing the development of on-line computer diagnostics and controls, the sophisticated high-power electronics required by neutral beam systems, and energy recovery. To meet the second requirement, we are developing prototype source modules to meet the requirements of the TMX and MFTF experiments at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, the TFTR experiment at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, and the Doublet III experiment at General Atomic Co. The Lawrence Laboratories are also constructing and will demonstrate at LBL a complete prototype neutral injection system for TFTR, and are designing a similar system for Doublet III

A continuing program for technology transfer to the apparel industry

Science.gov (United States)

Clingman, W. H.

1971-01-01

A six month program has been carried out to investigate various mechanisms for transferring technology to industry. This program has focused on transfer to the apparel industry through the Apparel Research Foundation. The procedure was to analyze the problem, obtain potentially relevant aerospace technology, and then transfer this technology to the industry organization. This was done in a specific case. Technology was identified relevant to stitchless joining, and this technology was transferred to the Apparel Research Foundation. The feasibility and ground rules for carrying out such activities on a broader scale were established. A specific objective was to transfer new technology from the industry organization to the industry itself. This required the establishment of an application engineering program. Another transfer mechanism tested was publication of solutions to industry problems in a format familiar to the industry. This is to be distinguished from circulating descriptions of new technology. Focus is on the industry problem and the manager is given a formula for solving it that he can follow. It was concluded that this mechanism can complement the problem statement approach to technology transfer. It is useful in achieving transfer when a large amount of application engineering is not necessary. A wide audience is immediately exposed to the technology. On the other hand, the major manufacturing problems which require a sophisticated technical solution integrating many innovations are less likely to be helped.

AutoBayes/CC: Combining Program Synthesis with Automatic Code Certification: System Description

Science.gov (United States)

Whalen, Michael; Schumann, Johann; Fischer, Bernd; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Code certification is a lightweight approach to formally demonstrate software quality. It concentrates on aspects of software quality that can be defined and formalized via properties, e.g., operator safety or memory safety. Its basic idea is to require code producers to provide formal proofs that their code satisfies these quality properties. The proofs serve as certificates which can be checked independently, by the code consumer or by certification authorities, e.g., the FAA. It is the idea underlying such approaches as proof-carrying code [6]. Code certification can be viewed as a more practical version of traditional Hoare-style program verification. The properties to be verified are fairly simple and regular so that it is often possible to use an automated theorem prover to automatically discharge all emerging proof obligations. Usually, however, the programmer must still splice auxiliary annotations (e.g., loop invariants) into the program to facilitate the proofs. For complex properties or larger programs this quickly becomes the limiting factor for the applicability of current certification approaches.

Predicting High or Low Transfer Efficiency of Photovoltaic Systems Using a Novel Hybrid Methodology Combining Rough Set Theory, Data Envelopment Analysis and Genetic Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee-Ing Tong

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Solar energy has become an important energy source in recent years as it generates less pollution than other energies. A photovoltaic (PV system, which typically has many components, converts solar energy into electrical energy. With the development of advanced engineering technologies, the transfer efficiency of a PV system has been increased from low to high. The combination of components in a PV system influences its transfer efficiency. Therefore, when predicting the transfer efficiency of a PV system, one must consider the relationship among system components. This work accurately predicts whether transfer efficiency of a PV system is high or low using a novel hybrid model that combines rough set theory (RST, data envelopment analysis (DEA, and genetic programming (GP. Finally, real data-set are utilized to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method.

Basic elements of a risk management program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ericson, D.M. Jr.; Varnado, G.B.

1991-01-01

The modern industrial manger faces the challenge of safely and efficiently operating increasingly complex, sophisticated, and expensive plants in an atmosphere of reduced resources and increased competition, and frequently with heightened political and public oversight. These political and public concerns have become especially significant where the Federal Government regulates and/or funds programs that have a significant potential for adverse public safety or environmental impacts. Under these circumstances, a major accident or environmental insult could translate into major programmatic delay, redirection, or even plant closing. After-the-fact (reactive) resolution of safety and/or environment problems is both costly and time-consuming process. Therefore, it is prudent for managers at all levels to initiate aggressive proactive efforts to identify and control the risks (hazards) associated with their programs. Unfortunately, risk is not a concept with a single, universally accepted definition. It is most often represented as the product of the probability of occurrence of undesired events and the resultant consequences of those events. The consequences of concern may include: loss of human health, reduction in life expectancy, or loss of life; material or financial losses; environmental damage; or even societal disturbances. This paper discusses risk management and systems safety interest in which has intensified over the post decade principally because of public perceptions of the risks associated with nuclear power and the disposal of hazardous chemical wastes

What Combinations of Contents is Driving Popularity in IPTV-based Social Networks?

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, Rajen

IPTV-based Social Networks are gaining popularity with TV programs coming over IP connection and internet like applications available on home TV. One such application is rating TV programs over some predefined genres. In this paper, we suggest an approach for building a recommender system to be used by content distributors, publishers, and motion pictures producers-directors to decide on what combinations of contents may drive popularity or unpopularity. This may be used then for creating a proper mixture of media contents which can drive high popularity. This may also be used for the purpose of catering customized contents for group of users whose taste is similar and thus combinations of contents driving popularity for a certain group is also similar. We use a novel approach for this formulation utilizing fuzzy decision trees. Computational experiments performed over real-world program review database shows that the proposed approach is very efficient towards understanding of the content combinations.

Cyber Security: Assessing Our Vulnerabilities and Developing an Effective Defense

Science.gov (United States)

Spafford, Eugene H.

The number and sophistication of cyberattacks continues to increase, but no national policy is in place to confront them. Critical systems need to be built on secure foundations, rather than the cheapest general-purpose platform. A program that combines education in cyber security, increasing resources for law enforcement, development of reliable systems for critical applications, and expanding research support in multiple areas of security and reliability is essential to combat risks that are far beyond the nuisances of spam email and viruses, and involve widespread espionage, theft, and attacks on essential services.

Effect of 8-Week Aquatic, Land- based and Combined (Aquatic-Land Training Programs On Walking Capacity in Women with Multiple Sclerosis (MS: A Burdenko Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raheleh Ghaffari

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Multiple sclerosis (MS is a chronic disease affecting all aspects of life in patients with this disease and causes a wide range of functional problems, including reduced walking capacity. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 8 weeks aquatic, land-based and combined (aquatic-land (exercise programs according to Burdenko method on the walking capacity measured by 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT. This was a pre- post design study. Thirty one women diagnosed with MS, age range 30-50 years, EDSS0.05. According to the results of this study, the combined and land-based exercises can be suggested for people with MS in order to improve their walking capacity. These methods can be suggested as appropriate non-pharmacologic complementary therapies in the rehabilitation centers.

A self-describing file protocol for simulation integration and shared postprocessors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borland, M.

1995-01-01

A typical accelerator physics code uses a combination of text output, unformatted output, and special-purpose graphics to present results to the user. Most users must learn multiple graphics and postprocessing systems; many resort to manual extraction of data from text output, creation of customized postprocessing programs, and even modification of the simulation code. This situation slows research, results in duplication of effort, hampers unforeseen use of simulation output, and makes program upgrades potentially traumatic. This paper discusses the design and use of a self-describing file protocol that addresses these problems. An extensive toolkit of generic post-processing programs, including sophisticated graphics, is available. This system has been used for most of the data collection for Advanced Photon Source (APS) commissioning , and is incorporated into a number of simulation codes

Learning Mathematics through Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Misfeldt, Morten; Ejsing-Duun, Stine

2015-01-01

In this paper we explore the potentials for learning mathematics through programming by a combination of theoretically derived potentials and cases of practical pedagogical work. We propose a model with three interdependent learning potentials as programming which can: (1) help reframe the students...... to mathematics is paramount. Analyzing two cases, we suggest a number of ways in which didactical attention to epistemic mediation can support learning mathematics....

Home-Based Palliative Care Program Relieves Chronic Pain in Kerala, India: Success Realized Through Patient, Family Narratives.

Science.gov (United States)

Ajjarapu, Aparna Sai; Broderick, Ann

2018-06-14

An estimated 1.5 billion people across the globe live with chronic pain, and an estimated 61 million people worldwide experience unrelieved serious health-related suffering. One-sixth of the global population lives in India, where approximately 10 million people endure unrelieved serious health-related suffering. The state of Kerala is home to Pallium India, one of the most sophisticated palliative care programs in the country. This private organization in Trivandrum provides palliative and hospice care to underresourced populations and emphasizes holistic pain treatment. The current project features the pain stories of six patients who received treatment from Pallium India. Basic patient demographic information was collected, and a Pallium India staff member who was fluent in Malayalam and English asked questions about each patient's pain experience. Pain narratives illustrate the substantial impact of Pallium India's home visit program and the role of total pain assessment in delivering high-quality palliative care.

Higher-Order Program Generation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rhiger, Morten

for OCaml, a dialect of ML, that provides run-time code generation for OCaml programs. We apply these byte-code combinators in semantics-directed compilation for an imperative language and in run-time specialization using type-directed partial evaluation. Finally, we present an approach to compiling goal......This dissertation addresses the challenges of embedding programming languages, specializing generic programs to specific parameters, and generating specialized instances of programs directly as executable code. Our main tools are higher-order programming techniques and automatic program generation....... It is our thesis that they synergize well in the development of customizable software. Recent research on domain-specific languages propose to embed them into existing general-purpose languages. Typed higher-order languages have proven especially useful as meta languages because they provide a rich...

General-purpose RFQ design program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wadlinger, E.A.

1984-01-01

We have written a general-purpose, radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) design program that allows maximum flexibility in picking design algorithms. This program optimizes the RFQ on any combination of design parameters while simultaneously satisfying mutually compatible, physically required constraint equations. It can be very useful for deriving various scaling laws for RFQs. This program has a friendly user interface in addition to checking the consistency of the user-defined requirements and is written to minimize the effort needed to incorporate additional constraint equations. We describe the program and present some examples

Noninvasive fetal QRS detection using an echo state network and dynamic programming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukoševičius, Mantas; Marozas, Vaidotas

2014-01-01

We address a classical fetal QRS detection problem from abdominal ECG recordings with a data-driven statistical machine learning approach. Our goal is to have a powerful, yet conceptually clean, solution. There are two novel key components at the heart of our approach: an echo state recurrent neural network that is trained to indicate fetal QRS complexes, and several increasingly sophisticated versions of statistics-based dynamic programming algorithms, which are derived from and rooted in probability theory. We also employ a standard technique for preprocessing and removing maternal ECG complexes from the signals, but do not take this as the main focus of this work. The proposed approach is quite generic and can be extended to other types of signals and annotations. Open-source code is provided. (paper)

Combining Tactics to Exploit Allee Effects for Eradication of Alien Insect Populations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suckling, David M. [New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd., Christchurch (New Zealand); Tobin, Patrick C. [Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Northern Research Station, Morgantown, WV (United States); Mccullough, Deborah G. [Departments of Entomology and Forestry, Michigan State University, Natural Science Building, East Lansing, MI (United States); Herms, Daniel A. [Department of Entomology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University, Wooster, OH (United States)

2013-07-15

Full text: Invasive species increasingly threaten ecosystems, food production, and human welfare worldwide. Hundreds of eradication programs have targeted a wide range of nonnative insect species to mitigate the economic and ecological impacts of biological invasions. Many such programs used multiple tactics to achieve this goal, but interactions between tactics have received little formal consideration, specifically as they interact with Allee dynamics. If a population can be driven below an Allee threshold, extinction becomes more probable because of factors such as the failure to find mates, satiate natural enemies, or successfully exploit food resources, as well as demographic and environmental stochasticity. A key implication of an Allee threshold is that the population can be eradicated without the need and expense of killing the last individuals. Some combinations of control tactics could interact with Allee dynamics to increase the probability of successful eradication. Combinations of tactics can be considered to have synergistic (greater efficiency in achieving extinction from the combination), additive (no improvement over single tactics alone), or antagonistic (reduced efficiency from the combination) effects on Allee dynamics. We highlight examples of combinations of tactics likely to act synergistically, additively, or antagonistically on pest populations. By exploiting the interacting effects of multiple tactics on Allee dynamics, the success and costeffectiveness of eradication programs can be enhanced. (author)

Building Models in the Classroom: Taking Advantage of Sophisticated Geomorphic Numerical Tools Using a Simple Graphical User Interface

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, S. G.; Koons, P. O.; Gerbi, C. C.; Capps, D. K.; Tucker, G. E.; Rogers, Z. A.

2014-12-01

Sophisticated numerical tools exist for modeling geomorphic processes and linking them to tectonic and climatic systems, but they are often seen as inaccessible for users with an exploratory level of interest. We have improved the accessibility of landscape evolution models by producing a simple graphics user interface (GUI) that takes advantage of the Channel-Hillslope Integrated Landscape Development (CHILD) model. Model access is flexible: the user can edit values for basic geomorphic, tectonic, and climate parameters, or obtain greater control by defining the spatiotemporal distributions of those parameters. Users can make educated predictions by choosing their own parametric values for the governing equations and interpreting the results immediately through model graphics. This method of modeling allows users to iteratively build their understanding through experimentation. Use of this GUI is intended for inquiry and discovery-based learning activities. We discuss a number of examples of how the GUI can be used at the upper high school, introductory university, and advanced university level. Effective teaching modules initially focus on an inquiry-based example guided by the instructor. As students become familiar with the GUI and the CHILD model, the class can shift to more student-centered exploration and experimentation. To make model interpretations more robust, digital elevation models can be imported and direct comparisons can be made between CHILD model results and natural topography. The GUI is available online through the University of Maine's Earth and Climate Sciences website, through the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System (CSDMS) model repository, or by contacting the corresponding author.

Performance and upgrade of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter trigger for Run II

CERN Document Server

Sauvan, Jean-Baptiste

2015-01-01

The CMS experiment implements a sophisticated two-level online trigger selection system that achieves a rejection factor of nearly $10^5$. The level one (L1) trigger is based on coarse information coming from the calorimeters and the muon detectors while the high-level trigger combines fine-grain information from all sub-detectors. In the near future the LHC will increase its centre of mass energy to 13 TeV and progressively reach an instantaneous luminosity of $2\\times 10^{34}\\,\\textrm{cm}^{-2}\\textrm{s}^{-1}$. In order to guarantee a successful and ambitious physics program under this challenging environment, the CMS Trigger and Data acquisition system must be consolidated. In particular the L1 calorimeter Trigger hardware and architecture will be changed. The aim is to maintain the current thresholds and improve the performance. This programme will be achieved by using $\\mu$TCA (Advanced Mezzanine Card) architecture with fast optical links and latest generation FPGAs. Sophisticated object reconstruction al...

Computational Identification of Potential Multi-drug Combinations for Reduction of Microglial Inflammation in Alzheimer Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas J. Anastasio

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Like other neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer Disease (AD has a prominent inflammatory component mediated by brain microglia. Reducing microglial inflammation could potentially halt or at least slow the neurodegenerative process. A major challenge in the development of treatments targeting brain inflammation is the sheer complexity of the molecular mechanisms that determine whether microglia become inflammatory or take on a more neuroprotective phenotype. The process is highly multifactorial, raising the possibility that a multi-target/multi-drug strategy could be more effective than conventional monotherapy. This study takes a computational approach in finding combinations of approved drugs that are potentially more effective than single drugs in reducing microglial inflammation in AD. This novel approach exploits the distinct advantages of two different computer programming languages, one imperative and the other declarative. Existing programs written in both languages implement the same model of microglial behavior, and the input/output relationships of both programs agree with each other and with data on microglia over an extensive test battery. Here the imperative program is used efficiently to screen the model for the most efficacious combinations of 10 drugs, while the declarative program is used to analyze in detail the mechanisms of action of the most efficacious combinations. Of the 1024 possible drug combinations, the simulated screen identifies only 7 that are able to move simulated microglia at least 50% of the way from a neurotoxic to a neuroprotective phenotype. Subsequent analysis shows that of the 7 most efficacious combinations, 2 stand out as superior both in strength and reliability. The model offers many experimentally testable and therapeutically relevant predictions concerning effective drug combinations and their mechanisms of action.

Computational identification of potential multi-drug combinations for reduction of microglial inflammation in Alzheimer disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Anastasio, Thomas J

2015-01-01

Like other neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer Disease (AD) has a prominent inflammatory component mediated by brain microglia. Reducing microglial inflammation could potentially halt or at least slow the neurodegenerative process. A major challenge in the development of treatments targeting brain inflammation is the sheer complexity of the molecular mechanisms that determine whether microglia become inflammatory or take on a more neuroprotective phenotype. The process is highly multifactorial, raising the possibility that a multi-target/multi-drug strategy could be more effective than conventional monotherapy. This study takes a computational approach in finding combinations of approved drugs that are potentially more effective than single drugs in reducing microglial inflammation in AD. This novel approach exploits the distinct advantages of two different computer programming languages, one imperative and the other declarative. Existing programs written in both languages implement the same model of microglial behavior, and the input/output relationships of both programs agree with each other and with data on microglia over an extensive test battery. Here the imperative program is used efficiently to screen the model for the most efficacious combinations of 10 drugs, while the declarative program is used to analyze in detail the mechanisms of action of the most efficacious combinations. Of the 1024 possible drug combinations, the simulated screen identifies only 7 that are able to move simulated microglia at least 50% of the way from a neurotoxic to a neuroprotective phenotype. Subsequent analysis shows that of the 7 most efficacious combinations, 2 stand out as superior both in strength and reliability. The model offers many experimentally testable and therapeutically relevant predictions concerning effective drug combinations and their mechanisms of action.

Optimizing Water Allocation under Uncertain System Conditions for Water and Agriculture Future Scenarios in Alfeios River Basin (Greece—Part B: Fuzzy-Boundary Intervals Combined with Multi-Stage Stochastic Programming Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eleni Bekri

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Optimal water allocation within a river basin still remains a great modeling challenge for engineers due to various hydrosystem complexities, parameter uncertainties and their interactions. Conventional deterministic optimization approaches have given their place to stochastic, fuzzy and interval-parameter programming approaches and their hybrid combinations for overcoming these difficulties. In many countries, including Mediterranean countries, water resources management is characterized by uncertain, imprecise and limited data because of the absence of permanent measuring systems, inefficient river monitoring and fragmentation of authority responsibilities. A fuzzy-boundary-interval linear programming methodology developed by Li et al. (2010 is selected and applied in the Alfeios river basin (Greece for optimal water allocation under uncertain system conditions. This methodology combines an ordinary multi-stage stochastic programming with uncertainties expressed as fuzzy-boundary intervals. Upper- and lower-bound solution intervals for optimized water allocation targets and probabilistic water allocations and shortages are estimated under a baseline scenario and four water and agricultural policy future scenarios for an optimistic and a pessimistic attitude of the decision makers. In this work, the uncertainty of the random water inflows is incorporated through the simultaneous generation of stochastic equal-probability hydrologic scenarios at various inflow positions instead of using a scenario-tree approach in the original methodology.

PCRELAP5: data calculation program for RELAP 5 code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silvestre, Larissa Jacome Barros

2016-01-01

Nuclear accidents in the world led to the establishment of rigorous criteria and requirements for nuclear power plant operations by the international regulatory bodies. By using specific computer programs, simulations of various accidents and transients likely to occur at any nuclear power plant are required for certifying and licensing a nuclear power plant. Based on this scenario, some sophisticated computational tools have been used such as the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5), which is the most widely used code for the thermo-hydraulic analysis of accidents and transients in nuclear reactors in Brazil and worldwide. A major difficulty in the simulation by using RELAP5 code is the amount of information required for the simulation of thermal-hydraulic accidents or transients. The preparation of the input data requires a great number of mathematical operations to calculate the geometry of the components. Thus, for those calculations performance and preparation of RELAP5 input data, a friendly mathematical preprocessor was designed. The Visual Basic for Application (VBA) for Microsoft Excel demonstrated to be an effective tool to perform a number of tasks in the development of the program. In order to meet the needs of RELAP5 users, the RELAP5 Calculation Program (Programa de Calculo do RELAP5 - PCRELAP5) was designed. The components of the code were codified; all entry cards including the optional cards of each one have been programmed. In addition, an English version for PCRELAP5 was provided. Furthermore, a friendly design was developed in order to minimize the time of preparation of input data and errors committed by users. In this work, the final version of this preprocessor was successfully applied for Safety Injection System (SIS) of Angra 2. (author)

Cultural Factors in Managing an FMS Case Program: Saudi Arabian Army Ordnance Corps (SOCP) Program

Science.gov (United States)

1977-11-01

exores:ecd when attempting, to discuss 13 complex, sophisticated technical material with senior counterparts who possessed relative fluency in...i.ored -:ith ’ mop ity; they crnnot be rvoided; the: can to a rrroat extent be anticipated as critical man- cement factors. Bfy anticipating and preparing

Highlights of the NASA particle astrophysics program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, William Vernon, E-mail: w.vernon.jones@nasa.gov [Astrophysics Division DH000, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC (United States)

2014-07-01

The NASA Particle Astrophysics Program covers Origin of the Elements, Nearest Sources of Cosmic Rays, How Cosmic Particle Accelerators Work, The Nature of Dark Matter, and Neutrino Astrophysics. Progress in each of these topics has come from sophisticated instrumentation flown on long duration balloon (LDB) flights around Antarctica over the past two decades. New opportunities including Super Pressure Balloons (SPB) and International Space Station (ISS) platforms are emerging for the next major step. Stable altitudes and long durations enabled by SPB flights ensure ultra-long duration balloon (ULDB) missions that can open doors to new science opportunities. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) has been operating on the ISS since May 2011. The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) and Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) experiments are being developed for launch to the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) in 2015. And, the Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) is planned for launch to the ISS JEM-EF after 2017. Collectively, these four complementary ISS missions covering a large portion of the cosmic ray energy spectrum serve as a cosmic ray observatory. (author)

Highlights of the NASA particle astrophysics program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, William Vernon

2014-01-01

The NASA Particle Astrophysics Program covers Origin of the Elements, Nearest Sources of Cosmic Rays, How Cosmic Particle Accelerators Work, The Nature of Dark Matter, and Neutrino Astrophysics. Progress in each of these topics has come from sophisticated instrumentation flown on long duration balloon (LDB) flights around Antarctica over the past two decades. New opportunities including Super Pressure Balloons (SPB) and International Space Station (ISS) platforms are emerging for the next major step. Stable altitudes and long durations enabled by SPB flights ensure ultra-long duration balloon (ULDB) missions that can open doors to new science opportunities. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) has been operating on the ISS since May 2011. The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) and Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) experiments are being developed for launch to the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) in 2015. And, the Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) is planned for launch to the ISS JEM-EF after 2017. Collectively, these four complementary ISS missions covering a large portion of the cosmic ray energy spectrum serve as a cosmic ray observatory. (author)

IMPACTS. Industrial Technologies Program: Summary of Program Results for CY 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2010-08-02

The Impacts report summarizes benefits resulting from ITP-sponsored technologies, including energy savings, waste reduction, increased productivity, and lowered emissions. It also provides an overview of the activities of the Industrial Assessment Centers, BestPractices Program, and Combined Heat and Power efforts.

Monthly streamflow forecasting using continuous wavelet and multi-gene genetic programming combination

Science.gov (United States)

Hadi, Sinan Jasim; Tombul, Mustafa

2018-06-01

Streamflow is an essential component of the hydrologic cycle in the regional and global scale and the main source of fresh water supply. It is highly associated with natural disasters, such as droughts and floods. Therefore, accurate streamflow forecasting is essential. Forecasting streamflow in general and monthly streamflow in particular is a complex process that cannot be handled by data-driven models (DDMs) only and requires pre-processing. Wavelet transformation is a pre-processing technique; however, application of continuous wavelet transformation (CWT) produces many scales that cause deterioration in the performance of any DDM because of the high number of redundant variables. This study proposes multigene genetic programming (MGGP) as a selection tool. After the CWT analysis, it selects important scales to be imposed into the artificial neural network (ANN). A basin located in the southeast of Turkey is selected as case study to prove the forecasting ability of the proposed model. One month ahead downstream flow is used as output, and downstream flow, upstream, rainfall, temperature, and potential evapotranspiration with associated lags are used as inputs. Before modeling, wavelet coherence transformation (WCT) analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between variables in the time-frequency domain. Several combinations were developed to investigate the effect of the variables on streamflow forecasting. The results indicated a high localized correlation between the streamflow and other variables, especially the upstream. In the models of the standalone layout where the data were entered to ANN and MGGP without CWT, the performance is found poor. In the best-scale layout, where the best scale of the CWT identified as the highest correlated scale is chosen and enters to ANN and MGGP, the performance increased slightly. Using the proposed model, the performance improved dramatically particularly in forecasting the peak values because of the inclusion

Engineering FKBP-Based Destabilizing Domains to Build Sophisticated Protein Regulation Systems.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenlin An

Full Text Available Targeting protein stability with small molecules has emerged as an effective tool to control protein abundance in a fast, scalable and reversible manner. The technique involves tagging a protein of interest (POI with a destabilizing domain (DD specifically controlled by a small molecule. The successful construction of such fusion proteins may, however, be limited by functional interference of the DD epitope with electrostatic interactions required for full biological function of proteins. Another drawback of this approach is the remaining endogenous protein. Here, we combined the Cre-LoxP system with an advanced DD and generated a protein regulation system in which the loss of an endogenous protein, in our case the tumor suppressor PTEN, can be coupled directly with a conditionally fine-tunable DD-PTEN. This new system will consolidate and extend the use of DD-technology to control protein function precisely in living cells and animal models.

Immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer: Unleash its potential through novel combinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Songchuan; Contratto, Merly; Miller, George; Leichman, Lawrence; Wu, Jennifer

2017-06-10

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer mortality in both men and women in the United States, with poor response to current standard of care, short progression-free and overall survival. Immunotherapies that target cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4, programmed cell death protein-1, and programmed death-ligand 1 checkpoints have shown remarkable activities in several cancers such as melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, and non-small cell lung cancer due to high numbers of somatic mutations, combined with cytotoxic T-cell responses. However, single checkpoint blockade was ineffective in pancreatic cancer, highlighting the challenges including the poor antigenicity, a dense desmoplastic stroma, and a largely immunosuppressive microenvironment. In this review, we will summarize available clinical results and ongoing efforts of combining immune checkpoint therapies with other treatment modalities such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. These combination therapies hold promise in unleashing the potential of immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer to achieve better and more durable clinical responses by enhancing cytotoxic T-cell responses.

Structural load combinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, H.; Reich, M.; Ellingwood, B.; Shinozuka, M.

1985-01-01

This paper presents the latest results of the program entitled, ''Probability Based Load Combinations For Design of Category I Structures''. In FY 85, a probability-based reliability analysis method has been developed to evaluate safety of shear wall structures. The shear walls are analyzed using stick models with beam elements and may be subjected to dead load, live load and in-plane eqrthquake. Both shear and flexure limit states are defined analytically. The limit state probabilities can be evaluated on the basis of these limit states. Utilizing the reliability analysis method mentioned above, load combinations for the design of shear wall structures have been established. The proposed design criteria are in the load and resistance factor design (LRFD) format. In this study, the resistance factors for shear and flexure and load factors for dead and live loads are preassigned, while the load factor for SSE is determined for a specified target limit state probability of 1.0 x 10 -6 or 1.0 x 10 -5 during a lifetime of 40 years. 23 refs., 9 tabs

Structural load combinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, H.; Reich, M.; Ellingwood, B.; Shinozuka, M.

1986-01-01

This paper presents the latest results of the program entitled, ''Probability Based Load Combinations For Design of Category I Structures''. In FY 85, a probability-based reliability analysis method has been developed to evaluate safety of shear wall structures. The shear walls are analyzed using stick models with beam elements and may be subjected to dead load, live load and in-plane earthquake. Both shear and flexure limit states are defined analytically. The limit state probabilities can be evaluated on the basis of these limit states. Utilizing the reliability analysis method mentioned above, load combinations for the design of shear wall structures have been established. The proposed design criteria are in the load and resistance factor design (LRFD) format. In this study, the resistance factors for shear and flexure and load factors for dead and live loads are preassigned, while the load factor for SSE is determined for a specified target limit state probability of 1.0 x 10 -6 or 1.0 x 10 -5 during a lifetime of 40 years

Combining Orthogonal Chain-End Deprotections and Thiol-Maleimide Michael Coupling: Engineering Discrete Oligomers by an Iterative Growth Strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zhihao; Zhao, Junfei; Wang, Zimu; Meng, Fanying; Ding, Kunshan; Pan, Xiangqiang; Zhou, Nianchen; Li, Xiaopeng; Zhang, Zhengbiao; Zhu, Xiulin

2017-10-23

Orthogonal maleimide and thiol deprotections were combined with thiol-maleimide coupling to synthesize discrete oligomers/macromolecules on a gram scale with molecular weights up to 27.4 kDa (128mer, 7.9 g) using an iterative exponential growth strategy with a degree of polymerization (DP) of 2 n -1. Using the same chemistry, a "readable" sequence-defined oligomer and a discrete cyclic topology were also created. Furthermore, uniform dendrons were fabricated using sequential growth (DP=2 n -1) or double exponential dendrimer growth approaches (DP=22n -1) with significantly accelerated growth rates. A versatile, efficient, and metal-free method for construction of discrete oligomers with tailored structures and a high growth rate would greatly facilitate research into the structure-property relationships of sophisticated polymeric materials. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Thermal-hydraulic Fortran program for steady-state calculations of plate-type fuel research reactors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khedr Ahmed

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The safety assessment of research and power reactors is a continuous process covering their lifespan and requiring verified and validated codes. Power reactor codes all over the world are well established and qualified against real measuring data and qualified experimental facilities. These codes are usually sophisticated, require special skills and consume a lot of running time. On the other hand, most research reactor codes still require much more data for validation and qualification. It is, therefore, of benefit to any regulatory body to develop its own codes for the review and assessment of research reactors. The present paper introduces a simple, one-dimensional Fortran program called THDSN for steady-state thermal-hydraulic calculations of plate-type fuel research reactors. Besides calculating the fuel and coolant temperature distributions and pressure gradients in an average and hot channel, the program calculates the safety limits and margins against the critical phenomena encountered in research reactors, such as the onset of nucleate boiling, critical heat flux and flow instability. Well known thermal-hydraulic correlations for calculating the safety parameters and several formulas for the heat transfer coefficient have been used. The THDSN program was verified by comparing its results for 2 and 10 MW benchmark reactors with those published in IAEA publications and a good agreement was found. Also, the results of the program are compared with those published for other programs, such as the PARET and TERMIC.

HAL/SM language specification. [programming languages and computer programming for space shuttles

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, G. P. W., Jr.; Ross, C.

1975-01-01

A programming language is presented for the flight software of the NASA Space Shuttle program. It is intended to satisfy virtually all of the flight software requirements of the space shuttle. To achieve this, it incorporates a wide range of features, including applications-oriented data types and organizations, real time control mechanisms, and constructs for systems programming tasks. It is a higher order language designed to allow programmers, analysts, and engineers to communicate with the computer in a form approximating natural mathematical expression. Parts of the English language are combined with standard notation to provide a tool that readily encourages programming without demanding computer hardware expertise. Block diagrams and flow charts are included. The semantics of the language is discussed.

Combination TLD/TED dose assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkhurst, M.A.

1992-11-01

During the early 1980s, an appraisal of dosimetry programs at US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities identified a significant weakness in dose assessment in fast neutron environments. Basing neutron dose equivalent on thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDS) was not entirely satisfactory for environments that had not been well characterized. In most operational situations, the dosimeters overrespond to neutrons, and this overresponse could be further exaggerated with changes in the neutron quality factor (Q). Because TLDs are energy dependent with an excellent response to thermal and low-energy neutrons but a weak response to fast neutrons, calibrating the dosimetry system to account for mixed and moderated neutron energy fields is a difficult and seldom satisfactory exercise. To increase the detection of fast neutrons and help improve the accuracy of dose equivalent determinations, a combination dosimeter was developed using TLDs to detect thermal and low-energy neutrons and a track-etch detector (TED) to detect fast neutrons. By combining the albedo energy response function of the TLDs with the track detector elements, the dosimeter can nearly match the fluence-to-dose equivalent conversion curve. The polymer CR-39 has neutron detection characteristics superior to other materials tested. The CR-39 track detector is beta and gamma insensitive and does not require backscatter (albedo) from the body to detect the exposure. As part of DOE's Personnel Neutron and Upgrade Program, we have been developing a R-39 track detector over the past decade to address detection and measurement of fast neutrons. Using CR-39 TEDs in combination with TLDs will now allow us to detect the wide spectrum of occupational neutron energies and assign dose equivalents much more confidently

Boolean network identification from perturbation time series data combining dynamics abstraction and logic programming.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostrowski, M; Paulevé, L; Schaub, T; Siegel, A; Guziolowski, C

2016-11-01

Boolean networks (and more general logic models) are useful frameworks to study signal transduction across multiple pathways. Logic models can be learned from a prior knowledge network structure and multiplex phosphoproteomics data. However, most efficient and scalable training methods focus on the comparison of two time-points and assume that the system has reached an early steady state. In this paper, we generalize such a learning procedure to take into account the time series traces of phosphoproteomics data in order to discriminate Boolean networks according to their transient dynamics. To that end, we identify a necessary condition that must be satisfied by the dynamics of a Boolean network to be consistent with a discretized time series trace. Based on this condition, we use Answer Set Programming to compute an over-approximation of the set of Boolean networks which fit best with experimental data and provide the corresponding encodings. Combined with model-checking approaches, we end up with a global learning algorithm. Our approach is able to learn logic models with a true positive rate higher than 78% in two case studies of mammalian signaling networks; for a larger case study, our method provides optimal answers after 7min of computation. We quantified the gain in our method predictions precision compared to learning approaches based on static data. Finally, as an application, our method proposes erroneous time-points in the time series data with respect to the optimal learned logic models. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prototype real-time baseband signal combiner. [deep space network

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, L. D.

1980-01-01

The design and performance of a prototype real-time baseband signal combiner, used to enhance the received Voyager 2 spacecraft signals during the Jupiter flyby, is described. Hardware delay paths, operating programs, and firmware are discussed.

Kinetic theory of beam-induced plasmas generalised to sophisticated atomic structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peyraud-Cuenca, Nelly

1987-01-01

We present an analytic kinetic model available for all particle-beam-induced atomic plasmas, without any restriction on the distribution of electronic levels. The method is an iteration of the already known solution available only for the distribution of atomic levels as in the rare gases. We recall a universal atomic kinetic model which, independently of its applications to the study of efficient laser systems, might be a first step in the analytic investigation of molecular problems. Then, the iteration is systematically applied to all possible atomic structures whose number is increased by the non-local character of inelastic processes. We deduce a general analytic representation of the 'tail' of the electron distribution function as a ratio between non-local source terms and a combination of inelastic cross sections, from which we exhibit a physical interpretation and essential scaling laws. The theory is applied to sodium which is an important element in the research of efficient laser systems. (author)

An intuitionistic fuzzy multi-objective non-linear programming model for sustainable irrigation water allocation under the combination of dry and wet conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mo; Fu, Qiang; Singh, Vijay P.; Ma, Mingwei; Liu, Xiao

2017-12-01

Water scarcity causes conflicts among natural resources, society and economy and reinforces the need for optimal allocation of irrigation water resources in a sustainable way. Uncertainties caused by natural conditions and human activities make optimal allocation more complex. An intuitionistic fuzzy multi-objective non-linear programming (IFMONLP) model for irrigation water allocation under the combination of dry and wet conditions is developed to help decision makers mitigate water scarcity. The model is capable of quantitatively solving multiple problems including crop yield increase, blue water saving, and water supply cost reduction to obtain a balanced water allocation scheme using a multi-objective non-linear programming technique. Moreover, it can deal with uncertainty as well as hesitation based on the introduction of intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. Consideration of the combination of dry and wet conditions for water availability and precipitation makes it possible to gain insights into the various irrigation water allocations, and joint probabilities based on copula functions provide decision makers an average standard for irrigation. A case study on optimally allocating both surface water and groundwater to different growth periods of rice in different subareas in Heping irrigation area, Qing'an County, northeast China shows the potential and applicability of the developed model. Results show that the crop yield increase target especially in tillering and elongation stages is a prevailing concern when more water is available, and trading schemes can mitigate water supply cost and save water with an increased grain output. Results also reveal that the water allocation schemes are sensitive to the variation of water availability and precipitation with uncertain characteristics. The IFMONLP model is applicable for most irrigation areas with limited water supplies to determine irrigation water strategies under a fuzzy environment.

Randomized controlled trial on the effects of a combined sleep hygiene education and behavioral approach program on sleep quality in workers with insomnia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaku, Akiko; Nishinoue, Nao; Takano, Tomoki; Eto, Risa; Kato, Noritada; Ono, Yutaka; Tanaka, Katsutoshi

2012-01-01

To evaluate the effects of a combined sleep hygiene education and behavioral approach program on sleep quality in workers with insomnia, we conducted a randomized controlled trial at a design engineering unit in Japan. Employees evaluated for insomnia by the Athens Insomnia Scale (≥6 points) were divided into an intervention and control group. The intervention group received a short-term intervention (30 min) program that included sleep hygiene education and behavioral approaches (relaxation training, stimulus control, and sleep restriction) performed by occupational health professionals. We calculated differences in change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores between the two groups from baseline to three months after the start of intervention after adjusting for gender, age, job title, job category, average number of hours of overtime during the study period, marital status, smoking habit, average number of days of alcohol consumption per week, exercise habits, K6 score, and baseline PSQI score. Results showed that the average PSQI score decreased by 1.0 in the intervention group but increased by 0.9 in the control group. Additionally, the difference in variation between the two groups was 1.9 (95% confidence interval: 0.6 to 3.4), which was significant. Taken together, these results indicate that the intervention program significantly improved the sleep quality of workers with insomnia.

Elementary Education Program for Engineering by Dual System of Workshop and Teaching Program with Practical Subject

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Toshitsugu

Elementary education program for engineering by the dual system combined with workshop program and teaching program with practical subject was discussed. The dual system which consists of several workshop programs and fundamental subjects (such as mathematics, English and physics) with practical material has been performed for the freshmen. The elementary workshop program (primary course) has four workshops and the related lectures. Fundamental subjects are taught with the practical or engineering texts. English subjects are taught by specified teachers who have ever worked in engineering field with English. The dual system was supported by such systems as the center for success initiative and the English education center.

Analysis of combined heat and mass transfer of water- Vapor in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper, the combined heat and mass transfer of water-vapor into a cylindrical zeolite adsorber has been numerically simulated The twodimensional heat and mass transfer equations are numerically solved using gPROMS program - a general Process Modeling System {lJ program, inserting the proper initial and ...

Analysis of combined heat and mass transfer of water-vapor in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Jn this paper, the combined heat and mass transfer of water-vapor into a cylindrical zeolite adsorber has been numerically simulated The twodimensional heat and mass transfer equations are numerically solved using gPROMS program - a general Process Modeling System [J] program, inserting the proper initial and ...

Combination and Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philipp Mayring

2001-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper, I am going to outline ways of combining qualitative and quantitative steps of analysis on five levels. On the technical level, programs for the computer-aided analysis of qualitative data offer various combinations. Where the data are concerned, the employment of categories (for instance by using qualitative content analysis allows for combining qualitative and quantitative forms of data analysis. On the individual level, the creation of types and the inductive generalisation of cases allow for proceeding from individual case material to quantitative generalisations. As for research design, different models can be distinguished (preliminary study, generalisation, elaboration, triangulation which combine qualitative and quantitative steps of analysis. Where the logic of research is concerned, it can be shown that an extended process model which combined qualitative and quantitative research can be appropriate and thus lead to an integration of the two approaches. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs010162

Specialization-Specific Course Assessments Integrated for Program Assessment

OpenAIRE

Qurban A. Memon; Adnan Harb; Shakeel Khoja

2012-01-01

The program assessment process combines assessments from individual courses to generate final program assessment to match accreditation benchmarks. In developing countries, industrial environment is not diversified to allow graduating engineers to seek jobs in all disciplines or specializations of an engineering program. Hence, it seems necessary to seek evolution of an engineering program assessment for specialized requirements of the industry. This paper describes how specialization-specifi...

United States program for the safety assessment of geologic disposal of commercial radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Claiborne, H.C.

1977-01-01

The safe disposal of commercial radioactive wastes in deep geologic formations is the goal of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program. A comprehensive safety assessment program has been established which will proceed on a schedule consistent with the start-up of two waste repositories in late 1985. Safety assessment begins with selection of a disposal site; that is, all geologic and hydrologic factors must indicate long-term stability of the formation and prospective isolation of wastes from circulating around waters for hundreds of thousands of years. The long-term stability of each site must be demonstrated by sophisticated rock mechanics analyses. To help provide answers on the mechanism and consequences of an unlikely breach in the integrity of the repository, a Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP) is being sponsored at the Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories. Methods and data necessary to characterize the safety of generic geological waste disposal concepts, which are to be applied in the assessment of specific sties, will be developed. Other long-term safety-related studies that complement WISAP are in progress, for example, borehole plugging, salt dissolutioning, and salt transport in vertical boreholes. Requirements for licensing are in the process of being formulated by the NRC

Locations of Combined Sewer Overflow Outfalls - US EPA Region 3

Science.gov (United States)

This data layer identifies the locations of Combined sewer overflow outfalls. Combined sewer systems are sewers that are designed to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater in the same pipe. Most of the time, combined sewer systems transport all of their wastewater to a sewage treatment plant, where it is treated and then discharged to a water body. During periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, however, the wastewater volume in a combined sewer system can exceed the capacity of the sewer system or treatment plant. For this reason, combined sewer systems are designed to overflow occasionally and discharge excess untreated wastewater directly to nearby streams, rivers, or other water bodies. For further information visit: http://cfpub1.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=5

The Prenatal Care at School Program

Science.gov (United States)

Griswold, Carol H.; Nasso, Jacqueline T.; Swider, Susan; Ellison, Brenda R.; Griswold, Daniel L.; Brooks, Marilyn

2013-01-01

School absenteeism and poor compliance with prenatal appointments are concerns for pregnant teens. The Prenatal Care at School (PAS) program is a new model of prenatal care involving local health care providers and school personnel to reduce the need for students to leave school for prenatal care. The program combines prenatal care and education…

A pilot study of biomechanical assessment before and after an integrative training program for adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Susan T; Thomas, Staci; DiCesare, Christopher; Pfeiffer, Megan; Sil, Soumitri; Ting, Tracy V; Williams, Sara E; Myer, Gregory D; Kashikar-Zuck, Susmita

2016-07-22

Adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM) tend to be very sedentary and avoid participation in physical activity. A prior study suggested that JFM patients show altered biomechanics compared to healthy adolescents which may make them more prone to pain/injury during exercise. A new intervention combining well established cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques with specialized neuromuscular exercise -Fibromyalgia Integrative Training for Teens (FIT Teens) was developed and shown to be promising in improving functioning in adolescents with JFM. In contrast to traditional exercise programs such as aerobic or resistance training, neuromuscular training is a tailored approach which targets gait, posture, balance and movement mechanics which form the foundation for safe exercise participation with reduced risk for injury or pain (and hence more tolerable by JFM patients). The aim of this pilot feasibility study was to establish whether objective biomechanical assessment including sophisticated 3-D motion analysis would be useful in measuring improvements in strength, balance, gait, and functional performance after participation in the 8-week FIT Teens program. Eleven female participants with JFM (ages 12-18 years) completed pre- and post-treatment assessments of biomechanics, including walking gait analysis, lower extremity strength assessment, functional performance, and dynamic postural stability. Descriptive data indicated that mechanics of walking gait and functional performance appeared to improve after treatment. Hip abduction strength and dynamic postural control also demonstrated improvements bilaterally. Overall, the results of this pilot study offer initial evidence for the utility of biomechanical assessment to objectively demonstrate observable changes in biomechanical performance after an integrated training intervention for youth with JFM. If replicated in larger controlled studies, findings would suggest that through the FIT Teens intervention

Combining gene prediction methods to improve metagenomic gene annotation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosen Gail L

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Traditional gene annotation methods rely on characteristics that may not be available in short reads generated from next generation technology, resulting in suboptimal performance for metagenomic (environmental samples. Therefore, in recent years, new programs have been developed that optimize performance on short reads. In this work, we benchmark three metagenomic gene prediction programs and combine their predictions to improve metagenomic read gene annotation. Results We not only analyze the programs' performance at different read-lengths like similar studies, but also separate different types of reads, including intra- and intergenic regions, for analysis. The main deficiencies are in the algorithms' ability to predict non-coding regions and gene edges, resulting in more false-positives and false-negatives than desired. In fact, the specificities of the algorithms are notably worse than the sensitivities. By combining the programs' predictions, we show significant improvement in specificity at minimal cost to sensitivity, resulting in 4% improvement in accuracy for 100 bp reads with ~1% improvement in accuracy for 200 bp reads and above. To correctly annotate the start and stop of the genes, we find that a consensus of all the predictors performs best for shorter read lengths while a unanimous agreement is better for longer read lengths, boosting annotation accuracy by 1-8%. We also demonstrate use of the classifier combinations on a real dataset. Conclusions To optimize the performance for both prediction and annotation accuracies, we conclude that the consensus of all methods (or a majority vote is the best for reads 400 bp and shorter, while using the intersection of GeneMark and Orphelia predictions is the best for reads 500 bp and longer. We demonstrate that most methods predict over 80% coding (including partially coding reads on a real human gut sample sequenced by Illumina technology.

Combination Welding Technical Terms. English-Thai Lexicon. Introduction to Combination Welding. Thai Version. Multi-Cultural Competency-Based Vocational/Technical Curricula Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Masako T.

This English-Thai lexicon and program introduction for combination welding is one of eight documents in the Multicultural Competency-Based Vocational/Technical Curricula Series. It is intended for use in postsecondary, adult, and preservice teacher and administrator education. The first two sections provide Thai equivalencies of English…

Framework for assessing causality in disease management programs: principles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Thomas; MacDowell, Martin

2003-01-01

To credibly state that a disease management (DM) program "caused" a specific outcome it is required that metrics observed in the DM population be compared with metrics that would have been expected in the absence of a DM intervention. That requirement can be very difficult to achieve, and epidemiologists and others have developed guiding principles of causality by which credible estimates of DM impact can be made. This paper introduces those key principles. First, DM program metrics must be compared with metrics from a "reference population." This population should be "equivalent" to the DM intervention population on all factors that could independently impact the outcome. In addition, the metrics used in both groups should use the same defining criteria (ie, they must be "comparable" to each other). The degree to which these populations fulfill the "equivalent" assumption and metrics fulfill the "comparability" assumption should be stated. Second, when "equivalence" or "comparability" is not achieved, the DM managers should acknowledge this fact and, where possible, "control" for those factors that may impact the outcome(s). Finally, it is highly unlikely that one study will provide definitive proof of any specific DM program value for all time; thus, we strongly recommend that studies be ongoing, at multiple points in time, and at multiple sites, and, when observational study designs are employed, that more than one type of study design be utilized. Methodologically sophisticated studies that follow these "principles of causality" will greatly enhance the reputation of the important and growing efforts in DM.

Targeting IAP proteins in combination with radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fulda, Simone

2015-01-01

The efficacy of radiotherapy critically depends on the activation of intrinsic cell death programs in cancer cells. This implies that evasion of cell death, a hallmark of human cancers, can contribute to radioresistance. Therefore, novel strategies to reactivate cell death programs in cancer cells are required in order to overcome resistance to radiotherapy. Since Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) proteins are expressed at high levels in multiple cancers and block cell death induction at a central point, therapeutic targeting of IAP proteins represents a promising approach to potentiate the efficacy of radiotherapy. The current review discusses the concept of targeting IAP proteins in combination with radiotherapy

Combining data in non-destructive testing; Fusion de donnees en CND pour le projet pace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lavayssiere, B

1994-03-01

Non-destructive testing of some components requires quite often the use of several methods such as X-ray, ultrasonics, Eddy Currents. But the efficiency of a NDT method is highly dependent on the fact that the detectability of flaws in a specimen relies on the choice of the best method. Moreover a lot of inspection issues could benefit from the use of more than one test method, as each NDT method has its own physical properties and technological limits. Some questions still remain: how to combine data, at what level and for what functionality. Simple monomethod processes are well-known now. They include techniques like reconstruction which belongs to the so-called ill-posed problems in the field of mathematics. For NDT data processing, it has the ability to estimate real data from distorted ones coming from a probe. But, up to now there has been very few approaches for computer aided combination of results from different advanced techniques. This report presents the various mathematical fields involved towards that goal (statistical decision theory which allows the use of multiple hypothesis, non-linear decision theory for its capability to classify and to discriminate, graph theory to find the optimal path in an hypothesis graph and also fuzzy logic, multiple resolution analysis, artificial intelligence,...) and which combinations of methods are useful. Some images will illustrate this topic in which EDF is involved, and will explain what are the major goals of this work. Combining is not only an improvement of 3D visualisation which would allow to display simultaneously CAD or NDT data for example, but it consists in exploiting multisensor data collected via a variety of sophisticated techniques and presenting this information to the operator without overloading the operator/system capacities in order to reduce the uncertainty and to resolve the ambiguity inherent to mono method inspection. (author). 7 figs., 35 refs.

[Cognitive training combined with aerobic exercises in multiple sclerosis patients: a pilot study].

Science.gov (United States)

Jimenez-Morales, R M; Herrera-Jimenez, L F; Macias-Delgado, Y; Perez-Medinilla, Y T; Diaz-Diaz, S M; Forn, C

2017-06-01

The scientific evidences associated to the effectiveness of different techniques of cognitive rehabilitation are still contradictory. To compare a program of combined training (physical and cognitive) in front of a program of physical training and to observe their effectiveness about the optimization of the cognitive functions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). It was carried out an experimental study in 32 patients with MS. The patients were distributed in two groups: 16 to the experimental group (combined cognitive training with aerobic exercises) and 16 patients to the control group (aerobic exercises). The intervention was planned for six weeks combining cognitive tasks by means of a game of dynamic board of cubes and signs (TaDiCS ®) and a program of aerobic exercises. The Brief Repeatable Battery of Neuropsychological Test and the Stroop Test were applied to evaluate the cognitive yield. Also, the Beck Depression Inventory was administered. There were found significant differences in the intergrupal analysis after the intervention in the variable learning and visuoespacial long term memory (p = 0.000), attention (p = 0.026) and inhibitory control (p = 0.007). Also, in the intragroup analysis there were found significant differences in these variables and information processing speed in the group that received the combined training. These patients also showed a significant improvement in the emotional state (p = 0.043). The cognitive training combined with the aerobic exercises is effective to improve the cognitive performance.

Museum Accessibility: Combining Audience Research and Staff Training

Science.gov (United States)

Levent, Nina; Reich, Christine

2013-01-01

This article discusses an audience-informed professional development model that combines audience research focus groups and staff training that includes interaction and direct feedback from visitors, in this case, visitors with low vision. There are two critical components to this model: one is that museums' programming decisions are informed by…

A Randomised Controlled Trial of Two Early Intervention Programs for Young Children with Autism: Centre-Based with Parent Program and Home-Based

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Jacqueline; Williams, Katrina; Carter, Mark; Evans, David; Parmenter, Trevor; Silove, Natalie; Clark, Trevor; Warren, Anthony

2011-01-01

This study compares outcomes of early intervention programs for young children with autism; an individualised home-based program (HB), a small group centre-based program for children combined with a parent training and support group (CB) and a non-treatment comparison group (WL). Outcome measures of interest include social and communication skill…

A Sophisticated Architecture Is Indeed Necessary for the Implementation of Health in All Policies but not Enough Comment on "Understanding the Role of Public Administration in Implementing Action on the Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequities".

Science.gov (United States)

Breton, Eric

2016-02-29

In this commentary, I argue that beyond a sophisticated supportive architecture to facilitate implementation of actions on the social determinants of health (SDOH) and health inequities, the Health in All Policies (HiAP) project faces two main barriers: lack of awareness within policy networks on the social determinants of population health, and a tendency of health actors to neglect investing in other sectors' complex problems. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

A Call to Include Severe Combined Immunodeficiency in Newborn Screening Program

OpenAIRE

Raz Somech; Amos Etzioni

2014-01-01

Quantification of the T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) has recently emerged as a useful non-invasive clinical and research tool to investigate thymic activity. It allows the identification of T cell production by the thymus. Quantification of TREC copies has recently been implemented as the preferred test to screen neonates with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) or significant lymphopenia. Neonatal genetic screening for SCID is highly important in countries with high rates of co...

Development and application of the PCRELAP5 - Data Calculation Program for RELAP 5 Code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silvestre, Larissa J.B.; Sabundjian, Gaianê

2017-01-01

Nuclear accidents in the world led to the establishment of rigorous criteria and requirements for nuclear power plant operations by the international regulatory bodies. By using specific computer programs, simulations of various accidents and transients likely to occur at any nuclear power plant are required for certifying and licensing a nuclear power plant. Some sophisticated computational tools have been used such as the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5), which is the most widely used code for the thermo-hydraulic analysis of accidents and transients in nuclear reactors in Brazil and worldwide. A major difficulty in the simulation by using RELAP5 code is the amount of information required for the simulation of thermal-hydraulic accidents or transients. Thus, for those calculations performance and preparation of RELAP5 input data, a friendly mathematical preprocessor was designed. The Visual Basic for Application (VBA) for Microsoft Excel demonstrated to be an effective tool to perform a number of tasks in the development of the program. In order to meet the needs of RELAP5 users, the RELAP5 Calculation Program (Programa de Cálculo do RELAP5 – PCRELAP5) was designed. The components of the code were codified; all entry cards including the optional cards of each one have been programmed. An English version for PCRELAP5 was provided. Furthermore, a friendly design was developed in order to minimize the time of preparation of input data and errors committed by users. The final version of this preprocessor was successfully applied for Safety Injection System (SIS) of Angra-2. (author)

Development and application of the PCRELAP5 - Data Calculation Program for RELAP 5 Code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silvestre, Larissa J.B.; Sabundjian, Gaianê, E-mail: larissajbs@usp.br, E-mail: gdjian@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-07-01

Nuclear accidents in the world led to the establishment of rigorous criteria and requirements for nuclear power plant operations by the international regulatory bodies. By using specific computer programs, simulations of various accidents and transients likely to occur at any nuclear power plant are required for certifying and licensing a nuclear power plant. Some sophisticated computational tools have been used such as the Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5), which is the most widely used code for the thermo-hydraulic analysis of accidents and transients in nuclear reactors in Brazil and worldwide. A major difficulty in the simulation by using RELAP5 code is the amount of information required for the simulation of thermal-hydraulic accidents or transients. Thus, for those calculations performance and preparation of RELAP5 input data, a friendly mathematical preprocessor was designed. The Visual Basic for Application (VBA) for Microsoft Excel demonstrated to be an effective tool to perform a number of tasks in the development of the program. In order to meet the needs of RELAP5 users, the RELAP5 Calculation Program (Programa de Cálculo do RELAP5 – PCRELAP5) was designed. The components of the code were codified; all entry cards including the optional cards of each one have been programmed. An English version for PCRELAP5 was provided. Furthermore, a friendly design was developed in order to minimize the time of preparation of input data and errors committed by users. The final version of this preprocessor was successfully applied for Safety Injection System (SIS) of Angra-2. (author)

Effect of A 16 Week Combined Strength and Plyometric Training Program Followed by A Detraining Period on Athletic Performance in Pubertal Volleyball Players.

Science.gov (United States)

Fathi, Abed; Hammami, Raouf; Moran, Jason; Borji, Rihab; Sahli, Sonia; Rebai, Haithem

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 16 weeks of combined strength and plyometric training or plyometric training alone, and how a detraining program can modify adaptations in response to the training stimulus. Sixty male volleyball players (circa PHV:-1 to +1 years from PHV) were assigned to a Combined Training group (CTG) (n=20), a Plyometric Training group (PTG) (n=20) or a control group (CG) (n=20). The experimental groups (CTG and PTG) participated in training twice weekly for 16 weeks. Thigh muscle volume, body fat, flexibility, sprint, jump height and medicine ball throw were measured at pre-training, post-training and detraining. Respectively, the CTG and PTG showed increases in thigh muscle volume (Effect size: 0.71 and 0.42), and decreases in body fat (-0.42 and -0.34) as well as improvements in 5 m sprint (-0.69 and -0.46) 10 m sprint (-0.31 and -0.3), lower body muscle power (0.44 and 0.36) and upper body muscle power (1.32 and 0.7). After the detraining period, all groups maintained previously attained muscle power (6.79% to 9.87%; pplyometric training provided better improvements than plyometric training only. The combination of strength and plyometric training is a time-effective training modality that confers improvements in physical performance measures, muscle size and body fat. A temporary period of detraining may not undermine performance gains in pubertal volleyball players.

A History of Probabilistic Inductive Logic Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio eRiguzzi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The field of Probabilistic Logic Programming (PLP has seen significant advances in the last 20 years, with many proposals for languages that combine probability with logic programming. Since the start, the problem of learning probabilistic logic programs has been the focus of much attention. Learning these programs represents a whole subfield of Inductive Logic Programming (ILP. In Probabilistic ILP (PILP two problems are considered: learning the parameters of a program given the structure (the rules and learning both the structure and the parameters. Usually structure learning systems use parameter learning as a subroutine. In this article we present an overview of PILP and discuss the main results.

Music programming for your hands and ears only

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pauws, S.C.; Bouwhuis, D.G.; Eggen, J.H.

1998-01-01

An experimental evaluation is presented of the usability properties of a multimodal interaction style for music programming. The experiment investigated task performance and learning of procedures while performing music programming tasks in the presence or absence of a visual display combined with a

Variable thickness transient ground-water flow model. Volume 3. Program listings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reisenauer, A.E.

1979-12-01

The Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems (AEGIS) Program is developing and applying the methodology for assessing the far-field, long-term post-closure safety of deep geologic nuclear waste repositories. AEGIS is being performed by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) under contract with the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (OWNI) for the Department of Energy (DOE). One task within AEGIS is the development of methodology for analysis of the consequences (water pathway) from loss of repository containment as defined by various release scenarios. Analysis of the long-term, far-field consequences of release scenarios requires the application of numerical codes which simulate the hydrologic systems, model the transport of released radionuclides through the hydrologic systems to the biosphere, and, where applicable, assess the radiological dose to humans. Hydrologic and transport models are available at several levels of complexity or sophistication. Model selection and use are determined by the quantity and quality of input data. Model development under AEGIS and related programs provides three levels of hydrologic models, two levels of transport models, and one level of dose models (with several separate models). This is the third of 3 volumes of the description of the VTT (Variable Thickness Transient) Groundwater Hydrologic Model - second level (intermediate complexity) two-dimensional saturated groundwater flow

DARTAB: a program to combine airborne radionuclide environmental exposure data with dosimetric and health effects data to generate tabulations of predicted health impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Begovich, C.L.; Eckerman, K.F.; Schlatter, E.C.; Ohr, S.Y.; Chester, R.O.

1981-08-01

The DARTAB computer code combines radionuclide environmental exposure data with dosimetric and health effects data to generate tabulations of the predicted impact of radioactive airborne effluents. DARTAB is independent of the environmental transport code used to generate the environmental exposure data and the codes used to produce the dosimetric and health effects data. Therefore human dose and risk calculations need not be added to every environmental transport code. Options are included in DARTAB to permit the user to request tabulations by various topics (e.g., cancer site, exposure pathway, etc.) to facilitate characterization of the human health impacts of the effluents. The DARTAB code was written at ORNL for the US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Radiation Programs

Combined Quitline Counseling and Text Messaging for Smoking Cessation: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Boal, Ashley L; Abroms, Lorien C; Simmens, Samuel; Graham, Amanda L; Carpenter, Kelly M

2016-05-01

This study seeks to determine whether comprehensive quitline services combined with text messaging improve smoking cessation rates beyond those achieved by offering comprehensive quitline services alone. The study sample consisted of callers to the Alere Wellbeing, Inc, commercial quitline in 2012. A quasi-experimental design was implemented using propensity score matching to create the intervention and control groups. The intervention group consisted of those who were offered and accepted a text message intervention in addition to usual quitline services, while the control group consisted of those who were not offered the text message intervention. Analyses utilized baseline data collected at intake, program use data (eg, call history and text message use), and reports of smoking behaviors and program satisfaction collected 6 months after intake. Similar rates of 7-day abstinence were reported regardless of whether participants received combined multi-call quitline services plus text messaging (25.3%) or multi-call quitline services in isolation (25.5%), though those who received combined services reported higher treatment satisfaction (P research should investigate whether text messaging programs improve quit rates when combined with less intensive services such as single-call phone counseling. While the impact of quitline and text messaging services for smoking cessation have been examined in isolation, no study has explored the impact of combined services on smoking outcomes. This study examines the role of text messaging in combination with comprehensive quitline services including multi-call phone counseling, access to an interactive website and nicotine replacement therapy. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Economic Evaluation of Combined Diet and Physical Activity Promotion Programs to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Among Persons at Increased Risk: A Systematic Review for the Community Preventive Services Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Rui; Qu, Shuli; Zhang, Ping; Chattopadhyay, Sajal; Gregg, Edward W.; Albright, Ann; Hopkins, David; Pronk, Nicolaas P.

2016-01-01

Background Diabetes is a highly prevalent and costly disease. Studies indicate that combined diet and physical activity promotion programs can prevent type 2 diabetes among persons at increased risk. Purpose To systematically evaluate the evidence on cost, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit estimates of diet and physical activity promotion programs. Data Sources Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Science, EconLit, and CINAHL through 7 April 2015. Study Selection English-language studies from high-income countries that provided data on cost, cost-effectiveness, or cost-benefit ratios of diet and physical activity promotion programs with at least 2 sessions over at least 3 months delivered to persons at increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Data Extraction Dual abstraction and assessment of relevant study details. Data Synthesis Twenty-eight studies were included. Costs were expressed in 2013 U.S. dollars. The median program cost per participant was $653. Costs were lower for group-based programs (median, $417) and programs implemented in community or primary care settings (median, $424) than for the U.S. DPP (Diabetes Prevention Program) trial and the DPP Outcomes Study ($5881). Twenty-two studies assessed the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of the programs. From a health system perspective, 16 studies reported a median ICER of $13 761 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) saved. Group-based programs were more cost-effective (median, $1819 per QALY) than those that used individual sessions (median, $15 846 per QALY). No cost-benefit studies were identified. Limitation Information on recruitment costs and cost-effectiveness of translational programs implemented in community and primary care settings was limited. Conclusion Diet and physical activity promotion programs to prevent type 2 diabetes are cost-effective among persons at increased risk. Costs are lower when programs are delivered to groups in community

Future directions in psychological assessment: combining evidence-based medicine innovations with psychology's historical strengths to enhance utility.

Science.gov (United States)

Youngstrom, Eric A

2013-01-01

Assessment has been a historical strength of psychology, with sophisticated traditions of measurement, psychometrics, and theoretical underpinnings. However, training, reimbursement, and utilization of psychological assessment have been eroded in many settings. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) offers a different perspective on evaluation that complements traditional strengths of psychological assessment. EBM ties assessment directly to clinical decision making about the individual, uses simplified Bayesian methods explicitly to integrate assessment data, and solicits patient preferences as part of the decision-making process. Combining the EBM perspective with psychological assessment creates a hybrid approach that is more client centered, and it defines a set of applied research topics that are highly clinically relevant. This article offers a sequence of a dozen facets of the revised assessment process, along with examples of corollary research studies. An eclectic integration of EBM and evidence-based assessment generates a powerful hybrid that is likely to have broad applicability within clinical psychology and enhance the utility of psychological assessments.

RProtoBuf: Efficient Cross-Language Data Serialization in R

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dirk Eddelbuettel

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Modern data collection and analysis pipelines often involve a sophisticated mix of applications written in general purpose and specialized programming languages. Many formats commonly used to import and export data between different programs or systems, such as CSV or JSON, are verbose, inefficient, not type-safe, or tied to a specific programming language. Protocol Buffers are a popular method of serializing structured data between applications - while remaining independent of programming languages or operating systems. They offer a unique combination of features, performance, and maturity that seems particularly well suited for data-driven applications and numerical computing. The RProtoBuf package provides a complete interface to Protocol Buffers from the R environment for statistical computing. This paper outlines the general class of data serialization requirements for statistical computing, describes the implementation of the RProtoBuf package, and illustrates its use with example applications in large-scale data collection pipelines and web services.

Validation studies of the DOE-2 Building Energy Simulation Program. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sullivan, R.; Winkelmann, F.

1998-06-01

This report documents many of the validation studies (Table 1) of the DOE-2 building energy analysis simulation program that have taken place since 1981. Results for several versions of the program are presented with the most recent study conducted in 1996 on version DOE-2.1E and the most distant study conducted in 1981 on version DOE-1.3. This work is part of an effort related to continued development of DOE-2, particularly in its use as a simulation engine for new specialized versions of the program such as the recently released RESFEN 3.1. RESFEN 3.1 is a program specifically dealing with analyzing the energy performance of windows in residential buildings. The intent in providing the results of these validation studies is to give potential users of the program a high degree of confidence in the calculated results. Validation studies in which calculated simulation data is compared to measured data have been conducted throughout the development of the DOE-2 program. Discrepancies discovered during the course of such work has resulted in improvements in the simulation algorithms. Table 2 provides a listing of additions and modifications that have been made to various versions of the program since version DOE-2.1A. One of the most significant recent changes in the program occurred with version DOE-2.1E. An improved algorithm for calculating the outside surface film coefficient was implemented. In addition, integration of the WINDOW 4 program was accomplished resulting in improved ability in analyzing window energy performance. Validation and verification of a program as sophisticated as DOE-2 must necessarily be limited because of the approximations inherent in the program. For example, the most accurate model of the heat transfer processes in a building would include a three-dimensional analysis. To justify such detailed algorithmic procedures would correspondingly require detailed information describing the building and/or HVAC system and energy plant parameters

Resource Programs: Final Environmental Impact Statement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-02-01

Every two years, BA prepares a Resource Program, which identifies the resource actions BA will take to meet its obligation to serve the forecasted power requirements of its customers. The Resource Programs Environmental Impact Statement (RPEIS) is a programmatic environmental document that will support decisions made in several future Resource Programs. Environmental documents tiered to this EIS may be prepared on a site-specific basis. The RPEIS includes a description of the environmental effects and mitigation for the various resource types available in order to evaluate the trade-offs among them. It also assesses the environmental impacts of adding thirteen alternative combinations of resources to the existing power system. The alternatives represent the range of actions BA could take to meet its load obligations. Each of the alternatives allows BA to meet the almost 5,000 average megawatt load increase that could occur with high load growth, or an equivalent need for resources caused by a combination of load growth and any future loss of resources

[Career planning for explanation of clinical test results and program of inspections: developing medical technologists for team medical care].

Science.gov (United States)

Uchida, Misuko

2013-04-01

Current medical care is subdivided according to medical advances, and sophistication and new techniques are necessary. In this setting, doctors and nurses have been explaining to and consulting patients about their medical examinations; however, in recent years, medical technologists have performed these duties at the start of the team's medical care. Therefore, we think it is possible for patients to receive clear and convincing explanations. Most patients cannot understand their examination data, which are written using numbers and charts, etc. Recently, the Nagano Medical Technologist Society has been developing technologists who could explain examination results to patients. This development training included hospitality and communication. The certificate of completion will be issued in March when the program starts.

Timber management planning with timber ram and goal programming

Science.gov (United States)

Richard C. Field

1978-01-01

By using goal programming to enhance the linear programming of Timber RAM, multiple decision criteria were incorporated in the timber management planning of a National Forest in the southeastern United States. Combining linear and goal programming capitalizes on the advantages of the two techniques and produces operationally feasible solutions. This enhancement may...

Computer Program Application Study for Newly Constructed Fossil Power Plant Performance Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hyun; Park, Jong Jeng [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1996-12-31

The power plant is affected in its availability and economy significantly by the equipment degraded gradually as operation continues, which makes it quite important to evaluate the plant performance more accurately and analyze its effects to the plant economy quantitatively. The methodology thereof includes many calculation steps and requires huge man hours and efforts but would produce relatively less precise results than desired. The object of the project first aims to figure out a methodology which can analyze numerically the inherent effects of each equipment on the cycle performance as well as its performance evaluation and which further helps to determine more reasonable investment for the effective plant economy. Another aspect of the project results in the implementation of the methodology which is embodied in the sophisticated computer programs based on the conventional personal computer with the interactive graphic user interface facilities. (author). 44 refs., figs.

Computer Program Application Study for Newly Constructed Fossil Power Plant Performance Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hyun; Park, Jong Jeng [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1997-12-31

The power plant is affected in its availability and economy significantly by the equipment degraded gradually as operation continues, which makes it quite important to evaluate the plant performance more accurately and analyze its effects to the plant economy quantitatively. The methodology thereof includes many calculation steps and requires huge man hours and efforts but would produce relatively less precise results than desired. The object of the project first aims to figure out a methodology which can analyze numerically the inherent effects of each equipment on the cycle performance as well as its performance evaluation and which further helps to determine more reasonable investment for the effective plant economy. Another aspect of the project results in the implementation of the methodology which is embodied in the sophisticated computer programs based on the conventional personal computer with the interactive graphic user interface facilities. (author). 44 refs., figs.

Making the Cut in Gifted Selection: Score Combination Rules and Their Impact on Program Diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Lakin, Joni M.

2018-01-01

The recommendation of using "multiple measures" is common in policy guidelines for gifted and talented assessment systems. However, the integration of multiple test scores in a system that uses cut-scores requires choosing between different methods of combining quantitative scores. Past research has indicated that OR combination rules…

A novel method of fuzzy fault tree analysis combined with VB program to identify and assess the risk of coal dust explosions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hetang Wang

Full Text Available Coal dust explosions (CDE are one of the main threats to the occupational safety of coal miners. Aiming to identify and assess the risk of CDE, this paper proposes a novel method of fuzzy fault tree analysis combined with the Visual Basic (VB program. In this methodology, various potential causes of the CDE are identified and a CDE fault tree is constructed. To overcome drawbacks from the lack of exact probability data for the basic events, fuzzy set theory is employed and the probability data of each basic event is treated as intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. In addition, a new approach for calculating the weighting of each expert is also introduced in this paper to reduce the error during the expert elicitation process. Specifically, an in-depth quantitative analysis of the fuzzy fault tree, such as the importance measure of the basic events and the cut sets, and the CDE occurrence probability is given to assess the explosion risk and acquire more details of the CDE. The VB program is applied to simplify the analysis process. A case study and analysis is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of this proposed method, and some suggestions are given to take preventive measures in advance and avoid CDE accidents.

Laboratory Cooperative Program: an assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-11-01

The Laboratory Cooperative Program (Lab Coop Program) was initiated by the US AEC over 20 years ago to promote the transfer of technical information from the national laboratories to the academic community utilizing the facilities and staff capabilities of the labs. Under the AEC, ERDA and DOE, the goals of the program have broadened gradually. Therefore, the program was examined to determine the extent to which it contributes to the current objectives of the DOE and to develop recommendations for any program changes. The assessment of the Lab Coop Program was based on a combination of review of program activity data and publications, review of general information regarding laboratory operations, and extensive interviews. The major findings of this evaluation were that: the program lacks a clear statement of purpose; program plans, priorities, and procedures are not explicit and operations tend to follow historical patterns; and the program is generally accepted as beneficial, but its benefits are difficult to quantify. It is recommended that the focus of the Lab Coop Program be limited and clearly defined, that performance plans be developed and measured against accomplishments, and that a national informational effort be initiated

The Aircraft Morphing Program

Science.gov (United States)

Wlezien, R. W.; Horner, G. C.; McGowan, A. R.; Padula, S. L.; Scott, M. A.; Silcox, R. J.; Simpson, J. O.

1998-01-01

In the last decade smart technologies have become enablers that cut across traditional boundaries in materials science and engineering. Here we define smart to mean embedded actuation, sensing, and control logic in a tightly coupled feedback loop. While multiple successes have been achieved in the laboratory, we have yet to see the general applicability of smart devices to real aircraft systems. The NASA Aircraft Morphing program is an attempt to couple research across a wide range of disciplines to integrate smart technologies into high payoff aircraft applications. The program bridges research in seven individual disciplines and combines the effort into activities in three primary program thrusts. System studies are used to assess the highest- payoff program objectives, and specific research activities are defined to address the technologies required for development of smart aircraft systems. In this paper we address the overall program goals and programmatic structure, and discuss the challenges associated with bringing the technologies to fruition.

The SDO Education and Outreach (E/PO) Program: Changing Perceptions One Program at a Time

Science.gov (United States)

Drobnes, E.; Littleton, A.; Pesnell, W. D.; Buhr, S.; Beck, K.; Durscher, R.; Hill, S.; McCaffrey, M.; McKenzie, D. E.; Myers, D.;

Combined effects of myofeedback and isokinetic training on hand ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Combined effects of myofeedback and isokinetic training on hand function in spastic hemiplegic children. ... Both groups received a designed physical therapy program with isokinetic training for the triceps brachii muscle for 60 min, in addition group B received myofeedback training. Results: The post treatment results ...

Effects of physiotherapy combined with sirolimus in a patient with vascular malformation: A case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Akbayrak, Türkan; Orhan, Ceren; Baran, Emine; Kaya, Serap; Coskun, Gürsoy; Varan, Ali

2016-01-01

The aim of the present case report was to investigate the effects of a physiotherapy program combined with sirolimus in a child patient with upper extremity edema and joint limitation due to low-flow vascular malformation. This case report included an 11-year-old male patient (26 kg, 130 cm) diagnosed with congenital lymphovascular malformation on the left and right chest. The patient, who had edema on the upper left extremity and experienced joint limitations, was administered complete decongestive therapy (CDT) and manual therapy in combination with sirolimus. Physiotherapy included a total of 24 sessions, 3 sessions a week for 8 weeks. Following the physiotherapy, the patient was assigned to a home therapy program, and then the maintenance phase of the CDT was initiated. Evaluations were carried out at baseline, at the end of week 8, and after 12 months. Following the physiotherapy program combined with sirolimus, a decrease in extremity volume, an increase in joint movement range, and an improvement in disease-related complaints were observed. Physiotherapy methods combined with sirolimus may be an effective treatment method in patients with vascular malformations. However, further studies with larger sample size are warranted.

Plato's patricide in the sophist

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deretić Irina J.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the author attempts to elucidate validity of Plato's criticism of Parmenides' simplified monistic ontology, as well as his concept of non-being. In contrast to Parmenides, Plato introduces a more complex ontology of the megista gene and redefines Parmenides' concept of non-being as something absolutely different from being. According to Plato, not all things are in the same sense, i. e. they have the different ontological status. Additionally, he redefines Parmenides' concept of absolute non-being as 'difference' or 'otherness.' .

Sophisticated fuel handling system evolved

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, D.A.

1988-01-01

The control systems at Sellafield fuel handling plant are described. The requirements called for built-in diagnostic features as well as the ability to handle a large sequencing application. Speed was also important; responses better than 50ms were required. The control systems are used to automate operations within each of the three main process caves - two Magnox fuel decanners and an advanced gas-cooled reactor fuel dismantler. The fuel route within the fuel handling plant is illustrated and described. ASPIC (Automated Sequence Package for Industrial Control) which was developed as a controller for the plant processes is described. (U.K.)

Part 2 -- current program integrating strategies and lubrication technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, B.

1996-01-01

This paper is the second of two that describe the Predictive Maintenance Program for rotating machinery at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The Predictive Maintenance program has been enhanced through organizational changes and improved interdisciplinary usage of technology. This paper will discuss current program strategies that have improved the interaction between the Vibration and Lube Oil programs. The open-quotes Lube Oilclose quotes view of the combined program along with case studies will then be presented

Part 2 -- current program integrating strategies and lubrication technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, B.

1996-12-01

This paper is the second of two that describe the Predictive Maintenance Program for rotating machinery at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The Predictive Maintenance program has been enhanced through organizational changes and improved interdisciplinary usage of technology. This paper will discuss current program strategies that have improved the interaction between the Vibration and Lube Oil programs. The {open_quotes}Lube Oil{close_quotes} view of the combined program along with case studies will then be presented.

Combinations of complex dynamical systems

CERN Document Server

Pilgrim, Kevin M

2003-01-01

This work is a research-level monograph whose goal is to develop a general combination, decomposition, and structure theory for branched coverings of the two-sphere to itself, regarded as the combinatorial and topological objects which arise in the classification of certain holomorphic dynamical systems on the Riemann sphere. It is intended for researchers interested in the classification of those complex one-dimensional dynamical systems which are in some loose sense tame. The program is motivated by the dictionary between the theories of iterated rational maps and Kleinian groups.

Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) Engine

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

Pictured is an artist's concept of the Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) launch. The RBCC's overall objective is to provide a technology test bed to investigate critical technologies associated with opperational usage of these engines. The program will focus on near term technologies that can be leveraged to ultimately serve as the near term basis for Two Stage to Orbit (TSTO) air breathing propulsions systems and ultimately a Single Stage To Orbit (SSTO) air breathing propulsion system.

A combined AHP-GP model to allocate internal auditing time to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Analytic hierarchy process, goal programming, internal audit, risk assessment. ..... Services area and are listed, together with their associated management ..... [2] Badri MA, 2001, A combined AHP-GP model for quality control systems, Interna-.

Design and acceptance of Rheumates@Work, a combined internet-based and in person instruction model, an interactive, educational, and cognitive behavioral program for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Armbrust, Wineke; Bos, Joyce J F J; Cappon, Jeannette; van Rossum, Marion A J J; Sauer, Pieter J J; Wulffraat, Nico; van Wijnen, Veera K; Lelieveld, Otto T H M

2015-07-23

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic rheumatic disease. Patients suffer daily discomforts such as pain, fatigue, stiffness, and mood disturbances. Their exercise capacity is decreased to a variable degree and physical activity levels may be impaired. To prevent long-term cardiovascular risks associated with JIA and medication, it is important to encourage physical activity. To achieve this we developed Rheumates@Work (R@W), a combined internet-based and in person instruction model, an interactive, educational, and cognitive behavioral program. The aim of this study is twofold: to describe the theoretical background and design of R@W based on Pender's Health Promotion Model, and to assess its acceptance. We enrolled 8 to 13-year-old JIA patients, from 3 outpatients clinics in The Netherlands, in R@W. Inclusion criteria were a low disease activity (VAS physician anonymous questionnaire concerning f.e. time investment and perceived benefits. Costs were monitored. Of the 64 patients we enrolled, 23 boys and 41 girls, 93.8 % completed the program. Participant-initiated interaction was seen in 10.7 %, 24.7 % send a mail because of technical problems. Eighty-two percent of the participants and 99 % of the parents liked the program, and 85 % of the participants indicated that they had learnt something, or quite a lot. Development costs of the program were low. The HPM is suitable for a behavioral intervention program such as R@W. Acceptance and satisfaction of R@W were high and the costs of the program were low. ISRCTN92733069.

Integrated gasification combined-cycle research development and demonstration activities in the US

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ness, H.M.; Brdar, R.D.

1996-09-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE)`s Office of Fossil Energy, Morgantown Energy Technology Center, is managing a research development and demonstration (RD&D) program that supports the commercialization of integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) advanced power systems. This overview briefly describes the supporting RD&D activities and the IGCC projects selected for demonstration in the Clean Coal Technology (CCT) Program.

Optimum Plans For Oilpalm And Food Crop Combinations In Edo ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Intercropping food crops in oil palm plantations is a popular practice among oil ... are not guided by economic rationale for the choice of food crops and oil palm. ... linear programming model for oil palm/food crops enterprise combinations in ...

Program plan: DWPF/HLWDP stirred Melter Program Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M.E.

1994-01-01

Slurry Fed Melters (SFM) have been developed in the United States, Europe, and Japan for the conversion of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) to borosilicate glass for permanent disposal. The newest design, the stirred melter, combines the high production rates and high glass quality features of the Joule-heated melters with the low-cost, compact, simple maintenance features of the pot melters. However, further engineering design and demonstrations are needed to operate the stirred melter on a large scale. This document outlines the program which develops a full scale stirred melter for the DWPF (240 pph), and provides a basis which will allow further scale-up of the technology for use in the Hanford High Level Waste Disposal Program (HLWDP) for up to four times the reference capacity

PROGRAM PETA LANGIT DALAM PELAKSANAAN HISAB RUKYAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Wahidi

2010-12-01

Full Text Available It is time for technological progress and sophistication to participate in the implementation of hisab rukyat in order to produce hisab rukyat which have best quality and accurate. Nowdays the methods of determining the beginning of the month, prayer times, Qiblat direction and eclipse have been using computers as a means of supporting the level of precision which is certainly higher and accurate. A variety of software is available including an attractive visualization which is practical and easy to learn. Morover with the many computer programs, anyone can operate it easily and calculate the position of the moon and sun, Just how to use it for the sake of hisab rukyat especially for determination of Qamariah months preliminary, particularly in the determination of the beginning of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Sudah saatnya kemajuan dan kecanggihan teknologi ikut serta dalam memberikan sumbangsih terhadap pelaksanaan hisab rukyat agar menghasilkan hisab rukyat yang berkualitas dan akurat. Saat ini metode-metode penentuan awal bulan, waktu shalat arah kiblat dan gerhana telah banyak menggunakan komputer sebagai sarana penunjang dengan tingkat presisi yang tentunya jauh lebih tinggi dan akurat. Berbagai perangkat lunak (software yang praktis juga telah tersedia dengan menyertakan bentuk visualisasi yang menarik sehingga mudah untuk dipelajari. Bahkan dengan banyaknya program komputer, siapa pun yang bisa mengoperasikannya dengan mudah untuk menghitung posisi bulan dan matahari, tinggal bagaimana memanfaatkannya  untuk  kepentingan  hisab  rukyat  terutama  untuk  penentuan  awal  bulan  Qamariah, khususnya dalam penentuan awal Ramadan, Idul Fitri, dan Idul Adha

Prediction of inflows into Lake Kariba using a combination of physical and empirical models

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Muchuru, S

2015-10-01

Full Text Available the upper Zambezi catchment as predictor in a statistical model for estimating seasonal inflows into Lake Kariba. The second and more sophisticated method uses predicted low-level atmospheric circulation of a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation...

Semi-Automatic Rename Refactoring for JavaScript

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Feldthaus, Asger; Møller, Anders

2013-01-01

and interaction with the programmer. With this pragmatic approach, we can provide scalable and effective refactoring support for real-world code, including libraries and incomplete applications. Through a series of experiments that estimate how much manual effort our technique demands from the programmer, we show......Modern IDEs support automated refactoring for many programming languages, but support for JavaScript is still primitive. To perform renaming, which is one of the fundamental refactorings, there is often no practical alternative to simple syntactic search-and-replace. Although more sophisticated...... alternatives have been developed, they are limited by whole-program assumptions and poor scalability. We propose a technique for semi-automatic refactoring for JavaScript, with a focus on renaming. Unlike traditional refactoring algorithms, semi-automatic refactoring works by a combination of static analysis...

The Einstein Center for Epigenomics: studying the role of epigenomic dysregulation in human disease.

Science.gov (United States)

McLellan, Andrew S; Dubin, Robert A; Jing, Qiang; Maqbool, Shahina B; Olea, Raul; Westby, Gael; Broin, Pilib Ó; Fazzari, Melissa J; Zheng, Deyou; Suzuki, Masako; Greally, John M

2009-10-01

There is increasing interest in the role of epigenetic and transcriptional dysregulation in the pathogenesis of a range of human diseases, not just in the best-studied example of cancer. It is, however, quite difficult for an individual investigator to perform these studies, as they involve genome-wide molecular assays combined with sophisticated computational analytical approaches of very large datasets that may be generated from various resources and technologies. In 2008, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, USA established a Center for Epigenomics to facilitate the research programs of its investigators, providing shared resources for genome-wide assays and for data analysis. As a result, several avenues of research are now expanding, with cancer epigenomics being complemented by studies of the epigenomics of infectious disease and a neuroepigenomics program.

Effect of Balance, Strength, and Combined Training on the Balance of the Elderly Women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Farsi

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Ageing is associated with a number of physiologic and functional declines that can increase disability, frailty, and falls in the elderly. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to study and compare the effect of balance, strength, and combined trainings on the balance (overall, anterior-posterior, medial-lateral of the elderly women. Methods & Materials: Twenty-four older female adults (without history of any injuries in their lower limbs were participated voluntarily in this study and randomly assigned into 3 groups: balance (n=8, strength (n=8 and combined (n=8. A 6-week exercise program was performed at Shahid Beheshti University. The program was performed 3 days per week. Before and after implementation of exercise program, the balance status of the subjects was measured by Biodex stability system. The data were analyzed using 2-way analysis of variance (group×time ANOVA with repeated measures on time, paired–sample t-test, 1–way ANOVA, and Bonferroni post–hoc test (P≤0.005. Results: At the end of training programs, significant improvements were observed between the balance and combined groups with regard to the indexes of overall, anterior–posterior, and medial–lateral balance. Also, the strength group showed a significant growth in the indexes of anterior-posterior and medial-lateral compared to the beginning of the study. There was a significant difference between the balance (P=0.0001 and combined groups (P=0.001 with the strength group with regard to the index of overall balance. Also, there was a significant difference between balance group (P=0.0001 and the combined group (P=0.0001 regarding the anterior-posterior balance. But there were no significant differences between groups with regard to the medial-lateral balance. Conclusion: The study showed that perturbation–based balance training and combined training had the better effects compared to the strength training.

The influence of prescription monitoring programs on chronic pain management.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Christo, Paul J

2009-01-01

Abuse of prescribed controlled substance has become a serious social as well as health care issue over the past decade. A particularly alarming trend exists among patients aged 12 to 17. Common abuse behaviors include doctor shopping, drug theft, feigned pain symptoms to gain health care access, drug sharing, prescription forgery, and improper prescription practices. In response to this epidemic of abuse, many states have adopted prescription monitoring programs (PMPs). Such programs first originated in the early twentieth century. As of 2006, 38 states had such programs, many of which are supported by federal grants. As PMPs become more widespread, they have also increased in sophistication. By keeping a record of the prescription and dispensing of narcotics, these programs are able to build a comprehensive data network for tracking prescription medications. These databases aid law enforcement agencies in investigations of narcotic trafficking; they also help state regulatory boards to monitor improper prescription practices. This manuscript examines the basic structure of a PMP, including the way the data are collected and the way these data are stored and used. It also looks at the organizational differences amongst state programs. NASPER and Harold Rogers are two federal programs that provide funding to the state PMPs, and the current study examines the differences as well as similarities between these 2 programs. This study also compares the results of 2 reports: the U.S. General Accounting Office Study and the Twillman study.& Both studies have evaluated the efficiency of the PMPs. The U.S. General Accounting Office Study showed that while considerable differences exist among the state PMPs, these programs not only reduce the time and effort for law enforcement agencies to conduct investigations, but also cut the supply of prescription medications. However, the Twillman report suggests that prescription programs caused a shift in prescription practice, while

Allen Newell's Program of Research: The Video-Game Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Gobet, Fernand

2017-04-01

Newell (1973) argued that progress in psychology was slow because research focused on experiments trying to answer binary questions, such as serial versus parallel processing. In addition, not enough attention was paid to the strategies used by participants, and there was a lack of theories implemented as computer models offering sufficient precision for being tested rigorously. He proposed a three-headed research program: to develop computational models able to carry out the task they aimed to explain; to study one complex task in detail, such as chess; and to build computational models that can account for multiple tasks. This article assesses the extent to which the papers in this issue advance Newell's program. While half of the papers devote much attention to strategies, several papers still average across them, a capital sin according to Newell. The three courses of action he proposed were not popular in these papers: Only two papers used computational models, with no model being both able to carry out the task and to account for human data; there was no systematic analysis of a specific video game; and no paper proposed a computational model accounting for human data in several tasks. It is concluded that, while they use sophisticated methods of analysis and discuss interesting results, overall these papers contribute only little to Newell's program of research. In this respect, they reflect the current state of psychology and cognitive science. This is a shame, as Newell's ideas might help address the current crisis of lack of replication and fraud in psychology. Copyright © 2017 The Author. Topics in Cognitive Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Cognitive Science Society.

Assessment of the Impacts of Standards and Labeling Programs inMexico (four products).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanchez, Itha; Pulido, Henry; McNeil, Michael A.; Turiel, Isaac; della Cava, Mirka

2007-06-12

This study analyzes impacts from energy efficiency standards and labeling in Mexico from 1994 through 2005 for four major products: household refrigerators, room air conditioners, three-phase (squirrel cage) induction motors, and clothes washers. It is a retrospective analysis, seeking to assess verified impacts on product efficiency in the Mexican market in the first ten years after standards were implemented. Such an analysis allows the Mexican government to compare actual to originally forecast program benefits. In addition, it provides an extremely valuable benchmark for other countries considering standards, and to the energy policy community as a whole. The methodology for evaluation begins with historical test data taken for a large number of models of each product type between 1994 and 2005. The pre-standard efficiency of models in 1994 is taken as a baseline throughout the analysis. Model efficiency data were provided by an independent certification laboratory (ANCE), which tested products as part of the certification and enforcement mechanism defined by the standards program. Using this data, together with economic and market data provided by both government and private sector sources, the analysis considers several types of national level program impacts. These include: Energy savings; Environmental (emissions) impacts, and Net financial impacts to consumers, manufacturers and utilities. Energy savings impacts are calculated using the same methodology as the original projections, allowing a comparison. Other impacts are calculated using a robust and sophisticated methodology developed by the Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas (IIE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), in a collaboration supported by the Collaborative Labeling and Standards Program (CLASP).

Technical support for open-cycle MHD program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1978-05-01

The support program for open-cycle MHD at Argonne National Lab is developing the analytical tools needed to investigate the performance of the major components in the combined-cycle MHD/steam power system. The analytical effort is centered on the primary components of the system that are unique to MHD and also on the integration of these analytical representations into a model of the entire power producing system. The present project activities include modeling of the combustor, MHD channel, slag separator, and the high-temperature air preheater. In addition, these models are combined into a complete system model, which is at present capable of carrying out optimizations of the entire system on either thermodynamic efficiency or with less confidence, cost of electrical power. Also, in support of the open-cycle program, considerable effort has gone into the formulation of a CDIF Test Plan and a National MHD Test Program.

Division of Waste Management programs. Progress report, July-December 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lerch, R.E.; Allen, C.R.; Richardson, G.L.

1979-07-01

This is the eleventh progress report on Division of Waste Management programs. The report describes progress in the second half of 1978 on the following programs: intermediate-level waste solidification, chemical processing of combustible solid waste, and application of acid digestion to commercial wastes. The latter two programs were combined in October 1978 into a single program, acid digestion of combustible wastes

Graphical programming at Sandia National Laboratories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, M.J.; Palmquist, R.D.; Desjarlais, L.

1993-09-01

Sandia has developed an advanced operational control system approach, called Graphical Programming, to design, program, and operate robotic systems. The Graphical Programming approach produces robot systems that are faster to develop and use, safer in operation, and cheaper overall than altemative teleoperation or autonomous robot control systems. Graphical Programming also provides an efficient and easy-to-use interface to traditional robot systems for use in setup and programming tasks. This paper provides an overview of the Graphical Programming approach and lists key features of Graphical Programming systems. Graphical Programming uses 3-D visualization and simulation software with intuitive operator interfaces for the programming and control of complex robotic systems. Graphical Programming Supervisor software modules allow an operator to command and simulate complex tasks in a graphic preview mode and, when acceptable, command the actual robots and monitor their motions with the graphic system. Graphical Programming Supervisors maintain registration with the real world and allow the robot to perform tasks that cannot be accurately represented with models alone by using a combination of model and sensor-based control

33 CFR 402.5 - New Business Incentive Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Business. (c) A commodity/origin/destination combination that qualifies as New Business after the 30th day... navigation seasons; and (d) A commodity/origin/destination combination that qualifies as New Business after... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false New Business Incentive Program...

Methods for evaluating a mature substance abuse prevention/early intervention program.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, L R; Hall, M; Fisher, D A; Miller, T R

2000-05-01

The authors describe methods for work in progress to evaluate four workplace prevention and/or early intervention programs designed to change occupational norms and reduce substance abuse at a major U.S. transportation company. The four programs are an employee assistance program, random drug testing, managed behavioral health care, and a peer-led intervention program. An elaborate mixed-methods evaluation combines data collection and analysis techniques from several traditions. A process-improvement evaluation focuses on the peer-led component to describe its evolution, document the implementation process for those interested in replicating it, and provide information for program improvement. An outcome-assessment evaluation examines impacts of the four programs on job performance measures (e.g., absenteeism, turnover, injury, and disability rates) and includes a cost-offset and employer cost-savings analysis. Issues related to using archival data, combining qualitative and quantitative designs, and working in a corporate environment are discussed.

The PERICLES research program: An integrated approach to characterize the combined effects of mixtures of pesticide residues to which the French population is exposed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crépet, A.; Héraud, F.; Béchaux, C.; Gouze, M.E.; Pierlot, S.; Fastier, A.; Leblanc, J.Ch.; Le Hégarat, L.; Takakura, N.; Fessard, V.; Tressou, J.; Maximilien, R.; Sousa, G. de; Nawaz, A.; Zucchini-Pascal, N.; Rahmani, R.; Audebert, M.; Graillot, V.; Cravedi, J.P.

2013-01-01

Due to the broad spectrum of pesticide usages, consumers are exposed to mixtures of residues, which may have combined effects on human health. The PERICLES research program aims to test the potential combined effects of pesticide mixtures, which are likely to occur through dietary exposure. The co-exposure of the French general population to 79 pesticide residues present in the diet was first assessed. A Bayesian nonparametric model was then applied to define the main mixtures to which the French general population is simultaneously and most heavily exposed. Seven mixtures made of two to six pesticides were identified from the exposure assessment. An in vitro approach was used for investigating the toxicological effects of these mixtures and their corresponding individual compounds, using a panel of cellular models, i.e. primary rat and human hepatocytes, liver, intestine, kidney, colon and brain human cell lines. A set of cell functions and corresponding end-points were monitored such as cytotoxicity, real-time cell impedance, genotoxicity, oxidative stress, apoptosis and PXR nuclear receptor transactivation. The mixtures were tested in equimolar concentrations. Among the seven mixtures, two appeared highly cytotoxic, five activated PXR and depending on the assay one or two were genotoxic. In some experiments, the mixture effect was quantitatively different from the effect expected from the addition concept. The PERICLES program shows that, for the most pesticides mixtures to which the French general population is exposed, the toxic effects observed on human cells cannot be easily predicted based on the toxic potential of each compound. Consequently, additional studies should be carried on in order to more accurately define the mixtures of chemicals to which the consumers are exposed, as well as to improve the investigation, prediction and monitoring of their potential human health effects

Cosmos in Concert: Combining astronomy and classical music

Science.gov (United States)

Kremer, Kyle

2018-01-01

Cosmos in Concert is an outreach initiative designed to combine astronomy education with classical music. Over the past several years, this program has presented large-scale multimedia shows for symphony orchestras, educational programs at K-12 schools, and research-oriented university collaborations designed to develop techniques for the sonification of data. Cosmos in Concert has collaborated with institutions including Fermi National Lab, the Adler Planetarium, the Bienen School of Music, and the Colburn School of Music. In this talk, I will give a brief overview of some of the main Cosmos in Concert initiatives and discuss ways these initiatives may be implemented at other institutions.

VIDA - Knowledge-based efforts for socially disadvantaged children in daycare - an inclusive ECEC program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm, Anders; Wang, Camilla; Kousholt, Dorte

experiments. Thus the program combines professionals’ personal knowledge and practice-based experiences, i.e. combines tacit knowledge with explicit scientifi c knowledge acquisition and sharing. The VIDA and VIDA+ education programs encourage participants to work with both explicit and implicit (tacit...... intervention program Knowledge-based efforts for socially disadvantaged children in daycare – a model program presented in this report, aims at improving all children’s well-being and cognitive functioning, and specifi cally improving the situation for socially disadvantaged children through inclusive efforts...

Program description for the program Demonstration program for electric vehicles 2011-2015; Programbeskrivning foer programmet Demonstrationsprogram foer elfordon 2011-2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-04-15

The program's efforts aim at, firstly, from a user perspective identify and possibly eliminate barriers for large-scale introduction of electric vehicles on the Swedish market. Through various research activities based in the real environment experience may be drawn from both vehicle use and different types of behavior. Infrastructure tests on a sufficient scale give the combined effect of real-life test environments for the combination of vehicles and charging environments as well as a base for experiences of softer issues around electric vehicles. Precisely these behavioral experiences are difficult to reach via the related but more technically focused programs such as, FFI (Vehicle strategic research and innovation) and Energy efficient road vehicles. Several systems for electrification of vehicles exist today, and further initiatives for solutions are on the way. It is therefore very important to examine which systems give the highest total energy efficiency. It is also relevant for these different systems in a real environment to explore the potentials and difficulties that may arise in larger implementations

A predictive modeling approach to increasing the economic effectiveness of disease management programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Bayerstadler, Andreas; Benstetter, Franz; Heumann, Christian; Winter, Fabian

2014-09-01

Predictive Modeling (PM) techniques are gaining importance in the worldwide health insurance business. Modern PM methods are used for customer relationship management, risk evaluation or medical management. This article illustrates a PM approach that enables the economic potential of (cost-) effective disease management programs (DMPs) to be fully exploited by optimized candidate selection as an example of successful data-driven business management. The approach is based on a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) that is easy to apply for health insurance companies. By means of a small portfolio from an emerging country, we show that our GLM approach is stable compared to more sophisticated regression techniques in spite of the difficult data environment. Additionally, we demonstrate for this example of a setting that our model can compete with the expensive solutions offered by professional PM vendors and outperforms non-predictive standard approaches for DMP selection commonly used in the market.

THE INFLUENCE OF COMBINATION NON-MEDICAL TREATMENT INCLUDING FUNCTIONAL PROGRAMMED ELECTRICAL STIMULATION ON THE CLINICAL AND INSTRUMENTAL PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY WITH SPASTIC DIPLEGIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Eliseev

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Cerebral palsy is the leading cause of physical disability in pediatric  age. The search for new methods and improvement of old rehabil- itation techniques is ongoing, due to low efficacy of the latter. Aim: To assess the efficacy of a func- tional programmed electrical muscle stimulation as a part  of combination treatment of patients with cerebral palsy in the form of spastic diplegia. Materials and methods: We analyzed the results of treatment of 71 children with cerebral palsy and spastic diplegia, who had  been  randomized  into two groups  depending on the type of treatment. In  the  first group,  the  patients  (n = 38 received a course of functional programmed electric stim- ulation  in combination with  other  non-medical treatment  methods.  The  second   group   (n = 33 underwent a usual  course  of electrical  stimula- tion in combination with non-medical  treatment, similar to that  in the first group. The third group (control   included   41   children   without    cere- bral palsy. Clinical and  instrumental parameters were  assessed  in all study  participants. Results: After the course of combination treatment in the group  1, the  tonus  of m. gastrocnemius was de- creased significantly by 41%, that of the posterior group  of femur muscles by 43%, adductor group of femur muscles by 36%. In the group  2, the re- spective parameters decreased by 24, 21 and 21%. Muscle power  endurance was  increased  signifi- cantly in patients of both groups: that of long back extensors by 12.5 and 6.2 sec, of m. rectus abdomi- nis by 10.6 sec and 5.2 sec, of gluteal muscles by 9.3 and 4.6 sec, of m. quadriceps  by 19.8 and 7.2 sec, of m. anterior  tibialis by 12.1 and 4.6 sec, respec- tively. After the  treatment, the  active movement volume in the large joints of lower extremities  in the group 1 patients  improved as follows: by 15.6° in hip joints, by 11.1° in knee joints and by

Marshall information retrieval and display system (MIRADS)

Science.gov (United States)

Groover, J. L.; Jones, S. C.; King, W. L.

1974-01-01

Program for data management system allows sophisticated inquiries while utilizing simplified language. Online system is composed of several programs. System is written primarily in COBOL with routines in ASSEMBLER and FORTRAN V.

Planning-Programming-Budgeting Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Tudor, Dean

Planning Programming and Budgeting Systems (PPBS) have been considered as either synonymous with abstract, advanced, mathematical systems analysis or as an advanced accounting and control system. If PPBS is to perform a useful function, both viewpoints must be combined such that a number of standardized procedures and reports are required and…

RESTAURANT RESERVATION MANAGEMENT CONSIDERING TABLE COMBINATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing Miao

Full Text Available ABSTRACT This paper presents a case study of table reservation practice for restaurant business within Walt Disney World. A unique feature here is to consider table combination to capture revenue potentials from different party sizes and at different time periods. For example, a party of large size can be served by combining two or more small tables. A mixed integer programming (MIP model is developed to make the reservation recommendation. We propose a rolling horizon reservation policy such that the value of a particular table is periodically evaluated and updated. This is a typical revenue management method in the airlines and other industries, the essence of which is to compare the future expected revenue with a currently offered price. Using historical data, numerical test shows a significant revenue improvement potential from our proposed model.

Progress Twining Program at Shibaura Institute of Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Komeda, Takashi

The Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) conducts two Twinning Programs. One is Malaysian Twinning Program, which is conducted in cooperation with 15 Japanese universities, and has SIT as its organizing member. The other is Hybrid Twinning Program, which is conducted with partner foreign universities, and is a graduate study program combining Masters and Doctoral programs. Two important reasons for conducting these twinning programs are to increase the number of foreign students studying in Japan and to promote friendly relations with various Asian countries. Twinning program is effective in enrolling students early and in lowering the cost of foreign study. Japanese students benefit too from good influence of interaction with students having a different culture and customs.

Aspect-Oriented Programming is Quantification and Obliviousness

Science.gov (United States)

Filman, Robert E.; Friedman, Daniel P.; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

This paper proposes that the distinguishing characteristic of Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) systems is that they allow programming by making quantified programmatic assertions over programs written by programmers oblivious to such assertions. Thus, AOP systems can be analyzed with respect to three critical dimensions: the kinds of quantifications allowed, the nature of the actions that can be asserted, and the mechanism for combining base-level actions with asserted actions. Consequences of this perspective are the recognition that certain systems are not AOP and that some mechanisms are expressive enough to allow programming an AOP system within them. A corollary is that while AOP can be applied to Object-Oriented Programming, it is an independent concept applicable to other programming styles.

The CLIMATE schools combined study: a cluster randomised controlled trial of a universal Internet-based prevention program for youth substance misuse, depression and anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Teesson, Maree; Newton, Nicola C; Slade, Tim; Chapman, Cath; Allsop, Steve; Hides, Leanne; McBride, Nyanda; Mewton, Louise; Tonks, Zoe; Birrell, Louise; Brownhill, Louise; Andrews, Gavin

2014-02-05

Anxiety, depressive and substance use disorders account for three quarters of the disability attributed to mental disorders and frequently co-occur. While programs for the prevention and reduction of symptoms associated with (i) substance use and (ii) mental health disorders exist, research is yet to determine if a combined approach is more effective. This paper describes the study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the CLIMATE Schools Combined intervention, a universal approach to preventing substance use and mental health problems among adolescents. Participants will consist of approximately 8400 students aged 13 to 14-years-old from 84 secondary schools in New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland, Australia. The schools will be cluster randomised to one of four groups; (i) CLIMATE Schools Combined intervention; (ii) CLIMATE Schools - Substance Use; (iii) CLIMATE Schools - Mental Health, or (iv) Control (Health and Physical Education as usual). The primary outcomes of the trial will be the uptake and harmful use of alcohol and other drugs, mental health symptomatology and anxiety, depression and substance use knowledge. Secondary outcomes include substance use related harms, self-efficacy to resist peer pressure, general disability, and truancy. The link between personality and substance use will also be examined. Compared to students who receive the universal CLIMATE Schools - Substance Use, or CLIMATE Schools - Mental Health or the Control condition (who received usual Health and Physical Education), we expect students who receive the CLIMATE Schools Combined intervention to show greater delays to the initiation of substance use, reductions in substance use and mental health symptoms, and increased substance use and mental health knowledge. This trial is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials registry, ACTRN12613000723785.

The CLIMATE schools combined study: a cluster randomised controlled trial of a universal Internet-based prevention program for youth substance misuse, depression and anxiety

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Anxiety, depressive and substance use disorders account for three quarters of the disability attributed to mental disorders and frequently co-occur. While programs for the prevention and reduction of symptoms associated with (i) substance use and (ii) mental health disorders exist, research is yet to determine if a combined approach is more effective. This paper describes the study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the CLIMATE Schools Combined intervention, a universal approach to preventing substance use and mental health problems among adolescents. Methods/design Participants will consist of approximately 8400 students aged 13 to 14-years-old from 84 secondary schools in New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland, Australia. The schools will be cluster randomised to one of four groups; (i) CLIMATE Schools Combined intervention; (ii) CLIMATE Schools - Substance Use; (iii) CLIMATE Schools - Mental Health, or (iv) Control (Health and Physical Education as usual). The primary outcomes of the trial will be the uptake and harmful use of alcohol and other drugs, mental health symptomatology and anxiety, depression and substance use knowledge. Secondary outcomes include substance use related harms, self-efficacy to resist peer pressure, general disability, and truancy. The link between personality and substance use will also be examined. Discussion Compared to students who receive the universal CLIMATE Schools - Substance Use, or CLIMATE Schools - Mental Health or the Control condition (who received usual Health and Physical Education), we expect students who receive the CLIMATE Schools Combined intervention to show greater delays to the initiation of substance use, reductions in substance use and mental health symptoms, and increased substance use and mental health knowledge. Trial registration This trial is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials registry, ACTRN12613000723785

The New Nuffield Combined Science Themes for the Middle Years

Science.gov (United States)

Bingham, C. D.

1976-01-01

Described are the development, materials, and use of English developed science activities for junior high schools, the Nuffield Combined Science Themes for the Middle Years. The program, when completed will present 24 themes including: color, water, air, plastics, metals, insects, food, light, and electricity. (SL)

PALSfit: A new program for the evaluation of positron lifetime spectra

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Jens V.; Kirkegaard, Peter; Pedersen, Niels Jørgen

2007-01-01

PALSfit is a new Windows program for the analysis of positron lifetime spectra. PALSfit combines into one interactive Windows program the features of our previous PATFIT program package, such as data input, least-squares fitting routines as well as graphical displays. A number of options are avai...

DSNP, Program and Data Library System for Dynamic Simulation of Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saphier, D.; Madell, J.; Dean, E.

1988-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: DSNP (Dynamic Simulator for Nuclear Power-Plants) is a system of programs and data files by which a nuclear power plant, or part thereof, can be simulated. The acronym DSNP is used interchangeably for the DSNP language, the DSNP libraries, the DSNP pre-compiler, and the DSNP document generator. The DSNP language is a special-purpose, block-oriented digital- simulation language developed to facilitate the preparation of dynamic simulations of a large variety of nuclear power plants. It is a user-oriented language that permits the user to prepare simulation programs directly from power plant block diagrams and flow charts by recognizing the symbolic DSNP statements for the appropriate physical components and listing these statements in a logical sequence according to the flow of physical properties in the simulated power plant. Physical components of nuclear power plants are represented by functional blocks, or modules. Many of the more complex components are represented by several modules. The nuclear reactor, for example, has a kinetic module, a power distribution module, a feedback module, a thermodynamic module, a hydraulic module, and a radioactive heat decay module. These modules are stored in DSNP libraries in the form of a DSNP subroutine or function, a block of statements, a macro, or a combination of the above. Basic functional blocks such as integrators, pipes, function generators, connectors, and many auxiliary functions representing properties of materials used in nuclear power plants are also available. The DSNP pre-compiler analyzes the DSNP simulation program, performs the appropriate translations, inserts the requested modules from the library, links these modules together, searches necessary data files, and produces a simulation program in FORTRAN. FORTRAN is considered to be a subset of DSNP and can be inserted anywhere in the simulation program without restriction. I/O statements can be located anywhere in

Dual RNA regulatory control of a Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Chabelskaya, Svetlana; Bordeau, Valérie; Felden, Brice

2014-04-01

In pathogens, the accurate programming of virulence gene expression is essential for infection. It is achieved by sophisticated arrays of regulatory proteins and ribonucleic acids (sRNAs), but in many cases their contributions and connections are not yet known. Based on genetic, biochemical and structural evidence, we report that the expression pattern of a Staphylococcus aureus host immune evasion protein is enabled by the collaborative actions of RNAIII and small pathogenicity island RNA D (SprD). Their combined expression profiles during bacterial growth permit early and transient synthesis of Sbi to avoid host immune responses. Together, these two sRNAs use antisense mechanisms to monitor Sbi expression at the translational level. Deletion analysis combined with structural analysis of RNAIII in complex with its novel messenger RNA (mRNA) target indicate that three distant RNAIII domains interact with distinct sites of the sbi mRNA and that two locations are deep in the sbi coding region. Through distinct domains, RNAIII lowers production of two proteins required for avoiding innate host immunity, staphylococcal protein A and Sbi. Toeprints and in vivo mutational analysis reveal a novel regulatory module within RNAIII essential for attenuation of Sbi translation. The sophisticated translational control of mRNA by two differentially expressed sRNAs ensures supervision of host immune escape by a major pathogen.

Active vibration control testing of the SPICES program: final demonstration article

Science.gov (United States)

Dunne, James P.; Jacobs, Jack H.

1996-05-01

The Synthesis and Processing of Intelligent Cost Effective Structures (SPICES) Program is a partnership program sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency. The mission of the program is to develop cost effective material processing and synthesis technologies to enable new products employing active vibration suppression and control devices to be brought to market. The two year program came to fruition in 1995 through the fabrication of the final smart components and testing of an active plate combined with two trapezoidal rails, forming an active mount. Testing of the SPICES combined active mount took place at McDonnell Douglas facilities in St. Louis, MO, in October-December 1995. Approximately 15 dB reduction in overall response of a motor mounted on the active structure was achieved. Further details and results of the SPICES combined active mount demonstration testing are outlined. Results of numerous damping and control strategies that were developed and employed in the testing are presented, as well as aspects of the design and fabrication of the SPICES active mount components.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Education and Outreach (E/PO) Program: Changing Perceptions One Program at a Time

Science.gov (United States)

Drobnes, Emilie; Littleton, A.; Pesnell, William D.; Beck, K.; Buhr, S.; Durscher, R.; Hill, S.; McCaffrey, M.; McKenzie, D. E.; Myers, D.;

Fast logic modules with programmed functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinov, V.G.; Selikov, A.V.

1987-01-01

Modern nuclear-physical experiment procedure requires automated control and adjustment of event selection and recording systems. Nanosecond programmed-control units realizing optional set of combinational logic functions are described. Programmed permanent storage device is the basis of one unit, and on-line storage device, preliminary provided with truth tables, is in the basis of the other units. The resolution time is 40 ns. By means of auxiliary unit the programmed logic devices with sequent storage elements (digital timer and pulse generator; multiple-phase generator; sequential digital controller) are realized. The units are performed in CAMAC standard, the modules size being 1M

ADVANCED TURBINE SYSTEMS PROGRAM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gregory Gaul

2004-04-21

Natural gas combustion turbines are rapidly becoming the primary technology of choice for generating electricity. At least half of the new generating capacity added in the US over the next twenty years will be combustion turbine systems. The Department of Energy has cosponsored with Siemens Westinghouse, a program to maintain the technology lead in gas turbine systems. The very ambitious eight year program was designed to demonstrate a highly efficient and commercially acceptable power plant, with the ability to fire a wide range of fuels. The main goal of the Advanced Turbine Systems (ATS) Program was to develop ultra-high efficiency, environmentally superior and cost effective competitive gas turbine systems for base load application in utility, independent power producer and industrial markets. Performance targets were focused on natural gas as a fuel and included: System efficiency that exceeds 60% (lower heating value basis); Less than 10 ppmv NO{sub x} emissions without the use of post combustion controls; Busbar electricity that are less than 10% of state of the art systems; Reliability-Availability-Maintainability (RAM) equivalent to current systems; Water consumption minimized to levels consistent with cost and efficiency goals; and Commercial systems by the year 2000. In a parallel effort, the program was to focus on adapting the ATS engine to coal-derived or biomass fuels. In Phase 1 of the ATS Program, preliminary investigators on different gas turbine cycles demonstrated that net plant LHV based efficiency greater than 60% was achievable. In Phase 2 the more promising cycles were evaluated in greater detail and the closed-loop steam-cooled combined cycle was selected for development because it offered the best solution with least risk for achieving the ATS Program goals for plant efficiency, emissions, cost of electricity and RAM. Phase 2 also involved conceptual ATS engine and plant design and technology developments in aerodynamics, sealing

The United States program for the safety assessment of geologic disposal of commercial radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Claiborne, H.C.

1977-01-01

The safe disposal of commercial radioactive wastes in deep geologic formations is the goal of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program. Safety assessment begins with selection of a disposal site; that is, all geologic and hydrologic factors must indicate long-term stability of the formation and prospective isolation of wastes from circulating ground waters for hundreds of thousands of years. The long-term stability of each site under thermal loading must then be demonstrated by sophisticated rock mechanic analyses. Therefore, it can be expected that the sites that are chosen will effectively isolate the waste for a very long period of time. However, to help provide answers on the mechanisms and consequences of an unlikely breach in the integrity of the repository, a Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP) is studied. The overall objective of this program is an assessment of the safety associated with the long-term disposal of high-level radioactive waste in a geologic formation. This objective will be achieved by developing methods and generating data necessary to characterize the safety of generic geological waste disposal concepts, which are to be applied in the assessment of specific sites. It is expected that no one particular model will suffice. Both deterministic and probabilistic approaches will be used, and the entire spectrum of phenomena that could influence geologic isolation will be considered

A computer program for the pointwise functions generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldeira, Alexandre D.

1995-01-01

A computer program that was developed with the objective of generating pointwise functions, by a combination of tabulated values and/or mathematical expressions, to be used as weighting functions for nuclear data is presented. This simple program can be an important tool for researchers involved in group constants generation. (author). 5 refs, 2 figs

Improving Undergraduate Research Experiences With An Intentional Mentoring Program: Lessons Learned Through Assessment of Keck Geology Consortium Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, K. R.; Garver, J. I.; Greer, L.; Pollock, M.; Varga, R. J.; Davidson, C. M.; Frey, H. M.; Hubbard, D. K.; Peck, W. H.; Wobus, R. A.

2015-12-01

The Keck Geology Consortium, with support from the National Science Foundation (REU Program) and ExxonMobil, is a collaborative effort by 18 colleges to improve geoscience education through high-quality research experiences. Since its inception in 1987 more than 1350 undergraduate students and 145 faculty have been involved in 189 yearlong research projects. This non-traditional REU model offers exceptional opportunities for students to address research questions at a deep level, to learn and utilize sophisticated analytical methods, and to engage in authentic collaborative research that culminates in an undergraduate research symposium and published abstracts volume. The large numbers of student and faculty participants in Keck projects also affords a unique opportunity to study the impacts of program design on undergraduate research experiences in the geosciences. Students who participate in Keck projects generally report significant gains in personal and professional dimensions, as well as in clarification of educational and career goals. Survey data from student participants, project directors, and campus advisors identify mentoring as one of the most critical and challenging elements of successful undergraduate research experiences. Additional challenges arise from the distributed nature of Keck projects (i.e., participants, project directors, advisors, and other collaborators are at different institutions) and across the span of yearlong projects. In an endeavor to improve student learning about the nature and process of science, and to make mentoring practices more intentional, the Consortium has developed workshops and materials to support both project directors and campus research advisors (e.g., best practices for mentoring, teaching ethical professional conduct, benchmarks for progress, activities to support students during research process). The Consortium continues to evolve its practices to better support students from underrepresented groups.

Combined Noncyclic Scheduling and Advanced Control for Continuous Chemical Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Damon Petersen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A novel formulation for combined scheduling and control of multi-product, continuous chemical processes is introduced in which nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC and noncyclic continuous-time scheduling are efficiently combined. A decomposition into nonlinear programming (NLP dynamic optimization problems and mixed-integer linear programming (MILP problems, without iterative alternation, allows for computationally light solution. An iterative method is introduced to determine the number of production slots for a noncyclic schedule during a prediction horizon. A filter method is introduced to reduce the number of MILP problems required. The formulation’s closed-loop performance with both process disturbances and updated market conditions is demonstrated through multiple scenarios on a benchmark continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR application with fluctuations in market demand and price for multiple products. Economic performance surpasses cyclic scheduling in all scenarios presented. Computational performance is sufficiently light to enable online operation in a dual-loop feedback structure.

How Bigelow Laboratory Measured Broader Impacts: The Case Study of the Evaluation of the Keller BLOOM Program (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, R. A.; Repa, J.

2010-12-01

In this presentation we discuss the impetus for, the results of the short and long term effects, and the impacts of the Keller BLOOM Program, hosted by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences of West Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Each May, for the last 21 years, 16 bright high school juniors, one from each county in Maine, have been invited to spend five days with the research scientists at the lab conducting and reporting research on the bottom layers of the ocean’s food chain: phytoplankton and zooplankton. Bigelow has chosen to evaluate BLOOM through a series of questionnaires delivered during the program, and long term tracking of participants after the program, in order to better understand the impact of the program on participants. The short term effect of the experience, measured at the end of the week, found that participants are able to: 1) develop testable research questions, 2) collect multiple water samples from a local estuary, 3) measure various characteristics of those samples with the sophisticated instruments in Bigelow’s labs assisted by their research scientists, 4) analyze and integrate the results from the various labs, and 5) present their findings to a non-scientific audience. To measure long term participation effects, a random sample of 40 of the 332 participants were interviewed resulting in the following findings: 100% attend college; 62% have STEM majors; 88% graduate from college; 57% pursue STEM careers; and 60% live and work in Maine. Bigelow scientists include a description of the BLOOM Program and the evaluation results in their NSF Broader Impacts statements to demonstrate that their research activities are being integrated into a successful STEM education program. Evaluation results are also used by Bigelow scientists and program administrators to refine program content and delivery, to promote the program to potential applicants, and to strengthen proposals to funding agencies when seeking financial support for BLOOM.

Combined Kinesiotaoe and Therapeutic Ultrasound in the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohamed, O.G.; Elhafez, H.M.; Alshatoury, H.A.; Refaat, R.

2016-01-01

Background : Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common neuropathy of the upper limb and a significant contributor to hand functional impairment and disability. Hand is an Accepted November 2016 . important part of body to perform the complex daily living activities. Purpose: To find out effect of combined kinesiotape and therapeutic ultrasound in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome. Material and Methods :Thirty Carpal Tunnel Syndrome female patients with positive electro diagnostic findings (MMDL >4.2 ms) participated in this study, their ages ranged between 40 and 50 years. Design of study :They were divided randomly into two equal groups. Group (A) received kinesiotape applicatio n on the affected wrist for 3 days, then day off and then another three days each week for 4 weeks combined with a program of 12 sessions of continuous ultrasound, 3 sessions per week for 5 minute persession in addition nerve and tendon gliding exercise . While, Group (B) received a program of 12 sessions of continuous ultrasound, 3 sessions per week for 5 minute per session in addition tendon and nerve gliding exercise. The treatment program continued for 4 weeks. Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire and median motor distallatency, visual analogue scale and hand grip dynamometer were performed before and after the treatment program for all patients of the two groups. Results : The obtained results showed a highly statistically significant (P< 0.0001) improvement in both groups (A and B) concerning Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire , visual analogue scale and hand grip dynamometer but there was significant improvement in group (A) only concerning median motor distal latency. The improvement was highly significant (P< 0.0001) in group (A) when compared with group (B). Conclusion: It could be concluded that the use of combined kinesiotape and therapeutic ultrasound in the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome appeared to be effective. Yet the combined effect of kinesiotape with

Combined M.D./Ph.D. and Ph.D. Training Program in Breast Cancer Prevention

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dickson, Robert B

2005-01-01

.... This new programmatic initiative makes use of the existing organization structure of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Program in Tumor Biology and incorporates a multi-disciplinary faculty...

Impact of a 4-H Youth Development Program on At-Risk Urban Teenagers

Science.gov (United States)

Cutz, German; Campbell, Benjamin; Filchak, Karen K.; Valiquette, Edith; Welch, Mary Ellen

2015-01-01

Dynamic programs that integrate science literacy and workforce readiness are essential to today's youth. The program reported here combined science literacy (gardening and technology) with workforce readiness to assess the impact of program type, prior program participation, and behavior/punctuality on knowledge gain. Findings show that past…

Design of the Quality of Life in Motion (QLIM study: a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a combined physical exercise and psychosocial training program to improve physical fitness in children with cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takken Tim

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Childhood cancer and its treatment have considerable impact on a child's physical and mental wellbeing. Especially long-term administration of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy impairs physical fitness both during and after therapy, when children often present with muscle weakness and/or low cardiorespiratory fitness. Physical exercise can improve these two elements of physical fitness, but the positive effects of physical exercise might be further increased when a child's wellbeing is simultaneously enhanced by psychosocial training. Feeling better may increase the willingness and motivation to engage in sports activities. Therefore, this multi-centre study evaluates the short and long-term changes in physical fitness of a child with a childhood malignancy, using a combined physical exercise and psychosocial intervention program, implemented during or shortly after treatment. Also examined is whether positive effects on physical fitness reduce inactivity-related adverse health problems, improve quality of life, and are cost-effective. Methods This multi-centre randomized controlled trial compares a combined physical and psychosocial intervention program for children with cancer, with care as usual (controls. Children with cancer (aged 8-18 years treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and who are no longer than 1 year post-treatment, are eligible for participation. A total of 100 children are being recruited from the paediatric oncology/haematology departments of three Dutch university medical centres. Patients are stratified according to pubertal stage (girls: age ≤10 or >10 years; boys: ≤11 or >11 years, type of malignancy (haematological or solid tumour, and moment of inclusion into the study (during or after treatment, and are randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Discussion Childhood cancer patients undergoing long-term cancer therapy may benefit from a combined physical exercise and

Design of the Quality of Life in Motion (QLIM) study: a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a combined physical exercise and psychosocial training program to improve physical fitness in children with cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braam, Katja I; Huisman, Jaap; Kaspers, Gertjan JL; Dulmen-den Broeder, Eline van; Dijk, Elisabeth M van; Veening, Margreet A; Bierings, Marc B; Merks, Johannes HM; Grootenhuis, Martha A; Chinapaw, Mai JM; Sinnema, Gerben; Takken, Tim

2010-01-01

Childhood cancer and its treatment have considerable impact on a child's physical and mental wellbeing. Especially long-term administration of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy impairs physical fitness both during and after therapy, when children often present with muscle weakness and/or low cardiorespiratory fitness. Physical exercise can improve these two elements of physical fitness, but the positive effects of physical exercise might be further increased when a child's wellbeing is simultaneously enhanced by psychosocial training. Feeling better may increase the willingness and motivation to engage in sports activities. Therefore, this multi-centre study evaluates the short and long-term changes in physical fitness of a child with a childhood malignancy, using a combined physical exercise and psychosocial intervention program, implemented during or shortly after treatment. Also examined is whether positive effects on physical fitness reduce inactivity-related adverse health problems, improve quality of life, and are cost-effective. This multi-centre randomized controlled trial compares a combined physical and psychosocial intervention program for children with cancer, with care as usual (controls). Children with cancer (aged 8-18 years) treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and who are no longer than 1 year post-treatment, are eligible for participation. A total of 100 children are being recruited from the paediatric oncology/haematology departments of three Dutch university medical centres. Patients are stratified according to pubertal stage (girls: age ≤10 or >10 years; boys: ≤11 or >11 years), type of malignancy (haematological or solid tumour), and moment of inclusion into the study (during or after treatment), and are randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Childhood cancer patients undergoing long-term cancer therapy may benefit from a combined physical exercise and psychosocial intervention program since it may

The Danish Cerebral Palsy Follow-up Program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Helle Mätzke; Nordbye-Nielsen, Kirsten; Møller-Madsen, Bjarne

2016-01-01

AIM OF DATABASE: The Danish Cerebral Palsy Follow-up Program is a combined follow-up program and national clinical quality database that aims to monitor and improve the quality of health care for children with cerebral palsy (CP). STUDY POPULATION: The database includes children with CP aged 0...... indicators in three of five regions in Denmark comprising 432 children with CP, corresponding to a coverage of 82% of the expected population. CONCLUSION: The Danish Cerebral Palsy Follow-up Program is currently under development as a national clinical quality database in Denmark. The database holds...

An interactive program on digitizing historical seismograms

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yihe; Xu, Tao

2014-02-01

Retrieving information from analog seismograms is of great importance since they are considered as the unique sources that provide quantitative information of historical earthquakes. We present an algorithm for automatic digitization of the seismograms as an inversion problem that forms an interactive program using Matlab® GUI. The program integrates automatic digitization with manual digitization and users can easily switch between the two modalities and carry out different combinations for the optimal results. Several examples about applying the interactive program are given to illustrate the merits of the method.

The Marshall Islands Data Management Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stoker, A.C.; Conrado, C.L.

1995-09-01

This report is a resource document of the methods and procedures used currently in the Data Management Program of the Marshall Islands Dose Assessment and Radioecology Project. Since 1973, over 60,000 environmental samples have been collected. Our program includes relational database design, programming and maintenance; sample and information management; sample tracking; quality control; and data entry, evaluation and reduction. The usefulness of scientific databases involves careful planning in order to fulfill the requirements of any large research program. Compilation of scientific results requires consolidation of information from several databases, and incorporation of new information as it is generated. The success in combining and organizing all radionuclide analysis, sample information and statistical results into a readily accessible form, is critical to our project.

The Marshall Islands Data Management Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoker, A.C.; Conrado, C.L.

1995-09-01

This report is a resource document of the methods and procedures used currently in the Data Management Program of the Marshall Islands Dose Assessment and Radioecology Project. Since 1973, over 60,000 environmental samples have been collected. Our program includes relational database design, programming and maintenance; sample and information management; sample tracking; quality control; and data entry, evaluation and reduction. The usefulness of scientific databases involves careful planning in order to fulfill the requirements of any large research program. Compilation of scientific results requires consolidation of information from several databases, and incorporation of new information as it is generated. The success in combining and organizing all radionuclide analysis, sample information and statistical results into a readily accessible form, is critical to our project

Genetic programming theory and practice XII

CERN Document Server

Riolo, Rick; Kotanchek, Mark

2015-01-01

These contributions, written by the foremost international researchers and practitioners of Genetic Programming (GP), explore the synergy between theoretical and empirical results on real-world problems, producing a comprehensive view of the state of the art in GP. Topics in this volume include: gene expression regulation, novel genetic models for glaucoma, inheritable epigenetics, combinators in genetic programming, sequential symbolic regression, system dynamics, sliding window symbolic regression, large feature problems, alignment in the error space, HUMIE winners, Boolean multiplexer funct

Effects of muscular and aqua aerobic combined exercise on metabolic indices in elderly women with metabolic syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Yong-Kwon; Kim, Soo-Keun; Song, Min-Sun

2013-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of muscle strengthening exercise using elastic thera-band and aquatic aerobic combined exercise on metabolic syndrome index in elderly with metabolic syndrome. Fifty-four were assigned to muscle strengthening exercise group (n = 19), aquatic aerobic exercise group (n = 19), and combined exercise group (n = 16). The muscle strength exercise, aquatic aerobic exercise and combined exercise were provided three times a week for 12 weeks. Metabolic syndrome indices[Fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference] were measured before and after the program. One-way ANOVA, paired t-test and two-way repeated ANOVA were used with the SPSS program for data analysis. There was a significant difference in triglyceride (p exercise group and aquatic exercise group. HDL-C was significantly increased in combined group than muscle strength exercise group. The results indicate that combined exercise was more effective in the improvement of dyslipidemia and abdominal obesity.

Review of 5 years of a combined dietary and physical fitness intervention for control of serum cholesterol

Science.gov (United States)

Angotti, C. M.; Levine, M. S.

1994-01-01

A chart review covering the first 5 years of clinical experience with a combined dietary and exercise intervention program for the reduction of hypercholesterolemia at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration headquarters demonstrated the program's success in maintaining high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels while significantly lowering total serum cholesterol levels. This combined program also resulted in improved ratios of total serum cholesterol to HDL-C and lowered levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, thus further reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Program was developed after it was determined that although dietary intervention alone improved total cholesterol levels, it often resulted in a more than proportionate decrease in HDL-C and a worsening of the ratio of cholesterol to HDL-C. An approach was needed that would positively affect all factors of the lipid profile. The findings from the program indicate that reduction of cardiovascular risk can be accomplished easily and effectively at the worksite through dietary intervention, personal monitoring, and a reasonable exercise program.

The value added of accountancy programs: a study in the Southeast of Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvana Cristina dos Santos

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the accounting profession has gone through different changes. The role of accountants in society has evolved, making their function more sophisticated and turning their academic background fundamental to execute tasks in companies. In that context, this paper aims to identify the factors that explain the Value Added of higher education institutions to Accountancy students. Therefore, the results of the specific knowledge test, part of the National Student Performance Examination (Enade 2009, were used, based on a sample of 251 Accountancy programs from the Southeast. In the empirical analysis of the data, descriptive statistics and the linear regression model were used. Based on the valued added method, the Production Function theory was applied, controlling for the students’ individual and socioeconomic characteristics. The results suggest that the main determinants of the Value Added are as follows: the existence of a teaching plan, the number of students receiving grants and the size of the student group.

SITE: a methodology for assessment of energy facility siting patterns. Regional studies program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frigerio, N.A.; Habegger, L.J.; King, R.F.; Hoover, L.J.; Clark, N.A.; Cobian, J.M.

1975-08-01

The timely development of the nation's energy production capacity in a manner that minimizes potential adverse local and regional impacts associated with energy facilities requires the use of sophisticated techniques for evaluation of siting alternatives and fuel cycle options. This report is a documentation of the computerized SITE methodology that has been developed for evaluating health, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts related to utilization of alternate sites for energy production within a region of interest. The cost, impact, and attribute vectors, which are generated and displayed on density maps, can be used in a multiparameter overlay process to identify preferable siting areas. The assessment of clustered facilities in energy centers is also possible within the SITE analysis framework. An application of the SITE methodology to Northern Illinois is presented. Also included is a description of the ongoing extension of SITE for the accumulative evaluation of alternative regional energy siting patterns and fuel cycle options. An appendix provides documentation and user information for the SITE computer program

Programming Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Patchy Particles into Colloidal Crystals via Colloidal Molecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Morphew, Daniel; Shaw, James; Avins, Christopher; Chakrabarti, Dwaipayan

2018-03-27

Colloidal self-assembly is a promising bottom-up route to a wide variety of three-dimensional structures, from clusters to crystals. Programming hierarchical self-assembly of colloidal building blocks, which can give rise to structures ordered at multiple levels to rival biological complexity, poses a multiscale design problem. Here we explore a generic design principle that exploits a hierarchy of interaction strengths and employ this design principle in computer simulations to demonstrate the hierarchical self-assembly of triblock patchy colloidal particles into two distinct colloidal crystals. We obtain cubic diamond and body-centered cubic crystals via distinct clusters of uniform size and shape, namely, tetrahedra and octahedra, respectively. Such a conceptual design framework has the potential to reliably encode hierarchical self-assembly of colloidal particles into a high level of sophistication. Moreover, the design framework underpins a bottom-up route to cubic diamond colloidal crystals, which have remained elusive despite being much sought after for their attractive photonic applications.

Micromechanical combined stress analysis: MICSTRAN, a user manual

Science.gov (United States)

Naik, R. A.

1992-01-01

Composite materials are currently being used in aerospace and other applications. The ability to tailor the composite properties by the appropriate selection of its constituents, the fiber and matrix, is a major advantage of composite materials. The Micromechanical Combined Stress Analysis (MICSTRAN) code provides the materials engineer with a user-friendly personal computer (PC) based tool to calculate overall composite properties given the constituent fiber and matrix properties. To assess the ability of the composite to carry structural loads, the materials engineer also needs to calculate the internal stresses in the composite material. MICSTRAN is a simple tool to calculate such internal stresses with a composite ply under combined thermomechanical loading. It assumes that the fibers have a circular cross-section and are arranged either in a repeating square or diamond array pattern within a ply. It uses a classical elasticity solution technique that has been demonstrated to calculate accurate stress results. Input to the program consists of transversely isotropic fiber properties and isotropic matrix properties such as moduli, Poisson's ratios, coefficients of thermal expansion, and volume fraction. Output consists of overall thermoelastic constants and stresses. Stresses can be computed under the combined action of thermal, transverse, longitudinal, transverse shear, and longitudinal shear loadings. Stress output can be requested along the fiber-matrix interface, the model boundaries, circular arcs, or at user-specified points located anywhere in the model. The MICSTRAN program is Windows compatible and takes advantage of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface which facilitates multitasking and extends memory access far beyond the limits imposed by the DOS operating system.

Combining the AFLOW GIBBS and elastic libraries to efficiently and robustly screen thermomechanical properties of solids

Science.gov (United States)

Toher, Cormac; Oses, Corey; Plata, Jose J.; Hicks, David; Rose, Frisco; Levy, Ohad; de Jong, Maarten; Asta, Mark; Fornari, Marco; Buongiorno Nardelli, Marco; Curtarolo, Stefano

2017-06-01

Thorough characterization of the thermomechanical properties of materials requires difficult and time-consuming experiments. This severely limits the availability of data and is one of the main obstacles for the development of effective accelerated materials design strategies. The rapid screening of new potential materials requires highly integrated, sophisticated, and robust computational approaches. We tackled the challenge by developing an automated, integrated workflow with robust error-correction within the AFLOW framework which combines the newly developed "Automatic Elasticity Library" with the previously implemented GIBBS method. The first extracts the mechanical properties from automatic self-consistent stress-strain calculations, while the latter employs those mechanical properties to evaluate the thermodynamics within the Debye model. This new thermoelastic workflow is benchmarked against a set of 74 experimentally characterized systems to pinpoint a robust computational methodology for the evaluation of bulk and shear moduli, Poisson ratios, Debye temperatures, Grüneisen parameters, and thermal conductivities of a wide variety of materials. The effect of different choices of equations of state and exchange-correlation functionals is examined and the optimum combination of properties for the Leibfried-Schlömann prediction of thermal conductivity is identified, leading to improved agreement with experimental results than the GIBBS-only approach. The framework has been applied to the AFLOW.org data repositories to compute the thermoelastic properties of over 3500 unique materials. The results are now available online by using an expanded version of the REST-API described in the Appendix.

The Southern California Earthquake Center/Undergraduate Studies in Earthquake Information Technology (SCEC/UseIT) Internship Program

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, S.; Jordan, T.

2006-12-01

Our undergraduate research program, SCEC/UseIT, an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates site, provides software for earthquake researchers and educators, movies for outreach, and ways to strengthen the technical career pipeline. SCEC/UseIT motivates diverse undergraduates towards science and engineering careers through team-based research in the exciting field of earthquake information technology. UseIT provides the cross-training in computer science/information technology (CS/IT) and geoscience needed to make fundamental progress in earthquake system science. Our high and increasing participation of women and minority students is crucial given the nation"s precipitous enrollment declines in CS/IT undergraduate degree programs, especially among women. UseIT also casts a "wider, farther" recruitment net that targets scholars interested in creative work but not traditionally attracted to summer science internships. Since 2002, SCEC/UseIT has challenged 79 students in three dozen majors from as many schools with difficult, real-world problems that require collaborative, interdisciplinary solutions. Interns design and engineer open-source software, creating increasingly sophisticated visualization tools (see "SCEC-VDO," session IN11), which are employed by SCEC researchers, in new curricula at the University of Southern California, and by outreach specialists who make animated movies for the public and the media. SCEC-VDO would be a valuable tool for research-oriented professional development programs.

Elemental labelling combined with liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for quantification of biomolecules: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Kretschy, Daniela; Koellensperger, Gunda; Hann, Stephan

2012-01-01

This article reviews novel quantification concepts where elemental labelling is combined with flow injection inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (FI-ICP-MS) or liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC–ICP-MS), and employed for quantification of biomolecules such as proteins, peptides and related molecules in challenging sample matrices. In the first sections an overview on general aspects of biomolecule quantification, as well as of labelling will be presented emphasizing the potential, which lies in such methodological approaches. In this context, ICP-MS as detector provides high sensitivity, selectivity and robustness in biological samples and offers the capability for multiplexing and isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS). Fundamental methodology of elemental labelling will be highlighted and analytical, as well as biomedical applications will be presented. A special focus will lie on established applications underlining benefits and bottlenecks of such approaches for the implementation in real life analysis. Key research made in this field will be summarized and a perspective for future developments including sophisticated and innovative applications will given. PMID:23062431

A program to research emittance growth in bends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohn, C.L.

1995-01-01

A research program to explore the phenomenon of emittance growth in bends due to noninertial space-charge effects has been defined and initiated. The program combines theoretical, numerical, and experimental investigations. This paper summarizes the motivation of the work and highlights CEBAF's need for immediate results. The program's key elements, some of which qualitatively differ from the standard approach used to investigate the production and effects of coherent synchrotron radiation in synchrotrons and storage rings, are enumerated and discussed. 1 fig

A Graduate Professional Program in Translation.

Science.gov (United States)

Waldinger, Renee

1987-01-01

The City University of New York Graduate School's professional program in translation combines high-level, specialized language learning in French, German, and Spanish with related graduate work in such disciplines as international affairs, finance, banking, jurisprudence, literature, and computer science. (CB)

The mathematica guidebook for symbolics

CERN Document Server

Trott, Michael

2006-01-01

Mathematica is today's most advanced technical computing system. It features a rich programming environment, two-and three-dimensional graphics capabilities and hundreds of sophisticated, powerful programming and mathematical functions using state-of-the-art algorithms. Combined with a user-friendly interface, and a complete mathematical typesetting system, Mathematica offers an intuitive easy-to-handle environment of great power and utility. "The Mathematica GuideBook for Symbolics" (code and text fully tailored for Mathematica 5.1) deals with Mathematica's symbolic mathematical capabilities. Structural and mathematical operations on single and systems of polynomials are fundamental to many symbolic calculations and they are covered in considerable detail. The solution of equations and differential equations, as well as the classical calculus operations (differentiation, integration, summation, series expansion, limits) are exhaustively treated. Generalized functions and their uses are discussed. In addition...

Biofuels Feedstock Development Program annual progress report for 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, L.L.; Cushman, J.H.; Ehrenshaft, A.R.; McLaughlin, S.B.; McNabb, W.A.; Ranney, J.W.; Tuskan, G.A.; Turhollow, A.F.

1992-12-01

This report provides an overview of the ongoing research funded in 1991 by the Department of Energy`s Biofuels Feedstock Development Program (BFDP). The BFDP is managed by the Environmental Sciences Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and encompasses the work formerly funded by the Short Rotation Woody Crops Program and the Herbaceous Energy Crops Program. The combined program includes crop development research on both woody and herbaceous energy crop species, cross-cutting energy and environmental analysis and integration, and information management activities. Brief summaries of 26 different program activities are included in the report.

Biofuels Feedstock Development Program annual progress report for 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, L.L.; Cushman, J.H.; Ehrenshaft, A.R.; McLaughlin, S.B.; McNabb, W.A.; Ranney, J.W.; Tuskan, G.A.; Turhollow, A.F.

1992-12-01

This report provides an overview of the ongoing research funded in 1991 by the Department of Energy's Biofuels Feedstock Development Program (BFDP). The BFDP is managed by the Environmental Sciences Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and encompasses the work formerly funded by the Short Rotation Woody Crops Program and the Herbaceous Energy Crops Program. The combined program includes crop development research on both woody and herbaceous energy crop species, cross-cutting energy and environmental analysis and integration, and information management activities. Brief summaries of 26 different program activities are included in the report.

Switch for Good Community Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crawford, Tabitha [Balfour Beatty Military Housing Management LLC, Newtown Square, PA (United States); Amran, Martha [WattzOn, Inc., Mountain View, CA (United States)

2013-11-19

Switch4Good is an energy-savings program that helps residents reduce consumption from behavior changes; it was co-developed by Balfour Beatty Military Housing Management (BB) and WattzOn in Phase I of this grant. The program was offered at 11 Navy bases. Three customer engagement strategies were evaluated, and it was found that Digital Nudges (a combination of monthly consumption statements with frequent messaging via text or email) was most cost-effective. The program was delivered on-time and on-budget, and its success is based on the teamwork of local BB staff and the WattzOn team. The following graphic shows Switch4Good “by the numbers”, e.g. the scale of operations achieved during Phase I.

Promoting convergence: The integrated graduate program in physical and engineering biology at Yale University, a new model for graduate education.

Science.gov (United States)

Noble, Dorottya B; Mochrie, Simon G J; O'Hern, Corey S; Pollard, Thomas D; Regan, Lynne

2016-11-12

In 2008, we established the Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology (IGPPEB) at Yale University. Our goal was to create a comprehensive graduate program to train a new generation of scientists who possess a sophisticated understanding of biology and who are capable of applying physical and quantitative methodologies to solve biological problems. Here we describe the framework of the training program, report on its effectiveness, and also share the insights we gained during its development and implementation. The program features co-teaching by faculty with complementary specializations, student peer learning, and novel hands-on courses that facilitate the seamless blending of interdisciplinary research and teaching. It also incorporates enrichment activities to improve communication skills, engage students in science outreach, and foster a cohesive program cohort, all of which promote the development of transferable skills applicable in a variety of careers. The curriculum of the graduate program is integrated with the curricular requirements of several Ph.D.-granting home programs in the physical, engineering, and biological sciences. Moreover, the wide-ranging recruiting activities of the IGPPEB serve to enhance the quality and diversity of students entering graduate school at Yale. We also discuss some of the challenges we encountered in establishing and optimizing the program, and describe the institution-level changes that were catalyzed by the introduction of the new graduate program. The goal of this article is to serve as both an inspiration and as a practical "how to" manual for those who seek to establish similar programs at their own institutions. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(6):537-549, 2016. © 2016 The Authors Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

40 CFR 141.550 - Is my system required to meet subpart T combined filter effluent turbidity limits?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Enhanced Filtration and Disinfection-Systems Serving Fewer Than 10,000 People Combined Filter... utilize filtration other than slow sand filtration or diatomaceous earth filtration must meet the combined...

Effects of Combined Vigorous Interval Training Program and Diet on Body Composition, Physical Fitness, and Physical Self-Perceptions Among Obese Adolescent Boys and Girls.

Science.gov (United States)

Rey, Olivier; Vallier, Jean-Marc; Nicol, Caroline; Mercier, Charles-Symphorien; Maïano, Christophe

2017-02-01

This study examined the effects of a five-week intervention combining vigorous interval training (VIT) with diet among twenty-four obese adolescents. Fourteen girls and ten boys (aged 14-15) schooled in a pediatric rehabilitation center participated. The VIT intensity was targeted and remained above 80% of maximal heart rate (HR) and over six kilocalories per minute. Pre- and postintervention measures were body composition (BMI, weight, body fat percentage), physical self-perceptions (PSP), physical fitness (6-min walking distance and work) and its associated physiological responses (HR peak and blood lactate concentration). A series of two-way analyses of variance or covariance controlling for weight loss were used to examine the changes. Significant improvements were found in body composition, physical fitness and PSP (endurance, activity level, sport competence, global physical self-concept and appearance). In addition, boys presented higher levels of perceived strength and global physical self-concept than girls. Finally, there was a significant increase in perceived endurance, sport competence, and global physical self-concept in girls only. This five-week VIT program combined with diet represents an effective means for improving body composition, physical fitness, and PSP in obese adolescents, the effects on PSP being larger among girls.

Demand-side management: The perspective of a combination utility