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Sample records for promise turning failure

  1. Infrared thermography based diagnosis of inter-turn fault and cooling system failure in three phase induction motor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Gurmeet; Naikan, V. N. A.

    2017-12-01

    Thermography has been widely used as a technique for anomaly detection in induction motors. International Electrical Testing Association (NETA) proposed guidelines for thermographic inspection of electrical systems and rotating equipment. These guidelines help in anomaly detection and estimating its severity. However, it focus only on location of hotspot rather than diagnosing the fault. This paper addresses two such faults i.e. inter-turn fault and failure of cooling system, where both results in increase of stator temperature. Present paper proposes two thermal profile indicators using thermal analysis of IRT images. These indicators are in compliance with NETA standard. These indicators help in correctly diagnosing inter-turn fault and failure of cooling system. The work has been experimentally validated for healthy and with seeded faults scenarios of induction motors.

  2. Soluble ST2 Testing: A Promising Biomarker in the Management of Heart Failure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Villacorta, Humberto, E-mail: hvillacorta@cardiol.br [Universidade Federal Fluminense - Pós-Graduação em Ciências Cardiovasculares, Niterói, RJ (Brazil); Maisel, Alan S. [University of California - Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, San Diego (United States)

    2016-02-15

    ST2 is a member of the interleukin-1 receptor family biomarker and circulating soluble ST2 concentrations are believed to reflect cardiovascular stress and fibrosis. Recent studies have demonstrated soluble ST2 to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular outcomes in both chronic and acute heart failure. It is a new biomarker that meets all required criteria for a useful biomarker. Of note, it adds information to natriuretic peptides (NPs) and some studies have shown it is even superior in terms of risk stratification. Since the introduction of NPs, this has been the most promising biomarker in the field of heart failure and might be particularly useful as therapy guide.

  3. Soluble ST2 Testing: A Promising Biomarker in the Management of Heart Failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villacorta, Humberto; Maisel, Alan S.

    2016-01-01

    ST2 is a member of the interleukin-1 receptor family biomarker and circulating soluble ST2 concentrations are believed to reflect cardiovascular stress and fibrosis. Recent studies have demonstrated soluble ST2 to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular outcomes in both chronic and acute heart failure. It is a new biomarker that meets all required criteria for a useful biomarker. Of note, it adds information to natriuretic peptides (NPs) and some studies have shown it is even superior in terms of risk stratification. Since the introduction of NPs, this has been the most promising biomarker in the field of heart failure and might be particularly useful as therapy guide

  4. Failure Analysis Of The Bolt From Turn Table Tightening On The Heavy Lifting Equipment System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatta, IIham

    2000-01-01

    This paper provides the results of failure analysis of the bolt from the turn table tightening which usually using on the heavy lifting equipment or as a equipment tor the material handling with the maximum load about 25 ton. The process of the failure analysis from the series of laboratory testing such as chemical composition, tensile testing, hardness, fracture surtace and microstructure. The results of the analysis we see this bolt have suffered fatigue failure and the initiation, cracking from the manufacture defect. This defect in the form like the folding on the screw surface which maybe happen at the screw forming process. This folding as a part of metal which not bonding together, so could act as a initial crack, and got the creasing of the strength too which cause from oxidation and decarburization at the moment of heat treatment process. So this material got the changein the strength too which oxidation and decarburization at the moment of heat treatment process. So this material got the change in the microstructure, from the martensite temper to the coarse ferrite and finally reduces the strength of the bolt

  5. The Promise and Failure of the American Dream in Scott Fitzgerald’s Fiction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitra Tiur

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The Great Gatsby is Fitzgerald’s best fictional account of the promise and failure of the American dream because here the congruity of story and style and attitude is most meaningful to the depiction of this theme. Fitzgerald created Gatsby and his myth to be an emblem of the irony and the corruption of the American dream. Fitzgerald was the embodiment of the fluid polarities of American experience: success and failure, illusion and disillusion, dream and nightmare. The exhaustion of the frontier and the rebound of the post war expatriate movement marked for Fitzgerald as the end of a long period in human history, the history of the Post-Renaissance man in America, that he made the substance of his works. Fitzgerald’s ideology, a serious criticism on the American Dream, reveals the real nature of American life so that he could find a way to the truth of the American identity.

  6. Safety evaluation of driver cognitive failures and driving errors on right-turn filtering movement at signalized road intersections based on Fuzzy Cellular Automata (FCA) model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chai, Chen; Wong, Yiik Diew; Wang, Xuesong

    2017-07-01

    This paper proposes a simulation-based approach to estimate safety impact of driver cognitive failures and driving errors. Fuzzy Logic, which involves linguistic terms and uncertainty, is incorporated with Cellular Automata model to simulate decision-making process of right-turn filtering movement at signalized intersections. Simulation experiments are conducted to estimate the relationships between cognitive failures and driving errors with safety performance. Simulation results show Different types of cognitive failures are found to have varied relationship with driving errors and safety performance. For right-turn filtering movement, cognitive failures are more likely to result in driving errors with denser conflicting traffic stream. Moreover, different driving errors are found to have different safety impacts. The study serves to provide a novel approach to linguistically assess cognitions and replicate decision-making procedures of the individual driver. Compare to crash analysis, the proposed FCA model allows quantitative estimation of particular cognitive failures, and the impact of cognitions on driving errors and safety performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Turning Failure into Success: Trials of the Heart Failure Clinical Research Network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joyce, Emer; Givertz, Michael M

    2016-12-01

    The Heart Failure Clinical Research Network (HFN) was established in 2008 on behalf of the NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, with the primary goal of improving outcomes in heart failure (HF) by designing and conducting high-quality concurrent clinical trials testing interventions across the spectrum of HF. Completed HFN trials have answered several important and relevant clinical questions concerning the safety and efficacy of different decongestive and adjunctive vasodilator therapies in hospitalized acute HF, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition and nitrate therapies in HF with preserved ejection fraction, and the role of xanthine oxidase inhibition in hyperuricemic HF. These successes, independent of the "positive" or "negative" result of each individual trial, have helped to shape the current clinical care of HF patients and serve as a platform to inform future research directions and trial designs.

  8. DC-to-AC inverter ratio failure detector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebersole, T. J.; Andrews, R. E.

    1975-01-01

    Failure detection technique is based upon input-output ratios, which is independent of inverter loading. Since inverter has fixed relationship between V-in/V-out and I-in/I-out, failure detection criteria are based on this ratio, which is simply inverter transformer turns ratio, K, equal to primary turns divided by secondary turns.

  9. Turning lead into gold

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Steffen Moltrup Ernø

    For years the field of entrepreneurship has been blinded by the alchemical promise of turning lead into gold, of finding the ones most likely to become the next Branson, Zuckerberg or Gates. The promise has been created in the midst of political and scientific agendas where certain individuals...... is not to accumulate state or market wealth, but for entrepreneurial skills to become tools towards the liberation of the individual from oppressive systems of control – essentially to add public value rather than economic value. In this presentation I will sketch an anarchist perspective on entrepreneurship, looking...

  10. Silicon Carbide Emitter Turn-Off Thyristor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Wang

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available A novel MOS-controlled SiC thyristor device, the SiC emitter turn-off thyristor (ETO is a promising technology for future high-voltage switching applications because it integrates the excellent current conduction capability of a SiC thyristor with a simple MOS-control interface. Through unity-gain turn-off, the SiC ETO also achieves excellent Safe Operation Area (SOA and faster switching speeds than silicon ETOs. The world's first 4.5-kV SiC ETO prototype shows a forward voltage drop of 4.26 V at 26.5 A/cm2 current density at room and elevated temperatures. Tested in an inductive circuit with a 2.5 kV DC link voltage and a 9.56-A load current, the SiC ETO shows a fast turn-off time of 1.63 microseconds and a low 9.88 mJ turn-off energy. The low switching loss indicates that the SiC ETO could operate at about 4 kHz if 100 W/cm2 conduction and the 100 W/cm2 turn-off losses can be removed by the thermal management system. This frequency capability is about 4 times higher than 4.5-kV-class silicon power devices. The preliminary demonstration shows that the SiC ETO is a promising candidate for high-frequency, high-voltage power conversion applications, and additional developments to optimize the device for higher voltage (>5 kV and higher frequency (10 kHz are needed.

  11. Beyond the realist turn: a socio-material analysis of heart failure self-care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDougall, Allan; Kinsella, Elizabeth Anne; Goldszmidt, Mark; Harkness, Karen; Strachan, Patricia; Lingard, Lorelei

    2018-01-01

    For patients living with chronic illnesses, self-care has been linked with positive outcomes such as decreased hospitalisation, longer lifespan, and improved quality of life. However, despite calls for more and better self-care interventions, behaviour change trials have repeatedly fallen short on demonstrating effectiveness. The literature on heart failure (HF) stands as a case in point, and a growing body of HF studies advocate realist approaches to self-care research and policymaking. We label this trend the 'realist turn' in HF self-care. Realist evaluation and realist interventions emphasise that the relationship between self-care interventions and positive health outcomes is not fixed, but contingent on social context. This paper argues socio-materiality offers a productive framework to expand on the idea of social context in realist accounts of HF self-care. This study draws on 10 interviews as well as researcher reflections from a larger study exploring health care teams for patients with advanced HF. Leveraging insights from actor-network theory (ANT), this study provides two rich narratives about the contextual factors that influence HF self-care. These descriptions portray not self-care contexts but self-care assemblages, which we discuss in light of socio-materiality. © 2018 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

  12. Why an entrepreneur needs three failures before success:entrepreneurial learning after failure

    OpenAIRE

    Haapala, S. (Sami)

    2016-01-01

    Abstract This thesis aims to give an understanding of what is behind a failure in a startup industry. To understand why failures are needed for a success, the serial entrepreneur process has to be clarified at an individual level. In the failure process, under analysis are the main phases of turning a failure into a success and the outcomes which should be used as the next venture foundations. This study also aims to give b...

  13. Clinical evaluation of an automated turning bed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melland, H I; Langemo, D; Hanson, D; Olson, B; Hunter, S

    1999-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to assess client comfort and sleep quality, client physiologic response (skin and respiratory status), the effect on the need for caregiver assistance, and cost when using an automated turning bed. Nonexperimental, evaluative study. Twenty-four adult home or long-term care resident subjects who had a degenerative disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, or back surgery. Each subject agreed to use the automated turning bed for four weeks. Researchers completed a demographic survey and skin assessment, and assessed each subject for pressure ulcer risk and for the need of assistance of a care giver for turning before and after the four weeks of using the turning bed. Subjects rated the turning bed in terms of comfort and sleep quality. Subjects rated the turning bed as more comfortable than their own bed and expressed satisfaction at the pain relief attained when on the turning bed. While using the turning bed, there was a significant improvement in sleep quality. No skin breakdown or deterioration in respiratory status occurred. Fewer subjects required the assistance of a caregiver for turning when on the turning bed. This automated turning bed shows great promise in meeting a need for patients with limited mobility whether they are homebound or in a residential community. Future studies that further investigate use of the turning bed for postoperative back patients while still in the acute care setting are indicated. Replicative studies with a larger sample size are also indicated.

  14. Diamond-turning HP-21 beryllium to achieve an optical surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, D.K.; Hauschildt, H.W.; Bryan, J.B.

    1975-01-01

    Investigation of diamond turning on beryllium was made in anticipation of obtaining an optical finish. Although results of past experiences were poor, it was decided to continue diamond turning on beryllium beyond initial failures. By changing speed and using coolant, partial success was achieved. Tool wear was the major problem. Tests were made to establish and plot wear as a function of cutting speed and time. Slower speeds did cause lower wear rates, but at no time did wear reach an acceptable level. The machine, tools, and procedure used were chosen based on the results of preliminary attempts and on previous experience. It was unnecessary to use an air-bearing spindle because tool failure governed the best finish that could be expected. All tools of diamond composition, whether single crystal or polycrystalline, wore at unacceptable rates. Based on present technology, it must be concluded that beryllium cannot be feasibly diamond turned to achieve an optical finish. (22 fig.)

  15. Study on Turn-to-turn Short Circuit On一line Monitoring System for Dry一type Ai r一core Reactor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GAO Zi-wei

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The change of current value caused by turn-to-turn short circuit of dry-type air-core reactor is so little that failure detection is difficult to be carried out. In order to solve this problem,a new on-line monitoring system based on impedance variation of turn-to-turn short circuit is proposed. The numerical method is applied to analyze the variation of equivalent resistance and equivalent reactance when dry-type air-core reactor winding short circuit happens in different places,and the monitoring method based on harmonic analysis method and quasi- synchronization sampling method is analyzed by theory. The hardware system,which takes single-chip microcomputer as the core of data processing and logic control,completes data acquisition of voltage signal and current signal of the reactor. In the respect of software design,the impedance variation will be uploaded to the PC after it has been calculated by using the above monitoring method,and then monitoring of turn-to-turn short circuit fault will be realized. Finally,the design of on-line monitoring system is studied by testing. The research result shows that,the equivalent resistance increases and the equivalent reactance decreases when turn-to-turn short circuit occurs,and the variation of equivalent resistance is more obvious than equivalent reactance. The experiment results prove that this monitoring method is true and the on-line monitoring system is feasible.

  16. Why nature doesn't turn off neurosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badalamenti, Anthony F

    2013-03-01

    This paper develops an integration of psychoanalytic and wisdom tradition concepts to answer the question as to why nature does not turn off neurosis, The proposed answer is that nature wants a person to exploit the neurosis for two gains, one being the increase in adaptive capacity resulting from releasing it and the second involving the difficulty in the release itself, the latter related to gains proffered by the world's wisdom traditions. These see a movement from the psyche's creation by passive, unconscious means of finite promise rooted in parental love to creation by active, consciously chosen means of unlimited promise involving a direct relationship with nature and the Cosmos.

  17. Toward a transnational history of technology : meanings, promises, pitfalls

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vleuten, van der E.B.A.

    2008-01-01

    This essay investigates the possibility of a transnational history of technology. It takes the current, large scale research program Tensions of Europe: Technology and the Making of Europe, 1950–2000 as its point of departure. The grand promises of the recent transnational turn in historiography,

  18. LX-17 and ufTATB Data for Corner-Turning, Failure and Detonation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Souers, P C; Lauderbach, L; Garza, R; Vitello, P; Hare, D E

    2010-02-03

    Data is presented for the size (diameter) effect for ambient and cold confined LX-17, unconfined ambient LX-17, and confined ambient ultrafine TATB. Ambient, cold and hot double cylinder corner-turning data for LX-17, PBX 9502 and ufTATB is presented. Transverse air gap crossing in ambient LX-17 is studied with time delays given for detonations that cross.

  19. A Guide to Building Education Partnerships: Navigating Diverse Cultural Contexts to Turn Challenge into Promise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hora, Matthew T.; Millar, Susan B.

    2011-01-01

    Education partnerships are central to--and often a requirement of--most education reform initiatives promoted by state and local governments, by foundations, and by business funders. Many fail for failure to understand the dynamics of their complex relationships. This book provides insights and guidance to enable prospective and existing education…

  20. Support vector machines for prediction and analysis of beta and gamma-turns in proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pham, Tho Hoan; Satou, Kenji; Ho, Tu Bao

    2005-04-01

    Tight turns have long been recognized as one of the three important features of proteins, together with alpha-helix and beta-sheet. Tight turns play an important role in globular proteins from both the structural and functional points of view. More than 90% tight turns are beta-turns and most of the rest are gamma-turns. Analysis and prediction of beta-turns and gamma-turns is very useful for design of new molecules such as drugs, pesticides, and antigens. In this paper we investigated two aspects of applying support vector machine (SVM), a promising machine learning method for bioinformatics, to prediction and analysis of beta-turns and gamma-turns. First, we developed two SVM-based methods, called BTSVM and GTSVM, which predict beta-turns and gamma-turns in a protein from its sequence. When compared with other methods, BTSVM has a superior performance and GTSVM is competitive. Second, we used SVMs with a linear kernel to estimate the support of amino acids for the formation of beta-turns and gamma-turns depending on their position in a protein. Our analysis results are more comprehensive and easier to use than the previous results in designing turns in proteins.

  1. Turn by Turn Measurements at the KEK-ATF

    CERN Document Server

    Renier, Y; Tomas, R; Wendt, M; Eddy, N; Kubo, K; Kuroda, S; Naito, T; Okugi, T; Terunuma, N; Urakawa, J

    2013-01-01

    The ATF damping ring has been upgraded with new read-out electronics for the beam position monitors (BPM), capable to acquire the beam orbits on a turn-by-turn basis, as well as in a high resolution averaging mode. The new BPM system allows to improve optic corrections and to achieve an even smaller vertical emittance (<2pm). Experimental results are presented based on turn-by-turn beam orbit measurements in the ring, for estimating the β functions and dispersion along the lattice. A fast method to measure spectral line amplitude in a few turns is also presented, including the evaluation of chromaticity.

  2. Learning from Failures in Operations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koch, Christian

    2005-01-01

    parallelism and fragmentation due to their predominantly quantitative complexity. It is suggested that a number of critical junctions occur in these processes and that obtaining quality and avoiding failures quite often requires a series of competent and situational operation management actions. An empirical...... product. The analysis showed that, among others, design review, project review, commencing and finalizing operations turned out to be critical junctions in the control of failures. Practical implications and improvements are discussed. The focus on critical junctions, points to supply chain management......This paper discusses failures and quality in operations in design and production of buildings. The importance of human action, interpretations and interactions in tackling complexity, fragmentation and disturbances in the building industry is underlined. Building processes encompass requisite...

  3. The social process of escalation: a promising focus for crisis management research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bergström Johan

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background This study identifies a promising, new focus for the crisis management research in the health care domain. After reviewing the literature on health care crisis management, there seems to be a knowledge-gap regarding organisational change and adaption, especially when health care situations goes from normal, to non-normal, to pathological and further into a state of emergency or crisis. Discussion Based on studies of escalating situations in obstetric care it is suggested that two theoretical perspectives (contingency theory and the idea of failure as a result of incomplete interaction tend to simplify the issue of escalation rather than attend to its complexities (including the various power relations among the stakeholders involved. However studying the process of escalation as inherently complex and social allows us to see the definition of a situation as normal or non-normal as an exercise of power in itself, rather than representing a putatively correct response to a particular emergency. Implications The concept of escalation, when treated this way, can help us further the analysis of clinical and institutional acts and competence. It can also turn our attention to some important elements in a class of social phenomenon, crises and emergencies, that so far have not received the attention they deserve. Focusing on organisational choreography, that interplay of potential factors such as power, professional identity, organisational accountability, and experience, is not only a promising focus for future naturalistic research but also for developing more pragmatic strategies that can enhance organisational coordination and response in complex events.

  4. On the Quality of Failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bengt-Arne Vedin

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available No innovation without failed experiments. No acquisition of competency without hard work, efforts to translate mistakes and insufficient – failed – attempts into mastery. The human condition is one defined by trial and error. Success equates with narrow escape from failure, whereas failure may be a success just missed. The purpose of management can be said to achieve success, so the management of failure is a key one, seeking to turn failure into profit. Almost no successful solutions remain eternally, so signals indicating that they have arrived in their twilight zone are important. Success may be too comforting and lulling, creating a dangerous success lock-in. Courting failure by acting against conventional wisdom and routine intuitions may, though risky, generate huge payoffs. A productive failure management should appreciate that failure is a way to uncertainty reduction, to better information and knowledge, new wisdom and new intuitions. Failure can and should be celebrated and harvested. The most successful mineral prospectors are those who drill more holes; while their percentage of dry ones is average, their number of lucky ones makes for success. The same holds for ideas, where there is the additional benefit that a larger number of ideas, diverse as they are, makes for improved idea handling proficiency.

  5. Wofford-Thornburgh: a turning point for health reform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tokarski, C

    1992-01-01

    The November 5 special election in Pennsylvania pitting appointed Senator Harris Wofford against former U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh was a turning point in the national debate over health reform. Under the glare of media spotlights, Wofford mounted a come-from-behind victory over the heavily favored Thornburgh by trumpeting "national health insurance." Since Wofford's victory, President Bush has rethought his previous indifference to health reform and promised to announce a comprehensive plan in January, more than a year ahead of schedule.

  6. Porting Initiation and Failure into Linked CHEETAH

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souers, Clark; Vitello, Peter

    2007-06-01

    Linked CHEETAH is a thermo-chemical code coupled to a 2-D hydrocode. Initially, a quadratic-pressure dependent kinetic rate was used, which worked well in modeling prompt detonation of explosives of large size, but does not work on other aspects of explosive behavior. The variable-pressure Tarantula reactive flow rate model was developed with JWL++ in order to also describe failure and initiation, and we have moved this model into Linked CHEETAH. The model works by turning on only above a pressure threshold, where a slow turn-on creates initiation. At a higher pressure, the rate suddenly leaps to a large value over a small pressure range. A slowly failing cylinder will see a rapidly declining rate, which pushes it quickly into failure. At a high pressure, the detonation rate is constant. A sequential validation procedure is used, which includes metal-confined cylinders, rate-sticks, corner-turning, initiation and threshold, gap tests and air gaps. The size (diameter) effect is central to the calibration. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract No. W-7405-Eng-48.

  7. FAILURE MODE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS (FMEA OF BUTTERFLY VALVE IN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MUHAMMAD AMIRUL BIN YUSOF

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Butterfly valves are mostly used in various industries such as oil and gas plant. This valve operates with rotating motion using pneumatic system. Rotating actuator turns the disc either parallel or perpendicular to the flow. When the valve is fully open, the disc is rotated a quarter turn so that it allows free passage of the fluid and when fully closed, the disc rotated a quarter turns to block the fluid. The primary failure modes for valves are the valve leaks to environment through flanges, seals on the valve body, valve stem packing not properly protected, over tightened packing nuts, the valve cracks and leaks over the seat. To identify the failure of valve Failure Mode and Effects Analysis has been chosen. FMEA is the one of technique to perform failure analysis. It involves reviewing as many components to identify failure modes, and their causes and effects. For each component, the failure modes and their resulting effects on the rest of the system are recorded in a specific FMEA form. Risk priority number, severity, detection, occurrence are the factor determined in this studies. Risk priority number helps to find out the highest hazardous activities which need more attention than the other activity. The highest score of risk priority number in this research is seat. Action plan was proposed to reduce the risk priority number and so that potential failures also will be reduced.

  8. Detection of Failure in Asynchronous Motor Using Soft Computing Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinoth Kumar, K.; Sony, Kevin; Achenkunju John, Alan; Kuriakose, Anto; John, Ano P.

    2018-04-01

    This paper investigates the stator short winding failure of asynchronous motor also their effects on motor current spectrums. A fuzzy logic approach i.e., model based technique possibly will help to detect the asynchronous motor failure. Actually, fuzzy logic similar to humanoid intelligent methods besides expected linguistic empowering inferences through vague statistics. The dynamic model is technologically advanced for asynchronous motor by means of fuzzy logic classifier towards investigate the stator inter turn failure in addition open phase failure. A hardware implementation was carried out with LabVIEW for the online-monitoring of faults.

  9. Effect of magneto rheological damper on tool vibration during hard turning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, P. Sam; Varadarajan, A. S.

    2012-12-01

    Recently, the concept of hard turning has gained considerable attention in metal cutting as it can apparently replace the traditional process cycle of turning, heat treating, and finish grinding for assembly of hard wear resistant steel parts. The present investigation aims at developing a magneto rheological (MR) fluid damper for suppressing tool vibration and promoting better cutting performance during hard turning. The magneto rheological Fluid acts as a viscoelastic spring with non-linear vibration characteristics that are controlled by the composition of the magneto rheological fluid, the shape of the plunger and the electric parameters of the magnetizing field. Cutting experiments were conducted to arrive at a set of electrical, compositional and shape parameters that can suppress tool vibration and promote better cutting performance during turning of AISI 4340 steel of 46 HRC with minimal fluid application using hard metal insert with sculptured rake face. It was observed that the use of MR fluid damper reduces tool vibration and improves the cutting performance effectively. Also commercialization of this idea holds promise to the metal cutting industry.

  10. Parenteral Nutrition and Intestinal Failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bielawska, Barbara; Allard, Johane P

    2017-05-06

    Severe short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a major cause of chronic (Type 3) intestinal failure (IF) where structural and functional changes contribute to malabsorption and risk of micronutrient deficiencies. Chronic IF may be reversible, depending on anatomy and intestinal adaptation, but most patients require long-term nutritional support, generally in the form of parenteral nutrition (PN). SBS management begins with dietary changes and pharmacologic therapies taking into account individual anatomy and physiology, but these are rarely sufficient to avoid PN. New hormonal therapies targeting intestinal adaptation hold promise. Surgical options for SBS including intestinal transplant are available, but have significant limitations. Home PN (HPN) is therefore the mainstay of treatment for severe SBS. HPN involves chronic administration of macronutrients, micronutrients, fluid, and electrolytes via central venous access in the patient's home. HPN requires careful clinical and biochemical monitoring. Main complications of HPN are related to venous access (infection, thrombosis) and metabolic complications including intestinal failure associated liver disease (IFALD). Although HPN significantly impacts quality of life, outcomes are generally good and survival is mostly determined by the underlying disease. As chronic intestinal failure is a rare disease, registries are a promising strategy for studying HPN patients to improve outcomes.

  11. Nuclear cardiology and heart failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giubbini, Raffaele; Bertagna, Francesco; Milan, Elisa; Mut, Fernando; Dondi, Maurizio; Metra, Marco; Rodella, Carlo

    2009-01-01

    The prevalence of heart failure in the adult population is increasing. It varies between 1% and 2%, although it mainly affects elderly people (6-10% of people over the age of 65 years will develop heart failure). The syndrome of heart failure arises as a consequence of an abnormality in cardiac structure, function, rhythm, or conduction. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of heart failure and it accounts for this disorder in 60-70% of all patients affected. Nuclear techniques provide unique information on left ventricular function and perfusion by gated-single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Myocardial viability can be assessed by both SPECT and PET imaging. Finally, autonomic dysfunction has been shown to increase the risk of death in patients with heart disease and this may be applicable to all patients with cardiac disease regardless of aetiology. MIBG scanning has a very promising prognostic value in patients with heart failure. (orig.)

  12. Nuclear cardiology and heart failure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giubbini, Raffaele; Bertagna, Francesco [University of Brescia, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Brescia (Italy); Milan, Elisa [Ospedale Di Castelfranco Veneto, Nuclear Medicine Unit, Castelfranco Veneto (Italy); Mut, Fernando; Dondi, Maurizio [International Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Medicine Section, Division of Human Health, Vienna (Austria); Metra, Marco [University of Brescia, Department of Cardiology, Brescia (Italy); Rodella, Carlo [Health Physics Department, Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia (Italy)

    2009-12-15

    The prevalence of heart failure in the adult population is increasing. It varies between 1% and 2%, although it mainly affects elderly people (6-10% of people over the age of 65 years will develop heart failure). The syndrome of heart failure arises as a consequence of an abnormality in cardiac structure, function, rhythm, or conduction. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of heart failure and it accounts for this disorder in 60-70% of all patients affected. Nuclear techniques provide unique information on left ventricular function and perfusion by gated-single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Myocardial viability can be assessed by both SPECT and PET imaging. Finally, autonomic dysfunction has been shown to increase the risk of death in patients with heart disease and this may be applicable to all patients with cardiac disease regardless of aetiology. MIBG scanning has a very promising prognostic value in patients with heart failure. (orig.)

  13. Tool life and surface roughness of ceramic cutting tool when turning AISI D2 tool steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Emri Wan Abdul Rahaman

    2007-01-01

    The tool life of physical vapor deposition (PVD) titanium nitride (TiN) coated ceramic when turning AISI D2 tool steel of hardness 54-55 HRC was investigated. The experiments were conducted at various cutting speed and feed rate combinations with constant depth of cut and under dry cutting condition. The tool life of the cutting tool for all cutting conditions was obtained. The tool failure mode and wear mechanism were also investigated. The wear mechanism that is responsible for the wear form is abrasion and diffusion. Flank wear and crater wear are the main wear form found when turning AISI D2 grade hardened steel with 54-55 HRC using KY 4400 ceramic cutting tool. Additionally catastrophic failure is observed at cutting speed of 183 m/min and feed rate of 0.16 mm/ rev. (author)

  14. Establishing an ISO 10001-based promise in inpatients care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman; Karapetrovic, Stanislav

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to explore ISO 10001:2007 in planning, designing and developing a customer satisfaction promise (CSP) intended for inpatients care. Through meetings and interviews with research participants, who included a program manager, unit managers and registered nurses, information about potential promises and their implementation was obtained and analyzed. A number of promises were drafted and one was finally selected to be developed as a CSP. Applying the standard required adaptation and novel interpretation. Additionally, ISO 10002:2004 (Clause 7) was used to design the feedback handling activities. A promise initially chosen for development turned out to be difficult to implement, experience that helped in selecting and developing the final promise. Research participants found the ISO 10001-based method useful and comprehensible. This paper presents a specific health care example of how to adapt a standard's guideline in establishing customer promises. The authors show how a promise can be used in alleviating an existing issue (i.e. communication between carers and patients). The learning can be beneficial in various health care settings. To the knowledge, this paper shows the first example of applying ISO 10001:2007 in a health care case. A few activities suggested by the standard are further detailed, and a new activity is introduced. The integrated use of ISO 10001:2007 and 10002:2004 is presented and how one can be "augmented" by the other is demonstrated.

  15. Diuretics as pathogenetic treatment for heart failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guglin, Maya

    2011-01-01

    Increased intracardiac filling pressure or congestion causes symptoms and leads to hospital admissions in patients with heart failure, regardless of their systolic function. A history of hospital admission, in turn, predicts further hospitalizations and morbidity, and a higher number of hospitalizations determine higher mortality. Congestion is therefore the driving force of the natural history of heart failure. Congestion is the syndrome shared by heart failure with preserved and reduced systolic function. These two conditions have almost identical morbidity, mortality, and survival because the outcomes are driven by congestion. A small difference in favor of heart failure with preserved systolic function comes from decreased ejection fraction and left ventricular remodeling which is only present in heart failure with decreased systolic function. The magnitude of this difference reflects the contribution of decreased systolic function and ventricular remodeling to the progression of heart failure. The only treatment available for congestion is fluid removal via diuretics, ultrafiltration, or dialysis. It is the only treatment that works equally well for heart failure with reduced and preserved systolic function because it affects congestion, the main pathogenetic feature of the disease. Diuretics are pathogenetic therapy for heart failure. PMID:21403798

  16. Generic Sensor Failure Modeling for Cooperative Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jäger, Georg; Zug, Sebastian

    2018-01-01

    The advent of cooperative systems entails a dynamic composition of their components. As this contrasts current, statically composed systems, new approaches for maintaining their safety are required. In that endeavor, we propose an integration step that evaluates the failure model of shared information in relation to an application’s fault tolerance and thereby promises maintainability of such system’s safety. However, it also poses new requirements on failure models, which are not fulfilled by state-of-the-art approaches. Consequently, this work presents a mathematically defined generic failure model as well as a processing chain for automatically extracting such failure models from empirical data. By examining data of an Sharp GP2D12 distance sensor, we show that the generic failure model not only fulfills the predefined requirements, but also models failure characteristics appropriately when compared to traditional techniques. PMID:29558435

  17. Biomarkers in acute heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallick, Aditi; Januzzi, James L

    2015-06-01

    The care of patients with acutely decompensated heart failure is being reshaped by the availability and understanding of several novel and emerging heart failure biomarkers. The gold standard biomarkers in heart failure are B-type natriuretic peptide and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, which play an important role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of acute decompensated heart failure. Novel biomarkers that are increasingly involved in the processes of myocardial injury, neurohormonal activation, and ventricular remodeling are showing promise in improving diagnosis and prognosis among patients with acute decompensated heart failure. These include midregional proatrial natriuretic peptide, soluble ST2, galectin-3, highly-sensitive troponin, and midregional proadrenomedullin. There has also been an emergence of biomarkers for evaluation of acute decompensated heart failure that assist in the differential diagnosis of dyspnea, such as procalcitonin (for identification of acute pneumonia), as well as markers that predict complications of acute decompensated heart failure, such as renal injury markers. In this article, we will review the pathophysiology and usefulness of established and emerging biomarkers for the clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and management of acute decompensated heart failure. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  18. Mitigation of commutation failures in LCC–HVDC systems based on superconducting fault current limiters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jong-Geon; Khan, Umer Amir; Lee, Ho-Yun; Lim, Sung-Woo; Lee, Bang-Wook, E-mail: bangwook@hanyang.ac.kr

    2016-11-15

    Commutation failure in line commutated converter based HVDC systems cause severe damages on the entire power grid system. For LCC–HVDC, thyristor valves are turned on by a firing signal but turn off control is governed by the external applied AC voltage from surrounding network. When the fault occurs in AC system, turn-off control of thyristor valves is unavailable due to the voltage collapse of point of common coupling (PCC), which causes the commutation failure in LCC–HVDC link. Due to the commutation failure, the power transfer interruption, dc voltage drop and severe voltage fluctuation in the AC system could be occurred. In a severe situation, it might cause the protection system to block the valves. In this paper, as a solution to prevent the voltage collapse on PCC and to limit the fault current, the application study of resistive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) on LCC–HVDC grid system was performed with mathematical and simulation analyses. The simulation model was designed by Matlab/Simulink considering Haenam-Jeju HVDC power grid in Korea which includes conventional AC system and onshore wind farm and resistive SFCL model. From the result, it was observed that the application of SFCL on LCC–HVDC system is an effective solution to mitigate the commutation failure. And then the process to determine optimum quench resistance of SFCL which enables the recovery of commutation failure was deeply investigated.

  19. Mitigation of commutation failures in LCC–HVDC systems based on superconducting fault current limiters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jong-Geon; Khan, Umer Amir; Lee, Ho-Yun; Lim, Sung-Woo; Lee, Bang-Wook

    2016-01-01

    Commutation failure in line commutated converter based HVDC systems cause severe damages on the entire power grid system. For LCC–HVDC, thyristor valves are turned on by a firing signal but turn off control is governed by the external applied AC voltage from surrounding network. When the fault occurs in AC system, turn-off control of thyristor valves is unavailable due to the voltage collapse of point of common coupling (PCC), which causes the commutation failure in LCC–HVDC link. Due to the commutation failure, the power transfer interruption, dc voltage drop and severe voltage fluctuation in the AC system could be occurred. In a severe situation, it might cause the protection system to block the valves. In this paper, as a solution to prevent the voltage collapse on PCC and to limit the fault current, the application study of resistive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) on LCC–HVDC grid system was performed with mathematical and simulation analyses. The simulation model was designed by Matlab/Simulink considering Haenam-Jeju HVDC power grid in Korea which includes conventional AC system and onshore wind farm and resistive SFCL model. From the result, it was observed that the application of SFCL on LCC–HVDC system is an effective solution to mitigate the commutation failure. And then the process to determine optimum quench resistance of SFCL which enables the recovery of commutation failure was deeply investigated.

  20. Mitigation of commutation failures in LCC-HVDC systems based on superconducting fault current limiters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jong-Geon; Khan, Umer Amir; Lee, Ho-Yun; Lim, Sung-Woo; Lee, Bang-Wook

    2016-11-01

    Commutation failure in line commutated converter based HVDC systems cause severe damages on the entire power grid system. For LCC-HVDC, thyristor valves are turned on by a firing signal but turn off control is governed by the external applied AC voltage from surrounding network. When the fault occurs in AC system, turn-off control of thyristor valves is unavailable due to the voltage collapse of point of common coupling (PCC), which causes the commutation failure in LCC-HVDC link. Due to the commutation failure, the power transfer interruption, dc voltage drop and severe voltage fluctuation in the AC system could be occurred. In a severe situation, it might cause the protection system to block the valves. In this paper, as a solution to prevent the voltage collapse on PCC and to limit the fault current, the application study of resistive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) on LCC-HVDC grid system was performed with mathematical and simulation analyses. The simulation model was designed by Matlab/Simulink considering Haenam-Jeju HVDC power grid in Korea which includes conventional AC system and onshore wind farm and resistive SFCL model. From the result, it was observed that the application of SFCL on LCC-HVDC system is an effective solution to mitigate the commutation failure. And then the process to determine optimum quench resistance of SFCL which enables the recovery of commutation failure was deeply investigated.

  1. Medical abortion. defining success and categorizing failures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rørbye, Christina; Nørgaard, Mogens; Vestermark, Vibeke

    2003-01-01

    . The difference in short- and long-term success rates increased with increasing gestational age. The majority of failures (76%) were diagnosed more than 2 weeks after initiation of the abortion. At a 2-week follow-up visit, the women who turned out to be failures had a larger endometrial width, higher beta......-hCG values and smaller reductions of beta-hCG than those treated successfully. To optimize comparison of success rates after different medical abortion regimens, we suggest that the criteria for success are stated clearly, that the success rates are stratified according to gestational age...

  2. Mechanical circulatory treatment of advanced heart failure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Løgstrup, Brian B; Vase, Henrik; Gjedsted, Jakob

    2016-01-01

    Heart failure is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. When patients cease to respond adequately to optimal medical therapy mechanical circulatory support has been promising. The advent of mechanical circulatory support devices has allowed significant improvements...... in patient survival and quality of life for those with advanced or end-stage heart failure. We provide a general overview of current mechanical circulatory support devices encompassing options for both short- and long-term ventricular support....

  3. Ares-I-X Vehicle Preliminary Range Safety Malfunction Turn Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaty, James R.; Starr, Brett R.; Gowan, John W., Jr.

    2008-01-01

    Ares-I-X is the designation given to the flight test version of the Ares-I rocket (also known as the Crew Launch Vehicle - CLV) being developed by NASA. As part of the preliminary flight plan approval process for the test vehicle, a range safety malfunction turn analysis was performed to support the launch area risk assessment and vehicle destruct criteria development processes. Several vehicle failure scenarios were identified which could cause the vehicle trajectory to deviate from its normal flight path, and the effects of these failures were evaluated with an Ares-I-X 6 degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) digital simulation, using the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories Version 2 (POST2) simulation framework. The Ares-I-X simulation analysis provides output files containing vehicle state information, which are used by other risk assessment and vehicle debris trajectory simulation tools to determine the risk to personnel and facilities in the vicinity of the launch area at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), and to develop the vehicle destruct criteria used by the flight test range safety officer. The simulation analysis approach used for this study is described, including descriptions of the failure modes which were considered and the underlying assumptions and ground rules of the study, and preliminary results are presented, determined by analysis of the trajectory deviation of the failure cases, compared with the expected vehicle trajectory.

  4. The Translator's Turn: in the Cultural Turn

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    徐玮玮

    2003-01-01

    @@ Introduction: Douglas Robinson rose to the defense of the " atheoretical" American literary translator in The Translator's Turn (1991). Here, I borrowed the title from him, but I will write my paper in the thought of the translator's role in translating. In his book, Robinson argued that the literary translator embodies an integration of feeling and thought, of intuition and systematization. In analyzing the " turn" that the translator take from the source text to the target text, Robinson offered a " dialogical" model, that is the translator's dialogical engagement with the source language and with the ethic of the target language. Robinson allows for the translator to intervene, subvert, divert, even entertain, emphasizing the creative aspect of literary translation. The translation linguists, scientists, and philosophers have had their chance at translation theory; now it is time, he argued, for the literary translators to have their " turn".

  5. Hepatocyte growth factor in renal failure: promise and reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vargas, G A; Hoeflich, A; Jehle, P M

    2000-04-01

    Can science discover some secrets of Greek mythology? In the case of Prometheus, we can now suppose that his amazing hepatic regeneration was caused by a peptide growth factor called hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Increasing evidence indicates that HGF acts as a multifunctional cytokine on different cell types. This review addresses the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the pleiotropic effects of HGF. HGF binds with high affinity to its specific tyrosine kinase receptor c-met, thereby stimulating not only cell proliferation and differentiation, but also cell migration and tumorigenesis. The three fundamental principles of medicine-prevention, diagnosis, and therapy-may be benefited by the rational use of HGF. In renal tubular cells, HGF induces mitogenic and morphogenetic responses. In animal models of toxic or ischemic acute renal failure, HGF acts in a renotropic and nephroprotective manner. HGF expression is rapidly up-regulated in the remnant kidney of nephrectomized rats, inducing compensatory growth. In a mouse model of chronic renal disease, HGF inhibits the progression of tubulointerstitial fibrosis and kidney dysfunction. Increased HGF mRNA transcripts were detected in mesenchymal and tubular epithelial cells of rejecting kidney. In transplanted patients, elevated HGF levels may indicate renal rejection. When HGF is considered as a therapeutic agent in human medicine, for example, to stimulate kidney regeneration after acute injury, strategies need to be developed to stimulate cell regeneration and differentiation without an induction of tumorigenesis.

  6. Lattice modeling and calibration with turn-by-turn orbit data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaobiao Huang

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available A new method that explores turn-by-turn beam position monitor (BPM data to calibrate lattice models of accelerators is proposed. The turn-by-turn phase space coordinates at one location of the ring are first established using data from two BPMs separated by a simple section with a known transfer matrix, such as a drift space. The phase space coordinates are then tracked with the model to predict positions at other BPMs, which can be compared to measurements. The model is adjusted to minimize the difference between the measured and predicted orbit data. BPM gains and rolls are included as fitting variables. This technique can be applied to either the entire or a section of the ring. We have tested the method experimentally on a part of the SPEAR3 ring.

  7. Lattice modeling and calibration with turn-by-turn orbit data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Xiaobiao; Sebek, Jim; Martin, Don

    2010-11-01

    A new method that explores turn-by-turn beam position monitor (BPM) data to calibrate lattice models of accelerators is proposed. The turn-by-turn phase space coordinates at one location of the ring are first established using data from two BPMs separated by a simple section with a known transfer matrix, such as a drift space. The phase space coordinates are then tracked with the model to predict positions at other BPMs, which can be compared to measurements. The model is adjusted to minimize the difference between the measured and predicted orbit data. BPM gains and rolls are included as fitting variables. This technique can be applied to either the entire or a section of the ring. We have tested the method experimentally on a part of the SPEAR3 ring.

  8. Crack turning in integrally stiffened aircraft structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pettit, Richard Glen

    resistance orthotropy---a second-order linear elastic method with a characteristic length parameter to incorporate T-stress/process-zone effects, and an elastic-plastic method that uses the Crack Tip Opening Displacement (CTOD) to determine the failure response. Together with a novel method for obtaining enhanced accuracy T-stress calculations, these methods are incorporated into an adaptive-mesh, finite-element fracture simulation code. A total of 43 fracture tests using symmetrically and asymmetrically loaded double cantilever beam specimens were run to develop crack turning parameters and compare predicted and observed crack paths.

  9. Recent advances in treatment of heart failure [version 1; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takeshi Kitai

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available With the total cases and economic burden of heart failure continuing to rise, there is an overwhelming need for novel therapies. Several drugs for heart failure have succeeded in preclinical and early-phase clinical trials, but most of them failed to show the real benefit in pivotal clinical trials. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration recently approved two promising new drugs to treat heart failure: ivabradine and sacubitril/valsartan. Furthermore, some of the newer agents in testing offer the potential for significant progress in addition to these drugs. Patiromer and zirconium cyclosilicate are attractive agents that are expected to prevent hyperkalemia during renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibition, and serelaxin and urodilatin are promising drugs in the treatment of acute heart failure. Future clinical trials with more appropriate study designs, optimal clinical endpoints, and proper patient selection are mandatory to assess the true efficacy of these attractive compounds in clinical practice.

  10. Prevention of bolting degradation or failure in pressure boundary and support applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merrick, E.A.; Rivers, A.; Bickford, J.; Marston, T.U.

    1986-01-01

    A discussion is presented of bolting degradation or failure experience in pressure boundary and component support applications in US commercial nuclear plants and the industry program to prevent failures in the future. The focus turns to steps which plant owners can take today to guard against pressure boundary bolt failure or degradation for existing plants or units being constructed. 'Tools' or products which the plant owner can expect from current industry programs which will be available in the near future to aid in understanding and improving bolting practices are described. (author)

  11. Mimicry by asx- and ST-turns of the four main types of beta-turn in proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duddy, William J; Nissink, J Willem M; Allen, Frank H; Milner-White, E James

    2004-11-01

    Hydrogen-bonded beta-turns in proteins occur in four categories: type I (the most common), type II, type II', and type I'. Asx-turns resemble beta-turns, in that both have an NH. . .OC hydrogen bond forming a ring of 10 atoms. Serine and threonine side chains also commonly form hydrogen-bonded turns, here called ST-turns. Asx-turns and ST-turns can be categorized into four classes, based on side chain rotamers and the conformation of the central turn residue, which are geometrically equivalent to the four types of beta-turns. We propose asx- and ST-turns be named using the type I, II, I', and II' beta-turn nomenclature. Using this, the frequency of occurrence of both asx- and ST-turns is: type II' > type I > type II > type I', whereas for beta-turns it is type I > type II > type I' > type II'. Almost all type II asx-turns occur as a recently described three residue feature named an asx-nest.

  12. Failure Analysis of Storage Data Magnetic Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ortiz–Prado A.

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper shows the conclusions about the corrosion mechanics in storage data magnetic systems (hard disk. It was done from the inspection of 198 units that were in service in nine different climatic regions characteristic for Mexico. The results allow to define trends about the failure forms and the factors that affect them. In turn, this study has analyzed the causes that led to mechanical failure and those due to deterioration by atmospheric corrosion. On the basis of the results obtained from the field sampling, demonstrates that the hard disk failure is fundamentally by mechanical effects. The deterioration by environmental effects were found in read-write heads, integrated circuits, printed circuit boards and in some of the electronic components of the controller card of the device, but not in magnetic storage surfaces. There fore, you can discard corrosion on the surface of the disk as the main kind of failure due to environmental deterioration. To avoid any inconvenience in the magnetic data storage system it is necessary to ensure sealing of the system.

  13. Fuel failure detection and location methods in CAGRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, A.M.

    1982-06-01

    The release of fission products from AGR fuel failures and the way in which the signals from such failures must be detected against the background signal from uranium contamination of the fuel is considered. Theoretical assessments of failure detection are used to show the limitations of the existing Electrostatic Wire Precipitator Burst Can Detection system (BCD) and how its operating parameters can be optimised. Two promising alternative methods, the 'split count' technique and the use of iodine measurements, are described. The results of a detailed study of the mechanical and electronic performance of the present BCD trolleys are given. The limited experience of detection and location of two fuel failures in CAGR using conventional and alternative methods is reviewed. The larger failure was detected and located using the conventional BCD equipment with a high confidence level. It is shown that smaller failures may not be easy to detect and locate using the current BCD equipment, and the second smaller failure probably remained in the reactor for about a year before it was discharged. The split count technique used with modified BCD equipment was able to detect the smaller failure after careful inspection of the data. (author)

  14. Impact of Different Surgeons on Dental Implant Failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chrcanovic, Bruno Ramos; Kisch, Jenö; Albrektsson, Tomas; Wennerberg, Ann

    To assess the influence of several factors on the prevalence of dental implant failure, with special consideration of the placement of implants by different dental surgeons. This retrospective study is based on 2,670 patients who received 10,096 implants at one specialist clinic. Only the data of patients and implants treated by surgeons who had inserted a minimum of 200 implants at the clinic were included. Kaplan-Meier curves were stratified with respect to the individual surgeon. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) method was used to account for the fact that repeated observations (several implants) were placed in a single patient. The factors bone quantity, bone quality, implant location, implant surface, and implant system were analyzed with descriptive statistics separately for each individual surgeon. A total of 10 surgeons were eligible. The differences between the survival curves of each individual were statistically significant. The multivariate GEE model showed the following variables to be statistically significant: surgeon, bruxism, intake of antidepressants, location, implant length, and implant system. The surgeon with the highest absolute number of failures was also the one who inserted the most implants in sites of poor bone and used turned implants in most cases, whereas the surgeon with the lowest absolute number of failures used mainly modern implants. Separate survival analyses of turned and modern implants stratified for the individual surgeon showed statistically significant differences in cumulative survival. Different levels of failure incidence could be observed between the surgeons, occasionally reaching significant levels. Although a direct causal relationship could not be ascertained, the results of the present study suggest that the surgeons' technique, skills, and/or judgment may negatively influence implant survival rates.

  15. Translation failure and medical reversal: Two sides to the same coin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasad, Vinay

    2016-01-01

    Translation failure occurs when the results of preclinical, observational and/or early phase studies fail to predict the results of well done (i.e. appropriately controlled, adequately powered, and properly conducted) phase III or randomised clinical trials. Some failures occur when promising basic science findings fail to replicate in human studies, while others happen when promising uncontrolled trial data show an exaggerated effect that vanishes in the setting of a randomised trial. Medical reversals occur when the results of preclinical, observational and/or early phase studies fail to predict the results of subsequent randomized clinical trials, but the practice has already gained widespread acceptance. Oncologic examples include bevacizumab and the use of autologous stem cell transplant in metastatic breast cancer. In a well-intentioned effort to reduce the rate of translation failure, oncologists must be careful that changes to regulatory processes and clinical trial design do not actually work to increase the approval of ineffective compounds. By trying to cure translation failure, we should be careful to avoid medical reversal. The rise of surrogate end-points and role of hard-wired bias in oncology trials suggest that we may be currently ignoring the simple fact that translation failure and medical reversal are two sides to the same coin. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  16. Turning breech babies after 34 weeks: the if, how, & when of turning breech babies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohain, Judy Slome

    2007-01-01

    Techniques for turning a term breech baby are 1). External cephalic version (ECV) using hands and ultrasound only; 2). Acupuncture point stimulation, by needle or moxibustion; 3). Chiropractic "Webster" technique; 4). Hypnotherapy; and 5). Special exercises. Fifty % of breech fetuses at 34 weeks will turn by themselves to head down by 38 weeks. Therefore, to be considered effective, a technique for turning breech must turn the baby and keep it turned more than 50% of the time. Only ECV with an experienced practitioner has been documented to have a greater than 50% success rate at 37 weeks; in 95% of cases the head stays down. Most women experience the fetus turning by hand as quick but very painful. "Unstable lie" is sometimes used as a baseless excuse for inducing labor after the baby turns from breech to head down. (judyslome@hotmail.com).

  17. Tradeoffs in fuel cycle performance for most promising options - 15346

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taiwo, T.; Kim, T.K.; Feng, B.; Stauff, N.; Hoffman, E.; Ganda, F.; Todosow, M.; Brown, N.; Raitses, G.; Gehin, J.; Powers, J.; Youinou, G.; Hiruta, H.; Wigeland, R.

    2015-01-01

    A recent Evaluation and Screening (E/S) study of nuclear fuel cycle options was conducted by grouping all potential options into 40 Evaluation Groups (EGs) based on similarities in fundamental physics characteristics and fuel cycle performance. Through a rigorous evaluation process considering benefit and challenge metrics, 4 of these EGs were identified by the E/S study as 'most promising'. All 4 involve continuous recycle of U/Pu or U/TRU with natural uranium feed in fast critical reactors. However, these most promising EGs also include fuel cycle groups with variations on feed materials, neutron spectra, and reactor criticality. Therefore, the impacts of the addition of natural thorium fuel feed to a system that originally only used natural uranium fuel feed, using an intermediate spectrum instead of a fast spectrum, and using externally-driven systems versus critical reactors were evaluated. It was found that adding thorium to the natural uranium feed mixture leads to lower burnup, higher mass flows, and degrades fuel cycle benefit metrics (waste management, resource utilization, etc.) for fuel cycles that continuously recycle U/Pu or U/TRU. Adding thorium results in fissions of 233 U instead of just 239 Pu and in turn results in a lower average number of neutrons produced per absorption (η) for the fast reactor system. For continuous recycling systems, the lower η results in lower excess reactivity and subsequently lower achievable fuel burnup. This in turn leads to higher mass flows (fabrication, reprocessing, disposal, etc.) to produce a given amount of energy and subsequent lower metrics performance. The investigated fuel cycle options with intermediate spectrum reactors also exhibited degraded performance in the benefit metrics compared to fast spectrum reactors. Similarly, this is due to lower η values as the spectrum softens. The best externally-driven systems exhibited similar performance as fast critical reactors in terms of mass flows

  18. Stem Cell Technology in Cardiac Regeneration: A Pluripotent Stem Cell Promise

    OpenAIRE

    Robin Duelen; Maurilio Sampaolesi

    2017-01-01

    Despite advances in cardiovascular biology and medical therapy, heart disorders are the leading cause of death worldwide. Cell-based regenerative therapies become a promising treatment for patients affected by heart failure, but also underline the need for reproducible results in preclinical and clinical studies for safety and efficacy. Enthusiasm has been tempered by poor engraftment, survival and differentiation of the injected adult stem cells. The crucial challenge is identification and s...

  19. The Promises of Biology and the Biology of Promises

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lee, Jieun

    2015-01-01

    commitments with differently imagined futures. I argue that promises are constitutive of the stem cell biology, rather than being derivative of it. Since the biological concept of stem cells is predicated on the future that they promise, the biological life of stem cells is inextricably intertwined...... patients’ bodies in anticipation of materializing the promises of stem cell biology, they are produced as a new form of biovaluable. The promises of biology move beyond the closed circuit of scientific knowledge production, and proliferate in the speculative marketplaces of promises. Part II looks at how...... of technologized biology and biological time can appear promising with the backdrop of the imagined intransigence of social, political, and economic order in the Korean society....

  20. STABILITY ANALYSIS OF RADIAL TURNING PROCESS FOR SUPERALLOYS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto JIMÉNEZ

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Stability detection in machining processes is an essential component for the design of efficient machining processes. Automatic methods are able to determine when instability is happening and prevent possible machine failures. In this work a variety of methods are proposed for detecting stability anomalies based on the measured forces in the radial turning process of superalloys. Two different methods are proposed to determine instabilities. Each one is tested on real data obtained in the machining of Waspalloy, Haynes 282 and Inconel 718. Experimental data, in both Conventional and High Pressure Coolant (HPC environments, are set in four different states depending on materials grain size and Hard-ness (LGA, LGS, SGA and SGS. Results reveal that PCA method is useful for visualization of the process and detection of anomalies in online processes.

  1. Bayesian reliability demonstration for failure-free periods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coolen, F.P.A. [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Science Laboratories, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: frank.coolen@durham.ac.uk; Coolen-Schrijner, P. [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Science Laboratories, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Rahrouh, M. [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Science Laboratories, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

    2005-04-01

    We study sample sizes for testing as required for Bayesian reliability demonstration in terms of failure-free periods after testing, under the assumption that tests lead to zero failures. For the process after testing, we consider both deterministic and random numbers of tasks, including tasks arriving as Poisson processes. It turns out that the deterministic case is worst in the sense that it requires most tasks to be tested. We consider such reliability demonstration for a single type of task, as well as for multiple types of tasks to be performed by one system. We also consider the situation, where tests of different types of tasks may have different costs, aiming at minimal expected total costs, assuming that failure in the process would be catastrophic, in the sense that the process would be discontinued. Generally, these inferences are very sensitive to the choice of prior distribution, so one must be very careful with interpretation of non-informativeness of priors.

  2. Bayesian reliability demonstration for failure-free periods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coolen, F.P.A.; Coolen-Schrijner, P.; Rahrouh, M.

    2005-01-01

    We study sample sizes for testing as required for Bayesian reliability demonstration in terms of failure-free periods after testing, under the assumption that tests lead to zero failures. For the process after testing, we consider both deterministic and random numbers of tasks, including tasks arriving as Poisson processes. It turns out that the deterministic case is worst in the sense that it requires most tasks to be tested. We consider such reliability demonstration for a single type of task, as well as for multiple types of tasks to be performed by one system. We also consider the situation, where tests of different types of tasks may have different costs, aiming at minimal expected total costs, assuming that failure in the process would be catastrophic, in the sense that the process would be discontinued. Generally, these inferences are very sensitive to the choice of prior distribution, so one must be very careful with interpretation of non-informativeness of priors

  3. Determination of linear optics functions from turn-by-turn data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alexahin, Y; Gianfelice-Wendt, E, E-mail: alexahin@fnal.gov [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 500, Batavia, Illinois 60510 (United States)

    2011-10-15

    A method for evaluation of coupled optics functions, detection of strong perturbing elements, determination of BPM calibration errors and tilts using turn-by-turn (TBT) data is presented as well as the new version of the Hamiltonian perturbation theory of betatron oscillations the method is based upon. An example of application of the considered method to the Tevatron is given.

  4. Turn-around improvements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Redaelli, S.; Venturini Delsolaro, W.

    2012-01-01

    An efficient turn-around will be an important parameter for the integrated luminosity performance at LHC in 2012, when an operation with steady beam parameters and machine configuration will be achieved at the beginning of the run. Improvements of the operational cycle were already put successfully in place after the 2010 experience but additional ways to reduce the time required to setup collisions are possible. In this paper, the 2011 turn-around performance is reviewed and the benefits of the improvements from 2010 are presented. Phases of the operational cycle when further amelioration is possible are discussed and some proposal for a faster turn-around in 2012 are outlined. (authors)

  5. Failures and suggestions in Earthquake forecasting and prediction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sacks, S. I.

    2013-12-01

    Seismologists have had poor success in earthquake prediction. However, wide ranging observations from earlier great earthquakes show that precursory data can exist. In particular, two aspects seem promising. In agreement with simple physical modeling, b-values decrease in highly loaded fault zones for years before failure. Potentially more usefully, in high stress regions, breakdown of dilatant patches leading to failure can yield expelled water-related observations. The volume increase (dilatancy) caused by high shear stresses decreases the pore pressure. Eventually, water flows back in restoring the pore pressure, promoting failure and expelling the extra water. Of course, in a generally stressed region there may be many small patches that fail, such as observed before the 1975 Haicheng earthquake. Only a few days before the major event will most of the dilatancy breakdown occur in the fault zone itself such as for the Tangshan, 1976 destructive event. Observations of 'water release' effects have been observed before the 1923 great Kanto earthquake, the 1984 Yamasaki event, the 1975 Haicheng and the 1976 Tangshan earthquakes and also the 1995 Kobe earthquake. While there are obvious difficulties in water release observations, not least because there is currently no observational network anywhere, historical data does suggest some promise if we broaden our approach to this difficult subject.

  6. The role of intestinal endotoxemia in liver failure and its complications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GAO Fangyuan

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Recent studies have found that endotoxin not only activates immune response, exacerbates liver injury, and induces liver failure, but also plays an important role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and other fatal complications. The recent progress in research on the pathogenesis of intestinal endotoxemia (IETM and its impact on the development and progression of liver failure is reviewed and summarized. It is suggested that seeking effective methods to prevent and control IETM holds promise as the key to treating severe liver disease and liver failure successfully.

  7. Turns prediction : Turns prediction

    OpenAIRE

    Fuchs, Patrick; Etchebest, Catherine; De Brevern, Alexandre

    2007-01-01

    The description of protein 3D structure usually focuses on the repetitive local folds (alpha-helices and beta-sheets). The remaining class, sometimes called unordered region, has often been considered as random (one also calls it ‘random coil'). However, some interesting local folds are also highly recurrent and definitely more structured than a real random region. One of such particularly interesting motif is tight turn; this latter is characterized by few residues (3 to 5) and by the revers...

  8. Research of remote control system in turn by turn timing system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhan Zhifeng; Xiao Yanguo; Ma Kui; Yin Zejie; Wu Xiaoyi

    2003-01-01

    In this paper, we introduce a remote control system which is used in a frequency dividing and time-delay module. This control system is based on client/server architecture, and RS232 serial communication protocol. This control system is used in timing system of NSRL turn by turn beam position monitor

  9. What Predicts Children's Fixed and Growth Intelligence Mind-Sets? Not Their Parents' Views of Intelligence but Their Parents' Views of Failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haimovitz, Kyla; Dweck, Carol S

    2016-06-01

    Children's intelligence mind-sets (i.e., their beliefs about whether intelligence is fixed or malleable) robustly influence their motivation and learning. Yet, surprisingly, research has not linked parents' intelligence mind-sets to their children's. We tested the hypothesis that a different belief of parents-their failure mind-sets-may be more visible to children and therefore more prominent in shaping their beliefs. In Study 1, we found that parents can view failure as debilitating or enhancing, and that these failure mind-sets predict parenting practices and, in turn, children's intelligence mind-sets. Study 2 probed more deeply into how parents display failure mind-sets. In Study 3a, we found that children can indeed accurately perceive their parents' failure mind-sets but not their parents' intelligence mind-sets. Study 3b showed that children's perceptions of their parents' failure mind-sets also predicted their own intelligence mind-sets. Finally, Study 4 showed a causal effect of parents' failure mind-sets on their responses to their children's hypothetical failure. Overall, parents who see failure as debilitating focus on their children's performance and ability rather than on their children's learning, and their children, in turn, tend to believe that intelligence is fixed rather than malleable. © The Author(s) 2016.

  10. Field gradient calculation of HTS double-pancake coils considering the slanted turns and the splice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baek, Geon Woo; Kim, Jin Sub; Song, Seung Hyun; Ko, Tae Kuk [Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Woo Seung [JH ENGINEERING CO., LTD., Gunpo (Korea, Republic of); Lee, On You [Korea National University of Transportation, Chungju (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-03-15

    To obtain Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurement of membrane protein, an NMR magnet is required to generate high intensity, homogeneity, and stability of field. A High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) magnet is a promising alternative to a conventional Low-Temperature Superconducting (LTS) NMR magnet for high field, current density, and stability margin. Conventionally, an HTS coil has been wound by several winding techniques such as Single-Pancake (SP), Double-Pancake (DP), and layer-wound. The DP winding technique has been frequently used for a large magnet because long HTS wire is generally difficult to manufacture, and maintenance of magnet is convenient. However, magnetic field generated by the slanted turns and the splice leads to field inhomogeneity in Diameter of Spherical Volume (DSV). The field inhomogeneity degrades performance of NMR spectrometer and thus effect of the slanted turns and the splice should be analyzed. In this paper, field gradient of HTS double-pancake coils considering the slanted turns and the splice was calculated using Biot-Savart law and numerical integration. The calculation results showed that magnetic field produced by the slanted turns and the splice caused significant inhomogeneity of field.

  11. Application of digital lock-in detection to Hefei Light Source turn-by-turn system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Yongliang; Wang Junhua; Sun Baogen; Chen Yuanbo; Zhou Zeran

    2010-01-01

    This paper introduces the digital lock-in detection theory and discusses its feasibility to obtain the damping rate in turn-by-turn measurement systems. Numerical simulations of this method were carried out with Matlab. Then principle presenting beam experiments were conducted on the Hefei Light Source (HLS) storage ring. The measured beta oscillation growth time is about 0.26 ms and the damping time is about 1.2 ms. Simulation and experimental results show that, the digital lock-in detection method is effective in damping rate measurement in turn-by-turn measurement systems. (authors)

  12. Turned on/turned off

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Eva Bendix

    2016-01-01

    position, it attempts to sense into the lived experience of being subject to, and of, turns in social theory. As a whole the paper seeks to work with and allow for multiplicity in tone, focus, researcher positioning, reader positioning, and more, to see what knowledge that does not seek confident closure......Through cacophonic story-telling, emerging from ethnographic observations from academic scenes in Australia and elsewhere, the article seeks to explore the timeliness and untimeliness of feminist knowledge production. Rather than arguing a particular point or making a claim for a particular...

  13. Immediate Effects of Clock-Turn Strategy on the Pattern and Performance of Narrow Turning in Persons With Parkinson Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wen-Chieh; Hsu, Wei-Li; Wu, Ruey-Meei; Lin, Kwan-Hwa

    2016-10-01

    Turning difficulty is common in people with Parkinson disease (PD). The clock-turn strategy is a cognitive movement strategy to improve turning performance in people with PD despite its effects are unverified. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of the clock-turn strategy on the pattern of turning steps, turning performance, and freezing of gait during a narrow turning, and how these effects were influenced by concurrent performance of a cognitive task (dual task). Twenty-five people with PD were randomly assigned to the clock-turn or usual-turn group. Participants performed the Timed Up and Go test with and without concurrent cognitive task during the medication OFF period. The clock-turn group performed the Timed Up and Go test using the clock-turn strategy, whereas participants in the usual-turn group performed in their usual manner. Measurements were taken during the 180° turn of the Timed Up and Go test. The pattern of turning steps was evaluated by step time variability and step time asymmetry. Turning performance was evaluated by turning time and number of turning steps. The number and duration of freezing of gait were calculated by video review. The clock-turn group had lower step time variability and step time asymmetry than the usual-turn group. Furthermore, the clock-turn group turned faster with fewer freezing of gait episodes than the usual-turn group. Dual task increased the step time variability and step time asymmetry in both groups but did not affect turning performance and freezing severity. The clock-turn strategy reduces turning time and freezing of gait during turning, probably by lowering step time variability and asymmetry. Dual task compromises the effects of the clock-turn strategy, suggesting a competition for attentional resources.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A141).

  14. Renal Hemodynamic Effects of Serelaxin in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Voors, Adriaan A.; Dahlke, Marion; Meyer, Sven; Stepinska, Janina; Gottlieb, Stephen S.; Jones, Andrew; Zhang, Yiming; Laurent, Didier; Slart, Riemer H. J. A.; Navis, Gerjan J.

    2014-01-01

    Background-Serelaxin is a promising therapy for acute heart failure. The renal hemodynamic effects of serelaxin in patients with chronic heart failure are unknown. Methods and Results-In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, patients with New York Heart Association

  15. RECOVERY STRATEGIES FOR SERVICE FAILURES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budeanu Andreea

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Internationally, services represent the most important sector of the economy both in terms of economic performance and labor utilization. Becoming essential part of today society, they are considered the basis of a healthy economy, fact that has increased the importance of services and the research in the field.T hrough this work we intend to address a number of issues that require clarification and are relevant to this sector. Increased competition and customers higher demands lead to difficulties in service delivery, so managers of service organizations must work hard towards developing appropiate strategies that can lead to improved customers satisfaction and to increased efficiency. Because it is inevitably for service providers to face situations in which service failure occurs and their customers are not satisfied, understanding the nature of service failures and the ways in which an organization can recover after a failure are considered key factors for achieving customer satisfaction. Since the data suggests that over 50% of customers who are facing problems are not satisfied with the way they were resolved, we consider appropriate to approach this topic. We intend to draw attention to service providers to the importance of proper management of service failure. They can find ways to recover from these failures and even to turn them into some very pleasant situations that can contribute to customer loyalty. This paper begins by highlighting the various features specific to services which contribute to the increased chances of failure, it continues by presenting the concepts of service failure and service recovery and then it presents some links that exist between service recovery and other aspects of providing services that are demonstrated in the literature. We hope that this paper will significantly contribute to the knowledge and development of the sector under analysis and will highlight some practices that will lead to improved

  16. CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE OF GAS NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marek URBANIK

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Ecology today is becoming increasingly important. Increasing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions make the search for such fuels which will not have such a negative effect on the environment as the fuel use currently - mainly coal. At present it seems that the substitute fuel can be gaseous fuels (propane-butane, methane. Their combustion is less harmful to the environment and their transport is relatively not very complicated. As it turns out, the use of gas is increasing in industry, automotive, heating systems (power plants that operate in the so-called cogeneration. The increase in demand carries continuous development of gas infrastructure, which in turn may increase probability of failure. As a conclusion of this article, taking into account all the construction disasters induced by the gas, the number of such failures is relatively small. It should be remembered, that the disaster caused by gas explosion may cause very large material and human losses. Not without significance is the impact of gas leakage, eg. of the pipeline on the environment. An example is the methane which is a greenhouse gas, less persistent in the air, but much more active than CO2. The article presents selected disasters associated with natural gas or propane-butane and the impact of these gases on the environment because these fuels are most commonly used in most sectors of the economy.

  17. Fuzzy promises

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Anker, Thomas Boysen; Kappel, Klemens; Eadie, Douglas

    2012-01-01

    as narrative material to communicate self-identity. Finally, (c) we propose that brands deliver fuzzy experiential promises through effectively motivating consumers to adopt and play a social role implicitly suggested and facilitated by the brand. A promise is an inherently ethical concept and the article...... concludes with an in-depth discussion of fuzzy brand promises as two-way ethical commitments that put requirements on both brands and consumers....

  18. Turn-by-Turn and Bunch-by-Bunch Transverse Profiles of a Single Bunch in a Full Ring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kraus, R.; Fisher, A.S.

    2005-01-01

    The apparatus described in this paper can image the evolution of the transverse profile of a single bunch, isolated from a full PEP-II ring of 1500 bunches. Using this apparatus there are two methods of single bunch imaging; bunch-by-bunch beam profiling can image every bunch in the ring a single bunch at a time with the images of sequential bunches being in order, allowing one to see variations in beam size along a train. Turn-by-turn beam profiling images a single bunch on each successive turn it makes around the ring. This method will be useful in determining the effect that an injected bunch has on a stable bunch as the oscillations of the injected bunch damp out. Turn-by-turn imaging of the synchrotron light uses a system of lenses and mirrors to image many turns of both the major and minor axis of a single bunch across the photocathode of a gateable camera. The bunch-by-bunch method is simpler: because of a focusing mirror used in porting the light from the ring, the synchrotron light from the orbiting electrons becomes an image at a certain distance from the mirror; and since the camera does not use a lens, the photocathode is set exactly at this image distance. Bunch-by-bunch profiling has shown that in the Low Energy Ring (LER) horizontal bunch size decreases along a train. Turn-by-turn profiling has been able to image 100 turns of a single bunch on one exposure of the camera. The turn-by-turn setup has also been able to image 50 turns of the minor axis showing part of the damping process of an oscillating injected charge during a LER fill. The goal is to image the damping of oscillations of injected charge for 100 turns of both the major and minor axis throughout the damping process during trickle injection. With some changes to the apparatus this goal is within reach and will make turn-by-turn imaging a very useful tool in beam diagnostics

  19. Virological and immunological failure of HAART and associated risk factors among adults and adolescents in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hailu, Genet Gebrehiwet; Hagos, Dawit Gebregziabher; Hagos, Amlsha Kahsay; Wasihun, Araya Gebreyesus; Dejene, Tsehaye Asmelash

    2018-01-01

    Human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome associated morbidity and mortality has reduced significantly since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. As a result of increasing access to highly active antiretroviral therapy, the survival and quality of life of the patients has significantly improved globally. Despite this promising result, regular monitoring of people on antiretroviral therapy is recommended to ensure whether there is an effective treatment response or not. This study was designed to assess virological and immunological failure of highly active antiretroviral therapy users among adults and adolescents in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia, where scanty data are available. A retrospective follow up study was conducted from September 1 to December 30, 2016 to assess the magnitude and factors associated with virological and immunological failure among 260 adults and adolescents highly active antiretroviral therapy users who started first line ART between January 1, 2008 to March 1, 2016. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic and clinical data. SPSS Version21 statistical software was used for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated to virological and immunological failure. Statistical association was declared significant if p-value was ≤ 0.05. A total of 30 (11.5%) and 17 (6.5%) participants experienced virological and immunological failure respectively in a median time of 36 months of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Virological failure was associated with non-adherence to medications, aged < 40 years old, having CD4+ T-cells count < 250 cells/μL and male gender. Similarly, immunological failure was associated with non-adherence, tuberculosis co-infection and Human immunodeficiency virus RNA ≥1000 copies/mL. The current result shows that immunological and virological failure is a problem in a setting

  20. Turned versus anodised dental implants: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chrcanovic, B R; Albrektsson, T; Wennerberg, A

    2016-09-01

    The aim of this meta-analysis was to test the null hypothesis of no difference in the implant failure rates, marginal bone loss (MBL)and post-operative infection for patients being rehabilitated by turned versus anodised-surface implants, against the alternative hypothesis of a difference. An electronic search without time or language restrictions was undertaken in November 2015. Eligibility criteria included clinical human studies, either randomised or not. Thirty-eight publications were included. The results suggest a risk ratio of 2·82 (95% CI 1·95-4·06, P implants, when compared to anodised-surface implants. Sensitivity analyses showed similar results when only the studies inserting implants in maxillae or mandibles were pooled. There were no statistically significant effects of turned implants on the MBL (mean difference-MD 0·02, 95%CI -0·16-0·20; P = 0·82) in comparison to anodised implants. The results of a meta-regression considering the follow-up period as a covariate suggested an increase of the MD with the increase in the follow-up time (MD increase 0·012 mm year(-1) ), however, without a statistical significance (P = 0·813). Due to lack of satisfactory information, meta-analysis for the outcome 'post-operative infection' was not performed. The results have to be interpreted with caution due to the presence of several confounding factors in the included studies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Beam Optics Measurements Through Turn by Turn Beam Position Data in the SLS

    CERN Document Server

    Zisopoulos, P; Streun, A; Ziemann, v

    2013-01-01

    Refined Fourier analysis of turn-by-turn (TBT) transverse position data measurements can be used for determining several beam properties of a ring, such as transverse tunes, optics functions, phases, chromatic properties and coupling. In particular, the Numerical Analysis of Fundamental Frequencies (NAFF) algorithm is used to analyse TBT data from the Swiss Light Source (SLS) storage ring in order to estimate on and off-momentum beam characteristics. Of particular interest is the potential of using the full position information within one turn in order to measure beam optics properties.

  2. Realistic page-turning of electronic books

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Chaoran; Li, Haisheng; Bai, Yannan

    2014-01-01

    The booming electronic books (e-books), as an extension to the paper book, are popular with readers. Recently, many efforts are put into the realistic page-turning simulation o f e-book to improve its reading experience. This paper presents a new 3D page-turning simulation approach, which employs piecewise time-dependent cylindrical surfaces to describe the turning page and constructs smooth transition method between time-dependent cylinders. The page-turning animation is produced by sequentially mapping the turning page into the cylinders with different radii and positions. Compared to the previous approaches, our method is able to imitate various effects efficiently and obtains more natural animation of turning page.

  3. Effects of Hypericum perforatum on turning behavior in an animal model of Parkinson's disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Débora Dalla Vecchia

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Parkinson's disease (PD is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the slow and progressive death of dopaminergic neurons in the (substantia nigra pars compact. Hypericum perforatum (H. perforatum is a plant widely used as an antidepressant, that also presents antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We evaluated the effects of H. perforatum on the turning behavior of rats submitted to a unilateral administration of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA into the medial forebrain bundle as an animal model of PD. The animals were treated with H. perforatum (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg, v.o. for 35 consecutive days (from the 28th day before surgery to the 7th day after. The turning behavior was evaluated at 7, 14 and 21 days after the surgery, and the turnings were counted as contralateral or ipsilateral to the lesion side. All tested doses significantly reduced the number of contralateral turns in all days of evaluation, suggesting a neuroprotective effect. However, they were not able to prevent the 6-OHDA-induced decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the lesioned striatum. We propose that H. perforatum may counteract the overexpression of dopamine receptors on the lesioned striatum as a possible mechanism for this effect. The present findings provide new evidence that H. perforatum may represent a promising therapeutic tool for PD.

  4. Fast crab cavity failures in HL-LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Yee-Rendon, B; Calaga, R; Tomas, R; Zimmermann, F; Barranco, J

    2014-01-01

    Crab cavities (CCs) are a key ingredient of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) to ensure head on collisions at the main experiments (ATLAS and CMS) and fully profit from the smaller provided by the ATS optics [1]. At KEKB, CCs have exhibited abrupt changes of phase and voltage during a time period of few LHC turns and considering the large energy stored in the HL-LHC beam, CC failures represent a serious risk to the LHC machine protection. In this paper, we discuss the effect of CC voltage or phase changes on a time interval similar to, or longer than, the one needed to dump the beam. The simulations assume a realistic steady-state distribution to assess the beam losses for the HL-LHC. Additionally, some strategies are studied in order to reduce the damage caused by the CC failures.

  5. Nuclear medicine in acute and chronic renal failure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sherman, R.A.; Byun, K.J.

    1982-07-01

    The diagnostic value of renal scintiscans in patients with acute or chronic renal failure has not been emphasized other than for the estimation of renal size. /sup 131/I OIH, /sup 67/gallium, /sup 99m/TcDTPA, glucoheptonate and DMSA all may be valuable in a variety of specific settings. Acute renal failure due to acute tubular necrosis, hepatorenal syndrome, acute interstitial nephritis, cortical necrosis, renal artery embolism, or acute pyelonephritis may be recognized. Data useful in the diagnosis and management of the patient with obstructive or reflux nephropathy may be obtained. Radionuclide studies in patients with chronic renal failure may help make apparent such causes as renal artery stenosis, chronic pyelonephritis or lymphomatous kidney infiltration. Future correlation of scanning results with renal pathology promises to further expand nuclear medicine's utility in the noninvasive diagnosis of renal disease.

  6. Nuclear medicine in acute and chronic renal failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sherman, R.A.; Byun, K.J.

    1982-01-01

    The diagnostic value of renal scintiscans in patients with acute or chronic renal failure has not been emphasized other than for the estimation of renal size. 131 I OIH, 67 gallium, /sup 99m/TcDTPA, glucoheptonate and DMSA all may be valuable in a variety of specific settings. Acute renal failure due to acute tubular necrosis, hepatorenal syndrome, acute interstitial nephritis, cortical necrosis, renal artery embolism, or acute pyelonephritis may be recognized. Data useful in the diagnosis and management of the patient with obstructive or reflux nephropathy may be obtained. Radionuclide studies in patients with chronic renal failure may help make apparent such causes as renal artery stenosis, chronic pyelonephritis or lymphomatous kidney infiltration. Future correlation of scanning results with renal pathology promises to further expand nuclear medicine's utility in the noninvasive diagnosis of renal disease

  7. Hummingbirds control turning velocity using body orientation and turning radius using asymmetrical wingbeat kinematics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Read, Tyson J G; Segre, Paolo S; Middleton, Kevin M; Altshuler, Douglas L

    2016-03-01

    Turning in flight requires reorientation of force, which birds, bats and insects accomplish either by shifting body position and total force in concert or by using left-right asymmetries in wingbeat kinematics. Although both mechanisms have been observed in multiple species, it is currently unknown how each is used to control changes in trajectory. We addressed this problem by measuring body and wingbeat kinematics as hummingbirds tracked a revolving feeder, and estimating aerodynamic forces using a quasi-steady model. During arcing turns, hummingbirds symmetrically banked the stroke plane of both wings, and the body, into turns, supporting a body-dependent mechanism. However, several wingbeat asymmetries were present during turning, including a higher and flatter outer wingtip path and a lower more deviated inner wingtip path. A quasi-steady analysis of arcing turns performed with different trajectories revealed that changes in radius were associated with asymmetrical kinematics and forces, and changes in velocity were associated with symmetrical kinematics and forces. Collectively, our results indicate that both body-dependent and -independent force orientation mechanisms are available to hummingbirds, and that these kinematic strategies are used to meet the separate aerodynamic challenges posed by changes in velocity and turning radius. © 2016 The Author(s).

  8. Effect of Preconditioning and Soldering on Failures of Chip Tantalum Capacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teverovsky, Alexander A.

    2014-01-01

    Soldering of molded case tantalum capacitors can result in damage to Ta205 dielectric and first turn-on failures due to thermo-mechanical stresses caused by CTE mismatch between materials used in the capacitors. It is also known that presence of moisture might cause damage to plastic cases due to the pop-corning effect. However, there are only scarce literature data on the effect of moisture content on the probability of post-soldering electrical failures. In this work, that is based on a case history, different groups of similar types of CWR tantalum capacitors from two lots were prepared for soldering by bake, moisture saturation, and longterm storage at room conditions. Results of the testing showed that both factors: initial quality of the lot, and preconditioning affect the probability of failures. Baking before soldering was shown to be effective to prevent failures even in lots susceptible to pop-corning damage. Mechanism of failures is discussed and recommendations for pre-soldering bake are suggested based on analysis of moisture characteristics of materials used in the capacitors' design.

  9. Economizing justice: Turning equity claims into lower energy tariffs in Chile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvial-Palavicino, Carla; Ureta, Sebastián

    2017-01-01

    This paper considers the issue of how energy justice is economized; how political and ethical claims about particular energy (in)justices are turned into economic valuations. Drawing on science and technology studies, we present a conceptual framework that understands economization as emerging from three interrelated processes: problematization, framing and overflowing. Applying this framework to the drafting of new energy legislation in Chile, we trace how perceived shortcomings in equity and distributional justice were turned into “market failures,” able to be resolved by market-based mechanisms. This case highlights the dangers implicit in the uncritical economization of energy justice claims, in which ethical considerations regarding the distribution of risks and benefits of energy production and provision are reduced to a redistribution of payments among consumers – something that limits the possibilities for structural reform. - Highlights: • The implementation of an electricity equity tariff is discussed. • A process of economization transforms equity demands into market devices. • Energy justice, as mobilized in the policy process, includes multiple forms of justice. • Competition between these multiple forms fails to deliver a complete form of justice.

  10. Aligning quality and payment for heart failure care: defining the challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Havranek, Edward P; Krumholz, Harlan M; Dudley, R Adams; Adams, Kirkwood; Gregory, Douglas; Lampert, Steven; Lindenfeld, Joann; Massie, Barry M; Pina, Ileana; Restaino, Susan; Rich, Michael W; Konstam, Marvin A

    2003-08-01

    Hospitals may not support programs that improve the quality of care delivered to heart failure patients because these programs lower readmission rates and empty beds, and therefore further diminish already-declining revenues. A conflict between the highest quality of care and financial solvency does not serve the interests of patients, physicians, hospitals, or payers. In principle, resolution of this conflict is simple: reimbursement systems should reward higher quality care. In practice, resolving the conflict is not simple. A recent roundtable discussion sponsored by the Heart Failure Society of America identified 4 major challenges to the design and implementation of reimbursement schemes that promote higher quality care for heart failure: defining quality, accounting for differences in disease severity, crafting novel payment mechanisms, and overcoming professional parochialism. This article describes each of these challenges in turn.

  11. The promise of 'sporting bodies' in phenomenological thinking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ravn, Susanne; Høffding, Simon

    2017-01-01

    phenomenology to empirically investigate the domain of sport and exercise, phenomenologists employ empirical data to substantiate their claims concerning foundational conditions of our being-in-the-world. In this article, we suggest a way to enhance the collaboration between the two fields by pointing out......For decades, qualitative researchers have used phenomenological thinking to advance reflections on particular kinds of lifeworlds. As emphasised by Allen-Collinson phenomenology offers a continuing promise of ‘bringing the body back in’ to theories on sport and physical activity. Turning...... and giving examples of the resource of ‘the factual variation.’ Coined by Shaun Gallagher and developed from the Husserlian eidetic variation, the factual variation uses exceptional cases, normally from pathology, to shed new light on foundational phenomenological concepts. Drawing on our research of sports...

  12. CONNECTION OF TURN AHEAD AND TURN BACK WITH MOTORIC ABILITIES OF THE FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovica Petković

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available The research is done for the purpose of determination and defining of the level of connection between some motoric abilities with success in realization of programmed contents from the area of gymnastics (turn ahead and turn back. The research is done on the sample of fifty one students from the fifth grade of Elementary School, on ten motoric tests and on two specific motoric assignments – turn ahead and turn back. The results of this research clearly point that there exist the multitude of statistically important coefficients of correlation between treated motoric abilities and applied motoric assignments.

  13. Analysis of risk factors for cluster behavior of dental implant failures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chrcanovic, Bruno Ramos; Kisch, Jenö; Albrektsson, Tomas; Wennerberg, Ann

    2017-08-01

    Some studies indicated that implant failures are commonly concentrated in few patients. To identify and analyze cluster behavior of dental implant failures among subjects of a retrospective study. This retrospective study included patients receiving at least three implants only. Patients presenting at least three implant failures were classified as presenting a cluster behavior. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models and generalized estimating equations analysis evaluated the effect of explanatory variables on the cluster behavior. There were 1406 patients with three or more implants (8337 implants, 592 failures). Sixty-seven (4.77%) patients presented cluster behavior, with 56.8% of all implant failures. The intake of antidepressants and bruxism were identified as potential negative factors exerting a statistically significant influence on a cluster behavior at the patient-level. The negative factors at the implant-level were turned implants, short implants, poor bone quality, age of the patient, the intake of medicaments to reduce the acid gastric production, smoking, and bruxism. A cluster pattern among patients with implant failure is highly probable. Factors of interest as predictors for implant failures could be a number of systemic and local factors, although a direct causal relationship cannot be ascertained. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Investigating the relationship between energy expenditure, walking speed and angle of turning in humans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M A McNarry

    Full Text Available Recent studies have suggested that changing direction is associated with significant additional energy expenditure. A failure to account for this additional energy expenditure of turning has significant implications in the design and interpretation of health interventions. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate the influence of walking speed and angle, and their interaction, on energy expenditure in 20 healthy adults (7 female; 28±7 yrs. On two separate days, participants completed a turning protocol at one of 16 speed- (2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 km∙h-1 and angle (0, 45, 90, 180° combinations, involving three minute bouts of walking, interspersed by three minutes seated rest. Each condition involved 5 m of straight walking before turning through the pre-determined angle with the speed dictated by a digital, auditory metronome. Tri-axial accelerometry and magnetometry were measured at 60 Hz, in addition to gas exchange on a breath-by-breath basis. Mixed models revealed a significant main effect for speed (F = 121.609, P < 0.001 and angle (F = 19.186, P < 0.001 on oxygen uptake ([Formula: see text] and a significant interaction between these parameters (F = 4.433, P < 0.001. Specifically, as speed increased, [Formula: see text] increased but significant increases in [Formula: see text] relative to straight line walking were only observed for 90° and 180° turns at the two highest speeds (4.5 and 5.5 km∙hr-1. These findings therefore highlight the importance of accounting for the quantity and magnitude of turns completed when estimating energy expenditure and have significant implications within both sport and health contexts.

  15. MEMS Reliability: Infrastructure, Test Structures, Experiments, and Failure Modes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    TANNER,DANELLE M.; SMITH,NORMAN F.; IRWIN,LLOYD W.; EATON,WILLIAM P.; HELGESEN,KAREN SUE; CLEMENT,J. JOSEPH; MILLER,WILLIAM M.; MILLER,SAMUEL L.; DUGGER,MICHAEL T.; WALRAVEN,JEREMY A.; PETERSON,KENNETH A.

    2000-01-01

    The burgeoning new technology of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) shows great promise in the weapons arena. We can now conceive of micro-gyros, micro-surety systems, and micro-navigators that are extremely small and inexpensive. Do we want to use this new technology in critical applications such as nuclear weapons? This question drove us to understand the reliability and failure mechanisms of silicon surface-micromachined MEMS. Development of a testing infrastructure was a crucial step to perform reliability experiments on MEMS devices and will be reported here. In addition, reliability test structures have been designed and characterized. Many experiments were performed to investigate failure modes and specifically those in different environments (humidity, temperature, shock, vibration, and storage). A predictive reliability model for wear of rubbing surfaces in microengines was developed. The root causes of failure for operating and non-operating MEMS are discussed. The major failure mechanism for operating MEMS was wear of the polysilicon rubbing surfaces. Reliability design rules for future MEMS devices are established.

  16. Radiation Failures in Intel 14nm Microprocessors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bossev, Dobrin P.; Duncan, Adam R.; Gadlage, Matthew J.; Roach, Austin H.; Kay, Matthew J.; Szabo, Carl; Berger, Tammy J.; York, Darin A.; Williams, Aaron; LaBel, K.; hide

    2016-01-01

    In this study the 14 nm Intel Broadwell 5th generation core series 5005U-i3 and 5200U-i5 was mounted on Dell Inspiron laptops, MSI Cubi and Gigabyte Brix barebones and tested with Windows 8 and CentOS7 at idle. Heavy-ion-induced hard- and catastrophic failures do not appear to be related to the Intel 14nm Tri-Gate FinFET process. They originate from a small (9 m 140 m) area on the 32nm planar PCH die (not the CPU) as initially speculated. The hard failures seem to be due to a SEE but the exact physical mechanism has yet to be identified. Some possibilities include latch-ups, charge ion trapping or implantation, ion channels, or a combination of those (in biased conditions). The mechanism of the catastrophic failures seems related to the presence of electric power (1.05V core voltage). The 1064 nm laser mimics ionization radiation and induces soft- and hard failures as a direct result of electron-hole pair production, not heat. The 14nm FinFET processes continue to look promising for space radiation environments.

  17. CERN PS Optical Properties Measured with Turn-By-Turn Orbit Data

    CERN Document Server

    Bach, T; Giovannozzi, M; Hernalsteens, C; Lachaize, A; Sterbini, G; Tom´as, R; Wasef, R

    2013-01-01

    The performance of the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) has been constantly increasing over the years both in terms of beam parameters (intensity and brightness) and beam manipulations (transverse and longitudinal splitting). This implies a very good knowledge of the linear and non-linear model of the ring. In this paper we report on a detailed campaign of beam measurements based on turn-by-turn orbit data aimed at measuring the optics in several conditions as well as the resonance driving terms.

  18. Sandstone Turning by Abrasive Waterjet

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hlaváček, Petr; Cárach, J.; Hloch, Sergej; Vasilko, K.; Klichová, Dagmar; Klich, Jiří; Lehocká, D.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 48, č. 6 (2015), s. 2489-2493 ISSN 0723-2632 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ED2.1.00/03.0082; GA MŠk(CZ) LO1406 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : turning away from the jet * conventional turning towards the jet * sandstone * abrasive water jet Subject RIV: JQ - Machines ; Tools Impact factor: 2.386, year: 2015 http://www.springerprofessional.de/sandstone-turning-by-abrasive-waterjet/6038028.html

  19. NetTurnP--neural network prediction of beta-turns by use of evolutionary information and predicted protein sequence features.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bent Petersen

    Full Text Available UNLABELLED: β-turns are the most common type of non-repetitive structures, and constitute on average 25% of the amino acids in proteins. The formation of β-turns plays an important role in protein folding, protein stability and molecular recognition processes. In this work we present the neural network method NetTurnP, for prediction of two-class β-turns and prediction of the individual β-turn types, by use of evolutionary information and predicted protein sequence features. It has been evaluated against a commonly used dataset BT426, and achieves a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.50, which is the highest reported performance on a two-class prediction of β-turn and not-β-turn. Furthermore NetTurnP shows improved performance on some of the specific β-turn types. In the present work, neural network methods have been trained to predict β-turn or not and individual β-turn types from the primary amino acid sequence. The individual β-turn types I, I', II, II', VIII, VIa1, VIa2, VIba and IV have been predicted based on classifications by PROMOTIF, and the two-class prediction of β-turn or not is a superset comprised of all β-turn types. The performance is evaluated using a golden set of non-homologous sequences known as BT426. Our two-class prediction method achieves a performance of: MCC=0.50, Qtotal=82.1%, sensitivity=75.6%, PPV=68.8% and AUC=0.864. We have compared our performance to eleven other prediction methods that obtain Matthews correlation coefficients in the range of 0.17-0.47. For the type specific β-turn predictions, only type I and II can be predicted with reasonable Matthews correlation coefficients, where we obtain performance values of 0.36 and 0.31, respectively. CONCLUSION: The NetTurnP method has been implemented as a webserver, which is freely available at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/NetTurnP/. NetTurnP is the only available webserver that allows submission of multiple sequences.

  20. NetTurnP--neural network prediction of beta-turns by use of evolutionary information and predicted protein sequence features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Bent; Lundegaard, Claus; Petersen, Thomas Nordahl

    2010-11-30

    β-turns are the most common type of non-repetitive structures, and constitute on average 25% of the amino acids in proteins. The formation of β-turns plays an important role in protein folding, protein stability and molecular recognition processes. In this work we present the neural network method NetTurnP, for prediction of two-class β-turns and prediction of the individual β-turn types, by use of evolutionary information and predicted protein sequence features. It has been evaluated against a commonly used dataset BT426, and achieves a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.50, which is the highest reported performance on a two-class prediction of β-turn and not-β-turn. Furthermore NetTurnP shows improved performance on some of the specific β-turn types. In the present work, neural network methods have been trained to predict β-turn or not and individual β-turn types from the primary amino acid sequence. The individual β-turn types I, I', II, II', VIII, VIa1, VIa2, VIba and IV have been predicted based on classifications by PROMOTIF, and the two-class prediction of β-turn or not is a superset comprised of all β-turn types. The performance is evaluated using a golden set of non-homologous sequences known as BT426. Our two-class prediction method achieves a performance of: MCC=0.50, Qtotal=82.1%, sensitivity=75.6%, PPV=68.8% and AUC=0.864. We have compared our performance to eleven other prediction methods that obtain Matthews correlation coefficients in the range of 0.17-0.47. For the type specific β-turn predictions, only type I and II can be predicted with reasonable Matthews correlation coefficients, where we obtain performance values of 0.36 and 0.31, respectively. The NetTurnP method has been implemented as a webserver, which is freely available at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/NetTurnP/. NetTurnP is the only available webserver that allows submission of multiple sequences.

  1. Arterial embolization for treating post-transplanted renal failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Xizhang; Yang Li; Chen Ziqian; Yang Yongyan

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the significance of renal arterial embolization nephrectomy for treating post-transplanted renal failure. Methods: 15 cases of post-transplanted renal failure received renal arterial embolization. The post-procedural efficacies were followed up for about 6 months to 4 years. Results: Among the 15 cases, 11 showed blood pressure decreasing to normal level, 3 with reduction of the drug dose for anti-hypertension and 1 of no response. In addition, 12 suffered from postprocedural anuria, and 3 with obvious hypourocrinia associated with significant decrease of proteinuia; 5 with positive lymphcytic population response antigen (PRA > 20%), but turning negative with 3 of them after 3 weeks. All the transplanted kidneys revealed different degrees of atrophy but 4 of them obtained chances of successful retransplantation 3- 6 months after the procedure, 3 of them with follow up of 1-3 years were being well. Conclusions: Renal arterial embolization is a safe, efficient measure for treating post-transplanted renal failure with obvious decrease of correlative clinical symptoms and providing conditions for renal retransplantation. (authors)

  2. and γγ-turns in proteins revisited: A new set of amino acid turn-type de

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    mine, valine, glutamic acid and alanine has decreased for β-turns. Certain new amino acid preferences were observed for both turn types and individual amino acids showed turn-type dependent positional preferences. The rationale for new amino acid preferences are discussed in the light of hydrogen bonds and other.

  3. Failure Analysis of Multilayered Suspension Plasma-Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings for Gas Turbine Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, M.; Markocsan, N.; Rocchio-Heller, R.; Liu, J.; Li, X.-H.; Östergren, L.

    2018-02-01

    Improvement in the performance of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is one of the key objectives for further development of gas turbine applications. The material most commonly used as TBC topcoat is yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). However, the usage of YSZ is limited by the operating temperature range which in turn restricts the engine efficiency. Materials such as pyrochlores, perovskites, rare earth garnets are suitable candidates which could replace YSZ as they exhibit lower thermal conductivity and higher phase stability at elevated temperatures. The objective of this work was to investigate different multilayered TBCs consisting of advanced topcoat materials fabricated by suspension plasma spraying (SPS). The investigated topcoat materials were YSZ, dysprosia-stabilized zirconia, gadolinium zirconate, and ceria-yttria-stabilized zirconia. All topcoats were deposited by TriplexPro-210TM plasma spray gun and radial injection of suspension. Lifetime of these samples was examined by thermal cyclic fatigue and thermal shock testing. Microstructure analysis of as-sprayed and failed specimens was performed with scanning electron microscope. The failure mechanisms in each case have been discussed in this article. The results show that SPS could be a promising route to produce multilayered TBCs for high-temperature applications.

  4. A Modified SPH Method for Dynamic Failure Simulation of Heterogeneous Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. W. Ma

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A modified smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH method is applied to simulate the failure process of heterogeneous materials. An elastoplastic damage model based on an extension form of the unified twin shear strength (UTSS criterion is adopted. Polycrystalline modeling is introduced to generate the artificial microstructure of specimen for the dynamic simulation of Brazilian splitting test and uniaxial compression test. The strain rate effect on the predicted dynamic tensile and compressive strength is discussed. The final failure patterns and the dynamic strength increments demonstrate good agreements with experimental results. It is illustrated that the polycrystalline modeling approach combined with the SPH method is promising to simulate more complex failure process of heterogeneous materials.

  5. Beta-and gamma-turns in proteins revisited: a new set of amino acid turn-type dependent positional preferences and potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guruprasad, K; Rajkumar, S

    2000-06-01

    The number of beta-turns in a representative set of 426 protein three-dimensional crystal structures selected from the recent Protein Data Bank has nearly doubled and the number of gamma-turns in a representative set of 320 proteins has increased over seven times since the previous analysis. Beta-turns (7153) and gamma-turns (911) extracted from these proteins were used to derive a revised set of type-dependent amino acid positional preferences and potentials. Compared with previous results, the preference for proline, methionine and tryptophan has increased and the preference for glutamine, valine, glutamic acid and alanine has decreased for beta-turns. Certain new amino acid preferences were observed for both turn types and individual amino acids showed turn-type dependent positional preferences. The rationale for new amino acid preferences are discussed in the light of hydrogen bonds and other interactions involving the turns. Where main-chain hydrogen bonds of the type NH(i + 3) --> CO(i) were not observed for some beta-turns, other main-chain hydrogen bonds or solvent interactions were observed that possibly stabilize such beta-turns. A number of unexpected isolated beta-turns with proline at i + 2 position were also observed. The NH(i + 2) --> CO(i) hydrogen bond was observed for almost all gamma-turns. Nearly 20% classic gamma-turns and 43% inverse gamma-turns are isolated turns.

  6. Turn-by-Turn Imaging of the Transverse Beam Profile in PEP-II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fisher, Alan A.; Petree, Mark; /SLAC

    2006-12-18

    During injection or instability, the transverse profile of an individual bunch in a storage ring can change significantly in a few turns. However, most synchrotron-light imaging techniques are not designed for this time scale. We have developed a novel diagnostic that enhances the utility of a fast gated camera by adding, inexpensively, some features of a dual-axis streak camera, in order to watch the turn-by-turn evolution of the transverse profile, in both x and y. The beam's elliptical profile is reshaped using cylindrical lenses to form a tall and narrow ellipse--essentially the projection of the full ellipse onto one transverse axis. We do this projection twice, by splitting the beam into two paths at different heights, and rotating the ellipse by 90{sup o} on one path. A rapidly rotating mirror scans these vertical ''pencils'' of light horizontally across the photocathode of the camera, which is gated for 3 ns on every Nth ring turn. A single readout of the camera captures 100 images, looking like a stroboscopic photograph of a moving object. We have observed the capture of injected charge into a bunch and the rapid change of beam size at the onset of a fast instability.

  7. Nanostructural Evolution of Hard Turning Layers in Carburized Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedekar, Vikram

    The mechanisms of failure for components subjected to contact fatigue are sensitive to the structure and properties of the material surface. Although, the bulk material properties are determined by the steel making, forming and the heat treatment; the near surface material properties are altered during final material removal processes such as hard turning or grinding. Therefore, the ability to optimize, modulate and predict the near surface properties during final metal removal operations would be extremely useful in the enhancement of service life of a component. Hard machining is known to induce severely deformed layers causing dramatic microstructural transformations. These transformations occur via grain refinement or thermal phenomena depending upon cutting conditions. The aim of this work is to engineer the near surface nanoscale structure and properties during hard turning by altering strain, strain rate, temperature and incoming microstructure. The near surface material transformations due to hard turning were studied on carburized SAE 8620 bearing steel. Variations in parent material microstructures were introduced by altering the retained austenite content. The strain, strain rate and temperature achieved during final metal cutting were altered by varying insert geometry, insert wear and cutting speed. The subsurface evolution was quantified by a series of advanced characterization techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD), X-ray stress evaluation and nanoindentation which were coupled with numerical modeling. Results showed that the grain size of the nanocrystalline near surface microstructure can be effectively controlled by altering the insert geometry, insert wear, cutting speed and the incoming microstructure. It was also evident that the near surface retained austenite decreased at lower cutting speed indicating transformation due to plastic deformation, while it increased at higher cutting

  8. and γγ-turns in proteins revisited: A new set of amino acid turn-type de

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    cent Protein Data Bank has nearly doubled and the number of γ-turns in a representative set of 320 proteins has in- creased over seven times since the previous analysis. β-turns (7153) and γ-turns (911) extracted from these proteins were used to derive a revised set of type-dependent amino acid positional preferences and ...

  9. Conformational interconversions in peptide beta-turns: analysis of turns in proteins and computational estimates of barriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunasekaran, K; Gomathi, L; Ramakrishnan, C; Chandrasekhar, J; Balaram, P

    1998-12-18

    The two most important beta-turn features in peptides and proteins are the type I and type II turns, which differ mainly in the orientation of the central peptide unit. Facile conformational interconversion is possible, in principle, by a flip of the central peptide unit. Homologous crystal structures afford an opportunity to structurally characterize both possible conformational states, thus allowing identification of sites that are potentially stereochemically mobile. A representative data set of 250 high-resolution (turns that are assigned different conformational types (type I/type II) in related structures. A total of 55 examples of beta-turns were identified as possible candidates for a stereochemically mobile site. Of the 55 examples, 45 could be classified as a potential site for interconversion between type I and type II beta-turns, while ten correspond to flips from type I' to type II' structures. As a further check, the temperature factors of the central peptide unit carbonyl oxygen atom of the 55 examples were examined. The analysis reveals that the turn assignments are indeed reliable. Examination of the secondary structures at the flanking positions of the flippable beta-turns reveals that seven examples occur in the loop region of beta-hairpins, indicating that the formation of ordered secondary structures on either side of the beta-turn does not preclude local conformational variations. In these beta-turns, Pro (11 examples), Lys (nine examples) and Ser (seven examples) were most often found at the i+1 position. Glycine was found to occur overwhelmingly at position i+2 (28 examples), while Ser (seven examples) and Asn (six examples) were amongst the most frequent residues. Activation energy barriers for the interconversion between type I and type II beta-turns were computed using the peptide models Ac-Pro-Aib-NHMe and Ac-Pro-Gly-NHMe within the framework of the AM1 semi-empirical molecular orbital procedure. In order to have a uniform basis for

  10. NetTurnP – Neural Network Prediction of Beta-turns by Use of Evolutionary Information and Predicted Protein Sequence Features

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Bent; Lundegaard, Claus; Petersen, Thomas Nordahl

    2010-01-01

    is the highest reported performance on a two-class prediction of β-turn and not-β-turn. Furthermore NetTurnP shows improved performance on some of the specific β-turn types. In the present work, neural network methods have been trained to predict β-turn or not and individual β-turn types from the primary amino......β-turns are the most common type of non-repetitive structures, and constitute on average 25% of the amino acids in proteins. The formation of β-turns plays an important role in protein folding, protein stability and molecular recognition processes. In this work we present the neural network method...... NetTurnP, for prediction of two-class β-turns and prediction of the individual β-turn types, by use of evolutionary information and predicted protein sequence features. It has been evaluated against a commonly used dataset BT426, and achieves a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.50, which...

  11. Electrical Machines: Turn-to-Turn Capacitance in Formed Windings with Rectangular Cross-Section Wire

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Djukic, Nenad; Encica, L.; Paulides, Johan

    2015-01-01

    Calculation of turn-to-turn capacitance (Ctt) in electrical machines (EMs) with formed windings with rectangular cross-section wire is presented. Three calculation methods are used for the calculation of Ctt in case of rectangular conductors – finite element (FE) method and two previously published

  12. 32 CFR 636.23 - Turning movements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL... movements. (a) U-turns are prohibited on all streets in the cantonment area. (b) Right-turns will be made from a position as close to the right edge or right curb of the roadway as possible. (c) Left-turns...

  13. Turn stability in beta-hairpin peptides: Investigation of peptides containing 3:5 type I G1 bulge turns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blandl, Tamas; Cochran, Andrea G; Skelton, Nicholas J

    2003-02-01

    The turn-forming ability of a series of three-residue sequences was investigated by substituting them into a well-characterized beta-hairpin peptide. The starting scaffold, bhpW, is a disulfide-cyclized 10-residue peptide that folds into a stable beta-hairpin with two antiparallel strands connected by a two-residue reverse turn. Substitution of the central two residues with the three-residue test sequences leads to less stable hairpins, as judged by thiol-disulfide equilibrium measurements. However, analysis of NMR parameters indicated that each molecule retains a significant folded population, and that the type of turn adopted by the three-residue sequence is the same in all cases. The solution structure of a selected peptide with a PDG turn contained an antiparallel beta-hairpin with a 3:5 type I + G1 bulge turn. Analysis of the energetic contributions of individual turn residues in the series of peptides indicates that substitution effects have significant context dependence, limiting the predictive power of individual amino acid propensities for turn formation. The most stable and least stable sequences were also substituted into a more stable disulfide-cyclized scaffold and a linear beta-hairpin scaffold. The relative stabilities remained the same, suggesting that experimental measurements in the bhpW context are a useful way to evaluate turn stability for use in protein design projects. Moreover, these scaffolds are capable of displaying a diverse set of turns, which can be exploited for the mimicry of protein loops or for generating libraries of reverse turns.

  14. Turning collectors for solar radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barak, Amitzur Z.

    1976-01-01

    A device is provided for turning a solar collector about the polar axis so that the collector is directed toward the sun as the sun tracks the sky each day. It includes two heat-expansive elements and a shadow plate. In the morning a first expansive element is heated, expands to turn the collector to face the sun, while the second expansive element is shaded by the plate. In the afternoon the second element is heated, expands to turn the collector to face the sun, while the first is shaded by the plate.

  15. NetTurnP – Neural Network Prediction of Beta-turns by Use of Evolutionary Information and Predicted Protein Sequence Features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Bent; Lundegaard, Claus; Petersen, Thomas Nordahl

    2010-01-01

    β-turns are the most common type of non-repetitive structures, and constitute on average 25% of the amino acids in proteins. The formation of β-turns plays an important role in protein folding, protein stability and molecular recognition processes. In this work we present the neural network method NetTurnP, for prediction of two-class β-turns and prediction of the individual β-turn types, by use of evolutionary information and predicted protein sequence features. It has been evaluated against a commonly used dataset BT426, and achieves a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.50, which is the highest reported performance on a two-class prediction of β-turn and not-β-turn. Furthermore NetTurnP shows improved performance on some of the specific β-turn types. In the present work, neural network methods have been trained to predict β-turn or not and individual β-turn types from the primary amino acid sequence. The individual β-turn types I, I', II, II', VIII, VIa1, VIa2, VIba and IV have been predicted based on classifications by PROMOTIF, and the two-class prediction of β-turn or not is a superset comprised of all β-turn types. The performance is evaluated using a golden set of non-homologous sequences known as BT426. Our two-class prediction method achieves a performance of: MCC  = 0.50, Qtotal = 82.1%, sensitivity  = 75.6%, PPV  = 68.8% and AUC  = 0.864. We have compared our performance to eleven other prediction methods that obtain Matthews correlation coefficients in the range of 0.17 – 0.47. For the type specific β-turn predictions, only type I and II can be predicted with reasonable Matthews correlation coefficients, where we obtain performance values of 0.36 and 0.31, respectively. Conclusion The NetTurnP method has been implemented as a webserver, which is freely available at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/NetTurnP/. NetTurnP is the only available webserver that allows submission of multiple sequences. PMID:21152409

  16. Mobile money failure - Can the balanced scorecard be of any help?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Last Mazambani

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Mobile money has the potential to attract the unbanked and capture money outside the financial system yet failed implementations are of gravy concern. The balanced scorecard is extoled for successfully in turning around the performance of ailing firms and industries. The research undertakes to review literature on the causes of failure in mobile money. In the context of those causes of failure, the paper proposes and explains how the adoption of the balanced scorecard by mobile money innovators can lever their performance and ultimately survival. By demonstrating how the balanced scorecard can align strategy to mission in mobile money deployments, the study contributes towards improved strategy execution in the sector. It also sets a research agenda.

  17. Myocardial Energetics and Heart Failure: a Review of Recent Therapeutic Trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatt, Kunal N; Butler, Javed

    2018-06-01

    Several novel therapeutics being tested in patients with heart failure are based on myocardial energetics. This review will provide a summary of the recent trials in this area, including therapeutic options targeting various aspects of cellular and mitochondrial metabolism. Agents that improve the energetic balance in myocardial cells have the potential to improve clinical heart failure status. The most promising therapies currently under investigation in this arena include (1) elamipretide, a cardiolipin stabilizer; (2) repletion of iron deficiency with intravenous ferrous carboxymaltose; (3) coenzyme Q10; and (4) the partial adenosine receptor antagonists capadenoson and neladenosone. Myocardial energetics-based therapeutics are groundbreaking in that they utilize novel mechanisms of action to improve heart failure symptoms, without causing the adverse neurohormonal side effects associated with current guideline-based therapies. The drugs appear likely to be added to the heart failure therapy armamentarium as adjuncts to current regimens in the near future.

  18. Innovations in precision seed drilling technology: successes or failures?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johannes Benninger

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In view of the development of various technological alternatives in precision seed drilling, it has become a matter of research whether there are clear criteria for the success or failure of technological innovations. Around the turn to the 20th century, two very different precision seed drill methods were developed almost at the same time. Band seeding made it possible to achieve nearly perfect single grain sowing. For this purpose, individual, equally spaced seeds were embedded into bands of paper or cotton. In the field, these seed tapes were then unreeled from large drums. The pneumatic system proposed in 1897, by contrast, introduced grain singling using a vacuum for the first time. Although band seeding presented a satisfactory technological solution, it was never widely applied. Pneumatic systems, on the other hand, took long to catch on and only started to be successful in the late 1960s. Up to then, these innovative systems had to be considered as failures. Changing the period under review, however, may completely reverse the assessment of whether an innovation is a success or a failure.

  19. Targeting Cardiomyocyte Ca2+ Homeostasis in Heart Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Røe, Åsmund T.; Frisk, Michael; Louch, William E.

    2015-01-01

    Improved treatments for heart failure patients will require the development of novel therapeutic strategies that target basal disease mechanisms. Disrupted cardiomyocyte Ca2+ homeostasis is recognized as a major contributor to the heart failure phenotype, as it plays a key role in systolic and diastolic dysfunction, arrhythmogenesis, and hypertrophy and apoptosis signaling. In this review, we outline existing knowledge of the involvement of Ca2+ homeostasis in these deficits, and identify four promising targets for therapeutic intervention: the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase, the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger, the ryanodine receptor, and t-tubule structure. We discuss experimental data indicating the applicability of these targets that has led to recent and ongoing clinical trials, and suggest future therapeutic approaches. PMID:25483944

  20. Predicting turns in proteins with a unified model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qi Song

    Full Text Available MOTIVATION: Turns are a critical element of the structure of a protein; turns play a crucial role in loops, folds, and interactions. Current prediction methods are well developed for the prediction of individual turn types, including α-turn, β-turn, and γ-turn, etc. However, for further protein structure and function prediction it is necessary to develop a uniform model that can accurately predict all types of turns simultaneously. RESULTS: In this study, we present a novel approach, TurnP, which offers the ability to investigate all the turns in a protein based on a unified model. The main characteristics of TurnP are: (i using newly exploited features of structural evolution information (secondary structure and shape string of protein based on structure homologies, (ii considering all types of turns in a unified model, and (iii practical capability of accurate prediction of all turns simultaneously for a query. TurnP utilizes predicted secondary structures and predicted shape strings, both of which have greater accuracy, based on innovative technologies which were both developed by our group. Then, sequence and structural evolution features, which are profile of sequence, profile of secondary structures and profile of shape strings are generated by sequence and structure alignment. When TurnP was validated on a non-redundant dataset (4,107 entries by five-fold cross-validation, we achieved an accuracy of 88.8% and a sensitivity of 71.8%, which exceeded the most state-of-the-art predictors of certain type of turn. Newly determined sequences, the EVA and CASP9 datasets were used as independent tests and the results we achieved were outstanding for turn predictions and confirmed the good performance of TurnP for practical applications.

  1. What 'empirical turn in bioethics'?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurst, Samia

    2010-10-01

    Uncertainty as to how we should articulate empirical data and normative reasoning seems to underlie most difficulties regarding the 'empirical turn' in bioethics. This article examines three different ways in which we could understand 'empirical turn'. Using real facts in normative reasoning is trivial and would not represent a 'turn'. Becoming an empirical discipline through a shift to the social and neurosciences would be a turn away from normative thinking, which we should not take. Conducting empirical research to inform normative reasoning is the usual meaning given to the term 'empirical turn'. In this sense, however, the turn is incomplete. Bioethics has imported methodological tools from empirical disciplines, but too often it has not imported the standards to which researchers in these disciplines are held. Integrating empirical and normative approaches also represents true added difficulties. Addressing these issues from the standpoint of debates on the fact-value distinction can cloud very real methodological concerns by displacing the debate to a level of abstraction where they need not be apparent. Ideally, empirical research in bioethics should meet standards for empirical and normative validity similar to those used in the source disciplines for these methods, and articulate these aspects clearly and appropriately. More modestly, criteria to ensure that none of these standards are completely left aside would improve the quality of empirical bioethics research and partly clear the air of critiques addressing its theoretical justification, when its rigour in the particularly difficult context of interdisciplinarity is what should be at stake.

  2. Personalised Medicine and the Economy of Biotechnological Promise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sturdy, Steve

    2017-04-01

    Rather than seek to distinguish hype from legitimate promise, it may be more helpful to think about personalised medicine as embodying a promissory economy which serves both to mobilize resources for research and - partly at least - to determine the ends to which that research is directed. Personalised medicine is a development of the larger promissory economy of medical biotechnology. As such, it systematically conflates public benefit with the pursuit of commercial and especially pharmaceutical interests. Consequently, research and development in personalised medicine tends to favour the production of expensive new treatments over unprofitable forms of prevention or more effective use of older therapies. A rebalancing of research priorities is needed to favour the pursuit of public benefit, even when it does not deliver private profits. This will in turn require sustained reflection, self-criticism and often self-denial on the part of public research funders and the scientists they support.

  3. Euler Calculations at Off-Design Conditions for an Inlet of Inward Turning RBCC-SSTO Vehicle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takashima, N.; Kothari, A. P.

    1998-01-01

    The inviscid performance of an inward turning inlet design is calculated computationally for the first time. Hypersonic vehicle designs based on the inward turning inlets have been shown analytically to have increased effective specific impulse and lower heat load than comparably designed vehicles with two-dimensional inlets. The inward turning inlets are designed inversely from inviscid stream surfaces of known flow fields. The computational study is performed on a Mach 12 inlet design to validate the performance predicted by the design code (HAVDAC) and calculate its off-design Mach number performance. The three-dimensional Euler equations are solved for Mach 4, 8, and 12 using a software package called SAM, which consists of an unstructured mesh generator (SAMmesh), a three-dimensional unstructured mesh flow solver (SAMcfd), and a CAD-based software (SAMcad). The computed momentum averaged inlet throat pressure is within 6% of the design inlet throat pressure. The mass-flux at the inlet throat is also within 7 % of the value predicted by the design code thereby validating the accuracy of the design code. The off-design Mach number results show that flow spillage is minimal, and the variation in the mass capture ratio with Mach number is comparable to an ideal 2-D inlet. The results from the inviscid flow calculations of a Mach 12 inward turning inlet indicate that the inlet design has very good on and off-design performance which makes it a promising design candidate for future air-breathing hypersonic vehicles.

  4. Strategic Interests of Germany in the Balkans at the Turn of 20-21 Centuries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrey Latkov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available After the reunification of Germany and the transition of some countries of central and Eastern Europe under the control of the West, radical changes in the European political system have occurred. Germany turned into a powerful state and began to provide the strategy for independent foreign policy, in which the regional policy in the Balkans, Caucasus and Middle East took the significant place. Germany tried to expand its influence to the countries of Balkan Peninsula, in alliance with Austria-Hungary against Russia, as well as in the beginning of 21st century. However, in the end of 20th century, after several failures in the foreign policy, Germany turned to Russia. Despite its expansionist policy, Germany had to coordinate every step with international organizations or even transfer them issues of conflict resolution in the region. Constantly competing with its allies (mainly the U.S. and UK, Germany was trying to build its foreign policy strategy in the way of increasing its influence in the strategically important region.

  5. CONNECTION OF TURN AHEAD AND TURN BACK WITH MOTORIC ABILITIES OF THE FOURTH GRADE OF HIGH SCHOOL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jovica Petković

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available The research is done for the purpose of determination and defining of the level of connection between some motoric abilities with success in realization of programmed contents from the area of gymnastics (turn ahead and turn back. The research is done on the sample of fifty students from the fourth grade of High School, on ten motoric tests and on two specific motoric assignments – turn ahead and turn back. The results of this research clearly point that there exist the multitude of statistically important coefficients of correlation between treated motoric abilities and applied motoric assignments.

  6. Use of biomarkers to guide outpatient therapy of heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeBeradinis, Benedetta; Januzzi, James L

    2012-11-01

    Among patients with heart failure, concentrations of natriuretic peptides are strongly linked to the presence and severity of structural heart disease and are strongly prognostic in this setting. Additionally, favorable reduction in the concentration of either B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) or B-type natriuretic peptide and its amino-terminal cleavage fragment (NT-proBNP) may be seen during treatment of heart failure, with parallel improvement in prognosis. This has led to the hypothesis that intensified treatment directed at reducing natriuretic peptide concentrations may improve outcomes in heart failure. In chronic heart failure, studies suggest that a strategy of standard-of-care management together with a goal to suppress BNP or NT-proBNP concentrations leads to greater application of guideline-derived medical therapy and is well tolerated. In certain studies of this BNP or NT-proBNP 'guided' approach, patients treated with biomarker-guided care had superior outcomes when compared with standard heart failure management alone, particularly in younger study populations, in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and particularly when substantial reductions in natriuretic peptides were achieved in association with biomarker-guided care. Natriuretic peptide 'guided' management appears promising in patients suffering from chronic heart failure. Large-scale pivotal trials to confirm the approach are planned.

  7. The Colombian Left: A Paradoxical Past; A Promising Future?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles Bergquist

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The essay explores the paradoxical history of the left in Colombia: how and why one of the weakest lefts in Latin America brought about the strongest and most lasting Marxist insurrection in the hemisphere in the decades following the Cuban Revolution. The article argues that the terms of this paradox are related, that the historic weakness of the left partly explains the force and longevity of revolutionary guerrillas, and that said paradox helps clarify not only the failure of several attempts to achieve a negotiated settlement of the armed conflict, but also the negative vote in the October 2016 plebiscite. Finally, it envisions a more promising future for the country’s left, provided that a lasting peace is consolidated.

  8. The Philosophy of Turning Points

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Turcan, Romeo V.

    2013-01-01

    business and management field, the turning point is seen as a valuable unit of analysis within the research field. It is expected that this paper will encourage a dynamic scholarly conversation about the concept of turning point and how it can aid international business researchers in the development...

  9. Application of data mining in a maintenance system for failure prediction

    OpenAIRE

    Bastos, Pedro; Lopes, Isabel; Pires, L.C.M.

    2014-01-01

    In industrial environment, data generated during equipment maintenance and monitoring activities has become increasingly overwhelming. Data mining presents an opportunity to increase significantly the rate at which the volume of data can be turned into useful information. This paper presents an architecture designed to gather data generated in industrial units on their maintenance activities, and to forecast future failures based on data analysis. Rapid Miner is used to apply diff...

  10. Do promises matter? An exploration of the role of promises in psychological contract breach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montes, Samantha D; Zweig, David

    2009-09-01

    Promises are positioned centrally in the study of psychological contract breach and are argued to distinguish psychological contracts from related constructs, such as employee expectations. However, because the effects of promises and delivered inducements are confounded in most research, the role of promises in perceptions of, and reactions to, breach remains unclear. If promises are not an important determinant of employee perceptions, emotions, and behavioral intentions, this would suggest that the psychological contract breach construct might lack utility. To assess the unique role of promises, the authors manipulated promises and delivered inducements separately in hypothetical scenarios in Studies 1 (558 undergraduates) and 2 (441 employees), and they measured them separately (longitudinally) in Study 3 (383 employees). The authors' results indicate that breach perceptions do not represent a discrepancy between what employees believe they were promised and were given. In fact, breach perceptions can exist in the absence of promises. Further, promises play a negligible role in predicting feelings of violation and behavioral intentions. Contrary to the extant literature, the authors' findings suggest that promises may matter little; employees are concerned primarily with what the organization delivers.

  11. A Dynamic Model of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. Turning Point and Public Policy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Egli, H.; Steger, T.M. [CER-ETH Center of Economic Research at ETH Zurich, ZUE F 10, CH-8092 Zurich (Switzerland)

    2007-01-15

    We set up a simple dynamic macroeconomic model with (1) polluting consumption and a preference for a clean environment, (2) increasing returns in abatement giving rise to an EKC and (3) sustained growth resulting from a linear final-output technology. There are two sorts of market failures caused by external effects associated with consumption and environmental effort. The model is employed to investigate the determinants of the turning point and the cost effectiveness of different public policies aimed at a reduction of the environmental burden. Moreover, the model offers a potential explanation of an N-shaped pollution-income relation. It is shown that the model is compatible with most empirical regularities on economic growth and the environment.

  12. Prediction of beta-turns with learning machines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Yu-Dong; Liu, Xiao-Jun; Li, Yi-Xue; Xu, Xue-biao; Chou, Kuo-Chen

    2003-05-01

    The support vector machine approach was introduced to predict the beta-turns in proteins. The overall self-consistency rate by the re-substitution test for the training or learning dataset reached 100%. Both the training dataset and independent testing dataset were taken from Chou [J. Pept. Res. 49 (1997) 120]. The success prediction rates by the jackknife test for the beta-turn subset of 455 tetrapeptides and non-beta-turn subset of 3807 tetrapeptides in the training dataset were 58.1 and 98.4%, respectively. The success rates with the independent dataset test for the beta-turn subset of 110 tetrapeptides and non-beta-turn subset of 30,231 tetrapeptides were 69.1 and 97.3%, respectively. The results obtained from this study support the conclusion that the residue-coupled effect along a tetrapeptide is important for the formation of a beta-turn.

  13. Turn-Based War Chess Model and Its Search Algorithm per Turn

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hai Nan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available War chess gaming has so far received insufficient attention but is a significant component of turn-based strategy games (TBS and is studied in this paper. First, a common game model is proposed through various existing war chess types. Based on the model, we propose a theory frame involving combinational optimization on the one hand and game tree search on the other hand. We also discuss a key problem, namely, that the number of the branching factors of each turn in the game tree is huge. Then, we propose two algorithms for searching in one turn to solve the problem: (1 enumeration by order; (2 enumeration by recursion. The main difference between these two is the permutation method used: the former uses the dictionary sequence method, while the latter uses the recursive permutation method. Finally, we prove that both of these algorithms are optimal, and we analyze the difference between their efficiencies. An important factor is the total time taken for the unit to expand until it achieves its reachable position. The factor, which is the total number of expansions that each unit makes in its reachable position, is set. The conclusion proposed is in terms of this factor: Enumeration by recursion is better than enumeration by order in all situations.

  14. Development process and data management of TurnSTEP, a STEP-compliant CNC system for turning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Choi, I.; Suh, S.-H; Kim, K.; Song, M.S.; Jang, M.; Lee, B.-E.

    2006-01-01

    TurnSTEP is one of the earliest STEP-compliant CNC systems for turning. Based on the STEP-NC data model formalized as ISO 14649-12 and 121, it is designed to support intelligent and autonomous control of NC machines for e-manufacturing. The present paper introduces the development process and data

  15. The effects of heart failure on renal function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udani, Suneel M; Koyner, Jay L

    2010-08-01

    Heart-kidney interactions have been increasingly recognized by clinicians and researchers who study and treat heart failure and kidney disease. A classification system has been developed to categorize the different manifestations of cardiac and renal dysfunction. Work has highlighted the significant negative prognostic effect of worsening renal function on outcomes for individuals with heart failure. The etiology of concomitant cardiac and renal dysfunction remains unclear; however, evidence supports alternatives to the established theory of underfilling, including effects of venous congestion and changes in intra-abdominal pressure. Conventional therapy focuses on blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system with expanding use of direct renin and aldosterone antagonists. Novel therapeutic interventions using extracorporeal therapy and antagonists of the adenosine pathway show promise and require further investigation. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Safety relevant failure mechanisms in the post-operational phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mayer, Gerhard; Stiller, Jan Christopher; Roemer, Sarah

    2017-03-01

    When the 13"t"h amendment of the Atomic Energy Act came into force, eight Germ an nuclear power plant units had their power operating licences revoked and are now in the so-called post operation phase. Of the remaining nuclear power plants, one have by now also entered the post operation phase, with those left in operation bound for entering this phase sometime between now and the end of 2022. Therefore, failure mechanisms that are particularly relevant for post operation were to be identified and described in the frame of the present project. To do so, three major steps were taken: Firstly, recent national and international pertinent literature was evaluated to obtain indications of failure mechanisms in the post operation phase. It turned out that most of the national and international literature deals with the general procedure of the transition from power operation to decommissioning and dismantling. However, there were also some documents providing detailed indications of possible failure mechanisms in post operation. This includes e.g. the release of radioactive materials caused by the drop of containers, chemical impacts on systems important to safety in connection with decontamination work, and corrosion in connection with the storage of the core in the spent fuel pool, with the latter leading to the jamming of the fuel assemblies in the storage racks and a possible reduction of coolant circulation. In a second step, three safety analyses of pressurised water reactors prepared by the respective plant operators were evaluated to identify failure mechanisms based on systems engineering. The failure mechanisms that were found here include e.g. faults in the boric acid concentration of the reactor coolant, damage to the equipment airlock upon the unloading of Castor casks, leakages in connection with primary system decontamination, and the drop of packages holding radioactive residual materials or waste with subsequent mobilisation of radioactive aerosols

  17. Elicited vs. voluntary promises

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ismayilov, H.; Potters, Jan

    2017-01-01

    We set up an experiment with pre-play communication to study the impact of promise elicitation by trustors from trustees on trust and trustworthiness. When given the opportunity a majority of trustors solicits a promise from the trustee. This drives up the promise making rate by trustees to almost

  18. Fast Turn-off Mine Transient Electromagnetic Transmitter System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ZHENG Xiao-Liang

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available For solving problems such as short turn-off time, high linear degree of falling edge, measurement of turn-off time and influence of primary signals for transient electromagnetic transmitter, and restrictions because of the environmental conditions of underground coal mine, this thesis aims at designing a new transient electromagnetic transmitter system suitable for coal mine. Supported by damping absorption circuit, such system applies small volume, sectional transmitting coil, with features of short turn-off time, high linear degree of current falling edge. It uses the transmitter monitoring circuit, which accurately measures turn-off time and simultaneously records the current value changes after turn-off, thus to eliminate the influence of primary field as well as to restore earlier secondary field signals for reference and finally to improve the ability to detect the shallow structure. It turns out that the new system has a shorter turn-off time, a higher linear degree of current falling and more accurate data record of turn-off current.

  19. Increasing protein stability by improving beta-turns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Hailong; Grimsley, Gerald R; Razvi, Abbas; Scholtz, J Martin; Pace, C Nick

    2009-11-15

    Our goal was to gain a better understanding of how protein stability can be increased by improving beta-turns. We studied 22 beta-turns in nine proteins with 66-370 residues by replacing other residues with proline and glycine and measuring the stability. These two residues are statistically preferred in some beta-turn positions. We studied: Cold shock protein B (CspB), Histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein, Ubiquitin, Ribonucleases Sa2, Sa3, T1, and HI, Tryptophan synthetase alpha-subunit, and Maltose binding protein. Of the 15 single proline mutations, 11 increased stability (Average = 0.8 +/- 0.3; Range = 0.3-1.5 kcal/mol), and the stabilizing effect of double proline mutants was additive. On the basis of this and our previous work, we conclude that proteins can generally be stabilized by replacing nonproline residues with proline residues at the i + 1 position of Type I and II beta-turns and at the i position in Type II beta-turns. Other turn positions can sometimes be used if the phi angle is near -60 degrees for the residue replaced. It is important that the side chain of the residue replaced is less than 50% buried. Identical substitutions in beta-turns in related proteins give similar results. Proline substitutions increase stability mainly by decreasing the entropy of the denatured state. In contrast, the large, diverse group of proteins considered here had almost no residues in beta-turns that could be replaced by Gly to increase protein stability. Improving beta-turns by substituting Pro residues is a generally useful way of increasing protein stability. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  20. Changes of the thermodynamic parameters in failure conditions of the micro-CHP cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matysko, Robert; Mikielewicz, Jarosław; Ihnatowicz, Eugeniusz

    2014-03-01

    The paper presents the calculations for the failure conditions of the ORC (organic Rankine cycle) cycle in the electrical power system. It analyses the possible reasons of breakdown, such as the electrical power loss or the automatic safety valve failure. The micro-CHP (combined heat and power) system should have maintenance-free configuration, which means that the user does not have to be acquainted with all the details of the ORC system operation. However, the system should always be equipped with the safety control systems allowing for the immediate turn off of the ORC cycle in case of any failure. In case of emergency, the control system should take over the safety tasks and protect the micro-CHP system from damaging. Although, the control systems are able to respond quickly to the CHP system equipped with the inertial systems, the negative effects of failure are unavoidable and always remain for some time. Moreover, the paper presents the results of calculations determining the inertia for the micro-CHP system of the circulating ORC pump, heat removal pump (cooling condenser) and the heat supply pump in failure conditions.

  1. Changes of the thermodynamic parameters in failure conditions of the micro-CHP cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matysko Robert

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the calculations for the failure conditions of the ORC (organic Rankine cycle cycle in the electrical power system. It analyses the possible reasons of breakdown, such as the electrical power loss or the automatic safety valve failure. The micro-CHP (combined heat and power system should have maintenance-free configuration, which means that the user does not have to be acquainted with all the details of the ORC system operation. However, the system should always be equipped with the safety control systems allowing for the immediate turn off of the ORC cycle in case of any failure. In case of emergency, the control system should take over the safety tasks and protect the micro-CHP system from damaging. Although, the control systems are able to respond quickly to the CHP system equipped with the inertial systems, the negative effects of failure are unavoidable and always remain for some time. Moreover, the paper presents the results of calculations determining the inertia for the micro-CHP system of the circulating ORC pump, heat removal pump (cooling condenser and the heat supply pump in failure conditions.

  2. Diagnosis and management of acute heart failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ural, Dilek; Çavuşoğlu, Yüksel; Eren, Mehmet; Karaüzüm, Kurtuluş; Temizhan, Ahmet; Yılmaz, Mehmet Birhan; Zoghi, Mehdi; Ramassubu, Kumudha; Bozkurt, Biykem

    2016-01-01

    Acute heart failure (AHF) is a life threatening clinical syndrome with a progressively increasing incidence in general population. Turkey is a country with a high cardiovascular mortality and recent national statistics show that the population structure has turned to an ‘aged’ population. As a consequence, AHF has become one of the main reasons of admission to cardiology clinics. This consensus report summarizes clinical and prognostic classification of AHF, its worldwide and national epidemiology, diagnostic work-up, principles of approach in emergency department, intensive care unit and ward, treatment in different clinical scenarios and approach in special conditions and how to plan hospital discharge. PMID:26574757

  3. Air Gaps, Size Effect, and Corner-Turning in Ambient LX-17

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Souers, P C; Hernandez, A; Cabacungan, C; Fried, L; Garza, R; Glaesemann, K; Lauderbach, L; Liao, S; Vitello, P

    2008-02-05

    Various ambient measurements are presented for LX-17. The size (diameter) effect has been measured with copper and Lucite confinement, where the failure radii are 4.0 and 6.5 mm, respectively. The air well corner-turn has been measured with an LX-07 booster, and the dead-zone results are comparable to the previous TATB-boosted work. Four double cylinders have been fired, and dead zones appear in all cases. The steel-backed samples are faster than the Lucite-backed samples by 0.6 {micro}s. Bare LX-07 and LX-17 of 12.7 mm-radius were fired with air gaps. Long acceptor regions were used to truly determine if detonation occurred or not. The LX-07 crossed at 10 mm with a slight time delay. Steady state LX-17 crossed at 3.5 mm gap but failed to cross at 4.0 mm. LX-17 with a 12.7 mm run after the booster crossed a 1.5 mm gap but failed to cross 2.5 mm. Timing delays were measured where the detonation crossed the gaps. The Tarantula model is introduced as embedded in 0 reactive flow JWL++ and Linked Cheetah V4, mostly at 4 zones/mm. Tarantula has four pressure regions: off, initiation, failure and detonation. The physical basis of the input parameters is considered.

  4. Anticipation in turn-taking: mechanisms and information sources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riest, Carina; Jorschick, Annett B; de Ruiter, Jan P

    2015-01-01

    During conversations participants alternate smoothly between speaker and hearer roles with only brief pauses and overlaps. There are two competing types of accounts about how conversationalists accomplish this: (a) the signaling approach and (b) the anticipatory ('projection') approach. We wanted to investigate, first, the relative merits of these two accounts, and second, the relative contribution of semantic and syntactic information to the timing of next turn initiation. We performed three button-press experiments using turn fragments taken from natural conversations to address the following questions: (a) Is turn-taking predominantly based on anticipation or on reaction, and (b) what is the relative contribution of semantic and syntactic information to accurate turn-taking. In our first experiment we gradually manipulated the information available for anticipation of the turn end (providing information about the turn end in advance to completely removing linguistic information). The results of our first experiment show that the distribution of the participants' estimation of turn-endings for natural turns is very similar to the distribution for pure anticipation. We conclude that listeners are indeed able to anticipate a turn-end and that this strategy is predominantly used in turn-taking. In Experiment 2 we collected purely reacted responses. We used the distributions from Experiments 1 and 2 together to estimate a new dependent variable called Reaction Anticipation Proportion. We used this variable in our third experiment where we manipulated the presence vs. absence of semantic and syntactic information by low-pass filtering open-class and closed class words in the turn. The results suggest that for turn-end anticipation, both semantic and syntactic information are needed, but that the semantic information is a more important anticipation cue than syntactic information.

  5. Breaking New Ground with High Resolution Turn-By-Turn BPMs at the ESRF

    CERN Document Server

    Farvacque, L; Scheidt, K

    2001-01-01

    This High-Resolution, Turn-by-Turn BPM system is a low-cost extension to the existing BPM system, based on the RF-multiplexing concept, used for slow Closed-Orbit measurements. With this extension Beam Position measurements in both planes, at all (224) BPMs in the 844 m ESRF Storage Ring, for up to 2048 Orbit Turns with 1 μm resolution are performed. The data acquisition is synchronised to a single, flat 1 μs, transverse deflection kick to the 1μs beamfill in the 2.8μs revolution period. The high quality of this synchronisation, together with the good reproducibility of the deflection kick and the overall stability of the Closed Orbit beam allows to repeat the kick and acquisition in many cycles. The subsequent averaging of the data obtained in these cycles yields the 1um resolution. The latter allows lattice measurements with high precision such as the localisation of very small focussing errors and modulation in Beta values and phase advances. It also finds an unique ...

  6. Laterality of the lower limbs and carving turns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F Vaverka

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to discover whether the lateral preference of the lower limbs influences the execution of successive carving turns or not. Six skilled skiers (men, right lower limb preference, age 26.5±1.61 years old, height 1.80±0.04 m, body weight 78.83±5.46 kg executed 30 (18 left, 12 right symmetrical carving turns. Kinetic analysis of the final vertical component of reaction force FZ(t measured dynamometrically provided the information about the time of initiation and steering phases of the turn and the maximum force, average force and force impulse. Differences between right and left turns are not statistically significant. Factual analyses of the magnitude of measured variables confirmed that left turns were found to have a longer duration, a shorter initiation and longer steering phase, and higher level of produced force and force impulse in comparison with right turns. Based on the results it can be concluded that the turns where the outer leg is the preferred limb are preferentially used to regulate the speed of the ride. The study of laterality in symmetrical carving turns has proven that lateral preference of lower extremities influences the execution of the turn also by expert skiers.

  7. Wittgenstein and the linguistic turn in social theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hermansen, Jens Christian

    of Winch in social theory, the wider and more recent influence of Wittgenstein in areas such as technology and science studies, social theory, feminist and gender studies and conversation and discourse analysis is also considered. Historically, the readings of Wittgenstein in the social sciences have taken...... of the linguistic turn in social theory, the linguistic turn is a double-edged sword of both profound insights and limits; the claim is that the limits of the linguistic turn are the strengths of functionalist, structuralist and materialist approaches to the social sciences. The approach of the critical turn...... is to develop a more comprehensive social theory that is sensitive to these strengths and thus supersedes the limits of the linguistic turn. This paper suggests a different approach. Against the critical turn, the paper argues that the limits of the linguistic turn are identical with the very assumptions...

  8. Characterization of beta-turn and Asx-turns mimicry in a model peptide: stabilization via C--H . . . O interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thakur, A K; Kishore, R

    2006-04-15

    The chemical synthesis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of a model peptide, Boc-Thr-Thr-NH2 (1) comprised of proteinogenic residues bearing an amphiphilic Cbeta -stereogenic center, has been described. Interestingly, the analysis of its molecular structure revealed the existence of a distinct conformation that mimics a typical beta-turn and Asx-turns, i.e., the two Thr residues occupy the left- and right-corner positions. The main-chain torsion angles of the N- and C-terminal residues i.e., semiextended: phi = -68.9 degrees , psi = 128.6 degrees ; semifolded: phi = -138.1 degrees , psi = 2.5 degrees conformations, respectively, in conjunction with a gauche- disposition of the obligatory C-terminus Thr CgammaH3 group, characterize the occurrence of the newly described beta-turn- and Asx-turns-like topology. The preferred molecular structure is suggested to be stabilized by an effective nonconventional main-chain to side-chain Ci=O . . . H--Cgamma(i+2)-type intraturn hydrogen bond. Noteworthy, the observed topology of the resulting 10-membered hydrogen-bonded ring is essentially similar to the one perceived for a classical beta-turn and the Asx-turns, stabilized by a conventional intraturn hydrogen bond. Considering the signs as well as magnitudes of the backbone torsion angles and the orientation of the central peptide bond, the overall mimicked topology resembles the type II beta-turn or type II Asx-turns. An analysis of Xaa-Thr sequences in high-resolution X-ray elucidated protein structures revealed the novel topology prevalence in functional proteins (unpublished). In view of indubitable structural as well as functional importance of nonconventional interactions in bioorganic and biomacromolecules, we intend to highlight the participation of Thr CgammaH in the creation of a short-range C=O . . . H--Cgamma -type interaction in peptides and proteins. Copyright 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell treatment in patients with severe ischaemic heart failure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiasen, Anders Bruun; Qayyum, Abbas Ali; Jørgensen, Erik

    2015-01-01

    AIMS: Regenerative treatment with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) has been promising in patients with ischaemic heart failure but needs confirmation in larger randomized trials. We aimed to study effects of intra-myocardial autologous bone marrow-derived MSC treatment in patients with severe isc...... identified. CONCLUSION: Intra-myocardial injections of autologous culture expanded MSCs were safe and improved myocardial function in patients with severe ischaemic heart failure. STUDY REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00644410 (ClinicalTrials.gov)....... ischaemic heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: The MSC-HF trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients were randomized 2 : 1 to intra-myocardial injections of MSC or placebo, respectively. The primary endpoint was change in left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), measured...

  10. Role of SGLT2 Inhibitors in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verbrugge, Frederik H

    2017-08-01

    This review aims to summarize the evidence on cardiovascular risks and benefits of glucose-lowering drugs in diabetic patients, with a particular focus on the role of sodium-glucose transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and their promising potential as a heart failure treatment. The SGLT-2 inhibitor empagliflozin has emerged as the first glucose-lowering drug to lower cardiovascular mortality in diabetes with an unprecedented 38% relative risk reduction. In addition, empagliflozin significantly reduced the rate of heart failure admissions with 35% when compared to placebo in diabetic patients with established atherosclerosis. SGLT-2 inhibitors should be considered as a first-line drug to achieve glycemic control in diabetic patients at high risk for cardiovascular diseases and heart failure in particular. As SGLT-2 inhibitors target different pathophysiological pathways in heart failure, they might even be considered in the broader population without diabetes, but this remains the topic of further study.

  11. METHODICAL MODEL FOR TEACHING BASIC SKI TURN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danijela Kuna

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available With the aim of forming an expert model of the most important operators for basic ski turn teaching in ski schools, an experiment was conducted on a sample of 20 ski experts from different countries (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. From the group of the most commonly used operators for teaching basic ski turn the experts picked the 6 most important: uphill turn and jumping into snowplough, basic turn with hand sideways, basic turn with clapping, ski poles in front, ski poles on neck, uphill turn with active ski guiding. Afterwards, ranking and selection of the most efficient operators was carried out. Due to the set aim of research, a Chi square test was used, as well as the differences between frequencies of chosen operators, differences between values of the most important operators and differences between experts due to their nationality. Statistically significant differences were noticed between frequencies of chosen operators (c2= 24.61; p=0.01, while differences between values of the most important operators were not obvious (c2= 1.94; p=0.91. Meanwhile, the differences between experts concerning thier nationality were only noticeable in the expert evaluation of ski poles on neck operator (c2=7.83; p=0.02. Results of current research are reflected in obtaining useful information about methodological priciples of learning basic ski turn organization in ski schools.

  12. Two loose screws: near-miss fall of a morbidly obese patient after an operating room table failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAllister, Russell K; Booth, Robert T; Bittenbinder, Timothy M

    2016-09-01

    Operating room surgical table failure is a rare event but can lead to a dangerous situation when it does occur. The dangers can be compounded in the presence of obesity, especially in the anesthetized or sedated patient. We present a case of a near-miss fall of a morbidly obese patient while turning the patient in preparation to transfer from the operating room table to the hospital bed when 2 fractured bolts in the tilt cylinder mechanism led to an operating room table failure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Emerging indications for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults with respiratory failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abrams, Darryl; Brodie, Daniel

    2013-08-01

    Recent advances in technology have spurred the increasing use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in patients with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure. However, this accounts for only a small percentage of patients with respiratory failure. We envision the application of ECMO in many other forms of respiratory failure in the coming years. Patients with less severe forms of acute respiratory distress syndrome, for instance, may benefit from enhanced lung-protective ventilation with the very low tidal volumes made possible by direct carbon dioxide removal from the blood. For those in whom hypercapnia predominates, extracorporeal support will allow for the elimination of invasive mechanical ventilation in some cases. The potential benefits of ECMO may be further enhanced by improved techniques, which facilitate active mobilization. Although ECMO for these and other expanded applications is under active investigation, it has yet to be proven beneficial in these settings in rigorous controlled trials. Ultimately, with upcoming and future technological advances, there is the promise of true destination therapy, which could lead to a major paradigm shift in the management of respiratory failure.

  14. Keeping the Promise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whissemore, Tabitha

    2016-01-01

    Since its launch in September 2015, Heads Up America has collected information on nearly 125 promise programs across the country, many of which were instituted long before President Barack Obama announced the America's College Promise (ACP) plan in 2015. At least 27 new free community college programs have launched in states, communities, and at…

  15. Experience sharing, emotional reciprocity, and turn-taking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melisa eStevanovic

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available In this perspective article, we consider the relationship between experience sharing and turn-taking. There is much evidence suggesting that human social interaction is permeated by two temporal organizations: (1 the sequential framework of turn-taking and (2 the concurrent framework of emotional reciprocity. From this perspective, we introduce two alternative hypotheses about how the relationship between experience sharing and turn-taking could be viewed. According to the first hypothesis, the home environment of experience sharing is in the concurrent framework of emotional reciprocity, while the motivation to share experiences is in tension with the sequential framework of turn-taking. According to the second hypothesis, then again, people’s inclination to coordinate their actions in terms of turn-taking is motivated precisely by their propensity to share experiences. We consider theoretical and empirical ideas in favor of both of these hypotheses and discuss their implications for future research.

  16. Exploring interaction between a non-speaking boy using aided AAC and his everyday communication partners: features of turn organizing and turn design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pilesjö, Maja Sigurd; Rasmussen, Gitte

    2011-01-01

    -at-action is suggested. The analyses demonstrate that the boy’s turn-at-actions are oriented to as a co-constructed and thus interactionally achieved unit: the boy points at a bliss symbol which is given voice by the speaking co-participant. In and through the relevant made voicing of the turn-at-action, a turn...... AAC, bliss symbolics. The analysis indicates that the participants can collaborately create and orient to units in interaction equivalent to turns in interaction although they differ dramatically from ordinary turns-at-talk. In order to capture the nature of the described units, the category turn...

  17. Turning for Ulcer Reduction (TURN) Study: An Economic Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulden, Mike; Bergstrom, Nancy; Horn, Susan D; Rapp, Mary; Stern, Anita; Barrett, Ryan; Watkiss, Michael; Krahn, Murray

    2014-01-01

    The Turning for Ulcer Reduction (TURN) study was a multisite, randomized controlled trial that aimed to determine the optimal frequency of turning nursing facility residents with mobility limitations who are at moderate and high risk for pressure ulcer (PrU) development. Here we present data from the economic analysis. This economic analysis aims to estimate the economic consequences for Ontario of switching from a repositioning schedule of 2-hour intervals to a schedule of 3-hour or 4-hour intervals. Costs considered in the analysis included those associated with nursing staff time spent repositioning residents and with incontinent care supplies, which included briefs, barrier cream, and washcloths. The total economic benefit of switching to 3-hour or 4-hour repositioning is estimated to be $11.05 or $16.74 per day, respectively, for every resident at moderate or high risk of developing PrUs. For a typical facility with 123 residents, 41 (33%) of whom are at moderate or high risk of developing PrUs, the total economic benefit is estimated to be $453 daily for 3-hour or $686 daily for 4-hour repositioning. For Ontario as a whole, assuming that there are 77,933 residents at 634 LTC facilities, 25,927 (33%) of whom are at moderate or high risk of developing PrUs, the total economic benefits of switching to 3-hour or 4-hour repositioning are estimated to be $286,420 or $433,913 daily, respectively, equivalent to $104.5 million or $158.4 million per year. We did not consider the savings the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care might incur should less frequent repositioning reduce the incidence of work-related injury among nursing staff, so our findings are potentially conservative. A switch to 3-hour or 4-hour repositioning appears likely to yield substantial economic benefits to Ontario without placing residents at greater risk of developing PrUs.

  18. Primordial spectra from sudden turning trajectory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noumi, Toshifumi; Yamaguchi, Masahide

    2013-12-01

    Effects of heavy fields on primordial spectra of curvature perturbations are discussed in inflationary models with a sudden turning trajectory. When heavy fields are excited after the sudden turn and oscillate around the bottom of the potential, the following two effects are generically induced: deformation of the inflationary background spacetime and conversion interactions between adiabatic and isocurvature perturbations, both of which can affect the primordial density perturbations. In this paper, we calculate primordial spectra in inflationary models with sudden turning potentials taking into account both of the two effects appropriately. We find that there are some non-trivial correlations between the two effects in the power spectrum and, as a consequence, the primordial scalar power spectrum has a peak around the scale exiting the horizon at the turn. Though both effects can induce parametric resonance amplifications, they are shown to be canceled out for the case with the canonical kinetic terms. The peak feature and the scale dependence of bispectra are also discussed.

  19. The diagnostic value of plasma N-terminal connective tissue growth factor levels in children with heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Gang; Song, Xueqing; Xia, Jiyi; Li, Jing; Jia, Peng; Chen, Pengyuan; Zhao, Jian; Liu, Bin

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of plasma N-terminal connective tissue growth factor in children with heart failure. Methods and results Plasma N-terminal connective tissue growth factor was determined in 61 children, including 41 children with heart failure, 20 children without heart failure, and 30 healthy volunteers. The correlations between plasma N-terminal connective tissue growth factor levels and clinical parameters were investigated. Moreover, the diagnostic value of N-terminal connective tissue growth factor levels was evaluated. Compared with healthy volunteers and children without heart failure, plasma N-terminal connective tissue growth factor levels were significantly elevated in those with heart failure (p0.05), but it obviously improved the ability of diagnosing heart failure in children, as demonstrated by the integrated discrimination improvement (6.2%, p=0.013) and net re-classification improvement (13.2%, p=0.017) indices. Plasma N-terminal connective tissue growth factor is a promising diagnostic biomarker for heart failure in children.

  20. Kantian Turning Point in Gadamer's Philosophical Hermeneutics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristína Bosáková

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper is treating the theme of a Kantian turning-point in the philosophical hermeneutics of H.- G. Gadamer based on of the harmonic relationship between metaphysics and science in Kantian philosophy from the point of view of the philosophical hermeneutics of Gadamer. The philosophical work of Kant had such an influence on Gadamer that without exaggerating we can talk about the Kantian turning-point in Gadamerian hermeneutics. Grondin, a former student of Gadamer, is talking about Kantian turning-point on the field of aesthetics, but in reality Kantian turning-point means much more than a mere change in the reception of the concept of judgement. It is a discovery of harmonical relationship between the beauty and the moral, between the reason and the sensitivity, between the modern sciences and the metaphysical tradition in the Kantian philosophy, made by Gadamer. This is what we call the Kantian turning-point in Gadamerian hermeneutics.

  1. Stem Cells Transplantation in the Treatment of Patients with Liver Failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Ya-Chao; Wang, Meng-Lan; Chen, En-Qiang; Tang, Hong

    2018-02-23

    Liver failure is a life-threatening liver disease encompassing severe acute deterioration of liver function. Emergency liver transplantation is the only curative treatment for liver failure, but is restricted by the severe shortage of organ donors. Stem cell, including embroyonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells and hepatic progenitor cells, have capacity to proliferate and differentiate and could be used in a variety of liver diseases including hereditary liver diseases, cirrhosis and liver failure. We summarized the basic experimental and clinical advances of stem cell transplantation in liver failure treatment, and also discussed the advantages and disadvantage of different stem cells subtype in this field, aiming to provide a perspective on the stem cell-based therapy for liver failure. Stem cells, especially mesenchymal stem cells (mainly low immunogenicity and paracrine characteristics) and induced pluripotent stem cells (generation of desired cell type from somatic cell), are feasible candidates for cell therapy in the treatment of liver failure, but there are some drawbacks remaining to be resolved, such as low engraftment, cryotpreservation methods and tumorigenesis. Stem cell transplantation is a promising but challenging strategy and paves a new way for curing liver failure. But more efforts need to be made to overcome problems before this new strategy could be safely and effectively applied to humans. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  2. Angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors: clinical potential in heart failure and beyond

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singh JSS

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Jagdeep SS Singh, Chim C Lang Division of Cardiovascular and Diabetes Medicine, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK Abstract: Heart failure remains a major concern across the globe as life expectancies and delivery of health care continue to improve. There has been a dearth of new developments in heart failure therapies in the last decade until last year, with the release of the results from the PARADIGM-HF Trial heralding the arrival of a promising new class of drug, ie, the angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor. In this review, we discuss the evolution of our incremental understanding of the neurohormonal mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of heart failure, which has led to our success in modulating its various pathways. We start by examining the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, followed by the challenges of modulating the natriuretic peptide system. We then delve deeper into the pharmacology and mechanisms by which angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors achieve their significant cardiovascular benefits. Finally, we also consider the potential application of this new class of drug in other areas, such as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, hypertension, patients with renal impairment, and following myocardial infarction. Keywords: heart failure, angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, nesiritide, candoxatril, omapatrilat, hypertension, renal impairment, myocardial infarction

  3. Advertising and drugs: a world of images and promises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jurema Barros Dantas

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to discuss the relation between the contemporary use and advertising of pharmaceutical drugs based on the so-called culture of consumption. We discuss advertising as a means of strengthening the belief in the power of these drugs, presenting them as a synthesis of science and technology to promote health and well being and, particularly, as a quick solution for typical problems of the contemporary world. The obligation to buy the latest medicines is becoming a symbol of social affirmation as well as the only way to weaken our daily problems. Using a logic of consumption as ownership, we create, with the help of advertising, a world of promises concerning immediate solutions, easily sold through on line shopping, supermarkets, department stores and shopping centers. We discuss this set of contemporary practices and values which are turning our way of life into a disposable product.   Keywords: advertising; consumption; pharmaceutical drugs.

  4. Linguistic Evidence for the Failure Mindset as a Predictor of Life Span Longevity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Penzel, Ian B; Persich, Michelle R; Boyd, Ryan L; Robinson, Michael D

    2017-06-01

    When people think that their efforts will fail to achieve positive outcomes, they sometimes give up their efforts after control, which can have negative health consequences. Problematic orientations of this type, such as pessimism, helplessness, or fatalism, seem likely to be associated with a cognitive mindset marked by higher levels of accessibility for failure words or concepts. Thus, the purpose of the present research was to determine whether there are individual differences in the frequency with which people think about failure, which in turn are likely to impact health across large spans of time. Following self-regulatory theories of health and the learned helplessness tradition, two archival studies (total n = 197) scored texts (books or speeches) for their use of failure words, a category within the Harvard IV dictionary of the General Inquirer. People who used failure words more frequently exhibited shorter subsequent life spans, and this relationship remained significant when controlling for birth year. Furthermore, study 2 implicated behavioral factors. For example, the failure/longevity relationship was numerically stronger among people whose causes of death appeared to be preventable rather than non-preventable. These results significantly extend our knowledge of the personality/longevity relationship while highlighting the value of individual differences in word usage as predictors of health and mortality.

  5. Copeptin in acute coronary syndromes and heart failure management: State of the art and future directions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schurtz, Guillaume; Lamblin, Nicolas; Bauters, Christophe; Goldstein, Patrick; Lemesle, Gilles

    2015-01-01

    Over the past two decades, the use of multiple biomarkers has changed cardiovascular disease management. Recently, several trials have assessed the diagnostic and prognostic performances of copeptin, especially in patients with heart failure or acute coronary syndromes. Primary results are interesting, with copeptin looking promising for: the management of patients who present at emergency departments early after chest pain onset and the risk stratification of patients with heart failure. The purpose of this article is to review the data on the place of copeptin in the management of patients with chest pain or heart failure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  6. Bioartificial liver and liver transplantation: new modalities for the treatment of liver failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DING Yitao

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The main features of liver failure are extensive necrosis of hepatocytes, rapid disease progression, and poor prognosis, and at present, there are no effective drugs and methods for the treatment of liver failure. This article summarizes four treatment methods for liver failure, i.e., medical treatment, cell transplantation, liver transplantation, and artificial liver support therapy, and elaborates on the existing treatment methods. The current medical treatment regimen should be optimized; cell transplantation has not been used in clinical practice; liver transplantation is the most effective method, but it is limited by donor liver shortage and high costs; artificial liver can effectively remove toxic substances in human body. Therefore, this article puts forward artificial liver as a transition for liver transplantation; artificial liver can buy time for liver regeneration or liver transplantation and prolong patients′ survival time and thus has a promising future. The new treatment modality of bioartificial liver combined with liver transplantation may bring good news to patients with liver failure.

  7. Review Essay: Turn, Turn, Turn Around—Till Categories Blur

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lars Allolio-Näcke

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available I begin this review by introducing the book and discussing its manifest content chapter by chapter (see 2.1, focusing particularly on the author's argumentation concerning the development of new orientations in cultural studies and on how, in relation to the turns discussed, the names of the researchers and central categories involved are collected. In a second step, I give a close reading of the book's latent content, which I consider to be more important (see 2.2. In this context I discuss several questions of scientific politics—especially the issue of hegemonic claims. Thirdly, I read the book from the critical standpoint of a psychologist, a sociologist and a theologian and show the shortcomings of BACHMANN-MEDICK's outsider perspective on these disciplines. In this regard I read the book again and provide a critique of the quality of the author's scientific performance (see 3. Finally, I state the reasons I do not recommend reading this book (see 4. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0801266

  8. [Study of beta-turns in globular proteins].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amirova, S R; Milchevskiĭ, Iu V; Filatov, I V; Esipova, N G; Tumanian, V G

    2005-01-01

    The formation of beta-turns in globular proteins has been studied by the method of molecular mechanics. Statistical method of discriminant analysis was applied to calculate energy components and sequences of oligopeptide segments, and after this prediction of I type beta-turns has been drawn. The accuracy of true positive prediction is 65%. Components of conformational energy considerably affecting beta-turn formation were delineated. There are torsional energy, energy of hydrogen bonds, and van der Waals energy.

  9. Promising More Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    2003-01-01

    When NASA needed a real-time, online database system capable of tracking documentation changes in its propulsion test facilities, engineers at Stennis Space Center joined with ECT International, of Brookfield, Wisconsin, to create a solution. Through NASA's Dual-Use Program, ECT developed Exdata, a software program that works within the company's existing Promise software. Exdata not only satisfied NASA s requirements, but also expanded ECT s commercial product line. Promise, ECT s primary product, is an intelligent software program with specialized functions for designing and documenting electrical control systems. An addon to AutoCAD software, Promis e generates control system schematics, panel layouts, bills of material, wire lists, and terminal plans. The drawing functions include symbol libraries, macros, and automatic line breaking. Primary Promise customers include manufacturing companies, utilities, and other organizations with complex processes to control.

  10. Tomographic reconstruction of transverse phase space from turn-by-turn profile data

    CERN Document Server

    Hancock, S; Lindroos, M

    1999-01-01

    Tomographic methods have the potential for useful application in beam diagnostics. The tomographic reconstruction of transverse phase space density from turn-by-turn profile data has been studied with particular attention to the effects of dispersion and chromaticity. It is shown that the modified Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART) that deals successfully with the problem of non-linear motion in the longitudinal plane cannot, in general, be extended to cover the transverse case. Instead, an approach is proposed in which the effect of dispersion is deconvoluted from the measured profiles before the phase space picture is reconstructed using either the modified ART algorithm or the inverse Radon Transform. This requires an accurate knowledge of the momentum distribution of the beam and the modified ART reconstruction of longitudinal phase space density yields just such information. The method has been tested extensively with simulated data.

  11. Turning to Ontology in STS? Turning to STS through ‘Ontology’

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Heur, B.; Leydesdorff, L.; Wyatt, S.

    2012-01-01

    We examine the evidence for the claim of an ‘ontological turn’ in science and technology studies (STS). Despite an increase in references to ‘ontology’ in STS since 1989, we show that there has not so much been an ontological turn as multiple discussions deploying the language of ontology,

  12. Ambition to reach zero level failure in VVER 1000 with russian fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mečíř, V.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of “The Zero Failure Level Project” is to bring to real operation of VVER 1000 units the dream of all utilities such as problem free and cost effective operation. This essentially turns into requirement on failure free fuel operation. At the same time the general requirements such as safety, cost effectiveness, operational flexibility, fuel cycle and fuel flexibility need to be satisfied. Several specific tasks were performed and many of them are still in process. Specific failure tree was developed in a format, which allows step by step failure tree improvement. Fuel types and its modifications, taking into account manufacturing conditions, were specified. In parallel with fuel types classification, real operational conditions were evaluated based on approximately 280 parameters by fuel assembly design features, operational procedures and practices and about 250 reactor unit parameters. As a result of this stage, groups of units with similar fuel operational conditions should be revealed and experience sharing database created. It is also recognized a need for consistent methods of operational data and data from pool side fuel assembly inspection. In the area of Foreign Material Exclusion activities closer cooperation between utility and supplier should be established including foreign material classification and improvement in root cause investigation

  13. FCC-hh turn-around cycle

    CERN Document Server

    Alemany Fernandez, Reyes; Bartmann, Wolfgang; Buffat, Xavier; Niemi, Arto; Schulte, Daniel; Solfaroli Camillocci, Matteo; Stoel, Linda

    2016-01-01

    The turn-around cycle time of a collider is defined as the time spent between the end of stable beams and the start of the next stable beams period, and its calculation is of fundamental importance. On one side it is a crucial ingredient for the computation of the optimal time spent in luminosity production, which defines the integrated luminosity per fill or store. On the other side, combined with the availability and reliability of the machine, it allows to perform a detailed breakdown of the operational performance of the collider over an operational season, i.e. percentage of time in stable beams and beam in the machine with respect to down time. This paper presents a preliminary operational cycle definition for the hadron-hadron Future Circular Collider, as a base line for estimating the corresponding turn-around time. The cycle definition is based on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) operational cycle. Two turn-around times are presented, the theoretical one and a more realistic one based on the LHC exper...

  14. Design of emergency plans due to the failure risk of hydraulic works - Theory and case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ochoa Rivera, Juan Camilo

    2006-01-01

    Dams are built to be highly safe hydraulic works. Nevertheless, they are not exempt from a certain failure risk, which turns in a variable value along the time service of the dam. As the mentioned dam-failure risk can be a significant hazard, analysis on dam-break is becoming important, as same as the assessment of its consequences. This type of studies are intended to reduce the costs linked to dam-failure, which are mainly due to the losses of human beings and material goods. A suitable way to minimize such losses consists of designing emergency plans, which permit to prepare and implant appropriate protection measures. A methodological framework to carry out this kind of emergency plans is introduced in this paper, accompanied by a case study corresponding to an emergency plan of a Spanish dam

  15. Turning to alcohol?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reiboro, S.K.

    1998-01-01

    Brazil is examining whether turning to alcohol could solve its problems. The fuel alcohol producers are lobbying hard for the government to increase the use of alcohol to fuel the country's cars. Not only does using alcohol reduce CO 2 , runs the argument, but the Kyoto agreement might just attract international financing for the project. (author)

  16. Recent developments in turning hardened steels - A review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivaraman, V.; Prakash, S.

    2017-05-01

    Hard materials ranging from HRC 45 - 68 such as hardened AISI H13, AISI 4340, AISI 52100, D2 STL, D3 STEEL Steel etc., need super hard tool materials to machine. Turning of these hard materials is termed as hard turning. Hard turning makes possible direct machining of the hard materials and also eliminates the lubricant requirement and thus favoring dry machining. Hard turning is a finish turning process and hence conventional grinding is not required. Development of the new advanced super hard tool materials such as ceramic inserts, Cubic Boron Nitride, Polycrystalline Cubic Boron Nitride etc. enabled the turning of these materials. PVD and CVD methods of coating have made easier the production of single and multi layered coated tool inserts. Coatings of TiN, TiAlN, TiC, Al2O3, AlCrN over cemented carbide inserts has lead to the machining of difficult to machine materials. Advancement in the process of hard machining paved way for better surface finish, long tool life, reduced tool wear, cutting force and cutting temperatures. Micro and Nano coated carbide inserts, nanocomposite coated PCBN inserts, micro and nano CBN coated carbide inserts and similar developments have made machining of hardened steels much easier and economical. In this paper, broad literature review on turning of hardened steels including optimizing process parameters, cooling requirements, different tool materials etc., are done.

  17. Identification of failure type in corroded pipelines: a bayesian probabilistic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breton, T; Sanchez-Gheno, J C; Alamilla, J L; Alvarez-Ramirez, J

    2010-07-15

    Spillover of hazardous materials from transport pipelines can lead to catastrophic events with serious and dangerous environmental impact, potential fire events and human fatalities. The problem is more serious for large pipelines when the construction material is under environmental corrosion conditions, as in the petroleum and gas industries. In this way, predictive models can provide a suitable framework for risk evaluation, maintenance policies and substitution procedure design that should be oriented to reduce increased hazards. This work proposes a bayesian probabilistic approach to identify and predict the type of failure (leakage or rupture) for steel pipelines under realistic corroding conditions. In the first step of the modeling process, the mechanical performance of the pipe is considered for establishing conditions under which either leakage or rupture failure can occur. In the second step, experimental burst tests are used to introduce a mean probabilistic boundary defining a region where the type of failure is uncertain. In the boundary vicinity, the failure discrimination is carried out with a probabilistic model where the events are considered as random variables. In turn, the model parameters are estimated with available experimental data and contrasted with a real catastrophic event, showing good discrimination capacity. The results are discussed in terms of policies oriented to inspection and maintenance of large-size pipelines in the oil and gas industry. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. First turn simulations in the cooler synchrotron COSY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dinev, D.

    1991-07-01

    This paper is devoted to the first turn correction and related problems in particle accelerators of synchrotron type. The paper consists of two parts. The first part is a survey of the existing methods for first turn steering. The second part is entirely devoted to the first turn in the cooler synchrotron COSY which is under assembling in KFA-Julich, Germany. (orig.)

  19. The failure of earthquake failure models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomberg, J.

    2001-01-01

    In this study I show that simple heuristic models and numerical calculations suggest that an entire class of commonly invoked models of earthquake failure processes cannot explain triggering of seismicity by transient or "dynamic" stress changes, such as stress changes associated with passing seismic waves. The models of this class have the common feature that the physical property characterizing failure increases at an accelerating rate when a fault is loaded (stressed) at a constant rate. Examples include models that invoke rate state friction or subcritical crack growth, in which the properties characterizing failure are slip or crack length, respectively. Failure occurs when the rate at which these grow accelerates to values exceeding some critical threshold. These accelerating failure models do not predict the finite durations of dynamically triggered earthquake sequences (e.g., at aftershock or remote distances). Some of the failure models belonging to this class have been used to explain static stress triggering of aftershocks. This may imply that the physical processes underlying dynamic triggering differs or that currently applied models of static triggering require modification. If the former is the case, we might appeal to physical mechanisms relying on oscillatory deformations such as compaction of saturated fault gouge leading to pore pressure increase, or cyclic fatigue. However, if dynamic and static triggering mechanisms differ, one still needs to ask why static triggering models that neglect these dynamic mechanisms appear to explain many observations. If the static and dynamic triggering mechanisms are the same, perhaps assumptions about accelerating failure and/or that triggering advances the failure times of a population of inevitable earthquakes are incorrect.

  20. First turn around strategy for RHIC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milutinovic, J.; Ruggiero, A.G.

    1991-01-01

    The authors present a strategy for achieving the so-called first turn around in RHIC. The strategy is based on the same method proposed to correct a distorted closed orbit in RHIC, i.e. on a generalization of the local three-bump method. They found out that the method is very effective in passing the beam through a non-ideal, insufficiently known, machine. The perturbed lattice was generated by the code PATRIS, which was also adapted to control the newly developed software. In ten distributions of errors the software was capable of passing the beam through in 2-3 injection attempts, at full sextupole strength. It was also determined that once the beam makes the first turn around and all the correctors are energized, it stays in the machine for at least several hundred turns

  1. Improving new product development (NPD process by analyzing failure cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeon-Hak Kim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose - The purpose of this study is to develop an appropriate new product development (NPD process of Company “T”, a medium-sized firm, by analyzing the existing NPD process and failure cases of the Company. Design/methodology/approach - The proposed research framework is as follows: first, prospective studies of the NPD process are performed using the existing literature and preliminary references; second, comparative analysis between the current processes and a NPD process is performed; third, phase-based evaluations upon failed product cases are conducted with a NPD process so as to identify the abridged steps and root-causes of failures; finally, renewed priorities are set forth by utilizing the analytic hierarchy process analysis and questionnaire analysis upon the above identified causes of failures. Findings - The resulting accomplishments include the establishment of NPD processes that resonates with the current states of Company “T”, which, in turn, ensures the increase of efficiency, the decrease in development duration and the strategy of capacity-concentration and priority-selection. Originality/value - As Company “T”’s development process is outdated and products are developed without adequate market information research and feasibility analysis, the percentage of failed development project is as high as 87 per cent. Thus, this study aims to develop an appropriate NPD process of Company “T” by analyzing the existing NPD process and failure cases of the Company.

  2. Silicon-controlled-rectifier square-wave inverter with protection against commutation failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birchenough, A. G.

    1971-01-01

    The square-wave SCR inverter that was designed, built, and tested includes a circuit to turn off the inverter in case of commutation failure. The basic power stage is a complementary impulse-commutated parallel inverter consisting of only six components. The 400-watt breadboard was tested while operating at + or - 28 volts, and it had a peak efficiency of 95.5 percent at 60 hertz and 91.7 percent at 400 hertz. The voltage regulation for a fixed input was 3 percent at 60 hertz. An analysis of the operation and design information is included.

  3. Failure in a composite resin-dentin adhesive bond

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rezgui, B. (Dept. de Genie Mecanique, Ecole Nationale d' Ingenieurs de Monastir, Monastir (Tunisia)); Abdennagi, H. (Dept. de Genie Mecanique, Ecole Nationale d' Ingenieurs de Monastir, Monastir (Tunisia)); Sahtout, S. (Dept. de Genie Mecanique, Ecole Nationale d' Ingenieurs de Monastir, Monastir (Tunisia) Dept. d' Odontologie, Faculte de Chirurgie Dentaire de Monastir (Tunisia)); Belkhir, M.S. (Dept. de Genie Mecanique, Ecole Nationale d' Ingenieurs de Monastir, Monastir (Tunisia) Dept. d' Odontologie, Faculte de Chirurgie Dentaire de Monastir (Tunisia))

    1993-11-01

    Composites are drawing more and more attention as preferred materials for teeth restoration. The success of teeth restoration has been generally limited by the Composite Resin-Dentin bond strength. A testing device has been developped to allow a satisfactory testing method for evaluating bonding strength in tension and shear, which led to reproducible results. A comparaison between different bond systems has shown no significant difference in the tensile and the shear strength as well as in the fracture behavior. Moreover, results showed difference between tensile and shear strength, when considering one same bond system. Failure mode examination turned out to be, either cohesive (composite rupture), or adhesive (interface rupture) or both (mixed rupture). (orig.).

  4. State-of-the-art implantable cardiac assist device therapy for heart failure: bridge to transplant and destination therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, S J; Kushwaha, S S; McGregor, C G A

    2012-01-01

    Congestive heart failure is associated with poor quality of life (QoL) and low survival rates. The development of state-of-the-art cardiac devices holds promise for improved therapy in patients with heart failure. The field of implantable cardiac assist devices is changing rapidly with the emergence of continuous-flow pumps (CFPs). The important developments in this field, including pertinent clinical trials, registry reports, innovative research, and potential future directions are discussed in this paper.

  5. Synthesis of conformationally restricted beta-turn mimics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    IJsselstijn, M.

    2006-01-01

    This thesis aims at developing methods for introducing conformational restriction in Beta-turns, the turn elements present in Beta-sheets. A conformationally restricted peptide might either be formed via incorporation of a bridging diamino acids in a growing peptide chain, or via covalent bond

  6. Turn key contracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feretic, D.

    1975-01-01

    The aim of this summary is to point out some specific areas which have to be covered in a turn-key contract and which are of primarily interest to the buyer of a nuclear plant. It will be assumed that the buyer is utility company in a developing country and a plant supplier a company in an industrial country. (orig./FW) [de

  7. Air Gaps, Size Effect, and Corner-Turning in Ambient LX-17

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Souers, P C; Hernandez, A; Cabacungen, C; Fried, L; Garza, R; Glaesemann, K; Lauderbach, L; Liao, S; Vitello, P

    2007-05-30

    Various ambient measurements are presented for LX-17. The size (diameter) effect has been measured with copper and Lucite confinement, where the failure radii are 4.0 and 6.5 mm, respectively. The air well corner-turn has been measured with an LX-07 booster, and the dead-zone results are comparable to the previous TATB-boosted work. Four double cylinders have been fired, and dead zones appear in all cases. The steel-backed samples are faster than the Lucite-backed samples by 0.6 {micro}s. Bare LX-07 and LX-17 of 12.7 mm-radius were fired with air gaps. Long acceptor regions were used to truly determine if detonation occurred or not. The LX-07 crossed at 10 mm with a slight time delay. Steady state LX-17 crossed at 3.5 mm gap but failed to cross at 4.0 mm. LX-17 with a 12.7 mm run after the booster crossed a 1.5 mm gap but failed to cross 2.5 mm. Timing delays were measured where the detonation crossed the gaps. The Tarantula model is introduced as embedded in the Linked Cheetah V4.0 reactive flow code at 4 zones/mm. Tarantula has four pressure regions: off, initiation, failure and detonation. A report card of 25 tests run with the same settings on LX-17 is shown, possibly the most extensive simultaneous calibration yet tried with an explosive. The physical basis of some of the input parameters is considered.

  8. Stochastic failure modelling of unidirectional composite ply failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whiteside, M.B.; Pinho, S.T.; Robinson, P.

    2012-01-01

    Stochastic failure envelopes are generated through parallelised Monte Carlo Simulation of a physically based failure criteria for unidirectional carbon fibre/epoxy matrix composite plies. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the consequence on failure prediction of both statistical interaction of failure modes and uncertainty in global misalignment. Global variance-based Sobol sensitivity indices are computed to decompose the observed variance within the stochastic failure envelopes into contributions from physical input parameters. The paper highlights a selection of the potential advantages stochastic methodologies offer over the traditional deterministic approach.

  9. Stepping in Place While Voluntarily Turning Around Produces a Long-Lasting Posteffect Consisting in Inadvertent Turning While Stepping Eyes Closed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefania Sozzi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Training subjects to step in place on a rotating platform while maintaining a fixed body orientation in space produces a posteffect consisting in inadvertent turning around while stepping in place eyes closed (podokinetic after-rotation, PKAR. We tested the hypothesis that voluntary turning around while stepping in place also produces a posteffect similar to PKAR. Sixteen subjects performed 12 min of voluntary turning while stepping around their vertical axis eyes closed and 12 min of stepping in place eyes open on the center of a platform rotating at 60°/s (pretests. Then, subjects continued stepping in place eyes closed for at least 10 min (posteffect. We recorded the positions of markers fixed to head, shoulder, and feet. The posteffect of voluntary turning shared all features of PKAR. Time decay of angular velocity, stepping cadence, head acceleration, and ratio of angular velocity after to angular velocity before were similar between both protocols. Both postrotations took place inadvertently. The posteffects are possibly dependent on the repeated voluntary contraction of leg and foot intrarotating pelvic muscles that rotate the trunk over the stance foot, a synergy common to both protocols. We propose that stepping in place and voluntary turning can be a scheme ancillary to the rotating platform for training body segment coordination in patients with impairment of turning synergies of various origin.

  10. Train turn restrictions and line plan performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burggraeve, Sofie; Bull, Simon Henry; Lusby, Richard Martin

    In this paper we study the impact of the `turn conditions' in end stations on the performance of a line plan. If trains have to turn on their platform in an end station, the yoccupy the platform for several minutes. A more preferred option, from a timetabling point of view, would be that a train...... in a exible and large enough shunt. Starting from a given line plan, we compare two timetables, one where trains have to turn on their platform and one where trains can turn in a shunt. We evaluate the impact on the performance of the line plan by its feasibility for timetabling,the minimum overall buffer...... disappears from the platform in its end station after dwelling and only appears again when departing for a subsequent trip. In this case, the train will not interfere with other trains that dwell on the platform during the time between these events. However, this option is only possible if the train can stay...

  11. Derrida’s Turn to Franciscan Philosophy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marko Zlomislic

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary French philosophers such as Levinas, Bataille, and Derrida, along with the existentialists Kierkegaard and Nietzsche have all made use of Franciscan insights in order to safeguard the ipseity that cannot be reduced or totalized. In keeping with the taste that concerns me, this paper will examine Derrida’s turn to the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and how such a turn may place Derrida within a catholic and Franciscan tradition.

  12. performance characteristics of a cam turning attachment

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dr Obe

    ABSTRACT. A modification of a cylindrical turning unit has been done to give a non- cylindrical turning attachment for production of irregular shapes, like cams on the lathe machine. To assess the performance of the attachment, cutting forces have been measured using a 'Sigma' Cutting Tool. Dynamometer. Furthermore ...

  13. Design and Testing of an Active Heat Rejection Radiator with Digital Turn-Down Capability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sunada, Eric; Birur, Gajanana C.; Ganapathi, Gani B.; Miller, Jennifer; Berisford, Daniel; Stephan, Ryan

    2010-01-01

    NASA's proposed lunar lander, Altair, will be exposed to vastly different external environment temperatures. The challenges to the active thermal control system (ATCS) are compounded by unfavorable transients in the internal waste heat dissipation profile: the lowest heat load occurs in the coldest environment while peak loads coincide with the warmest environment. The current baseline for this fluid is a 50/50 inhibited propylene glycol/water mixture with a freeze temperature around -35 C. While the overall size of the radiator's heat rejection area is dictated by the worst case hot scenario, a turn-down feature is necessary to tolerate the worst case cold scenario. A radiator with digital turn-down capability is being designed as a robust means to maintain cabin environment and equipment temperatures while minimizing mass and power consumption. It utilizes active valving to isolate and render ineffective any number of parallel flow tubes which span across the ATCS radiator. Several options were assessed in a trade-study to accommodate flow tube isolation and how to deal with the stagnant fluid that would otherwise remain in the tube. Bread-board environmental tests were conducted for options to drain the fluid from a turned-down leg as well an option to allow a leg to freeze/thaw. Each drain option involved a positive displacement gear pump with different methods of providing a pressure head to feed it. Test results showed that a start-up heater used to generate vapor at the tube inlet held the most promise for tube evacuation. Based on these test results and conclusions drawn from the trade-study, a full-scale radiator design is being worked for the Altair mission profile.

  14. [Handling the cases of school failure in an educational institute in Zaghouan].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelkafi Koubaa, Afifa; Bouslama, Samira; Bel Abed, Najet; Dahmen, Hayet; Mira Gabsi, Zvine; Gabsi, Abdallah; Ouerfelli, Nabil; Mabaouj, Mohamed Taher; Bachouche, Imen

    2011-10-01

    To assess the main reasons for the school failure in a school in Zaghouan, how to handle these issues, to evaluate the work of the school social office. A retrospective study included 86 failure cases in a school in Zaghouan, handled by the school social office for three years (2004 - 2007). He have detected the principals causes of school failure, detected by the educational staff or by the listening office. The causes of failure are mainly social (46%) as family problems and low income. These families received financial aids and free treatment cards. Discussions have been made with the parents in order to make them more conscious. The pedagogical reasons (28%) however are usually relationship' problems between the student and his teacher or the student and the administration, the three subjects were informed so that attitudes could be changed in the purpose of helping the student. Twelve students (14%) have a psychological case, depression and over worrying, led in some cases to addiction.These cases were diagnosed and transferred to specialized clinics.Sense and chronic diseases (12%), are considered as health reasons for school failure and caused several absences in the school. The school physicist took care of these cases by handling them medical guidance cards while observing the diagnose progress. As school results, 56 cases turned satisfaisant which is 65 % of all cases. The school failure became a priority of the "School Health" institute. That puss to create the school social program, his aim is protecting the students from all dangers, early school leaving and social disintegration, and delinquency. Thus, all parts must be responsible for the school failure, teachers, parents, students,psychiatrists and physicists, as well as introducing the social school work and listening offices and missions to the parents, students and teachers in order to guarantee the success of the operations.

  15. Failure Analysis in Magnetic Tunnel Junction Nanopillar with Interfacial Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weisheng Zhao

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Magnetic tunnel junction nanopillar with interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA-MTJ becomes a promising candidate to build up spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM for the next generation of non-volatile memory as it features low spin transfer switching current, fast speed, high scalability, and easy integration into conventional complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS circuits. However, this device suffers from a number of failure issues, such as large process variation and tunneling barrier breakdown. The large process variation is an intrinsic issue for PMA-MTJ as it is based on the interfacial effects between ultra-thin films with few layers of atoms; the tunneling barrier breakdown is due to the requirement of an ultra-thin tunneling barrier (e.g., <1 nm to reduce the resistance area for the spin transfer torque switching in the nanopillar. These failure issues limit the research and development of STT-MRAM to widely achieve commercial products. In this paper, we give a full analysis of failure mechanisms for PMA-MTJ and present some eventual solutions from device fabrication to system level integration to optimize the failure issues.

  16. Turn over management and optimization of Shangdong nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Tong

    2014-01-01

    After the equipments' installation is completed, the system will carry out commissioning tests. After commissioning work is completed, the system will be transferred to temporary operation. The plant buildings and structures will be transferred to operation for management and maintenance after civil work. The turn over work is an important part of the transfer from construction to operation. The article describes the significance of the nuclear power plant turn over work, turn over organization and management mode, the workflow of system turn over from construction to commissioning (TOP), turn over form commissioning to operation (TOTO), house hand over (HHO), building hand over (BHO) of Shandong Haiyang nuclear power plant, and analyze the current lack and future improvements of turn over work. Shandong Haiyang nuclear power plant will usher in the peak period of turn over work in 2013, fully aware of the importance of the turn over work, will play a key role in the long-term stable operation of the unit. (author)

  17. Hatchability of chicken eggs as influenced by turning frequency in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of turning frequency of chicken eggs on hatchability in hurricane lantern incubator. There were four treatments in which eggs were not turned in treatment one (control), those in treatment two were turned once daily (morning), treatment three turned twice daily ...

  18. Determinants of virological failure among patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy in University of Gondar Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayu, Belete; Tariku, Amare; Bulti, Abera Balcha; Habitu, Yohannes Ayanaw; Derso, Terefe; Teshome, Destaw Fetene

    2017-01-01

    Viral load monitoring is used as an important biomarker for diagnosing treatment failure in patients with HIV infection/AIDS. Ethiopia has started targeted viral load monitoring. However, factors leading to virological failure are not well understood and studied. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the determinants of virological failure among HIV-infected patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy at the University of Gondar Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. A case-control study was conducted from May to June 2015. Cases were subjects who had already experienced virological failure; controls were those without virological failure. Data were extracted from 153 cases and 153 controls through chart review. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with virological failure, and variables with a p -value failure was observed among patients aged failure. Therefore, evidence-based intervention should be implemented to improve adherence to ART, which in turn helps to boost immunity (CD4) and suppresses viral replication and load. Moreover, attention should be given to younger patients who have had ART for longer periods.

  19. Precision lens assembly with alignment turning system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Cheng-Fang; Huang, Chien-Yao; Lin, Yi-Hao; Kuo, Hui-Jean; Kuo, Ching-Hsiang; Hsu, Wei-Yao; Chen, Fong-Zhi

    2017-10-01

    The poker chip assembly with high precision lens barrels is widely applied to ultra-high performance optical system. ITRC applies the poker chip assembly technology to the high numerical aperture objective lenses and lithography projection lenses because of its high efficiency assembly process. In order to achieve high precision lens cell for poker chip assembly, an alignment turning system (ATS) is developed. The ATS includes measurement, alignment and turning modules. The measurement module is equipped with a non-contact displacement sensor (NCDS) and an autocollimator (ACM). The NCDS and ACM are used to measure centration errors of the top and the bottom surface of a lens respectively; then the amount of adjustment of displacement and tilt with respect to the rotational axis of the turning machine for the alignment module can be determined. After measurement, alignment and turning processes on the ATS, the centration error of a lens cell with 200 mm in diameter can be controlled within 10 arcsec. Furthermore, a poker chip assembly lens cell with three sub-cells is demonstrated, each sub-cells are measured and accomplished with alignment and turning processes. The lens assembly test for five times by each three technicians; the average transmission centration error of assembly lens is 12.45 arcsec. The results show that ATS can achieve high assembly efficiency for precision optical systems.

  20. Identification of the human factors contributing to maintenance failures in a petroleum operation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonovsky, Ari; Pollock, Clare; Straker, Leon

    2014-03-01

    This research aimed to identify the most frequently occurring human factors contributing to maintenance-related failures within a petroleum industry organization. Commonality between failures will assist in understanding reliability in maintenance processes, thereby preventing accidents in high-hazard domains. Methods exist for understanding the human factors contributing to accidents. Their application in a maintenance context mainly has been advanced in aviation and nuclear power. Maintenance in the petroleum industry provides a different context for investigating the role that human factors play in influencing outcomes. It is therefore worth investigating the contributing human factors to improve our understanding of both human factors in reliability and the factors specific to this domain. Detailed analyses were conducted of maintenance-related failures (N = 38) in a petroleum company using structured interviews with maintenance technicians. The interview structure was based on the Human Factor Investigation Tool (HFIT), which in turn was based on Rasmussen's model of human malfunction. A mean of 9.5 factors per incident was identified across the cases investigated.The three most frequent human factors contributing to the maintenance failures were found to be assumption (79% of cases), design and maintenance (71%), and communication (66%). HFIT proved to be a useful instrument for identifying the pattern of human factors that recurred most frequently in maintenance-related failures. The high frequency of failures attributed to assumptions and communication demonstrated the importance of problem-solving abilities and organizational communication in a domain where maintenance personnel have a high degree of autonomy and a wide geographical distribution.

  1. Potential of resveratrol in the treatment of heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raj, Pema; Louis, Xavier Lieben; Thandapilly, Sijo Joseph; Movahed, Ali; Zieroth, Shelley; Netticadan, Thomas

    2014-01-30

    The concept of food has expanded beyond its traditional role of survival and hunger satisfaction, to include a role in the prevention and treatment of disease. Polyphenols are classes of compounds that are synthesized by plants to serve a wide variety of functions including growth pollination and defense. These compounds have recently received increased attention in medical research. In this group, one of the most studied has been resveratrol (3,5,4,-trihydroxystilbene), a polyphenol, which is found predominantly in grapes and berries. Over the past two decades, researchers have studied the ability of resveratrol to prevent or reverse the development of abnormalities in heart structure and function in animal models of heart disease and heart failure. The results from animal studies have been promising, and very recently, this knowledge has been translated into examining the efficacy of resveratrol in humans with heart disease/failure. In this review we will discuss the current status of resveratrol research on cardioprotection. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Structural and sequence features of two residue turns in beta-hairpins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madan, Bharat; Seo, Sung Yong; Lee, Sun-Gu

    2014-09-01

    Beta-turns in beta-hairpins have been implicated as important sites in protein folding. In particular, two residue β-turns, the most abundant connecting elements in beta-hairpins, have been a major target for engineering protein stability and folding. In this study, we attempted to investigate and update the structural and sequence properties of two residue turns in beta-hairpins with a large data set. For this, 3977 beta-turns were extracted from 2394 nonhomologous protein chains and analyzed. First, the distribution, dihedral angles and twists of two residue turn types were determined, and compared with previous data. The trend of turn type occurrence and most structural features of the turn types were similar to previous results, but for the first time Type II turns in beta-hairpins were identified. Second, sequence motifs for the turn types were devised based on amino acid positional potentials of two-residue turns, and their distributions were examined. From this study, we could identify code-like sequence motifs for the two residue beta-turn types. Finally, structural and sequence properties of beta-strands in the beta-hairpins were analyzed, which revealed that the beta-strands showed no specific sequence and structural patterns for turn types. The analytical results in this study are expected to be a reference in the engineering or design of beta-hairpin turn structures and sequences. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Diamond turning machine controller implementation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garrard, K.P.; Taylor, L.W.; Knight, B.F.; Fornaro, R.J.

    1988-12-01

    The standard controller for a Pnuemo ASG 2500 Diamond Turning Machine, an Allen Bradley 8200, has been replaced with a custom high-performance design. This controller consists of four major components. Axis position feedback information is provided by a Zygo Axiom 2/20 laser interferometer with 0.1 micro-inch resolution. Hardware interface logic couples the computers digital and analog I/O channels to the diamond turning machine`s analog motor controllers, the laser interferometer, and other machine status and control information. It also provides front panel switches for operator override of the computer controller and implement the emergency stop sequence. The remaining two components, the control computer hardware and software, are discussed in detail below.

  4. Hatchability of chicken eggs as influenced by turning frequency in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    STORAGESEVER

    2008-12-03

    Dec 3, 2008 ... Brake (2004) confirmed that absence of turning resulted in presentation of the head in the small end of the egg. Egg turning facilitated the transfer of yolk nutrients to the embryo via the sub-embryonic fluid (Deeming, 1989a). With modern incubators, automatic turning devices allow the eggs to be turned on ...

  5. The Effect of a Textured Insole on Symmetry of Turning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Etem Curuk

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Turning while walking is a common daily activity. Individuals with unilateral impairment frequently perform turns asymmetrically. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of a discomfort-inducing textured insole on symmetry of turning. Nine healthy individuals performed turns to the right while walking with no insole, immediately after the insole was inserted in the right shoe, and after walking for six minutes with the insole. The duration of turning, displacements of pelvic markers, and perceived level of discomfort were evaluated. Utilizing the insole was associated with the increased level of perceived discomfort (p<0.05. Moreover, using the insole was linked to changes in the displacement of two pelvic markers and larger asymmetry index while turning immediately after the insole was inserted in the right shoe as compared to no insole condition (p<0.05. The duration of right turning increased immediately after the insole was inserted (p<0.05 and after walking with the insole for six minutes. The results indicate that the textured insole creates asymmetry of turning in healthy individuals. The outcome provides a background for future studies focused on using a textured insole to minimize the asymmetry of turning commonly seen in individuals with unilateral impairment.

  6. Characteristics of turn signal use at intersections in baseline naturalistic driving.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sullivan, John M; Bao, Shan; Goudy, Roy; Konet, Heather

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine whether a driver's use of turn signals is sufficiently reliable to forecast a vehicle's future path around an intersection, when detailed information about the intersection is unavailable. Naturalistic observations of turn signal use among 108 drivers on surface streets were extracted from the baseline portion of a field operational test of a safety system. Left and right turns that resulted in heading changes of between 70 and 110° and turn radii between 18 and 90 m were selected from the dataset. The odds that a driver would signal a turn were modeled as a function of road type, turn direction, presence of a forward vehicle, whether the vehicle stopped before the turn, and driver age and gender. Overall, 25 percent of left turns and 29 percent of right turns were not signaled. Road type, turn direction, and presence of a forward vehicle were found to influence the odds that a turn is signaled, while gender and age of the driver did not. The results suggest that situational factors like road type and turn direction are more powerful predictors of whether a turn will be signaled than either age or gender. Signaling on major and minor surface roads was about 5 times more likely than on local roads and 1.5 times more likely when a forward vehicle was present, suggesting a possible effect of traffic volume. It was concluded that turn signal activation alone may be insufficiently reliable to forecast a driver's path. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Real time failure detection in unreinforced cementitious composites with triboluminescent sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olawale, David O.; Kliewer, Kaitlyn; Okoye, Annuli; Dickens, Tarik J.; Uddin, Mohammed J.; Okoli, Okenwa I.

    2014-01-01

    The in-situ triboluminescent optical fiber (ITOF) sensor has an integrated sensing and transmission component that converts the energy from damage events like impacts and crack propagation into optical signals that are indicative of the magnitude of damage in composite structures like concrete bridges. Utilizing the triboluminescence (TL) property of ZnS:Mn, the ITOF sensor has been successfully integrated into unreinforced cementitious composite beams to create multifunctional smart structures with in-situ failure detection capabilities. The fabricated beams were tested under flexural loading, and real time failure detection was made by monitoring the TL signals generated by the integrated ITOF sensor. Tested beam samples emitted distinctive TL signals at the instance of failure. In addition, we report herein a new and promising approach to damage characterization using TL emission profiles. Analysis of TL emission profiles indicates that the ITOF sensor responds to crack propagation through the beam even when not in contact with the crack. Scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated that fracto-triboluminescence was responsible for the TL signals observed at the instance of beam failure. -- Highlights: • Developed a new approach to triboluminescence (TL)-based sensing with ZnS:Mn. • Damage-induced excitation of ZnS:Mn enabled real time damage detection in composite. • Based on sensor position, correlation exists between TL signal and failure stress. • Introduced a new approach to damage characterization with TL profile analysis

  8. Contraceptive failure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasch, Vibeke

    2002-01-01

    Most studies focusing on contraceptive failure in relation to pregnancy have focused on contraceptive failure among women having induced abortions, thereby neglecting those women who, despite contraceptive failure, accept the pregnancy and intend to carry the fetus to term. To get a more complete...... picture of the problem of contraceptive failure, this study focuses on contraceptive failure among women with diverse pregnancy outcomes. In all, 3520 pregnant women attending Odense University Hospital were included: 373 had induced abortions, 435 had spontaneous abortions, 97 had ectopic pregnancies......, and 2614 received antenatal care. The variables studied comprise age, partner relationship, number of births, occupational and economical situation, and contraceptive use.Contraceptive failure, defined as contraceptive use (condom, diaphragm, IUD, oral contraception, or another modern method...

  9. Diamond turning of Si and Ge single crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blake, P.; Scattergood, R.O.

    1988-12-01

    Single-point diamond turning studies have been completed on Si and Ge crystals. A new process model was developed for diamond turning which is based on a critical depth of cut for plastic flow-to-brittle fracture transitions. This concept, when combined with the actual machining geometry for single-point turning, predicts that {open_quotes}ductile{close_quotes} machining is a combined action of plasticity and fracture. Interrupted cutting experiments also provide a meant to directly measure the critical depth parameter for given machining conditions.

  10. ω-Turn: a novel β-turn mimic in globular proteins stabilized by main-chain to side-chain C−H···O interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhar, Jesmita; Chakrabarti, Pinak; Saini, Harpreet; Raghava, Gajendra Pal Singh; Kishore, Raghuvansh

    2015-02-01

    Mimicry of structural motifs is a common feature in proteins. The 10-membered hydrogen-bonded ring involving the main-chain C − O in a β-turn can be formed using a side-chain carbonyl group leading to Asx-turn. We show that the N − H component of hydrogen bond can be replaced by a C(γ) -H group in the side chain, culminating in a nonconventional C − H···O interaction. Because of its shape this β-turn mimic is designated as ω-turn, which is found to occur ∼ three times per 100 residues. Three residues (i to i + 2) constitute the turn with the C − H···O interaction occurring between the terminal residues, constraining the torsion angles ϕi + 1, ψi + 1, ϕi + 2 and χ'1(i + 2) (using the interacting C(γ) atom). Based on these angles there are two types of ω-turns, each of which can be further divided into two groups. C(β) -branched side-chains, and Met and Gln have high propensities to occur at i + 2; for the last two residues the carbonyl oxygen may participate in an additional interaction involving the S and amino group, respectively. With Cys occupying the i + 1 position, such turns are found in the metal-binding sites. N-linked glycosylation occurs at the consensus pattern Asn-Xaa-Ser/Thr; with Thr at i + 2, the sequence can adopt the secondary structure of a ω-turn, which may be the recognition site for protein modification. Location between two β-strands is the most common occurrence in protein tertiary structure, and being generally exposed ω-turn may constitute the antigenic determinant site. It is a stable scaffold and may be used in protein engineering and peptide design. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Beam polarization during a Siberian snake turn-on

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anferov, Vladimir A.

    1999-01-01

    Installing Siberian snakes in a circular proton accelerator allows one to overcome all spin depolarizing resonances even at very high energies. However, Siberian snake application at low energies is technically rather difficult. Turning snake on at some energy during acceleration would allow using Siberian snakes even in rings with low injection energies. It is shown that the beam polarization would be preserved during the snake ramp, provided that the snake is turned on in more than ten turns, and the energy is set near a half-integer Gγ

  12. First turn around strategy for RHIC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milutinovic, J.; Ruggiero, A.G.

    1991-06-01

    We present a strategy for achieving the so-called first turn around in RHIC. The strategy is based on the same method we had proposed to correct a distorted closed orbit in RHIC, i.e., on a generalization of the local three-bump method. We found out that the method is very effective in passing the beam through a non-ideal, insufficiently known, machine. We tested that software on ten different Gaussian distributions of dominant orbit distorting lattice imperfections. The perturbed lattice was generated by the code PATRIS, which was also adapted to control the newly developed software. In all of the ten distributions the software was capable of passing the beam through in 2--3 injection attempts, at full sextupole strength. It was also determined that once the beam makes the first turn around and all the correctors are energized, it stays in the machine for at least several hundred turns that we had checked. The quality of the orbit, that was established in this way, was also found to be very good, i.e., the residual distortions at the places of large beta function were much less than one millimeter. With one or two monitors/correctors broken, the software established a first turn around without any extra difficulties. The quality of such orbit was, of course, somewhat degraded, especially around the broken devices. It was also observed that, in the process of actual closing, the beam develops free betatron oscillations in the amplitude range of 1--5 mm, which can be reduced either by changing the injection conditions to better match the actual closed orbit or by an appropriate damping device. The hardware proposed for RHIC is more than sufficient to meet the demands of the first turn controlling software. The maximum kick angle to be applied to the beam would require less than 2/3 of the corrector's top strength even at the top magnetic rigidity Bρ = 850 T·m, which means that the correctors will be performing an easy task at injection

  13. Medium dependent dual turn on/turn off fluorescence sensing for Cu2 + ions using AMI/SDS assemblies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gujar, Varsha B.; Ottoor, Divya

    2017-02-01

    Behavior of Amiloride (AMI) as a metal ion sensor in anionic surfactant assemblies of varying concentrations at different pH is depicted in this work. From a non-sensor fluorophore, AMI has been transformed in to a tunable fluorosensor for Cu2 + ions in various SDS concentrations. At premicellar concentration of SDS, ion-pair complex is expected to be formed between AMI and SDS due to electrostatic interactions between them. However at CMC concentrations of SDS, fluorescence intensity of AMI is greatly enhanced with red shift in emission, due to the incorporation of AMI molecule in the hydrophobic micellar interface. The behavior of metal sensing by AMI-SDS assemblies gives rise to several interesting observations. Micellation of SDS has been greatly enhanced by increasing copper ion concentrations, as these counter ions screens the charge on monomers of SDS which lead to the aggregation at premicellar concentrations only. Concentrations and pH dependent discrete trends of interactions between SDS-AMI and SDS-Cu2 + ions, have given tunable fluorescence responses (fluorescence turn on/turn off) of AMI for added Cu2 + ions. The electrostatic interaction between the metal cations and the anionic surfactants is the driving force for bringing the metal ions near to the vicinity of micelle where AMI resides. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism related to the 'turn on-turn off' fluorescence response of AMI with respect to pH and SDS concentration for effective Cu2 + ion sensing is illustrated in this work.

  14. Reconceptualizing Autonomy: A Relational Turn in Bioethics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Bruce

    2016-05-01

    History's judgment on the success of bioethics will not depend solely on the conceptual creativity and innovation in the field at the level of ethical and political theory, but this intellectual work is not insignificant. One important new development is what I shall refer to as the relational turn in bioethics. This development represents a renewed emphasis on the ideographic approach, which interprets the meaning of right and wrong in human actions as they are inscribed in social and cultural practices and in structures of lived meaning and interdependence; in an ideographic approach, the task of bioethics is to bring practice into theory, not the other way around. The relational turn in bioethics may profoundly affect the critical questions that the field asks and the ethical guidance it offers society, politics, and policy. The relational turn provides a way of correcting the excessive atomism of many individualistic perspectives that have been, and continue to be, influential in bioethics. Nonetheless, I would argue that most of the work reflecting the relational turn remains distinctively liberal in its respect for the ethical significance of the human individual. It moves away from individualism, but not from the value of individuality.In this review essay, I shall focus on how the relational turn has manifested itself in work on core concepts in bioethics, especially liberty and autonomy. Following a general review, I conclude with a brief consideration of two important recent books in this area: Jennifer Nedelsky's Law's Relations and Rachel Haliburton's Autonomy and the Situated Self. © 2016 The Hastings Center.

  15. Heart Failure Treated with Low-dose Milrinone in a Full-term Newborn

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Šebková

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available A term newborn with a hypocontractile myocardium complicating persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn was successfully treated with a low-dose phosphodiesterase III inhibitor milrinone. Echocardiography diagnosed heart failure with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 35% and a left ventricular shortening fraction of 18% and severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn with oxygenation index of 28. Milrinone was started at an initial dose of 50 mcg/kg, followed by continuous infusion of 0.20 mcg/kg/min. With lowdose milrinone oxygenation index decreased to 3 within 6 hours, left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular shortening fraction increased to 57%, and 30%, respectively. Low doses of milrinone might be promising in the treatment of heart failure and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn in term newborns.

  16. Heart failure treated with low-dose milrinone in a full-term newborn.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sebková, S; Tomek, V; Zemanová, P; Janota, J

    2012-01-01

    A term newborn with a hypocontractile myocardium complicating persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn was successfully treated with a low-dose phosphodiesterase III inhibitor milrinone. Echocardiography diagnosed heart failure with a left ventricular ejection fraction of 35% and a left ventricular shortening fraction of 18% and severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn with oxygenation index of 28. Milrinone was started at an initial dose of 50 mcg/kg, followed by continuous infusion of 0.20 mcg/kg/min. With lowdose milrinone oxygenation index decreased to 3 within 6 hours, left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular shortening fraction increased to 57%, and 30%, respectively. Low doses of milrinone might be promising in the treatment of heart failure and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn in term newborns.

  17. Simulation of turn-by-turn passage of protons through the H-minus stripping foil in booster

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gardner, C. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

    2017-07-06

    Equations for transverse emittance growth due to multiple passes of circulating proton beam through the H-minus stripping foil in Booster were developed in [1]. These were based on simple principles of statistics and simple assumptions about the initial distribution of particles incident on the foil. It was assumed there that the foil dimensions and position of the incoming beam are such that all particles hit the foil on every turn around the machine. In the present note we assume only that all incoming H-minus ions from Linac hit the foil and are stripped of their electrons. The resulting protons circulate indefinitely around the machine. Setups in which the foil width is reduced so that not all protons hit the foil on every turn are studied here by simulation. The aim is to determine the effectiveness of such setups in reducing the emittance growth of circulating proton beam during the injection of H-minus beam. The simulations also serve as a check of the equations developed in [1], and vice versa. The particulars of the simulation setup are given in Sections 1 through 11. Figures 1 through 12 show simulation results for the case in which all particles hit the foil on every turn. The results are in good agreement with those obtained from the equations of reference [1]. Figures 13 through 19 show simulation results for various setups in which the foil width is reduced. These results are summarized in Section 12. In all gures the horizontal axis gives the turn number. The unit of the vertical axis is micrometers ( m) in all plots of emittance.

  18. Failure analysis of collector circuits associated with wind farms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clifton Ashley P.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Wind farm collector circuits generally comprise several wind turbine generators (WTG’s. WTG’s are connected in parallel to a substation. This connection acts as the point-of-connection to the national electricity grid. The electrical load in these circuits is close to component (power cables and accessories ratings. The objective of this paper is to identify cable joint failure paths; and, develop an understanding of specific contributing factors. All findings presented were established from literature review involving data analysis and discussion with industry experts working across the wind industry. Application of forces, inadequate workmanship, incorrect thermal resistance or other contributing factors, all contribute to high conductor operating temperatures. High conductor operating temperatures highlight issues including insufficient environmental heat transfer due to the use of inadequate cable trenching materials. This in turn results in the imbalanced application of force, experienced at the cable joint, as a direct result of frequent thermal expansion and contraction. For most cable joint failures, the root cause is insulation breakdown due to sustained deterioration of the cross-linked polyethylene insulation. This is a direct result from excessive operating temperatures.

  19. An improved method for risk evaluation in failure modes and effects analysis of CNC lathe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rachieru, N.; Belu, N.; Anghel, D. C.

    2015-11-01

    Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is one of the most popular reliability analysis tools for identifying, assessing and eliminating potential failure modes in a wide range of industries. In general, failure modes in FMEA are evaluated and ranked through the risk priority number (RPN), which is obtained by the multiplication of crisp values of the risk factors, such as the occurrence (O), severity (S), and detection (D) of each failure mode. However, the crisp RPN method has been criticized to have several deficiencies. In this paper, linguistic variables, expressed in Gaussian, trapezoidal or triangular fuzzy numbers, are used to assess the ratings and weights for the risk factors S, O and D. A new risk assessment system based on the fuzzy set theory and fuzzy rule base theory is to be applied to assess and rank risks associated to failure modes that could appear in the functioning of Turn 55 Lathe CNC. Two case studies have been shown to demonstrate the methodology thus developed. It is illustrated a parallel between the results obtained by the traditional method and fuzzy logic for determining the RPNs. The results show that the proposed approach can reduce duplicated RPN numbers and get a more accurate, reasonable risk assessment. As a result, the stability of product and process can be assured.

  20. Analytical and Experimental Investigation on A Dynamic Thermo-Sensitive Electrical Parameter with Maximum dIC/dt during Turn-off for High Power Trench Gate/Field-Stop IGBT Modules

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Yuxiang; Luo, Haoze; Li, Wuhua

    2017-01-01

    collector current during turn-off process is developed in terms of the behavior characteristics of the inside storage carriers. Then, the inherent linear relationship between the maximum collector current falling rate dI{C}/dt and junction temperature T {j} is demonstrated and investigated. Fortunately......, benefitting from the presence of the intrinsic parasitic inductance L{rm eE} between the Kelvin and power emitters of IGBT modules, the maximum dI{C}/dt can be easily measured to validate the theoretical analysis. Consequently, the maximum dI{C}/dt during turn-off process is a promising DTSEP for IGBT module...

  1. Gravity-driven groundwater flow and slope failure potential: 1. Elastic effective-stress model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iverson, Richard M.; Reid, Mark E.

    1992-01-01

    Hilly or mountainous topography influences gravity-driven groundwater flow and the consequent distribution of effective stress in shallow subsurface environments. Effective stress, in turn, influences the potential for slope failure. To evaluate these influences, we formulate a two-dimensional, steady state, poroelastic model. The governing equations incorporate groundwater effects as body forces, and they demonstrate that spatially uniform pore pressure changes do not influence effective stresses. We implement the model using two finite element codes. As an illustrative case, we calculate the groundwater flow field, total body force field, and effective stress field in a straight, homogeneous hillslope. The total body force and effective stress fields show that groundwater flow can influence shear stresses as well as effective normal stresses. In most parts of the hillslope, groundwater flow significantly increases the Coulomb failure potential Φ, which we define as the ratio of maximum shear stress to mean effective normal stress. Groundwater flow also shifts the locus of greatest failure potential toward the slope toe. However, the effects of groundwater flow on failure potential are less pronounced than might be anticipated on the basis of a simpler, one-dimensional, limit equilibrium analysis. This is a consequence of continuity, compatibility, and boundary constraints on the two-dimensional flow and stress fields, and it points to important differences between our elastic continuum model and limit equilibrium models commonly used to assess slope stability.

  2. Myostatin from the heart: local and systemic actions in cardiac failure and muscle wasting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breitbart, Astrid; Auger-Messier, Mannix; Molkentin, Jeffery D.

    2011-01-01

    A significant proportion of heart failure patients develop skeletal muscle wasting and cardiac cachexia, which is associated with a very poor prognosis. Recently, myostatin, a cytokine from the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family and a known strong inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth, has been identified as a direct mediator of skeletal muscle atrophy in mice with heart failure. Myostatin is mainly expressed in skeletal muscle, although basal expression is also detectable in heart and adipose tissue. During pathological loading of the heart, the myocardium produces and secretes myostatin into the circulation where it inhibits skeletal muscle growth. Thus, genetic elimination of myostatin from the heart reduces skeletal muscle atrophy in mice with heart failure, whereas transgenic overexpression of myostatin in the heart is capable of inducing muscle wasting. In addition to its endocrine action on skeletal muscle, cardiac myostatin production also modestly inhibits cardiomyocyte growth under certain circumstances, as well as induces cardiac fibrosis and alterations in ventricular function. Interestingly, heart failure patients show elevated myostatin levels in their serum. To therapeutically influence skeletal muscle wasting, direct inhibition of myostatin was shown to positively impact skeletal muscle mass in heart failure, suggesting a promising strategy for the treatment of cardiac cachexia in the future. PMID:21421824

  3. The ontological turn meets the certainty of death.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Maryon

    2017-08-01

    The 'ontological turn' involves some anthropological points of long standing but the approaches recently coordinated into this turn have been presented as a 'call to arms', as shaking up 'mono-realist singularities' and as inherently political. This fighting talk has no doubt made important contributions to anthropology and insights from the ontological turn can help in anthropological understandings of medical practices. However, this paper contends that this helpfulness is also limited and that a call to arms may be inappropriate. This point is made through an ethnographic understanding of medical concern about the diagnosis of death.

  4. Postural hemodynamic changes after turning to prone position

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Микола Віталійович Лизогуб

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Background of study. Prone position is one of the most complex positions for anesthesiologist as it is accompanied by several physiological changes that can lead to specific complications. Hemodynamic changes are most controversial.Aim of study was to establish hemodynamic changes in non-anaesthetized patients in prone position depending on body mass index.Material and methods. We examined central hemodynamics in 40 patients the day before surgery using thoracic rheography in supine position, in prone position 5 min after turning and in prone position 20 min after turning. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to body mass index (18-25 and 26-35.Results. Patients with normal body weight did not have any hemodynamic changes after turning to prone position. Patients with increased body weight had higher cardiac index. After turning to prone position obese patients’ cardiac output and cardiac index reduced 22% comparing with supine position. After 20 min in prone position these hemodynamic parameters were found to be reduced to the same level.Conclusion. Significant hemodynamic changes after turning from supine to prone position were revealed only in patients with increased body mass index. In these patients cardiac index in prone position was reduced by 22% comparing to supine position

  5. DRUG THERAPY IN THE PROGRESSED CML PATIENT WITH MULTI-TKI FAILURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ibrahim C. Haznedaroglu

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to outline pharmacotherapy of the ‘third-line management of CML’ (progressive disease course after sequential TKI drugs. Current management of CML with multi-TKI failure is reviewed. TKI (bosutinib, ponatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib and non-TKI (omacetaxine mepussecinate, IFN or PEG-IFN drugs are available. The literature search was made in PubMed with particular focus on the clinical trials, recommendations, guidelines and expert opinions, as well as international recommendations. Progressing CML disease with multi-TKI failure should be treated with alloSCT based on the availability of the donor and EBMT transplant risk scores. The TKI and non-TKI drugs shall be used to get best promising (hematological, cytogenetic, molecular response. During the CP-CML phase of multi-TKI failure, 2nd generation TKIs (nilotinib or dasatinib are used if they remained. Bosutinib and ponatinib (3rd generation TKIs can be administered in triple-TKI failed (imatinib and nilotinib and dasatinib patients. The presence of T315I mutation at any phase requires ponatinib or omacetaxine mepussecinate therapy before allografting. During the AP/BC-CML phase of multi-TKI failure, the most powerful TKI available (ponatinib or dasatinib if remained together with chemotherapy should be given before alloSCT. Monitoring of CML disease and drug off-target risks (particularly vascular thrombotic events are vital.

  6. Cannabis and endocannabinoid modulators: Therapeutic promises and challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, Igor; Cahn, B. Rael

    2008-01-01

    The discovery that botanical cannabinoids such as delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol exert some of their effect through binding specific cannabinoid receptor sites has led to the discovery of an endocannabinoid signaling system, which in turn has spurred research into the mechanisms of action and addiction potential of cannabis on the one hand, while opening the possibility of developing novel therapeutic agents on the other. This paper reviews current understanding of CB1, CB2, and other possible cannabinoid receptors, their arachidonic acid derived ligands (e.g. anandamide; 2 arachidonoyl glycerol), and their possible physiological roles. CB1 is heavily represented in the central nervous system, but is found in other tissues as well; CB2 tends to be localized to immune cells. Activation of the endocannabinoid system can result in enhanced or dampened activity in various neural circuits depending on their own state of activation. This suggests that one function of the endocannabinoid system may be to maintain steady state. The therapeutic action of botanical cannabis or of synthetic molecules that are agonists, antagonists, or which may otherwise modify endocannabinoid metabolism and activity indicates they may have promise as neuroprotectants, and may be of value in the treatment of certain types of pain, epilepsy, spasticity, eating disorders, inflammation, and possibly blood pressure control. PMID:18806886

  7. MAAP4 hot leg and lower head failure benchmarking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, S.J.; Henry, R.E.; Paik, C.Y.; Conzen, J.; Luangdilok, W.

    2009-01-01

    The MAAP4 material creep calculation was compared with the experiments reported by Maile, et al., for a 0.7 m diameter hot leg, with a thickness of 47 mm, which is pressurized to 16.3 MPa and heated to temperatures in excess of 700degC. These experiments showed that the carbon steel hot leg would undergo material creep to a failure state in approximately 1,100 seconds. In addition, the MAAP4 creep calculation was compared with the lower head failure tests performed at the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). These experiments were performed using scaled models of a typical Reactor Pressure Vessel lower head. The test vessel was fabricated from SA533B1 steel with an inner diameter of 0.91 m and a nominal thickness of 30 mm. The experiments were performed at around 10 MPa internal pressure with various imposed heat flux distributions. The onset of creep was observed to occur between 660degC and 705degC. The MAAP4 model provides a good characterization of the material creep behavior. For the hot leg test benchmark, the key is determining the correct equivalent stress when the stress is multi-axial. A good agreement was obtained when a multiplier of 1.09 to the hoop stress was used. For the lower head failure benchmark, using correct creep properties is important. The SNL test vessel material was fabricated as SA533B1 steel. However, when the experimental vessel material was tested for creep properties it turned out to be significantly weaker than the reactor vessel steel which has the same identification. Also, the material undergoing phase transition and becoming stronger at high temperatures has to be considered for accurate prediction of the failure time. A good agreement was obtained when the creep data of Jeong, et al., was used. (author)

  8. 1.06 μm 150 psec laser damage study of diamond turned, diamond turned/polished and polished metal mirrors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saito, T.T.; Milam, D.; Baker, P.; Murphy, G.

    1975-01-01

    Using a well characterized 1.06 μm 150 ps glass laser pulse the damage characteristics for diamond turned, diamond turned/ polished, and polished copper and silver mirrors less than 5 cm diameter were studied. Although most samples were tested with a normal angle of incidence, some were tested at 45 0 with different linear polarization showing an increase in damage threshold for S polarization. Different damage mechanisms observed will be discussed. Laser damage is related to residual surface influences of the fabrication process. First attempts to polish diamond turned surfaces resulted in a significant decrease in laser damage threshold. The importance of including the heat of fusion in the one dimensional heat analysis of the theoretical damage threshold and how close the samples came to the theoretical damage threshold is discussed. (auth)

  9. Turning around Newton's Second Law

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goff, John Eric

    2004-01-01

    Conceptual and quantitative difficulties surrounding Newton's second law often arise among introductory physics students. Simply turning around how one expresses Newton's second law may assist students in their understanding of a deceptively simple-looking equation.

  10. Alternative Fuels Data Center: Central Ohio Turns Trash Into Natural Gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Central Ohio Turns Trash Into Natural Gas to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center : Central Ohio Turns Trash Into Natural Gas on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Central Ohio Turns Trash Into Natural Gas on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Central Ohio Turns

  11. Heart Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped ... and shortness of breath Common causes of heart failure are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and ...

  12. Mechanisms of initial endplate failure in the human vertebral body.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fields, Aaron J; Lee, Gideon L; Keaveny, Tony M

    2010-12-01

    Endplate failure occurs frequently in osteoporotic vertebral fractures and may be related to the development of high tensile strain. To determine whether the highest tensile strains in the vertebra occur in the endplates, and whether such high tensile strains are associated with the material behavior of the intervertebral disc, we used micro-CT-based finite element analysis to assess tissue-level strains in 22 elderly human vertebrae (81.5 ± 9.6 years) that were compressed through simulated intervertebral discs. In each vertebra, we compared the highest tensile and compressive strains across the different compartments: endplates, cortical shell, and trabecular bone. The influence of Poisson-type expansion of the disc on the results was determined by compressing the vertebrae a second time in which we suppressed the Poisson expansion. We found that the highest tensile strains occurred within the endplates whereas the highest compressive strains occurred within the trabecular bone. The ratio of strain to assumed tissue-level yield strain was the highest for the endplates, indicating that the endplates had the greatest risk of initial failure. Suppressing the Poisson expansion of the disc decreased the amount of highly tensile-strained tissue in the endplates by 79.4 ± 11.3%. These results indicate that the endplates are at the greatest risk of initial failure due to the development of high tensile strains, and that such high tensile strains are associated with the Poisson expansion of the disc. We conclude that initial failure of the vertebra is associated with high tensile strains in the endplates, which in turn are influenced by the material behavior of the disc. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Mastering JavaScript promises

    CERN Document Server

    Hussain, Muzzamil

    2015-01-01

    This book is for all the software and web engineers wanting to apply the promises paradigm to their next project and get the best outcome from it. This book also acts as a reference for the engineers who are already using promises in their projects and want to improve their current knowledge to reach the next level. To get the most benefit from this book, you should know basic programming concepts, have a familiarity with JavaScript, and a good understanding of HTML.

  14. Advanced Heart Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Artery Disease Venous Thromboembolism Aortic Aneurysm More Advanced Heart Failure Updated:May 9,2017 When heart failure (HF) ... Making This content was last reviewed May 2017. Heart Failure • Home • About Heart Failure • Causes and Risks for ...

  15. Minimum-fuel turning climbout and descent guidance of transport jets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neuman, F.; Kreindler, E.

    1983-01-01

    The complete flightpath optimization problem for minimum fuel consumption from takeoff to landing including the initial and final turns from and to the runway heading is solved. However, only the initial and final segments which contain the turns are treated, since the straight-line climbout, cruise, and descent problems have already been solved. The paths are derived by generating fields of extremals, using the necessary conditions of optimal control together with singular arcs and state constraints. Results show that the speed profiles for straight flight and turning flight are essentially identical except for the final horizontal accelerating or decelerating turns. The optimal turns require no abrupt maneuvers, and an approximation of the optimal turns could be easily integrated with present straight-line climb-cruise-descent fuel-optimization algorithms. Climbout at the optimal IAS rather than the 250-knot terminal-area speed limit would save 36 lb of fuel for the 727-100 aircraft.

  16. Mitochondria-meditated pathways of organ failure upon inflammation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrey V. Kozlov

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Liver failure induced by systemic inflammatory response (SIRS is often associated with mitochondrial dysfunction but the mechanism linking SIRS and mitochondria-mediated liver failure is still a matter of discussion. Current hypotheses suggest that causative events could be a drop in ATP synthesis, opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore, specific changes in mitochondrial morphology, impaired Ca2+ uptake, generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS, turnover of mitochondria and imbalance in electron supply to the respiratory chain. The aim of this review is to critically analyze existing hypotheses, in order to highlight the most promising research lines helping to prevent liver failure induced by SIRS. Evaluation of the literature shows that there is no consistent support that impaired Ca++ metabolism, electron transport chain function and ultrastructure of mitochondria substantially contribute to liver failure. Moreover, our analysis suggests that the drop in ATP levels has protective rather than a deleterious character. Recent data suggest that the most critical mitochondrial event occurring upon SIRS is the release of mtROS in cytoplasm, which can activate two specific intracellular signaling cascades. The first is the mtROS-mediated activation of NADPH-oxidase in liver macrophages and endothelial cells; the second is the acceleration of the expression of inflammatory genes in hepatocytes. The signaling action of mtROS is strictly controlled in mitochondria at three points, (i at the site of ROS generation at complex I, (ii the site of mtROS release in cytoplasm via permeability transition pore, and (iii interaction with specific kinases in cytoplasm. The systems controlling mtROS-signaling include pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, nitric oxide, Ca2+ and NADPH-oxidase. Analysis of the literature suggests that further research should be focused on the impact of mtROS on organ failure induced by inflammation

  17. The analysis of failure data in the presence of critical and degraded failures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haugen, Knut; Hokstad, Per; Sandtorv, Helge

    1997-01-01

    Reported failures are often classified into severityclasses, e.g., as critical or degraded. The critical failures correspond to loss of function(s) and are those of main concern. The rate of critical failures is usually estimated by the number of observed critical failures divided by the exposure time, thus ignoring the observed degraded failures. In the present paper failure data are analyzed, applying an alternative estimate for the critical failure rate, also taking the number of observed degraded failures into account. The model includes two alternative failure mechanisms, one being of the shock type, immediately leading to a critical failure, another resulting in a gradual deterioration, leading to a degraded failure before the critical failure occurs. Failure data on safety valves from the OREDA (Offshore REliability DAta) data base are analyzed using this model. The estimate for the critical failure rate is obtained and compared with the standard estimate

  18. History of Education in Canada: Historiographic "Turns" and Widening Horizons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruno-Jofré, Rosa

    2014-01-01

    This paper explores major historiographic "turns" in history of education with a focus, although not exclusively, on English-speaking Canada. It addresses the transformative intellectual impact of the turn toward social history on the history of education, the impact of cultural history and the linguistic turn, the reception of Michel…

  19. Turn-taking cue delays in human-robot communication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cuijpers, R. H.; Van Den Goor, V. J.P.

    2017-01-01

    Fluent communication between a human and a robot relies on the use of effective turn-taking cues. In human speech staying silent after a sequence of utterances is usually accompanied by an explicit turnyielding cue to signal the end of a turn. Here we study the effect of the timing of four

  20. Human Rights Education and the Post Secular Turn

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowie, Bob

    2012-01-01

    This article questions whether human rights education (HRE) scholarship is responding adequately to the post secular turn in thinking about the place and nature of religion in society. Here the post secular turn is used to describe the discrediting of secularisation theory, the recognition of religion as an enduring and pervasive global cultural…

  1. Model-independent analysis of the Fermilab Tevatron turn-by-turn beam position monitor measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrenko, A. V.; Valishev, A. A.; Lebedev, V. A.

    2011-09-01

    Coherent transverse beam oscillations in the Tevatron were analyzed with the model-independent analysis (MIA) technique. This allowed one to obtain the model-independent values of coupled betatron amplitudes, phase advances, and dispersion function around the ring from a single dipole kick measurement. In order to solve the MIA mode mixing problem which limits the accuracy of determination of the optical functions, we have developed a new technique of rotational MIA mode untangling. The basic idea is to treat each beam position monitor (BPM) as two BPMs separated in a ring by exactly one turn. This leads to a simple criterion of MIA mode separation: the betatron phase advance between any BPM and its counterpart shifted by one turn should be equal to the betatron tune and therefore should not depend on the BPM position in the ring. Furthermore, we describe a MIA-based technique to locate vibrating magnets in a storage ring.

  2. Model-independent analysis of the Fermilab Tevatron turn-by-turn beam position monitor measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Petrenko

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Coherent transverse beam oscillations in the Tevatron were analyzed with the model-independent analysis (MIA technique. This allowed one to obtain the model-independent values of coupled betatron amplitudes, phase advances, and dispersion function around the ring from a single dipole kick measurement. In order to solve the MIA mode mixing problem which limits the accuracy of determination of the optical functions, we have developed a new technique of rotational MIA mode untangling. The basic idea is to treat each beam position monitor (BPM as two BPMs separated in a ring by exactly one turn. This leads to a simple criterion of MIA mode separation: the betatron phase advance between any BPM and its counterpart shifted by one turn should be equal to the betatron tune and therefore should not depend on the BPM position in the ring. Furthermore, we describe a MIA-based technique to locate vibrating magnets in a storage ring.

  3. Chronic heart failure

    OpenAIRE

    Hopper, Ingrid; Easton, Kellie

    2017-01-01

    1. The common symptoms and signs of chronic heart failure are dyspnoea, ankle swelling, raised jugular venous pressure and basal crepitations. Other conditions may be confused with chronic heart failure, including dependent oedema or oedema due to renal or hepatic disease. Shortness of breath may be due to respiratory disease or severe anaemia. Heart failure secondary to lung disease (cor pulmonale) should be distinguished from congestive cardiac failure. Heart failure may also present with l...

  4. Compensations for increased rotational inertia during human cutting turns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Mu; Brown, Brian; Jindrich, Devin L

    2014-02-01

    Locomotion in a complex environment is often not steady state, but unsteady locomotion (stability and maneuverability) is not well understood. We investigated the strategies used by humans to perform sidestep cutting turns when running. Previous studies have argued that because humans have small yaw rotational moments of inertia relative to body mass, deceleratory forces in the initial velocity direction that occur during the turning step, or 'braking' forces, could function to prevent body over-rotation during turns. We tested this hypothesis by increasing body rotational inertia and testing whether braking forces during stance decreased. We recorded ground reaction force and body kinematics from seven participants performing 45 deg sidestep cutting turns and straight running at five levels of body rotational inertia, with increases up to fourfold. Contrary to our prediction, braking forces remained consistent at different rotational inertias, facilitated by anticipatory changes to body rotational speed. Increasing inertia revealed that the opposing effects of several turning parameters, including rotation due to symmetrical anterior-posterior forces, result in a system that can compensate for fourfold changes in rotational inertia with less than 50% changes to rotational velocity. These results suggest that in submaximal effort turning, legged systems may be robust to changes in morphological parameters, and that compensations can involve relatively minor adjustments between steps to change initial stance conditions.

  5. Successful treatment of severe sinusoidal obstruction syndrome despite multiple organ failure with defibrotide after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behre, Gerhard; Theurich, Sebastian; Christopeit, Maximilian; Weber, Thomas

    2009-03-10

    We report a case of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, a typical and life-threatening complication after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation, successfully treated with defibrotide despite massive multiple organ failure. A 64-year-old Caucasian woman underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation from her human leukocyte antigen-identical sister against aggressive lymphoplasmocytoid immunocytoma. Seven days later, the patient developed severe sinusoidal obstruction syndrome according to the modified Seattle criteria. We initiated treatment with defibrotide. Despite early treatment, multiple organ failure with kidney failure requiring dialysis and ventilator-dependent lung failure aggravated the clinical course. Furthermore, central nervous dysfunction occurred as well as transfusion refractory thrombocytopenia. As highlighted in our report, defibrotide is the most promising drug in the treatment of the formerly, almost lethal, severe sinusoidal obstruction syndrome to date. This is demonstrated very clearly in our patient. She improved completely, even after renal, cerebral and respiratory failure.

  6. Characterization of jellyfish turning using 3D-PTV

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Nicole; Dabiri, John

    2017-11-01

    Aurelia aurita are oblate, radially symmetric jellyfish that consist of a gelatinous bell and subumbrellar muscle ring, which contracts to provide motive force. Swimming is typically modeled as a purely vertical motion; however, asymmetric activations of swim pacemakers (sensory organs that innervate the muscle at eight locations around the bell margin) result in turning and more complicated swim behaviors. More recent studies have examined flow fields around turning jellyfish, but the input/output relationship between locomotive controls and swim trajectories is unclear. To address this, bell kinematics for both straight swimming and turning are obtained using 3D particle tracking velocimetry (3D-PTV) by injecting biocompatible elastomer tags into the bell, illuminating the tank with ultraviolet light, and tracking the resulting fluorescent particles in a multi-camera setup. By understanding these kinematics in both natural and externally controlled free-swimming animals, we can connect neuromuscular control mechanisms to existing flow measurements of jellyfish turning for applications in designing more energy efficient biohybrid robots and underwater vehicles. NSF GRFP.

  7. Zigzag turning preference of freely crawling cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taeseok Daniel Yang

    Full Text Available The coordinated motion of a cell is fundamental to many important biological processes such as development, wound healing, and phagocytosis. For eukaryotic cells, such as amoebae or animal cells, the cell motility is based on crawling and involves a complex set of internal biochemical events. A recent study reported very interesting crawling behavior of single cell amoeba: in the absence of an external cue, free amoebae move randomly with a noisy, yet, discernible sequence of 'run-and-turns' analogous to the 'run-and-tumbles' of swimming bacteria. Interestingly, amoeboid trajectories favor zigzag turns. In other words, the cells bias their crawling by making a turn in the opposite direction to a previous turn. This property enhances the long range directional persistence of the moving trajectories. This study proposes that such a zigzag crawling behavior can be a general property of any crawling cells by demonstrating that 1 microglia, which are the immune cells of the brain, and 2 a simple rule-based model cell, which incorporates the actual biochemistry and mechanics behind cell crawling, both exhibit similar type of crawling behavior. Almost all legged animals walk by alternating their feet. Similarly, all crawling cells appear to move forward by alternating the direction of their movement, even though the regularity and degree of zigzag preference vary from one type to the other.

  8. Effects of turning and through lane sharing on traffic performance at intersections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiang; Sun, Jian-Qiao

    2016-02-01

    Turning vehicles strongly influence traffic flows at intersections. Effective regulation of turning vehicles is important to achieve better traffic performance. This paper studies the impact of lane sharing and turning signals on traffic performance at intersections by using cellular automata. Both right-turn and left-turn lane sharing are studied. Interactions between vehicles and pedestrians are considered. The transportation efficiency, road safety and energy economy are the traffic performance metrics. Extensive simulations are carried out to study the traffic performance indices. It is observed that shared turning lanes and permissive left-turn signal improve the transportation efficiency and reduce the fuel consumption in most cases, but the safety is usually sacrificed. It is not always beneficial for the through vehicles when they are allowed to be in the turning lanes.

  9. Simulations of fast crab cavity failures in the high luminosity Large Hadron Collider

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yee-Rendon, Bruce; Lopez-Fernandez, Ricardo; Barranco, Javier; Calaga, Rama; Marsili, Aurelien; Tomás, Rogelio; Zimmermann, Frank; Bouly, Frédéric

    2014-05-01

    Crab cavities (CCs) are a key ingredient of the high luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) project for increasing the luminosity of the LHC. At KEKB, CCs have exhibited abrupt changes of phase and voltage during a time period of the order of a few LHC turns and considering the significant stored energy in the HL-LHC beam, CC failures represent a serious threat in regard to LHC machine protection. In this paper, we discuss the effect of CC voltage or phase changes on a time interval similar to, or longer than, the one needed to dump the beam. The simulations assume a quasistationary-state distribution to assess the particles losses for the HL-LHC. These distributions produce beam losses below the safe operation threshold for Gaussian tails, while, for non-Gaussian tails are on the same order of the limit. Additionally, some mitigation strategies are studied for reducing the damage caused by the CC failures.

  10. Simulations of fast crab cavity failures in the high luminosity Large Hadron Collider

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruce Yee-Rendon

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Crab cavities (CCs are a key ingredient of the high luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC project for increasing the luminosity of the LHC. At KEKB, CCs have exhibited abrupt changes of phase and voltage during a time period of the order of a few LHC turns and considering the significant stored energy in the HL-LHC beam, CC failures represent a serious threat in regard to LHC machine protection. In this paper, we discuss the effect of CC voltage or phase changes on a time interval similar to, or longer than, the one needed to dump the beam. The simulations assume a quasistationary-state distribution to assess the particles losses for the HL-LHC. These distributions produce beam losses below the safe operation threshold for Gaussian tails, while, for non-Gaussian tails are on the same order of the limit. Additionally, some mitigation strategies are studied for reducing the damage caused by the CC failures.

  11. Phenomenology and the Empirical Turn

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zwier, Jochem; Blok, Vincent; Lemmens, Pieter

    2016-01-01

    This paper provides a phenomenological analysis of postphenomenological philosophy of technology. While acknowledging that the results of its analyses are to be recognized as original, insightful, and valuable, we will argue that in its execution of the empirical turn, postphenomenology forfeits

  12. Turning points in the history of mathematics

    CERN Document Server

    Grant, Hardy

    2015-01-01

    This book explores some of the major turning points in the history of mathematics, ranging from ancient Greece to the present, demonstrating the drama that has often been a part of its evolution. Studying these breakthroughs, transitions, and revolutions, their stumbling-blocks and their triumphs, can help illuminate the importance of the history of mathematics for its teaching, learning, and appreciation. Some of the turning points considered are the rise of the axiomatic method (most famously in Euclid), and the subsequent major changes in it (for example, by David Hilbert); the “wedding,” via analytic geometry, of algebra and geometry; the “taming” of the infinitely small and the infinitely large; the passages from algebra to algebras, from geometry to geometries, and from arithmetic to arithmetics; and the revolutions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that resulted from Georg Cantor’s creation of transfinite set theory. The origin of each turning point is discussed, along with...

  13. A practical procedure for the selection of time-to-failure models based on the assessment of trends in maintenance data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Louit, D.M.; Pascual, R.; Jardine, A.K.S.

    2009-01-01

    Many times, reliability studies rely on false premises such as independent and identically distributed time between failures assumption (renewal process). This can lead to erroneous model selection for the time to failure of a particular component or system, which can in turn lead to wrong conclusions and decisions. A strong statistical focus, a lack of a systematic approach and sometimes inadequate theoretical background seem to have made it difficult for maintenance analysts to adopt the necessary stage of data testing before the selection of a suitable model. In this paper, a framework for model selection to represent the failure process for a component or system is presented, based on a review of available trend tests. The paper focuses only on single-time-variable models and is primarily directed to analysts responsible for reliability analyses in an industrial maintenance environment. The model selection framework is directed towards the discrimination between the use of statistical distributions to represent the time to failure ('renewal approach'); and the use of stochastic point processes ('repairable systems approach'), when there may be the presence of system ageing or reliability growth. An illustrative example based on failure data from a fleet of backhoes is included.

  14. Ethylene and ammonia traces measurements from the patients' breath with renal failure via LPAS method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popa, C.; Dutu, D. C. A.; Cernat, R.; Matei, C.; Bratu, A. M.; Banita, S.; Dumitras, D. C.

    2011-11-01

    The application of laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (LPAS) for fast and precise measurements of breath biomarkers has opened up new promises for monitoring and diagnostics in recent years, especially because breath test is a non-invasive method, safe, rapid and acceptable to patients. Our study involved assessment of breath ethylene and breath ammonia levels in patients with renal failure receiving haemodialysis (HD) treatment. Breath samples from healthy subjects and from patients with renal failure were collected using chemically inert aluminized bags and were subsequently analyzed using the LPAS technique. We have found out that the composition of exhaled breath in patients with renal failure contains not only ethylene, but also ammonia and gives valuable information for determining efficacy and endpoint of HD. Analysis of ethylene and ammonia traces from the human breath may provide insight into severity of oxidative stress and metabolic disturbances and may ensure optimal therapy and prevention of pathology at patients on continuous HD.

  15. Transparent lattice characterization with gated turn-by-turn data of diagnostic bunch train

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yongjun; Cheng, Weixing; Ha, Kiman; Rainer, Robert

    2017-11-01

    Methods of characterization of a storage ring's lattice have traditionally been intrusive to routine operations. More importantly, the lattice seen by particles can drift with the beam current due to collective effects. To circumvent this, we have developed a novel approach for dynamically characterizing a storage ring's lattice that is transparent to operations. Our approach adopts a dedicated filling pattern which has a short, separate diagnostic bunch train (DBT). Through the use of a bunch-by-bunch feedback system, the DBT can be selectively excited on demand. Gated functionality of a beam position monitor system is capable of collecting turn-by-turn data of the DBT, from which the lattice can then be characterized after excitation. As the DBT comprises only about one percent of the total operational bunches, the effects of its excitation are negligible to users. This approach allows us to localize the distributed quadrupolar wakefields generated in the storage ring vacuum chamber during beam accumulation. While effectively transparent to operations, our approach enables us to dynamically control the beta beat and phase beat, and unobtrusively optimize performance of the National Synchrotron Light Source-II accelerator during routine operations.

  16. Heart failure - tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    CHF - tests; Congestive heart failure - tests; Cardiomyopathy - tests; HF - tests ... the best test to: Identify which type of heart failure (systolic, diastolic, valvular) Monitor your heart failure and ...

  17. Types of Heart Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Introduction Types of Heart Failure Classes of Heart Failure Heart Failure in Children Advanced Heart Failure • Causes and ... and procedures related to heart disease and stroke. Heart Failure Questions to Ask Your Doctor Use these questions ...

  18. Density of Plutonium Turnings Generated from Machining Activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzales, John Robert [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Vigil, Duane M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Jachimowski, Thomas A. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Archuleta, Alonso [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Arellano, Gerald Joseph [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Melton, Vince Lee [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-10-20

    The purpose of this project was to determine the density of plutonium (Pu) turnings generated from the range of machining activities, using both surrogate material and machined Pu turnings. Verify that 500 grams (g) of plutonium will fit in a one quart container using a surrogate equivalent volume and that 100 grams of Pu will fit in a one quart Savy container.

  19. Classes of Heart Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Introduction Types of Heart Failure Classes of Heart Failure Heart Failure in Children Advanced Heart Failure • Causes and ... and Advanced HF • Tools and Resources • Personal Stories Heart Failure Questions to Ask Your Doctor Use these questions ...

  20. CESAR: conventional ventilatory support vs extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe adult respiratory failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mugford Miranda

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background An estimated 350 adults develop severe, but potentially reversible respiratory failure in the UK annually. Current management uses intermittent positive pressure ventilation, but barotrauma, volutrauma and oxygen toxicity can prevent lung recovery. An alternative treatment, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, uses cardio-pulmonary bypass technology to temporarily provide gas exchange, allowing ventilator settings to be reduced. While extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is proven to result in improved outcome when compared to conventional ventilation in neonates with severe respiratory failure, there is currently no good evidence from randomised controlled trials to compare these managements for important clinical outcomes in adults, although evidence from case series is promising. Methods/Design The aim of the randomised controlled trial of Conventional ventilatory support vs extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe adult respiratory failure (CESAR is to assess whether, for patients with severe, but potentially reversible, respiratory failure, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation will increase the rate of survival without severe disability ('confined to bed' and 'unable to wash or dress' by six months post-randomisation, and be cost effective from the viewpoints of the NHS and society, compared to conventional ventilatory support. Following assent from a relative, adults (18–65 years with severe, but potentially reversible, respiratory failure (Murray score ≥ 3.0 or hypercapnea with pH Discussion Analysis will be based on intention to treat. A concurrent economic evaluation will also be performed to compare the costs and outcomes of both treatments.

  1. Prediction and analysis of beta-turns in proteins by support vector machine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pham, Tho Hoan; Satou, Kenji; Ho, Tu Bao

    2003-01-01

    Tight turn has long been recognized as one of the three important features of proteins after the alpha-helix and beta-sheet. Tight turns play an important role in globular proteins from both the structural and functional points of view. More than 90% tight turns are beta-turns. Analysis and prediction of beta-turns in particular and tight turns in general are very useful for the design of new molecules such as drugs, pesticides, and antigens. In this paper, we introduce a support vector machine (SVM) approach to prediction and analysis of beta-turns. We have investigated two aspects of applying SVM to the prediction and analysis of beta-turns. First, we developed a new SVM method, called BTSVM, which predicts beta-turns of a protein from its sequence. The prediction results on the dataset of 426 non-homologous protein chains by sevenfold cross-validation technique showed that our method is superior to the other previous methods. Second, we analyzed how amino acid positions support (or prevent) the formation of beta-turns based on the "multivariable" classification model of a linear SVM. This model is more general than the other ones of previous statistical methods. Our analysis results are more comprehensive and easier to use than previously published analysis results.

  2. Effects of dual task on turning ability in stroke survivors and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollands, K L; Agnihotri, D; Tyson, S F

    2014-09-01

    Turning is an integral component of independent mobility in which stroke survivors frequently fall. This study sought to measure the effects of competing cognitive demands on the stepping patterns of stroke survivors, compared to healthy age-match adults, during turning as a putative mechanism for falls. Walking and turning (90°) was assessed under single (walking and turning alone) and dual task (subtracting serial 3s while walking and turning) conditions using an electronic, pressure-sensitive walkway. Dependent measures were time to turn, variability in time to turn, step length, step width and single support time during three steps of the turn. Turning ability in single and dual task conditions was compared between stroke survivors (n=17, mean ± SD: 59 ± 113 months post-stroke, 64 ± 10 years of age) and age-matched healthy counterparts (n=15). Both groups took longer, were more variable, tended to widen the second step and, crucially, increased single support time on the inside leg of the turn while turning and distracted. Increased single support time during turning may represent biomechanical mechanism, within stepping patterns of turning under distraction, for increased risk of falls for both stroke survivors and older adults. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Hydrodynamics of Turning Flocks

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Xingbo; Marchetti, M. Cristina

    2014-01-01

    We present a hydrodynamic model of flocking that generalizes the familiar Toner-Tu equations to incorporate turning inertia of well-polarized flocks. The continuum equations controlled by only two dimensionless parameters, orientational inertia and alignment strength, are derived by coarse graining the inertial spin model recently proposed by Cavagna et al. The interplay between orientational inertia and bend elasticity of the flock yields anisotropic spin waves that mediate the propagation o...

  4. OpenTURNS, an open source uncertainty engineering software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Popelin, A.L.; Dufoy, A.

    2013-01-01

    The needs to assess robust performances for complex systems have lead to the emergence of a new industrial simulation challenge: to take into account uncertainties when dealing with complex numerical simulation frameworks. EDF has taken part in the development of an Open Source software platform dedicated to uncertainty propagation by probabilistic methods, named OpenTURNS for Open source Treatment of Uncertainty, Risk and Statistics. OpenTURNS includes a large variety of qualified algorithms in order to manage uncertainties in industrial studies, from the uncertainty quantification step (with possibilities to model stochastic dependence thanks to the copula theory and stochastic processes), to the uncertainty propagation step (with some innovative simulation algorithms as the ziggurat method for normal variables) and the sensitivity analysis one (with some sensitivity index based on the evaluation of means conditioned to the realization of a particular event). It also enables to build some response surfaces that can include the stochastic modeling (with the chaos polynomial method for example). Generic wrappers to link OpenTURNS to the modeling software are proposed. At last, OpenTURNS is largely documented to provide rules to help use and contribution

  5. A prospective observational study of ICU patient position and frequency of turning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldhill, D R; Badacsonyi, A; Goldhill, A A; Waldmann, C

    2008-05-01

    Positioning and turning critically ill patients may be beneficial but there are little data on current practice. We prospectively recorded patient position every hour over two separate days in 40 British intensive care units and analysed 393 sets of observation. Five patients were prone at any time and 3.8% (day 1) and 5% (day 2) were on rotating beds. Patients were on their back for 46.1% of observations, turned left for 28.4% and right for 25.5%, and head up for 97.4%. A turn was defined as a change between on back, turned left or turned right. The average time (SD) between turns was 4.85 (3.3) h. There was no significant association between the average time between turns and age, weight, height, gender, respiratory diagnosis, intubated and ventilated, sedation score, day of week or nurse:patient ratio. There was a significant difference between hospitals in the frequency with which patients were turned.

  6. Using support vector machine to predict beta- and gamma-turns in proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Xiuzhen; Li, Qianzhong

    2008-09-01

    By using the composite vector with increment of diversity, position conservation scoring function, and predictive secondary structures to express the information of sequence, a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm for predicting beta- and gamma-turns in the proteins is proposed. The 426 and 320 nonhomologous protein chains described by Guruprasad and Rajkumar (Guruprasad and Rajkumar J. Biosci 2000, 25,143) are used for training and testing the predictive model of the beta- and gamma-turns, respectively. The overall prediction accuracy and the Matthews correlation coefficient in 7-fold cross-validation are 79.8% and 0.47, respectively, for the beta-turns. The overall prediction accuracy in 5-fold cross-validation is 61.0% for the gamma-turns. These results are significantly higher than the other algorithms in the prediction of beta- and gamma-turns using the same datasets. In addition, the 547 and 823 nonhomologous protein chains described by Fuchs and Alix (Fuchs and Alix Proteins: Struct Funct Bioinform 2005, 59, 828) are used for training and testing the predictive model of the beta- and gamma-turns, and better results are obtained. This algorithm may be helpful to improve the performance of protein turns' prediction. To ensure the ability of the SVM method to correctly classify beta-turn and non-beta-turn (gamma-turn and non-gamma-turn), the receiver operating characteristic threshold independent measure curves are provided. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Successful treatment of severe sinusoidal obstruction syndrome despite multiple organ failure with defibrotide after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Behre Gerhard

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction We report a case of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, a typical and life-threatening complication after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation, successfully treated with defibrotide despite massive multiple organ failure. Case presentation A 64-year-old Caucasian woman underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation from her human leukocyte antigen-identical sister against aggressive lymphoplasmocytoid immunocytoma. Seven days later, the patient developed severe sinusoidal obstruction syndrome according to the modified Seattle criteria. We initiated treatment with defibrotide. Despite early treatment, multiple organ failure with kidney failure requiring dialysis and ventilator-dependent lung failure aggravated the clinical course. Furthermore, central nervous dysfunction occurred as well as transfusion refractory thrombocytopenia. Conclusion As highlighted in our report, defibrotide is the most promising drug in the treatment of the formerly, almost lethal, severe sinusoidal obstruction syndrome to date. This is demonstrated very clearly in our patient. She improved completely, even after renal, cerebral and respiratory failure.

  8. SOR-ring failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitamura, Hideo

    1981-01-01

    It was in the autumn of 1976 that the SOR-ring (synchrotron radiation storage ring) has commenced the regular operation. Since then, the period when the operation was interrupted due to the failures of SOR-ring itself is in total about 8 weeks. Failures and accidents have occurred most in the vacuum system. Those failure experiences are described on the vacuum, electromagnet, radio-frequency acceleration and beam transport systems with their interrupted periods. The eleven failures in the vacuum system have been reported, such as bellows breakage in a heating-evacuating period, leakage from the bellows of straight-through valves (made in U.S.A. and Japan), and leakage from the joint flange of the vacuum system. The longest interruption was 5 weeks due to the failure of a domestically manufactured straight-through valve. The failures of the electromagnet system involve the breakage in a cooling water system, short circuit of a winding in the Q magnet power transformer, blow of a fuse protecting the deflection magnet power source by the current less than the rating, and others. The failures of the RF acceleration system include the breakage of an output electronic tube the breakage of a cavity ceramic, RF voltage fluctuation due to the contact deterioration at a cavity electrode, and the failure of grid bias power source. It is necessary to select the highly reliable components for the vacuum system because the vacuum system failures require longer time for recovery, and very likely to induce secondary and tertiary failures. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

  9. Safety relevant failure mechanisms in the post-operational phase; Sicherheitstechnisch relevante Fehlermechanismen in der Nachbetriebsphase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mayer, Gerhard; Stiller, Jan Christopher; Roemer, Sarah

    2017-03-15

    When the 13{sup th} amendment of the Atomic Energy Act came into force, eight Germ an nuclear power plant units had their power operating licences revoked and are now in the so-called post operation phase. Of the remaining nuclear power plants, one have by now also entered the post operation phase, with those left in operation bound for entering this phase sometime between now and the end of 2022. Therefore, failure mechanisms that are particularly relevant for post operation were to be identified and described in the frame of the present project. To do so, three major steps were taken: Firstly, recent national and international pertinent literature was evaluated to obtain indications of failure mechanisms in the post operation phase. It turned out that most of the national and international literature deals with the general procedure of the transition from power operation to decommissioning and dismantling. However, there were also some documents providing detailed indications of possible failure mechanisms in post operation. This includes e.g. the release of radioactive materials caused by the drop of containers, chemical impacts on systems important to safety in connection with decontamination work, and corrosion in connection with the storage of the core in the spent fuel pool, with the latter leading to the jamming of the fuel assemblies in the storage racks and a possible reduction of coolant circulation. In a second step, three safety analyses of pressurised water reactors prepared by the respective plant operators were evaluated to identify failure mechanisms based on systems engineering. The failure mechanisms that were found here include e.g. faults in the boric acid concentration of the reactor coolant, damage to the equipment airlock upon the unloading of Castor casks, leakages in connection with primary system decontamination, and the drop of packages holding radioactive residual materials or waste with subsequent mobilisation of radioactive aerosols

  10. Acute liver failure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Fin Stolze; Bjerring, Peter Nissen

    2011-01-01

    Acute liver failure (ALF) results in a multitude of serious complications that often lead to multi-organ failure. This brief review focuses on the pathophysiological processes in ALF and how to manage these.......Acute liver failure (ALF) results in a multitude of serious complications that often lead to multi-organ failure. This brief review focuses on the pathophysiological processes in ALF and how to manage these....

  11. pi-Turns: types, systematics and the context of their occurrence in protein structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dasgupta, Bhaskar; Chakrabarti, Pinak

    2008-09-22

    For a proper understanding of protein structure and folding it is important to know if a polypeptide segment adopts a conformation inherent in the sequence or it depends on the context of its flanking secondary structures. Turns of various lengths have been studied and characterized starting from three-residue gamma-turn to six-residue pi-turn. The Schellman motif occurring at the C-terminal end of alpha-helices is a classical example of hydrogen bonded pi-turn involving residues at (i) and (i+5) positions. Hydrogen bonded and non-hydrogen bonded beta- and alpha-turns have been identified previously; likewise, a systematic characterization of pi-turns would provide valuable insight into turn structures. An analysis of protein structures indicates that at least 20% of pi-turns occur independent of the Schellman motif. The two categories of pi-turns, designated as pi-HB and SCH, have been further classified on the basis of backbone conformation and both have AAAa as the major class. They differ in the residue usage at position (i+1), the former having a large preference for Pro that is absent in the latter. As in the case of shorter length beta- and alpha-turns, pi-turns have also been identified not only on the basis of the existence of hydrogen bond, but also using the distance between terminal C alpha-atoms, and this resulted in a comparable number of non-hydrogen-bonded pi-turns (pi-NHB). The presence of shorter beta- and alpha-turns within all categories of pi-turns, the subtle variations in backbone torsion angles along the turn residues, the location of the turns in the context of tertiary structures have been studied. pi-turns have been characterized, first using hydrogen bond and the distance between C alpha atoms of the terminal residues, and then using backbone torsion angles. While the Schellman motif has a structural role in helix termination, many of the pi-HB turns, being located on surface cavities, have functional role and there is also sequence

  12. Topological side-chain classification of beta-turns: ideal motifs for peptidomimetic development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Tran Trung; McKie, Jim; Meutermans, Wim D F; Bourne, Gregory T; Andrews, Peter R; Smythe, Mark L

    2005-08-01

    Beta-turns are important topological motifs for biological recognition of proteins and peptides. Organic molecules that sample the side chain positions of beta-turns have shown broad binding capacity to multiple different receptors, for example benzodiazepines. Beta-turns have traditionally been classified into various types based on the backbone dihedral angles (phi2, psi2, phi3 and psi3). Indeed, 57-68% of beta-turns are currently classified into 8 different backbone families (Type I, Type II, Type I', Type II', Type VIII, Type VIa1, Type VIa2 and Type VIb and Type IV which represents unclassified beta-turns). Although this classification of beta-turns has been useful, the resulting beta-turn types are not ideal for the design of beta-turn mimetics as they do not reflect topological features of the recognition elements, the side chains. To overcome this, we have extracted beta-turns from a data set of non-homologous and high-resolution protein crystal structures. The side chain positions, as defined by C(alpha)-C(beta) vectors, of these turns have been clustered using the kth nearest neighbor clustering and filtered nearest centroid sorting algorithms. Nine clusters were obtained that cluster 90% of the data, and the average intra-cluster RMSD of the four C(alpha)-C(beta) vectors is 0.36. The nine clusters therefore represent the topology of the side chain scaffold architecture of the vast majority of beta-turns. The mean structures of the nine clusters are useful for the development of beta-turn mimetics and as biological descriptors for focusing combinatorial chemistry towards biologically relevant topological space.

  13. A human reliability analysis (HRA) method for identifying and assessing the error of commission (EOC) from a diagnosis failure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jae Whan; Jung, Won Dea; Park, Jin Yun; Kang, Dae Il

    2005-01-01

    The study deals with a method for systematically identifying and assessing the EOC events that might be caused from a diagnosis failure or misdiagnosis of the expected events in accident scenarios of nuclear power plants. The method for EOC identification and assessment consists of three steps: analysis of the potential for a diagnosis failure (or misdiagnosis), identification of the EOC events from the diagnosis failure, quantitative assessment of the identified EOC events. As a tool for analysing a diagnosis failure, the MisDiagnosis Tree Analysis (MDTA) technique is proposed with the taxonomy of misdiagnosis causes. Also, the guidance on the identification of EOC events and the classification system and data are given for quantitiative assessment. As an applicaton of the proposed method, the EOCs identification and assessment for Younggwang 3 and 4 plants and their impact on the plant risk were performed. As the result, six events or event sequences were considered for diagnosis failures and about 20 new Human Failure Events (HFEs) involving EOCs were identified. According to the assessment of the risk impact of the identified HFEs, they increase the CDF by 11.4 % of the current CDF value, which corresponds to 10.2 % of the new CDF. The small loss of coolant accident (SLOCA) turned out to be a major contributor to the increase of CDF resulting in 9.2 % increaseof the current CDF.

  14. Failure in the detection of the sentinel lymph node with a combined technique of radioactive tracer and blue dye in a patient with cancer of the vulva and a single positive lymph node

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fons, G.; ter Rahe, B.; Sloof, G.; de Hullu, J.; van der Velden, J.

    2004-01-01

    Background. In early stage vulvar cancer, the sentinel lymph node procedure with a radioactive tracer appears to be a promising new diagnostic tool to predict lymph node status. No detection failures have been published so far in vulvar cancer. We recently experienced failure in the detection of the

  15. Failure in the detection of the sentinel lymph node with a combined technique of radioactive tracer and blue dye in a patient with cancer of the vulva and a single positive lymph node

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fons, G; ter Rahe, B; Sloof, G; de Hullu, J; van der Velden, J

    Background. In early stage vulvar cancer, the sentinel lymph node procedure with a radioactive tracer appears to be a promising new diagnostic tool to predict lymph node status. No detection failures have been published so far in vulvar cancer. We recently experienced failure in the detection of the

  16. Head turning as a prominent motor symptom in status epilepticus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Gerhard; Broessner, Gregor; Unterberger, Iris; Walser, Gerald; Pfausler, Bettina; Trinka, Eugen

    2008-06-01

    Head and eye turning is frequently observed during seizures. Versions with tonic and/or clonic symptoms can be differentiated from smooth head deviations. Head turning as a prominent symptom of status epilepticus has not previously been reported. We present eight case reports, (7 women/1 man, mean age 41 years, median 41.5, range 10 to 74), of status epilepticus (SE), with head turning as a prominent motor symptom. Six were accompanied by continuous frontal, occipital and temporal ictal epileptiform discharges. Furthermore, two patients had absence status with rhythmic and clonic head versions. While the localizing significance of head turnings in SE is low, in our cases, the direction was away from the discharging hemisphere in all cases of focal SE regardless of whether the turning was classified as version (three cases) or deviation (three cases). In this small series of SE, the classical observation of a patient looking away from the discharging hemisphere is still valid.

  17. Turn Management or Impression Management?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ter Maat, Mark; Heylen, Dirk K.J.; Ruttkay, Z.M.; Kipp, M.; Nijholt, Antinus; Vilhjálmsson, H.H.

    2009-01-01

    We look at how some basic choices in the management of turns influence the impression that people get from an agent. We look at scales concerning personality, emotion and interpersonal stance. We do this by a person perception study, or rather an agent perception study, using simulated conversations

  18. Professional Employees Turn to Unions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamot, Dennis

    1976-01-01

    White-collar and professional employees are increasingly turning to unions to combat their loss of independence as employees of large organizations. Managers should realize that they and professional employees have different viewpoints about job situations and that the current trend toward white-collar unionism is apt to continue. (JG)

  19. A Cognitive Analysis of Truck Drivers’ Right-hand Turns

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sieker, Tobias Grønborg; G. Skulason, Thorgeir; Sletting, Kristian

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents an investigation of truck drivers’ performance during right-hand turns performed in intersections with traffic lights in order to elicit the truck drivers’ domain, decision-making processes, and the strategies used while executing the turn. To gain knowledge about this, a truc...

  20. Heart Failure

    OpenAIRE

    McMurray, John; Ponikowski, Piotr

    2011-01-01

    Heart failure occurs in 3% to 4% of adults aged over 65 years, usually as a consequence of coronary artery disease or hypertension, and causes breathlessness, effort intolerance, fluid retention, and increased mortality. The 5-year mortality in people with systolic heart failure ranges from 25% to 75%, often owing to sudden death following ventricular arrhythmia. Risks of cardiovascular events are increased in people with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) or heart failure.

  1. Assessing lexical, syntactic, and conceptual turn-by-turn alignment in conversations involving conflict and deception

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duran, Nicholas; Fusaroli, Riccardo; Paxton, Alexandra

    2015-01-01

    -based NLP tools, the procedure begins by taking conversational partners' turns and converting each into a lemmatized sequence of words, assigning part-of-speech tags and computing high-dimensional semantic vectors per each utterance. Words and part-of-speech tags are further sequenced into n-g! rams...

  2. Turn me on! Using the “Internet of Things” to turn things on and off

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Butgereit, L

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available to the Internet. There are many examples of things posting their status on Twitter and allowing uni-directional access. TurnMeOn is an example of allowing bidirectional access between people and things using Internet protocols. Users can query the status of a...

  3. Semiautomatic machine for turning inside out industrial leather gloves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aragón-Gonzalez, G; Cano-Blanco, M; León-Galicia, A; Medrano-Sierra, L F; Morales-Gómez, J R

    2015-01-01

    The last step in the industrial leather gloves manufacturing is to turn the inside out so that the sewing be in the inside of the glove. This work presents the design and testing of a machine for that purpose. In order to quantify the relevant variables, testing was performed with a prototype glove. The employed devices and the testing proceeding were developed experimentally. The obtained information was used to build the turning inside out machine. This machine works with pneumatic power to carry the inside out turning by means of double effect lineal actuators. It has two independent work stations that could be operated simultaneously by two persons, one in each station or in single mode operating one station by one person. The turning inside out cycle is started by means of directional control valves operated with pedals. The velocity and developed force by the actuators is controlled with typical pneumatic resources. The geometrical dimensions of the machine are: 1.15 m length; 0.71 m width and 2.15 m high. Its approximated weight is 120 kg. The air consumption is 5.4 fps by each working station with 60 psig work pressure. The turning inside out operation is 40 s for each industrial leather glove

  4. Combinatorial analysis of systems with competing failures subject to failure isolation and propagation effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xing Liudong; Levitin, Gregory

    2010-01-01

    This paper considers the reliability analysis of binary-state systems, subject to propagated failures with global effect, and failure isolation phenomena. Propagated failures with global effect are common-cause failures originated from a component of a system/subsystem causing the failure of the entire system/subsystem. Failure isolation occurs when the failure of one component (referred to as a trigger component) causes other components (referred to as dependent components) within the same system to become isolated from the system. On the one hand, failure isolation makes the isolated dependent components unusable; on the other hand, it prevents the propagation of failures originated from those dependent components. However, the failure isolation effect does not exist if failures originated in the dependent components already propagate globally before the trigger component fails. In other words, there exists a competition in the time domain between the failure of the trigger component that causes failure isolation and propagated failures originated from the dependent components. This paper presents a combinatorial method for the reliability analysis of systems subject to such competing propagated failures and failure isolation effect. Based on the total probability theorem, the proposed method is analytical, exact, and has no limitation on the type of time-to-failure distributions for the system components. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the basics and advantages of the proposed method.

  5. Pathophysiologic aspects of the development of cognitive disorders in chronic heart failure in elderly patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M A Pokachalova

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The present literature review presents current views on pathophysiologic aspects of the formation and progression of cognitive disorders in chronic heart failure in elderly patients. Advanced age itself is an important predictor of the development of cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and other diseases. Involutive changes of cardiovascular system are known to potentiate the development of chronic heart failure. Heart failure in older people usually develops gradually. Formation of the cognitive deficit in heart disease is associated with chronic cerebral ischemia as well as a cascade of neurochemical processes occurring in the brain, eventually forming a vicious circle. Often the symptoms of cerebral ischemia due to reduced stroke volume occur much earlier than congestion signs in other organs and systems. Chronic cerebral ischemia that occurs due to violation of cerebral hemodynamics, is associated with both extracerebral and intracerebral causes, which in turn contributes to the development of chronic brain hypoxia and aggravation of cognitive dysfunction. Thus, the features of the development and course of disease in people of older age groups indicate that in geriatric practice existing diagnostic schemes are not always applicable. When observing patients of elderly and senile age with chronic heart failure, during the assessment of their condition and running diagnostic tests, special attention should be payed to the earliest detection of cognitive dysfunction signs in order to correct the patient's treatment and improve quality of life.

  6. Family matters: Directionality of turning bias while kissing is modulated by context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sedgewick, Jennifer R; Elias, Lorin J

    2016-01-28

    When leaning forward to kiss to a romantic partner, individuals tend to direct their kiss to the right more often than the left. Studies have consistently demonstrated this kissing asymmetry, although other factors known to influence lateral biases, such as sex or situational context, had yet to be explored. The primary purpose of our study was to investigate if turning direction was consistent between a romantic (parent-parent) and parental (parent-child) kissing context, and secondly, to examine if sex differences influenced turning bias between parent-child kissing partners. An archival analysis coded the direction of turning bias for 161 images of romantic kissing (mothers kissing fathers) and 529 images of parental kissing (mothers or fathers kissing sons or daughters). The results indicated that the direction of turning bias differed between kissing contexts. As expected, a right-turn bias was observed for romantic kissing; however, a left-turn bias was exhibited for parental kissing. There was no significant difference of turning bias between any parent-child kissing partners. Interpretations for the left-turn bias discuss parental kissing as a learned lateral behaviour.

  7. Realizing the promises of marine biotechnology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luiten, EEM; Akkerman, [No Value; Koulman, A; Kamermans, P; Reith, H; Barbosa, MJ; Sipkema, D; Wijffels, RH

    High-quality research in the field of marine biotechnology is one of the key-factors for successful innovation in exploiting the vast diversity of marine life. However, fascinating scientific research with promising results and claims on promising potential applications (e.g. for pharmaceuticals,

  8. Realizing the promises of marine biotechnology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luiten, E.E.M.; Akkerman, I.; Koulman, A.; Kamermans, P.; Reith, H.; Barbosa, M.J.; Sipkema, D.; Wijffels, R.H.

    2003-01-01

    High-quality research in the field of marine biotechnology is one of the key-factors for successful innovation in exploiting the vast diversity of marine life. However, fascinating scientific research with promising results and claims on promising potential applications (e.g. for pharmaceuticals,

  9. Problems experienced by informal caregivers of individuals with heart failure: An integrative review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grant, Joan S; Graven, Lucinda J

    2018-04-01

    and inadequate knowledge. Informal caregivers of individuals with heart failure experience complex problems in the home when providing care which impact all aspects of their lives. Incorporating advice from informal caregivers of individuals with heart failure will assist in the development of interventions to reduce negative caregiver outcomes. Given the complex roles in caring for individuals with heart failure, multicomponent interventions are potentially promising in assisting informal caregivers in performing these roles. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Cutting forces during turning with variable depth of cut

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Sadílek

    2016-03-01

    The proposed research for the paper is an experimental work – measuring cutting forces and monitoring of the tool wear on the cutting edge. It compares the turning where standard roughing cycle is used and the turning where the proposed roughing cycle with variable depth of cut is applied.

  11. An expert machine tools selection system for turning operation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tan, C.F.; Khalil, S.N.; Karjanto, J.; Wahidin, L.S.; Chen, W.; Rauterberg, G.W.M.

    2015-01-01

    The turning machining process is an important process in the manufacturing industry. It is important to select the right tool for the turning process so that the manufacturing cost will be decreased. The main objective of this research is to select the most suitable machine tools with respect to

  12. Political Reputations and Campaign Promises

    OpenAIRE

    Aragones, Enriqueta; Palfrey, Thomas R.; Postlewaite, Andrew

    2006-01-01

    We analyze conditions under which candidates' reputations may affect voters' beliefs over what policy will be implemented by the winning candidate of an election. We develop a model of repeated elections with complete information in which candidates are purely ideological. We analyze an equilibrium in which voters' strategies involve a credible threat to punish candidates who renege on their campaign promises and in which all campaign promises are believed by voters and honored by candidates....

  13. Why Does Hair Turn Gray?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... out, but people with naturally lighter hair are just as likely to go gray. From the time a person notices a few gray hairs, it may take more than 10 years for all of that person's hair to turn ... really believe that this happens. Just in case, try not to freak out your ...

  14. Prediction of beta-turns and beta-turn types by a novel bidirectional Elman-type recurrent neural network with multiple output layers (MOLEBRNN).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirschner, Andreas; Frishman, Dmitrij

    2008-10-01

    Prediction of beta-turns from amino acid sequences has long been recognized as an important problem in structural bioinformatics due to their frequent occurrence as well as their structural and functional significance. Because various structural features of proteins are intercorrelated, secondary structure information has been often employed as an additional input for machine learning algorithms while predicting beta-turns. Here we present a novel bidirectional Elman-type recurrent neural network with multiple output layers (MOLEBRNN) capable of predicting multiple mutually dependent structural motifs and demonstrate its efficiency in recognizing three aspects of protein structure: beta-turns, beta-turn types, and secondary structure. The advantage of our method compared to other predictors is that it does not require any external input except for sequence profiles because interdependencies between different structural features are taken into account implicitly during the learning process. In a sevenfold cross-validation experiment on a standard test dataset our method exhibits the total prediction accuracy of 77.9% and the Mathew's Correlation Coefficient of 0.45, the highest performance reported so far. It also outperforms other known methods in delineating individual turn types. We demonstrate how simultaneous prediction of multiple targets influences prediction performance on single targets. The MOLEBRNN presented here is a generic method applicable in a variety of research fields where multiple mutually depending target classes need to be predicted. http://webclu.bio.wzw.tum.de/predator-web/.

  15. Respiratory Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Respiratory failure happens when not enough oxygen passes from your lungs into your blood. Your body's organs, ... brain, need oxygen-rich blood to work well. Respiratory failure also can happen if your lungs can' ...

  16. Heart failure - home monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000113.htm Heart failure - home monitoring To use the sharing features on ... your high blood pressure Fast food tips Heart failure - discharge Heart failure - fluids and diuretics Heart failure - what to ...

  17. Expanding the peptide beta-turn in alphagamma hybrid sequences: 12 atom hydrogen bonded helical and hairpin turns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatterjee, Sunanda; Vasudev, Prema G; Raghothama, Srinivasarao; Ramakrishnan, Chandrasekharan; Shamala, Narayanaswamy; Balaram, Padmanabhan

    2009-04-29

    Hybrid peptide segments containing contiguous alpha and gamma amino acid residues can form C(12) hydrogen bonded turns which may be considered as backbone expanded analogues of C(10) (beta-turns) found in alphaalpha segments. Exploration of the regular hydrogen bonded conformations accessible for hybrid alphagamma sequences is facilitated by the use of a stereochemically constrained gamma amino acid residue gabapentin (1-aminomethylcyclohexaneacetic acid, Gpn), in which the two torsion angles about C(gamma)-C(beta) (theta(1)) and C(beta)-C(alpha) (theta(2)) are predominantly restricted to gauche conformations. The crystal structures of the octapeptides Boc-Gpn-Aib-Gpn-Aib-Gpn-Aib-Gpn-Aib-OMe (1) and Boc-Leu-Phe-Val-Aib-Gpn-Leu-Phe-Val-OMe (2) reveal two distinct conformations for the Aib-Gpn segment. Peptide 1 forms a continuous helix over the Aib(2)-Aib(6) segment, while the peptide 2 forms a beta-hairpin structure stabilized by four cross-strand hydrogen bonds with the Aib-Gpn segment forming a nonhelical C(12) turn. The robustness of the helix in peptide 1 in solution is demonstrated by NMR methods. Peptide 2 is conformationally fragile in solution with evidence of beta-hairpin conformations being obtained in methanol. Theoretical calculations permit delineation of the various C(12) hydrogen bonded structures which are energetically feasible in alphagamma and gammaalpha sequences.

  18. BetaTPred: prediction of beta-TURNS in a protein using statistical algorithms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaur, Harpreet; Raghava, G P S

    2002-03-01

    beta-turns play an important role from a structural and functional point of view. beta-turns are the most common type of non-repetitive structures in proteins and comprise on average, 25% of the residues. In the past numerous methods have been developed to predict beta-turns in a protein. Most of these prediction methods are based on statistical approaches. In order to utilize the full potential of these methods, there is a need to develop a web server. This paper describes a web server called BetaTPred, developed for predicting beta-TURNS in a protein from its amino acid sequence. BetaTPred allows the user to predict turns in a protein using existing statistical algorithms. It also allows to predict different types of beta-TURNS e.g. type I, I', II, II', VI, VIII and non-specific. This server assists the users in predicting the consensus beta-TURNS in a protein. The server is accessible from http://imtech.res.in/raghava/betatpred/

  19. Hypokalemic salt-losing tubulopathy with chronic renal failure and sensorineural deafness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeck, N; Reinalter, S C; Henne, T; Marg, W; Mallmann, R; Pasel, K; Vollmer, M; Klaus, G; Leonhardt, A; Seyberth, H W; Konrad, M

    2001-07-01

    To characterize a rare inherited hypokalemic salt-losing tubulopathy with linkage to chromosome 1p31. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical data for 7 patients in whom cosegregation of the disease with chromosome 1p31 had been demonstrated. In addition, in 1 kindred, prenatal diagnosis in the second child was established, allowing a prospective clinical evaluation. Clinical presentation of the patients was homogeneous and included premature birth attributable to polyhydramnios, severe renal salt loss, normotensive hyperreninemia, hypokalemic alkalosis, and excessive hyperprostaglandin E-uria, which suggested the diagnosis of hyperprostaglandin E syndrome/antenatal Bartter syndrome. However, the response to indomethacin was only poor, accounting for a more severe variant of the disease. The patients invariably developed chronic renal failure. The majority had extreme growth retardation, and motor development was markedly delayed. In addition, all patients turned out to be deaf. The hypokalemic salt-losing tubulopathy with chronic renal failure and sensorineural deafness represents not only genetically but also clinically a disease entity distinct from hyperprostaglandin E syndrome/antenatal Bartter syndrome. A pleiotropic effect of a single gene defect is most likely causative for syndromic hearing loss.

  20. Effect of stern hull shape on turning circle of ships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaswar, Maimun, A.; Wahid, M. A.; Priyanto, A.; Zamani, Pauzi, Saman

    2012-06-01

    Many factors such as: stern hull shape, length, draught, trim, propulsion system and external forces affecting the drift angle influence rate of turn and size of turning circle of ships. This paper discusses turning circle characteristics of U and V stern hull shape of Very Large Crude Oil Carrier (VLCC) ships. The ships have same principal dimension such as length, beam, and draught. The turning circle characteristics of the VLCC ships are simulated at 35 degree of rudder angle. In the analysis, firstly, turning circle performance of U-type VLCC ship is simulated. In the simulation, initial ship speed is determined using given power and rpm. Hydrodynamic derivatives coefficients are determined by including effect of fullness of aft run. Using the obtained, speed and hydrodynamic coefficients, force and moment acting on hull, force and moment induced by propeller, force and moment induced by rudder are determined. Finally, ship trajectory, ratio of speed, yaw angle and drift angle are determined. Results of simulation results of the VLCC ship are compared with the experimental one as validation. Using the same method, V-type VLCC is simulated and the simulation results are compared with U-type VLCC ship. Results shows the turning circle of U-type is larger than V-type due to effect stern hul results of simulation are.

  1. Measurement of signal use and vehicle turns as indication of driver cognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wallace, Bruce; Goubran, Rafik; Knoefel, Frank

    2014-01-01

    This paper uses data analytics to provide a method for the measurement of a key driving task, turn signal usage as a measure of an automatic over-learned cognitive function drivers. The paper augments previously reported more complex executive function cognition measures by proposing an algorithm that analyzes dashboard video to detect turn indicator use with 100% accuracy without any false positives. The paper proposes two algorithms that determine the actual turns made on a trip. The first through analysis of GPS location traces for the vehicle, locating 73% of the turns made with a very low false positive rate of 3%. A second algorithm uses GIS tools to retroactively create turn by turn directions. Fusion of GIS and GPS information raises performance to 77%. The paper presents the algorithm required to measure signal use for actual turns by realigning the 0.2Hz GPS data, 30fps video and GIS turn events. The result is a measure that can be tracked over time and changes in the driver's performance can result in alerts to the driver, caregivers or clinicians as indication of cognitive change. A lack of decline can also be shared as reassurance.

  2. Economic impact of heart failure according to the effects of kidney failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sicras Mainar, Antoni; Navarro Artieda, Ruth; Ibáñez Nolla, Jordi

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the use of health care resources and their cost according to the effects of kidney failure in heart failure patients during 2-year follow-up in a population setting. Observational retrospective study based on a review of medical records. The study included patients ≥ 45 years treated for heart failure from 2008 to 2010. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the presence/absence of KF. Main outcome variables were comorbidity, clinical status (functional class, etiology), metabolic syndrome, costs, and new cases of cardiovascular events and kidney failure. The cost model included direct and indirect health care costs. Statistical analysis included multiple regression models. The study recruited 1600 patients (prevalence, 4.0%; mean age 72.4 years; women, 59.7%). Of these patients, 70.1% had hypertension, 47.1% had dyslipidemia, and 36.2% had diabetes mellitus. We analyzed 433 patients (27.1%) with kidney failure and 1167 (72.9%) without kidney failure. Patients with kidney failure were associated with functional class III-IV (54.1% vs 40.8%) and metabolic syndrome (65.3% vs 51.9%, P<.01). The average unit cost was €10,711.40. The corrected cost in the presence of kidney failure was €14,868.20 vs €9,364.50 (P=.001). During follow-up, 11.7% patients developed ischemic heart disease, 18.8% developed kidney failure, and 36.1% developed heart failure exacerbation. Comorbidity associated with heart failure is high. The presence of kidney failure increases the use of health resources and leads to higher costs within the National Health System. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  3. Analysis of the lateral push-off in the freestyle flip turn.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araujo, Luciana; Pereira, Suzana; Gatti, Roberta; Freitas, Elinai; Jacomel, Gabriel; Roesler, Helio; Villas-Boas, Joao

    2010-09-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the contact phase during the lateral push-off in the turn of front crawl swimming to determine which biomechanical variables (maximum normalized peak force, contact time, impulse, angle of knee flexion, and total turn time within 15 m) contribute to the performance of this turn technique. Thirty-four swimmers of state, national, and international competitive standard participated in the study. For data collection, the following equipment was used: an underwater force platform, a 30-Hz VHS video camera, and a MiniDv digital camera within an underwater box. Data are expressed as descriptive statistics. Inferential analyses were performed using Pearson's correlation and multiple linear regressions. All variables studied had a significant relationship with turn performance. We conclude that a turn executed with a knee flexion angle of between 100° and 120° provides optimum peak forces to generate impulses that allow the swimmer to lose less time in the turn without the need for an excessive force application and with less energy lost.

  4. Dependent failures of diesel generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mankamo, T.; Pulkkinen, U.

    1982-01-01

    This survey of dependent failures (common-cause failures) is based on the data of diesel generator failures in U. S. nuclear power plants as reported in Licensee Event Reports. Failures were classified into random and potentially dependent failures. All failures due to design errors, manufacturing or installation errors, maintenance errors, or deviations in the operational environment were classified as potentially dependent failures.The statistical dependence between failures was estimated from the relative portion of multiple failures. Results confirm the earlier view of the significance of statistical dependence, a strong dependence on the age of the diesel generator was found in each failure class excluding random failures and maintenance errors, which had a nearly constant frequency independent of diesel generator age

  5. A novel method for calculating the energy cost of turning during running

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hatamoto Y

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Yoichi Hatamoto,1 Yosuke Yamada,2 Tatsuya Fujii,3 Yasuki Higaki,3 Akira Kiyonaga,3 Hiroaki Tanaka31Graduate School of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Nanakuma Jonan-ku Fukuoka, Japan; 2The Fukuoka University Institute for Physical Activity, Nanakuma Jonan-ku Fukuoka, Japan; 3Faculty of Sports and Health Science, Fukuoka University, Nanakuma Jonan-ku Fukuoka, JapanAbstract: Although changes of direction are one of the essential locomotor patterns in ball sports, the physiological demand of turning during running has not been previously investigated. We proposed a novel approach by which to evaluate the physiological demand of turning. The purposes of this study were to establish a method of measuring the energy expenditure (EE of a 180° turn during running and to investigate the effect of two different running speeds on the EE of a 180° turn. Eleven young, male participants performed measurement sessions at two different running speeds (4.3 and 5.4 km/hour. Each measurement session consisted of five trials, and each trial had a different frequency of turns. At both running speeds, as the turn frequency increased the gross oxygen consumption (V · O2 also increased linearly (4.3 km/hour, r = 0.973; 5.4 km/hour, r = 0.996. The V · O2 of a turn at 5.4 km/hour (0.55 [SD 0.09] mL/kg was higher than at 4.3 km/hour (0.34 [SD 0.13] mL/kg (P < 0.001. We conclude that the gross V · O2 of running at a fixed speed with turns is proportional to turn frequency and that the EE of a turn is different at different running speeds. The Different Frequency Accumulation Method is a useful tool for assessing the physiological demands of complex locomotor activity.Keywords: energy expenditure, turning, turn frequency, running speed, V · O2, heart rate

  6. Now, It's Your Turn: How You Can Take Medicine Safely

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... turn Javascript on. Feature: Taking Medicines Safely Now, It's Your Turn: How You Can Take Medicine Safely ... medicine. The pharmacist has filled the prescription. Now it's up to you to take the medicine safely. ...

  7. ANALYSIS OF CHIP FORMATION DURING HARD TURNING THROUGH ACOUSTIC EMISSION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miroslav Neslušan

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with analysis of chip formation and related aspects of the chip formation during turning hardened steel 100Cr6. The paper draws a comparison of some aspects of the chip formation between turning annealed and hardened roll bearing steel. The results of the analysis show that there is the formation of a segmented chip in the case of hard turning. Frequency of segmentation is very high. A conventional piezoelectric dynamometer limits the frequency response to about 3.5 kHz. On the other hand, the frequency of process fluctuation may by obtained by using accelerometers or acoustic emission. This paper reports about the dynamic character of cutting process when hard turning and correlation among the calculated segmentation frequencies and the experimental analysis.

  8. Immune mediated liver failure

    OpenAIRE

    Wang, Xiaojing; Ning, Qin

    2014-01-01

    Liver failure is a clinical syndrome of various etiologies, manifesting as jaundice, encephalopathy, coagulopathy and circulatory dysfunction, which result in subsequent multiorgan failure. Clinically, liver failure is classified into four categories: acute, subacute, acute-on-chronic and chronic liver failure. Massive hepatocyte death is considered to be the core event in the development of liver failure, which occurs when the extent of hepatocyte death is beyond the liver regenerative capac...

  9. Failure probability assessment of wall-thinned nuclear pipes using probabilistic fracture mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sang-Min; Chang, Yoon-Suk; Choi, Jae-Boong; Kim, Young-Jin

    2006-01-01

    The integrity of nuclear piping system has to be maintained during operation. In order to maintain the integrity, reliable assessment procedures including fracture mechanics analysis, etc., are required. Up to now, this has been performed using conventional deterministic approaches even though there are many uncertainties to hinder a rational evaluation. In this respect, probabilistic approaches are considered as an appropriate method for piping system evaluation. The objectives of this paper are to estimate the failure probabilities of wall-thinned pipes in nuclear secondary systems and to propose limited operating conditions under different types of loadings. To do this, a probabilistic assessment program using reliability index and simulation techniques was developed and applied to evaluate failure probabilities of wall-thinned pipes subjected to internal pressure, bending moment and combined loading of them. The sensitivity analysis results as well as prototypal integrity assessment results showed a promising applicability of the probabilistic assessment program, necessity of practical evaluation reflecting combined loading condition and operation considering limited condition

  10. A practical procedure for the selection of time-to-failure models based on the assessment of trends in maintenance data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Louit, D.M. [Komatsu Chile, Av. Americo Vespucio 0631, Quilicura, Santiago (Chile)], E-mail: rpascual@ing.puc.cl; Pascual, R. [Centro de Mineria, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Av. Vicuna Mackenna 4860, Santiago (Chile); Jardine, A.K.S. [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King' s College Road, Toronto, Ont., M5S 3G8 (Canada)

    2009-10-15

    Many times, reliability studies rely on false premises such as independent and identically distributed time between failures assumption (renewal process). This can lead to erroneous model selection for the time to failure of a particular component or system, which can in turn lead to wrong conclusions and decisions. A strong statistical focus, a lack of a systematic approach and sometimes inadequate theoretical background seem to have made it difficult for maintenance analysts to adopt the necessary stage of data testing before the selection of a suitable model. In this paper, a framework for model selection to represent the failure process for a component or system is presented, based on a review of available trend tests. The paper focuses only on single-time-variable models and is primarily directed to analysts responsible for reliability analyses in an industrial maintenance environment. The model selection framework is directed towards the discrimination between the use of statistical distributions to represent the time to failure ('renewal approach'); and the use of stochastic point processes ('repairable systems approach'), when there may be the presence of system ageing or reliability growth. An illustrative example based on failure data from a fleet of backhoes is included.

  11. Altered sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase 2a content: Targets for heart failure therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Gang; Li, Si Qi; Hu, Ping Ping; Tong, Xiao Yong

    2018-05-01

    Sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase is responsible for transporting cytosolic calcium into the sarcoplasmic reticulum and endoplasmic reticulum to maintain calcium homeostasis. Sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase is the dominant isoform expressed in cardiac tissue, which is regulated by endogenous protein inhibitors, post-translational modifications, hormones as well as microRNAs. Dysfunction of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase is associated with heart failure, which makes sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase a promising target for heart failure therapy. This review summarizes current approaches to ameliorate sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase function and focuses on phospholamban, an endogenous inhibitor of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium adenosine triphosphatase, pharmacological tools and gene therapies.

  12. Diamond turning of glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blackley, W.S.; Scattergood, R.O.

    1988-12-01

    A new research initiative will be undertaken to investigate the critical cutting depth concepts for single point diamond turning of brittle, amorphous materials. Inorganic glasses and a brittle, thermoset polymer (organic glass) are the principal candidate materials. Interrupted cutting tests similar to those done in earlier research are Ge and Si crystals will be made to obtain critical depth values as a function of machining parameters. The results will provide systematic data with which to assess machining performance on glasses and amorphous materials

  13. Comparing Learning from Productive Failure and Vicarious Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapur, Manu

    2014-01-01

    A total of 136 eighth-grade math students from 2 Singapore schools learned from either productive failure (PF) or vicarious failure (VF). PF students "generated" solutions to a complex problem targeting the concept of variance that they had not learned yet before receiving instruction on the targeted concept. VF students…

  14. Optical spectroscopic elucidation of beta-turns in disulfide bridged cyclic tetrapeptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borics, Attila; Murphy, Richard F; Lovas, Sándor

    2007-01-01

    Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopic features of type II beta-turns were characterized previously, but, criteria for differentiation between beta-turn types had not been established yet. Model tetrapeptides, cyclized through a disulfide bridge, were designed on the basis of previous experimental results and the observed incidence of amino acid residues in the i + 1 and i + 2 positions in beta-turns, to determine the features of VCD spectra of type I and II beta-turns. The results were correlated with electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra and VCD spectra calculated from conformational data obtained by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. All cyclic tetrapeptides yielded VCD signals with a higher frequency negative and a lower frequency positive couplet with negative lobes overlapping. MD simulations confirmed the conformational homogeneity of these peptides in solution. Comparison with ECD spectroscopy, MD, and quantum chemical calculation results suggested that the low frequency component of VCD spectra originating from the tertiary amide vibrations could be used to distinguish between types of beta-turn structures. On the basis of this observation, VCD spectroscopic features of type II and VIII beta-turns and ECD spectroscopic properties of a type VIII beta-turn were suggested. The need for independent experimental as well as theoretical investigations to obtain decisive conformational information was recognized. Copyright 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Interrelation of structure and operational states in cascading failure of overloading lines in power grids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Fei; Bompard, Ettore; Huang, Tao; Jiang, Lin; Lu, Shaofeng; Zhu, Huaiying

    2017-09-01

    As the modern power system is expected to develop to a more intelligent and efficient version, i.e. the smart grid, or to be the central backbone of energy internet for free energy interactions, security concerns related to cascading failures have been raised with consideration of catastrophic results. The researches of topological analysis based on complex networks have made great contributions in revealing structural vulnerabilities of power grids including cascading failure analysis. However, existing literature with inappropriate assumptions in modeling still cannot distinguish the effects between the structure and operational state to give meaningful guidance for system operation. This paper is to reveal the interrelation between network structure and operational states in cascading failure and give quantitative evaluation by integrating both perspectives. For structure analysis, cascading paths will be identified by extended betweenness and quantitatively described by cascading drop and cascading gradient. Furthermore, the operational state for cascading paths will be described by loading level. Then, the risk of cascading failure along a specific cascading path can be quantitatively evaluated considering these two factors. The maximum cascading gradient of all possible cascading paths can be used as an overall metric to evaluate the entire power grid for its features related to cascading failure. The proposed method is tested and verified on IEEE30-bus system and IEEE118-bus system, simulation evidences presented in this paper suggests that the proposed model can identify the structural causes for cascading failure and is promising to give meaningful guidance for the protection of system operation in the future.

  16. Turning university professors into competent learners

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stefanova, Eliza; Ilieva, Miroslava; Nikolova, Nikolina; Stefanov, Krassen

    2008-01-01

    Stefanova, E., Ilieva, M., Nikolova, N, & Stefanov, K. (2008). Turning university professors into competent learners. In H. W. Sligte & R. Koper (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th TENCompetence Open Workshop. Empowering Learners for Lifelong Competence Development: pedagogical, organisational and

  17. Cellular Reprogramming–Turning the Clock Back

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 18; Issue 6. Cellular Reprogramming - Turning the Clock Back - Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2012. Deepa Subramanyam. General Article Volume 18 Issue 6 June 2013 pp 514-521 ...

  18. Tool geometry and damage mechanisms influencing CNC turning efficiency of Ti6Al4V

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suresh, Sangeeth; Hamid, Darulihsan Abdul; Yazid, M. Z. A.; Nasuha, Nurdiyanah; Ain, Siti Nurul

    2017-12-01

    Ti6Al4V or Grade 5 titanium alloy is widely used in the aerospace, medical, automotive and fabrication industries, due to its distinctive combination of mechanical and physical properties. Ti6Al4V has always been perverse during its machining, strangely due to the same mix of properties mentioned earlier. Ti6Al4V machining has resulted in shorter cutting tool life which has led to objectionable surface integrity and rapid failure of the parts machined. However, the proven functional relevance of this material has prompted extensive research in the optimization of machine parameters and cutting tool characteristics. Cutting tool geometry plays a vital role in ensuring dimensional and geometric accuracy in machined parts. In this study, an experimental investigation is actualized to optimize the nose radius and relief angles of the cutting tools and their interaction to different levels of machining parameters. Low elastic modulus and thermal conductivity of Ti6Al4V contribute to the rapid tool damage. The impact of these properties over the tool tips damage is studied. An experimental design approach is utilized in the CNC turning process of Ti6Al4V to statistically analyze and propose optimum levels of input parameters to lengthen the tool life and enhance surface characteristics of the machined parts. A greater tool nose radius with a straight flank, combined with low feed rates have resulted in a desirable surface integrity. The presence of relief angle has proven to aggravate tool damage and also dimensional instability in the CNC turning of Ti6Al4V.

  19. Ignition experiment in a single-turn-coil tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carrera, R.; Driga, M.; Gully, J.H.

    1989-01-01

    A novel concept for a fusion ignition experiment, IGNITEX proposed along the lines of previous ideas for a compact thermonuclear device is analyzed. A single-turn-coil tokamak is analyzed. A single-turn-coil tokamak supplied by homopolar generators can ohmically heat a DT plasma to ignition conditions and maintain a thermally stable ignited phase for about ten energy confinement times. The IGNITEX experiment can provide a simple and relatively inexpensive way to produce and control ignited plasmas for scientific study

  20. Models and Algorithms for Tracking Target with Coordinated Turn Motion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xianghui Yuan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Tracking target with coordinated turn (CT motion is highly dependent on the models and algorithms. First, the widely used models are compared in this paper—coordinated turn (CT model with known turn rate, augmented coordinated turn (ACT model with Cartesian velocity, ACT model with polar velocity, CT model using a kinematic constraint, and maneuver centered circular motion model. Then, in the single model tracking framework, the tracking algorithms for the last four models are compared and the suggestions on the choice of models for different practical target tracking problems are given. Finally, in the multiple models (MM framework, the algorithm based on expectation maximization (EM algorithm is derived, including both the batch form and the recursive form. Compared with the widely used interacting multiple model (IMM algorithm, the EM algorithm shows its effectiveness.

  1. The distributed failure probability approach to dependent failure analysis, and its application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hughes, R.P.

    1989-01-01

    The Distributed Failure Probability (DFP) approach to the problem of dependent failures in systems is presented. The basis of the approach is that the failure probability of a component is a variable. The source of this variability is the change in the 'environment' of the component, where the term 'environment' is used to mean not only obvious environmental factors such as temperature etc., but also such factors as the quality of maintenance and manufacture. The failure probability is distributed among these various 'environments' giving rise to the Distributed Failure Probability method. Within the framework which this method represents, modelling assumptions can be made, based both on engineering judgment and on the data directly. As such, this DFP approach provides a soundly based and scrutable technique by which dependent failures can be quantitatively assessed. (orig.)

  2. Geotechnical Failure of a Concrete Crown Wall on a Rubble Mound Breakwater Considering Sliding Failure and Rupture Failure of Foundation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiani, E.; Burcharth, H. F.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

    1995-01-01

    Sliding and rupture failure in the rubble mound are considered in this paper. In order to describe these failure modes the wave breaking forces have to be accounted for. Wave breaking forces on a crown wall are determined from Burcharth's wave force formula Burcharth (1992). Overtopping rates...... are calculated for a given design by Bradbury et al. (1988a,b) and compared to acceptable overtopping rates, prior to a determininstic design. The method of foundation stability analysis is presented by the example of a translation slip failure involving kinematically correct slip surfaces and failure zones...... in friction based soil. Rupture failure modes for a crown wall with a plane base and a crown wall with an extended leg on the seaward side will be formulated. The failure modes are described by limit state functions. This allows a deterministic analysis to be performed....

  3. Turn-taking in Human Communication--Origins and Implications for Language Processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levinson, Stephen C

    2016-01-01

    Most language usage is interactive, involving rapid turn-taking. The turn-taking system has a number of striking properties: turns are short and responses are remarkably rapid, but turns are of varying length and often of very complex construction such that the underlying cognitive processing is highly compressed. Although neglected in cognitive science, the system has deep implications for language processing and acquisition that are only now becoming clear. Appearing earlier in ontogeny than linguistic competence, it is also found across all the major primate clades. This suggests a possible phylogenetic continuity, which may provide key insights into language evolution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. When the heart kills the liver: acute liver failure in congestive heart failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saner FH

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Congestive heart failure as a cause of acute liver failure is rarely documented with only a few cases. Although the pathophysiology is poorly understood, there is rising evidence, that low cardiac output with consecutive reduction in hepatic blood flow is a main causing factor, rather than hypotension. In the setting of acute liver failure due to congestive heart failure, clinical signs of the latter can be absent, which requires an appropriate diagnostic approach. As a reference center for acute liver failure and liver transplantation we recorded from May 2003 to December 2007 202 admissions with the primary diagnoses acute liver failure. 13/202 was due to congestive heart failure, which was associated with a mortality rate of 54%. Leading cause of death was the underlying heart failure. Asparagine transaminase (AST, bilirubin, and international normalized ratio (INR did not differ significantly in surviving and deceased patients at admission. Despite both groups had signs of cardiogenic shock, the cardiac index (CI was significantly higher in the survival group on admission as compared with non-survivors (2.1 L/min/m2 vs. 1.6 L/min/m2, p = 0.04. Central venous - and pulmonary wedge pressure did not differ significantly. Remarkable improvement of liver function was recorded in the group, who recovered from cardiogenic shock. In conclusion, patients with acute liver failure require an appropriate diagnostic approach. Congestive heart failure should always be considered as a possible cause of acute liver failure.

  5. Robust holographic storage system design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Takahiro; Watanabe, Minoru

    2011-11-21

    Demand is increasing daily for large data storage systems that are useful for applications in spacecraft, space satellites, and space robots, which are all exposed to radiation-rich space environment. As candidates for use in space embedded systems, holographic storage systems are promising because they can easily provided the demanded large-storage capability. Particularly, holographic storage systems, which have no rotation mechanism, are demanded because they are virtually maintenance-free. Although a holographic memory itself is an extremely robust device even in a space radiation environment, its associated lasers and drive circuit devices are vulnerable. Such vulnerabilities sometimes engendered severe problems that prevent reading of all contents of the holographic memory, which is a turn-off failure mode of a laser array. This paper therefore presents a proposal for a recovery method for the turn-off failure mode of a laser array on a holographic storage system, and describes results of an experimental demonstration. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  6. Near-surface residual stresses and microstructural changes after turning of a nickel-based superalloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schlauer, Christian

    2003-07-01

    Nickel-based superalloys are precipitation hardened alloys with complex compositions. They are used in aircraft engines and land-based gas turbines in load bearing structural components that are exposed to high temperatures. Failure mechanisms in this environment are high and low cycle fatigue, creep, and corrosion. During manufacturing, residual stresses are often introduced into the material due to inhomogeneous plastic deformations, both intentionally and unintentionally. One such manufacturing process is metal cutting, which introduces residual stresses in the surface layer. The stress state in the near-surface zone of components is of special interest as the surface often experiences peak loads and cracks have their starting point there. In this thesis, near-surface residual stress distributions and microstructural changes are studied in the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 for two different turning operations, face grooving and facing. Process variables are in both cases cutting speed and feed that have been varied between (10 and 1200) m/min and (0.01 and 0.5) mm, respectively. The first turning technique face grooving, which gives cutting conditions similar to orthogonal cutting, showed a clear dependency of the residual stresses on the cutting speed. The tensile stress at the surface, the maximum compressive stress below the surface, and the thickness of the affected layer increase with increasing cutting speed. The tensile stresses are constrained to a thin surface layer and compressive residual stresses below the surface dominate the depth profile of the residual stresses. Only at low cutting speed, residual stresses were largely avoided. The second turning technique facing confirmed the dependency of the residual stresses on the cutting speed and revealed a similar dependency on the feed. Microstructural investigations of near-surface cross-sections by means of transmission electron microscopy showed a zone where the grains had undergone plastic

  7. Heart failure - surgeries and devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... surgery; HF - surgery; Intra-aortic balloon pumps - heart failure; IABP - heart failure; Catheter based assist devices - heart failure ... problem may cause heart failure or make heart failure worse. Heart valve surgery may be needed to repair or ...

  8. Immune mediated liver failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaojing; Ning, Qin

    2014-01-01

    Liver failure is a clinical syndrome of various etiologies, manifesting as jaundice, encephalopathy, coagulopathy and circulatory dysfunction, which result in subsequent multiorgan failure. Clinically, liver failure is classified into four categories: acute, subacute, acute-on-chronic and chronic liver failure. Massive hepatocyte death is considered to be the core event in the development of liver failure, which occurs when the extent of hepatocyte death is beyond the liver regenerative capacity. Direct damage and immune-mediated liver injury are two major factors involved in this process. Increasing evidence has suggested the essential role of immune-mediated liver injury in the pathogenesis of liver failure. Here, we review the evolved concepts concerning the mechanisms of immune-mediated liver injury in liver failure from human and animal studies. Both innate and adaptive immunity, especially the interaction of various immune cells and molecules as well as death receptor signaling system are discussed. In addition, we highlight the concept of "immune coagulation", which has been shown to be related to the disease progression and liver injury exacerbation in HBV related acute-on-chronic liver failure.

  9. Promise Zones for Applicants

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Housing and Urban Development — This tool assists applicants to HUD's Promise Zone initiative prepare data to submit with their application by allowing applicants to draw the exact location of the...

  10. Biomechanical Evaluation of a Bed Feature to Assist in Turning and Laterally Repositioning Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiggermann, Neal

    2016-08-01

    This study investigated the effects of hospital bed features on the biomechanical stresses experienced by nurses when turning and laterally repositioning patients. Turn Assist, a common feature in ICU beds that helps to rotate patients, and side rail orientation were evaluated. Manual patient handling is a risk factor for musculoskeletal injury, and turning patients is one of the most common patient handling activities. No known studies have evaluated bed attributes such as the Turn Assist feature and side rail orientation that may affect the stresses experienced by the nurse. Nine female nurses laterally repositioned and turned a 63-kg and 123-kg subject on an ICU bed while motion capture, ground reaction forces, and hand force data were recorded. Loading of the spine and shoulder was modeled using 3D Static Strength Prediction Program (3DSSPP). Spine compression and shear forces did not exceed recommended limits when turning or laterally repositioning. However, the mean pull forces required to manually laterally reposition even the 63-kg subject was 340 Newtons, more than 50% greater than limits established in psychophysical testing. Turn Assist considerably reduced spine loading and pull forces for both turning and laterally repositioning. Lowering side rails reduced spinal compression by 11% when turning patients. Laterally repositioning patients as part of turning may pose an injury risk to caregivers. Turn Assist reduces physical loading on nurses when turning and repositioning patients. Caregivers should consider using Turn Assist and other aids such as mechanical lifts or sliding sheets especially when turning patients requires lateral repositioning. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

  11. Virtual reality training improves turning capacity and functional reach in stroke patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malik, A.N.; Masood, T.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To determine the added effects of virtual reality training on turning capacity, gait parameters and functional reach capacity of stroke patients compared to task oriented training alone. Methodology: A randomized control trial was conducted from February 2016 to July 2106 at Physical Rehabilitation Department Pakistan Railway Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Twenty stroke patients were selected through purposive sampling. The patients were randomly assigned through sealed envelope method into two groups; Task Oriented Training (TOT) and Virtual Reality Training (VRT) Group. The standardized tools were used for assessment. The TOT was provided for 4 days per week for 6 weeks while VRT group received additional exer-gaming training during sessions. Results: Significant improvement was observed in both groups regarding reaching forward, turning 360, gait pivot turn (p a 0.01) and FRT (p a 0.001). The two groups were statistically different from each other in terms of turning capacity, reaching forward, gait pivot turn and functional reach after 6 weeks of intervention (p a 0.05) Conclusion: Addition of virtual reality training further improves the significant improvement caused by task oriented training on turning capacity, reaching forward, gait pivot turn and functional reach in stroke patients. (author)

  12. Incorporating beta-turns and a turn mimetic out of context in loop 1 of the WW domain affords cooperatively folded beta-sheets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaul, R; Angeles, A R; Jäger, M; Powers, E T; Kelly, J W

    2001-06-06

    To probe the conformational requirements of loop 1 in the Pin1 WW domain, the residues at the i + 2 and i + 3 positions of a beta-turn within this loop were replaced by dPro-Gly and Asn-Gly, which are known to prefer the conformations required at the i + 1 and i + 2 positions of type II' and type I' beta-turns. Conformational specificity or lack thereof was further examined by incorporating into the i + 2 and i + 3 positions a non-alpha-amino acid-based beta-turn mimetic (4-(2'-aminoethyl)-6-dibenzofuran propionic acid residue, 1), which was designed to replace the i + 1 and i + 2 positions of beta-turns. All these Pin WW variants are monomeric and folded as discerned by analytical ultracentrifugation, NMR, and CD. They exhibit cooperative two-state transitions and display thermodynamic stability within 0.5 kcal/mol of the wild-type WW domain, demonstrating that the acquisition of native structure and stability does not require a specific sequence and, by extension, conformation within loop 1. However, it could be that these loop 1 mutations alter the kinetics of antiparallel beta-sheet folding, which will be addressed by subsequent kinetic studies.

  13. A method for simultaneous linear optics and coupling correction for storage rings with turn-by-turn beam position monitor data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Xi [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, Long Island, NY 11973 (United States); Huang, Xiaobiao, E-mail: xiahuang@slac.stanford.edu [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States)

    2016-08-21

    We propose a method to simultaneously correct linear optics errors and linear coupling for storage rings using turn-by-turn (TbT) beam position monitor (BPM) data. The independent component analysis (ICA) method is used to isolate the betatron normal modes from the measured TbT BPM data. The betatron amplitudes and phase advances of the projections of the normal modes on the horizontal and vertical planes are then extracted, which, combined with dispersion measurement, are used to fit the lattice model. The fitting results are used for lattice correction. The method has been successfully demonstrated on the NSLS-II storage ring.

  14. A method for simultaneous linear optics and coupling correction for storage rings with turn-by-turn beam position monitor data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Xi [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Huang, Xiaobiao [SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

    2016-08-01

    We propose a method to simultaneously correct linear optics errors and linear coupling for storage rings using turn-by-turn (TbT) beam position monitor (BPM) data. The independent component analysis (ICA) method is used to isolate the betatron normal modes from the measured TbT BPM data. The betatron amplitudes and phase advances of the projections of the normal modes on the horizontal and vertical planes are then extracted, which, combined with dispersion measurement, are used to fit the lattice model. Furthermore, the fitting results are used for lattice correction. Our method has been successfully demonstrated on the NSLS-II storage ring.

  15. [Abnormal head turn in a patient with Brown's syndrome].

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Waveren, M; Krzizok, T; Besch, D

    2008-08-01

    We report on an eight-year-old boy, who was presented in our clinic because of head turn. The cause of the tortecollis (ocular or general) in this case was and still cannot be explained. Only by applying extensive prism adaptation tests it was possible to prove the ocular character of the head turn. An eight-year-old boy with Brown's syndrome was referred to us because of a head tilt to the left side. Six months previously surgery on the M. obl. superior of the right eye was performed in another clinic. No improvement of the head tilt could be observed after the operation. In addition, an exotropia became decompensated. Under a 3-day occlusion of one eye, no change of the head turn and the squint could be measured. No other cause of the head turn could be found by an orthopaedist and a paediatrist. Under a prism of 20 cm/m basis in and 10 cm/m basis against the positive vertical deviation, the head tilt decreased, so that we decided to do a second surgery. The head tilting had not resumed at one year after the surgery. Although the initial diagnostic findings ruled out an ocular cause, it was possible to lessen the head tilting with the aid of the prism adaptation test. This case study emphasises the usefulness of a prism adaptation test of several days duration in order to validate an ocular cause of head turn and to determine an adequate indication for surgery.

  16. How turn-taking strategies influence users’ impressions of an agent

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ter Maat, Mark; Truong, Khiet Phuong; Heylen, Dirk K.J.; Allbeck, Jan; Badler, Norman; Bickmore, Timothy; Pelachaud, Catherine; Safonova, Alla

    Different turn-taking strategies of an agent influence the impression that people have of it. We recorded conversations of a human with an interviewing agent, controlled by a wizard and using a particular turn-taking strategy. A questionnaire with 27 semantic differential scales concerning

  17. Observation of diamond turned OFHC copper using Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grigg, D.A.; Russell, P.E.; Dow, T.A.

    1988-12-01

    Diamond turned OFHC copper samples have been observed within the past few months using the Scanning Tunneling Microscope. Initial results have shown evidence of artifacts which may be used to better understand the diamond turning process. The STM`s high resolution capability and three dimensional data representation allows observation and study of surface features unobtainable with conventional profilometry systems. Also, the STM offers a better quantitative means by which to analyze surface structures than the SEM. This paper discusses findings on several diamond turned OFHC copper samples having different cutting conditions. Each sample has been cross referenced using STM and SEM.

  18. Definition of containment failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cybulskis, P.

    1982-01-01

    Core meltdown accidents of the types considered in probabilistic risk assessments (PRA's) have been predicted to lead to pressures that will challenge the integrity of containment structures. Review of a number of PRA's indicates considerable variation in the predicted probability of containment failure as a function of pressure. Since the results of PRA's are sensitive to the prediction of the occurrence and the timing of containment failure, better understanding of realistic containment capabilities and a more consistent approach to the definition of containment failure pressures are required. Additionally, since the size and location of the failure can also significantly influence the prediction of reactor accident risk, further understanding of likely failure modes is required. The thresholds and modes of containment failure may not be independent

  19. Urban Transport Policies: The Dutch Struggle with Market Failures and Policy Failures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rietveld, Piet

    2004-01-01

    Transport is characterised by market failures that are of particular importance in urban settings. This paper reviews market failures and policy failures in The Netherlands for various transport markets, including road transport, public transport and biking. Special attention is paid to parking

  20. Evaluation of cutting force uncertainty components in turning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Axinte, Dragos Aurelian; Belluco, Walter; De Chiffre, Leonardo

    2000-01-01

    A procedure is proposed for the evaluation of those uncertainty components of a single cutting force measurement in turning that are related to the contributions of the dynamometer calibration and the cutting process itself. Based on an empirical model including errors form both sources......, the uncertainty for a single measurement of cutting force is presented, and expressions for the expected uncertainty vs. cutting parameters are proposed. This approach gives the possibility of evaluating cutting force uncertainty components in turning, for a defined range of cutting parameters, based on few...

  1. Causal Role of Motor Simulation in Turn-Taking Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadley, Lauren V; Novembre, Giacomo; Keller, Peter E; Pickering, Martin J

    2015-12-16

    Overlap between sensory and motor representations has been documented for a range of human actions, from grasping (Rizzolatti et al., 1996b) to playing a musical instrument (Novembre and Keller, 2014). Such overlap suggests that individuals use motor simulation to predict the outcome of observed actions (Wolpert, 1997). Here we investigate motor simulation as a basis of human communication. Using a musical turn-taking task, we show that pianists call on motor representations of their partner's part to predict when to come in for their own turn. Pianists played alternating solos with a videoed partner, and double-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied around the turn-switch to temporarily disrupt processing in two cortical regions implicated previously in different forms of motor simulation: (1) the dorsal premotor cortex (dPMC), associated with automatic motor resonance during passive observation of hand actions, especially when the actions are familiar (Lahav et al., 2007); and (2) the supplementary motor area (SMA), involved in active motor imagery, especially when the actions are familiar (Baumann et al., 2007). Stimulation of the right dPMC decreased the temporal accuracy of pianists' (right-hand) entries relative to sham when the partner's (left-hand) part had been rehearsed previously. This effect did not occur for dPMC stimulation without rehearsal or for SMA stimulation. These findings support the role of the dPMC in predicting the time course of observed actions via resonance-based motor simulation during turn-taking. Because turn-taking spans multiple modes of human interaction, we suggest that simulation is a foundational mechanism underlying the temporal dynamics of joint action. Even during passive observation, seeing or hearing somebody execute an action from within our repertoire activates motor cortices of our brain. But what is the functional relevance of such "motor simulation"? By combining a musical duet task with a real

  2. Factors influencing turning and its relationship with falls in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang-Yu Cheng

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Falls are a major problem for people with Parkinson's disease (PD. Many studies indicate that more than 50% of people with PD have difficulty in turning that may lead to falls during daily activities. The aims of this study were to identify the relationship between turning performance and falls, and to determine the factors that influence turning performance. METHODS: This study examined 45 patients with idiopathic PD (Hoehn and Yahr stage 1-3 using a battery of tests, including 180° turn time, balance, and muscle strength. The levels of disease severity and freezing of gait were also measured. The number of falls in the past 6 months was recorded. RESULTS: Sixteen out of forty-five participants experienced falls in the past 6 months. A receiver operating characteristic curve showed that turn time was highly related to falls [more affected side: sensitivity = 0.81, specificity = 0.79, area under the curve (AUC = 0.83; less affected side: sensitivity = 0.88, specificity = 0.76, AUC = 0.83]. The most important factor influencing turn time was balance ability (both sides: p = 0.000 according to the regression model. Correlations between turn time and dynamic balance were further established with reaction time, movement velocity, endpoint excursion, and maximal excursion of the LOS (limits of stability test. CONCLUSION: The time needed to complete a 180° turn during the SQT (step/quick turn test is a good index to differentiate fallers from non-fallers in persons with PD. Turn time is most influenced by balance. Furthermore, balance control, especially in an anterior or sideways direction, is important for turning performance.

  3. Constraining eye movement in individuals with Parkinson's disease during walking turns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambati, V N Pradeep; Saucedo, Fabricio; Murray, Nicholas G; Powell, Douglas W; Reed-Jones, Rebecca J

    2016-10-01

    Walking and turning is a movement that places individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) at increased risk for fall-related injury. However, turning is an essential movement in activities of daily living, making up to 45 % of the total steps taken in a given day. Hypotheses regarding how turning is controlled suggest an essential role of anticipatory eye movements to provide feedforward information for body coordination. However, little research has investigated control of turning in individuals with PD with specific consideration for eye movements. The purpose of this study was to examine eye movement behavior and body segment coordination in individuals with PD during walking turns. Three experimental groups, a group of individuals with PD, a group of healthy young adults (YAC), and a group of healthy older adults (OAC), performed walking and turning tasks under two visual conditions: free gaze and fixed gaze. Whole-body motion capture and eye tracking characterized body segment coordination and eye movement behavior during walking trials. Statistical analysis revealed significant main effects of group (PD, YAC, and OAC) and visual condition (free and fixed gaze) on timing of segment rotation and horizontal eye movement. Within group comparisons, revealed timing of eye and head movement was significantly different between the free and fixed gaze conditions for YAC (p  0.05). In addition, while intersegment timings (reflecting segment coordination) were significantly different for YAC and OAC during free gaze (p training programs for those with PD, possibly promoting better coordination during turning and potentially reducing the risk of falls.

  4. A survey of SiC power MOSFETs short-circuit robustness and failure mode analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ceccarelli, L.; Reigosa, P. D.; Iannuzzo, F.

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to provide an extensive overview about the state-of-art commercially available SiC power MOSFET, focusing on their short-circuit ruggedness. A detailed literature investigation has been carried out, in order to collect and understand the latest research contribution within...... this topic and create a survey of the present scenario of SiC MOSFETs reliability evaluation and failure mode analysis, pointing out the evolution and improvements as well as the future challenges in this promising device technology....

  5. A Costing Analysis for Decision Making Grid Model in Failure-Based Maintenance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burhanuddin M. A.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. In current economic downturn, industries have to set good control on production cost, to maintain their profit margin. Maintenance department as an imperative unit in industries should attain all maintenance data, process information instantaneously, and subsequently transform it into a useful decision. Then act on the alternative to reduce production cost. Decision Making Grid model is used to identify strategies for maintenance decision. However, the model has limitation as it consider two factors only, that is, downtime and frequency of failures. We consider third factor, cost, in this study for failure-based maintenance. The objective of this paper is to introduce the formulae to estimate maintenance cost. Methods. Fish bone analysis conducted with Ishikawa model and Decision Making Grid methods are used in this study to reveal some underlying risk factors that delay failure-based maintenance. The goal of the study is to estimate the risk factor that is, repair cost to fit in the Decision Making Grid model. Decision Making grid model consider two variables, frequency of failure and downtime in the analysis. This paper introduces third variable, repair cost for Decision Making Grid model. This approaches give better result to categorize the machines, reduce cost, and boost the earning for the manufacturing plant. Results. We collected data from one of the food processing factories in Malaysia. From our empirical result, Machine C, Machine D, Machine F, and Machine I must be in the Decision Making Grid model even though their frequency of failures and downtime are less than Machine B and Machine N, based on the costing analysis. The case study and experimental results show that the cost analysis in Decision Making Grid model gives more promising strategies in failure-based maintenance. Conclusions. The improvement of Decision Making Grid model for decision analysis with costing analysis is our contribution in this paper for

  6. Heart Failure in Women

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozkurt, Biykem; Khalaf, Shaden

    2017-01-01

    Heart failure is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in women, and they tend to develop it at an older age compared to men. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is more common in women than in men and accounts for at least half the cases of heart failure in women. When comparing men and women who have heart failure and a low left ventricular ejection fraction, the women are more symptomatic and have a similarly poor outcome. Overall recommendations for guideline-directed medical therapies show no differences in treatment approaches between men and women. Overall, women are generally underrepresented in clinical trials for heart failure. Further studies are needed to shed light into different mechanisms, causes, and targeted therapies of heart failure in women. PMID:29744014

  7. Fear of Failure, Self-Handicapping, and Negative Emotions in Response to Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartels, Jared M.; Herman, William E.

    2011-01-01

    Research suggests that students who fear failure are likely to utilize cognitive strategies such as self-handicapping that serve to perpetuate failure. Such devastating motivational dispositions clearly limit academic success. The present study examined negative emotional responses to scenarios involving academic failure among a sample of…

  8. Computation of the Coupling Resonance Driving term f1001 and the coupling coefficient C from turn-by-turn single-BPM data.

    CERN Document Server

    Franchi, A; Vanbavinkhove, G; CERN. Geneva. BE Department

    2010-01-01

    In this note we show how to compute the Resonance Driving Term (RDT) f1001, the local resonance term chi 1010 and the coupling coefficient C from the spectrum of turn-by-turn single-BPM data. The harmonic analysis of real coordinate x(y) is model independent, conversely to the the analysis of the complex Courant-Snyder coordinate hx,- = x-ipx. From the computation of f1001 along the ring is closely related to the global coupling coefficient C, but it is affected by an intrinsic error, discussed in this note.

  9. Gravitational-wave astronomy: delivering on the promises

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schutz, B. F.

    2018-05-01

    Now that LIGO and Virgo have begun to detect gravitational-wave events with regularity, the field of gravitational-wave astronomy is beginning to realize its promise. Binary black holes and, very recently, binary neutron stars have been observed, and we are already learning much from them. The future, with improved sensitivity, more detectors and detectors like LISA in different frequency bands, has even more promise to open a completely hidden side of the Universe to our exploration. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue `The promises of gravitational-wave astronomy'.

  10. The path to fulfilling the promise

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barrett, J. [Canadian Nuclear Association, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

    2014-07-01

    'Full text:'Countries work together to develop effective governance and regulation. Canada has made big investments in these areas and it carries a premium for us. The rapid build-out of nuclear technology around the Pacific Rim holds vast promise for our populations in better climate, better air, affordable and reliable electricity, and longer lives. The biggest risk is not another accident: rather, it is the risk of failing to fulfill that promise to our people. Every country that wants the benefits of nuclear must also want to be sure that those benefits are realized and sustained by good governance and regulation. Canada has the people, laws, organizations, public institutions, and relationships that can help our partners fulfill the whole and lasting promise of nuclear technology. (author)

  11. Turn-Taking Based on Information Flow for Fluent Human-Robot Interaction

    OpenAIRE

    Thomaz, Andrea L.; Chao, Crystal

    2011-01-01

    Turn-taking is a fundamental part of human communication. Our goal is to devise a turn-taking framework for human-robot interaction that, like the human skill, represents something fundamental about interaction, generic to context or domain. We propose a model of turn-taking, and conduct an experiment with human subjects to inform this model. Our findings from this study suggest that information flow is an integral part of human floor-passing behavior. Following this, we implement autonomous ...

  12. Roles of beta-turns in protein folding: from peptide models to protein engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcelino, Anna Marie C; Gierasch, Lila M

    2008-05-01

    Reverse turns are a major class of protein secondary structure; they represent sites of chain reversal and thus sites where the globular character of a protein is created. It has been speculated for many years that turns may nucleate the formation of structure in protein folding, as their propensity to occur will favor the approximation of their flanking regions and their general tendency to be hydrophilic will favor their disposition at the solvent-accessible surface. Reverse turns are local features, and it is therefore not surprising that their structural properties have been extensively studied using peptide models. In this article, we review research on peptide models of turns to test the hypothesis that the propensities of turns to form in short peptides will relate to the roles of corresponding sequences in protein folding. Turns with significant stability as isolated entities should actively promote the folding of a protein, and by contrast, turn sequences that merely allow the chain to adopt conformations required for chain reversal are predicted to be passive in the folding mechanism. We discuss results of protein engineering studies of the roles of turn residues in folding mechanisms. Factors that correlate with the importance of turns in folding indeed include their intrinsic stability, as well as their topological context and their participation in hydrophobic networks within the protein's structure.

  13. Measurement of tool forces in diamond turning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Drescher, J.; Dow, T.A.

    1988-12-01

    A dynamometer has been designed and built to measure forces in diamond turning. The design includes a 3-component, piezoelectric transducer. Initial experiments with this dynamometer system included verification of its predicted dynamic characteristics as well as a detailed study of cutting parameters. Many cutting experiments have been conducted on OFHC Copper and 6061-T6 Aluminum. Tests have involved investigation of velocity effects, and the effects of depth and feedrate on tool forces. Velocity has been determined to have negligible effects between 4 and 21 m/s. Forces generally increase with increasing depth of cut. Increasing feedrate does not necessarily lead to higher forces. Results suggest that a simple model may not be sufficient to describe the forces produced in the diamond turning process.

  14. Re-defining failure envelopes for silicon carbide composites based on damage process analysis by acoustic emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nozawa, Takashi; Ozawa, Kazumi; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu

    2013-01-01

    A silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiC/SiC) composite is a promising candidate for a fusion DEMO blanket. To develop design codes in practical use of them, strength anisotropy is an important issue to be clarified and therefore this study aimed to evaluate the failure behavior of the SiC/SiC composites to provide a strength map. For this purpose, detailed tensile, compressive and in-plane shear failure behaviors were evaluated by the acoustic emission (AE) technique for a plain–weave (P/W) chemically vapor-infiltration (CVI) SiC/SiC composite. The AE results distinguished damage accumulation processes by separately discussing localized variations of power within a time series by wavelet analysis. Of particular emphasis is that matrix cracking occurred prior to the proportional limit stress (PLS) by both tensile and compressive tests. This is because the rough-surface of SiC fibers resulted in the strong frictional stress at the fiber/matrix (F/M) interface, showing linearity in the stress–strain curve beyond the actual matrix cracking stress (i.e., possibly no sliding of the fibers at the F/M interface). In this paper, an updated failure envelope was provided by referring the true matrix cracking stresses as more realistic and reasonable failure criteria

  15. Re-defining failure envelopes for silicon carbide composites based on damage process analysis by acoustic emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nozawa, Takashi, E-mail: nozawa.takashi67@jaea.go.jp; Ozawa, Kazumi; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu

    2013-10-15

    A silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix (SiC/SiC) composite is a promising candidate for a fusion DEMO blanket. To develop design codes in practical use of them, strength anisotropy is an important issue to be clarified and therefore this study aimed to evaluate the failure behavior of the SiC/SiC composites to provide a strength map. For this purpose, detailed tensile, compressive and in-plane shear failure behaviors were evaluated by the acoustic emission (AE) technique for a plain–weave (P/W) chemically vapor-infiltration (CVI) SiC/SiC composite. The AE results distinguished damage accumulation processes by separately discussing localized variations of power within a time series by wavelet analysis. Of particular emphasis is that matrix cracking occurred prior to the proportional limit stress (PLS) by both tensile and compressive tests. This is because the rough-surface of SiC fibers resulted in the strong frictional stress at the fiber/matrix (F/M) interface, showing linearity in the stress–strain curve beyond the actual matrix cracking stress (i.e., possibly no sliding of the fibers at the F/M interface). In this paper, an updated failure envelope was provided by referring the true matrix cracking stresses as more realistic and reasonable failure criteria.

  16. Kinematical Comparison of the 200 m Backstroke Turns between National and Regional Level Swimmers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veiga, Santiago; Cala, Antonio; Frutos, Pablo González; Navarro, Enrique

    2013-01-01

    The aims of this investigation were to determine the evolution of selected turn variables during competitive backstroke races and to compare these kinematic variables between two different levels of swimmers. Sixteen national and regional level male swimmers participant in the 200 m backstroke event at the Spanish Swimming Championships in short course (25 m) were selected to analyze their turn performances. The individual distances method with two-dimensional Direct Linear Transformation (2D-DLT) algorithms was used to perform race analyses. National level swimmers presented a shorter “turn time”, a longer “distance in”, a faster “underwater velocity” and “normalized underwater velocity”, and a faster “stroking velocity” than regional level swimmers, whereas no significant differences were detected between levels for the “underwater distance”. National level swimmers maintained similar “turn times” over the event and increased “underwater velocity” and “normalized underwater velocity” in the last (seventh) turn segment, whereas regional level swimmers increased “turn time” in the last half of the race. For both national and regional level swimmers, turn “underwater distance” during the last three turns of the race was significantly shorter while no significant differences in distance into the wall occurred throughout the race. The skill level of the swimmers has an impact on the competitive backstroke turn segments. In a 200 m event, the underwater velocity should be maximized to maintain turn proficiency, whereas turn distance must be subordinated to the average velocity. Key Points The underwater turn velocity is as a critical variable related to the swimmers’ level of skill in a 200 m backstroke event. Best swimmers perform faster but no longer turn segments during a 200 m backstroke event. Best swimmers maintain their turn performance throughout the 200 m backstroke event by increasing the underwater velocity

  17. Candida Biofilms: Threats, Challenges, and Promising Strategies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mafalda Cavalheiro

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Candida species are fungal pathogens known for their ability to cause superficial and systemic infections in the human host. These pathogens are able to persist inside the host due to the development of pathogenicity and multidrug resistance traits, often leading to the failure of therapeutic strategies. One specific feature of Candida species pathogenicity is their ability to form biofilms, which protects them from external factors such as host immune system defenses and antifungal drugs. This review focuses on the current threats and challenges when dealing with biofilms formed by Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis, highlighting the differences between the four species. Biofilm characteristics depend on the ability of each species to produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS and display dimorphic growth, but also on the biofilm substratum, carbon source availability and other factors. Additionally, the transcriptional control over processes like adhesion, biofilm formation, filamentation, and EPS production displays great complexity and diversity within pathogenic yeasts of the Candida genus. These differences not only have implications in the persistence of colonization and infections but also on antifungal resistance typically found in Candida biofilm cells, potentiated by EPS, that functions as a barrier to drug diffusion, and by the overexpression of drug resistance transporters. The ability to interact with different species in in vivo Candida biofilms is also a key factor to consider when dealing with this problem. Despite many challenges, the most promising strategies that are currently available or under development to limit biofilm formation or to eradicate mature biofilms are discussed.

  18. Candida Biofilms: Threats, Challenges, and Promising Strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavalheiro, Mafalda; Teixeira, Miguel Cacho

    2018-01-01

    Candida species are fungal pathogens known for their ability to cause superficial and systemic infections in the human host. These pathogens are able to persist inside the host due to the development of pathogenicity and multidrug resistance traits, often leading to the failure of therapeutic strategies. One specific feature of Candida species pathogenicity is their ability to form biofilms, which protects them from external factors such as host immune system defenses and antifungal drugs. This review focuses on the current threats and challenges when dealing with biofilms formed by Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis , and Candida parapsilosis , highlighting the differences between the four species. Biofilm characteristics depend on the ability of each species to produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and display dimorphic growth, but also on the biofilm substratum, carbon source availability and other factors. Additionally, the transcriptional control over processes like adhesion, biofilm formation, filamentation, and EPS production displays great complexity and diversity within pathogenic yeasts of the Candida genus. These differences not only have implications in the persistence of colonization and infections but also on antifungal resistance typically found in Candida biofilm cells, potentiated by EPS, that functions as a barrier to drug diffusion, and by the overexpression of drug resistance transporters. The ability to interact with different species in in vivo Candida biofilms is also a key factor to consider when dealing with this problem. Despite many challenges, the most promising strategies that are currently available or under development to limit biofilm formation or to eradicate mature biofilms are discussed.

  19. Candida Biofilms: Threats, Challenges, and Promising Strategies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavalheiro, Mafalda; Teixeira, Miguel Cacho

    2018-01-01

    Candida species are fungal pathogens known for their ability to cause superficial and systemic infections in the human host. These pathogens are able to persist inside the host due to the development of pathogenicity and multidrug resistance traits, often leading to the failure of therapeutic strategies. One specific feature of Candida species pathogenicity is their ability to form biofilms, which protects them from external factors such as host immune system defenses and antifungal drugs. This review focuses on the current threats and challenges when dealing with biofilms formed by Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, and Candida parapsilosis, highlighting the differences between the four species. Biofilm characteristics depend on the ability of each species to produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and display dimorphic growth, but also on the biofilm substratum, carbon source availability and other factors. Additionally, the transcriptional control over processes like adhesion, biofilm formation, filamentation, and EPS production displays great complexity and diversity within pathogenic yeasts of the Candida genus. These differences not only have implications in the persistence of colonization and infections but also on antifungal resistance typically found in Candida biofilm cells, potentiated by EPS, that functions as a barrier to drug diffusion, and by the overexpression of drug resistance transporters. The ability to interact with different species in in vivo Candida biofilms is also a key factor to consider when dealing with this problem. Despite many challenges, the most promising strategies that are currently available or under development to limit biofilm formation or to eradicate mature biofilms are discussed. PMID:29487851

  20. Heart failure - medicines

    Science.gov (United States)

    CHF - medicines; Congestive heart failure - medicines; Cardiomyopathy - medicines; HF - medicines ... You will need to take most of your heart failure medicines every day. Some medicines are taken ...

  1. Strength and failure analysis of composite-to-composite adhesive bonds with different surface treatments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paranjpe, Nikhil; Alamir, Mohammed; Alonayni, Abdullah; Asmatulu, Eylem; Rahman, Muhammad M.; Asmatulu, Ramazan

    2018-03-01

    Adhesives are widely utilized materials in aviation, automotive, energy, defense, and marine industries. Adhesive joints are gradually supplanting mechanical fasteners because they are lightweight structures, thus making the assembly lighter and easier. They also act as a sealant to prevent a structural joint from galvanic corrosion and leakages. Adhesive bonds provide high joint strength because of the fact that the load is distributed uniformly on the joint surface, while in mechanical joints, the load is concentrated at one point, thus leading to stress at that point and in turn causing joint failures. This research concentrated on the analysis of bond strength and failure loads in adhesive joint of composite-to-composite surfaces. Different durations of plasma along with the detergent cleaning were conducted on the composite surfaces prior to the adhesive applications and curing processes. The joint strength of the composites increased about 34% when the surface was plasma treated for 12 minutes. It is concluded that the combination of different surface preparations, rather than only one type of surface treatment, provides an ideal joint quality for the composites.

  2. Switching Therapy from Intravenous Landiolol to Transdermal Bisoprolol in a Patient with Thyroid Storm Complicated by Decompensated Heart Failure and Gastrointestinal Dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godo, Shigeo; Kawazoe, Yu; Ozaki, Hiroshi; Fujita, Motoo; Kudo, Daisuke; Nomura, Ryosuke; Shimokawa, Hiroaki; Kushimoto, Shigeki

    2017-10-01

    Thyroid storm is a life-threatening disorder that remains a therapeutic challenge. Although β-blockers are the mainstay for treatment, their use can be challenging in cases complicated by rapid atrial fibrillation and decompensated heart failure. We present a case of thyroid storm-associated atrial fibrillation and decompensated heart failure complicated by gastrointestinal dysfunction secondary to diffuse peritonitis that was successfully managed by a switching therapy, in which the continuous intravenous administration of landiolol was changed to bisoprolol via transdermal patch, in the acute phase treatment. This switching therapy may offer a promising therapeutic option for this potentially lethal disorder.

  3. Part-turn gearboxes for electric actuators; Schwenkgetriebe fuer elektrische Stellantriebe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herbstritt, M. [Riester (W.) GmbH und Co. KG, Muellheim (Germany)

    2002-09-01

    Different types of gearboxes provide a useful complement to the electric actuator type ranges. The gearboxes can be combined with the actuators in many ways. Multi-turn actuators, for example, can be turned into part-turn actuators. When using a modular system, a suitable solution for almost any automation task in the field of industrial valves can be found. (orig.) [German] Sinnvoll ergaenzt werden elektrische Stellantriebe fuer Armaturen durch verschiedene Arten von Getrieben. Die Getriebe sind in vielfaeltiger Weise mit den Stellantrieben kombinierbar. So werden beispielsweise aus Drehantrieben Schwenkantriebe. Mit einem Baukasten-System laesst sich so fuer nahezu jede Automatisierungsaufgabe im Bereich der Industriearmaturen eine passende Loesung finden. (orig.)

  4. Universal compact lower limb turning module intended for use in orthotic robots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janowski Mateusz

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a model of an orthotic robot’s lower limb rotation system is presented. The system is intended for use in typical contemporary orthotic robots such as the ‘Veni-Prometheus’ System for Verticalization and Aiding Motion designed at the Faculty of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology. In the paper, the state of the art is briefly stated, with the relatively low number of orthotic robots allowing realization of pivoting turns highlighted. The intended two-stage pivoting turning movement is analyzed in detail and the operating conditions as well as limitations of the turning module are indicated. The conception of a turning module introduces additional degree of freedom to the existing orthotic robot designs by realizing the rotation about the lengthwise axis in the thigh link. A three-dimensional model and its analysis are shown. The proposed design ensures the necessary movement of the lower limb and the torso of an impaired person during the execution of pivoting turn while remaining compact in order to ease the introduction of the turning system to different orthotic robot designs.

  5. Analyses of quenching process during turn-off of plasma electrolytic carburizing on carbon steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Jie; Liu, Run; Xue, Wenbin; Wang, Bin; Jin, Xiaoyue; Du, Jiancheng

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Cooling rate of carburized steel at the end of PEC treatment is measured. • The quench hardening in the fast or slow turn-off mode hardly takes place. • Decrease of the surface roughness during slow turn-off process is found. • A slow turn-off mode is recommended to replace the conventional turn-off mode. - Abstract: Plasma electrolytic carburizing (PEC) under different turn-off modes was employed to fabricate a hardening layer on carbon steel in glycerol solution without stirring at 380 V for 3 min. The quenching process in fast turn-off mode or slow turn-off mode of power supply was discussed. The temperature in the interior of steel and electron temperature in plasma discharge envelope during the quenching process were evaluated. It was found that the cooling rates of PEC samples in both turn-off modes were below 20 °C/s, because the vapor film boiling around the steel sample reduced the cooling rate greatly in terms of Leidenfrost effect. Thus the quench hardening hardly took place, though the slow turn-off mode slightly decreased the surface roughness of PEC steel. At the end of PEC treatment, the fast turn-off mode used widely at present cannot enhance the surface hardness by quench hardening, and the slow turn-off mode was recommended in order to protect the electronic devices against a large current surge

  6. A Practice Turn for Teacher Education?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, Jo-Anne

    2011-01-01

    Within the Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE) at Charles Sturt University, teacher education researchers have been quick to respond to the opportunities created by what is known as "the practice turn" that characterises contemporary theory around the globe and across disciplines. We are working,…

  7. The Dynamic Turn in Quantum Logic

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baltag, A.; Smets, S.

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we show how ideas coming from two areas of research in logic can reinforce each other. The first such line of inquiry concerns the "dynamic turn" in logic and especially the formalisms inspired by Propositional Dynamic Logic (PDL); while the second line concerns research into the

  8. The dynamic turn in quantum logic

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baltag, Alexandru; Smets, Sonja

    In this paper we show how ideas coming from two areas of research in logic can reinforce each other. The first such line of inquiry concerns the "dynamic turn" in logic and especially the formalisms inspired by Propositional Dynamic Logic (PDL); while the second line concerns research into the

  9. Business Intelligence: Turning Knowledge into Power

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endsley, Krista

    2009-01-01

    Today, many school districts are turning to business intelligence tools to retrieve, organize, and share knowledge for faster analysis and more effective, guided decision making. Business intelligence (BI) tools are the technologies and applications that gather and report information to help an organization's leaders make better decisions. BI…

  10. Novel β-amyloid aggregation inhibitors possessing a turn mimic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamada, Yoshio; Miyamoto, Naoko; Kiso, Yoshiaki

    2015-04-01

    Amyloid β peptide, the main component of senile plaques found in the brain of Alzheimer disease (AD) patients, is a molecular target for AD therapeutic intervention. A number of potential AD therapeutics have been reported, including inhibitors of β-secretase, γ-secretase, and Aβ aggregation, and anti-amyloid agents, such as neprilysin, insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), and Aβ antibodies. Recently, we reported potent small-sized β-secretase (BACE1) inhibitors, which could serve as anti-AD drugs. However AD is a progressive disorder, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over several decades, and therefore may require many years to get cured. One possible way to achieve a greater therapeutic effect is through simultaneous administration of multiple drugs, similar to those used in Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) used to treat AIDS. In order to overcome AD, we took a drug discovery approach to evaluate, novel β-amyloid aggregation inhibitors. Previously, we reported that a tong-type compound possessing a turn mimic as the inhibitor of HIV-1 protease dimerization. Oligomerized amyloid β peptides contain a turn structure within the molecule. Here, we designed and synthesized novel β-amyloid aggregation inhibitors with a turn-mimic template, based on the turn conformer of the oligomerized amyloid β peptides. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. A high performance gate drive for large gate turn off thyristors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Szilagyi, C.P.

    1993-01-01

    Past approaches to gate turn-off (GTO) gating are application oriented, inefficient and dissipate power even when inactive. They allow the gate to avalanch, and do not reduce GTO turn-on and turn-off losses. A new approach is proposed which will allow modular construction and adaptability to large GTOs in the 50 amp to 2000 amp range. The proposed gate driver can be used in large voltage source and current source inverters and other power converters. The approach consists of a power metal-oxide-silicon field effect transistor (MOSFET) technology gating unit, with associated logic and supervisory circuits and an isolated flyback converter as the dc power source for the gating unit. The gate driver formed by the gating unit and the flyback converter is designed for 4000 V isolation. Control and supervisory signals are exchanged between the gate driver and the remote control system via fiber optics. The gating unit has programmable front-porch current amplitude and pulse-width, programmable closed-loop controlled back-porch current, and a turn-off switch capable of supplying negative gate current at demand as a function of peak controllable forward anode current. The GTO turn-on, turn-off and gate avalanch losses are reduced to a minimum. The gate driver itself has minimum operating losses. Analysis, design and practical realization are reported. 19 refs., 54 figs., 1 tab.

  12. Understanding of failure and failure of understanding: Aspects of failure in the Old Testament

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Alfred Loader

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Taking its cue from Rudolf Bultmann’s famous verdict that the Old Testament is a ‘failure’ (‘Scheitern’, the article reviews three influential negative readings of Israel’s history as told in the Former Prophets. It is then argued that awareness of the theological problem posed by Israel’s history enabled the redactors of both the former and the latter prophetic collections to deal with the element of human failure in a way that facilitated Israel’s retaining of her faith. Next, the sapiential insight in failing human discernment is drawn into the equation. Failure of human action is here interrelated with failure to comprehend God’s order. By virtue of its incorporation into the totality of the Tanak, this insight became a constructive part of Israel’s faith. Therefore the concept of failure comprises more than coming to terms with Israel’s catastrophic history. Since it is encoded in Israel’s Holy Scripture, ‘failure’ is a major concept within the Old Testament internally and is therefore not suitable as a verdict over the Old Testament by an external value judgement. ‘Failure’ thus becomes a key hermeneutical category, not merely so that the Old Testament could become a ‘promise’ for the New Testament to fulfil, but as a manifestation of limits in human religion and thought. Far from undermining self-esteem, constructive use of the concept of her own failure sustained Israel in her catastrophe and should be adopted by Christianity – not least in South Africa, where the biblical message was often misappropriated to bolster apartheid.

  13. Hsp90 as a Gatekeeper of Tumor Angiogenesis: Clinical Promise and Potential Pitfalls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. E. Bohonowych

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Tumor vascularization is an essential modulator of early tumor growth, progression, and therapeutic outcome. Although antiangiogenic treatments appear promising, intrinsic and acquired tumor resistance contributes to treatment failure. Clinical inhibition of the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90 provides an opportunity to target multiple aspects of this signaling resiliency, which may elicit more robust and enduring tumor repression relative to effects elicited by specifically targeted agents. This review highlights several primary effectors of angiogenesis modulated by Hsp90 and describes the clinical challenges posed by the redundant circuitry of these pathways. The four main topics addressed include (1 Hsp90-mediated regulation of HIF/VEGF signaling, (2 chaperone-dependent regulation of HIF-independent VEGF-mediated angiogenesis, (3 Hsp90-dependent targeting of key proangiogenic receptor tyrosine kinases and modulation of drug resistance, and (4 consideration of factors such as tumor microenvironment that pose several challenges for the clinical efficacy of anti-angiogenic therapy and Hsp90-targeted strategies.

  14. Turn-on delay of QD and QW laser diodes: What is the difference?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sokolovskii, G S; Dudelev, V V; Kolykhalova, E D; Deryagin, A G; Maximov, M V; Nadtochiy, A M; Kuchinskii, V I; Mikhrin, S S; Livshits, D A; Viktorov, E A; Erneux, T

    2013-01-01

    Turn-on delay of laser diodes with quantum-sized active media is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. In this research we show the striking difference in turn-on delay of quantum dot and quantum well laser diodes: With quantum-well lasers turn on delay tends to zero in the limit of high pumping, while with quantum dot lasers turn-on delay has the non-vanishing component which is independent of pumping

  15. Extended phenotype: nematodes turn ants into bird-dispersed fruits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hughes, D P; Kronauer, D J C; Boomsma, J J

    2008-01-01

    A recent study has discovered a novel extended phenotype of a nematode which alters its ant host to resemble ripe fruit. The infected ants are in turn eaten by frugivorous birds that disperse the nematode's eggs.......A recent study has discovered a novel extended phenotype of a nematode which alters its ant host to resemble ripe fruit. The infected ants are in turn eaten by frugivorous birds that disperse the nematode's eggs....

  16. An analytical model for interactive failures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Yong; Ma Lin; Mathew, Joseph; Zhang Sheng

    2006-01-01

    In some systems, failures of certain components can interact with each other, and accelerate the failure rates of these components. These failures are defined as interactive failure. Interactive failure is a prevalent cause of failure associated with complex systems, particularly in mechanical systems. The failure risk of an asset will be underestimated if the interactive effect is ignored. When failure risk is assessed, interactive failures of an asset need to be considered. However, the literature is silent on previous research work in this field. This paper introduces the concepts of interactive failure, develops an analytical model to analyse this type of failure quantitatively, and verifies the model using case studies and experiments

  17. Managing Feelings about Heart Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... About Heart Failure Module 6: Managing Feelings About Heart Failure Download Module Order Hardcopy Heart failure can cause ... professional help for emotional problems. Common Feelings About Heart Failure It is common for people to feel depressed ...

  18. Virtual turning points

    CERN Document Server

    Honda, Naofumi; Takei, Yoshitsugu

    2015-01-01

    The discovery of a virtual turning point truly is a breakthrough in WKB analysis of higher order differential equations. This monograph expounds the core part of its theory together with its application to the analysis of higher order Painlevé equations of the Noumi–Yamada type and to the analysis of non-adiabatic transition probability problems in three levels. As M.V. Fedoryuk once lamented, global asymptotic analysis of higher order differential equations had been thought to be impossible to construct. In 1982, however, H.L. Berk, W.M. Nevins, and K.V. Roberts published a remarkable paper in the Journal of Mathematical Physics indicating that the traditional Stokes geometry cannot globally describe the Stokes phenomena of solutions of higher order equations; a new Stokes curve is necessary.

  19. Tennessee Promise: A Response to Organizational Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Littlepage, Ben; Clark, Teresa; Wilson, Randal; Stout, Logan

    2018-01-01

    Community colleges in Tennessee, either directly or indirectly, experienced unprecedented change as a result of Tennessee Promise. The present study explored how student support service administrators at three community colleges responded to organizational change as a result of the Tennessee Promise legislation. Investigators selected community…

  20. Gravitational-wave astronomy: delivering on the promises.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schutz, B F

    2018-05-28

    Now that LIGO and Virgo have begun to detect gravitational-wave events with regularity, the field of gravitational-wave astronomy is beginning to realize its promise. Binary black holes and, very recently, binary neutron stars have been observed, and we are already learning much from them. The future, with improved sensitivity, more detectors and detectors like LISA in different frequency bands, has even more promise to open a completely hidden side of the Universe to our exploration.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The promises of gravitational-wave astronomy'. © 2018 The Author(s).

  1. Molecular Epidemiology of Heart Failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Gustav Smith, MD, PhD

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Heart failure (HF is the end-stage of all heart disease and arguably constitutes the greatest unmet therapeutic need in cardiovascular medicine today. Classic epidemiological studies have established clinical risk factors for HF, but the cause remains poorly understood in many cases. Biochemical analyses of small case-control series and animal models have described a plethora of molecular characteristics of HF, but a single unifying pathogenic theory is lacking. Heart failure appears to result not only from cardiac overload or injury but also from a complex interplay among genetic, neurohormonal, metabolic, inflammatory, and other biochemical factors acting on the heart. Recent development of robust, high-throughput tools in molecular biology provides opportunity for deep molecular characterization of population-representative cohorts and HF cases (molecular epidemiology, including genome sequencing, profiling of myocardial gene expression and chromatin modifications, plasma composition of proteins and metabolites, and microbiomes. The integration of such detailed information holds promise for improving understanding of HF pathophysiology in humans, identification of therapeutic targets, and definition of disease subgroups beyond the current classification based on ejection fraction which may benefit from improved individual tailoring of therapy. Challenges include: 1 the need for large cohorts with deep, uniform phenotyping; 2 access to the relevant tissues, ideally with repeated sampling to capture dynamic processes; and 3 analytical issues related to integration and analysis of complex datasets. International research consortia have formed to address these challenges and combine datasets, and cohorts with up to 1 million participants are being collected. This paper describes the molecular epidemiology of HF and provides an overview of methods and tissue types and examples of published and ongoing efforts to systematically evaluate molecular

  2. Nurses' decision making in heart failure management based on heart failure certification status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albert, Nancy M; Bena, James F; Buxbaum, Denise; Martensen, Linda; Morrison, Shannon L; Prasun, Marilyn A; Stamp, Kelly D

    Research findings on the value of nurse certification were based on subjective perceptions or biased by correlations of certification status and global clinical factors. In heart failure, the value of certification is unknown. Examine the value of certification based nurses' decision-making. Cross-sectional study of nurses who completed heart failure clinical vignettes that reflected decision-making in clinical heart failure scenarios. Statistical tests included multivariable linear, logistic and proportional odds logistic regression models. Of nurses (N = 605), 29.1% were heart failure certified, 35.0% were certified in another specialty/job role and 35.9% were not certified. In multivariable modeling, nurses certified in heart failure (versus not heart failure certified) had higher clinical vignette scores (p = 0.002), reflecting higher evidence-based decision making; nurses with another specialty/role certification (versus no certification) did not (p = 0.62). Heart failure certification, but not in other specialty/job roles was associated with decisions that reflected delivery of high-quality care. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. The Timed 180° Turn Test for Assessing People with Hemiplegia from Chronic Stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Regan L. Robinson

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Turning is ubiquitous in activities of daily living. For people with hemiplegia, persistent impairments in strength, balance, and coordination will affect their ability to turn safely. Consequently, turning retraining should be addressed in rehabilitation programs. To measure turning for these individuals, a reliable clinical tool is required. Objective. To investigate (i the intrarater, interrater, and test-retest reliability of the timed 180° turn test; (ii the correlation of the timed 180° turn test with other measures of stroke-specific impairments; and (iii the cut-off time that best discriminates individuals with hemiplegia from chronic stroke and healthy older adults. Methods. 33 individuals with hemiplegia due to chronic stroke and 32 healthy elderly individuals participated in this cross-sectional study. The timed 180° turn test was administered along with other measures of stroke-specific impairment. Results. The timed 180° turn test demonstrated excellent intrarater, interrater, and test-retest reliability in individuals with hemiplegia from chronic stroke. The timed 180° turn test (times significantly correlated with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Lower Extremities (FMA-LE, affected ankle plantar flexion strength, the 5-Times-Sit-To-Stand test, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG test. Conclusion. The timed 180° turn test is a reliable clinical tool to assess the turning ability of subjects with hemiplegia from chronic stroke.

  4. An estimation method of system failure frequency using both structure and component failure data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takaragi, Kazuo; Sasaki, Ryoichi; Shingai, Sadanori; Tominaga, Kenji

    1981-01-01

    In recent years, the importance of reliability analysis is appreciated for large systems such as nuclear power plants. A reliability analysis method is described for a whole system, using structure failure data for its main working subsystem and component failure data for its safety protection subsystem. The subsystem named main working system operates normally, and the subsystem named safety protection system acts as standby or protection. Thus the main and the protection systems are given mutually different failure data; then, between the subsystems, there exists common mode failure, i.e. the component failure affecting the reliability of both two. A calculation formula for sytem failure frequency is first derived. Then, a calculation method with digraphs is proposed for conditional system failure probability. Finally the results of numerical calculation are given for the purpose of explanation. (J.P.N.)

  5. Radiology of renal failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griffiths, H.J.

    1990-01-01

    This book covers most aspects of imaging studies in patients with renal failure. The initial chapter provides basic information on contrast agents, intravenous urography, and imaging findings in the urinary tract disorders responsible for renal failure and in patients who have undergone transplantation. It illustrates common gastro-intestinal abnormalities seen on barium studies in patients with renal failure. It illustrates the cardiopulmonary complications of renal failure and offers advice for radiologic differentiation. It details different aspects of skeletal changes in renal failure, including a basic description of the pathophysiology of the changes; many excellent illustrations of classic bone changes, arthritis, avascular necrosis, and soft-tissue calcifications; and details of bone mineral analysis

  6. Turning points in reactor design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beckjord, E.S.

    1995-01-01

    This article provides some historical aspects on nuclear reactor design, beginning with PWR development for Naval Propulsion and the first commercial application at Yankee Rowe. Five turning points in reactor design and some safety problems associated with them are reviewed: (1) stability of Dresden-1, (2) ECCS, (3) PRA, (4) TMI-2, and (5) advanced passive LWR designs. While the emphasis is on the thermal-hydraulic aspects, the discussion is also about reactor systems

  7. Turning points in reactor design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beckjord, E.S.

    1995-09-01

    This article provides some historical aspects on nuclear reactor design, beginning with PWR development for Naval Propulsion and the first commercial application at Yankee Rowe. Five turning points in reactor design and some safety problems associated with them are reviewed: (1) stability of Dresden-1, (2) ECCS, (3) PRA, (4) TMI-2, and (5) advanced passive LWR designs. While the emphasis is on the thermal-hydraulic aspects, the discussion is also about reactor systems.

  8. 76 FR 39589 - Promise Neighborhoods Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-06

    ... the child, not when the child turns six months, to encourage good habits from the very beginning of a... June 13, 2009, all full-power U.S. stations have broadcast digital-only signals; we do not believe...

  9. In silico platform for predicting and initiating β-turns in a protein at desired locations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Harinder; Singh, Sandeep; Raghava, Gajendra P S

    2015-05-01

    Numerous studies have been performed for analysis and prediction of β-turns in a protein. This study focuses on analyzing, predicting, and designing of β-turns to understand the preference of amino acids in β-turn formation. We analyzed around 20,000 PDB chains to understand the preference of residues or pair of residues at different positions in β-turns. Based on the results, a propensity-based method has been developed for predicting β-turns with an accuracy of 82%. We introduced a new approach entitled "Turn level prediction method," which predicts the complete β-turn rather than focusing on the residues in a β-turn. Finally, we developed BetaTPred3, a Random forest based method for predicting β-turns by utilizing various features of four residues present in β-turns. The BetaTPred3 achieved an accuracy of 79% with 0.51 MCC that is comparable or better than existing methods on BT426 dataset. Additionally, models were developed to predict β-turn types with better performance than other methods available in the literature. In order to improve the quality of prediction of turns, we developed prediction models on a large and latest dataset of 6376 nonredundant protein chains. Based on this study, a web server has been developed for prediction of β-turns and their types in proteins. This web server also predicts minimum number of mutations required to initiate or break a β-turn in a protein at specified location of a protein. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Automated multiple failure FMEA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Price, C.J.; Taylor, N.S.

    2002-01-01

    Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is typically performed by a team of engineers working together. In general, they will only consider single point failures in a system. Consideration of all possible combinations of failures is impractical for all but the simplest example systems. Even if the task of producing the FMEA report for the full multiple failure scenario were automated, it would still be impractical for the engineers to read, understand and act on all of the results. This paper shows how approximate failure rates for components can be used to select the most likely combinations of failures for automated investigation using simulation. The important information can be automatically identified from the resulting report, making it practical for engineers to study and act on the results. The strategy described in the paper has been applied to a range of electrical subsystems, and the results have confirmed that the strategy described here works well for realistically complex systems

  11. Spacecraft electrical power subsystem: Failure behavior, reliability, and multi-state failure analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, So Young; Castet, Jean-Francois; Saleh, Joseph H.

    2012-01-01

    This article investigates the degradation and failure behavior of spacecraft electrical power subsystem (EPS) on orbit. First, this work provides updated statistical reliability and multi-state failure analyses of spacecraft EPS and its different constituents, namely the batteries, the power distribution, and the solar arrays. The EPS is shown to suffer from infant mortality and to be a major driver of spacecraft unreliability. Over 25% of all spacecraft failures are the result of EPS failures. As a result, satellite manufacturers may wish to pursue targeted improvement to this subsystem, either through better testing or burn-in procedures, better design or parts selection, or additional redundancy. Second, this work investigates potential differences in the EPS degradation and failure behavior for spacecraft in low earth orbits (LEO) and geosynchronous orbits (GEO). This analysis was motivated by the recognition that the power/load cycles and the space environment are significantly different in LEO and GEO, and as such, they may result in different failure behavior for the EPS in these two types of orbits. The results indicate, and quantify the extent to which, the EPS fails differently in LEO and GEO, both in terms of frequency and severity of failure events. A casual summary of the findings can be stated as follows: the EPS fails less frequently but harder (with fatal consequences to the spacecraft) in LEO than in GEO.

  12. Promise-based management: the essence of execution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sull, Donald N; Spinosa, Charles

    2007-04-01

    Critical initiatives stall for a variety of reasons--employee disengagement, a lack of coordination between functions, complex organizational structures that obscure accountability, and so on. To overcome such obstacles, managers must fundamentally rethink how work gets done. Most of the challenges stem from broken or poorly crafted commitments. That's because every company is, at its heart, a dynamic network of promises made between employees and colleagues, customers, outsourcing partners, or other stakeholders. Executives can overcome many problems in the short-term and foster productive, reliable workforces for the long-term by practicing what the authors call "promise-based management," which involves cultivating and coordinating commitments in a systematic way. Good promises share five qualities: They are public, active, voluntary, explicit, and mission based. To develop and execute an effective promise, the "provider" and the "customer" in the deal should go through three phases of conversation. The first, achieving a meeting of minds, entails exploring the fundamental questions of coordinated effort: What do you mean? Do you understand what I mean? What should I do? What will you do? Who else should we talk to? In the next phase, making it happen, the provider executes on the promise. In the final phase, closing the loop, the customer publicly declares that the provider has either delivered the goods or failed to do so. Leaders must weave and manage their webs of promises with great care-encouraging iterative conversation and making sure commitments are fulfilled reliably. If they do, they can enhance coordination and cooperation among colleagues, build the organizational agility required to seize new business opportunities, and tap employees' entrepreneurial energies.

  13. Reactor pressure vessel failure probability following through-wall cracks due to pressurized thermal shock events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simonen, F.A.; Garnich, M.R.; Simonen, E.P.; Bian, S.H.; Nomura, K.K.; Anderson, W.E.; Pedersen, L.T.

    1986-04-01

    A fracture mechanics model was developed at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to predict the behavior of a reactor pressure vessel following a through-wall crack that occurs during a pressurized thermal shock (PTS) event. This study, which contributed to a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) program to study PTS risk, was coordinated with the Integrated Pressurized Thermal Shock (IPTS) Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The PNL fracture mechanics model uses the critical transients and probabilities of through-wall cracks from the IPTS Program. The PNL model predicts the arrest, reinitiation, and direction of crack growth for a postulated through-wall crack and thereby predicts the mode of vessel failure. A Monte-Carlo type of computer code was written to predict the probabilities of the alternative failure modes. This code treats the fracture mechanics properties of the various welds and plates of a vessel as random variables. Plant-specific calculations were performed for the Oconee-1, Calvert Cliffs-1, and H.B. Robinson-2 reactor pressure vessels for the conditions of postulated transients. The model predicted that 50% or more of the through-wall axial cracks will turn to follow a circumferential weld. The predicted failure mode is a complete circumferential fracture of the vessel, which results in a potential vertically directed missile consisting of the upper head assembly. Missile arrest calculations for the three nuclear plants predict that such vertical missiles, as well as all potential horizontally directed fragmentation type missiles, will be confined to the vessel enclosre cavity. The PNL failure mode model is recommended for use in future evaluations of other plants, to determine the failure modes that are most probable for postulated PTS events

  14. Characterization and modeling of SET/RESET cycling induced read-disturb failure time degradation in a resistive switching memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Po-Cheng; Hsu, Chun-Chi; Du, Sin-I.; Wang, Tahui

    2017-12-01

    Read operation induced disturbance in SET-state in a tungsten oxide resistive switching memory is investigated. We observe that the reduction of oxygen vacancy density during read-disturb follows power-law dependence on cumulative read-disturb time. Our study shows that the SET-state read-disturb immunity progressively degrades by orders of magnitude as SET/RESET cycle number increases. To explore the cause of the read-disturb degradation, we perform a constant voltage stress to emulate high-field stress effects in SET/RESET cycling. We find that the read-disturb failure time degradation is attributed to high-field stress-generated oxide traps. Since the stress-generated traps may substitute for some of oxygen vacancies in forming conductive percolation paths in a switching dielectric, a stressed cell has a reduced oxygen vacancy density in SET-state, which in turn results in a shorter read-disturb failure time. We develop an analytical read-disturb degradation model including both cycling induced oxide trap creation and read-disturb induced oxygen vacancy reduction. Our model can well reproduce the measured read-disturb failure time degradation in a cycled cell without using fitting parameters.

  15. How changes in top water bother big turning packs of up-going wet air

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, K.

    2017-12-01

    Big turning packs of up-going wet air form near areas of warm water at the top of big bodies of water. After these turning packs form, they usually get stronger if the top water stays warm. If the top water becomes less warm, the turning packs usually get less strong. Other things can change how strong a turning pack gets, like how wet the air around it is and if that air moves faster higher up than lower down. When these turning packs hit land, their rain and winds can hurt people and the stuff they own, especially if the turning pack is really strong. But it's hard to know how much stronger or less strong it will become before it hits land. Warm top water gives a turning pack of up-going wet air a lot of power, but cool top water doesn't, so we need to know how warm the top water is. Because I can't go into every turning pack myself, flying computers in outer space tell me what the top water is doing. I look at the top water near turning packs that get strong and see how it's different from the top water near those that get less strong. Top water that changes from warm to cool in a small area bothers a turning pack of up-going wet air, which then gets less strong. If we see these top water changes ahead of time, that might help us know what a turning pack will do before it gets close to land.

  16. Kinematical Comparison of the 200 m Backstroke Turns between National and Regional Level Swimmers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Santiago Veiga

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The aims of this investigation were to determine the evolution of selected turn variables during competitive backstroke races and to compare these kinematic variables between two different levels of swimmers. Sixteen national and regional level male swimmers participant in the 200 m backstroke event at the Spanish Swimming Championships in short course (25 m were selected to analyze their turn performances. The individual distances method with two-dimensional Direct Linear Transformation (2D-DLT algorithms was used to perform race analyses. National level swimmers presented a shorter “turn time”, a longer “distance in”, a faster “underwater velocity” and “normalized underwater velocity”, and a faster “stroking velocity” than regional level swimmers, whereas no significant differences were detected between levels for the “underwater distance”. National level swimmers maintained similar “turn times” over the event and increased “underwater velocity” and “normalized underwater velocity” in the last (seventh turn segment, whereas regional level swimmers increased “turn time” in the last half of the race. For both national and regional level swimmers, turn “underwater distance” during the last three turns of the race was significantly shorter while no significant differences in distance into the wall occurred throughout the race. The skill level of the swimmers has an impact on the competitive backstroke turn segments. In a 200 m event, the underwater velocity should be maximized to maintain turn proficiency, whereas turn distance must be subordinated to the average velocity.

  17. Prediction of beta-turns in proteins using the first-order Markov models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Thy-Hou; Wang, Ging-Ming; Wang, Yen-Tseng

    2002-01-01

    We present a method based on the first-order Markov models for predicting simple beta-turns and loops containing multiple turns in proteins. Sequences of 338 proteins in a database are divided using the published turn criteria into the following three regions, namely, the turn, the boundary, and the nonturn ones. A transition probability matrix is constructed for either the turn or the nonturn region using the weighted transition probabilities computed for dipeptides identified from each region. There are two such matrices constructed for the boundary region since the transition probabilities for dipeptides immediately preceding or following a turn are different. The window used for scanning a protein sequence from amino (N-) to carboxyl (C-) terminal is a hexapeptide since the transition probability computed for a turn tetrapeptide is capped at both the N- and C- termini with a boundary transition probability indexed respectively from the two boundary transition matrices. A sum of the averaged product of the transition probabilities of all the hexapeptides involving each residue is computed. This is then weighted with a probability computed from assuming that all the hexapeptides are from the nonturn region to give the final prediction quantity. Both simple beta-turns and loops containing multiple turns in a protein are then identified by the rising of the prediction quantity computed. The performance of the prediction scheme or the percentage (%) of correct prediction is evaluated through computation of Matthews correlation coefficients for each protein predicted. It is found that the prediction method is capable of giving prediction results with better correlation between the percent of correct prediction and the Matthews correlation coefficients for a group of test proteins as compared with those predicted using some secondary structural prediction methods. The prediction accuracy for about 40% of proteins in the database or 50% of proteins in the test set is

  18. Market failure, policy failure and other distortions in chronic disease markets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Segal Leonie

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The increasing prevalence of chronic disease represents a significant burden on most health systems. This paper explores the market failures and policy failures that exist in the management of chronic diseases. Discussion There are many sources of market failure in health care that undermine the efficiency of chronic disease management. These include incomplete information as well as information asymmetry between providers and consumers, the effect of externalities on consumer behaviour, and the divergence between social and private time preference rates. This has seen government and policy interventions to address both market failures and distributional issues resulting from the inability of private markets to reach an efficient and equitable distribution of resources. However, these have introduced a series of policy failures such as distorted re-imbursement arrangements across modalities and delivery settings. Summary The paper concludes that market failure resulting from a preference of individuals for 'immediate gratification' in the form of health care and disease management, rather than preventative services, where the benefits are delayed, has a major impact on achieving an efficient allocation of resources in markets for the management of chronic diseases. This distortion is compounded by government health policy that tends to favour medical and pharmaceutical interventions further contributing to distortions in the allocation of resources and inefficiencies in the management of chronic disease.

  19. Egg turning behavior and incubation temperature in Forster’s terns in relation to mercury contamination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Gregory T.; Ackerman, Joshua T.; Shaffer, Scott A.

    2018-01-01

    Egg turning behavior is an important determinant of egg hatchability, but it remains relatively understudied. Here, we examined egg turning rates and egg temperatures in Forster’s terns (Sterna forsteri). We used artificial eggs containing a data logger with a 3-D accelerometer, a magnetometer, and a temperature thermistor to monitor parental incubation behavior of 131 tern nests. Overall, adults turned their eggs an average (±SD) of 3.8 ± 0.8 turns h-1, which is nearly two times higher than that of other seabirds. Egg turning rates increased with nest initiation date. We also examined egg turning rates and egg temperatures in relation to egg mercury contamination. Mercury contamination has been shown to be associated with reduced egg hatchability, and we hypothesized that mercury may decrease egg hatchability via altered egg turning behavior by parents. Despite the high variability in egg turning rates among individuals, the rate of egg turning was not related to mercury concentrations in sibling eggs. These findings highlight the need for further study concerning the potential determinants of egg turning behavior.

  20. Failure detection system risk reduction assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguilar, Robert B. (Inventor); Huang, Zhaofeng (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    A process includes determining a probability of a failure mode of a system being analyzed reaching a failure limit as a function of time to failure limit, determining a probability of a mitigation of the failure mode as a function of a time to failure limit, and quantifying a risk reduction based on the probability of the failure mode reaching the failure limit and the probability of the mitigation.

  1. Treatment of uranium turning with the controllable oxidizing process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen Bingyi; Zhang Yonggang; Zhen Huikuan

    1989-02-01

    The concept, procedure and safety measures of the controllable oxidizing for uranium turning is described. The feasibility study on technological process has been made. The process provided several advantages such as: simplicity of operation, no pollution environment, safety, high efficiency and low energy consumption. The process can yield nuclear pure uranium dioxide under making no use of a great number of chemical reagent. It may supply raw material for fluoration and provide a simply method of treatment for safe store of uranium turning

  2. When States Strike Back: Failures of Mediatized Activism in Azerbaijan and Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilkin Mehrabov

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article is a theoretical investigation of the failures of oppositional online movements in the year 2011 in Azerbaijan and Turkey. Through the analysis of a set of specific cases, namely the complete dispersion of social media based opposition in Azerbaijan and arrests of Anonymous led hacktivists in Turkey, the article aims to contribute to debates on online activism in the face of growing mediatized surveillance. The article also reflects on the future of social media based activism and hacktivism, and provides a unified approach, which incorporates both types of mediatized activism in a complementary manner, by taking into consideration shortcomings and promises of both.

  3. Failure cause and failure rate evaluation on pumps of BWR plants in PSA. Hypothesis testing for typical or plant specific failure rate of pumps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanada, Takahiro; Nakamura, Makoto

    2009-01-01

    In support of domestic nuclear industry effort to gather and analyze failure data of components concerning nuclear power plants, Nuclear Information Archives (NUCIA) are published for useful information to help PSA. This report focuses on NUCIA pertaining to pumps in domestic nuclear power plants, and provides the reliable estimation on failure rate of pumps resulting from failure cause analysis and hypothesis testing of classified and plant specific failure rate of pumps for improving quality in PSA. The classified and plant specific failure rate of pumps are estimated by analyzing individual domestic nuclear power plant's data of 26 Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) concerning functionally structurally classified pump failures reported from beginning of commercial operation to March 31, 2007. (author)

  4. Turning Technology into Business Using University Patents

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hartmann, L.

    2014-01-01

    We present an education paradigm that stimulates innovation and entrepreneurship through a master's-level university course: "Turning Technology into Business". The course was specifically designed to connect technological research with education using patented technologies developed at the research

  5. Research Ethics Education in the STEM Disciplines: The Promises and Challenges of a Gaming Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briggle, Adam; Holbrook, J Britt; Oppong, Joseph; Hoffmann, Joesph; Larsen, Elizabeth K; Pluscht, Patrick

    2016-02-01

    While education in ethics and the responsible conduct of research (RCR) is widely acknowledged as an essential component of graduate education, particularly in the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math), little consensus exists on how best to accomplish this goal. Recent years have witnessed a turn toward the use of games in this context. Drawing from two NSF-funded grants (one completed and one on-going), this paper takes a critical look at the use of games in ethics and RCR education. It does so by: (a) setting the development of research and engineering ethics games in wider historical and theoretical contexts, which highlights their promise to solve important pedagogical problems; (b) reporting on some initial results from our own efforts to develop a game; and (c) reflecting on the challenges that arise in using games for ethics education. In our discussion of the challenges, we draw out lessons to improve this nascent approach to ethics education in the STEM disciplines .

  6. A “Turn-On” thiol functionalized fluorescent carbon quantum dot based chemosensory system for arsenite detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pooja, D., E-mail: poojaiitr@csio.res.in [Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi (India); Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Sectro-30 C, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Saini, Sonia; Thakur, Anupma; Kumar, Baban; Tyagi, Sachin [Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Sectro-30 C, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Nayak, Manoj K. [Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi (India); Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Sectro-30 C, Chandigarh 160030 (India)

    2017-04-15

    Highlights: • Environmental friendly carbon quantum dots grafted with thiol moieties. • The functionalized CQDs demonstrated for optical detection of arsenite in water. • High analytical performance in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and detection limit (0.086 ppb). - Abstract: Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have emerged out as promising fluorescent probes for hazardous heavy metals detection in recent past. In this study, water soluble CQDs were synthesized by facile microwave pyrolysis of citric acid & cysteamine, and functionalized with ditheritheritol to impart thiol functionalities at surface for selective detection of toxic arsenite in water. Microscopic analysis reveals that the synthesized CQDs are of uniform size (diameter ∼5 nm) and confirmed to have surface −SH groups by FT-IR. The functionalized probe is then demonstrated for arsenite detection in water by “Turn-On” read out mechanism, which reduces the possibility of false positive signals associated with “turn off’ probes reported earlier. The blue luminescent functionalized CQDs exhibit increase in fluorescence intensity on arsenite addition in 5–100 ppb wide detection range. The probe can be used for sensitive detection of arsenite in environmental water to a theoretical detection limit (3s) of 0.086 ppb (R{sup 2} = 0.9547) with good reproducibility at 2.6% relative standard deviation. The presented reliable, sensitive, rapid fCQDs probe demonstrated to exhibit high selectivity towards arsenite and exemplified for real water samples as well. The analytical performance of the presented probe is comparable to existing organic & semiconductor based optical probes.

  7. Towards a Practice Turn in EU Studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2016-01-01

    This article explores how practice theory can be recruited for the study of European integration. New generations of EU researchers are fascinated by the prospect of leaving the armchair and studying the people and artefacts that make the EU on an everyday level. This article surveys key practice......-oriented, anthropological and micro-sociological studies of the EU and European integration and shows how their findings challenge more traditional understandings of the dynamics of European integration. Moving beyond a stock-taking, the article distinguishes between ‘order- ing’ and ‘disordering’ practices and explores...... the potential of a practice turn in EU studies for both theory (overcoming dualism, replacing substantialism with processualism and rethinking power) and methods (including unstructured interviews, fieldwork and participant observation). A practice turn will force us to rethink core assumptions about the EU...

  8. Young children mostly keep, and expect others to keep, their promises.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanngiesser, Patricia; Köymen, Bahar; Tomasello, Michael

    2017-07-01

    Promises are speech acts that create an obligation to do the promised action. In three studies, we investigated whether 3- and 5-year-olds (N=278) understand the normative implications of promising in prosocial interactions. In Study 1, children helped a partner who promised to share stickers. When the partner failed to uphold the promise, 3- and 5-year-olds protested and referred to promise norms. In Study 2, when children in this same age range were asked to promise to continue a cleaning task-and they agreed-they persisted longer on the task and mentioned their obligation more frequently than without such a promise. They also persisted longer after a promise than after a cleaning reminder (Study 3). In prosocial interactions, thus, young children feel a normative obligation to keep their promises and expect others to keep their promises as well. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Heart failure as an endpoint in heart failure and non-heart failure cardiovascular clinical trials: the need for a consensus definition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zannad, F.; Stough, W.G.; Pitt, B.

    2008-01-01

    Specific criteria have been established to define the occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in cardiovascular clinical trials, but there is not a consistent definition for heart failure. Heart failure events appear to occur at a rate that is similar to stroke and MI in trials...... of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, yet a consistent approach to defining heart failure events has not yet been realized. The wide range of definitions used in clinical trials makes it difficult to interpret new data in the context of existing literature. This inconsistency has...... led to challenges in determining the incidence of heart failure in cardiovascular studies and the effects of interventions on these endpoints. This paper examines issues related to defining heart failure events in cardiovascular clinical trials and presents a definition to formally address this issue...

  10. Failure mode and effects analysis: an empirical comparison of failure mode scoring procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashley, Laura; Armitage, Gerry

    2010-12-01

    To empirically compare 2 different commonly used failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) scoring procedures with respect to their resultant failure mode scores and prioritization: a mathematical procedure, where scores are assigned independently by FMEA team members and averaged, and a consensus procedure, where scores are agreed on by the FMEA team via discussion. A multidisciplinary team undertook a Healthcare FMEA of chemotherapy administration. This included mapping the chemotherapy process, identifying and scoring failure modes (potential errors) for each process step, and generating remedial strategies to counteract them. Failure modes were scored using both an independent mathematical procedure and a team consensus procedure. Almost three-fifths of the 30 failure modes generated were scored differently by the 2 procedures, and for just more than one-third of cases, the score discrepancy was substantial. Using the Healthcare FMEA prioritization cutoff score, almost twice as many failure modes were prioritized by the consensus procedure than by the mathematical procedure. This is the first study to empirically demonstrate that different FMEA scoring procedures can score and prioritize failure modes differently. It found considerable variability in individual team members' opinions on scores, which highlights the subjective and qualitative nature of failure mode scoring. A consensus scoring procedure may be most appropriate for FMEA as it allows variability in individuals' scores and rationales to become apparent and to be discussed and resolved by the team. It may also yield team learning and communication benefits unlikely to result from a mathematical procedure.

  11. Public Choice, Market Failure, and Government Failure in Principles Textbooks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fike, Rosemarie; Gwartney, James

    2015-01-01

    Public choice uses the tools of economics to analyze how the political process allocates resources and impacts economic activity. In this study, the authors examine twenty-three principles texts regarding coverage of public choice, market failure, and government failure. Approximately half the texts provide coverage of public choice and recognize…

  12. Failure probabilistic model of CNC lathes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yiqiang; Jia Yazhou; Yu Junyi; Zheng Yuhua; Yi Shangfeng

    1999-01-01

    A field failure analysis of computerized numerical control (CNC) lathes is described. Field failure data was collected over a period of two years on approximately 80 CNC lathes. A coding system to code failure data was devised and a failure analysis data bank of CNC lathes was established. The failure position and subsystem, failure mode and cause were analyzed to indicate the weak subsystem of a CNC lathe. Also, failure probabilistic model of CNC lathes was analyzed by fuzzy multicriteria comprehensive evaluation

  13. Failure is an option: Reactions to failure in elementary engineering design projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Matthew M.

    Recent reform documents in science education have called for teachers to use epistemic practices of science and engineering researchers to teach disciplinary content (NRC, 2007; NRC, 2012; NGSS Lead States, 2013). Although this creates challenges for classroom teachers unfamiliar with engineering, it has created a need for high quality research about how students and teachers engage in engineering activities to improve curriculum development and teaching pedagogy. While framers of the Next Generation Science Standards (NRC, 2012; NGSS Lead States 2013) focused on the similarities of the practices of science researchers and engineering designers, some have proposed that engineering has a unique set of epistemic practices, including improving from failure (Cunningham & Carlsen, 2014; Cunningham & Kelly, in review). While no one will deny failures occur in science, failure in engineering is thought of in fundamentally different ways. In the study presented here, video data from eight classes of elementary students engaged in one of two civil engineering units were analyzed using methods borrowed from psychology, anthropology, and sociolinguistics to investigate: 1) the nature of failure in elementary engineering design; 2) the ways in which teachers react to failure; and 3) how the collective actions of students and teachers support or constrain improvement in engineering design. I propose new ways of considering the types and causes of failure, and note three teacher reactions to failure: the manager, the cheerleader, and the strategic partner. Because the goal of iteration in engineering is improvement, I also studied improvement. Students only systematically improve when they have the opportunity, productive strategies, and fair comparisons between prototypes. I then investigate the use of student engineering journals to assess learning from the process of improvement after failure. After discussion, I consider implications from this work as well as future research

  14. In Support of Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carr, Allison

    2013-01-01

    In this essay, I propose a concerted effort to begin devising a theory and pedagogy of failure. I review the discourse of failure in Western culture as well as in composition pedagogy, ultimately suggesting that failure is not simply a judgement or indication of rank but is a relational, affect-bearing concept with tremendous relevance to…

  15. On-Board Particulate Filter Failure Prevention and Failure Diagnostics Using Radio Frequency Sensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sappok, Alex [Filter Sensing Technologies; Ragaller, Paul [Filter Sensing Technologies; Herman, Andrew [CTS Corporation; Bromberg, L. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Prikhodko, Vitaly Y [ORNL; Parks, II, James E [ORNL; Storey, John Morse [ORNL

    2017-01-01

    The increasing use of diesel and gasoline particulate filters requires advanced on-board diagnostics (OBD) to prevent and detect filter failures and malfunctions. Early detection of upstream (engine-out) malfunctions is paramount to preventing irreversible damage to downstream aftertreatment system components. Such early detection can mitigate the failure of the particulate filter resulting in the escape of emissions exceeding permissible limits and extend the component life. However, despite best efforts at early detection and filter failure prevention, the OBD system must also be able to detect filter failures when they occur. In this study, radio frequency (RF) sensors were used to directly monitor the particulate filter state of health for both gasoline particulate filter (GPF) and diesel particulate filter (DPF) applications. The testing included controlled engine dynamometer evaluations, which characterized soot slip from various filter failure modes, as well as on-road fleet vehicle tests. The results show a high sensitivity to detect conditions resulting in soot leakage from the particulate filter, as well as potential for direct detection of structural failures including internal cracks and melted regions within the filter media itself. Furthermore, the measurements demonstrate, for the first time, the capability to employ a direct and continuous monitor of particulate filter diagnostics to both prevent and detect potential failure conditions in the field.

  16. Promising Compilation to ARMv8 POP

    OpenAIRE

    Podkopaev, Anton; Lahav, Ori; Vafeiadis, Viktor

    2017-01-01

    We prove the correctness of compilation of relaxed memory accesses and release-acquire fences from the "promising" semantics of [Kang et al. POPL'17] to the ARMv8 POP machine of [Flur et al. POPL'16]. The proof is highly non-trivial because both the ARMv8 POP and the promising semantics provide some extremely weak consistency guarantees for normal memory accesses; however, they do so in rather different ways. Our proof of compilation correctness to ARMv8 POP strengthens the results of the Kan...

  17. Using a virtual breakthrough series collaborative to reduce postoperative respiratory failure in 16 Veterans Health Administration hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zubkoff, Lisa; Neily, Julia; Mills, Peter D; Borzecki, Ann; Shin, Marlena; Lynn, Marilyn M; Gunnar, William; Rosen, Amy

    2014-01-01

    The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Virtual Breakthrough Series (VBTS) process was used in an eight-month (June 2011-January 2012) quality improvement (QI) project to improve care related to reducing postoperative respiratory failure. The VBTS collaborative drew on Patient Safety Indicator 11: Postoperative Respiratory Failure Rate to guide changes in care at the bedside. Sixteen Veterans Health Administration hospitals, each representing a regional Veterans Integrated Service Network, participated in the QI project. During the prework phase (initial two months), hospitals formed multidisciplinary teams, selected measures related to their goals, and collected baseline data. The six-month action phase included group conference calls in which the faculty presented clinical background on the topic, discussed evidence-based processes of care, and/or presented content regarding reducing postoperative respiratory failure. During a final, six-month continuous improvement and spread phase, teams were to continue implementing changes as part of their usual processes. The six most commonly reported interventions to reduce postoperative respiratory failure focused on improving incentive spirometer use, documenting implementation of targeted interventions, oral care, standardized orders, early ambulation, and provider education. A few teams reported reduced ICU readmissions for respiratory failure. The VBTS collaborative helped teams implement process changes to help reduce postoperative respiratory complications. Teams reported initial success at implementing site-specific improvements using real-time data. The VBTS model shows promise for knowledge sharing and efficient multifacility improvement efforts, although long-term sustainability and testing in these and other settings need to be examined.

  18. Diamond turning of thermoplastic polymers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, E.; Scattergood, R.O.

    1988-12-01

    Single point diamond turning studies were made using a series of thermoplastic polymers with different glass transition temperatures. Variations in surface morphology and surface roughness were observed as a function of cutting speed. Lower glass transition temperatures facilitate smoother surface cuts and better surface finish. This can be attributed to the frictional heating that occurs during machining. Because of the very low glass transition temperatures in polymeric compared to inorganic glasses, the precision machining response can be very speed sensitive.

  19. Effect of surface integrity of hard turned AISI 52100 steel on fatigue performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, Stephen; Melkote, Shreyes N.; Lara-Curzio, Edgar; Watkins, Thomas R.; Allard, Larry; Riester, Laura

    2007-01-01

    This paper addresses the relationship between surface integrity and fatigue life of hard turned AISI 52100 steel (60-62 HRC), with grinding as a benchmark. The impact of superfinishing on the fatigue performance of hard turned and ground surfaces is also discussed. Specifically, the surface integrity and fatigue life of the following five distinct surface conditions are examined: hard turned with continuous white layer, hard turned with no white layer, ground, and superfinished hard turned and ground specimens. Surface integrity of the specimens is characterized via surface topography measurement, metallography, residual stress measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nano-indentation tests. High cycle tension-tension fatigue tests show that the presence of white layer does not adversely affect fatigue life and that, on average, the hard turned surface performs as well or better than the ground surface. The effect of superfinishing is to exaggerate these differences in performance. The results obtained from this study suggest that the effect of residual stress on fatigue life is more significant than the effect of white layer. For the hard turned surfaces, the fatigue life is found to be directly proportional to both the surface compressive residual stress and the maximum compressive residual stress. Possible explanations for the observed effects are discussed

  20. Strategies of learning from failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edmondson, Amy C

    2011-04-01

    Many executives believe that all failure is bad (although it usually provides Lessons) and that Learning from it is pretty straightforward. The author, a professor at Harvard Business School, thinks both beliefs are misguided. In organizational life, she says, some failures are inevitable and some are even good. And successful learning from failure is not simple: It requires context-specific strategies. But first leaders must understand how the blame game gets in the way and work to create an organizational culture in which employees feel safe admitting or reporting on failure. Failures fall into three categories: preventable ones in predictable operations, which usually involve deviations from spec; unavoidable ones in complex systems, which may arise from unique combinations of needs, people, and problems; and intelligent ones at the frontier, where "good" failures occur quickly and on a small scale, providing the most valuable information. Strong leadership can build a learning culture-one in which failures large and small are consistently reported and deeply analyzed, and opportunities to experiment are proactively sought. Executives commonly and understandably worry that taking a sympathetic stance toward failure will create an "anything goes" work environment. They should instead recognize that failure is inevitable in today's complex work organizations.

  1. Citizen Science in the Classroom: Perils and Promise of the New Web

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loughran, T.; Dirksen, R.

    2010-12-01

    Classroom citizen science projects invite students to generate, curate, post, query, and analyze data, publishing and discussing results in potentially large collaborative contexts. The new web offers a rich palette of such projects for any STEM educator to select from or create. This easy access to citizen science in the classroom is full of both promise and peril for science education. By offering examples of classroom citizen science projects in particle physics, earth and environmental sciences, each supported by a common mashup of technologies available to ordinary users, we will illustrate something of the promise of these projects for science education, and point to some of the challenges and failure modes--the peril--raised by easy access and particularly easy publication of data. How one sensibly responds to this promise and peril depends on how one views the goals of science (or more broadly, STEM) education: either as the equipping of individual students with STEM knowledge and skills so as to empower them for future options, or as the issuing of effective invitations into STEM communities. Building on the claim that these are complementary perspectives, both of value, we will provide an example of a classroom citizen science project analyzed from both perspectives. The BOSCO classroom-to-classroom water source mapping project provides students both in Northern Uganda and in South Dakota a collaborative platform for analyzing and responding to local water quality concerns. Students gather water quality data, use Google Forms embedded in a project wiki to enter data in a spreadsheet, which then automatically (through Mapalist, a free web service) gets posted to a Google Map, itself embedded in the project wiki. Using these technologies, data is thus collected and posted for analysis in a collaborative environment: the stage is set for classroom citizen science. In the context of this project we will address the question of how teachers can take advantage

  2. TESTING OF THE OSCILLATIONS DAMPING CAPABILITY BY EXTERNAL TURNING WITH THE USE OF ALTERNATE BARS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TURNING TOOL HOLDER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marten Madissoo

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Modern machinery is highly demanding and the requirement for producing high quality parts is crucial in modern engineering. The most important is the setting of dimensions and tolerances of the surfaces which work together. The shape- and position tolerances may raise the existence of failures and can affect the performance of different machinery. Consequently it is very important that the cutting process is as stable as possible in order to get the best quality parts and to achieve the maximum lifetime of the cutting tool. Unfortunately the machining of complex products from hard materials is accompanied by loss of stability of the cutting process, which leads to tool oscillations, causing an increasing wear of the cutting tools, reducing the lifetime of the machine actuators, which ultimately affects the quality and accuracy of processing responsible products. To avoid this kind of chatter vibrations it is possible to construct specialized cutting tools and tool holder witch reduce this kind of vibrations and can help to increase the manufacturing precision of machine components. In consequence of this the paper focuses on testing the utility effect of a cutting tool holder with alternate bars of different material structure in its construction. The different bars are made from rolled steel and have an anisotropic structure which also has different mechanical properties. This construction is considered as a method to improve the cutting stability of the cutting tool and helps to reduce the oscillations in the finishing turning. The method for the construction of the damper instrument holder with alternate bars is proposed.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.21.3.7351

  3. The Promise of a College Scholarship Transforms a District

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritter, Gary W.; Ash, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    Promise programs are place-based scholarships, generally tied to a city or school district, offering near-universal access to all living in the "place." While Promise programs share some characteristics with other scholarship programs, they're unique because they seek to change communities and schools. Underlying such promise programs is…

  4. Fracture Resistance and Mode of Failure of Ceramic versus Titanium Implant Abutments and Single Implant-Supported Restorations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sghaireen, Mohd G

    2015-06-01

    The material of choice for implant-supported restorations is affected by esthetic requirements and type of abutment. This study compares the fracture resistance of different types of implant abutments and implant-supported restorations and their mode of failure. Forty-five Oraltronics Pitt-Easy implants (Oraltronics Dental Implant Technology GmbH, Bremen, Germany) (4 mm diameter, 10 mm length) were embedded in clear autopolymerizing acrylic resin. The implants were randomly divided into three groups, A, B and C, of 15 implants each. In group A, titanium abutments and metal-ceramic crowns were used. In group B, zirconia ceramic abutments and In-Ceram Alumina crowns were used. In group C, zirconia ceramic abutments and IPS Empress Esthetic crowns were used. Specimens were tested to failure by applying load at 130° from horizontal plane using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Subsequently, the mode of failure of each specimen was identified. Fracture resistance was significantly different between groups (p Empress crowns supported by zirconia abutments had the lowest fracture loads (p = .000). Fracture modes of metal-ceramic crowns supported by titanium abutments included screw fracture and screw bending. Fracture of both crown and abutment was the dominant mode of failure of In-Ceram/IPS Empress crowns supported by zirconia abutments. Metal-ceramic crowns supported by titanium abutments were more resistant to fracture than In-Ceram crowns supported by zirconia abutments, which in turn were more resistant to fracture than IPS Empress crowns supported by zirconia abutments. In addition, failure modes of restorations supported by zirconia abutments were more catastrophic than those for restorations supported by titanium abutments. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Analysis of failures in concrete containments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno-Gonzalez, A.

    1989-09-01

    The function of Containment, in an accident event, is to avoid the release of radioactive substances into the surroundings. Containment failure, therefore, is defined as the appearance of leak paths to the external environment. These leak paths may appear either as a result of loss of leaktightness due to degradation of design conditions or structural failure with containment material break. This document is a survey of the state of the art of Containment Failure Analysis. It gives a detailed description of all failure mechanisms, indicating all the possible failure modes and their causes, right from failure resulting from degradation of the materials to structural failure and linear breake failure. Following the description of failure modes, possible failure criteria are identified, with special emphasis on structural failure criteria. These criteria have been obtained not only from existing codes but also from the latest experimental results. A chapter has been dedicated exclusively to failure criteria in conventional structures, for the purpose of evaluating the possibility of application to the case of containment. As the structural behaviour of the containment building is very complex, it is not possible to define failure through a single parameter. It is therefore advisable to define a methodology for containment failure analysis which could be applied to a particular containment. This methodology should include prevailing load and material conditions together with the behaviour of complex conditions such as the liner-anchorage-cracked concrete interaction

  6. ISS Solar Array Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) Bearing Failure and Recovery: Technical and Project Management Lessons Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    DellaCorte, Christopher; Krantz, Timothy L.; Dube, Michael J.

    2011-01-01

    The photovoltaic solar panels on the International Space Station (ISS) track the Sun through continuous rotating motion enabled by large bearings on the main truss called solar array alpha rotary joints (SARJs). In late 2007, shortly after installation, the starboard SARJ had become hard to turn and had to be shut down after exceeding drive current safety limits. The port SARJ, of the same design, had been working well for over 2 years. An exhaustive failure investigation ensued that included multiple extravehicular activities to collect information and samples for engineering forensics, detailed structural and thermal analyses, and a careful review of the build records. The ultimate root cause was determined to be kinematic design vulnerability coupled with inadequate lubrication, and manufacturing flaws; this was corroborated through ground tests, metallurgical studies, and modeling. A highly successful recovery plan was developed and implemented that included replacing worn and damaged components in orbit and applying space-compatible grease to improve lubrication. Beyond the technical aspects, however, lie several key programmatic lessons learned. These lessons, such as running ground tests to intentional failure to experimentally verify failure modes, are reviewed and discussed so they can be applied to future projects to avoid such problems.

  7. Surface Corrosion Resistance in Turning of Titanium Alloy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui Zhang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This work addresses the issues associated with implant surface modification. We propose a method to form the oxide film on implant surfaces by dry turning to generate heat and injecting oxygen-rich gas at the turning-tool flank. The morphology, roughness, composition, and thickness of the oxide films in an oxygen-rich atmosphere were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, optical profiling, and Auger electron spectroscopy. Electrochemical methods were used to study the corrosion resistance of the modified surfaces. The corrosion resistance trends, analyzed relative to the oxide film thickness, indicate that the oxide film thickness is the major factor affecting the corrosion resistance of titanium alloys in a simulated body fluid (SBF. Turning in an oxygen-rich atmosphere can form a thick oxide film on the implant surface. The thickness of surface oxide films processed at an oxygen concentration of 80% was improved to 4.6 times that of films processed at an oxygen concentration of 21%; the free corrosion potential shifted positively by 0.357 V, which significantly improved the corrosion resistance of titanium alloys in the SBF. Therefore, the proposed method may (partially replace the subsequent surface oxidation. This method is significant for biomedical development because it shortens the process flow, improves the efficiency, and lowers the cost.

  8. When attempts at robbing prey turn fatal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dejean, Alain; Corbara, Bruno; Azémar, Frédéric; Carpenter, James M.

    2012-07-01

    Because group-hunting arboreal ants spread-eagle insect prey for a long time before retrieving them, these prey can be coveted by predatory flying insects. Yet, attempting to rob these prey is risky if the ant species is also an effective predator. Here, we show that trying to rob prey from Azteca andreae workers is a fatal error as 268 out of 276 potential cleptobionts (97.1 %) were captured in turn. The ant workers hunt in a group and use the "Velcro®" principle to cling firmly to the leaves of their host tree, permitting them to capture very large prey. Exceptions were one social wasp, plus some Trigona spp. workers and flies that landed directly on the prey and were able to take off immediately when attacked. We conclude that in this situation, previously captured prey attract potential cleptobionts that are captured in turn in most of the cases.

  9. Magnet failure workshop

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marston, P G [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge (U.S.A.); Desportes, H [C.E.N.-Saclay, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Morpurgo, M [C.E.R.N., Geneva (Switzerland); Komarek, P [Kernforschungszentrum, Karlsruhe (Germany, FR); Van Hulst, K [University of Nijmegen (The Netherlands); Hackley, D [General Dynamics Convair, San Diego, CA (U.S.A.); Young, J L [Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, PE (U.S.A.); Kibbe, K [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (U.S.A.)

    1984-01-01

    The dictionary defines failure as nonperformance or an unacceptable want of success. (The definition implies that the results should have been avoided). In an emerging technology such as ours, the boundaries of expectations and ''unacceptable success'' are often ill defined. Failures are often touted as hugh successes (occasionally rightfully so) and exceptional technological achievement can become dismal failure (if expectations are too high). We all, however, have experienced problems of one sort or another and the basic purpose of the workshop was simply to communicate these so that new or future workers don't make the same mistakes.

  10. Magnet failure workshop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marston, P.G.; Desportes, H.; Morpurgo, M.; Komarek, P.; Van Hulst, K.; Hackley, D.; Young, J.L.; Kibbe, K.

    1984-01-01

    The dictionary defines failure as nonperformance or an unacceptable want of success. (The definition implies that the results should have been avoided). In an emerging technology such as ours, the boundaries of expectations and ''unacceptable success'' are often ill defined. Failures are often touted as hugh successes (occasionally rightfully so) and exceptional technological achievement can become dismal failure (if expectations are too high). We all, however, have experienced problems of one sort or another and the basic purpose of the workshop was simply to communicate these so that new or future workers don't make the same mistakes

  11. Failure investigation of super heater tubes of coal fired power plant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.K. Pramanick

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Cause of failure of two adjacent super heater tubes made of Cr-Mo steel of a coal based 60 MW thermal power plant has been portrayed in present investigation. Oxide deposits were found on internal surface of tubes. Deposits created significant resistance to heat transfer and resulted in undesirable rise in component temperature. This situation, in turn, aggravated the condition of gas side that was exposed to high temperature. Localized heating coarsened carbides as well as propelled precipitation of new brittle phases along grain boundary resulting in embrittlement of tube material. Continuous exposure to high temperature softened the tube material and tube wall was thinned down with bulging toward outside. Creep void formation along grain boundary was observed and steered intergranular cracking. All these effects contributed synergistically and tubes were failed ultimately due to overload under high Hoop stress.

  12. Social conformity and propagation of information in collective U-turns of fish schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lecheval, Valentin; Jiang, Li; Tichit, Pierre; Sire, Clément; Hemelrijk, Charlotte K; Theraulaz, Guy

    2018-04-25

    Moving animal groups such as schools of fishes or flocks of birds often undergo sudden collective changes of their travelling direction as a consequence of stochastic fluctuations in heading of the individuals. However, the mechanisms by which these behavioural fluctuations arise at the individual level and propagate within a group are still unclear. In this study, we combine an experimental and theoretical approach to investigate spontaneous collective U-turns in groups of rummy-nose tetra ( Hemigrammus rhodostomus ) swimming in a ring-shaped tank. U-turns imply that fish switch their heading between the clockwise and anticlockwise direction. We reconstruct trajectories of individuals moving alone and in groups of different sizes. We show that the group decreases its swimming speed before a collective U-turn. This is in agreement with previous theoretical predictions showing that speed decrease facilitates an amplification of fluctuations in heading in the group, which can trigger U-turns. These collective U-turns are mostly initiated by individuals at the front of the group. Once an individual has initiated a U-turn, the new direction propagates through the group from front to back without amplification or dampening, resembling the dynamics of falling dominoes. The mean time between collective U-turns sharply increases as the size of the group increases. We develop an Ising spin model integrating anisotropic and asymmetrical interactions between fish and their tendency to follow the majority of their neighbours nonlinearly (social conformity). The model quantitatively reproduces key features of the dynamics and the frequency of collective U-turns observed in experiments. © 2018 The Author(s).

  13. Ductile shear failure or plug failure of spot welds modelled by modified Gurson model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kim Lau; Tvergaard, Viggo

    2010-01-01

    For resistance spot welded shear-lab specimens, interfacial failure under ductile shearing or ductile plug failure are analyzed numerically, using a shear modified Gurson model. The interfacial shear failure occurs under very low stress triaxiality, where the original Gurson model would predict...

  14. Recognition during recall failure: Semantic feature matching as a mechanism for recognition of semantic cues when recall fails.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cleary, Anne M; Ryals, Anthony J; Wagner, Samantha R

    2016-01-01

    Research suggests that a feature-matching process underlies cue familiarity-detection when cued recall with graphemic cues fails. When a test cue (e.g., potchbork) overlaps in graphemic features with multiple unrecalled studied items (e.g., patchwork, pitchfork, pocketbook, pullcork), higher cue familiarity ratings are given during recall failure of all of the targets than when the cue overlaps in graphemic features with only one studied target and that target fails to be recalled (e.g., patchwork). The present study used semantic feature production norms (McRae et al., Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 37, 547-559, 2005) to examine whether the same holds true when the cues are semantic in nature (e.g., jaguar is used to cue cheetah). Indeed, test cues (e.g., cedar) that overlapped in semantic features (e.g., a_tree, has_bark, etc.) with four unretrieved studied items (e.g., birch, oak, pine, willow) received higher cue familiarity ratings during recall failure than test cues that overlapped in semantic features with only two (also unretrieved) studied items (e.g., birch, oak), which in turn received higher familiarity ratings during recall failure than cues that did not overlap in semantic features with any studied items. These findings suggest that the feature-matching theory of recognition during recall failure can accommodate recognition of semantic cues during recall failure, providing a potential mechanism for conceptually-based forms of cue recognition during target retrieval failure. They also provide converging evidence for the existence of the semantic features envisaged in feature-based models of semantic knowledge representation and for those more concretely specified by the production norms of McRae et al. (Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 37, 547-559, 2005).

  15. 3D characterisation of tool wear whilst diamond turning silicon

    OpenAIRE

    Durazo-Cardenas, Isidro Sergio; Shore, Paul; Luo, X.; Jacklin, T.; Impey, S. A.; Cox, A.

    2006-01-01

    Nanometrically smooth infrared silicon optics can be manufactured by the diamond turning process. Due to its relatively low density, silicon is an ideal optical material for weight sensitive infrared (IR) applications. However, rapid diamond tool edge degradation and the effect on the achieved surface have prevented significant exploitation. With the aim of developing a process model to optimise the diamond turning of silicon optics, a series of experimental trials were devi...

  16. Prestudy - Development of trend analysis of component failure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poern, K.

    1995-04-01

    The Bayesian trend analysis model that has been used for the computation of initiating event intensities (I-book) is based on the number of events that have occurred during consecutive time intervals. The model itself is a Poisson process with time-dependent intensity. For the analysis of aging it is often more relevant to use times between failures for a given component as input, where by 'time' is meant a quantity that best characterizes the age of the component (calendar time, operating time, number of activations etc). Therefore, it has been considered necessary to extend the model and the computer code to allow trend analysis of times between events, and also of several sequences of times between events. This report describes this model extension as well as an application on an introductory ageing analysis of centrifugal pumps defined in Table 5 of the T-book. The application in turn directs the attention to the need for further development of both the trend model and the data base. Figs

  17. Interferometric evaluation of diamond-turned mirrors for CO2 laser fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munroe, J.L.

    1979-01-01

    It is shown that single-point diamond-turned optics exhibit different characteristics than conventionally manufactured optics and the type of information required by the machinist is quite different than the information that would be required by an optician. It was also seen, with Antares being a good example, that single-point diamond turning allows the manufacture of geometries and scales that might be unthinkable if conventional manufacturing were to be used. As single-point diamond turning continues to improve in quality, machined optics will find application at shorter and shorter wavelengths. A whole new formalism to describe manufacturing errors in terms meaningful to the machinist will have to be developed

  18. Efficiency analysis of the speed turns in the crawl stroke swimming.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Savchenko M.I.

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary approaches to improving technique of the speed in the crawl stroke swimming, namely roll-forward turn were considered in the paper. The performance efficiency is defined by the time covering 15 meter distance. The students of the sports mastering group aged 16-20 took part in the experiment. The video recordings of the Ukrainian, European and World Championships and Deflympic Games, and also chronometration during the department trainings served as the experimental data. The research showed that white improving the technical level of turns performance, the attention should be paid to the exact performance of all the elements of the turns.

  19. The Lewisian turning point and international migration: the case of Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, S

    1994-01-01

    "This article critically examines the Lewisian turning point [concerning the availability of unlimited manpower resources] in light of Japan's experience since the mid-1800s. Japan reached its Lewisian turning point around 1960. Contrary to the assumptions of the theory however, the findings for Japan indicate that political factors have been more determinative of the rate of migration than purely economic ones. Prior to its turning point in 1960, international relations, war and forced repatriation were the decisive factors. Recently, though the inflow of foreign workers to fill labor shortages has increased, so also has the outflow of Japanese to accompany direct foreign investment." excerpt

  20. Failure analysis of buried tanks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watkins, R.K.

    1994-01-01

    Failure of a buried tank can be hazardous. Failure may be a leak through which product is lost from the tank; but also through which contamination can occur. Failures are epidemic -- because buried tanks are out of sight, but also because designers of buried tanks have adopted analyses developed for pressure tanks. So why do pressure tanks fail when they are buried? Most failures of buried tanks are really soil failures. Soil compresses, or slips, or liquefies. Soil is not only a load, it is a support without which the tank deforms. A high water table adds to the load on the tank. It also reduces the strength of the soil. Based on tests, structural analyses are proposed for empty tanks buried in soils of various quality, with the water table at various levels, and with internal vacuum. Failure may be collapse tank. Such collapse is a sudden, audible inversion of the cylinder when the sidefill soil slips. Failure may be flotation. Failure may be a leak. Most leaks are fractures in the welds in overlap seams at flat spots. Flat spots are caused by a hard bedding or a heavy surface wheel load. Because the tank wall is double thick at the overlap, shearing stress in the weld is increased. Other weld failures occur when an end plate shears down past a cylinder; or when the tank is supported only at its ends like a beam. These, and other, failures can be analyzed with justifiable accuracy using basic principles of mechanics of materials. 10 figs

  1. Strategy in Generative Planning of Turning Processes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Houten, Frederikus J.A.M.; Kals, H.J.J.

    1986-01-01

    This paper reports on the process and operations planning system ROUND and the strategies which underlie the decision making processes in the planning of turning operations. At first, an outline is given about the environment for which generative systems like ROUND are being developed. The

  2. Variation in Cognitive Failures: An Individual Differences Investigation of Everyday Attention and Memory Failures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unsworth, Nash; Brewer, Gene A.; Spillers, Gregory J.

    2012-01-01

    The present study examined individual differences in everyday cognitive failures assessed by diaries. A large sample of participants completed various cognitive ability measures in the laboratory. Furthermore, a subset of these participants also recorded everyday cognitive failures (attention, retrospective memory, and prospective memory failures)…

  3. Insomnia Self-Management in Heart Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-05

    Cardiac Failure; Heart Failure; Congestive Heart Failure; Heart Failure, Congestive; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Chronic Insomnia; Disorders of Initiating and Maintaining Sleep; Fatigue; Pain; Depressive Symptoms; Sleep Disorders; Anxiety

  4. Lessons learned from failure analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le May, I.

    2006-01-01

    Failure analysis can be a very useful tool to designers and operators of plant and equipment. It is not simply something that is done for lawyers and insurance companies, but is a tool from which lessons can be learned and by means of which the 'breed' can be improved. In this presentation, several failure investigations that have contributed to understanding will be presented. Specifically, the following cases will be discussed: 1) A fire at a refinery that occurred in a desulphurization unit. 2) The failure of a pipeline before it was even put into operation. 3) Failures in locomotive axles that took place during winter operation. The refinery fire was initially blamed on defective Type 321 seamless stainless steel tubing, but there were conflicting views between 'experts' involved as to the mechanism of failure and the writer was called upon to make an in-depth study. This showed that there were a variety of failure mechanism involved, including high temperature fracture, environmentally-induced cracking and possible manufacturing defects. The unraveling of the failure sequence is described and illustrated. The failure of an oil transmission was discovered when the line was pressure tested some months after it had been installed and before it was put into service. Repairs were made and failure occurred in another place upon the next pressure test being conducted. After several more repairs had been made the line was abandoned and a lawsuit was commenced on the basis that the steel was defective. An investigation disclosed that the material was sensitive to embrittlement and the causes of this were determined. As a result, changes were made in the microstructural control of the product to avoid similar problems in future. A series of axle failures occurred in diesel electric locomotives during winter. An investigation was made to determine the nature of the failures which were not by classical fatigue, nor did they correspond to published illustrations of Cu

  5. New insights into the gut as the driver of critical illness and organ failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Mei; Klingensmith, Nathan J; Coopersmith, Craig M

    2017-04-01

    The gut has long been hypothesized to be the 'motor' of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. This review serves as an update on new data elucidating the role of the gut as the propagator of organ failure in critical illness. Under basal conditions, the gut absorbs nutrients and serves as a barrier that prevents approximately 40 trillion intraluminal microbes and their products from causing host injury. However, in critical illness, gut integrity is disrupted with hyperpermeability and increased epithelial apoptosis, allowing contamination of extraluminal sites that are ordinarily sterile. These alterations in gut integrity are further exacerbated in the setting of preexisting comorbidities. The normally commensal microflora is also altered in critical illness, with increases in microbial virulence and decreases in diversity, which leads to further pathologic responses within the host. All components of the gut are adversely impacted by critical illness. Gut injury can not only propagate local damage, but can also cause distant injury and organ failure. Understanding how the multifaceted components of the gut interact and how these are perturbed in critical illness may play an important role in turning off the 'motor' of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in the future.

  6. Negotiating behavioural change: therapists' proposal turns in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekberg, Katie; Lecouteur, Amanda

    2012-01-01

    Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an internationally recognised method for treating depression. However, many of the techniques involved in CBT are accomplished within the therapy interaction in diverse ways, and with varying consequences for the trajectory of therapy session. This paper uses conversation analysis to examine some standard ways in which therapists propose suggestions for behavioural change to clients attending CBT sessions for depression in Australia. Therapists' proposal turns displayed their subordinate epistemic authority over the matter at hand, and emphasised a high degree of optionality on behalf of the client in accepting their suggestions. This practice was routinely accomplished via three standard proposal turns: (1) hedged recommendations; (2) interrogatives; and (3) information-giving. These proposal turns will be examined in relation to the negotiation of behavioural change, and the implications for CBT interactions between therapist and client will be discussed.

  7. The multi-class binomial failure rate model for the treatment of common-cause failures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hauptmanns, U.

    1995-01-01

    The impact of common cause failures (CCF) on PSA results for NPPs is in sharp contrast with the limited quality which can be achieved in their assessment. This is due to the dearth of observations and cannot be remedied in the short run. Therefore the methods employed for calculating failure rates should be devised such as to make the best use of the few available observations on CCF. The Multi-Class Binomial Failure Rate (MCBFR) Model achieves this by assigning observed failures to different classes according to their technical characteristics and applying the BFR formalism to each of these. The results are hence determined by a superposition of BFR type expressions for each class, each of them with its own coupling factor. The model thus obtained flexibly reproduces the dependence of CCF rates on failure multiplicity insinuated by the observed failure multiplicities. This is demonstrated by evaluating CCFs observed for combined impulse pilot valves in German NPPs. (orig.) [de

  8. Bodies with noncircular cross sections and bank-to-turn missiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, C. M., Jr.; Sawyer, W. C.

    1992-01-01

    A development status evaluation is presented for the aerodynamics of missile configurations with noncircular cross-sections and bank-to-turn maneuvering systems, giving attention to cases with elliptical and square cross-sections, as well as bodies with variable cross-sections. The assessment of bank-to-turn missile performance notes inherent stability/control problems. A summary and index are provided for aerodynamic data on monoplanar configurations, including those which incorporate airbreathing propulsion systems.

  9. Learning, Teaching, and Turn Taking in the Repeated Assignment Game

    OpenAIRE

    Timothy N. Cason; Sau-Him Paul Lau; Vai-Lam Mui

    2011-01-01

    History-dependent strategies are often used to support cooperation in repeated game models. Using the indefinitely repeated common-pool resource assignment game and a perfect stranger experimental design, this paper reports novel evidence that players who have successfully used an efficiency-enhancing turn-taking strategy will teach other players in subsequent supergames to adopt this strategy. We find that subjects engage in turn taking frequently in both the Low Conflict and the High Confli...

  10. Nonacetaminophen Drug-Induced Acute Liver Failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Arul M; Lewis, James H

    2018-05-01

    Acute liver failure of all causes is diagnosed in between 2000 and 2500 patients annually in the United States. Drug-induced acute liver failure is the leading cause of acute liver failure, accounting for more than 50% of cases. Nonacetaminophen drug injury represents 11% of all cases in the latest registry from the US Acute Liver Failure Study Group. Although rare, acute liver failure is clinically dramatic when it occurs, and requires a multidisciplinary approach to management. In contrast with acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure, non-acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure has a more ominous prognosis with a lower liver transplant-free survival. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Current-day precision oncology: from cancer prevention, screening, drug development, and treatment - have we fallen short of the promise?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Gilberto; Aftimos, Philippe; Awada, Ahmad

    2016-09-01

    Precision oncology has been a strategy of prevention, screening, and treatment. Although much has been invested, have the results fallen so far short of the promise? The advancement of technology and research has opened new doors, yet a variety of pitfalls are present. This review presents the successes, failures, and opportunities of precision oncology in the current landscape. The use of targeted gene sequencing and the overwhelming results of superresponders have generated much excitement and support for precision oncology from the medical community. Despite notable successes, many challenges still pave the way of precision oncology: intratumoral heterogeneity, the need for serial biopsies, availability of treatments, target prioritization, ethical issues with germline incidental findings, medical education, clinical trial design, and costs. Precision oncology shows much potential through the use of next-generation sequencing and molecular advances, but does this potential warrant the investment? There are many obstacles on the way of this technology that should make us question if the investment (both monetary and man-hours) will live up to the promise. The review aims to not criticize this technology, but to give a realistic view of where we are, especially regarding cancer treatment and prevention.

  12. Effect of transmitter turn-off time on transient soundings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitterman, D.V.; Anderson, W.L.

    1987-01-01

    A general procedure for computing the effect of non-zero turn-off time on the transient electromagnetic response is presented which can be applied to forward and inverse calculation methods for any transmitter-receiver configuration. We consider in detail the case of a large transmitter loop which has a receiver coil located at the center of the loop (central induction or in-loop array). For a linear turn-off ramp of width t0, the voltage response is shown to be the voltage due to an ideal step turn-off averaged over windows of width t0. Thus the effect is similar to that obtained by using averaging windows in the receiver. In general when time zero is taken to be the end of the ramp, the apparent resistivity increases for a homogeneous half-space over a limited time range. For time zero taken to be the start of the ramp the apparent resistivity is affected in the opposite direction. The effect of the ramp increases with increasing t0 and first-layer resistivity, is largest during the intermediate stage, and decreases with increasing time. It is shown that for a ramp turn-off, there is no effect in the early and late stages. For two-layered models with a resistive first layer (??1>??2), the apparent resistivity is increased in the intermediate stage. When the first layer is more conductive than the second layer (??1interpretation as shown by field examples; the influence is the greatest on near-surface layer parameters. ?? 1987.

  13. Composting of tobacco plant waste by manual turning and forced aeration system

    OpenAIRE

    Nonglak Saithep

    2009-01-01

    The efficiency of tobacco plant waste composting, by the manual turning and the forced aeration system, was compared. Tobacco plant waste, cow manure, urea fertiliser, and a compost inoculum mixture at a 100:10:0.2:0.01 ratio respectively, with 60% (w/v) moisture content, were set up in piling forms. The piles of the manual turning system were provided with turning aeration by hand at intervals of 7 days during the composting process. For the forced aeration system, each pile was aerated by a...

  14. Postcolonial turn : re-imagining anthropology and Africa

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Devisch, R.; Nyamnjoh, F.

    2011-01-01

    This book is a reflection on the mental decolonization of the postcolonialist turn in Africanist scholarship and is simultaneously a tribute to the late Professor Archibald Mafeje. A number of the articles, including the Introduction by A. Olukoshi and F. Nyamnjoh, are reprinted from the Codesria

  15. Neurological Respiratory Failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohan Rudrappa

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available West Nile virus infection in humans is mostly asymptomatic. Less than 1% of neuro-invasive cases show a fatality rate of around 10%. Acute flaccid paralysis of respiratory muscles leading to respiratory failure is the most common cause of death. Although the peripheral nervous system can be involved, isolated phrenic nerve palsy leading to respiratory failure is rare and described in only two cases in the English literature. We present another case of neurological respiratory failure due to West Nile virus-induced phrenic nerve palsy. Our case reiterates the rare, but lethal, consequences of West Nile virus infection, and the increase of its awareness among physicians.

  16. Corrosion failure analysis as related to prevention of corrosion failures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suss, H.

    1977-10-01

    The factors and conditions which have contributed to many of the corrosion related service failures are discussed based on a review of actual case histories. The anti-corrosion devices which developed as a result of these failure analyses are reviewed, and the method which must be adopted and used to take advantage of the available corrosion prevention techniques is discussed

  17. The failure-tolerant leader.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farson, Richard; Keyes, Ralph

    2002-08-01

    "The fastest way to succeed," IBM's Thomas Watson, Sr., once said, "is to double your failure rate." In recent years, more and more executives have embraced Watson's point of view, coming to understand what innovators have always known: Failure is a prerequisite to invention. But while companies may grasp the value of making mistakes at the level of corporate practices, they have a harder time accepting the idea at the personal level. People are afraid to fail, and corporate culture reinforces that fear. In this article, psychologist and former Harvard Business School professor Richard Farson and coauthor Ralph Keyes discuss how companies can reduce the fear of miscues. What's crucial is the presence of failure-tolerant leaders--executives who, through their words and actions, help employees overcome their anxieties about making mistakes and, in the process, create a culture of intelligent risk-taking that leads to sustained innovation. Such leaders don't just accept productive failure, they promote it. Drawing from their research in business, politics, sports, and science, the authors identify common practices among failure-tolerant leaders. These leaders break down the social and bureaucratic barriers that separate them from their followers. They engage at a personal level with the people they lead. They avoid giving either praise or criticism, preferring to take a nonjudgmental, analytical posture as they interact with staff. They openly admit their own mistakes rather than trying to cover them up or shifting the blame. And they try to root out the destructive competitiveness built into most organizations. Above all else, failure-tolerant leaders push people to see beyond traditional definitions of success and failure. They know that as long as a person views failure as the opposite of success, rather than its complement, he or she will never be able to take the risks necessary for innovation.

  18. Dependent failure analysis of NPP data bases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cooper, S.E.; Lofgren, E.V.; Samanta, P.K.; Wong Seemeng

    1993-01-01

    A technical approach for analyzing plant-specific data bases for vulnerabilities to dependent failures has been developed and applied. Since the focus of this work is to aid in the formulation of defenses to dependent failures, rather than to quantify dependent failure probabilities, the approach of this analysis is critically different. For instance, the determination of component failure dependencies has been based upon identical failure mechanisms related to component piecepart failures, rather than failure modes. Also, component failures involving all types of component function loss (e.g., catastrophic, degraded, incipient) are equally important to the predictive purposes of dependent failure defense development. Consequently, dependent component failures are identified with a different dependent failure definition which uses a component failure mechanism categorization scheme in this study. In this context, clusters of component failures which satisfy the revised dependent failure definition are termed common failure mechanism (CFM) events. Motor-operated valves (MOVs) in two nuclear power plant data bases have been analyzed with this approach. The analysis results include seven different failure mechanism categories; identified potential CFM events; an assessment of the risk-significance of the potential CFM events using existing probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs); and postulated defenses to the identified potential CFM events. (orig.)

  19. Biomarkers in Cardiology – Part 1 – In Heart Failure and Specific Cardiomyopathies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Brazil. The primary and secondary preventions of those diseases are a priority for the health system and require multiple approaches to increase their effectiveness. Biomarkers are tools used to more accurately identify high-risk individuals, to speed the diagnosis, and to aid in treatment and prognosis determination. This review aims to highlight the importance of biomarkers in clinical cardiology practice, and to raise relevant points of their use and the promises for the coming years. This document was divided into two parts, and this first one discusses the use of biomarkers in specific cardiomyopathies and heart failure.

  20. Abolishment of Spontaneous Flight Turns in Visually Responsive Drosophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferris, Bennett Drew; Green, Jonathan; Maimon, Gaby

    2018-01-22

    Animals react rapidly to external stimuli, such as an approaching predator, but in other circumstances, they seem to act spontaneously, without any obvious external trigger. How do the neural processes mediating the execution of reflexive and spontaneous actions differ? We studied this question in tethered, flying Drosophila. We found that silencing a large but genetically defined set of non-motor neurons virtually eliminates spontaneous flight turns while preserving the tethered flies' ability to perform two types of visually evoked turns, demonstrating that, at least in flies, these two modes of action are almost completely dissociable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Mass enhances speed but diminishes turn capacity in terrestrial pursuit predators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Rory P; Griffiths, Iwan W; Mills, Michael GL; Carbone, Chris; Wilson, John W; Scantlebury, David M

    2015-01-01

    The dynamics of predator-prey pursuit appears complex, making the development of a framework explaining predator and prey strategies problematic. We develop a model for terrestrial, cursorial predators to examine how animal mass modulates predator and prey trajectories and affects best strategies for both parties. We incorporated the maximum speed-mass relationship with an explanation of why larger animals should have greater turn radii; the forces needed to turn scale linearly with mass whereas the maximum forces an animal can exert scale to a 2/3 power law. This clarifies why in a meta-analysis, we found a preponderance of predator/prey mass ratios that minimized the turn radii of predators compared to their prey. It also explained why acceleration data from wild cheetahs pursuing different prey showed different cornering behaviour with prey type. The outcome of predator prey pursuits thus depends critically on mass effects and the ability of animals to time turns precisely. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06487.001 PMID:26252515

  2. FRELIB, Failure Reliability Index Calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parkinson, D.B.; Oestergaard, C.

    1984-01-01

    1 - Description of problem or function: Calculation of the reliability index given the failure boundary. A linearization point (design point) is found on the failure boundary for a stationary reliability index (min) and a stationary failure probability density function along the failure boundary, provided that the basic variables are normally distributed. 2 - Method of solution: Iteration along the failure boundary which must be specified - together with its partial derivatives with respect to the basic variables - by the user in a subroutine FSUR. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: No distribution information included (first-order-second-moment-method). 20 basic variables (could be extended)

  3. Your Heart Failure Healthcare Team

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Artery Disease Venous Thromboembolism Aortic Aneurysm More Your Heart Failure Healthcare Team Updated:May 9,2017 Patients with ... to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Heart Failure • Home • About Heart Failure • Causes and Risks for ...

  4. Planning Ahead: Advanced Heart Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Venous Thromboembolism Aortic Aneurysm More Planning Ahead: Advanced Heart Failure Updated:May 9,2017 An important part of ... Care This content was last reviewed May 2017. Heart Failure • Home • About Heart Failure • Causes and Risks for ...

  5. Pilot study: Assessing the effect of continual position monitoring technology on compliance with patient turning protocols

    OpenAIRE

    Schutt, Suann Cirigliano; Tarver, Christine; Pezzani, Michelle

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Aim The study aim was to evaluate if continual patient position monitoring, taking into account self‐turns and clinician‐assisted turns, would increase the percentage of time a patient's position changed at least every 2 hr. Background While patient turning has clinical benefits, current models to help staff remember to turn patients, such as “turn clocks” and timers, have not resulted in high compliance with turning protocols. In addition, reminders are based on arbitrary 2‐hr windo...

  6. Composting of tobacco plant waste by manual turning and forced aeration system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nonglak Saithep

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available The efficiency of tobacco plant waste composting, by the manual turning and the forced aeration system, was compared. Tobacco plant waste, cow manure, urea fertiliser, and a compost inoculum mixture at a 100:10:0.2:0.01 ratio respectively, with 60% (w/v moisture content, were set up in piling forms. The piles of the manual turning system were provided with turning aeration by hand at intervals of 7 days during the composting process. For the forced aeration system, each pile was aerated by a 3-HP air pump with a flow rate of 19 litres min-1 for 15 minutes every morning and evening. The completely randomised design of turned and force-aerated piles was performed in triplicate. The composting activity of both systems during the composting period was measured by several parameters: temperature, pH, moisture content, C/N ratio, growth of microorganisms, cellulase activity, and nicotine degradation in the set-up piles. Both systems had similar temperature, pH, and moisture content conditions in the piles during the composting process. However, the forced aeration system was more advantageous for the growth of mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms, for cellulase activity from cellulase-producing microorganisms, and for nicotine degradation, when compared to the manual turning system. In conclusion, the forced aeration system was more efficient than the manual turning system in composting and is a viable alternative method for the composting process.

  7. Experimentation and Prediction of Temperature Rise in Turning ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Experimentation and Prediction of Temperature Rise in Turning Process using Response Surface Methodology. ... Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue ...

  8. Turning nuclear communications inside out

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Besenyei, Elisabeth; Czibolya, Laszlo

    2002-01-01

    Due to debates on the security of energy supply in the European Union, the international efforts on the implementation of Kyoto protocol and the forthcoming liberalization of the electrical energy market the attention of Hungarian decision-makers was focused on energy related problems. Discussions started on the future role of nuclear power and anti-nuclear environmentalists became more active in their criticism. Changes were needed in the approach and practice of communication on nuclear energy. Previous practice turned to be inefficient in dialogue with different social and influential groups. Public information could not be considered any more as an activity explaining measures to cope with incidents and accidents or giving technical answers to mostly superficial statements on allegedly unsafe features and solutions in nuclear industry. It was time to change the paradigm and to turn the communication into a powerful tool to put forward the arguments, to show the achievements and facts and to explain the efforts in addressing public concerns. The new paradigm turned the previous outside-in approach to a new inside-out type of behavior. Instead of reacting to the attacks coming from outside the new approach means first of all commitment to be open and pro-active in communication and to act in close cooperation with all interested organizations and institutions. The three pillars of the new paradigm, commitment, communication and co-operation are applicable not only for the nuclear industry, but also for the governmental agencies (regulatory bodies, health and emergency authorities etc.) and for the wide range of technical, scientific and civil organizations. Public information should be turned from a burden to a challenge for open, technically valid and honest dialogue. This active communication approach is illustrated by some new initiatives in public information in Hungary. Following the successful Nuclear Academy for Journalists formed new Section of Nuclear

  9. TRANSPLANTATION OF CRYOPRESERVED FETAL LIVER CELLS SEEDED INTO MACROPOROUS ALGINATE-GELATIN SCAFFOLDS IN RATS WITH LIVER FAILURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. V. Grizay

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. To study the therapeutic potential of cryopreserved fetal liver cells seeded into macroporous alginategelatin scaffolds after implantation to omentum of rats with hepatic failure.Materials and methods.Hepatic failure was simulated by administration of 2-acetyl aminofl uorene followed partial hepatectomy. Macroporous alginate-gelatin scaffolds, seeded with allogenic cryopreserved fetal liver cells (FLCs were implanted into rat omentum. To prevent from colonization of host cells scaffolds were coated with alginate gel shell. Serum transaminase activity, levels of albumin and bilirubin as markers of hepatic function were determined during 4 weeks after failure model formation and scaffold implantation. Morphology of liver and scaffolds after implantation were examined histologically. Results. Macroporous alginate-gelatin scaffolds after implantation to healthy rats were colonized by host cells. Additional formation of alginate gel shell around scaffolds prevented the colonization. Implantation of macroporous scaffolds seeded with cryopreserved rat FLCs and additionally coated with alginate gel shell into omentum of rats with hepatic failure resulted in signifi cant improvement of hepatospecifi c parameters of the blood serum and positive changes of liver morphology. The presence of cells with their extracellular matrix within the scaffolds was confi rmed after 4 weeks post implantation.Conclusion. The data above indicate that macroporous alginate-gelatin scaffolds coated with alginate gel shell are promising cell carriers for the development of bioengineered liver equivalents.

  10. Heart failure: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of heart failure in diabetes mellitus

    OpenAIRE

    Jorsal, Anders; Wiggers, Henrik; McMurray, John J.V.

    2018-01-01

    This article briefly discusses the epidemiology of heart failure and diabetes and summarizes the key findings from the recent cardiovascular outcome trials in patients with type 2 diabetes, with a focus on heart failure as an endpoint.

  11. Modeling of residual stress state in turning of 304L

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valiorgue, F.; Rech, J.; Bergheau, J.M.

    2010-01-01

    Research presented in this paper aims to link machining parameters to residual stress state and helps understanding mechanisms responsible of machined surface properties modifications. The first presented works are based on an experimental campaign. They reproduce the finishing turning operation of 304L and allow observing the residual stress state evolution at the work piece surface and for an affected depth of 0.2 mm for such processes. Then, the finishing turning operation is simulated numerically in order to realize the same sensitivity study to cutting parameters. This simulation is based on an hybrid approach mixing experimental data and numerical simulation. This method allows getting round the classical difficulties of turning simulation by applying equivalent thermo mechanical loadings onto the work piece surface without modeling the material separation phenomena. Moreover the numerical model uses an hardening law taking into account dynamic recrystallization phenomena. (authors)

  12. Spontaneous perseverative turning in rats with radiation-induced hippocampal damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mickley, G.A.; Ferguson, J.L.; Nemeth, T.J.; Mulvihill, M.A.; Alderks, C.E.

    1989-01-01

    This study found a new behavioral correlate of lesions specific to the dentate granule cell layer of the hippocampus: spontaneous perseverative turning. Irradiation of a portion of the neonatal rat cerebral hemispheres produced hypoplasia of the granule cell layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus while sparing the rest of the brain. Radiation-induced damage to the hippocampal formation caused rats placed in bowls to spontaneously turn in long, slow bouts without reversals. Irradiated subjects also exhibited other behaviors characteristic of hippocampal damage (e.g., perseveration in spontaneous exploration of the arms of a T-maze, retarded acquisition of a passive avoidance task, and increased horizontal locomotion). These data extend previously reported behavioral correlates of fascia dentata lesions and suggest the usefulness of a bout analysis of spontaneous bowl turning as a measure of nondiscrete-trial spontaneous alternation and a sensitive additional indicator of radiation-induced hippocampal damage

  13. Predictors and use of nonpharmacologic interventions for procedural pain associated with turning among hospitalized adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faigeles, Bonnie; Howie-Esquivel, Jill; Miaskowski, Christine; Stanik-Hutt, Julie; Thompson, Carol; White, Cheri; Wild, Lorie Rietman; Puntillo, Kathleen

    2013-06-01

    Many hospitalized adults cannot reposition themselves in their beds. Therefore, they are regularly turned by their nurses, primarily to prevent pressure ulcer formation. Earlier research indicates that turning is painful and that patients are rarely premedicated with analgesics. Nonpharmacologic interventions may be used to help with this painful procedure. However, no published research was found on the use of nonpharmacologic interventions for turning of hospitalized patients. The objectives of this study were: 1) to describe patient pain characteristics during turning and their association with patient demographic and clinical characteristics; 2) to determine the frequency of use of various nonpharmacologic interventions for hospitalized adult patients undergoing the painful procedure of turning; and 3) to identify factors that predict the use of specific nonpharmacologic interventions for pain associated with turning. Hospitalized adult patients who experienced turning, the nurses caring for them, and others who were present at the time of turning were asked if they used various nonpharmacologic interventions to manage pain during the turning. Out of 1,395 patients, 92.5% received at least one nonpharmacologic intervention. Most frequently used were calming voice (65.7%), information (60.6%), and deep breathing (37.9%). Critical-care patients were more likely to receive a calming voice (odds ratio [OR] 1.66, p patients. Those reporting higher pain were consistently more likely to receive each of the three interventions (OR 1.01, p turning procedure. The specific interventions used most often are ones that can be initiated spontaneously. Our data suggest that patients, nurses, and family members respond to patients' turning-related pain by using nonpharmacologic interventions. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Vitamin D and Heart Failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall Brinkley, D; Ali, Omair M; Zalawadiya, Sandip K; Wang, Thomas J

    2017-10-01

    Vitamin D is principally known for its role in calcium homeostasis, but preclinical studies implicate multiple pathways through which vitamin D may affect cardiovascular function and influence risk for heart failure. Many adults with cardiovascular disease have low vitamin D status, making it a potential therapeutic target. We review the rationale and potential role of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of chronic heart failure. Substantial observational evidence has associated low vitamin D status with the risk of heart failure, ventricular remodeling, and clinical outcomes in heart failure, including mortality. However, trials assessing the influence of vitamin D supplementation on surrogate markers and clinical outcomes in heart failure have generally been small and inconclusive. There are insufficient data to recommend routine assessment or supplementation of vitamin D for the prevention or treatment of chronic heart failure. Prospective trials powered for clinical outcomes are warranted.

  15. Travel Time Model for Right-Turning Vehicles of Secondary Street at Unsignalized Intersections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Yu-Qin

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The travel time of right-turning vehicles on secondary street at unsignalized intersection is discussed in this paper. Under the assumption that the major-street through vehicles’ headway follows Erlang distribution and secondary-street right-turning vehicles’ headway follows Poisson distribution. The right-turning vehicles travel time model is established on the basis of gap theory and M/G/1 queue theory. Comparison is done with the common model based on the assumption that the major-street vehicles’ headway follows Poisson distribution. An intersection is selected to verify each model. The results show that the model established in this paper has stronger applicability, and its most relative error is less than 15%. In addition, the sensitivity analysis has been done. The results show that right-turning flow rate and major-street flow rate have a significant impact on the travel time. Hence, the methodology for travel time of right-turning vehicles at unsignalized intersection proposed in this paper is effective and applicable.

  16. Stem cell therapy in spinal cord injury: Hollow promise or promising science?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aimee Goel

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Spinal cord injury (SCI remains one of the most physically, psychologically and socially debilitating conditions worldwide. While rehabilitation measures may help limit disability to some extent, there is no effective primary treatment yet available. The efficacy of stem cells as a primary therapeutic option in spinal cord injury is currently an area under much scrutiny and debate. Several laboratory and some primary clinical studies into the use of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells or embryonic stem cell-derived oligodentrocyte precursor cells have shown some promising results in terms of remyelination and regeneration of damaged spinal nerve tracts. More recently,laboratory and early clinical experiments into the use of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells, a type of glial cell derived from olfactory bulb and mucosa have provided some phenomenal preliminary evidence as to their neuroregenerative and neural bridging capacity. This report compares and evaluates some current research into selected forms of embryonic and mesenchymal stem cell therapy as well as olfactory ensheathing cell therapy in SCI, and also highlights some legal and ethical issues surrounding their use. While early results shows promise, more rigorous large scaleclinical trials are needed to shed light on the safety, efficacy and long term viability of stem cell and cellular transplant techniques in SCI.

  17. Measuring of roundness after turning of composite material with natural fibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Mital

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is based on practical requirements from the reason of unequally removed material during the turning of the wood plastic composite (WPC. This results in geometrical deviations of the WPC bar diameter. WPC represents a relatively new group of materials that has been at the market for almost 30 years. In 1983 Lear Corporation in Wisconsine, USA made for the first time the interior panels of cars from composite materials – PP matrix with organic filler – 50 % wood flour. WPCs displace traditional materials such as wood, steel and cement materials in the marina industry. Designers are not limited technology of production from construction aspect, because different shapes and profiles can be produced by injection (resp. process of extrusion, but in the process of machining were monitored problems with tolerances. Mixed colors can be achieved by using of different pigments and one feels that this is real wood. Technologists begin to use convention technologies – drilling, milling and turning, as tendency of application of WPC increased. Knowledges about machining of WPC are not elaborate as deep as machining of metals or plastics. And this is a reason for orientation in this direction too. Commercial wood plastic composite MEGAWOOD (70 % wood flour, 30 % HDPE was a sample material in current investigation of roundness after turning of WPC. HSS EN ISO HS6-5-2 cutting tool was used. The geometry of the cutting tool was γ0 = 20°, α0 = 8°, κr = 45°, rε = 0,5 mm, εr = 90°. Cutting conditions during turning were as follows: cutting speed n = 900 m/min (constant, feed f = 0,1 to 0,61 mm, depth of cut ap = 0,5 mm for turning of final diameter d = 36 mm. It was dry turning. Roundness/cylindricity measuring system RA – 120 was used for measuring of roundness deviation. It was found that the roundness deviation increases with feed increasing. Popped heat was not used during the turning to final diameter – 36 mm. Using of popped heat

  18. Effects of tire inclination (turning traffic and dynamic loading on the pavement stress–strain responses using 3-D finite element modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaodi Hu

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In this study, ABAQUS finite element (FE modeling in three-dimensional (3-D loading mode was utilized to analytically investigate and quantify the effects of tire inclination and dynamic loading on the stress–strain responses of a pavement structure under varying loading and environmental conditions. The input variables for modeling consisted of actual laboratory and field data obtained from an in-service highway US 59 and included the in-situ pavement structure, material properties (i.e., modulus and shear strength, traffic, and climatic (i.e., temperature data. Computational modeling and sensitivity analyses were conducted through variation of the following two input variables with a focus on the top surfacing hot-mix asphalt (HMA layer: a tire inclination angle to simulate turning traffic, and, b dynamic loading to simulate accelerating, steady rolling, and decelerating (braking traffic. The generated maximum shear stress and vertical strain responses were then analyzed and correlated to the HMA material strength and the actual measured/observed field rutting performance data. The corresponding results indicated that inclined tires (simulating turning traffic and decelerating (braking vehicles induced the most severe shear stresses and vertical strains on the pavement structure in terms of magnitude (i.e., increased; exceeding the HMA material strength in some cases. Thus, for pavement design and structural analysis purposes, the following critical highway areas that may be subjected to extreme stresses and strains due to turning and stopping (braking traffic, particularly in high temperature environments, should be given more attention with respect to material strength characterization to mitigate potential shear/rutting failures: intersections, junctions; urban stop–go sections, and curves. Keywords: 3-D FE stress–strain modeling, Rutting, Shear deformation, Shear stress, Vertical strains

  19. Gene editing as a promising approach for respiratory diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Yichun; Liu, Yang; Su, Zhenlei; Ma, Yana; Ren, Chonghua; Zhao, Runzhen; Ji, Hong-Long

    2018-03-01

    Respiratory diseases, which are leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the world, are dysfunctions of the nasopharynx, the trachea, the bronchus, the lung and the pleural cavity. Symptoms of chronic respiratory diseases, such as cough, sneezing and difficulty breathing, may seriously affect the productivity, sleep quality and physical and mental well-being of patients, and patients with acute respiratory diseases may have difficulty breathing, anoxia and even life-threatening respiratory failure. Respiratory diseases are generally heterogeneous, with multifaceted causes including smoking, ageing, air pollution, infection and gene mutations. Clinically, a single pulmonary disease can exhibit more than one phenotype or coexist with multiple organ disorders. To correct abnormal function or repair injured respiratory tissues, one of the most promising techniques is to correct mutated genes by gene editing, as some gene mutations have been clearly demonstrated to be associated with genetic or heterogeneous respiratory diseases. Zinc finger nucleases (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) and clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) systems are three innovative gene editing technologies developed recently. In this short review, we have summarised the structure and operating principles of the ZFNs, TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 systems and their preclinical and clinical applications in respiratory diseases. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  20. Data sources for heart failure comparative effectiveness research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xian, Ying; Hammill, Bradley G; Curtis, Lesley H

    2013-01-01

    Existing data sources for heart failure research offer advantages and disadvantages for CER. Clinical registries collect detailed information about disease presentation, treatment, and outcomes on a large number of patients and provide the "real-world" population that is the hallmark of CER. Data are not collected longitudinally, however, and follow-up is often limited. Large administrative datasets provide the broadest population coverage with longitudinal outcomes follow-up but lack clinical detail. Linking clinical registries with other databases to assess longitudinal outcomes holds great promise. The Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research recommends further efforts on longitudinal linking of administrative or EHR-based databases, patient registries, private sector databases (particularly those with commercially insured populations that are not covered under federal and state databases), and other relevant data sources containing pharmacy, laboratory, adverse events, and mortality information. Advancing the infrastructure to provide robust, scientific data resources for patient-centered CER must remain a priority. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Robust Floor Determination Algorithm for Indoor Wireless Localization Systems under Reference Node Failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kriangkrai Maneerat

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the challenging problems for indoor wireless multifloor positioning systems is the presence of reference node (RN failures, which cause the values of received signal strength (RSS to be missed during the online positioning phase of the location fingerprinting technique. This leads to performance degradation in terms of floor accuracy, which in turn affects other localization procedures. This paper presents a robust floor determination algorithm called Robust Mean of Sum-RSS (RMoS, which can accurately determine the floor on which mobile objects are located and can work under either the fault-free scenario or the RN-failure scenarios. The proposed fault tolerance floor algorithm is based on the mean of the summation of the strongest RSSs obtained from the IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs during the online phase. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with those of different floor determination algorithms in literature. The experimental results show that the proposed robust floor determination algorithm outperformed the other floor algorithms and can achieve the highest percentage of floor determination accuracy in all scenarios tested. Specifically, the proposed algorithm can achieve greater than 95% correct floor determination under the scenario in which 40% of RNs failed.

  2. Turn-key SRF accelerators to drive subcritical reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, Rolland P.

    2011-01-01

    Large particle accelerator projects, both accomplished and proposed, have been used to engage US industry through contracts and grants to develop efficient capabilities to design, develop, produce, and deliver entire accelerator systems or any needed subsystems. Staffed in many cases by experienced scientists and engineers from National Laboratories and Universities, existing companies could extend their portfolios to offer turn-key accelerators with parameters to match the needs of ADS. If the reactors were based on molten salt fuel such that trip rate requirements were relaxed, the developments needed for a multi-MW proton accelerator for ADS would be minimal. Turn-key SRF proton linacs for ADS operation can be ordered now to enable GW-level power generation from natural thorium, natural uranium, or nuclear waste from conventional reactors. (author)

  3. Failure modes of composite sandwich beams

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gdoutos E.

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available A thorough investigation of failure behavior of composite sandwich beams under three-and four-point bending was undertaken. The beams were made of unidirectional carbon/epoxy facings and a PVC closed-cell foam core. The constituent materials were fully characterized and in the case of the foam core, failure envelopes were developed for general two-dimensional states of stress. Various failure modes including facing wrinkling, indentation failure and core failure were observed and compared with analytical predictions. The initiation, propagation and interaction of failure modes depend on the type of loading, constituent material properties and geometrical dimensions.

  4. Understanding failures in petascale computers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schroeder, Bianca; Gibson, Garth A

    2007-01-01

    With petascale computers only a year or two away there is a pressing need to anticipate and compensate for a probable increase in failure and application interruption rates. Researchers, designers and integrators have available to them far too little detailed information on the failures and interruptions that even smaller terascale computers experience. The information that is available suggests that application interruptions will become far more common in the coming decade, and the largest applications may surrender large fractions of the computer's resources to taking checkpoints and restarting from a checkpoint after an interruption. This paper reviews sources of failure information for compute clusters and storage systems, projects failure rates and the corresponding decrease in application effectiveness, and discusses coping strategies such as application-level checkpoint compression and system level process-pairs fault-tolerance for supercomputing. The need for a public repository for detailed failure and interruption records is particularly concerning, as projections from one architectural family of machines to another are widely disputed. To this end, this paper introduces the Computer Failure Data Repository and issues a call for failure history data to publish in it

  5. Success by Failure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Benjamin D.

    2017-01-01

    By taking the step to talk openly about his failure, the author stumbled upon one of several important lessons that he learned from this experience. The author recognized that he did not have to pretend anymore. In this article, the author shares his story of developing a "growth mindset" to overcome his own failure and support his…

  6. Plasma Glutamine Concentrations in Liver Failure.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunnel Helling

    Full Text Available Higher than normal plasma glutamine concentration at admission to an intensive care unit is associated with an unfavorable outcome. Very high plasma glutamine levels are sometimes seen in both acute and chronic liver failure. We aimed to systematically explore the relation between different types of liver failure and plasma glutamine concentrations.Four different groups of patients were studies; chronic liver failure (n = 40, acute on chronic liver failure (n = 20, acute fulminant liver failure (n = 20, and post-hepatectomy liver failure (n = 20. Child-Pugh and Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD scores were assessed as indices of liver function. All groups except the chronic liver failure group were followed longitudinally during hospitalisation. Outcomes were recorded up to 48 months after study inclusion.All groups had individuals with very high plasma glutamine concentrations. In the total group of patients (n = 100, severity of liver failure correlated significantly with plasma glutamine concentration, but the correlation was not strong.Liver failure, regardless of severity and course of illness, may be associated with a high plasma glutamine concentration. Further studies are needed to understand whether high glutamine levels should be regarded as a biomarker or as a contributor to symptomatology in liver failure.

  7. An analysis of the annual probability of failure of the waste hoist brake system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greenfield, M.A. [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Sargent, T.J.

    1995-11-01

    The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) previously analyzed the probability of a catastrophic accident in the waste hoist of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and published the results in Greenfield (1990; EEG-44) and Greenfield and Sargent (1993; EEG-53). The most significant safety element in the waste hoist is the hydraulic brake system, whose possible failure was identified in these studies as the most important contributor in accident scenarios. Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Waste Isolation Division has calculated the probability of an accident involving the brake system based on studies utilizing extensive fault tree analyses. This analysis conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) used point estimates to describe the probability of failure and includes failure rates for the various components comprising the brake system. An additional controlling factor in the DOE calculations is the mode of operation of the brake system. This factor enters for the following reason. The basic failure rate per annum of any individual element is called the Event Probability (EP), and is expressed as the probability of failure per annum. The EP in turn is the product of two factors. One is the {open_quotes}reported{close_quotes} failure rate, usually expressed as the probability of failure per hour and the other is the expected number of hours that the element is in use, called the {open_quotes}mission time{close_quotes}. In many instances the {open_quotes}mission time{close_quotes} will be the number of operating hours of the brake system per annum. However since the operation of the waste hoist system includes regular {open_quotes}reoperational check{close_quotes} tests, the {open_quotes}mission time{close_quotes} for standby components is reduced in accordance with the specifics of the operational time table.

  8. An analysis of the annual probability of failure of the waste hoist brake system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenfield, M.A.; Sargent, T.J.

    1995-11-01

    The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) previously analyzed the probability of a catastrophic accident in the waste hoist of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and published the results in Greenfield (1990; EEG-44) and Greenfield and Sargent (1993; EEG-53). The most significant safety element in the waste hoist is the hydraulic brake system, whose possible failure was identified in these studies as the most important contributor in accident scenarios. Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Waste Isolation Division has calculated the probability of an accident involving the brake system based on studies utilizing extensive fault tree analyses. This analysis conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) used point estimates to describe the probability of failure and includes failure rates for the various components comprising the brake system. An additional controlling factor in the DOE calculations is the mode of operation of the brake system. This factor enters for the following reason. The basic failure rate per annum of any individual element is called the Event Probability (EP), and is expressed as the probability of failure per annum. The EP in turn is the product of two factors. One is the open-quotes reportedclose quotes failure rate, usually expressed as the probability of failure per hour and the other is the expected number of hours that the element is in use, called the open-quotes mission timeclose quotes. In many instances the open-quotes mission timeclose quotes will be the number of operating hours of the brake system per annum. However since the operation of the waste hoist system includes regular open-quotes reoperational checkclose quotes tests, the open-quotes mission timeclose quotes for standby components is reduced in accordance with the specifics of the operational time table

  9. Failure modes of composite sandwich beams

    OpenAIRE

    Gdoutos E.; Daniel I.M.

    2008-01-01

    A thorough investigation of failure behavior of composite sandwich beams under three-and four-point bending was undertaken. The beams were made of unidirectional carbon/epoxy facings and a PVC closed-cell foam core. The constituent materials were fully characterized and in the case of the foam core, failure envelopes were developed for general two-dimensional states of stress. Various failure modes including facing wrinkling, indentation failure and core failure were observed and compared wit...

  10. Development of a Low Cost MQL Setup for Turning Operations

    OpenAIRE

    Islam Sumaiya; Khandoker Noman; Izham Mohamad; Azizi Tengku; Debnath Sujan

    2017-01-01

    In this study, the effect of MQL application on the tool wear, surface roughness and chip formation in turning Aluminum alloy 6061 is investigated. Experiments were carried out by plain turning of an Aluminum bar with varying depth of cut, cutting speeds (spindle speed) and cutting environments (Dry, Wet and MQL). A newly designed, cost efficient and portable MQL setup was developed for this study. For each experimental trial, five passes were carried out in order to promote the formation of ...

  11. Heading Estimation of Robot Combine Harvesters during Turning Maneuveres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Md Mostafizar; Ishii, Kazunobu

    2018-05-01

    Absolute heading is an important parameter for a robot combine harvester or a robot tracked combine harvester, especially while it is turning, but due to the rapid turning of robot combine harvesters, its inertial measurement unit gives a gyro measurement bias that causes heading drift. Our research goal is to estimate the absolute heading of robot combine harvesters by compensating this gyro measurement bias during non-linear turning maneuvers. A sensor fusion method like the extended Kalman filter combined with the tracked combine harvester dynamic model and sensor measurements was used to estimate the absolute heading of a robot combine harvester. Circular, sinusoidal and concave shapes were used to evaluate the estimated heading produced by the sensor fusion method. The results indicate that the estimated heading is better than measured heading which was calculated from the integration of yaw rate gyro measurements, and the root mean square errors (RMSEs) for estimated headings are smaller than the measured headings. In practics, the target of this paper is thus the estimation of a heading or absolute heading that is bias compensated, and can be further used to calculate the exact crop periphery for automatic path planning of robot combine harvesters.

  12. Fuzzy Linguistic Optimization on Surface Roughness for CNC Turning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tian-Syung Lan

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Surface roughness is often considered the main purpose in contemporary computer numerical controlled (CNC machining industry. Most existing optimization researches for CNC finish turning were either accomplished within certain manufacturing circumstances or achieved through numerous equipment operations. Therefore, a general deduction optimization scheme is deemed to be necessary for the industry. In this paper, the cutting depth, feed rate, speed, and tool nose runoff with low, medium, and high level are considered to optimize the surface roughness for finish turning based on L9(34 orthogonal array. Additionally, nine fuzzy control rules using triangle membership function with respective to five linguistic grades for surface roughness are constructed. Considering four input and twenty output intervals, the defuzzification using center of gravity is then completed. Thus, the optimum general fuzzy linguistic parameters can then be received. The confirmation experiment result showed that the surface roughness from the fuzzy linguistic optimization parameters is significantly advanced compared to that from the benchmark. This paper certainly proposes a general optimization scheme using orthogonal array fuzzy linguistic approach to the surface roughness for CNC turning with profound insight.

  13. Electrical failure analysis for root-cause determination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riddle, J.

    1990-01-01

    This paper outlines a practical failure analysis sequence. Several technical definitions are required. A failure is defined as a component that was operating in a system where the system malfunctioned and the replacement of the device restored system functionality. The failure mode is the malfunctioning behavior of the device. The failure mechanism is the underlying cause or source of the failure mode. The failure mechanism is the root cause of the failure mode. The failure analysis procedure needs to be adequately refined to result in the determination of the cause of failure to the degree that corrective action or design changes will prevent recurrence of the failure mode or mechanism. An example of a root-cause determination analysis performed for a nuclear power industry customer serves to illustrate the analysis methodology

  14. Hypogonadism and renal failure: An update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thirumavalavan, Nannan; Wilken, Nathan A; Ramasamy, Ranjith

    2015-01-01

    The prevalence of both hypogonadism and renal failure is increasing. Hypogonadism in men with renal failure carries with it significant morbidity, including anemia and premature cardiovascular disease. It remains unclear whether testosterone therapy can affect the morbidity and mortality associated with renal failure. As such, in this review, we sought to evaluate the current literature addressing hypogonadism and testosterone replacement, specifically in men with renal failure. The articles chosen for this review were selected by performing a broad search using Pubmed, Embase and Scopus including the terms hypogonadism and renal failure from 1990 to the present. This review is based on both primary sources as well as review articles. Hypogonadism in renal failure has a multifactorial etiology, including co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, old age and obesity. Renal failure can lead to decreased luteinizing hormone production and decreased prolactin clearance that could impair testosterone production. Given the increasing prevalence of hypogonadism and the potential morbidity associated with hypogonadism in men with renal failure, careful evaluation of serum testosterone would be valuable. Testosterone replacement therapy should be considered in men with symptomatic hypogonadism and renal failure, and may ameliorate some of the morbidity associated with renal failure. Patients with all stages of renal disease are at an increased risk of hypogonadism that could be associated with significant morbidity. Testosterone replacement therapy may reduce some of the morbidity of renal failure, although it carries risk.

  15. Graphene coating for anti-corrosion and the investigation of failure mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Y X; Duan, C Y; Chen, Y F; Wang, Y; Liu, H Y

    2017-01-01

    Graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods has been considered as a promising corrosion prevention layer because of its exceptional structure and impermeability. However, the anti-corrosion performance and the failure mechanism are still controversial. In this study, graphene layers with different quality levels, crystallite sizes, and layer numbers were prepared on the surface of Cu by a CVD process. The effects of grain boundaries (GBs) on the failure of graphene layers to provide adequate protection were investigated in detail by combining graphene transfer techniques, computation, and anti-corrosion measurements. Our results reveal that corrosion rates decrease marginally upon the increase of graphene layer number, and this rather weak dependence on thickness likely arises from the aligned nature of the GBs in CVD-grown few-layer graphene. This problem can potentially be overcome by layer-by-layer graphene transfer technique, in which corrosion is found to be arrested locally when transferred graphene is present on top of the as-grown graphene. However, this advantage is not reflected in corrosion studies performed on large-scale samples, where cracks or imperfect interfaces could offset the advantages of GB misalignment. With improvements in technology, the layer-by-layer assembly technique could be used to develop an effective anti-corrosion barrier. (paper)

  16. Mapping Systemic Risk: Critical Degree and Failures Distribution in Financial Networks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matteo Smerlak

    Full Text Available The financial crisis illustrated the need for a functional understanding of systemic risk in strongly interconnected financial structures. Dynamic processes on complex networks being intrinsically difficult to model analytically, most recent studies of this problem have relied on numerical simulations. Here we report analytical results in a network model of interbank lending based on directly relevant financial parameters, such as interest rates and leverage ratios. We obtain a closed-form formula for the "critical degree" (the number of creditors per bank below which an individual shock can propagate throughout the network, and relate failures distributions to network topologies, in particular scalefree ones. Our criterion for the onset of contagion turns out to be isomorphic to the condition for cooperation to evolve on graphs and social networks, as recently formulated in evolutionary game theory. This remarkable connection supports recent calls for a methodological rapprochement between finance and ecology.

  17. Mapping Systemic Risk: Critical Degree and Failures Distribution in Financial Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smerlak, Matteo; Stoll, Brady; Gupta, Agam; Magdanz, James S

    2015-01-01

    The financial crisis illustrated the need for a functional understanding of systemic risk in strongly interconnected financial structures. Dynamic processes on complex networks being intrinsically difficult to model analytically, most recent studies of this problem have relied on numerical simulations. Here we report analytical results in a network model of interbank lending based on directly relevant financial parameters, such as interest rates and leverage ratios. We obtain a closed-form formula for the "critical degree" (the number of creditors per bank below which an individual shock can propagate throughout the network), and relate failures distributions to network topologies, in particular scalefree ones. Our criterion for the onset of contagion turns out to be isomorphic to the condition for cooperation to evolve on graphs and social networks, as recently formulated in evolutionary game theory. This remarkable connection supports recent calls for a methodological rapprochement between finance and ecology.

  18. Stem Cell Technology in Cardiac Regeneration: A Pluripotent Stem Cell Promise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duelen, Robin; Sampaolesi, Maurilio

    2017-02-01

    Despite advances in cardiovascular biology and medical therapy, heart disorders are the leading cause of death worldwide. Cell-based regenerative therapies become a promising treatment for patients affected by heart failure, but also underline the need for reproducible results in preclinical and clinical studies for safety and efficacy. Enthusiasm has been tempered by poor engraftment, survival and differentiation of the injected adult stem cells. The crucial challenge is identification and selection of the most suitable stem cell type for cardiac regenerative medicine. Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have emerged as attractive cell source to obtain cardiomyocytes (CMs), with potential applications, including drug discovery and toxicity screening, disease modelling and innovative cell therapies. Lessons from embryology offered important insights into the development of stem cell-derived CMs. However, the generation of a CM population, uniform in cardiac subtype, adult maturation and functional properties, is highly recommended. Moreover, hurdles regarding tumorigenesis, graft cell death, immune rejection and arrhythmogenesis need to be overcome in clinical practice. Here we highlight the recent progression in PSC technologies for the regeneration of injured heart. We review novel strategies that might overcome current obstacles in heart regenerative medicine, aiming at improving cell survival and functional integration after cell transplantation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Stem Cell Technology in Cardiac Regeneration: A Pluripotent Stem Cell Promise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robin Duelen

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Despite advances in cardiovascular biology and medical therapy, heart disorders are the leading cause of death worldwide. Cell-based regenerative therapies become a promising treatment for patients affected by heart failure, but also underline the need for reproducible results in preclinical and clinical studies for safety and efficacy. Enthusiasm has been tempered by poor engraftment, survival and differentiation of the injected adult stem cells. The crucial challenge is identification and selection of the most suitable stem cell type for cardiac regenerative medicine. Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs have emerged as attractive cell source to obtain cardiomyocytes (CMs, with potential applications, including drug discovery and toxicity screening, disease modelling and innovative cell therapies. Lessons from embryology offered important insights into the development of stem cell-derived CMs. However, the generation of a CM population, uniform in cardiac subtype, adult maturation and functional properties, is highly recommended. Moreover, hurdles regarding tumorigenesis, graft cell death, immune rejection and arrhythmogenesis need to be overcome in clinical practice. Here we highlight the recent progression in PSC technologies for the regeneration of injured heart. We review novel strategies that might overcome current obstacles in heart regenerative medicine, aiming at improving cell survival and functional integration after cell transplantation.

  20. Spatial turn and animation practices inspired by cultural anthropology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Wieszaczewska

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Spatial turn is one of the cultural turns, which have recently occurred in the humanities. It stresses the importance of issues such as space and place and can be successfully used as a theoretical perspective gaining use in thought over issues such as globalisation, transnationality, mapping but also education. In the discourses of pedagogical science space and place are considered through their multidimensional impact on education and learning. As significant concepts rooting pedagogy or pedagogy of borderland. The pedagogical reflection on space could be also used in the field of animation practices, especially in activities, which are related to place somehow colonised.