Bridging the provenance gap: opportunities and challenges tracking in and ex silico provenance in sUAS workflows

Science.gov (United States)

Thomer, A.

2017-12-01

Data provenance - the record of the varied processes that went into the creation of a dataset, as well as the relationships between resulting data objects - is necessary to support the reusability, reproducibility and reliability of earth science data. In sUAS-based research, capturing provenance can be particularly challenging because of the breadth and distributed nature of the many platforms used to collect, process and analyze data. In any given project, multiple drones, controllers, computers, software systems, sensors, cameras, imaging processing algorithms and data processing workflows are used over sometimes long periods of time. These platforms and processing result in dozens - if not hundreds - of data products in varying stages of readiness-for-analysis and sharing. Provenance tracking mechanisms are needed to make the relationships between these many data products explicit, and therefore more reusable and shareable. In this talk, I discuss opportunities and challenges in tracking provenance in sUAS-based research, and identify gaps in current workflow-capture technologies. I draw on prior work conducted as part of the IMLS-funded Site-Based Data Curation project in which we developed methods of documenting in and ex silico (that is, computational and non-computation) workflows, and demonstrate this approaches applicability to research with sUASes. I conclude with a discussion of ontologies and other semantic technologies that have potential application in sUAS research.

Isotopic approach to the provenance study of artifacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mabuchi, Hisao

1994-01-01

Isotopic abundance ratios, which are proved to be generally constant, are known to vary, for certain elements, from one place to another. Light elements, such as hydrogen, lithium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur, show measurable variations of their isotope ratios due to isotopic fractionation which takes place during geochemical or biochemical processes. Isotope ratios of strontium and lead vary due to the decay of long-lived radioactive nuclides 87 Rb and 238 U- 235 U- 232 Th, respectively. Such isotopic anomalies can be applicable to provenance studies of archaeological objects. Thus, 13 C/ 12 C, 18 O/ 16 O, or 87 Sr/ 86 Sr were used to examine the authenticity of Greek marble statues. Also, lead isotope ratios have been used since mid-1960s extensively for provenance studies of glasses and bronzes of different civilizations. As an example, the author presents a series of his own works on lead isotope ratios applied to ancient Japanese bronzes, which are summarized as follows. 1) It was generally observed that lead isotope ratios reflect difference in culture to which bronzes belong. 2) Mirrors in the Western Han period (206 B.C. - A.D.8) are clearly distinguished by lead isotope ratios from those made after the mid-Eastern Han period (ca.A.D.150 - 300). 3) Korean mirrors and weapons excavated from the Yayoi sites contain lead of easily recognizable Mississippi Valley type. 4) Bronze objects made in Japan (imitative Han style mirrors, Dotaku, imitative weapons, arrowheads etc.) in the Yayoi and Kofun periods are classified by lead isotope ratios in the following order: the Korean mirror type to the Western Han mirror type in the Yayoi period and the mid- to post- Han mirror type in the Kofun period. 5) Indigenous Japanese lead seems to have been used after the mid-7th century. (J.P.N.)

Growth dynamics variation of different larch provenances under the mountain conditions in Poland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kulej, M. [Univ. of Agriculture, Cracow (Poland). Section of Seed Production and Selection

1995-12-31

The results of 25-year investigations based on measurements and statistical analysis concerning the growth dynamics variation of larch provenances from the entire area of Poland are reported in this paper. This is the first larch provenance experiment in Poland under mountain conditions. The results obtained showed a significant variability among the provenances tested as regards the basic growth characters (height, d.b.h., growth index) at the age of 5, 8, 11, 15, 20 and 25 years. The larch from Klodzko and Proszkow turned out to be the best in respect of growth during the entire 25-years period. Decidedly bad were provenances from Marcule, Grojec, Rawa mazowiecka and Kroscienko. We cannot forecast the future growth of larch when trees are 5-years old since such prognosis may carry an error. However, on the basis of the results obtained it may be concluded that when trees are about 8 years old the stabilization of the position of individual provenances as regards growth takes place. The height growth curves for the individual provenances during the 25-years period (with exception of the provenance from Marcule) fall within the interval {+-} 0,5S from the compensated curve for the entire population studied. All larch provenances in the experiment had reached the height growth culmination. A greatest differentiation in respect of this character occurred in case of the provenances from Sudetes. 27 refs, 4 figs, 8 tabs

Growth dynamics variation of different larch provenances under the mountain conditions in Poland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kulej, M [Univ. of Agriculture, Cracow (Poland). Section of Seed Production and Selection

1996-12-31

The results of 25-year investigations based on measurements and statistical analysis concerning the growth dynamics variation of larch provenances from the entire area of Poland are reported in this paper. This is the first larch provenance experiment in Poland under mountain conditions. The results obtained showed a significant variability among the provenances tested as regards the basic growth characters (height, d.b.h., growth index) at the age of 5, 8, 11, 15, 20 and 25 years. The larch from Klodzko and Proszkow turned out to be the best in respect of growth during the entire 25-years period. Decidedly bad were provenances from Marcule, Grojec, Rawa mazowiecka and Kroscienko. We cannot forecast the future growth of larch when trees are 5-years old since such prognosis may carry an error. However, on the basis of the results obtained it may be concluded that when trees are about 8 years old the stabilization of the position of individual provenances as regards growth takes place. The height growth curves for the individual provenances during the 25-years period (with exception of the provenance from Marcule) fall within the interval {+-} 0,5S from the compensated curve for the entire population studied. All larch provenances in the experiment had reached the height growth culmination. A greatest differentiation in respect of this character occurred in case of the provenances from Sudetes. 27 refs, 4 figs, 8 tabs

PAV ontology: provenance, authoring and versioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciccarese, Paolo; Soiland-Reyes, Stian; Belhajjame, Khalid; Gray, Alasdair Jg; Goble, Carole; Clark, Tim

2013-11-22

approaches, namely Provenance Vocabulary (PRV), DC Terms and BIBFRAME. We identify similarities and analyze differences between those vocabularies and PAV, outlining strengths and weaknesses of our proposed model. We specify SKOS mappings that align PAV with DC Terms. We conclude the paper with general remarks on the applicability of PAV.

Provenance for Runtime Workflow Steering and Validation in Computational Seismology

Science.gov (United States)

Spinuso, A.; Krischer, L.; Krause, A.; Filgueira, R.; Magnoni, F.; Muraleedharan, V.; David, M.

2014-12-01

Provenance systems may be offered by modern workflow engines to collect metadata about the data transformations at runtime. If combined with effective visualisation and monitoring interfaces, these provenance recordings can speed up the validation process of an experiment, suggesting interactive or automated interventions with immediate effects on the lifecycle of a workflow run. For instance, in the field of computational seismology, if we consider research applications performing long lasting cross correlation analysis and high resolution simulations, the immediate notification of logical errors and the rapid access to intermediate results, can produce reactions which foster a more efficient progress of the research. These applications are often executed in secured and sophisticated HPC and HTC infrastructures, highlighting the need for a comprehensive framework that facilitates the extraction of fine grained provenance and the development of provenance aware components, leveraging the scalability characteristics of the adopted workflow engines, whose enactment can be mapped to different technologies (MPI, Storm clusters, etc). This work looks at the adoption of W3C-PROV concepts and data model within a user driven processing and validation framework for seismic data, supporting also computational and data management steering. Validation needs to balance automation with user intervention, considering the scientist as part of the archiving process. Therefore, the provenance data is enriched with community-specific metadata vocabularies and control messages, making an experiment reproducible and its description consistent with the community understandings. Moreover, it can contain user defined terms and annotations. The current implementation of the system is supported by the EU-Funded VERCE (http://verce.eu). It provides, as well as the provenance generation mechanisms, a prototypal browser-based user interface and a web API built on top of a NoSQL storage

Proven approaches to organise a large decommissioning project, including the management of local stakeholder interests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez, A.

2005-01-01

Full text: Spanish experience holds a relatively important position in the field of the decommissioning of nuclear and radioactive facilities. Decommissioning projects of uranium concentrate mill facilities are near completion; some old uranium mine sites have already been restored; several projects for the dismantling of various small research nuclear reactors and a few pilot plants are at various phases of the dismantling process, with some already completed. The most notable Spanish project in this field is undoubtedly the decommissioning of the Vandellos 1 nuclear power plant that is currently ready to enter a safe enclosure, or dormancy, period. The management of radioactive wastes in Spain is undertaken by 'Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radioactivos, S.A.' (ENRESA), the Spanish national radioactive waste company, constituted in 1984. ENRESA operates as a management company, whose role is to develop radioactive waste management programmes in accordance with the policy and strategy approved by the Spanish Government. Its responsibilities include the decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear installations. Decommissioning and dismantling nuclear installations is an increasingly important topic for governments, regulators, industries and civil society. There are many aspects that have to be carefully considered, planned and organised in many cases well in advance of when they really need to be implemented. The goal of this paper is describe proven approaches relevant to organizing and managing large decommissioning projects, in particular in the case of Vandellos-1 NPP decommissioning. (author)

Proven Alternatives for Aboveground Treatment of Arsenic in Groundwater

Science.gov (United States)

This issue paper, developed for EPA's Engineering Forum, identifies and summarizes experiences with proven aboveground treatment alternatives for arsenic in groundwater, and provides information on their relative effectiveness and cost.

Empowering Provenance in Data Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Kondylakis, Haridimos; Doerr, Martin; Plexousakis, Dimitris

The provenance of data has recently been recognized as central to the trust one places in data. This paper presents a novel framework in order to empower provenance in a mediator based data integration system. We use a simple mapping language for mapping schema constructs, between an ontology and relational sources, capable to carry provenance information. This language extends the traditional data exchange setting by translating our mapping specifications into source-to-target tuple generating dependencies (s-t tgds). Then we define formally the provenance information we want to retrieve i.e. annotation, source and tuple provenance. We provide three algorithms to retrieve provenance information using information stored on the mappings and the sources. We show the feasibility of our solution and the advantages of our framework.

Logical provenance in data-oriented workflows?

KAUST Repository

Ikeda, R.

2013-04-01

We consider the problem of defining, generating, and tracing provenance in data-oriented workflows, in which input data sets are processed by a graph of transformations to produce output results. We first give a new general definition of provenance for general transformations, introducing the notions of correctness, precision, and minimality. We then determine when properties such as correctness and minimality carry over from the individual transformations\\' provenance to the workflow provenance. We describe a simple logical-provenance specification language consisting of attribute mappings and filters. We provide an algorithm for provenance tracing in workflows where logical provenance for each transformation is specified using our language. We consider logical provenance in the relational setting, observing that for a class of Select-Project-Join (SPJ) transformations, logical provenance specifications encode minimal provenance. We have built a prototype system supporting the features and algorithms presented in the paper, and we report a few preliminary experimental results. © 2013 IEEE.

Special Section: The third provenance challenge on using the open provenance model for interoperability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Simmhan, Y; Groth, P.T.; Moreau, L

2011-01-01

The third provenance challenge was organized to evaluate the efficacy of the Open Provenance Model (OPM) in representing and sharing provenance with the goal of improving the specification. A data loading scientific workflow that ingests data files into a relational database for the Pan-STARRS sky

Querying Provenance Information: Basic Notions and an Example from Paleoclimate Reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Stodden, V.; Ludaescher, B.; Bocinsky, K.; Kintigh, K.; Kohler, T.; McPhillips, T.; Rush, J.

2016-12-01

Computational models are used to reconstruct and explain past environments and to predict likely future environments. For example, Bocinsky and Kohler have performed a 2,000-year reconstruction of the rain-fed maize agricultural niche in the US Southwest. The resulting academic publications not only contain traditional method descriptions, figures, etc. but also links to code and data for basic transparency and reproducibility. Examples include ResearchCompendia.org and the new project "Merging Science and Cyberinfrastructure Pathways: The Whole Tale." Provenance information provides a further critical element to understand a published study and to possibly extend or challenge the findings of the original authors. We present different notions and uses of provenance information using a computational archaeology example, e.g., the common use of "provenance for others" (for transparency and reproducibility), but also the more elusive but equally important use of "provenance for self". To this end, we distinguish prospective provenance (a.k.a. workflow) from retrospective provenance (a.k.a. data lineage) and show how combinations of both forms of provenance can be used to answer different kinds of important questions about a workflow and its execution. Since many workflows are developed using scripting or special purpose languages such as Python and R, we employ an approach and toolkit called YesWorkflow that brings provenance modeling, capture, and querying into the realm of scripting. YesWorkflow employs the basic W3C PROV standard, as well as the ProvONE extension for sharing and exchanging retrospective and prospective provenance information, respectively. Finally, we argue that the utility of provenance information should be maximized by developing different kinds provenance questions and queries during the early phases of computational workflow design and implementation.

Provenance metadata gathering and cataloguing of EFIT++ code execution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lupelli, I., E-mail: ivan.lupelli@ccfe.ac.uk [CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Muir, D.G.; Appel, L.; Akers, R.; Carr, M. [CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Abreu, P. [Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • An approach for automatic gathering of provenance metadata has been presented. • A provenance metadata catalogue has been created. • The overhead in the code runtime is less than 10%. • The metadata/data size ratio is about ∼20%. • A visualization interface based on Gephi, has been presented. - Abstract: Journal publications, as the final product of research activity, are the result of an extensive complex modeling and data analysis effort. It is of paramount importance, therefore, to capture the origins and derivation of the published data in order to achieve high levels of scientific reproducibility, transparency, internal and external data reuse and dissemination. The consequence of the modern research paradigm is that high performance computing and data management systems, together with metadata cataloguing, have become crucial elements within the nuclear fusion scientific data lifecycle. This paper describes an approach to the task of automatically gathering and cataloguing provenance metadata, currently under development and testing at Culham Center for Fusion Energy. The approach is being applied to a machine-agnostic code that calculates the axisymmetric equilibrium force balance in tokamaks, EFIT++, as a proof of principle test. The proposed approach avoids any code instrumentation or modification. It is based on the observation and monitoring of input preparation, workflow and code execution, system calls, log file data collection and interaction with the version control system. Pre-processing, post-processing, and data export and storage are monitored during the code runtime. Input data signals are captured using a data distribution platform called IDAM. The final objective of the catalogue is to create a complete description of the modeling activity, including user comments, and the relationship between data output, the main experimental database and the execution environment. For an intershot or post-pulse analysis (∼1000

Provenance metadata gathering and cataloguing of EFIT++ code execution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lupelli, I.; Muir, D.G.; Appel, L.; Akers, R.; Carr, M.; Abreu, P.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An approach for automatic gathering of provenance metadata has been presented. • A provenance metadata catalogue has been created. • The overhead in the code runtime is less than 10%. • The metadata/data size ratio is about ∼20%. • A visualization interface based on Gephi, has been presented. - Abstract: Journal publications, as the final product of research activity, are the result of an extensive complex modeling and data analysis effort. It is of paramount importance, therefore, to capture the origins and derivation of the published data in order to achieve high levels of scientific reproducibility, transparency, internal and external data reuse and dissemination. The consequence of the modern research paradigm is that high performance computing and data management systems, together with metadata cataloguing, have become crucial elements within the nuclear fusion scientific data lifecycle. This paper describes an approach to the task of automatically gathering and cataloguing provenance metadata, currently under development and testing at Culham Center for Fusion Energy. The approach is being applied to a machine-agnostic code that calculates the axisymmetric equilibrium force balance in tokamaks, EFIT++, as a proof of principle test. The proposed approach avoids any code instrumentation or modification. It is based on the observation and monitoring of input preparation, workflow and code execution, system calls, log file data collection and interaction with the version control system. Pre-processing, post-processing, and data export and storage are monitored during the code runtime. Input data signals are captured using a data distribution platform called IDAM. The final objective of the catalogue is to create a complete description of the modeling activity, including user comments, and the relationship between data output, the main experimental database and the execution environment. For an intershot or post-pulse analysis (∼1000

File Level Provenance Tracking in CMS

CERN Document Server

Jones, C D; Paterno, M; Sexton-Kennedy, L; Tanenbaum, W; Riley, D S

2009-01-01

The CMS off-line framework stores provenance information within CMS's standard ROOT event data files. The provenance information is used to track how each data product was constructed, including what other data products were read to do the construction. We will present how the framework gathers the provenance information, the efforts necessary to minimise the space used to store the provenance in the file and the tools that will be available to use the provenance.

Provenance management in Swift with implementation details.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gadelha, L. M. R; Clifford, B.; Mattoso, M.; Wilde, M.; Foster, I. (Mathematics and Computer Science); ( CLS-CI); (Federal Univ. of Rio de Janeiro); (National Lab. for Scientific Computing, Brazil); (Univ. of Chicago)

2011-04-01

The Swift parallel scripting language allows for the specification, execution and analysis of large-scale computations in parallel and distributed environments. It incorporates a data model for recording and querying provenance information. In this article we describe these capabilities and evaluate interoperability with other systems through the use of the Open Provenance Model. We describe Swift's provenance data model and compare it to the Open Provenance Model. We also describe and evaluate activities performed within the Third Provenance Challenge, which consisted of implementing a specific scientific workflow, capturing and recording provenance information of its execution, performing provenance queries, and exchanging provenance information with other systems. Finally, we propose improvements to both the Open Provenance Model and Swift's provenance system.

Proven Weight Loss Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Fact Sheet Proven Weight Loss Methods What can weight loss do for you? Losing weight can improve your health in a number of ways. It can lower ... at www.hormone.org/Spanish . Proven Weight Loss Methods Fact Sheet www.hormone.org

Water use efficiency studies of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd provenances in Sudan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mustafa, A.F.; Elamin, K.H.; Salih, A.A.

1996-01-01

An experiment was conducted in 1989 to screen Acacia senegal L. Willd provenances collected from within the natural gum belt for high water use efficiency. Thirteen provenances were tested for water use efficiency and consequently 6 out of them were selected for further screening. The selection was based on their performance in the preliminary screening. Both the preliminary and the detailed study revealed that provenances 7, 3 and 11 combine high dry matter production with high water use efficiency. Water use efficiency and dry matter production appears to be negatively correlated with root length density and root/shoot ratios. Provenances 7 which exhibited the highest water use efficiency and dry matter yield had the lowest root/shoot ratio and also a low root length density. Based on these studies provenance 7 can be considered a suitable candidate for introduction into gum-belt of Sudan through for rehabilitation of this region. (author). 5 refs, 1 fig., 3 tabs

Water use efficiency studies of Acacia senegal (L.) Willd provenances in Sudan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mustafa, A F; Elamin, K H [Forestry Research Section, Wad Medani (Sudan); Salih, A A [Soil Science Section, Wad Medani (Sudan)

1996-07-01

An experiment was conducted in 1989 to screen Acacia senegal L. Willd provenances collected from within the natural gum belt for high water use efficiency. Thirteen provenances were tested for water use efficiency and consequently 6 out of them were selected for further screening. The selection was based on their performance in the preliminary screening. Both the preliminary and the detailed study revealed that provenances 7, 3 and 11 combine high dry matter production with high water use efficiency. Water use efficiency and dry matter production appears to be negatively correlated with root length density and root/shoot ratios. Provenances 7 which exhibited the highest water use efficiency and dry matter yield had the lowest root/shoot ratio and also a low root length density. Based on these studies provenance 7 can be considered a suitable candidate for introduction into gum-belt of Sudan through for rehabilitation of this region. (author). 5 refs, 1 fig., 3 tabs.

Wood structural differences between northern and southern beech provenances growing at a moderate site.

Science.gov (United States)

Eilmann, B; Sterck, F; Wegner, L; de Vries, S M G; von Arx, G; Mohren, G M J; den Ouden, J; Sass-Klaassen, U

2014-08-01

Planting provenances originating from southern to northern locations has been discussed as a strategy to speed up species migration and mitigate negative effects of climate change on forest stability and productivity. Especially for drought-susceptible species such as European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), the introduction of drought-tolerant provenances from the south could be an option. Yet, beech has been found to respond plastically to environmental conditions, suggesting that the climate on the plantation site might be more important for tree growth than the genetic predisposition of potentially drought-adapted provenances. In this study, we compared the radial growth, wood-anatomical traits and leaf phenology of four beech provenances originating from southern (Bulgaria, France) and northern locations (Sweden, the Netherlands) and planted in a provenance trial in the Netherlands. The distribution of precipitation largely differs between the sites of origin. The northern provenances experience a maximum and the southern provenances experience a minimum of rainfall in summer. We compared tree productivity and the anatomy of the water-conducting system for the period from 2000 to 2010, including the drought year 2003. In addition, tree mortality and the timing of leaf unfolding in spring were analysed for the years 2001, 2007 and 2012. Comparison of these traits in the four beech provenances indicates the influence of genetic predisposition and local environmental factors on the performance of these provenances under moderate site conditions. Variation in radial growth was controlled by environment, although the growth level slightly differed due to genetic background. The Bulgarian provenance had an efficient water-conducting system which was moreover unaffected by the drought in 2003, pointing to a high ability of this provenance to cope well with dry conditions. In addition, the Bulgarian provenance showed up as most productive in terms of height and radial

Facilitating Fine Grained Data Provenance using Temporal Data Model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huq, M.R.; Wombacher, Andreas; Apers, Peter M.G.

2010-01-01

E-science applications use fine grained data provenance to maintain the reproducibility of scientific results, i.e., for each processed data tuple, the source data used to process the tuple as well as the used approach is documented. Since most of the e-science applications perform on-line

The photon is no strict particle and nonlocality is far from being proven

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greulich, Karl Otto [Fritz Lipmann Institut, Jena (Germany)

2010-07-01

Two aspects of philosophical discussions on physics are the wave particle dualism and non locality including entanglement. However the strict particle aspect of the photon, in the common sense view, has never been proven. The accumulation time argument, the only experimental verification of a strictly particle like photon, has so far not yet been satisfied. Also, experiments thought to prove nonlocality have loophole which have so far not yet been safely closed, and now an even more serious loophole emerges. Thus, also nonlocality cannot be seen as proven. This demands some fine tuning of philosophical discussions on critical experiments in physics.

Provenance Representation in the Global Change Information System (GCIS)

Science.gov (United States)

Tilmes, Curt

2012-01-01

Global climate change is a topic that has become very controversial despite strong support within the scientific community. It is common for agencies releasing information about climate change to be served with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for everything that led to that conclusion. Capturing and presenting the provenance, linking to the research papers, data sets, models, analyses, observation instruments and satellites, etc. supporting key findings has the potential to mitigate skepticism in this domain. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is now coordinating the production of a National Climate Assessment (NCA) that presents our best understanding of global change. We are now developing a Global Change Information System (GCIS) that will present the content of that report and its provenance, including the scientific support for the findings of the assessment. We are using an approach that will present this information both through a human accessible web site as well as a machine readable interface for automated mining of the provenance graph. We plan to use the developing W3C PROV Data Model and Ontology for this system.

Recording Process Documentation for Provenance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groth, P.T.; Moreau, L

2009-01-01

Scientific and business communities are adopting large-scale distributed systems as a means to solve a wide range of resource-intensive tasks. These communities also have requirements in terms of provenance. We define the provenance of a result produced by a distributed system as the process that

Golden Trail: Retrieving the Data History that Matters from a Comprehensive Provenance Repository

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Missier

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Experimental science can be thought of as the exploration of a large research space, in search of a few valuable results. While it is this “Golden Data” that gets published, the history of the exploration is often as valuable to the scientists as some of its outcomes. We envision an e-research infrastructure that is capable of systematically and automatically recording such history – an assumption that holds today for a number of workflow management systems routinely used in e-science. In keeping with our gold rush metaphor, the provenance of a valuable result is a “Golden Trail”. Logically, this represents a detailed account of how the Golden Data was arrived at, and technically it is a sub-graph in the much larger graph of provenance traces that collectively tell the story of the entire research (or of some of it.In this paper we describe a model and architecture for a repository dedicated to storing provenance traces and selectively retrieving Golden Trails from it. As traces from multiple experiments over long periods of time are accommodated, the trails may be sub-graphs of one trace, or they may be the logical representation of a virtual experiment obtained by joining together traces that share common data.The project has been carried out within the Provenance Working Group of the Data Observation Network for Earth (DataONE NSF project. Ultimately, our longer-term plan is to integrate the provenance repository into the data preservation architecture currently being developed by DataONE.

Incipient archaeometry in Venezuela. Provenance study of pre-Hispanic pottery figurines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sajo Bohus, L.; Greaves, E.D.; Bermudez, J.; Mackowiak de Antczak, Ma. M.; Antczak, A.; Kasztovszky, Zs.; Poirier, T.; Simonits, A.

2005-01-01

Application of different analytical techniques contributed with new results to the interpretation and the provenance study of Venezuelan figurines dating from the 12th and 15th centuries. Elements in bulk samples, powdered samples of figurines and soil were determined using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA). Results and ceramics macroscopic observations indicate that average elemental composition of the figurines from the mainland significantly differ from those encountered on the Caribbean islands. The multidisciplinary experience de facto formed a group dedicated to archaeometry and provided data for provenance study of pre-Hispanic pottery figurines. (author)

Data provenance assurance in the cloud using blockchain

Science.gov (United States)

Shetty, Sachin; Red, Val; Kamhoua, Charles; Kwiat, Kevin; Njilla, Laurent

2017-05-01

Ever increasing adoption of cloud technology scales up the activities like creation, exchange, and alteration of cloud data objects, which create challenges to track malicious activities and security violations. Addressing this issue requires implementation of data provenance framework so that each data object in the federated cloud environment can be tracked and recorded but cannot be modified. The blockchain technology gives a promising decentralized platform to build tamper-proof systems. Its incorruptible distributed ledger/blockchain complements the need of maintaining cloud data provenance. In this paper, we present a cloud based data provenance framework using block chain which traces data record operations and generates provenance data. We anchor provenance data records into block chain transactions, which provide validation on provenance data and preserve user privacy at the same time. Once the provenance data is uploaded to the global block chain network, it is extremely challenging to tamper the provenance data. Besides, the provenance data uses hashed user identifiers prior to uploading so the blockchain nodes cannot link the operations to a particular user. The framework ensures that the privacy is preserved. We implemented the architecture on ownCloud, uploaded records to blockchain network, stored records in a provenance database and developed a prototype in form of a web service.

Logical provenance in data-oriented workflows?

KAUST Repository

Ikeda, R.; Das Sarma, Akash; Widom, J.

2013-01-01

for general transformations, introducing the notions of correctness, precision, and minimality. We then determine when properties such as correctness and minimality carry over from the individual transformations' provenance to the workflow provenance. We

SEIS-PROV: Practical Provenance for Seismological Data

Science.gov (United States)

Krischer, L.; Smith, J. A.; Tromp, J.

2015-12-01

It is widely recognized that reproducibility is crucial to advance science, but at the same time it is very hard to actually achieve. This results in it being recognized but also mostly ignored by a large fraction of the community. A key ingredient towards full reproducibility is to capture and describe the history of data, an issue known as provenance. We present SEIS-PROV, a practical format and data model to store provenance information for seismological data. In a seismological context, provenance can be seen as information about the processes that generated and modified a particular piece of data. For synthetic waveforms the provenance information describes which solver and settings therein were used to generate it. When looking at processed seismograms, the provenance conveys information about the different time series analysis steps that led to it. Additional uses include the description of derived data types, such as cross-correlations and adjoint sources, enabling their proper storage and exchange. SEIS-PROV is based on W3C PROV (http://www.w3.org/TR/prov-overview/), a standard for generic provenance information. It then applies an additional set of constraints to make it suitable for seismology. We present a definition of the SEIS-PROV format, a way to check if any given file is a valid SEIS-PROV document, and two sample implementations: One in SPECFEM3D GLOBE (https://geodynamics.org/cig/software/specfem3d_globe/) to store the provenance information of synthetic seismograms and another one as part of the ObsPy (http://obspy.org) framework enabling automatic tracking of provenance information during a series of analysis and transformation stages. This, along with tools to visualize and interpret provenance graphs, offers a description of data history that can be readily tracked, stored, and exchanged.

Provenance trials of larch in Siberia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milyutin, L.I. [V.N. Sukachev Inst. of Forest SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk (Russian Federation)

1995-12-31

Some results of provenance trials of larch in Siberia are given. These provenance trials were established in the last thirty years by efforts of V.N. Sukaczev Inst. of Forest. Provenances and species of larch were tested in some field trials distributed over Siberia between Lat. N 52 deg and 66 deg, Long. E 88 deg and 113 deg: near Krasnoyarsk, in Republic Khakasia (an altitudes of 800 and 1200 metres), in the Lower Yenisei near Turukhansk, in the west and south regions of Krasnoyarsk territory, in the Upper Lena, near Chita. 2 refs

Archives and societal provenance Australian essays

CERN Document Server

Piggott, Michael

2012-01-01

Records and archival arrangements in Australia are globally relevant because Australia's indigenous people represent the oldest living culture in the world, and because modern Australia is an ex-colonial society now heavily multicultural in outlook. Archives and Societal Provenance explores this distinctiveness using the theoretical concept of societal provenance as propounded by Canadian archival scholars led by Dr Tom Nesmith. The book's seventeen essays blend new writing and re-workings of earlier work, comprising the fi rst text to apply a societal provenance perspective to a national sett

Provenance trials of larch in Siberia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milyutin, L I [V.N. Sukachev Inst. of Forest SB RAS, Krasnoyarsk (Russian Federation)

1996-12-31

Some results of provenance trials of larch in Siberia are given. These provenance trials were established in the last thirty years by efforts of V.N. Sukaczev Inst. of Forest. Provenances and species of larch were tested in some field trials distributed over Siberia between Lat. N 52 deg and 66 deg, Long. E 88 deg and 113 deg: near Krasnoyarsk, in Republic Khakasia (an altitudes of 800 and 1200 metres), in the Lower Yenisei near Turukhansk, in the west and south regions of Krasnoyarsk territory, in the Upper Lena, near Chita. 2 refs

Seamless Provenance Representation and Use in Collaborative Science Scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Missier, P.; Ludaescher, B.; Bowers, S.; Altintas, I.; Anand, M. K.; Dey, S.; Sarkar, A.; Shrestha, B.; Goble, C.

2010-12-01

), as well as when data is published and reused using mechanisms that are not provenance-aware. In this presentation we discuss requirements for ensuring provenance-aware data publishing and reuse, and describe the design and implementation of a prototype toolkit that involves two specific, and broadly used, workflow models, Kepler [3] and Taverna [4]. The implementation is expected to be adopted as part of DataONE's investigators' toolkit, in support of its mission of large-scale data preservation. Refs. [1]Sharing of Data Leads to Progress on Alzheimer’s, G. Kolata, NYT, 8/12/2010 [2]http://www.dataone.org [3]Ludaescher B., Altintas I. et al. Scientific Workflow Management and the Kepler System. Special Issue: Workflow in Grid Systems. Concurrency and Computation: Practice & Experience 18(10): 1039-1065, 2006 [4]D. Hull, K. Wolstencroft, R. Stevens, C. Goble, M. R. Pocock, P. Li, T. Oinn. Taverna: a tool for building and running workflows of services. Nucl. Acids Res. 34: W729-W732, 2006

Lightweight Provenance Service for High-Performance Computing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Dong; Chen, Yong; Carns, Philip; Jenkins, John; Ross, Robert

2017-09-09

Provenance describes detailed information about the history of a piece of data, containing the relationships among elements such as users, processes, jobs, and workflows that contribute to the existence of data. Provenance is key to supporting many data management functionalities that are increasingly important in operations such as identifying data sources, parameters, or assumptions behind a given result; auditing data usage; or understanding details about how inputs are transformed into outputs. Despite its importance, however, provenance support is largely underdeveloped in highly parallel architectures and systems. One major challenge is the demanding requirements of providing provenance service in situ. The need to remain lightweight and to be always on often conflicts with the need to be transparent and offer an accurate catalog of details regarding the applications and systems. To tackle this challenge, we introduce a lightweight provenance service, called LPS, for high-performance computing (HPC) systems. LPS leverages a kernel instrument mechanism to achieve transparency and introduces representative execution and flexible granularity to capture comprehensive provenance with controllable overhead. Extensive evaluations and use cases have confirmed its efficiency and usability. We believe that LPS can be integrated into current and future HPC systems to support a variety of data management needs.

Data Provenance and Data Management in eScience

CERN Document Server

Bai, Quan; Giugni, Stephen; Williamson, Darrell; Taylor, John

2013-01-01

eScience allows scientific research to be carried out in highly distributed environments. The complex nature of the interactions in an eScience infrastructure, which often involves a range of instruments, data, models, applications, people and computational facilities, suggests there is a need for data provenance and data management (DPDM). The W3C Provenance Working Group defines the provenance of a resource as a “record that describes entities and processes involved in producing and delivering or otherwise influencing that resource”. It has been widely recognised that provenance is a critical issue to enable sharing, trust, authentication and reproducibility of eScience process.   Data Provenance and Data Management in eScience identifies the gaps between DPDM foundations and their practice within eScience domains including clinical trials, bioinformatics and radio astronomy. The book covers important aspects of fundamental research in DPDM including provenance representation and querying. It also expl...

Integrating prediction, provenance, and optimization into high energy workflows

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schram, M.; Bansal, V.; Friese, R. D.; Tallent, N. R.; Yin, J.; Barker, K. J.; Stephan, E.; Halappanavar, M.; Kerbyson, D. J.

2017-10-01

We propose a novel approach for efficient execution of workflows on distributed resources. The key components of this framework include: performance modeling to quantitatively predict workflow component behavior; optimization-based scheduling such as choosing an optimal subset of resources to meet demand and assignment of tasks to resources; distributed I/O optimizations such as prefetching; and provenance methods for collecting performance data. In preliminary results, these techniques improve throughput on a small Belle II workflow by 20%.

Visualisation methods for large provenance collections in data-intensive collaborative platforms

Science.gov (United States)

Spinuso, Alessandro; Fligueira, Rosa; Atkinson, Malcolm; Gemuend, Andre

2016-04-01

This work investigates improving the methods of visually representing provenance information in the context of modern data-driven scientific research. It explores scenarios where data-intensive workflows systems are serving communities of researchers within collaborative environments, supporting the sharing of data and methods, and offering a variety of computation facilities, including HPC, HTC and Cloud. It focuses on the exploration of big-data visualization techniques aiming at producing comprehensive and interactive views on top of large and heterogeneous provenance data. The same approach is applicable to control-flow and data-flow workflows or to combinations of the two. This flexibility is achieved using the W3C-PROV recommendation as a reference model, especially its workflow oriented profiles such as D-PROV (Messier et al. 2013). Our implementation is based on the provenance records produced by the dispel4py data-intensive processing library (Filgueira et al. 2015). dispel4py is an open-source Python framework for describing abstract stream-based workflows for distributed data-intensive applications, developed during the VERCE project. dispel4py enables scientists to develop their scientific methods and applications on their laptop and then run them at scale on a wide range of e-Infrastructures (Cloud, Cluster, etc.) without making changes. Users can therefore focus on designing their workflows at an abstract level, describing actions, input and output streams, and how they are connected. The dispel4py system then maps these descriptions to the enactment platforms, such as MPI, Storm, multiprocessing. It provides a mechanism which allows users to determine the provenance information to be collected and to analyze it at runtime. For this work we consider alternative visualisation methods for provenance data, from infinite lists and localised interactive graphs, to radial-views. The latter technique has been positively explored in many fields, from text

Secure Location Provenance for Mobile Devices

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-01

A malicious user should not be able to hide a temporary off-track movement from the claimed location provenance. • A malicious user may want to...Seltzer, “Provenance-aware storage systems,” in Proc. of USENIX ATC. USENIX Association, May 2006, pp. 43–56. [48] D. Bhagwat, L. Chiticariu, W.-C. Tan

Provenance Usage in the OceanLink Project

Science.gov (United States)

Narock, T.; Arko, R. A.; Carbotte, S. M.; Chandler, C. L.; Cheatham, M.; Fils, D.; Finin, T.; Hitzler, P.; Janowicz, K.; Jones, M.; Krisnadhi, A.; Lehnert, K. A.; Mickle, A.; Raymond, L. M.; Schildhauer, M.; Shepherd, A.; Wiebe, P. H.

2014-12-01

A wide spectrum of maturing methods and tools, collectively characterized as the Semantic Web, is helping to vastly improve thedissemination of scientific research. The OceanLink project, an NSF EarthCube Building Block, is utilizing semantic technologies tointegrate geoscience data repositories, library holdings, conference abstracts, and funded research awards. Provenance is a vital componentin meeting both the scientific and engineering requirements of OceanLink. Provenance plays a key role in justification and understanding when presenting users with results aggregated from multiple sources. In the engineering sense, provenance enables the identification of new data and the ability to determine which data sources to query. Additionally, OceanLink will leverage human and machine computation for crowdsourcing, text mining, and co-reference resolution. The results of these computations, and their associated provenance, will be folded back into the constituent systems to continually enhance precision and utility. We will touch on the various roles provenance is playing in OceanLink as well as present our use of the PROV Ontology and associated Ontology Design Patterns.

Trace-element and Nd-isotope systematics in detrital apatite of the Po river catchment: Implications for provenance discrimination and the lag-time approach to detrital thermochronology

Science.gov (United States)

Malusà, Marco G.; Wang, Jiangang; Garzanti, Eduardo; Liu, Zhi-Chao; Villa, Igor M.; Wittmann, Hella

2017-10-01

Detrital thermochronology is often employed to assess the evolutionary stage of an entire orogenic belt using the lag-time approach, i.e., the difference between the cooling and depositional ages of detrital mineral grains preserved in a stratigraphic succession. The impact of different eroding sources to the final sediment sink is controlled by several factors, including the short-term erosion rate and the mineral fertility of eroded bedrock. Here, we use apatite fertility data and cosmogenic-derived erosion rates in the Po river catchment (Alps-Apennines) to calculate the expected percentage of apatite grains supplied to the modern Po delta from the major Alpine and Apenninic eroding sources. We test these predictions by using a cutting-edge dataset of trace-element and Nd-isotope signatures on 871 apatite grains from 14 modern sand samples, and we use apatite fission-track data to validate our geochemical approach to provenance discrimination. We found that apatite grains shed from different sources are geochemically distinct. Apatites from the Lepontine dome in the Central Alps show relative HREE enrichment, lower concentrations in Ce and U, and higher 147Sm/144Nd ratios compared to apatites derived from the External Massifs. Derived provenance budgets point to a dominant apatite contribution to the Po delta from the high-fertility Lepontine dome, consistent with the range independently predicted from cosmonuclide and mineral-fertility data. Our results demonstrate that the single-mineral record in the final sediment sink can be largely determined by high-fertility source rocks exposed in rapidly eroding areas within the drainage. This implies that the detrital thermochronology record may reflect processes affecting relatively small parts of the orogenic system under consideration. A reliable approach to lag-time analysis would thus benefit from an independent provenance discrimination of dated mineral grains, which may allow to proficiently reconsider many

Different types of power reactors and provenness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodman, E.I.

1977-01-01

The lecture guides the potential buyer in the selection of a reactor type. Recommended criteria regarding provenness, licensability, and contractual arrangements are defined and discussed. Tabular data summarizing operating experience and commercial availability of units are presented and discussed. The status of small and medium power reactors which are of interest to many developing countries is presented. It is stressed that each prospective buyer will have to establish his own criteria based on specific conditions which will be applied to reactor selection. In all cases it will be found that selection, either pre-selection of bidders or final selection of supplier, will be a fairly complex evaluation. (orig.) [de

Improving economics and safety of water cooled reactors. Proven means and new approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-05-01

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) with water cooled reactors [either light water reactors (LWRs) or heavy water reactors (HWRs)] constitute the large majority of the currently operating plants. Water cooled reactors can make a significant contribution to meeting future energy needs, to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and to energy security if they can compete economically with fossil alternatives, while continuing to achieve a very high level of safety. It is generally agreed that the largest commercial barrier to the addition of new nuclear power capacity is the high capital cost of nuclear plants relative to other electricity generating alternatives. If nuclear plants are to form part of the future generating mix in competitive electricity markets, capital cost reduction through simplified designs must be an important focus. Reductions in operating, maintenance and fuel costs should also be pursued. The Department of Nuclear Energy of the IAEA is examining the competitiveness of nuclear power and the means for improving its economics. The objective of this TECDOC is to emphasize the need, and to identify approaches, for new nuclear plants with water cooled reactors to achieve competitiveness while maintaining high levels of safety. The cost reduction methods discussed herein can be implemented into plant designs that are currently under development as well as into designs that may be developed in the longer term. Many of the approaches discussed also generally apply to other reactor types (e.g. gas cooled and liquid metal cooled reactors). To achieve the largest possible cost reductions, proven means for reducing costs must be fully implemented, and new approaches described in this document should be developed and implemented. These new approaches include development of advanced technologies, increased use of risk-informed methods for evaluating the safety benefit of design features, and international consensus regarding commonly acceptable safety requirements that

Improving economics and safety of water cooled reactors. Proven means and new approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-05-01

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) with water cooled reactors [either light water reactors (LWRs) or heavy water reactors (HWRs)] constitute the large majority of the currently operating plants. Water cooled reactors can make a significant contribution to meeting future energy needs, to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and to energy security if they can compete economically with fossil alternatives, while continuing to achieve a very high level of safety. It is generally agreed that the largest commercial barrier to the addition of new nuclear power capacity is the high capital cost of nuclear plants relative to other electricity generating alternatives. If nuclear plants are to form part of the future generating mix in competitive electricity markets, capital cost reduction through simplified designs must be an important focus. Reductions in operating, maintenance and fuel costs should also be pursued. The Department of Nuclear Energy of the IAEA is examining the competitiveness of nuclear power and the means for improving its economics. The objective of this TECDOC is to emphasize the need, and to identify approaches, for new nuclear plants with water cooled reactors to achieve competitiveness while maintaining high levels of safety. The cost reduction methods discussed herein can be implemented into plant designs that are currently under development as well as into designs that may be developed in the longer term. Many of the approaches discussed also generally apply to other reactor types (e.g. gas cooled and liquid metal cooled reactors). To achieve the largest possible cost reductions, proven means for reducing costs must be fully implemented, and new approaches described in this document should be developed and implemented. These new approaches include development of advanced technologies, increased use of risk-informed methods for evaluating the safety benefit of design features, and international consensus regarding commonly acceptable safety requirements that

Identification of provenance rocks based on EPMA analyses of heavy minerals

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, M.; Sano, N.; Ueki, T.; Yonaga, Y.; Yasue, K. I.; Masakazu, N.

2017-12-01

Information on mountain building is significant in the field of geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste, because this affects long-term stability in groundwater flow system. Provenance analysis is one of effective approaches for understanding building process of mountains. Chemical compositions of heavy minerals, as well as their chronological data, can be an index for identification of provenance rocks. The accurate identification requires the measurement of as many grains as possible. In order to achieve an efficient provenance analysis, we developed a method for quick identification of heavy minerals using an Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA). In this method, heavy mineral grains extracted from a sample were aligned on a glass slide and mounted in a resin. Concentration of 28 elements was measured for 300-500 grains per sample using EPMA. To measure as many grains as possible, we prioritized swiftness of measurement over precision, configuring measurement time of about 3.5 minutes for each grain. Identification of heavy minerals was based on their chemical composition. We developed a Microsoft® Excel® spread sheet input criteria of mineral identification using a typical range of chemical compositions for each mineral. The grains of 110 wt.% total were rejected. The criteria of mineral identification were revised through the comparison between mineral identification by optical microscopy and chemical compositions of grains classified as "unknown minerals". Provenance rocks can be identified based on abundance ratio of identified minerals. If no significant difference of the abundance ratio was found among source rocks, chemical composition of specific minerals was used as another index. This method was applied to the sediments of some regions in Japan where provenance rocks had lithological variations but similar formation ages. Consequently, the provenance rocks were identified based on chemical compositions of heavy minerals resistant to

A Provenance Tracking Model for Data Updates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Ciobanu

2012-08-01

Full Text Available For data-centric systems, provenance tracking is particularly important when the system is open and decentralised, such as the Web of Linked Data. In this paper, a concise but expressive calculus which models data updates is presented. The calculus is used to provide an operational semantics for a system where data and updates interact concurrently. The operational semantics of the calculus also tracks the provenance of data with respect to updates. This provides a new formal semantics extending provenance diagrams which takes into account the execution of processes in a concurrent setting. Moreover, a sound and complete model for the calculus based on ideals of series-parallel DAGs is provided. The notion of provenance introduced can be used as a subjective indicator of the quality of data in concurrent interacting systems.

LabelFlow Framework for Annotating Workflow Provenance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pinar Alper

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Scientists routinely analyse and share data for others to use. Successful data (reuse relies on having metadata describing the context of analysis of data. In many disciplines the creation of contextual metadata is referred to as reporting. One method of implementing analyses is with workflows. A stand-out feature of workflows is their ability to record provenance from executions. Provenance is useful when analyses are executed with changing parameters (changing contexts and results need to be traced to respective parameters. In this paper we investigate whether provenance can be exploited to support reporting. Specifically; we outline a case-study based on a real-world workflow and set of reporting queries. We observe that provenance, as collected from workflow executions, is of limited use for reporting, as it supports queries partially. We identify that this is due to the generic nature of provenance, its lack of domain-specific contextual metadata. We observe that the required information is available in implicit form, embedded in data. We describe LabelFlow, a framework comprised of four Labelling Operators for decorating provenance with domain-specific Labels. LabelFlow can be instantiated for a domain by plugging it with domain-specific metadata extractors. We provide a tool that takes as input a workflow, and produces as output a Labelling Pipeline for that workflow, comprised of Labelling Operators. We revisit the case-study and show how Labels provide a more complete implementation of reporting queries.

ProvenCare-Psoriasis: A disease management model to optimize care.

Science.gov (United States)

Gionfriddo, Michael R; Pulk, Rebecca A; Sahni, Dev R; Vijayanagar, Sonal G; Chronowski, Joseph J; Jones, Laney K; Evans, Michael A; Feldman, Steven R; Pride, Howard

2018-03-15

There are a variety of evidence-based treatments available for psoriasis. The transition of this evidence into practice is challenging. In this article, we describe the design of our disease management approach for Psoriasis (ProvenCare®) and present preliminary evidence of the effect of its implementation. In designing our approach, we identified three barriers to optimal care: 1) lack of a standardized and discrete disease activity measure within the electronic health record, 2) lack of a system-wide, standardized approach to care, and 3) non-uniform financial access to appropriate non-pharmacologic treatments. We implemented several solutions, which collectively form our approach. We standardized the documentation of clinical data such as body surface area (BSA), created a disease management algorithm for psoriasis, and aligned incentives to facilitate the implementation of the algorithm. This approach provides more coordinated, cost effective care for psoriasis, while being acceptable to key stakeholders. Future work will examine the effect of the implementation of our approach on important clinical and patient outcomes.

Extending eScience Provenance with User-Submitted Semantic Annotations

Science.gov (United States)

Michaelis, J.; Zednik, S.; West, P.; Fox, P. A.; McGuinness, D. L.

2010-12-01

eScience based systems generate provenance of their data products, related to such things as: data processing, data collection conditions, expert evaluation, and data product quality. Recent advances in web-based technology offer users the possibility of making annotations to both data products and steps in accompanying provenance traces, thereby expanding the utility of such provenance for others. These contributing users may have varying backgrounds, ranging from system experts to outside domain experts to citizen scientists. Furthermore, such users may wish to make varying types of annotations - ranging from documenting the purpose of a provenance step to raising concerns about the quality of data dependencies. Semantic Web technologies allow for such kinds of rich annotations to be made to provenance through the use of ontology vocabularies for (i) organizing provenance, and (ii) organizing user/annotation classifications. Furthermore, through Linked Data practices, Semantic linkages may be made from provenance steps to external data of interest. A desire for Semantically-annotated provenance has been motivated by data management issues in the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory’s (MLSO) Advanced Coronal Observing System (ACOS). In ACOS, photomoeter-based readings are taken of solar activity and subsequently processed into final data products consumable by end users. At intermediate stages of ACOS processing, factors such as evaluations by human experts and weather conditions are logged, which could impact data product quality. If such factors are linked via user-submitted annotations to provenance, it could be significantly beneficial for other users. Likewise, the background of a user could impact the credibility of their annotations. For example, an annotation made by a citizen scientist describing the purpose of a provenance step may not be as reliable as a similar annotation made by an ACOS project member. For this work, we have developed a software package that

Accumulation of operational history through emulation test to meet proven technology requirement for newly developed I and C technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeong Cheol, Shin; Sung Kon, Kang; Han Seong, Son

2006-01-01

As new advanced digital I and C technology with potential benefits of higher functionality and better cost effectiveness is available in the market, NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) operators are inclined to use the new technology for the construction of new plant and the upgrade of existing plants. However, this new technology poses risks to the NPP operators at the same time. These risks are mainly due to the poor reliability of newly developed technology. KHNP's past experiences with the new equipment shows many cases of reliability problems. And their consequences include unintended plant trips, lowered acceptance of the new digital technology by the plant I and C maintenance crew, and increased licensing burden in answering for questions from the nuclear regulatory body. Considering the fact that the risk of these failures in the nuclear plant operation is far greater than those in other industry, nuclear power plant operators want proven technology for I and C systems. This paper presents an approach for the emulation of operational history through which a newly developed technology becomes a proven technology. One of the essential elements of this approach is the feedback scheme of running the new equipment in emulated environment, gathering equipment failure, and correcting the design(and test bed). The emulation of environment includes normal and abnormal events of the new equipment such as reconfiguration of control system due to power failure, plant operation including full spectrum of credible scenarios in an NPP. Emulation of I and C equipment execution mode includes normal operation, initialization and termination, abnormal operation, hardware maintenance and maintenance of algorithm/software. Plant specific simulator is used to create complete profile of plant operational conditions that I and C equipment is to experience in the real plant. Virtual operating crew technology is developed to run the simulator scenarios without involvement of actual operators

ProvenCare: Geisinger's Model for Care Transformation through Innovative Clinical Initiatives and Value Creation.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-04-01

Geisinger's system of care can be seen as a microcosm of the national delivery of healthcare, with implications for decision makers in other health plans. In this interview, Dr Ronald A. Paulus focuses on Geisinger's unique approach to patient care. In its core, this approach represents a system of quality and value initiatives based on 3 major programs-Proven Health Navigation (medical home); the ProvenCare model; and transitions of care. The goal of such an approach is to optimize disease management by using a rational reimbursement paradigm for appropriate interventions, providing innovative incentives, and engaging patients in their own care as part of any intervention. Dr Paulus explains the reasons why, unlike Geisinger, other stakeholders, including payers, providers, patients, and employers, have no intrinsic reasons to be concerned with quality and value initiatives. In addition, he says, an electronic infrastructure that could be modified as management paradigms evolve is a necessary tool to ensure the healthcare delivery system's ability to adapt to new clinical realities quickly to ensure the continuation of delivering best value for all stakeholders.

Big Data Provenance: Challenges, State of the Art and Opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jianwu; Crawl, Daniel; Purawat, Shweta; Nguyen, Mai; Altintas, Ilkay

2015-01-01

Ability to track provenance is a key feature of scientific workflows to support data lineage and reproducibility. The challenges that are introduced by the volume, variety and velocity of Big Data, also pose related challenges for provenance and quality of Big Data, defined as veracity. The increasing size and variety of distributed Big Data provenance information bring new technical challenges and opportunities throughout the provenance lifecycle including recording, querying, sharing and utilization. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of Big Data provenance related to the veracity of the datasets themselves and the provenance of the analytical processes that analyze these datasets. It also explains our current efforts towards tracking and utilizing Big Data provenance using workflows as a programming model to analyze Big Data.

The Symbiotic Relationship between Scientific Workflow and Provenance (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Stephan, E.

2010-12-01

The purpose of this presentation is to describe the symbiotic nature of scientific workflows and provenance. We will also discuss the current trends and real world challenges facing these two distinct research areas. Although motivated differently, the needs of the international science communities are the glue that binds this relationship together. Understanding and articulating the science drivers to these communities is paramount as these technologies evolve and mature. Originally conceived for managing business processes, workflows are now becoming invaluable assets in both computational and experimental sciences. These reconfigurable, automated systems provide essential technology to perform complex analyses by coupling together geographically distributed disparate data sources and applications. As a result, workflows are capable of higher throughput in a shorter amount of time than performing the steps manually. Today many different workflow products exist; these could include Kepler and Taverna or similar products like MeDICI, developed at PNNL, that are standardized on the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). Provenance, originating from the French term Provenir “to come from”, is used to describe the curation process of artwork as art is passed from owner to owner. The concept of provenance was adopted by digital libraries as a means to track the lineage of documents while standards such as the DublinCore began to emerge. In recent years the systems science community has increasingly expressed the need to expand the concept of provenance to formally articulate the history of scientific data. Communities such as the International Provenance and Annotation Workshop (IPAW) have formalized a provenance data model. The Open Provenance Model, and the W3C is hosting a provenance incubator group featuring the Proof Markup Language. Although both workflows and provenance have risen from different communities and operate independently, their mutual

Provenance-Based Debugging and Drill-Down in Data-Oriented Workflows

KAUST Repository

Ikeda, Robert

2012-04-01

Panda (for Provenance and Data) is a system that supports the creation and execution of data-oriented workflows, with automatic provenance generation and built-in provenance tracing operations. Workflows in Panda are arbitrary a cyclic graphs containing both relational (SQL) processing nodes and opaque processing nodes programmed in Python. For both types of nodes, Panda generates logical provenance - provenance information stored at the processing-node level - and uses the generated provenance to support record-level backward tracing and forward tracing operations. In our demonstration we use Panda to integrate, process, and analyze actual education data from multiple sources. We specifically demonstrate how Panda\\'s provenance generation and tracing capabilities can be very useful for workflow debugging, and for drilling down on specific results of interest. © 2012 IEEE.

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizae on growth and mineral nutrition of greenhouse propagated fruit trees from diverse geographic provenances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guissou, T.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Description of the subject. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM fungi are known to promote plant growth by enhancing mineral uptake in nutrient deficient soils. These beneficial effects on plant growth may vary considerably between cultivars of a given species and between plant species originating from different locations. Objectives. The present experiment evaluated the response of three Sahelian fruit trees: néré (Parkia biglobosa [Jacq.] G.Don, tamarind (Tamarindus indica L., and jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana Lam., originating from five different geographic provenances, to mycorrhizal colonization, evaluate their respective mycorrhizal dependency (MD and analyze their leaf and stem mineral composition. Method. Trees were cultivated in a nursery on pre-sterilized soil substrate low in available P (2.18 μg·g-1 with or without inoculum of Glomus aggregatum (Schenck & Smith emend. Koske. The experiment was arranged in a factorial design for each fruit tree species separately: 5 provenances x 2 AM treatments (inoculated and non-inoculated [control] with 10 replicates per treatment. Plants were harvested six months after inoculation and different parameters were measured. Results. Overall, the results showed significant provenance variations in the plant response to mycorrhizal inoculation. Néré mycorrhizal plants, from two seed sources, tamarind and jujube plants from one seed source had significant higher dry weight and shoot height than those from other provenances. Jujube plants from 3 out of the 5 provenances showed significant higher MD. It then appears that seed provenance happened to be determinant even though AM-root colonization levels (80-90% do not vary much from one provenance to another. In all cases, the fruit trees benefited from AM fungi with increased N, P and K mineral uptake in aerial parts. In particular P uptake was proportional to MD concentration in AM-jujube plants. Conclusions. These results demonstrate the importance of

Provenance an introduction to PROV

CERN Document Server

Moreau, Luc

2013-01-01

The World Wide Web is now deeply intertwined with our lives, and has become a catalyst for a data deluge, making vast amounts of data available online, at a click of a button. With Web 2.0, users are no longer passive consumers, but active publishers and curators of data. Hence, from science to food manufacturing, from data journalism to personal well-being, from social media to art, there is a strong interest in provenance, a description of what influenced an artifact, a data set, a document, a blog, or any resource on the Web and beyond. Provenance is a crucial piece of information that can

The impact of seeds provenance and nursery provenance method on Austrian pine (Pinus nigra Arn. seedlings quality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladan Ivetić

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The influence of seed provenances and seedling production methods on quality of one and two years old seedlings of Austrian pine were investigated. Seeds from three provenances of Austrian pine (Goc, Studenica and Sargan were used for seedlings production, combined with three production methods: (i the modified seedbeds (bare-root, (ii the container type Plantagrah II and (iii the container type Gocko. Provenance, as well as the combined influence of provenance and production method had minimal influence on the variability of one and two years old Austrian pine seedlings. Nevertheless, the production method had the highest influence. The production system, besides its importance in nursery, will have a high influence on seedlings growth during the first year after planting. Considering the results of this study (e.g. the highest values of the diameter, number of lateral roots, shoot and root dry weight, and quality index and the lowest value of SQ and satisfactory value of S:R, we can conclude that the seedlings produced in container type Gocko led to the highest seedlings quality, recommended especially for afforestation on hard sites.     

Provenance research: investigation of genetic diversity associated with geography

Science.gov (United States)

Robert Z. Callaham

1963-01-01

Provenance in forestry refers to the population of trees growing at n particular place of origin. Provenance research defines the genetic and environmental components of phenotypic variation associated with geographic source. Information on provenance is important in assuring sources of seed to give well-adapted, productive trees and in directing breeding of...

Provenance Store Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paulson, Patrick R.; Gibson, Tara D.; Schuchardt, Karen L.; Stephan, Eric G.

2008-03-01

Requirements for the provenance store and access API are developed. Existing RDF stores and APIs are evaluated against the requirements and performance benchmarks. The team’s conclusion is to use MySQL as a database backend, with a possible move to Oracle in the near-term future. Both Jena and Sesame’s APIs will be supported, but new code will use the Jena API

Drought effects on root and needle terpenoid content of a coastal and an interior Douglas fir provenance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleiber, Anita; Duan, Qiuxiao; Jansen, Kirstin; Verena Junker, Laura; Kammerer, Bernd; Rennenberg, Heinz; Ensminger, Ingo; Gessler, Arthur; Kreuzwieser, Jürgen

2017-12-01

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is a conifer species that stores large amounts of terpenoids, mainly monoterpenoids in resin ducts of various tissues. The effects of drought on stored leaf terpenoid concentrations in trees are scarcely studied and published data are partially controversial, since reduced, unaffected or elevated terpenoid contents due to drought have been reported. Even less is known on the effect of drought on root terpenoids. In the present work, we investigated the effect of reduced water availability on the terpenoid content in roots and needles of Douglas fir seedlings. Two contrasting Douglas fir provenances were studied: an interior provenance (var. glauca) with assumed higher drought resistance, and a coastal provenance (var. menziesii) with assumed lower drought resistance. We tested the hypothesis that both provenances show specific patterns of stored terpenoids and that the patterns will change in response to drought in both, needles and roots. We further expected stronger changes in the less drought tolerant coastal provenance. For this purpose, we performed an experiment under controlled conditions, in which the trees were exposed to moderate and severe drought stress. According to our expectations, the study revealed clear provenance-specific terpenoid patterns in needles. However, such patterns were not detected in the roots. Drought slightly increased the needle terpenoid contents of the coastal but not of the interior provenance. We also observed increased terpenoid abundance mainly in roots of the moderately stressed coastal provenance. Overall, from the observed provenance-specific reactions with increased terpenoid levels in trees of the coastal origin in response to drought, we conclude on functions of terpenoids for abiotic stress tolerance that might be fulfilled by other, constitutively expressed mechanisms in drought-adapted interior provenances. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights

Provenance-Based Debugging and Drill-Down in Data-Oriented Workflows

KAUST Repository

Ikeda, Robert; Cho, Junsang; Fang, Charlie; Salihoglu, Semih; Torikai, Satoshi; Widom, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Panda (for Provenance and Data) is a system that supports the creation and execution of data-oriented workflows, with automatic provenance generation and built-in provenance tracing operations. Workflows in Panda are arbitrary a cyclic graphs

Data Provenance and Trust

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stratis D Viglas

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The Oxford Dictionary defines provenance as “the place of origin, or earliest known history of something.” The term, when transferred to its digital counterpart, has morphed into a more general meaning. It is not only used to refer to the origin of a digital artefact but also to its changes over time. By changes in this context we may not only refer to its digital snapshots but also to the processes that caused and materialised the change. As an example, consider a database record r created at point in time t0; an update u to that record at time t1 causes it to have a value r’. In terms of provenance, we do not only want to record the snapshots (t0, r and (t1, r’ but also the transformation u that when applied to (t0, r results in (t1, r’, that is u(t0, r = (t1, r’.

Big Data Provenance: Challenges, State of the Art and Opportunities

OpenAIRE

Wang, Jianwu; Crawl, Daniel; Purawat, Shweta; Nguyen, Mai; Altintas, Ilkay

2015-01-01

Ability to track provenance is a key feature of scientific workflows to support data lineage and reproducibility. The challenges that are introduced by the volume, variety and velocity of Big Data, also pose related challenges for provenance and quality of Big Data, defined as veracity. The increasing size and variety of distributed Big Data provenance information bring new technical challenges and opportunities throughout the provenance lifecycle including recording, querying, sharing and ut...

Study on the provenance of ancient porcelain excavated in Maojiawan ruin by WDXRF analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie Guoxi

2007-01-01

In order to determine the provenance of two different kinds of ancient celadons which were excavated in Maojiawan ruin located in Beijing of China and named FLQ (imitated celadon) and WLNQ which is celadon outside and blue-white inside, ten components of each sample's body and glaze were measured by the wave length dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) analysis. Multivariates statistical analysis was used to analyze and compare the experiment data with those of LQY (ancient celadon) made in Zhejiang and ancient Jingdezhen porcelain (JDZ) made in Jingdezhen. The results show that the two different kinds of ancient celadons have the same provenance as JDZ, that is, they were produced in Jingdezhen. (authors)

Outage optimization - the US experience and approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaPlatney, J.

2007-01-01

Sustainable development of Nuclear Energy depends heavily on excellent performance of the existing fleet which in turn depends heavily on the performance of planned outages. Some reactor fleets, for example Finland and Germany, have demonstrated sustained good outage performance from their start of commercial operation. Others, such as the US, have improved performance over time. The principles behind a successful outage optimization process are: -) duration is not sole measure of outage success, -) outage work must be performed safely, -) scope selection must focus on improving plant material condition to improve reliability, -) all approved outage work must be completed, -) work must be done cost effectively, -) post-outage plant reliability is a key measure of outage success, and -) outage lessons learned must be effectively implemented to achieve continuous improvement. This approach has proven its superiority over simple outage shortening, and has yielded good results in the US fleet over the past 15 years

Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Science.gov (United States)

Case, Catherine; Whitaker, Douglas

2016-01-01

In the criminal justice system, defendants accused of a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Statistical inference in any context is built on an analogous principle: The null hypothesis--often a hypothesis of "no difference" or "no effect"--is presumed true unless there is sufficient evidence against it. In this…

Generating scientific documentation for computational experiments using provenance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wibisono, A.; Bloem, P.; de Vries, G.K.D.; Groth, P.; Belloum, A.; Bubak, M.; Ludäscher, B.; Plale, B.

2015-01-01

lectronic notebooks are a common mechanism for scientists to document and investigate their work. With the advent of tools such as IPython Notebooks and Knitr, these notebooks allow code and data to be mixed together and published online. However, these approaches assume that all work is done in the

Single-centre experience of retroperitoneoscopic approach in urology with tips to overcome the steep learning curve

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aneesh Srivastava

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Context: The retroperitoneoscopic or retroperitoneal (RP surgical approach has not become as popular as the transperitoneal (TP one due to the steeper learning curve. Aims: Our single-institution experience focuses on the feasibility, advantages and complications of retroperitoneoscopic surgeries (RS performed over the past 10 years. Tips and tricks have been discussed to overcome the steep learning curve and these are emphasised. Settings and Design: This study made a retrospective analysis of computerised hospital data of patients who underwent RP urological procedures from 2003 to 2013 at a tertiary care centre. Patients and Methods: Between 2003 and 2013, 314 cases of RS were performed for various urological procedures. We analysed the operative time, peri-operative complications, time to return of bowel sound, length of hospital stay, and advantages and difficulties involved. Post-operative complications were stratified into five grades using modified Clavien classification (MCC. Results: RS were successfully completed in 95.5% of patients, with 4% of the procedures electively performed by the combined approach (both RP and TP; 3.2% required open conversion and 1.3% were converted to the TP approach. The most common cause for conversion was bleeding. Mean hospital stay was 3.2 ± 1.2 days and the mean time for returning of bowel sounds was 16.5 ± 5.4 h. Of the patients, 1.4% required peri-operative blood transfusion. A total of 16 patients (5% had post-operative complications and the majority were grades I and II as per MCC. The rates of intra-operative and post-operative complications depended on the difficulty of the procedure, but the complications diminished over the years with the increasing experience of surgeons. Conclusion: Retroperitoneoscopy has proven an excellent approach, with certain advantages. The tips and tricks that have been provided and emphasised should definitely help to minimise the steep learning curve.

Growth and provenance variation of Pinus caribaea var ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

CAMCORE has visited 33 populations of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Quintana Roo, Mexico. Seed collections have been made in 29 provenances from 1, 325 mother trees. A total of 21 provenances and sources of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis were ...

Experience in Design and Learning Approaches – Enhancing the Framework for Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merja L.M. Bauters

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In design and learning studies, an increasing amount of attention has been paid to experience. Many design approaches relate experience to embodiment and phenomenology. The growth in the number of applications that use the Internet of Things (IoT has shifted human interactions from mobile devices and computers to tangible, material things. In education, the pressure to learn and update skills and knowledge, especially in work environments, has underlined the challenge of understanding how workers learn from reflection while working. These directions have been fuelled by research findings in the neurosciences, embodied cognition, the extended phenomenological–cognitive system and the role of emotions in decision-making and meaning making. The perspective on experience in different disciplines varies, and the aim is often to categorise experience. These approaches provide a worthwhile view of the importance of experience in learning and design, such as the recent emphasis on conceptual and epistemological knowledge creation. In pragmatism, experience plays a considerable role in research, art, communication and reflection. Therefore, I rely on Peirce’s communicative theory of signs and Dewey’s philosophy of experience to examine how experience is connected to reflection and therefore how it is necessarily tangible.

Provenance variation in Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. in California

Science.gov (United States)

B.M. Emery; F. Thomas Ledig

1987-01-01

In California, the Lake Albacutya provenance of river red gum was clearly superior in volume growth to 22 other provenances collected throughout the range of the species in Australia. It had at least 2.5 times the volume of the plantation mean at 5.5 years, consistent with its performance in other countries with Mediterranean climates like California's. Other...

Petrogenesis of the NE Gondwanan uppermost Ediacaran-Lower Cretaceous siliciclastic sequence of Jordan: Provenance, tectonic, and climatic implications

Science.gov (United States)

Amireh, Belal S.

2018-04-01

Detrital framework modes of the NE Gondwanan uppermost Ediacaran-Lower Cretaceous siliciclastic sequence of Jordan are determined employing the routine polarized light microscope. The lower part of this sequence constitutes a segment of the vast lower Paleozoic siliciclastic sheet flanking the northern Gondwana margin that was deposited over a regional unconformity truncating the outskirts of the East African orogen in the aftermath of the Neoproterozoic amalgamation of Gondwana. The research aims to evaluate the factors governing the detrital light mineral composition of this sandstone. The provenance terranes of the Arabian craton controlled by plate tectonics appear to be the primary factor in most of the formations, which could be either directly inferred employing Dickinson's compositional triangles or implied utilizing the petrographic data achieved and the available tectonic and geological data. The Arabian-Nubian Shield constitutes invariably the craton interior or the transitional provenance terrane within the NE Gondwana continental block that consistently supplied sandy detritus through northward-flowing braided rivers to all the lower Paleozoic formations. On the other hand, the Lower Cretaceous Series received siliciclastic debris, through braided-meandering rivers having same northward dispersal direction, additionally from the lower Paleozoic and lower-middle Mesozoic platform strata in the Arabian Craton. The formations making about 50% of the siliciclastic sequence represent a success for Dickinson's plate tectonics-provenance approach in attributing the detrital framework components primarily to the plate tectonic setting of the provenance terranes. However, even under this success, the varying effects of the other secondary sedimentological and paleoclimatological factors are important and could be crucial. The inapplicability of this approach to infer the appropriate provenance terranes of the remaining formations could be ascribed either to the

Reactions of Adansonia digitata L. provenances to long-term stress at seedling stage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bouda, Z. H N; Bayala, J.; Jensen, J. S.

2015-01-01

The effects of drought stress on growth parameters and dry matter partitioning of seven provenances (six from West Africa and one from East Africa) of Adansonia digitata L. were assessed in a seedling experiment in Burkina Faso. Three water regimes corresponding to 100 % (control), 75 % and 50 % ...

Diverging Drought Resistance of Scots Pine Provenances Revealed by Infrared Thermography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannes Seidel

2016-08-01

Full Text Available With recent climate changes, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L. forests have been affected by die-off events. Assisted migration of adapted provenances mitigates drought impacts and promotes forest regeneration. Although suitable provenances are difficult to identify by traditional ecophysiological techniques, which are time consuming and invasive, plant water status can be easily assessed by infrared thermography. Thus, we examined the stress responses of 2-year-old potted Scots pine seedlings from six provenances (Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain based on two thermal indices (crop water stress index and stomatal conductance index. Both indices were derived from infrared images during a six-week drought/control treatment in a greenhouse in the summer of 2013. The pines were monitored during the stress and subsequent recovery period. After controlling for fluctuating environmental conditions, soil moisture or treatment-specific water supply was the most important driver of drought stress. The stress magnitude and response to soil water deficit depended on provenance. Under moderate drought conditions, pines from western and eastern Mediterranean provenances (Bulgaria, France, and Spain expressed lower stress levels than those from both continental provenances (Germany and Poland. In pines from the Spanish and Bulgarian provenances, the stress level differences were significantly lower than in continental pines. Moreover, pines from continental provenances were less resilient (showed less recovery after the stress period than Mediterranean pines. Under extreme drought, all provenances were equally stressed with almost no significant differences in their thermal indices. Provenance-specific differences in drought resistance, which are associated with factors such as summer precipitation at the origin of Scots pine seedlings, may offer promising tracks of adaptation to future drought risks.

Growth and Survival Variation among Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L. Provenances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Süleyman Gülcü

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Tree height, basal diameter, and survival were examined in thirteen-year-old provenance test established by 30 seed sources of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L. at two exotic sites of the species in Southern part of Turkey. Variations within provenance and among provenances and relations among the traits were estimated to compare Scots pine provenance and two other native species. Averages of tree height and basal diameter were 350 cm and 52.7 mm in Aydogmus site and 385 cm and 51.2 mm in Kemer site, respectively. There were large differences within and among provenances for the characters. Sites were similar (p>0.05 for the characters, while there were significant differences (p≤0.05 among provenances within site according to results of variance analysis (ANOVA. Scots pine provenances were higher and had more thickness than that of black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold and Taurus cedar (Cedrus libani A. Rich. which were natural species of the region. There were positive and significant (p<0.05 correlations between height and basal diameter in the species. Average survivals were 56% and 35% of the provenances in the sites. They were 71% and 11% in black pine and 53% in Taurus cedar for the sites respectively.

An hermeneutic approach to studying the nature of wilderness experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Michael E. Patterson; Alan E. Watson; Daniel R. Williams; Joseph R. Roggenbuck

1998-01-01

The most prevalent approach to understanding recreation experiences in resource management has been a motivational research program that views satisfaction as an appropriate indicator of experience quality. This research explores a different approach to studying the quality of recreation experiences. Rather than viewing recreation experiences as a linear sequence of...

DataONE: A Data Federation with Provenance Support

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao, Yang [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Jones, Christopher [National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara; Cuevas-Vicenttin, Victor [ Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico; Jones, Matthew B. [National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara; Ludascher, Bertram [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; McPhillips, Timothy [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Missier, Paolo [Newcastle University, UK; Schwalm, Christopher [Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC), Massachusetts; Slaughter, Peter [National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara; Vieglais, Dave [University of Kansas; Walker, Lauren [National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara

2016-01-01

DataONE is a federated data network focusing on earth and environmental science data. We present the provenance and search features of DataONE by means of an example involving three earth scientists who interact through a DataONE Member Node. DataONE provenance systems enable reproducible research and facilitate proper attribution of scientific results transitively across generations of derived data products.

Provenance tracking for scientific software toolchains through on-demand release and archiving

Science.gov (United States)

Ham, David

2017-04-01

There is an emerging consensus that published computational science results must be backed by a provenance chain tying results to the exact versions of input data and the code which generated them. There is also now an impressive range of web services devoted to revision control of software, and the archiving in citeable form of both software and input data. However, much scientific software itself builds on libraries and toolkits, and these themselves have dependencies. Further, it is common for cutting edge research to depend on the latest version of software in online repositories, rather than the official release version. This creates a situation in which an author who wishes to follow best practice in recording the provenance chain of their results must archive and cite unreleased versions of a series of dependencies. Here, we present an alternative which toolkit authors can easily implement to provide a semi-automatic mechanism for creating and archiving custom software releases of the precise version of a package used in a particular simulation. This approach leverages the excellent services provided by GitHub and Zenodo to generate a connected set of citeable DOIs for the archived software. We present the integration of this workflow into the Firedrake automated finite element framework as a practical example of this approach in use on a complex geoscientific tool chain in practical use.

The Nordic Approach to the Experience Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bille, Trine

This paper discusses the concept of the experience economy in a Nordic context and shows how the Nordic version of the concept has come about from a mix of three different approaches and theories. Besides, the Nordic definition links the experience economy closely with cultural activities...

Computational experiment approach to advanced secondary mathematics curriculum

CERN Document Server

Abramovich, Sergei

2014-01-01

This book promotes the experimental mathematics approach in the context of secondary mathematics curriculum by exploring mathematical models depending on parameters that were typically considered advanced in the pre-digital education era. This approach, by drawing on the power of computers to perform numerical computations and graphical constructions, stimulates formal learning of mathematics through making sense of a computational experiment. It allows one (in the spirit of Freudenthal) to bridge serious mathematical content and contemporary teaching practice. In other words, the notion of teaching experiment can be extended to include a true mathematical experiment. When used appropriately, the approach creates conditions for collateral learning (in the spirit of Dewey) to occur including the development of skills important for engineering applications of mathematics. In the context of a mathematics teacher education program, this book addresses a call for the preparation of teachers capable of utilizing mo...

Climate Data Provenance Tracking for Just-In-Time Computation

Science.gov (United States)

Fries, S.; Nadeau, D.; Doutriaux, C.; Williams, D. N.

2016-12-01

The "Climate Data Management System" (CDMS) was created in 1996 as part of the Climate Data Analysis Tools suite of software. It provides a simple interface into a wide variety of climate data formats, and creates NetCDF CF-Compliant files. It leverages the NumPy framework for high performance computation, and is an all-in-one IO and computation package. CDMS has been extended to track manipulations of data, and trace that data all the way to the original raw data. This extension tracks provenance about data, and enables just-in-time (JIT) computation. The provenance for each variable is packaged as part of the variable's metadata, and can be used to validate data processing and computations (by repeating the analysis on the original data). It also allows for an alternate solution for sharing analyzed data; if the bandwidth for a transfer is prohibitively expensive, the provenance serialization can be passed in a much more compact format and the analysis rerun on the input data. Data provenance tracking in CDMS enables far-reaching and impactful functionalities, permitting implementation of many analytical paradigms.

Federated provenance of oceanographic research cruises: from metadata to data

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Rob; Leadbetter, Adam; Shepherd, Adam

2016-04-01

The World Wide Web Consortium's Provenance Data Model and associated Semantic Web ontology (PROV-O) have created much interest in the Earth and Space Science Informatics community (Ma et al., 2014). Indeed, PROV-O has recently been posited as an upper ontology for the alignment of various data models (Cox, 2015). Similarly, PROV-O has been used as the building blocks of a data release lifecycle ontology (Leadbetter & Buck, 2015). In this presentation we show that the alignment between different local data descriptions of an oceanographic research cruise can be achieved through alignment with PROV-O and that descriptions of the funding bodies, organisations and researchers involved in a cruise and its associated data release lifecycle can be modelled within a PROV-O based environment. We show that, at a first-order, this approach is scalable by presenting results from three endpoints (the Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA; the British Oceanographic Data Centre at the National Oceanography Centre, UK; and the Marine Institute, Ireland). Current advances in ontology engineering, provide pathways to resolving reasoning issues from varying perspectives on implementing PROV-O. This includes the use of the Information Object design pattern where such edge cases as research cruise scheduling efforts are considered. PROV-O describes only things which have happened, but the Information Object design pattern allows for the description of planned research cruises through its statement that the local data description is not the the entity itself (in this case the planned research cruise) and therefore the local data description itself can be described using the PROV-O model. In particular, we present the use of the data lifecycle ontology to show the connection between research cruise activities and their associated datasets, and the publication of those data sets online with Digital Object Identifiers and

Sudetic larch in Germany - Results of provenance and progeny research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weisgerber, H. [Forest Centre for Management Planning, Research and Ecology, Hann Muenden (Germany)

1995-12-31

There are only a few older sources of Sudetic larch in Germany. They distinguish themselves by outstanding growth and low susceptibility to canker. This impression was confirmed by results of provenance research. The Sudetic larch tested in comparison with numerous other provenances proved to be fast-growing, site-tolerant, to a large extent insusceptible to canker, with straight but also slightly to moderately curved stems. The Sudetic provenances behave remarkably uniformly as regards these characteristics. In addition to provenance research investigations have been going on for a long time in Germany into individual differences within the Sudetic larch populations. A report is given on the results of progeny tests from free and controlled pollination, using the example of a seed orchard consisting of 54 clones. We point also to possibilities for improving stem quality by selection steps. The results of provenance and progeny research on Sudetic larch are in the meantime being put to use to a large extent in practical forestry. The forest administrations of various federal lands recommend the use of reproductive material of Sudetic origin and from seed orchards. 20 refs, 3 figs

Sudetic larch in Germany - Results of provenance and progeny research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weisgerber, H [Forest Centre for Management Planning, Research and Ecology, Hann Muenden (Germany)

1996-12-31

There are only a few older sources of Sudetic larch in Germany. They distinguish themselves by outstanding growth and low susceptibility to canker. This impression was confirmed by results of provenance research. The Sudetic larch tested in comparison with numerous other provenances proved to be fast-growing, site-tolerant, to a large extent insusceptible to canker, with straight but also slightly to moderately curved stems. The Sudetic provenances behave remarkably uniformly as regards these characteristics. In addition to provenance research investigations have been going on for a long time in Germany into individual differences within the Sudetic larch populations. A report is given on the results of progeny tests from free and controlled pollination, using the example of a seed orchard consisting of 54 clones. We point also to possibilities for improving stem quality by selection steps. The results of provenance and progeny research on Sudetic larch are in the meantime being put to use to a large extent in practical forestry. The forest administrations of various federal lands recommend the use of reproductive material of Sudetic origin and from seed orchards. 20 refs, 3 figs

Provenance-aware optimization of workload for distributed data production

Science.gov (United States)

Makatun, Dzmitry; Lauret, Jérôme; Rudová, Hana; Šumbera, Michal

2017-10-01

Distributed data processing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (HENP) is a prominent example of big data analysis. Having petabytes of data being processed at tens of computational sites with thousands of CPUs, standard job scheduling approaches either do not address well the problem complexity or are dedicated to one specific aspect of the problem only (CPU, network or storage). Previously we have developed a new job scheduling approach dedicated to distributed data production - an essential part of data processing in HENP (preprocessing in big data terminology). In this contribution, we discuss the load balancing with multiple data sources and data replication, present recent improvements made to our planner and provide results of simulations which demonstrate the advantage against standard scheduling policies for the new use case. Multi-source or provenance is common in computing models of many applications whereas the data may be copied to several destinations. The initial input data set would hence be already partially replicated to multiple locations and the task of the scheduler is to maximize overall computational throughput considering possible data movements and CPU allocation. The studies have shown that our approach can provide a significant gain in overall computational performance in a wide scope of simulations considering realistic size of computational Grid and various input data distribution.

The Decline of Vitality Caused by Increasing Drought in a Beech Provenance Trial Predicted by Juvenile Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anikó Horváth

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Due to rapidly changing environmental conditions, locally adapted tree populations are likely to experience climate conditions to which they are not well adapted. Common garden experiments provide a powerful tool for studying adaptive responses in changing climates. Out of the 1998 series of international beech provenance trials, one experiment was established in Bucsuta, SW Hungary. Because of its peripheral location, this is probably the most apposite site in the experimental series to study and predict responses of populations to sudden climatic changes, simulated by transfer. Material and Methods: 15-year diameter data of 28 beech populations from different regions of Europe were used to mimic responses to climate change by transplantation to the test site. The effect of 17 climate variables and five derived climate indices on growth have been compared, while Ellenberg drought index (EQ was selected for calculating a linear regression (transfer function to project a growth trend for future climate change. Results: Out of the bioclimatic variables, Ellenberg drought index at the location of the origin of provenances has shown the best correlation with 15-year diameter. The regression of growth vs. the ecodistance of transfer (difference between data of the trial site and of the site of origin, expressed in EQ, explained 25% of the total variation between provenances and indicated a clear trend of declining performance with the increasing change of climate the populations were adapted to. Conclusion: Negative effect of rapid climate change on beech populations cannot be denied, and the results draw attention to the importance of using appropriate planting stock matching with future climate conditions at the planting site.

Rooting Ability of Melia volkensii Cuttings Under Different Auxin Concentration Levels and Provenances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oeba, V.O; Muok, B.; Odee, D

2007-01-01

Melia volkensii is one of the most popular fast growing agro-forestry tree species in East Africa's arid and semi arid lands. It is valued for for production of termite resistant timber. Kenya Forestry Research Institute is carrying out studies on management, improvement and domestication of species with a major focus on improving low germination mortality and other propagation methods. Vegetative propagation was investigated in order to supplement more seedlings for increased demand of the species. The objective of this study was to determine and predict the effect of varying levels of auxin concentrations on rooting of melia volkensii shoot cuttings under different provenances. The experiment was set in a split plot design and conducted in a non-mist propagator. The number of roots was recorded for every cutting in the experiment. Mean cumulative cutting percentage were analysed using ANOVA procedures by first checking homogeneity of variance; Pearson correlation were carried out to check the interrelation of the factors with rooting and Logistic ability of the cuttings. The results showed that cuttings inoculated with 0.3 mgl-1 s ignificantly (p n ot showing any rooting from three provenances. In conclusion 0.03 mgl-1 s hould be used for further vegetative propagation of M. vokensii. Cutting from Taveta inoculated with 0.3 mgl-1 w ould significantly increase the number of seedlings for planting

A new modeling and solution approach for the number partitioning problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahram Alidaee

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The number partitioning problem has proven to be a challenging problem for both exact and heuristic solution methods. We present a new modeling and solution approach that consists of recasting the problem as an unconstrained quadratic binary program that can be solved by efficient metaheuristic methods. Our approach readily accommodates both the common two-subset partition case as well as the more general case of multiple subsets. Preliminary computational experience is presented illustrating the attractiveness of the method.

Determination of marble provenance: limits of isotopic analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Germann, K.; Holzmann, G.; Winkler, F.J.

1980-01-01

Provenance determination of Thessalian stelae marbles using the C/O isotopic analysis proved to be misleading, as the isotopic composition even in very small quarrying areas is heterogeneous and isotopic coincidence of marbles from very distant sources occurs. Therefore additional geological features must be taken into consideration and preference should be given to combinations of both petrographical and geochemical properties. Geological field work to establish the range of possible marble sources and the variability within these sources is one of the prerequisites of provenance studies. (author)

The Scandinavian Approach to the Experience Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bille, Trine

2012-01-01

This article discusses the concept of experience economy in a Scandinavian context and shows how the Scandinavian version of the concept has come about from a mix of three different approaches and theories. In the Scandinavian countries, the experience economy has been developed in a political...... context and is apparently a popular development policy for local government authorities and regions. The Scandinavian definition links the experience economy closely with cultural activities, and to the expectation of economic return and economic development. This article discusses the Scandinavian...

Pharmacists' Perception of the Sale of Non-Clinically Proven Health ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pharmacists' Perception of the Sale of Non-Clinically Proven Health Supplements in Penang, Malaysia. ... A total of 10.7 % respondents indicated that the sale of non-clinically proven products result in high profit. Only 25.0 % of the pharmacists ... Keywords: Perception, Health promotion, Urban poor, Health supplements.

Model-based Abstraction of Data Provenance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Probst, Christian W.; Hansen, René Rydhof

Identifying provenance of data provides insights to the origin of data and intermediate results, and has recently gained increased interest due to data-centric applications. In this work we extend a data-centric system view with actors handling the data and policies restricting actions. This

Automated Generation of Technical Documentation and Provenance for Reproducible Research

Science.gov (United States)

Jolly, B.; Medyckyj-Scott, D.; Spiekermann, R.; Ausseil, A. G.

2017-12-01

Data provenance and detailed technical documentation are essential components of high-quality reproducible research, however are often only partially addressed during a research project. Recording and maintaining this information during the course of a project can be a difficult task to get right as it is a time consuming and often boring process for the researchers involved. As a result, provenance records and technical documentation provided alongside research results can be incomplete or may not be completely consistent with the actual processes followed. While providing access to the data and code used by the original researchers goes some way toward enabling reproducibility, this does not count as, or replace, data provenance. Additionally, this can be a poor substitute for good technical documentation and is often more difficult for a third-party to understand - particularly if they do not understand the programming language(s) used. We present and discuss a tool built from the ground up for the production of well-documented and reproducible spatial datasets that are created by applying a series of classification rules to a number of input layers. The internal model of the classification rules required by the tool to process the input data is exploited to also produce technical documentation and provenance records with minimal additional user input. Available provenance records that accompany input datasets are incorporated into those that describe the current process. As a result, each time a new iteration of the analysis is performed the documentation and provenance records are re-generated to provide an accurate description of the exact process followed. The generic nature of this tool, and the lessons learned during its creation, have wider application to other fields where the production of derivative datasets must be done in an open, defensible, and reproducible way.

Lowering the Barrier to Reproducible Research by Publishing Provenance from Common Analytical Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, M. B.; Slaughter, P.; Walker, L.; Jones, C. S.; Missier, P.; Ludäscher, B.; Cao, Y.; McPhillips, T.; Schildhauer, M.

2015-12-01

Scientific provenance describes the authenticity, origin, and processing history of research products and promotes scientific transparency by detailing the steps in computational workflows that produce derived products. These products include papers, findings, input data, software products to perform computations, and derived data and visualizations. The geosciences community values this type of information, and, at least theoretically, strives to base conclusions on computationally replicable findings. In practice, capturing detailed provenance is laborious and thus has been a low priority; beyond a lab notebook describing methods and results, few researchers capture and preserve detailed records of scientific provenance. We have built tools for capturing and publishing provenance that integrate into analytical environments that are in widespread use by geoscientists (R and Matlab). These tools lower the barrier to provenance generation by automating capture of critical information as researchers prepare data for analysis, develop, test, and execute models, and create visualizations. The 'recordr' library in R and the `matlab-dataone` library in Matlab provide shared functions to capture provenance with minimal changes to normal working procedures. Researchers can capture both scripted and interactive sessions, tag and manage these executions as they iterate over analyses, and then prune and publish provenance metadata and derived products to the DataONE federation of archival repositories. Provenance traces conform to the ProvONE model extension of W3C PROV, enabling interoperability across tools and languages. The capture system supports fine-grained versioning of science products and provenance traces. By assigning global identifiers such as DOIs, reseachers can cite the computational processes used to reach findings. And, finally, DataONE has built a web portal to search, browse, and clearly display provenance relationships between input data, the software

Effects of temperature and drought manipulations on seedlings of Scots pine provenances.

Science.gov (United States)

Taeger, S; Sparks, T H; Menzel, A

2015-03-01

Rising temperatures and more frequent and severe climatic extremes as a consequence of climate change are expected to affect growth and distribution of tree species that are adapted to current local conditions. Species distribution models predict a considerable loss of habitats for Pinus sylvestris. These models do not consider possible intraspecific differences in response to drought and warming that could buffer those impacts. We tested 10 European provenances of P. sylvestris, from the southwestern to the central European part of the species distribution, for their response to warming and to drought using a factorial design. In this common-garden experiment the air surrounding plants was heated directly to prevent excessive soil heating, and drought manipulation, using a rain-out shelter, permitted almost natural radiation, including high light stress. Plant responses were assessed as changes in phenology, growth increment and biomass allocation. Seedlings of P. sylvestris revealed a plastic response to drought by increased taproot length and root-shoot ratios. Strongest phenotypic plasticity of root growth was found for southwestern provenances, indicating a specific drought adaptation at the cost of overall low growth of aboveground structures even under non-drought conditions. Warming had a minor effect on growth but advanced phenological development and had a contrasting effect on bud biomass and diameter increment, depending on water availability. The intraspecific variation of P. sylvestris provenances could buffer climate change impacts, although additional factors such as the adaptation to other climatic extremes have to be considered before assisted migration could become a management option. © 2014 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Variation in short-term and long-term responses of photosynthesis and isoprenoid-mediated photoprotection to soil water availability in four Douglas-fir provenances.

Science.gov (United States)

Junker, Laura Verena; Kleiber, Anita; Jansen, Kirstin; Wildhagen, Henning; Hess, Moritz; Kayler, Zachary; Kammerer, Bernd; Schnitzler, Jörg-Peter; Kreuzwieser, Jürgen; Gessler, Arthur; Ensminger, Ingo

2017-01-10

For long-lived forest tree species, the understanding of intraspecific variation among populations and their response to water availability can reveal their ability to cope with and adapt to climate change. Dissipation of excess excitation energy, mediated by photoprotective isoprenoids, is an important defense mechanism against drought and high light when photosynthesis is hampered. We used 50-year-old Douglas-fir trees of four provenances at two common garden experiments to characterize provenance-specific variation in photosynthesis and photoprotective mechanisms mediated by essential and non-essential isoprenoids in response to soil water availability and solar radiation. All provenances revealed uniform photoprotective responses to high solar radiation, including increased de-epoxidation of photoprotective xanthophyll cycle pigments and enhanced emission of volatile monoterpenes. In contrast, we observed differences between provenances in response to drought, where provenances sustaining higher CO 2 assimilation rates also revealed increased water-use efficiency, carotenoid-chlorophyll ratios, pools of xanthophyll cycle pigments, β-carotene and stored monoterpenes. Our results demonstrate that local adaptation to contrasting habitats affected chlorophyll-carotenoid ratios, pool sizes of photoprotective xanthophylls, β-carotene, and stored volatile isoprenoids. We conclude that intraspecific variation in isoprenoid-mediated photoprotective mechanisms contributes to the adaptive potential of Douglas-fir provenances to climate change.

Experience in Design and Learning Approaches – Enhancing the Framework for Experience

OpenAIRE

Merja L.M. Bauters

2017-01-01

In design and learning studies, an increasing amount of attention has been paid to experience. Many design approaches relate experience to embodiment and phenomenology. The growth in the number of applications that use the Internet of Things (IoT) has shifted human interactions from mobile devices and computers to tangible, material things. In education, the pressure to learn and update skills and knowledge, especially in work environments, has underlined the challenge of understanding how wo...

Nonalbumin proteinuria predominates in biopsy-proven tenofovir nephrotoxicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sise, Meghan E; Hirsch, Jamie S; Canetta, Pietro A; Herlitz, Leal; Mohan, Sumit

2015-05-15

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) nephrotoxicity is characterized by proximal renal tubular injury and dysmorphic mitochondria resulting in proteinuria, orthoglycemic glycosuria, and other markers of proximal tubular dysfunction. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of proteinuria in patients with biopsy-proven TDF nephrotoxicity. Retrospective chart review. Patients with biopsy-proven TDF nephrotoxicity were identified and their medical charts and biopsy reports were reviewed. Comparison was made with HIV-infected patients not on TDF who underwent kidney biopsy. We identified 43 biopsy-proven cases of TDF nephrotoxicity; mean age 54.7 ± 0.4 years, 53% men, 42% whites. Thirty-seven cases reported proteinuria by dipstick of which only 60% had at least 2+ proteinuria. Twenty-seven patients had urine protein quantified by either 24-h collection or spot urine protein-to-creatinine ratio; median proteinuria was 1742 mg/day [interquartile range (IQR) 1200-2000 mg] and 1667 mg/g creatinine (IQR 851-1967 mg/g), respectively. Ten patients had concurrent urinary albumin measured, with a median 236 mg/g creatinine (IQR 137-343 mg/g). The mean urine albumin-to-urine protein ratio (uAPR) was 0.17 (IQR 0.14-0.19), confirming that TDF nephrotoxicity is primarily associated with nonalbumin proteinuria. Control cases had a uAPR of 0.65 (IQR 0.55-0.79) P < 0.001. Histopathology showed the predominance of proximal tubular injury with characteristic mitochondrial abnormalities. In the largest published cohort of patients with biopsy-proven TDF nephrotoxicity, we show that low uAPR is a reliable feature of this disease. Because of the predominance of nonalbumin proteinuria, dipstick urinalysis may be unreliable in TDF nephrotoxicity.

Influence of tree provenance on biogenic VOC emissions of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stumps

Science.gov (United States)

Kivimäenpää, Minna; Magsarjav, Narantsetseg; Ghimire, Rajendra; Markkanen, Juha-Matti; Heijari, Juha; Vuorinen, Martti; Holopainen, Jarmo K.

2012-12-01

Resin-storing plant species such as conifer trees can release substantial amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere under stress circumstances that cause resin flow. Wounding can be induced by animals, pathogens, wind or direct mechanical damage e.g. during harvesting. In atmospheric modelling of biogenic VOCs, actively growing vegetation has been mostly considered as the source of emissions. Root systems and stumps of resin-storing conifer trees could constitute a significant store of resin after tree cutting. Therefore, we assessed the VOC emission rates from the cut surface of Scots pine stumps and estimated the average emission rates for an area with a density of 2000 stumps per ha. The experiment was conducted with trees of one Estonian and three Finnish Scots pine provenances covering a 1200 km gradient at a common garden established in central Finland in 1991. VOC emissions were dominated by monoterpenes and less than 0.1% of the total emission was sesquiterpenes. α-Pinene (7-92% of the total emissions) and 3-carene (0-76% of the total emissions) were the dominant monoterpenes. Proportions of α-pinene and camphene were significantly lower and proportions of 3-carene, sabinene, γ-terpinene and terpinolene higher in the southernmost Saaremaa provenance compared to the other provenances. Total terpene emission rates (standardised to +20 °C) from stumps varied from 27 to 1582 mg h-1 m-2 when measured within 2-3 h after tree cutting. Emission rates decreased rapidly to between 2 and 79 mg h-1 m-2 at 50 days after cutting. The estimated daily terpene emission rates on a hectare basis from freshly cut stumps at a cut tree density of 2000 per ha varied depending on provenance. Estimated emission ranges were 100-710 g ha-1 d-1 and 137-970 g ha-1 d-1 in 40 and in 60 year-old forest stands, respectively. Our result suggests that emission directly from stump surfaces could be a significant source of monoterpene emissions for a few weeks after

Changing provenance of late Cenozoic sediments in the Jianghan Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Shao

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The Yangtze River is one of the most important components of the East Asia river system. In this study, sediments in the Jianghan Basin, middle Yangtze River, were selected for trace element and rare earth element (REE measurements, in order to decipher information on the change of sediment provenance and evolution of the Yangtze River. According to the elemental variations, the late Cenozoic sediments of the Jianghan Basin could be divided into four parts. During 2.68–2.28 Ma and 1.25–0 Ma, provenance of the sediments was consistent, whereas sediments were derived from variable sources during 2.28–1.25 Ma. Comparison of the elemental compositions between the Pliocene and Quaternary sediments revealed a change in sediment source from a more felsic source area to a more basic source area around the Pliocene–Quaternary boundary. Input from the Emeishan LIP should account for this provenance change. Based on the provenance analysis of sediments in the Jianghan Basin, we infer that the Yangtze River developed into a large river with its drainage basin extended to the Emeishan LIP no later than the Pliocene–Quaternary boundary.

Ontology development for provenance tracing in National Climate Assessment of the US Global Change Research Program

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, X.; Zheng, J. G.; Goldstein, J.; Duggan, B.; Xu, J.; Du, C.; Akkiraju, A.; Aulenbach, S.; Tilmes, C.; Fox, P. A.

2013-12-01

The periodical National Climate Assessment (NCA) of the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) [1] produces reports about findings of global climate change and the impacts of climate change on the United States. Those findings are of great public and academic concerns and are used in policy and management decisions, which make the provenance information of findings in those reports especially important. The USGCRP is developing a Global Change Information System (GCIS), in which the NCA reports and associated provenance information are the primary records. We were modeling and developing Semantic Web applications for the GCIS. By applying a use case-driven iterative methodology [2], we developed an ontology [3] to represent the content structure of a report and the associated provenance information. We also mapped the classes and properties in our ontology into the W3C PROV-O ontology [4] to realize the formal presentation of provenance. We successfully implemented the ontology in several pilot systems for a recent National Climate Assessment report (i.e., the NCA3). They provide users the functionalities to browse and search provenance information with topics of interest. Provenance information of the NCA3 has been made structured and interoperable by applying the developed ontology. Besides the pilot systems we developed, other tools and services are also able to interact with the data in the context of the 'Web of data' and thus create added values. Our research shows that the use case-driven iterative method bridges the gap between Semantic Web researchers and earth and environmental scientists and is able to be deployed rapidly for developing Semantic Web applications. Our work also provides first-hand experience for re-using the W3C PROV-O ontology in the field of earth and environmental sciences, as the PROV-O ontology is recently ratified (on 04/30/2013) by the W3C as a recommendation and relevant applications are still rare. [1] http

Performance of Acacia tortilis, Prosopis juliflora and Casuarina equisetifolia provenances in soils low in phosphorus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyamai, D.O.; Juma, P.O.

1996-01-01

Acacia tortilis, Prosopis juliflora and Casuarina equisetifolia provenances were screened to determine their potential for adaptability under P limiting conditions as a strategy to exploit genotypic differences in terms of utilization and uptake efficiencies. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute using soils taken from the field which are critically low in available P. The experimental treatments comprised of P application at 0 and 60 Kg P 2 O 5 /ha for 11 provenances of Acacia, 6 Prosopis and 4 Casuarina spp. Trait for adaptability to P deficiency was determined by measuring the growth performance, P uptake and utilization efficiencies at zero and moderate application of P. The results indicated considerable differences in the growth performance and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE). Acacia provenances showed the highest PUE compared with Prosopis and Casuarina spp although this was not reflected in the total dry matter yield. However, it was observed that P application resulted in an increase in shoot dry matter, height, root collar diameter and root dry matter in the case of Casuarina. Similarly, the highest total P uptake was obtained in Casuarina and Prosopis spp. The results further indicated that P application probably contributed to the reduction in root dry matter and root: shoot ratios of Acacia and Prosopis but not Casuarina spp. (author). 15 refs, 1 fig., 2 tabs

Performance of Acacia tortilis, Prosopis juliflora and Casuarina equisetifolia provenances in soils low in phosphorus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nyamai, D O; Juma, P O [Kenya Forestry Research Inst., Nairobi (Kenya). Agroforestry Research Programme

1996-07-01

Acacia tortilis, Prosopis juliflora and Casuarina equisetifolia provenances were screened to determine their potential for adaptability under P limiting conditions as a strategy to exploit genotypic differences in terms of utilization and uptake efficiencies. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute using soils taken from the field which are critically low in available P. The experimental treatments comprised of P application at 0 and 60 Kg P{sub 2}O{sub 5}/ha for 11 provenances of Acacia, 6 Prosopis and 4 Casuarina spp. Trait for adaptability to P deficiency was determined by measuring the growth performance, P uptake and utilization efficiencies at zero and moderate application of P. The results indicated considerable differences in the growth performance and phosphorus use efficiency (PUE). Acacia provenances showed the highest PUE compared with Prosopis and Casuarina spp although this was not reflected in the total dry matter yield. However, it was observed that P application resulted in an increase in shoot dry matter, height, root collar diameter and root dry matter in the case of Casuarina. Similarly, the highest total P uptake was obtained in Casuarina and Prosopis spp. The results further indicated that P application probably contributed to the reduction in root dry matter and root: shoot ratios of Acacia and Prosopis but not Casuarina spp. (author). 15 refs, 1 fig., 2 tabs.

Epidemic microclusters of blood-culture proven sepsis in very-low-birth weight infants: experience of the German Neonatal Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Härtel, Christoph; Faust, Kirstin; Avenarius, Stefan; Bohnhorst, Bettina; Emeis, Michael; Gebauer, Corinna; Groneck, Peter; Heitmann, Friedhelm; Hoehn, Thomas; Hubert, Mechthild; Kribs, Angela; Küster, Helmut; Laux, Reinhard; Mögel, Michael; Müller, Dirk; Olbertz, Dirk; Roll, Claudia; Siegel, Jens; Stein, Anja; Vochem, Matthias; Weller, Ursula; von der Wense, Axel; Wieg, Christian; Wintgens, Jürgen; Hemmelmann, Claudia; Simon, Arne; Herting, Egbert; Göpel, Wolfgang

2012-01-01

We evaluated blood culture-proven sepsis episodes occurring in microclusters in very-low-birth-weight infants born in the German Neonatal Network (GNN) during 2009-2010. Thirty-seven centers participated in GNN; 23 centers enrolled ≥50 VLBW infants in the study period. Data quality was approved by on-site monitoring. Microclusters of sepsis were defined as occurrence of at least two blood-culture proven sepsis events in different patients of one center within 3 months with the same bacterial species. For microcluster analysis, we selected sepsis episodes with typically cross-transmitted bacteria of high clinical significance including gram-negative rods and Enterococcus spp. In our cohort, 12/2110 (0.6%) infants were documented with an early-onset sepsis and 235 late-onset sepsis episodes (≥72 h of age) occurred in 203/2110 (9.6%) VLBW infants. In 182/235 (77.4%) late-onset sepsis episodes gram-positive bacteria were documented, while coagulase negative staphylococci were found to be the most predominant pathogens (48.5%, 95%CI: 42.01-55.01). Candida spp. and gram-negative bacilli caused 10/235 (4.3%, 95%CI: 1.68% -6.83%) and 43/235 (18.5%) late-onset sepsis episodes, respectively. Eleven microclusters of blood-culture proven sepsis were detected in 7 hospitals involving a total 26 infants. 16/26 cluster patients suffered from Klebsiella spp. sepsis. The median time interval between the first patient's Klebsiella spp. sepsis and cluster cases was 14.1 days (interquartile range: 1-27 days). First patients in the cluster, their linked cases and sporadic sepsis events did not show significant differences in short term outcome parameters. Microclusters of infection are an important phenomenon for late-onset sepsis. Most gram-negative cluster infections occur within 30 days after the first patient was diagnosed and Klebsiella spp. play a major role. It is essential to monitor epidemic microclusters of sepsis in surveillance networks to adapt clinical practice

An Inference-Based Framework to Manage Data Provenance in Geoscience Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huq, M.R.; Apers, Peter M.G.; Wombacher, Andreas

2013-01-01

Data provenance allows scientists to validate their model as well as to investigate the origin of an unexpected value. Furthermore, it can be used as a replication recipe for output data products. However, capturing provenance requires enormous effort by scientists in terms of time and training.

Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6): a proven mid-sized reactor with fuel cycle capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopwood, J.; Soulard, M.; Hastings, I.J.

2011-01-01

Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) is finalizing development of the Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6), which incorporates the CANDU 6's well-proven features, and adds enhancements that make the reactor even more safe and easier to operate. The EC6 is the only mid-sized reactor (700 MWe class) with a proven pedigree that meets modern reactor expectations and regulatory standards. It is sized for smaller grids and also has outstanding fuel-cycle capability. Changes are incremental and consistent with the CANDU 6 project approach. The EC6 utilizes modern computers and a distributed control system housed in an advanced control room which, along with automated testing and on-line diagnostics, make the plant easier and safer to operate, with minimal operator intervention. Containment and seismic capability are upgraded to meet modern standards. The first deployment of the EC6 is anticipated in Canada; international markets are also being pursued. AECL is performing a comprehensive review of the EC6 design in the wake of the Fukushima accident, will review lessons learned, and incorporate any necessary improvements into new build design. (author)

Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6): a proven mid-sized reactor with fuel cycle capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopwood, J.; Soulard, M.; Hastings, I.J.

2011-01-01

Atomic Energy of Canada (AECL) is finalizing development of the Enhanced CANDU 6 (EC6), which incorporates the CANDU 6's well-proven features, and enhancements that make the reactor even more safe and easier to operate. The EC6 is the only mid-sized reactor (700 MWe class) with a proven pedigree that meets modern reactor expectations and regulatory standards. It is sized for smaller grids and also has outstanding fuel-cycle capability. Changes are incremental and consistent with the CANDU 6 project approach. The EC6 utilizes modern computers and a distributed control system housed in an advanced control room which, along with automated testing and on-line diagnostics, make the plant easier and safer to operate, with minimal operator intervention. Containment and seismic capability are upgraded to meet modern standards. The first deployment of the EC6 is anticipated in Canada; international markets are also being pursued. AECL is performing a comprehensive review of the EC6 design in the wake of the Fukushima accident, will review lessons learned, and incorporate any necessary improvements into new build design. (author)

Scientific Reproducibility in Biomedical Research: Provenance Metadata Ontology for Semantic Annotation of Study Description.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahoo, Satya S; Valdez, Joshua; Rueschman, Michael

2016-01-01

Scientific reproducibility is key to scientific progress as it allows the research community to build on validated results, protect patients from potentially harmful trial drugs derived from incorrect results, and reduce wastage of valuable resources. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently published a systematic guideline titled "Rigor and Reproducibility " for supporting reproducible research studies, which has also been accepted by several scientific journals. These journals will require published articles to conform to these new guidelines. Provenance metadata describes the history or origin of data and it has been long used in computer science to capture metadata information for ensuring data quality and supporting scientific reproducibility. In this paper, we describe the development of Provenance for Clinical and healthcare Research (ProvCaRe) framework together with a provenance ontology to support scientific reproducibility by formally modeling a core set of data elements representing details of research study. We extend the PROV Ontology (PROV-O), which has been recommended as the provenance representation model by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), to represent both: (a) data provenance, and (b) process provenance. We use 124 study variables from 6 clinical research studies from the National Sleep Research Resource (NSRR) to evaluate the coverage of the provenance ontology. NSRR is the largest repository of NIH-funded sleep datasets with 50,000 studies from 36,000 participants. The provenance ontology reuses ontology concepts from existing biomedical ontologies, for example the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT), to model the provenance information of research studies. The ProvCaRe framework is being developed as part of the Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) data provenance project.

Provenance variations of scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the Southern PART of Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gulcu, S.; Bilir, N.

2015-01-01

Tree height, basal diameter, stem form, number, angle and diameter of branches were assessed in eight-year-old provenance test established by 30 seed sources of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) at Aydogmus and Kemer experimental sites of Southern part of Turkey. Growth of the provenances was also compared to two native species (Taurus cedar- Cedrus libani A. Rich and Black pine-Pinus nigra Arnold.) of the region. Variations within provenance and among provenances, and relations among the traits were estimated. There were large differences (p <= 0.05) within provenance and among provenances for the traits, while sites showed similar (0.05 <= p) performance for tree height and stem form. For instance, average of tree height was 181 cm and varied between 138.3 cm and 229.8 cm in provenances of Aydogmus site, it was 184 cm and ranged from 130 cm to 246.1 cm in that of Kemer site. Averages of tree height of a provenance were 144.4 cm in Aydogmus and 194.5 cm in Kemer. Individual tree height of the provenance varied between 69 cm and 267 cm, and ranged from 51 cm to 280 cm in sites. Averages of tree height were 143.2 cm in Black pine 145.6 cm in Taurus cedar which were natural species of the region. There were mostly positive and significant (p <= 0.05) correlations among the traits. Results of the study were discussed for new plantations and breeding of the species. (author)

PIXE study on the provenance of Chinese ancient porcelain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu, D.; Cheng, H.S.; Lin, J.W.; Yang, F.J.

2006-01-01

This paper reports the PIXE study on the provenance of Chinese ancient porcelain made in 7-10th century. The chemical compositions of Jun celadon samples made at Juntai, Linru and Hunyuan kilns, the white-glazed porcelain samples made at Ding, Huangye and Dangyangyu kilns, and the Ru celadon samples made at Qiangliang Temple were measured by external-beam PIXE, and the factor analysis was applied for identifying their provenances. Experimental results show that the porcelain products made at different kilns can be distinguished according to the compositional differences measured by PIXE

PIXE study on the provenance of Chinese ancient porcelain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, D. [Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433 (China); Cheng, H.S. [Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433 (China)]. E-mail: hscheng@fudan.edu.cn; Lin, J.W. [Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433 (China); Yang, F.J. [Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433 (China)

2006-08-15

This paper reports the PIXE study on the provenance of Chinese ancient porcelain made in 7-10th century. The chemical compositions of Jun celadon samples made at Juntai, Linru and Hunyuan kilns, the white-glazed porcelain samples made at Ding, Huangye and Dangyangyu kilns, and the Ru celadon samples made at Qiangliang Temple were measured by external-beam PIXE, and the factor analysis was applied for identifying their provenances. Experimental results show that the porcelain products made at different kilns can be distinguished according to the compositional differences measured by PIXE.

PIXE study on the provenance of Chinese ancient porcelain

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, D.; Cheng, H. S.; Lin, J. W.; Yang, F. J.

2006-08-01

This paper reports the PIXE study on the provenance of Chinese ancient porcelain made in 7-10th century. The chemical compositions of Jun celadon samples made at Juntai, Linru and Hunyuan kilns, the white-glazed porcelain samples made at Ding, Huangye and Dangyangyu kilns, and the Ru celadon samples made at Qiangliang Temple were measured by external-beam PIXE, and the factor analysis was applied for identifying their provenances. Experimental results show that the porcelain products made at different kilns can be distinguished according to the compositional differences measured by PIXE.

Approach of simultaneous localization and mapping based on local maps for robot

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CHEN Bai-fan; CAI Zi-xing; HU De-wen

2006-01-01

An extended Kalman filter approach of simultaneous localization and mapping(SLAM) was proposed based on local maps.A local frame of reference was established periodically at the position of the robot, and then the observations of the robot and landmarks were fused into the global frame of reference. Because of the independence of the local map, the approach does not cumulate the estimate and calculation errors which are produced by SLAM using Kalman filter directly. At the same time, it reduces the computational complexity. This method is proven correct and feasible in simulation experiments.

Using Blockchain and smart contracts for secure data provenance management

OpenAIRE

Ramachandran, Aravind; Kantarcioglu, Dr. Murat

2017-01-01

Blockchain technology has evolved from being an immutable ledger of transactions for cryptocurrencies to a programmable interactive the environment for building distributed reliable applications. Although, blockchain technology has been used to address various challenges, to our knowledge none of the previous work focused on using blockchain to develop a secure and immutable scientific data provenance management framework that automatically verifies the provenance records. In this work, we le...

Citation and Recognition of contributions using Semantic Provenance Knowledge Captured in the OPeNDAP Software Framework

Science.gov (United States)

West, P.; Michaelis, J.; Lebot, T.; McGuinness, D. L.; Fox, P. A.

2014-12-01

Providing proper citation and attribution for published data, derived data products, and the software tools used to generate them, has always been an important aspect of scientific research. However, It is often the case that this type of detailed citation and attribution is lacking. This is in part because it often requires manual markup since dynamic generation of this type of provenance information is not typically done by the tools used to access, manipulate, transform, and visualize data. In addition, the tools themselves lack the information needed to be properly cited themselves. The OPeNDAP Hyrax Software Framework is a tool that provides access to and the ability to constrain, manipulate, and transform, different types of data from different data formats, into a common format, the DAP (Data Access Protocol), in order to derive new data products. A user, or another software client, specifies an HTTP URL in order to access a particular piece of data, and appropriately transform it to suit a specific purpose of use. The resulting data products, however, do not contain any information about what data was used to create it, or the software process used to generate it, let alone information that would allow the proper citing and attribution to down stream researchers and tool developers. We will present our approach to provenance capture in Hyrax including a mechanism that can be used to report back to the hosting site any derived products, such as publications and reports, using the W3C PROV recommendation pingback service. We will demonstrate our utilization of Semantic Web and Web standards, the development of an information model that extends the PROV model for provenance capture, and the development of the pingback service. We will present our findings, as well as our practices for providing provenance information, visualization of the provenance information, and the development of pingback services, to better enable scientists and tool developers to be

Lab and Field Warming Similarly Advance Germination Date and Limit Germination Rate for High and Low Elevation Provenances of Two Widespread Subalpine Conifers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lara M. Kueppers

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Accurately predicting upslope shifts in subalpine tree ranges with warming requires understanding how future forest populations will be affected by climate change, as these are the seed sources for new tree line and alpine populations. Early life history stages are particularly sensitive to climate and are also influenced by genetic variation among populations. We tested the climate sensitivity of germination and initial development for two widely distributed subalpine conifers, using controlled-environment growth chambers with one temperature regime from subalpine forest in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and one 5 °C warmer, and two soil moisture levels. We tracked germination rate and timing, rate of seedling development, and seedling morphology for two seed provenances separated by ~300 m elevation. Warming advanced germination timing and initial seedling development by a total of ~2 weeks, advances comparable to mean differences between provenances. Advances were similar for both provenances and species; however, warming reduced the overall germination rate, as did low soil moisture, only for Picea engelmannii. A three-year field warming and watering experiment planted with the same species and provenances yielded responses qualitatively consistent with the lab trials. Together these experiments indicate that in a warmer, drier climate, P. engelmannii germination, and thus regeneration, could decline, which could lead to declining subalpine forest populations, while Pinus flexilis forest populations could remain robust as a seed source for upslope range shifts.

Towards an Ontology-Driven Blockchain Design for Supply Chain Provenance

OpenAIRE

Kim, Henry M.; Laskowski, Marek

2016-01-01

An interesting research problem in our age of Big Data is that of determining provenance. Granular evaluation of provenance of physical goods--e.g. tracking ingredients of a pharmaceutical or demonstrating authenticity of luxury goods--has often not been possible with today's items that are produced and transported in complex, inter-organizational, often internationally-spanning supply chains. Recent adoption of Internet of Things and Blockchain technologies give promise at better supply chai...

ProvenCare perinatal: a model for delivering evidence/ guideline-based care for perinatal populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Berry, Scott A; Laam, Leslie A; Wary, Andrea A; Mateer, Harry O; Cassagnol, Hans P; McKinley, Karen E; Nolan, Ruth A

2011-05-01

Geisinger Health System (GHS) has applied its ProvenCare model to demonstrate that a large integrated health care delivery system, enabled by an electronic health record (EHR), could reengineer a complicated clinical process, reduce unwarranted variation, and provide evidence-based care for patients with a specified clinical condition. In 2007 GHS began to apply the model to a more complicated, longer-term condition of "wellness"--perinatal care. ADAPTING PROVENCARE TO PERINATAL CARE: The ProvenCare Perinatal initiative was more complex than the five previous ProvenCare endeavors in terms of breadth, scope, and duration. Each of the 22 sites created a process flow map to depict the current, real-time process at each location. The local practice site providers-physicians and mid-level practitioners-reached consensus on 103 unique best practice measures (BPMs), which would be tracked for every patient. These maps were then used to create a single standardized pathway that included the BPMs but also preserved some unique care offerings that reflected the needs of the local context. A nine-phase methodology, expanded from the previous six-phase model, was implemented on schedule. Pre- to postimplementation improvement occurred for all seven BPMs or BPM bundles that were considered the most clinically relevant, with five statistically significant. In addition, the rate of primary cesarean sections decreased by 32%, and birth trauma remained unchanged as the number of vaginal births increased. Preliminary experience suggests that integrating evidence/guideline-based best practices into work flows in inpatient and outpatient settings can achieve improvements in daily patient care processes and outcomes.

Scale models: A proven cost-effective tool for outage planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, R. [Commonwealth Edison Co., Morris, IL (United States); Segroves, R. [Sargent & Lundy, Chicago, IL (United States)

1995-03-01

As generation costs for operating nuclear stations have risen, more nuclear utilities have initiated efforts to improve cost effectiveness. Nuclear plant owners are also being challenged with lower radiation exposure limits and new revised radiation protection related regulations (10 CFR 20), which places further stress on their budgets. As source term reduction activities continue to lower radiation fields, reducing the amount of time spent in radiation fields becomes one of the most cost-effective ways of reducing radiation exposure. An effective approach for minimizing time spent in radiation areas is to use a physical scale model for worker orientation planning and monitoring maintenance, modifications, and outage activities. To meet the challenge of continued reduction in the annual cumulative radiation exposures, new cost-effective tools are required. One field-tested and proven tool is the physical scale model.

SPECIFICITIES OF COMPETENCY APPROACH IMPLEMENTATION: UKRAINIAN AND EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oksana V. Ovcharuk

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the problems of competency approach implementation to the process of education content formation. The comparative analysis of European and Ukrainian experience of key competencies list discussion has done. Ukrainian perspectives of the competency approach integration to the content of education curricula are revealed.

Healthcare students' experiences when integrating e-learning and flipped classroom instructional approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Telford, Mark; Senior, Emma

2017-06-08

This article describes the experiences of undergraduate healthcare students taking a module adopting a 'flipped classroom' approach. Evidence suggests that flipped classroom as a pedagogical tool has the potential to enhance student learning and to improve healthcare practice. This innovative approach was implemented within a healthcare curriculum and in a module looking at public health delivered at the beginning of year two of a 3-year programme. The focus of the evaluation study was on the e-learning resources used in the module and the student experiences of these; with a specific aim to evaluate this element of the flipped classroom approach. A mixed-methods approach was adopted and data collected using questionnaires, which were distributed across a whole cohort, and a focus group involving ten participants. Statistical analysis of the data showed the positive student experience of engaging with e-learning. The thematic analysis identified two key themes; factors influencing a positive learning experience and the challenges when developing e-learning within a flipped classroom approach. The study provides guidance for further developments and improvements when developing e-learning as part of the flipped classroom approach.

Data Provenance Inference in Logic Programming: Reducing Effort of Instance-driven Debugging

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huq, M.R.; Mileo, Alessandra; Wombacher, Andreas

Data provenance allows scientists in different domains validating their models and algorithms to find out anomalies and unexpected behaviors. In previous works, we described on-the-fly interpretation of (Python) scripts to build workflow provenance graph automatically and then infer fine-grained

Experiences of occupational physicians with the implementation of indicated prevention for long term sickness absence.

Science.gov (United States)

de Brouwer, Carin P M; Verdonk, Petra; van Amelsvoort, Ludovic G P M; Jansen, Nicole W H; Kant, IJmert; Widdershoven, Guy A M

2017-01-01

Functioning including work participation, is an emerging challenge in occupational health. The prevention of long term sickness absence (LTSA) through a strategy involving screening and structured early consultation (preventive strategy) was proven effective and can address participation issues. Implementation of this strategy has proven difficult. The aim of this study is to investigate the experiences of occupational physicians (OPs) delivering a structured early consultation to office workers, in order to enhance implementation of the strategy. In this case study, a mixed method design was used. Interviews and surveys were conducted to obtain an in-depth picture of OPs experiences. Factors hindering implementation in relation to the OPs were difficulties in communicating the risk of future sick leave, prioritization of other tasks, maintaining a reactive approach due to work pressure, preference for prevention on the level of the work environment, privacy issues related to labeling workers to have mental or psychosocial issues, and the biomedical model being the mental model in use. Implementation of the preventive strategy seems to require a more profound focus on the biopsychosocial approach. Training of relevant skills is important to achieve a focus on prevention and fostering health over the lifespan.

Provenance data in social media

CERN Document Server

Barbier, Geoffrey; Gundecha, Pritam

2013-01-01

Social media shatters the barrier to communicate anytime anywhere for people of all walks of life. The publicly available, virtually free information in social media poses a new challenge to consumers who have to discern whether a piece of information published in social media is reliable. For example, it can be difficult to understand the motivations behind a statement passed from one user to another, without knowing the person who originated the message. Additionally, false information can be propagated through social media, resulting in embarrassment or irreversible damages. Provenance data

Persistent identifiers for web service requests relying on a provenance ontology design pattern

Science.gov (United States)

Car, Nicholas; Wang, Jingbo; Wyborn, Lesley; Si, Wei

2016-04-01

Delivering provenance information for datasets produced from static inputs is relatively straightforward: we represent the processing actions and data flow using provenance ontologies and link to stored copies of the inputs stored in repositories. If appropriate detail is given, the provenance information can then describe what actions have occurred (transparency) and enable reproducibility. When web service-generated data is used by a process to create a dataset instead of a static inputs, we need to use sophisticated provenance representations of the web service request as we can no longer just link to data stored in a repository. A graph-based provenance representation, such as the W3C's PROV standard, can be used to model the web service request as a single conceptual dataset and also as a small workflow with a number of components within the same provenance report. This dual representation does more than just allow simplified or detailed views of a dataset's production to be used where appropriate. It also allow persistent identifiers to be assigned to instances of a web service requests, thus enabling one form of dynamic data citation, and for those identifiers to resolve to whatever level of detail implementers think appropriate in order for that web service request to be reproduced. In this presentation we detail our reasoning in representing web service requests as small workflows. In outline, this stems from the idea that web service requests are perdurant things and in order to most easily persist knowledge of them for provenance, we should represent them as a nexus of relationships between endurant things, such as datasets and knowledge of particular system types, as these endurant things are far easier to persist. We also describe the ontology design pattern that we use to represent workflows in general and how we apply it to different types of web service requests. We give examples of specific web service requests instances that were made by systems

Obsidian provenance research in the Americas.

Science.gov (United States)

Glascock, Michael D

2002-08-01

The characterization of archaeological materials to support provenance research has grown rapidly over the past few decades. Volcanic obsidian has several unique properties that make it the ideal archaeological material for studying prehistoric trade and exchange. This Account describes our laboratory's development of a systematic methodology for the characterization of obsidian sources and artifacts from Mesoamerica and other regions of North and South America in support of archaeological research.

Earthquake experience suggests new approach to seismic criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knox, R.

1983-01-01

Progress in seismic qualification of nuclear power plants as reviewed at the 4th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference in Vancouver, September 1983, is discussed. The lack of experience of earthquakes in existing nuclear plants can be compensated by the growing experience of actual earthquake effects in conventional power plants and similar installations. A survey of the effects on four power stations, with a total of twenty generating units, in the area strongly shaken by the San Fernando earthquake in California in 1971 is reported. The Canadian approach to seismic qualification, international criteria, Canadian/Korean experience, safety related equipment, the Tadotsu test facility and seismic tests are discussed. (U.K.)

Physiological response to drought stress in Camptotheca acuminata seedlings from two provenances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yeqing eYing

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Drought stress is a key environmental factor limiting the growth and productivity of plants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological responses of Camptotheca acuminata (C. acuminata to different drought stresses and compare the drought tolerance between the provenances Kunming (KM and Nanchang (NC, which are naturally distributed in different rainfall zones with annual rainfalls of 1000-1100 mm and 1600-1700 mm, respectively. We determined relative water content (RWC, chlorophyll content (Chl(a+b, net photosynthesis (Pn, gas exchange parameters, relative leakage conductivity (REC, malondialdehyde (MDA content and superoxide dismutase (SOD and peroxidase (POD activities of C. acuminata seedlings under both moderate (50% of maximum field capacity and severe drought stress (30% of maximum field capacity. As the degree of water stress increased, RWC, Chl(a+b content, Pn, stomatal conductance (Gs, transpiration rate (Tr and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci values decreased, but water use efficiency (WUE, REC, MDA content and SOD and POD activities increased in provenances KM and NC. Under moderate and severe drought stress, provenance KM had higher RWC, Chl(a+b, Pn, WUE, SOD and POD and lower Gs, Tr, Ci and REC in leaves than provenance NC. The results indicated that provenance KM may maintain stronger drought tolerance via improvements in water-retention capacity, antioxidant enzyme activity and membrane integrity.

Workspace and sensorimotor theories : Complementary approaches to experience

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Degenaar, J.; Keijzer, F.

A serious difficulty for theories of consciousness is to go beyond mere correlation between physical processes and experience. Currently, neural workspace and sensorimotor contingency theories are two of the most promising approaches to make any headway here. This paper explores the relation between

Performance of Australian provenances of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus saligna in Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Roger G. Skolmen

1986-01-01

Australian provenances of Eucalyptus grandis and E. saligna were compared at four locations on the island of Hawaii to seek seed sources better than those in current use which were introduced earlier from unrecorded locations in Australia. A broad range of latitude and elevation was represented among the provenances. At all four...

NASA's Earth Science Data Systems Standards Process Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Ullman, Richard E.; Enloe, Yonsook

2007-01-01

NASA has impaneled several internal working groups to provide recommendations to NASA management on ways to evolve and improve Earth Science Data Systems. One of these working groups is the Standards Process Group (SPC). The SPG is drawn from NASA-funded Earth Science Data Systems stakeholders, and it directs a process of community review and evaluation of proposed NASA standards. The working group's goal is to promote interoperability and interuse of NASA Earth Science data through broader use of standards that have proven implementation and operational benefit to NASA Earth science by facilitating the NASA management endorsement of proposed standards. The SPC now has two years of experience with this approach to identification of standards. We will discuss real examples of the different types of candidate standards that have been proposed to NASA's Standards Process Group such as OPeNDAP's Data Access Protocol, the Hierarchical Data Format, and Open Geospatial Consortium's Web Map Server. Each of the three types of proposals requires a different sort of criteria for understanding the broad concepts of "proven implementation" and "operational benefit" in the context of NASA Earth Science data systems. We will discuss how our Standards Process has evolved with our experiences with the three candidate standards.

Towards Provenance and Traceability in CRISTAL for HEP

CERN Document Server

Shamdasani, Jetendr; McClatchey, Richard

2014-01-01

This paper discusses the CRISTAL object lifecycle management system and its use in provenance data management and the traceability of system events. This software was initially used to capture the construction and calibration of the CMS ECAL detector at CERN for later use by physicists in their data analysis. Some further uses of CRISTAL in different projects (CMS, neuGRID and N4U) are presented as examples of its flexible data model. From these examples, applications are drawn for the High Energy Physics domain and some initial ideas for its use in data preservation HEP are outlined in detail in this paper. Currently investigations are underway to gauge the feasibility of using the N4U Analysis Service or a derivative of it to address the requirements of data and analysis logging and provenance capture within the HEP long term data analysis environment.

Antimicrobial stewardship initiatives throughout Europe: proven value for money

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edwin J.M. Oberjé

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Antimicrobial stewardship is recognized as a key component to stop the current European spread of antimicrobial resistance. It has also become evident that antimicrobial resistance is a problem that cannot be tackled by single institutions or physicians. Prevention of antimicrobial resistance needs rigorous actions at ward level, institution level, national level and at supra-national levels. Countries can learn from each other and possibly transplant best practices across borders to prevent antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study is to highlight some of the success stories of proven cost-effective interventions, and to describe the actions that have been taken, the outcomes that have been found, and the difficulties that have been met. In some cases we came across substantial scope for real-life cost savings. Although the best approach to effectively hinder the spread of antimicrobial resistance remains unclear and may vary significantly among settings, several EU-wide examples demonstrate that cost-effective antimicrobial stewardship is possible. Such examples can encourage others to implement (the most cost-effective elements in their system.

Associating uncertainty with datasets using Linked Data and allowing propagation via provenance chains

Science.gov (United States)

Car, Nicholas; Cox, Simon; Fitch, Peter

2015-04-01

With earth-science datasets increasingly being published to enable re-use in projects disassociated from the original data acquisition or generation, there is an urgent need for associated metadata to be connected, in order to guide their application. In particular, provenance traces should support the evaluation of data quality and reliability. However, while standards for describing provenance are emerging (e.g. PROV-O), these do not include the necessary statistical descriptors and confidence assessments. UncertML has a mature conceptual model that may be used to record uncertainty metadata. However, by itself UncertML does not support the representation of uncertainty of multi-part datasets, and provides no direct way of associating the uncertainty information - metadata in relation to a dataset - with dataset objects.We present a method to address both these issues by combining UncertML with PROV-O, and delivering resulting uncertainty-enriched provenance traces through the Linked Data API. UncertProv extends the PROV-O provenance ontology with an RDF formulation of the UncertML conceptual model elements, adds further elements to support uncertainty representation without a conceptual model and the integration of UncertML through links to documents. The Linked ID API provides a systematic way of navigating from dataset objects to their UncertProv metadata and back again. The Linked Data API's 'views' capability enables access to UncertML and non-UncertML uncertainty metadata representations for a dataset. With this approach, it is possible to access and navigate the uncertainty metadata associated with a published dataset using standard semantic web tools, such as SPARQL queries. Where the uncertainty data follows the UncertML model it can be automatically interpreted and may also support automatic uncertainty propagation . Repositories wishing to enable uncertainty propagation for all datasets must ensure that all elements that are associated with uncertainty

Proven commercial reactor types: an introduction to their principal advantages and disadvantages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alesso, H.P.

1981-01-01

This study deals with the principal advantages and disadvantages of the five types of proven commercial reactors. A description of each class of commercial reactor (light water, gas-cooled, and heavy water) and their proven reactors is followed by a comparison of reactor types on the basis of technical merit, economics of operation, availability of technology, and associated political issues. (author)

Robotic resections in hepatobiliary oncology - initial experience with Xi da Vinci system in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandarana, M; Patkar, S; Tamhankar, A; Garg, S; Bhandare, M; Goel, M

2017-01-01

Minimal invasive surgery has proven its advantages over open surgeries in the perioperative period. Food and Drug Administration approved da Vinci robot in 2000. The latest version, da Vinci Xi system has a mobile tower-based robot with several modifications to improve the functionality, versatility, and operative ease. None of the centers have reported exclusively on hepatobiliary oncology using the da Vinci Xi system. We report our initial experience. To study the feasibility, advantages, and discuss the operative technique of da Vinci Xi system in hepatobiliary oncology. Data were analyzed retrospectively from a prospectively maintained database from June 2015 to October 2016. Twenty-five patients with suspected or proven hepatobiliary malignancies were operated. Total robotic technique using da Vinci Xi system was used. Demographic details and perioperative outcomes were noted. Of the 25 surgeries, 14 patients had a suspected gallbladder malignancy, 11 patients had primary or metastatic liver tumor. Median age was 53 years. The average duration of surgery was 225 min with a median blood loss 150 ml. The median postoperative stay was 4 days. The median nodal yield for radical cholecystectomy was seven. Five patients required conversion. Two of these developed postoperative morbidity. Robotic surgery for hepatobiliary oncology is feasible and can be performed safely in experienced hands. Increasing experience in this field may equal or even prove advantageous over conventional or laparoscopic approach in future. A cautious approach with judicious patient selection is the key to establishing robotic surgery as a standard surgical approach.

Towards Automatic Capturing of Manual Data Processing Provenance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wombacher, Andreas; Huq, M.R.

2011-01-01

Often data processing is not implemented by a work ow system or an integration application but is performed manually by humans along the lines of a more or less specified procedure. Collecting provenance information during manual data processing can not be automated. Further, manual collection of

Scab susceptibility of a provenance collection of pecan

Science.gov (United States)

Scab (caused by Fusicladium effusum) is the most economically destructive disease of pecan in the Southeast US. Epidemics are favored by rainfall and high humidity. A provenance collection of ~950 pecan trees from 19 locations representing the native range of the species is located in Byron, Georgia...

EFFECTS OF COLD STRATIFICATION AND GA3 ON GERMINATION OF ARBUTUS UNEDO SEEDS OF THREE PROVENANCES.

Science.gov (United States)

Pipinis, Elias; Stampoulidis, Athanasios; Milios, Elias; Kitikidou, Kyriaki; Radoglou, Kalliopi

2017-01-01

Arbutus unedo is a valuable Mediterranean shrub as an ornamental plant as well as fruit tree. Fresh fruits of A. unedo are a good source of antioxidants, of vitamins C, E and carotenoids and also are characterized by the high content of mineral elements. The effects of gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) and cold stratification (CS) on seed germination performance were investigated in A. unedo seeds collected from three provenances in the Northern part of Greece. Seeds of each provenance were soaked in solutions of GA 3 (500, 1000 or 2000 ppm) for 24 h and subsequently were subjected to CS at 3 - 5°C for 0, 1, 2, and 3 months. Non-stratified seeds of the three A. unedo provenances which were not treated with GA 3 solutions exhibited very low germination. However, seed germination was significantly improved after a one-month period of CS. Similarly, the non-stratified seeds of all three provenances became non-dormant after the treatment with 2000 ppm GA 3 and they germinated at high percentages. However, in untreated seeds with GA3, after a one-month CS period the seeds of the Pieria provenance exhibited higher germination percentage than that of Rodopi provenance seeds. Furthermore, in non-stratified seeds, the Pieria provenance seeds treated with GA3 germinated at higher percentages and more rapidly than those of the other two provenances. The results indicated that untreated seeds exhibited very low germination at 20/25°C. However, in all three provenances seed germinability was significantly improved by a one-month period of CS or treatment of seeds with 2000 ppm GA3. Furthermore, there was a considerable variability among seed provenances in response to the treatments which were applied.

Facilitating Scientific Research through Workflows and Provenance on the DataONE Cyberinfrastructure (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Ludaescher, B.; Cuevas-Vicenttín, V.; Missier, P.; Dey, S.; Kianmajd, P.; Wei, Y.; Koop, D.; Chirigati, F.; Altintas, I.; Belhajjame, K.; Bowers, S.

2013-12-01

Provenance data has numerous applications in science. Two key ones are 1) replication: facilitate the repeatable derivation of results and 2) discovery: enable the location of data based on processing history and derivation relationships. The following scenario illustrates a typical use of provenance data. Alice, a climate scientist, has developed a VisTrails workflow to prepare Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) data. After verifying that the workflow generates data in the desired form, she uses the ReproZip tool to create a reproducible package that will enable other scientists to re-run the workflow without having to install and configure the particular libraries she is using. In addition, she exports the provenance information of the workflow execution and customizes it through a tool such as the ProvExplorer, in order to eliminate the information she regards as superfluous. She then creates and shares a DataONE data package containing the data she prepared, the ReproZip package, the customized provenance, and additional science/system metadata. Both the customized provenance and metadata are indexed by the DataONE Cyberinfrastructure (CI) for discovery purposes. Bob, another climate scientist, is looking for a benchmark GPP data to validate the Terrestrial Biosphere Model (TBM) he has developed. Searching the DataONE repository he finds Alice's data package. He retrieves its ReproZip package, customizes it (e.g. changing the spatial resolution), and re-runs it to generate the benchmark data in the form he desires. The newly generated data is then used as input for his own model evaluation workflow. His workflow generates residual maps and a Taylor diagram that enable him to evaluate the similarity between the results of his model and the benchmark data. At this point, Bob can also make use of the tools Alice used to publish his results as another discoverable and reproducible data package. In order to support these capabilities, we propose to extend the Data

Growth and quality of Grevillea robusta provenances in Ruhande ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

used as sawn timber for furniture industry, for construction and packaging. ... seven Queensland (Australia) provenances and one land race on an oxisol at Ruhande .... Statistical analyses were carried out using Statistical Analysis Systems.

Providing Global Change Information for Decision-Making: Capturing and Presenting Provenance

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiaogang; Fox, Peter; Tilmes, Curt; Jacobs, Katherine; Waple, Anne

2014-01-01

Global change information demands access to data sources and well-documented provenance to provide evidence needed to build confidence in scientific conclusions and, in specific applications, to ensure the information's suitability for use in decision-making. A new generation of Web technology, the Semantic Web, provides tools for that purpose. The topic of global change covers changes in the global environment (including alterations in climate, land productivity, oceans or other water resources, atmospheric composition and or chemistry, and ecological systems) that may alter the capacity of the Earth to sustain life and support human systems. Data and findings associated with global change research are of great public, government, and academic concern and are used in policy and decision-making, which makes the provenance of global change information especially important. In addition, since different types of decisions benefit from different types of information, understanding how to capture and present the provenance of global change information is becoming more of an imperative in adaptive planning.

Design and analysis of experiments classical and regression approaches with SAS

CERN Document Server

Onyiah, Leonard C

2008-01-01

Introductory Statistical Inference and Regression Analysis Elementary Statistical Inference Regression Analysis Experiments, the Completely Randomized Design (CRD)-Classical and Regression Approaches Experiments Experiments to Compare Treatments Some Basic Ideas Requirements of a Good Experiment One-Way Experimental Layout or the CRD: Design and Analysis Analysis of Experimental Data (Fixed Effects Model) Expected Values for the Sums of Squares The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Table Follow-Up Analysis to Check fo

Improving Polyp Detection Algorithms for CT Colonography: Pareto Front Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Adam; Li, Jiang; Summers, Ronald M; Petrick, Nicholas; Hara, Amy K

2010-03-21

We investigated a Pareto front approach to improving polyp detection algorithms for CT colonography (CTC). A dataset of 56 CTC colon surfaces with 87 proven positive detections of 53 polyps sized 4 to 60 mm was used to evaluate the performance of a one-step and a two-step curvature-based region growing algorithm. The algorithmic performance was statistically evaluated and compared based on the Pareto optimal solutions from 20 experiments by evolutionary algorithms. The false positive rate was lower (pPareto optimization process can effectively help in fine-tuning and redesigning polyp detection algorithms.

New markers to identify the provenance of lapis lazuli: trace elements in pyrite by means of micro-PIXE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Re, A. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Torino, Torino (Italy); Angelici, D. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Torino, Torino (Italy); Universita di Torino, Dipartimento di Fisica, Torino (Italy); Universita di Torino, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Torino (Italy); Lo Giudice, A. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Torino, Torino (Italy); Universita di Torino, Dipartimento di Fisica, Torino (Italy); Maupas, E. [Universita di Torino, Dipartimento di Fisica, Torino (Italy); Giuntini, L.; Calusi, S.; Massi, M.; Mando, P.A. [Universita di Firenze, Dipartimento di Fisica, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze (Italy); Gelli, N. [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze (Italy); Borghi, A. [Universita di Torino, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Torino (Italy); Gallo, L.M. [Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino (Italy); Pratesi, G. [Universita di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Firenze (Italy); Museo di Storia Naturale, Firenze (Italy)

2013-04-15

Lapis lazuli has been used for glyptics and carving since the fifth millennium BC to produce jewels, amulets, seals, inlays, etc; the identification of the origin of the stone used for carving artworks may be valuable for reconstructing old trade routes. Since ancient lapis lazuli art objects are precious, only non-destructive techniques can be used to identify their provenance, and ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques allow us to characterise this stone in a fully non-invasive way. In addition, by using an ion microprobe, we have been able to focus the analysis on single crystals, as their typical dimensions may range from a few microns to hundreds of microns. Provenance markers, identified in previous IBA studies and already presented elsewhere, were based on the presence/absence of mineral phases, on the presence/quantity of trace elements inside a phase and on characteristic features of the luminescence spectra. In this work, a systematic study on pyrite crystals, a common accessory mineral in lapis lazuli, was carried out, following a multi-technique approach: optical microscopy and SEM-EDX to select crystals for successive trace element micro-PIXE measurements at two Italian facilities, the INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro and the INFN LABEC laboratory in Firenze. The results of this work allowed us to obtain new markers for lapis lazuli provenance identification. (orig.)

Enhanced provenance interpretation using combined U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating of detrital zircon grains from lower Miocene strata, proximal Gulf of Mexico Basin, North America

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jie; Stockli, Daniel F.; Snedden, John W.

2017-10-01

Detrital zircon U-Pb analysis is an effective approach for investigating sediment provenance by relating crystallization age to potential crystalline source terranes. Studies of large passive margin basins, such as the Gulf of Mexico Basin, that have received sediment from multiple terranes with non-unique crystallization ages or sedimentary strata, benefit from additional constraints to better elucidate provenance interpretation. In this study, U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating analyses on single zircons from the lower Miocene sandstones in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin reveal a detailed history of sediment source evolution. U-Pb age data indicate that most zircon originated from five major crystalline provinces, including the Western Cordillera Arc (1800 Ma) terranes. Zircon (U-Th)/He ages record tectonic cooling and exhumation in the U.S. since the Mesoproterozoic related to the Grenville to Laramide Orogenies. The combined crystallization and cooling information from single zircon double dating can differentiate volcanic and plutonic zircons. Importantly, the U-Pb-He double dating approach allows for the differentiation between multiple possible crystallization-age sources on the basis of their subsequent tectonic evolution. In particular, for Grenville zircons that are present in all of lower Miocene samples, four distinct zircon U-Pb-He age combinations are recognizable that can be traced back to four different possible sources. The integrated U-Pb and (U-Th)/He data eliminate some ambiguities and improves the provenance interpretation for the lower Miocene strata in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin and illustrate the applicability of this approach for other large-scale basins to reconstruct sediment provenance and dispersal patterns.

Autumn frost hardiness in Norway spruce plus tree progeny and trees of the local and transferred provenances in central Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Hannerz, Mats; Westin, Johan

2005-09-01

Reforestation with provenances from locations remote from the planting site (transferred provenances) or the progeny of trees of local provenances selected for superior form and vigor (plus trees) offer alternative means to increase yield over that obtained by the use of seed from unselected trees of the local provenance. Under Swedish conditions, Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) of certain transferred provenances generally has an advantage in productivity relative to the local provenance comparable to that of progeny of plus trees. The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which productivity gains achieved by provenance transfer or the use of plus tree progeny are associated with reductions in autumn frost hardiness, relative to that of trees of the local provenance. In a field trial with 19-year-old trees in central Sweden, bud hardiness was tested on four occasions during the autumn of 2002. Trees of the local provenance were compared with trees of a south Swedish provenance originating 3 degrees of latitude to the south, a Belarusian provenance and the progeny of plus trees of local origin. The Belarusian provenance was the least hardy and the local provenance the most hardy, with plus tree progeny and the south Swedish provenance being intermediate in hardiness. Both the Belarusian provenance and the plus tree progeny were significantly taller than trees of the other populations. Within provenances, tree height was negatively correlated with autumn frost hardiness. Among the plus tree progeny, however, no such correlation between tree height and autumn frost hardiness was found. It is concluded that although the gain in productivity achieved by provenance transfer from Belarus was comparable to that achieved by using the progeny of plus trees of the local provenance, the use of trees of the Belarus provenance involved an increased risk of autumn frost damage because of later hardening.

Experience Transfer in Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry: Approaches and Organizational Mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aase, Karina

1997-07-01

The core aim of the study is to explore the concept of experience transfer in oil and gas industry, and how an oil company approaches this concept. The thesis consists of five papers which are combined in a general description entitled 'Experience transfer in Norwegian oil and gas industry: approaches and organizational mechanisms'. The first paper describes how organizational members perceive experience transfer, and then specifies the many organizational and structural barriers that have to be overcome to achieve efficient experience transfer. The second paper elaborates and assesses the organizational means an oil company implements to address experience transfer. The third paper describes a process of improving and using requirement and procedure handbooks for experience transfer. The fourth paper explores in more detail how the use of information technology influences experience transfer. And the fifth paper compares organizational members' perceptions of experience transfer means in an oil company and an engineering company involved in offshore development projects. Some of the papers are based upon the same data material. Therefore there are reiterations in parts of the contents, especially in the methodological sections.

Experience Transfer in Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry: Approaches and Organizational Mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aase, Karina

1997-01-01

The core aim of the study is to explore the concept of experience transfer in oil and gas industry, and how an oil company approaches this concept. The thesis consists of five papers which are combined in a general description entitled 'Experience transfer in Norwegian oil and gas industry: approaches and organizational mechanisms'. The first paper describes how organizational members perceive experience transfer, and then specifies the many organizational and structural barriers that have to be overcome to achieve efficient experience transfer. The second paper elaborates and assesses the organizational means an oil company implements to address experience transfer. The third paper describes a process of improving and using requirement and procedure handbooks for experience transfer. The fourth paper explores in more detail how the use of information technology influences experience transfer. And the fifth paper compares organizational members' perceptions of experience transfer means in an oil company and an engineering company involved in offshore development projects. Some of the papers are based upon the same data material. Therefore there are reiterations in parts of the contents, especially in the methodological sections

Interoperability Using Lightweight Metadata Standards: Service & Data Casting, OpenSearch, OPM Provenance, and Shared SciFlo Workflows

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, B. D.; Manipon, G.; Hua, H.; Fetzer, E.

2011-12-01

Under several NASA grants, we are generating multi-sensor merged atmospheric datasets to enable the detection of instrument biases and studies of climate trends over decades of data. For example, under a NASA MEASURES grant we are producing a water vapor climatology from the A-Train instruments, stratified by the Cloudsat cloud classification for each geophysical scene. The generation and proper use of such multi-sensor climate data records (CDR's) requires a high level of openness, transparency, and traceability. To make the datasets self-documenting and provide access to full metadata and traceability, we have implemented a set of capabilities and services using known, interoperable protocols. These protocols include OpenSearch, OPeNDAP, Open Provenance Model, service & data casting technologies using Atom feeds, and REST-callable analysis workflows implemented as SciFlo (XML) documents. We advocate that our approach can serve as a blueprint for how to openly "document and serve" complex, multi-sensor CDR's with full traceability. The capabilities and services provided include: - Discovery of the collections by keyword search, exposed using OpenSearch protocol; - Space/time query across the CDR's granules and all of the input datasets via OpenSearch; - User-level configuration of the production workflows so that scientists can select additional physical variables from the A-Train to add to the next iteration of the merged datasets; - Efficient data merging using on-the-fly OPeNDAP variable slicing & spatial subsetting of data out of input netCDF and HDF files (without moving the entire files); - Self-documenting CDR's published in a highly usable netCDF4 format with groups used to organize the variables, CF-style attributes for each variable, numeric array compression, & links to OPM provenance; - Recording of processing provenance and data lineage into a query-able provenance trail in Open Provenance Model (OPM) format, auto-captured by the workflow engine

Neutron activation analysis: a powerful tool in provenance investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meloni, Sandro; Oddone, Massimo

2002-01-01

It is well known that neutron activation analysis (NAA), both instrumental and destructive, allows the simultaneous determination of a number of elements, mostly trace elements, with high levels of precision and accuracy. These peculiar properties of NAA are very useful when applied to provenance studies, i.e. to the identification of the origin of raw materials with which artifacts had been manufactured in ancient times. Data reduction by statistical procedures, especially multivariate analysis techniques, provides a statistical 'fingerprint' of investigated materials, both raw materials and archaeological artifacts, that, upon comparison, allows the identification of the provenance of prime matters used for artifact manufacturing. Thus information on quarries and flows exploitation in the antiquity, on technological raw materials processing, on trade routes and about the circulation of fakes, can be obtained. In the present paper two case studies are reported. The first one deals with the identification of the provenance of clay used to make ceramic materials, mostly bricks and tiles, recovered from the excavation of a Roman 'villa' in Lomello (Roman name Laumellum) and of Roman settlings in Casteggio (Roman name Clastidium). Both sites are located in the Province of Pavia in areas called Lomellina and Oltrepo respectively. The second one investigates the origin of the white marble used to build medieval arks, Carolingian age, located in the church of San Felice, now property of the University of Pavia. Experimental set-up, analytical results and data reduction procedures are presented and discussed. (author)

Black and red granites in the Egyptian Antiquity Museum of Turin. A minero-petrographic and provenance study.

Science.gov (United States)

Serra, M.; Borghi, A.; Vaggelli, G.; D'Amicone, E.; Vigna, L.

2009-04-01

The University of Turin, in cooperation with the Egyptian Antiquity Museum, has recently undertaken several projects aimed at developing a scientific approach to the analysis of ancient Egyptian finds. In particular, a straightforward project to investigate the stony handcrafts preserved in the statuary rooms started in 2006 to obtain their systematic petrographic classification and their possible geological sources. The main intent of the project was to understand the provenance of the materials used in Pharaonic period, setting the base for the identification of the ancient quarry sites and for a correct interpretation of the extraction and working techniques, in order to provide fundamental information about economical and social development of Egyptian civilization through historical times. The choice to focus attention on black and red granites came from the statement of the percentage relevance (40 of the 54 sculptures actually exposed) of these materials in the statuary rooms. Moreover, especially for black granites, the need of detailed minero-petrographic analysis arose from the difficulty in making a macroscopic classification of the fine-grained dark-coloured rock varieties. Therefore, five black granite statues, belonging to the Drovetti collection were sampled in a micro-invasive way: three sculptures of goddess Sekhmet (cat. 260, 251, 247), the statue of Ramses II (cat. 1380) and the statue of goddess Hathor (cat. 694). The choice to analyse even three of the twenty-one statues of goddess Sekhmet (cat. 247, cat. 251, cat. 260), originally located in the same Egyptian temple but ichnographically different, derived from the need of answering the archaeological questions about their provenance. On the other hand, the opportunity of studying the fine-grained black rocks used for the sculptures of goddess Hathor (cat. 694) and of Ramses II in Majesty (cat. 1380), symbol of the Egyptian museum of Turin, provided the opportunity to analyse and classify the

Defining the "proven technology" technical criterion in the reactor technology assessment for Malaysia's nuclear power program

Science.gov (United States)

Anuar, Nuraslinda; Kahar, Wan Shakirah Wan Abdul; Manan, Jamal Abdul Nasir Abd

2015-04-01

Developing countries that are considering the deployment of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the near future need to perform reactor technology assessment (RTA) in order to select the most suitable reactor design. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in the Common User Considerations (CUC) document that "proven technology" is one of the most important technical criteria for newcomer countries in performing the RTA. The qualitative description of five desired features for "proven technology" is relatively broad and only provides a general guideline to its characterization. This paper proposes a methodology to define the "proven technology" term according to a specific country's requirements using a three-stage evaluation process. The first evaluation stage screens the available technologies in the market against a predefined minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) derived as a condition based on national needs and policy objectives. The result is a list of technology options, which are then assessed in the second evaluation stage against quantitative definitions of CUC desired features for proven technology. The potential technology candidates produced from this evaluation is further narrowed down to obtain a list of proven technology candidates by assessing them against selected risk criteria and the established maximum allowable total score using a scoring matrix. The outcome of this methodology is the proven technology candidates selected using an accurate definition of "proven technology" that fulfills the policy objectives, national needs and risk, and country-specific CUC desired features of the country that performs this assessment. A simplified assessment for Malaysia is carried out to demonstrate and suggest the use of the proposed methodology. In this exercise, ABWR, AP1000, APR1400 and EPR designs assumed the top-ranks of proven technology candidates according to Malaysia's definition of "proven technology".

Isotopic provenance analysis and terrane tectonics: a warning about sediment transport distances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bassett, K.N.

1999-01-01

Full text: In the last 10 years the field of provenance analysis has undergone a revolution with the development of single-crystal isotopic dating techniques, the most common being U/Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar techniques. These have allowed age determination of single crystals thus providing more detail about probable provenance of each individual grain rather than an averaged population of grains. The usefulness for resolving complex terrane accretion and translation histories was immediately obvious and there have been many studies in many different regions aimed at tracking terrane motions by provenance of individual grains upward through the stratigraphy of a basin. Recent research in the North American Cordilleran terranes and in the New Zealand Torlesse Superterrane show how widely used and powerful these provenance analysis techniques are. However, isotopic provenance analysis has often been presented as key information to resolve controversies around terrane translation histories with very little discussion of the context of sedimentary facies and sediment transport mechanisms. An example is the recent use of U/Pb detrital zircon ages as the supposedly controversy-ending evidence for the amount of lateral translation of the Insular Superterrane in British Columbia (Baja BC) (Mahoney et al., 1999). The zircon grains were separated from fine-grained turbidite deposits and could easily have been transported over very large distances by a variety of mechanisms; yet they were presented as definitively resolving the Baja BC controversy. Modern examples illustrate the problem of using the provenance of fine grained sediment to constrain terrane tectonics. Sediment in the tip of the Bengal submarine fan was transported ∼3000 km from source, first by fluvial processes then by sediment gravity flow in the submarine fan. The detrital isotopic ages of single grains are the same as the depositional ages indicating a very rapid unroofing and transport rate with minimal

The impact of oil price on additions to US proven reserves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farzin, Y.H.

2001-01-01

Departing from Hotelling's assumption of fixed and known reserves, this paper develops an economic model of additions to proven reserves that explicitly incorporates the effects of expected resource price, cumulative reserves development, and technological progress on reserve additions. The model treats additions to proven oil reserves as output of a production process in which drilling wells is a primary input to transform some of oil-in-place into the economic category of proven reserves. Application of the model to US data for the 1950-1995 period provides strong statistical support for the existence of all the three salient effects. We obtain an estimate of the price elasticity of reserve additions (absent from previous studies) which, although statistically highly significant, is rather small. Using this price elasticity estimate, it is shown that if in the face of steady economic growth, and hence, oil consumption, US oil import dependence is to be kept from rising in the future, ceteris paribus, a steady oil price increase in the range of 1.5-4.5% a year is essential

A history-tracing XML-based provenance framework for workflows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerhards, M; Belloum, A.; Berretz, F.; Sander, V.; Skorupa, S.

2010-01-01

The importance of validating and reproducing the outcome of computational processes is fundamental to many application domains. Assuring the provenance of workflows will likely become even more important with respect to the incorporation of human tasks to standard workflows by emerging standards

Experience Transfer in Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry: Approaches and Organizational Mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aase, Karina

1997-07-01

The core aim of the study is to explore the concept of experience transfer in oil and gas industry, and how an oil company approaches this concept. The thesis consists of five papers which are combined in a general description entitled 'Experience transfer in Norwegian oil and gas industry: approaches and organizational mechanisms'. The first paper describes how organizational members perceive experience transfer, and then specifies the many organizational and structural barriers that have to be overcome to achieve efficient experience transfer. The second paper elaborates and assesses the organizational means an oil company implements to address experience transfer. The third paper describes a process of improving and using requirement and procedure handbooks for experience transfer. The fourth paper explores in more detail how the use of information technology influences experience transfer. And the fifth paper compares organizational members' perceptions of experience transfer means in an oil company and an engineering company involved in offshore development projects. Some of the papers are based upon the same data material. Therefore there are reiterations in parts of the contents, especially in the methodological sections.

S-ProvFlow: provenance model and tools for scalable and adaptive analysis pipelines in geoscience.

Science.gov (United States)

Spinuso, A.; Mihajlovski, A.; Atkinson, M.; Filgueira, R.; Klampanos, I.; Sanchez, S.

2017-12-01

The reproducibility of scientific findings is essential to improve the quality and application of modern data-driven research. Delivering such reproducibility is challenging in the context of systems handling large data-streams with sophisticated computational methods. Similarly, the SKA (Square Kilometer Array) will collect an unprecedented volume of radio-wave signals that will have to be reduced and transformed into derived products, with impact on space-weather research. This highlights the importance of having cross-disciplines mechanisms at the producer's side that rely on usable lineage data to support validation and traceability of the new artifacts. To be informative, provenance has to describe each methods' abstractions and their implementation as mappings onto distributed platforms and their concurrent execution, capturing relevant internal dependencies at runtime. Producers and intelligent toolsets should be able to exploit the produced provenance, steering real-time monitoring activities and inferring adaptations of methods at runtime.We present a model of provenance (S-PROV) that extends W3C PROV and ProvONE, broadening coverage of provenance to aspects related to distribution, scale-up and steering of stateful streaming operators in analytic pipelines. This is supported by a technical framework for tuneable and actionable lineage, ensuring its relevance to the users' interests, fostering its rapid exploitation to facilitate research practices. By applying concepts such as provenance typing and profiling, users define rules to capture common provenance patterns and activate selective controls based on domain-metadata. The traces are recorded in a document-store with index optimisation and a web API serves advanced interactive tools (S-ProvFlow, https://github.com/KNMI/s-provenance). These allow different classes of consumers to rapidly explore the provenance data. The system, which contributes to the SKA-Link initiative, within technology and

Next Generation Cloud-based Science Data Systems and Their Implications on Data and Software Stewardship, Preservation, and Provenance

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, H.; Manipon, G.; Starch, M.

2017-12-01

NASA's upcoming missions are expected to be generating data volumes at least an order of magnitude larger than current missions. A significant increase in data processing, data rates, data volumes, and long-term data archive capabilities are needed. Consequently, new challenges are emerging that impact traditional data and software management approaches. At large-scales, next generation science data systems are exploring the move onto cloud computing paradigms to support these increased needs. New implications such as costs, data movement, collocation of data systems & archives, and moving processing closer to the data, may result in changes to the stewardship, preservation, and provenance of science data and software. With more science data systems being on-boarding onto cloud computing facilities, we can expect more Earth science data records to be both generated and kept in the cloud. But at large scales, the cost of processing and storing global data may impact architectural and system designs. Data systems will trade the cost of keeping data in the cloud with the data life-cycle approaches of moving "colder" data back to traditional on-premise facilities. How will this impact data citation and processing software stewardship? What are the impacts of cloud-based on-demand processing and its affect on reproducibility and provenance. Similarly, with more science processing software being moved onto cloud, virtual machines, and container based approaches, more opportunities arise for improved stewardship and preservation. But will the science community trust data reprocessed years or decades later? We will also explore emerging questions of the stewardship of the science data system software that is generating the science data records both during and after the life of mission.

Suggestions for the New Social Entrepreneurship Initiative: Focus on Building a Body of Research-Proven Programs, Shown to Produce Major Gains in Education, Poverty Reduction, Crime Prevention, and Other Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, 2009

2009-01-01

This paper outlines a possible approach to implementing the Social Entrepreneurship initiative, focused on building a body of research-proven program models/strategies, and scaling them up, so as to produce major progress in education, poverty reduction, crime prevention, and other areas. The paper summarizes the rationale for this approach, then…

Sustainability Reporting Experience by Universities: A Causal Configuration Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Zorio-Grima, Ana; Sierra-García, Laura; Garcia-Benau, Maria A.

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify the combinations of factors leading to experience in sustainability reporting by Spanish public universities. Design/methodology/approach: Using a sample of 49 public universities in Spain, this paper identifies the combinations of factors on innovation profile, political and internal factors…

Variability in growth of Vachellia nilotica provenances tested in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Niger

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larwanou, Mahamane; Issa, Rabiou; Saadou, Mahamane

2014-01-01

A provenance trial of Vachellia nilotica (Acacia nilotica) was conducted in Niger in order to assess variability in growth among 10 provenances from Africa (subsp. adstringens from Niger, Senegal and Cameroun) and outside the continent (subsp. indica from Pakistan and Yemen). Tree height, diameter...... at breast height and crown diameter were measured 15 years after trial establishment. Comparison of blocks located at slightly different elevation showed that trees had better survival and growth at the lower sites. The African provenances had better survival and total basal area than provenances from Yemen...

Features of Scots pine radial growth in conditions of provenance trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzmin, Sergey; Kuzmina, Nina

2013-04-01

Provenance trial of Scots pine in Boguchany forestry of Krasnoyarsk krai is conducted on two different soils - dark-grey loam forest soil and sod-podzol sandy soil. Complex of negative factors for plant growth and development appears in dry conditions of sandy soil. It could results in decrease of resistance to diseases. Sandy soils in different climatic zones have such common traits as low absorbing capacity, poorness of elemental nutrition, low microbiological activity and moisture capacity, very high water permeability. But Scots pine trees growing in such conditions could have certain advantages and perspectives of use. In the scope of climate change (global warming) the study of Scots pine growth on sandy soil become urgent because of more frequent appearance of dry seasons. Purpose of the work is revelation of radial growth features of Scots pine with different origin in dry conditions of sandy soil and assessment of external factors influence. The main feature of radial growth of majority of studied pine provenances in conditions of sandy soil is presence of significant variation of increment with distinct decline in 25-years old with loss of tree rings in a number of cases. The reason of it is complex of factors: deficit of June precipitation and next following outbreak of fungal disease. Found «frost rings» for all trees of studied clymatypes in 1992 are the consequence of temperature decline from May 21 to June 2 - from 23 down to 2 degree Celsius. Perspective climatypes with biggest radial increments and least sensitivity to fungal disease were revealed. Eniseysk and Vikhorevka (from Krasnoyarsk krai and Irkutsk oblast)provenances of pine have the biggest radial increments, the least sensitivity to Cenangium dieback and smallest increments decline. These climatypes are in the group of perspective provenances and in present time they are recommended for wide trial in the region for future use in plantation forest growing. Kandalaksha (Murmansk oblast

Provenance discrimination of sediments in the Zhejiang-Fujian mud belt, East China Sea: Implications for the development of the mud depocenter

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiting; Li, Anchun; Dong, Jiang; Lu, Jian; Huang, Jie; Wan, Shiming

2018-01-01

In the past decade, the 800 km elongated mud belt off Zhejiang-Fujian coast, East China Sea (ECS), has been extensively studied for understanding the source to sink processes on the East Asian continental margin in the context of the Asian monsoon. However, to better understand the sediment source and dispersal pattern, the existing mineralogical and geochemical data of adjacent river systems, including the Changjiang River (CJR) and local rivers in Zhejiang, Fujian and Taiwan, need to be systematically reviewed. Therefore, various indicators from published literatures for the provenance discrimination in the mud belt have been summarised in this article. The results show that high diversity of clay mineral assemblages in fluvial sediments being supplied into the mud belt, e.g., dominant illite and chlorite in the CJR, absence of smectite in Taiwan rivers, similar amounts of the four clay mineral species in Zhejiang rivers, and dominant kaolinite in Fujian rivers. On heavy mineralogy, the CJR is dominated by dolomite, hornblende, and flaky minerals; and among of them, dolomite is distinctive for the CJR. For geochemical approaches, elemental compositions, combined with strontium and neodymium isotopes, reflect strong provenance control. However, geochemical and mineralogical compositions are found to vary with grain size, and thus extra caution should be taken when using these parameters as provenance indicator to discriminate the marine sediments with variety of grain-size fractions. In addition, pyrrhotite, occurred in fluvial sediments from western Taiwan, has not been found in sediments derived from mainland China, indicating that magnetic parameters could be used to discriminate sediment provenance. The mud belt formed during sea-level highstand, when modern current system in the ECS has been established, resulting in sediments derived from the CJR have been transported southward since 8 ka. In addition, sediment provenances have not been constant since

Signage by Design: A Design-Thinking Approach to Library User Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward Luca

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Signage is a powerful visual tool for communication and a crucial component of the library user experience. Signage can welcome, guide, instruct, and delight users, helping them navigate the complex information world of any library. In practice, however, signage can be problematic, revealing tensions between various stakeholders, and contributing to visual noise through information overload; this often leads to signage blindness, library anxiety, and confusion. This article explores how libraries can use a design-thinking approach to improve the user experience in physical library spaces, particularly with respect to signage, based on our experience at the UTS Library, a university library in Australia that serves the University of Technology Sydney (UTS. We found that a design-thinking approach that uses the processes of empathy, problem definition, solution ideation, prototyping, and testing, can help libraries make significant and meaningful changes that can be adopted at relatively low cost.

Growth and quality of Grevillea robusta provenances in Ruhande ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

seven Queensland (Australia) provenances and one land race on an oxisol at Ruhande Arboretum,. Butare, Rwanda was carried out. The species is .... could not be executed due to problems of war and genocide in 1994. Assessment procedures ..... Forest Ecology and Management 80: 279-285. 10. Kalinganire, A. 1999.

Multilevel approach to mentoring in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs

Science.gov (United States)

Bonine, K. E.; Dontsova, K.; Pavao-Zuckerman, M.; Paavo, B.; Hogan, D.; Oberg, E.; Gay, J.

2015-12-01

This presentation focuses on different types of mentoring for students participating in Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs with examples, including some new approaches, from The Environmental and Earth Systems Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program at Biosphere 2. While traditional faculty mentors play essential role in students' development as researchers and professionals, other formal and informal mentoring can be important component of the REU program and student experiences. Students receive mentoring from program directors, coordinators, and on site undergraduate advisors. While working on their research projects, REU students receive essential support and mentoring from undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in the research groups of their primary mentors. Cohort living and group activities give multiple opportunities for peer mentoring where each student brings their own strengths and experiences to the group. Biosphere 2 REU program puts strong emphasis on teaching students to effectively communicate their research to public. In order to help REUs learn needed skills the outreach personnel at Biosphere 2 mentor and advise students both in groups and individually, in lecture format and by personal example, on best outreach approaches in general and on individual outreach projects students develop. To further enhance and strengthen outreach mentoring we used a novel approach of blending cohort of REU students with the Cal Poly STAR (STEM Teacher And Researcher) Program fellows, future K-12 STEM teachers who are gaining research experience at Biosphere 2. STAR fellows live together with the REU students and participate with them in professional development activities, as well as perform research side by side. Educational background and experiences gives these students a different view and better preparation and tools to effectively communicate and adapt science to lay audiences, a challenge commonly facing

Use of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy in the determination of gem provenance: beryls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McManus, Catherine E.; McMillan, Nancy J.; Harmon, Russell S.; Whitmore, Robert C.; De Lucia, Frank C. Jr.; Miziolek, Andrzej W.

2008-01-01

The provenance of gem stones has been of interest to geologists, gemologists, archeologists, and historians for centuries. Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) provides a minimally destructive tool for recording the rich chemical signatures of gem beryls (aquamarine, goshenite, heliodor, and morganite). Broadband LIBS spectra of 39 beryl (Be3Al2Si6O18) specimens from 11 pegmatite mines in New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Maine (USA) are used to assess the potential of using principal component analysis of LIBS spectra to determine specimen provenance. Using this technique, beryls from the three beryl-bearing zones in the Palermo no. 1 pegmatite (New Hampshire) can be recognized. However, the compositional variation within this single mine is comparable to that in beryls from all three states. Thus, a very large database with detailed location metadata will be required to routinely determine gem beryl provenance

Pharmacists' Perception of the Sale of Non-Clinically Proven Health ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

HP

Proven Health Supplements in Penang, Malaysia. Mohamed A Hassali. 1 ... Conclusions: Pharmacists who participated in the study have mixed opinions on the efficacy ... acceptance amongst the general public in many parts of the world in ...

Combining User Reputation and Provenance Analysis for Trust Assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ceolin, D.; Groth, P.T.; Maccatrozzo, V.; Fokkink, W.J.; van Hage, W.R.; Nottamkandath, A.

2016-01-01

Trust is a broad concept that in many systems is often reduced to user reputation alone. However, user reputation is just one way to determine trust. The estimation of trust can be tackled from other perspectives as well, including by looking at provenance. Here, we present a complete pipeline for

Microgenetic experiment in developmental psychology: A new approach to discover cognitive change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matija Svetina

2002-02-01

Full Text Available Microgenetic experiment is relatively new tool in a developmental psychology research. It is primarily used in discovering broad range of cognitive processes such as the development of logical operations, memory and attention as well as beliefs or school adaptation. Designed as an extension of simple longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches it is convinient to research mental processes in all developmental stages of human being, from infancy to the old age. Microgenetic approach is characterised with repeated observations of behaviour. Observations are carried out in a relatively short period of time and yet they cover the whole interval between first appearance and stabilisation of a process in a subject. The microgenetic approach offers a good insight into the nature and development of the change. The article presents the general steps in both forming and performing of a microgenetic experiment, as well as the approaches used in the data analyses. On more general level, the article presents major practical and theoretical advantages and disadvantages of a microgenetic approach to be considered in the future.

Object Oriented Approach to Software Development for LHC Experiments

CERN Multimedia

Tummers, B J; Day, C; Innocente, V; Mount, R; Visser, E; Burnett, T H; Balke, C

2002-01-01

% RD41 \\\\ \\\\ We propose to study the viability of the Object Oriented~(OO) approach for developing the code for LHC experiments. The authors of this proposal will learn the key issues of this approach:~~OO analysis and design. Several methodologies will be studied to select the most appropriate for the High Energy Physics case. Some Computer Aided Software Engineering tools and implementation languages will be evaluated. These studies will be carried out with various well-defined prototypes, some of which have been defined in a preceding study and some of which will be defined in the course of this R\\&D project. We propose to also study in this project how the OO approach enhances a different, and hopefully better, project management. Management tools will be tried and professional training will be organized.

A Structured Review and Classification of Demolding Issues and Proven Solutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Delaney, K. D.; Bissacco, G.; Kennedy, D.

2012-01-01

The demolding of replicated parts can result in damage to both the replication tooling and finished parts and is a particular problem for the replication of smaller parts which can be quite fragile. Various techniques have been proposed in the literature to solve such problems by reducing....... Such a rationalization of existing knowledge will enable replication tool developers to systematically select and apply proven solutions to solve, and ultimately prevent, demolding problems....... the overall demolding force. This paper presents the challenge of demolding replicated parts and reviews the proven solutions from the literature which have been developed. A summary chart of these solutions is presented which may be used to implement plans to solve demolding problems with replicated parts...

Marketing moxie for librarians fresh ideas, proven techniques, and innovative approaches

CERN Document Server

Watson-Lakamp, Paula

2015-01-01

Robust, resilient, and flexible marketing is an absolute necessity for today's libraries. Fortunately, marketing can be fun. Through this savvy guide, you'll discover a wealth of fresh, actionable ideas and approaches that can be combined with tried-and-true marketing techniques to serve any library. Focusing on building platforms rather than chasing trends, the book offers low- and no-budget ideas for those in small libraries as well as information that can be used by libraries that have a staff of professionals. The guide opens with an overview of the basics of marketing and continues throug

Provenance and recycling of Arabian desert sand

Science.gov (United States)

Garzanti, Eduardo; Vermeesch, Pieter; Andò, Sergio; Vezzoli, Giovanni; Valagussa, Manuel; Allen, Kate; Kadi, Khalid A.; Al-Juboury, Ali I. A.

2013-05-01

This study seeks to determine the ultimate origin of aeolian sand in Arabian deserts by high-resolution petrographic and heavy-mineral techniques combined with zircon U-Pb geochronology. Point-counting is used here as the sole method by which unbiased volume percentages of heavy minerals can be obtained. A comprehensive analysis of river and wadi sands from the Red Sea to the Bitlis-Zagros orogen allowed us to characterize all potential sediment sources, and thus to quantitatively constrain provenance of Arabian dune fields. Two main types of aeolian sand can be distinguished. Quartzose sands with very poor heavy-mineral suites including zircon occupy most of the region comprising the Great Nafud and Rub' al-Khali Sand Seas, and are largely recycled from thick Lower Palaeozoic quartzarenites with very minor first-cycle contributions from Precambrian basement, Mesozoic carbonate rocks, or Neogene basalts. Instead, carbonaticlastic sands with richer lithic and heavy-mineral populations characterize coastal dunes bordering the Arabian Gulf from the Jafurah Sand Sea of Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates. The similarity with detritus carried by the axial Tigris-Euphrates system and by transverse rivers draining carbonate rocks of the Zagros indicates that Arabian coastal dunes largely consist of far-travelled sand, deposited on the exposed floor of the Gulf during Pleistocene lowstands and blown inland by dominant Shamal northerly winds. A dataset of detrital zircon U-Pb ages measured on twelve dune samples and two Lower Palaeozoic sandstones yielded fourteen identical age spectra. The age distributions all show a major Neoproterozoic peak corresponding to the Pan-African magmatic and tectonic events by which the Arabian Shield was assembled, with minor late Palaeoproterozoic and Neoarchean peaks. A similar U-Pb signature characterizes also Jafurah dune sands, suggesting that zircons are dominantly derived from interior Arabia, possibly deflated from the Wadi al

MRI of pathology-proven peripheral nerve amyloidosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenzie, Gavin A.; Broski, Stephen M.; Howe, Benjamin M.; Spinner, Robert J.; Amrami, Kimberly K.; Dispenzieri, Angela; Ringler, Michael D.

2017-01-01

To highlight the MRI characteristics of pathologically proven amyloidosis involving the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and determine the utility of MRI in directing targeted biopsy for aiding diagnosis. A retrospective study was performed for patients with pathologically proven PNS amyloidosis who also underwent MRI of the biopsied or excised nerve. MRI signal characteristics, nerve morphology, associated muscular denervation changes, and the presence of multifocal involvement were detailed. Pathology reports were reviewed to determine subtypes of amyloid. Charts were reviewed to gather patient demographics, neurological symptoms and radiologist interpretation. Four men and three women with a mean age of 62 ± 11 years (range 46-76) were identified. All patients had abnormal findings on EMG with mixed sensorimotor neuropathy. All lesions demonstrated diffuse multifocal neural involvement with T1 hypointensity, T2 hyperintensity, and variable enhancement on MRI. One lesion exhibited superimposed T2 hypointensity. Six of seven patients demonstrated associated muscular denervation changes. Peripheral nerve amyloidosis is rare, and the diagnosis is difficult because of insidious symptom onset, mixed sensorimotor neurologic deficits, and the potential for a wide variety of nerves affected. On MRI, peripheral nerve involvement is most commonly characterized by T1 hypointensity, T2 hyperintensity, variable enhancement, maintenance of the fascicular architecture with fusiform enlargement, multifocal involvement and muscular denervation changes. While this appearance mimics other inflammatory neuropathies, MRI can readily detect neural changes and direct-targeted biopsy, thus facilitating early diagnosis and appropriate management. (orig.)

MRI of pathology-proven peripheral nerve amyloidosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McKenzie, Gavin A.; Broski, Stephen M.; Howe, Benjamin M.; Spinner, Robert J.; Amrami, Kimberly K.; Dispenzieri, Angela; Ringler, Michael D. [Mayo Clinic, Department of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Rochester, MN (United States)

2017-01-15

To highlight the MRI characteristics of pathologically proven amyloidosis involving the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and determine the utility of MRI in directing targeted biopsy for aiding diagnosis. A retrospective study was performed for patients with pathologically proven PNS amyloidosis who also underwent MRI of the biopsied or excised nerve. MRI signal characteristics, nerve morphology, associated muscular denervation changes, and the presence of multifocal involvement were detailed. Pathology reports were reviewed to determine subtypes of amyloid. Charts were reviewed to gather patient demographics, neurological symptoms and radiologist interpretation. Four men and three women with a mean age of 62 ± 11 years (range 46-76) were identified. All patients had abnormal findings on EMG with mixed sensorimotor neuropathy. All lesions demonstrated diffuse multifocal neural involvement with T1 hypointensity, T2 hyperintensity, and variable enhancement on MRI. One lesion exhibited superimposed T2 hypointensity. Six of seven patients demonstrated associated muscular denervation changes. Peripheral nerve amyloidosis is rare, and the diagnosis is difficult because of insidious symptom onset, mixed sensorimotor neurologic deficits, and the potential for a wide variety of nerves affected. On MRI, peripheral nerve involvement is most commonly characterized by T1 hypointensity, T2 hyperintensity, variable enhancement, maintenance of the fascicular architecture with fusiform enlargement, multifocal involvement and muscular denervation changes. While this appearance mimics other inflammatory neuropathies, MRI can readily detect neural changes and direct-targeted biopsy, thus facilitating early diagnosis and appropriate management. (orig.)

Biometric characters of seeds and wings as markers of geographical differentiation between European scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L. provenances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lech Urbaniak

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Biometric characters of seeds and wings served to describe interprovenance differentiation of Scots pine in Europe. Grouping analysis was applied, Mahalanobis distances were calculated as well as Hotellings T2 statistics were applied. The similarity of East European and Finnish provenances was conspicuous. The provenance from Scotland proved to be similar to provenances originating from the region of Scandinavia. On the other hand, two southern provenances 54(Rychtal, Poland and 55(Luboml, Ukraine, were also found similar to provenances originating from the region of Scandinavia (western Norway. The obtained pattern of reciprocal relations may indicate pathways of Scots pine migration in the postglacial period or may be a result of adaptation to certain similar environmental conditions. No relations were detected between size of seeds and geographic origin of provenances.

Biopsy-proven childhood glomerulonephritis in Johor.

Science.gov (United States)

Khoo, J J; Pee, S; Thevarajah, B; Yap, Y C; Chin, C K

2004-06-01

There has been no published study of biopsy-proven childhood glomerulonephritis in Malaysia. To determine the pattern of childhood glomerulonephritis in Johor, Malaysia from a histopathological perspective and the various indications used for renal biopsy in children. Retrospective study was done of all renal biopsies from children under 16 years of age, received in Sultanah Aminah Hospital, Johor between 1994 and 2001. The histopathological findings were reviewed to determine the pattern of biopsy-proven glomerulonephritis. The indications for biopsy, mode of therapy given after biopsy and the clinical outcome were studied. 122 adequate biopsies were received, 9 children had repeat biopsies. Of the 113 biopsies, minimal change disease formed the most common histopathological diagnosis (40.7%) while lupus nephritis formed the most common secondary glomerulonephritis (23.0%). The main indications for biopsy were nephrotic syndrome (50.8%), lupus nephritis (25.4%) and renal impairment (13.1%). The mode of therapy was changed in 59.8% of the children. Of 106 patients followed-up, 84 children were found to have normal renal function in remission or on treatment. 4 patients developed chronic renal impairment and 16 reached end stage renal disease. Five of the 16 children with end stage disease had since died while 11 were on renal replacement therapy. Another 2 patients died of other complications. The pattern of childhood GN in our study tended to reflect the more severe renal parenchymal diseases in children and those requiring more aggressive treatment. This was because of our criteria of selection (indication) for renal biopsy. Renal biopsy where performed appropriately in selected children may not only be a useful investigative tool for histological diagnosis and prognosis but may help clinicians plan the optimal therapy for these children.

Exploring the 12-Key Approach: Perceptions and Experiences of Improvising Jazz Vocalists

Science.gov (United States)

Hargreaves, Wendy

2016-01-01

The 12-key approach is considered a foundational practice strategy for jazz instrumentalists. Its relevance to vocalists, however, seems less clear. This article investigates improvising jazz vocalists' perceptions and experiences of using the 12-key approach as distinguished from instrumentalists'. It uses data from a two-phase, mixed methods…

A Novel Approach to London: Infusing Ethnography and the Study Abroad Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, Zachary A.; Lynch, Owen H.

2017-01-01

Courses: Qualitative Research Methods, Ethnographic Research Methods. Objective: This purpose of this activity is to document the enculturation process through which students begin to understand a new culture during a study abroad experience. To accomplish this, we created a new pedagogical approach for study abroad experiences that involved a…

Technician support for operation and maintenance of large fusion experiments: the tandem mirror experiment upgrade (TMX-U) approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattson, G.E.

1983-01-01

As experiments continue to grow in size and complexity, a few technicians will no longer be able to maintain and operate the complete experiment. Specialization is becoming the norm. Subsystems are becoming very large and complex, requiring a great deal of experience and training for technicians to become qualified maintenance/operation personnel. Formal in-house and off-site programs supplement on-the-job training to fulfill the qualification criteria. This paper presents the Tandem Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U) approach to manpower staffing, some problems encountered, possible improvements, and safety considerations for the successful operation of a large experimental facility

A viral metagenomic approach on a nonmetagenomic experiment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bovo, Samuele; Mazzoni, Gianluca; Ribani, Anisa

2017-01-01

Shot-gun next generation sequencing (NGS) on whole DNA extracted from specimens collected from mammals often produces reads that are not mapped (i.e. unmapped reads) on the host reference genome and that are usually discarded as by-products of the experiments. In this study, we mined Ion Torrent...... reads obtained by sequencing DNA isolated from archived blood samples collected from 100 performance tested Italian Large White pigs. Two reduced representation libraries were prepared from two DNA pools constructed each from 50 equimolar DNA samples. Bioinformatic analyses were carried out to mine...... unmapped reads on the reference pig genome that were obtained from the two NGS datasets. In silico analyses included read mapping and sequence assembly approaches for a viral metagenomic analysis using the NCBI Viral Genome Resource. Our approach identified sequences matching several viruses...

A Comparison of the Approaches to Customer Experience Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Havíř David

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, customer experience is receiving much attention in scientific and managerial community. Scholars and practitioners state that customer experience is the next area of competition. For a long time, there has been a call for a uniform, accurate definition, definition of its components, and the development of the customer experience frameworks. As this topic is new, there has been a considerable fragmentation. The question is if the fragmentation is still present and how can we address it. The aim of this paper is to summarize research on customer experience analysis and to explore and compare the dimensions describing customer experience listed in seven conceptual models with findings from 17 research projects on customer experience conducted after the year 2010. The purpose of this is to summarize recent knowledge, get the most comprehensive view on customer experience and its possible decomposition, and to reveal possible relationships between the dimensions. Based on a review of the available literature, the paper juxtaposes several approaches to customer experience analysis and compares their results to find similarities and differences among them. In the first step, the dimensions and factors of the customer experience were extracted from the seven models to analyze customer experience and they were compared with each other. This resulted in a set of dimensions and factors. In the next step, customer experience factors and dimensions were extracted from 17 practical research papers on customer experience. Finally, based on their descriptions and found similarities, the dimensions and factors were put together into several groups, as this grouping and creation of the new universal set of dimensions might solve the fragmentation issue.

Multivariate analysis in provenance studies: Cerrillos obsidians case, Peru

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bustamante, A.; Delgado, M.; Latini, R. M.; Bellido, A. V. B.

2007-01-01

We present the preliminary results of a provenance study of obsidians samples from Cerrillos (ca. 800-100 b.c.) using Moessbauer Spectroscopy. The Cerrillos archaeological site, located in the Upper Ica Valley, Peru, is the only Paracas ceremonial center excavated so far. The archaeological data collected suggest the existence of a complex social and economic organization on the south coast of Peru. Provenance research of obsidian provides valuable information about the selection of lithic resources by our ancestors and eventually about the existence of communication routes and exchange networks. We characterized 18 obsidian artifacts samples by Moessbauer spectroscopy from Cerrillos. The spectra, recorded at room temperature using different velocities, are mainly composed of broad asymmetric doublets due to the superposition of at least two quadrupole doublets corresponding to Fe 2+ in two different sites (species A and B), one weak Fe 3+ doublet (specie C) and magnetic components associated to the presence of small particles of magnetite. Multivariate statistical analysis of the Moessbauer data (hyperfine parameters) allows to defined two main groups of obsidians, reflecting different geographical origins.

Multivariate analysis in provenance studies: Cerrillos obsidians case, Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Bustamante, A.; Delgado, M.; Latini, R. M.; Bellido, A. V. B.

2007-02-01

We present the preliminary results of a provenance study of obsidians samples from Cerrillos (ca. 800 100 b.c.) using Mössbauer Spectroscopy. The Cerrillos archaeological site, located in the Upper Ica Valley, Peru, is the only Paracas ceremonial center excavated so far. The archaeological data collected suggest the existence of a complex social and economic organization on the south coast of Peru. Provenance research of obsidian provides valuable information about the selection of lithic resources by our ancestors and eventually about the existence of communication routes and exchange networks. We characterized 18 obsidian artifacts samples by Mössbauer spectroscopy from Cerrillos. The spectra, recorded at room temperature using different velocities, are mainly composed of broad asymmetric doublets due to the superposition of at least two quadrupole doublets corresponding to Fe2+ in two different sites (species A and B), one weak Fe3+ doublet (specie C) and magnetic components associated to the presence of small particles of magnetite. Multivariate statistical analysis of the Mössbauer data (hyperfine parameters) allows to defined two main groups of obsidians, reflecting different geographical origins.

Lapis lazuli provenance study by means of micro-PIXE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Re, Alessandro, E-mail: alessandro.re@to.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica Sperimentale, Universita di Torino, Via Giuria 1, 10125 Torino (Italy); INFN Sezione di Torino and Centre of Excellence ' Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces' , Universita di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino (Italy); Giudice, Alessandro Lo [Dipartimento di Fisica Sperimentale, Universita di Torino, Via Giuria 1, 10125 Torino (Italy); INFN Sezione di Torino and Centre of Excellence ' Nanostructured Interfaces and Surfaces' , Universita di Torino, Via P. Giuria 1, 10125 Torino (Italy); Angelici, Debora [Dipartimento di Fisica Sperimentale, Universita di Torino, Via Giuria 1, 10125 Torino (Italy); Calusi, Silvia; Giuntini, Lorenzo; Massi, Mirko [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita and INFN Sezione di Firenze, Via Sansone 1, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze (Italy); Pratesi, Giovanni [Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra and Museo di Storia Naturale, Universita di Firenze, Via G. La Pira 4, 50121 Firenze (Italy)

2011-10-15

In this paper we report about the micro-PIXE characterisation of lapis lazuli, for a provenance study of this semi-precious stone, used for glyptic as early as 7000 years ago. The final aim is to find markers permitting to identify the origin of the raw material coming from three quarries in regions of historical importance: Afghanistan, Pamir Mountains and Siberia. This may help to reconstruct trade routes, especially for ancient objects for which written testimonies are scanty or absent at all. Due to the heterogeneity of lapis lazuli we concentrate our attention on single phases instead of the whole stone; in particular we focused on two of the main phases: lazurite, responsible for the blue colour, and diopside, the most frequent accessory mineral. This study was preceded and completed by means of microanalysis with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX) and Cold-Cathodoluminescence (cold-CL) analysis. Despite the limited number of analysed samples, results are sufficient to exclude/suggest a few features as provenance markers, partly confirming what has been previously published in literature.

Lapis lazuli provenance study by means of micro-PIXE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Re, Alessandro; Giudice, Alessandro Lo; Angelici, Debora; Calusi, Silvia; Giuntini, Lorenzo; Massi, Mirko; Pratesi, Giovanni

2011-01-01

In this paper we report about the micro-PIXE characterisation of lapis lazuli, for a provenance study of this semi-precious stone, used for glyptic as early as 7000 years ago. The final aim is to find markers permitting to identify the origin of the raw material coming from three quarries in regions of historical importance: Afghanistan, Pamir Mountains and Siberia. This may help to reconstruct trade routes, especially for ancient objects for which written testimonies are scanty or absent at all. Due to the heterogeneity of lapis lazuli we concentrate our attention on single phases instead of the whole stone; in particular we focused on two of the main phases: lazurite, responsible for the blue colour, and diopside, the most frequent accessory mineral. This study was preceded and completed by means of microanalysis with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX) and Cold-Cathodoluminescence (cold-CL) analysis. Despite the limited number of analysed samples, results are sufficient to exclude/suggest a few features as provenance markers, partly confirming what has been previously published in literature.

Defining the “proven technology” technical criterion in the reactor technology assessment for Malaysia’s nuclear power program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anuar, Nuraslinda, E-mail: nuraslinda@uniten.edu.my [College of Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan IKRAM-UNITEN, 43000 Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia); Kahar, Wan Shakirah Wan Abdul, E-mail: shakirah@tnb.com.my; Manan, Jamal Abdul Nasir Abd [Nuclear Energy Department, Regulatory Economics and Planning Division, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, No. 8 Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2015-04-29

Developing countries that are considering the deployment of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the near future need to perform reactor technology assessment (RTA) in order to select the most suitable reactor design. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in the Common User Considerations (CUC) document that “proven technology” is one of the most important technical criteria for newcomer countries in performing the RTA. The qualitative description of five desired features for “proven technology” is relatively broad and only provides a general guideline to its characterization. This paper proposes a methodology to define the “proven technology” term according to a specific country’s requirements using a three-stage evaluation process. The first evaluation stage screens the available technologies in the market against a predefined minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) derived as a condition based on national needs and policy objectives. The result is a list of technology options, which are then assessed in the second evaluation stage against quantitative definitions of CUC desired features for proven technology. The potential technology candidates produced from this evaluation is further narrowed down to obtain a list of proven technology candidates by assessing them against selected risk criteria and the established maximum allowable total score using a scoring matrix. The outcome of this methodology is the proven technology candidates selected using an accurate definition of “proven technology” that fulfills the policy objectives, national needs and risk, and country-specific CUC desired features of the country that performs this assessment. A simplified assessment for Malaysia is carried out to demonstrate and suggest the use of the proposed methodology. In this exercise, ABWR, AP1000, APR1400 and EPR designs assumed the top-ranks of proven technology candidates according to Malaysia’s definition of “proven technology”.

Defining the “proven technology” technical criterion in the reactor technology assessment for Malaysia’s nuclear power program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anuar, Nuraslinda; Kahar, Wan Shakirah Wan Abdul; Manan, Jamal Abdul Nasir Abd

2015-01-01

Developing countries that are considering the deployment of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in the near future need to perform reactor technology assessment (RTA) in order to select the most suitable reactor design. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in the Common User Considerations (CUC) document that “proven technology” is one of the most important technical criteria for newcomer countries in performing the RTA. The qualitative description of five desired features for “proven technology” is relatively broad and only provides a general guideline to its characterization. This paper proposes a methodology to define the “proven technology” term according to a specific country’s requirements using a three-stage evaluation process. The first evaluation stage screens the available technologies in the market against a predefined minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) derived as a condition based on national needs and policy objectives. The result is a list of technology options, which are then assessed in the second evaluation stage against quantitative definitions of CUC desired features for proven technology. The potential technology candidates produced from this evaluation is further narrowed down to obtain a list of proven technology candidates by assessing them against selected risk criteria and the established maximum allowable total score using a scoring matrix. The outcome of this methodology is the proven technology candidates selected using an accurate definition of “proven technology” that fulfills the policy objectives, national needs and risk, and country-specific CUC desired features of the country that performs this assessment. A simplified assessment for Malaysia is carried out to demonstrate and suggest the use of the proposed methodology. In this exercise, ABWR, AP1000, APR1400 and EPR designs assumed the top-ranks of proven technology candidates according to Malaysia’s definition of “proven technology”

Research on supplying potential of uranium source from rocks in western provenance area of Hailaer basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Yuliang; Liu Hanbin; Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing

2006-01-01

Using U-Pb isotope composition evolution, this paper expounds the initial uranium content in volcanic rocks of provenance area of Xihulitu basin and in granites of provenance area of Kelulun sag, western Hailaer basin. The initial uranium content (U 0 ) in volcanic rocks of provenance area is higher, the average initial uranium content of volcanic rocks is 10.061 x 10 -6 , the average uranium variation coefficient (ΔU) is -49.57%; the average initial uranium content of granites is 18.381 x 10 -6 , the average uranium variation coefficient (ΔU) is -80%. The results indicate that rocks in provenance area could provide the pre-enrichment of uranium in deposited sandstone. U-Ra equilibrium coefficients of rocks indicate that there is obvious U-Ra disequilibrium phenomenon in volcanic rocks, and the time when granites provided uranium source occurred 16000 a ago. (authors)

Quantifying the provenance of aeolian sediments using multiple composite fingerprints

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Benli; Niu, Qinghe; Qu, Jianjun; Zu, Ruiping

2016-09-01

We introduce a new fingerprinting method that uses multiple composite fingerprints for studies of aeolian sediment provenance. We used this method to quantify the provenance of sediments on both sides of the Qinghai-Tibetan Railway (QTR) in the Cuona Lake section of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), in an environment characterized by aeolian and fluvial interactions. The method involves repeatedly solving a linear mixing model based on mass conservation; the model is not limited to spatial scale or transport types and uses all the tracer groups that passed the range check, Kruskal-Wallis H-test, and a strict analytical solution screening. The proportional estimates that result from using different composite fingerprints are highly variable; however, the average of these fingerprints has a greater accuracy and certainty than any single fingerprint. The results show that sand from the lake beach, hilly surface, and gullies contribute, respectively, 48%, 31% and 21% to the western railway sediments and 43%, 33% and 24% to the eastern railway sediments. The difference between contributions from various sources on either side of the railway, which may increase in the future, was clearly related to variations in local transport characteristics, a conclusion that is supported by grain size analysis. The construction of the QTR changed the local cycling of materials, and the difference in provenance between the sediments that are separated by the railway reflects the changed sedimentary conditions on either side of the railway. The effectiveness of this method suggests that it will be useful in other studies of aeolian sediments.

Completion of the first approach to critical for the seven percent critical experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barber, A. D.; Harms, G. A.

2009-01-01

The first approach-to-critical experiment in the Seven Percent Critical Experiment series was recently completed at Sandia. This experiment is part of the Seven Percent Critical Experiment which will provide new critical and reactor physics benchmarks for fuel enrichments greater than five weight percent. The inverse multiplication method was used to determine the state of the system during the course of the experiment. Using the inverse multiplication method, it was determined that the critical experiment went slightly supercritical with 1148 fuel elements in the fuel array. The experiment is described and the results of the experiment are presented. (authors)

Provenance and evolution of miocene turbidite sedimentation in the central Apennines, Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Chiocchini, Ugo; Cipriani, Nicola

1992-05-01

A study of the siliciclastic detritus within the calcareous Miocene turbidite sandstones of the central Apennines has elucidated the provenance of these sandstones. Three ratios: Q/(Q+F), K/F, and Mc/M, have been used and binary correlations of these parameters show that: (1) the sandstones of the Marnoso-Arenacea are characterized by a northern Alpine supply, mainly derived from metamorphic rocks and subordinately from granitic rocks; (2) a secondary supply of western provenance, interbedded within the Marnoso-Arenacea, shows a typical arkosic composition and suggests that granitic rocks of Alpine-type were associated with the Ligurides; (3) the Urbania and Serraspinosa sandstones consist of detritus derived from sources almost identical to those supplying the Marnoso-Arenacea; (4) all the sandstones of the remaining central Apennine basins are characterized by a siliciclastic supply similar to the arkosic one; the rare carbonate fragments can be referred to the Apennine units. The continuity of the Alpine are in the Tyrrhenian area strongly suggests a connection between the western crystalline units and turbidite sedimentation in the basins examined. The crystalline units are associated with a segment of the Alpine chain tectonically linked to the Liguride nappes (Apennine source areas) during the eastwards migration of the Apennines deformation. The crystalline units were gradually eroded during the Burdigalian to Early Pliocene interval when the Laga basin was completely filled. Currently the term "Alpine" is used as synonymous with northern provenance. However, a detailed study carried out over ten years, revealed a western Alpine supply associated with an Apennine source area; we therefore suggest that it is necessary to distinguish a northern Alpine provenance from a western Alpine supply.

Introducing Systems Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Martin; Holwell, Sue

Systems Approaches to Managing Change brings together five systems approaches to managing complex issues, each having a proven track record of over 25 years. The five approaches are: System Dynamics (SD) developed originally in the late 1950s by Jay Forrester Viable Systems Model (VSM) developed originally in the late 1960s by Stafford Beer Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA: with cognitive mapping) developed originally in the 1970s by Colin Eden Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) developed originally in the 1970s by Peter Checkland Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) developed originally in the late 1970s by Werner Ulrich

An industrial approach to design compelling VR and AR experience

Science.gov (United States)

Richir, Simon; Fuchs, Philippe; Lourdeaux, Domitile; Buche, Cédric; Querrec, Ronan

2013-03-01

The convergence of technologies currently observed in the field of VR, AR, robotics and consumer electronic reinforces the trend of new applications appearing every day. But when transferring knowledge acquired from research to businesses, research laboratories are often at a loss because of a lack of knowledge of the design and integration processes in creating an industrial scale product. In fact, the innovation approaches that take a good idea from the laboratory to a successful industrial product are often little known to researchers. The objective of this paper is to present the results of the work of several research teams that have finalized a working method for researchers and manufacturers that allow them to design virtual or augmented reality systems and enable their users to enjoy "a compelling VR experience". That approach, called "the I2I method", present 11 phases from "Establishing technological and competitive intelligence and industrial property" to "Improvements" through the "Definition of the Behavioral Interface, Virtual Environment and Behavioral Software Assistance". As a result of the experience gained by various research teams, this design approach benefits from contributions from current VR and AR research. Our objective is to validate and continuously move such multidisciplinary design team methods forward.

Assessing the role of detrital zircon sorting on provenance interpretations in an ancient fluvial system using paleohydraulics - Permian Cutler Group, Paradox Basin, Utah and Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Findlay, C. P., III; Ewing, R. C.; Perez, N. D.

2017-12-01

Detrital zircon age signatures used in provenance studies are assumed to be representative of entire catchments from which the sediment was derived, but the extent to which hydraulic sorting can bias provenance interpretations is poorly constrained. Sediment and mineral sorting occurs with changes in hydraulic conditions driven by both allogenic and autogenic processes. Zircon is sorted from less dense minerals due to the difference in density, and any age dependence on zircon size could potentially bias provenance interpretations. In this study, a coupled paleohydraulic and geochemical provenance approach is used to identify changes in paleohydraulic conditions and relate them to spatial variations in provenance signatures from samples collected along an approximately time-correlative source-to-sink pathway in the Permian Cutler Group of the Paradox Basin. Samples proximal to the uplift have a paleoflow direction to the southwest. In the medial basin, paleocurrent direction indicates salt movement caused fluvial pathways divert to the north and northwest on the flanks of anticlines. Channel depth, flow velocity, and discharge calculations were derived from field measurements of grain size and dune and bar cross-stratification indicate that competency of the fluvial system decreased from proximal to the medial basin by up to a factor of 12. Based upon the paleohydraulic calculations, zircon size fractionation would occur along the transect such that the larger zircons are removed from the system prior to reaching the medial basin. Analysis of the size and age distribution of zircons from the proximal and distal fluvial system of the Cutler Group tests if this hydraulic sorting affects the expected Uncompahgre Uplift age distribution.

Evoked prior learning experience and approach to learning as predictors of academic achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Trigwell, Keith; Ashwin, Paul; Millan, Elena S

2013-09-01

In separate studies and research from different perspectives, five factors are found to be among those related to higher quality outcomes of student learning (academic achievement). Those factors are higher self-efficacy, deeper approaches to learning, higher quality teaching, students' perceptions that their workload is appropriate, and greater learning motivation. University learning improvement strategies have been built on these research results. To investigate how students' evoked prior experience, perceptions of their learning environment, and their approaches to learning collectively contribute to academic achievement. This is the first study to investigate motivation and self-efficacy in the same educational context as conceptions of learning, approaches to learning and perceptions of the learning environment. Undergraduate students (773) from the full range of disciplines were part of a group of over 2,300 students who volunteered to complete a survey of their learning experience. On completing their degrees 6 and 18 months later, their academic achievement was matched with their learning experience survey data. A 77-item questionnaire was used to gather students' self-report of their evoked prior experience (self-efficacy, learning motivation, and conceptions of learning), perceptions of learning context (teaching quality and appropriate workload), and approaches to learning (deep and surface). Academic achievement was measured using the English honours degree classification system. Analyses were conducted using correlational and multi-variable (structural equation modelling) methods. The results from the correlation methods confirmed those found in numerous earlier studies. The results from the multi-variable analyses indicated that surface approach to learning was the strongest predictor of academic achievement, with self-efficacy and motivation also found to be directly related. In contrast to the correlation results, a deep approach to learning was

Patients with computed tomography-proven acute diverticulitis require follow-up to exclude colorectal cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shafquat Zaman

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims: Traditionally, patients with acute diverticulitis undergo follow-up endoscopy to exclude colorectal cancer (CRC. However, its usefulness has been debated in this era of high-resolution computed tomography (CT diagnosis. We assessed the frequency and outcome of endoscopic follow-up for patients with CT-proven acute diverticulitis, according to the confidence in the CT diagnosis.Methods: Records of patients with CT-proven acute diverticulitis between October 2007 and March 2014 at Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust were retrieved. The National Cancer Registry confirmed the cases of CRC. Endoscopy quality indicators were compared between these patients and other patients undergoing the same endoscopic examination over the same period.Results: We identified 235 patients with CT-proven acute diverticulitis, of which, 187 were managed conservatively. The CT report was confident of the diagnosis of acute diverticulitis in 75% cases. Five of the 235 patients were subsequently diagnosed with CRC (2.1%. Three cases of CRC were detected in the 187 patients managed conservatively (1.6%. Forty-eight percent of the conservatively managed patients underwent follow-up endoscopy; one case of CRC was identified. Endoscopies were often incomplete and caused more discomfort for patients with diverticulitis compared with controls.Conclusions: CRC was diagnosed in patients with CT-proven diverticulitis at a higher rate than in screened asymptomatic populations, necessitating follow-up. CT reports contained statements regarding diagnostic uncertainty in 25% cases, associated with an increased risk of CRC. Follow-up endoscopy in patients with CT-proven diverticulitis is associated with increased discomfort and high rates of incompletion. The use of other follow-up modalities should be considered.

Provenance of the lower Miocene of the Gulf of Mexico from detrital zircon double dating

Science.gov (United States)

xu, J.

2013-12-01

The lower Miocene interval of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has recently gained increasing attention from oil and gas industry due to its hydrocarbon potential below the salt canopy. However, it has been less well studied than both the underlying Oligocene and overlying middle Miocene strata. The lower Miocene worldwide is a transitional period of tectonic, climatic, and oceanographic change. In particular, it is a period of major tectonic reorganization in the western interior of North America (Rocky Mountains), involving a shift from the Oligocene thermal phase, with abundant volcanic activity recorded in the thick Frio/Vicksburg succession of the GOM, to the Miocene Basin-Range extensional phase. Climatic conditions also changed from a relatively arid Oligocene to wetter Miocene, resulting in increased sediment yields from exhumed tectonic structures. Previous provenance studies used proportions of quartz, feldspar and lithic fragments and consideration of likely river courses through known paleogeomorphological elements. Only limited detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb studies on Paleocene strata have been undertaken and there has been no previous U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating in the GOM. In this study we apply the latest analytical approaches, such as DZ U-Pb dating to gain robust source terranes ages and more fully elucidate the complex sediment provenance and dispersal history of GOM. We also employ DZ (U-Th)/He (ZHe) dating, combined with DZ U-Pb, to not only define sedimentary provenance but also the exhumation histories of detrital source regions. Samples of lower Miocene outcrop exposures in Texas and Louisiana have been collected to discriminate the varied tectonic and drainage system changes across the basin in lateral. In addition, samples from the Eocene, Oligocene and middle Miocene have been obtained to reveal vertical shift of source terranes contributions. Our initial age data show detrital zircons of lower Miocene sediments come from a wide range of source

Ontology development for provenance tracing in National Climate Assessment of the US Global Change Research Program

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Linyun; Ma, Xiaogang; Zheng, Jin; Goldstein, Justin; Duggan, Brian; West, Patrick; Aulenbach, Steve; Tilmes, Curt; Fox, Peter

2014-05-01

This poster will show how we used a case-driven iterative methodology to develop an ontology to represent the content structure and the associated provenance information in a National Climate Assessment (NCA) report of the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). We applied the W3C PROV-O ontology to implement a formal representation of provenance. We argue that the use case-driven, iterative development process and the application of a formal provenance ontology help efficiently incorporate domain knowledge from earth and environmental scientists in a well-structured model interoperable in the context of the Web of Data.

The fingerprint element analysis on provenance of ancient chinese Jun porcelain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Zhengyao; Chen Songhua; Wang Jie; Huang Zhongxiang; Jia Xiuqin; Han Song

1997-01-01

Forty-three samples of ancient Jun porcelains and so on were chosen. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) was used to measure the 36 trace elements in every sample. Seven elements were chosen as the 'fingerprint elements'. The provenance of the glazes and bodies of ancient Chinese Jun porcelain were investigated by the fingerprint element analysis method. The result shows that although the ancient Chinese Jun porcelain samples have been leapt over six hundred years, and glaze colors are utterly different and are from many different kilns, there are long term, stable and same mainly raw material source. The near provenance relation between ancient Jun porcelain and ancient Ru porcelain is preliminarily analyzed. A few modern Jun porcelains approximate from ancient Jun porcelains, the majority become estranged from ancient Jun porcelain

Discovery radiomics via evolutionary deep radiomic sequencer discovery for pathologically proven lung cancer detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Shafiee, Mohammad Javad; Chung, Audrey G; Khalvati, Farzad; Haider, Masoom A; Wong, Alexander

2017-10-01

While lung cancer is the second most diagnosed form of cancer in men and women, a sufficiently early diagnosis can be pivotal in patient survival rates. Imaging-based, or radiomics-driven, detection methods have been developed to aid diagnosticians, but largely rely on hand-crafted features that may not fully encapsulate the differences between cancerous and healthy tissue. Recently, the concept of discovery radiomics was introduced, where custom abstract features are discovered from readily available imaging data. We propose an evolutionary deep radiomic sequencer discovery approach based on evolutionary deep intelligence. Motivated by patient privacy concerns and the idea of operational artificial intelligence, the evolutionary deep radiomic sequencer discovery approach organically evolves increasingly more efficient deep radiomic sequencers that produce significantly more compact yet similarly descriptive radiomic sequences over multiple generations. As a result, this framework improves operational efficiency and enables diagnosis to be run locally at the radiologist's computer while maintaining detection accuracy. We evaluated the evolved deep radiomic sequencer (EDRS) discovered via the proposed evolutionary deep radiomic sequencer discovery framework against state-of-the-art radiomics-driven and discovery radiomics methods using clinical lung CT data with pathologically proven diagnostic data from the LIDC-IDRI dataset. The EDRS shows improved sensitivity (93.42%), specificity (82.39%), and diagnostic accuracy (88.78%) relative to previous radiomics approaches.

Innovative Approach to the Organization of Future Social Workers' Practical Training: Foreign Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Polishchuk, Vira; Slozanska, Hanna

2014-01-01

Innovative approaches to practical training of future social workers in higher educational establishments have been defined. Peculiarities of foreign experience of social workers' practical training in higher educational establishments have been analyzed. Experience of organizing practice for bachelor students studying at "Social Work"…

Subcriticality calculations for the FFTF reverse approach to critical experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selby, D.L.; Flanagan, G.F.

1975-01-01

The reverse approach to critical (RAC) experiments were performed in the ZPR-IX critical facility at Argonne National Laboratory. One of the major objectives of this project is to determine the adequacy of the low-level flux monitor (LLFM) detectors for initial loading of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). 5 references

Study of provenance properties on ancient porcelain of Yue Kiln at Si-long-kou with NAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Songlin; Fan Dongyu; Feng Xiangqian; Cheng Lin; Lei Yong; Xu Qing; Quan Huishan; Shen Yueming; Zhou Zhexi; Zhang Wenjiang

2005-01-01

Chinese ancient porcelain history has lasted about three thousands years from Shang Dynasty (1100∼1600 BC). A large amount of ancient porcelain sherds with accuracy provenance and ages were excavated from a lot of kiln sites in China. Archaeologists and ceramic experts have recognized and researched it with excavated stratum, utensil shape, body quality, glaze color and painting pattern. However, the appearance characteristic of some ancient porcelain manufactured in different kilns is similar. Therefore, it is still difficult to identify the provenance and ages of the samples excavated from some sites using traditional methods. Up, to now, many problems of Chinese ancient porcelain are confused for archaeologist and collecting experts. The elemental composition of ancient porcelain shows certain information of provenance and age. Especially, the sorts and contents of the elements in porcelain didn't change, so it is very useful to determine the provenance of ancient porcelain with elemental composition characteristics. Provenance characteristic is the important scientific information to identify ancient porcelain wares excavated from sites and graves. The porcelain samples of Si-Long-Kou Yue kiln in Zhejiang Province of china have been analyzed with NAA in this paper. The provenance characteristic was compared with it of Hong-Zhou kiln of Jiang-Xi Province and Yao-Zhou kiln of Shan-Xi Province. The experimental data were studied with statistic methods. The results show that the chemical compositions of porcelain body samples for three kilns were different. The difference was been able identified. The porcelain body materials of both Si-Long-Kou Yue kiln and Hong-Zhou kiln of Jiang-Xi were similar. The samples of Yao-Zhou kiln in north of China existed obvious difference.

Provenance of sandstone on the western flank of Anambra Basin ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Petrographic and heavy mineral studies were carried out on clastic deposits that crop out in Ikpeshi, Auchi and Fugar localities in order to determine the provenance of the ... The heavy mineral suites and the petrographic signatures of the sandstones suggest derivation mainly from acid igneous rocks, gneisses and older ...

Can cathodoluminescence of feldspar be used as provenance indicator?

Science.gov (United States)

Scholonek, Christiane; Augustsson, Carita

2016-05-01

We have studied feldspar from crystalline rocks for its textural and spectral cathodoluminescence (CL) characteristics with the aim to reveal their provenance potential. We analyzed ca. 60 rock samples of plutonic, volcanic, metamorphic, and pegmatitic origin from different continents and of 16 Ma to 2 Ga age for their feldspar CL textures and ca. 1200 feldspar crystals from these rocks for their CL color spectra. Among the analyzed rocks, igneous feldspar is most commonly zoned, whereby oscillatory zoning can be confirmed to be typical for volcanic plagioclase. The volcanic plagioclase also less commonly contains twin lamellae that are visible in CL light than crystals from other rock types. Alkali feldspar, particularly from igneous and pegmatitic rocks, was noted to be most affected by alteration features, visible as dark spots, lines and irregular areas. The size of all textural features of up to ca. 150 μm, in combination with possible alteration in both the source area and the sedimentary system, makes the CL textures of feldspar possible to use for qualitative provenance research only. We observed alkali feldspar mostly to luminesce in a bluish color and sometimes in red, and plagioclase in green to yellow. The corresponding CL spectra are dominated by three apparent intensity peaks at 440-520 nm (mainly blue), 540-620 nm (mainly green) and 680-740 nm (red to infrared). A dominance of the peak in the green wavelength interval over the blue one for plagioclase makes CL particularly useful for the differentiation of plagioclase from alkali feldspar. An apparent peak position in red to infrared at < 710 nm for plagioclase mainly is present in mafic rocks. Present-day coastal sand from Peru containing feldspar with the red to infrared peak position mainly exceeding 725 nm for northern Peruvian sand and a larger variety for sand from southern Peru illustrates a discriminative effect of different source areas. We conclude that the provenance application

Experience transfer in Norwegian oil and gas industry: Approaches and organizational mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aase, Karina

1997-12-31

The main objective of this thesis has been to explore how experience transfer works in Norwegian oil and gas industry. This includes how the concept of experience transfer is defined, what the barriers to achieve experience transfer are, how the oil and gas companies address experience transfer, and how these approaches work. The thesis is organized in five papers: (1) describes how organizational members perceive experience transfer and then specifies the organizational and structural barriers that must be overcome to achieve efficient transfer. (2) discusses the organizational means an oil company implements to address experience transfer. (3) describes a process of improving and using requirement and procedure handbooks for experience transfer. (4) explores how the use of information technology influences experience transfer. (5) compares organizational members` perceptions of experience transfer means in an oil company and an engineering company involved in offshore development projects. 277 refs., 3 figs., 29 tabs.

Experience transfer in Norwegian oil and gas industry: Approaches and organizational mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aase, Karina

1998-12-31

The main objective of this thesis has been to explore how experience transfer works in Norwegian oil and gas industry. This includes how the concept of experience transfer is defined, what the barriers to achieve experience transfer are, how the oil and gas companies address experience transfer, and how these approaches work. The thesis is organized in five papers: (1) describes how organizational members perceive experience transfer and then specifies the organizational and structural barriers that must be overcome to achieve efficient transfer. (2) discusses the organizational means an oil company implements to address experience transfer. (3) describes a process of improving and using requirement and procedure handbooks for experience transfer. (4) explores how the use of information technology influences experience transfer. (5) compares organizational members` perceptions of experience transfer means in an oil company and an engineering company involved in offshore development projects. 277 refs., 3 figs., 29 tabs.

Competency-based teacher training: A systematic revision of a proven programme in medical didactics.

Science.gov (United States)

Griewatz, Jan; Simon, Melanie; Lammerding-Koeppel, Maria

2017-01-01

Objectives: Competency-based medical education (CBME) requires factual knowledge to be practically applied together with skills and attitudes. With the National Competence-Based Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) representing a strong official demand for competence-orientation, it is generally important to explicitly outline its characteristics and review its realisation in teacher trainings. Further requirements are given by the core competencies for medical teachers (KLM). As an example the MQ programme ("Medizindidaktische Qualifikation") in Baden-Wuerttemberg, a long established and well-accepted training, has been critically revised on this basis, concerning its suitability for the demands of CBME, its needs for adjustment and the efforts to be undertaken for its implementation. Methods: In a systematic quality management process the MQ curriculum and its organisational framing were analysed and further developed in a step-wise comprehensive approach, using the six-step cycle by Kern. The procedures included a thorough needs assessment (e.g. literature research, programme mapping), strategic decisions on structure and content, piloting and evaluation. During the process essential elements of project and change management were considered. Results: The experiences of the MQ example revealed helpful information for key factors to be considered in the pending change process any training provider will be confronted with. Guiding questions were developed related to the process phases. Our analyses showed persistent key points of proven value as stable foundation for change, as well as components needing special consideration to foster competence-oriented aims and transfer into practice: reflection, feedback, application-oriented methods and transparent competence development. These aspects have to be consciously perceived and experienced by participants. Taking this into account, we re-designed the course evidence-based. Besides

Ethnobotanical approaches of traditional medicine studies: some experiences from Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng-Ji, P

2001-01-01

Ethnobotany, as a research field of science, has been widely used for the documentation of indigenous knowledge on the use of plants and for providing an inventory of useful plants from local flora in Asian countries. Plants that are used for traditional herbal medicine in different countries are an important part of these studies. However, in some countries in recent years, ethnobotanical studies have been used for the discovery of new drugs and new drug development. In general, experiences gained from ethnobotanical approaches of traditional medicinal studies in China and Himalayan countries have helped drug production and new drug development. At the same time, in many cases, over-harvesting, degradation of medical plants, and loss of traditional medical knowledge in local communities are common problems in these resource areas. Issues of indigenous knowledge, intellectual property rights, and uncontrolled transboundary trade in medicinal plants occur frequently in the region. This paper discusses ethnobotanical approaches of traditional medicinal studies, in reference to experiences from China and Himalayan countries, with an emphasis on the conservation of traditional medical knowledge and medical plant resources.

Outcome of biopsy proven minimal change disease (MCD) in children

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background and Objectives: MCD is the most common histological sub-type of nephrotic syndrome with variable clinical course in children. There are limited studies in literature on the outcome of biopsy proven MCD. The objective was to look at the treatment response and outcome of patients with MCD treated at a tertiary ...

Pellet injection experiments on tokamaks in ASIPP, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Y.; Bao, Y.; Li, J.; Gu, X.; He, Y.

1999-01-01

Pellet Injection has been proven to be an effective method for deep fuelling of fusion devices. Improvements of both the particle confinement and the energy confinement were observed in many experiments. In HT-6M and HT-7 tokamaks, single and multi-pellet experiments are tried, and attractive results are obtained

The AtChem On-line model and Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN): A free community modelling tool with provenance capture

Science.gov (United States)

Young, J. C.; Boronska, K.; Martin, C. J.; Rickard, A. R.; Vázquez Moreno, M.; Pilling, M. J.; Haji, M. H.; Dew, P. M.; Lau, L. M.; Jimack, P. K.

2010-12-01

AtChem On-line1 is a simple to use zero-dimensional box modelling toolkit, developed for use by laboratory, field and chamber scientists. Any set of chemical reactions can be simulated, in particular the whole Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM2) or any subset of it. Parameters and initial data can be provided through a self-explanatory web form and the resulting model is compiled and run on a dedicated server. The core part of the toolkit, providing a robust solver for thousands of chemical reactions, is written in Fortran and uses SUNDIALS3 CVODE libraries. Chemical systems can be constrained at multiple, user-determined timescales; this enabled studies of radical chemistry at one minute timescales. AtChem On-line is free to use and requires no installation - a web browser, text editor and any compressing software is all the user needs. CPU and storage are provided by the server (input and output data are saved indefinitely). An off-line version is also being developed, which will provide batch processing, an advanced graphical user interface and post-processing tools, for example, Rate of Production Analysis (ROPA) and chainlength analysis. The source code is freely available for advanced users wishing to adapt and run the program locally. Data management, dissemination and archiving are essential in all areas of science. In order to do this in an efficient and transparent way, there is a critical need to capture high quality metadata/provenance for modelling activities. An Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) has been developed in parallel with AtChem Online as part of the EC EUROCHAMP24 project. In order to use controlled chamber experiments to evaluate the MCM, we need to be able to archive, track and search information on all associated chamber model runs, so that they can be used in subsequent mechanism development. Therefore it would be extremely useful if experiment and model metadata/provenance could be easily and automatically stored electronically

Low among-provenance differences in structural and functional plasticity in response to nutrients in saplings of the circum-Mediterranean tree Arbutus unedo L.

Science.gov (United States)

Santiso, Xabier; Retuerto, Rubén

2015-10-01

The Mediterranean region is an area of special interest for conservation where the incidence of multiple drivers of global change is expected to increase. One of the factors predicted to change is soil-nutrient availability, an essential factor for plant growth. Thus, study of the effects of variation in this parameter is especially relevant in species with a circum-Mediterranean distribution, such as Arbutus unedo L., in which the different provenances grow in different habitats, which must differ in nutritional conditions. We aimed to determine the effect of provenance on plasticity, to establish whether structural and morphological traits differ in the level of plasticity and to assess how nutrients affect the photosynthetic light response. In a common garden experiment, we studied seven provenances from the circum-Mediterranean range of A. unedo and established two nutrient treatments (low and high nutrient availability). We measured physiological and structural traits in 1-year-old sapling and determined a phenotypic plasticity index (PPI) to quantify the level of plasticity, whereas the radiation effects were tested by construction and analysis of light response curves. Interestingly, provenance did not explain a significant amount of variance, but the plasticity was four times higher for the structural traits than for the physiological traits. Therefore, the plasticity to nutrient availability will not favour or prevent the expansion or contraction of the range of any of these provenances of A. unedo. Furthermore, the structural plasticity demonstrated the ability of the strawberry tree to optimize resource allocation, whereas the physiology remained stable, thus avoiding extra expenditure. The study findings also suggest that increased availability of nutrients would improve the performance of the species during the Mediterranean summer, characterized by high irradiance. These abilities will be key to the survival of saplings of the species under the future

Responses of leaf nitrogen and mobile carbohydrates in different Quercus species/provenances to moderate climate changes.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, M-H; Cherubini, P; Dobbertin, M; Arend, M; Xiao, W-F; Rigling, A

2013-01-01

Global warming and shortage of water have been evidenced in the recent past and are predicted for the future. Climate change will inevitably have considerable impact on plant physiology, growth, productivity and forest ecosystem functions. The present study determined the effects of simulated daytime air warming (+1 to 1.5 °C during the growing season), drought (-40% and -57% of mean precipitation of 728 mm during the 2007 and 2008 growing season, respectively) and their combination, on leaf nitrogen (N) and non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) of two Quercus species (Q. robur and Q. petraea) and provenances (two provenances for each species) grown in two soil types in Switzerland across two treatment years, to test the hypothesis that leaf N and NSC in the more water-sensitive species (Q. robur) and provenances (originating from water-rich locations) will more strongly respond to global warming and water deficit, compared to those in the more drought-tolerant species (Q. petraea) or provenances. No species- and provenance-specific responses in leaf N and NSC to the climate treatment were found, indicating that the results failed to support our hypothesis. The between-species variation of leaf N and NSC concentrations mainly reflected differences in biology of the two species, and the between-provenance variation of N and NSC concentrations apparently mirrored the climate of their origins. Hence, we conclude that (i) the two Quercus species studied are somewhat insensitive, due to their distribution covering a wide geographical and climate range, to moderate climate change within Switzerland, and (ii) a moderate global warming of B1 scenario (IPCC 2007) will not, or at least less, negatively affect the N and carbon physiology in Q. robur and Q. petraea. © 2012 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Effects Of Drought Stress on Germination in Fourteen Provenances of Pinus Brutia Ten. Seeds in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hakan Şevik

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Pinus brutia Ten., Red pine, known to be tough drought resistant pine specie, could effectively be used for afforestation of disturbed areas. It is of great interest for the afforestation in arid zones. Appropriate seed sources for the specific areas guarantees reforestation success. Away from its native areas Pinus brutia Ten. is planted for its ornamental value and timber production purposes. Selection of drought resistant provenances can very well increase the survival success. In this study, the effects of water potential on germination were studied in fourteen provenances of Pinus brutia Ten. from Turkey. Water potentials between 0 and -8 bars were obtained using polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG-6000 solutions. Seeds were kept for 35 day at 20 ± 0.5°C. A decrease in water potential produced a marked reduction in germination percentage and germination value. As a result, significant variations between the provenances were found. It was determined that, under a -8 bar water stress, Isparta-Bucak and Mersin-Silifke, respectively corresponding to 58% and 57% of the control group, were the least water stress affected provenances.

Studies on 13C isotope discrimination for identifying tree provenances efficient in water use under water deficit conditions in Kenya

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyamai, D.O.; Juma, P.O.

1996-01-01

Screening for drought resistance traits was conducted in a semi-arid site in Machakos using 11 provenances of Acacia tortilis, 6 provenances of Prosopis juliflora and 4 provenances of Casuarina equisetifolia. Tolerance to drought was assessed by the 13 C isotope discrimination (Δ) technique as well as by determining the waster use efficiency (WUE). Measurements of dry matter and early growth performance were also taken as indicators of drought resistance. The results showed significant differences in the 13 C Isotope discrimination, water use efficiency and dry matter yields by the different provenances tested. Generally, the results indicated that there were significant linear negative relationships between 13 C discrimination with water use efficiency as well as dry matter yield. The results further showed highly significant positive relationship between dry matter yield and water use efficiency. Acacia tortilis provenances from middle East and neighbouring North Eastern Africa region appear to possess the greatest abilities for drought resistance in comparison with those from sub-saharan Africa as indicated by their 13 C Isotope discrimination levels, dry matter yield and water use efficiency. However, Acacia provenance from Israel had the highest drought resistance trail. Prosopis provenance from Costa Rica and Casuarina from Dakar region in Senegal also emerged as the best provenances in terms of drought tolerance as shown by the 13 C isotope discrimination and dry matter traits. (author). 8 refs, 4 figs, 3 tabs

Experience with the Notch Stress Approach for Fatigue Assessment of Welded Joints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mikkel Melters; Mouritsen, Ole Ø.; Hansen, Michael Rygaard

2010-01-01

In this paper, fatigue assessment using the notch stress approach is discussed based on re-analysis of many fatigue test results and experience from practical application. Three topics are treated; evaluation of the fatigue strength for as-welded details (FAT225) in the notch stress system......, problems regarding assessment of mild-SCF details and a novel proposal for extension of the notch stress approach for use with post-weld treated details....

Provenance variation in subalpine fir grown as an exotic tree species in Denmark and Iceland

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skúlason, Brynjar

Neonectria neomacrospora in Denmark. In Iceland the corkbark fir showed superior results, especially for survival rate and Christmas tree quality. The White River provenance from British Columbia is recommended for use in Denmark. The Mount Taylor provenance from the Cibola National Forest in New Mexico...... fir (A. lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa) and corkbark fir (A. lasiocarpa var. arizonica (Merriam) Lemmon) was established at three sites in Denmark and at one site in Iceland in 1999. Adaptability, Christmas tree quality, growth rhythm and susceptibility to pests and pathogens were measured and assessed...... and the most spring frost damage on buds. The westernmost subalpine fir provenances from Washington state and British Columbia showed the overall best results in Denmark, with the highest survival (after 15 years), fastest height growth and highest Christmas tree quality and profitability, as well as both good...

Comparative experiments regarding approaches to feedforward hysteresis compensation for piezoceramic actuators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu, Guo-Ying; Zhu, Li-Min

2014-01-01

Piezoceramic actuators (PCAs) are desired devices in many micro/nano-positioning applications. The performance of PCA-based applications is severely limited by the presence of hysteresis nonlinearity. To remedy the hysteresis nonlinearity in such systems, feedforward hysteresis compensation is the most common technique. In the literature, many different feedforward hysteresis compensation approaches have been developed, but there are no comparative studies of these approaches. Focusing on the modified Prandtl-Ishlinskii model (MPIM) for asymmetric hysteresis description of piezoceramic actuators, three feedforward hysteresis compensation approaches—inverse hysteresis compensation (IHC), without inverse hysteresis compensation (WIHC), and direct inverse hysteresis compensation (DIHC)—are developed and compared in this paper. Extensive comparative experiments were conducted on a PCA-actuated stage to verify the effectiveness of the three different feedforward control approaches to hysteresis compensation. The experimental results show that the performances among the three approaches are rather similar, and the main differences among them are due to the specific implementation of each approach. (paper)

Computational Experiment Approach to Controlled Evolution of Procurement Pattern in Cluster Supply Chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Xue

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Companies have been aware of the benefits of developing Cluster Supply Chains (CSCs, and they are spending a great deal of time and money attempting to develop the new business pattern. Yet, the traditional techniques for identifying CSCs have strong theoretical antecedents, but seem to have little traction in the field. We believe this is because the standard techniques fail to capture evolution over time, nor provide useful intervention measures to reach goals. To address these problems, we introduce an agent-based modeling approach to evaluate CSCs. Taking collaborative procurement as research object, our approach is composed of three parts: model construction, model instantiation, and computational experiment. We use the approach to explore the service charging policy problem in collaborative procurement. Three kinds of service charging polices are compared in the same experiment environment. Finally, “Fixed Cost” is identified as the optimal policy under the stable market environment. The case study can help us to understand the workflow of applying the approach, and provide valuable decision support applications to industry.

Provenance-specific growth responses to drought and air warming in three European oak species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arend, Matthias; Kuster, Thomas; Gunthardt-Goerg, Madeleine S.; Dobbertin, Matthias

2011-03-15

This study evaluated oak growth responses to air warming through research conducted with species coming from climatically different sites submitted to differing climates including periodic drought and air warming. Results showed different responses to drought and air warming as an adaptation to the conditions, and differences in growth response from one provenance to another were found but local climate factors were not responsible. This study highlighted that provenance was important to growth responses and it will have to be taken into account for regeneration of oaks in a changed climate if these results are confirmed.

Effet du travail du sol sur la productivité de différentes provenances de Jatropha curcas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barro Lamine

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Jatropha curcas L. (JCL, an oleaginous species traditionally used as live fence, is massively planted in Africa to produce biofuel. However, the influence of many factors on its productivity remains scientifically unknown. This study aimed to assess the effect of subsoiling (factor 1 : subsoiling and control and plant material provenance (factor 2 : Casamance and Diobass on its development and productivity. The results have shown two years after planting that plant provenance had a significant effect on growth variables, plant above ground architecture and fruits number. The Casamance provenance has generally produced the highest values. Subsoiling did not have a significant effect on most of the studied variables, except for low primary branches number and fruiting branches number. Even more, subsoiling appeared to enhance JCL growth. These results have allowed to understand the importance of provenances but also of soil preparation on the performances of JCL and to identify priority areas for research.

Radial variation of basic density and wood cells dimensions of Cariniana legalis (Mart. O. Kuntze depending on the provenance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Israel Luiz de Lima

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Provenance tests can provide information about the silvicultural behavior and wood quality for the exploration of variability and conservation of genetic material for future use. This study aims to investigate the effect of provenances on some wood properties of the Cariniana legalis. Seedlings of three provenances (Porto Ferreira, Piracicaba and Campinas were planted in Luiz Antonio-SP using randomized block design with six replicates. After 26 years of planting, eighteen trees, six of each provenance, were felled. The properties studied were basic density and the cellular dimensions. The results revealed that the basic density, fiber length, fiber wall thickness, vessel element length, vessel diameter, uniseriate ray height and width were influenced by the provenances. A good positive relationship was found among the fiber length, fiber wall thickness, vessel element length; vessel diameter and multiseriate ray height with radial position and a negative relation between vessel frequency with the radial position.

University Teachers' Experiences of Academic Leadership and Their Approaches to Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Ramsden, Paul; Prosser, Michael; Trigwell, Keith; Martin, Elaine

2007-01-01

The study examined associations between university teachers' experiences of academic leadership, their perceptions of a specific academic context and their approaches to teaching in a particular subject that was taught in that context. The sample consisted of 439 lecturers in Australian universities in four fields of study. Lecturers completed…

Enhanced ergonomics approaches for product design: a user experience ecosystem perspective and case studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Wei

2014-01-01

This paper first discusses the major inefficiencies faced in current human factors and ergonomics (HFE) approaches: (1) delivering an optimal end-to-end user experience (UX) to users of a solution across its solution lifecycle stages; (2) strategically influencing the product business and technology capability roadmaps from a UX perspective and (3) proactively identifying new market opportunities and influencing the platform architecture capabilities on which the UX of end products relies. In response to these challenges, three case studies are presented to demonstrate how enhanced ergonomics design approaches have effectively addressed the challenges faced in current HFE approaches. Then, the enhanced ergonomics design approaches are conceptualised by a user-experience ecosystem (UXE) framework, from a UX ecosystem perspective. Finally, evidence supporting the UXE, the advantage and the formalised process for executing UXE and methodological considerations are discussed. Practitioner Summary: This paper presents enhanced ergonomics approaches to product design via three case studies to effectively address current HFE challenges by leveraging a systematic end-to-end UX approach, UX roadmaps and emerging UX associated with prioritised user needs and usages. Thus, HFE professionals can be more strategic, creative and influential.

QEMSCAN+LA-ICP-MS: a 'big data' generator for sedimentary provenance analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Vermeesch, Pieter; Rittner, Martin; Garzanti, Eduardo

2017-04-01

Sedimentary provenance may be traced by 'fingerprinting' sediments with chemical, mineralogical or isotopic means. Normally, each of these provenance proxies is characterised on a separate aliquot of the same sample. For example, the chemical composition of the bulk sample may be analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) on one aliquot, framework petrography on another, heavy mineral analysis on a density separate of a third split, and zircon U-Pb dating on a further density separate of the heavy mineral fraction. The labour intensity of this procedure holds back the widespread application of multi-method provenance studies. We here present a new method to solve this problem and avoid mineral separation by coupling a QEMSCAN electron microscope to an LA-ICP-MS instrument and thereby generate all four aforementioned provenance datasets as part of the same workflow. Given a polished hand specimen, a petrographic thin section, or a grain mount, the QEMSCAN+LA-ICP-MS method produces chemical and mineralogical maps from which the X-Y coordinates of the datable mineral are extracted. These coordinates are subsequently passed on to the laser ablation system for isotopic and, hence, geochronological analysis. In the process of finding all the zircons in a sediment grain mount, the QEMSCAN yields the compositional and mineralogical compositions as byproducts. We have applied the new QEMSCAN+LA-ICP-MS instrument suite to over 100 samples from three large sediment routing systems: (1) the Tigris-Euphrates river catchments and Rub' Al Khali desert in Arabia; (2) the Nile catchment in northeast Africa and (3) desert and beach sands between the Orange and Congo rivers in southwest Africa. These studies reveal (1) that Rub' Al Khali sand is predominantly derived from the Arabian Shield and not from Mesopotamia; (2) that the Blue Nile is the principal source of Nile sand; and (3) that Orange River sand is carried northward by longshore drift nearly 1,800km from South Africa to southern

Learning from experience: feedback to CANDU design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, P.J.; Hopwood, J.M.; Rousseau, G.P.

1998-01-01

AECL's main product line is based on two single unit CANDU nuclear power plant designs; CANDU 6 and CANDU 9, each of which is based on successfully operating CANDU plants. AECL's CANDU development program is based upon evolutionary improvement. The evolutionary design approach ensures the maximum degree of operational provenness. It also allows successful features of today's plants to be retained while incorporating improvements as they develop to the appropriate level of design maturity. A key component of this evolutionary development is a formal process of gathering and responding to feedback from: NPP operation, construction and commissioning; regulatory input; equipment supplier input; R and D results; market input. The progresses for gathering and implementing the experience feedback and a number of recent examples of design improvements from this feedback process are described in the paper. (author)

A new approach to designing reduced scale thermal-hydraulic experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapa, Celso M.F.; Sampaio, Paulo A.B. de; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.

2004-01-01

Reduced scale experiments are often employed in engineering because they are much cheaper than real scale testing. Unfortunately, though, it is difficult to design a thermal-hydraulic circuit or equipment in reduced scale capable of reproducing, both accurately and simultaneously, all the physical phenomena that occur in real scale and operating conditions. This paper presents a methodology to designing thermal-hydraulic experiments in reduced scale based on setting up a constrained optimization problem that is solved using genetic algorithms (GAs). In order to demonstrate the application of the methodology proposed, we performed some investigations in the design of a heater aimed to simulate the transport of heat and momentum in the core of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) at 100% of nominal power and non-accident operating conditions. The results obtained show that the proposed methodology is a promising approach for designing reduced scale experiments

Change in Sediment Provenance Near the Current Estuary of Yellow River Since the Holocene Transgression

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Sheng; Feng, Xiuli; Li, Guogang; Liu, Xiao; Xiao, Xiao; Feng, Li

2018-06-01

Sedimentary sequence and sediment provenance are important factors when it comes to the studies on marine sedimentation. This paper studies grain size distribution, lithological characteristics, major and rare earth elemental compositions, micropaleontological features and 14C ages in order to examine sedimentary sequence and sediment provenance of the core BH6 drilled at the mouth of the Yellow River in Bohai Sea. According to the grain size and the micropaleontological compositions, 4 sedimentary units have been identified. Unit 1 (0-8.08 mbsf) is of the delta sedimentary facies, Unit 2 (8.08-12.08 mbsf) is of the neritic shelf facies, Unit 3 (12.08-23.85 mbsf) is of near-estuary beach-tidal facies, and Unit 4 (23.85 mbsf-) is of the continental lake facies. The deposits from Unit 1 to Unit 3 have been found to be marine strata formed after the Holocene transgression at about 10 ka BP, while Unit 4 is continental lacustrine deposit formed before 10 ka BP. The provenances of core BH6 sediments show properties of the continental crust and vary in different sedimentary periods. For Unit 4 sediments, the source regions are dispersed while the main provenance is not clear, although the parent rock characteristics of a few samples are similar to the Luanhe River sediments. For Unit 3, sediments at 21.1-23.85 mbsf have been mainly transported from the Liaohe River, while sediments above 21.1 mbsf are mainly from the Yellow River and partially from the Liaohe River. For Unit 2, the sediments have been mainly transported from the Yellow River, with a small amount from other rivers. For Unit 1, the provenance is mainly the Yellow River catchment. These results help in better understanding the evolution of the Yellow River Delta.

Discrete Choice Experiments in Public Health

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veldwijk, J.

2015-01-01

One approach to improve public health is to implement preventive programs that have been proven effective and cost-effective. For any preventive program to be successful, it is of paramount importance that a large majority of the target population participates. Unfortunately, it is not self-evident

VisTrails is an open-source scientific workflow and provenance management system

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mthombeni, Thabo DM

2011-12-01

Full Text Available VisTrails is an open-source scientific workflow and provenance management system that provides support for simulations, data exploration and visualization. Whereas workflows have been traditionally used to automate repetitive tasks, for applications...

Virtual experiments: a new approach for improving process conceptualization in hillslope hydrology

Science.gov (United States)

Weiler, Markus; McDonnell, Jeff

2004-01-01

We present an approach for process conceptualization in hillslope hydrology. We develop and implement a series of virtual experiments, whereby the interaction between water flow pathways, source and mixing at the hillslope scale is examined within a virtual experiment framework. We define these virtual experiments as 'numerical experiments with a model driven by collective field intelligence'. The virtual experiments explore the first-order controls in hillslope hydrology, where the experimentalist and modeler work together to cooperatively develop and analyze the results. Our hillslope model for the virtual experiments (HillVi) in this paper is based on conceptualizing the water balance within the saturated and unsaturated zone in relation to soil physical properties in a spatially explicit manner at the hillslope scale. We argue that a virtual experiment model needs to be able to capture all major controls on subsurface flow processes that the experimentalist might deem important, while at the same time being simple with few 'tunable parameters'. This combination makes the approach, and the dialog between experimentalist and modeler, a useful hypothesis testing tool. HillVi simulates mass flux for different initial conditions under the same flow conditions. We analyze our results in terms of an artificial line source and isotopic hydrograph separation of water and subsurface flow. Our results for this first set of virtual experiments showed how drainable porosity and soil depth variability exert a first order control on flow and transport at the hillslope scale. We found that high drainable porosity soils resulted in a restricted water table rise, resulting in more pronounced channeling of lateral subsurface flow along the soil-bedrock interface. This in turn resulted in a more anastomosing network of tracer movement across the slope. The virtual isotope hydrograph separation showed higher proportions of event water with increasing drainable porosity. When

Qualitative reasoning for biological network inference from systematic perturbation experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Badaloni, Silvana; Di Camillo, Barbara; Sambo, Francesco

2012-01-01

The systematic perturbation of the components of a biological system has been proven among the most informative experimental setups for the identification of causal relations between the components. In this paper, we present Systematic Perturbation-Qualitative Reasoning (SPQR), a novel Qualitative Reasoning approach to automate the interpretation of the results of systematic perturbation experiments. Our method is based on a qualitative abstraction of the experimental data: for each perturbation experiment, measured values of the observed variables are modeled as lower, equal or higher than the measurements in the wild type condition, when no perturbation is applied. The algorithm exploits a set of IF-THEN rules to infer causal relations between the variables, analyzing the patterns of propagation of the perturbation signals through the biological network, and is specifically designed to minimize the rate of false positives among the inferred relations. Tested on both simulated and real perturbation data, SPQR indeed exhibits a significantly higher precision than the state of the art.

Enhancing Privacy in Wearable IoT through a Provenance Architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard K. Lomotey

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The Internet of Things (IoT is inspired by network interconnectedness of humans, objects, and cloud services to facilitate new use cases and new business models across multiple enterprise domains including healthcare. This creates the need for continuous data streaming in IoT architectures which are mainly designed following the broadcast model. The model facilitates IoT devices to sense and deliver information to other nodes (e.g., cloud, physical objects, etc. that are interested in the information. However, this is a recipe for privacy breaches since sensitive data, such as personal vitals from wearables, can be delivered to undesired sniffing nodes. In order to protect users’ privacy and manufacturers’ IP, as well as detecting and blocking malicious activity, this research paper proposes privacy-oriented IoT architecture following the provenance technique. This ensures that the IoT data will only be delivered to the nodes that subscribe to receive the information. Using the provenance technique to ensure high transparency, the work is able to provide trace routes for digital audit trail. Several empirical evaluations are conducted in a real-world wearable IoT ecosystem to prove the superiority of the proposed work.

Evaluation of aspect-oriented frameworks in Python for extending a project with provenance documentation features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2011-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper we describe two sides of a real life use case of introducing an aspect-oriented framework into an industrial-grade project. This paper is divided into two parts: the selection process for an AOP framework in the Python programming language, and its use for modularized non-invasive recording of provenance data in a distributed data management tool. Criteria for the choice of such a framework are discussed and the background of provenance documentation is laid out.

Ocular Manifestations of Biopsy-Proven Pulmonary Sarcoidosis in Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seung Yong Choi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To investigate the clinical features and ocular manifestations of biopsy-proven pulmonary sarcoidosis in Korea. Methods. 55 patients diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis by bronchoscopic or excisional biopsy were included. By retrospective clinical chart review, we investigated features of uveitis, ocular and systemic treatments, visual acuity, angiotensin-converting enzyme level, chest radiography, and pulmonary function tests. Clinical features were analyzed by presence of uveitis, site of biopsy, and first manifested sign of sarcoidosis. Results. The group with uveitis (n=39 presented with higher systemic (71.8% and immunosuppressive treatment rates (35.9% than the group without uveitis (31.3%, 0%, resp. (P=0.007, P=0.005, resp.. There were no significant differences in clinical features, including systemic treatment rate, by type of biopsy. Of 39 patients with uveitis, the group with ocular manifestation as a first sign of sarcoidosis showed higher systemic and immunosuppressive treatment rates (88.9%, 55.6% compared to the group with pulmonary manifestation as a first sign (57.1%, 19.0% (P=0.037, P=0.018, resp.. Conclusions. In patients with biopsy-proven pulmonary sarcoidosis, the presence of ocular involvement and uveitis as a first sign could be significant factors associated with higher systemic treatment rate, especially with immunosuppressive agents. Biopsy site determined by location and size had no influence on clinical features.

One Stop Post Op cardiac surgery recovery--a proven success.

Science.gov (United States)

Joyce, L; Pandolph, P

2001-01-01

the delivery of care on the patient. With proven success in clinical outcomes, patient, physician and caregiver satisfaction, it is anticipated that this innovative approach will drive hospitals to integrate clinical process with physical planning in the future.

Studies on {sup 13}C isotope discrimination for identifying tree provenances efficient in water use under water deficit conditions in Kenya

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nyamai, D O; Juma, P O [Kenya Forestry Research Inst., Nairobi (Kenya). Agroforestry Research Programme

1996-07-01

Screening for drought resistance traits was conducted in a semi-arid site in Machakos using 11 provenances of Acacia tortilis, 6 provenances of Prosopis juliflora and 4 provenances of Casuarina equisetifolia. Tolerance to drought was assessed by the {sup 13}C isotope discrimination ({Delta}) technique as well as by determining the waster use efficiency (WUE). Measurements of dry matter and early growth performance were also taken as indicators of drought resistance. The results showed significant differences in the {sup 13}C Isotope discrimination, water use efficiency and dry matter yields by the different provenances tested. Generally, the results indicated that there were significant linear negative relationships between {sup 13}C discrimination with water use efficiency as well as dry matter yield. The results further showed highly significant positive relationship between dry matter yield and water use efficiency. Acacia tortilis provenances from middle East and neighbouring North Eastern Africa region appear to possess the greatest abilities for drought resistance in comparison with those from sub-saharan Africa as indicated by their {sup 13}C Isotope discrimination levels, dry matter yield and water use efficiency. However, Acacia provenance from Israel had the highest drought resistance trail. Prosopis provenance from Costa Rica and Casuarina from Dakar region in Senegal also emerged as the best provenances in terms of drought tolerance as shown by the {sup 13}C isotope discrimination and dry matter traits. (author). 8 refs, 4 figs, 3 tabs.

Mini-PROven. Reduced emissions from small and medium-size coke ovens thanks to single-chamber pressure control; Mini-PROven. Emissionsreduzierung an kleinen und mittleren Koksoefen mit einer Einzelkammerdruckregelung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huhn, Friedrich; Krebber, Frank; Kuehn-Gajdzik, Joanna; Ueberschaer, Kerstin [ThyssenKrupp Uhde GmbH, Dortmund (Germany). Coke Plant Technologies Div.

2012-07-01

For environment and occupational health reasons it is becoming increasingly important for coke plants to be operated with the lowest possible level of emissions. In the past, changing pressure conditions in each individual oven, with particularly high values at the beginning of the coking period, often resulted in considerable emissions at the oven closures. To prevent this happening on modern large-scale ovens, ThyssenKrupp Uhde developed the PROven trademark (Pressure Regulated Oven), a single-chamber pressure control system which regulates the pressure in the individual coke chambers down to a constantly low level. In the meantime, after many years of successful service, the system has been upgraded in both its design and process engineering. The result is Mini-PROven, which in future can also be retro-fitted to old small and medium-size coke oven batteries in the interest of better environmental protection. (orig.)

Design of laser-generated shockwave experiments. An approach using analytic models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Y.T.; Trainor, R.J.

1980-01-01

Two of the target-physics phenomena which must be understood before a clean experiment can be confidently performed are preheating due to suprathermal electrons and shock decay due to a shock-rarefaction interaction. Simple analytic models are described for these two processes and the predictions of these models are compared with those of the LASNEX fluid physics code. We have approached this work not with the view of surpassing or even approaching the reliability of the code calculations, but rather with the aim of providing simple models which may be used for quick parameter-sensitivity evaluations, while providing physical insight into the problems

Proven approaches to emission control at 200 MW power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lilja, M.; Moilanen, E.; Bacalum, A.

1999-01-01

Due to the tendency fir stricter norms for emission, Eastern European power plants have committed themselves to for low NO x modifications and flu gas desulphurization (FGD) plants for the existing boiler plants. Fortum Engineering has gained experience in low NO x and FGD retrofit projects in Finland, Poland and Czech Republic. The presentation concentrates in two projects: low NO x combustion modifications Jawornzno III Power Plant, Poland and FGD retrofit for Chvaletice Power Station, Czech Republic. The aim of the first contract is to keep NO x emissions of the boilers under 170 mg/MJ after the modification. The project has been successfully completed during the year 1995. Key technology is the application of the newest generation NR-LCC low NO x burners and over firing (OFA) system to the existing boilers with minimum modifications and the auxiliary equipment. As a result during the first half of a year of operation after take-over the NO x emission has been continuously between 120 and 150 mg/MJ and unburned carbon in fly ash has been under 5%. There has been no increased slagging in the furnace. The Chvaltice Power Station burning brown coal had big problems with sulphur oxides in the flue gases. The aim of the project in the station was to reduce SO 2 emissions from 7000 mg/m 3 n. The project has been completed in 1998. Desulphurization in Chvaletice is performed by wet limestone-gypsum method. Flue gases outgoing from electrostatic precipitators are washed in spray absorbers by limestone slurry to remove gaseous sulphur dioxides in flue gases. The process is optimized to achieve the required 94% desulphurization. The aim to decrease SO 2 emissions under 400 mg/m 3 n had been achieved

Living with a systematic approach to training. A personal experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duarte, R.F.

2002-01-01

The Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) plays an important role in the safe operation of a nuclear power plant. It can often be seen as the answer to all training needs but it can sometimes fall victim to its own rigidity and inertia. This paper outlines the personal experiences and conceptual models of a former Human Resources Manager with responsibility for both pre operational and operational training. (author)

The Provenance of Late Bronze Age Transport Amphorae found in Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L.M.V. Smith

2000-10-01

Full Text Available This study, which forms part of a larger project on Canaanite amphorae, illustrates the use of ceramic petrography in refining the visual classification of the fabrics of imported New Kingdom amphorae excavated from Memphis and Amarna in Egypt. Provenances for the Canaanite amphorae are suggested which contradict previous assumptions.

A formal concept analysis approach to consensus clustering of multi-experiment expression data

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Presently, with the increasing number and complexity of available gene expression datasets, the combination of data from multiple microarray studies addressing a similar biological question is gaining importance. The analysis and integration of multiple datasets are expected to yield more reliable and robust results since they are based on a larger number of samples and the effects of the individual study-specific biases are diminished. This is supported by recent studies suggesting that important biological signals are often preserved or enhanced by multiple experiments. An approach to combining data from different experiments is the aggregation of their clusterings into a consensus or representative clustering solution which increases the confidence in the common features of all the datasets and reveals the important differences among them. Results We propose a novel generic consensus clustering technique that applies Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) approach for the consolidation and analysis of clustering solutions derived from several microarray datasets. These datasets are initially divided into groups of related experiments with respect to a predefined criterion. Subsequently, a consensus clustering algorithm is applied to each group resulting in a clustering solution per group. These solutions are pooled together and further analysed by employing FCA which allows extracting valuable insights from the data and generating a gene partition over all the experiments. In order to validate the FCA-enhanced approach two consensus clustering algorithms are adapted to incorporate the FCA analysis. Their performance is evaluated on gene expression data from multi-experiment study examining the global cell-cycle control of fission yeast. The FCA results derived from both methods demonstrate that, although both algorithms optimize different clustering characteristics, FCA is able to overcome and diminish these differences and preserve some relevant biological

Signal or noise? Separating grain size-dependent Nd isotope variability from provenance shifts in Indus delta sediments, Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Jonell, T. N.; Li, Y.; Blusztajn, J.; Giosan, L.; Clift, P. D.

2017-12-01

Rare earth element (REE) radioisotope systems, such as neodymium (Nd), have been traditionally used as powerful tracers of source provenance, chemical weathering intensity, and sedimentary processes over geologic timescales. More recently, the effects of physical fractionation (hydraulic sorting) of sediments during transport have called into question the utility of Nd isotopes as a provenance tool. Is source terrane Nd provenance resolvable if sediment transport strongly induces noise? Can grain-size sorting effects be quantified? This study works to address such questions by utilizing grain size analysis, trace element geochemistry, and Nd isotope geochemistry of bulk and grain-size fractions (Pakistan. Here we evaluate how grain size effects drive Nd isotope variability and further resolve the total uncertainties associated with Nd isotope compositions of bulk sediments. Results from the Indus delta indicate bulk sediment ɛNd compositions are most similar to the <63 µm fraction as a result of strong mineralogical control on bulk compositions by silt- to clay-sized monazite and/or allanite. Replicate analyses determine that the best reproducibility (± 0.15 ɛNd points) is observed in the 125-250 µm fraction. The bulk and finest fractions display the worst reproducibility (±0.3 ɛNd points). Standard deviations (2σ) indicate that bulk sediment uncertainties are no more than ±1.0 ɛNd points. This argues that excursions of ≥1.0 ɛNd points in any bulk Indus delta sediments must in part reflect an external shift in provenance irrespective of sample composition, grain size, and grain size distribution. Sample standard deviations (2s) estimate that any terrigenous bulk sediment composition should vary no greater than ±1.1 ɛNd points if provenance remains constant. Findings from this study indicate that although there are grain-size dependent Nd isotope effects, they are minimal in the Indus delta such that resolvable provenance-driven trends can be

Multi-Method Provenance Analysis of Namibian Desert Sand

Science.gov (United States)

Vermeesch, P.; Garzanti, E.

2014-12-01

Mineralogical, geochemical and geochronological provenance proxies each have their own strengths and weaknesses: a. Bulk geochemistry, framework petrography and heavy mineral compositions can differentiate between source areas characterised by different lithologies, but are sensitive to hydraulic sorting and chemical alteration. b. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology is insensitive to winnowing effects, but is 'blind' to lithologies devoid of zircon and cannot differentiate between first cycle and recycled sediments. c. Cosmogenic neon isotopes can be used to identify different generations of surface exposure while simultaneously tracking different magmatic sources. The challenge is then to combine these different proxies into a self consistent story, and do so in as objective a manner as possible. We here present a case study of Namibia's Namib Sand Sea and Skeleton Coast ergs, in which all the aforementioned methods have been combined using a three-way multidimensional scaling (aka INDividual Differences SCALing or INDSCAL) analysis: 1. Each of the datasets was represented by a 'dissimilarity matrix' of pairwise distances between samples. 2. The set of these matrices was fed into the INDSCAL algorithm, which produces two pieces of graphical output: the 'group configuration', which is a scatter plot or 'map' in which similar samples plot close together and dissimilar samples plot far apart, and the 'proxy weights', in which not the samples but the proxies are plotted according to the weight they attached to the 'group configuration' axes. The INDSCAL map of the Namibia dataset indicates that (a) long-shore drift of Orange River sediments dominates the coastal sediment compositions all along the Namibian coast until Angola, and (b) that light and heavy minerals tell complementary parts of the provenance story.

Automated metadata, provenance cataloging and navigable interfaces: Ensuring the usefulness of extreme-scale data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schissel, D.P., E-mail: schissel@fusion.gat.com [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Abla, G.; Flanagan, S.M. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Greenwald, M. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Lee, X. [General Atomics, P.O. Box 85608, San Diego, CA 92186-5608 (United States); Romosan, A.; Shoshani, A. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Stillerman, J.; Wright, J. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

2014-05-15

For scientific research, it is not the mere existence of experimental or simulation data that is important, but the ability to make use of it. This paper presents the results of research to create a data model, infrastructure, and a set of tools that support data tracking, cataloging, and integration across a broad scientific domain. The system is intended to document workflow and data provenance in the widest sense. Combining research on integrated metadata, provenance, and ontology information with research on user interfaces has allowed the construction of early prototype. While using fusion science as a test bed, the system's framework and data model is quite general.

Automated metadata, provenance cataloging and navigable interfaces: Ensuring the usefulness of extreme-scale data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schissel, D.P.; Abla, G.; Flanagan, S.M.; Greenwald, M.; Lee, X.; Romosan, A.; Shoshani, A.; Stillerman, J.; Wright, J.

2014-01-01

For scientific research, it is not the mere existence of experimental or simulation data that is important, but the ability to make use of it. This paper presents the results of research to create a data model, infrastructure, and a set of tools that support data tracking, cataloging, and integration across a broad scientific domain. The system is intended to document workflow and data provenance in the widest sense. Combining research on integrated metadata, provenance, and ontology information with research on user interfaces has allowed the construction of early prototype. While using fusion science as a test bed, the system's framework and data model is quite general

Rapidly aggravated Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease: autopsy-proven case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seung Hyun; Kang, Hyun Koo; Yu, Hyeon; Lee, Sang Chun [Seoul Veterans Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2005-11-15

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (DJD) is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which is mediated by what has been known as 'prion'. It is a rare and fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the middle and old aged. There are a number of subtypes of CJD, one of which is the sporadic type characterized by rapidly progressing clinical symptoms, including progressive dementia, myoclonic jerk, and pyramidal or extrapyramidal syndrome. Patients usually end up dying within 1 to 2 years of contacting the disease. We report an autopsy-proven case of sporadic CJD with clinical symptoms that progressed within several days, along with dramatic changes on diffusion weighted magnetic resonance images.

Rapidly aggravated Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease: autopsy-proven case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seung Hyun; Kang, Hyun Koo; Yu, Hyeon; Lee, Sang Chun

2005-01-01

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (DJD) is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which is mediated by what has been known as 'prion'. It is a rare and fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the middle and old aged. There are a number of subtypes of CJD, one of which is the sporadic type characterized by rapidly progressing clinical symptoms, including progressive dementia, myoclonic jerk, and pyramidal or extrapyramidal syndrome. Patients usually end up dying within 1 to 2 years of contacting the disease. We report an autopsy-proven case of sporadic CJD with clinical symptoms that progressed within several days, along with dramatic changes on diffusion weighted magnetic resonance images

Renewable Energy and Proven Oil Reserves Relation: Evidence from OPEC Members

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Arcan TUZCU

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The well documented literature on the relation between energy consumption and climate change has been extended by the addition of renewable energy consumption. Several studies show its impact on technical efficiency, per capita income or carbon dioxide (CO2 emission levels for developed and developing countries. However, to the extent of our knowledge, very few of them state the importance of renewable energy for the countries where the main type of fossil fuels, oil, is exported. This study aims to explore the association between renewable energy, real gross domestic product (GDP, CO2 emission level, real oil prices as well as the proven oil reserves for seven members of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC. The analyses are conducted using panel data techniques, namely fixed effect – random effect tests. Our results show a positive and significant relation between renewable energy consumption, and real GDP and CO2 emission level. A statistically not significant coefficient is found for the relation between renewable energy and the proven oil reserves. The relation between energy and real oil prices is also insignificant.

Responses to mild water deficit and rewatering differ among secondary metabolites but are similar among provenances within Eucalyptus species.

Science.gov (United States)

McKiernan, Adam B; Potts, Brad M; Brodribb, Timothy J; Hovenden, Mark J; Davies, Noel W; McAdam, Scott A M; Ross, John J; Rodemann, Thomas; O'Reilly-Wapstra, Julianne M

2016-02-01

Water deficit associated with drought can severely affect plants and influence ecological interactions involving plant secondary metabolites. We tested the effect of mild water deficit and rewatering on physiological, morphological and chemical traits of juvenile Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Eucalyptus viminalis Labill. We also tested if responses of juvenile eucalypts to water deficit and rewatering varied within species using provenances across a rainfall gradient. Both species and all provenances were similarly affected by mild water deficit and rewatering, as only foliar abscisic acid levels differed among provenances during water deficit. Across species and provenances, water deficit decreased leaf water potential, above-ground biomass and formylated phloroglucinol compound concentrations, and increased condensed tannin concentrations. Rewatering reduced leaf carbon : nitrogen, and total phenolic and chlorogenic acid concentrations. Water deficit and rewatering had no effect on total oil or individual terpene concentrations. Levels of trait plasticity due to water deficit and rewatering were less than levels of constitutive trait variation among provenances. The overall uniformity of responses to the treatments regardless of native provenance indicates limited diversification of plastic responses when compared with the larger quantitative variation of constitutive traits within these species. These responses to mild water deficit may differ from responses to more extreme water deficit or to responses of juvenile/mature eucalypts growing at each locality. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

PIXE characterization of Western Mediterranean and Anatolian obsidians and Neolithic provenance studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Bourdonnec, F.-X.; Delerue, S.; Dubernet, S.; Moretto, Ph.; Calligaro, Th.; Dran, J.-C.; Poupeau, G.

2005-01-01

The possibility of non-destructive elemental analysis makes PIXE a very attractive technique in archaeological provenance studies. This technique has been fruitfully implemented on two different facilities to address the issue of obsidian provenance in the Mediterranean and in surrounding regions. At C2RMF, we took advantage of the possibility to analyze large archaeological pieces with the external micro-beam set-up. At CENBG, we used the nuclear microprobe providing a 5 μm beam diameter in large scans (700 x 700 μm 2 ) to control the homogeneity of elemental distribution. In both cases we dosed the same set of 13 elements: Na, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr and Zr. While at C2RMF, two Si(Li) detectors were used simultaneously to measure all elements at once with 3 MeV protons, at CENBG where only one detector was available, the light elements Na to Fe were determined with a 1.5 MeV beam, and the heavy ones, including Fe, with a beam energy of 2.7 MeV. In Western Mediterranean, it is possible with PIXE to differentiate all obsidian sources of archaeological significance. Examples are given of obsidian provenances from Neolithic sites of France and from the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. In the Near East, we can differentiate the Cappadocian and Eastern Anatolian obsidian sources used during the early Neolithic. This is illustrated by examples taken from Neolithic sites of the Middle Euphrates Valley (Syria)

DETECTION OF AUTOANTIBODIES AGAINST MYELOID LYSOSOMAL-ENZYMES - A USEFUL ADJUNCT TO CLASSIFICATION OF PATIENTS WITH BIOPSY-PROVEN NECROTIZING ARTERITIS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tervaert, J.W.C.; Limburg, Piet; ELEMA, J.D.; HUITEMA, M.G.; The, T.H; Kallenberg, Cees; Horst, G.

PURPOSE: Assessment of the value of determination of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) and its specificities for classification of patients with biopsy-proven necrotizing arteritis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The serum samples of 28 consecutive patients with biopsy-proven vasculitis involving

Detrital thermochronology of Rhine, Elbe and Meuse river sediment (Central Europe): implications for provenance, erosion and mineral fertility

Science.gov (United States)

Glotzbach, C.; Busschers, F. S.; Winsemann, J.

2018-03-01

Here we present detrital apatite fission track (AFT), zircon fission track (ZFT) and a few apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) data of Middle Pleistocene to modern Rhine, Meuse and Elbe river sediments in order to resolve processes that control detrital age distributions (provenance, erosion and mineral fertility). We used a modelling approach to compare observed with theoretically predicted age distributions from an interpolated in situ AFT and ZFT age map. In situ cooling ages do show large differences in the Rhine drainage basin, facilitating the differentiation between different source regions. Inconsistencies between observed and theoretical age distributions of the Meuse and Elbe samples can be explained by mixing and reworking of sediments with different provenances (Meuse Middle Pleistocene terrace sediment) and a yet unexplored source region with old AFT ages (Elbe samples). Overall, the results show that detrital thermochronology is capable of identifying the provenance of Middle Pleistocene to modern sediments. The AFT age distributions of Rhine sediments are dominated ( 70%) by AFT ages representing the Alps. A possible explanation is higher erosion rates in the Alps as compared to areas outside the Alps. A Late Pleistocene sample from the Upper Rhine Graben contains apatite grains from the Molasse and Hegau volcanics, which we explain with a shift of the headwaters of the Rhine to the north as a result of intense Middle Pleistocene Riss glaciation. Contrary to the observed dominance of Alpine-derived AFT ages in Rhine sediments, the relative contribution of zircon ages with sources in the Alps is lower and significantly decreases downstream, suggesting a major source of zircons outside the Alps. This can be explained by increased zircon fertility of sediments derived from the Rhenish massif. Therefore, we conclude that erosion and mineral fertility are the main processes controlling detrital AFT and ZFT age distributions of the sampled river sediment. In case of

The constant experience of self: conceptual approaches between Dewey and Mead

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Tiago Barcelos Pereira Salgado

2012-09-01

Full Text Available We look at our article on a relational communicationapproach. In this sense, we seek to understandthe communication process from a praxeologicalmodel as elaborated by Louis Quéré (1991,rather than an epistemological model, seized in earlierformulations about the communicative practice.With pragmatism as a guideline of our argument,we are interested in understand and approach thenotions of self and experience as discussed by JohnDewey (1896, 1980, 2010 and George Herbert Mead(1934. Both concepts seem appropriate to thinkabout communication. Our purpose is then to seeto what extent we can reasonably argue that the selfis in constant experience and the implications thatpermeate this conceptual relationship.

Neurological symptoms in patients with biopsy proven celiac disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Bürk, Katrin; Farecki, Marie-Louise; Lamprecht, Georg; Roth, Guenter; Decker, Patrice; Weller, Michael; Rammensee, Hans-Georg; Oertel, Wolfang

2009-12-15

In celiac disease (CD), the gut is the typical manifestation site but atypical neurological presentations are thought to occur in 6 to 10% with cerebellar ataxia being the most frequent symptom. Most studies in this field are focused on patients under primary neurological care. To exclude such an observation bias, patients with biopsy proven celiac disease were screened for neurological disease. A total of 72 patients with biopsy proven celiac disease (CD) (mean age 51 +/- 15 years, mean disease duration 8 +/- 11 years) were recruited through advertisements. All participants adhered to a gluten-free diet. Patients were interviewed following a standard questionnaire and examined clinically for neurological symptoms. Medical history revealed neurological disorders such as migraine (28%), carpal tunnel syndrome (20%), vestibular dysfunction (8%), seizures (6%), and myelitis (3%). Interestingly, 35% of patients with CD reported of a history of psychiatric disease including depression, personality changes, or even psychosis. Physical examination yielded stance and gait problems in about one third of patients that could be attributed to afferent ataxia in 26%, vestibular dysfunction in 6%, and cerebellar ataxia in 6%. Other motor features such as basal ganglia symptoms, pyramidal tract signs, tics, and myoclonus were infrequent. 35% of patients with CD showed deep sensory loss and reduced ankle reflexes in 14%. Gait disturbances in CD do not only result from cerebellar ataxia but also from proprioceptive or vestibular impairment. Neurological problems may even develop despite strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. (c) 2009 Movement Disorder Society.

The impact of seeds provenance and nursery production method on Austrian pine (Pinus nigra Arn. seedlings quality

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Vladan Ivetić

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The influence of seed provenances and seedling production methodson quality of one and two years old seedlings of Austrian pine wereinvestigated. Seeds from three provenances of Austrian pine (Goč, Studenica and Šargan were used for seedlings production, combined with three production methods: (i the modified seedbeds (bare-root, (ii the container type Plantagrah II and (iii the container type Gočko. Provenance, as well as the combined influence of provenance and production method had minimal influence on the variability of one and two years old Austrian pine seedlings. Nevertheless, the production method had the highest influence. The production system, besides its importance in nursery, will have a high influence on seedlings growth during the first year after planting. Considering the results of this study (e.g. the highest values of the diameter, number of lateral roots, shoot and root dry weight, and quality index and the lowest value of SQ and satisfactory value of S:R, we can conclude that the seedlings produced in container type Gočko led to the highestseedlings quality, recommended especially for afforestation on hard sites.

Provenance and composition study on Terengganu inscribed stone using in-situ nuclear technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaafar Abdullah; Roslan Yahya; Hearie Hassan; Engku Mohd Fahmi Engku Chik; Mohamad Rabaie Shari; Airwan Affendi Mahmood; Abdul Quddoss Abu Bakar; Ainul Mardhiah Terry

2012-01-01

This paper focused on the analysis of trace elements and provenance study of the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu (BBPT) using Neutron-induced Prompt Gamma-Ray Techniques (NIPGAT). In this study, portable NIPGAT system was designed and developed by using volume-based measurement. It is a nondestructive testing technique for the samples. This system uses low activity of isotopic neutron radioactive source from californium-252 (Cf-252) as an irradiation source. Gamma ray spectroscopy as well as specialized computer software has been utilized to conduct the research. The study has determined that the stone was a dolerite stone based on the composition of the stone elements. Although most of the scientific data for this study have been collected, this project is still running to complete the scope of provenance study. (author)

Microbial Eco-Physiology of the human intestinal tract: a flow cytometric approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amor, Ben K.

2004-01-01

This thesis describes a multifaceted approach to further enhance our view of the complex human intestinal microbial ecosystem. This approach combines me advantages of flow cyrometry (FCM), a single cell and high-throughput technology, and molecular techniques that have proven themselves to be

Catalytic Filtration: A proven technology for Dioxin emission control from waste incinerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, K.T.; Xu, Zhengtian

2010-01-01

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and di benzofurans (PCD/ Fs), in a family of dioxin derivatives with high toxicity, often associated with environmental pollution are the most toxic man made substances, emitted in gas and solid phases during incineration of waste. The threat of dioxin is drawing increasing attention around the world. Governments around the world are phasing in more stringent dioxin emission regulations, and reports about dioxin levels in food products have generated widespread concerns among the public. Issues related to dioxin emissions and disposals are moving up the environmental agenda demanding the most effective and environmentally sound technologies. With heightened public awareness, more stringent regulations, and potential penalties for non-compliance, its more important than ever to avoid the risks associated with inadequate dioxin control. The permissible dioxin emission in most industrial nations is less than 0.1 ng (TEQ)/ Nm 3 and permissible dust emission is from less than 10 to less than 50 mg/ Nm 3 . The common system to remove dioxin is installing an injection process for powdered activated carbon (PAC). This was seen as a proven and widely used technology to control dioxin. This sorbent based system moves dioxin and furan molecules from the gas stream to the solid residue. There are new concerns about existing or future landfill restrictions on the amount and toxicity of sorbent levels in fly ash. Other alternatives are non-flammable additives and catalytic technologies. The non-flammable additives are not proven to control dioxin at temperatures above 200 degree Celsius. Catalytic filter technology can be high initial investment but gaining popularity for operational benefits and reduction of solid residues for landfill. Several criteria are being considered to compare the initial cost of the catalytic filter system and the cost reduction of exhaust gas treatment that can pay for the return of the investment. Field experiences

An Adaptable System to Support Provenance Management for the Public Policy-Making Process in Smart Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barkha Javed

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Government policies aim to address public issues and problems and therefore play a pivotal role in people’s lives. The creation of public policies, however, is complex given the perspective of large and diverse stakeholders’ involvement, considerable human participation, lengthy processes, complex task specification and the non-deterministic nature of the process. The inherent complexities of the policy process impart challenges for designing a computing system that assists in supporting and automating the business process pertaining to policy setup, which also raises concerns for setting up a tracking service in the policy-making environment. A tracking service informs how decisions have been taken during policy creation and can provide useful and intrinsic information regarding the policy process. At present, there exists no computing system that assists in tracking the complete process that has been employed for policy creation. To design such a system, it is important to consider the policy environment challenges; for this a novel network and goal based approach has been framed and is covered in detail in this paper. Furthermore, smart governance objectives that include stakeholders’ participation and citizens’ involvement have been considered. Thus, the proposed approach has been devised by considering smart governance principles and the knowledge environment of policy making where tasks are largely dependent on policy makers’ decisions and on individual policy objectives. Our approach reckons the human dimension for deciding and defining autonomous process activities at run time. Furthermore, with the network-based approach, so-called provenance data tracking is employed which enables the capture of policy process.

Inter population variability of frost-resistance in provenances of scot pines (Pinusylvestris L.R. hamata Steven in Turkey

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Özel Halil Barış

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Frost-resistance variability of Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris L. var. hamata Steven seedlings grown in nurseries conditions, originated from 10 provenances, have been analyzed. The provenances from Black Sea region, Central Anatolian region and Eastern Anatolian region in Turkey have been used in selection of seed zones. The results of frost-resistance tests indicated a strong relationship of implemented freezing degrees with injury degrees of Scotch pine needles and photosynthetic productivities. On the other hand, another significant relationship has been determined between chlorophyll fluorescence and ion leakage methods (r=-0.801. This result shows that those two methods can be safely used in determining the damages due to low temperatures. In frost resistance tests, Scotch pine seedlings from different provenances have been frozen at -10, -20, -30 and -40°C. According to the Duncan test results, it has been determined that damage increased as temperature decreased. The damage level at -10°C implementation is 3.5% which can be tolerated by plants. But when the temperature has been decreased to -20°C, the level of damage has increased to 51.25%. As a result of photosynthetic analyses in this phase, it has been determined that there is a statistically significant relationship between provenances and temperature levels. Under the light of those findings, they have determined that the photosynthetic productivity has significantly decreased at temperatures between -20°C and -40°C. This situation conforms to injury index values determined in this study. As a result of injury index and photosynthetic productivity tests used for determining the damage after frost-resistance tests, it has been determined that the provenances of Amasya-Kunduz, Bolu-Aladağ, Düzce-Yığılca, Samsun-Vezirköprü and Eskişehir-Çatacık are more sensitive to frost than other provenances.

College Student Environmental Activism: How Experiences and Identities Influence Environmental Activism Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

King, Laura A. H.

2016-01-01

College student environmental activism is one way students civically engage in addressing social issues. This study explores the environmental activism of twelve college students and how their experiences outside of college and in college influenced their activism. In addition, how students' identities influenced their approach to activism was…

A visual approach for modeling spatiotemporal relations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R.L. Guimarães (Rodrigo); C.S.S. Neto; L.F.G. Soares

2008-01-01

htmlabstractTextual programming languages have proven to be difficult to learn and to use effectively for many people. For this sake, visual tools can be useful to abstract the complexity of such textual languages, minimizing the specification efforts. In this paper we present a visual approach for

Long-term effects of elevated carbon dioxide concentration and provenance on four clones of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). I. Plant growth, allocation and ontogeny

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Centritto, M. [Inst. di Biochimica ed Ecofisiologia Vegetale, Rome (Italy); Lee, H.S.J.; Jarvis, P.G. [Univ. Edinburgh, Inst. of Ecology and Resource Management, Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

1999-09-01

An investigation was carried out to determine the effects of elevated CO(2) concentration on the long-term growth and carbon allocation of four clones of Sitka spruce taken from two provenances under conditions of non-limiting water and nutrient supply. The use of clones from different provenances provided a unique way of examining effects of elevated CO(2) concentration on competitiveness of saplings adapted to climates with different temperature and day length. The saplings were fertilized following the Ingestad approach to yield a supply of mineral nutrients at free access in order to maintain nutrient uptake proportional to plant growth, and rule out undefined variability in sink strength that might have been caused by water and nutrient deficiencies. There was considerable variation in growth responses among clones. Across all four clones there was a 40% increase in total dry mass of the saplings growth in elevated CO(2) concentration, but the genetic differences in the growth response to elevated CO(2) concentration were significant. The clones originated from different latitudinal provenances, and were acclimated to different temperatures and day length climates, and so had different abilities to acclimate to their new environment. Some Sitka spruce clones may grow better in lowland Scotland as climate change occurs. Genetic differences in the growth response to elevated CO(2) concentration may be exploited through the assessment of nursery stock for future forest planning. 33 refs., 5 figs.

The provenance study of Chinese ancient architectonical colored glaze by INAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Lin; Feng Songlin; Li Rongwu; Lue Zhirong; Li Guoxia

2008-01-01

The colored glazes are very popular and famous in Chinese ancient architectures. In order to exactly locate the provenance of ancient architectonical colored glazes, 196 pieces of ancient colored glaze bodies and porcelain bodies fired in Xiyue Temple and Lidipo kiln are analyzed by INAA. The results of factor analysis and some archaeological questions are reported and discussed in this paper

The provenance study of Chinese ancient architectonical colored glaze by INAA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng Lin [Key Laboratory of Beam Technology and Material Modification of Ministry of Education, College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Beijing Radiation Center, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)], E-mail: chenglin@bnu.edu.cn; Feng Songlin [Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Li Rongwu [Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100049 (China); Lue Zhirong [Shan' xi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Xi' an 710054 (China); Li Guoxia [Institute of Physical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052 (China)

2008-12-15

The colored glazes are very popular and famous in Chinese ancient architectures. In order to exactly locate the provenance of ancient architectonical colored glazes, 196 pieces of ancient colored glaze bodies and porcelain bodies fired in Xiyue Temple and Lidipo kiln are analyzed by INAA. The results of factor analysis and some archaeological questions are reported and discussed in this paper.

Mineralogy, stratigraphy, and provenance of soil coverbeds in the Kumara district, Westland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neall, V.E.; Stewart, R.B.; Wallace, R.C.; Williams, M.C.; Mew, G.

2001-01-01

The sand and silt mineralogy of four soils preserved on fluvioglacial outwash terraces at Kumara indicates that the main soil body is developed in up to 1 m of loessial coverbeds that accumulated subsequent to cessation of gravel terrace formation. Oxygen isotope abundances of the dominant mineral quartz in these soils show a higher temperature origin for the >250 micro-m fraction, consistent with derivation from local granodiorites. Finer quartz is of a mixed provenance origin consistent with the variety of rock types in the region. The finest quartz, <5 micro-m, of aerosolic origin, can be used as a proxy time record for the coverbed accumulations. The widespread 22 590 yr BP Aokautere Ash chronohorizon is preserved in three of the profiles, whilst wind redeposition of the glass shards is responsible for traces of rhyolitic glass in all subsequent horizons. Widespread landscape erosion is postulated either immediately before or during deposition of the K-1 terrace, so that similar subsequent coverbed sequences ae preserved on the K-1 and all older terraces in this district. Magnetic mineral assemblages in the profiles indicate a slightly different loessial provenance for the Cockeye, K-1, and K-2.1 profiles, but the K-2.2 is significantly different from the rest. This is probably a function of aeolian winnowing and variablity of source materials. In the past, different mountain catchments have connected with different lower river reaches, due to transcurrent movement on the Alpine Fault. This is interpreted as having led to changing provenance of river sediment supplying loess to local soils. (author). 39 refs.,10 figs., 4 tabs

Family members' involvement in psychiatric care: experiences of the healthcare professionals' approach and feeling of alienation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ewertzon, M; Lützén, K; Svensson, E; Andershed, B

2010-06-01

The involvement of family members in psychiatric care is important for the recovery of persons with psychotic disorders and subsequently reduces the burden on the family. Earlier qualitative studies suggest that the participation of family members can be limited by how they experience the professionals' approach, which suggests a connection to the concept of alienation. Thus, the aim of this study was in a national sample investigate family members' experiences of the psychiatric health care professionals' approach. Data were collected by the Family Involvement and Alienation Questionnaire. The median level and quartiles were used to describe the distributions and data were analysed with non-parametric statistical methods. Seventy family members of persons receiving psychiatric care participated in the study. The results indicate that a majority of the participants respond that they have experiencing a negative approach from the professionals, indicating lack of confirmation and cooperation. The results also indicate that a majority of the participants felt powerlessness and social isolation in the care being provided, indicating feelings of alienation. A significant but weak association was found between the family members' experiences of the professionals' approach and their feelings of alienation.

Preliminary Study on the Provenance Interpretation of Obsidian Artifacts using Neutron Activation Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jin, Mi Eun; Jwa, Yong Joo [Gyeongsang National University, Jinju (Korea, Republic of); Sun, Gwang Min; Baek, Ha Ni; Moon, Jong Hwa; Chung, Yong Sam [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

In the case that the obsidian artifacts are treated as a prehistoric cultural property, we cannot analyze them using destructive analytical methods. In this study, we compared geochemical data obtained by NAA with that by the other method, and examined the applicability of the NAA method to interpret the provenance of the obsidian artifacts. Both the NAA and the LA-ICP-MS data show a general similarity in elemental variation. In particular, it is possible to distinguish Baekdusan obsidians from Kyushu obsidians. This kind of contrast between the Baekdusan and the Kyushu obsidians would reflect the different magma composition at the different tectonic and geologic settings. In general the geochemical composition of obsidian is closely related to the accompanied volcanic rocks. For more detailed estimation of obsidian provenance, we should use the geochemical compositions of obsidians as well as volcanic rocks.

Developing students’ ideas about lens imaging: teaching experiments with an image-based approach

Science.gov (United States)

Grusche, Sascha

2017-07-01

Lens imaging is a classic topic in physics education. To guide students from their holistic viewpoint to the scientists’ analytic viewpoint, an image-based approach to lens imaging has recently been proposed. To study the effect of the image-based approach on undergraduate students’ ideas, teaching experiments are performed and evaluated using qualitative content analysis. Some of the students’ ideas have not been reported before, namely those related to blurry lens images, and those developed by the proposed teaching approach. To describe learning pathways systematically, a conception-versus-time coordinate system is introduced, specifying how teaching actions help students advance toward a scientific understanding.

Transfer Analysis of Provenance Trials Reveals Macroclimatic Adaptedness of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.

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RASZTOVITS, Ervin

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to analyse provenance tests of beech situated close to theSoutheastern-continental limits of the species, in order to develop a response model of adaptation andplasticity of populations on evolutionary-ecological basis, following sudden climatic changes as aresult of transplanting. Modelling of juvenile height was performed with the help of ecodistancevariables. The concept of transfer analysis and ecodistance is based on the hypothesis that phenotypicresponse to macroclimatic changes depends on the inherited adaptive potential of the population andon the magnitude and direction of experienced environmental change. In common garden experiments,the transfer to the planting site is interpreted as simulation of environmental change. The applicationof ecodistance of transfer for evaluating common garden experiments provides much neededquantitative information about response of tree populations to predicted climatic changes.The analysis of three field experiments of European beech in SE Europe invalidate earlier doubtsabout the existence of macroclimatic adaptation patterns in juvenile growth and justify restrictions ofuse of reproductive material on the basis of evolutionary ecology. The presented model illustrates thatresponse to climatic change is regionally divergent, depending on testing conditions and on hereditarytraits. In particular, climatic warming in the central-northern part of the range may lead to productionincrease. However, under the stressful and uncertain conditions at the lower (xeric limit of thespecies, growth depression and vitality loss are predicted. The deviating behaviour of higher elevationprovenances support their separate treatment.The results may be utilised in climate change adaptation and mitigation policy in forestry andnature conservation, to revise rules for use of reproductive material and also for validatingevolutionary and ecological hypotheses related to climate change effects.

DNA barcode and identification of the varieties and provenances of Taiwan's domestic and imported made teas using ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Shih-Chieh; Wang, Chia-Hsiang; Yen, Cheng-En; Chang, Chieh

2017-04-01

The major aim of made tea identification is to identify the variety and provenance of the tea plant. The present experiment used 113 tea plants [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] housed at the Tea Research and Extension Substation, from which 113 internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) fragments, 104 trnL intron, and 98 trnL-trnF intergenic sequence region DNA sequences were successfully sequenced. The similarity of the ITS2 nucleotide sequences between tea plants housed at the Tea Research and Extension Substation was 0.379-0.994. In this polymerase chain reaction-amplified noncoding region, no varieties possessed identical sequences. Compared with the trnL intron and trnL-trnF intergenic sequence fragments of chloroplast cpDNA, the proportion of ITS2 nucleotide sequence variation was large and is more suitable for establishing a DNA barcode database to identify tea plant varieties. After establishing the database, 30 imported teas and 35 domestic made teas were used in this model system to explore the feasibility of using ITS2 sequences to identify the varieties and provenances of made teas. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using ITS2 sequences with the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean, which indicated that the same variety of tea plant is likely to be successfully categorized into one cluster, but contamination from other tea plants was also detected. This result provides molecular evidence that the similarity between important tea varieties in Taiwan remains high. We suggest a direct, wide collection of made tea and original samples of tea plants to establish an ITS2 sequence molecular barcode identification database to identify the varieties and provenances of tea plants. The DNA barcode comparison method can satisfy the need for a rapid, low-cost, frontline differentiation of the large amount of made teas from Taiwan and abroad, and can provide molecular evidence of their varieties and provenances. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Phorbol esters seed content and distribution in Latin American provenances of Jatropha curcas L.: potential for biopesticide, food and feed.

Science.gov (United States)

Bueso, Francisco; Sosa, Italo; Chun, Roldan; Pineda, Renan

2016-01-01

Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha) is believed to have originated from Mexico and Central America. So far, characterization efforts have focused on Asia, Africa and Mexico. Non-toxic, low phorbol ester (PE) varieties have been found only in Mexico. Differences in PE content in seeds and its structural components, crude oil and cake from Jatropha provenances cultivated in Central and South America were evaluated. Seeds were dehulled, and kernels were separated into tegmen, cotyledons and embryo for PE quantitation by RP-HPLC. Crude oil and cake PE content was also measured. No phenotypic departures in seed size and structure were observed among Jatropha cultivated in Central and South America compared to provenances from Mexico, Asia and Africa. Cotyledons comprised 96.2-97.5 %, tegmen 1.6-2.4 % and embryo represented 0.9-1.4 % of dehulled kernel. Total PE content of all nine provenances categorized them as toxic. Significant differences in kernel PE content were observed among provenances from Mexico, Central and South America (P 95 % of PEs concentrated in cotyledons, 0.5-3 % in the tegmen and 0.5-1 % in the embryo. Over 60 % of total PE in dehulled kernels accumulated in the crude oil, while 35-40 % remained in the cake after extraction. Low phenotypic variability in seed physical, structural traits and PE content was observed among provenances from Latin America. Very high-PE provenances with potential as biopesticide were found in Central America. No PE-free, edible Jatropha was found among provenances currently cultivated in Central America and Brazil that could be used for human consumption and feedstock. Furthermore, dehulled kernel structural parts as well as its crude oil and cake contained toxic PE levels.

The Audio-Tutorial Approach to Learning Through Independent Study and Integrated Experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Postlethwait, S. N.; And Others

The rationale of the integrated experience approach to teaching botany at Purdue University is given and the history of the audio-tutorial course at Purdue and its present organization are described. A sample week's unit of study is given, including transcription of the tape, reproduction of printed materials and photographs of other materials…

Foliar nitrogen metabolism of adult Douglas-fir trees is affected by soil water availability and varies little among provenances.

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Baoguo; Kreuzwieser, Jürgen; Dannenmann, Michael; Junker, Laura Verena; Kleiber, Anita; Hess, Moritz; Jansen, Kirstin; Eiblmeier, Monika; Gessler, Arthur; Kohnle, Ulrich; Ensminger, Ingo; Rennenberg, Heinz; Wildhagen, Henning

2018-01-01

The coniferous forest tree Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is native to the pacific North America, and is increasingly planted in temperate regions worldwide. Nitrogen (N) metabolism is of great importance for growth, resistance and resilience of trees. In the present study, foliar N metabolism of adult trees of three coastal and one interior provenance of Douglas-fir grown at two common gardens in southwestern Germany (Wiesloch, W; Schluchsee, S) were characterized in two subsequent years. Both the native North American habitats of the seed sources and the common garden sites in Germany differ in climate conditions. Total and mineral soil N as well as soil water content were higher in S compared to W. We hypothesized that i) provenances differ constitutively in N pool sizes and composition, ii) N pools are affected by environmental conditions, and iii) that effects of environmental factors on N pools differ among interior and coastal provenances. Soil water content strongly affected the concentrations of total N, soluble protein, total amino acids (TAA), arginine and glutamate. Foliar concentrations of total N, soluble protein, structural N and TAA of trees grown at W were much higher than in trees at S. Provenance effects were small but significant for total N and soluble protein content (interior provenance showed lowest concentrations), as well as arginine, asparagine and glutamate. Our data suggest that needle N status of adult Douglas-fir is independent from soil N availability and that low soil water availability induces a re-allocation of N from structural N to metabolic N pools. Small provenance effects on N pools suggest that local adaptation of Douglas-fir is not dominated by N conditions at the native habitats.

Understanding enhanced tourist experiences through technology: a brief approach to the Vilnius case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilona Beliatskaya

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The present research investigates the notion of enhanced tourist experiences through technology shedding light on co-creation practices and empowerment of customers. Neuhofer and Buhalis (2013 introduced a novel concept of technology-enhanced tourist experiences by generating a joint comprehension of new era of experiences which conjoin the elements of experiences, co-creation and technology. Being one of rather promoting cities in online environment Vilnius represents an interesting case of successive adoption of smart technologies in order to enhance tourist experiences and facilitate customer empowerment in Vilnius tourism domain. This study aims to determine technology-enhanced tourist experiences in order to measure factors of customer empowerment on the example of international incoming tourists to Vilnius (Lithuania. The mix-methods approach (qualitative online content and functionality analysis and quantitative survey was justified as being the most appropriate for the purpose of this research with intention to find a basis for applying of technology-enhanced tourist experiences in Vilnius tourism marketplace. The paper concludes with the definition of current level of ICTs application to enhance tourist experience co-creation and a discussion of practical implications of technology-enhanced tourist experiences development.

Study of provenance character on ancient porcelain of Yue Kiln at Silongkou with NAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jihao Zhu; Songlin Feng; Dongyu Fan; Xiangqian Feng; Qing Xu; Yueming Shen; Zhenxi Zhuo; Wenjiang Zhang

2007-01-01

Chemical composition is an important information of studying the provenance character of ancient pottery and porcelain. The ancient celadon samples produced in Later Tang (850-907 A.D.) to Former Southern Song (1127-1279 A.D.) have been analyzed with NAA. Its provenance characteristic was compared with that of Hongzhou Kiln of Jiangxi Province and Yaozhou Kiln of Shanxi Province in this paper. The experimental data were studied with statistic methods. The results indicated that the chemical compositions of ancient porcelain body samples made in three kilns were different. The difference is able to be identified. The porcelain body materials of both Silongkou Yue Kiln and Hongzhou Kiln were similar. The samples of Yaozhou kiln in north of China existed obvious difference. (author)

Modernized Approach for Generating Reproducible Heterogeneity Using Transmitted-Light for Flow Visualization Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, A. A.; Holt, R. M.

2017-12-01

Image capturing in flow experiments has been used for fluid mechanics research since the early 1970s. Interactions of fluid flow between the vadose zone and permanent water table are of great interest because this zone is responsible for all recharge waters, pollutant transport and irrigation efficiency for agriculture. Griffith, et al. (2011) developed an approach where constructed reproducible "geologically realistic" sand configurations are deposited in sandfilled experimental chambers for light-transmitted flow visualization experiments. This method creates reproducible, reverse graded, layered (stratified) thin-slab sand chambers for point source experiments visualizing multiphase flow through porous media. Reverse-graded stratification of sand chambers mimic many naturally occurring sedimentary deposits. Sandfilled chambers use light as nonintrusive tools for measuring water saturation in two-dimensions (2-D). Homogeneous and heterogeneous sand configurations can be produced to visualize the complex physics of the unsaturated zone. The experimental procedure developed by Griffith, et al. (2011) was designed using now outdated and obsolete equipment. We have modernized this approach with new Parker Deadel linear actuator and programed projects/code for multiple configurations. We have also updated the Roper CCD software and image processing software with the latest in industry standards. Modernization of transmitted-light source, robotic equipment, redesigned experimental chambers, and newly developed analytical procedures have greatly reduced time and cost per experiment. We have verified the ability of the new equipment to generate reproducible heterogeneous sand-filled chambers and demonstrated the functionality of the new equipment and procedures by reproducing several gravity-driven fingering experiments conducted by Griffith (2008).

Climate-related Indicators and Data Provenance: Evaluating Coupled Boundary Objects for Science, Innovation, and Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

Wiggins, A.; Young, A.; Brody, C.; Gerst, M.; Kenney, M. A.; Lamoureux, A.; Rice, A.; Wolfinger, F.

2015-12-01

Boundary object theory focuses on the role of artifacts, such as indicator images, in translation and communication across the boundaries of social groups. We use this framework for understanding how data can communicate across contexts to answer the question: Can coupling climate-related indicators with data provenance support scientific innovation and science translation? To address this question we conducted a study to understand the features and capabilities necessary for indicators and data provenance for scientific uses, using the recently online-released U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Indicators and Global Change Information System (GCIS) as linked boundary objects. We conducted semi-structured interviews with professional researchers in which we asked the researchers to explore and describe what they observed that was useful or frustrating for a subset of the USGCRP Indicators, related GCIS content, and other similar indicator and metadata websites. Participants found these sites' navigation and the labeling and description of their assets frustrating and confusing, but were able to clearly articulate the metadata and provenance information they needed to both understand and trust the indicators. In addition to identifying desired features that are likely to be specific to this audience (e.g., references or citations for indicators), scientists wanted clear, easier-to-access provenance information of the type usually recommended for documenting research data. Notably, they felt the information would be best presented in a fashion accessible to a broader audience, as those with more technical expertise should be able to infer additional contextual details given the provenance information that they had identified as key. Such results are useful for the improvement of indicator systems, such as the prototype released by USGCRP. We note in particular that the consistency of responses across the multi-disciplinary sample, which included scholars in

Humanistic approach to nursing education: lived experiences of Iranian nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghiyasvandian, Shahrzad; Bolourchifard, Fariba; Parsa Yekta, Zohreh

2014-09-28

The nurse teachers tried to have a complete understanding of the educational contents, to transfer knowledge to nursing students better, and to facilitate the process of education. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Iranian nursing students regarding the characteristics of academic nurse teachers. In this hermeneutic phenomenological study, data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 12 Iranian nursing students and the audio-taped and transcribed interviews analyzed according to Van Manen´s method. The main theme emerged during data analysis, was "humanistic approach to nursing education". The theme was extracted from 2 sub-themes including 'ethical necessities' and 'effective interaction'. The findings present greater understanding of humanistic approach to nursing education.

Protru: Leveraging Provenance to Enhance Network Trust in a Wireless Sensor Network

Science.gov (United States)

Dogan, Gulustan

2013-01-01

Trust can be an important component of wireless sensor networks for believability of the produced data and historical value is a crucial asset in deciding trust of the data. A node's trust can change over time after its initial deployment due to various reasons such as energy loss, environmental conditions or exhausting sources. Provenance can…

History’s Inconveniences and the Experiences of Exile: A Phenomenological Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bondor George

2005-06-01

Full Text Available The first part of this paper identifies and analyzes four European cultural models often taken over by Romanian philosophers in XX-th century: the Rationalist, the Romantic, the Marxist and the Existentialist ones. In order to depict the specific manner that two of these models - the romantic and the existentialist - can be found in Romanian philosophy, I shall discuss a common topic, namely the exile, understood as an „escape from history”. The second part of the paper focuses on a phenomenological approach of exile, clarifying different horizons of meaning of this phenomenon, and analyzing those experiences closely connected with the cultural phenomena of exile. The third part of the paper offers a phenomenological description of the places, instances and experiences of exile in Constantin Noica’s life and work. In this respect, I shall analyze several aspects that define the phenomena of exile as an escape from history: Noica’s personality; the mediating function of the School, of philosophy and of culture; the utopian features of The Paltinis School; the theoretical approaches of the question of history, from the denial of factual history to the construction of a different concept of historicity, which can be ultimately regarded as a metaphysical one.

A unified modeling approach for physical experiment design and optimization in laser driven inertial confinement fusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Haiyan [Mechatronics Engineering School of Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Huang, Yunbao, E-mail: Huangyblhy@gmail.com [Mechatronics Engineering School of Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Jiang, Shaoen, E-mail: Jiangshn@vip.sina.com [Laser Fusion Research Center, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Jing, Longfei, E-mail: scmyking_2008@163.com [Laser Fusion Research Center, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China); Tianxuan, Huang; Ding, Yongkun [Laser Fusion Research Center, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900 (China)

2015-11-15

Highlights: • A unified modeling approach for physical experiment design is presented. • Any laser facility can be flexibly defined and included with two scripts. • Complex targets and laser beams can be parametrically modeled for optimization. • Automatically mapping of laser beam energy facilitates targets shape optimization. - Abstract: Physical experiment design and optimization is very essential for laser driven inertial confinement fusion due to the high cost of each shot. However, only limited experiments with simple structure or shape on several laser facilities can be designed and evaluated in available codes, and targets are usually defined by programming, which may lead to it difficult for complex shape target design and optimization on arbitrary laser facilities. A unified modeling approach for physical experiment design and optimization on any laser facilities is presented in this paper. Its core idea includes: (1) any laser facility can be flexibly defined and included with two scripts, (2) complex shape targets and laser beams can be parametrically modeled based on features, (3) an automatically mapping scheme of laser beam energy onto discrete mesh elements of targets enable targets or laser beams be optimized without any additional interactive modeling or programming, and (4) significant computation algorithms are additionally presented to efficiently evaluate radiation symmetry on the target. Finally, examples are demonstrated to validate the significance of such unified modeling approach for physical experiments design and optimization in laser driven inertial confinement fusion.

A Simulation Modeling Approach Method Focused on the Refrigerated Warehouses Using Design of Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, G. S.

2017-09-01

For performance optimization of Refrigerated Warehouses, design parameters are selected based on the physical parameters such as number of equipment and aisles, speeds of forklift for ease of modification. This paper provides a comprehensive framework approach for the system design of Refrigerated Warehouses. We propose a modeling approach which aims at the simulation optimization so as to meet required design specifications using the Design of Experiment (DOE) and analyze a simulation model using integrated aspect-oriented modeling approach (i-AOMA). As a result, this suggested method can evaluate the performance of a variety of Refrigerated Warehouses operations.

Materials for pressure equipment under the new approach directives: a one-year home-experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zdankiewicz, M.

2005-01-01

The New Approach Directives concerning pressure equipment set forth basic safety requirements for their designing, manufacturing and testing. The said requirements are being implemented in the field of materials in Poland after one-year experience. (author)

Reporting on the Strategies Needed to Implement Proven Interventions: An Example From a "Real-World" Cross-Setting Implementation Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Rachel; Bunce, Arwen E; Cohen, Deborah J; Hollombe, Celine; Nelson, Christine A; Proctor, Enola K; Pope, Jill A; DeVoe, Jennifer E

2016-08-01

The objective of this study was to empirically demonstrate the use of a new framework for describing the strategies used to implement quality improvement interventions and provide an example that others may follow. Implementation strategies are the specific approaches, methods, structures, and resources used to introduce and encourage uptake of a given intervention's components. Such strategies have not been regularly reported in descriptions of interventions' effectiveness, or in assessments of how proven interventions are implemented in new settings. This lack of reporting may hinder efforts to successfully translate effective interventions into "real-world" practice. A recently published framework was designed to standardize reporting on implementation strategies in the implementation science literature. We applied this framework to describe the strategies used to implement a single intervention in its original commercial care setting, and when implemented in community health centers from September 2010 through May 2015. Per this framework, the target (clinic staff) and outcome (prescribing rates) remained the same across settings; the actor, action, temporality, and dose were adapted to fit local context. The framework proved helpful in articulating which of the implementation strategies were kept constant and which were tailored to fit diverse settings, and simplified our reporting of their effects. Researchers should consider consistently reporting this information, which could be crucial to the success or failure of implementing proven interventions effectively across diverse care settings. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02299791. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyzing price and efficiency dynamics of large appliances with the experience curve approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, Martin; Patel, Martin K.; Junginger, Martin; Blok, Kornelis

2010-01-01

Large appliances are major power consumers in households of industrialized countries. Although their energy efficiency has been increasing substantially in past decades, still additional energy efficiency potentials exist. Energy policy that aims at realizing these potentials faces, however, growing concerns about possible adverse effects on commodity prices. Here, we address these concerns by applying the experience curve approach to analyze long-term price and energy efficiency trends of three wet appliances (washing machines, laundry dryers, and dishwashers) and two cold appliances (refrigerators and freezers). We identify a robust long-term decline in both specific price and specific energy consumption of large appliances. Specific prices of wet appliances decline at learning rates (LR) of 29±8% and thereby much faster than those of cold appliances (LR of 9±4%). Our results demonstrate that technological learning leads to substantial price decline, thus indicating that the introduction of novel and initially expensive energy efficiency technologies does not necessarily imply adverse price effects in the long term. By extending the conventional experience curve approach, we find a steady decline in the specific energy consumption of wet appliances (LR of 20-35%) and cold appliances (LR of 13-17%). Our analysis suggests that energy policy might be able to bend down energy experience curves. (author)

The crisis is homemade. Why we need a playful approach in teaching and practising strategic preparedness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reinhard Ematinger

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Although the research on how to develop strategic preparedness, or resilience, has generated a great deal of interest among organizational theorists, many of the empirical studies conducted share important methodological limitations. When investigating how educational experiences boosting the participants’ capacities to learn, adapt, and apply can create sustainable value for organizations – be it non-profit-organizations or international enterprises – it becomes obvious that applied systematic creativity like playful construction, improvisation, and imagination, as well as making use of design thinking approaches, will benefit the organizations’ strategic preparedness for future scenarios.The first chapter will be on a relevant framework and the theories which fuel the value of playful and design-led approaches when it comes to corporate strategy, service development, and team identity. The framework will be illustrated in the second chapter with a proven approach designed for this very purpose. The third chapter will reflect on how to utilize this approach for teaching purposes and will elaborate on a draft for educators who want to move in this direction.

Neutron activation analysis of bulk samples from Chinese ancient porcelain to provenance research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jian Zhu; Wentao Hao; Jianming Zhen; Tongxiu Zhen; Glascock, M.D.

2013-01-01

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) is an important technique to determine the provenance of ancient ceramics. The most common technique used for preparing ancient samples for NAA is to grind them into a powder and then encapsulate them before neutron irradiation. Unfortunately, ceramic materials are typically very hard making it a challenge to grind them into a powder. In this study we utilize bulk porcelain samples cut from ancient shards. The bulk samples are irradiated by neutrons alongside samples that have been conventionally ground into a powder. The NAA for both the bulk samples and powders are compared and shown to provide equivalent information regarding their chemical composition. Also, the multivariate statistical have been employed to the analysis data for check the consistency. The findings suggest that NAA results are less dependent on the state of the porcelain sample, and thus bulk samples cut from shards may be used to effectively determine their provenance. (author)

Beyond the midbrain atrophy: wide spectrum of structural MRI finding in cases of pathologically proven progressive supranuclear palsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakurai, Keita; Tokumaru, Aya M.; Shimoji, Keigo; Murayama, Shigeo; Kanemaru, Kazutomi; Morimoto, Satoru; Aiba, Ikuko; Nakagawa, Motoo; Ozawa, Yoshiyuki; Shimohira, Masashi; Shibamoto, Yuta; Matsukawa, Noriyuki; Hashizume, Yoshio

2017-01-01

Recently, it has been recognized that pathologically proven progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) cases are classified into various clinical subtypes with non-uniform symptoms and imaging findings. This article reviews essential imaging findings, general information, and advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for PSP and presents these MRI findings of pathologically proven typical and atypical PSP cases for educational purposes. With the review of literatures, notably including atypical pathologically proven PSP cases, MRI and clinical information of 15 pathologically proven typical and atypical PSP cases were retrospectively evaluated. In addition to typical symptoms, PSP patients can exhibit atypical symptoms including levodopa-responsive parkinsonism, pure akinesia, non-fluent aphasia, corticobasal syndrome, and predominant cerebellar ataxia. As well as clinical symptoms, the degree of midbrain atrophy, a well-known imaging hallmark, is not consistent in atypical PSP cases. This fact has important implications for the limitation of midbrain atrophy as a diagnostic imaging biomarker of PSP pathology. Additional evaluation of other imaging findings including various regional atrophies of the globus pallidus, frontal lobe, cerebral peduncle, and superior cerebellar peduncle is essential for the diagnosis of atypical PSP cases. It is necessary for radiologists to recognize the wide clinical and radiological spectra of typical and atypical PSP cases. (orig.)

Beyond the midbrain atrophy: wide spectrum of structural MRI finding in cases of pathologically proven progressive supranuclear palsy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakurai, Keita; Tokumaru, Aya M.; Shimoji, Keigo [Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Center of Gerontology, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Tokyo (Japan); Murayama, Shigeo; Kanemaru, Kazutomi; Morimoto, Satoru [Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, Department of Neurology, Tokyo (Japan); Aiba, Ikuko [National Hospital Organization Higashi Nagoya National Hospital, Department of Neurology, Nagoya (Japan); Nakagawa, Motoo; Ozawa, Yoshiyuki; Shimohira, Masashi; Shibamoto, Yuta [Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Department of Radiology, Nagoya (Japan); Matsukawa, Noriyuki [Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Nagoya (Japan); Hashizume, Yoshio [Fukushimura Hospital, Choju Medical Institute, Toyohashi (Japan)

2017-05-15

Recently, it has been recognized that pathologically proven progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) cases are classified into various clinical subtypes with non-uniform symptoms and imaging findings. This article reviews essential imaging findings, general information, and advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for PSP and presents these MRI findings of pathologically proven typical and atypical PSP cases for educational purposes. With the review of literatures, notably including atypical pathologically proven PSP cases, MRI and clinical information of 15 pathologically proven typical and atypical PSP cases were retrospectively evaluated. In addition to typical symptoms, PSP patients can exhibit atypical symptoms including levodopa-responsive parkinsonism, pure akinesia, non-fluent aphasia, corticobasal syndrome, and predominant cerebellar ataxia. As well as clinical symptoms, the degree of midbrain atrophy, a well-known imaging hallmark, is not consistent in atypical PSP cases. This fact has important implications for the limitation of midbrain atrophy as a diagnostic imaging biomarker of PSP pathology. Additional evaluation of other imaging findings including various regional atrophies of the globus pallidus, frontal lobe, cerebral peduncle, and superior cerebellar peduncle is essential for the diagnosis of atypical PSP cases. It is necessary for radiologists to recognize the wide clinical and radiological spectra of typical and atypical PSP cases. (orig.)

Managing Identifiers for Elements of Provenance of the Third National Climate Assessment in the Global Change Information System (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Tilmes, C.; Aulenbach, S.; Duggan, B.; Goldstein, J.

2013-12-01

A Federal Advisory Committee (The "National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee" or NCADAC) has overseen the development of a draft climate report that after extensive review will be considered by the Federal Government in the Third National Climate Assessment (NCA). This comprehensive report (1) Integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the Program and discusses the scientific uncertainties associated with such findings; (2) Analyzes the effects of global change on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity; and (3) Analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years. The U.S. Global Change Program (USGCRP), composed of the 13 federal agencies most concerned with global change, is building a Global Change Information System (GCIS) that will ultimately organize access to all of the research, data, and information about global change from across the system. A prototype of the system has been constructed that captures and presents all of the elements of provenance of the NCA through a coherent data model and friendly front end web site. This work will focus on the globally unique and persistent identifiers used to reference and organize those items. These include externally referenced items, such as DOIs used by scientific journal publishers for research articles or by agencies as dataset identifiers, as well as our own internal approach to identifiers, our overall data model and experiences managing persistent identifiers within the GCIS.

Ab initio Hamiltonian approach to light nuclei and quantum field theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vary, James P.

2009-01-01

A basis-function approach that has proven successful for solving the nonrelativistic strongly interacting nuclear many-body problem and appears promising for solving relativistic field theory in a light-front Hamiltonian framework is presented. Both conventional nuclear manybody theory and light-front field theory face common issues within the Hamiltonian approach - i.e. how to; (1) define the Hamiltonian; (2) renormalize to a finite space; (3) solve for non-perturbative observables, preserving as many symmetries as possible; and (4) take the continuum limit. Each of these challenges requires a substantial undertaking but appears solvable. Advances in computational physics, both algorithms and parallel computers, have proven essential to the recent progress. I will present results that illustrate the recent advances and indicate the path forward to ever more realistic applications

Mathematical Modeling Approaches in Plant Metabolomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Fürtauer, Lisa; Weiszmann, Jakob; Weckwerth, Wolfram; Nägele, Thomas

2018-01-01

The experimental analysis of a plant metabolome typically results in a comprehensive and multidimensional data set. To interpret metabolomics data in the context of biochemical regulation and environmental fluctuation, various approaches of mathematical modeling have been developed and have proven useful. In this chapter, a general introduction to mathematical modeling is presented and discussed in context of plant metabolism. A particular focus is laid on the suitability of mathematical approaches to functionally integrate plant metabolomics data in a metabolic network and combine it with other biochemical or physiological parameters.

EPR spectroscopy can help with paint pigment provenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Troup, G.J.; Hutton, D.R.

2000-01-01

Full text: The microwave magnetic spectroscopic technique EPR can be used to determine the presence of paramagnetic impurities in paint pigments, and the purity of composition regarding the main colourant. Hence EPR can help determine provenance of pigments, just as it can for gemstones. Specimens of Lapis Lazuli (synthetic, Afghanistan, Chile, Greenland) showed quite recognisably different spectra, at room temperature, in a Varian E-12 X-band spectrometer (9.1 GHz frequency). Similarly, specimens of yellow ochre, two imported into Australia, one North Australian, another 95% pure Goethite, showed recognisably different spectra. The North Australian one uniquely gave a known radiation damage signal from quartz, perhaps to be expected, given the abundance of radioactive ores in the region. Further samples have been obtained and the results from these will be reported

Rhetoric, logic, and experiment in the quantum nonlocality debate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graft Donald A.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper argues that quantum nonlocality (QNL has not been rigorously proven, despite the existence of recent Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen-Bohm (EPRB experiments that are claimed to be ‘loophole-free’. First, readers are alerted to rhetorical arguments, which are unfortunately often appealed to in the QNL debate, to empower readers to identify and reject such arguments. Second, logical problems in QNL proofs are described and exemplified by a discussion of the projection postulate problem. Third, experimental issues are described and exemplified by a discussion of the postselection problem. The paper concludes that QNL has not been proven and that locality cannot be excluded.

Metabolic Flux Analysis in Isotope Labeling Experiments Using the Adjoint Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Mottelet, Stephane; Gaullier, Gil; Sadaka, Georges

2017-01-01

Comprehension of metabolic pathways is considerably enhanced by metabolic flux analysis (MFA-ILE) in isotope labeling experiments. The balance equations are given by hundreds of algebraic (stationary MFA) or ordinary differential equations (nonstationary MFA), and reducing the number of operations is therefore a crucial part of reducing the computation cost. The main bottleneck for deterministic algorithms is the computation of derivatives, particularly for nonstationary MFA. In this article, we explain how the overall identification process may be speeded up by using the adjoint approach to compute the gradient of the residual sum of squares. The proposed approach shows significant improvements in terms of complexity and computation time when it is compared with the usual (direct) approach. Numerical results are obtained for the central metabolic pathways of Escherichia coli and are validated against reference software in the stationary case. The methods and algorithms described in this paper are included in the sysmetab software package distributed under an Open Source license at http://forge.scilab.org/index.php/p/sysmetab/.

User Centric Job Monitoring – a redesign and novel approach in the STAR experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arkhipkin, D; Lauret, J; Zulkarneeva, Y

2014-01-01

User Centric Monitoring (or UCM) has been a long awaited feature in STAR, whereas programs, workflows and system 'events' could be logged, broadcast and later analyzed. UCM allows to collect and filter available job monitoring information from various resources and present it to users in a user-centric view rather than an administrative-centric point of view. The first attempt and implementation of 'a' UCM approach was made in STAR 2004 using a log4cxx plug-in back-end and then further evolved with an attempt to push toward a scalable database back-end (2006) and finally using a Web-Service approach (2010, CSW4DB SBIR). The latest showed to be incomplete and not addressing the evolving needs of the experiment where streamlined messages for online (data acquisition) purposes as well as the continuous support for the data mining needs and event analysis need to coexists and unified in a seamless approach. The code also revealed to be hardly maintainable. This paper presents the next evolutionary step of the UCM toolkit, a redesign and redirection of our latest attempt acknowledging and integrating recent technologies and a simpler, maintainable and yet scalable manner. The extended version of the job logging package is built upon three-tier approach based on Task, Job and Event, and features a Web-Service based logging API, a responsive AJAX-powered user interface, and a database back-end relying on MongoDB, which is uniquely suited for STAR needs. In addition, we present details of integration of this logging package with the STAR offline and online software frameworks. Leveraging on the reported experience and work from the ATLAS and CMS experience on using the ESPER engine, we discuss and show how such approach has been implemented in STAR for meta-data event triggering stream processing and filtering. An ESPER based solution seems to fit well into the online data acquisition system where many systems are monitored.

Missing Rings, Synchronous Growth, and Ecological Disturbance in a 36-Year Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida Provenance Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Leland

Full Text Available Provenance studies are an increasingly important analog for understanding how trees adapted to particular climatic conditions might respond to climate change. Dendrochronological analysis can illuminate differences among trees from different seed sources in terms of absolute annual growth and sensitivity to external growth factors. We analyzed annual radial growth of 567 36-year-old pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill. trees from 27 seed sources to evaluate their performance in a New Jersey Pine Barrens provenance experiment. Unexpectedly, missing rings were prevalent in most trees, and some years-1992, 1999, and 2006-had a particularly high frequency of missing rings across the plantation. Trees from local seed sources (<55 km away from the plantation had a significantly smaller percentage of missing rings from 1980-2009 (mean: 5.0%, relative to northernmost and southernmost sources (mean: 9.3% and 7.9%, respectively. Some years with a high frequency of missing rings coincide with outbreaks of defoliating insects or dry growing season conditions. The propensity for missing rings synchronized annual variations in growth across all trees and might have complicated the detection of potential differences in interannual variability among seed sources. Average ring width was significantly larger in seed sources from both the southernmost and warmest origins compared to the northernmost and coldest seed sources in most years. Local seed sources had the highest average radial growth. Adaptation to local environmental conditions and disturbances might have influenced the higher growth rate found in local seed sources. These findings underscore the need to understand the integrative impact of multiple environmental drivers, such as disturbance agents and climate change, on tree growth, forest dynamics, and the carbon cycle.

Experience on implementation of the Integrated Safeguards approach for the MOX facility from the operator's point of view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nomi, Takayoshi; Nagatani, Taketeru; Ninagawa, Junichi; Nakajima, Shinji; Maruyama, Hajime; Asano, Takashi; Fujiwara, Shigeo

2011-01-01

The IS approach for the JNC-1 site was implemented in August 2008, and this was the first experience in the world. This IS approach aimed not only to improve efficiency and effectiveness of safeguards but also to reduce burden of the plant operation by improvement of efficiency of the inspection activity. It was planned to review effectiveness of this new approach after three years from implementation. And JAEA also evaluated effects by application of the IS approach for two MOX fuel facilities in the JNC-1 site based on the three years experiences from the operator's view point. As the result of evaluation, it was confirmed that there were some difference of benefits by application of the IS approach depending on features of the facility, automation level of equipment and advance level of safeguards systems. (author)

Thinkering through Experiments: Nurturing Transdisciplinary Approaches to the Design of Testing Tools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn B. Francis

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In order to assess and understand human behavior, traditional approaches to experimental design incorporate testing tools that are often artificial and devoid of corporeal features. Whilst these offer experimental control in situations in which, methodologically, real behaviors cannot be examined, there is increasing evidence that responses given in these contextually deprived experiments fail to trigger genuine responses. This may result from a lack of consideration regarding the material makeup and associations connected with the fabric of experimental tools. In a two-year collaboration, we began to experiment with the physicality of testing tools using the domain of moral psychology as a case study. This collaboration involved thinkering and prototyping methods that included direct contact and consideration of the materials involved in experimentation. Having explored the embodied nature of morality, we combined approaches from experimental psychology, moral philosophy, design thinking, and computer science to create a new testing tool for simulated moral behavior. Although the testing tool itself generated fruitful results, this paper considers the collaborative methodology through which it was produced as a route to highlight material questions within psychological research.

Showing the Unsayable: Participatory Visual Approaches and the Constitution of 'Patient Experience' in Healthcare Quality Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Papoulias, Constantina

2018-06-01

This article considers the strengths and potential contributions of participatory visual methods for healthcare quality improvement research. It argues that such approaches may enable us to expand our understanding of 'patient experience' and of its potential for generating new knowledge for health systems. In particular, they may open up dimensions of people's engagement with services and treatments which exceed both the declarative nature of responses to questionnaires and the narrative sequencing of self reports gathered through qualitative interviewing. I will suggest that working with such methods may necessitate a more reflexive approach to the constitution of evidence in quality improvement work. To this end, the article will first consider the emerging rationale for the use of visual participatory methods in improvement before outlining the implications of two related approaches-photo-elicitation and PhotoVoice-for the constitution of 'experience'. It will then move to a participatory model for healthcare improvement work, Experience Based Co-Design (EBCD). It will argue that EBCD exemplifies both the strengths and the limitations of adequating visual participatory approaches to quality improvement ends. The article will conclude with a critical reflection on a small photographic study, in which the author participated, and which sought to harness service user perspectives for the design of psychiatric facilities, as a way of considering the potential contribution of visual participatory methods for quality improvement.

Entity Linking Leveraging the GeoDeepDive Cyberinfrastructure and Managing Uncertainty with Provenance.

Science.gov (United States)

Maio, R.; Arko, R. A.; Lehnert, K.; Ji, P.

2017-12-01

Unlocking the full, rich, network of links between the scientific literature and the real world entities to which data correspond - such as field expeditions (cruises) on oceanographic research vessels and physical samples collected during those expeditions - remains a challenge for the geoscience community. Doing so would enable data reuse and integration on a broad scale; making it possible to inspect the network and discover, for example, all rock samples reported in the scientific literature found within 10 kilometers of an undersea volcano, and associated geochemical analyses. Such a capability could facilitate new scientific discoveries. The GeoDeepDive project provides negotiated access to 4.2+ million documents from scientific publishers, enabling text and document mining via a public API and cyberinfrastructure. We mined this corpus using entity linking techniques, which are inherently uncertain, and recorded provenance information about each link. This opens the entity linking methodology to scrutiny, and enables downstream applications to make informed assessments about the suitability of an entity link for consumption. A major challenge is how to model and disseminate the provenance information. We present results from entity linking between journal articles, research vessels and cruises, and physical samples from the Petrological Database (PetDB), and incorporate Linked Data resources such as cruises in the Rolling Deck to Repository (R2R) catalog where possible. Our work demonstrates the value and potential of the GeoDeepDive cyberinfrastructure in combination with Linked Data infrastructure provided by the EarthCube GeoLink project. We present a research workflow to capture provenance information that leverages the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation PROV Ontology.

Experience with the export of nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huettl, A.

1991-01-01

Licensing and regulatory aspects represent an important issue during the definition and implementation phase of a nuclear power project. Strict adherence to the principles 'licensability in country of origin' and 'reference plant as built' may prove to be counterproductive on account of the differences in licensing infrastructure in vendor's and buyer's countries and of the difficulty in striking a balance between proven and up-to-date designs. In order to repeat good experience in safety, consistency of the applicable rules and regulations is important when performing the necessary adaptations to local requirements. The use of an internationally accepted body of rules such as NUSS as a yardstick for safety evaluation helps to identify special requirements in vendor's country, thus minimizing distortions in evaluation of competing bids. Benefitting from ongoing efforts to improve transparency and mutual understanding of the national safety approaches through bodies and missions like INSAG, WANO, OSART, a graded approach for implementing safety review during construction and operation is suggested, matching it to the scope of a national program of NPP construction. Together with efficient project control this will minimize the demands on resources - both human and financial - required for a successful launch of a nuclear power plant. (orig.)

Development of the “Approach to Critical” Experiment Simulation Model for the Consort Reactor Using LABVIEW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbo, D. N. O.

2015-01-01

Following the shutdown of the CONSORT reactor, the “Approach to Critical” experiment which allowed students to observe and understand the procedure for taking the reactor to critical, balancing the system at low power and increasing the power over a range of powers levels and eventual reactor shutdown, would no longer be possible. It was therefore important to develop a simulation model of the experiment that would enable future students to have comparable training. An “Approach to Critical” Experiment Simulation model for the CONSORT Reactor was developed using Lab-VIEW software to simulate the “Students” experiment version. Lab– VIEW software was chosen due to its good user graphical user interface, offers ready to start functions and also the possibility of improving on the system with new algorithms. The modulation process was used to develop mathematical codes from equations using Lab–VIEW 2012 based on the CONSORT historical experimental data and known literature. The Simulation models the kinetics of a sub-critical reactor with a start-up neutron source, such that control rods are used to increase the power, then achieve power balance and finally shutting down the reactor. Reactivity changes due to temperature effects were neglected. The model was validated by testing the code through performing the three parts of the experiment; Approach to Critical, Doubling time method and Rod drop method, and results compared to the historical experimental data. The results were in agreement with historical data. However the negligible variations were obtained in the Rod drop method due to the reactivity values used to generate the code. (author)

Ten ways to design for disgust, sadness, and other enjoyments: A design approach to enrich product experiences with negative emotions

OpenAIRE

Fokkinga, S.F.; Desmet, P.M.A.

2013-01-01

This paper demonstrates how designers can enrich user experiences by purposefully involving negative emotions in user-product interaction. This approach is derived from a framework of rich experience, which explains how and under what circumstances negative emotions make a product experience richer and enjoyable. The approach consists of three steps, where the designer decides 1) which negative emotion is most appropriate for the user context; 2) how and when this emotion is best elicited; an...

Scab susceptibility of a provenance collection of pecan in in the southeastern USA

Science.gov (United States)

Pecan scab is the most economically destructive disease of pecan in the Southeast US. It is spread in rain and is widespread in the Southeast where conditions conducive to epidemics. A provenance collection of pecan from 19 locations representing the native range of the tree is located in Byron, Geo...

ASDF: An Adaptable Seismic Data Format with Full Provenance

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J. A.; Krischer, L.; Tromp, J.; Lefebvre, M. P.

2015-12-01

In order for seismologists to maximize their knowledge of how the Earth works, they must extract the maximum amount of useful information from all recorded seismic data available for their research. This requires assimilating large sets of waveform data, keeping track of vast amounts of metadata, using validated standards for quality control, and automating the workflow in a careful and efficient manner. In addition, there is a growing gap between CPU/GPU speeds and disk access speeds that leads to an I/O bottleneck in seismic workflows. This is made even worse by existing seismic data formats that were not designed for performance and are limited to a few fixed headers for storing metadata.The Adaptable Seismic Data Format (ASDF) is a new data format for seismology that solves the problems with existing seismic data formats and integrates full provenance into the definition. ASDF is a self-describing format that features parallel I/O using the parallel HDF5 library. This makes it a great choice for use on HPC clusters. The format integrates the standards QuakeML for seismic sources and StationXML for receivers. ASDF is suitable for storing earthquake data sets, where all waveforms for a single earthquake are stored in a one file, ambient noise cross-correlations, and adjoint sources. The format comes with a user-friendly Python reader and writer that gives seismologists access to a full set of Python tools for seismology. There is also a faster C/Fortran library for integrating ASDF into performance-focused numerical wave solvers, such as SPECFEM3D_GLOBE. Finally, a GUI tool designed for visually exploring the format exists that provides a flexible interface for both research and educational applications. ASDF is a new seismic data format that offers seismologists high-performance parallel processing, organized and validated contents, and full provenance tracking for automated seismological workflows.

How the provenance of electronic health record data matters for research: a case example using system mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Karin E; Kamineni, Aruna; Fuller, Sharon; Olmstead, Danielle; Wernli, Karen J

2014-01-01

The use of electronic health records (EHRs) for research is proceeding rapidly, driven by computational power, analytical techniques, and policy. However, EHR-based research is limited by the complexity of EHR data and a lack of understanding about data provenance, meaning the context under which the data were collected. This paper presents system flow mapping as a method to help researchers more fully understand the provenance of their EHR data as it relates to local workflow. We provide two specific examples of how this method can improve data identification, documentation, and processing. EHRs store clinical and administrative data, often in unstructured fields. Each clinical system has a unique and dynamic workflow, as well as an EHR customized for local use. The EHR customization may be influenced by a broader context such as documentation required for billing. We present a case study with two examples of using system flow mapping to characterize EHR data for a local colorectal cancer screening process. System flow mapping demonstrated that information entered into the EHR during clinical practice required interpretation and transformation before it could be accurately applied to research. We illustrate how system flow mapping shaped our knowledge of the quality and completeness of data in two examples: (1) determining colonoscopy indication as recorded in the EHR, and (2) discovering a specific EHR form that captured family history. Researchers who do not consider data provenance risk compiling data that are systematically incomplete or incorrect. For example, researchers who are not familiar with the clinical workflow under which data were entered might miss or misunderstand patient information or procedure and diagnostic codes. Data provenance is a fundamental characteristic of research data from EHRs. Given the diversity of EHR platforms and system workflows, researchers need tools for evaluating and reporting data availability, quality, and

Retroauricular Approach for Targeted Cochlear Therapy Experiments in Wistar Albino Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Selçuk Mülazımoğlu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background: As the idea of stem cell technology in the treatment of sensorial hearing loss has emerged over the past decades, the need for in vivo models for related experiments has become explicit. One of the most common experimental models for inner ear stem cell delivery experiments is the Wistar albino rat. Aims: To investigate the surgical anatomy of the temporal bone of the Wistar albino rat with respect to the dissection steps, operative techniques and potential pitfalls of surgery. Study Design: Animal experimentation. Methods: Adult Wistar albino rats were operated on via the retroauricular approach under an operation microscope. The anatomy of the temporal bone, the surgical route to the temporal bulla and the inner ear were investigated. Technical details of surgical steps, complications and potential pitfalls during the surgery were noted. Results: The study group consisted of 40 adult Wistar albino rats. The mean times to reach the bulla and to achieve cochleostomy were 4.3 (2-13 min and 7.5 min (3.5-22 min, respectively. The mean width of the facial nerve was 0.84 mm (0.42-1.25 mm. The stapedial artery lay nearly perpendicular to the course of the facial nerve (88-93 °C. There were three major complications: two large cochleostomies and one massive bleed from the stapedial artery. Conclusion: The facial nerve was the key anatomical landmark in locating the bulla. By retrograde tracing of the facial nerve, it was possible to find the bulla ventral (inferior to the main trunk. The facial nerve trunk was the upper limit when drilling the bulla. By dissecting the main trunk of the facial nerve and retracting cranially, a large drilling space could be achieved. Our results suggest that the retroauricular approach is an effective, feasible route for inner ear drug delivery experiments in Wistar albino rats

A Cultural Approach to Understanding Professional Experiences of Foreign-Born Faculty in U.S. Educational Leadership Preparation Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Khrabrova, Iryna; Sanzo, Karen L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional experiences of foreign-born faculty members serving in U.S. educational leadership preparation programs, utilizing a cultural approach to discern their lived experiences related to professional life. Cultural values were explored as reflected in professional life experiences. The…

Systems approaches to computational modeling of the oral microbiome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimiter V. Dimitrov

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Current microbiome research has generated tremendous amounts of data providing snapshots of molecular activity in a variety of organisms, environments, and cell types. However, turning this knowledge into whole system level of understanding on pathways and processes has proven to be a challenging task. In this review we highlight the applicability of bioinformatics and visualization techniques to large collections of data in order to better understand the information that contains related diet – oral microbiome – host mucosal transcriptome interactions. In particular we focus on systems biology of Porphyromonas gingivalis in the context of high throughput computational methods tightly integrated with translational systems medicine. Those approaches have applications for both basic research, where we can direct specific laboratory experiments in model organisms and cell cultures, to human disease, where we can validate new mechanisms and biomarkers for prevention and treatment of chronic disorders

Building international experiences into an engineering curriculum - a design project-based approach

Science.gov (United States)

Maldonado, Victor; Castillo, Luciano; Carbajal, Gerardo; Hajela, Prabhat

2014-07-01

This paper is a descriptive account of how short-term international and multicultural experiences can be integrated into early design experiences in an aerospace engineering curriculum. Such approaches are considered as important not only in fostering a student's interest in the engineering curriculum, but also exposing them to a multicultural setting that they are likely to encounter in their professional careers. In the broader sense, this programme is described as a model that can be duplicated in other engineering disciplines as a first-year experience. In this study, undergraduate students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Universidad del Turabo (UT) in Puerto Rico collaborated on a substantial design project consisting of designing, fabricating, and flight-testing radio-controlled model aircraft as a capstone experience in a semester-long course on Fundamentals of Flight. The two-week long experience in Puerto Rico was organised into academic and cultural components designed with the following objectives: (i) to integrate students in a multicultural team-based academic and social environment, (ii) to practise team-building skills and develop students' critical thinking and analytical skills, and finally (iii) to excite students about their engineering major through practical applications of aeronautics and help them decide if it is a right fit for them.

Factors Associated with Successful Mentoring of Parents Addressing Childhood Obesity: A Mixed Methods Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriela Abigail Villanueva

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. Parents mentoring other parents as a behavioral intervention for child obesity is novel with limited data describing the experience and dynamics of this approach. This study aimed to describe the experiences of parent mentors and the self-efficacy and attitudes of their mentees in the context of a clinical trial for childhood obesity. Methods. The context for this study was a randomized clinical trial using either parent mentors or a community health worker engaging parents of obese children in behavioral change over six months. Parent mentors were interviewed at the mid-point of the intervention using a semistructured questionnaire to elicit their perceptions and experiences during the process of mentoring. Parent mentees completed a survey assessing their self-efficacy, perception of the parent mentor, and attitudes and beliefs related to their child’s weight. Results. The qualitative analysis of parent mentor interviews indicated high commitment despite their nonprofessional status, facing challenges of engagement with fellow parents and attitudes of persistence and being nonjudgmental. The parent mentee ratings of parent mentors were overall very high and similar to the ratings of a community health worker (paraprofessional. Conclusion. The data suggest that a parent mentor model of intervention for child obesity is an acceptable mode of approaching behavior change in the Hispanic population around childhood obesity with potential for scalability if proven effective.

A global renewable mix with proven technologies and common materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García-Olivares, Antonio; Ballabrera-Poy, Joaquim; García-Ladona, Emili; Turiel, Antonio

2012-01-01

A global alternative mix to fossil fuels is proposed, based on proven renewable energy technologies that do not use scarce materials. The mix consists of a combination of onshore and offshore wind turbines, concentrating solar power stations, hydroelectricity and wave power devices attached to the offshore turbines. Solar photovoltaic power could contribute to the mix if its dependence on scarce materials is solved. The most adequate deployment areas for the power stations are studied, as well as the required space. Material requirements are studied for the generation, power transport and for some future transport systems. The order of magnitude of copper, aluminium, neodymium, lithium, nickel, zinc and platinum that may be required for the proposed solution is obtained and compared with available reserves. Overall, the proposed global alternative to fossil fuels seems technically feasible. However, lithium, nickel and platinum could become limiting materials for future vehicles fleet if no global recycling systems were implemented and rechargeable zinc–air batteries would not be developed; 60% of the current copper reserves would have to be employed in the implementation of the proposed solution. Altogether, they may become a long-term physical constraint, preventing the continuation of the usual exponential growth of energy consumption. - Highlights: ▶ A global renewable mix with proven energy technologies and common materials. ▶ Wind turbines, concentrating solar power, hydroelectricity and wave attenuators. ▶ Mix technically feasible. Lithium, nickel and platinum may limit vehicles fleet. ▶ Sixty per cent of copper reserves used in the mix and in societal electrification. ▶ Power cannot growth exponentially. Future “spaceship economy” scenario expected.

Provenance and indirect dating study on Hongzhou Kiln porcelains by INAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, X.Q.; Feng, S.L.; Fan, C.S.; Zhang, W.J.; Quan, K.S.

2005-01-01

Hongzhou Kiln is one of the six leading celadon kilns in Tang Dynasty and plays an important role in the history of Chinese ceramics for its diverse decoration styles and innovative technology. Archaeologists divided Hongzhou Kiln production into 8 periods, i.e. Eastern Han and Eastern Wu, Western Jin, Eastern Jin, Southern Dynasties, Sui, Early Tang, Middle Tang, Late Tang and Five Dynasties. Up to now, 26 kiln sites have been discovered and excavated. A study on the chemical composition of the porcelains of different periods and provenance will help to know the developing process of Hongzhou celadon such as variation of raw materials, recipes, manufacturing technology, causes of prosperity and decline, etc. Over 200 sherds were collected and their body samples were analyzed by INAA. The compositional differences between samples with the same period but different provenance were observed. The contents of Na, Rb, Ba, Fe, Th, U, etc were found to be different among samples from different periods, which implies they may be used to identify the manufacturing age. The analytical data were further processed by principal component analysis (PCA). The statistical results show that all the sherds can be classified into 5 groups, (1) Eastern Han and Eastern Wu; (2) Western Jin, Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties; (3) Sui; (4) Early Tang and Middle Tang; (5) Late Tang and Five Dynasties.

Magnetic resonance imaging findings associated with surgically proven rotator interval lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vinson, Emily N.; Major, Nancy M. [Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, P.O. Box 3808, Durham, NC (United States); Higgins, Laurence D. [Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Boston, MA (United States)

2007-05-15

To identify shoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings associated with surgically proven rotator interval abnormalities. The preoperative MRI examinations of five patients with surgically proven rotator interval (RI) lesions requiring closure were retrospectively evaluated by three musculoskeletal-trained radiologists in consensus. We assessed the structures in the RI, including the coracohumeral ligament, superior glenohumeral ligament, fat tissue, biceps tendon, and capsule for variations in size and signal alteration. In addition, we noted associated findings of rotator cuff and labral pathology. Three of three of the MR arthrogram studies demonstrated extension of gadolinium to the cortex of the undersurface of the coracoid process compared with the control images, seen best on the sagittal oblique images. Four of five of the studies demonstrated subjective thickening of the coracohumeral ligament, and three of five of the studies demonstrated subjective thickening of the superior glenohumeral ligament. Five of five of the studies demonstrated a labral tear. The MRI arthrogram finding of gadolinium extending to the cortex of the undersurface of the coracoid process was noted on the studies of those patients with rotator interval lesions at surgery in this series. Noting this finding - especially in the presence of a labral tear and/or thickening of the coracohumeral ligament or superior glenohumeral ligament - may be helpful in the preoperative diagnosis of rotator interval lesions. (orig.)

Clinical observations associated with proven and unproven cases in the ESCRS study of prophylaxis of postoperative endophthalmitis after cataract surgery.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Barry, Peter

2012-02-01

PURPOSE: To describe cases of postoperative endophthalmitis in the European Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) study of the prophylaxis of endophthalmitis, compare characteristics of unproven cases and cases proven by culture or polymerase chain reaction, and compare the characteristics with those in other reported series. SETTING: Twenty-four ophthalmology units in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. METHODS: Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze data for statistical association of signs and symptoms in cases with proven or unproven endophthalmitis. Specific data describing characteristics of the cases were compared between the 2 types of cases. RESULTS: Data from 29 endophthalmitis cases were analyzed. Swollen lids and pain were statistically associated with proven cases of endophthalmitis on univariable regression analysis. Multivariable analysis indicated that swollen lids and an opaque vitreous were associated with proven cases. Five cases of endophthalmitis occurred in the cefuroxime-treated groups. No case of streptococcal infection occurred in the cefuroxime-treated groups. However, cases of infection due to streptococci showed striking differences in visual acuity and were associated with earlier onset. Characteristics in the 29 cases parallel results in previous studies, such as the Endophthalmitis Vitrectomy Study, although the addition of a control group in the ESCRS study elicited additional findings. CONCLUSION: Swollen lids, pain, and an opaque vitreous were statistically associated with proven endophthalmitis cases in the ESCRS study.

Presurized water reactor safety approach and analysis. From conception to experience feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Libmann, J.

1987-04-01

This report deals in ten chapters, with the following subjects: 1. Safety approach methods; 2. Study of accidents; 3. Safety analysis; 4. Study of internal aggressions or those involved by the site; 5. Consideration of complementary situations; 6. Three Mile Island accident; 7. Safety during operation and experience feedback; 8. An example of analysis: steam generator closure plug; 9. Probabilistic safety evaluation; 10. Chernobyl accident. 30 refs [fr

Single-port laparoscopic approach of the left liver: initial experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Camps Lasa, Judith; Cugat Andorrà, Esteban; Herrero Fonollosa, Eric; García Domingo, María Isabel; Sánchez Martínez, Raquel; Vargas Pierola, Harold; Rodríguez Campos, Aurora

2014-11-01

New technological advances have enabled the development of single-port laparoscopic surgery. This approach began with cholecystectomy and subsequently with other abdominal surgeries. However, few publications on laparoscopic liver surgery have described the use of complete single-port access. We present our initial experience of a single-port laparoscopic hepatectomy. Between May 2012 and December 2013, 5 single-port laparoscopic hepatectomies were performed: one for benign disease and four for colorectal liver metastases. The lesions were approached through a 3-5 cm right supraumbilical incision using a single-port access device. All the lesions were located in hepatic segments II or III. Four left lateral sectorectomies and one left hepatectomy were performed. Median operative time was 135 min. No cases were converted to conventional laparoscopic or open surgery. The oral intake began at 18 h. There were no postoperative complications and no patients required blood transfusion. The median hospital stay was 3 days. The degree of satisfaction was very good in 4 cases and good in one. Patients resumed their normal daily activities at 8 days. Single-port laparoscopic hepatectomy is safe and feasible in selected cases and may reduce surgical aggression and offer better cosmetic results. Comparative studies are needed to determine the real advantages of this approach. Copyright © 2014 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Biosafety capacity building: experiences and challenges from a distance learning approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Pertry, Ine; Sabbadini, Silvia; Goormachtig, Sofie; Lokko, Yvonne; Gheysen, Godelieve; Burssens, Sylvia; Mezzetti, Bruno

2014-01-25

Biotechnology is revolutionizing industrial and agricultural practice as the number of commercial biotechnology products is increasing each year. Simultaneously, several regulatory approaches are put into place to allow technological advancement while preserving public health and the environment. Developing and/or emerging countries often face major barriers to access biotechnologies and biotechnology derived products as they frequently lack the institutional capacities and professional competence in exercising regulatory oversight. To address this need, intensive biosafety capacity building is required. Different training approaches can be used to train individuals in biosafety ranging from long-term leading to a postgraduate certificate or a Masters degree, to short term courses. In this paper, we discuss the applicability of a different approach to biosafety capacity building based on a distance e-learning system, the UNIDO e-Biosafety program that has been annually organized at the Marche Polytechnic University (MPU) in Italy and Ghent University (UGent) in Belgium since 2006. Even though there are some challenges, we can conclude based on our experience that distance learning in combination with on-campus tuition is amendable for biosafety capacity building. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multicomponent and Dissipative Self-Assembly Approaches : Towards functional materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boekhoven, J.

2012-01-01

The use of self-assembly has proven to be a powerful approach to create smart and functional materials and has led to a vast variety of successful examples. However, the full potential of self-assembly has not been reached. Despite the number of successful artificial materials based on

The provenance study of Chinese ancient color glaze from Shanxi by INAA and factor analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, L.; Ding, X.L.; Feng, S.L.; Feng, X.Q.; Lu, Z.R.

2005-01-01

This paper reports the results of the provenance study of Chinese ancient color glaze in Shanxi. The minor and trace elements of body of color glaze in different dynasty from Xiyue temper kiln and that of Lidipo kiln in Ming Dynasty determined by INAA, some of ancient porcelain from Lidipo kiln were measured, also. The factor analysis showed that provenances of the ancient color glazes from Xiyue Temple that were produced during Song Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty were in the place of the Xiyue kiln, and body material of ancient color have little been changed, on the other hand, that of Later Qing Dynasty were-produced from Lidipo kiln. Different color glazes were measured by SRXRF and it proved the colored elements were Fe and Cu.

Real-time approaches to the estimation of local wind velocity for a fixed-wing unmanned air vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, W L; Lee, C S; Hsiao, F B

2011-01-01

Three real-time approaches to estimating local wind velocity for a fixed-wing unmanned air vehicle are presented in this study. All three methods work around the navigation equations with added wind components. The first approach calculates the local wind speed by substituting the ground speed and ascent rate data given by the Global Positioning System (GPS) into the navigation equations. The second and third approaches utilize the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and the unscented Kalman filter (UKF), respectively. The results show that, despite the nonlinearity of the navigation equations, the EKF performance is proven to be on a par with the UKF. A time-varying noise estimation method based on the Wiener filter is also discussed. Results are compared with the average wind speed measured on the ground. All three approaches are proven to be reliable with stated advantages and disadvantages

Data Provenance Architecture for the Geosciences

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, F.; Irving, D. H.

2012-12-01

The pace at which geoscientific insights inform societal development quickens with time and these insights drive decisions and actions of ever-increasing human and economic significance. Until recently academic, commercial and government bodies have maintained distinct bodies of knowledge to support scientific enquiry as well as societal development. However, it has become clear that the curation of the body of data is an activity of equal or higher social and commercial value. We address the community challenges in the curation of, access to, and analysis of scientific data including: the tensions between creators, providers and users; incentives and barriers to sharing; ownership and crediting. We also discuss the technical and financial challenges in maximising the return on the effort made in generating geoscientific data. To illustrate how these challenges might be addressed in the broader geoscientific domain, we describe the high-level data governance and analytical architecture in the upstream Oil Industry. This domain is heavily dependent on costly and highly diverse geodatasets collected and assimilated over timeframes varying from seconds to decades. These data must support both operational decisions at the minute-hour timefame and strategic and economic decisions of enterprise or national scale, and yet be sufficiently robust to last the life of a producing field. We develop three themes around data provenance, data ownership and business models for data curation. 1/ The overarching aspiration is to ensure that data provenance and quality is maintained along the analytical workflow. Hence if data on which a publication or report changes, the report and its publishers can be notified and we describe a mechanism by which dependent knowledge products can be flagged. 2/ From a cost and management point of view we look at who "owns" data especially in cases where the cost of curation and stewardship is significant compared to the cost of acquiring the data

A pedagogical approach to the Boltzmann factor through experiments and simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battaglia, O R; Bonura, A; Sperandeo-Mineo, R M

2009-01-01

The Boltzmann factor is the basis of a huge amount of thermodynamic and statistical physics, both classical and quantum. It governs the behaviour of all systems in nature that are exchanging energy with their environment. To understand why the expression has this specific form involves a deep mathematical analysis, whose flow of logic is hard to see and is not at the level of high school or college students' preparation. We here present some experiments and simulations aimed at directly deriving its mathematical expression and illustrating the fundamental concepts on which it is grounded. Experiments use easily available apparatuses, and simulations are developed in the Net-Logo environment that, besides having a user-friendly interface, allows an easy interaction with the algorithm. The approach supplies pedagogical support for the introduction of the Boltzmann factor at the undergraduate level to students without a background in statistical mechanics.

A pedagogical approach to the Boltzmann factor through experiments and simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Battaglia, O R; Bonura, A; Sperandeo-Mineo, R M [University of Palermo Physics Education Research Group, Dipartimento di Fisica e Tecnologie Relative, Universita di Palermo (Italy)], E-mail: sperandeo@difter.unipa.it

2009-09-15

The Boltzmann factor is the basis of a huge amount of thermodynamic and statistical physics, both classical and quantum. It governs the behaviour of all systems in nature that are exchanging energy with their environment. To understand why the expression has this specific form involves a deep mathematical analysis, whose flow of logic is hard to see and is not at the level of high school or college students' preparation. We here present some experiments and simulations aimed at directly deriving its mathematical expression and illustrating the fundamental concepts on which it is grounded. Experiments use easily available apparatuses, and simulations are developed in the Net-Logo environment that, besides having a user-friendly interface, allows an easy interaction with the algorithm. The approach supplies pedagogical support for the introduction of the Boltzmann factor at the undergraduate level to students without a background in statistical mechanics.

Wood constructions. Energy eficient, sustainable, practically proven; Holzbau Konstruktionen. Energieeffizient, nachhaltig, praxisgerecht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lueckmann, Rudolf

2012-07-01

The book 'Wood constructions' provides standardized and practically proven designs, all necessary information on building physics, fire protection and additional specialized knowledge for energy efficient renovations and construction details in wood construction. The main topics of this book are: Fundamentals, timber-frame structures, wood preservation, thermal insulation, sound insulation, fire protection, energy-efficient timber buildings, timber construction systems, rehabilitation of timber structures, relevant regulations and standards.

An allometric approach of tumor-angiogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Szasz, Oliver; Vincze, Gyula; Szigeti, Gyula Peter; Benyo, Zoltan; Szasz, Andras

2018-07-01

Angiogenesis is one of the main supporting factors of tumor-progression. It is a complex set of interactions together with hypoxia and inflammation, regulating tumor growth. The objective of this study is to examine the effect of angiogenesis with an allometric approach applied to angiogenesis and the regulating factors. The results show that allometry has the potential to describe this aspect, including the sigmoid-like transport function. There are particular conditions under which the complex control maximizes the relative tumor mass. Linear growth of malignancy diameter with an allometric approach was proven. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Provenance of Fine-grained Sediments in the Inner Shelf of the Korea Strait (South Sea), Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Um, In kwon; Choi, Man Sik; Bae, Sung Ho; Song, Yunho; Kong, Gee Soo

2018-03-01

Major metals (Al, Fe, Mg, and Ti), trace metals (Li, Cs, Sc, and Rb), and rare earth elements (REEs) in the fine-grained sediments (South Sea mud (CSSM) were analyzed to determine the sediment provenance. The spatial distribution of the analyzed elements showed a clear separation between the western (W-CSSM) and eastern (E-CSSM) regions of the CSSM. Concentrations of Fe, Ti, Mg, Sc, and REEs were higher in the WCSSM, whereas concentrations of Al, Cs, Li, and Rb were higher in the E-CSSM. Unlike the ratios of trace metals ((Cs+Sc)/Li and Rb/Li), REEs could not be used to track the provenance of fine-grained sediments because of a grain size effect. The mixing relationships of the provenance indicators showed that the fine-grained sediments of the CSSM comprise a mixture of the sediments discharged from the Seomjin River (SRS) and sediments eroded and transported from the Heuksan mud belt (HMBS) area by the Korean Coastal Current. Sediments originating from the HMB were deposited mostly in the W-CSSM, whereas those from the Seomjin River were deposited mostly in the E-CSSM. This study indicated that sediments from Chinese rivers as well as the Geum River are important even in the inner shelf of the South Sea of Korea.

Gender, Narratives and Intersectionality: can Personal Experience Approaches to Research Contribute to "Undoing Gender"?

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Barbara Ann

2009-11-01

This paper examines narrative methodologies as one approach to exploring issues of gender, education and social justice and, particularly, insights into "undoing gender". It furthermore examines the possibilities of exploring gender and its multiple intersections in a range of global and policy contexts through the use of personal experience approaches. The "storying" of lived experience is examined as a means of challenging dominant discourses which can construct and other individuals and groups in relation to many aspects of gender and education. Drawing on intersectionality, as a complex and developing feminist theory, the paper considers ways in which narrative can illuminate often hidden complexities while seeking to avoid generalisations and essentialisms. The difficulties of using narrative in relation to these aims are explored in the light of the warnings of feminist writers such as Michele Fine and bell hooks. The paper briefly considers narrative as both methodology and phenomenon, and finally, drawing on critical discourse analysis, discusses the potential of intersectionality and narrative in relation to undoing gender.

Partitioning sediment flux by provenance and tracing erosion patterns in Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Resentini, Alberto; Goren, Liran; Castelltort, Sébastien; Garzanti, Eduardo

2017-07-01

We critically evaluate the potential and limitations of an alternative way to calculate erosion rates based on petrographic and mineralogical fingerprints of fluvial sediments coupled with gauged sediment fluxes. Our approach allows us to apportion sediment loads to different lithological units, and consequently to discriminate erosion rates in different tectonic domains within each catchment. Our provenance data on modern Taiwanese sands indicate focused erosion in the Backbone Range and Tananao Complex of the retrowedge. Lower rates are inferred for the northern part of the island characterized by tectonic extension and for the western foothills in the prowedge. The principal factor of uncertainty affecting our estimates is the inevitably inaccurate evaluation of total sediment load, because only the suspended flux was measured. Another is the assumption that suspended load and bed load are derived from the same sources in fixed proportions. Additional errors are caused by the insufficiently precise definition of lithologically similar compositional end-members and by the temporal variability of sediment composition at the outlet of each catchment related to the spatial variability of erosional processes and triggering agents such as earthquakes, typhoons, and landslides. To evaluate the robustness of our findings, we applied a morphometric technique based on the stream-power model. The results obtained are broadly consistent, with local discrepancies ascribed to poorly constrained assumptions and choices of scaling parameters. Our local erosion estimates are consistent with GPS uplift rates measured on a decadal timescale and generally higher than basin-wide results inferred from cosmogenic-nuclide and thermochronology data.

Genetic variation of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) provenances and families from Oregon and Washington in juvenile height growth and needle color

Science.gov (United States)

Jim Hamlin; Angelia Kegley; Richard Sniezko

2011-01-01

A three year common garden study was conducted on whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) which included 215 families from the eight provenances or seed zones in Oregon and Washington. Total height and needle color were assessed. Height differed significantly among provenances and families, and was primarily associated with source elevation, longitude, and precipitation. A...

Data Quality, Provenance and IPR Management services: their role in empowering geospatial data suppliers and users

Science.gov (United States)

Millard, Keiran

2015-04-01

This paper looks at current experiences of geospatial users and geospatial suppliers and how they have been limited by suitable frameworks for managing and communicating data quality, data provenance and intellectual property rights (IPR). Current political and technological drivers mean that increasing volumes of geospatial data are available through a plethora of different products and services, and whilst this is inherently a good thing it does create a new generation of challenges. This paper consider two examples of where these issues have been examined and looks at the challenges and possible solutions from a data user and data supplier perspective. The first example is the IQmulus project that is researching fusion environments for big geospatial point clouds and coverages. The second example is the EU Emodnet programme that is establishing thematic data portals for public marine and coastal data. IQmulus examines big geospatial data; the data from sources such as LIDAR, SONAR and numerical simulations; these data are simply too big for routine and ad-hoc analysis, yet they could realise a myriad of disparate, and readily useable, information products with the right infrastructure in place. IQmulus is researching how to deliver this infrastructure technically, but a financially sustainable delivery depends on being able to track and manage ownership and IPR across the numerous data sets being processed. This becomes complex when the data is composed of multiple overlapping coverages, however managing this allows for uses to be delivered highly-bespoke products to meet their budget and technical needs. The Emodnet programme delivers harmonised marine data at the EU scale across seven thematic portals. As part of the Emodnet programme a series of 'check points' have been initiated to examine how useful these services and other public data services actually are to solve real-world problems. One key finding is that users have been confused by the fact that often

Obsidian provenance studies in archaeology: A comparison between PIXE, ICP-AES and ICP-MS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellot-Gurlet, Ludovic; Poupeau, Gerard; Salomon, Joseph; Calligaro, Thomas; Moignard, Brice; Dran, Jean-Claude; Barrat, Jean-Alix; Pichon, Laurent

2005-01-01

Elemental composition fingerprinting by PIXE technique is very attractive for obsidian provenance studies as it may proceed in a non-destructive mode, even if a more complete elemental characterization can be obtained by ICP-MS and/or ICP-AES. Only few studies have compared results obtained by both methods for solid rock samples. In this work, elemental compositions were determined by ICP-MS/-AES for international geochemical standards and by ICP-MS/-AES and PIXE for inter-laboratory reference obsidians. In addition 49 obsidian source samples and artefacts were analysed by both ICP-MS/-AES and PIXE. Instrumental work and measurement quality control performed for obsidian chemical characterization, underline that PIXE and ICP-MS/-AES provide reproducible, accurate and comparable measurements. In some volcanic districts the limited number of elements dosed by PIXE is sufficient for the discrimination of the potential raw sources of obsidians. Therefore, PIXE can be an advantageous substitute to ICP-MS/-AES techniques for provenance studies

Experiences in messaging middle-ware for high-level control applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wanga, N.; Shasharina, S.; Matykiewicz, J.; Rooparani Pundaleeka

2012-01-01

Existing high-level applications in accelerator control and modeling systems leverage many different languages, tools and frameworks that do not inter-operate with one another. As a result, the accelerator control community is moving toward the proven Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach to address the inter-operability challenges among heterogeneous high-level application modules. Such SOA approach enables developers to package various control subsystems and activities into 'services' with well-defined 'interfaces' and make leveraging heterogeneous high-level applications via flexible composition possible. Examples of such applications include presentation panel clients based on Control System Studio (CSS) and middle-layer applications such as model/data servers. This paper presents our experiences in developing a demonstrative high-level application environment using emerging messaging middle-ware standards. In particular, we utilize new features in EPICS v4 and other emerging standards such as Data Distribution Service (DDS) and Extensible Type Interface by the Object Management Group. We first briefly review examples we developed previously. We then present our current effort in integrating DDS into such a SOA environment for control systems. Specifically, we illustrate how we are integrating DDS into CSS and develop a Python DDS mapping. (authors)

A New Approach toward Cyanotype Photography Using Tris-(Oxalato)ferrate(III): An Integrated Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Fiorito, Pablo Alejandro; Polo, Andre´ Sarto

2015-01-01

This work presents an approach that integrates the preparation of a coordination compound, potassium tris- (oxalato)ferrate(III), with its photochemical behavior and provides a possible application, the printing of a photograph using the cyanotype technique. Through this experiment, students can be taught several concepts that occur in a…

Archaeological reconstruction of medieval lead production: Implications for ancient metal provenance studies and paleopollution tracing by Pb isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, Sandrine; Le-Carlier, Cecile; Carignan, Jean; Ploquin, Alain

2009-01-01

The identification of metal provenance is often based on chemical and Pb isotope analyses of materials from the operating chain, mainly ores and metallic artefacts. Such analyses, however, have their limits. Some studies are unable to trace metallic artefacts or ingots to their ore sources, even in well-constrained archaeological contexts. Possible reasons for this difficulty are to be found among a variety of limiting factors: (i) problems of ore signatures, (ii) mixing of different ores (alloys), (iii) the use of additives during the metallurgical process, (iv) metal recycling and (v) possible Pb isotopic fractionation during metal production. This paper focuses on the issue of Pb isotope fractionation during smelting to address the issue of metal provenance. Through an experimental reconstruction of argentiferous Pb production in the medieval period, an attempt was made to better understand and interpret the Pb isotopic composition of ore smelting products. It is shown that the measured differences (outside the total external uncertainties of 0.005 (2*sd) for 206 Pb/ 204 Pb ratios) in Pb signatures measured between ores, slag and smoke are not due to Pb mass fractionation processes, but to (1) ore heterogeneity (Δ 206 Pb/ 204 Pb slag-ores = 0.066) and (2) the use of additives during the metallurgical process (Δ 206 Pb/ 204 Pb slag-ores = 0.083). Even if these differences are due to causes (1) and/or (2), smoke from the ore reduction appears to reflect the ore mining area without a significant disturbance of its Pb signature for all the isotopic ratios (Δ 206 Pb/ 204 Pb smokes-ores = 0.026). Thus, because the isotopic heterogeneity of the mining district and additives is averaged in slags, slag appears as the most relevant product to identify ancient metal provenance. Whereas aiming at identifying a given mine seems beyond the possibilities provided by the method, searching for the mining district through analysis of the smelting workshop materials should

Species choice, provenance and species trials among native Brazilian species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drumond, M A

1982-01-01

Six papers from the conference are presented. Drumond, M.A., Potential of species native to the semi-arid tropics, 766-781, (Refs. 18), reports on Anadenanthera macrocarpa, Mimosa species, Schinopsis brasiliensis, Spondias tuberosa, Ziziphus joazeiro, Cnidoscolus phyllacanthus, Bursera leptophleos (leptophloeos), Tabebuia impetiginosa, Astronium urundeuva, and Mimosa caesalpinia. Monteiro, R.F.R., Speltz, R.M., Gurgel, J.T. do A.; Silvicultural performance of 24 provenances of Araucaria angustifolia in Parana, 814-824, (Refs. 8). Pires, C.L. da S., Kalil Filho, A.N., Rosa, P.R.F. da, Parente, P.R., Zanatto, A.C.S.; Provenance trials of Cordia alliodora in the State of Sao Paulo, 988-995, (Refs. 9). Nogueira, J.C.B., Siqueira, A.C.M.F., Garrido, M.A.O., Gurgel Garrido, L.M. do A., Rosa, P.R.F., Moraes, J.L. de, Zandarin, M.A., Gurgel Filho, O.A., Trials of some native species in various regions of the State of Sao Paulo, 1051-1063, (Refs. 9) describes Centrolobium tomentosum, Peltophorum dubium, Tabebuia vellosoi, Cariniana legalis, and Balfourodendron riedelianum. Batista, M.P., Borges, J.F., Franco, M.A.B.; Early growth of a native species in comparison with exotics in northeastern Para, Brazil, 1105-1110, (Refs. 3). Jacaranda copaia is compared with Gmelina arborea, Pinus caribaea various hondurensis, Eucalyptus deglupta, and E. urophylla. Lima, P.C.F., Souza, S.M. de, Drumond, M.A.; Trials of native forest species at Petrolina, Pernambuco, 1139-1148, (Refs. 8), deals with Anadenanthera macrocarpa, Piptadenia obliqua, Pithecellobium foliolosum, Astronium urundeuva, Schinopsis brasiliensis, Cassia excelsa, Caesalpinia pyramidalis, Parkia platycephala, Pseudobombax simplicifolium, Tabebuia impetiginosa, Caesalpinia ferrea, and Aspidosperma pyrifolium. 18 references.

Use of genomic recursions and algorithm for proven and young animals for single-step genomic BLUP analyses--a simulation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Fragomeni, B O; Lourenco, D A L; Tsuruta, S; Masuda, Y; Aguilar, I; Misztal, I

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to examine accuracy of genomic selection via single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) when the direct inverse of the genomic relationship matrix (G) is replaced by an approximation of G(-1) based on recursions for young genotyped animals conditioned on a subset of proven animals, termed algorithm for proven and young animals (APY). With the efficient implementation, this algorithm has a cubic cost with proven animals and linear with young animals. Ten duplicate data sets mimicking a dairy cattle population were simulated. In a first scenario, genomic information for 20k genotyped bulls, divided in 7k proven and 13k young bulls, was generated for each replicate. In a second scenario, 5k genotyped cows with phenotypes were included in the analysis as young animals. Accuracies (average for the 10 replicates) in regular EBV were 0.72 and 0.34 for proven and young animals, respectively. When genomic information was included, they increased to 0.75 and 0.50. No differences between genomic EBV (GEBV) obtained with the regular G(-1) and the approximated G(-1) via the recursive method were observed. In the second scenario, accuracies in GEBV (0.76, 0.51 and 0.59 for proven bulls, young males and young females, respectively) were also higher than those in EBV (0.72, 0.35 and 0.49). Again, no differences between GEBV with regular G(-1) and with recursions were observed. With the recursive algorithm, the number of iterations to achieve convergence was reduced from 227 to 206 in the first scenario and from 232 to 209 in the second scenario. Cows can be treated as young animals in APY without reducing the accuracy. The proposed algorithm can be implemented to reduce computing costs and to overcome current limitations on the number of genotyped animals in the ssGBLUP method. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

A study of low cost approaches to scientific experiment implementation for shuttle launched and serviced automated spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

1975-01-01

Cost reductions that can be obtained in experiment instrumentation by the use of standardized electronics and by the relaxation of instrument reliability requirements are studied. The feasibility of using standardized equipment for experiment instrumentation is assessed and a system design approach that most effectively incorporates standardized equipment is developed. The level and form of modularization that is appropriate for the standardized equipment is determined. Mission assurance aspects of instrument development are examined to determine the cost reductions that might be derived from the relaxation of reliability requirements and to formulate a systematic approach to the optimization of mission assurance cost reductions. The results of the analyses are applied to a representative model HEAO payload in order to provide a concrete example of the cost reductions that can be achieved by a standardized approach to the instrument electronics.

METHODICAL APPROACHES TO THE CREATION MOOC (EXPERIENCE LAC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larysa Nozdrina

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The article presents a number of problems, determining the current state of development of the domestic market of massive open online courses (MOOC. Considering the aim of the research, there is described national experience in this area, proposed and substantiated a number of the criteria and methodological approaches to the implementation of MOOC in higher education. The development of MOOC in the Lviv Academy of Commerce (LAC is reviewed as example. The main factors which determine the success of this educational innovation in the domestic market and are put under the research are software platforms, multimedia software for creating video lectures, course structure and support the learning process. The results of study which have been analyzed in this course can have a positive impact on the functioning of the market MOOC in Ukrainian universities. The article focuses on finding the ways of improving the process of developing and implementing MOOC in higher education in the example of LAC where Web-center on the MOODLE platform is used for e-learning. Further research should focus on the development of institutional mechanisms to ensure the effective design, implementation and operation of the MOOC in the universities in Ukraine. Particular attention during learning in massive open online course should be aimed at improving the educational process and to strengthen student's motivation in MOOC. Experience of MOOC's development in LAC can be useful at creating similar courses at other institutions of higher education in the different platforms, both MOODLE, and on the others

BioQ: tracing experimental origins in public genomic databases using a novel data provenance model.

Science.gov (United States)

Saccone, Scott F; Quan, Jiaxi; Jones, Peter L

2012-04-15

Public genomic databases, which are often used to guide genetic studies of human disease, are now being applied to genomic medicine through in silico integrative genomics. These databases, however, often lack tools for systematically determining the experimental origins of the data. We introduce a new data provenance model that we have implemented in a public web application, BioQ, for assessing the reliability of the data by systematically tracing its experimental origins to the original subjects and biologics. BioQ allows investigators to both visualize data provenance as well as explore individual elements of experimental process flow using precise tools for detailed data exploration and documentation. It includes a number of human genetic variation databases such as the HapMap and 1000 Genomes projects. BioQ is freely available to the public at http://bioq.saclab.net.

Antral follicle count in normal (fertility-proven) and infertile Indian women.

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Arjit; Verma, Ashish; Agarwal, Shubhra; Shukla, Ram Chandra; Jain, Madhu; Srivastava, Arvind

2014-07-01

Antral follicle count (AFC) has been labeled as the most accurate biomarker to assess female fecundity. Unfortunately, no baseline Indian data exists, and we continue using surrogate values from the Western literature (inferred from studies on women, grossly different than Indian women in morphology and genetic makeup). (1) To establish the role of AFC as a function of ovarian reserve in fertility-proven and in subfertile Indian women. (2) To establish baseline cut-off AFC values for Indian women. Prospective observational case-control study. Thirty patients undergoing workup for infertility were included and compared to equal number of controls (women with proven fertility). The basal ovarian volume and AFC were measured by endovaginal. USG the relevant clinical data and hormonal assays were charted for every patient. SPSS platform was used to perform the Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test for intergroup comparisons. Correlations were determined by Pearson's ranked correlation coefficient. Regression analysis revealed the highest correlation of AFC and age in fertile and infertile patients with difference in mean AFC of both the groups. Comparison of the data recorded for cases and controls showed no significant difference in the mean ovarian volume. AFC has the closest association with chronological age in normal and infertile Indian women. The same is lower in infertile women than in matched controls. Baseline and cut-off values in Indian women are lower than that mentioned in the Western literature.

Implementation of laparoscopic approach in colorectal surgery - a single center's experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwiatkowski, Andrzej P; Stępińska, Gabriela; Stanowski, Edward; Paśnik, Krzysztof

2018-03-01

Implementation of the laparoscopic approach in colorectal surgery has not happened as rapidly as in cholecystectomy, because of concerns about oncological safety. The results of controlled trials in multiple centers showed the method to be safe. Consequently, surgeons decided to try the approach with colorectal surgery. This process, in our clinic, began in earnest about four years ago. To analyze and present the clinical outcomes of applying the laparoscopic approach to colorectal surgery in a single center. We retrospectively identified patients from a hospital database who underwent colorectal surgery - laparoscopic and open - between 2013 and 2016. Our focus was on laparoscopic cases. Study points included operative time, duration of the hospital stay, postoperative mortality and rates of complications, conversion, reoperation and readmission. Of 534 cases considered, the results showed that the relation between open and laparoscopic procedures had reversed, in favor of the latter method (2013: open: 82% vs. laparoscopic: 18%; 2016: open: 22.4% vs. laparoscopic: 77.6%). The most commonly performed procedure was right hemicolectomy. The total complication rate was 22%. The total rate of conversion to open surgery was 9.3%. The postoperative mortality rate was 3%. Use of the laparoscopic approach in colorectal surgery has increased in recent years world-wide - including in Poland - but the technique is still underused. Rapid implementation of the miniinvasive method in colorectal surgery, in centers with previous laparoscopic experience, is not only safe and feasible, but also highly recommended.

Nd and Sr isotopes: implications of provenance and geological mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albuquerque, Marcio Fernando dos Santos; Horbe, Adriana Maria Coimbra; Dantas, Elton Luiz

2015-01-01

XRD, Nd and Sr isotopes, major, minor and traces elements quantification were applied to rocks, lateritic crusts and soils from Sumauma Supergroup and Alto Tapajos Group, in order to indicate provenance of the rocks and using lateritic products as geologic mapping tool. For the rocks, the results showed sources related to provinces Tapajos Parima, Rondonia Juruena, Sunsas, Carajas and Amazonia Central. However, the incision of Cachimbo graben allowed which the Sumauma Supergroup erosion also were source for the Alto Tapajos Group, allied to contribution of volcanics from Colider Group. Lateritic crusts and soils are correlates to bedrocks, allowing the use as geologic mapping tool. (author)

Applicable regulations and development of surveillance experiments of criticality approach in the TRIGA III Mark reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez M, J.L.; Aguilar H, F.; Rivero G, T.; Sainz M, E.

2000-01-01

In the procedure elaborated to repair the vessel of TRIGA III Mark reactor is required to move toward two tanks of temporal storage the fuel elements which are in operation and the spent fuel elements which are in decay inside the reactor pool. The National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards (CNSNS) has requested as protection measure that it is carried out a surveillance of the criticality approach of the temporal storages. This work determines the main regulation aspects that entails an experiment of criticality approach, moreover, informing about the results obtained in the developing of this experiments. The regulation aspects are not exclusives for this work in the TRIGA Mark III reactor but they also apply toward any assembling of fissile material. (Author)

The Potassium-Argon Laser Experiment (KArLE): In Situ Geochronology for Planetary Robotic Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Barbara

2016-01-01

The Potassium (K) - Argon (Ar) Laser Experiment (KArLE) will make in situ noble-gas geochronology measurements aboard planetary robotic landers and roverss. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is used to measure the K abun-dance in a sample and to release its noble gases; the evolved Ar is measured by mass spectrometry (MS); and rela-tive K content is related to absolute Ar abundance by sample mass, determined by optical measurement of the ablated volume. KArLE measures a whole-rock K-Ar age to 10% or better for rocks 2 Ga or older, sufficient to resolve the absolute age of many planetary samples. The LIBS-MS approach is attractive because the analytical components have been flight proven, do not require further technical development, and provide complementary measurements as well as in situ geochronology.

Shared-Book Experience Using Science-Themed Books to Develop Scientific Literacy: An Interactive Approach with Struggling Readers

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Mi-Hyun; Keckler, Barbara

2016-01-01

This paper will explain what a reading teacher learned from working with a group of first-grade struggling readers in a series of shared-book experience classes. The shared-book experience approach used a variety of science-themed books that were aligned with the first-grade curriculum and appropriate for beginning readers. Considering the…

Password-only authenticated three-party key exchange proven secure against insider dictionary attacks.

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Junghyun; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Paik, Juryon; Won, Dongho

2014-01-01

While a number of protocols for password-only authenticated key exchange (PAKE) in the 3-party setting have been proposed, it still remains a challenging task to prove the security of a 3-party PAKE protocol against insider dictionary attacks. To the best of our knowledge, there is no 3-party PAKE protocol that carries a formal proof, or even definition, of security against insider dictionary attacks. In this paper, we present the first 3-party PAKE protocol proven secure against both online and offline dictionary attacks as well as insider and outsider dictionary attacks. Our construct can be viewed as a protocol compiler that transforms any 2-party PAKE protocol into a 3-party PAKE protocol with 2 additional rounds of communication. We also present a simple and intuitive approach of formally modelling dictionary attacks in the password-only 3-party setting, which significantly reduces the complexity of proving the security of 3-party PAKE protocols against dictionary attacks. In addition, we investigate the security of the well-known 3-party PAKE protocol, called GPAKE, due to Abdalla et al. (2005, 2006), and demonstrate that the security of GPAKE against online dictionary attacks depends heavily on the composition of its two building blocks, namely a 2-party PAKE protocol and a 3-party key distribution protocol.

A Semantic-Based Approach for Preserving Operational Experience of Nuclear Installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kupriyanov, V.; Kossilov, A.; Maximov, N.; Kupriyanova, I.

2016-01-01

Full text: The paper discusses the experience in development of the tools necessary for the first phase of automation of description of explicit technological knowledge—the thematic categorization of text documents on nuclear facility life cycle. In the study the existing thematic index, IAEA INIS was used as a target index due to its fullest provision at the moment by such means for Russian texts, thanks to the Russian multilingual thesaurus INIS as there is a lack of similar tools in Russian national index GRNTI. It is proposed to increase the stability of categorization procedures by using a simple ontological model to establish complex links between the presence of the words. The communication model using simplified standard ISO 15926 concepts is proposed to separate descriptors and their relationship to two types: “intelligent concept” and “physical property”. Experience has shown that to build such a model, it is necessary that the indexing experts marked out manually all descriptors according to their belonging to each category. Based on the experience in implementation of this approach the paper argues that for its implementation, it is necessary to train a new type of specialists, knowledge workers, with new competencies including the concepts described above. (author

Teaching Methods and Their Impact on Students' Emotions in Mathematics: An Experience-Sampling Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Bieg, Madeleine; Goetz, Thomas; Sticca, Fabio; Brunner, Esther; Becker, Eva; Morger, Vinzenz; Hubbard, Kyle

2017-01-01

Various theoretical approaches propose that emotions in the classroom are elicited by appraisal antecedents, with subjective experiences of control playing a crucial role in this context. Perceptions of control, in turn, are expected to be influenced by the classroom social environment, which can include the teaching methods being employed (e.g.,…

Provenance of the K/T boundary layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hildebrand, A.R.; Boynton, W.V.

1988-01-01

An array of chemical, physical and isotopic evidence indicates that an impact into oceanic crust terminated the Cretaceous Period. Approximately 1500 cu km of debris, dispersed by the impact fireball, fell out globally in marine and nonmarine environments producing a 2 to 4 mm thick layer (fireball layer). In North American locales, the fireball layer overlies a 15 to 25 mm thick layer of similar but distinct composition. This 15 to 25 mm layer (ejecta layer) may represent approximately 1000 cu km of lower energy ejecta from a nearby impact site. Isotopic and chemical evidence supports a mantle provenance for the bulk of the layers. The extraordinary REE pattern of the boundary clays was modelled as a mixture of oceanic crust, mantle, and approximately 10 percent continental material. The results are presented. If the siderophiles of the ejecta layer were derived solely from the mantle, a test may be available to see if the siderophile element anomaly of the fireball layer had an extraterrestrial origin. Radiogenic Os-187 is depleted in the mantle relative to an undifferentiated chondritic source. Os-187/Os-186 ratios of 1.049 and 1.108 were calculated for the ejecta and fireball layers, respectively

Ten ways to design for disgust, sadness, and other enjoyments : A design approach to enrich product experiences with negative emotions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fokkinga, S.F.; Desmet, P.M.A.

2013-01-01

This paper demonstrates how designers can enrich user experiences by purposefully involving negative emotions in user-product interaction. This approach is derived from a framework of rich experience, which explains how and under what circumstances negative emotions make a product experience richer

HisT/PLIER: A two-fold Provenance Approach for Grid-enabled Scientific Workflows using WS-VLAM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerhards, M.; Sander, V.; Belloum, A.; Vasunin, D.; Benabdelkader, A.; Jha, S.; Felde, N.G.; Buyya, R.; Fedak, G.

2011-01-01

Large scale scientific applications are frequently modeled as a workflow that is executed under the control of a workflow management system. One crucial requirement is the validation of the generated results, e.g. The trace ability of the experiment execution path. The automated tracking and storage

Provenance and supply of Fe-enriched terrigenous sediments in the western equatorial Pacific and their relation to precipitation variations during the late Quaternary

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wu, J.W.; Liu, Z.; Zhou, nn.

2013-01-01

Iron (Fe) deposition in the equatorial Pacific has important implications for the global carbon cycle, while the provenance of Fe supply and its change remain highly debated. Here, we geochemically characterize the provenance of terrigenous sediments deposited on the pathways of the Equatorial

The extended minimal incision approach to midface rejuvenation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pontius, Allison T; Williams, Edwin F

2005-08-01

Recent major advancements in comprehensive facial rejuvenation have focused on management of midfacial aging. Multiple techniques have been described to treat the aging midface; the mere nature of so many approaches is evidence that no one technique has prevailed. Although the nasolabial region remains a challenge to correct, the approach described herein provides comprehensive rejuvenation of the midface, lateral brow, and jawline. The technique is performed via a minimal incision brow-lift approach and has been performed (with minor modifications) by the senior author in more than 650 patients over the past 9 years. The technique has proven to be safe, reliable, and effective.

Educational analysis of a first year engineering physics experiment on standing waves: based on the ACELL approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhathal, Ragbir; Sharma, Manjula D; Mendez, Alberto

2010-01-01

This paper describes an educational analysis of a first year physics experiment on standing waves for engineering students. The educational analysis is based on the ACELL (Advancing Chemistry by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory) approach which includes a statement of educational objectives and an analysis of student learning experiences. The experiment is likely to be found in many physics departments, hence is appropriate to illustrate the ACELL approach in physics. The concepts associated with standing waves are difficult; however, they are underpinned by mathematical formulation which lend themselves to be visualized in experiments. The challenge is to strike a balance between these two for the particular student cohort. In this study, this balance is achieved by using simple equipment and providing appropriate scaffolds for students to associate abstract concepts with concrete visuals. In essence the experiment is designed to adequately manage cognitive resources. Students work in pairs and are questioned and assisted by demonstrators and academic staff during a 2 h practical class. Students were surveyed using the ACELL instrument. Analysis of the data showed that by completing the practical students felt that their understanding of physics had increased. Furthermore, students could see the relevance of this experiment to their engineering studies and that it provided them with an opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning. Overall they had a positive learning experience. In short there is a lot of dividend from a small outlay of resources.

Provenance and use wears of Pre-Hispanic obsidian scrapers from Metztitlan, Hidalgo, Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandujano, C.; Elizalde, S.; Cassiano, G.; Soto, D.

2002-01-01

The research was performed with archaeological obsidian scrapers, collected at the Metztitlan area, Hidalgo, Mexico. The provenance of the raw material was determined by NAA. SEM technique was applied to identify use wears on pre-Hispanic tools and experimental replicas. The Metztitlan scrapers made of the obsidian of Zacualtipan, Hidalgo, Mexico, were probably used for Agave juice extraction in the Late Postclassical period. (author)

A Proven Method for Meeting Export Control Objectives in Postal and Shipping Sectors

Science.gov (United States)

2015-02-01

A Proven Method for Meeting Export Control Objectives in Postal and Shipping Sectors Gregory Crabb, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Julia H...mail fraud, mail theft, identity theft, child exploitation, and prohibited mailings such as bombs and biological and chemical threats...April 2012. http://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?assetid=10085 [Allen 2014a] Allen, Julia H., Crabb, Gregory; Curtis, Pamela D

Creative Realization of the Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of Foreign Languages in the Experience of the Danube Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Demchenko

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The article provides a brief overview of the experience of the Danube Basin universities, with an emphasis on the importance of studying Maritime English as a language of international communication. The phenomenon of “interdisciplinarity” and dominants of the interdisciplinary approach to the study of a foreign language is considered. Due to the need to train competent professionals for the maritime fleet with knowledge of professionally oriented foreign language and the lack of theoretically and practically developed technique with purposeful development of communicative competence with the use of interdisciplinary approach to foreign language learning, some practical experience of the use of interdisciplinary approach as an innovative technology in teaching Maritime English is presented.

Provenance and paleogeography of the Devonian Durazno Group, southern Parana Basin in Uruguay

Science.gov (United States)

Uriz, N. J.; Cingolani, C. A.; Basei, M. A. S.; Blanco, G.; Abre, P.; Portillo, N. S.; Siccardi, A.

2016-03-01

A succession of Devonian cover rocks occurs in outcrop and in the subsurface of central-northern Uruguay where they were deposited in an intracratonic basin. This Durazno Group comprises three distinct stratigraphic units, namely the Cerrezuelo, Cordobés and La Paloma formations. The Durazno Group does not exceed 300 m of average thickness and preserves a transgressive-regressive cycle within a shallow-marine siliciclastic shelf platform, and is characterized by an assemblage of invertebrate fossils of Malvinokaffric affinity especially within the Lower Devonian Cordobés shales. The sedimentary provenance of the Durazno Group was determined using petrography, geochemistry, and morphological studies of detrital zircons as well as their U-Pb ages. Sandstone petrography of Cerrezuelo and La Paloma sequences shows that they have a dominantly quartz-feldspathic composition with a minor contribution of other minerals. Whole-rock geochemical data indicate that alteration was strong in each of the three formations studied; chondritic-normalized REE patterns essentially parallel to PAAS, the presence of a negative Eu-anomaly, and Th/Sc and La/Hf ratios point to an average source composition similar to UCC or slightly more felsic. Within the Cerrezuelo Formation, recycling of older volcano-metasedimentary sources is interpreted from Zr/Sc ratios and high Hf, Zr, and REE concentrations. U-Pb detrital zircon age populations of the Cerrezuelo and La Paloma formations indicate that the principal source terranes are of Neoproterozoic age, but include also minor populations derived from Mesoproterozoic and Archean-Paleoproterozoic rocks. A provenance from the Cuchilla Dionisio-Dom Feliciano, Nico Pérez and Piedra Alta terranes of Uruguay and southern Brazil is likely. This study establishes an intracratonic extensional tectonic setting during Durazno time. Considering provenance age sources, regional paleocurrent distributions and the established orogenic history recorded in SW

Mineralogy of Nicobar Fan turbidites (IODP Leg 362): Himalayan provenance and diagenetic control.

Science.gov (United States)

Limonta, M.; Garzanti, E.; Ando, S.; Carter, A.; Milliken, K. L.; Pickering, K. T.

2017-12-01

In this study we use quantitative petrographic and heavy-mineral data on silt-sized and sand-sized sediments from the Nicobar Fan turbiditic depositional system to unravel their provenance and discriminate between pre-depositional and post-depositional processes controlling sediment mineralogy. Eighteen samples from the two drill sites U1480 e U1481, collected down to a depth of 1400 m during International Ocean Discovery Expedition 362, were selected for analysis. A complete section of the sedimentary section overlying oceanic basaltic basement was recovered at the U1480 drill site, whereas the U1481 drill site, located 35 km to the southeast, focused on the deeper interval of the sedimentary section overlying oceanic basement. Here we illustrate the compositional trends observed throughout the recovered succession, and compare heavy-mineral suites characterizing sediments drilled at the two U1480 and U1481 sites to check for potential differences in sediment provenance over a relatively short distance in trench settings. Diagenetic control with increasing burial depth was also specifically investigated. In Pleistocene sediments at depths of a few tens of meters only, rich heavy-mineral assemblages include mainly hornblende, epidote, and garnet, associated with apatite, clinopyroxene, tourmaline, sillimanite, kyanite, zircon, titanite, and rare staurolite and rutile, testifying to long-distance provenance from the Himalayan range via the Ganga-Brahmaputra fluvio-deltaic-turbiditic system. Heavy-mineral concentration shows a progressive decrease with burial depth, pointing to selective diagenetic dissolution of less durable detrital minerals. Clinopyroxene becomes rare below 400 m depth and was not recorded below 500 m depth, where amphibole decreases notably in relative abundance. More durable heavy minerals, including zircon, tourmaline, apatite, garnet and epidote, consequently tend to be relatively enriched with increasing age and burial depth. Petrographic and

NDT with the structural weld overlay program. Recent field experience and lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rishel, R.; Lenz, H.; Turley, G.; Newton, B.

2007-01-01

Structural weld overlay (SWOL) has become a predominant mitigation technique within the Alloy 600 program. For the pressurizer nozzles, MRP-139 requires volumetric examination by year end 2007. Many nozzles are un-inspectable due to geometry and material limitations that preclude interrogation of the required examination volume. SWOL therefore is the mitigation technique which overcomes these limitations. SWOL of the pressurizer nozzles has been a challenge for all the vendors. Alloy 52 has proven to be difficult to weld under field conditions. The NDT technique chosen to demonstrate the integrity of the overlay needs to be adapted to the specific repair process and nozzle geometry. The purpose of this paper will be to present Westinghouse's integrated approach for SWOL with the focus on the NDT aspects. Topics will include main repair process steps, NDT qualification, recent field experience and lessons learned. (author)

Isotopic evidences for provenances of east asian dust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Jiedong; Chen Jun; Li Gaojun; Ji Junfeng; Rao Wenbo

2007-01-01

Based on systematical investigations on Nd-Sr isotopes of both the <75μm and <5μm silicate fractions of loess, sand, river and lacustrine sediment samples for ten major deserts, gobi, the Loess Plateau, and the northeast part of the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau, the following results are obtained. (1) Three isotopic regions of Chinese deserts are identified. Region A (Aland A2), which is the deserts on the northern boundary of China with the highest ε Nd (0)>-7.0. Region B, which is the deserts on the northern margin of Tibetan Plateau with ε Nd (0) ranges form -11.9 to -7.4. Region C, which is the deserts on the Ordos Plateau with the lowest ε nd (0)<-11.5. The distribution of the three isotopic regions is controlled by the tectonic setting in North China. (2) The reliable isotope ranges of the Loess Plateau are 87 Sr/ 86 Sr from 0.71784 to 0.71944, ε Nd (0) from -9.2 to -11.3, which fall in Region B of the Qaiham Desert, Badain Jaran Desert and Tengger Desert. This indicates that the possibility of the Gurbantunggut Desert, Hunlun Buir sandy land, Onqin Daga sandy land, Horqin sandy land, the Hobq Desert and Mu Us Desert, as provenances for the loess are excluded. The isotopic range of the northeast part of the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau coincides with those of the Badain Jaran Desert and Tengger Desert, and loess in the Loess Plateau, suggesting that the predominant source area of the Loess Plateau is most likely to be the northeast part of the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau, and the Qaidam Desert, Badain Jaran Desert and Tengger Desert are middle transport stations of loess materials. (3) The comparison with isotopic data of dust extracted from snow deposits at Greenland and sediments of North Pacific confirms the Badain Jaran Desert, Tengger Desert and the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau to be main source. (4) The analyzed results for dust samples in Beijing region demonstrate that aeolian dust in normal time in 2006 is mostly derived from mixing of Region B and bed rock soil

The provenance investigation on ancient chinese Ru porcelains by NAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Zhengyao; Wang Jie; Chen Songhua

1997-01-01

The 28 samples of glazes and bodies of ancient Chinese Ru porcelains are analyzed by neutron activation. The 36 element contents in each sample are determined. The neutron activation analysis (NAA) data are analyzed by fuzzy cluster. The trend cluster diagram is obtained. The result shows that the ancient Chinese Ru porcelains were most probably from the same raw material source though they were from different time, fired in different kilns and in different colors. The near provenance relation between ancient Jun porcelain and ancient Ru porcelain is preliminarily analyzed. The two modern Ru porcelains approximate to ancient Ru porcelains, one becomes estranged from ancient Ru porcelains. Jingdezhen porcelain is unconcerned with Ru porcelains

IGCC based on proven technology developing towards 50% efficiency mark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goudappel, E.; Berkhout, M. [Jacobs Consultancy, Leiden (Netherlands)

2006-07-01

In this paper the achievements made over the last 10 years in terms of reliability, load following and efficiency improvement potential at the Buggenum IGCC plant, are presented. Also the air side heat integration and its pros and cons are discussed. Additionally future business opportunities adjacent to the power production itself and the view on coal gasification in the near future are provided. The results are discussed and it is shown that with 'proven' gasifier and gas treatment technology, overall efficiency exceeding 47% (LHV basis) can be reached. It puts this technical potential in perspective and describes the view on interesting business opportunities around IGCC projects. 5 figs., 3 tabs.

Two approaches to meeting the economic challenge for advanced BWR designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, A.S.; Sawyer, C.D.

1997-01-01

This paper presents the design overview and approach to addressing the aforementioned economic challenges for two Advanced BWR designs. The first plant is the ABWR and the second is the ESBWR. The ABWR relies on proven technology and components and an extensive infrastructure that has been built up over the last 20 years. Because it has proven and standards safety systems it has very limited uncertainty regarding licensing. Finally, it relies on the economies of scale and overall design flexibility to improve the overall economics of power generation. The ESBWR on the other hand has taken an innovative approach to reduce systems and components to simplify the overall plant to improve plant economics. The overall plant design is indeed simpler, but improved economics required reliance on some economies of scale also. This design embodied in the ESBWR, also has minimized the overall development cost by utilizing features and components from the ABWR and SBWR technology programs

New Insights into the Provenance of the Southern Junggar Basin in the Jurassic from Heavy Mineral Analysis and Sedimentary Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, T. Q.; Wu, C.; Zhu, W.

2017-12-01

Being a vital component of foreland basin of Central-western China, Southern Junggar Basin has observed solid evidences of oil and gas in recent years without a considerable advancement. The key reason behind this is the lack of systematic study on sedimentary provenance analysis of the Southern Junggar basin. Three parts of the Southern Junggar basin, including the western segment (Sikeshu Sag), the central segment (Qigu Fault-Fold Belt) and the eastern segment (Fukang Fault Zone), possess varied provenance systems, giving rise to difficulties for oil-gas exploration. In this study, 3468 heavy minerals data as well as the sedimentary environment analysis of 10 profiles and 7 boreholes were used to investigate the provenances of the deposits in the southern Junggar basin . Based on this research, it reveals that: Sikeshu sag initially shaped the foreland basin prototype in the Triassic and its provenance area of the sediments from the Sikeshu sag has primarily been situated in zhongguai uplift-chepaizi uplift depositional systems located in the northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin. From the early Jurassic, the key sources were likely to be late Carboniferous to early Permain post-collisional volcanic rocks from the North Tian Shan block to Centrao Tian Shan. In the Xishanyao formation, Abundant lithic metamorphic, epidote and garnet that suggests the source rocks were possibly late Carboniferous subduction-related arc volcanic rocks of the Central Tian Shan. In the Toutunhe formation, Bogda Mountains began uplifting and gradually becoming the major provenance. Moreover, the sedimentary boundaries of Junggar basin have also shifted towards the North Tian Shan again. In the late Jurassic, the conglomerates of the Kalazha formation directly overlie the fine-grained red beds of Qigu formation, which throw light on the rapid tectonic uplift of the North Tian Shan. In the eastern segment, meandering river delta and shore-lacustrine environments were fully developed

Quality Assurance and Its Impact from Higher Education Institutions' Perspectives: Methodological Approaches, Experiences and Expectations

Science.gov (United States)

Bejan, Stelian Andrei; Janatuinen, Tero; Jurvelin, Jouni; Klöpping, Susanne; Malinen, Heikki; Minke, Bernhard; Vacareanu, Radu

2015-01-01

This paper reports on methodological approaches, experiences and expectations referring to impact analysis of quality assurance from the perspective of three higher education institutions (students, teaching staff, quality managers) from Germany, Finland and Romania. The presentations of the three sample institutions focus on discussing the core…

Flipping and Still Learning: Experiences of a Flipped Classroom Approach for a Third-Year Undergraduate Human Geography Course

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Marnie; McLean, Jessica; Read, Alexander; Suchet-Pearson, Sandie; Viner, Venessa

2017-01-01

The flipped classroom approach, a form of blended learning, is currently popular in education praxis. Initial reports on the flipped classroom include that it offers opportunities to increase student engagement and build meaningful learning and teaching experiences. In this article, we analyse teacher and student experiences of a trial flipped…

Using sedimentary archives to reconstruct pollution history and sediment provenance: The Ohre River, Czech Republic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Matys Grygar, Tomáš; Elznicová, J.; Kiss, T.; Smith, H. G.

2016-01-01

Roč. 144, SEP (2016), s. 109-129 ISSN 0341-8162 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-00340S Institutional support: RVO:61388980 Keywords : Polluted floodplains * Pollution history * Fluvial archives * Sediment provenance * Environmental geochemistry Subject RIV: DD - Geochemistry Impact factor: 3.191, year: 2016

Provenance evolution in the northern South China Sea and its implication of paleo-drainage systems from Eocene to Miocene

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Y.; Shao, L.; Qiao, P.

2017-12-01

Geochemistry analysis and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology aim to fully investigate the "source to sink" patterns of northern South China Sea (SCS) from Eocene to Miocene. Evolutional history of the surrounding drainage system has been highly focused on, in comparison to sedimentary characteristics of the SCS basins. Rapid local provenances were prevailed while large-scale fluvial transport remained to evolve during Eocene. Since early Oligocene, sediments from the South China were more abundantly delivered to the northeastern Pearl River Mouth Basin in addition to Dongsha volcanism supplement. Aside from intrabasinal provenances, long-distance transport started to play significant role in Zhu1 Depression, possibly reaching western and southern Baiyun Sag, partially. Western Qiongdongnan Basin might accept sediments from central Vietnam with its eastern area more affected from Hainan Island and Southern Uplift. In the late Oligocene, due to drastic sea-level changes and rapid exhumation, mafic to altramafic sediments were transported in abundance to Central Depression from Kontum Massif, while multiple provenances casted integrated influence on eastern sedimentary sequences. Southern Baiyun Sag was also affected by an increased supplement from the west Shenhu Uplift or even central Vietnam. Overall pattern did not change greatly since early Miocene, but long-distance transport has become dominant in the northern SCS. Under controlled by regional tectonic cycles, Pearl River gradually evolved into the present scale and exerted its influence on basinal provenances by several stages. Zhu1 Depression was partially delivered sediments from its tributaries in early Oligocene while northern Zhu2 Depression has not been provided abundant materials until late Oligocene. Meanwhile, although detailed transportation routine remains uncertain and controversial, an impressive paleo-channel spanning the whole Qiongdongnan Basin was presumed to supply huge amount of mafic to

Men's experiences of sexuality after cancer: a material discursive intra-psychic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, Emilee; Ussher, Jane M; Perz, Janette; Wong, W K Tim; Hobbs, Kim; Mason, Catherine

2013-01-01

Men can experience significant changes to their sexuality following the onset of cancer. However, research on men's sexuality post-cancer has focused almost exclusively on those with prostate and testicular cancer, despite evidence that the diagnosis and treatment for most cancers can impact on men's sexuality. This Australian qualitative study explores the experiences of changes to sexuality for 21 men across a range of cancer types and stages, sexual orientations and relationship contexts. Semi-structured interviews were analysed with theoretical thematic analysis guided by a material discursive intra-psychic approach, recognising the materiality of sexual changes, men's intrapsychic experience of such changes within a relational context and the influence of the discursive construction of masculine sexuality. Material changes included erectile difficulty, decreased desire, and difficulty with orgasm. The use of medical aids to minimise the impact of erectile difficulties was shaped by discursive constructions of 'normal' masculine sexuality. The majority of men reported accepting the changes to their sexuality post-cancer and normalised them as part of the natural ageing process. Men's relationship status and context played a key role managing the changes to their sexuality. We conclude by discussing the implications for clinical practice.

Nursing students' experiences with the use of authentic assessment rubric and case approach in the clinical laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xi Vivien; Heng, Mary Anne; Wang, Wenru

2015-04-01

One current challenge for nurse educators is to examine effective nursing assessment tools which integrate nursing knowledge into practice. Authentic assessment allows nursing students to apply knowledge to real-life experiences. Contextualized cases have engaged students for preparation of diverse clinical situations and develop critical thinking skills. This study aimed to explore nursing students' experiences and learning outcomes with the use of an authentic assessment rubric and a case approach. An exploratory qualitative approach using focus-group discussions and an open-ended survey was adopted. Sixteen nursing students participated in three focus-group discussions and 39 nursing students completed an open-ended survey. Nursing students noted that an authentic assessment rubric with a case approach provided clarity for their learning goals; built confidence; developed knowledge, skill competencies and critical thinking skills; increased awareness of caring attributes and communication skills; and enriched and extended learning through self-, peer- and teacher-assessments. These findings provide rich insights for nurse educators and curriculum developers in the use of an authentic assessment rubric and a case approach in nursing education. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of INAA to archaeometry: Provenance determination of ancient Greek and Roman white marble artifacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moens, L.J.; Roos, P.G.; De Paepe, P.A.

1991-01-01

During the past five years a large scale project was set up to develop a method to determine the provenance of ancient sculptures made of white marble. The problem was solved by applying three different methods of analysis to the material: INAA and EAAS for the determination of minor- and trace-elements, mass spectrometry measuring the relative abundance of the stable O- and C-isotopes and finally petrography. It was found that these three methods yield complementary information. The role of INAA is of capital importance since it allows one to determine the concentration of a large number of elements in a single sample. In addition the application of multi-variate statistical analysis was indispensable to extract the useful information from the data set. After the analysis of hundreds of quarry samples and the setting up of a reference data base, the method was applied to the provenance determination of about a hundred Green and Roman sculptures from several museums in Europe and the US

Reliability of kinetic visual field testing in children with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies: Implications for therapeutic clinical trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Dedania, Vaidehi S; Liu, Jerry Y; Schlegel, Dana; Andrews, Chris A; Branham, Kari; Khan, Naheed W; Musch, David C; Heckenlively, John R; Jayasundera, K Thiran

2018-01-01

Kinetic visual field testing is used to monitor disease course in retinal dystrophy clinical care and treatment response in treatment trials, which are increasingly recruiting children. This study investigates Goldmann visual field (GVF) changes in young children with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies as they age and with progression of the retinal degeneration. Retrospective review of children ≤ 17 years old with a mutation-proven retinal dystrophy. Objective clinical disease activity was assessed by a retinal degeneration specialist masked to GVF results. Digital quantification of GVF area was performed. Twenty-nine children (58 eyes), ages 5-16, were identified. GVF area increased with age despite progression in 20 children and clinical stability in nine children. Mean ± standard error increase in GVF area/year was 333 ± 130 mm 2 (I4e, p = 0.012), 720 ± 155 mm 2 (III4e, p children with mutation-proven retinal dystrophies, there is a significant increase in GVF area with age, particularly those children with retinal dystrophies can be an unreliable measure of response to treatment and on which to base appropriate counseling about visual impairment.

Experience with instrumentational monitoring of steam turbine foundations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linnemann, H.; Hagemann, M.

1989-01-01

Many factors can lead to the deformation of foundations and consequently to variations in the state of alignment of a turbine shaft line. Various measurement programmes, measurement procedures and instrumentation have been developed and proven in power plant practice. Experience accumulated hitherto with automatic measurement systems shows that these procedures are superior to conventional methods in respect of accuracy, availability and information content. (orig.) [de

Total quality: A proven approach for magnet manufacture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owen, C.E.; Malone, K.A.

1992-01-01

The Westinghouse Magnet Systems Division (WMSD) was formed in late 1990 when the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) awarded WMSD the Follower portion of the contract for manufacturing collider dipole magnets. The Division's small cadre of management start-up personnel moved into its office and manufacturing facility in Round Rock, Texas in August of 1991. In January 1992, WMSD won a second SSCL contract to design and build the High Energy Booster dipole magnets. These contracts presented a rare opportunity: the chance to start with a clean slate and to build, from the bottom up, a whole new product, with all its required manufacturing processes and all its management systems. This was the opportunity to open-quotes do it right the first time.close quotes With these two contracts, doing it right the first time is the only way that WMSD can succeed. By mid-1994, WMSD will start its delivery of collider dipole magnets for installation in the Super Collider tunnel. Each of the magnets, from the first delivery through the last, requires a calculated reliability of 99.99954 percent. This is six sigma performance the first time with little or no opportunity for trial and error, false starts, and continuous improvement. In late 1994, the SSCL will award the full production contract for collider dipole magnets to one of the two preproduction (or a combination of both) subcontractors, based on performance during the preproduction and low rate initial production phases. There will be no second chance in the quality, reliability, delivery and cost competition for this contract. This paper describes the Westinghouse's quality assurance program. This program has twelve conditions of excellance: customer orientation, participation, development, motivation, products and services, process and procedures, information, suppliers, culture, planning, communications, and accountability

Provenance of pottery determined by soil physicochemical and chemometric methods: A case study from Frederiksgave, Ghana

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Lars Holm; Bredwa-Mensah, Y.; Borggaard, Ole K.

2009-01-01

Frederiksgave, together with potsherds from two likely production sites at Ga and Dangme Shai, were investigated by visual inspection, total element analysis and X-ray diffraction and the results analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis. The investigation clearly showed...... that the Frederiksgave pots were not locally produced but came from other production sites indicating trading interaction between the plantation and surrounding settlements. One sample undoubtedly originated from Dangme Shai and another one must have been produced at a third (unknown) site. The provenance...... of the remaining samples is uncertain, but possibly three of them came from Ga and maybe one from Dangme Shai. Ill-defined compositional variation at Dangme Shai and Ga sites is thought to be the main reason for the observed difficulties in tracing the precise provenance of the Frederiksgave samples....

Provenance and sediment fluxes in the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwadi) River

Science.gov (United States)

Garzanti, Eduardo; Wang, Jiangang; Vezzoli, Giovanni; Limonta, Mara

2016-04-01

The Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwadi) River, still a natural system scarcely affected by human activities, ranks among the five major rivers in the world for its annual suspended load, estimated as 364±60 million tons (Robinson et al., 2007). Sourced in Himalayan glaciers southeast of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis at ca. 28°N, the Irrawaddy originates from the confluence of the Nmai and Mali Rivers, flows southward to receive its major Chindwin tributary in the middle of the central Myanmar Basin, and eventually empties through a nine-armed delta into the Andaman Sea. The compositional fingerprint of bedload sand in the upper Irrawaddy is characterized by common feldspars, medium/high rank of metamorphic rock fragments and high heavy-mineral concentration, reflecting provenance from mid-crustal granitoids, amphibolite-facies and subordinately greenschist-facies rocks widely exposed in the Mogok Belt and Lohit Plutonic Complex. Minor volcanic/metavolcanic and serpentinite grains indicate additional supply from volcanic-arc remnants and the Neotethyan ophiolitic suture. Sand of the Chindwin River has much higher quartz/feldspar ratio and much lower metamorphic indices and heavy-mineral concentration, reflecting provenance mainly from upper crustal sedimentary and very low-grade metasedimentary rocks exposed in the Indo-Burman Ranges (Garzanti et al., 2013). Feldspatho-litho-quartzose to litho-feldspatho-quartzose composition in the lower Irrawaddy is intermediate between that of Chindwin and upper Irrawaddy sand. The slight progressive downstream increase in volcanic rock fragments and chert, and decrease in metamorphic indices, point to additional local supply from volcanic and sedimentary cover rocks. U-Pb age spectra of detrital zircons are characterized by a major cluster between 30 and 150 Ma, corresponding to the long-lasting magmatic activity of the Western Myanmar Arc (Wang et al., 2014), with other clusters at 500-600 Ma and 800-1200 Ma, and a few ages between 1

“Team Building: Proven Strategies for Improving Team Performance, 4th Edition”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Greg Homan

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Team Building is an important issue for Youth Development professionals. We utilize team-focused work to achieve our objectives in educating youth. The team building skills we integrate into programming serve to prepare youth for the dynamic, highly interpersonal work environment of today. “Team Building: Proven Strategies for Improving Team Performance, 4th Edition,” by W. Dyer, W.G. Dyer, and J. Dyer (2007, provides a practical theoretical framework for those interested in team building application, training, and practice in everyday work.

Fundamental-mode sources in approach to critical experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goda, J.; Busch, R.

2000-01-01

An equivalent fundamental-mode source is an imaginary source that is distributed identically in space, energy, and angle to the fundamental-mode fission source. Therefore, it produces the same neutron multiplication as the fundamental-mode fission source. Even if two source distributions produce the same number of spontaneous fission neutrons, they will not necessarily contribute equally toward the multiplication of a given system. A method of comparing the relative importance of source distributions is needed. A factor, denoted as g* and defined as the ratio of the fixed-source multiplication to the fundamental-mode multiplication, is used to convert a given source strength to its equivalent fundamental-mode source strength. This factor is of interest to criticality safety as it relates to the 1/M method of approach to critical. Ideally, a plot of 1/M versus κ eff is linear. However, since 1/M = (1 minus κ eff )/g*, the plot will be linear only if g* is constant with κ eff . When g* increases with κ eff , the 1/M plot is said to be conservative because the critical mass is underestimated. However, it is possible for g* to decrease with κ eff yielding a nonconservative 1/M plot. A better understanding of g* would help predict whether a given approach to critical will be conservative or nonconservative. The equivalent fundamental-mode source strength g*S can be predicted by experiment. The experimental method was tested on the XIX-1 core on the Fast Critical Assembly at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. The results showed a 30% difference between measured and calculated values. However, the XIX-1 reactor had significant intermediate-energy neutrons. The presence of intermediate-energy neutrons may have made the cross-section set used for predicted values less than ideal for the system

An optimization approach for fitting canonical tensor decompositions.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunlavy, Daniel M. (Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM); Acar, Evrim; Kolda, Tamara Gibson

2009-02-01

Tensor decompositions are higher-order analogues of matrix decompositions and have proven to be powerful tools for data analysis. In particular, we are interested in the canonical tensor decomposition, otherwise known as the CANDECOMP/PARAFAC decomposition (CPD), which expresses a tensor as the sum of component rank-one tensors and is used in a multitude of applications such as chemometrics, signal processing, neuroscience, and web analysis. The task of computing the CPD, however, can be difficult. The typical approach is based on alternating least squares (ALS) optimization, which can be remarkably fast but is not very accurate. Previously, nonlinear least squares (NLS) methods have also been recommended; existing NLS methods are accurate but slow. In this paper, we propose the use of gradient-based optimization methods. We discuss the mathematical calculation of the derivatives and further show that they can be computed efficiently, at the same cost as one iteration of ALS. Computational experiments demonstrate that the gradient-based optimization methods are much more accurate than ALS and orders of magnitude faster than NLS.

Analytic Provenance Datasets: A Data Repository of Human Analysis Activity and Interaction Logs

OpenAIRE

Mohseni, Sina; Pachuilo, Andrew; Nirjhar, Ehsanul Haque; Linder, Rhema; Pena, Alyssa; Ragan, Eric D.

2018-01-01

We present an analytic provenance data repository that can be used to study human analysis activity, thought processes, and software interaction with visual analysis tools during exploratory data analysis. We conducted a series of user studies involving exploratory data analysis scenario with textual and cyber security data. Interactions logs, think-alouds, videos and all coded data in this study are available online for research purposes. Analysis sessions are segmented in multiple sub-task ...

Therapeutic patient education in atopic dermatitis: worldwide experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Stalder, Jean-Francois; Bernier, Claire; Ball, Alan; De Raeve, Linda; Gieler, Uwe; Deleuran, Mette; Marcoux, Danielle; Eichenfield, Lawrence F; Lio, Peter; Lewis-Jones, Sue; Gelmetti, Carlo; Takaoka, Roberto; Chiaverini, Christine; Misery, Laurent; Barbarot, Sébastien

2013-01-01

Therapeutic patient education (TPE) has proven effective in increasing treatment adherence and improving quality of life (QoL) for patients with numerous chronic diseases, especially atopic dermatitis (AD). This study was undertaken to identify worldwide TPE experiences in AD treatment. Experts from 23 hospitals, located in 11 countries, responded to a questionnaire on 10 major items. Patients in TPE programs were mainly children and adolescents with moderate to severe AD or markedly affected QoL. Individual and collective approaches were used. Depending on the center, the number of sessions varied from one to six (corresponding to 2 to 12 hours of education), and 20 to 200 patients were followed each year. Each center's education team comprised multidisciplinary professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, psychologists). Evaluations were based on clinical assessment, QoL, a satisfaction index, or some combination of the three. When funding was obtained, it came from regional health authorities (France), insurance companies (Germany), donations (United States), or pharmaceutical firms (Japan, Italy). The role of patient associations was always highlighted, but their involvement in the TPE process varied from one country to another. Despite the nonexhaustive approach, our findings demonstrate the increasing interest in TPE for managing individuals with AD. In spite of the cultural and financial differences between countries, there is a consensus among experts to integrate education into the treatment of eczema. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Developing an approach to effectively use super ensemble experiments for the projection of hydrological extremes under climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, S.; Kim, H.; Utsumi, N.

2017-12-01

This study aims to develop a new approach which projects hydrology under climate change using super ensemble experiments. The use of multiple ensemble is essential for the estimation of extreme, which is a major issue in the impact assessment of climate change. Hence, the super ensemble experiments are recently conducted by some research programs. While it is necessary to use multiple ensemble, the multiple calculations of hydrological simulation for each output of ensemble simulations needs considerable calculation costs. To effectively use the super ensemble experiments, we adopt a strategy to use runoff projected by climate models directly. The general approach of hydrological projection is to conduct hydrological model simulations which include land-surface and river routing process using atmospheric boundary conditions projected by climate models as inputs. This study, on the other hand, simulates only river routing model using runoff projected by climate models. In general, the climate model output is systematically biased so that a preprocessing which corrects such bias is necessary for impact assessments. Various bias correction methods have been proposed, but, to the best of our knowledge, no method has proposed for variables other than surface meteorology. Here, we newly propose a method for utilizing the projected future runoff directly. The developed method estimates and corrects the bias based on the pseudo-observation which is a result of retrospective offline simulation. We show an application of this approach to the super ensemble experiments conducted under the program of Half a degree Additional warming, Prognosis and Projected Impacts (HAPPI). More than 400 ensemble experiments from multiple climate models are available. The results of the validation using historical simulations by HAPPI indicates that the output of this approach can effectively reproduce retrospective runoff variability. Likewise, the bias of runoff from super ensemble climate

Rigorous approach to the comparison between experiment and theory in Casimir force measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klimchitskaya, G L; Chen, F; Decca, R S; Fischbach, E; Krause, D E; Lopez, D; Mohideen, U; Mostepanenko, V M

2006-01-01

In most experiments on the Casimir force the comparison between measurement data and theory was done using the concept of the root-mean-square deviation, a procedure that has been criticized in the literature. Here we propose a special statistical analysis which should be performed separately for the experimental data and for the results of the theoretical computations. In so doing, the random, systematic and total experimental errors are found as functions of separation, taking into account the distribution laws for each error at 95% confidence. Independently, all theoretical errors are combined to obtain the total theoretical error at the same confidence. Finally, the confidence interval for the differences between theoretical and experimental values is obtained as a function of separation. This rigorous approach is applied to two recent experiments on the Casimir effect

Is islet transplantation a realistic approach to curing diabetes?

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Sang-Man; Kim, Kwang-Won

2017-01-01

Since the report of type 1 diabetes reversal in seven consecutive patients by the Edmonton protocol in 2000, pancreatic islet transplantation has been reappraised based on accumulated clinical evidence. Although initially expected to therapeutically target long-term insulin independence, islet transplantation is now indicated for more specific clinical benefits. With the long-awaited report of the first phase 3 clinical trial in 2016, allogeneic islet transplantation is now transitioning from an experimental to a proven therapy for type 1 diabetes with problematic hypoglycemia. Islet autotransplantation has already been therapeutically proven in chronic pancreatitis with severe abdominal pain refractory to conventional treatments, and it holds promise for preventing diabetes after partial pancreatectomy due to benign pancreatic tumors. Based on current evidence, this review focuses on islet transplantation as a realistic approach to treating diabetes.

Meta-design Approach for Mobile Platforms Supporting Creative Tourism Experiences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tussyadiah, Iis P.

2013-01-01

with and interpretations of the local attributes of tourism destinations. The mobile system will integrate the sensory stimuli, the intense contact with cultural nuances and social network, the brand-based reputation, and the creative communities at tourism destinations into the iterative process of perception, conception......This paper conceptualizes the application of meta-design approach in the development of a mobile system supporting creative experiences for tourists. Specifically, for those working in creative industries, adaptive mobile system will facilitate effective tourists' interactions......, and expression of creative ideas among tourists. For destinations trying to highlight their unique characteristics as their value proposition, the development of such system may benefit them from a heightened sense of place due to on-going value co-creation. Individuals will benefit from such system from...

Experiences of the individual placement and support approach in persons with severe mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Areberg, Cecilia; Björkman, Tommy; Bejerholm, Ulrika

2013-09-01

Across several research studies comparing the individual placement and support (IPS) approach to traditional vocational services, the approach has achieved employment outcomes superior to comparison conditions. However, to understand the efficacy of IPS, it is equally important to consider what is more or less effective as viewed by the IPS participants. To investigate participants' experiences of IPS participation and their experiences of receiving support from an employment specialist (ES). Interviews were conducted with 17 persons with severe mental illness. The interviews were subjected to qualitative content analysis. The principles of informed consent and the voluntary nature of participation were included as ethical considerations. Participation in IPS was associated with hope, meaning and an individualized support provided by the ES. The skills of the ES facilitated the relationship with the participant and the contact with the labour market. However, to make a change happen, everybody involved in IPS had to contribute. These findings have endorsed the guiding principles of IPS and emphasized the ES's role and skills during IPS as well as the participant's motivation. © 2012 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences © 2012 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Recurrent Pneumonia in Children: A Reasoned Diagnostic Approach and a Single Centre Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Montella, Silvia; Corcione, Adele; Santamaria, Francesca

2017-01-29

Recurrent pneumonia (RP), i.e., at least two episodes of pneumonia in one year or three episodes ever with intercritical radiographic clearing of densities, occurs in 7.7%-9% of children with community-acquired pneumonia. In RP, the challenge is to discriminate between children with self-limiting or minor problems, that do not require a diagnostic work-up, and those with an underlying disease. The aim of the current review is to discuss a reasoned diagnostic approach to RP in childhood. Particular emphasis has been placed on which children should undergo a diagnostic work-up and which tests should be performed. A pediatric case series is also presented, in order to document a single centre experience of RP. A management algorithm for the approach to children with RP, based on the evidence from a literature review, is proposed. Like all algorithms, it is not meant to replace clinical judgment, but it should drive physicians to adopt a systematic approach to pediatric RP and provide a useful guide to the clinician.

Using stable isotopes and functional wood anatomy to identify underlying mechanisms of drought tolerance in different provenances of lodgepole pine

Science.gov (United States)

Isaac-Renton, Miriam; Montwé, David; Hamann, Andreas; Spiecker, Heinrich; Cherubini, Paolo; Treydte, Kerstin

2016-04-01

Choosing drought-tolerant seed sources for reforestation may help adapt forests to climate change. By combining dendroecological growth analysis with a long-term provenance trial, we assessed growth and drought tolerance of different populations of a wide-ranging conifer, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta). This experimental design simulated a climate warming scenario through southward seed transfer, and an exceptional drought also occurred in 2002. We felled over 500 trees, representing 23 seed sources, which were grown for 32 years at three warm, dry sites in southern British Columbia, Canada. Northern populations showed poor growth and drought tolerance. These seed sources therefore appear to be especially at risk under climate change. Before recommending assisted migration of southern seeds towards the north, however, it is important to understand the physiological mechanisms underlying these responses. We combine functional wood anatomy with a dual-isotope approach to evaluate these mechanisms to drought response.

Frequency and outcomes of biopsy-proven fibroadenomas recommended for surgical excision.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Shimwoo; Mercado, Cecilia L; Cangiarella, Joan F; Chhor, Chloe M

2017-12-16

Our aim was to investigate the outcomes of fibroadenomas recommended for surgical excision due to large size (>2cm) or interval growth. A retrospective review of our institutional radiology database from 2007 to 2015 was performed. We identified 167 biopsy-proven fibroadenomas recommended for surgical consultation. Of these, 75 (45%) cases actually underwent excision, 7 (9%, 95% CI: 4-18%) of which were upgraded to phyllodes tumors upon histopathological examination. Our results support the current recommendation to surgically excise breast lesions diagnosed as fibroadenomas with size >2cm or with interval growth due to the considerable risk of finding phyllodes tumors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A review of Spacelab mission management approach

Science.gov (United States)

Craft, H. G., Jr.

1979-01-01

The Spacelab development program is a joint undertaking of the NASA and ESA. The paper addresses the initial concept of Spacelab payload mission management, the lessons learned, and modifications made as a result of the actual implementation of Spacelab Mission 1. The discussion covers mission management responsibilities, program control, science management, payload definition and interfaces, integrated payload mission planning, integration requirements, payload specialist training, payload and launch site integration, payload flight/mission operations, and postmission activities. After 3.5 years the outlined overall mission manager approach has proven to be most successful. The approach does allow the mission manager to maintain the lowest overall mission cost.

INTEGRATED EXPERIENCE APPROACH TO LEARNING.

Science.gov (United States)

POSTLETHWAIT, S.N.; AND OTHERS

THE USE OF AUDIOTUTORIAL TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING INTRODUCTORY COLLEGE BOTANY IS DESCRIBED. SPECIFIC PRACTICES USED AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY TO ILLUSTRATE DIFFERENT FACETS OF THE APPROACH ARE ANALYZED. INCLUDED ARE INDEPENDENT STUDY SESSIONS, SMALL ASSEMBLY SESSIONS, GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSIONS, AND HOME STUDY SESSIONS. ILLUSTRATIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS…

Sr - an element shows the way - Applications of Sr isotopes for provenance, tracing and migration (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Prohaska, T.; Irrgeher, J.; Zitek, A.; Teschler Nicola, M.

2010-12-01

presented for Sr isotope ratios simply supported by the fact that a higher statistical number of samples could be analyzed. Further supported by direct introductions systems such as laser ablation, the popularity of Sr in science has increased steadily. A number of fields of applications make nowadays use of the system so far: anthropology and archaeology as well as food science, chemical technology, forensic science, medicine or biology. The Sr isotope system will be presented along with analytical techniques applied. Selected examples making use of the natural Sr isotopic variation will be reported: Proof of provenance of food, forensic applications and migration studies on prehistoric cultures or modern biological systems. In addition, the application of enriched Sr isotope spikes will be presented. The spikes are administered in order to investigate Sr turnovers (e.g. as proxy for Ca in biomedical studies), marking tissues for tracing and migration experiments and investigating environmental processes.

Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border

OpenAIRE

Weronika Kozlowska; Charles Wagner; Charles Wagner; Erin M. Moore; Erin M. Moore; Adam Matkowski; Slavko Komarnytsky; Slavko Komarnytsky

2018-01-01

Plants were an essential part of foraging for food and health, and for centuries remained the only medicines available to people from the remote mountain regions. Their correct botanical provenance is an essential basis for understanding the ethnic cultures, as well as for chemical identification of the novel bioactive molecules with therapeutic effects. This work describes the use of herbal medicines in the Beskid mountain ranges located south of Krakow and Lviv, two influential medieval cen...

Unpacking buyer-seller differences in valuation from experience: A cognitive modeling approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Pachur, Thorsten; Scheibehenne, Benjamin

2017-12-01

People often indicate a higher price for an object when they own it (i.e., as sellers) than when they do not (i.e., as buyers)-a phenomenon known as the endowment effect. We develop a cognitive modeling approach to formalize, disentangle, and compare alternative psychological accounts (e.g., loss aversion, loss attention, strategic misrepresentation) of such buyer-seller differences in pricing decisions of monetary lotteries. To also be able to test possible buyer-seller differences in memory and learning, we study pricing decisions from experience, obtained with the sampling paradigm, where people learn about a lottery's payoff distribution from sequential sampling. We first formalize different accounts as models within three computational frameworks (reinforcement learning, instance-based learning theory, and cumulative prospect theory), and then fit the models to empirical selling and buying prices. In Study 1 (a reanalysis of published data with hypothetical decisions), models assuming buyer-seller differences in response bias (implementing a strategic-misrepresentation account) performed best; models assuming buyer-seller differences in choice sensitivity or memory (implementing a loss-attention account) generally fared worst. In a new experiment involving incentivized decisions (Study 2), models assuming buyer-seller differences in both outcome sensitivity (as proposed by a loss-aversion account) and response bias performed best. In both Study 1 and 2, the models implemented in cumulative prospect theory performed best. Model recovery studies validated our cognitive modeling approach, showing that the models can be distinguished rather well. In summary, our analysis supports a loss-aversion account of the endowment effect, but also reveals a substantial contribution of simple response bias.

Leapfrogging of tree species provenances? Interaction of microclimate and genetics on upward shifts in tree species' range limits

Science.gov (United States)

Reinhardt, K.; Castanha, C.; Germino, M. J.; Kueppers, L. M.

2011-12-01

The elevation limit of tree growth (alpine treeline) is considered to be constrained by environmental (i.e., thermal) and genetic (i.e., inability to adapt to climatic conditions) limitations to growth. Warming conditions due to climate change are predicted to cause upward shifts in the elevation of alpine treelines, through relief of cold-induced physiological limitations on seedling recruitment beyond current treeline boundaries. To determine how genetics and climate may interact to affect seedling establishment, we transplanted recently germinated seedlings from high- and low-elevation provenances (HI and LO, respectively) of Pinus flexilis in common gardens arrayed along an elevation and canopy gradient from subalpine forest into the alpine zone at Niwot Ridge, CO. We compared differences in microclimate and seedling ecophysiology among sites and between provenances. During the first summer of growth, frequently cloudy skies resulted in similar solar radiation incidence and air and soil temperatures among sites, despite nearly a 500 m-span in elevation across all sites. Preliminary findings suggest that survival of seedlings was similar between the lowest and highest elevations, with greater survival of LO (60%) compared to HI (40%) seedlings at each of these sites. Photosynthesis, carbon balance (photosynthesis/respiration), and conductance increased more than 2X with elevation for both provenances, and were 35-77% greater in LO seedlings compared to HI seedlings. There were no differences in dark-adapted chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) among sites or between provenances. However, in a common-garden study at low elevation, we observed no differences in carbon or water relations between two naturally-germinated mitochondrial haplotypes of P. flexilis (of narrow and wide-ranging distributions). We did observe water-related thresholds on seedling carbon balance and survival that occurred when soil volumetric water content dropped below 10% and seedling water

Effective UI The Art of Building Great User Experience in Software

CERN Document Server

Anderson, Jonathan; Wilson, Robb

2010-01-01

People expect effortless, engaging interaction with desktop and web applications, but producing software that generates enjoyable user experiences is much harder than many companies anticipate. With Effective UI, you'll learn proven user-experience strategies that will satisfy your clients and customers, drive business value, and increase brand strength. This book shows you how to capture the collaborative and cooperative spirit among designers, engineers, and management required for building engaging software. You'll also learn valuable methods for maintaining focus throughout the process -

Comparative analysis of stakeholder experiences with an online approach to prioritizing patient-centered research topics.

Science.gov (United States)

Khodyakov, Dmitry; Grant, Sean; Meeker, Daniella; Booth, Marika; Pacheco-Santivanez, Nathaly; Kim, Katherine K

2017-05-01

Little evidence exists about effective and scalable methods for meaningful stakeholder engagement in research. We explored patient/caregiver experiences with a high-tech online engagement approach for patient-centered research prioritization, compared their experiences with those of professional stakeholders, and identified factors associated with favorable participant experiences. We conducted 8 online modified-Delphi (OMD) panels. Panelists participated in 2 rating rounds with a statistical feedback/online discussion round in between. Panels focused on weight management/obesity, heart failure, and Kawasaki disease. We recruited a convenience sample of adults with any of the 3 conditions (or parents/guardians of Kawasaki disease patients), clinicians, and researchers. Measures included self-reported willingness to use OMD again, the panelists' study participation and online discussion experiences, the system's perceived ease of use, and active engagement metrics. Out of 349 panelists, 292 (84%) completed the study. Of those, 46% were patients, 36% were clinicians, and 19% were researchers. In multivariate models, patients were not significantly more actively engaged (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.94-3.05) but had more favorable study participation (β = 0.49; P  ≤ .05) and online discussion (β = 0.18; P  ≤ .05) experiences and were more willing to use OMD again (β = 0.36; P  ≤ .05), compared to professional stakeholders. Positive perceptions of the OMD system's ease of use (β = 0.16; P  ≤ .05) and favorable study participation (β = 0.26; P  ≤ .05) and online discussion (β = 0.57; P  ≤ .05) experiences were also associated with increased willingness to use OMD in the future. Active engagement was not associated with online experience indices or willingness to use OMD again. Online approaches to engaging large numbers of stakeholders are a promising and efficient adjunct

Clinical characteristics of biopsy-proven allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis: variety in causative fungi and laboratory findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishiguro, Takashi; Takayanagi, Noboru; Kagiyama, Naho; Shimizu, Yoshihiko; Yanagisawa, Tsutomu; Sugita, Yutaka

2014-01-01

The diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) has traditionally relied widely on Rosenberg's criteria, which emphasize immunologic responses while overlooking the investigation of mucous plugs as a primary criterion. Therefore, the characteristics of biopsy-proven ABPM require further elucidation. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of biopsy-proven ABPM and address whether full compliance with clinical criteria, such as the presence of asthma, and certain laboratory findings is necessary to establish a diagnosis of ABPM. We retrospectively analyzed 17 patients with biopsy-proven ABPM focusing on causative fungi and laboratory findings. Causative fungi included Aspergillus sp. in seven patients, Schizophyllum commune in four patients, Penicillium sp. in two patients and unknown in five patients. Bronchial asthma was observed in 10 patients, eosinophilia was observed in 10 patients and an increased serum immunoglobulin (Ig) E level was observed in 14 of the 17 patients. IgG for Aspergillus sp. was positive in six of the seven patients with ABPM due to Aspergillus and turned positive in the remaining patient during follow-up. Technological limitations prevented the measurement of specific IgE for S. commune and IgG for S. commune and Penicillium sp. in most patients. Computed tomography revealed central bronchiectasis, pulmonary infiltration and mucous plugs in all patients. Causative fungi other than Aspergillus sp. are not uncommon, and immunological tests for other fungi should be popularized. Asthma and characteristic laboratory findings, such as peripheral blood eosinophilia, increased serum IgE and precipitating antibodies, may not always be required to diagnose ABPM. The importance of typical pathologic findings of mucous plugs for diagnosing ABPM requires reevaluation. Further studies are needed to establish more elaborate diagnostic criteria for ABPM.

Dialogic and integrated approach to promote soils at different school levels: a Brazilian experience

Science.gov (United States)

Muggler, Cristine Carole

2017-04-01

From ancient civilizations to present technological societies, soil is the material and immaterial ground of our existence. Soil is essential to life as are water, air and sun light. Nevertheless, it is overlooked and has its functions and importance not known and recognized by people. In formal education and in most school curricula, soil contents are not approached in the same way and intensity other environmental components are. In its essence, soils are an interdisciplinary subject, crossing over different disciplines. It has a great potential as unifying theme that links and synthesizes different contents and areas of knowledge, especially hard sciences as physics, chemistry and biology. Furthermore, soils are familiar and tangible to everyone, making them a meaningful subject that helps to build an efficient learning process. The challenge remains on how to bring such teaching-learning possibilities to formal education at all levels. Soil education deals with the significance of soil to people. What makes soil meaningful? What are the bases for effective learning about soil? The answers are very much related with subjective perceptions and life experiences carried by each individual. Those dimensions have been considered by the pedagogical approach based on Paulo Freire's socio constructivism which considers social inclusion, knowledge building, horizontal learning and collective action. This approach has been applied within the soil (science) education spaces of the Federal University of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, both with university students and basic education pupils. At the university an average of 200 students per semester follow a 60 hours Soil Genesis course. With primary and secondary schools the activities are developed through the Soil Education Programme (PES) of the Earth Sciences Museum. In the classes and activities, materials, methods and learning strategies are developed to stimulate involvement, dialogues and exchange of experiences and

The Enactive Approach to Architectural Experience: A Neurophysiological Perspective on Embodiment, Motivation, and Affordances.

Science.gov (United States)

Jelić, Andrea; Tieri, Gaetano; De Matteis, Federico; Babiloni, Fabio; Vecchiato, Giovanni

2016-01-01

Over the last few years, the efforts to reveal through neuroscientific lens the relations between the mind, body, and built environment have set a promising direction of using neuroscience for architecture. However, little has been achieved thus far in developing a systematic account that could be employed for interpreting current results and providing a consistent framework for subsequent scientific experimentation. In this context, the enactive perspective is proposed as a guide to studying architectural experience for two key reasons. Firstly, the enactive approach is specifically selected for its capacity to account for the profound connectedness of the organism and the world in an active and dynamic relationship, which is primarily shaped by the features of the body. Thus, particular emphasis is placed on the issues of embodiment and motivational factors as underlying constituents of the body-architecture interactions. Moreover, enactive understanding of the relational coupling between body schema and affordances of architectural spaces singles out the two-way bodily communication between architecture and its inhabitants, which can be also explored in immersive virtual reality settings. Secondly, enactivism has a strong foothold in phenomenological thinking that corresponds to the existing phenomenological discourse in architectural theory and qualitative design approaches. In this way, the enactive approach acknowledges the available common ground between neuroscience and architecture and thus allows a more accurate definition of investigative goals. Accordingly, the outlined model of architectural subject in enactive terms-that is, a model of a human being as embodied, enactive, and situated agent, is proposed as a basis of neuroscientific and phenomenological interpretation of architectural experience.

The AFA 3G fuel assembly: a proven design for high burnups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forat, C.; Florentin, F.

1999-01-01

The AFA 3G fuel assembly design is based on the wide experience gained with the AFA 2G fuel assembly. More than 9500 AFA 2G fuel assemblies have been loaded in different reactors, worldwide, reaching discharged burnups in the range of 45 - 55 GWd/tU. This experience confirmed the features of the AFA 2G, such as the grids and the vanes arrangement for thermal hydraulic performance, the concept of the fuel rod support within the grid which avoids any rod fretting or vibration phenomenon, the efficiency of the anti-debris device. The AFA 3G also relies on and benefits from the results of the world's largest R and D program, in-pile and out-of(pile testing by Framatome with EDF and CEA, with a special focus on corrosion-resistant fuel rod cladding. The AFA 3G exhibits the following enhancements: a reinforced structure, which improves resistance to assembly bow as well as its consequences in terms of RCCA insertion fuel handling and core physics obtained from: MONOBLOC TM guide thimbles, characterized by a thickened and enlarged tube and reinforced dash-pot; a hold down spring system which has been optimized to accommodate fuel assembly hydraulic lift-off forces and to meet the fuel assembly bow resistance requirement; widened recrystallized Zircaloy-4 spacer grids; a high resistance to corrosion due to the M5 TM Zirconium-Niobium-Oxygen alloy for the fuel rod cladding, which contributes also to the bow resistance of the fuel assembly; an enhanced thermal-hydraulic behavior promoted by well proven mixing vane array of AFA 2G spacer grids, combined with three additional Mid Span Mixing Grids; a very effective debris protection with the use of the TRAPPER TM bottom nozzle. With these improvements, the AFA 3G fuel assembly is able to reach discharge burnup of 60 GWd/tU with margins on important characteristics like corrosion behavior, assembly bow and thermal-hydraulic performance. The AFA 3G design is so convincing that major utilities have decided to shift their fuel

Characterization of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation process for production of a therapeutic recombinant protein using a multivariate Bayesian approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Zhibiao; Baker, Daniel; Cheng, Aili; Leighton, Julie; Appelbaum, Edward; Aon, Juan

2016-05-01

The principle of quality by design (QbD) has been widely applied to biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes. Process characterization is an essential step to implement the QbD concept to establish the design space and to define the proven acceptable ranges (PAR) for critical process parameters (CPPs). In this study, we present characterization of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation process using risk assessment analysis, statistical design of experiments (DoE), and the multivariate Bayesian predictive approach. The critical quality attributes (CQAs) and CPPs were identified with a risk assessment. The statistical model for each attribute was established using the results from the DoE study with consideration given to interactions between CPPs. Both the conventional overlapping contour plot and the multivariate Bayesian predictive approaches were used to establish the region of process operating conditions where all attributes met their specifications simultaneously. The quantitative Bayesian predictive approach was chosen to define the PARs for the CPPs, which apply to the manufacturing control strategy. Experience from the 10,000 L manufacturing scale process validation, including 64 continued process verification batches, indicates that the CPPs remain under a state of control and within the established PARs. The end product quality attributes were within their drug substance specifications. The probability generated with the Bayesian approach was also used as a tool to assess CPP deviations. This approach can be extended to develop other production process characterization and quantify a reliable operating region. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:799-812, 2016. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

A wave optics approach to the theory of the Michelson-Morley experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Smid, Thomas

2017-11-01

A consistent classical wave optics approach to the theory of the Michelson-Morley experiment shows that the original theory as applied by Michelson and Morley and others does not calculate the optical paths of the two beams correctly, primarily because of incorrectly assuming a right angle reflection in the instrument’s reference frame for the transverse beam, but also because of the incorrect assumption of aberration for the wave fronts. The theory presented in this work proves the expected variation of the phase difference when rotating the interferometer to be more than twice as large and also strongly asymmetrical around the zero line.

Use of earthquake experience data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eder, S.J.; Eli, M.W.

1991-01-01

At many of the older existing US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, the need has arisen for evaluation guidelines for natural phenomena hazard assessment. The effect of a design basis earthquake at most of these facilities is one of the main concerns. Earthquake experience data can provide a basis for the needed seismic evaluation guidelines, resulting in an efficient screening evaluation methodology for several of the items that are in the scope of the DOE facility reviews. The experience-based screening evaluation methodology, when properly established and implemented by trained engineers, has proven to result in sufficient safety margins and focuses on real concerns via facility walkdowns, usually at costs much less than the alternative options of analysis and testing. This paper summarizes a program that is being put into place to establish uniform seismic evaluation guidelines and criteria for evaluation of existing DOE facilities. The intent of the program is to maximize use of past experience, in conjunction with a walkdown screening evaluation process

Culture-proven bacterial keratitis in a Malaysian general hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Hooi, S H; Hooi, S T

2005-12-01

One hundred patients (101 eyes) with culture-proven bacterial keratitis were treated in the Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru, over a 4-year period. The majority of patients was male (63%), Malay (60%), from the Johor Bahru district (62%) and aged between 41 to 50 years (20%). The ocular predisposing factors were ocular trauma (41 eyes), ocular surface disease (28 eyes) and contact lens wear (26 eyes). The corneal ulcers were mainly large (50.5%), central (59.4%) and colonized by Gram-negative bacteria (78.1%). The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (67 eyes), Staphylococcus aureus (12 eyes), Acinetobacter baumanii (6 eyes), Klebsiella pneumoniae (5 eyes), Corynebacterium sp. (3 eyes:) and Streptococcus pneumonliae (3 eyes). Twelve eyes (11.8%) had polymicrobial infection. A good visual outcome occurred in 52.5% of eyes analysed. Prognostic factors for visual outcome include presenting Snellen visual acuity, time to presentation after onset of ocular symptoms, ocular predisposing factor, corneal ulcer location and corneal ulcer size.

Quantitation of 4-Methyl-4-sulfanylpentan-2-one (4MSP) in Hops by a Stable Isotope Dilution Assay in Combination with GC×GC-TOFMS: Method Development and Application To Study the Influence of Variety, Provenance, Harvest Year, and Processing on 4MSP Concentrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Reglitz, Klaas; Steinhaus, Martin

2017-03-22

A stable isotope dilution assay was developed for quantitation of 4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentan-2-one (4MSP) in hops. The approach included the use of 4-( 13 C)methyl-4-sulfanyl(1,3,5- 13 C 3 )pentan-2-one as internal standard, selective isolation of hop thiols by mercurated agarose, and GC×GC-TOFMS analysis. Application of the method to 53 different hop samples revealed 4MSP concentrations between <1 and 114 μg/kg. Notably high concentrations were associated with United States varieties such as Citra, Eureka, Simcoe, and Apollo, whereas 4MSP was absent from traditional German and English varieties. Further experiments showed that besides the variety, also harvest year and storage vitally influenced 4MSP concentrations, whereas the impact of provenance was less pronounced. Hop processing such as drying and pelletizing had only a minor impact on 4MSP concentrations. Like the majority of other hop volatiles, 4MSP is predominantly located in the lupulin glands.

A recipe for the use of rutile in sedimentary provenance analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Triebold, Silke; von Eynatten, Hilmar; Zack, Thomas

2012-12-01

Rutile has received considerable attention in the last decade as a valuable petrogenetic indicator mineral. Based on both new and previously published data, we carve out advantages and pitfalls regarding TiO2-minerals in sedimentary provenance analysis. This results in a recipe for the use of rutile in provenance studies. The main points are: Rutile geochemistry from different grain size fractions does not differ systematically, and hence rutiles should be extracted from the fraction containing the most rutile grains (usually 63-200 μm). Similarly, different magnetic susceptibility of rutile does not systematically imply different trace element composition. Before interpretation of TiO2-mineral data, it is important to determine the polymorph type. Rutile, anatase and brookite appear to differ systematically in trace element composition. As an alternative to Raman spectroscopy, chemical classification according to Nb, Cr, Sn, Fe, V, and Zr concentrations can be applied. For rutile, a new host lithology discrimination scheme based on Cr-Nb systematics is introduced (x = 5 ∗ (Nb [ppm] - 500) - Cr [ppm]), which leads to better classification results than previously published discrimination methods. According to this equation, metamafic rutiles have negative values of x, while metapelitic rutiles have positive values. Evaluation of the growth temperature calculations of metamorphic rutile after different authors shows that the equations given by Tomkins et al. (2007) should be applied to both metamafic and metapelitic rutiles. Although there is a pressure effect on the Zr incorporation in rutile, the pressure range for most rutiles of 5-15 kbar introduces an uncertainty in calculated temperature of no more than ± 35 °C. The distribution of calculated temperatures from detrital rutiles is crucial; only well-defined temperature populations should be used for thermometry interpretation.

Launch Services, a Proven Model

Science.gov (United States)

Trafton, W. C.; Simpson, J.

2002-01-01

From a commercial perspective, the ability to justify "leap frog" technology such as reusable systems has been difficult to justify because the estimated 5B to 10B investment is not supported in the current flat commercial market coupled with an oversupply of launch service suppliers. The market simply does not justify investment of that magnitude. Currently, next generation Expendable Launch Systems, including Boeing's Delta IV, Lockheed Martin's Atlas 5, Ariane V ESCA and RSC's H-IIA are being introduced into operations signifying that only upgrades to proven systems are planned to meet the changes in anticipated satellite demand (larger satellites, more lifetime, larger volumes, etc.) in the foreseeable future. We do not see a new fleet of ELVs emerging beyond that which is currently being introduced, only continuous upgrades of the fleet to meet the demands. To induce a radical change in the provision of launch services, a Multinational Government investment must be made and justified by World requirements. The commercial market alone cannot justify such an investment. And if an investment is made, we cannot afford to repeat previous mistakes by relying on one system such as shuttle for commercial deployment without having any back-up capability. Other issues that need to be considered are national science and security requirements, which to a large extent fuels the Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Former Soviet Union, European and United States space transportation entries. Additionally, this system must support or replace current Space Transportation Economies with across-the-board benefits. For the next 10 to 20 years, Multinational cooperation will be in the form of piecing together launch components and infrastructure to supplement existing launch systems and reducing the amount of non-recurring investment while meeting the future requirements of the End-User. Virtually all of the current systems have some form of multinational participation: Sea Launch

DEM Calibration Approach: design of experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Boikov, A. V.; Savelev, R. V.; Payor, V. A.

2018-05-01

The problem of DEM models calibration is considered in the article. It is proposed to divide models input parameters into those that require iterative calibration and those that are recommended to measure directly. A new method for model calibration based on the design of the experiment for iteratively calibrated parameters is proposed. The experiment is conducted using a specially designed stand. The results are processed with technical vision algorithms. Approximating functions are obtained and the error of the implemented software and hardware complex is estimated. The prospects of the obtained results are discussed.

Organisational aspects of mammography screening in digital settings: First experiences of Luxembourg

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shannoun, F.; Schanck, J. M.; Scharpantgen, A.; Wagnon, M. C.; Ben Daoud, M.; Back, C.

2008-01-01

Luxembourg has been conducting a breast cancer screening programme since 1992, like a large number of other European countries, as early detection and treatment of breast cancer have been proven to reduce mortality. The majority of these screening programmes are based on analogue X-ray technology and have optimised their organisation of transporting, archiving and reading with respect to films. Last decade is marked by enormous developments in digital mammography. Different technologies such as flat panel-, computed radiography- and scanning systems became available. Digital mammography is expected to have a major impact on quality and organisation of breast cancer screening programmes. Screening programmes are now faced with a huge challenge of incorporating the digital technology, including implementation of electronic image exchange, conception of new electronic work-flow, establishing adapted quality assurance programmes and training of radiologists and technical personnel. Initial experiences of the Luxembourg approach in organising digital mammography screening and its quality assurance are reported. (authors)

The identification of provenance-controlled facies by geochemical methods on a portion of the Vaal Reef, Klerksdorp Goldfield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henckel, J.; Schweitzer, J.K.; Horsch, H.

1990-01-01

The use of geochemical methods for identifying provenance controlled facies in Witwatersrand reefs is considered. Three methods - whole rock geochemistry, zircon analysis, and chromite analysis - have been evaluated in order to establish the feasibility of using these geochemical techniques. An area of Vaal Reef where two sedimentological facies with distinct gold distributions had previously been identified was investigated. The studies reported here gave evidence of differences in the source areas for these two facies. Accordingly, it is concluded that the application of geochemistry to identify provenance-controlled facies is a useful technique which can help geologists arrive at a better interpretation of depositional systems within Witwatersrand reefs and thereby assist in the understanding of gold distribution patterns. 26 refs., 11 figs., 4 tabs

Review of continuous ceramic-lined melter and associated experience at PNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buelt, J.L.; Chapman, C.C.; Barnes, S.M.; Dierks, R.D.

1979-01-01

Development of continuous, ceramic-lined melters applicable to immobilization of radioactive wastes began at PNL in 1973. A comprehensive program is curretly in progress. The melters constructed at PNL have incorporated remote and reliable design features necessary for radioactive use. The extensive experience with vitrification of simulated wastes has proven the continuous melter's applicability to radioactive waste immobilization

Autonomous Path Planning for Road Vehicles in Narrow Environments: An Efficient Continuous Curvature Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Domokos Kiss

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we introduce a novel method for obtaining good quality paths for autonomous road vehicles (e.g., cars or buses in narrow environments. There are many traffic situations in urban scenarios where nontrivial maneuvering in narrow places is necessary. Navigating in cluttered parking lots or having to avoid obstacles blocking the way and finding a detour even in narrow streets are challenging, especially if the vehicle has large dimensions like a bus. We present a combined approximation-based approach to solve the path planning problem in such situations. Our approach consists of a global planner which generates a preliminary path consisting of straight and turning-in-place primitives and a local planner which is used to make the preliminary path feasible to car-like vehicles. The approximation methodology is well known in the literature; however, both components proposed in this paper differ from existing similar planning methods. The approximation process with the proposed local planner is proven to be convergent for any preliminary global paths. The resulting path has continuous curvature which renders our method well suited for application on real vehicles. Simulation experiments show that the proposed method outperforms similar approaches in terms of path quality in complicated planning tasks.

Experimental evaluation of job provenance in ATLAS environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krenek, A; Sitera, J; Chudoba, J; Dvorak, F; Filipovic, J; KmunIcek, J; Matyska, L; Mulas, M; Ruda, M; Sustr, Z; Campana, S; Molinari, E; Rebatto, D

2008-01-01

Grid middleware stacks, including gLite, matured into the state of being able to process up to millions of jobs per day. Logging and Bookkeeping, the gLite job-tracking service, keeps pace with this rate; however, it is not designed to provide a long-term archive of information on executed jobs. ATLAS - representative of a large user community - addresses this issue with its own job catalogue (ProdDB). Development of such a customized service, not easily reusable, took considerable effort which is not affordable by smaller communities. On the contrary, Job Provenance (JP), a generic gLite service designed for long-term archiving of information on executed jobs focusing on scalability, extensibility, uniform data view, and configurability, allows more specialized catalogues to be easily built. We present the first results of an experimental JP deployment for the ATLAS production infrastructure where a JP installation was fed with a part of ATLAS jobs, and also stress tested with real production data. The main outcome of this work is a demonstration that JP can complement large-scale application-specific job catalogue services, while serving a similar purpose where there are none available

Descartes Mountains and Cayley Plains - Composition and provenance

Science.gov (United States)

Drake, M. J.; Taylor, G. J.; Goles, G. G.

1974-01-01

Trace element compositions of petrographically characterized 2-4 mm lithic fragments from Apollo 16 soil samples are used to calculate initial REE concentrations in liquids in equilibrium with lunar anorthosites and to discuss the provenance of the Cayley Formation. Lithic fragments may be subdivided into four groups: (1) ANT rocks, (2) K- and SiO2-rich mesostasis-bearing rocks, (3) poikiloblastic rocks, and (4) (spinel) troctolites. Model liquids in equilibrium with essentially monominerallic anorthosites have initial REE concentrations 5-8 times those of chondrites. The REE contents of K- and SiO2-rich mesostasis-bearing rocks and poikiloblastic rocks are dominated by the mesostasis phases. ANT rocks appear to be more abundant in the Descartes Mountains, while poikiloblastic rocks appear to be more abundant in the Cayley Plains. Poikiloblastic rocks have intermediate to high LIL-element concentrations yet the low gamma-ray activity of Mare Orientale implies low LIL-element concentrations. Consequently, it is unlikely that the Cayley Formation is Orientale ejecta. A local origin as ejecta from smaller impacts is a more plausible model for the deposition of the Cayley Formation.

SPRUCE experiment data infrastructure

Science.gov (United States)

Krassovski, M.; Hanson, P. J.; Boden, T.; Riggs, J.; Nettles, W. R.; Hook, L. A.

2013-12-01

and support climate change research, CDIAC has designed flexible data collection system using proven network technologies and taking advantage of existing software components. The SPRUCE data system comprised primarily of a set of network components, relational database, a web server to monitor data collection status, FTP server and replication/backup arrangement. Later the data interface on the existing website will be expanded to allow users to query the SPRUCE collection in a variety of ways and then subset, visualize and download the data. From the perspective of data stewardship, on the other hand, this system is designed for CDIAC to easily control database content, automate data movement, track data provenance, manage metadata content, and handle additions and corrections. In this presentation, we share our approaches to meet the challenges of designing and constructing data system for managing sources of high volume in situ observations in a remote location. It will demonstrate the dataflow starting from the sensors and ending at the archiving/distribution points, discuss types of hardware and software used, and examine considerations that were used to choose them.

Theoretical approaches to many-body perturbation theory and the challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrett, Bruce R

2005-01-01

A brief review of the history of many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) and its applications in nuclear physics is given. Problems regarding its application to nuclear-structure calculations are discussed and analysed. It is concluded that the usefulness of nuclear MBPT in terms of an expansion in the nuclear reaction matrix G for the calculation of effective interactions in shell-model investigations is severely challenged and restricted by the problems and uncertainties connected with this approach. New methods based on unitary transformation approaches have proven to be more accurate and reliable, particularly for light nuclei

Using Motivational Interviewing with School-Age Bullies: A New Use for a Proven, Evidence-Based Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Juhnke, Brenna A.; Juhnke, Gerald A.; Curtis, Russell C.; Thompson, E. Heather; Coll, Kenneth M.; Yu, Fangzhou; Moyer, Michael S.; Mullett, Alison

2013-01-01

Motivational interviewing is a proven, evidence-based intervention. It has been successfully utilized as a potent intervention with students presenting a broad range of concerns from substance abuse to obesity. To date, however, no articles exist within the general counseling literature or the "Journal of School Counseling" specifically…

Nuclear equipment recalsification based on the service experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geambasu, A.; Segarceanu, D.

2000-01-01

The paper presents some considerations concerning the need of comparison between equipment performance proven by test and the service experience in Cernavoda Nuclear Plant. Service performance dana obtain partly from service failures (failures times) and partly from service experience without failure (running times) can be statistically analyzed to obtain predictions of the number of failures of unfailed units in specified period of time, means time to first failure, means time of median failure, a.s.o. These informations can be used during the operation of Nuclear Power Plant to estimate when a equipment should be replaced with a new one in order to prevent getting to the life end point. (author)

Western Scientific Approaches to Near-Death Experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruce Greyson

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Near-death experiences (NDEs are vivid experiences that often occur in life-threatening conditions, usually characterized by a transcendent tone and clear perceptions of leaving the body and being in a different spatiotemporal dimension. Such experiences have been reported throughout history in diverse cultures, and are reported today by 10% to 20% of people who have come close to death. Although cultural expectations and parameters of the brush with death influence the content of some NDEs, near-death phenomenology is invariant across cultures. That invariance may reflect universal psychological defenses, neurophysiological processes, or actual experience of a transcendent or mystical domain. Research into these alternative explanations has been hampered by the unpredictable occurrence of NDEs. Regardless of the causes or interpretations of NDEs, however, they are consistently associated with profound and long-lasting aftereffects on experiencers, and may have important implications for non-experiencers as well.

Student Diversity Requires Different Approaches to College Teaching, Even in Math and Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Craig E.

1996-01-01

Asserts that traditional teaching methods are unintentionally biased towards the elite and against many non-traditional students. Outlines several easily accessible changes in teaching methods that have fostered dramatic changes in student performance with no change in standards. These approaches have proven effective even in the fields of…

The Impact of Years of Teaching Experience on the Classroom Management Approaches of Elementary School Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Unal, Zafer; Unal, Aslihan

2012-01-01

This study provided a basis for answering the following essential question: Does the years of experience affect teachers' classroom management approaches? Data were collected from 268 primary school teachers. The findings of this study demonstrated that experienced teachers are more likely to prefer to be in control in their classrooms than…

Regeneration of Pinus pinaster Aiton after prescribed fires: Response to burn timing and biogeographical seed provenance across a climatic gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Sagra, J; Ferrandis, P; Plaza-Álvarez, P A; Lucas-Borja, M E; González-Romero, J; Alfaro-Sánchez, R; De Las Heras, J; Moya, D

2018-05-17

Prescribed fires are used as a fuel reduction tool, but heat alter microsite conditions affecting the natural regeneration of Mediterranean pine forests. Our study tested the hypothesis that implementing prescription before or after pine seed release may influence the composition of tree communities by changing the regeneration patterns of Pinus pinaster Aiton across a climatic gradient in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. We ran a seed-sowing experiment to analyse the recruitment patterns of this pine species in prescribed-burned stands, in two different biogeographical seed provenances from wetter and drier areas than the local seeding site. Survival of seedlings was through one year, until the end of the first drought and winter period, respectively. >5400 seeds were sown during the study distributed in sixty plots (30 burned, 30 unburned) per site and treatment, with 10 seeding units per plot. General linear models (GLMs) and ANOVA analyses indicated higher performance for the Drier seed provenance in burned areas, whereas a similar performance was recorded in the control area. Control areas showed higher germination and success rates for plant establishment throughout the study period. Total germination and survival after one year were slightly higher, respectively, at northern sites due to massive mortality during summer in the southern stands. At the burned sites, the mean germination time was significantly longer in those seeds sown before fire passage than those sown after fire. Total germination and successful establishment were significantly higher in the individuals sown before the passage of the fire than in those sown after fire. Most of the mortality occurred in summer for the southern stand, while winter was the most constraining period at the northern sites. The understanding of the dynamics in this species' establishment can help managers to perform a better management planning according to the species' ecology. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All

Use of ethnographic approaches to the study of health experiences in relation to natural landscapes.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, Liz; Varley, Pete

2012-11-01

This paper discusses the use of ethnographic approaches to explore how engagement with natural landscapes might benefit people's health. Drawing on a selected review of empirical research we identified 30 relevant research papers that utilised qualitative methods to explore health issues and engagement with nature. Three examples of 'alternative' - i.e. non-mainstream qualitative approaches - are used to illustrate how different methods can be used to explore people's experiences of engaging with nature for health. While quantitative methods are dominant in health research, qualitative approaches are becoming more widely used. Approaches such as autoethnography can add value to nature and health studies by providing opportunities for researchers to be self-critical of their role as a researcher. Accompanied visits and visual ethnography can afford the researcher rich data about bodily movement, facial expressions and journeys, as well as dialogues associated with the meanings of nature for health. The paper concludes by suggesting that ethnographic methods can provide useful and important insights into why people engage with the natural environment and the range of health benefits they may gain from contact with nature.

The enactive approach to architectural experience: a neurophysiological perspective on embodiment, motivation, and affordances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea eJelic

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Over the last few years, the efforts to reveal through neuroscientific lens the relations between the mind, body, and built environment have set a promising direction of using neuroscience for architecture. However, little has been achieved thus far in developing a systematic account that could be employed for interpreting current results and providing a consistent framework for subsequent scientific experimentation. In this context, the enactive perspective is proposed as a guide to studying architectural experience for two key reasons. Firstly, the enactive approach is specifically selected for its capacity to account for the profound connectedness of the organism and the world in an active and dynamic relationship, which is primarily shaped by the features of the body. Thus, particular emphasis is placed on the issues of embodiment and motivational factors as underlying constituents of the body-architecture interactions. Moreover, enactive understanding of the relational coupling between body schema and affordances of architectural spaces singles out the two-way bodily communication between architecture and its inhabitants, which can be also explored in immersive virtual reality settings. Secondly, enactivism has a strong foothold in phenomenological thinking that corresponds to the existing phenomenological discourse in architectural theory and qualitative design approaches. In this way, the enactive approach acknowledges the available common ground between neuroscience and architecture and thus allows a more accurate definition of investigative goals. Accordingly, the outlined model of architectural subject in enactive terms – that is, a model of a human being as embodied, enactive, and situated agent, is proposed as a basis of neuroscientific and phenomenological interpretation of architectural experience.

Sediment provenance in contractional orogens: The detrital zircon record from modern rivers in the Andean fold-thrust belt and foreland basin of western Argentina

Science.gov (United States)

Capaldi, Tomas N.; Horton, Brian K.; McKenzie, N. Ryan; Stockli, Daniel F.; Odlum, Margaret L.

2017-12-01

This study analyzes detrital zircon U-Pb age populations from Andean rivers to assess whether active synorogenic sedimentation accurately records proportional contributions from varied bedrock source units across different drainage areas. Samples of modern river sand were collected from west-central Argentina (28-33°S), where the Andes are characterized by active uplift and deposition in diverse contractional provinces, including (1) hinterland, (2) wedge-top, (3) proximal foreland, and (4) distal broken foreland basin settings. Potential controls on sediment provenance were evaluated by comparing river U-Pb age distributions with predicted age spectra generated by a sediment mixing model weighted by relative catchment exposure (outcrop) areas for different source units. Several statistical measures (similarity, likeness, and cross-correlation) are employed to compare how well the area-weighted model predicts modern river age populations. (1) Hinterland basin provenance is influenced by local relief generated along thrust-bounded ranges and high zircon fertility of exposed crystalline basement. (2) Wedge-top (piggyback) basin provenance is controlled by variable lithologic durability among thrust-belt bedrock sources and recycled basin sediments. (3) Proximal foreland (foredeep) basin provenance of rivers and fluvial megafans accurately reflect regional bedrock distributions, with limited effects of zircon fertility and lithologic durability in large (>20,000 km2) second-order drainage systems. (4) In distal broken segments of the foreland basin, regional provenance signatures from thrust-belt and hinterland areas are diluted by local contributions from foreland basement-cored uplifts.

Environmental hazards for pipelines in coastal regions/shore approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jinsi, B.K.

1995-01-01

Often oil/gas and other hydrocarbons discovered and produced offshore are transported to onshore facilities via submarine pipelines. The route of such pipelines traverses through coastal/shore approach regions. For a rational/economic design, safe installation and subsequent operation it is of utmost importance to review, evaluate and finalize various environmental hazard such as winds, waves, currents, seabed topography, seabed and sub-bottom soils, seabed erosion and soil accretion. This paper addresses the above described environmental hazards, their assessment and techniques to prepare design parameters which must be used for stability analysis, installation methods, long term operation and maintenance for the shore approaches. Additionally, various proven pipeline installation and stabilization techniques for the shore approach region are detailed. As case histories, three approaches installed in the Dutch North Sea are described

Systematic approach to training. Experiences from the training activities of regulatory body personnel in STUK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aro, I.

1998-04-01

The report describes the experiences obtained of a training programme for nuclear power plant inspectors arranged in the 90`s by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK). In the implementation of the programme, a systematic method was used to analyse the training needs, to plan, develop and implement the training programme as well as to assess the programme`s implementation and results. The method used, `SAT Ae Systematic Approach to Training`, is presented in `Nuclear Power Plant Personnel Training and its Evaluation, A Guidebook`, IAEA Technical Report Series No. 380, which is a publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is recommended that this method be applied in the planning and implementation of nuclear power plant personnel training. The application of the method as a tool for developing the qualifications of nuclear power plant inspectors shows that the method is well suited for use in Finland. Until the 90`s, STUK had no systematic approach to training activities. Some training was arranged internally, but training in most respects meant participation in external training events and international seminars. A more systematic approach was adopted in the early 90`s. The main goal was to define basic competence profiles for inspectors working in different fields and to provide an internal basic training programme not available externally. The development of the training activities called for a profound renewal of the training function to ensure a systematic approach and high quality. The experiences gained in STUK are useful in co-operation with Eastern and Central European regulatory bodies; they can be utilized when the qualifications of personnel who carry out inspections are developed. This will extensively contribute to the safety of nuclear power plants. (orig.). 2 refs.

Systematic approach to training. Experiences from the training activities of regulatory body personnel in STUK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aro, I.

1998-04-01

The report describes the experiences obtained of a training programme for nuclear power plant inspectors arranged in the 90's by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK). In the implementation of the programme, a systematic method was used to analyse the training needs, to plan, develop and implement the training programme as well as to assess the programme's implementation and results. The method used, 'SAT Ae Systematic Approach to Training', is presented in 'Nuclear Power Plant Personnel Training and its Evaluation, A Guidebook', IAEA Technical Report Series No. 380, which is a publication of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is recommended that this method be applied in the planning and implementation of nuclear power plant personnel training. The application of the method as a tool for developing the qualifications of nuclear power plant inspectors shows that the method is well suited for use in Finland. Until the 90's, STUK had no systematic approach to training activities. Some training was arranged internally, but training in most respects meant participation in external training events and international seminars. A more systematic approach was adopted in the early 90's. The main goal was to define basic competence profiles for inspectors working in different fields and to provide an internal basic training programme not available externally. The development of the training activities called for a profound renewal of the training function to ensure a systematic approach and high quality. The experiences gained in STUK are useful in co-operation with Eastern and Central European regulatory bodies; they can be utilized when the qualifications of personnel who carry out inspections are developed. This will extensively contribute to the safety of nuclear power plants. (orig.)

Understanding Black Male Student Athletes' Experiences at a Historically Black College/University: A Mixed Methods Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Joseph N.; Hall, Jori

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe how a mixed methods approach was employed to acquire a better understanding of Black male student athletes' experiences at a historically Black college/university in the southeastern United States. A concurrent triangulation design was incorporated to allow different data sources to be collected and…

Mental Health Experiences of Older Adults Living with HIV: Uncertainty, Stigma, and Approaches to Resilience.

Science.gov (United States)

Furlotte, Charles; Schwartz, Karen

2017-06-01

This study describes the mental health experiences of older adults living with HIV in Ottawa. Eleven participants aged 52 to 67 completed in-depth personal interviews. Mental health concerns pervaded the lives of these older adults. We identified three central themes common to the participants' stories: uncertainty, stigma, and resilience. For some of these participants, uncertainty impacting mental health centred on unexpected survival; interpretation of one's symptoms; and medical uncertainty. Participants' experiences of stigma included discrimination in health care interactions; misinformation; feeling stigmatized due to aspects of their physical appearance; compounded stigma; and anticipated stigma. Participants reported using several coping strategies, which we frame as individual approaches to resilience. These strategies include reducing the space that HIV takes up in one's life; making lifestyle changes to accommodate one's illness; and engaging with social support. These findings inform understandings of services for people aging with HIV who may experience mental health concerns.

On the equivalence between Young's double-slit and crystal double-refraction interference experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Ossikovski, Razvigor; Arteaga, Oriol; Vizet, Jérémy; Garcia-Caurel, Enric

2017-08-01

We show, both analytically and experimentally, that under common experimental conditions the interference pattern produced in a classic Young's double-slit experiment is indistinguishable from that generated by means of a doubly refracting uniaxial crystal whose optic axis makes a skew angle with the light propagation direction. The equivalence between diffraction and crystal optics interference experiments, taken for granted by Arago and Fresnel in their pioneering research on the interference of polarized light beams, is thus rigorously proven.

Open Core Data approaches to exposing facility data to support FAIR principles

Science.gov (United States)

Fils, D.; Lehnert, K.; Noren, A. J.

2017-12-01

The Open Core Data (OCD) award from NSF is focused on exposing scientific drilling data from the JOIDES Resolution Science Operator (JRSO) and Continental Scientific Drilling Coordination Office (CSDCO) following guidance from the Force 11 FAIR principles and the W3C "best practices" recommendations and notes. The goal of this implementation is to provide the identification, access, citation and provenance of these data to support the research community. OCD employs Linked Open Data (LOD) patterns and HTML5 microdata publishing via JSON-LD using various vocabularies. These vocabularies include schema.org, GeoLink and other relevant community vocabularies. Attention is paid to enabling hypermedia navigation between resources to aid in fast and efficient harvesting of the metadata directly from the LOD approach using web architecture patterns. Further, the vocabularies are employed to address the need of both DOI assignment and creation of data citation entries following ESIP data citation recommendations. The use of LOD, community vocabularies and persistent identifiers has enabled linking between hosted and remote data resources. In addition to the semantic metadata and LOD pattern, OCD is implementing approaches to data packaging to facilitate data use. OCD is currently using the CSV for the Web approach but is moving to implement frictionless data packages. This data package model provide access to a large suite of tools, libraries and workbenches to support data utilization, validation and visualization. Further, a basic reference implementation of the W3C PROV-AQ pingback pattern is under testing. This work is done in coordination with the RDA Provenance Patterns WG and follows patterns already employed by Geoscience Australia. This development is also done in coordination with ESIP provenance work. As needed, more traditional Application Program Interfaces (APIs) are exposed following best practices in RESTful services. All these capabilities are implemented

Provenance and indirect dating study on Hongzhou Kiln porcelains by INAA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, X.Q.; Feng, S.L.; Quan, K.S.

2007-01-01

Over 100 sherds were collected from Hongzhou Kiln of Jiangxi Province, China and their body samples were analyzed by INAA. The compositional differences between samples with the same period but different provenance were observed. The contents of Na, Rb, Ba, Fe, Th, U, etc., were found to be different among samples from different periods, which implies they may be used to identify the manufacturing age indirectly. The analytical data were further processed by principal components analysis (PCA). The statistical results show that all the sherds can be classified into 5 groups: (1) Eastern Han and Eastern Wu; (2) Western Jin, Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties; (3) Sui; (4) Early Tang and Middle Tang; (5) Late Tang and Five Dynasties. (author)

NA61/SHINE Data For Long Baseline Neutrino Experiments

CERN Document Server

Hälser, Alexis

2015-01-01

Accelerator based long baseline neutrino experiments require precise neutrino fl ux predictions to reach their physics goals. These experiments are commonly based on a set of two detectors. At the near detector, cross section measurements are performed and the neutrino fl ux can be observed before oscillation, while at the far detector the signal for neutrino oscillations is studied. An accurate knowledge on hadron production is mandatory in order to predict the neutrino fluxes. The NA61/SHINE facility at the CERN SPS has proven its ability to deliver high quality measurements of hadron production for the long baseline neutrino experiments. In this paper, the latest results from N A61 /SHINE for the neutrino physics programme are reviewed and future plans are presented.

The Effect of Group Works and Demonstrative Experiments Based on Conceptual Change Approach: Photosynthesis and Respiration

Science.gov (United States)

Cibik, Ayse Sert; Diken, Emine Hatun; Darcin, Emine Selcen

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of the use of group works and demonstration experiments based on conceptual change approach in the elimination of misconception about the subject of photosynthesis and respiration in plants in pre-service science teachers. This study was conducted with 78 pre-service science teachers including…

Enhancements to the Image Analysis Tool for Core Punch Experiments and Simulations (vs. 2014)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hogden, John Edward [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Unal, Cetin [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-11-06

A previous paper (Hogden & Unal, 2012, Image Analysis Tool for Core Punch Experiments and Simulations) described an image processing computer program developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This program has proven useful so developement has been continued. In this paper we describe enhacements to the program as of 2014.

Stratigraphy and sediment provenance of the Karoo Supergroup in Southern Botswana using geochemical indicators

Science.gov (United States)

Diskin, Sorcha; Wendorff, Marek; Lasarwe, Reneilwe

2010-05-01

/Yb)N plotted against CeN shows a relationship between REE fractionation and provenance, the samples from the Ecca's lacustrine Kwetla Formation and Bori Formation fall into the Intermediate Igneous Provenance Field along with data from the Dwyka, whereas the deltaic Kweneng and Boritse Formation belong to the quartzose provenance field. This agrees with indicators from the major element discriminators.

Attaining provenance proxies from OSL and TL sensitivities: Coupling with grain size and heavy minerals data from southern Brazilian coastal sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zular, André; Sawakuchi, André O.; Guedes, Carlos C.F.; Giannini, Paulo C.F.

2015-01-01

In the São Francisco do Sul (SFS) barrier in southern Brazil, the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) sensitivities of coastal sands vary according to geomorphological units. Sands from older beach ridges (ages older than 2000 years ago) show higher OSL and TL sensitivities than younger units (ages younger than 2000 years). Geomorphological units in the SFS attest to changes in provenance as a result of a coastal climate shift evidenced through grain size and heavy mineral analysis. We argue that in the SFS barrier sands, OSL and TL sensitivity signals provide an additional proxy to climate events and can be used as an alternative method to assess changes in provenance and tracking source-to-sink systems to monitor past and future environmental changes. - Highlights: • OSL and TL sensitivities are confronted with grain size and heavy minerals data. • We report OSL and 110 °C TL sensitivities as provenance proxies. • 110 °C TL sensitivity outlines environmental changes better than OSL sensitivity data.

Development of a harmonized approach to safety assessment of decommissioning: Lessons learned from international experience (DeSa project)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Percival, K.; Nokhamzon, J.-G.; Ferch, R.; Batandjieva, B.

2006-01-01

The number of nuclear facilities being or planned to be shutdown as they reach the end of their design life, due to accidents or other political and social factors has been increasing worldwide. This has led to an increase in the awareness of regulators and operators of the importance of development and implementation of adequate safety requirements and criteria for decommissioning of these facilities. A general requirement at international and national levels, even for new facilities to be commissioned, is the development of a decommissioning plan, which includes evaluation of potential radiological consequences to public and workers during planned and accidental decommissioning activities. Experience has been gained in the safety assessment of decommissioning at various sites with different complexities and hazard potentials. This experience shows that various approaches have been used in conducting safety assessments and that there is a need for harmonisation of these approaches and for transferring the good practice and lessons learned to other countries, in particular developing countries with limited financial and human resources. The IAEA launched an international project on Evaluation and Demonstration of Safety during Decommissioning (DeSa) in 2004 to provide a forum for exchange of lessons learned between site operators, regulators, safety assessors and other specialists in safety assessment of decommissioning of nuclear power plants, research reactors, laboratories, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, etc. This paper presents the lessons learned through the project up to date, i.e.; (i) a common approach to safety assessment is being applied worldwide with the following steps - establishment of assessment framework; description of the facility; definition of decommissioning activities; hazard identification and analysis; calculation of consequences; and analysis of results; (ii) a deterministic approach to safety assessment is most commonly applied; (iii) a

Provenance determination of pottery by trace element analysis. Problems, solutions and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mommsen, H.

2001-01-01

Provenance determinations of pottery by chemical analysis is reviewed and shown to work well. Since pottery is produced from a well homogenized clay paste according to a certain recipe, sharp elemental patterns are expected for a series of products having the same origin. To obtain such patterns when forming compositional groups of pottery, a consideration of experimental errors, a correction for dilution and a choice of only stable elements is necessary. The patterns thus obtained will have low probability of overlap with groups of different origin. Examples for well defined groups of German stonewares and of Mycenaean wares from the Peloponnese are recorded. (author)

Warming and provenance limit tree recruitment across and beyond the elevation range of subalpine forest.

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Kueppers, Lara M; Conlisk, Erin; Castanha, Cristina; Moyes, Andrew B; Germino, Matthew J; de Valpine, Perry; Torn, Margaret S; Mitton, Jeffry B

2017-06-01

Climate niche models project that subalpine forest ranges will extend upslope with climate warming. These projections assume that the climate suitable for adult trees will be adequate for forest regeneration, ignoring climate requirements for seedling recruitment, a potential demographic bottleneck. Moreover, local genetic adaptation is expected to facilitate range expansion, with tree populations at the upper forest edge providing the seed best adapted to the alpine. Here, we test these expectations using a novel combination of common gardens, seeded with two widely distributed subalpine conifers, and climate manipulations replicated at three elevations. Infrared heaters raised temperatures in heated plots, but raised temperatures more in the forest than at or above treeline because strong winds at high elevation reduced heating efficiency. Watering increased season-average soil moisture similarly across sites. Contrary to expectations, warming reduced Engelmann spruce recruitment at and above treeline, as well as in the forest. Warming reduced limber pine first-year recruitment in the forest, but had no net effect on fourth-year recruitment at any site. Watering during the snow-free season alleviated some negative effects of warming, indicating that warming exacerbated water limitations. Contrary to expectations of local adaptation, low-elevation seeds of both species initially recruited more strongly than high-elevation seeds across the elevation gradient, although the low-provenance advantage diminished by the fourth year for Engelmann spruce, likely due to small sample sizes. High- and low-elevation provenances responded similarly to warming across sites for Engelmann spruce, but differently for limber pine. In the context of increasing tree mortality, lower recruitment at all elevations with warming, combined with lower quality, high-provenance seed being most available for colonizing the alpine, portends range contraction for Engelmann spruce. The lower

Application of radiometric analysis in the study of provenance and transport processes of Brazilian coastal sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carvalho, C.; Anjos, R.M.; Veiga, R.; Macario, K.

2011-01-01

Natural gamma radiation of beach sand deposits was measured along the south coast of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, with the aim of studying the provenance and transport processes of sediments in this area. Concentrations of thorium, uranium and potassium were evaluated using γ-ray spectrometry and a behavioral study of eTh/eU and eTh/K cross plots was performed, reflecting the mineralogical properties of beach sands, as well as their history of transport and sorting processes. The results show that such technique can be efficiently used to map heavy mineral distributions and to distinguish the different origins of coastal sediments disclosing the influence of nearby rivers. - Research highlights: → Based on the natural γ-ray analyses of beach sand, high concentrations of heavy minerals have been found around the Mambucaba River deltaic complex, located in the South of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. → Concentrations of thorium, uranium and potassium concentration can give information on the mineral composition and provenance of beach sands and consequently investigate heavy mineral deposits.

Application of radiometric analysis in the study of provenance and transport processes of Brazilian coastal sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho, C. [Laboratorio de Radioecologia (LARA), Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Av. Gal. Milton Tavares de Souza, s/no, Gragoata, 24210-346 Niteroi, RJ (Brazil); Anjos, R.M., E-mail: meigikos@if.uff.b [Laboratorio de Radioecologia (LARA), Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Av. Gal. Milton Tavares de Souza, s/no, Gragoata, 24210-346 Niteroi, RJ (Brazil); Veiga, R.; Macario, K. [Laboratorio de Radioecologia (LARA), Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Av. Gal. Milton Tavares de Souza, s/no, Gragoata, 24210-346 Niteroi, RJ (Brazil)

2011-02-15

Natural gamma radiation of beach sand deposits was measured along the south coast of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, with the aim of studying the provenance and transport processes of sediments in this area. Concentrations of thorium, uranium and potassium were evaluated using {gamma}-ray spectrometry and a behavioral study of eTh/eU and eTh/K cross plots was performed, reflecting the mineralogical properties of beach sands, as well as their history of transport and sorting processes. The results show that such technique can be efficiently used to map heavy mineral distributions and to distinguish the different origins of coastal sediments disclosing the influence of nearby rivers. - Research highlights: {yields} Based on the natural {gamma}-ray analyses of beach sand, high concentrations of heavy minerals have been found around the Mambucaba River deltaic complex, located in the South of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. {yields} Concentrations of thorium, uranium and potassium concentration can give information on the mineral composition and provenance of beach sands and consequently investigate heavy mineral deposits.

Capturing the experiences of patients across multiple complex interventions: a meta-qualitative approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, Fiona; Christian, Jennifer; Mansfield, Elizabeth; Bhattacharyya, Onil; Hawker, Gillian; Levinson, Wendy; Naglie, Gary; Pham, Thuy-Nga; Rose, Louise; Schull, Michael; Sinha, Samir; Stergiopoulos, Vicky; Upshur, Ross; Wilson, Lynn

2015-09-08

The perspectives, needs and preferences of individuals with complex health and social needs can be overlooked in the design of healthcare interventions. This study was designed to provide new insights on patient perspectives drawing from the qualitative evaluation of 5 complex healthcare interventions. Patients and their caregivers were recruited from 5 interventions based in primary, hospital and community care in Ontario, Canada. We included 62 interviews from 44 patients and 18 non-clinical caregivers. Our team analysed the transcripts from 5 distinct projects. This approach to qualitative meta-evaluation identifies common issues described by a diverse group of patients, therefore providing potential insights into systems issues. This study is a secondary analysis of qualitative data; therefore, no outcome measures were identified. We identified 5 broad themes that capture the patients' experience and highlight issues that might not be adequately addressed in complex interventions. In our study, we found that: (1) the emergency department is the unavoidable point of care; (2) patients and caregivers are part of complex and variable family systems; (3) non-medical issues mediate patients' experiences of health and healthcare delivery; (4) the unanticipated consequences of complex healthcare interventions are often the most valuable; and (5) patient experiences are shaped by the healthcare discourses on medically complex patients. Our findings suggest that key assumptions about patients that inform intervention design need to be made explicit in order to build capacity to better understand and support patients with multiple chronic diseases. Across many health systems internationally, multiple models are being implemented simultaneously that may have shared features and target similar patients, and a qualitative meta-evaluation approach, thus offers an opportunity for cumulative learning at a system level in addition to informing intervention design and

An approach to Poiseuille's law in an undergraduate laboratory experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sianoudis, I A; Drakaki, E

2008-01-01

The continuous growth of computer and sensor technology allows many researchers to develop simple modifications and/or refinements to standard educational experiments, making them more attractive and comprehensible to students and thus increasing their educational impact. In the framework of this approach, the present study proposes an alternative experimental setup, which allows the confirmation of Hagen-Poiseuille's law, governing the flow of real fluids through tubes, a law with numerous important applications in both technology and medicine. In the proposed educational procedure, experimental measurements of fluid outflow are performed with the use of a motion sensor and a suitable computer program, allowing the determination of both the hydrostatic pressure and the flow rate. The dependence of the flow rate on parameters such as viscosity of the fluid, length and radius of the tube and the pressure difference between the ends of the tube are also studied, providing a laboratory activity which is useful and attractive for first year students, especially those of technologically oriented departments

Developing an Approach for Analyzing and Verifying System Communication

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Stratton, William C.; Lindvall, Mikael; Ackermann, Chris; Sibol, Deane E.; Godfrey, Sally

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews a project for developing an approach for analyzing and verifying the inter system communications. The motivation for the study was that software systems in the aerospace domain are inherently complex, and operate under tight constraints for resources, so that systems of systems must communicate with each other to fulfill the tasks. The systems of systems requires reliable communications. The technical approach was to develop a system, DynSAVE, that detects communication problems among the systems. The project enhanced the proven Software Architecture Visualization and Evaluation (SAVE) tool to create Dynamic SAVE (DynSAVE). The approach monitors and records low level network traffic, converting low level traffic into meaningful messages, and displays the messages in a way the issues can be detected.

Study on the provenance of ancient Yaozhou celadon made at Lidipo and Shangdian during Kin period using nuclear technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y.Q.; Xue, D.X.

2007-01-01

Yaozhou Kiln at Lidipo and Shangdian are two independent porcelain kiln groups of Yaozhou kiln series in Shanxi Province. Both of them were consisted of some individual porcelain kilns. The samples of 20 pieces of porcelain sherds produced in Shangdian and 43 pieces of porcelain sherds made in Lidipo sites which produced in Kin Dynasty (1115-1234 A.D.) have been collected. The main chemical compositions in body were determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The contents of trace elements were measured using neutron activation analysis (NAA). Principal component analysis (PCA) and stepwise discriminant analysis were used to study the provenance characteristic of these samples. The results indicated that the main components and trace elements in the specimen can be used to reveal the provenance characteristic. (author)

Understanding Nature-Related Behaviors among Children through a Theory of Reasoned Action Approach

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Gotch, Chad; Hall, Troy

2004-01-01

The Theory of Reasoned Action has proven to be a valuable tool for predicting and understanding behavior and, as such, provides a potentially important basis for environmental education program design. This study used a Theory of Reasoned Action approach to examine a unique type of behavior (nature-related activities) and a unique population…

"Looking and Listening-In": A Methodological Approach to Generating Insights into Infants' Experiences of Early Childhood Education and Care Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Sumsion, Jennifer; Goodfellow, Joy

2012-01-01

In this article, we describe an observational approach, "looking and listening-in," that we have used to try to understand the experience of an infant in an Australian family day-care home. The article is drawn from a larger study of infants' experiences of early childhood education and care settings. In keeping with the mosaic…

Multiparametric evaluation by simultaneous PET-MRI examination in patients with histologically proven laryngeal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Cavaliere, Carlo; Romeo, Valeria; Aiello, Marco; Mesolella, Massimo; Iorio, Brigida; Barbuto, Luigi; Cantone, Elena; Nicolai, Emanuele; Covello, Mario

2017-03-01

To evaluate the relationship between metabolic 18Fluoro-Deoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography (18FDG/PET) and morpho-functional parameters derived by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in patients with histologically proven laryngeal cancer. To assess the clinical impact of PET/MRI examination on patient's staging and treatment planning. 16 patients with histologically proven laryngeal cancer were enrolled and underwent whole body PET/CT followed by a dedicated PET/MRI of the head/neck region. Data were separately evaluated by two blinded groups: metabolic (SUV and MTV), diffusion (ADC) and perfusion (K trans , V e , k ep and iAUC) maps were obtained by positioning regions of interest (ROIs). Tumoral local extension assessed on PET/MRI was compared to endoscopic findings. A good inter-observer agreement was found in anatomical location and local extension of PET/MRI lesions (Cohen's kappa 0.9). PET/CT SUV measures highly correlate with ones derived by PET/MRI (e.g., p=0.96 for measures on VOI). Significant correlations among metabolic, diffusion and perfusion parameters have been detected. PET/MRI had a relevant clinical impact, confirming endoscopic findings (6 cases), helping treatment planning (9 cases), and modifying endoscopic primary staging (1 case). PET/MRI is useful for primary staging of laryngeal cancer, allowing simultaneous collection of metabolic and functional data and conditioning the therapeutic strategies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of Concomitant Sacroiliac joint Dysfunction in Patients With Image Proven Herniated Lumbar Discs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salah Alalawi

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Background:Sacroiliac joint (SIJ dysfunction is a widely known but poorly defined cause of low back pain. To our knowledge, few published studies have been conducted to evaluate systematically the prevalence and significance of concomitant sacroiliac joint dysfunction in patients with herniated lumbar discs. As concomitant SIJ dysfunction in low back pain patients is likely to respond to particular noninvasive interventions such as manipulation,improved understanding of the relationship between these two diagnoses would improve clinical decision making and research.Methods:This study was designated to estimate the prevalence of concomitant sacroiliac joint dysfunction in sub acute low back pain patients with image proven discopathy and evaluate the theory that sacroiliac joint dysfunction can be a source of pain and functional disability in discopathy. A total of 202 patients with sub acute radicular back pain and MRI proven herniated lumbar discs underwent standardized   physiatrist history and physical examination, specified for detection of concomitant sacroiliac joint dysfunction.Results: Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is a concomitant finding in 72.3% of evaluated patients.There was significantly higher SIJ dysfunction prevalence in female patients (p <0.0001. Conclusion: SIJ dysfunction is a significant pathogenic factor with high possibility of occurrence in low back pain. Thus, in the presence of radicular and sacroiliac joint symptoms, SIJ dysfunction, regardless of intervertebral disc pathology, must be considered in clinical decisiomaking.

[Share experiment: hospital mobile pharmaceutical teams, a proven concept!].

Science.gov (United States)

Lazaro, P; Sury-Lestage, S; Princet, I; Beuzit, K; Faucher-Grassin, J; Dupuis, A

2013-09-01

A few months ago, the pharmacy department of the University Hospital of Poitiers was located in the basement of the hospital; communicating with care units by fax, phone or messenger. Today, drugs and medical devices, are stored in a 3400m(2) logistic platform and most of the delivery activity is robotized. Control and validation of prescriptions and dispensing activities are done by the pharmaceutical teams directly in the care units. Quality indicators allow us to improve our services regularly. A great success and interesting prospects for clinical pharmacy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Provenance of detrital zircons from the Ribeira and Dom Feliciano Belts, comparison with African equivalents and implications on Western Gondwana amalgamation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basei, M.; Frimmel, H.E.; Nutman, A.P.; Preciozzi, F.

2008-01-01

The geologic make-up of southern Brazil has been defined by processes related to the Brasiliano orogenic cycle and, in particular, to con tractional tectonic events that led to the amalgamation of different terranes, which culminated in the formation of Western Gondwana (Campos Neto and Figueiredo, 1995; Brito Neves and Cordani, 1991; Brito Neves et al, 1999, Campos Neto, 2000). Polycyclic deformation and metamorphism that masked the characteristics, including the age records, of the protoliths were associated with the juxtaposition of these different terranes. Ophiolitic remains and magmatic arc roots signal the existence of fossil subduction and collision zones, whereas intense post-tectonic to an orogenic granitic magmatism marks the end of the orogenic cycle towards the end of the Neoproterozoic Era. U-Pb dating of domains within single zircon grains has proven to be a very powerful tool for the unraveling of the complex tecto no-thermal evolution as well as in characterizing the provenance of the original sediments. This is due to the high resistance to weathering and to high closure temperatures with respect to the U-Pb isotope system in zircon. Over the past decade, the standard technique for this analytical approach has become the analyses of U-Pb isotope ratios by SHRIMP, preceded by cathodoluminescence analysis (McClaren et al 1994). In this study, a set of 11 new SHRIMP analyses on detrital zircon grains from the major metasedimentary units of the Ribeira and Dom Feliciano Belts of the southeastern portion of South America is presented and the data are compared with available analyses for the Gariep Belt (Basei et al. 2005) and a new analysis for the Damara Belt. Combined with available Sm-Nd bulk rock isotope data, the results will form the basis for a revised tectonic model for the formation of Western Gondwana

Rolling Deck to Repository II: Getting Control of Provenance and Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, S. P.; Arko, R.; Chandler, C. L.; Clark, P. D.; Neiswender, C.

2008-12-01

Data are now being re-used by a far wider circle of researchers and students than ever before, across a broader range of disciplines. Before, during, and after a field program, the exchange and merging of information is a dynamic, iterative and sometimes anonymous process that may occur years, or decades, after the data were initially acquired. Collaborative steps are currently being taken toward a prototype data discovery system that can be extended to the entire NSF-supported academic research fleet, including both large and small operations. With emerging shipboard Internet capabilities, near real-time transport of selected data from the rolling deck to a repository can become a reality. Much of the effort is being devoted to data preservation and access, to the identification of standard products, and to the generation of appropriate metadata, with a streamlined methodology that can be adopted by a wide range of vessel operating institutions. Beyond the challenge of just finding data, currently researchers and students struggle repeatedly to make sense of downloaded data objects. Across institutions there are wide variations in quality control procedures, most commonly none, and virtually no external communication of the history of transformations applied to a data set. For example, the status of corrections for sound velocity or roll-bias, or beampoint editing for multibeam swath seafloor mapping sonar systems are often challenging to experts and baffling to users from other disciplines. With greater re-use of data comes the greater likelihood of interpretation of artifacts as features. Tracking data provenance and quality is a problem today, and the situation will become more critical as data are more widely and rapidly disseminated. We will identify quality control criteria for standard shipboard data products, and existing tools for quality assessment with automation potential (or lack thereof). We invite discussion of an XML institutional quality

Systematic approach for the design of pumpable cement-based grouts for immobilization of hazardous wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sams, T.L.; Gilliam, T.M.

1987-01-01

Cement-based grouts have been proven to be an economical and environmentally acceptable means of waste disposal. Costs can be reduced if the grout is pumped to the disposal site. This paper presents a systematic approach to guide the development of pumpable grouts. 20 refs., 2 figs

Art and architecture as experience: an alternative approach to bridging art history and the neurosciences.

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Zschocke, Nina

2012-08-01

In 1972, Michael Baxandal characterizes the processes responsible for the cultural relativism of art experience as highly complex and unknown in their physiological detail. While art history still shows considerable interest in the brain sciences forty years later, most cross-disciplinary studies today are referring to the neurosciences in an attempt to seek scientific legitimization of variations of a generalized and largely deterministic model of perception, reducing interaction between a work of art and its observers to a set of biological automatisms. I will challenge such an approach and take up art theory's interest in the historico-cultural and situational dimensions of art experience. Looking at two examples of large-scale installation and sculptural post-war American art, I will explore instable perceptions of depth and changing experiences of space that indicate complex interactions between perceptual and higher cognitive processes. The argument will draw on recent theories describing neuronal processes underlying multistable phenomena, eye movement, visual attention and decision-making. As I will show a large number of neuroscientific studies provide theoretical models that help us analyse not the anthropological constants but the influence of cultural, individual and situational variables on aesthetic experience.

Experiences of parents of children with special needs at school entry: a mixed method approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqua, A; Janus, M

2017-07-01

The transition from pre-school to kindergarten can be complex for children who need special assistance due to mental or physical disabilities (children with 'special needs'). We used a convergent mixed method approach to explore parents' experiences with service provision as their children transitioned to school. Parents (including one grandparent) of 37 children aged 4 to 6 years completed measures assessing their perceptions of and satisfaction with services. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 10 parents to understand their experience with services. Post transition, parents reported lower perceptions of services and decreased satisfaction than pre-transition. The following themes emerged from the qualitative data: qualities of services and service providers, communication and information transfer, parent advocacy, uncertainty about services, and contrasts and contradictions in satisfaction. The qualitative findings indicate that parents were both satisfied and concerned with aspects of the post-transition service provision. While the quantitative results suggested that parents' experience with services became less positive after their children entered school, the qualitative findings illustrated the variability in parents' experiences and components of service provision that require improvements to facilitate a successful school entry. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Uncovering stability mechanisms in microbial ecosystems - combining microcosm experiments, computational modelling and ecological theory in a multidisciplinary approach

Science.gov (United States)

Worrich, Anja; König, Sara; Banitz, Thomas; Centler, Florian; Frank, Karin; Kästner, Matthias; Miltner, Anja; Thullner, Martin; Wick, Lukas

2015-04-01

Although bacterial degraders in soil are commonly exposed to fluctuating environmental conditions, the functional performance of the biodegradation processes can often be maintained by resistance and resilience mechanisms. However, there is still a gap in the mechanistic understanding of key factors contributing to the stability of such an ecosystem service. Therefore we developed an integrated approach combining microcosm experiments, simulation models and ecological theory to directly make use of the strengths of these disciplines. In a continuous interplay process, data, hypotheses, and central questions are exchanged between disciplines to initiate new experiments and models to ultimately identify buffer mechanisms and factors providing functional stability. We focus on drying and rewetting-cycles in soil ecosystems, which are a major abiotic driver for bacterial activity. Functional recovery of the system was found to depend on different spatial processes in the computational model. In particular, bacterial motility is a prerequisite for biodegradation if either bacteria or substrate are heterogeneously distributed. Hence, laboratory experiments focussing on bacterial dispersal processes were conducted and confirmed this finding also for functional resistance. Obtained results will be incorporated into the model in the next step. Overall, the combination of computational modelling and laboratory experiments identified spatial processes as the main driving force for functional stability in the considered system, and has proved a powerful methodological approach.

Evaluating the Consistency of the FNA Test in Pathologically Proven Nodules of Thyroidectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Khazaei

2018-02-01