Optimal background matching camouflage.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalis, Constantine; Scott-Samuel, Nicholas E; Gibson, David P; Cuthill, Innes C

2017-07-12

Background matching is the most familiar and widespread camouflage strategy: avoiding detection by having a similar colour and pattern to the background. Optimizing background matching is straightforward in a homogeneous environment, or when the habitat has very distinct sub-types and there is divergent selection leading to polymorphism. However, most backgrounds have continuous variation in colour and texture, so what is the best solution? Not all samples of the background are likely to be equally inconspicuous, and laboratory experiments on birds and humans support this view. Theory suggests that the most probable background sample (in the statistical sense), at the size of the prey, would, on average, be the most cryptic. We present an analysis, based on realistic assumptions about low-level vision, that estimates the distribution of background colours and visual textures, and predicts the best camouflage. We present data from a field experiment that tests and supports our predictions, using artificial moth-like targets under bird predation. Additionally, we present analogous data for humans, under tightly controlled viewing conditions, searching for targets on a computer screen. These data show that, in the absence of predator learning, the best single camouflage pattern for heterogeneous backgrounds is the most probable sample. © 2017 The Authors.

Repeated surgeries in invasive lobular breast cancer with preoperative MRI: Role of additional carcinoma in situ and background parenchymal enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Preibsch, H; Richter, V; Bahrs, S D; Hattermann, V; Wietek, B M; Bier, G; Kloth, C; Blumenstock, G; Hahn, M; Staebler, A; Nikolaou, K; Wiesinger, B

2017-05-01

Analysing the influence of additional carcinoma in situ (CIS) and background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) in preoperative MRI on repeated surgeries in patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) of the breast. Retrospective analysis of 106 patients (mean age 58.6±9.9years) with 108 ILC. Preoperative tumour size as assessed by MRI, mammography and sonography was recorded and compared to histopathology. In contrast-enhanced MRI, the degree of BPE was categorised by two readers. The influence of additionally detected CIS and BPE on the rate of repeated surgeries was analysed. Additional CIS was present in 45.4% of the cases (49/108). The degree of BPE was minimal or mild in 80% of the cases and moderate or marked in 20% of the cases. In 17 cases (15.7%) at least one repeated surgery was performed. In n=15 of these cases, repeated surgery was performed after BCT (n=9 re-excisions, n=6 conversions to mastectomy), in n=2 cases after initial mastectomy. The initial surgical procedure (p=0.008) and additional CIS (p=0.046) significantly influenced the rate of repeated surgeries, while tumour size, patient age and BPE did not (p=ns). Additional CIS was associated with a higher rate of repeated surgeries, whereas BPE had no influence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Estimation of Spectral Exponent Parameter of 1/f Process in Additive White Background Noise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Semih Ergintav

2007-01-01

Full Text Available An extension to the wavelet-based method for the estimation of the spectral exponent, γ, in a 1/fγ process and in the presence of additive white noise is proposed. The approach is based on eliminating the effect of white noise by a simple difference operation constructed on the wavelet spectrum. The γ parameter is estimated as the slope of a linear function. It is shown by simulations that the proposed method gives reliable results. Global positioning system (GPS time-series noise is analyzed and the results provide experimental verification of the proposed method.

Neutron background estimates in GESA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernandes A.C.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The SIMPLE project looks for nuclear recoil events generated by rare dark matter scattering interactions. Nuclear recoils are also produced by more prevalent cosmogenic neutron interactions. While the rock overburden shields against (μ,n neutrons to below 10−8 cm−2 s−1, it itself contributes via radio-impurities. Additional shielding of these is similar, both suppressing and contributing neutrons. We report on the Monte Carlo (MCNP estimation of the on-detector neutron backgrounds for the SIMPLE experiment located in the GESA facility of the Laboratoire Souterrain à Bas Bruit, and its use in defining additional shielding for measurements which have led to a reduction in the extrinsic neutron background to ∼ 5 × 10−3 evts/kgd. The calculated event rate induced by the neutron background is ∼ 0,3 evts/kgd, with a dominant contribution from the detector container.

Temporal dark adaptation to spatially complex backgrounds : effect of an additional light source

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stokkermans, M.G.M.; Heynderickx, I.E.J.

2014-01-01

Visual adaptation (and especially dark adaptation) has been studied extensively in the past, however, mainly addressing adaptation to fully dark backgrounds. At this stage, it is unclear whether these results are not too simple to be applied to complex situations, such as predicting adaptation of a

Zambia Country Background Report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hampwaye, Godfrey; Jeppesen, Søren; Kragelund, Peter

This paper provides background data and general information for the Zambia studies focusing on local food processing sub­‐sector; and the local suppliers to the mines as part of the SAFIC project (Successful African Firms and Institutional Change).......This paper provides background data and general information for the Zambia studies focusing on local food processing sub­‐sector; and the local suppliers to the mines as part of the SAFIC project (Successful African Firms and Institutional Change)....

Background-Modeling-Based Adaptive Prediction for Surveillance Video Coding.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xianguo; Huang, Tiejun; Tian, Yonghong; Gao, Wen

2014-02-01

The exponential growth of surveillance videos presents an unprecedented challenge for high-efficiency surveillance video coding technology. Compared with the existing coding standards that were basically developed for generic videos, surveillance video coding should be designed to make the best use of the special characteristics of surveillance videos (e.g., relative static background). To do so, this paper first conducts two analyses on how to improve the background and foreground prediction efficiencies in surveillance video coding. Following the analysis results, we propose a background-modeling-based adaptive prediction (BMAP) method. In this method, all blocks to be encoded are firstly classified into three categories. Then, according to the category of each block, two novel inter predictions are selectively utilized, namely, the background reference prediction (BRP) that uses the background modeled from the original input frames as the long-term reference and the background difference prediction (BDP) that predicts the current data in the background difference domain. For background blocks, the BRP can effectively improve the prediction efficiency using the higher quality background as the reference; whereas for foreground-background-hybrid blocks, the BDP can provide a better reference after subtracting its background pixels. Experimental results show that the BMAP can achieve at least twice the compression ratio on surveillance videos as AVC (MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding) high profile, yet with a slightly additional encoding complexity. Moreover, for the foreground coding performance, which is crucial to the subjective quality of moving objects in surveillance videos, BMAP also obtains remarkable gains over several state-of-the-art methods.

Network Physics - the only company to provide physics-based network management - secures additional funding and new executives

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

"Network Physics, the only provider of physics-based network management products, today announced an additional venture round of $6 million in funding, as well as the addition of David Jones as president and CEO and Tom Dunn as vice president of sales and business development" (1 page).

A study for providing additional storage spaces to ET-RR-1 spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Kady, A.; Ashoub, N.; Saleh, H.G.

1995-01-01

The ET-RR-1 reactor spent fuel storage pool is a trapezoidal aluminum tank concrete shield and of capacity 10 m 3 . It can hold up to 60 fuel assemblies. The long operation history of the ET-RR-1 reactor resulted in a partially filled spent fuel storage with the remaining spaces not enough to host a complete load from the reactor. This work have been initiated to evaluate possible alternative solutions for providing additional storage spaces to host the available EK-10 fuel elements after irradiation and any foreseen fuel in case of reactor upgrading. Several alternate solutions have been reviewed and decision on the most suitable one is under study. These studies include criticality calculation of some suggested alternatives like reracking the present spent fuel storage pool and double tiering by the addition of a second level storage rack above the existing rack. The two levels may have different factor. Criticality calculation of the double tiering possible accident was also studied. (author)

34 CFR 645.13 - What additional services do Upward Bound Math and Science Centers provide and how are they...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What additional services do Upward Bound Math and... Program? § 645.13 What additional services do Upward Bound Math and Science Centers provide and how are... provided under § 645.11(b), an Upward Bound Math and Science Center must provide— (1) Intensive instruction...

32 CFR 770.49 - Background.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., Washington § 770.49 Background. (a) Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is a major naval ship repair facility, with... interruption. Additionally, most of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is dedicated to heavy industrial activity where...

Berkeley Low Background Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, K. J.; Norman, E. B.; Smith, A. R.; Poon, A. W. P.; Chan, Y. D.; Lesko, K. T.

2015-01-01

The Berkeley Low Background Facility (BLBF) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, California provides low background gamma spectroscopy services to a wide array of experiments and projects. The analysis of samples takes place within two unique facilities; locally within a carefully-constructed, low background laboratory on the surface at LBNL and at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD. These facilities provide a variety of gamma spectroscopy services to low background experiments primarily in the form of passive material screening for primordial radioisotopes (U, Th, K) or common cosmogenic/anthropogenic products; active screening via neutron activation analysis for U,Th, and K as well as a variety of stable isotopes; and neutron flux/beam characterization measurements through the use of monitors. A general overview of the facilities, services, and sensitivities will be presented. Recent activities and upgrades will also be described including an overview of the recently installed counting system at SURF (recently relocated from Oroville, CA in 2014), the installation of a second underground counting station at SURF in 2015, and future plans. The BLBF is open to any users for counting services or collaboration on a wide variety of experiments and projects

A population-based approach to background discrimination in particle physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colecchia, Federico

2012-01-01

Background properties in experimental particle physics are typically estimated from control samples corresponding to large numbers of events. This can provide precise knowledge of average background distributions, but typically does not take into account statistical fluctuations in a data set of interest. A novel approach based on mixture model decomposition is presented, as a way to extract additional information about statistical fluctuations from a given data set with a view to improving on knowledge of background distributions obtained from control samples. Events are treated as heterogeneous populations comprising particles originating from different processes, and individual particles are mapped to a process of interest on a probabilistic basis. The proposed approach makes it possible to estimate features of the background distributions from the data, and to extract information about statistical fluctuations that would otherwise be lost using traditional supervised classifiers trained on high-statistics control samples. A feasibility study on Monte Carlo is presented, together with a comparison with existing techniques. Finally, the prospects for the development of tools for intensive offline analysis of individual interesting events at the Large Hadron Collider are discussed.

Constrained supermanifolds for AdS M-theory backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fre, Pietro; Grassi, Pietro Antonio

2008-01-01

A long standing problem is the supergauge completion of AdS 4 x ({G/H}) 7 or AdS 5 x ({G/H}) 5 backgrounds which preserve less then maximal supersymmetry. In parallel with the supersolvable realization of the AdS 4 x S 7 background based on κ-symmetry, we develop a technique which amounts to solving the above-mentioned problem in a way useful for pure spinor quantization for supermembranes and superstrings. Instead of gauge fixing some of the superspace coordinates using κ-symmetry, we impose an additional constraint on them reproducing the simplifications of the supersolvable representations. The constraints are quadratic, homogeneous, Sp(4,R)-covariant, and consistent from the quantum point of view in the pure spinor approach. Here we provide the geometrical solution which, in a subsequent work, will be applied to the membrane and the superstring sigma models

Evaluation of methods to reduce background using the Python-based ELISA_QC program.

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, Rose P; Cohen, Cinder F; Saeed, Fatima O; Wetzel, Hanna N; Ball, William J; Kirley, Terence L; Norman, Andrew B

2018-05-01

Almost all immunological approaches [immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot], that are used to quantitate specific proteins have had to address high backgrounds due to non-specific reactivity. We report here for the first time a quantitative comparison of methods for reduction of the background of commercial biotinylated antibodies using the Python-based ELISA_QC program. This is demonstrated using a recombinant humanized anti-cocaine monoclonal antibody. Several approaches, such as adjustment of the incubation time and the concentration of blocking agent, as well as the dilution of secondary antibodies, have been explored to address this issue. In this report, systematic comparisons of two different methods, contrasted with other more traditional methods to address this problem are provided. Addition of heparin (HP) at 1 μg/ml to the wash buffer prior to addition of the secondary biotinylated antibody reduced the elevated background absorbance values (from a mean of 0.313 ± 0.015 to 0.137 ± 0.002). A novel immunodepletion (ID) method also reduced the background (from a mean of 0.331 ± 0.010 to 0.146 ± 0.013). Overall, the ID method generated more similar results at each concentration of the ELISA standard curve to that using the standard lot 1 than the HP method, as analyzed by the Python-based ELISA_QC program. We conclude that the ID method, while more laborious, provides the best solution to resolve the high background seen with specific lots of biotinylated secondary antibody. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Stochastic Background of Relic Scalar Gravitational Waves tuned by Extended Gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Laurentis, Mariafelicia; Capozziello, Salvatore

2009-01-01

A stochastic background of relic gravitational waves is achieved by the so called adiabatically-amplified zero-point fluctuations process derived from early inflation. It provides a distinctive spectrum of relic gravitational waves. In the framework of scalar-tensor gravity, we discuss the scalar modes of gravitational waves and the primordial production of this scalar component which is generated beside tensorial one. Then analyze seven different viable f(R)-gravities towards the Solar System tests and stochastic gravitational waves background. It is demonstrated that seven viable f(R)-gravities under consideration not only satisfy the local tests, but additionally, pass the above PPN-and stochastic gravitational waves bounds for large classes of parameters.

Diffuse Cosmic Infrared Background Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Dwek, Eli

2002-01-01

The diffuse cosmic infrared background (CIB) consists of the cumulative radiant energy released in the processes of structure formation that have occurred since the decoupling of matter and radiation following the Big Bang. In this lecture I will review the observational data that provided the first detections and limits on the CIB, and the theoretical studies explaining the origin of this background. Finally, I will also discuss the relevance of this background to the universe as seen in high energy gamma-rays.

Simultaneous measurement of tritium and radiocarbon by ultra-low-background proportional counting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mace, Emily; Aalseth, Craig; Alexander, Tom; Back, Henning; Day, Anthony; Hoppe, Eric; Keillor, Martin; Moran, Jim; Overman, Cory; Panisko, Mark; Seifert, Allen

2017-08-01

Use of ultra-low-background capabilities at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provide enhanced sensitivity for measurement of low-activity sources of tritium and radiocarbon using proportional counters. Tritium levels are nearly back to pre-nuclear test backgrounds (~2-8 TU in rainwater), which can complicate their dual measurement with radiocarbon due to overlap in the isotope’s respective energy spectra. This activity makes direct dual-isotope measurements challenging without additional chemistry to concentrate the tritium in a sample. We present results of single-isotope proportional counter measurements used to analyze a dual-isotope methane sample synthesized from ~120 mg of H2O and present sensitivity results.

Prey-predator dynamics with prey refuge providing additional food to predator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Joydev; Sahoo, Banshidhar; Poria, Swarup

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The effects of interplay between prey refugia and additional food are reported. • Hopf bifurcation conditions are derived analytically. • Existence of unique limit cycle is shown analytically. • Predator extinction may be possible at very high prey refuge ecological systems. - Abstract: The impacts of additional food for predator on the dynamics of a prey-predator model with prey refuge are investigated. The equilibrium points and their stability behaviours are determined. Hopf bifurcation conditions are derived analytically. Most significantly, existence conditions for unique stable limit cycle in the phase plane are shown analytically. The analytical results are in well agreement with the numerical simulation results. Effects of variation of refuge level as well as the variation of quality and quantity of additional food on the dynamics are reported with the help of bifurcation diagrams. It is found that high quality and high quantity of additional food supports oscillatory coexistence of species. It is observed that predator extinction possibility in high prey refuge ecological systems may be removed by supplying additional food to predator population. The reported theoretical results may be useful to conservation biologist for species conservation in real world ecological systems.

The Cosmic Microwave Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jones Aled

1998-01-01

Full Text Available We present a brief review of current theory and observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB. New predictions for cosmological defect theories and an overview of the inflationary theory are discussed. Recent results from various observations of the anisotropies of the microwave background are described and a summary of the proposed experiments is presented. A new analysis technique based on Bayesian statistics that can be used to reconstruct the underlying sky fluctuations is summarised. Current CMB data is used to set some preliminary constraints on the values of fundamental cosmological parameters $Omega$ and $H_circ$ using the maximum likelihood technique. In addition, secondary anisotropies due to the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect are described.

Background MR gradient noise and non-auditory BOLD activations: a data-driven perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Haller, Sven; Homola, György A; Scheffler, Klaus; Beckmann, Christian F; Bartsch, Andreas J

2009-07-28

The effect of echoplanar imaging (EPI) acoustic background noise on blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) activations was investigated. Two EPI pulse sequences were compared: (i) conventional EPI with a pulsating sound component of typically 8-10 Hz, which is a potent physiological stimulus, and (ii) the more recently developed continuous-sound EPI, which is perceived as less distractive despite equivalent peak sound pressure levels. Sixteen healthy subjects performed an established demanding visual n-back working memory task. Using an exploratory data analysis technique (tensorial probabilistic independent component analysis; tensor-PICA), we studied the inter-session/within-subject response variability introduced by continuous-sound versus conventional EPI acoustic background noise in addition to temporal and spatial signal characteristics. The analysis revealed a task-related component associated with the established higher-level working memory and motor feedback response network, which exhibited a significant 19% increase in its average effect size for the continuous-sound as opposed to conventional EPI. Stimulus-related lower-level activations, such as primary visual areas, were not modified. EPI acoustic background noise influences much more than the auditory system per se. This analysis provides additional evidence for an enhancement of task-related, extra-auditory BOLD activations by continuous-sound EPI due to less distractive acoustic background gradient noise.

George Smoot, Blackbody, and Anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background

Science.gov (United States)

the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Resources with Additional Information * Videos 'George Smoot anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation." '1 Smoot previously won the Ernest Orlando . Smoot, blackbody, and anisotropy of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation is available in full

The background is remapped across saccades.

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Oakyoon; Chong, Sang Chul

2014-02-01

Physiological studies have found that neurons prepare for impending eye movements, showing anticipatory responses to stimuli presented at the location of the post-saccadic receptive fields (RFs) (Wurtz in Vis Res 48:2070-2089, 2008). These studies proposed that visual neurons with shifting RFs prepared for the stimuli they would process after an impending saccade. Additionally, psychophysical studies have shown behavioral consequences of those anticipatory responses, including the transfer of aftereffects (Melcher in Nat Neurosci 10:903-907, 2007) and the remapping of attention (Rolfs et al. in Nat Neurosci 14:252-258, 2011). As the physiological studies proposed, the shifting RF mechanism explains the transfer of aftereffects. Recently, a new mechanism based on activation transfer via a saliency map was proposed, which accounted for the remapping of attention (Cavanagh et al. in Trends Cogn Sci 14:147-153, 2010). We hypothesized that there would be different aspects of the remapping corresponding to these different neural mechanisms. This study found that the information in the background was remapped to a similar extent as the figure, provided that the visual context remained stable. We manipulated the status of the figure and the ground in the saliency map and showed that the manipulation modulated the remapping of the figure and the ground in different ways. These results suggest that the visual system has an ability to remap the background as well as the figure, but lacks the ability to modulate the remapping of the background based on the visual context, and that different neural mechanisms might work together to maintain visual stability across saccades.

Modeling the Thermal Signature of Natural Backgrounds

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gamborg, Marius

2002-01-01

Two measuring stations have been established the purpose being to collect comprehensive databases of thermal signatures of background elements in addition to the prevailing meteorological conditions...

The effect of background music in auditory health persuasion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elbert, Sarah; Dijkstra, Arie

2013-01-01

In auditory health persuasion, threatening information regarding health is communicated by voice only. One relevant context of auditory persuasion is the addition of background music. There are different mechanisms through which background music might influence persuasion, for example through mood

Diabetes nurse educators' experiences of providing care for women, with gestational diabetes mellitus, from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Carolan, Mary

2014-05-01

To explore diabetes nurse educators' experiences of providing care for women, with gestational diabetes mellitus, from disadvantaged backgrounds and to gather information which would assist with the development of an educational programme that would support both women and diabetes educators. Rates of gestational diabetes mellitus have increased dramatically in recent years. This is concerning as gestational diabetes mellitus is linked to poorer pregnancy outcomes including hypertension, stillbirth, and nursery admission. Poorest outcomes occur among disadvantaged women. gestational diabetes mellitus is also associated with maternal type 2 diabetes and with child obesity and type 2 diabetes among offspring. Effective self-management of gestational diabetes mellitus reduces these risks. Diabetes nurse educators provide most education and support for gestational diabetes mellitus self-management. An interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, as espoused by Smith and Osborn (Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods, 2008, Sage, London, 51), provided the framework for this study. The views of six diabetes educators were explored through in-depth interviewing. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed according to steps outlined by Smith and Osborn (Qualitative Psychology: A Practical Guide to Research Methods, 2008, Sage, London, 51). Three themes emerged from the data: (1) working in a suboptimal environment, (2) working to address the difficulties and (3) looking to the future. Throughout, the diabetes nurse educators sought opportunities to connect with women in their care and to make the educational content understandable and meaningful. Low literacy among disadvantaged women has a significant impact on their understanding of gestational diabetes mellitus information. In turn, catering for women with low literacy contributes to increased workloads for diabetes nurse educators, making them vulnerable to burnout. There is a need

Judgments of aircraft noise in a traffic noise background

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, C. A.; Rice, C. G.

1975-01-01

An investigation was conducted to determine subjective response to aircraft noise in different road traffic backgrounds. In addition, two laboratory techniques for presenting the aircraft noise with the background noise were evaluated. For one technique, the background noise was continuous over an entire test session; for the other, the background noise level was changed with each aircraft noise during a session. Subjective response to aircraft noise was found to decrease with increasing background noise level, for a range of typical indoor noise levels. Subjective response was found to be highly correlated with the Noise Pollution Level (NPL) measurement scale.

Genetic background of Prop1(df) mutants provides remarkable protection against hypothyroidism-induced hearing impairment.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Qing; Giordimaina, Alicia M; Dolan, David F; Camper, Sally A; Mustapha, Mirna

2012-04-01

Hypothyroidism is a cause of genetic and environmentally induced deafness. The sensitivity of cochlear development and function to thyroid hormone (TH) mandates understanding TH action in this sensory organ. Prop1(df) and Pou1f1(dw) mutant mice carry mutations in different pituitary transcription factors, each resulting in pituitary thyrotropin deficiency. Despite the same lack of detectable serum TH, these mutants have very different hearing abilities: Prop1(df) mutants are mildly affected, while Pou1f1(dw) mutants are completely deaf. Genetic studies show that this difference is attributable to the genetic backgrounds. Using embryo transfer, we discovered that factors intrinsic to the fetus are the major contributor to this difference, not maternal effects. We analyzed Prop1(df) mutants to identify processes in cochlear development that are disrupted in other hypothyroid animal models but protected in Prop1(df) mutants by the genetic background. The development of outer hair cell (OHC) function is delayed, but Prestin and KCNQ4 immunostaining appear normal in mature Prop1(df) mutants. The endocochlear potential and KCNJ10 immunostaining in the stria vascularis are indistinguishable from wild type, and no differences in neurofilament or synaptophysin staining are evident in Prop1(df) mutants. The synaptic vesicle protein otoferlin normally shifts expression from OHC to IHC as temporary afferent fibers beneath the OHC regress postnatally. Prop1(df) mutants exhibit persistent, abnormal expression of otoferlin in apical OHC, suggesting delayed maturation of synaptic function. Thus, the genetic background of Prop1(df) mutants is remarkably protective for most functions affected in other hypothyroid mice. The Prop1(df) mutant is an attractive model for identifying the genes that protect against deafness.

Background Acoustics Levels in the 9x15 Wind Tunnel and Linear Array Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Stephens, David

2011-01-01

The background noise level in the 9x15 foot wind tunnel at NASA Glenn has been documented, and the results compare favorably with historical measurements. A study of recessed microphone mounting techniques was also conducted, and a recessed cavity with a micronic wire mesh screen reduces hydrodynamic noise by around 10 dB. A three-microphone signal processing technique can provide additional benefit, rejecting up to 15 dB of noise contamination at some frequencies. The screen and cavity system offers considerable benefit to test efficiency, although there are additional calibration requirements.

Latent variable method for automatic adaptation to background states in motor imagery BCI

Science.gov (United States)

Dagaev, Nikolay; Volkova, Ksenia; Ossadtchi, Alexei

2018-02-01

Objective. Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems are known to be vulnerable to variabilities in background states of a user. Usually, no detailed information on these states is available even during the training stage. Thus there is a need in a method which is capable of taking background states into account in an unsupervised way. Approach. We propose a latent variable method that is based on a probabilistic model with a discrete latent variable. In order to estimate the model’s parameters, we suggest to use the expectation maximization algorithm. The proposed method is aimed at assessing characteristics of background states without any corresponding data labeling. In the context of asynchronous motor imagery paradigm, we applied this method to the real data from twelve able-bodied subjects with open/closed eyes serving as background states. Main results. We found that the latent variable method improved classification of target states compared to the baseline method (in seven of twelve subjects). In addition, we found that our method was also capable of background states recognition (in six of twelve subjects). Significance. Without any supervised information on background states, the latent variable method provides a way to improve classification in BCI by taking background states into account at the training stage and then by making decisions on target states weighted by posterior probabilities of background states at the prediction stage.

Background suppression in Gerda Phase II and its study in the LArGe low background set-up

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Budjas, Dusan [Physik-Department E15, Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2013-07-01

In Phase II of the Gerda experiment additional ∝20 kg of BEGe-type germanium detectors, enriched in {sup 76}Ge, will be deployed in liquid argon (LAr) to further increase the sensitivity for the half-life of neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge to > 2 . 10{sup 26} yr. To reduce background by a factor of 10 to the required level of < 10{sup -3} cts/(keV.kg.yr), it is necessary to employ active background-suppression techniques, including anti-Compton veto using scintillation light detection from LAr and pulse shape discrimination exploiting the characteristic electrical field distribution inside BEGe detectors. The latter technique can identify single-site events (typical for 0νββ) and efficiently reject multi-site events (mainly from γ-rays), as well as different types of background events from detector surfaces. The combined power of these techniques was studied for {sup 42}K and other background sources at the low background facility LArGe. Together with extensive simulations, the information from tracking of the Phase II detector material exposure to cosmic rays and based on the background contributions observed in Phase I, the expected background level in Phase II in the region of interest at 2039 keV, the Q{sub ββ} energy of {sup 76}Ge, is estimated. The preliminary analysis shows that contributions from all expected background components after all cuts are in line with the goal of Gerda Phase II.

Limits of Astrophysics with Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Callister

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The recent Advanced LIGO detection of gravitational waves from the binary black hole GW150914 suggests there exists a large population of merging binary black holes in the Universe. Although most are too distant to be individually resolved by advanced detectors, the superposition of gravitational waves from many unresolvable binaries is expected to create an astrophysical stochastic background. Recent results from the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations show that this astrophysical background is within reach of Advanced LIGO. In principle, the binary black hole background encodes interesting astrophysical properties, such as the mass distribution and redshift distribution of distant binaries. However, we show that this information will be difficult to extract with the current configuration of advanced detectors (and using current data analysis tools. Additionally, the binary black hole background also constitutes a foreground that limits the ability of advanced detectors to observe other interesting stochastic background signals, for example, from cosmic strings or phase transitions in the early Universe. We quantify this effect.

Metal-mediated aminocatalysis provides mild conditions: Enantioselective Michael addition mediated by primary amino catalysts and alkali-metal ions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias Leven

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Four catalysts based on new amides of chiral 1,2-diamines and 2-sulfobenzoic acid have been developed. The alkali-metal salts of these betaine-like amides are able to form imines with enones, which are activated by Lewis acid interaction for nucleophilic attack by 4-hydroxycoumarin. The addition of 4-hydroxycoumarin to enones gives ee’s up to 83% and almost quantitative yields in many cases. This novel type of catalysis provides an effective alternative to conventional primary amino catalysis were strong acid additives are essential components.

Background risk information to assist in risk management decision making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammonds, J.S.; Hoffman, F.O.; White, R.K.; Miller, D.B.

1992-10-01

The evaluation of the need for remedial activities at hazardous waste sites requires quantification of risks of adverse health effects to humans and the ecosystem resulting from the presence of chemical and radioactive substances at these sites. The health risks from exposure to these substances are in addition to risks encountered because of the virtually unavoidable exposure to naturally occurring chemicals and radioactive materials that are present in air, water, soil, building materials, and food products. To provide a frame of reference for interpreting risks quantified for hazardous waste sites, it is useful to identify the relative magnitude of risks of both a voluntary and involuntary nature that are ubiquitous throughout east Tennessee. In addition to discussing risks from the ubiquitous presence of background carcinogens in the east Tennessee environment, this report also presents risks resulting from common, everyday activities. Such information should, not be used to discount or trivialize risks from hazardous waste contamination, but rather, to create a sensitivity to general risk issues, thus providing a context for better interpretation of risk information

Impact of High-Fidelity Simulation and Pharmacist-Specific Didactic Lectures in Addition to ACLS Provider Certification on Pharmacy Resident ACLS Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Bartel, Billie J

2014-08-01

This pilot study explored the use of multidisciplinary high-fidelity simulation and additional pharmacist-focused training methods in training postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residents to provide Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) care. Pharmacy resident confidence and comfort level were assessed after completing these training requirements. The ACLS training requirements for pharmacy residents were revised to include didactic instruction on ACLS pharmacology and rhythm recognition and participation in multidisciplinary high-fidelity simulation ACLS experiences in addition to ACLS provider certification. Surveys were administered to participating residents to assess the impact of this additional education on resident confidence and comfort level in cardiopulmonary arrest situations. The new ACLS didactic and simulation training requirements resulted in increased resident confidence and comfort level in all assessed functions. Residents felt more confident in all areas except providing recommendations for dosing and administration of medications and rhythm recognition after completing the simulation scenarios than with ACLS certification training and the didactic components alone. All residents felt the addition of lectures and simulation experiences better prepared them to function as a pharmacist in the ACLS team. Additional ACLS training requirements for pharmacy residents increased overall awareness of pharmacist roles and responsibilities and greatly improved resident confidence and comfort level in performing most essential pharmacist functions during ACLS situations. © The Author(s) 2013.

A study of nuclear recoil backgrounds in dark matter detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Westerdale, Shawn S.

Despite the great success of the Standard Model of particle physics, a preponderance of astrophysical evidence suggests that it cannot explain most of the matter in the universe. This so-called dark matter has eluded direct detection, though many theoretical extensions to the Standard Model predict the existence of particles with a mass on the 1-1000 GeV scale that interact only via the weak nuclear force. Particles in this class are referred to as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), and their high masses and low scattering cross sections make them viable dark matter candidates. The rarity of WIMP-nucleus interactions makes them challenging to detect: any background can mask the signal they produce. Background rejection is therefore a major problem in dark matter detection. Many experiments greatly reduce their backgrounds by employing techniques to reject electron recoils. However, nuclear recoil backgrounds, which produce signals similar to what we expect from WIMPs, remain problematic. There are two primary sources of such backgrounds: surface backgrounds and neutron recoils. Surface backgrounds result from radioactivity on the inner surfaces of the detector sending recoiling nuclei into the detector. These backgrounds can be removed with fiducial cuts, at some cost to the experiment's exposure. In this dissertation we briefly discuss a novel technique for rejecting these events based on signals they make in the wavelength shifter coating on the inner surfaces of some detectors. Neutron recoils result from neutrons scattering off of nuclei in the detector. These backgrounds may produce a signal identical to what we expect from WIMPs and are extensively discussed here. We additionally present a new tool for calculating (alpha, n) yields in various materials. We introduce the concept of a neutron veto system designed to shield against, measure, and provide an anti-coincidence veto signal for background neutrons. We discuss the research and development

A Study of Nuclear Recoil Backgrounds in Dark Matter Detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Westerdale, Shawn S. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)

2016-01-01

Despite the great success of the Standard Model of particle physics, a preponderance of astrophysical evidence suggests that it cannot explain most of the matter in the universe. This so-called dark matter has eluded direct detection, though many theoretical extensions to the Standard Model predict the existence of particles with a mass on the $1-1000$ GeV scale that interact only via the weak nuclear force. Particles in this class are referred to as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), and their high masses and low scattering cross sections make them viable dark matter candidates. The rarity of WIMP-nucleus interactions makes them challenging to detect: any background can mask the signal they produce. Background rejection is therefore a major problem in dark matter detection. Many experiments greatly reduce their backgrounds by employing techniques to reject electron recoils. However, nuclear recoil backgrounds, which produce signals similar to what we expect from WIMPs, remain problematic. There are two primary sources of such backgrounds: surface backgrounds and neutron recoils. Surface backgrounds result from radioactivity on the inner surfaces of the detector sending recoiling nuclei into the detector. These backgrounds can be removed with fiducial cuts, at some cost to the experiment's exposure. In this dissertation we briefly discuss a novel technique for rejecting these events based on signals they make in the wavelength shifter coating on the inner surfaces of some detectors. Neutron recoils result from neutrons scattering from nuclei in the detector. These backgrounds may produce a signal identical to what we expect from WIMPs and are extensively discussed here. We additionally present a new tool for calculating ($\\alpha$, n)yields in various materials. We introduce the concept of a neutron veto system designed to shield against, measure, and provide an anti-coincidence veto signal for background neutrons. We discuss the research and

Optimal Background Attenuation for Fielded Spectroscopic Detection Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, Sean M.; Ashbaker, Eric D.; Schweppe, John E.; Siciliano, Edward R.

2007-01-01

Radiation detectors are often placed in positions difficult to shield from the effects of terrestrial background gamma radiation. This is particularly true in the case of Radiation Portal Monitor (RPM) systems, as their wide viewing angle and outdoor installations make them susceptible to radiation from the surrounding area. Reducing this source of background can improve gross-count detection capabilities in the current generation of non-spectroscopic RPM's as well as source identification capabilities in the next generation of spectroscopic RPM's. To provide guidance for designing such systems, the problem of shielding a general spectroscopic-capable RPM system from terrestrial gamma radiation is considered. This analysis is carried out by template matching algorithms, to determine and isolate a set of non-threat isotopes typically present in the commerce stream. Various model detector and shielding scenarios are calculated using the Monte-Carlo N Particle (MCNP) computer code. Amounts of nominal-density shielding needed to increase the probability of detection for an ensemble of illicit sources are given. Common shielding solutions such as steel plating are evaluated based on the probability of detection for 3 particular illicit sources of interest, and the benefits are weighed against the incremental cost of shielding. Previous work has provided optimal shielding scenarios for RPMs based on gross-counting measurements, and those same solutions (shielding the internal detector cavity, direct shielding of the ground between the detectors, and the addition of collimators) are examined with respect to their utility to improving spectroscopic detection

Final Sampling and Analysis Plan for Background Sampling, Fort Sheridan, Illinois

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1995-01-01

.... This Background Sampling and Analysis Plan (BSAP) is designed to address this issue through the collection of additional background samples at Fort Sheridan to support the statistical analysis and the Baseline Risk Assessment (BRA...

Additional corpus biopsy enhances the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in a background of gastritis with atrophy

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The best sites for biopsy-based tests to evaluate H. pylori infection in gastritis with atrophy are not well known. This study aimed to evaluate the site and sensitivity of biopsy-based tests in terms of degree of gastritis with atrophy. Methods One hundred and sixty-four (164) uninvestigated dyspepsia patients were enrolled. Biopsy-based tests (i.e., culture, histology Giemsa stain and rapid urease test) and non-invasive tests (anti-H. pylori IgG) were performed. The gold standard of H. pylori infection was defined according to previous criteria. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive rate and negative predictive rate of biopsy-based tests at the gastric antrum and body were calculated in terms of degree of gastritis with atrophy. Results The prevalence rate of H. pylori infection in the 164 patients was 63.4%. Gastritis with atrophy was significantly higher at the antrum than at the body (76% vs. 31%; pgastritis with atrophy increased regardless of biopsy site (for normal, mild, moderate, and severe gastritis with atrophy, the sensitivity of histology Giemsa stain was 100%, 100%, 88%, and 66%, respectively, and 100%, 97%, 91%, and 66%, respectively, for rapid urease test). In moderate to severe antrum or body gastritis with atrophy, additional corpus biopsy resulted in increased sensitivity to 16.67% compare to single antrum biopsy. Conclusions In moderate to severe gastritis with atrophy, biopsy-based test should include the corpus for avoiding false negative results. PMID:23272897

Origin of the diffuse background gamma radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stecker, F.W.; Puget, J.L.

1974-05-01

Recent observations have now provided evidence for diffuse background gamma radiation extending to energies beyond 100 MeV. There is some evidence of isotropy and implied cosmological origin. Significant features in the spectrum of this background radiation were observed which provide evidence for its origin in nuclear processes in the early stages of the big-band cosmology and tie in these processes with galaxy formation theory. A crucial test of the theory may lie in future observations of the background radiation in the 100 MeV to 100 GeV energy range which may be made with large orbiting spark-chamber satellite detectors. A discussion of the theoretical interpretations of present data, their connection with baryon symmetric cosmology and galaxy formation theory, and the need for future observations are given. (U.S.)

Foreign Energy Company Competitiveness: Background information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weimar, M.R.; Freund, K.A.; Roop, J.M.

1994-10-01

This report provides background information to the report Energy Company Competitiveness: Little to Do With Subsidies (DOE 1994). The main body of this publication consists of data uncovered during the course of research on this DOE report. This data pertains to major government energy policies in each country studied. This report also provides a summary of the DOE report. In October 1993, the Office of Energy Intelligence, US Department of Energy (formerly the Office of Foreign Intelligence), requested that Pacific Northwest Laboratory prepare a report addressing policies and actions used by foreign governments to enhance the competitiveness of their energy firms. Pacific Northwest Laboratory prepared the report Energy Company Competitiveness Little to Do With Subsidies (DOE 1994), which provided the analysis requested by DOE. An appendix was also prepared, which provided extensive background documentation to the analysis. Because of the length of the appendix, Pacific Northwest Laboratory decided to publish this information separately, as contained in this report.

The natural background approach to setting radiation standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adler, H.I.; Federow, H.; Weinberg, A.M.

1979-01-01

The suggestion has often been made that an additional radiation exposure imposed on humanity as a result of some important activity such as electricity generation would be acceptable if the exposure was 'small' compared to the natural background. In order to make this concept quantitative and objective, we propose that 'small compared with the natural background' be interpreted as the standard deviation (weighted with the exposed population) of the natural background. We believe that this use of the variation in natural background radiation is less arbitrary and requires fewer unfounded assumptions than some current approaches to standard-setting. The standard deviation is an easily calculated statistic that is small compared with the mean value for natural exposures of populations. It is an objectively determined quantity and its significance is generally understood. Its determination does not omit any of the pertinent data. When this method is applied to the population of the USA, it implies that a dose of 20 mrem/year would be an acceptable standard. This is closely comparable to the 25 mrem/year suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency as the maximum allowable exposure to an individual in the general population as a result of the operation of the complete uranium fuel cycle. Other agents for which a natural background exists can be treated in the same way as radiation. In addition, a second method for determining permissible exposure levels for agents other than radiation is presented. This method makes use of the natural background radiation data as a primary standard. Some observations on benzo(a)pyrene, using this latter method, are presented. (author)

Traveltime approximations for transversely isotropic media with an inhomogeneous background

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq

2011-05-01

A transversely isotropic (TI) model with a tilted symmetry axis is regarded as one of the most effective approximations to the Earth subsurface, especially for imaging purposes. However, we commonly utilize this model by setting the axis of symmetry normal to the reflector. This assumption may be accurate in many places, but deviations from this assumption will cause errors in the wavefield description. Using perturbation theory and Taylor\\'s series, I expand the solutions of the eikonal equation for 2D TI media with respect to the independent parameter θ, the angle the tilt of the axis of symmetry makes with the vertical, in a generally inhomogeneous TI background with a vertical axis of symmetry. I do an additional expansion in terms of the independent (anellipticity) parameter in a generally inhomogeneous elliptically anisotropic background medium. These new TI traveltime solutions are given by expansions in and θ with coefficients extracted from solving linear first-order partial differential equations. Pade approximations are used to enhance the accuracy of the representation by predicting the behavior of the higher-order terms of the expansion. A simplification of the expansion for homogenous media provides nonhyperbolic moveout descriptions of the traveltime for TI models that are more accurate than other recently derived approximations. In addition, for 3D media, I develop traveltime approximations using Taylor\\'s series type of expansions in the azimuth of the axis of symmetry. The coefficients of all these expansions can also provide us with the medium sensitivity gradients (Jacobian) for nonlinear tomographic-based inversion for the tilt in the symmetry axis. © 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Traveltime approximations for transversely isotropic media with an inhomogeneous background

KAUST Repository

Alkhalifah, Tariq

2011-01-01

A transversely isotropic (TI) model with a tilted symmetry axis is regarded as one of the most effective approximations to the Earth subsurface, especially for imaging purposes. However, we commonly utilize this model by setting the axis of symmetry normal to the reflector. This assumption may be accurate in many places, but deviations from this assumption will cause errors in the wavefield description. Using perturbation theory and Taylor's series, I expand the solutions of the eikonal equation for 2D TI media with respect to the independent parameter θ, the angle the tilt of the axis of symmetry makes with the vertical, in a generally inhomogeneous TI background with a vertical axis of symmetry. I do an additional expansion in terms of the independent (anellipticity) parameter in a generally inhomogeneous elliptically anisotropic background medium. These new TI traveltime solutions are given by expansions in and θ with coefficients extracted from solving linear first-order partial differential equations. Pade approximations are used to enhance the accuracy of the representation by predicting the behavior of the higher-order terms of the expansion. A simplification of the expansion for homogenous media provides nonhyperbolic moveout descriptions of the traveltime for TI models that are more accurate than other recently derived approximations. In addition, for 3D media, I develop traveltime approximations using Taylor's series type of expansions in the azimuth of the axis of symmetry. The coefficients of all these expansions can also provide us with the medium sensitivity gradients (Jacobian) for nonlinear tomographic-based inversion for the tilt in the symmetry axis. © 2011 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Kerr metric in the deSitter background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaidya, P.C.

1984-01-01

In addition to the Kerr metric with cosmological constant Λ several other metrics are presented giving a Kerr-like solution of Einstein's equations in the background of deSitter universe. A new metric of what may be termed as rotating deSitter space-time devoid of matter but containing null fluid with twisting null rays, has been presented. This metric reduces to the standard deSitter metric when the twist in the rays vanishes. Kerr metric in this background is the immediate generalization of Schwarzschild's exterior metric with cosmological constant. (author)

14 CFR 61.419 - How do I obtain privileges to provide training in an additional category or class of light-sport...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... training in an additional category or class of light-sport aircraft? 61.419 Section 61.419 Aeronautics and...: PILOTS, FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS, AND GROUND INSTRUCTORS Flight Instructors With a Sport Pilot Rating § 61.419 How do I obtain privileges to provide training in an additional category or class of light-sport...

Fruit Flies Provide New Insights in Low-Radiation Background Biology at the INFN Underground Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS).

Science.gov (United States)

Morciano, Patrizia; Cipressa, Francesca; Porrazzo, Antonella; Esposito, Giuseppe; Tabocchini, Maria Antonella; Cenci, Giovanni

2018-06-04

Deep underground laboratories (DULs) were originally created to host particle, astroparticle or nuclear physics experiments requiring a low-background environment with vastly reduced levels of cosmic-ray particle interference. More recently, the range of science projects requiring an underground experiment site has greatly expanded, thus leading to the recognition of DULs as truly multidisciplinary science sites that host important studies in several fields, including geology, geophysics, climate and environmental sciences, technology/instrumentation development and biology. So far, underground biology experiments are ongoing or planned in a few of the currently operating DULs. Among these DULs is the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), where the majority of radiobiological data have been collected. Here we provide a summary of the current scenario of DULs around the world, as well as the specific features of the LNGS and a summary of the results we obtained so far, together with other findings collected in different underground laboratories. In particular, we focus on the recent results from our studies of Drosophila melanogaster, which provide the first evidence of the influence of the radiation environment on life span, fertility and response to genotoxic stress at the organism level. Given the increasing interest in this field and the establishment of new projects, it is possible that in the near future more DULs will serve as sites of radiobiology experiments, thus providing further relevant biological information at extremely low-dose-rate radiation. Underground experiments can be nicely complemented with above-ground studies at increasing dose rate. A systematic study performed in different exposure scenarios provides a potential opportunity to address important radiation protection questions, such as the dose/dose-rate relationship for cancer and non-cancer risk, the possible existence of dose/dose-rate threshold(s) for different biological systems and

Cavern background measurement with the ATLAS RPC system

CERN Document Server

Aielli, G; The ATLAS collaboration

2012-01-01

The measurement of cavern background has been carried out systematically since the beginning of LHC, as soon as the luminosity produced a detectable signal, from L = 10^28 cm^2s^1 of the early 2010 operation up to L=10^28 cm^2s^1 at the end of 2011 proton-proton run, which is just 1/3 of the nominal LHC luminosity. The reason for this is to early foresee the running condition for the detector for the nominal LHC luminosity and beyond, in view of the super-LHC upgrade. Background Montecarlo calculations have been validated against data and the background map analysis pointed out hotspots due to localized cracks in the radiation shielding. The RPCs participated to this effort since the earliest stages providing an accurate correlation between luminosity and background, a 3D background map in the barrel region and a direct measurement of the cavern activation. Moreover due to the high sensitivity and very good signal to noise ratio of the proposed method, based on the gap current, the measurement was provided in...

Cavern background measurement with the ATLAS RPC system

CERN Document Server

Aielli, G; The ATLAS collaboration

2012-01-01

The measurement of cavern background has been carried out systematically since the beginning of LHC, as soon as the luminosity produced a detectable signal, from L=1028 cm-2s-1 of the early 2010 operation up to L=3.5x1033 cm-2s-1 at the end of 2011 proton-proton run, which is just 1/3 of the nominal LHC luminosity. The reason for this is to early foresee the running condition for the detector for the nominal LHC luminosity and beyond, in view of the super-LHC upgrade. Background Montecarlo calculations have been validated against data and the background map analysis pointed out hotspots due to localized cracks in the radiation shielding. The RPCs participated to this effort since the earliest stages providing an accurate correlation between luminosity and background, a 3D background map in the barrel region and a direct measurement of the cavern activation. Moreover due to the high sensitivity and very good signal to noise ratio of the proposed method, based on the gap current, the measurement was provided in...

Background television in the homes of American children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lapierre, M.A.; Piotrowski, J.; Linebarger, D.L.

2012-01-01

Research has shown the negative consequences associated with children’s exposure to background television. Despite this evidence, researchers do not have reliable estimates of the prevalence of background television in American homes. This study sought to address this gap by providing the first

Measurement of the fast neutron background at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Q.; Lin, S. T.; Liu, S. K.; Tang, C. J.; Wang, L.; Wei, W. W.; Wong, H. T.; Xing, H. Y.; Yue, Q.; Zhu, J. J.

2018-05-01

We report on the measurements of the fluxes and spectra of the environmental fast neutron background at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) with a rock overburden of about 6700 meters water equivalent, using a liquid scintillator detector doped with 0.5% gadolinium. The signature of a prompt nuclear recoil followed by a delayed high energy γ-ray cascade is used to identify neutron events. The large energy deposition of the delayed γ-rays from the (n , γ) reaction on gadolinium, together with the excellent n- γ discrimination capability provides a powerful background suppression which allows the measurement of a low intensity neutron flux. The neutron flux of (1 . 51 ± 0 . 03(stat .) ± 0 . 10(syst .)) × 10-7cm-2s-1 in the energy range of 1-10 MeV in the Hall A of CJPL was measured based on 356 days of data. In the same energy region, measurement with the same detector placed in a room surrounding with one meter thick polyethylene shielding gives a significantly lower flux of (4 . 9 ± 0 . 9(stat .) ± 0 . 5(syst .)) × 10-9cm-2s-1 with 174 days of data. This represents a measurement of the lowest environmental fast neutron background among the underground laboratories in the world, prior to additional experiment-specific attenuation. Additionally, the fast neutron spectra both in the Hall A and the polyethylene room were reconstructed with the help of GEANT4 simulations.

Ambitwistor pure spinor string in a type II supergravity background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandia, Osvaldo [Departamento de Ciencias, Facultad de Artes Liberales, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez,Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez,Diagonal Las Torres 2640, Peñalolén, Santiago (Chile); Vallilo, Brenno Carlini [Departamento de Ciencias Físicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Andres Bello,República 220, Santiago (Chile)

2015-06-30

We construct the ambitwistor pure spinor string in a general type II supergravity background in the semi-classical regime. Almost all supergravity constraints are obtained from nilpotency of the BRST charge and further consistency conditions from additional world-sheet the case of AdS{sub 5}×S{sup 5} background.

Investigation of the hard x-ray background in backlit pinhole imagers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fein, J. R., E-mail: jrfein@umich.edu; Holloway, J. P. [Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2143 (United States); Peebles, J. L. [Center for Energy Research, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States); Keiter, P. A.; Klein, S. R.; Kuranz, C. C.; Manuel, M. J.-E.; Drake, R. P. [Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2143 (United States)

2014-11-15

Hard x-rays from laser-produced hot electrons (>10 keV) in backlit pinhole imagers can give rise to a background signal that decreases signal dynamic range in radiographs. Consequently, significant uncertainties are introduced to the measured optical depth of imaged plasmas. Past experiments have demonstrated that hard x-rays are produced when hot electrons interact with the high-Z pinhole substrate used to collimate the softer He-α x-ray source. Results are presented from recent experiments performed on the OMEGA-60 laser to further study the production of hard x-rays in the pinhole substrate and how these x-rays contribute to the background signal in radiographs. Radiographic image plates measured hard x-rays from pinhole imagers with Mo, Sn, and Ta pinhole substrates. The variation in background signal between pinhole substrates provides evidence that much of this background comes from x-rays produced in the pinhole substrate itself. A Monte Carlo electron transport code was used to model x-ray production from hot electrons interacting in the pinhole substrate, as well as to model measurements of x-rays from the irradiated side of the targets, recorded by a bremsstrahlung x-ray spectrometer. Inconsistencies in inferred hot electron distributions between the different pinhole substrate materials demonstrate that additional sources of hot electrons beyond those modeled may produce hard x-rays in the pinhole substrate.

The cosmic microwave background: past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silk, Joseph

2007-01-01

The cosmic microwave background has provided an unprecedented cosmological window on the very early universe for probing the initial conditions from which structure evolved. Infinitesimal variations in temperature on the sky, first predicted in 1967 but only discovered in the 1990s, provide the fossil fluctuations that seeded the formation of the galaxies. The cosmic microwave background radiation has now been mapped with ground-based, balloon-borne and satellite telescopes. I describe its current status and future challenges

Origin of the diffuse γ-ray background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strong, A.W.; Wolfendale, A.W.; Worrall, D.M.

1976-01-01

An attempt is made to assess the contributions to the diffuse γ-ray background from normal galaxies, radio galaxies and Seyfert galaxies. Normal galaxies produce about 4 per cent of the background above 100 MeV. Radio galaxies can produce most and perhaps all of the background in the 1 to 10 MeV range provided their evolution as γ-ray sources is similar to that for their radio properties. Seyfert galaxies will also be important if inverse Compton models are applicable to them, particularly at energies above about 100 MeV. (author)

Multivariate Identification of Background Contributions for the H ! tt

CERN Document Server

Andrejkovic, Janik Walter

2016-01-01

Within the H ! tt analysis it is very important to understand the background contamination in the signal region coming from events where a jet is misidentified as a hadronic tau (fake events). Currently, the fake rate method is used to estimate the number and distributions of fake events in the signal region. This method relies on the correct identification of different background types. The study presented in this report focuses on the use of boosted decision trees in order to identify different background types. It is shown how the addition of more input variables, leading to a multi-dimensional multi-classification task, improves the overall identification accuracy of the different background types.

Electrostatic Levitation for Studies of Additive Manufactured Materials

Science.gov (United States)

SanSoucie, Michael P.; Rogers, Jan R.; Tramel, Terri

2014-01-01

The electrostatic levitation (ESL) laboratory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is a unique facility for investigators studying high temperature materials. The laboratory boasts two levitators in which samples can be levitated, heated, melted, undercooled, and resolidified. Electrostatic levitation minimizes gravitational effects and allows materials to be studied without contact with a container or instrumentation. The lab also has a high temperature emissivity measurement system, which provides normal spectral and normal total emissivity measurements at use temperature. The ESL lab has been instrumental in many pioneering materials investigations of thermophysical properties, e.g., creep measurements, solidification, triggered nucleation, and emissivity at high temperatures. Research in the ESL lab has already led to the development of advanced high temperature materials for aerospace applications, coatings for rocket nozzles, improved medical and industrial optics, metallic glasses, ablatives for reentry vehicles, and materials with memory. Modeling of additive manufacturing materials processing is necessary for the study of their resulting materials properties. In addition, the modeling of the selective laser melting processes and its materials property predictions are also underway. Unfortunately, there is very little data for the properties of these materials, especially of the materials in the liquid state. Some method to measure thermophysical properties of additive manufacturing materials is necessary. The ESL lab is ideal for these studies. The lab can provide surface tension and viscosity of molten materials, density measurements, emissivity measurements, and even creep strength measurements. The ESL lab can also determine melting temperature, surface temperatures, and phase transition temperatures of additive manufactured materials. This presentation will provide background on the ESL lab and its capabilities, provide an approach to using the ESL

The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation-A Unique Window on the Early Universe

Science.gov (United States)

Hinshaw, Gary

2010-01-01

The cosmic microwave background radiation is the remnant heat from the Big Bang. It provides us with a unique probe of conditions in the early universe, long before any organized structures had yet formed. The anisotropy in the radiation's brightness yields important clues about primordial structure and additionally provides a wealth of information about the physics of the early universe. Within the framework of inflationary dark matter models, observations of the anisotropy on sub-degree angular scales reveals the signatures of acoustic oscillations of the photon-baryon fluid at a redshift of 11 00. Data from the first seven years of operation of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite provide detailed full-sky maps of the cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization anisotropy. Together, the data provide a wealth of cosmological information, including the age of the universe, the epoch when the first stars formed, and the overall composition of baryonic matter, dark matter, and dark energy. The results also provide constraints on the period of inflationary expansion in the very first moments of time. WMAP, part of NASA's Explorers program, was launched on June 30, 2001. The WMAP satellite was produced in a partnership between the Goddard Space Flight Center and Princeton University. The WMAP team also includes researchers at the Johns Hopkins University; the Canadian Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics; University of Texas; Oxford University; University of Chicago; Brown University; University of British Columbia; and University of California, Los Angeles.

Alcohol Use During Pregnancy. [and] Fast Food and the American Diet. [and] Food Additives and Hyperactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Terrence; And Others

These three separate pamphlets provide background information, brief discussions of research findings, and guidelines and recommendations concerning selected aspects of diet. The first pamphlet discusses food additives and hyperactivity, focusing on both the Feingold theory and controlled experiments which do not support Feingold's clinical…

42 CFR 81.0 - Background.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH RESEARCH AND... OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS COMPENSATION PROGRAM ACT OF 2000 Introduction § 81.0 Background. The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA), 42 U.S.C. 7384-7385 [1994, supp. 2001], provides for...

Background {sup 99m}Tc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile uptake of breast-specific gamma imaging in relation to background parenchymal enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Hai-Jeon; Kim, Bom Sahn [Ewha Womans University, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Yangchun-Ku, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yemi [Ewha Womans University, Clinical Research Institute and Department of Conservative Dentistry, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jee Eun [Ewha Womans University, Department of Radiology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-01-15

This study investigated factors that could affect background uptake of {sup 99m}Tc- methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI) on normal breast by breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI). In addition, the impact of background {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI uptake on the diagnostic performance of BSGI was further investigated. One hundred forty-five women with unilateral breast cancer who underwent BSGI, MRI, and mammography were retrospectively enrolled. Background uptake on BSGI was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. Patients were classified into non-dense and dense breast groups according to mammographic breast density. Background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) was rated according to BI-RADS classification. The relationship of age, menopausal status, mammographic breast density, and BPE with background {sup 99m}Tc-MIBI uptake was analyzed. Heterogeneous texture and high background uptake ratio on BSGI were significantly correlated with younger age (p < 0.001, respectively), premenopausal status (p < 0.001 and p = 0.003), dense breast (p < 0.001, respectively), and marked BPE (p < 0.001, respectively). On multivariate analysis, only BPE remained a significant factor for background MIBI uptake (p < 0.001).There was a significant reduction in positive predictive value (p = 0.024 and p = 0.002) as background MIBI uptake and BPE grade increased. BPE on MRI was the most important factor for background MIBI uptake on BSGI. High background MIBI uptake or marked BPE can diminish the diagnostic performance of BSGI. (orig.)

SURFACE GEOPHYSICAL EXPLORATION OF TX-TY TANK FARMS AT THE HANFORD SITE: RESULTS OF BACKGROUND CHARACTERIZATION WITH GROUND PENETRATING RADAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MYERS DA; CUBBAGE R; BRAUCHLA R; O'BRIEN G

2008-01-01

Ground penetrating radar surveys of the TX and TY tank farms were performed to identify existing infrastructure in the near surface environment. These surveys were designed to provide background information supporting Surface-to-Surface and Well-to-Well resistivity surveys of Waste Management Area TX-TY. The objective of the preliminary investigation was to collect background characterization information with GPR to understand the spatial distribution of metallic objects that could potentially interfere with the results from high resolution resistivity(trademark) surveys. The results of the background characterization confirm the existence of documented infrastructure, as well as highlight locations of possible additional undocumented subsurface metallic objects

Background of SAM atom-fraction profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ernst, Frank

2017-01-01

Atom-fraction profiles acquired by SAM (scanning Auger microprobe) have important applications, e.g. in the context of alloy surface engineering by infusion of carbon or nitrogen through the alloy surface. However, such profiles often exhibit an artifact in form of a background with a level that anti-correlates with the local atom fraction. This article presents a theory explaining this phenomenon as a consequence of the way in which random noise in the spectrum propagates into the discretized differentiated spectrum that is used for quantification. The resulting model of “energy channel statistics” leads to a useful semi-quantitative background reduction procedure, which is validated by applying it to simulated data. Subsequently, the procedure is applied to an example of experimental SAM data. The analysis leads to conclusions regarding optimum experimental acquisition conditions. The proposed method of background reduction is based on general principles and should be useful for a broad variety of applications. - Highlights: • Atom-fraction–depth profiles of carbon measured by scanning Auger microprobe • Strong background, varies with local carbon concentration. • Needs correction e.g. for quantitative comparison with simulations • Quantitative theory explains background. • Provides background removal strategy and practical advice for acquisition

Background of SAM atom-fraction profiles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ernst, Frank

2017-03-15

Atom-fraction profiles acquired by SAM (scanning Auger microprobe) have important applications, e.g. in the context of alloy surface engineering by infusion of carbon or nitrogen through the alloy surface. However, such profiles often exhibit an artifact in form of a background with a level that anti-correlates with the local atom fraction. This article presents a theory explaining this phenomenon as a consequence of the way in which random noise in the spectrum propagates into the discretized differentiated spectrum that is used for quantification. The resulting model of “energy channel statistics” leads to a useful semi-quantitative background reduction procedure, which is validated by applying it to simulated data. Subsequently, the procedure is applied to an example of experimental SAM data. The analysis leads to conclusions regarding optimum experimental acquisition conditions. The proposed method of background reduction is based on general principles and should be useful for a broad variety of applications. - Highlights: • Atom-fraction–depth profiles of carbon measured by scanning Auger microprobe • Strong background, varies with local carbon concentration. • Needs correction e.g. for quantitative comparison with simulations • Quantitative theory explains background. • Provides background removal strategy and practical advice for acquisition.

Auditory intensity processing: Effect of MRI background noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Angenstein, Nicole; Stadler, Jörg; Brechmann, André

2016-03-01

Studies on active auditory intensity discrimination in humans showed equivocal results regarding the lateralization of processing. Whereas experiments with a moderate background found evidence for right lateralized processing of intensity, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies with background scanner noise suggest more left lateralized processing. With the present fMRI study, we compared the task dependent lateralization of intensity processing between a conventional continuous echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence with a loud background scanner noise and a fast low-angle shot (FLASH) sequence with a soft background scanner noise. To determine the lateralization of the processing, we employed the contralateral noise procedure. Linearly frequency modulated (FM) tones were presented monaurally with and without contralateral noise. During both the EPI and the FLASH measurement, the left auditory cortex was more strongly involved than the right auditory cortex while participants categorized the intensity of FM tones. This was shown by a strong effect of the additional contralateral noise on the activity in the left auditory cortex. This means a massive reduction in background scanner noise still leads to a significant left lateralized effect. This suggests that the reversed lateralization in fMRI studies with loud background noise in contrast to studies with softer background cannot be fully explained by the MRI background noise. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical Source Localization Fusing Concentration Information in the Presence of Chemical Background Noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Pomareda, Víctor; Magrans, Rudys; Jiménez-Soto, Juan M; Martínez, Dani; Tresánchez, Marcel; Burgués, Javier; Palacín, Jordi; Marco, Santiago

2017-04-20

We present the estimation of a likelihood map for the location of the source of a chemical plume dispersed under atmospheric turbulence under uniform wind conditions. The main contribution of this work is to extend previous proposals based on Bayesian inference with binary detections to the use of concentration information while at the same time being robust against the presence of background chemical noise. For that, the algorithm builds a background model with robust statistics measurements to assess the posterior probability that a given chemical concentration reading comes from the background or from a source emitting at a distance with a specific release rate. In addition, our algorithm allows multiple mobile gas sensors to be used. Ten realistic simulations and ten real data experiments are used for evaluation purposes. For the simulations, we have supposed that sensors are mounted on cars which do not have among its main tasks navigating toward the source. To collect the real dataset, a special arena with induced wind is built, and an autonomous vehicle equipped with several sensors, including a photo ionization detector (PID) for sensing chemical concentration, is used. Simulation results show that our algorithm, provides a better estimation of the source location even for a low background level that benefits the performance of binary version. The improvement is clear for the synthetic data while for real data the estimation is only slightly better, probably because our exploration arena is not able to provide uniform wind conditions. Finally, an estimation of the computational cost of the algorithmic proposal is presented.

Rotating and orbiting strings in Dp-brane background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biswas, Sagar; Panigrahi, Kamal L. [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur,721302, Kharagpur (India)

2015-03-04

We probe the open fundamental strings in Dp-brane (p=1, 3, 5) backgrounds and find new classes of rotating and orbiting string solutions. We show that for various worldsheet embedding ansatz we get solutions of the string equations of motion that correspond to the well known giant magnon and single spikes, in addition to few new solutions corresponding to the orbiting strings. We make a systematic study of both rigidly rotating and orbiting strings in D1, D3 and D5-brane backgrounds.

Hanford Site background: Part 1, Soil background for nonradioactive analytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-04-01

Volume two contains the following appendices: Description of soil sampling sites; sampling narrative; raw data soil background; background data analysis; sitewide background soil sampling plan; and use of soil background data for the detection of contamination at waste management unit on the Hanford Site

The excess radio background and fast radio transients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kehayias, John; Kephart, Thomas W.; Weiler, Thomas J.

2015-01-01

In the last few years ARCADE 2, combined with older experiments, has detected an additional radio background, measured as a temperature and ranging in frequency from 22 MHz to 10 GHz, not accounted for by known radio sources and the cosmic microwave background. One type of source which has not been considered in the radio background is that of fast transients (those with event times much less than the observing time). We present a simple estimate, and a more detailed calculation, for the contribution of radio transients to the diffuse background. As a timely example, we estimate the contribution from the recently-discovered fast radio bursts (FRBs). Although their contribution is likely 6 or 7 orders of magnitude too small (though there are large uncertainties in FRB parameters) to account for the ARCADE 2 excess, our development is general and so can be applied to any fast transient sources, discovered or yet to be discovered. We estimate parameter values necessary for transient sources to noticeably contribute to the radio background

Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations

Science.gov (United States)

2009-05-12

contributions from Germany , Japan, and Switzerland. For more information on the MFO, see http://www.mfo.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1. Egypt: Background and...2008 Report, Egypt’s pace of business reforms and deregulation between 2006 and 2007 ranked first worldwide. In recent years, the state has...reinvigorated its privatization program by divesting shares in the state-dominated banking and insurance sectors. Additionally, the government removed import

Background-independent measurement of θ13 in Double Chooz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, Y.; Anjos, J.C. dos; Barriere, J.C.; Baussan, E.; Bekman, I.; Bergevin, M.; Bezerra, T.J.C.; Bezrukov, L.; Blucher, E.; Buck, C.; Busenitz, J.; Cabrera, A.; Caden, E.; Camilleri, L.; Carr, R.; Cerrada, M.; Chang, P.-J.; Chauveau, E.

2014-01-01

The oscillation results published by the Double Chooz Collaboration in 2011 and 2012 rely on background models substantiated by reactor-on data. In this analysis, we present a background-model-independent measurement of the mixing angle θ 13 by including 7.53 days of reactor-off data. A global fit of the observed antineutrino rates for different reactor power conditions is performed, yielding a measurement of both θ 13 and the total background rate. The results on the mixing angle are improved significantly by including the reactor-off data in the fit, as it provides a direct measurement of the total background rate. This reactor rate modulation analysis considers antineutrino candidates with neutron captures on both Gd and H, whose combination yields sin 2 (2θ 13 )=0.102±0.028(stat.)±0.033(syst.). The results presented in this study are fully consistent with the ones already published by Double Chooz, achieving a competitive precision. They provide, for the first time, a determination of θ 13 that does not depend on a background model

IIB backgrounds with five-form flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gran, U.; Gutowski, J.; Papadopoulos, G.

2008-01-01

We investigate all N=2 supersymmetric IIB supergravity backgrounds with non-vanishing five-form flux. The Killing spinors have stability subgroups Spin(7) x R 8 , SU(4) x R 8 and G 2 . In the SU(4) x R 8 case, two different types of geometry arise depending on whether the Killing spinors are generic or pure. In both cases, the backgrounds admit a null Killing vector field which leaves invariant the SU(4) x R 8 structure, and an almost complex structure in the directions transverse to the lightcone. In the generic case, the twist of the vector field is trivial but the almost complex structure is non-integrable, while in the pure case the twist is non-trivial but the almost complex structure is integrable and associated with a relatively balanced Hermitian structure. The G 2 backgrounds admit a time-like Killing vector field and two spacelike closed one-forms, and the seven directions transverse to these admit a co-symplectic G 2 structure. The Spin(7) x R 8 backgrounds are pp-waves propagating in an eight-dimensional manifold with holonomy Spin(7). In addition we show that all the supersymmetric solutions of simple five-dimensional supergravity with a time-like Killing vector field, which include the AdS 5 black holes, lift to SU(4) x R 8 pure Killing spinor IIB backgrounds. We also show that the LLM solution is associated with a co-symplectic co-homogeneity one G 2 manifold which has principal orbit S 3 xS 3

Background reduction in the SNO+ experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Segui, L. [University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, OX1 Oxford (United Kingdom)

2015-08-17

SNO+ is a large multi-purpose liquid scintillator experiment, which first aim is to detect the neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 130}Te. It is placed at SNOLAB, at 6000 m.w.e. and it is based on the SNO infrastructure. SNO+ will contain approximately 780 tonnes of liquid scintillator, loaded with {sup 130}Te inside an acrylic vessel (AV) with an external volume of ultra pure water to reduce the external backgrounds. Light produced in the scintillator by the interaction of particles will be detected with about 9,000 photomultiplier’s. For the neutrinoless double beta decay phase, due to its the extremely low rate expected, the control, knowledge and reduction of the background is essential. Moreover, it will also benefit other phases of the experiment focused on the study of solar neutrinos, nucleon decay, geoneutrinos and supernovae. In order to reduce the internal background level, a novel purification technique for tellurium loaded scintillators has been developed by the collaboration that reduces the U/Th concentration and several cosmic-activated isotopes by at least a factor 10{sup 2} -10{sup 3} in a single pass. In addition, different rejection techniques have been developed for the remaining internal backgrounds based on Monte-Carlo simulations. In this work, the scintillator purification technique and the levels obtained with it will be discussed. Furthermore, an overview of the different backgrounds for the double-beta phase will be presented, highlighting some of the techniques developed to reject the remained decays based on their expected timing differences.

Natural background approach to setting radiation standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adler, H.I.; Federow, H.; Weinberg, A.M.

1979-01-01

The suggestion has often been made that an additional radiation exposure imposed on humanity as a result of some important activity such as electricity generation would be acceptable if the exposure was small compared to the natural background. In order to make this concept quantitative and objective, we propose that small compared with the natural background be interpreted as the standard deviation (weighted with the exposed population) of the natural background. This use of the variation in natural background radiation is less arbitrary and requires fewer unfounded assumptions than some current approaches to standard-setting. The standard deviation is an easily calculated statistic that is small compared with the mean value for natural exposures of populations. It is an objectively determined quantity and its significance is generally understood. Its determination does not omit any of the pertinent data. When this method is applied to the population of the United States, it suggests that a dose of 20 mrem/year would be an acceptable standard. This is comparable to the 25 mrem/year suggested as the maximum allowable exposure to an individual from the complete uranium fuel cycle

The slope-background for the near-peak regimen of photoemission spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herrera-Gomez, A., E-mail: aherrera@qro.cinvestav.mx [CINVESTAV-Unidad Queretaro, Queretaro 76230 (Mexico); Bravo-Sanchez, M. [CINVESTAV-Unidad Queretaro, Queretaro 76230 (Mexico); Aguirre-Tostado, F.S. [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31109 (Mexico); Vazquez-Lepe, M.O. [Departamento de Ingeniería de Proyectos, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco 44430 (Mexico)

2013-08-15

Highlights: •We propose a method that accounts for the change in the background slope of XPS data. •The slope-background can be derived from Tougaard–Sigmund's transport theory. •The total background is composed by Shirley–Sherwood and Tougaard type backgrounds. •The slope-background employs one parameter that can be related to REELS spectra. •The slope, in conjunction with the Shirley–Sherwood background, provides better fits. -- Abstract: Photoemission data typically exhibits a change on the intensity of the background between the two sides of the peaks. This step is usually very well reproduced by the Shirley–Sherwood background. Yet, the change on the slope of the background in the near-peak regime, although usually present, is not always as obvious to the eye. However, the intensity of the background signal associated with the evolution of its slope can be appreciable. The slope-background is designed to empirically reproduce the change on the slope. Resembling the non-iterative Shirley method, the proposed functional form relates the slope of the background to the integrated signal at higher electron kinetic energies. This form can be predicted under Tougaard–Sigmund's electron transport theory in the near-peak regime. To reproduce both the step and slope changes on the background, it is necessary to employ the slope-background in conjunction with the Shirley–Sherwood background under the active-background method. As it is shown for a series of materials, the application of the slope-background provides excellent fits, is transparent to the operator, and is much more independent of the fitting range than other background methods. The total area assessed through the combination of the slope and the Shirley–Sherwood backgrounds is larger than when only the Shirley–Sherwood background is employed, and smaller than when the Tougaard background is employed.

A low-background gamma-ray assay laboratory for activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindstrom, R.M.; Langland, J.K.; Lindstrom, D.J.; Slaback, L.A.

1990-01-01

The sources of background in a gamma-ray detector were experimentally determined in underground and surface counting rooms, and an optimized shield was constructed at NIST. The optimum thickness of lead was 10-15 cm, with a greater thickness giving an increased background due to the buildup of tertiary cosmic-ray particles. Neither cadmium, tin, copper nor plastic (hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon) was desirable as a shield liner, since all these increased the background continuum or introduced characteristic peaks into the background spectrum. Two broad peaks in the background result from inelastic scattering of cosmic-ray neutrons (0.02 cm -2 s -1 ) in germanium. These neutrons also excite the lower nuclear levels of lead and structural iron to produce additional gamma-ray peaks in the spectrum. The influence of the 20 MW NIST reactor, located 60 m from the detector, was undetectable. Comparisons among detectors and locations clearly separate cosmic from environmental components of the background. (orig.)

A low-background gamma-ray assay laboratory for activation analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindstrom, R M; Langland, J K [National Inst. of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (USA). Center for Analytical Chemistry; Lindstrom, D J [National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, TX (USA). Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center; Slaback, L A [National Inst. of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (USA). Occupational Health and Safety Div.

1990-12-20

The sources of background in a gamma-ray detector were experimentally determined in underground and surface counting rooms, and an optimized shield was constructed at NIST. The optimum thickness of lead was 10-15 cm, with a greater thickness giving an increased background due to the buildup of tertiary cosmic-ray particles. Neither cadmium, tin, copper nor plastic (hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon) was desirable as a shield liner, since all these increased the background continuum or introduced characteristic peaks into the background spectrum. Two broad peaks in the background result from inelastic scattering of cosmic-ray neutrons (0.02 cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}) in germanium. These neutrons also excite the lower nuclear levels of lead and structural iron to produce additional gamma-ray peaks in the spectrum. The influence of the 20 MW NIST reactor, located 60 m from the detector, was undetectable. Comparisons among detectors and locations clearly separate cosmic from environmental components of the background. (orig.).

Scientific results from the cosmic background explorer (COBE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, C.L.; Boggess, N.W.; Cheng, E.S.; Hauser, M.G.; Kelsall, T.; Mather, J.C.; Moseley, S.H. Jr.; Shafer, R.A.; Silverberg, R.F.; Murdock, T.L.; Smoot, G.F.; Weiss, R.; Wright, E.L.

1993-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has flown the COBE satellite to observe the Big Bang and the subsequent formation of galaxies and large-scale structure. Data from the Far-Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) show that the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background is that of a black body of temperature T = 2.73 ± 0.06 K, with no deviation from a black-body spectrum greater than 0.25% of the peak brightness. The data from the Differential Microwave Radiometers (DMR) show statistically significant cosmic microwave background anisotropy, consistent with a scale-invariant primordial density fluctuation spectrum. Measurements from the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) provide new conservation upper limits to the cosmic infrared background. Extensive modeling of solar system and galactic infrared foregrounds is required for further improvement in the cosmic infrared background limits. 104 refs., 1 tab

Reference analysis of the signal + background model in counting experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Casadei, D.

2012-01-01

The model representing two independent Poisson processes, labelled as ``signal'' and ``background'' and both contributing additively to the total number of counted events, is considered from a Bayesian point of view. This is a widely used model for the searches of rare or exotic events in presence of a background source, as for example in the searches performed by high-energy physics experiments. In the assumption of prior knowledge about the background yield, a reference prior is obtained for the signal alone and its properties are studied. Finally, the properties of the full solution, the marginal reference posterior, are illustrated with few examples.

The isotropic radio background revisited

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fornengo, Nicolao; Regis, Marco [Dipartimento di Fisica Teorica, Università di Torino, via P. Giuria 1, I–10125 Torino (Italy); Lineros, Roberto A. [Instituto de Física Corpuscular – CSIC/U. Valencia, Parc Científic, calle Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, E-46980 Paterna (Spain); Taoso, Marco, E-mail: fornengo@to.infn.it, E-mail: rlineros@ific.uv.es, E-mail: regis@to.infn.it, E-mail: taoso@cea.fr [Institut de Physique Théorique, CEA/Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cédex (France)

2014-04-01

We present an extensive analysis on the determination of the isotropic radio background. We consider six different radio maps, ranging from 22 MHz to 2.3 GHz and covering a large fraction of the sky. The large scale emission is modeled as a linear combination of an isotropic component plus the Galactic synchrotron radiation and thermal bremsstrahlung. Point-like and extended sources are either masked or accounted for by means of a template. We find a robust estimate of the isotropic radio background, with limited scatter among different Galactic models. The level of the isotropic background lies significantly above the contribution obtained by integrating the number counts of observed extragalactic sources. Since the isotropic component dominates at high latitudes, thus making the profile of the total emission flat, a Galactic origin for such excess appears unlikely. We conclude that, unless a systematic offset is present in the maps, and provided that our current understanding of the Galactic synchrotron emission is reasonable, extragalactic sources well below the current experimental threshold seem to account for the majority of the brightness of the extragalactic radio sky.

The isotropic radio background revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fornengo, Nicolao; Regis, Marco; Lineros, Roberto A.; Taoso, Marco

2014-01-01

We present an extensive analysis on the determination of the isotropic radio background. We consider six different radio maps, ranging from 22 MHz to 2.3 GHz and covering a large fraction of the sky. The large scale emission is modeled as a linear combination of an isotropic component plus the Galactic synchrotron radiation and thermal bremsstrahlung. Point-like and extended sources are either masked or accounted for by means of a template. We find a robust estimate of the isotropic radio background, with limited scatter among different Galactic models. The level of the isotropic background lies significantly above the contribution obtained by integrating the number counts of observed extragalactic sources. Since the isotropic component dominates at high latitudes, thus making the profile of the total emission flat, a Galactic origin for such excess appears unlikely. We conclude that, unless a systematic offset is present in the maps, and provided that our current understanding of the Galactic synchrotron emission is reasonable, extragalactic sources well below the current experimental threshold seem to account for the majority of the brightness of the extragalactic radio sky

CO{sub 2}MPARE. CO2 Model for Operational Programme Assessment in EU Regions. Technical background and guidance for deployment in EU regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hekkenberg, M. [ECN Policy Studies, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Le Pierres, S. [Energies Demain, Montreuil Sous Bois (France); Del Ciello, R. [Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development ENEA, Rome (Italy); Keppo, I. [University College London UCL, London (United Kingdom); Papagianni, S. [Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving CRES, Pikermi Attiki (Greece); Harnych, J. [ENVIROS, Prague (Czech Republic)

2013-03-15

The CO2MPARE model enables national and regional authorities to assess the carbon impacts of Operational Programmes co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This document provides technical background information and guidance for deploying the model in additional EU regions.

Establishment of a Background Environmental Monitoring Station for the PNNL Campus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fritz, Brad G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Snyder, Sandra F. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Barnett, J. Matthew [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Bisping, Lynn E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Rishel, Jeremy P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-12-01

The environmental surveillance of background levels of radionuclides and, in particular, the siting of a background environmental surveillance (monitoring) station are examined. Many published works identify and stress the need for background monitoring; however, little definitive and comprehensive information for siting a station exists. A definition of an ideal background monitoring location and the generic criteria recommended for use in establishing such a background monitoring location are proposed. There are seven primary (mandatory) criteria described with two additional, optional criteria. The criteria are applied to the Richland, Washington (WA), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Campus, which currently uses background monitoring data from the nearby Hanford Site. Eleven potential background monitoring sites were identified, with one location in Benton City, WA found to meet all of the mandatory and optional criteria. It is expected that the new sampler will be installed and operating by the end of June, 2015.

Project plan for the background soils project for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, Kentucky

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-09-01

The Background Soils Project for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (BSPP) will determine the background concentration levels of selected naturally occurring metals, other inorganics, and radionuclides in soils from uncontaminated areas in proximity to the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) in Paducah, Kentucky. The data will be used for comparison with characterization and compliance data for soils, with significant differences being indicative of contamination. All data collected as part of this project will be in addition to other background databases established for the PGDP. The BSPP will address the variability of surface and near-surface concentration levels with respect to (1) soil taxonomical types (series) and (2) soil sampling depths within a specific soil profile. The BSPP will also address the variability of concentration levels in deeper geologic formations by collecting samples of geologic materials. The BSPP will establish a database, with recommendations on how to use the data for contaminated site assessment, and provide data to estimate the potential human and health and ecological risk associated with background level concentrations of potentially hazardous constituents. BSPP data will be used or applied as follows.

Project plan for the background soils project for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, Kentucky

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-09-01

The Background Soils Project for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (BSPP) will determine the background concentration levels of selected naturally occurring metals, other inorganics, and radionuclides in soils from uncontaminated areas in proximity to the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) in Paducah, Kentucky. The data will be used for comparison with characterization and compliance data for soils, with significant differences being indicative of contamination. All data collected as part of this project will be in addition to other background databases established for the PGDP. The BSPP will address the variability of surface and near-surface concentration levels with respect to (1) soil taxonomical types (series) and (2) soil sampling depths within a specific soil profile. The BSPP will also address the variability of concentration levels in deeper geologic formations by collecting samples of geologic materials. The BSPP will establish a database, with recommendations on how to use the data for contaminated site assessment, and provide data to estimate the potential human and health and ecological risk associated with background level concentrations of potentially hazardous constituents. BSPP data will be used or applied as follows

Engagement in community music classes sparks neuroplasticity and language development in children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Kraus, Nina; Hornickel, Jane; Strait, Dana L; Slater, Jessica; Thompson, Elaine

2014-01-01

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often face impoverished auditory environments, such as greater exposure to ambient noise and fewer opportunities to participate in complex language interactions during development. These circumstances increase their risk for academic failure and dropout. Given the academic and neural benefits associated with musicianship, music training may be one method for providing auditory enrichment to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We followed a group of primary-school students from gang reduction zones in Los Angeles, CA, USA for 2 years as they participated in Harmony Project. By providing free community music instruction for disadvantaged children, Harmony Project promotes the healthy development of children as learners, the development of children as ambassadors of peace and understanding, and the development of stronger communities. Children who were more engaged in the music program-as defined by better attendance and classroom participation-developed stronger brain encoding of speech after 2 years than their less-engaged peers in the program. Additionally, children who were more engaged in the program showed increases in reading scores, while those less engaged did not show improvements. The neural gains accompanying music engagement were seen in the very measures of neural speech processing that are weaker in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our results suggest that community music programs such as Harmony Project provide a form of auditory enrichment that counteracts some of the biological adversities of growing up in poverty, and can further support community-based interventions aimed at improving child health and wellness.

Benchmarking of the simulation of the ATLAS HaLL background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincke, H.

2000-01-01

The LHC, mainly to be used as a proton-proton collider, providing collisions at energies of 14 TeV, will be operational in the year 2005. ATLAS, one of the LHC experiments, will provide high accuracy measurements concerning these p-p collisions. In these collisions also a high particle background is produced. This background was already calculated with the Monte Carlo simulation program FLUKA. Unfortunately, the prediction concerning this background rate is only understood within an uncertainty level of five. The main contribution of this factor can be seen as limited knowledge concerning the ability of FLUKA to simulate these kinds of scenarios. In order to reduce the uncertainty, benchmarking simulations of experiments similar to the ATLAS background situation were performed. The comparison of the simulations with the experiments proves to which extent FLUKA is able to provide reliable results concerning the ATLAS background situation. In order to perform this benchmark, an iron construction was irradiated by a hadron beam. The primary particles had ATLAS equivalent energies. Behind the iron structure, the remnants of the shower processes are measured and simulated. The simulation procedure and its encouraging results, including the comparison with the measured numbers, are presented and discussed in this work. (author)

Development of low background germanium spectrometer for measurement of neutrino magnetic moment

CERN Document Server

Beda, A G; Starostin, A S

2000-01-01

The prospects for a search for neutrino magnetic moment down to (3-5)centre dot 10 sup - sup 1 sup 1 of the Bohr magneton with the use of low background Ge-NaI spectrometer built in ITEP are discussed. The lowest level of background for shallow setups was achieved in the preliminary test measurements of background. This result and estimations of additional sources of the background in a reactor experiment testify that using the low background Ge-NaI spectrometer with mass of Ge-crystal of 2 kg it is possible to achieve above objective, that will be one order of magnitude better than the present experimental limit.

Machine Induced Background with BCM1F 2015

CERN Document Server

CMS Collaboration

2015-01-01

BCM1F provides information on the condition of the beam and ensures that the inner detector occupancy is sufficiently low for data-taking. Measurements of the machine induced background for beam 1 (BKGD1) and beam 2 (BKGD2) are displayed in the CMS and LHC control room. The background data correlates the with collimator settings as well as with the vacuum pressure.

The Institute of American Indian Arts Background Information (Task One of the Transition Evaluation). Background Paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Tippeconnic, John W., Jr.

The paper, prepared as Task One of the Institute of American Indian Arts Transition Evaluation, provides pertinent background information about the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A brief history of the Institute is given, with information about its philosophy and purpose; objectives; organization and administration; the…

Anomalous cosmic-microwave-background polarization and gravitational chirality.

Science.gov (United States)

Contaldi, Carlo R; Magueijo, João; Smolin, Lee

2008-10-03

We consider the possibility that gravity breaks parity, with left and right-handed gravitons coupling to matter with a different Newton's constant and show that this would affect their zero-point vacuum fluctuations during inflation. Should there be a cosmic background of gravity waves, the effect would translate into anomalous cosmic microwave background polarization. Nonvanishing temperature-magnetic (TB) mode [and electric-magnetic mode] components emerge, revealing interesting experimental targets. Indeed, if reasonable chirality is present a TB measurement would provide the easiest way to detect a gravitational wave background. We speculate on the theoretical implications of such an observation.

Hanford Site background: Part 1, Soil background for nonradioactive analytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-04-01

The determination of soil background is one of the most important activities supporting environmental restoration and waste management on the Hanford Site. Background compositions serve as the basis for identifying soil contamination, and also as a baseline in risk assessment processes used to determine soil cleanup and treatment levels. These uses of soil background require an understanding of the extent to which analytes of concern occur naturally in the soils. This report documents the results of sampling and analysis activities designed to characterize the composition of soil background at the Hanford Site, and to evaluate the feasibility for use as Sitewide background. The compositions of naturally occurring soils in the vadose Zone have been-determined for-nonradioactive inorganic and organic analytes and related physical properties. These results confirm that a Sitewide approach to the characterization of soil background is technically sound and is a viable alternative to the determination and use of numerous local or area backgrounds that yield inconsistent definitions of contamination. Sitewide soil background consists of several types of data and is appropriate for use in identifying contamination in all soils in the vadose zone on the Hanford Site. The natural concentrations of nearly every inorganic analyte extend to levels that exceed calculated health-based cleanup limits. The levels of most inorganic analytes, however, are well below these health-based limits. The highest measured background concentrations occur in three volumetrically minor soil types, the most important of which are topsoils adjacent to the Columbia River that are rich in organic carbon. No organic analyte levels above detection were found in any of the soil samples

On the microwave background spectrum and noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Bernardis, P.; Masi, S.

1982-01-01

We show that the combined measurement of the cosmic background radiation (CBR) intensity and noise can provide direct information on the temperature and the emissivity of the source responsible for the CBR. (orig.)

INTEGRAL/SPI γ-ray line spectroscopy. Response and background characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Diehl, Roland; Siegert, Thomas; Greiner, Jochen; Krause, Martin; Kretschmer, Karsten; Lang, Michael; Pleintinger, Moritz; Strong, Andrew W.; Weinberger, Christoph; Zhang, Xiaoling

2018-03-01

Context. The space based γ-ray observatory INTEGRAL of the European Space Agency (ESA) includes the spectrometer instrument "SPI". This is a coded mask telescope featuring a 19-element Germanium detector array for high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy, encapsulated in a scintillation detector assembly that provides a veto for background from charged particles. In space, cosmic rays irradiate spacecraft and instruments, which, in spite of the vetoing detectors, results in a large instrumental background from activation of those materials, and leads to deterioration of the charge collection properties of the Ge detectors. Aim. We aim to determine the measurement characteristics of our detectors and their evolution with time, that is, their spectral response and instrumental background. These incur systematic variations in the SPI signal from celestial photons, hence their determination from a broad empirical database enables a reduction of underlying systematics in data analysis. For this, we explore compromises balancing temporal and spectral resolution within statistical limitations. Our goal is to enable modelling of background applicable to spectroscopic studies of the sky, accounting separately for changes of the spectral response and of instrumental background. Methods: We use 13.5 years of INTEGRAL/SPI data, which consist of spectra for each detector and for each pointing of the satellite. Spectral fits to each such spectrum, with independent but coherent treatment of continuum and line backgrounds, provides us with details about separated background components. From the strongest background lines, we first determine how the spectral response changes with time. Applying symmetry and long-term stability tests, we eliminate degeneracies and reduce statistical fluctuations of background parameters, with the aim of providing a self-consistent description of the spectral response for each individual detector. Accounting for this, we then determine how the

How hearing aids, background noise, and visual cues influence objective listening effort.

Science.gov (United States)

Picou, Erin M; Ricketts, Todd A; Hornsby, Benjamin W Y

2013-09-01

variables were related to changes in listening effort resulting from the addition of background noise. The results of this study suggest that, on the average, hearing aids can reduce objectively measured listening effort. Furthermore, people who are slow verbal processors are more likely to derive hearing aid benefit for listening effort, perhaps because hearing aids improve the auditory input. Although background noise increased objective listening effort, no listener characteristic predicted susceptibility to noise. With regard to visual cues, while there was no effect on average of providing visual cues, there were some listener characteristics that were related to changes in listening effort with vision. Although these relationships are exploratory, they do suggest that these inherent listener characteristics like working memory capacity, verbal processing speed, and lipreading ability may influence susceptibility to changes in listening effort and thus warrant further study.

Presenting and processing information in background noise: A combined speaker-listener perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Bockstael, Annelies; Samyn, Laurie; Corthals, Paul; Botteldooren, Dick

2018-01-01

Transferring information orally in background noise is challenging, for both speaker and listener. Successful transfer depends on complex interaction between characteristics related to listener, speaker, task, background noise, and context. To fully assess the underlying real-life mechanisms, experimental design has to mimic this complex reality. In the current study, the effects of different types of background noise have been studied in an ecologically valid test design. Documentary-style information had to be presented by the speaker and simultaneously acquired by the listener in four conditions: quiet, unintelligible multitalker babble, fluctuating city street noise, and little varying highway noise. For both speaker and listener, the primary task was to focus on the content that had to be transferred. In addition, for the speakers, the occurrence of hesitation phenomena was assessed. The listener had to perform an additional secondary task to address listening effort. For the listener the condition with the most eventful background noise, i.e., fluctuating city street noise, appeared to be the most difficult with markedly longer duration of the secondary task. In the same fluctuating background noise, speech appeared to be less disfluent, suggesting a higher level of concentration from the speaker's side.

Material Database for Additive Manufacturing Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

components in the field. II. BACKGROUND Additive manufacturing is a rapidly maturing process by which digital 3-D design data are used to build up...improves readiness by offering on-demand low-rate production [8, 9]. 3-D printing also enables rapid design iterations and complexity, which improve...abundant in additive manufacturing , allowing design freedom that is only limited by the material strength requirements. A set of eight conductive

Terrestrial Background Reduction in RPM Systems by Direct Internal Shielding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, Sean M.; Ashbaker, Eric D.; Schweppe, John E.

2008-01-01

Gamma-ray detection systems that are close to the earth or other sources of background radiation often require shielding, especially when trying to detect a relatively weak source. One particular case of interest that we address in this paper is that encountered by the Radiation Portal Monitors (RPMs) systems placed at border-crossing Ports of Entry (POE). These RPM systems are used to screen for illicit radiological materials, and they are often placed in situations where terrestrial background is large. In such environments, it is desirable to consider simple physical modifications that could be implemented to reduce the effects from background radiation without affecting the flow of traffic and the normal operation of the portal. Simple modifications include adding additional shielding to the environment, either inside or outside the apparatus. Previous work (2) has shown the utility of some of these shielding configurations for increasing the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of gross-counting RPMs. Because the total cost for purchasing and installing RPM systems can be quite expensive, in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars for each cargo-screening installation, these shielding variations may offer increases in detection capability for relatively small cost. Several modifications are considered here in regard to their real-world applicability, and are meant to give a general idea of the effectiveness of the schemes used to reduce background for both gross-counting and spectroscopic detectors. These scenarios are modeled via the Monte-Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code package (1) for ease of altering shielding configurations, as well as enacting unusual scenarios prior to prototyping in the field. The objective of this paper is to provide results representative of real modifications that could enhance the sensitivity of this, as well as the next generation of radiation detectors. The models used in this work were designed to provide the most general results for

A model independent safeguard against background mismodeling for statistical inference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Priel, Nadav; Landsman, Hagar; Manfredini, Alessandro; Budnik, Ranny [Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Herzl St. 234, Rehovot (Israel); Rauch, Ludwig, E-mail: nadav.priel@weizmann.ac.il, E-mail: rauch@mpi-hd.mpg.de, E-mail: hagar.landsman@weizmann.ac.il, E-mail: alessandro.manfredini@weizmann.ac.il, E-mail: ran.budnik@weizmann.ac.il [Teilchen- und Astroteilchenphysik, Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany)

2017-05-01

We propose a safeguard procedure for statistical inference that provides universal protection against mismodeling of the background. The method quantifies and incorporates the signal-like residuals of the background model into the likelihood function, using information available in a calibration dataset. This prevents possible false discovery claims that may arise through unknown mismodeling, and corrects the bias in limit setting created by overestimated or underestimated background. We demonstrate how the method removes the bias created by an incomplete background model using three realistic case studies.

Motor performance of tongue with a computer-integrated system under different levels of background physical exertion

Science.gov (United States)

Huo, Xueliang; Johnson-Long, Ashley N.; Ghovanloo, Maysam; Shinohara, Minoru

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the motor performance of tongue, using Tongue Drive System, to hand operation for relatively complex tasks under different levels of background physical exertion. Thirteen young able-bodied adults performed tasks that tested the accuracy and variability in tracking a sinusoidal waveform, and the performance in playing two video games that require accurate and rapid movements with cognitive processing using tongue and hand under two levels of background physical exertion. Results show additional background physical activity did not influence rapid and accurate displacement motor performance, but compromised the slow waveform tracking and shooting performances in both hand and tongue. Slow waveform tracking performance by the tongue was compromised with an additional motor or cognitive task, but with an additional motor task only for the hand. Practitioner Summary We investigated the influence of task complexity and background physical exertion on the motor performance of tongue and hand. Results indicate the task performance degrades with an additional concurrent task or physical exertion due to the limited attentional resources available for handling both the motor task and background exertion. PMID:24003900

Electromagnetic Design of Feedhorn-Coupled Transition-Edge Sensors for Cosmic Microwave Background Polarimetery

Science.gov (United States)

Chuss, David T.

2011-01-01

Observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) provide a powerful tool for probing the evolution of the early universe. Specifically, precision measurement of the polarization of the CMB enables a direct test for cosmic inflation. A key technological element on the path to the measurement of this faint signal is the capability to produce large format arrays of background-limited detectors. We describe the electromagnetic design of feedhorn-coupled, TES-based sensors. Each linear orthogonal polarization from the feed horn is coupled to a superconducting microstrip line via a symmetric planar orthomode transducer (OMT). The symmetric OMT design allows for highly-symmetric beams with low cross-polarization over a wide bandwidth. In addition, this architecture enables a single microstrip filter to define the passband for each polarization. Care has been taken in the design to eliminate stray coupling paths to the absorbers. These detectors will be fielded in the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS).

Perspectives of addiction treatment providers

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background. General practitioners are referring patients with codeine-related problems to specialist treatment facilities, but little is known about the addiction treatment providers, the kinds of treatment they provide, and whether training or other interventions are needed to strengthen this sector. Objectives. To investigate the ...

Hepatitis B virus vaccination booster does not provide additional protection in adolescents: a cross-sectional school-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yung-Chieh; Wang, Jen-Hung; Chen, Yu-Sheng; Lin, Jun-Song; Cheng, Ching-Feng; Chu, Chia-Hsiang

2014-09-23

Current consensus does not support the use of a universal booster of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine because there is an anamnestic response in almost all children 15 years after universal infant HBV vaccination. We aimed to provide a booster strategy among adolescents as a result of their changes in lifestyle and sexual activity. This study comprised a series of cross-sectional serological surveys of HBV markers in four age groups between 2004 and 2012. The seropositivity rates of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and its reciprocal antibody (anti-HBs) for each age group were collected. There were two parts to this study; age-specific HBV seroepidemiology and subgroup analysis, including effects of different vaccine types, booster response for immunogenicity at 15 years of age, and longitudinal follow-up to identify possible additional protection by HBV booster. Within the study period, data on serum anti-HBs and HBsAg in a total of 6950 students from four age groups were collected. The overall anti-HBs and HBsAg seropositivity rates were 44.3% and 1.2%, respectively. The anti-HBs seropositivity rate in the plasma-derived subgroup was significantly higher in both 15- and 18-year age groups. Overall response rate in the double-seronegative recipients at 15 years of age was 92.5% at 6 weeks following one recombinant HBV booster dose. Among the 24 recipients showing anti-HBs seroconversion at 6 weeks after booster, seven subjects (29.2%) had lost their anti-HBs seropositivity again within 3 years. Increased seropositivity rates and titers of anti-HBs did not provide additional protective effects among subjects comprehensively vaccinated against HBV in infancy. HBV booster strategy at 15 years of age was the main contributor to the unique age-related phenomenon of anti-HBs seropositivity rate and titer. No increase in HBsAg seropositivity rates within different age groups was observed. Vaccination with plasma-derived HBV vaccines in infancy provided higher

A background free double beta decay experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giomataris, I

2011-01-01

We present a new detection scheme for rejecting backgrounds in neutrino-less double beta decay experiments. It relies on the detection of Cherenkov light emitted by electrons in the MeV region. The momentum threshold is tuned to reach a good discrimination between background and good events. We consider many detector concepts and a range of target materials. The most promising is the high-pressure 136 Xe emitter where the required energy threshold is easily adjusted. Combination of this concept and a high pressure Time Projection Chamber could provide an optimal solution. A simple and low cost effective solution is the use of the Spherical Proportional Counter that provides, using a single read-out channel, two delayed signals from ionization and Cherenkov light. In solid-state double beta decay emitters, because of its higher density, the considered process is out of energy range. An escape will be the fabrication of double decay emitters having lower density by using for instance the aerogel technique. It is surprising that a technology used for particle identification in high-energy physics becomes a powerful tool for rejecting backgrounds in such low-energy experiments.

Bloemfontein's Greek community: historical background, emigration ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bloemfontein's Greek community: historical background, emigration and settlement, ca 1885 - ca 1985. ... South African Journal of Cultural History ... In this study a review is provided of the reasons why Greeks settled in Bloemfontein since about 1885, where these Greek immigrants came from, and how they travelled to ...

The spinorial geometry of supersymmetric backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gillard, J; Gran, U; Papadopoulos, G

2005-01-01

We propose a new method to solve the Killing spinor equations of 11-dimensional supergravity based on a description of spinors in terms of forms and on the Spin(1, 10) gauge symmetry of the supercovariant derivative. We give the canonical form of Killing spinors for backgrounds preserving two supersymmetries, N = 2, provided that one of the spinors represents the orbit of Spin(1, 10) with stability subgroup SU(5). We directly solve the Killing spinor equations of N = 1 and some N = 2, N = 3 and N = 4 backgrounds. In the N = 2 case, we investigate backgrounds with SU(5) and SU(4) invariant Killing spinors and compute the associated spacetime forms. We find that N = 2 backgrounds with SU(5) invariant Killing spinors admit a timelike Killing vector and that the space transverse to the orbits of this vector field is a Hermitian manifold with an SU(5)-structure. Furthermore, N = 2 backgrounds with SU(4) invariant Killing spinors admit two Killing vectors, one timelike and one spacelike. The space transverse to the orbits of the former is an almost Hermitian manifold with an SU(4)-structure. The spacelike Killing vector field leaves the almost complex structure invariant. We explore the canonical form of Killing spinors for backgrounds preserving more than two supersymmetries, N > 2. We investigate a class of N = 3 and N = 4 backgrounds with SU(4) invariant spinors. We find that in both cases the space transverse to a timelike vector field is a Hermitian manifold equipped with an SU(4)-structure and admits two holomorphic Killing vector fields. We also present an application to M-theory Calabi-Yau compactifications with fluxes to one dimension

The spinorial geometry of supersymmetric backgrounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gillard, J; Gran, U; Papadopoulos, G [Department of Mathematics, King' s College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom)

2005-03-21

We propose a new method to solve the Killing spinor equations of 11-dimensional supergravity based on a description of spinors in terms of forms and on the Spin(1, 10) gauge symmetry of the supercovariant derivative. We give the canonical form of Killing spinors for backgrounds preserving two supersymmetries, N = 2, provided that one of the spinors represents the orbit of Spin(1, 10) with stability subgroup SU(5). We directly solve the Killing spinor equations of N = 1 and some N = 2, N = 3 and N = 4 backgrounds. In the N = 2 case, we investigate backgrounds with SU(5) and SU(4) invariant Killing spinors and compute the associated spacetime forms. We find that N = 2 backgrounds with SU(5) invariant Killing spinors admit a timelike Killing vector and that the space transverse to the orbits of this vector field is a Hermitian manifold with an SU(5)-structure. Furthermore, N = 2 backgrounds with SU(4) invariant Killing spinors admit two Killing vectors, one timelike and one spacelike. The space transverse to the orbits of the former is an almost Hermitian manifold with an SU(4)-structure. The spacelike Killing vector field leaves the almost complex structure invariant. We explore the canonical form of Killing spinors for backgrounds preserving more than two supersymmetries, N > 2. We investigate a class of N = 3 and N = 4 backgrounds with SU(4) invariant spinors. We find that in both cases the space transverse to a timelike vector field is a Hermitian manifold equipped with an SU(4)-structure and admits two holomorphic Killing vector fields. We also present an application to M-theory Calabi-Yau compactifications with fluxes to one dimension.

The muon veto of the Dortmund low-background facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerhardt, Marcel; Goessling, Claus; Kroeninger, Kevin; Nitsch, Christian [TU Dortmund, Physik EIV, D-44221 Dortmund (Germany)

2016-07-01

The Dortmund Low Background Facility (DLB) is a low-background gamma-ray spectrometry system with an artificial overburden built at ground level. It uses a high-purity germanium detector with a relative efficiency of 60 %, which is set up inside a massive shielding. The outer shielding consists of barite concrete and cast iron, corresponding to ten meters of water equivalent (mw.e.), and houses a multi-layer lead castle as an inner shielding, that features borated polyethylene as a neutron absorber. Additionally an active muon veto is installed to reduce cosmic-induced contributions to the spectrum. The remarkably lowered background of the DLB compared to an unshielded spectrometer, allows radio-purity screening measurements for material preselection with sensitivities better than 1 Bq/kg. This talk focusses on the muon veto of the DLB. Its basic concept and its benefits for low-background operation are described. Also its current status of development and future upgrade plans are presented.

Observations and modeling of seismic background noise

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Jon R.

1993-01-01

The preparation of this report had two purposes. One was to present a catalog of seismic background noise spectra obtained from a worldwide network of seismograph stations. The other purpose was to refine and document models of seismic background noise that have been in use for several years. The second objective was, in fact, the principal reason that this study was initiated and influenced the procedures used in collecting and processing the data.With a single exception, all of the data used in this study were extracted from the digital data archive at the U.S. Geological Survey's Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory (ASL). This archive dates from 1972 when ASL first began deploying digital seismograph systems and collecting and distributing digital data under the sponsorship of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). There have been many changes and additions to the global seismograph networks during the past twenty years, but perhaps none as significant as the current deployment of very broadband seismographs by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) under the scientific direction of the IRIS consortium. The new data acquisition systems have extended the bandwidth and resolution of seismic recording, and they utilize high-density recording media that permit the continuous recording of broadband data. The data improvements and continuous recording greatly benefit and simplify surveys of seismic background noise.Although there are many other sources of digital data, the ASL archive data were used almost exclusively because of accessibility and because the data systems and their calibration are well documented for the most part. Fortunately, the ASL archive contains high-quality data from other stations in addition to those deployed by the USGS. Included are data from UCSD IRIS/IDA stations, the Regional Seismic Test Network (RSTN) deployed by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the TERRAscope network

Providing mental health first aid in the workplace: a Delphi consensus study

OpenAIRE

Bovopoulos, Nataly; Jorm, Anthony F.; Bond, Kathy S.; LaMontagne, Anthony D.; Reavley, Nicola J.; Kelly, Claire M.; Kitchener, Betty A.; Martin, Angela

2016-01-01

Background Mental health problems are common in the workplace, but workers affected by such problems are not always well supported by managers and co-workers. Guidelines exist for the public on how to provide mental health first aid, but not specifically on how to tailor one?s approach if the person of concern is a co-worker or employee. A Delphi consensus study was carried out to develop guidelines on additional considerations required when offering mental health first aid in a workplace con...

SNAP sky background at the north ecliptic pole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldering, Greg

2002-01-01

I summarize the extant direct and indirect data on the sky background SNAP will see at the North Ecliptic Pole over the wavelength range 0.4 < λ < 1.7 (micro)m. At the spatial resolution of SNAP the sky background due to stars and galaxies is resolved, so the only source considered is zodiacal light. Several models are explored to provide interpolation in wavelength between the broadband data from HST and COBE observations. I believe the input data are now established well enough that the accuracy of the sky background presented here is sufficient for SNAP simulations, and that it will stand up to scrutiny by reviewers

Lepton-photon interactions in external background fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akal, Ibrahim [Theory Group, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestrasse 85, D-22607 Hamburg (Germany); Moortgat-Pick, Gudrid [II. Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany)

2016-07-01

We investigate lepton-photon interactions in a class of generalized external background fields with periodic plane-wave character. Considering the full interaction with the background, S-matrix elements are calculated exactly. We apply those general expressions to interaction schemes like Compton scattering in specific field configurations, as for instance provided in modern laser facilities, or in high intense regions of future linear colliders. Results are extended to the case of frontal colliding high-energy field photons with leptons such that new insights beyond the usual soft terms become accessible.

High-Energy Neutron Backgrounds for Underground Dark Matter Experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Yu [Syracuse Univ., NY (United States)

2016-01-01

Direct dark matter detection experiments usually have excellent capability to distinguish nuclear recoils, expected interactions with Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP) dark matter, and electronic recoils, so that they can efficiently reject background events such as gamma-rays and charged particles. However, both WIMPs and neutrons can induce nuclear recoils. Neutrons are then the most crucial background for direct dark matter detection. It is important to understand and account for all sources of neutron backgrounds when claiming a discovery of dark matter detection or reporting limits on the WIMP-nucleon cross section. One type of neutron background that is not well understood is the cosmogenic neutrons from muons interacting with the underground cavern rock and materials surrounding a dark matter detector. The Neutron Multiplicity Meter (NMM) is a water Cherenkov detector capable of measuring the cosmogenic neutron flux at the Soudan Underground Laboratory, which has an overburden of 2090 meters water equivalent. The NMM consists of two 2.2-tonne gadolinium-doped water tanks situated atop a 20-tonne lead target. It detects a high-energy (>~ 50 MeV) neutron via moderation and capture of the multiple secondary neutrons released when the former interacts in the lead target. The multiplicity of secondary neutrons for the high-energy neutron provides a benchmark for comparison to the current Monte Carlo predictions. Combining with the Monte Carlo simulation, the muon-induced high-energy neutron flux above 50 MeV is measured to be (1.3 ± 0.2) ~ 10-9 cm-2s-1, in reasonable agreement with the model prediction. The measured multiplicity spectrum agrees well with that of Monte Carlo simulation for multiplicity below 10, but shows an excess of approximately a factor of three over Monte Carlo prediction for multiplicities ~ 10 - 20. In an effort to reduce neutron backgrounds for the dark matter experiment SuperCDMS SNO- LAB, an active neutron veto was developed

Cosmic microwave background distortions at high frequencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peter, W.; Peratt, A.L.

1988-01-01

The authors analyze the deviation of the cosmic background radiation spectrum from the 2.76+-0.02 0 Κ blackbody curve. If the cosmic background radiation is due to absorption and re-emission of synchrotron radiation from galactic-width current filaments, higher-order synchrotron modes are less thermalized than lower-order modes, causing a distortion of the blackbody curve at higher frequencies. New observations of the microwave background spectrum at short wavelengths should provide an indication of the number of synchrotron modes thermalized in this process. The deviation of the spectrum from that of a perfect blackbody can thus be correlated with astronomical observations such as filament temperatures and electron energies. The results are discussed and compared with the theoretical predictions of other models which assume the presence of intergalactic superconducting cosmic strings

Background compensation for a radiation level monitor

Science.gov (United States)

Keefe, D.J.

1975-12-01

Background compensation in a device such as a hand and foot monitor is provided by digital means using a scaler. With no radiation level test initiated, a scaler is down-counted from zero according to the background measured. With a radiation level test initiated, the scaler is up-counted from the previous down-count position according to the radiation emitted from the monitored object and an alarm is generated if, with the scaler having crossed zero in the positive going direction, a particular number is exceeded in a specific time period after initiation of the test. If the test is initiated while the scale is down-counting, the background count from the previous down- count stored in a memory is used as the initial starting point for the up-count.

Radioactive background of Granito Madeira, north Amazonas, Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moura, Vanderlei; Pereira, Claubia; Martins, Agnaldo Kenji, E-mail: vandermoura@gmail.com, E-mail: claubia@nuclear.ufmg.br, E-mail: amartins@mtaboca.com.br [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear; Mineracao Taboca S.A., Presidente Figueiredo, AM (Brazil)

2017-11-01

Naturally occurring radionuclides, such as the uranium and thorium decay chains, are present in rocks and soils. But its distribution is not homogeneous: it depends on the type of rock being that those of volcanic origin have higher concentrations of uranium and thorium. These are NORM. Locations with NORM present higher dose rates than the world average. Thus, the determination of the natural radioactivity of a NORM region is of extreme importance since it provides data for the estimation of human exposure to natural radiation. In addition, if there is a mining company exploring NORM, the background radiation estimation should be considered in the decommissioning and future planning. There are places in Brazil, such as Granito Madeira in the state of Amazonas, in the north of Brazil, where NORM is present. It is an extremely remote area located within the Amazon Forest currently in the process of open cast mining. In this study, the iodide scintillator detector was used to measure and map the natural background radiation of the Granito Madeira using a scintillator detector of sodium iodide that was transported in tracks within the forest. The data obtained were georeferenced, classified and used to obtain the annual dose related to gamma radiation. The results are presented in frequency histograms and maps. The annual average was (6.0 ± 3.0) mSv.y{sup -1}. These data were compared to those available from other regions with NORM in Brazil and the 2010 UNSCEAR report. (author)

Radioactive background of Granito Madeira, north Amazonas, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moura, Vanderlei; Pereira, Claubia; Martins, Agnaldo Kenji

2017-01-01

Naturally occurring radionuclides, such as the uranium and thorium decay chains, are present in rocks and soils. But its distribution is not homogeneous: it depends on the type of rock being that those of volcanic origin have higher concentrations of uranium and thorium. These are NORM. Locations with NORM present higher dose rates than the world average. Thus, the determination of the natural radioactivity of a NORM region is of extreme importance since it provides data for the estimation of human exposure to natural radiation. In addition, if there is a mining company exploring NORM, the background radiation estimation should be considered in the decommissioning and future planning. There are places in Brazil, such as Granito Madeira in the state of Amazonas, in the north of Brazil, where NORM is present. It is an extremely remote area located within the Amazon Forest currently in the process of open cast mining. In this study, the iodide scintillator detector was used to measure and map the natural background radiation of the Granito Madeira using a scintillator detector of sodium iodide that was transported in tracks within the forest. The data obtained were georeferenced, classified and used to obtain the annual dose related to gamma radiation. The results are presented in frequency histograms and maps. The annual average was (6.0 ± 3.0) mSv.y"-"1. These data were compared to those available from other regions with NORM in Brazil and the 2010 UNSCEAR report. (author)

Background Languages, Learner Motivation and Self-Assessed Progress in Learning Zulu as an Additional Language in the UK

Science.gov (United States)

Marten, Lutz; Mostert, Carola

2012-01-01

The article reports results of a study of beginner-level learners of Zulu in higher education in the UK, focussing on learners' linguistic background, their motivation and reasons for studying Zulu, and their self-assessed progress at the beginning of the second term of teaching. The study shows that participants typically studied Zulu as an…

Background television in the homes of US children.

Science.gov (United States)

Lapierre, Matthew A; Piotrowski, Jessica Taylor; Linebarger, Deborah L

2012-11-01

US parents were surveyed to determine the amount of background television that their children are exposed to as well as to isolate demographic factors associated with increased exposure to background television. After this, we ask how certain home media practices are linked to children's background television exposure. US parents/caregivers (N = 1454) with 1 child between the ages of 8 months and 8 years participated in this study. A nationally representative telephone survey was conducted. Parents were asked to report on their child's exposure to background television via a 24-hour time diary. Parents were also asked to report relevant home media behaviors related to their child: bedroom television ownership, number of televisions in the home, and how often a television was on in the home. The average US child was exposed to 232.2 minutes of background television on a typical day. With the use of multiple regression analysis, we found that younger children and African American children were exposed to more background television. Leaving the television on while no one is viewing and children's bedroom television ownership were associated with increased background television exposure. Although recent research has shown the negative consequences associated with background television, this study provides the first nationally representative estimates of that exposure. The amount of exposure for the average child is startling. This study offers practitioners potential pathways to reduce exposure.

AXION DECAY AND ANISOTROPY OF NEAR-IR EXTRAGALACTIC BACKGROUND LIGHT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Yan; Chen, Xuelei [National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100012 (China); Cooray, Asantha; Mitchell-Wynne, Ketron [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Zemcov, Michael [Center for Detectors, School of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623 (United States); Smidt, Joseph [Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

2016-07-10

The extragalactic background light (EBL) is composed of the cumulative radiation from all galaxies and active galactic nuclei over cosmic history. In addition to point sources, the EBL also contains information from diffuse sources of radiation. The angular power spectra of the near-infrared intensities could contain additional signals, and a complete understanding of the nature of the infrared (IR) background is still lacking in the literature. Here we explore the constraints that can be placed on particle decays, especially candidate dark matter (DM) models involving axions that trace DM halos of galaxies. Axions with a mass around a few electronvolts will decay via two photons with wavelengths in the near-IR band and will leave a signature in the IR background intensity power spectrum. Using recent power spectra measurements from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment, we find that the 0.6–1.6 μ m power spectra can be explained by axions with masses around 4 eV. The total axion abundance Ω{sub a} ≃ 0.05, and it is comparable to the baryon density of the universe. The suggested mean axion mass and abundance are not ruled out by existing cosmological observations. Interestingly, the axion model with a mass distribution is preferred by the data, which cannot be explained by the standard quantum chromodynamics theory and needs further discussion.

Engagement in community music classes sparks neuroplasticity and language development in children from disadvantaged backgrounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nina eKraus

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often face impoverished auditory environments, such as greater exposure to ambient noise and fewer opportunities to participate in complex language interactions during development. These circumstances increase their risk for academic failure and dropout. Given the academic and neural benefits associated with musicianship, music training may be one method for providing auditory enrichment to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We followed a group of disadvantaged primary-school students from gang reduction zones in Los Angeles, CA for two years as they participated in the Harmony Project. By providing free community music instruction for disadvantaged children, the Harmony Project promotes the healthy development of children as learners, the development of children as ambassadors of peace and understanding, and the development of stronger communities. Children who were more engaged in the music program—as defined by better attendance and classroom participation—developed stronger brain encoding of speech after two years than their less-engaged peers in the program. Additionally, children who were more engaged in the program showed increases in reading scores, while those less engaged did not show improvements. The neural gains accompanying music engagement were seen in the very measures of neural speech processing that are weaker in children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our results suggest that community music programs such as Harmony Project provide a form of auditory enrichment that counteracts some of the biological adversities of growing up in poverty, and can further support for community-based interventions aimed at improving child health and wellness.

Large Aperture "Photon Bucket" Optical Receiver Performance in High Background Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Vilnrotter, Victor A.; Hoppe, D.

2011-01-01

The potential development of large aperture groundbased "photon bucket" optical receivers for deep space communications, with acceptable performance even when pointing close to the sun, is receiving considerable attention. Sunlight scattered by the atmosphere becomes significant at micron wavelengths when pointing to a few degrees from the sun, even with the narrowest bandwidth optical filters. In addition, high quality optical apertures in the 10-30 meter range are costly and difficult to build with accurate surfaces to ensure narrow fields-of-view (FOV). One approach currently under consideration is to polish the aluminum reflector panels of large 34-meter microwave antennas to high reflectance, and accept the relatively large FOV generated by state-of-the-art polished aluminum panels with rms surface accuracies on the order of a few microns, corresponding to several-hundred micro-radian FOV, hence generating centimeter-diameter focused spots at the Cassegrain focus of 34-meter antennas. Assuming pulse-position modulation (PPM) and Poisson-distributed photon-counting detection, a "polished panel" photon-bucket receiver with large FOV will collect hundreds of background photons per PPM slot, along with comparable signal photons due to its large aperture. It is demonstrated that communications performance in terms of PPM symbol-error probability in high-background high-signal environments depends more strongly on signal than on background photons, implying that large increases in background energy can be compensated by a disproportionally small increase in signal energy. This surprising result suggests that large optical apertures with relatively poor surface quality may nevertheless provide acceptable performance for deep-space optical communications, potentially enabling the construction of cost-effective hybrid RF/optical receivers in the future.

Supplier Selection Using Weighted Utility Additive Method

Science.gov (United States)

Karande, Prasad; Chakraborty, Shankar

2015-10-01

Supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem which mainly involves evaluating a number of available suppliers according to a set of common criteria for choosing the best one to meet the organizational needs. For any manufacturing or service organization, selecting the right upstream suppliers is a key success factor that will significantly reduce purchasing cost, increase downstream customer satisfaction and improve competitive ability. The past researchers have attempted to solve the supplier selection problem employing different MCDM techniques which involve active participation of the decision makers in the decision-making process. This paper deals with the application of weighted utility additive (WUTA) method for solving supplier selection problems. The WUTA method, an extension of utility additive approach, is based on ordinal regression and consists of building a piece-wise linear additive decision model from a preference structure using linear programming (LP). It adopts preference disaggregation principle and addresses the decision-making activities through operational models which need implicit preferences in the form of a preorder of reference alternatives or a subset of these alternatives present in the process. The preferential preorder provided by the decision maker is used as a restriction of a LP problem, which has its own objective function, minimization of the sum of the errors associated with the ranking of each alternative. Based on a given reference ranking of alternatives, one or more additive utility functions are derived. Using these utility functions, the weighted utilities for individual criterion values are combined into an overall weighted utility for a given alternative. It is observed that WUTA method, having a sound mathematical background, can provide accurate ranking to the candidate suppliers and choose the best one to fulfill the organizational requirements. Two real time examples are illustrated to prove

Planck 2013 results. XVIII. The gravitational lensing-infrared background correlation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Armitage-Caplan, C.

2013-01-01

The multi-frequency capability of the Planck satellite provides information both on the integrated history of star formation (via the cosmic infrared background, or CIB) and on the distribution of dark matter (via the lensing effect on the cosmic microwave background, or CMB). The conjunction of ...

Mechanism of high-temperature background of internal friction in metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shapoval, B.I.; Arzhavitin, V.M.

1988-01-01

Data of theoretical and experimental studies on energy dissipation in vibrating metal at small amplitudes and elevated temperatures (high temperature background of internal friction) are generalized and systematized. Evolution of knowledge of the background as a phenomenon influenced mainly by crystal structure defects - their form, quantity, mobility and interaction is followed. Considered is a wide range of investigated metal states and measurement conditions, and interrelations with other characteristics, for instance, strength ones. On the basis of the data obtained by authors and other investigations a concept of an additional third stage of the background increase with the temperature - the stage of deviation from exponential dependence at premelting point, is introduced. 107 refs.; 32 figs.; 3 tabs

Background paper on aquaculture research

OpenAIRE

Wenblad, Axel; Jokumsen, Alfred; Eskelinen, Unto; Torrissen, Ole

2013-01-01

The Board of MISTRA established in 2012 a Working Group (WG) on Aquaculture to provide the Board with background information for its upcoming decision on whether the foundation should invest in aquaculture research. The WG included Senior Advisor Axel Wenblad, Sweden (Chairman), Professor Ole Torrissen, Norway, Senior Advisory Scientist Unto Eskelinen, Finland and Senior Advisory Scientist Alfred Jokumsen, Denmark. The WG performed an investigation of the Swedish aquaculture sector including ...

Studying the muon background component in the Double Chooz experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dietrich, Dennis

2013-03-28

The reactor anti-neutrino experiment Double Chooz (DC) will measure the third neutrino mixing angle θ{sub 13} with very high precision. This mixing angle is connected to fundamental questions in particle physics beyond the current Standard Model. In DC neutrinos are detected via the Inverse Beta Decay reaction, which provides a clean signal distinguishable from most backgrounds. However, as neutrino interactions in the detector are very rare and an interfering muon background is present, a proper understanding and reduction of this background is mandatory. This is crucial because muons create fast neutrons and βn-emitters which lead to background capable of mimicking the neutrino interaction in the detector. This thesis covers different analysis topics related to the cosmic ray muon background at the DC far site. The thesis covers the identification of muons, the applied rejection technique and the determination of the muon rate at DC far site. Utilizing the muon rejection cuts of the neutrino analysis a muon rate of 13 s{sup -1} in the Inner Detector (ID) and of 46 s{sup -1} in the Inner Muon Veto (IV) was found. The efficiency of the IV to identify and reject cosmic ray muons was measured and a value greater than 99.97% has been found. The stability of the determined muon rates was examined and a seasonal modulation was found, compatible with a variation of the temperature profile of the atmosphere over the year. The parameter describing the strength between the relationship of temperature and muon rate change, the effective temperature coefficient was obtained: αT=0.39±0.01(stat.)±0.02(syst.). This gave the opportunity to measure the atmospheric kaon to pion ratio with the DC far detector which was found to be r(K/π)=0.14±0.06. Additional variations of muon rate with surface pressure were found and the barometric coefficient describing this effect was measured as βp=-0.59±0.20(stat.)±0.10(syst.) permille /mbar. Another central theme of this work was

Studying the muon background component in the Double Chooz experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietrich, Dennis

2013-01-01

The reactor anti-neutrino experiment Double Chooz (DC) will measure the third neutrino mixing angle θ 13 with very high precision. This mixing angle is connected to fundamental questions in particle physics beyond the current Standard Model. In DC neutrinos are detected via the Inverse Beta Decay reaction, which provides a clean signal distinguishable from most backgrounds. However, as neutrino interactions in the detector are very rare and an interfering muon background is present, a proper understanding and reduction of this background is mandatory. This is crucial because muons create fast neutrons and βn-emitters which lead to background capable of mimicking the neutrino interaction in the detector. This thesis covers different analysis topics related to the cosmic ray muon background at the DC far site. The thesis covers the identification of muons, the applied rejection technique and the determination of the muon rate at DC far site. Utilizing the muon rejection cuts of the neutrino analysis a muon rate of 13 s -1 in the Inner Detector (ID) and of 46 s -1 in the Inner Muon Veto (IV) was found. The efficiency of the IV to identify and reject cosmic ray muons was measured and a value greater than 99.97% has been found. The stability of the determined muon rates was examined and a seasonal modulation was found, compatible with a variation of the temperature profile of the atmosphere over the year. The parameter describing the strength between the relationship of temperature and muon rate change, the effective temperature coefficient was obtained: αT=0.39±0.01(stat.)±0.02(syst.). This gave the opportunity to measure the atmospheric kaon to pion ratio with the DC far detector which was found to be r(K/π)=0.14±0.06. Additional variations of muon rate with surface pressure were found and the barometric coefficient describing this effect was measured as βp=-0.59±0.20(stat.)±0.10(syst.) permille /mbar. Another central theme of this work was the extrapolation

Background subtraction system for pulsed neutron logging of earth boreholes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hertzog, R.C.

1983-01-01

The invention provides a method for determining the characteristics of earth formations surrounding a well borehole comprising the steps of: repetitively irradiating the earth formations surrounding the well bore with relatively short duration pulses of high energy neutrons; detecting during each pulse of high energy neutrons, gamma radiation due to the inelastic scattering of neutrons by materials comprising the earth formations surrounding the borehole and providing information representative thereof; detecting immediately following each such pulse of high energy neutrons, background gamma radiation due to thermal neutron capture and providing information representative thereof; and correcting the inelastic gamma representative information to compensate for said background representative information

Aluminum as a source of background in low background experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Majorovits, B., E-mail: bela@mppmu.mpg.de [MPI fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany); Abt, I. [MPI fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany); Laubenstein, M. [Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, INFN, S.S.17/bis, km 18 plus 910, I-67100 Assergi (Italy); Volynets, O. [MPI fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany)

2011-08-11

Neutrinoless double beta decay would be a key to understanding the nature of neutrino masses. The next generation of High Purity Germanium experiments will have to be operated with a background rate of better than 10{sup -5} counts/(kg y keV) in the region of interest around the Q-value of the decay. Therefore, so far irrelevant sources of background have to be considered. The metalization of the surface of germanium detectors is in general done with aluminum. The background from the decays of {sup 22}Na, {sup 26}Al, {sup 226}Ra and {sup 228}Th introduced by this metalization is discussed. It is shown that only a special selection of aluminum can keep these background contributions acceptable.

Characterizing Polymer Powders used in Additive Manufacturing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bajric, Sendin [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-11-16

These are a set of slides that give the personal background of the author, information about his LANL organization, and information about his internship project at LANL about additive manufacturing and selective laser sintering (SLS).

Activity patterns in networks stabilized by background oscillations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoppensteadt, Frank

2009-07-01

The brain operates in a highly oscillatory environment. We investigate here how such an oscillating background can create stable organized behavior in an array of neuro-oscillators that is not observable in the absence of oscillation, much like oscillating the support point of an inverted pendulum can stabilize its up position, which is unstable without the oscillation. We test this idea in an array of electronic circuits coming from neuroengineering: we show how the frequencies of the background oscillation create a partition of the state space into distinct basins of attraction. Thus, background signals can stabilize persistent activity that is otherwise not observable. This suggests that an image, represented as a stable firing pattern which is triggered by a voltage pulse and is sustained in synchrony or resonance with the background oscillation, can persist as a stable behavior long after the initial stimulus is removed. The background oscillations provide energy for organized behavior in the array, and these behaviors are categorized by the basins of attraction determined by the oscillation frequencies.

Precise muon drift tube detectors for high background rate conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Engl, Albert

2011-08-04

The muon spectrometer of the ATLAS-experiment at the Large Hadron Collider consists of drift tube chambers, which provide the precise measurement of trajectories of traversing muons. In order to determine the momentum of the muons with high precision, the measurement of the position of the muon in a single tube has to be more accurate than {sigma}{<=}100 {mu}m. The large cross section of proton-proton-collisions and the high luminosity of the accelerator cause relevant background of neutrons and {gamma}s in the muon spectrometer. During the next decade a luminosity upgrade to 5.10{sup 34} cm{sup -2}s{sup -1} is planned, which will increase the background counting rates considerably. In this context this work deals with the further development of the existing drift chamber technology to provide the required accuracy of the position measurement under high background conditions. Two approaches of improving the drift tube chambers are described: - In regions of moderate background rates a faster and more linear drift gas can provide precise position measurement without changing the existing hardware. - At very high background rates drift tube chambers consisting of tubes with a diameter of 15 mm are a valuable candidate to substitute the CSC muon chambers. The single tube resolution of the gas mixture Ar:CO{sub 2}:N{sub 2} in the ratio of 96:3:1 Vol %, which is more linear and faster as the currently used drift gas Ar:CO{sub 2} in the ratio of 97:3 Vol %, was determined at the Cosmic Ray Measurement Facility at Garching and at high {gamma}-background counting rates at the Gamma Irradiation Facility at CERN. The alternative gas mixture shows similar resolution without background. At high background counting rates it shows better resolution as the standard gas. To analyse the data the various parts of the setup have to be aligned precisely to each other. The change to an alternative gas mixture allows the use of the existing hardware. The second approach are drift tubes

Removing Background Noise with Phased Array Signal Processing

Science.gov (United States)

Podboy, Gary; Stephens, David

2015-01-01

Preliminary results are presented from a test conducted to determine how well microphone phased array processing software could pull an acoustic signal out of background noise. The array consisted of 24 microphones in an aerodynamic fairing designed to be mounted in-flow. The processing was conducted using Functional Beam forming software developed by Optinav combined with cross spectral matrix subtraction. The test was conducted in the free-jet of the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig at NASA GRC. The background noise was produced by the interaction of the free-jet flow with the solid surfaces in the flow. The acoustic signals were produced by acoustic drivers. The results show that the phased array processing was able to pull the acoustic signal out of the background noise provided the signal was no more than 20 dB below the background noise level measured using a conventional single microphone equipped with an aerodynamic forebody.

The temporal resolution factor with and without background noise

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dreschler, W. A.; Leeuw, A. R.

1990-01-01

In this paper we discuss the measurement of the temporal resolution factor (TRF). The major merits of this measurement are that it is simple enough to be used clinically and that the results are, within certain limits, independent of presentation level. Addition of a continuous background noise has

THE ORIGIN OF THE COSMIC GAMMA-RAY BACKGROUND IN THE MeV RANGE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz-Lapuente, Pilar; The, Lih-Sin; Hartmann, Dieter H.; Ajello, Marco; Canal, Ramon; Röpke, Friedrich K.; Ohlmann, Sebastian T.; Hillebrandt, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

There has been much debate about the origin of the diffuse γ-ray background in the MeV range. At lower energies, AGNs and Seyfert galaxies can explain the background, but not above ≃0.3 MeV. Beyond ∼10 MeV blazars appear to account for the flux observed. That leaves an unexplained gap for which different candidates have been proposed, including annihilations of WIMPS. One candidate is Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Early studies concluded that they were able to account for the γ-ray background in the gap, while later work attributed a significantly lower contribution to them. All those estimates were based on SN Ia explosion models that did not reflect the full 3D hydrodynamics of SN Ia explosions. In addition, new measurements obtained since 2010 have provided new, direct estimates of high-z SN Ia rates beyond z ∼ 2. We take into account these new advances to see the predicted contribution to the gamma-ray background. We use here a wide variety of explosion models and a plethora of new measurements of SN Ia rates. SNe Ia still fall short of the observed background. Only for a fit, which would imply ∼150% systematic error in detecting SN Ia events, do the theoretical predictions approach the observed fluxes. This fit is, however, at odds at the highest redshifts with recent SN Ia rate estimates. Other astrophysical sources such as flat-spectrum radio quasars do match the observed flux levels in the MeV regime, while SNe Ia make up to 30%–50% of the observed flux

THE ORIGIN OF THE COSMIC GAMMA-RAY BACKGROUND IN THE MeV RANGE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz-Lapuente, Pilar [Instituto de Física Fundamental, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, c/. Serrano 121, E-28006, Madrid (Spain); The, Lih-Sin; Hartmann, Dieter H.; Ajello, Marco [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States); Canal, Ramon [Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (UB-IEEC), c/. Martí i Franqués 1, E-08028, Barcelona (Spain); Röpke, Friedrich K.; Ohlmann, Sebastian T. [Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Würzburg, D-97074, Würzburg (Germany); Hillebrandt, Wolfgang [Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching bei München (Germany)

2016-04-01

There has been much debate about the origin of the diffuse γ-ray background in the MeV range. At lower energies, AGNs and Seyfert galaxies can explain the background, but not above ≃0.3 MeV. Beyond ∼10 MeV blazars appear to account for the flux observed. That leaves an unexplained gap for which different candidates have been proposed, including annihilations of WIMPS. One candidate is Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). Early studies concluded that they were able to account for the γ-ray background in the gap, while later work attributed a significantly lower contribution to them. All those estimates were based on SN Ia explosion models that did not reflect the full 3D hydrodynamics of SN Ia explosions. In addition, new measurements obtained since 2010 have provided new, direct estimates of high-z SN Ia rates beyond z ∼ 2. We take into account these new advances to see the predicted contribution to the gamma-ray background. We use here a wide variety of explosion models and a plethora of new measurements of SN Ia rates. SNe Ia still fall short of the observed background. Only for a fit, which would imply ∼150% systematic error in detecting SN Ia events, do the theoretical predictions approach the observed fluxes. This fit is, however, at odds at the highest redshifts with recent SN Ia rate estimates. Other astrophysical sources such as flat-spectrum radio quasars do match the observed flux levels in the MeV regime, while SNe Ia make up to 30%–50% of the observed flux.

The effect of background and illumination on color identification of real, 3D objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Allred, Sarah R; Olkkonen, Maria

2013-01-01

For the surface reflectance of an object to be a useful cue to object identity, judgments of its color should remain stable across changes in the object's environment. In 2D scenes, there is general consensus that color judgments are much more stable across illumination changes than background changes. Here we investigate whether these findings generalize to real 3D objects. Observers made color matches to cubes as we independently varied both the illumination impinging on the cube and the 3D background of the cube. As in 2D scenes, we found relatively high but imperfect stability of color judgments under an illuminant shift. In contrast to 2D scenes, we found that background had little effect on average color judgments. In addition, variability of color judgments was increased by an illuminant shift and decreased by embedding the cube within a background. Taken together, these results suggest that in real 3D scenes with ample cues to object segregation, the addition of a background may improve stability of color identification.

The effect of background and illumination on color identification of real, 3D objects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Ray Allred

2013-11-01

Full Text Available For the surface reflectance of an object to be a useful cue to object identity, judgments of its color should remain stable across changes in the object's environment. In 2D scenes, there is general consensus that color judgments are much more stable across illumination changes than background changes. Here we investigate whether these findings generalize to real 3D objects. Observers made color matches to cubes as we independently varied both the illumination impinging on the cube and the 3D background of the cube. As in 2D scenes, we found relatively high but imperfect stability of color judgments under an illuminant shift. In contrast to 2D scenes, we found that background had little effect on average color judgments. In addition, variability of color judgments was increased by an illuminant shift and decreased by embedding the cube within a background. Taken together, these results suggest that in real 3D scenes with ample cues to object segregation, the addition of a background may improve stability of color identification.

Background radiation map of Thailand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angsuwathana, P.; Chotikanatis, P.

1997-01-01

The radioelement concentration in the natural environment as well as the radiation exposure to man in day-to-day life is now the most interesting topic. The natural radiation is frequently referred as a standard for comparing additional sources of man-made radiation such as atomic weapon fallout, nuclear power generation, radioactive waste disposal, etc. The Department of Mineral Resources commenced a five-year project of nationwide airborne geophysical survey by awarding to Kenting Earth Sciences International Limited in 1984. The original purpose of survey was to support mineral exploration and geological mapping. Subsequently, the data quantity has been proved to be suitable for natural radiation information. In 1993 the Department of Mineral Resources, with the assistance of IAEA, published a Background Radiation Map of Thailand at the scale of 1:1,000,000 from the existing airborne radiometric digital data. The production of Background Radiation Map of Thailand is the result of data compilation and correction procedure developed over the Canadian Shield. This end product will be used as a base map in environmental application not only for Thailand but also Southeast Asia region. (author)

Cosmic X-ray background from hot gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, R.D.; Field, G.B.

1991-01-01

This paper considers constraints on models of the cosmic X-ray background (XRB) in which the XRB is produced by optically thin thermal bremsstrahlung from hot gas. It is shown that models in which the gas is gravitationally confined in a spherical configuration and is heated only once are contradicted by the observed number of gravitationally lensed quasars together with the lower limit on the number of XRB sources required by limits on fluctuations in the XRB and the cosmic microwave background. In addition, it is shown that, for models in which the gas is not gravitationally confined, the expansion time of the gas is much shorter than the radiative cooling time, so that such models cannot explain the XRB. It is concluded that thermal bremsstrahlung models cannot account for the XRB if the emitting gas is heated only once. 31 refs

Development of a multivariate tool to reject background in a WZ diboson search for the CDF experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cremonesi, Matteo [Univ. of of Rome Tor Vergata (Italy)

2015-08-27

In the frame of the strong on-going data analysis effort of the CDF collaboration at Fermilab, a method was developed by the candidate to improve the background rejection efficiency in the search for associated pair production of electroweak W, Z bosons. The performaces of the method for vetoing the tt background in a WZ/ZZ → fνq$\\bar{q}$ diboson search are reported. The method was developed in the inclusive 2-jets sample and applied to the “tag-2 jets" region, the subsample defined by the request that the two jets carry beauty flavor. In this region the tt production is one of the largest backgrounds. The tt veto proceeds in two steps: first, a set of pre-selection cuts are applied in a candidate sample where up to two leptons are accepted in addition to a jet pair, and the ZZ component of the signal is thus preserved; next, a Neural Network is trained to indicate the probability that the event be top-pair production. To validate the the method as developed in the inclusive 2-jets sample, it is applied to veto region providing a significant rejection of this important background.

Advanced Background Subtraction Applied to Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Bahr, Christopher J.; Horne, William C.

2015-01-01

An advanced form of background subtraction is presented and applied to aeroacoustic wind tunnel data. A variant of this method has seen use in other fields such as climatology and medical imaging. The technique, based on an eigenvalue decomposition of the background noise cross-spectral matrix, is robust against situations where isolated background auto-spectral levels are measured to be higher than levels of combined source and background signals. It also provides an alternate estimate of the cross-spectrum, which previously might have poor definition for low signal-to-noise ratio measurements. Simulated results indicate similar performance to conventional background subtraction when the subtracted spectra are weaker than the true contaminating background levels. Superior performance is observed when the subtracted spectra are stronger than the true contaminating background levels. Experimental results show limited success in recovering signal behavior for data where conventional background subtraction fails. They also demonstrate the new subtraction technique's ability to maintain a proper coherence relationship in the modified cross-spectral matrix. Beam-forming and de-convolution results indicate the method can successfully separate sources. Results also show a reduced need for the use of diagonal removal in phased array processing, at least for the limited data sets considered.

Perfusion magnetic resonance imaging provides additional information as compared to anatomical imaging for decision-making in vestibular schwannoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleijwegt, M.C.; Mey, A.G.L. van der; Wiggers-deBruine, F.T.; Malessy, M.J.A; Osch, M.J.P. van

2016-01-01

•DSC/ASL-MRI can be acquired in growing VS with sufficient image quality.•In most patients DSC and ASL techniques provide similar qualitative scores.•These techniques can be of importance in future decision-making. DSC/ASL-MRI can be acquired in growing VS with sufficient image quality. In most patients DSC and ASL techniques provide similar qualitative scores. These techniques can be of importance in future decision-making. The added value of perfusion MRI for decision-making in vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients is unknown. MRI offers two perfusion methods: the first employing contrast agent (dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC)-MRI) that provides information on cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral blood flow (CBF), the second by magnetic labeling of blood (arterial spin labeling (ASL)-MRI), providing CBF-images. The goal of the current study is to investigate whether DSC and ASL perfusion MRI provides complimentary information to current anatomical imaging in treatment selection process of VS. Nine patients with growing VS with extrameatal diameter >9 mm were included (>2 mm/year and 20% volume expansion/year) and one patient with 23 mm extrameatal VS without growth. DSC and ASL perfusion MRI were obtained on 3 T MRI. Perfusion in VS was scored as hyperintense, hypointense or isointense compared to the contralateral region. Seven patients showed hyperintense signal on DSC and ASL sequences. Three patients showed iso- or hypointense signal on at least one perfusion map (1 patient hypointense on both DSC-MRI and ASL; 1 patient isointense on DSC-CBF; 1 patient isointense on ASL). All patients showed enhancement on post-contrast T1 anatomical scan. Perfusion MR provides additional information compared to anatomical imaging for decision-making in VS

Monte Carlo simulations of low background detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miley, H.S.; Brodzinski, R.L.; Hensley, W.K.; Reeves, J.H.

1995-01-01

An implementation of the Electron Gamma Shower 4 code (EGS4) has been developed to allow convenient simulation of typical gamma ray measurement systems. Coincidence gamma rays, beta spectra, and angular correlations have been added to adequately simulate a complete nuclear decay and provide corrections to experimentally determined detector efficiencies. This code has been used to strip certain low-background spectra for the purpose of extremely low-level assay. Monte Carlo calculations of this sort can be extremely successful since low background detectors are usually free of significant contributions from poorly localized radiation sources, such as cosmic muons, secondary cosmic neutrons, and radioactive construction or shielding materials. Previously, validation of this code has been obtained from a series of comparisons between measurements and blind calculations. An example of the application of this code to an exceedingly low background spectrum stripping will be presented. (author) 5 refs.; 3 figs.; 1 tab

Neutron lifetime experiments using magnetically trapped neutrons: optimal background correction strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coakley, K.J.

2001-01-01

In the first stage of each run of a neutron lifetime experiment, a magnetic trap is filled with neutrons. In the second stage of each run, decay events plus background events are observed. In a separate experiment, background is measured. The mean lifetime is estimated by fitting a two parameter exponential model to the background-corrected data. For two models of the background signal, I determine the optimal ratio of the number of 'background-only' measurements to the number of primary 'neutron decay plus background' measurements. Further, for each run, I determine the optimal allocation of time for filling and for observing decay events. For the case where the background consists of an activated material (aluminum) plus a stationary Poisson process, the asymptotic standard error of the lifetime estimate computed from the background-corrected data is lower than the asymptotic standard error computed from the uncorrected data. For the case where the background is a stationary Poisson process, background correction is desirable provided that the background intensity is sufficiently small compared to the rate at which neutrons enter the trap

Precise muon drift tube detectors for high background rate conditions

CERN Document Server

Engl, Albert; Dünnweber, Wolfgang

The muon spectrometer of the ATLAS-experiment at the Large H adron Collider consists of drift tube chambers, which provide the precise m easurement of trajec- tories of traversing muons. In order to determine the moment um of the muons with high precision, the measurement of the position of the m uon in a single tube has to be more accurate than σ ≤ 100 m. The large cross section of proton-proton-collisions and th e high luminosity of the accelerator cause relevant background of neutrons and γ s in the muon spectrome- ter. During the next decade a luminosity upgrade [1] to 5 10 34 cm − 2 s − 1 is planned, which will increase the background counting rates consider ably. In this context this work deals with the further development of the existing drift chamber tech- nology to provide the required accuracy of the position meas urement under high background conditions. Two approaches of improving the dri ft tube chambers are described: • In regions of moderate background rates a faster and more lin ear ...

General Aviation in Nebraska: Nebraska SATS Project Background Paper No. 1

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Russell; Wachal, Jocelyn

2000-01-01

The Nebraska SATS project is a state-level component of NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS). During the next several years the project will examine several different factors affecting SATS implementation in Nebraska. These include economic and taxation issues, public policy issues, airport planning processes, information dissemination strategies, and systemic change factors. This background paper profiles the general aviation system in Nebraska. It is written to provide information about the "context" within which SATS will be pursued. The primary focus is thus on describing and providing background information about the current situation. A secondary focus is on drawing general conclusions about the ability of the current system to incorporate the types of changes implied by SATS. First, some brief information on the U.S. aviation system is provided. The next two sections profile the current general aviation aircraft and pilot base. Nebraska's system of general aviation airports is then described. Within this section of the paper, information is provided on the different types of general aviation airports in Nebraska, airport activity levels and current infrastructure. The fourth major section of the background paper looks at Nebraska's local airport authorities. These special purpose local governments oversee the majority of the general aviation airports in the state. Among the items examined are total expenditures, capital expenditures and planning activities. Next, the paper provides background information on the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics (NDA) and recent Federal funding for general aviation in Nebraska. The final section presents summary conclusions.

The Utilization of Background Spectrum to Calibrate Gamma Spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahrouka, M. M.; Mutawa, A. M.

2004-01-01

Many developed countries have very poor reference standards to calibrate their nuclear instrumentations or may find some difficulties to obtain a reference standard. In this work a simple way for Gamma spectrometry calibration was developed. The method depends on one reference point and additional points from the background. The two derived equations were applied to the analyses of radioactive nuclides in soil and liquid samples prepared by IAEA laboratories through AL MERA Project. The results showed the precision of the methodology used, as well as, the possibility of using some points in the background spectrum as a replacement for reference standards of Gamma spectrometry calibration. (authors)

Numerical method for IR background and clutter simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Quaranta, Carlo; Daniele, Gina; Balzarotti, Giorgio

1997-06-01

The paper describes a fast and accurate algorithm of IR background noise and clutter generation for application in scene simulations. The process is based on the hypothesis that background might be modeled as a statistical process where amplitude of signal obeys to the Gaussian distribution rule and zones of the same scene meet a correlation function with exponential form. The algorithm allows to provide an accurate mathematical approximation of the model and also an excellent fidelity with reality, that appears from a comparison with images from IR sensors. The proposed method shows advantages with respect to methods based on the filtering of white noise in time or frequency domain as it requires a limited number of computation and, furthermore, it is more accurate than the quasi random processes. The background generation starts from a reticule of few points and by means of growing rules the process is extended to the whole scene of required dimension and resolution. The statistical property of the model are properly maintained in the simulation process. The paper gives specific attention to the mathematical aspects of the algorithm and provides a number of simulations and comparisons with real scenes.

a qualitative study of providers' perspectives

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Glaucoma management is challenging to patients as well as to the eye care providers.The study is aimed at describing the challenges faced by providers using qualitative methods. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with selected Ophthalmologists and resident doctors in ophthalmology at centres ...

Lorentz-violating electrodynamics and the cosmic microwave background.

Science.gov (United States)

Kostelecký, V Alan; Mewes, Matthew

2007-07-06

Possible Lorentz-violating effects in the cosmic microwave background are studied. We provide a systematic classification of renormalizable and nonrenormalizable operators for Lorentz violation in electrodynamics and use polarimetric observations to search for the associated violations.

Radiogenic and muon-induced backgrounds in the LUX dark matter detector

Science.gov (United States)

Akerib, D. S.; Araújo, H. M.; Bai, X.; Bailey, A. J.; Balajthy, J.; Bernard, E.; Bernstein, A.; Bradley, A.; Byram, D.; Cahn, S. B.; Carmona-Benitez, M. C.; Chan, C.; Chapman, J. J.; Chiller, A. A.; Chiller, C.; Coffey, T.; Currie, A.; de Viveiros, L.; Dobi, A.; Dobson, J.; Druszkiewicz, E.; Edwards, B.; Faham, C. H.; Fiorucci, S.; Flores, C.; Gaitskell, R. J.; Gehman, V. M.; Ghag, C.; Gibson, K. R.; Gilchriese, M. G. D.; Hall, C.; Hertel, S. A.; Horn, M.; Huang, D. Q.; Ihm, M.; Jacobsen, R. G.; Kazkaz, K.; Knoche, R.; Larsen, N. A.; Lee, C.; Lindote, A.; Lopes, M. I.; Malling, D. C.; Mannino, R.; McKinsey, D. N.; Mei, D.-M.; Mock, J.; Moongweluwan, M.; Morad, J.; Murphy, A. St. J.; Nehrkorn, C.; Nelson, H.; Neves, F.; Ott, R. A.; Pangilinan, M.; Parker, P. D.; Pease, E. K.; Pech, K.; Phelps, P.; Reichhart, L.; Shutt, T.; Silva, C.; Solovov, V. N.; Sorensen, P.; O'Sullivan, K.; Sumner, T. J.; Szydagis, M.; Taylor, D.; Tennyson, B.; Tiedt, D. R.; Tripathi, M.; Uvarov, S.; Verbus, J. R.; Walsh, N.; Webb, R.; White, J. T.; Witherell, M. S.; Wolfs, F. L. H.; Woods, M.; Zhang, C.

2015-03-01

The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment aims to detect rare low-energy interactions from Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). The radiogenic backgrounds in the LUX detector have been measured and compared with Monte Carlo simulation. Measurements of LUX high-energy data have provided direct constraints on all background sources contributing to the background model. The expected background rate from the background model for the 85.3 day WIMP search run is (2.6 ±0.2stat ±0.4sys) ×10-3 events keVee-1 kg-1day-1 in a 118 kg fiducial volume. The observed background rate is (3.6 ±0.4stat) ×10-3 events keVee-1 kg-1day-1 , consistent with model projections. The expectation for the radiogenic background in a subsequent one-year run is presented.

Dynamical Properties of Discrete-Time Background Neural Networks with Uniform Firing Rate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Wan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The dynamics of a discrete-time background network with uniform firing rate and background input is investigated. The conditions for stability are firstly derived. An invariant set is then obtained so that the nondivergence of the network can be guaranteed. In the invariant set, it is proved that all trajectories of the network starting from any nonnegative value will converge to a fixed point under some conditions. In addition, bifurcation and chaos are discussed. It is shown that the network can engender bifurcation and chaos with the increase of background input. The computations of Lyapunov exponents confirm the chaotic behaviors.

JEM-X background models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huovelin, J.; Maisala, S.; Schultz, J.

2003-01-01

Background and determination of its components for the JEM-X X-ray telescope on INTEGRAL are discussed. A part of the first background observations by JEM-X are analysed and results are compared to predictions. The observations are based on extensive imaging of background near the Crab Nebula...... on revolution 41 of INTEGRAL. Total observing time used for the analysis was 216 502 s, with the average of 25 cps of background for each of the two JEM-X telescopes. JEM-X1 showed slightly higher average background intensity than JEM-X2. The detectors were stable during the long exposures, and weak orbital...... background was enhanced in the central area of a detector, and it decreased radially towards the edge, with a clear vignetting effect for both JEM-X units. The instrument background was weakest in the central area of a detector and showed a steep increase at the very edges of both JEM-X detectors...

Building and Activating Students' Background Knowledge: It's What They Already Know That Counts

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Douglas; Frey, Nancy; Lapp, Diane

2012-01-01

Students enter the middle grades with varying amounts of background knowledge. Teachers must assess student background knowledge for gaps or misconceptions and then provide instruction to build on that base. This article discusses effective strategies for assessing and developing students' background knowledge so they can become independent…

Pediatric Primary Care Providers' Relationships with Mental Health Care Providers: Survey Results

Science.gov (United States)

Pidano, Anne E.; Honigfeld, Lisa; Bar-Halpern, Miri; Vivian, James E.

2014-01-01

Background: As many as 20 % of children have diagnosable mental health conditions and nearly all of them receive pediatric primary health care. However, most children with serious mental health concerns do not receive mental health services. This study tested hypotheses that pediatric primary care providers (PPCPs) in relationships with mental…

On the background independence of two-dimensional topological gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Imbimbo, Camillo

1995-04-01

We formulate two-dimensional topological gravity in a background covariant Lagrangian framework. We derive the Ward identities which characterize the dependence of physical correlators on the background world-sheet metric defining the gauge-slice. We point out the existence of an "anomaly" in Ward identitites involving correlators of observables with higher ghost number. This "anomaly" represents an obstruction for physical correlators to be globally defined forms on moduli space which could be integrated in a background independent way. Starting from the anomalous Ward identities, we derive "descent" equations whose solutions are cocycles of the Lie algebra of the diffeomorphism group with values in the space of local forms on the moduli space. We solve the descent equations and provide explicit formulas for the cocycles, which allow for the definition of background independent integrals of physical correlators on the moduli space.

Interstellar cyanogen and the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Katherine C.; Meyer, David M.; Hawkins, Isabel

1993-01-01

We present the results of a recently completed effort to determine the amount of CN rotational excitation in five diffuse interstellar clouds for the purpose of accurately measuring the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR). In addition, we report a new detection of emission from the strongest hyperfine component of the 2.64 mm CN rotational transition (N = 1-0) in the direction toward HD 21483. We have used this result in combination with existing emission measurements toward our other stars to correct for local excitation effects within diffuse clouds which raise the measured CN rotational temperature above that of the CMBR. After making this correction, we find a weighted mean value of T(CMBR) = 2.729 (+0.023, -0.031) K. This temperature is in excellent agreement with the new COBE measurement of 2.726 +/- 0.010 K (Mather et al., 1993). Our result, which samples the CMBR far from the near-Earth environment, attests to the accuracy of the COBE measurement and reaffirms the cosmic nature of this background radiation. From the observed agreement between our CMBR temperature and the COBE result, we conclude that corrections for local CN excitation based on millimeter emission measurements provide an accurate adjustment to the measured rotational excitation.

Cosmic Microwave Background: cosmology from the Planck perspective

Science.gov (United States)

De Zotti, Gianfranco

2017-08-01

The Planck mission has measured the angular anisotropies in the temperature of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) with an accuracy set by fundamental limits. These data have allowed the determination of the cosmological parameters with extraordinary precision. These lecture notes present an overview of the mission and of its cosmological results. After a short history of the project, the Planck instruments and their performances are introduced and compared with those of the WMAP satellite. Next the approach to data analysis adopted by the Planck collaboration is described. This includes the techniques for dealing with the contamination of the CMB signal by astrophysical foreground emissions and for determining cosmological parameters from the analysis of the CMB power spectrum. The power spectra measured by Planck were found to be very well described by the standard spatially flat six-parameter ΛCDM cosmology with a power-law spectrum of adiabatic scalar perturbations. This is a remarkable result, considering that the six parameters account for the about 2500 independent power spectrum values measured by Planck (the power was measured for about 2500 multipoles), not to mention the about one trillion science samples produced. A large grid of cosmological models was also explored, using a range of additional astrophysical data sets in addition to Planck and high-resolution CMB data from ground-based experiments. On the whole, the Planck analysis of the CMB power spectrum allowed to vary and determined 16 parameters. Many other interesting parameters were derived from them. Although Planck was not initially designed to carry out high accuracy measurements of the CMB polarization anisotropies, its capabilities in this respect were significantly enhanced during its development. The quality of its polarization measurements have exceeded all original expectations. Planck's polarisation data confirmed and improved the understanding of the details of the cosmological

Cephalopod dynamic camouflage: bridging the continuum between background matching and disruptive coloration

Science.gov (United States)

Hanlon, R.T.; Chiao, C.-C.; Mäthger, L.M.; Barbosa, A.; Buresch, K.C.; Chubb, C.

2008-01-01

Individual cuttlefish, octopus and squid have the versatile capability to use body patterns for background matching and disruptive coloration. We define—qualitatively and quantitatively—the chief characteristics of the three major body pattern types used for camouflage by cephalopods: uniform and mottle patterns for background matching, and disruptive patterns that primarily enhance disruptiveness but aid background matching as well. There is great variation within each of the three body pattern types, but by defining their chief characteristics we lay the groundwork to test camouflage concepts by correlating background statistics with those of the body pattern. We describe at least three ways in which background matching can be achieved in cephalopods. Disruptive patterns in cuttlefish possess all four of the basic components of ‘disruptiveness’, supporting Cott's hypotheses, and we provide field examples of disruptive coloration in which the body pattern contrast exceeds that of the immediate surrounds. Based upon laboratory testing as well as thousands of images of camouflaged cephalopods in the field (a sample is provided on a web archive), we note that size, contrast and edges of background objects are key visual cues that guide cephalopod camouflage patterning. Mottle and disruptive patterns are frequently mixed, suggesting that background matching and disruptive mechanisms are often used in the same pattern. PMID:19008200

A time averaged background compensator for Geiger-Mueller counters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharya, R.C.; Ghosh, P.K.

1983-01-01

The GM tube compensator described stores background counts to cancel an equal number of pulses from the measuring channel providing time averaged compensation. The method suits portable instruments. (orig.)

Identification of backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I dark matter search experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiorucci, S. [CEA, Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Benoit, A. [Centre de Recherche sur les Tres Basses Temperatures, SPM-CNRS, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble (France); Berge, L. [Centre de Spectroscopie Nucleaire et de Spectroscopie de Masse, UMR8609 IN2P3-CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, bat 108, 91405 Orsay Campus (France)] (and others)

2007-05-15

This paper presents our interpretation and understanding of the different backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I data sets. We analyze in detail the several populations observed, which include gammas, alphas, neutrons, thermal sensor events and surface events, and try to combine all data sets to provide a coherent picture of the nature and localization of the background sources. In light of this interpretation, we draw conclusions regarding the background suppression scheme for the EDELWEISS-II phase. (authors)

Identification of backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I dark matter search experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiorucci, S. [CEA, Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Benoit, A. [Centre de Recherche sur les Tres Basses Temperatures, SPM-CNRS, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble (France); Berge, L. [Centre de Spectroscopie Nucleaire et de Spectroscopie de Masse, UMR 8609 IN2P3-CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, bat 108, 91405 Orsay Campus (France)] (and others)

2006-10-15

This paper presents our interpretation and understanding of the different backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I data sets. We analyze in detail the several populations observed, which include gammas, alphas, neutrons, thermal sensor events and surface events, and try to combine all data sets to provide a coherent picture of the nature and localisation of the background sources. In light of this interpretation, we draw conclusions regarding the background suppression scheme for the EDELWEISS-II phase. (authors)

Accounting for orphaned aftershocks in the earthquake background rate

Science.gov (United States)

Van Der Elst, Nicholas

2017-01-01

Aftershocks often occur within cascades of triggered seismicity in which each generation of aftershocks triggers an additional generation, and so on. The rate of earthquakes in any particular generation follows Omori's law, going approximately as 1/t. This function decays rapidly, but is heavy-tailed, and aftershock sequences may persist for long times at a rate that is difficult to discriminate from background. It is likely that some apparently spontaneous earthquakes in the observational catalogue are orphaned aftershocks of long-past main shocks. To assess the relative proportion of orphaned aftershocks in the apparent background rate, I develop an extension of the ETAS model that explicitly includes the expected contribution of orphaned aftershocks to the apparent background rate. Applying this model to California, I find that the apparent background rate can be almost entirely attributed to orphaned aftershocks, depending on the assumed duration of an aftershock sequence. This implies an earthquake cascade with a branching ratio (the average number of directly triggered aftershocks per main shock) of nearly unity. In physical terms, this implies that very few earthquakes are completely isolated from the perturbing effects of other earthquakes within the fault system. Accounting for orphaned aftershocks in the ETAS model gives more accurate estimates of the true background rate, and more realistic expectations for long-term seismicity patterns.

Natural radiation background in the ancient city of Palmyra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shweikani, R.; Al-Masri, M.S.; Hushari, M.; Raja, G.; Aissa, M.; Al-Hent, R.

2012-01-01

Natural radiation background has been determined for the Ancient City of Palmyra and its surrounding areas. Car-borne gamma spectrometry, indoor radon gas concentration and natural radionuclides levels in environmental samples (soil, water and plants) have been determined. Two types of dwelling were involved in this study, one with cancer cases, and the others without. The results showed that indoor radon gas concentrations and radiation exposure rates are within reported mean background levels in Syria (45 Bq m −3 and less than 0.1 μSv h −1 , respectively); no differences were noticed between the dwelling groups. In addition, the results did not indicate any relation between recorded cancers and measured natural radioactivity.

Primary and Secondary Anisotropies of Cosmic Microwave Background

Science.gov (United States)

Seljak, Uros

2002-01-01

The three main topics we proposed to do are linear calculations (continuing development of CMBFAST), nonlinear calculations of gas physics relevant to Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) (Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect, etc.) and nonlinear effects on CMB due to dark matter (gravitational lensing, etc.). We describe each of these topics, as well as additional topics PI and his group worked on that are related to the topics in the proposal.

Procedures for treating common cause failures in safety and reliability studies: Analytical background and techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosleh, A.; Fleming, K.N.; Parry, G.W.; Paula, H.M.; Worledge, D.H.; Rasmuson, D.M.

1989-01-01

Volume I of this report presents a framework for the inclusion of the impact of common cause failures in risk and reliability evaluations. Common cause failures are defined as that subset of dependent failures for which causes are not explicitly included in the logic model as basic events. The emphasis here is on providing procedures for a practical, systematic approach that can be used to perform and clearly document the analysis. The framework and the methods discussed for performing the different stages of the analysis integrate insights obtained from engineering assessments of the system and the historical evidence from multiple failure events into a systematic, reproducible, and defensible analysis. This document, Volume 2, contains a series of appendices that provide additional background and methodological detail on several important topics discussed in Volume I

Background Material

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zandersen, Marianne; Hyytiäinen, Kari; Saraiva, Sofia

This document serves as a background material to the BONUS Pilot Scenario Workshop, which aims to develop harmonised regional storylines of socio-ecological futures in the Baltic Sea region in a collaborative effort together with other BONUS projects and stakeholders.......This document serves as a background material to the BONUS Pilot Scenario Workshop, which aims to develop harmonised regional storylines of socio-ecological futures in the Baltic Sea region in a collaborative effort together with other BONUS projects and stakeholders....

Cosmic Microwave Background Timeline

Science.gov (United States)

Cosmic Microwave Background Timeline 1934 : Richard Tolman shows that blackbody radiation in an will have a blackbody cosmic microwave background with temperature about 5 K 1955: Tigran Shmaonov anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background, this strongly supports the big bang model with gravitational

EPR dosimetry of radiation background in the Urals region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shishkina, E.A.; Degteva, M.O.; Shved, V.A. [Urals Research Center for Radiation Medicine, 48-A Vorovsky, Chelyabinsk 454076 (Russian Federation); Fattibene, P.; Onori, S. [Istituto Superiore di Sanita and Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Italy); Wieser, A. [GSF, Forschungszentrum fuer Umwelt und Gesundheit, Ingolstaedter Landstr (Germany); Ivanov, D.V.; Bayankin, S.N. [Institute of Metal Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Federation); Knyazev, V.A.; Vasilenko, E.I.; Gorelov, M. [ZAO, Closed Corporation ' Company GEOSPETSECOLOGIA' (Russian Federation)

2006-07-01

Method of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance is extensively applied to individual retrospective dosimetry. The background dose is unavoidable component of cumulative absorbed dose in the tooth enamel accumulated during the lifetime of donor. Estimation of incidental radiation dose using tooth enamel needs in extraction of background dose. Moreover, the variation of background doses in the population is a limited factor for reliable detection of additional irradiation especially for low dose level. Therefore the accurate knowledge of the natural background radiation dose is a critical element of EPR studies of exposed populations. In the Urals region the method applies for such two large cohorts as the workers of Mayak (Ozersk citizens) and Techa River riverside inhabitants (rural population). Current study aimed to investigate the Urals radiation background detected by EPR spectrometry. For this aim two group of unexposed Urals residents were separated, viz: citizens of Ozersk and rural inhabitants of Chelyabinsk region. Comparison of two investigated territories has demonstrated that from the point of view of radiation background it is impossible to assume the Urals population as uniform. The reliable difference between the urban and rural residents has been found. The average background doses of Ozersk donors is in average 50 mGy higher than those detected for rural residents. The individual variability of background doses for Osersk has been higher than in the rural results. The difference in background dose levels between two population results in different limits of accidental dose detection and individualization. The doses for 'Mayak' workers (Ozyorsk citizens) can be classed as anthropogenic if the EPR measurements exceed 120 mGy for teeth younger than 40 years, and 240 mGy for teeth older than 70 years. The anthropogenic doses for Techa River residents (rural population) would be higher than 95 mGy for teeth younger than 50 years and 270 mGy for

EPR dosimetry of radiation background in the Urals region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shishkina, E.A.; Degteva, M.O.; Shved, V.A.; Fattibene, P.; Onori, S.; Wieser, A.; Ivanov, D.V.; Bayankin, S.N.; Knyazev, V.A.; Vasilenko, E.I.; Gorelov, M.

2006-01-01

Method of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance is extensively applied to individual retrospective dosimetry. The background dose is unavoidable component of cumulative absorbed dose in the tooth enamel accumulated during the lifetime of donor. Estimation of incidental radiation dose using tooth enamel needs in extraction of background dose. Moreover, the variation of background doses in the population is a limited factor for reliable detection of additional irradiation especially for low dose level. Therefore the accurate knowledge of the natural background radiation dose is a critical element of EPR studies of exposed populations. In the Urals region the method applies for such two large cohorts as the workers of Mayak (Ozersk citizens) and Techa River riverside inhabitants (rural population). Current study aimed to investigate the Urals radiation background detected by EPR spectrometry. For this aim two group of unexposed Urals residents were separated, viz: citizens of Ozersk and rural inhabitants of Chelyabinsk region. Comparison of two investigated territories has demonstrated that from the point of view of radiation background it is impossible to assume the Urals population as uniform. The reliable difference between the urban and rural residents has been found. The average background doses of Ozersk donors is in average 50 mGy higher than those detected for rural residents. The individual variability of background doses for Osersk has been higher than in the rural results. The difference in background dose levels between two population results in different limits of accidental dose detection and individualization. The doses for 'Mayak' workers (Ozyorsk citizens) can be classed as anthropogenic if the EPR measurements exceed 120 mGy for teeth younger than 40 years, and 240 mGy for teeth older than 70 years. The anthropogenic doses for Techa River residents (rural population) would be higher than 95 mGy for teeth younger than 50 years and 270 mGy for teeth older

Hanford Site background: Evaluation of existing soil radionuclide data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-07-01

This report is an evaluation of the existing data on radiological background for soils in the vicinity of the Hanford Site. The primary purpose of this report is to assess the adequacy of the existing data to serve as a radiological background baseline for use in environmental restoration and remediation activities at the Hanford Site. The soil background data compiled and evaluated in this report were collected by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) and Washington State Department of Health (DOH) radiation surveillance programs in southeastern Washington. These two programs provide the largest well-documented, quantitative data sets available to evaluate background conditions at the Hanford Site. The data quality objectives (DQOs) considered in this evaluation include the amount of data, number of sampling localities, spatial coverage, number and types of radionuclides reported, frequency of reporting, documentation and traceability of sampling and laboratory methods used, and comparability between sets of data. Although other data on soil radionuclide abundances around the Hanford Site exist, they are generally limited in scope and lack the DQOs necessary for consideration with the PNL and DOH data sets. Collectively, these two sources provide data on the activities of 25 radionuclides and four other parameters (gross alpha, gross beta, total uranium, and total thorium). These measurements were made on samples from the upper 2.5 cm of soil at over 70 localities within the region

Hanford Site background: Part 1, Soil background for nonradioactive analytes. Revision 1, Volume 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-04-01

Volume two contains the following appendices: Description of soil sampling sites; sampling narrative; raw data soil background; background data analysis; sitewide background soil sampling plan; and use of soil background data for the detection of contamination at waste management unit on the Hanford Site.

Background Noise Degrades Central Auditory Processing in Toddlers.

Science.gov (United States)

Niemitalo-Haapola, Elina; Haapala, Sini; Jansson-Verkasalo, Eira; Kujala, Teija

2015-01-01

Noise, as an unwanted sound, has become one of modern society's environmental conundrums, and many children are exposed to higher noise levels than previously assumed. However, the effects of background noise on central auditory processing of toddlers, who are still acquiring language skills, have so far not been determined. The authors evaluated the effects of background noise on toddlers' speech-sound processing by recording event-related brain potentials. The hypothesis was that background noise modulates neural speech-sound encoding and degrades speech-sound discrimination. Obligatory P1 and N2 responses for standard syllables and the mismatch negativity (MMN) response for five different syllable deviants presented in a linguistic multifeature paradigm were recorded in silent and background noise conditions. The participants were 18 typically developing 22- to 26-month-old monolingual children with healthy ears. The results showed that the P1 amplitude was smaller and the N2 amplitude larger in the noisy conditions compared with the silent conditions. In the noisy condition, the MMN was absent for the intensity and vowel changes and diminished for the consonant, frequency, and vowel duration changes embedded in speech syllables. Furthermore, the frontal MMN component was attenuated in the noisy condition. However, noise had no effect on P1, N2, or MMN latencies. The results from this study suggest multiple effects of background noise on the central auditory processing of toddlers. It modulates the early stages of sound encoding and dampens neural discrimination vital for accurate speech perception. These results imply that speech processing of toddlers, who may spend long periods of daytime in noisy conditions, is vulnerable to background noise. In noisy conditions, toddlers' neural representations of some speech sounds might be weakened. Thus, special attention should be paid to acoustic conditions and background noise levels in children's daily environments

Carvacrol, a food-additive, provides neuroprotection on focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hailong Yu

Full Text Available Carvacrol (CAR, a naturally occurring monoterpenic phenol and food additive, has been shown to have antimicrobials, antitumor, and antidepressant-like activities. A previous study demonstrated that CAR has the ability to protect liver against ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of CAR on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in a middle cerebral artery occlusion mouse model. We found that CAR (50 mg/kg significantly reduced infarct volume and improved neurological deficits after 75 min of ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion. This neuroprotection was in a dose-dependent manner. Post-treatment with CAR still provided protection on infarct volume when it was administered intraperitoneally at 2 h after reperfusion; however, intracerebroventricular post-treatment reduced infarct volume even when the mice were treated with CAR at 6 h after reperfusion. These findings indicated that CAR has an extended therapeutic window, but delivery strategies may affect the protective effects of CAR. Further, we found that CAR significantly decreased the level of cleaved caspase-3, a marker of apoptosis, suggesting the anti-apoptotic activity of CAR. Finally, our data indicated that CAR treatment increased the level of phosphorylated Akt and the neuroprotection of CAR was reversed by a PI3K inhibitor LY-294002, demonstrating the involvement of the PI3K/Akt pathway in the anti-apoptotic mechanisms of CAR. Due to its safety and wide use in the food industry, CAR is a promising agent to be translated into clinical trials.

Background sources at PEP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynch, H.; Schwitters, R.F.; Toner, W.T.

1988-01-01

Important sources of background for PEP experiments are studied. Background particles originate from high-energy electrons and positrons which have been lost from stable orbits, γ-rays emitted by the primary beams through bremsstrahlung in the residual gas, and synchrotron radiation x-rays. The effect of these processes on the beam lifetime are calculated and estimates of background rates at the interaction region are given. Recommendations for the PEP design, aimed at minimizing background are presented. 7 figs., 4 tabs

Retrieval of reflections from seismic background?noise measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Draganov, D.S.; Wapenaar, K.; Mulder, W.; Singer, J.; Verdel, A.

2007-01-01

The retrieval of the earth's reflection response from cross?correlations of seismic noise recordings can provide valuable information, which may otherwise not be available due to limited spatial distribution of seismic sources. We cross?correlated ten hours of seismic background?noise data acquired

Example-based learning: comparing the effects of additionally providing three different integrative learning activities on physiotherapy intervention knowledge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J.-O. Dyer (Joseph-Omer); A. Hudon (Anne); K. Montpetit-Tourangeau (Katherine); B. Charlin (Bernard); S. Mamede (Silvia); T.A.J.M. van Gog (Tamara)

2015-01-01

textabstractBACKGROUND: Example-based learning using worked examples can foster clinical reasoning. Worked examples are instructional tools that learners can use to study the steps needed to solve a problem. Studying worked examples paired with completion examples promotes acquisition of

Migration background and juvenile mental health: a descriptive retrospective analysis of diagnostic rates of psychiatric disorders in young people

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tilman Jakob Gaber

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: This article presents diagnostic rates for specific mental disorders in a German pediatric inpatient population over a period of 20 years with respect to migration background and socioeconomic status (SES. Methods: Diagnostic data were obtained over a period of 20 years from 8,904 patients who visited a child and adolescent psychiatry mental health service in Germany. Data from 5,985 diagnosed patients (ICD-9 and ICD-10 criteria were included with respect to gender, migration background, and SES. Results:Migration- and gender-specific effects were found for both periods of assessment. The group of boys with a migration background showed significantly higher rates of reactions to severe stress, adjustment disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder compared to their male, non-migrant counterparts. Conversely, boys without a migration background showed a significantly higher percentage rate of hyperkinetic disorders than male migrants. Similar results were found for female migrants in the latter assessment period (ICD-10. In addition, female migrants showed lower rates of emotional disorders whose onset occurs in childhood compared to their non-migrant counterparts. Conclusions: Data from this investigation provide preliminary evidence that the prevalence of various psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents is influenced by migration background and SES.

Background Noise Acceptance and Personality Factors Involved in Library Environment Choices by College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon-Hickey, Susan; Lemley, Trey

2012-01-01

For decades, academic libraries made efforts to provide study environments differing in acoustic environment. The present study aimed to provide an evidence basis for this practice by comparing background noise acceptance and personality factors of two groups of college-aged students self identified as preferring quiet or background noise when…

Background and planning requirements for spent fuel shipments to DOE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ravenscroft, Norman [Edlow International Company, 1666 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 201, Washington, DC 20009 (United States)

1996-10-01

Information is provided on the planning required and the factors that must be included in the planning process for spent fuel shipments to DOE. A summary is also provided on the background concerning renewal of the DOE spent fuel acceptance policy in May 1996. (author)

A geophysical tour of high background radiation areas of the world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnan, D.; Kher, R.K.; Nambi, K.S.V.

1995-01-01

A comparison of the findings including health effects in four major high natural background areas of the world are given. Such high background areas could prove to be a radiation ecology laboratory gifted by nature and provide further insight in the relation of radiation, natural or otherwise and human health. 3 refs., 2 tabs

In-flight calibration of Hitomi Soft X-ray Spectrometer. (1) Background

Science.gov (United States)

Kilbourne, Caroline A.; Sawada, Makoto; Tsujimoto, Masahiro; Angellini, Lorella; Boyce, Kevin R.; Eckart, Megan E.; Fujimoto, Ryuichi; Ishisaki, Yoshitaka; Kelley, Richard L.; Koyama, Shu; Leutenegger, Maurice A.; Loewenstein, Michael; McCammon, Dan; Mitsuda, Kazuhisa; Nakashima, Shinya; Porter, Frederick S.; Seta, Hiromi; Takei, Yoh; Tashiro, Makoto S.; Terada, Yukikatsu; Yamada, Shinya; Yamasaki, Noriko Y.

2018-03-01

The X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) instrument of Suzaku provided the first measurement of the non-X-ray background (NXB) of an X-ray calorimeter spectrometer, but the data set was limited. The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) instrument of Hitomi was able to provide a more detailed picture of X-ray calorimeter background, with more than 360 ks of data while pointed at the Earth, and a comparable amount of blank-sky data. These data are important not only for analyzing SXS science data, but also for categorizing the contributions to the NXB in X-ray calorimeters as a class. In this paper, we present the contributions to the SXS NXB, the types and effectiveness of the screening, the interaction of the screening with the broad-band redistribution, and the residual background spectrum as a function of magnetic cut-off rigidity. The orbit-averaged SXS NXB in the range 0.3-12 keV was 4 × 10-2 counts s-1 cm-2. This very low background in combination with groundbreaking spectral resolution gave SXS unprecedented sensitivity to weak spectral lines.

The exceptional generalised geometry of supersymmetric AdS flux backgrounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashmore, Anthony [Merton College, University of Oxford,Merton Street, Oxford, OX1 4JD (United Kingdom); Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Andrew Wiles Building,Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG (United Kingdom); Petrini, Michela [Sorbonne Université, UPMC Paris 06, UMR 7589,LPTHE, 75005 Paris (France); Waldram, Daniel [Department of Physics, Imperial College London,Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)

2016-12-29

We analyse generic AdS flux backgrounds preserving eight supercharges in D=4 and D=5 dimensions using exceptional generalised geometry. We show that they are described by a pair of globally defined, generalised structures, identical to those that appear for flat flux backgrounds but with different integrability conditions. We give a number of explicit examples of such “exceptional Sasaki-Einstein” backgrounds in type IIB supergravity and M-theory. In particular, we give the complete analysis of the generic AdS{sub 5} M-theory backgrounds. We also briefly discuss the structure of the moduli space of solutions. In all cases, one structure defines a “generalised Reeb vector” that generates a Killing symmetry of the background corresponding to the R-symmetry of the dual field theory, and in addition encodes the generic contact structures that appear in the D=4 M-theory and D=5 type IIB cases. Finally, we investigate the relation between generalised structures and quantities in the dual field theory, showing that the central charge and R-charge of BPS wrapped-brane states are both encoded by the generalised Reeb vector, as well as discussing how volume minimisation (the dual of a- and F-maximisation) is encoded.

Assessment of Radiation Background Variation for Moving Detection Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, James Christopher [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Rennie, John Alan [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Toevs, James Waldo [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Wallace, Darrin J. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Abhold, Mark Edward [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2015-07-13

The introduction points out that radiation backgrounds fluctuate across very short distances: factors include geology, soil composition, altitude, building structures, topography, and other manmade structures; and asphalt and concrete can vary significantly over short distances. Brief descriptions are given of the detection system, experimental setup, and background variation measurements. It is concluded that positive and negative gradients can greatly reduce the detection sensitivity of an MDS: negative gradients create opportunities for false negatives (nondetection), and positive gradients create a potentially unacceptable FAR (above 1%); the location of use for mobile detection is important to understand; spectroscopic systems provide more information for screening out false alarms and may be preferred for mobile use; and mobile monitor testing at LANL accounts for expected variations in the background.

Description of background data in the SKB database GEOTAB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eriksson, E.; Sehlstedt, S.

1989-02-01

During the research and development program performed by SKB for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel, a large quantity of geoscientific data was collected. Most of this data was stored in a database called GEOTAB. This report describes data within the background data group. This data provides information on the location of areas studied, borehole positions and also some drilling information. The background data group (subject), called BGR, is divided into several subgroups (methods): BGAREA area background data; BGDRILL drilling information; BGDRILLP drill penetration data; BGHOLE borehole information; BGTABLES number of rows in a table, and BGTOLR data table tolerance. A method consists of one or several data tables. In each chapter a method and its data tables are described. (orig./HP)

Flexicurity strategies on the economic crisis background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela PAŞNICU

2010-06-01

Full Text Available • The flexicurity concept – a combination of flexibility and security strategies, specific to each country – is a successful outcome[1] of the 2010 Lisbon Strategy. Ever since 2000, this concept has been implemented for continuing the European labour markets reform. The conclusion of the Mission for Flexicurity[2] is that the European labour markets challenges have not changed, therefore flexicurity is the strategy to be further implemented in order to align to the new competition requirements, providing also the necessary social protection, especially on the current economic crisis background.   The paper addresses the flexicurity concept development, the implications of the flexicurity strategies and of the steps taken on the European Union Member States labour markets, on the economic crisis background.

Background Selection in Partially Selfing Populations

Science.gov (United States)

Roze, Denis

2016-01-01

Self-fertilizing species often present lower levels of neutral polymorphism than their outcrossing relatives. Indeed, selfing automatically increases the rate of coalescence per generation, but also enhances the effects of background selection and genetic hitchhiking by reducing the efficiency of recombination. Approximations for the effect of background selection in partially selfing populations have been derived previously, assuming tight linkage between deleterious alleles and neutral loci. However, loosely linked deleterious mutations may have important effects on neutral diversity in highly selfing populations. In this article, I use a general method based on multilocus population genetics theory to express the effect of a deleterious allele on diversity at a linked neutral locus in terms of moments of genetic associations between loci. Expressions for these genetic moments at equilibrium are then computed for arbitrary rates of selfing and recombination. An extrapolation of the results to the case where deleterious alleles segregate at multiple loci is checked using individual-based simulations. At high selfing rates, the tight linkage approximation underestimates the effect of background selection in genomes with moderate to high map length; however, another simple approximation can be obtained for this situation and provides accurate predictions as long as the deleterious mutation rate is not too high. PMID:27075726

Foreground-background segmentation and attention: a change blindness study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazza, Veronica; Turatto, Massimo; Umiltà, Carlo

2005-01-01

One of the most debated questions in visual attention research is what factors affect the deployment of attention in the visual scene? Segmentation processes are influential factors, providing candidate objects for further attentional selection, and the relevant literature has concentrated on how figure-ground segmentation mechanisms influence visual attention. However, another crucial process, namely foreground-background segmentation, seems to have been neglected. By using a change blindness paradigm, we explored whether attention is preferentially allocated to the foreground elements or to the background ones. The results indicated that unless attention was voluntarily deployed to the background, large changes in the color of its elements remained unnoticed. In contrast, minor changes in the foreground elements were promptly reported. Differences in change blindness between the two regions of the display indicate that attention is, by default, biased toward the foreground elements. This also supports the phenomenal observations made by Gestaltists, who demonstrated the greater salience of the foreground than the background.

Probing Inflation via Cosmic Microwave Background Polarimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Chuss, David T.

2008-01-01

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) has been a rich source of information about the early Universe. Detailed measurements of its spectrum and spatial distribution have helped solidify the Standard Model of Cosmology. However, many questions still remain. Standard Cosmology does not explain why the early Universe is geometrically flat, expanding, homogenous across the horizon, and riddled with a small anisotropy that provides the seed for structure formation. Inflation has been proposed as a mechanism that naturally solves these problems. In addition to solving these problems, inflation is expected to produce a spectrum of gravitational waves that will create a particular polarization pattern on the CMB. Detection of this polarized signal is a key test of inflation and will give a direct measurement of the energy scale at which inflation takes place. This polarized signature of inflation is expected to be -9 orders of magnitude below the 2.7 K monopole level of the CMB. This measurement will require good control of systematic errors, an array of many detectors having the requisite sensitivity, and a reliable method for removing polarized foregrounds, and nearly complete sky coverage. Ultimately, this measurement is likely to require a space mission. To this effect, technology and mission concept development are currently underway.

ON THE EFFECT OF THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND IN HIGH-REDSHIFT (SUB-)MILLIMETER OBSERVATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Da Cunha, Elisabete; Groves, Brent; Walter, Fabian; Decarli, Roberto; Rix, Hans-Walter [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astronomie, Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Weiss, Axel [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Bertoldi, Frank [Argelander Institute for Astronomy, University of Bonn, Auf dem Huegel 71, D-53121 Bonn (Germany); Carilli, Chris [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Pete V. Domenici Array Science Center, P.O. Box O, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Daddi, Emanuele; Sargent, Mark [Laboratoire AIM, CEA/DSM-CNRS-Universite Paris Diderot, Irfu/Service d' Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Elbaz, David; Ivison, Rob [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ (United Kingdom); Maiolino, Roberto [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, 19 J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE (United Kingdom); Riechers, Dominik [Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Smail, Ian, E-mail: cunha@mpia.de [Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

2013-03-20

Modern (sub-)millimeter interferometers enable the measurement of the cool gas and dust emission of high-redshift galaxies (z > 5). However, at these redshifts the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature is higher, approaching, and even exceeding, the temperature of cold dust and molecular gas observed in the local universe. In this paper, we discuss the impact of the warmer CMB on (sub-)millimeter observations of high-redshift galaxies. The CMB affects the observed (sub-)millimeter dust continuum and the line emission (e.g., carbon monoxide, CO) in two ways: (1) it provides an additional source of (both dust and gas) heating and (2) it is a non-negligible background against which the line and continuum emission are measured. We show that these two competing processes affect the way we interpret the dust and gas properties of high-redshift galaxies using spectral energy distribution models. We quantify these effects and provide correction factors to compute what fraction of the intrinsic dust (and line) emission can be detected against the CMB as a function of frequency, redshift, and temperature. We discuss implications on the derived properties of high-redshift galaxies from (sub-)millimeter data. Specifically, the inferred dust and molecular gas masses can be severely underestimated for cold systems if the impact of the CMB is not properly taken into account.

Intrinsic neutron background of nuclear emulsions for directional Dark Matter searches

Science.gov (United States)

Alexandrov, A.; Asada, T.; Buonaura, A.; Consiglio, L.; D'Ambrosio, N.; De Lellis, G.; Di Crescenzo, A.; Di Marco, N.; Di Vacri, M. L.; Furuya, S.; Galati, G.; Gentile, V.; Katsuragawa, T.; Laubenstein, M.; Lauria, A.; Loverre, P. F.; Machii, S.; Monacelli, P.; Montesi, M. C.; Naka, T.; Pupilli, F.; Rosa, G.; Sato, O.; Strolin, P.; Tioukov, V.; Umemoto, A.; Yoshimoto, M.

2016-07-01

Recent developments of the nuclear emulsion technology led to the production of films with nanometric silver halide grains suitable to track low energy nuclear recoils with submicrometric length. This improvement opens the way to a directional Dark Matter detection, thus providing an innovative and complementary approach to the on-going WIMP searches. An important background source for these searches is represented by neutron-induced nuclear recoils that can mimic the WIMP signal. In this paper we provide an estimation of the contribution to this background from the intrinsic radioactive contamination of nuclear emulsions. We also report the neutron-induced background as a function of the read-out threshold, by using a GEANT4 simulation of the nuclear emulsion, showing that it amounts to about 0.06 per year per kilogram, fully compatible with the design of a 10 kg × year exposure.

A low-neutron background slow-positron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M. M.

1998-01-01

The addition of a thermionic rf gun [1] and a photocathode rf gun will allow the Advanced Photon Source (APS) linear accelerator (linac) [2] [3] to become a free-electron laser (FEL) driver [4]. As the FEL project progresses, the existing high-charge DC thermionic gun will no longer be critical to APS operation and could be used to generate high-energy or low-energy electrons to drive a slow-positron source. We investigated possibilities to create a useful low-energy source that could operate semi-independently and would have a low neutron background

Risk Factors and Social Background Associated with Suicide in Japan: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Onishi, Kiichiro

2015-07-01

This study examines, from multiple perspectives, the risk factors associated with, and the social background of, individuals committing suicide in Japan. Effective suicide prevention measures are also proposed. An analysis of the risk factors for suicide, including the social background of suicide victims, suicide statistics, municipality surveys, interview surveys with bereaved families, mental health surveys, occupational injury inspections, and social resources available to victims, was conducted in the present study. Histories of both mental illnesses (especially depression) and previous suicide attempts are high-risk factors for suicide. Abuse and experience of violence were the remote causes of suicide. On average, more than three crisis factors were present prior to suicide. For example, overwork, problems with human relations, physical/mental disease, and poverty could form a chain that leads to suicide, regardless of gender. More than 40% of suicide attempts were the result of prescription medication overdose. Overall, 70-90% of suicide victims had medical treatment or an expert consultation before death. Staff and financial backing for voluntary telephone consultation were insufficient. Meanwhile, psychiatric social workers could not provide adequate services. Help seeking is the basis for suicide prevention. In addition to medication management and reducing work hours, communication with caregivers and healthcare providers as well as intervention for the prevention and treatment of mental illness are essential to suicide prevention. Psychotherapy by clinical psychologists is highly recommended. Active placement of psychiatric social workers for telephone consultations and for emergency hospitals' staff at the expense of the government will reduce suicides, suicide attempts, and the human and financial burden on hospitals.

Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Programme coastal biodiversity monitoring background paper

Science.gov (United States)

McLennan, Donald; Anderson, Rebecca D.; Wegeberg, S.; Pettersvik Arvnes, Maria; Sergienko, Liudmila; Behe, Carolina; Moss-Davies, Pitseolak; Fritz, S.; Markon, Carl J.; Christensen, T.; Barry, T.; Price, C.

2016-01-01

In 2014, the United States (U.S.) and Canada agreed to act as co-lead countries for the initial development of the Coastal Expert Monitoring Group (CEMG) as part of the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP, www. cbmp.is) under the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF, www.caff.is) working group. The CAFF Management Board approved Terms of Reference for the CEMG in the spring of 2014. The primary goal of the CEMG is to develop a long term, integrated, multi-disciplinary, circumpolar Arctic Coastal Biodiversity Monitoring Plan (the Coastal Plan) that relies on science and Traditional Knowledge, and has direct and relevant application for communities, industry, government decision makers, and other users. In addition to the monitoring plan, the CAFF working group has asked the CBMP, and thus the CEMG, to develop an implementation plan that identifies timeline, costs, organizational structure and partners. This background paper provides a platform for the guidance for the development of the Coastal Plan and is produced by the CEMG with assistance from a number of experts in multiple countries.

Dim point target detection against bright background

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yao; Zhang, Qiheng; Xu, Zhiyong; Xu, Junping

2010-05-01

For target detection within a large-field cluttered background from a long distance, several difficulties, involving low contrast between target and background, little occupancy, illumination ununiformity caused by vignetting of lens, and system noise, make it a challenging problem. The existing approaches to dim target detection can be roughly divided into two categories: detection before tracking (DBT) and tracking before detection (TBD). The DBT-based scheme has been widely used in practical applications due to its simplicity, but it often requires working in the situation with a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In contrast, the TBD-based methods can provide impressive detection results even in the cases of very low SNR; unfortunately, the large memory requirement and high computational load prevents these methods from real-time tasks. In this paper, we propose a new method for dim target detection. We address this problem by combining the advantages of the DBT-based scheme in computational efficiency and of the TBD-based in detection capability. Our method first predicts the local background, and then employs the energy accumulation and median filter to remove background clutter. The dim target is finally located by double window filtering together with an improved high order correlation which speeds up the convergence. The proposed method is implemented on a hardware platform and performs suitably in outside experiments.

Correlation between model observers in uniform background and human observers in patient liver background for a low-contrast detection task in CT

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Hao; Yu, Lifeng; Leng, Shuai; Dilger, Samantha; Zhou, Wei; Ren, Liqiang; McCollough, Cynthia H.

2018-03-01

Channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) has demonstrated strong correlation with human observer (HO) in both single-slice viewing mode and multi-slice viewing mode in low-contrast detection tasks with uniform background. However, it remains unknown if the simplest single-slice CHO in uniform background can be used to predict human observer performance in more realistic tasks that involve patient anatomical background and multi-slice viewing mode. In this study, we aim to investigate the correlation between CHO in a uniform water background and human observer performance at a multi-slice viewing mode on patient liver background for a low-contrast lesion detection task. The human observer study was performed on CT images from 7 abdominal CT exams. A noise insertion tool was employed to synthesize CT scans at two additional dose levels. A validated lesion insertion tool was used to numerically insert metastatic liver lesions of various sizes and contrasts into both phantom and patient images. We selected 12 conditions out of 72 possible experimental conditions to evaluate the correlation at various radiation doses, lesion sizes, lesion contrasts and reconstruction algorithms. CHO with both single and multi-slice viewing modes were strongly correlated with HO. The corresponding Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.982 (with 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.936, 0.995]) and 0.989 (with 95% CI of [0.960, 0.997]) in multi-slice and single-slice viewing modes, respectively. Therefore, this study demonstrated the potential to use the simplest single-slice CHO to assess image quality for more realistic clinically relevant CT detection tasks.

Quality dementia care - Prerequisites and relational ethics among multicultural healthcare providers

OpenAIRE

Sellevold, Gerd Sylvi

2017-01-01

Background: Many nursing homes are multicultural workplaces where the majority of healthcare providers have an ethnic minority background. This environment creates challenges linked to communication, interaction and cultural differences. Further, the healthcare providers have varied experiences and understanding of what quality care of patients with dementia involves. Purpose: The aim of this study is to illuminate multi-ethnic healthcare providers´ lived experiences of their own workin...

V-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giovannini, Massimo

2009-01-01

The V-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background is discussed in a weakly magnetized plasma. The VV and VT angular power spectra are computed for adiabatic initial conditions of the Einstein-Boltzmann hierarchy. Depending upon the frequency channel and upon the magnetic field intensity, the VT power spectra of the circular polarization can even be 7 orders of magnitude larger than a putative B-mode polarization stemming from the lensing of the primary anisotropies. Specific programs aimed at the direct detection of the V-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background could provide a new observational tool for the scrutiny of predecoupling physics.

Stable monopole-antimonopole string background in SU(2) QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Y.M.; Pak, D.G.

2006-01-01

Motivated by the instability of the Savvidy-Nielsen-Olesen (SNO) vacuum we make a systematic search for a stable magnetic background in pure SU(2) QCD. It is shown that a pair of axially symmetric monopole and antimonopole strings is stable, provided that the distance between the two strings is less than a critical value. The existence of a stable monopole-antimonopole string background strongly supports that a magnetic condensation of monopole-antimonopole pairs can generate a dynamical symmetry breaking, and thus the magnetic confinement of color in QCD

Background matching and evolution of cryptic colours of selected passerines in deciduous woodlands

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bursell, Jens; Dyck, Jan

2003-01-01

Most drab plumage colours are probably cryptic. Crypsis (camouflage) occurs when the colour of a significant part of the plumage is similar to the colour of a significant part of the background against which the prey bird may be detected by a potential predator. In this study we compare back...... colours of tits and associated species with colour backgrounds in their habitat during a four-month period in winter. We test the hypothesis that in some of the species back colour is similar to one of the background colours. In addition to colour backgrounds, microhabitats and tree species were also...... recorded. Great Tit Parus major, Nuthatch Sitta europea and Treecreeper Certhia familiaris showed distinct preferences for different colour backgrounds, reflecting their choice of microhabitats and tree species. The data suggest that in the Great Tit the olivemoss green back colour has evolved as crypsis...

Using Correlated Photons to Suppress Background Noise

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Deborah; Hockney, George; Dowling, Jonathan

2003-01-01

way of knowing the precise location and time of creation of a given pair of correlated signal photons in the nonlinear down-conversion crystal, the fact that the photons are necessarily created at the same time and place makes it possible to utilize conventional geometrical imaging optics to reunite the photons in coincidence in the receiving photodetector. Because most or all of the signal photons would be correlated while most or all of the noise photons would be uncorrelated, the S/N would be correspondingly enhanced in the photodetector output. An additional advantage to be gained by use of a correlated-photon detector is that it could be capable of recovering the signal even in the presence of background light so bright that a classical uncorrelated-photon detector would be saturated. A blocked-impurity-band (BIB) photodetector that preferentially detects pairs of correlated photons over uncorrelated ones and that operates at a quantum efficiency of 88 percent is commercially available. This detector must be cooled to the temperature of liquid helium to obtain the desired low-noise performance. It is planned to use this detector in a proof-of-principle demonstration. In addition, it may be possible to develop GaN-based photodetectors that could offer the desired low-noise performance at room temperature.

Background radiation levels and medical exposure levels in Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webb, D.V.; Solomon, S.B.; Thomson, J.E.M.

1999-01-01

The average effective background dose received by the Australian population has been reassessed to be ∼1.5 millisievert (mSv) per year. Over half of this exposure arises from exposure from terrestrial radiation and cosmic rays, the remainder from radionuclides within the body and from inhalation of radon progeny. This background is to be compared with medical radiation, primarily diagnostic, which could add half as much again to the population exposure. This paper reviews research programmes carried out by the Australian Radiation Laboratory to study radiation exposure from natural background and from medical use. While the latter exposure is accepted to have a social benefit, there is a need to ensure that doses are no more than necessary to provide effective diagnosis and optimal treatment. Copyright (1999) Australasian Radiation Protection Society Inc

Calculation of background effects on the VESUVIO eV neutron spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayers, J

2011-01-01

The VESUVIO spectrometer at the ISIS pulsed neutron source measures the momentum distribution n(p) of atoms by 'neutron Compton scattering' (NCS). Measurements of n(p) provide a unique window into the quantum behaviour of atomic nuclei in condensed matter systems. The VESUVIO 6 Li-doped neutron detectors at forward scattering angles were replaced in February 2008 by yttrium aluminium perovskite (YAP)-doped γ-ray detectors. This paper compares the performance of the two detection systems. It is shown that the YAP detectors provide a much superior resolution and general performance, but suffer from a sample-dependent gamma background. This report details how this background can be calculated and data corrected. Calculation is compared with data for two different instrument geometries. Corrected and uncorrected data are also compared for the current instrument geometry. Some indications of how the gamma background can be reduced are also given

Calculation of background effects on the VESUVIO eV neutron spectrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Mayers, J.

2011-01-01

The VESUVIO spectrometer at the ISIS pulsed neutron source measures the momentum distribution n(p) of atoms by 'neutron Compton scattering' (NCS). Measurements of n(p) provide a unique window into the quantum behaviour of atomic nuclei in condensed matter systems. The VESUVIO 6Li-doped neutron detectors at forward scattering angles were replaced in February 2008 by yttrium aluminium perovskite (YAP)-doped γ-ray detectors. This paper compares the performance of the two detection systems. It is shown that the YAP detectors provide a much superior resolution and general performance, but suffer from a sample-dependent gamma background. This report details how this background can be calculated and data corrected. Calculation is compared with data for two different instrument geometries. Corrected and uncorrected data are also compared for the current instrument geometry. Some indications of how the gamma background can be reduced are also given.

Trapping of dilute ion components in wells and double wells in higher equatorial magnetic regions: A kinetic theory including collisions, varying background and additional fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oeien, Alf H.

2001-08-01

The component of the ambipolar field along the magnetic field B, though weak, may, acting together with the gravitational field, give rise to along-B ''ambipolar wells'' where light ions (test particles) in the ionosphere in equatorial regions are trapped. We also take into account magnetic field wells, especially in cases when the along-B velocity of test particles are much less than the transverse-B velocities. For heavy ions, or, for light ions high up, when the ambipolar trap ceases to function, the along-B ambipolar- and gravitational field effects may combine with the magnetic field trap to form a double well for the along-B movement of test particles. The magnetic field trap and its contribution to the double well may be nearly stationary for particles obeying the same velocity condition as above even when collisional effects between the test particles and the background plasma are incorporated. Ions trapped in wells like this, may ''feel'' a varying background, for instance because of Earth rotation, that may be incorporated as time-variation of parameters in the along-B motion. An along-B kinetic equation for groups of test particles is solved both for the case of simple wells and for double wells, including time-varying collisional coefficients and additional fields, and in some cases analytic solutions are obtained. Peculiar along-B distribution functions may arise due to the time-dependency of coefficients and to various combinations of collision- and field parameter values. In particular ''breathing'' distributions that alternate between wide and narrow forms in phase-space may arise, and also distributions where strange attractors may play some role.

Chameleon scalar fields in relativistic gravitational backgrounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsujikawa, Shinji [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science, 1-3, Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8601 (Japan); Tamaki, Takashi [Department of Physics, Waseda University, Okubo 3-4-1, Tokyo 169-8555 (Japan); Tavakol, Reza, E-mail: shinji@rs.kagu.tus.ac.jp, E-mail: tamaki@gravity.phys.waseda.ac.jp, E-mail: r.tavakol@qmul.ac.uk [Astronomy Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS (United Kingdom)

2009-05-15

We study the field profile of a scalar field {phi} that couples to a matter fluid (dubbed a chameleon field) in the relativistic gravitational background of a spherically symmetric spacetime. Employing a linear expansion in terms of the gravitational potential {Phi}{sub c} at the surface of a compact object with a constant density, we derive the thin-shell field profile both inside and outside the object, as well as the resulting effective coupling with matter, analytically. We also carry out numerical simulations for the class of inverse power-law potentials V({phi}) = M{sup 4+n}{phi}{sup -n} by employing the information provided by our analytical solutions to set the boundary conditions around the centre of the object and show that thin-shell solutions in fact exist if the gravitational potential {Phi}{sub c} is smaller than 0.3, which marginally covers the case of neutron stars. Thus the chameleon mechanism is present in the relativistic gravitational backgrounds, capable of reducing the effective coupling. Since thin-shell solutions are sensitive to the choice of boundary conditions, our analytic field profile is very helpful to provide appropriate boundary conditions for {Phi}{sub c}{approx}

Chameleon scalar fields in relativistic gravitational backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsujikawa, Shinji; Tamaki, Takashi; Tavakol, Reza

2009-01-01

We study the field profile of a scalar field φ that couples to a matter fluid (dubbed a chameleon field) in the relativistic gravitational background of a spherically symmetric spacetime. Employing a linear expansion in terms of the gravitational potential Φ c at the surface of a compact object with a constant density, we derive the thin-shell field profile both inside and outside the object, as well as the resulting effective coupling with matter, analytically. We also carry out numerical simulations for the class of inverse power-law potentials V(φ) = M 4+n φ −n by employing the information provided by our analytical solutions to set the boundary conditions around the centre of the object and show that thin-shell solutions in fact exist if the gravitational potential Φ c is smaller than 0.3, which marginally covers the case of neutron stars. Thus the chameleon mechanism is present in the relativistic gravitational backgrounds, capable of reducing the effective coupling. Since thin-shell solutions are sensitive to the choice of boundary conditions, our analytic field profile is very helpful to provide appropriate boundary conditions for Φ c ∼< O(0.1)

SARAS MEASUREMENT OF THE RADIO BACKGROUND AT LONG WAVELENGTHS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patra, Nipanjana; Subrahmanyan, Ravi; Sethi, Shiv; Shankar, N. Udaya; Raghunathan, A.

2015-01-01

SARAS is a correlation spectrometer connected to a frequency independent antenna that is purpose-designed for precision measurements of the radio background at long wavelengths. The design, calibration, and observing strategies admit solutions for the internal additive contributions to the radiometer response, and hence a separation of these contaminants from the antenna temperature. We present here a wideband measurement of the radio sky spectrum by SARAS that provides an accurate measurement of the absolute brightness and spectral index between 110 and 175 MHz. Accuracy in the measurement of absolute sky brightness is limited by systematic errors of magnitude 1.2%; errors in calibration and in the joint estimation of sky and system model parameters are relatively smaller. We use this wide-angle measurement of the sky brightness using the precision wide-band dipole antenna to provide an improved absolute calibration for the 150 MHz all-sky map of Landecker and Wielebinski: subtracting an offset of 21.4 K and scaling by a factor of 1.05 will reduce the overall offset error to 8 K (from 50 K) and scale error to 0.8% (from 5%). The SARAS measurement of the temperature spectral index is in the range −2.3 to −2.45 in the 110–175 MHz band and indicates that the region toward the Galactic bulge has a relatively flatter index

Long-term variations in the gamma-ray background on SMM

Science.gov (United States)

Kurfess, J. D.; Share, G. H.; Kinzer, R. L.; Johnson, W. N.; Adams, J. H., Jr.

1989-01-01

Long-term temporal variations in the various components of the background radiation detected by the gamma-ray spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission are presented. The SMM gamma-ray spectrometer was launched in February, 1980 and continues to operate normally. The extended period of mission operations has provided a large data base in which it is possible to investigate a variety of environmental and instrumental background effects. In particular, several effects associated with orbital precession are introduced and discussed.

Adaptive cancellation of geomagnetic background noise for magnetic anomaly detection using coherence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Dunge; Xu, Xin; Huang, Chao; Zhu, Wanhua; Liu, Xiaojun; Fang, Guangyou; Yu, Gang

2015-01-01

Magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) is an effective method for the detection of ferromagnetic targets against background magnetic fields. Currently, the performance of MAD systems is mainly limited by the background geomagnetic noise. Several techniques have been developed to detect target signatures, such as the synchronous reference subtraction (SRS) method. In this paper, we propose an adaptive coherent noise suppression (ACNS) method. The proposed method is capable of evaluating and detecting weak anomaly signals buried in background geomagnetic noise. Tests with real-world recorded magnetic signals show that the ACNS method can excellently remove the background geomagnetic noise by about 21 dB or more in high background geomagnetic field environments. Additionally, as a general form of the SRS method, the ACNS method offers appreciable advantages over the existing algorithms. Compared to the SRS method, the ACNS algorithm can eliminate the false target signals and represents a noise suppressing capability improvement of 6.4 dB. The positive outcomes in terms of intelligibility make this method a potential candidate for application in MAD systems. (paper)

Role of endogenous substances in enhancing radioresistance background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goncharenko, E.N.; Gorskaya, T.G.; Gudz', T.I.; Zolotareva, L.T.; Kovaleva, Z.I.; Peshkova, E.N.

1978-01-01

It is shown that in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of ''wild type'' diploid cells (more radioresistant than haploid ones) are characterized by a higher content of endogenous biologically active substances, which possess a radioprotective ability (biogenous amines and SOD), and a lower level of radiosensitizing substances (hydroperoxides of higher unsaturated fatty acids). With Saccharomyces cerevisiae, bearing mutation rad 51, not all the components of the radioresistance background shoW this dependence, which is indicative of the presence of additional factors affecting radioresistance of these cells

Non-primordial origin of the cosmic background radiation and pregalactic density fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Froehlich, H.E.; Mueller, V.; Oleak, H.

1984-01-01

Assumptions of a tepid Universe and a smaller primordial contribution to the 3 K background are made to show that Pop III stars may be responsible for the 3 K background and cosmic ray entropy. The 3 K background would be caused by thermalized stellar radiation produced by metallized intergalactic dust formed in first generation stars. A range of mass scales and amplification factors of density perturbations in the early Universe is examined below the Jeans mass for gravitational instabilities. The density perturbations that could have been present at small enough mass scales could have survived and generated sonic modes that propagated through the plasma era and, when combined with additional gravitationally unstable entropy disturbances after recombination, triggered the formation of Pop III stars. 13 references

Decision support system of e-book provider selection for library using Simple Additive Weighting

Science.gov (United States)

Ciptayani, P. I.; Dewi, K. C.

2018-01-01

Each library has its own criteria and differences in the importance of each criterion in choosing an e-book provider for them. The large number of providers and the different importance levels of each criterion make the problem of determining the e-book provider to be complex and take a considerable time in decision making. The aim of this study was to implement Decision support system (DSS) to assist the library in selecting the best e-book provider based on their preferences. The way of DSS works is by comparing the importance of each criterion and the condition of each alternative decision. SAW is one of DSS method that is quite simple, fast and widely used. This study used 9 criteria and 18 provider to demonstrate how SAW work in this study. With the DSS, then the decision-making time can be shortened and the calculation results can be more accurate than manual calculations.

Childhood cancers in the UK and their relation to background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kneale, G.W.; Stewart, A.M.

1987-01-01

This chapter shows the results of including two independent data sets in a study of several factors with cancer associations including background radiation. One data set came from the Oxford Survey of Childhood Cancers (OSCC); the other from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) and findings are compatible with background radiation being the single most important cause of juvenile neoplasms. It also emerged that these neoplasms have a strongly clustered distribution. No obvious cause of clusters was found, but they had associations with prenatal and postnatal illnesses as well as background radiation. Therefore, since there is mounting sensitivity to infections during the latent phase of leukaemia, cancer clusters might be the result of competing causes of death having an epidemic distribution. The findings as a whole are compatible with all man-made additions to background (including leakages of radioactivity from a reprocessing plant) adding to risk of an early cancer death. Proof that certain leukaemia clusters in the vicinity of two reprocessing plants were caused in this way must await collection of data. (author)

On the cosmic microwave background radiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Maria Filardo Bassalo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In this article we will try to give a pale idea to the reader of what could be the Cosmic Microwave Background (RCFM that, according to the traditional Big Bang model, was generated by a primordial explosion. With this purpose we find it very important to present a brief historical summary of how the Microcosm, based on the Standard Model of Elementary Particle Physics (MPPE, and the Macrocosm, based on the Standard Big Bang Model (MPBB, have evolved over time. In addition, in the final part of the article we will analyze the two physical processes presented in the literature that seek to explain the RCFM: Bariogenesis and Plasma Quark-Gluon.

Monte Carlo simulation for background study of geophysical inspection with cosmic-ray muons

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiyama, Ryuichi; Taketa, Akimichi; Miyamoto, Seigo; Kasahara, Katsuaki

2016-08-01

Several attempts have been made to obtain a radiographic image inside volcanoes using cosmic-ray muons (muography). Muography is expected to resolve highly heterogeneous density profiles near the surface of volcanoes. However, several prior works have failed to make clear observations due to contamination by background noise. The background contamination leads to an overestimation of the muon flux and consequently a significant underestimation of the density in the target mountains. To investigate the origin of the background noise, we performed a Monte Carlo simulation. The main components of the background noise in muography are found to be low-energy protons, electrons and muons in case of detectors without particle identification and with energy thresholds below 1 GeV. This result was confirmed by comparisons with actual observations of nuclear emulsions. This result will be useful for detector design in future works, and in addition some previous works of muography should be reviewed from the view point of background contamination.

Background enhancement in breast MR: Correlation with breast density in mammography and background echotexture in ultrasound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, Eun Sook; Lee, Byung Hee; Choi, Hye Young; Kim, Rock Bum; Noh, Woo-Chul

2011-01-01

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether background enhancement on MR was related to mammographic breast density or ultrasonographic background echotexture in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Materials and methods: We studied 142 patients (79 premenopausal, 63 postmenopausal) who underwent mammography, ultrasonography, and breast MR. We reviewed the mammography for overall breast density of the contralateral normal breast according to the four-point scale of the BI-RADS classification. Ultrasound findings were classified as homogeneous or heterogeneous background echotexture according to the BI-RADS lexicon. We rated background enhancement on a contralateral breast MR into four categories based on subtraction images: absent, mild, moderate, and marked. All imaging findings were interpreted independently by two readers without knowledge of menstrual status, imaging findings of other modalities. Results: There were significant differences between the premenopausal and postmenopausal group in distribution of mammographic breast density, ultrasonographic background echotexture, and degree of background enhancement. Regarding the relationship between mammographic density and background enhancement, there was no significant correlation. There was significant relationship between ultrasonographic background echotexture and background enhancement in both premenopausal and postmenopausal groups. Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between ultrasonographic background echotexture and background enhancement in MR regardless of menopausal status. Interpreting breast MR, or scheduling for breast MR of women showing heterogeneous background echotexture needs more caution.

Kerr-Newman metric in deSitter background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, L.K.; Koppar, S.S.; Bhatt, P.V.

1987-01-01

In addition to the Kerr-Newman metric with cosmological constant several other metrics are presented giving Kerr-Newman type solutions of Einstein-Maxwell field equations in the background of deSitter universe. The electromagnetic field in all the solutions is assumed to be source-free. A new metric of what may be termed as an electrovac rotating deSitter space-time- a space-time devoid of matter but containing source-free electromagnetic field and a null fluid with twisting rays-has been presented. In the absence of the electromagnetic field, these solutions reduce to those discussed by Vaidya (1984). 8 refs. (author)

Using dynamic mode decomposition for real-time background/foreground separation in video

Science.gov (United States)

Kutz, Jose Nathan; Grosek, Jacob; Brunton, Steven; Fu, Xing; Pendergrass, Seth

2017-06-06

The technique of dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is disclosed herein for the purpose of robustly separating video frames into background (low-rank) and foreground (sparse) components in real-time. Foreground/background separation is achieved at the computational cost of just one singular value decomposition (SVD) and one linear equation solve, thus producing results orders of magnitude faster than robust principal component analysis (RPCA). Additional techniques, including techniques for analyzing the video for multi-resolution time-scale components, and techniques for reusing computations to allow processing of streaming video in real time, are also described herein.

Optimal Search for an Astrophysical Gravitational-Wave Background

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Rory; Thrane, Eric

2018-04-01

Roughly every 2-10 min, a pair of stellar-mass black holes merge somewhere in the Universe. A small fraction of these mergers are detected as individually resolvable gravitational-wave events by advanced detectors such as LIGO and Virgo. The rest contribute to a stochastic background. We derive the statistically optimal search strategy (producing minimum credible intervals) for a background of unresolved binaries. Our method applies Bayesian parameter estimation to all available data. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that the search is both "safe" and effective: it is not fooled by instrumental artifacts such as glitches and it recovers simulated stochastic signals without bias. Given realistic assumptions, we estimate that the search can detect the binary black hole background with about 1 day of design sensitivity data versus ≈40 months using the traditional cross-correlation search. This framework independently constrains the merger rate and black hole mass distribution, breaking a degeneracy present in the cross-correlation approach. The search provides a unified framework for population studies of compact binaries, which is cast in terms of hyperparameter estimation. We discuss a number of extensions and generalizations, including application to other sources (such as binary neutron stars and continuous-wave sources), simultaneous estimation of a continuous Gaussian background, and applications to pulsar timing.

Visual signal detection in structured backgrounds. II. Effects of contrast gain control, background variations, and white noise

Science.gov (United States)

Eckstein, M. P.; Ahumada, A. J. Jr; Watson, A. B.

1997-01-01

Studies of visual detection of a signal superimposed on one of two identical backgrounds show performance degradation when the background has high contrast and is similar in spatial frequency and/or orientation to the signal. To account for this finding, models include a contrast gain control mechanism that pools activity across spatial frequency, orientation and space to inhibit (divisively) the response of the receptor sensitive to the signal. In tasks in which the observer has to detect a known signal added to one of M different backgrounds grounds due to added visual noise, the main sources of degradation are the stochastic noise in the image and the suboptimal visual processing. We investigate how these two sources of degradation (contrast gain control and variations in the background) interact in a task in which the signal is embedded in one of M locations in a complex spatially varying background (structured background). We use backgrounds extracted from patient digital medical images. To isolate effects of the fixed deterministic background (the contrast gain control) from the effects of the background variations, we conduct detection experiments with three different background conditions: (1) uniform background, (2) a repeated sample of structured background, and (3) different samples of structured background. Results show that human visual detection degrades from the uniform background condition to the repeated background condition and degrades even further in the different backgrounds condition. These results suggest that both the contrast gain control mechanism and the background random variations degrade human performance in detection of a signal in a complex, spatially varying background. A filter model and added white noise are used to generate estimates of sampling efficiencies, an equivalent internal noise, an equivalent contrast-gain-control-induced noise, and an equivalent noise due to the variations in the structured background.

Study of the background in the measuring station at the n_TOF facility at CERN: sources and solutions

CERN Document Server

Zanini, L; Aerts, G; Andriamonje, Samuel A; Andrzejewski, J; Angelopoulous, A; Assimakopoulos, Panayiotis; Bacri, C-O; Badurek, G; Berthoumieux, E; Baumann, P; Beer, H; Benlliure, J; Berthier, B; Bondarenko, I; Borcea, C; Bos, A J J; Boscolo-Marchi, E; Bustreo, N; Calviño, F; Cano-Ott, D; Capote, R; Carlson, P; Charpak, Georges; Chauvin, N; Cennini, P; Chepel, V; Colonna, N; Cortés, G; Cortina-Gil, D; Corvi, F; Cusmano, A; Dababneh, S; Dahlfors, M; Damianoglou, D; David, S; Dimovasili, E; Domingo, C; Doroshenko, A; Duran-Escribano, I; Eleftheriadis, C; Embid, M; Ferrant, L; Ferrari, A; Ferreira-Marques, R; Frais-Kölbl, H; Furman, W; Fursov, B; Garzón, J A; Giomataris, Ioanis; Gledenov, Y; Gonzalez-Romero, E; Goverdovski, A; Gramegna, F; Griesmayer, E; Gunsing, F; Haefner, P; Haight, R; Heil, M; Herrera-martinez, A; Hollander, P; Ioannou, P; Isaev, S; Jericha, E; Kadi, Y; Kappeler, F; Karadimos, D; Karamanis, D; Kayukova, A; Kazakov, L; Kelic, A; Ketlerov, V; Kitis, G; Köhler, P E; Kopach, Y; Kossionides, E; Kroshkina, I; Lacoste, V; Lamboudis, C; Leeb, H; Leprêtre, A; Lopes, M; Lozano, M; Marrone, S; Martínez-Val, J M; Mastinu, P; Mengoni, A; Meunier, R; Mezentsev, A J; Milazzo, P; Minguez, E; Mitrofanov, V; Moreau, C; Müller, A; Nicolis, N; Nikolenkov, V; Oberhummer, Heinz; Pakou, A; Pancin, J; Papadopoulous, K; Papaevangelou, T; Paradela, C; Paradelis, T; Pavlik, A; Pavlopoulos, P; Perrez-Parra, A; Perriale, L; Perlado, J M; Peskov, Vladimir; Piksaikin, V; Plag, R; Plompen, A; Plukis, A; Poch, A; Policarpo, Armando; Popov, A; Popov, Y P; Pretel, C; Quesada, J M; Radermacher, E; Rapp, W; Rauscher, T; Reifarth, R; Rejmund, F; Rubbia, Carlo; Rudolf, G; Rullhusen, P; Sakelliou, L; Saldaña, F; Samylin, B; Savvidis, I; Savvidis, S; Sedyshev, P; Stéphan, C; Szalanski, P; Tagliente, G; Taín, J L; Tapia, C; Tassan-Got, L; Terchychnyi, R; Tsabaris, C; Tsangas, N; van Eijk, C W E; Vannini, G; Ventura, A; Villamarin, A; Vlachoudis, V; Vlastou, R; Voinov, A; Voss, F; Wendler, H; Wiescher, M; Wisshak, K; Zanini, L; Zeinalov, S; Zhuravlev, B; CERN. Geneva. SPS and LHC Division

2001-01-01

A background roughly two orders of magnitude higher than tolerable was found in the n_TOF facility at CERN during the first measurements [1]. This note describes a series of additional measurements performed in the n_TOF experimental area to study the origin and the characteristics of the background. The program of these measurements was determined taking into account the results from the simulations carried out by the EET group [2]. A first phase of measurements confirmed what was expected from the simulations, namely that the dominant source of background was due to neutrons generated by negative muon capture. Actions to reduce the background were taken according to the results from both measurements and simulations. An iron shielding wall 3.2 m thick was then placed in between the sweeping magnet and the second collimator, with the purpose of stopping most of the muons. In a second phase of measurements, results showed that the additional shielding reduced the main component of the background by about a fa...

Masticatory Muscle Sleep Background EMG Activity is Elevated in Myofascial TMD Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Raphael, Karen G.; Janal, Malvin N.; Sirois, David A.; Dubrovsky, Boris; Wigren, Pia E.; Klausner, Jack J.; Krieger, Ana C.; Lavigne, Gilles J.

2013-01-01

Despite theoretical speculation and strong clinical belief, recent research using laboratory polysomnographic (PSG) recording has provided new evidence that frequency of sleep bruxism (SB) masseter muscle events, including grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep, is not increased for women with chronic myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD). The current case-control study compares a large sample of women suffering from chronic myofascial TMD (n=124) with a demographically matched control group without TMD (n=46) on sleep background electromyography (EMG) during a laboratory PSG study. Background EMG activity was measured as EMG root mean square (RMS) from the right masseter muscle after lights out. Sleep background EMG activity was defined as EMG RMS remaining after activity attributable to SB, other orofacial activity, other oromotor activity and movement artifacts were removed. Results indicated that median background EMG during these non SB-event periods was significantly higher (pcases exceeding control activity. Moreover, for TMD cases, background EMG was positively associated and SB event-related EMG was negatively associated with pain intensity ratings (0–10 numerical scale) on post sleep waking. These data provide the foundation for a new focus on small, but persistent, elevations in sleep EMG activity over the course of the night as a mechanism of pain induction or maintenance. PMID:24237356

Patient Controlled Epidural Analgesia during Labour: Effect of Addition of Background Infusion on Quality of Analgesia & Maternal Satisfaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uma Srivastava

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Patient controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA is a well established technique for pain relief during labor. But the inclusion of continuous background infusion to PCEA is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess whether the use of continuous infusion along with PCEA was beneficial for laboring women with regards to quality of analgesia, maternal satisfaction and neonatal outcome in comparison to PCEA alone. Fifty five parturients received epidural bolus of 10ml solution containing 0.125% bupivacaine +2 ìg.ml-1 of fentanyl. For maintenance of analgesia the patients of Group PCEA self administered 8 ml bolus with lockout interval of 20 minutes of above solution on demand with no basal infusion. While the patients of Group PCEA + CI received continuous epidural infusion at the rate of 10 ml.hr-1 along with self administered boluses of 3 ml with lockout interval of 10 minutes of similar epidural solution. Patients of both groups were given rescue boluses by the anaesthetists for distressing pain. Verbal analogue pain scores, incidence of distressing pain, need of supplementary/rescue boluses, dose of bupivacaine consumed, maternal satisfaction and neonatal Apgar scores were recorded. No significant difference was observed between mean VAS pain scores during labor, maternal satisfaction, mode of delivery or neonatal Apgar scores. But more patients (n=8 required rescue boluses in PCEA group for distressing pain. The total volume consumed of bupivacaine and opioid was slightly more in PCEA + CI group. In both the techniques the highest sensory level, degree of motor block were comparable& prolongation of labor was not seen. It was concluded that both the techniques provided equivalent labor analgesia, maternal satisfaction and neonatal Apgar scores. PCEA along with continuous infusion at the rate of 10 ml/ hr resulted in lesser incidence of distressing pain and need for rescue analgesic. Although this group consumed higher dose of bupivacaine

Low background germanium detectors: From environmental laboratory to underground counting facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ceuppens, M [Canberra Semiconductor N.V., Geel (Belgium); [Canberra Industries, Inc., Meriden (United States); Verplancke, J [Canberra Semiconductor N.V., Geel (Belgium); [Canberra Industries, Inc., Meriden (United States); Tench, O [Canberra Semiconductor N.V., Geel (Belgium); [Canberra Industries, Inc., Meriden (United States)

1997-03-01

Presentation and overview of different Low Level measuring systems ranging from the environmental lab to low-background detection systems and to the deep underground counting facility. Examples and performances for each of these will be given. Attention will be given to the standardised ultra low-background detectors and shields which provide excellent performance without the high cost in time and money associated with custom designed systems. (orig./DG)

Low background germanium detectors: From environmental laboratory to underground counting facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ceuppens, M.; Verplancke, J.; Tench, O.

1997-01-01

Presentation and overview of different Low Level measuring systems ranging from the environmental lab to low-background detection systems and to the deep underground counting facility. Examples and performances for each of these will be given. Attention will be given to the standardised ultra low-background detectors and shields which provide excellent performance without the high cost in time and money associated with custom designed systems. (orig./DG)

Background report for the uranium-mill-tailings-sites remedial-action program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-04-01

The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978, Public Law 95-604, mandates remedial action responsibilities to the Department of Energy for designated inactive uranium processing sites. To comply with the mandates of the Act, a program to survey and evaluate the radiological conditions at inactive uranium processing sites and at vicinity properties containing residual radioactive material derived from the sites is being conducted; the Remedial Action Program Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy is implementing remedial actions at these processing sites. This report provides a brief history of the program, a description of the scope of the program, and a set of site-specific summaries for the 22 locations specified in the Act and three additional locations designated in response to Federal Register notices issued on August 17 and September 5, 1979. It is designed to be a quick source of background information on sites covered by the implementation program for Public Law 95-604

Additive Manufacturing Infrared Inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Gaddy, Darrell; Nettles, Mindy

2015-01-01

The Additive Manufacturing Infrared Inspection Task started the development of a real-time dimensional inspection technique and digital quality record for the additive manufacturing process using infrared camera imaging and processing techniques. This project will benefit additive manufacturing by providing real-time inspection of internal geometry that is not currently possible and reduce the time and cost of additive manufactured parts with automated real-time dimensional inspections which deletes post-production inspections.

Forced fluid dynamics from blackfolds in general supergravity backgrounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armas, Jay [Physique Théorique et Mathématique,Université Libre de Bruxelles and International Solvay Institutes,ULB-Campus Plaine CP231, B-1050 Brussels (Belgium); Gath, Jakob [Centre de Physique Théorique, École Polytechnique,CNRS UMR 7644, Université Paris-Saclay,F-91128 Palaiseau (France); Niarchos, Vasilis [Crete Center for Theoretical Physics, Institute of Theoretical and Computational Physics,Crete Center for Quantum Complexity and Nanotechnology,Department of Physics, University of Crete,Heraklion, 71303 (Greece); Obers, Niels A.; Pedersen, Andreas Vigand [The Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen University,Blegdamsvej 17, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø (Denmark)

2016-10-27

We present a general treatment of the leading order dynamics of the collective modes of charged dilatonic p-brane solutions of (super)gravity theories in arbitrary backgrounds. To this end we employ the general strategy of the blackfold approach which is based on a long-wavelength derivative expansion around an exact or approximate solution of the (super)gravity equations of motion. The resulting collective mode equations are formulated as forced hydrodynamic equations on dynamically embedded hypersurfaces. We derive them in full generality (including all possible asymptotic fluxes and dilaton profiles) in a far-zone analysis of the (super)gravity equations and in representative examples in a near-zone analysis. An independent treatment based on the study of external couplings in hydrostatic partition functions is also presented. Special emphasis is given to the forced collective mode equations that arise in type IIA/B and eleven-dimensional supergravities, where besides the standard Lorentz force couplings our analysis reveals additional couplings to the background, including terms that arise from Chern-Simons interactions. We also present a general overview of the blackfold approach and some of the key conceptual issues that arise when applied to arbitrary backgrounds.

Background noise levels in Europe

OpenAIRE

Gjestland, Truls

2008-01-01

- This report gives a brief overview of typical background noise levels in Europe, and suggests a procedure for the prediction of background noise levels based on population density. A proposal for the production of background noise maps for Europe is included.

Cosmological parameters from pre-planck cosmic microwave background measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calabrese, E.; Hlozek, R.; Battaglia, N.; Battistelli, E.; Bond, J.; Chluba, J.; Crichton, D.; Das, S.; Devlin, M.; Dunkley, J.; Dünner, R.; Farhang, M.; Gralla, M.; Hajian, A.; Halpern, M.; Hasselfield, M.; Hincks, A.; Irwin, K.; Kosowsky, A.; Louis, T.; Marriage, T.; Moodley, K.; Newburgh, L.; Niemack, M.; Nolta, M.; Page, L.; Sehgal, N.; Sherwin, B.; Sievers, J.; Sifon, Andalaft C.J.; Spergel, D.; Staggs, S.; Switzer, E.; Wollack, E.

2013-01-01

Recent data from the WMAP, ACT and SPT experiments provide precise measurements of the cosmic microwave background temperature power spectrum over a wide range of angular scales. The combination of these observations is well fit by the standard, spatially flat {$Lambda$}CDM cosmological model,

Supersymmetric backgrounds, the Killing superalgebra, and generalised special holonomy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coimbra, André [Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, Le Bois-Marie,35 route de Chartres, F-91440 Bures-sur-Yvette (France); Strickland-Constable, Charles [Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, Le Bois-Marie,35 route de Chartres, F-91440 Bures-sur-Yvette (France); Institut de physique théorique, Université Paris Saclay, CEA, CNRS,Orme des Merisiers, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2016-11-10

We prove that, for M theory or type II, generic Minkowski flux backgrounds preserving N supersymmetries in dimensions D≥4 correspond precisely to integrable generalised G{sub N} structures, where G{sub N} is the generalised structure group defined by the Killing spinors. In other words, they are the analogues of special holonomy manifolds in E{sub d(d)}×ℝ{sup +} generalised geometry. In establishing this result, we introduce the Kosmann-Dorfman bracket, a generalisation of Kosmann’s Lie derivative of spinors. This allows us to write down the internal sector of the Killing superalgebra, which takes a rather simple form and whose closure is the key step in proving the main result. In addition, we find that the eleven-dimensional Killing superalgebra of these backgrounds is necessarily the supertranslational part of the N-extended super-Poincaré algebra.

Reorganizing Freshman Business Mathematics I: Background and Philosophy

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Kris; Emerson, Allen

2008-01-01

This article is the first of the two-part discussion of the development of a new Freshman Business Mathematics (FBM) course at our college. Part I of the article describes the background and history behind the course, and provides a theoretical framework for the design of the course. This design involves students in learning and applying…

Modeling of neutron induced backgrounds in x-ray framing cameras

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hagmann, C.; Izumi, N.; Bell, P.; Bradley, D.; Conder, A.; Eckart, M.; Khater, H.; Koch, J.; Moody, J.; Stone, G. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)

2010-10-15

Fast neutrons from inertial confinement fusion implosions pose a severe background to conventional multichannel plate (MCP)-based x-ray framing cameras for deuterium-tritium yields >10{sup 13}. Nuclear reactions of neutrons in photosensitive elements (charge coupled device or film) cause some of the image noise. In addition, inelastic neutron collisions in the detector and nearby components create a large gamma pulse. The background from the resulting secondary charged particles is twofold: (1) production of light through the Cherenkov effect in optical components and by excitation of the MCP phosphor and (2) direct excitation of the photosensitive elements. We give theoretical estimates of the various contributions to the overall noise and present mitigation strategies for operating in high yield environments.

Learning Physics from the Cosmic Microwave Background

CERN Document Server

Ellis, Jonathan Richard

1999-01-01

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) provides a precious window on fundamental physics at very high energy scales, possibly including quantum gravity, GUTs and supersymmetry. The CMB has already enabled defect-based rivals to inflation to be discarded, and will be able to falsify many inflationary models. In combination with other cosmological observations, including those of high-redshift supernovae and large-scale structure, the CMB is on the way to providing a detailed budget for the density of the Universe, to be compared with particle-physics calculations for neutrinos and cold dark matter. Thus CMB measurements complement experiments with the LHC and long-baseline neutrino beams.

Frequency-dependent effects of background noise on subcortical response timing.

Science.gov (United States)

Tierney, A; Parbery-Clark, A; Skoe, E; Kraus, N

2011-12-01

The addition of background noise to an auditory signal delays brainstem response timing. This effect has been extensively documented using manual peak selection. Peak picking, however, is impractical for large-scale studies of spectrotemporally complex stimuli, and leaves open the question of whether noise-induced delays are frequency-dependent or occur across the frequency spectrum. Here we use an automated, objective method to examine phase shifts between auditory brainstem responses to a speech sound (/da/) presented with and without background noise. We predicted that shifts in neural response timing would also be reflected in frequency-specific phase shifts. Our results indicate that the addition of background noise causes phase shifts across the subcortical response spectrum (70-1000 Hz). However, this noise-induced delay is not uniform such that some frequency bands show greater shifts than others: low-frequency phase shifts (300-500 Hz) are largest during the response to the consonant-vowel formant transition (/d/), while high-frequency shifts (720-1000 Hz) predominate during the response to the steady-state vowel (/a/). Most importantly, phase shifts occurring in specific frequency bands correlate strongly with shifts in the latencies of the predominant peaks in the auditory brainstem response, while phase shifts in other frequency bands do not. This finding confirms the validity of phase shift detection as an objective measure of timing differences and reveals that this method detects noise-induced shifts in timing that may not be captured by traditional peak latency measurements. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Robustness of cosmic neutrino background detection in the cosmic microwave background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Audren, Benjamin [Institut de Théorie des Phénomènes Physiques, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015, Lausanne (Switzerland); Bellini, Emilio; Cuesta, Antonio J.; Verde, Licia [Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, IEEC-UB, Martí i Franquès 1, E08028 Barcelona (Spain); Gontcho, Satya Gontcho A; Pérez-Ràfols, Ignasi [Dept. d' Astronomia i Meteorologia, Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, IEEC-UB, Martí i Franquès 1, E08028 Barcelona (Spain); Lesgourgues, Julien [CERN, Theory Division, CH-1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Niro, Viviana [Departamento de Física Teórica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and Instituto de Física Teórica UAM/CSIC, Calle Nicolás Cabrera 13-15, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Pellejero-Ibanez, Marcos; Tramonte, Denis [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), C/Vía Láctea s/n, E-38200, La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Poulin, Vivian [LAPTh, Université de Savoie, CNRS, B.P.110, Annecy-le-Vieux F-74941 (France); Tram, Thomas, E-mail: emilio.bellini@icc.ub.edu [Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building, Burnaby Road, Portsmouth PO1 3FX (United Kingdom)

2015-03-01

The existence of a cosmic neutrino background can be probed indirectly by CMB experiments, not only by measuring the background density of radiation in the universe, but also by searching for the typical signatures of the fluctuations of free-streaming species in the temperature and polarisation power spectrum. Previous studies have already proposed a rather generic parametrisation of these fluctuations, that could help to discriminate between the signature of ordinary free-streaming neutrinos, or of more exotic dark radiation models. Current data are compatible with standard values of these parameters, which seems to bring further evidence for the existence of a cosmic neutrino background. In this work, we investigate the robustness of this conclusion under various assumptions. We generalise the definition of an effective sound speed and viscosity speed to the case of massive neutrinos or other dark radiation components experiencing a non-relativistic transition. We show that current bounds on these effective parameters do not vary significantly when considering an arbitrary value of the particle mass, or extended cosmological models with a free effective neutrino number, dynamical dark energy or a running of the primordial spectrum tilt. We conclude that it is possible to make a robust statement about the detection of the cosmic neutrino background by CMB experiments.

Nonrelativistic fluids on scale covariant Newton-Cartan backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Arpita

2017-12-01

The nonrelativistic covariant framework for fields is extended to investigate fields and fluids on scale covariant curved backgrounds. The scale covariant Newton-Cartan background is constructed using the localization of space-time symmetries of nonrelativistic fields in flat space. Following this, we provide a Weyl covariant formalism which can be used to study scale invariant fluids. By considering ideal fluids as an example, we describe its thermodynamic and hydrodynamic properties and explicitly demonstrate that it satisfies the local second law of thermodynamics. As a further application, we consider the low energy description of Hall fluids. Specifically, we find that the gauge fields for scale transformations lead to corrections of the Wen-Zee and Berry phase terms contained in the effective action.

The information content of cosmic microwave background anisotropies

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, Douglas; Contreras, Dagoberto; Narimani, Ali; Ma, Yin-Zhe

2016-06-01

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) contains perturbations that are close to Gaussian and isotropic. This means that its information content, in the sense of the ability to constrain cosmological models, is closely related to the number of modes probed in CMB power spectra. Rather than making forecasts for specific experimental setups, here we take a more pedagogical approach and ask how much information we can extract from the CMB if we are only limited by sample variance. We show that, compared with temperature measurements, the addition of E-mode polarization doubles the number of modes available out to a fixed maximum multipole, provided that all of the TT, TE, and EE power spectra are measured. However, the situation in terms of constraints on particular parameters is more complicated, as we explain and illustrate graphically. We also discuss the enhancements in information that can come from adding B-mode polarization and gravitational lensing. We show how well one could ever determine the basic cosmological parameters from CMB data compared with what has been achieved with Planck, which has already probed a substantial fraction of the TT information. Lastly, we look at constraints on neutrino mass as a specific example of how lensing information improves future prospects beyond the current 6-parameter model.

The information content of cosmic microwave background anisotropies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, Douglas; Contreras, Dagoberto; Narimani, Ali; Ma, Yin-Zhe

2016-01-01

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) contains perturbations that are close to Gaussian and isotropic. This means that its information content, in the sense of the ability to constrain cosmological models, is closely related to the number of modes probed in CMB power spectra. Rather than making forecasts for specific experimental setups, here we take a more pedagogical approach and ask how much information we can extract from the CMB if we are only limited by sample variance. We show that, compared with temperature measurements, the addition of E -mode polarization doubles the number of modes available out to a fixed maximum multipole, provided that all of the TT , TE , and EE power spectra are measured. However, the situation in terms of constraints on particular parameters is more complicated, as we explain and illustrate graphically. We also discuss the enhancements in information that can come from adding B -mode polarization and gravitational lensing. We show how well one could ever determine the basic cosmological parameters from CMB data compared with what has been achieved with Planck , which has already probed a substantial fraction of the TT information. Lastly, we look at constraints on neutrino mass as a specific example of how lensing information improves future prospects beyond the current 6-parameter model.

Non-collision backgrounds in ATLAS

CERN Document Server

Gibson, S M; The ATLAS collaboration

2012-01-01

The proton-proton collision events recorded by the ATLAS experiment are on top of a background that is due to both collision debris and non-collision components. The latter comprises of three types: beam-induced backgrounds, cosmic particles and detector noise. We present studies that focus on the first two of these. We give a detailed description of beam-related and cosmic backgrounds based on the full 2011 ATLAS data set, and present their rates throughout the whole data-taking period. Studies of correlations between tertiary proton halo and muon backgrounds, as well as, residual pressure and resulting beam-gas events seen in beam-condition monitors will be presented. Results of simulations based on the LHC geometry and its parameters will be presented. They help to better understand the features of beam-induced backgrounds in each ATLAS sub-detector. The studies of beam-induced backgrounds in ATLAS reveal their characteristics and serve as a basis for designing rejection tools that can be applied in physic...

A System based on Adaptive Background Subtraction Approach for Moving Object Detection and Tracking in Videos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahadır KARASULU

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Video surveillance systems are based on video and image processing research areas in the scope of computer science. Video processing covers various methods which are used to browse the changes in existing scene for specific video. Nowadays, video processing is one of the important areas of computer science. Two-dimensional videos are used to apply various segmentation and object detection and tracking processes which exists in multimedia content-based indexing, information retrieval, visual and distributed cross-camera surveillance systems, people tracking, traffic tracking and similar applications. Background subtraction (BS approach is a frequently used method for moving object detection and tracking. In the literature, there exist similar methods for this issue. In this research study, it is proposed to provide a more efficient method which is an addition to existing methods. According to model which is produced by using adaptive background subtraction (ABS, an object detection and tracking system’s software is implemented in computer environment. The performance of developed system is tested via experimental works with related video datasets. The experimental results and discussion are given in the study

CERN-derived analysis of lunar radiation backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Thomas L.; Svoboda, Robert

1993-01-01

The Moon produces radiation which background-limits scientific experiments there. Early analyses of these backgrounds have either failed to take into consideration the effect of charm in particle physics (because they pre-dated its discovery), or have used branching ratios which are no longer strictly valid (due to new accelerator data). We are presently investigating an analytical program for deriving muon and neutrino spectra generated by the Moon, converting an existing CERN computer program known as GEANT which does the same for the Earth. In so doing, this will (1) determine an accurate prompt neutrino spectrum produced by the lunar surface; (2) determine the lunar subsurface particle flux; (3) determine the consequence of charm production physics upon the lunar background radiation environment; and (4) provide an analytical tool for the NASA astrophysics community with which to begin an assessment of the Moon as a scientific laboratory versus its particle radiation environment. This will be done on a recurring basis with the latest experimental results of the particle data groups at Earth-based high-energy accelerators, in particular with the latest branching ratios for charmed meson decay. This will be accomplished for the first time as a full 3-dimensional simulation.

Moduli stabilization in non-geometric backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, Katrin; Becker, Melanie; Vafa, Cumrun; Walcher, Johannes

2007-01-01

Type II orientifolds based on Landau-Ginzburg models are used to describe moduli stabilization for flux compactifications of type II theories from the world-sheet CFT point of view. We show that for certain types of type IIB orientifolds which have no Kaehler moduli and are therefore intrinsically non-geometric, all moduli can be explicitly stabilized in terms of fluxes. The resulting four-dimensional theories can describe Minkowski as well as anti-de Sitter vacua. This construction provides the first string vacuum with all moduli frozen and leading to a 4D Minkowski background

Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations

Science.gov (United States)

2015-04-29

23, 2013. 6 Background information on Saudi cabinet members is available at http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/ Biographies - of-Ministers.aspx. Saudi...territories it occupied in 1967, (2) agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem , and provide for the (3) “[a...compromise on Palestinian sovereignty in Jerusalem .” Elhanan Miller, “Arab ministers back Abbas in rejecting ‘Jewish’ Israel,” Times of Israel, January

Improved radiological/nuclear source localization in variable NORM background: An MLEM approach with segmentation data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Penny, Robert D., E-mail: robert.d.penny@leidos.com [Leidos Inc., 10260 Campus Point Road, San Diego, CA (United States); Crowley, Tanya M.; Gardner, Barbara M.; Mandell, Myron J.; Guo, Yanlin; Haas, Eric B.; Knize, Duane J.; Kuharski, Robert A.; Ranta, Dale; Shyffer, Ryan [Leidos Inc., 10260 Campus Point Road, San Diego, CA (United States); Labov, Simon; Nelson, Karl; Seilhan, Brandon [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Valentine, John D. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2015-06-01

A novel approach and algorithm have been developed to rapidly detect and localize both moving and static radiological/nuclear (R/N) sources from an airborne platform. Current aerial systems with radiological sensors are limited in their ability to compensate for variable naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) background. The proposed approach suppresses the effects of NORM background by incorporating additional information to segment the survey area into regions over which the background is likely to be uniform. The method produces pixelated Source Activity Maps (SAMs) of both target and background radionuclide activity over the survey area. The task of producing the SAMs requires (1) the development of a forward model which describes the transformation of radionuclide activity to detector measurements and (2) the solution of the associated inverse problem. The inverse problem is ill-posed as there are typically fewer measurements than unknowns. In addition the measurements are subject to Poisson statistical noise. The Maximum-Likelihood Expectation-Maximization (MLEM) algorithm is used to solve the inverse problem as it is well suited for under-determined problems corrupted by Poisson noise. A priori terrain information is incorporated to segment the reconstruction space into regions within which we constrain NORM background activity to be uniform. Descriptions of the algorithm and examples of performance with and without segmentation on simulated data are presented.

Self-Similar Symmetry Model and Cosmic Microwave Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomohide eSonoda

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present the self-similar symmetry (SSS model that describes the hierarchical structure of the universe. The model is based on the concept of self-similarity, which explains the symmetry of the cosmic microwave background (CMB. The approximate length and time scales of the six hierarchies of the universe---grand unification, electroweak unification, the atom, the pulsar, the solar system, and the galactic system---are derived from the SSS model. In addition, the model implies that the electron mass and gravitational constant could vary with the CMB radiation temperature.

An intercomparison of detectors for measurement of background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nielsen, S.P.; Boetter-Jensen, L.

1981-04-01

Measurements of the background radiation were made in 1978 at 14 locations with a high-pressure ionization chamber, thermoluminiscence dosimeters (TLD's), two NaI(Tl) detectors, and a Ge(Li) spectrometer system. Simultaneous measurements with the ionization chamber and the spectrometer system provide reliable estimates of the total background exposure rate, of the individual contributors to the terrestrial exposure rate, and of the exposure rate from the secondary cosmic radiation. The TLD results agree with those of the ionization chamber. The NaI(Tl) detector results show that accurate estimates of the terrestrial exposure rate can be obtained if empirical corrections are applied. (author)

Planck 2013 results. XVIII. Gravitational lensing-infrared background correlation

CERN Document Server

Ade, P.A.R.; Armitage-Caplan, C.; Arnaud, M.; Ashdown, M.; Atrio-Barandela, F.; Aumont, J.; Baccigalupi, C.; Banday, A.J.; Barreiro, R.B.; Bartlett, J.G.; Basak, S.; Battaner, E.; Benabed, K.; Benoit, A.; Benoit-Levy, A.; Bernard, J.P.; Bersanelli, M.; Bethermin, M.; Bielewicz, P.; Bobin, J.; Bock, J.J.; Bonaldi, A.; Bond, J.R.; Borrill, J.; Bouchet, F.R.; Boulanger, F.; Bridges, M.; Bucher, M.; Burigana, C.; Butler, R.C.; Cardoso, J.F.; Catalano, A.; Challinor, A.; Chamballu, A.; Chiang, L.Y.; Chiang, H.C.; Christensen, P.R.; Church, S.; Clements, D.L.; Colombi, S.; Colombo, L.P.L.; Couchot, F.; Coulais, A.; Crill, B.P.; Curto, A.; Cuttaia, F.; Danese, L.; Davies, R.D.; de Bernardis, P.; de Rosa, A.; de Zotti, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Delouis, J.M.; Desert, F.X.; Diego, J.M.; Dole, H.; Donzelli, S.; Dore, O.; Douspis, M.; Dupac, X.; Efstathiou, G.; Ensslin, T.A.; Eriksen, H.K.; Finelli, F.; Forni, O.; Frailis, M.; Franceschi, E.; Galeotta, S.; Ganga, K.; Giard, M.; Giardino, G.; Giraud-Heraud, Y.; Gonzalez-Nuevo, J.; Gorski, K.M.; Gratton, S.; Gregorio, A.; Gruppuso, A.; Gudmundsson, J.E.; Hansen, F.K.; Hanson, D.; Harrison, D.; Henrot-Versille, S.; Hernandez-Monteagudo, C.; Herranz, D.; Hildebrandt, S.R.; Hivon, E.; Hobson, M.; Holmes, W.A.; Hornstrup, A.; Hovest, W.; Huffenberger, K.M.; Jaffe, T.R.; Jaffe, A.H.; Jones, W.C.; Juvela, M.; Keihanen, E.; Keskitalo, R.; Kisner, T.S.; Kneissl, R.; Knoche, J.; Knox, L.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lacasa, F.; Lagache, G.; Lahteenmaki, A.; Lamarre, J.M.; Lasenby, A.; Laureijs, R.J.; Lawrence, C.R.; Leonardi, R.; Leon-Tavares, J.; Lesgourgues, J.; Liguori, M.; Lilje, P.B.; Linden-Vornle, M.; Lopez-Caniego, M.; Lubin, P.M.; Macias-Perez, J.F.; Maffei, B.; Maino, D.; Mandolesi, N.; Maris, M.; Marshall, D.J.; Martin, P.G.; Martinez-Gonzalez, E.; Masi, S.; Matarrese, S.; Matthai, F.; Mazzotta, P.; Melchiorri, A.; Mendes, L.; Mennella, A.; Migliaccio, M.; Mitra, S.; Miville-Deschenes, M.A.; Moneti, A.; Montier, L.; Morgante, G.; Mortlock, D.; Munshi, D.; Naselsky, P.; Nati, F.; Natoli, P.; Netterfield, C.B.; Norgaard-Nielsen, H.U.; Noviello, F.; Novikov, D.; Novikov, I.; Osborne, S.; Oxborrow, C.A.; Paci, F.; Pagano, L.; Pajot, F.; Paoletti, D.; Patanchon, G.; Perdereau, O.; Perotto, L.; Perrotta, F.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Pierpaoli, E.; Pietrobon, D.; Plaszczynski, S.; Pointecouteau, E.; Polenta, G.; Ponthieu, N.; Popa, L.; Poutanen, T.; Pratt, G.W.; Prezeau, G.; Prunet, S.; Puget, J.L.; Rachen, J.P.; Rebolo, R.; Reinecke, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Renault, C.; Ricciardi, S.; Riller, T.; Ristorcelli, I.; Rocha, G.; Rosset, C.; Roudier, G.; Rowan-Robinson, M.; Rusholme, B.; Sandri, M.; Santos, D.; Savini, G.; Scott, D.; Seiffert, M.D.; Serra, P.; Shellard, E.P.S.; Spencer, L.D.; Starck, J.L.; Stolyarov, V.; Stompor, R.; Sudiwala, R.; Sunyaev, R.; Sureau, F.; Sutton, D.; Suur-Uski, A.S.; Sygnet, J.F.; Tauber, J.A.; Tavagnacco, D.; Terenzi, L.; Toffolatti, L.; Tomasi, M.; Tristram, M.; Tucci, M.; Tuovinen, J.; Valenziano, L.; Valiviita, J.; Van Tent, B.; Vielva, P.; Villa, F.; Vittorio, N.; Wade, L.A.; Wandelt, B.D.; White, S.D.M.; Yvon, D.; Zacchei, A.; Zonca, A.

2014-01-01

The multi-frequency capability of the Planck satellite provides information both on the integrated history of star formation (via the cosmic infrared background, or CIB) and on the distribution of dark matter (via the lensing effect on the cosmic microwave background, or CMB). The conjunction of these two unique probes allows us to measure directly the connection between dark and luminous matter in the high redshift (1 1. We measure directly the SFR density with around 2 sigma significance for three redshift bins between z=1 and 7, thus opening a new window into the study of the formation of stars at early times.

Suppression background device in neutron detection by a scintillation detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Degtyarev, A.P.; Kozyr', Yu.E.; Prokopets, G.A.

1980-01-01

A pulse shape discriminator for suppression of cosmic and gamma background as well as for suppression of intrinsic noises of a photomultiplier is described. Identification of signals of background and neutrons is performed by means of comparison of relative intensity of fast and slow components of scintillator luminescence. Basic discriminator flowsheet which contains integrating and differential RC circuits and time-to-amplitude converter is given. The discriminator provides minimum energy of detected neutrons equal to 500 keV when using a FEhU-36 neutron detector with a stilbene crystal [ru

Background radiation levels and standards for protection from ionizing radiations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farai, I.

1999-01-01

Apart from the amount of radiation which a worker may receive while he performs his work, he is also exposed to radiation because of the nature of his environment. In other words, all individuals are subject to some irradiation even though they may not work with radioactive substances. This source of radiation exposure is often referred to as background radiation. In most environments, it is low-level and can be grouped into two natural and man-made. Background radiation provides the basis on which allowable exposure limits for workers are drawn

Deficiencies in culturally competent asthma care for ethnic minority children: a qualitative assessment among care providers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seeleman Conny

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Asthma outcomes are generally worse for ethnic minority children. Cultural competence training is an instrument for improving healthcare for ethnic minority patients. To develop effective training, we explored the mechanisms in paediatric asthma care for ethnic minority patients that lead to deficiencies in the care process. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews on care for ethnic minority children with asthma (aged 4-10 years with paediatricians (n = 13 and nurses (n = 3 in three hospitals. Interviews were analysed qualitatively with a framework method, using a cultural competence model. Results Respondents mentioned patient non-adherence as the central problem in asthma care. They related non-adherence in children from ethnic minority backgrounds to social context factors, difficulties in understanding the chronic nature of asthma, and parents’ language barriers. Reactions reported by respondents to patients’ non-adherence included retrieving additional information, providing biomedical information, occasionally providing referrals for social context issues, and using informal interpreters. Conclusions This study provides keys to improve the quality of specialist paediatric asthma care to ethnic minority children, mainly related to non-adherence. Care providers do not consciously recognise all the mechanisms that lead to deficiencies in culturally competent asthma care they provide to ethnic minority children (e.g. communicating mainly from a biomedical perspective and using mostly informal interpreters. Therefore, the learning objectives of cultural competence training should reflect issues that care providers are aware of as well as issues they are unaware of.

The Isotropic Radio Background and Annihilating Dark Matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hooper, Dan [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States); Belikov, Alexander V. [Institut d' Astrophysique (France); Jeltema, Tesla E. [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States); Linden, Tim [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States); Profumo, Stefano [Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States); Slatyer, Tracy R. [Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ (United States)

2012-11-01

Observations by ARCADE-2 and other telescopes sensitive to low frequency radiation have revealed the presence of an isotropic radio background with a hard spectral index. The intensity of this observed background is found to exceed the flux predicted from astrophysical sources by a factor of approximately 5-6. In this article, we consider the possibility that annihilating dark matter particles provide the primary contribution to the observed isotropic radio background through the emission of synchrotron radiation from electron and positron annihilation products. For reasonable estimates of the magnetic fields present in clusters and galaxies, we find that dark matter could potentially account for the observed radio excess, but only if it annihilates mostly to electrons and/or muons, and only if it possesses a mass in the range of approximately 5-50 GeV. For such models, the annihilation cross section required to normalize the synchrotron signal to the observed excess is sigma v ~ (0.4-30) x 10^-26 cm^3/s, similar to the value predicted for a simple thermal relic (sigma v ~ 3 x 10^-26 cm^3/s). We find that in any scenario in which dark matter annihilations are responsible for the observed excess radio emission, a significant fraction of the isotropic gamma ray background observed by Fermi must result from dark matter as well.

Optimal Search for an Astrophysical Gravitational-Wave Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rory Smith

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Roughly every 2–10 min, a pair of stellar-mass black holes merge somewhere in the Universe. A small fraction of these mergers are detected as individually resolvable gravitational-wave events by advanced detectors such as LIGO and Virgo. The rest contribute to a stochastic background. We derive the statistically optimal search strategy (producing minimum credible intervals for a background of unresolved binaries. Our method applies Bayesian parameter estimation to all available data. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that the search is both “safe” and effective: it is not fooled by instrumental artifacts such as glitches and it recovers simulated stochastic signals without bias. Given realistic assumptions, we estimate that the search can detect the binary black hole background with about 1 day of design sensitivity data versus ≈40 months using the traditional cross-correlation search. This framework independently constrains the merger rate and black hole mass distribution, breaking a degeneracy present in the cross-correlation approach. The search provides a unified framework for population studies of compact binaries, which is cast in terms of hyperparameter estimation. We discuss a number of extensions and generalizations, including application to other sources (such as binary neutron stars and continuous-wave sources, simultaneous estimation of a continuous Gaussian background, and applications to pulsar timing.

Use of country of birth as an indicator of refugee background in health datasets

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Routine public health databases contain a wealth of data useful for research among vulnerable or isolated groups, who may be under-represented in traditional medical research. Identifying specific vulnerable populations, such as resettled refugees, can be particularly challenging; often country of birth is the sole indicator of whether an individual has a refugee background. The objective of this article was to review strengths and weaknesses of different methodological approaches to identifying resettled refugees and comparison groups from routine health datasets and to propose the application of additional methodological rigour in future research. Discussion Methodological approaches to selecting refugee and comparison groups from existing routine health datasets vary widely and are often explained in insufficient detail. Linked data systems or datasets from specialized refugee health services can accurately select resettled refugee and asylum seeker groups but have limited availability and can be selective. In contrast, country of birth is commonly collected in routine health datasets but a robust method for selecting humanitarian source countries based solely on this information is required. The authors recommend use of national immigration data to objectively identify countries of birth with high proportions of humanitarian entrants, matched by time period to the study dataset. When available, additional migration indicators may help to better understand migration as a health determinant. Methodologically, if multiple countries of birth are combined, the proportion of the sample represented by each country of birth should be included, with sub-analysis of individual countries of birth potentially providing further insights, if population size allows. United Nations-defined world regions provide an objective framework for combining countries of birth when necessary. A comparison group of economic migrants from the same world region may be appropriate

TIMSS 2011 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 2: National Adaptations of International Background Questionnaires

Science.gov (United States)

Foy, Pierre, Ed.; Arora, Alka, Ed.; Stanco, Gabrielle M., Ed.

2013-01-01

This supplement describes national adaptations made to the international version of the TIMSS 2011 background questionnaires. This information provides users with a guide to evaluate the availability of internationally comparable data for use in secondary analyses involving the TIMSS 2011 background variables. Background questionnaire adaptations…

Multimodal cues provide redundant information for bumblebees when the stimulus is visually salient, but facilitate red target detection in a naturalistic background

Science.gov (United States)

Corcobado, Guadalupe; Trillo, Alejandro

2017-01-01

Our understanding of how floral visitors integrate visual and olfactory cues when seeking food, and how background complexity affects flower detection is limited. Here, we aimed to understand the use of visual and olfactory information for bumblebees (Bombus terrestris terrestris L.) when seeking flowers in a visually complex background. To explore this issue, we first evaluated the effect of flower colour (red and blue), size (8, 16 and 32 mm), scent (presence or absence) and the amount of training on the foraging strategy of bumblebees (accuracy, search time and flight behaviour), considering the visual complexity of our background, to later explore whether experienced bumblebees, previously trained in the presence of scent, can recall and make use of odour information when foraging in the presence of novel visual stimuli carrying a familiar scent. Of all the variables analysed, flower colour had the strongest effect on the foraging strategy. Bumblebees searching for blue flowers were more accurate, flew faster, followed more direct paths between flowers and needed less time to find them, than bumblebees searching for red flowers. In turn, training and the presence of odour helped bees to find inconspicuous (red) flowers. When bees foraged on red flowers, search time increased with flower size; but search time was independent of flower size when bees foraged on blue flowers. Previous experience with floral scent enhances the capacity of detection of a novel colour carrying a familiar scent, probably by elemental association influencing attention. PMID:28898287

Background subtraction theory and practice

CERN Document Server

Elgammal, Ahmed

2014-01-01

Background subtraction is a widely used concept for detection of moving objects in videos. In the last two decades there has been a lot of development in designing algorithms for background subtraction, as well as wide use of these algorithms in various important applications, such as visual surveillance, sports video analysis, motion capture, etc. Various statistical approaches have been proposed to model scene backgrounds. The concept of background subtraction also has been extended to detect objects from videos captured from moving cameras. This book reviews the concept and practice of back

Learning difficulties or learning English difficulties? Additional language acquisition: an update for paediatricians.

Science.gov (United States)

Clifford, Vanessa; Rhodes, Anthea; Paxton, Georgia

2014-03-01

Australia is a diverse society: 26% of the population were born overseas, a further 20% have at least one parent born overseas and 19% speak a language other than English at home. Paediatricians are frequently involved in the assessment and management of non-English-speaking-background children with developmental delay, disability or learning issues. Despite the diversity of our patient population, information on how children learn additional or later languages is remarkably absent in paediatric training. An understanding of second language acquisition is essential to provide appropriate advice to this patient group. It takes a long time (5 years or more) for any student to develop academic competency in a second language, even a student who has received adequate prior schooling in their first language. Refugee students are doubly disadvantaged as they frequently have limited or interrupted prior schooling, and many are unable to read and write in their first language. We review the evidence on second language acquisition during childhood, describe support for English language learners within the Australian education system, consider refugee-background students as a special risk group and address common misconceptions about how children learn English as an additional language. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Project plan for the Background Soil Characterization Project on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-08-01

The Background Soil characterization Project (BSCP) will provide background concentration levels of selected metals, organic compounds, and radionuclides in soils from uncontaminated on-site areas at the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), and off-site in the western part of Roane County and the eastern part of Anderson County. The BSCP will establish a database, recommend how to use the data for contaminated site assessment, and provide estimates of the potential human health and environmental risks associated with the background level concentrations of potentially hazardous constituents

Project plan for the Background Soil Characterization Project on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-08-01

The Background Soil characterization Project (BSCP) will provide background concentration levels of selected metals, organic compounds, and radionuclides in soils from uncontaminated on-site areas at the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), and off-site in the western part of Roane County and the eastern part of Anderson County. The BSCP will establish a database, recommend how to use the data for contaminated site assessment, and provide estimates of the potential human health and environmental risks associated with the background level concentrations of potentially hazardous constituents.

A multiple regression analysis for accurate background subtraction in 99Tcm-DTPA renography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Middleton, G.W.; Thomson, W.H.; Davies, I.H.; Morgan, A.

1989-01-01

A technique for accurate background subtraction in 99 Tc m -DTPA renography is described. The technique is based on a multiple regression analysis of the renal curves and separate heart and soft tissue curves which together represent background activity. It is compared, in over 100 renograms, with a previously described linear regression technique. Results show that the method provides accurate background subtraction, even in very poorly functioning kidneys, thus enabling relative renal filtration and excretion to be accurately estimated. (author)

Robustness of cosmic neutrino background detection in the cosmic microwave background

CERN Document Server

Audren, Benjamin; Cuesta, Antonio J; Gontcho, Satya Gontcho A; Lesgourgues, Julien; Niro, Viviana; Pellejero-Ibanez, Marcos; Pérez-Ràfols, Ignasi; Poulin, Vivian; Tram, Thomas; Tramonte, Denis; Verde, Licia

2015-01-01

The existence of a cosmic neutrino background can be probed indirectly by CMB experiments, not only by measuring the background density of radiation in the universe, but also by searching for the typical signatures of the fluctuations of free-streaming species in the temperature and polarisation power spectrum. Previous studies have already proposed a rather generic parametrisation of these fluctuations, that could help to discriminate between the signature of ordinary free-streaming neutrinos, or of more exotic dark radiation models. Current data are compatible with standard values of these parameters, which seems to bring further evidence for the existence of a cosmic neutrino background. In this work, we investigate the robustness of this conclusion under various assumptions. We generalise the definition of an effective sound speed and viscosity speed to the case of massive neutrinos or other dark radiation components experiencing a non-relativistic transition. We show that current bounds on these effectiv...

Effects of background music on objective and subjective performance measures in an auditory BCI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sijie Zhou

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Several studies have explored brain computer interface (BCI systems based on auditory stimuli, which could help patients with visual impairments. Usability and user satisfaction are important considerations in any BCI. Although background music can influence emotion and performance in other task environments, and many users may wish to listen to music while using a BCI, auditory and other BCIs are typically studied without background music. Some work has explored the possibility of using polyphonic music in auditory BCI systems. However, this approach requires users with good musical skills, and has not been explored in online experiments. Our hypothesis was that an auditory BCI with background music would be preferred by subjects over a similar BCI without background music, without any difference in BCI performance. We introduce a simple paradigm (which does not require musical skill using percussion instrument sound stimuli and background music, and evaluated it in both offline and online experiments. The result showed that subjects preferred the auditory BCI with background music. Different performance measures did not reveal any significant performance effect when comparing background music vs. no background. Since the addition of background music does not impair BCI performance but is preferred by users, auditory (and perhaps other BCIs should consider including it. Our study also indicates that auditory BCIs can be effective even if the auditory channel is simultaneously otherwise engaged.

Background radioactivity in sediments near Los Alamos, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLin, Stephen G.

2004-01-01

River and reservoir sediments have been collected annually by Los Alamos National Laboratory since 1974 and 1979, respectively. These background samples are collected from five river stations and four reservoirs located throughout northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Analyses include 3 H, 90 Sr, 137 Cs, total U, 238 Pu, 239,240 Pu, 241 Am, gross alpha, gross beta, and gross gamma radioactivity. Surprisingly, there are no federal or state regulatory standards in the USA that specify how to compute background radioactivity values on sediments. Hence, the sample median (or 0.50 quantile) is proposed for this background because it reflects central data tendency and is distribution-free. Estimates for the upper limit of background radioactivity on river and reservoir sediments are made for sampled analytes using the 0.95 quantile (two-tail). These analyses also show that seven of ten analytes from reservoir sediments are normally distributed, or are normally distributed after a logarithmic or square root transformation. However, only three of ten analytes from river sediments are similarly distributed. In addition, isotope ratios for 137 Cs/ 238 Pu, 137 Cs/ 239,240 Pu, and 239,240 Pu/ 238 Pu from reservoir sediments are independent of clay content, total organic carbon/specific surface area (TOC/SSA) and cation exchange capacity/specific surface area (CEC/SSA) ratios. These TOC/SSA and CEC/SSA ratios reflect sediment organic carbon and surface charge densities that are associated with radionuclide absorption, adsorption, and ion exchange reactions on clay mineral structures. These latter ratio values greatly exceed the availability of background radionuclides in the environment, and insure that measured background levels are a maximum. Since finer-grained reservoir sediments contain larger clay-sized fractions compared to coarser river sediments, they show higher background levels for most analytes. Furthermore, radioactivity values on reservoir sediments have

The Role of Family Background for Earnings in Rural China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, Tor Viking; Qiang, Zhang Ying

This paper provides estimates of brother income correlations for rural China. Brother correlations are a parsimonious measure of the importance of family and community background as determinants of individuals' economic status. We find internationally high levels of income similarity for brothers...

14 CFR 1214.302 - Background.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Aeronautics and Space NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION SPACE FLIGHT Payload Specialists for Space... under specified conditions. The purpose of such participation by these individuals is to ensure the achievement of the payload or mission-related objectives. (b) The STS will provide these additional crew...

48 CFR 227.7009-4 - Additional clauses-contracts providing for payment of a running royalty.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...-contracts providing for payment of a running royalty. 227.7009-4 Section 227.7009-4 Federal Acquisition... clauses—contracts providing for payment of a running royalty. The clauses set forth below are examples... desired to cover the subject matter thereof and the contract provides for payment of a running royalty. (a...

Additively manufactured custom load-bearing implantable devices: grounds for caution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabetta M Zanetti

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background Additive manufacturing technologies are being enthusiastically adopted by the orthopaedic community since they are providing new perspectives and new possibilities. First applications were finalised for educational purposes, pre-operative planning, and design of surgical guides; recent applications also encompass the production of implantable devices where 3D printing can bring substantial benefits such as customization, optimization, and manufacturing of very complex geometries. The conceptual smoothness of the whole process may lead to the idea that any medical practitioner can use a 3D printer and her/his imagination to design and produce novel products for personal or commercial use. Aims Outlining how the whole process presents more than one critical aspects, still demanding further research in order to allow a safe application of this technology for fully-custom design, in particular confining attention to orthopaedic/orthodontic prostheses defined as components responding mainly to a structural function. Methods Current knowledge of mechanical properties of additively manufactured components has been examined along with reasons why the behaviour of these components might differ from traditionally manufactured components. The structural information still missing for mechanical design is outlined. Results Mechanical properties of additively manufactured components are not completely known, and especially fatigue limit needs to be examined further. Conclusion At the present stage, with reference to load-bearing implants subjected to many loading cycles, the indication of custom-made additively manufactured medical devices should be restricted to the cases with no viable alternative.

Neutron background measurements in the underground laboratory of Modane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chazal, V.; Chambon, B.; De Jesus, M.; Drain, D.; Pastor, C.; Vagneron, L.; Brissot, R.; Cavaignac, J.F.; Stutz, A.; Giraud-Heraud, Y.

1997-07-01

Measurements of the background neutron environment, at a depth of 1780 m (4800 mWe) in the Underground Laboratory of Modane (L.S.M) are reported. Using a 6 Li liquid scintillator, the energy spectrum of the fast neutron flux has been determined. Monte-Carlo calculations of the (α,n) and spontaneous fission processes in the surrounding rock has been performed and compared to the experimental result. In addition, using two 3 He neutron counters, the thermal neutron flux has been measured. (author)

Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography: Background corrections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Floyd, Carey E.; Sharma, Amy C.; Bender, Janelle E.; Kapadia, Anuj J.; Xia, Jessie Q.; Harrawood, Brian P.; Tourassi, Georgia D.; Lo, Joseph Y.; Kiser, Matthew R.; Crowell, Alexander S.; Pedroni, Ronald S.; Macri, Robert A.; Tajima, Shigeyuki; Howell, Calvin R.

2007-01-01

Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography (NSECT) is an imaging technique that provides an in-vivo tomographic spectroscopic image of the distribution of elements in a body. To achieve this, a neutron beam illuminates the body. Nuclei in the body along the path of the beam are stimulated by inelastic scattering of the neutrons in the beam and emit characteristic gamma photons whose unique energy identifies the element. The emitted gammas are collected in a spectrometer and form a projection intensity for each spectral line at the projection orientation of the neutron beam. Rotating and translating either the body or the beam will allow a tomographic projection set to be acquired. Images are reconstructed to represent the spatial distribution of elements in the body. Critical to this process is the appropriate removal of background gamma events from the spectrum. Here we demonstrate the equivalence of two background correction techniques and discuss the appropriate application of each

1+3 covariant cosmic microwave background anisotropies I: Algebraic relations for mode and multipole expansions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gebbie, Tim; Ellis, G.F.R.

2000-01-01

This is the first of a series of papers systematically extending a 1+3 covariant and gauge-invariant treatment of kinetic theory in curved space-times to a treatment of cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropies arising from inhomogeneities in the early universe. The present paper deals with algebraic issues, both generically and in the context of models linearised about Robertson-Walker geometries. The approach represents radiation anisotropies by projected symmetric and trace-free tensors. The angular correlation functions for the mode coefficients are found in terms of these quantities, following the Wilson-Silk approach, but derived and dealt with in 1+3 covariant and gauge-invariant form. The covariant multipole and mode-expanded angular correlation functions are related to the usual treatments in the literature. The 1+3 covariant and gauge-invariant mode expansion is related to the coordinate approach by linking the Legendre functions to the projected symmetric trace-free representation, using a covariant addition theorem for the tensors to generate the Legendre polynomial recursion relation. This paper lays the foundation for further papers in the series, which use this formalism in a covariant and gauge-invariant approach to developing solutions of the Boltzmann and Liouville equations for the cosmic microwave background before and after decoupling, thus providing a unified covariant and gauge-invariant derivation of the variety of approaches to cosmic microwave background anisotropies in the current literature, as well as a basis for extension of the theory to include nonlinearities

Monte Carlo simulations for the optimisation of low-background Ge detector designs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hakenmueller, Janina; Heusser, Gerd; Maneschg, Werner; Schreiner, Jochen; Simgen, Hardy; Stolzenburg, Dominik; Strecker, Herbert; Weber, Marc; Westernmann, Jonas [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Laubenstein, Matthias [Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Via G. Acitelli 22, 67100 Assergi L' Aquila (Italy)

2015-07-01

Monte Carlo simulations for the low-background Ge spectrometer Giove at the underground laboratory of MPI-K, Heidelberg, are presented. In order to reduce the cosmogenic background at the present shallow depth (15 m w.e.) the shielding of the spectrometer includes an active muon veto and a passive shielding (lead and borated PE layers). The achieved background suppression is comparable to Ge spectrometers operated in much greater depth. The geometry of the detector and the shielding were implemented using the Geant4-based toolkit MaGe. The simulations were successfully optimised by determining the correct diode position and active volume. With the help of the validated Monte Carlo simulation the contribution of the single components to the overall background can be examined. This includes a comparison between simulated results and measurements with different fillings of the sample chamber. Having reproduced the measured detector background in the simulation provides the possibility to improve the background by reverse engineering of the passive and active shield layers in the simulation.

Praying for Mr. Right? Religion, Family Background, and Marital Expectations among College Women

Science.gov (United States)

Ellison, Christopher G.; Burdette, Amy M.; Glenn, Norval D.

2011-01-01

This study explores the relationship between multiple aspects of religious involvement--affiliation, church attendance, subjective religiosity--and marital expectations among college women. In addition, the authors investigate whether religious involvement mediates the link between family background and marital expectations. These issues are…

Illness Perception and Clinical Treatment Experiences in Patients with M. Maroteaux-Lamy (Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VI) and a Turkish Migration Background in Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Dilger, Hansjörg; Leissner, Linn; Bosanska, Lenka; Lampe, Christina; Plöckinger, Ursula

2013-01-01

Introduction Mucopolysaccharidosis VI (MPS VI) is an inherited lysosomal storage disease caused by a mutation of the gene for arylsulfatase B (ASB). Of the thirty-one patients registered in Germany, almost fifty percent have a Turkish migration background. MPS VI is treated by enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), which is time-consuming and expensive. Methods This interdisciplinary study explored the illness perceptions and clinical treatment experiences among ten MPS VI patients with a Turkish migration background in two centers for metabolic diseases (Berlin and Mainz, Germany). The clinical treatment situation was observed and semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients and health care personnel, in addition to participatory observation in four patients' everyday environments in Berlin. The data from the interviews, patient records, and personal field notes were encoded, cross-related, and analyzed. Results Patients' acknowledgement of the disease and coping strategies are influenced predominantly by the perception of their individual health status and the handling of the disease within their family. Patients' willingness to cooperate with treatment strategies is further modified by their knowledge of the disease and the relationships with their health care providers. In this analysis, cultural factors turned out to be marginally relevant. Conclusion As with other chronic and debilitating diseases, effective treatment strategies have to reach beyond delivering medication. Health care providers need to strengthen the support for patients with a migration background. In this regard, they should respect the patients' cultural and social background and their personal perception of the disease and the therapy. Yet structural and social aspects (clinical setting, family and educational background) may be more crucial here than “cultural barriers.” PMID:23826140

Preliminary construction of a service provider--informed domestic violence research agenda.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Christine E; Welch, Metoka L

2010-12-01

This article presents the results of a statewide survey of domestic violence (DV) service providers that focused on the needs, background characteristics, and opinions of service providers related to research. The survey included an examination of service providers' motivation for working in the field, research background and training, and perceptions of research as well as the topics they believe are important for researchers to study, the resources they consult to learn about DV, and their suggestions to help researchers learn more about the nature of their work. The results are integrated into a preliminary agenda for future DV research that accounts for the needs and insight of service providers.

Background Stress Inventory: Developing a Measure of Understudied Stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Terrill, Alexandra L; Gjerde, Jill M; Garofalo, John P

2015-10-01

Background stress is an understudied source of stress that involves both ambient stress and daily hassles upon which new stressors are superimposed. To date, an accurate measure of the background stress construct has not been available. We developed the Background Stress Inventory, a 25-item self-report measure that asks respondents to indicate how distressed they have felt over the past month and the majority of the past year across five domains: financial, occupation, environment, health and social. Seven hundred seventy-two participants completed the paper-and-pencil measure; the sample was randomly split into two separate subsamples for analyses. Exploratory factor analysis suggested five factors corresponding to these domains, and confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable global fit (X(2)(255) = 456.47, comparative fit index = 0.94, root mean square error of approximation = 0.045). Cronbach's alpha (0.89) indicated good internal reliability. Construct validity analyses showed significant positive relationships with measures of perceived stressfulness (r = 0.62) and daily hassles (0.41), p's < 0.01. Depressive symptoms (0.62) and basal blood pressure (0.21) were both significantly associated with background stress, p's < 0.01. The importance of the proposed measure is reflected in the limited research base on the impact of background stress. Systematic investigation of this measure will provide insight into this understudied form of chronic stress and its potential influence on both psychological and physical endpoints. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Monte Carlo-based development of a shield and total background estimation for the COBRA experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heidrich, Nadine

2014-11-01

The COBRA experiment aims for the measurement of the neutrinoless double beta decay and thus for the determination the effective Majorana mass of the neutrino. To be competitive with other next-generation experiments the background rate has to be in the order of 10 -3 counts/kg/keV/yr, which is a challenging criterion. This thesis deals with the development of a shield design and the calculation of the expected total background rate for the large scale COBRA experiment containing 13824 6 cm 3 CdZnTe detectors. For the development of a shield single-layer and multi-layer shields were investigated and a shield design was optimized concerning high-energy muon-induced neutrons. As the best design the combination of 10 cm boron doped polyethylene as outermost layer, 20 cm lead and 10 cm copper as innermost layer were determined. It showed the best performance regarding neutron attenuation as well as (n, γ) self-shielding effects leading to a negligible background rate of less than 2.10 -6 counts/kg/keV/yr. Additionally. the shield with a thickness of 40 cm is compact and costeffective. In the next step the expected total background rate was computed taking into account individual setup parts and various background sources including natural and man-made radioactivity, cosmic ray-induced background and thermal neutrons. Furthermore, a comparison of measured data from the COBRA demonstrator setup with Monte Carlo data was used to calculate reliable contamination levels of the single setup parts. The calculation was performed conservatively to prevent an underestimation. In addition, the contribution to the total background rate regarding the individual detector parts and background sources was investigated. The main portion arise from the Delrin support structure, the Glyptal lacquer followed by the circuit board of the high voltage supply. Most background events originate from particles with a quantity of 99 % in total. Regarding surface events a contribution of 26

Monte Carlo-based development of a shield and total background estimation for the COBRA experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heidrich, Nadine

2014-11-15

The COBRA experiment aims for the measurement of the neutrinoless double beta decay and thus for the determination the effective Majorana mass of the neutrino. To be competitive with other next-generation experiments the background rate has to be in the order of 10{sup -3} counts/kg/keV/yr, which is a challenging criterion. This thesis deals with the development of a shield design and the calculation of the expected total background rate for the large scale COBRA experiment containing 13824 6 cm{sup 3} CdZnTe detectors. For the development of a shield single-layer and multi-layer shields were investigated and a shield design was optimized concerning high-energy muon-induced neutrons. As the best design the combination of 10 cm boron doped polyethylene as outermost layer, 20 cm lead and 10 cm copper as innermost layer were determined. It showed the best performance regarding neutron attenuation as well as (n, γ) self-shielding effects leading to a negligible background rate of less than 2.10{sup -6} counts/kg/keV/yr. Additionally. the shield with a thickness of 40 cm is compact and costeffective. In the next step the expected total background rate was computed taking into account individual setup parts and various background sources including natural and man-made radioactivity, cosmic ray-induced background and thermal neutrons. Furthermore, a comparison of measured data from the COBRA demonstrator setup with Monte Carlo data was used to calculate reliable contamination levels of the single setup parts. The calculation was performed conservatively to prevent an underestimation. In addition, the contribution to the total background rate regarding the individual detector parts and background sources was investigated. The main portion arise from the Delrin support structure, the Glyptal lacquer followed by the circuit board of the high voltage supply. Most background events originate from particles with a quantity of 99 % in total. Regarding surface events a

Children's Understanding of the Addition/Subtraction Complement Principle

Science.gov (United States)

Torbeyns, Joke; Peters, Greet; De Smedt, Bert; Ghesquière, Pol; Verschaffel, Lieven

2016-01-01

Background: In the last decades, children's understanding of mathematical principles has become an important research topic. Different from the commutativity and inversion principles, only few studies have focused on children's understanding of the addition/subtraction complement principle (if a - b = c, then c + b = a), mainly relying on verbal…

arXiv Probing non-Gaussian Stochastic Gravitational Wave Backgrounds with LISA

CERN Document Server

Bartolo, Nicola; Figueroa, Daniel G.; Garcia-Bellido, Juan; Peloso, Marco; Pieroni, Mauro; Ricciardone, Angelo; Sakellariadou, Mairi; Sorbo, Lorenzo; Tasinato, Gianmassimo

The stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) contains a wealth of information on astrophysical and cosmological processes. A major challenge of upcoming years will be to extract the information contained in this background and to disentangle the contributions of different sources. In this paper we provide the formalism to extract, from the correlation of three signals in the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), information about the tensor three-point function, which characterizes the non-Gaussian properties of the SGWB. Compared to the two-point function, the SGWB three-point function has a richer dependence on the gravitational wave momenta and chiralities, and a larger number of signal channels. It can be used therefore as a powerful discriminator between different models. We provide LISA's response functions to a general SGWB three-point function. As examples, we study in full detail the cases of an equilateral and squeezed SGWB bispectra, and provide the explicit form of the response functio...

[Effects of exposure frequency and background information on preferences for photographs of cars in different locations].

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuda, Ken; Kusumi, Takashi; Hosomi, Naohiro; Osa, Atsushi; Miike, Hidetoshi

2014-08-01

This study examined the influence of familiarity and novelty on the mere exposure effect while manipulating the presentation of background information. We selected presentation stimuli that integrated cars and backgrounds based on the results of pilot studies. During the exposure phase, we displayed the stimuli successively for 3 seconds, manipulating the background information (same or different backgrounds with each presentation) and exposure frequency (3, 6, and 9 times). In the judgment phase, 18 participants judged the cars in terms of preference, familiarity, and novelty on a 7-point scale. As the number of stimulus presentations increased, the preference for the cars increased during the different background condition and decreased during the same background condition. This increased preference may be due to the increase in familiarity caused by the higher exposure frequency and novelty resulting from the background changes per exposure session. The rise in preference judgments was not seen when cars and backgrounds were presented independently. Therefore, the addition of novel features to each exposure session facilitated the mere exposure effect.

Manual for the Jet Event and Background Simulation Library

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heinz, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Soltz, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Angerami, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-09-11

Jets are the collimated streams of particles resulting from hard scattering in the initial state of high-energy collisions. In heavy-ion collisions, jets interact with the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) before freezeout, providing a probe into the internal structure and properties of the QGP. In order to study jets, background must be subtracted from the measured event, potentially introducing a bias. We aim to understand and quantify this subtraction bias. PYTHIA, a library to simulate pure jet events, is used to simulate a model for a signature with one pure jet (a photon) and one quenched jet, where all quenched particle momenta are reduced by a user-de ned constant fraction. Background for the event is simulated using multiplicity values generated by the TRENTO initial state model of heavy-ion collisions fed into a thermal model consisting of a 3-dimensional Boltzmann distribution for particle types and momenta. Data from the simulated events is used to train a statistical model, which computes a posterior distribution of the quench factor for a data set. The model was tested rst on pure jet events and then on full events including the background. This model will allow for a quantitative determination of biases induced by various methods of background subtraction.

Additional corpus biopsy enhances the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in a background of gastritis with atrophy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lan Hung-Chieh

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The best sites for biopsy-based tests to evaluate H. pylori infection in gastritis with atrophy are not well known. This study aimed to evaluate the site and sensitivity of biopsy-based tests in terms of degree of gastritis with atrophy. Methods One hundred and sixty-four (164 uninvestigated dyspepsia patients were enrolled. Biopsy-based tests (i.e., culture, histology Giemsa stain and rapid urease test and non-invasive tests (anti-H. pylori IgG were performed. The gold standard of H. pylori infection was defined according to previous criteria. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive rate and negative predictive rate of biopsy-based tests at the gastric antrum and body were calculated in terms of degree of gastritis with atrophy. Results The prevalence rate of H. pylori infection in the 164 patients was 63.4%. Gastritis with atrophy was significantly higher at the antrum than at the body (76% vs. 31%; p Conclusions In moderate to severe gastritis with atrophy, biopsy-based test should include the corpus for avoiding false negative results.

Concerning background from calorimeter ports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Digiacomo, N.J.

1985-01-01

Any detector system viewing a port or slit in a calorimeter wall will see, in addition to the primary particles of interest, a background of charged and neutral particles and photons generated by scattering from the port walls and by leakage from incompletely contained primary particle showers in the calorimeter near the port. The signal to noise ratio attainable outside the port is a complex function of the primary source spectrum, the calorimeter and port design and, of course, the nature and acceptance of the detector system that views the port. Rather than making general statements about the overall suitability (or lack thereof) of calorimeter ports, we offer here a specific example based on the external spectrometer and slit of the NA34 experiment. This combination of slit and spectrometer is designed for fixed-target work, so that the primary particle momentum spectrum contains higher momentum particles than expected in a heavy ion colliding beam environment. The results are, nevertheless, quite relevant for the collider case

Final report on the Background Soil Characterization Project at the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-10-01

The Background Soil Characterization Project (BSCP) will provide background concentration levels of selected metals organic compounds, and radionuclides in soils from uncontaminated on-site areas at the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), and off-site in the western part of Roane County and the eastern part of Anderson County. The BSCP will establish a database, recommend how to use the data for contaminated site assessment, and provide estimates of the potential human health and environmental risks associated with the background level concentrations of potentially hazardous constituents. This volume contains the data from the Background Soil Characterization Project. When available, the following validation qualifiers are used in the appendixes. When validation qualifiers are not available, the corresponding contract laboratory data qualifiers appearing on the next page are used

Beamstop-based low-background ptychography to image weakly scattering objects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reinhardt, Juliane, E-mail: juliane.reinhardt@desy.de [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, D-22607 Hamburg (Germany); Hoppe, Robert [Institute of Structural Physics, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01062 Dresden (Germany); Hofmann, Georg [Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, D-76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Damsgaard, Christian D. [Center for Electron Nanoscopy and Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Patommel, Jens; Baumbach, Christoph [Institute of Structural Physics, Technische Universität Dresden, D-01062 Dresden (Germany); Baier, Sina; Rochet, Amélie; Grunwaldt, Jan-Dierk [Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, D-76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Falkenberg, Gerald [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, D-22607 Hamburg (Germany); Schroer, Christian G. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, D-22607 Hamburg (Germany); Department Physik, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany)

2017-02-15

In recent years, X-ray ptychography has been established as a valuable tool for high-resolution imaging. Nevertheless, the spatial resolution and sensitivity in coherent diffraction imaging are limited by the signal that is detected over noise and over background scattering. Especially, coherent imaging of weakly scattering specimens suffers from incoherent background that is generated by the interaction of the central beam with matter along its propagation path in particular close to and inside of the detector. Common countermeasures entail evacuated flight tubes or detector-side beamstops, which improve the experimental setup in terms of background reduction or better coverage of high dynamic range in the diffraction patterns. Here, we discuss an alternative approach: we combine two ptychographic scans with and without beamstop and reconstruct them simultaneously taking advantage of the complementary information contained in the two scans. We experimentally demonstrate the potential of this scheme for hard X-ray ptychography by imaging a weakly scattering object composed of catalytic nanoparticles and provide the analysis of the signal-to-background ratio in the diffraction patterns. - Highlights: • An opaque beamstop far-upstream of the detector reduces background scattering. • Increased signal-to-background ratio in the diffraction patterns. • Simultaneous ptychographic reconstruction of two data sets with and without beamstop. • Result shows high spatial resolution of 13 nm of a weakly scattering catalyst sample. • High sensitivity to less than 10{sup 5} atoms.

The holographic RG flow in a field theory on a curved background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardoso, Gabriel Lopes; Luest, Dieter

2002-01-01

As shown by Freedman, Gubser, Pilch and Warner, the RG flow in N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory broken to an N=1 theory by the addition of a mass term can be described in terms of a supersymmetric domain wall solution in five-dimensional N=8 gauged supergravity. The FGPW flow is an example of a holographic RG flow in a field theory on a flat background. Here we put the field theory studied by Freedman, Gubser, Pilch and Warner on a curved AdS 4 background, and we construct the supersymmetric domain wall solution which describes the RG flow in this field theory. This solution is a curved (non-Ricci flat) domain wall solution. This example demonstrates that holographic RG flows in supersymmetric field theories on a curved AdS 4 background can be described in terms of curved supersymmetric domain wall solutions. (author)

Propagators in magnetic string background and the problem of self-adjoint extensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, H.J.

1993-01-01

Ghost and gluon propagators of a non-Abelian gauge theory in the background of a magnetic string are calculated. A simple technique to derive the ghost propagator is presented which makes use of the fact that the presence of a magnetic string of strength β shifts the differential operators ∂/∂φ to ∂/∂φ - iβ. In the case of a gluon propagator in the magnetic string background a difficulty arises from the presence of the magnetic field strength term involving a δ function. Here the ambiguities of a self-adjoint extension of the differential operator must be met. A proper treatment demands the specification of a limiting process starting from a string of finite thickness and well-defined structure and leading to the δ function string. Without this additional structure information about the background string the gauge field propagator is undetermined. (orig.)

Background current of radioisotope manometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vydrik, A.A.

1987-01-01

The technique for calculating the main component of the background current of radioisotopic monometers, current from direct collision of ionizing particles and a collector, is described. The reasons for appearance of background photoelectron current are clarified. The most effective way of eliminating background current components is collector protection from the source by a screen made of material with a high gamma-quanta absorption coefficient, such as lead, for example

Controlling the gain contribution of background emitters in few-quantum-dot microlasers

Science.gov (United States)

Gericke, F.; Segnon, M.; von Helversen, M.; Hopfmann, C.; Heindel, T.; Schneider, C.; Höfling, S.; Kamp, M.; Musiał, A.; Porte, X.; Gies, C.; Reitzenstein, S.

2018-02-01

We provide experimental and theoretical insight into single-emitter lasing effects in a quantum dot (QD)-microlaser under controlled variation of background gain provided by off-resonant discrete gain centers. For that purpose, we apply an advanced two-color excitation concept where the background gain contribution of off-resonant QDs can be continuously tuned by precisely balancing the relative excitation power of two lasers emitting at different wavelengths. In this way, by selectively exciting a single resonant QD and off-resonant QDs, we identify distinct single-QD signatures in the lasing characteristics and distinguish between gain contributions of a single resonant emitter and a countable number of off-resonant background emitters to the optical output of the microlaser. Our work addresses the important question whether single-QD lasing is feasible in experimentally accessible systems and shows that, for the investigated microlaser, the single-QD gain needs to be supported by the background gain contribution of off-resonant QDs to reach the transition to lasing. Interestingly, while a single QD cannot drive the investigated micropillar into lasing, its relative contribution to the emission can be as high as 70% and it dominates the statistics of emitted photons in the intermediate excitation regime below threshold.

Traffic background level and signal duration effects on aircraft noise judgment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnston, G W; Haasz, A A

1977-04-22

The effects of background traffic noise level and signal duration on perceived aircraft noise levels during a flyover event are investigated. Tapes of traffic noise at different levels on which aircraft flyover noise events of different durations were superimposed were played to groups of observers in a room simulating indoor conditions. It is found that the presence of steady background traffic noise reduces the perceived noisiness of aircraft flyovers provided that the duration of the flyover event is sufficiently short in relation to flyover time. For a given event level, a reduction of 21 dB(A) in background noise level leads to the perception of a 5.5 dB(A) increase in peak event level. Regressions of observer response with the noise pollution index show a lower correlation than those with variables based on background noise level and peak signal level, although the data are found to exhibit a number of significant trends associated with noise pollution index variations.

Low background infrared (LBIR) facility

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Low background infrared (LBIR) facility was originally designed to calibrate user supplied blackbody sources and to characterize low-background IR detectors and...

OCRWM Backgrounder, January 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) assigns to the US Department of Energy (DOE) responsibility for developing a system to safely and economically transport spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from various storage sites to geologic repositories or other facilities that constitute elements of the waste management program. This transportation system will evolve from technologies and capabilities already developed. Shipments of spent fuel to a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility could begin as early as 1996 if Congress authorizes its construction. Shipments of spent fuel to a geologic repository are scheduled to begin in 1998. The backgrounder provides an overview of DOE's cask development program. Transportation casks are a major element in the DOE nuclear waste transportation system because they are the primary protection against any potential radiation exposure to the public and transportation workers in the event an accident occurs

How Childcare Providers Interpret "Reasonable Suspicion" of Child Abuse

Science.gov (United States)

Levi, Benjamin H.; Crowell, Kathryn; Walsh, Kerryann; Dellasega, Cheryl

2015-01-01

Background: Childcare providers are often "first responders" for suspected child abuse, and how they understand the concept of "reasonable suspicion" will influence their decisions regarding which warning signs warrant reporting. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how childcare providers interpret the…

Slavnov-Taylor constraints for nontrivial backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binosi, D.; Quadri, A.

2011-01-01

We devise an algebraic procedure for the evaluation of Green's functions in SU(N) Yang-Mills theory in the presence of a nontrivial background field. In the ghost-free sector the dependence of the vertex functional on the background is shown to be uniquely determined by the Slavnov-Taylor identities in terms of a certain 1-PI correlator of the covariant derivatives of the ghost and the antighost fields. At nonvanishing background this amplitude is shown to encode the quantum deformations to the tree-level background-quantum splitting. The approach only relies on the functional identities of the model (Slavnov-Taylor identities, b-equation, antighost equation) and thus it is valid beyond perturbation theory, and, in particular, in a lattice implementation of the background field method. As an example of the formalism we analyze the ghost two-point function and the Kugo-Ojima function in an instanton background in SU(2) Yang-Mills theory, quantized in the background Landau gauge.

Model Additional Protocol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rockwood, Laura

2001-01-01

Since the end of the cold war a series of events has changed the circumstances and requirements of the safeguards system. The discovery of a clandestine nuclear weapons program in Iraq, the continuing difficulty in verifying the initial report of Democratic People's Republic of Korea upon entry into force of their safeguards agreement, and the decision of the South African Government to give up its nuclear weapons program and join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons have all played a role in an ambitious effort by IAEA Member States and the Secretariat to strengthen the safeguards system. A major milestone in this effort was reached in May 1997 when the IAEA Board of Governors approved a Model Protocol Additional to Safeguards Agreements. The Model Additional Protocol was negotiated over a period of less than a year by an open-ended committee of the Board involving some 70 Member States and two regional inspectorates. The IAEA is now in the process of negotiating additional protocols, State by State, and implementing them. These additional protocols will provide the IAEA with rights of access to information about all activities related to the use of nuclear material in States with comprehensive safeguards agreements and greatly expanded physical access for IAEA inspectors to confirm or verify this information. In conjunction with this, the IAEA is working on the integration of these measures with those provided for in comprehensive safeguards agreements, with a view to maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency, within available resources, the implementation of safeguards. Details concerning the Model Additional Protocol are given. (author)

Final report on the Background Soil Characterization Project at the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatmaker, T.L.; Hook, L.A.; Jackson, B.L.

1993-10-01

The Background Soil Characterization Project (BSCP) will provide background concentration levels of selected metals, organic compounds, and radionuclides in soils from uncontaminated on-site areas at the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), and off-site in the western part of Roane County and the eastern part of Anderson County. The BSCP will establish a database, recommend how to use the data for contaminated site assessment, and provide estimates of the potential human health and environmental risks associated with the background level concentrations of potentially hazardous constituents. ORR background soil characterization data will be used for two purposes. The first application will be in differentiating between naturally occurring constituents and site-related contamination. This is a very important step in a risk assessment because if sufficient background data are not available, no constituent known to be a contaminant can be eliminated from the assessment even if the sampled concentration is measured at a minimum level. The second use of the background data will be in calculating baseline risks against which site-specific contamination risks can be compared

Background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnott, D.

1985-01-01

The effects of background radiation, whether natural or caused by man's activities, are discussed. The known biological effects of radiation in causing cancers or genetic mutations are explained. The statement that there is a threshold below which there is no risk is examined critically. (U.K.)

Polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buzzelli, A; Cabella, P; De Gasperis, G; Vittorio, N

2016-01-01

In this work we present an extension of the ROMA map-making code for data analysis of Cosmic Microwave Background polarization, with particular attention given to the inflationary polarization B-modes. The new algorithm takes into account a possible cross- correlated noise component among the different detectors of a CMB experiment. We tested the code on the observational data of the BOOMERanG (2003) experiment and we show that we are provided with a better estimate of the power spectra, in particular the error bars of the BB spectrum are smaller up to 20% for low multipoles. We point out the general validity of the new method. A possible future application is the LSPE balloon experiment, devoted to the observation of polarization at large angular scales. (paper)

PENGARUH BACKGROUND MAHASISWA TERHADAP KINERJA AKADEMIK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Trianasari Angkawijaya

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract: The Effect of Students’ Background on Academic Performance. This study examines the effect of background variables on the academic performance of accounting students in a private university in Surabaya. The background variables under study included previous academic performance, prior knowledge on accounting, sex, motivation, preparedness, and expectations. The results show that previous academic performance, motivation, and expectations have positive and significant effects on the students’ overall academic performance in accounting, while preparedness affects only the students’ performance in management accounting. In contrast, prior knowledge on accounting and sex do not give significant impacts to the students’ overall academic performance.These findings indicate the importance of previous aca­demic performance as well as motivation and expectations as background variables in current academic performance. Keywords: students’ background, academic performance, accounting Abstrak: Pengaruh Background Mahasiswa terhadap Kinerja Akademik. Penelitian ini mengkaji pengaruh variabel background terhadap kinerja akademik mahasiswa akuntansi di Universitas Surabaya. Lima variabel background utama dipergunakan, yaitu kinerja akademik sebelumnya, pengetahuan akun­tansi sebelumnya, jenis kelamin, motivasi, kesiapan, dan ekspektasi. Hipotesis diuji menggunakan model regresi linier berganda OLS dan Robust Standar Error. Hasil penelitian memerlihatkan bahwa kinerja akademik sebelumnya, motivasi, dan ekspektasi memiliki pengaruh positif signifikan terhadap kinerja akademik keseluruhan, sementara kesiapan memberikan pengaruh positif hanya pada kinerja akademik akuntansi manajemen. Sebaliknya, pengetahuan akuntansi sebelumnya dan jenis kelamin tidak memberi­kan pengaruh signifikan terhadap kinerja akademik keseluruhan. Temuan ini mengindikasikan bahwa kinerja akademik sebelumnya beserta motivasi dan ekspektasi adalah variabel background

Looking for Cosmic Neutrino Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiaki eYanagisawa

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Since the discovery of neutrino oscillation in atmospheric neutrinos by the Super-Kamiokande experiment in 1998, study of neutrinos has been one of exciting fields in high-energy physics. All the mixing angles were measured. Quests for 1 measurements of the remaining parameters, the lightest neutrino mass, the CP violating phase(s, and the sign of mass splitting between the mass eigenstates m3 and m1, and 2 better measurements to determine whether the mixing angle theta23 is less than pi/4, are in progress in a well-controlled manner. Determining the nature of neutrinos, whether they are Dirac or Majorana particles is also in progress with continuous improvement. On the other hand, although the ideas of detecting cosmic neutrino background have been discussed since 1960s, there has not been a serious concerted effort to achieve this goal. One of the reasons is that it is extremely difficult to detect such low energy neutrinos from the Big Bang. While there has been tremendous accumulation of information on Cosmic Microwave Background since its discovery in 1965, there is no direct evidence for Cosmic Neutrino Background. The importance of detecting Cosmic Neutrino Background is that, although detailed studies of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and Cosmic Microwave Background give information of the early Universe at ~a few minutes old and ~300 k years old, respectively, observation of Cosmic Neutrino Background allows us to study the early Universe at $sim$ 1 sec old. This article reviews progress made in the past 50 years on detection methods of Cosmic Neutrino Background.

Convergent and divergent pathways decoding hierarchical additive mechanisms in treating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying-Ying; Li, Hai-Xia; Chen, Yin-Ying; Fang, Hong; Yu, Ya-Nan; Liu, Jun; Jing, Zhi-Wei; Wang, Zhong; Wang, Yong-Yan

2014-03-01

Cerebral ischemia is considered to be a highly complex disease resulting from the complicated interplay of multiple pathways. Disappointedly, most of the previous studies were limited to a single gene or a single pathway. The extent to which all involved pathways are translated into fusing mechanisms of a combination therapy is of fundamental importance. We report an integrative strategy to reveal the additive mechanism that a combination (BJ) of compound baicalin (BA) and jasminoidin (JA) fights against cerebral ischemia based on variation of pathways and functional communities. We identified six pathways of BJ group that shared diverse additive index from 0.09 to 1, which assembled broad cross talks from seven pathways of BA and 16 pathways of JA both at horizontal and vertical levels. Besides a total of 60 overlapping functions as a robust integration background among the three groups based on significantly differential subnetworks, additive mechanism with strong confidence by networks altered functions. These results provide strong evidence that the additive mechanism is more complex than previously appreciated, and an integrative analysis of pathways may suggest an important paradigm for revealing pharmacological mechanisms underlying drug combinations. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Procedures for treating common cause failures in safety and reliability studies: Volume 2, Analytic background and techniques: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosleh, A.; Fleming, K.N.; Parry, G.W.; Paula, H.M.; Worledge, D.H.; Rasmuson, D.M.

1988-12-01

This report presents a framework for the inclusion of the impact of common cause failures in risk and reliability evaluations. Common cause failures are defined as that subset of dependent failures for which causes are not explicitly included in the logic model as basic events. The emphasis here is on providing procedures for a practical, systematic approach that can be used to perform and clearly document the analysis. The framework and the methods discussed for performing the different stages of the analysis integrate insights obtained from engineering assessments of the system and the historical evidence from multiple failure events into a systematic, reproducible, and defensible analysis. This document, Volume 2, contains a series of appendices that provide additional background and methodological detail on several important topics discussed in Volume 1

Masticatory muscle sleep background electromyographic activity is elevated in myofascial temporomandibular disorder patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Raphael, K G; Janal, M N; Sirois, D A; Dubrovsky, B; Wigren, P E; Klausner, J J; Krieger, A C; Lavigne, G J

2013-12-01

Despite theoretical speculation and strong clinical belief, recent research using laboratory polysomnographic (PSG) recording has provided new evidence that frequency of sleep bruxism (SB) masseter muscle events, including grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep, is not increased for women with chronic myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD). The current case-control study compares a large sample of women suffering from chronic myofascial TMD (n = 124) with a demographically matched control group without TMD (n = 46) on sleep background electromyography (EMG) during a laboratory PSG study. Background EMG activity was measured as EMG root mean square (RMS) from the right masseter muscle after lights out. Sleep background EMG activity was defined as EMG RMS remaining after activity attributable to SB, other orofacial activity, other oromotor activity and movement artefacts were removed. Results indicated that median background EMG during these non-SB event periods was significantly higher (P cases exceeding control activity. Moreover, for TMD cases, background EMG was positively associated and SB event-related EMG was negatively associated with pain intensity ratings (0-10 numerical scale) on post-sleep waking. These data provide the foundation for a new focus on small, but persistent, elevations in sleep EMG activity over the course of the night as a mechanism of pain induction or maintenance. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Background noise exerts diverse effects on the cortical encoding of foreground sounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Malone, B J; Heiser, Marc A; Beitel, Ralph E; Schreiner, Christoph E

2017-08-01

In natural listening conditions, many sounds must be detected and identified in the context of competing sound sources, which function as background noise. Traditionally, noise is thought to degrade the cortical representation of sounds by suppressing responses and increasing response variability. However, recent studies of neural network models and brain slices have shown that background synaptic noise can improve the detection of signals. Because acoustic noise affects the synaptic background activity of cortical networks, it may improve the cortical responses to signals. We used spike train decoding techniques to determine the functional effects of a continuous white noise background on the responses of clusters of neurons in auditory cortex to foreground signals, specifically frequency-modulated sweeps (FMs) of different velocities, directions, and amplitudes. Whereas the addition of noise progressively suppressed the FM responses of some cortical sites in the core fields with decreasing signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), the stimulus representation remained robust or was even significantly enhanced at specific SNRs in many others. Even though the background noise level was typically not explicitly encoded in cortical responses, significant information about noise context could be decoded from cortical responses on the basis of how the neural representation of the foreground sweeps was affected. These findings demonstrate significant diversity in signal in noise processing even within the core auditory fields that could support noise-robust hearing across a wide range of listening conditions. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The ability to detect and discriminate sounds in background noise is critical for our ability to communicate. The neural basis of robust perceptual performance in noise is not well understood. We identified neuronal populations in core auditory cortex of squirrel monkeys that differ in how they process foreground signals in background noise and that may

On estimating probability of presence from use-availability or presence-background data.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Steven J; Elith, Jane

2013-06-01

A fundamental ecological modeling task is to estimate the probability that a species is present in (or uses) a site, conditional on environmental variables. For many species, available data consist of "presence" data (locations where the species [or evidence of it] has been observed), together with "background" data, a random sample of available environmental conditions. Recently published papers disagree on whether probability of presence is identifiable from such presence-background data alone. This paper aims to resolve the disagreement, demonstrating that additional information is required. We defined seven simulated species representing various simple shapes of response to environmental variables (constant, linear, convex, unimodal, S-shaped) and ran five logistic model-fitting methods using 1000 presence samples and 10 000 background samples; the simulations were repeated 100 times. The experiment revealed a stark contrast between two groups of methods: those based on a strong assumption that species' true probability of presence exactly matches a given parametric form had highly variable predictions and much larger RMS error than methods that take population prevalence (the fraction of sites in which the species is present) as an additional parameter. For six species, the former group grossly under- or overestimated probability of presence. The cause was not model structure or choice of link function, because all methods were logistic with linear and, where necessary, quadratic terms. Rather, the experiment demonstrates that an estimate of prevalence is not just helpful, but is necessary (except in special cases) for identifying probability of presence. We therefore advise against use of methods that rely on the strong assumption, due to Lele and Keim (recently advocated by Royle et al.) and Lancaster and Imbens. The methods are fragile, and their strong assumption is unlikely to be true in practice. We emphasize, however, that we are not arguing against

Association of Radon Background and Total Background Ionizing Radiation with Alzheimer's Disease Deaths in U.S. States.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehrer, Steven; Rheinstein, Peter H; Rosenzweig, Kenneth E

2017-01-01

Exposure of the brain to ionizing radiation might promote the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Analysis of AD death rates versus radon background radiation and total background radiation in U.S. states. Total background, radon background, cosmic and terrestrial background radiation measurements are from Assessment of Variations in Radiation Exposure in the United States and Report No. 160 - Ionizing Radiation Exposure of the Population of the United States. 2013 AD death rates by U.S. state are from the Alzheimer's Association. Radon background ionizing radiation was significantly correlated with AD death rate in 50 states and the District of Columbia (r = 0.467, p = 0.001). Total background ionizing radiation was also significantly correlated with AD death rate in 50 states and the District of Columbia (r = 0.452, p = 0.001). Multivariate linear regression weighted by state population demonstrated that AD death rate was significantly correlated with radon background (β= 0.169, p ionizing radiation is a risk factor for AD. Intranasal inhalation of radon gas could subject the rhinencephalon and hippocampus to damaging radiation that initiates AD. The damage would accumulate over time, causing age to be a powerful risk factor.

Candidate genes detected in transcriptome studies are strongly dependent on genetic background.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pernille Sarup

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Whole genome transcriptomic studies can point to potential candidate genes for organismal traits. However, the importance of potential candidates is rarely followed up through functional studies and/or by comparing results across independent studies. We have analysed the overlap of candidate genes identified from studies of gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster using similar technical platforms. We found little overlap across studies between putative candidate genes for the same traits in the same sex. Instead there was a high degree of overlap between different traits and sexes within the same genetic backgrounds. Putative candidates found using transcriptomics therefore appear very sensitive to genetic background and this can mask or override effects of treatments. The functional importance of putative candidate genes emerging from transcriptome studies needs to be validated through additional experiments and in future studies we suggest a focus on the genes, networks and pathways affecting traits in a consistent manner across backgrounds.

Innermost stable circular orbit of spinning particle in charged spinning black hole background

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yu-Peng; Wei, Shao-Wen; Guo, Wen-Di; Sui, Tao-Tao; Liu, Yu-Xiao

2018-04-01

In this paper we investigate the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) (spin-aligned or anti-aligned orbit) for a classical spinning test particle with the pole-dipole approximation in the background of Kerr-Newman black hole in the equatorial plane. It is shown that the orbit of the spinning particle is related to the spin of the test particle. The motion of the spinning test particle will be superluminal if its spin is too large. We give an additional condition by considering the superluminal constraint for the ISCO in the black hole backgrounds. We obtain numerically the relations between the ISCO and the properties of the black holes and the test particle. It is found that the radius of the ISCO for a spinning test particle is smaller than that of a nonspinning test particle in the black hole backgrounds.

Car-borne survey of natural background gamma dose rate in Canakkale region (Turkey)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turhan, S.; Arikan, I. H.; Oquz, F.; Aezdemir, T.; Yuecel, B.; Varinlioqlu, A.; Koese, A.

2012-01-01

Natural background gamma radiation was measured along roads in the environs of Canakkale region by using a car-borne spectrometer system with a plastic gamma radiation detector. In addition, activity concentrations of 238 U, 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in soil samples from the Canakkale region were determined by using a gamma spectrometer with an HPGe detector. A total of 92 856 data of the background gamma dose rate were collected for the Canakkale region. The background gamma dose rate of the Canakkale region was mapped using ArcGIS software, applying the geostatistical inverse distance-weighted method. The average and population-weighted average of the gamma dose are 55.4 and 40.6 nGy h -1 , respectively. The corresponding average annual effective dose to the public ranged from 26.6 to 96.8 μSv. (authors)

Ship Effect Neutron Measurements And Impacts On Low-Background Experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aguayo Navarrete, Estanislao [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Kouzes, Richard T. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Siciliano, Edward R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2013-10-01

The primary particles entering the upper atmosphere as cosmic rays create showers in the atmosphere that include a broad spectrum of secondary neutrons, muons and protons. These cosmic-ray secondaries interact with materials at the surface of the Earth, yielding prompt backgrounds in radiation detection systems, as well as inducing long-lived activities through spallation events, dominated by the higher-energy neutron secondaries. For historical reasons, the multiple neutrons produced in spallation cascade events are referred to as “ship effect” neutrons. Quantifying the background from cosmic ray induced activities is important to low-background experiments, such as neutrino-less double beta decay. Since direct measurements of the effects of shielding on the cosmic-ray neutron spectrum are not available, Monte Carlo modeling is used to compute such effects. However, there are large uncertainties (orders of magnitude) in the possible cross-section libraries and the cosmic-ray neutron spectrum for the energy range needed in such calculations. The measurements reported here were initiated to validate results from Monte Carlo models through experimental measurements in order to provide some confidence in the model results. The results indicate that the models provide the correct trends of neutron production with increasing density, but there is substantial disagreement between the model and experimental results for the lower-density materials of Al, Fe and Cu.

Wavelet-Bayesian inference of cosmic strings embedded in the cosmic microwave background

Science.gov (United States)

McEwen, J. D.; Feeney, S. M.; Peiris, H. V.; Wiaux, Y.; Ringeval, C.; Bouchet, F. R.

2017-12-01

Cosmic strings are a well-motivated extension to the standard cosmological model and could induce a subdominant component in the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), in addition to the standard inflationary component. The detection of strings, while observationally challenging, would provide a direct probe of physics at very high-energy scales. We develop a framework for cosmic string inference from observations of the CMB made over the celestial sphere, performing a Bayesian analysis in wavelet space where the string-induced CMB component has distinct statistical properties to the standard inflationary component. Our wavelet-Bayesian framework provides a principled approach to compute the posterior distribution of the string tension Gμ and the Bayesian evidence ratio comparing the string model to the standard inflationary model. Furthermore, we present a technique to recover an estimate of any string-induced CMB map embedded in observational data. Using Planck-like simulations, we demonstrate the application of our framework and evaluate its performance. The method is sensitive to Gμ ∼ 5 × 10-7 for Nambu-Goto string simulations that include an integrated Sachs-Wolfe contribution only and do not include any recombination effects, before any parameters of the analysis are optimized. The sensitivity of the method compares favourably with other techniques applied to the same simulations.

Logistic service providers and sustainable physical distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stef Weijers

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Logistic Service Providers main concern was to ensure reliability for a low price (Christopher, 2005. Dutch Logistic Service Providers still have these two aspects at the top of their list, but also have to take in a new aspect: sustainability. 88% Of the investigated Logistic Service Providers have included sustainability in the company's goals. These Logistic Service Providers have developed different strategies to achieve a higher level of sustainability. This paper presents the results of a study into what Logistic Service Providers say what they are doing, or intend to do, to improve sustainability for their transport services. In this way insight is given in the attitude of Dutch Logistic Service Providers towards sustainability and how they intend to translate this into business practise: internal solutions or new methods incorporating external partners. Methods: Various methods of the investigations were used, among which the analysis of the statements about the sustainabilityon the websites of various companies as well as the questionnaire per Internet. The research covered 50 largest logistics companies operating in the Netherlands and 60 companies that competed for the award "Lean and Green" advertised in the Netherlands. In addition, the Internet survey was answered by 41 companies that belong to the network of our university. Results: The investigation has shown that sustainability is handled by the logistics company as an integral part of the corporate strategy. In contrast, shippers depend in the choice of logistics services primarily on such classical aspects as the reliability or the price and the sustainability play a minor role. Conclusions: Trying to find methods to improve the sustainability, Dutch logistics service providers, in the first place, look for solutions that increase the efficiency and therefore the cost reduction potential. Solutions, which require the involvement of clients, were less often

CdZnTe background measurements at balloon altitudes with PoRTIA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parsons, A.; Barthelmy, S.; Bartlett, L.; Gehrels, N.; Naya, J.; Stahle, C.M.; Tueller, J.; Teegarden, B.

2004-01-01

Measurements of the CdZnTe internal background at balloon altitudes are essential to determine which physical processes make the most important background contributions. We present results from CdZnTe background measurements made by PoRTIA, a small CdZnTe balloon instrument that was flown three times in three different shielding configurations. PoRTIA was passively shielded during its first flight from Palestine, Texas and actively shielded as a piggyback instrument on the GRIS balloon experiment during its second and third flights from Alice Springs, Australia, using the thick GRIS NaI anticoincidence shield. A significant CdZnTe background reduction was achieved during the third flight with PoRTIA placed completely inside the GRIS shield and blocking crystal, and thus completely surrounded by 15 cm of NaI. A unique balloon altitude background data set is provided by CdZnTe and Ge detectors simultaneously surrounded by the same thick anticoincidence shield; the presence of a single coaxial Ge detector inside the shield next to PoRTIA allowed a measurement of the ambient neutron flux inside the shield throughout the flight. These neutrons interact with the detector material to produce isomeric states of the Cd, Zn, and Te nuclei that radiatively decay; calculations are presented to determine the relative contribution of these decays to the fully shielded CdZnTe background measured by PoRTIA

Canonical differential geometry of string backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuller, Frederic P.; Wohlfarth, Mattias N.R.

2006-01-01

String backgrounds and D-branes do not possess the structure of Lorentzian manifolds, but that of manifolds with area metric. Area metric geometry is a true generalization of metric geometry, which in particular may accommodate a B-field. While an area metric does not determine a connection, we identify the appropriate differential geometric structure which is of relevance for the minimal surface equation in such a generalized geometry. In particular the notion of a derivative action of areas on areas emerges naturally. Area metric geometry provides new tools in differential geometry, which promise to play a role in the description of gravitational dynamics on D-branes

Effects of background color and symbol arrangement cues on construction of multi-symbol messages by young children without disabilities: implications for aided AAC design.

Science.gov (United States)

Thistle, Jennifer J; Wilkinson, Krista

2017-09-01

Children whose speech does not meet their communication needs often benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The design of an AAC display may influence the child's ability to communicate effectively. The current study examined how symbol background color cues and symbol arrangement affected construction of multi-symbol messages using line-drawing symbols, by young children with typical development. Participants (N = 52) heard a spoken phrase matching a photograph and selected line drawings within a 4 × 4 array. Friedman two-way ANOVAs evaluated speed and accuracy of multi-symbol message construction under four conditions in which the background color and arrangement of symbols was manipulated. Participants demonstrated significantly faster response times when symbols were arranged by word-class category compared to no symbol arrangement. The majority of children responded faster when symbols had white backgrounds, but this effect failed to reach statistical significance. This study provides preliminary evidence suggesting the importance of symbol arrangement for young children. The findings highlight the need for caution when incorporating background color on displays for young children. Future research is needed to examine the effect of visual cues on children who use AAC and consider additional factors that could influence efficacy of symbol arrangement and background color use.

Pulsed neutron well logging apparatus having means for determining background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Randall, R.R.

1979-01-01

A neutron generator in a well logging instrument is periodically pulsed and has an off period between pulses of 1000 microseconds. A neutron detector is gated on at intervals of 400 to 500, 550 to 650, and 700 to 800 microseconds, respectively, following the termination of each burst of fast neutrons. Circuitry is provided for determining the background radiation by the equation: B = N 1 X N 3 - N 2 2 /N 1 + N 3 - 2N 2 where B is the background, and N 1 , N 2 and N 3 are the counts observed during the three gates, respectively. Circuitry is also provided for determining the macroscopic absorption (Σ) from the equation: Σ = 1/VΔt Log [N 1 - B/N 2 - B] where V is the velocity of thermal neutrons, being a constant and Δt represents an increment of time

Background Paper: Chinese renewables status report - October 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Junfeng; Ma, Lingjuan; Shannon Wang; Wuming Yu; Lv, Fang; Yang, Jinliang; Qin, Shipin; Liu, Xin; Wang, Mengjie; Tong, Juandong

2009-10-01

This report provides recommendations to policy-makers in China on improving the effectiveness of renewable energy policies domestically. It was commissioned by REN21 and produced in collaboration with the Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association (CREIA) and technology experts from various Chinese research institutions and the private sector. The report was derived from a larger background paper with more detailed scrutiny of each renewable energy technology and its policy implications in China

Beam-gas Background Observations at LHC

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00214737; The ATLAS collaboration; Alici, Andrea; Lazic, Dragoslav-Laza; Alemany Fernandez, Reyes; Alessio, Federico; Bregliozzi, Giuseppe; Burkhardt, Helmut; Corti, Gloria; Guthoff, Moritz; Manousos, Athanasios; Sjoebaek, Kyrre; D'Auria, Saverio

2017-01-01

Observations of beam-induced background at LHC during 2015 and 2016 are presented in this paper. The four LHC experiments use the non-colliding bunches present in the physics-filling pattern of the accelerator to trigger on beam-gas interactions. During luminosity production the LHC experiments record the beam-gas interactions using dedicated background monitors. These data are sent to the LHC control system and are used to monitor the background levels at the experiments during accelerator operation. This is a very important measurement, since poor beam-induced background conditions can seriously affect the performance of the detectors. A summary of the evolution of the background levels during 2015 and 2016 is given in these proceedings.

On estimating the background of remote sensing gamma-ray spectroscopic data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Meng-Hua, E-mail: mhzhu@must.edu.mo

2016-10-01

In this paper, we considered the inverse count accumulation process of gamma-ray spectrum and derived an iterative filtering method to estimate the background of noisy spectroscopic data for the remote sensing observations of planetary surface. Compared with the SNIP method, the proposed method avoids the calculation of the average FWHM of the whole spectrum or the peak regions, which is an important parameter for the SNIP method. The synthetic and experimental spectra are used to validate the derived method. The results show that the proposed method can estimate the background efficiently, especially for the spectroscopic data with Compton continuum. In addition, by combining the proposed method and the SNIP method, the average FWHM can be determined easily, which can be used to validate the characteristics of detector.

A nonlinear inversion for the velocity background and perturbation models

KAUST Repository

Wu, Zedong

2015-08-19

Reflected waveform inversion (RWI) provides a method to reduce the nonlinearity of the standard full waveform inversion (FWI) by inverting for the single scattered wavefield obtained using an image. However, current RWI methods usually neglect diving waves, which is an important source of information for extracting the long wavelength components of the velocity model. Thus, we propose a new optimization problem through breaking the velocity model into the background and the perturbation in the wave equation directly. In this case, the perturbed model is no longer the single scattering model, but includes all scattering. We optimize both components simultaneously, and thus, the objective function is nonlinear with respect to both the background and perturbation. The new introduced w can absorb the non-smooth update of background naturally. Application to the Marmousi model with frequencies that start at 5 Hz shows that this method can converge to the accurate velocity starting from a linearly increasing initial velocity. Application to the SEG2014 demonstrates the versatility of the approach.

CLAWS. Beam background monitoring in the commissioning of SuperKEKB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabriel, Miroslav; Windel, Hendrik; Kolk, Naomi van der; Simon, Frank [Max Planck Institute for Physics (Germany)

2016-07-01

The background levels, in particular those originating from the continuous injection to maximize luminosity, are a concern for the inner vertex detector of Belle-II at the SuperKEKB accelerator. To better understand this background, and in particular its time dependence, dedicated measurements will be made during the commissioning phase of the accelerator, scheduled to begin in February 2016. One of the detectors for these measurements, CLAWS, is based on scintillators coupled to SiPMs which were originally developed for timing measurements of hadronic showers in the CALICE calorimeters. The data acquisition is based on digitizers with very deep buffers allowing the continuous recording of more than 1000 revolutions of the accelerator to provide a detailed analysis of the evolution of the background levels after injection. In this contribution, we present the overall CLAWS setup, the technical solutions adopted for the data acquisition and analysis, and discuss the performance of the detector elements.

Background of SIFs and Stress Indices for Moment Loadings of Piping Components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wais, E. A.; Rodabaugh, E. C.

2005-01-01

This report provides background information, references, and equations for twenty-four piping components (thirteen component SIFs and eleven component stress indices) that justify the values or expressions for the SIFs and indices

Sources of the Radio Background Considered

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singal, J.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U.; Stawarz, L.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U. /Jagiellonian U., Astron. Observ.; Lawrence, A.; /Edinburgh U., Inst. Astron. /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U.; Petrosian, V.; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Stanford U., Phys. Dept. /Stanford U., Appl. Phys. Dept.

2011-08-22

We investigate possible origins of the extragalactic radio background reported by the ARCADE 2 collaboration. The surface brightness of the background is several times higher than that which would result from currently observed radio sources. We consider contributions to the background from diffuse synchrotron emission from clusters and the intergalactic medium, previously unrecognized flux from low surface brightness regions of radio sources, and faint point sources below the flux limit of existing surveys. By examining radio source counts available in the literature, we conclude that most of the radio background is produced by radio point sources that dominate at sub {mu}Jy fluxes. We show that a truly diffuse background produced by elections far from galaxies is ruled out because such energetic electrons would overproduce the observed X-ray/{gamma}-ray background through inverse Compton scattering of the other photon fields. Unrecognized flux from low surface brightness regions of extended radio sources, or moderate flux sources missed entirely by radio source count surveys, cannot explain the bulk of the observed background, but may contribute as much as 10%. We consider both radio supernovae and radio quiet quasars as candidate sources for the background, and show that both fail to produce it at the observed level because of insufficient number of objects and total flux, although radio quiet quasars contribute at the level of at least a few percent. We conclude that the most important population for production of the background is likely ordinary starforming galaxies above redshift 1 characterized by an evolving radio far-infrared correlation, which increases toward the radio loud with redshift.

Preferred Primary Healthcare Provider Choice Among Insured Persons in Ashanti Region, Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Micheal Kofi Boachie

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background In early 2012, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS members in Ashanti Region were allowed to choose their own primary healthcare providers. This paper investigates the factors that enrolees in the Ashanti Region considered in choosing preferred primary healthcare providers (PPPs and direction of association of such factors with the choice of PPP. Methods Using a cross-sectional study design, the study sampled 600 NHIS enrolees in Kumasi Metro area and Kwabre East district. The sampling methods were a combination of simple random and systematic sampling techniques at different stages. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse demographic information and the criteria for selecting PPP. Multinomial logistic regression technique was used to ascertain the direction of association of the factors and the choice of PPP using mission PPPs as the base outcome. Results Out of the 600 questionnaires administered, 496 were retained for further analysis. The results show that availability of essential drugs (53.63% and doctors (39.92%, distance or proximity (49.60%, provider reputation (39.52%, waiting time (39.92, additional charges (37.10%, and recommendations (48.79% were the main criteria adopted by enrolees in selecting PPPs. In the regression, income (-0.0027, availability of doctors (-1.82, additional charges (-2.14 and reputation (-2.09 were statistically significant at 1% in influencing the choice of government PPPs. On the part of private PPPs, availability of drugs (2.59, waiting time (1.45, residence (-2.62, gender (-2.89, and reputation (-2.69 were statistically significant at 1% level. Presence of additional charges (-1.29 was statistically significant at 5% level. Conclusion Enrolees select their PPPs based on such factors as availability of doctors and essential drugs, reputation, waiting time, income, and their residence. Based on these findings, there is the need for healthcare providers to improve on their quality levels by

Cosmic microwave background power asymmetry from non-Gaussian modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Fabian; Hui, Lam

2013-01-04

Non-Gaussianity in the inflationary perturbations can couple observable scales to modes of much longer wavelength (even superhorizon), leaving as a signature a large-angle modulation of the observed cosmic microwave background power spectrum. This provides an alternative origin for a power asymmetry that is otherwise often ascribed to a breaking of statistical isotropy. The non-Gaussian modulation effect can be significant even for typical ~10(-5) perturbations while respecting current constraints on non-Gaussianity if the squeezed limit of the bispectrum is sufficiently infrared divergent. Just such a strongly infrared-divergent bispectrum has been claimed for inflation models with a non-Bunch-Davies initial state, for instance. Upper limits on the observed cosmic microwave background power asymmetry place stringent constraints on the duration of inflation in such models.

Calibration of an ultra-low-background proportional counter for measuring 37Ar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seifert, A.; Aalseth, C. E.; Bonicalzi, R. M.; Bowyer, T. W.; Day, A. R.; Fuller, E. S.; Haas, D. A.; Hayes, J. C.; Hoppe, E. W.; Humble, P. H.; Keillor, M. E.; LaFerriere, B. D.; Mace, E. K.; McIntyre, J. I.; Merriman, J. H.; Miley, H. S.; Myers, A. W.; Orrell, J. L.; Overman, C. T.; Panisko, M. E.

2013-01-01

An ultra-low-background proportional counter design has been developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) using clean materials, primarily electro-chemically-purified copper. This detector, along with an ultra-low-background counting system (ULBCS), was developed to complement a new shallow underground laboratory (30 meters water-equivalent) at PNNL. The ULBCS design includes passive neutron and gamma shielding, along with an active cosmic-veto system. This system provides a capability for making ultra-sensitive measurements to support applications like age-dating soil hydrocarbons with 14 C/ 3 H, age-dating of groundwater with 39 Ar, and soil-gas assay for 37 Ar to support On-Site Inspection (OSI). On-Site Inspection is a key component of the verification regime for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Measurements of radionuclides created by an underground nuclear explosion are valuable signatures of a Treaty violation. For OSI, the 35-day half-life of 37 Ar, produced from neutron interactions with calcium in soil, provides both high specific activity and sufficient time for inspection before decay limits sensitivity. This work describes the calibration techniques and analysis methods developed to enable quantitative measurements of 37 Ar samples over a broad range of proportional counter operating pressures. These efforts, along with parallel work in progress on gas chemistry separation, are expected to provide a significant new capability for 37 Ar soil gas background studies

Pigeons Exhibit Contextual Cueing to Both Simple and Complex Backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Wasserman, Edward A.; Teng, Yuejia; Castro, Leyre

2014-01-01

Repeated pairings of a particular visual context with a specific location of a target stimulus facilitate target search in humans. We explored an animal model of this contextual cueing effect using a novel Cueing-Miscueing design. Pigeons had to peck a target which could appear in one of four possible locations on four possible color backgrounds or four possible color photographs of real-world scenes. On 80% of the trials, each of the contexts was uniquely paired with one of the target locations; on the other 20% of the trials, each of the contexts was randomly paired with the remaining target locations. Pigeons came to exhibit robust contextual cueing when the context preceded the target by 2 s, with reaction times to the target being shorter on correctly-cued trials than on incorrectly-cued trials. Contextual cueing proved to be more robust with photographic backgrounds than with uniformly colored backgrounds. In addition, during the context-target delay, pigeons predominately pecked toward the location of the upcoming target, suggesting that attentional guidance contributes to contextual cueing. These findings confirm the effectiveness of animal models of contextual cueing and underscore the important part played by associative learning in producing the effect. PMID:24491468

Does a Rater's Professional Background Influence Communication Skills Assessment?

Science.gov (United States)

Artemiou, Elpida; Hecker, Kent G; Adams, Cindy L; Coe, Jason B

2015-01-01

There is increasing pressure in veterinary education to teach and assess communication skills, with the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) being the most common assessment method. Previous research reveals that raters are a large source of variance in OSCEs. This study focused on examining the effect of raters' professional background as a source of variance when assessing students' communication skills. Twenty-three raters were categorized according to their professional background: clinical sciences (n=11), basic sciences (n=4), clinical communication (n=5), or hospital administrator/clinical skills technicians (n=3). Raters from each professional background were assigned to the same station and assessed the same students during two four-station OSCEs. Students were in year 2 of their pre-clinical program. Repeated-measures ANOVA results showed that OSCE scores awarded by the rater groups differed significantly: (F(matched_station_1) [2,91]=6.97, p=.002), (F(matched_station_2) [3,90]=13.95, p=.001), (F(matched_station_3) [3,90]=8.76, p=.001), and ((Fmatched_station_4) [2,91]=30.60, p=.001). A significant time effect between the two OSCEs was calculated for matched stations 1, 2, and 4, indicating improved student performances. Raters with a clinical communication skills background assigned scores that were significantly lower compared to the other rater groups. Analysis of written feedback provided by the clinical sciences raters showed that they were influenced by the students' clinical knowledge of the case and that they did not rely solely on the communication checklist items. This study shows that it is important to consider rater background both in recruitment and training programs for communication skills' assessment.

Description of background data in the SKB database GEOTAB. Version 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eriksson, E.; Sehlstedt, S.

1991-03-01

During the research and development program performed by SKB for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel, a large quantity of geoscientific data was collected. Most of this data was stored in a database called Geotab. The data is organized into eight groups as follows: Background information; Geological data; Borehole geophysical measurements; Ground surface geophysical measurements; Hydrogeological and meteorological data; Hydrochemical data; Petrophysical measurements and Tracer tests. Except for the case of borehole geophysical data, ground surface geophysical data and petrophysical data, described in the same report, the data in each group is described in a separate SKB report. The present report describes data within the Background data group. This data provides information on the location of areas studied, borehole positions and also some drilling information. Data is normally collected on forms or as notes and this is then stored into the database. The background data group, called BACKGROUND, is divided into several subgroups: BGAREA area background data; BGDRILL drilling information; BGDRILLP drill penetration data; BGHOLE borehole information; BGTABLES number of rows in a table and BGTOLR data table tolerance. A method consist of one or several data tables. In each chapter a method and its data tables are described. (authors)

Characterization of the γ background in epithermal neutron scattering measurements at pulsed neutron sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pietropaolo, A.; Tardocchi, M.; Schooneveld, E.M.; Senesi, R.

2006-01-01

This paper reports the characterization of the different components of the γ background in epithermal neutron scattering experiments at pulsed neutron sources. The measurements were performed on the VESUVIO spectrometer at ISIS spallation neutron source. These measurements, carried out with a high purity germanium detector, aim to provide detailed information for the investigation of the effect of the γ energy discrimination on the signal-to-background ratio. It is shown that the γ background is produced by different sources that can be identified with their relative time structure and relative weight

Nonlinear Plasma Waves Excitation by Intense Ion Beams in Background Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaganovich, Igor D.; Startsev, Edward A.; Davidson, Ronald C.

2004-01-01

Plasma neutralization of an intense ion pulse is of interest for many applications, including plasma lenses, heavy ion fusion, cosmic ray propagation, etc. An analytical electron fluid model has been developed to describe the plasma response to a propagating ion beam. The model predicts very good charge neutralization during quasi-steady-state propagation, provided the beam pulse duration τ b is much longer than the electron plasma period 2π/ω p , where ω p = (4πe 2 n p /m) 1/2 is the electron plasma frequency and n p is the background plasma density. In the opposite limit, the beam pulse excites large-amplitude plasma waves. If the beam density is larger than the background plasma density, the plasma waves break. Theoretical predictions are compared with the results of calculations utilizing a particle-in-cell (PIC) code. The cold electron fluid results agree well with the PIC simulations for ion beam propagation through a background plasma. The reduced fluid description derived in this paper can provide an important benchmark for numerical codes and yield scaling relations for different beam and plasma parameters. The visualization of numerical simulation data shows complex collective phenomena during beam entry and exit from the plasma

Nonlinear plasma waves excitation by intense ion beams in background plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaganovich, Igor D.; Startsev, Edward A.; Davidson, Ronald C.

2004-01-01

Plasma neutralization of an intense ion pulse is of interest for many applications, including plasma lenses, heavy ion fusion, cosmic ray propagation, etc. An analytical electron fluid model has been developed to describe the plasma response to a propagating ion beam. The model predicts very good charge neutralization during quasi-steady-state propagation, provided the beam pulse duration τ b is much longer than the electron plasma period 2π/ω p , where ω p =(4πe 2 n p /m) 1/2 is the electron plasma frequency, and n p is the background plasma density. In the opposite limit, the beam pulse excites large-amplitude plasma waves. If the beam density is larger than the background plasma density, the plasma waves break. Theoretical predictions are compared with the results of calculations utilizing a particle-in-cell (PIC) code. The cold electron fluid results agree well with the PIC simulations for ion beam propagation through a background plasma. The reduced fluid description derived in this paper can provide an important benchmark for numerical codes and yield scaling relations for different beam and plasma parameters. The visualization of numerical simulation data shows complex collective phenomena during beam entry and exit from the plasma

Background study of absorbed dose in biological experiments at the Modane Underground Laboratory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lampe Nathanael

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aiming to explore how biological systems respond to ultra-low background environ-ments, we report here our background studies for biological experiments in the Modane Under-ground Laboratory. We find that the minimum radioactive background for biology experiments is limited by the potassium content of the biological sample itself, coming from its nutritive me-dium, which we find in our experimental set-up to be 26 nGy hr-1. Compared to our reference radiation environment in Clermont-Ferrand, biological experiments can be conducted in the Modane laboratory with a radiation background 8.2 times lower than the reference above-ground level. As the radiation background may be further reduced by using different nutritive media, we also provide measurements of the potassium concentration by gamma spectroscopy of yeast extract (63.3±1.2 mg g-1 and tryptone (2.5±0.2 mg g-1 in order to guide media selection in future experiments.

Example-based learning: comparing the effects of additionally providing three different integrative learning activities on physiotherapy intervention knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyer, Joseph-Omer; Hudon, Anne; Montpetit-Tourangeau, Katherine; Charlin, Bernard; Mamede, Sílvia; van Gog, Tamara

2015-03-07

Example-based learning using worked examples can foster clinical reasoning. Worked examples are instructional tools that learners can use to study the steps needed to solve a problem. Studying worked examples paired with completion examples promotes acquisition of problem-solving skills more than studying worked examples alone. Completion examples are worked examples in which some of the solution steps remain unsolved for learners to complete. Providing learners engaged in example-based learning with self-explanation prompts has been shown to foster increased meaningful learning compared to providing no self-explanation prompts. Concept mapping and concept map study are other instructional activities known to promote meaningful learning. This study compares the effects of self-explaining, completing a concept map and studying a concept map on conceptual knowledge and problem-solving skills among novice learners engaged in example-based learning. Ninety-one physiotherapy students were randomized into three conditions. They performed a pre-test and a post-test to evaluate their gains in conceptual knowledge and problem-solving skills (transfer performance) in intervention selection. They studied three pairs of worked/completion examples in a digital learning environment. Worked examples consisted of a written reasoning process for selecting an optimal physiotherapy intervention for a patient. The completion examples were partially worked out, with the last few problem-solving steps left blank for students to complete. The students then had to engage in additional self-explanation, concept map completion or model concept map study in order to synthesize and deepen their knowledge of the key concepts and problem-solving steps. Pre-test performance did not differ among conditions. Post-test conceptual knowledge was higher (P example and completion example strategies to foster intervention selection.

Silicon Nitride Background in Nanophotonic Waveguide Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashim Dhakal

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Recent studies have shown that evanescent Raman spectroscopy using a silicon nitride (SiN nanophotonic waveguide platform has higher signal enhancement when compared to free-space systems. However, signal-to-noise ratio from the waveguide at a low analyte concentration is constrained by the shot-noise from the background light originating from the waveguide itself. Hence, understanding the origin and properties of this waveguide background luminescence (WGBL is essential to developing mitigation strategies. Here, we identify the dominating component of the WGBL spectrum composed of a broad Raman scattering due to momentum selection-rule breaking in amorphous materials, and several peaks specific to molecules embedded in the core. We determine the maximum of the Raman scattering efficiency of the WGBL at room temperature for 785 nm excitation to be 4.5 ± 1 × 10−9 cm−1·sr−1, at a Stokes shift of 200 cm−1. This efficiency decreases monotonically for higher Stokes shifts. Additionally, we also demonstrate the use of slotted waveguides and quasi-transverse magnetic polarization as some mitigation strategies.

Comparing statistical tests for detecting soil contamination greater than background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardin, J.W.; Gilbert, R.O.

1993-12-01

The Washington State Department of Ecology (WSDE) recently issued a report that provides guidance on statistical issues regarding investigation and cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination under the Model Toxics Control Act Cleanup Regulation. Included in the report are procedures for determining a background-based cleanup standard and for conducting a 3-step statistical test procedure to decide if a site is contaminated greater than the background standard. The guidance specifies that the State test should only be used if the background and site data are lognormally distributed. The guidance in WSDE allows for using alternative tests on a site-specific basis if prior approval is obtained from WSDE. This report presents the results of a Monte Carlo computer simulation study conducted to evaluate the performance of the State test and several alternative tests for various contamination scenarios (background and site data distributions). The primary test performance criteria are (1) the probability the test will indicate that a contaminated site is indeed contaminated, and (2) the probability that the test will indicate an uncontaminated site is contaminated. The simulation study was conducted assuming the background concentrations were from lognormal or Weibull distributions. The site data were drawn from distributions selected to represent various contamination scenarios. The statistical tests studied are the State test, t test, Satterthwaite's t test, five distribution-free tests, and several tandem tests (wherein two or more tests are conducted using the same data set)

THE DISTORTION OF THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND SPECTRUM DUE TO INTERGALACTIC DUST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Imara, Nia; Loeb, Abraham, E-mail: nimara@cfa.harvard.edu [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2016-07-10

Infrared emission from intergalactic dust might compromise the ability of future experiments to detect subtle spectral distortions in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) from the early universe. We provide the first estimate of foreground contamination of the CMB signal due to diffuse dust emission in the intergalactic medium. We use models of the extragalactic background light to calculate the intensity of intergalactic dust emission and find that emission by intergalactic dust at z ≲ 0.5 exceeds the sensitivity of the planned Primordial Inflation Explorer to CMB spectral distortions by 1–3 orders of magnitude. In the frequency range ν = 150–2400 GHz, we place an upper limit of 0.06% on the contribution to the far-infrared background from intergalactic dust emission.

Backgrounds and characteristics of arsonists

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Labree, W.; Nijman, H.L.I.; Marle, H.J.C. van; Rassin, E.

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to gain more insight in the backgrounds and characteristics of arsonists. For this, the psychiatric, psychological, personal, and criminal backgrounds of all arsonists (n = 25), sentenced to forced treatment in the maximum security forensic hospital “De Kijvelanden”, were

16 CFR 1404.2 - Background.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Background. 1404.2 Section 1404.2 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY ACT REGULATIONS CELLULOSE INSULATION § 1404.2 Background. Based on available fire incident information, engineering analysis of the probable...

Extragalactic background light measurements and applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooray, Asantha

2016-03-01

This review covers the measurements related to the extragalactic background light intensity from γ-rays to radio in the electromagnetic spectrum over 20 decades in wavelength. The cosmic microwave background (CMB) remains the best measured spectrum with an accuracy better than 1%. The measurements related to the cosmic optical background (COB), centred at 1 μm, are impacted by the large zodiacal light associated with interplanetary dust in the inner Solar System. The best measurements of COB come from an indirect technique involving γ-ray spectra of bright blazars with an absorption feature resulting from pair-production off of COB photons. The cosmic infrared background (CIB) peaking at around 100 μm established an energetically important background with an intensity comparable to the optical background. This discovery paved the way for large aperture far-infrared and sub-millimetre observations resulting in the discovery of dusty, starbursting galaxies. Their role in galaxy formation and evolution remains an active area of research in modern-day astrophysics. The extreme UV (EUV) background remains mostly unexplored and will be a challenge to measure due to the high Galactic background and absorption of extragalactic photons by the intergalactic medium at these EUV/soft X-ray energies. We also summarize our understanding of the spatial anisotropies and angular power spectra of intensity fluctuations. We motivate a precise direct measurement of the COB between 0.1 and 5 μm using a small aperture telescope observing either from the outer Solar System, at distances of 5 AU or more, or out of the ecliptic plane. Other future applications include improving our understanding of the background at TeV energies and spectral distortions of CMB and CIB.

To assess whether indoor residual spraying can provide additional protection against clinical malaria over current best practice of long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets in The Gambia: study protocol for a two-armed cluster-randomised trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parker David

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recently, there has been mounting interest in scaling-up vector control against malaria in Africa. It needs to be determined if indoor residual spraying (IRS with DDT will provide significant marginal protection against malaria over current best practice of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs and prompt treatment in a controlled trial, given that DDT is currently the most persistent insecticide for IRS. Methods A 2 armed cluster-randomised controlled trial will be conducted to assess whether DDT IRS and LLINs combined provide better protection against clinical malaria in children than LLINs alone in rural Gambia. Each cluster will be a village, or a group of small adjacent villages; all clusters will receive LLINs and half will receive IRS in addition. Study children, aged 6 months to 13 years, will be enrolled from all clusters and followed for clinical malaria using passive case detection to estimate malaria incidence for 2 malaria transmission seasons in 2010 and 2011. This will be the primary endpoint. Exposure to malaria parasites will be assessed using light and exit traps followed by detection of Anopheles gambiae species and sporozoite infection. Study children will be surveyed at the end of each transmission season to estimate the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum infection and the prevalence of anaemia. Discussion Practical issues concerning intervention implementation, as well as the potential benefits and risks of the study, are discussed. Trial Registration ISRCTN01738840 - Spraying And Nets Towards malaria Elimination (SANTE

Determinants of patient choice of health care providers: a scoping review.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Victoor, A.; Delnoij, D.M.J.; Friele, R.D.; Rademakers, J.J.D.J.M.

2012-01-01

Background: In several North-Western European countries, a demand driven health care system has been implemented that stresses the importance of patient choice of health care providers. Patients are assumed to actively choose the best provider with the lowest costs. This selection prompts providers

Providing Sanitation for the Urban Poor in Uganda

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Okot-Okumu, J.; Oosterveer, P.J.M.

2010-01-01

After presenting background information on urbanization in Uganda, the chapter provides an overview of sanitation in the urban centres, where different social classes reside in separate zones. Factors determining sanitation provision and the use of sanitary facilities particularly in the informal

Academic Training: The cosmic microwave background - Lecture series

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2004-01-01

ACADEMIC TRAINING LECTURE REGULAR PROGRAMME 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 June From 11:00 hrs to 12:00 hrs - Main Auditorium bldg. 500 The cosmic microwave background M. Zaldarriaga / Harvard University, USA The Cosmic Microwave Background has become an indispensable tool for cosmology. The measurement of its frequency spectrum firmly established the Hot Big Bang model of the Universe. Measurements of anisotropies in its temperature and its degree of polarization provide the earliest snapshot we have of the universe, giving us information about its state at the epoch of hydrogen recombination approximately 300,000 after the Big Bang. The anisotropies can be used to constrain many of the parameters in the cosmological model, such as the mean density of baryons and dark matter as well as the curvature of the Universe. In this lectures I will review the physics of the temperature and polarization anisotropies. I will discuss the mechanisms that lead to the anisotropies and how cosmological parameters can be inferr...

[Identification and sampling of people with migration background for epidemiological studies in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Reiss, K; Makarova, N; Spallek, J; Zeeb, H; Razum, O

2013-06-01

In 2009, 19.6% of the population of Germany either had migrated themselves or were the offspring of people with migration experience. Migrants differ from the autochthonous German population in terms of health status, health awareness and health behaviour. To further investigate the health situation of migrants in Germany, epidemiological studies are needed. Such studies can employ existing databases which provide detailed information on migration status. Otherwise, onomastic or toponomastic procedures can be applied to identify people with migration background. If migrants have to be recruited into an epidemiological study, this can be done register-based (e. g., data from registration offices or telephone lists), based on residential location (random-route or random-walk procedure), via snowball sampling (e. g., through key persons) or via settings (e. g., school entry examination). An oversampling of people with migration background is not sufficient to avoid systematic bias in the sample due to non-participation. Additional measures have to be taken to increase access and raise participation rates. Personal contacting, multilingual instruments, multilingual interviewers and extensive public relations increase access and willingness to participate. Empirical evidence on 'successful' recruitment strategies for studies with migrants is still lacking in epidemiology and health sciences in Germany. The choice of the recruitment strategy as well as the measures to raise accessibility and willingness to participate depend on the available resources, the research question and the specific migrant target group. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Covariant and background independent functional RG flow for the effective average action

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Safari, Mahmoud; Vacca, Gian Paolo [Dipartimento di Fisica and INFN - Sezione di Bologna,via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy)

2016-11-23

We extend our prescription for the construction of a covariant and background-independent effective action for scalar quantum field theories to the case where momentum modes below a certain scale are suppressed by the presence of an infrared regulator. The key step is an appropriate choice of the infrared cutoff for which the Ward identity, capturing the information from single-field dependence of the ultraviolet action, continues to be exactly solvable, and therefore, in addition to covariance, manifest background independence of the effective action is guaranteed at any scale. A practical consequence is that in this framework one can adopt truncations dependent on the single total field. Furthermore we discuss the necessary and sufficient conditions for the preservation of symmetries along the renormalization group flow.

Music listening while you learn: No influence of background music on verbal learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandmann Pascale

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Whether listening to background music enhances verbal learning performance is still disputed. In this study we investigated the influence of listening to background music on verbal learning performance and the associated brain activations. Methods Musical excerpts were composed for this study to ensure that they were unknown to the subjects and designed to vary in tempo (fast vs. slow and consonance (in-tune vs. out-of-tune. Noise was used as control stimulus. 75 subjects were randomly assigned to one of five groups and learned the presented verbal material (non-words with and without semantic connotation with and without background music. Each group was exposed to one of five different background stimuli (in-tune fast, in-tune slow, out-of-tune fast, out-of-tune slow, and noise. As dependent variable, the number of learned words was used. In addition, event-related desynchronization (ERD and event-related synchronization (ERS of the EEG alpha-band were calculated as a measure for cortical activation. Results We did not find any substantial and consistent influence of background music on verbal learning. There was neither an enhancement nor a decrease in verbal learning performance during the background stimulation conditions. We found however a stronger event-related desynchronization around 800 - 1200 ms after word presentation for the group exposed to in-tune fast music while they learned the verbal material. There was also a stronger event-related synchronization for the group exposed to out-of-tune fast music around 1600 - 2000 ms after word presentation. Conclusion Verbal learning during the exposure to different background music varying in tempo and consonance did not influence learning of verbal material. There was neither an enhancing nor a detrimental effect on verbal learning performance. The EEG data suggest that the different acoustic background conditions evoke different cortical activations. The reason for

Spectral characterization of natural backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Winkelmann, Max

2017-10-01

As the distribution and use of hyperspectral sensors is constantly increasing, the exploitation of spectral features is a threat for camouflaged objects. To improve camouflage materials at first the spectral behavior of backgrounds has to be known to adjust and optimize the spectral reflectance of camouflage materials. In an international effort, the NATO CSO working group SCI-295 "Development of Methods for Measurements and Evaluation of Natural Background EO Signatures" is developing a method how this characterization of backgrounds has to be done. It is obvious that the spectral characterization of a background will be quite an effort. To compare and exchange data internationally the measurements will have to be done in a similar way. To test and further improve this method an international field trial has been performed in Storkow, Germany. In the following we present first impressions and lessons learned from this field campaign and describe the data that has been measured.

Low Background Micromegas in CAST

CERN Document Server

Garza, J.G.; Aznar, F.; Calvet, D.; Castel, J.F.; Christensen, F.E.; Dafni, T.; Davenport, M.; Decker, T.; Ferrer-Ribas, E.; Galán, J.; García, J.A.; Giomataris, I.; Hill, R.M.; Iguaz, F.J.; Irastorza, I.G.; Jakobsen, A.C.; Jourde, D.; Mirallas, H.; Ortega, I.; Papaevangelou, T.; Pivovaroff, M.J.; Ruz, J.; Tomás, A.; Vafeiadis, T.; Vogel, J.K.

2015-11-16

Solar axions could be converted into x-rays inside the strong magnetic field of an axion helioscope, triggering the detection of this elusive particle. Low background x-ray detectors are an essential component for the sensitivity of these searches. We report on the latest developments of the Micromegas detectors for the CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST), including technological pathfinder activities for the future International Axion Observatory (IAXO). The use of low background techniques and the application of discrimination algorithms based on the high granularity of the readout have led to background levels below 10$^{-6}$ counts/keV/cm$^2$/s, more than a factor 100 lower than the first generation of Micromegas detectors. The best levels achieved at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) are as low as 10$^{-7}$ counts/keV/cm$^2$/s, showing good prospects for the application of this technology in IAXO. The current background model, based on underground and surface measurements, is presented, as well as ...

Guaranteed Unresolved Point Source Emission and the Gamma-ray Background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlidou, Vasiliki; Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.; Brown, Carolyn; Fields, Brian D.; Olinto, Angela V.

2007-01-01

The large majority of EGRET point sources remain without an identified low-energy counterpart, and a large fraction of these sources are most likely extragalactic. Whatever the nature of the extragalactic EGRET unidentified sources, faint unresolved objects of the same class must have a contribution to the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGRB). Understanding this component of the EGRB, along with other guaranteed contributions from known sources (blazars and normal galaxies), is essential if we are to use this emission to constrain exotic high-energy physics. Here, we follow an empirical approach to estimate whether the contribution of unresolved unidentified sources to the EGRB is likely to be important. Additionally, we discuss how upcoming GLAST observations of EGRET unidentified sources, their fainter counterparts, and the Galactic and extragalactic diffuse backgrounds, will shed light on the nature of the EGRET unidentified sources even without any positional association of such sources with low-energy counterparts

Simulation of Experimental Background using FLUKA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rokni, Sayed

1999-05-11

In November 1997, Experiment T423 began acquiring data with the intentions of understanding the energy spectra of high-energy neutrons generated in the interaction of electrons with lead. The following describes a series of FLUKA simulations studying (1) particle yields in the absence of all background; (2) the background caused from scattering in the room; (3) the effects of the thick lead shielding which surrounded the detector; (4) the sources of neutron background created in this lead shielding; and (5) the ratio of the total background to the ideal yield. In each case, particular attention is paid to the neutron yield.

Biliary complications following orthotopic liver transplantation: May contrast-enhanced MR Cholangiography provide additional information?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piero Boraschi

2016-01-01

Conclusions: Contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR Cholangiography may improve the level of diagnostic confidence provided by conventional T2-weighted MR Cholangiography in the evaluation of biliary complications after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Energy futures project : backgrounder for consultation sessions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhargava, A.

2006-05-01

The National Energy Board periodically publishes a long-term energy and demand report as part of an ongoing monitoring program. The next report is planned for release in 2007. This background document provided background information to ensure that consultation participants have a common understanding of key issues to be addressed during the cross-country consultations that have been planned before the release of the final version of the report. An outline of the proposed analytical approach was presented, as well as details of major assumptions and scenario storylines. Scenario themes included: economic, energy and environmental sustainability; a security-focused world shaped by war and civil strife; and strong global economic growth fueled by the rapid growth of the Chinese and Indian economies. A methodology overview was provided as well as a reference case. Issues related to energy supply included oil; natural gas liquids; natural gas; and electricity. Issues related to energy demand included the residential sector; the commercial sector; the industrial sector; and the transportation sector. Historical trends and forecasts were outlined using the macroeconomic variable of interest. Supply, demand, and supporting infrastructure across all energy forms within a North American and global context were considered. The impact of environmental management strategies were reviewed, as well as the role of the government in shaping policies. It was concluded that the purpose of the final report is to serve as a standard of references for parties interested in Canadian energy issues and trends as well as to inform decision makers of key risks and uncertainties facing the energy future.9 tabs., 1 fig

Vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric field in curved background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilić, Neven; Domazet, Silvije; Guberina, Branko

2012-01-01

We study a supersymmetric model in curved background spacetime. We calculate the effective action and the vacuum expectation value of the energy momentum tensor using a covariant regularization procedure. A soft supersymmetry breaking induces a nonzero contribution to the vacuum energy density and pressure. Assuming the presence of a cosmic fluid in addition to the vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric field an effective equation of state is derived in a self-consistent approach at one loop order. The net effect of the vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric fields in the leading adiabatic order is a renormalization of the Newton and cosmological constants.

Vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric field in curved background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bilic, Neven, E-mail: bilic@thphys.irb.hr [Rudjer Boskovic Institute, POB 180, HR-10002 Zagreb (Croatia); Domazet, Silvije, E-mail: sdomazet@irb.hr [Rudjer Boskovic Institute, POB 180, HR-10002 Zagreb (Croatia); Guberina, Branko, E-mail: guberina@thphys.irb.hr [Rudjer Boskovic Institute, POB 180, HR-10002 Zagreb (Croatia)

2012-01-16

We study a supersymmetric model in curved background spacetime. We calculate the effective action and the vacuum expectation value of the energy momentum tensor using a covariant regularization procedure. A soft supersymmetry breaking induces a nonzero contribution to the vacuum energy density and pressure. Assuming the presence of a cosmic fluid in addition to the vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric field an effective equation of state is derived in a self-consistent approach at one loop order. The net effect of the vacuum fluctuations of the supersymmetric fields in the leading adiabatic order is a renormalization of the Newton and cosmological constants.

The drone as an additional risk factor due to conditions not provided for in radiological safety at major events

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira, Gilberto de Jesus

2015-01-01

Major international events are potential targets of terrorist actions, seeking instant publicity that events of this magnitude provide, with the intention of causing terror and disseminate its power to a large number of people worldwide. In this context, the critical analysis of additional risk factor linked to procedures and protocols adopted on radiation safety is important. The possibility of unforeseen situations of risk, especially those resulting from the current global technological development, is a fact. Radioactive material can be used in this type of terrorism in a wide range of devices and illicit trafficking of this material is a reality that worries the International Atomic Energy Agency. In the current technological development scenario of the world, the potential occurrence of terrorist acts using drones combined with radioactive material dispersal devices, is real. The recent history of drones incidents presents cases where, despite not having been necessarily terrorist motivation, their circumstances and characteristics favor the occurrence of malicious acts. This paper proposes to alert the need of updating the current security protocols, considering the potential association of this technology with radioactive dispersal devices. (author)

28 CFR 23.2 - Background.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Background. 23.2 Section 23.2 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS OPERATING POLICIES § 23.2 Background. It is... potential threats to the privacy of individuals to whom such data relates, policy guidelines for Federally...

Impact of adding additional providers to resident workload and the resident experience on a medical consultation rotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Michele; Linson, Eric; Suneja, Manish; Kuperman, Ethan F

2017-02-22

Excellence in Graduate Medical Education requires the right clinical environment with an appropriate workload where residents have enough patients to gain proficiency in medicine with optimal time for reflection. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has focused more on work hours rather than workload; however, high resident workload has been associated with lower resident participation in education and fatigue-related errors. Recognizing the potential risks associated with high resident workload and being mindful of the costs of reducing resident workload, we sought to reduce residents' workload by adding an advanced practice provider (APP) to the surgical comanagement service (SCM) and study its effect on resident satisfaction and perceived educational value of the rotation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 and 2015, an additional faculty member was added to the SCM rotation. In FY 2014, the faculty member was a staff physician, and in FY 2015, the faculty member was an APP.. Resident workload was assessed using billing data. We measured residents' perceptions of the rotation using an anonymous electronic survey tool. We compared FY2014-2015 data to the baseline FY2013. The number of patients seen per resident per day decreased from 8.0(SD 3.3) in FY2013 to 5.0(SD 1.9) in FY2014 (p value of the rotation (40.0%, 72.2%, 72.6% in FY2013, 2014, 2015 respectively, p perceived educational value and clinical experience of a medical consultation rotation.

Epidemiological studies in high background radiation areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akiba, Suminori

2012-01-01

Below the doses of 100-200 mSv of radiation exposure, no acute health effect is observed, and the late health effects such as cancer are yet unclear. The problems making the risk evaluation of low dose radiation exposure difficult are the fact that the magnitude of expected health effects are small even if the risk is assumed to increase in proportion to radiation doses. As a result, studies need to be large particular when dealing with rare disease such as cancer. In addition, the expected health effects are so small that they can easily be masked by lifestyles and environmental factors including smoking. This paper will discuss cancer risk possibly associated with low-dose and low-dose rate radiation exposure, describing epidemiological studies on the residents in the high-background radiation areas. (author)

Precise predictions for V + jets dark matter backgrounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindert, J.M.; Glover, N.; Morgan, T.A. [University of Durham, Department of Physics, Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, Durham (United Kingdom); Pozzorini, S.; Gehrmann, T.; Schoenherr, M. [Universitaet Zuerich, Physik-Institut, Zurich (Switzerland); Boughezal, R. [Argonne National Laboratory, High Energy Physics Division, Argonne, IL (United States); Campbell, J.M. [Fermilab, Batavia, IL (United States); Denner, A. [Universitaet Wuerzburg, Institut fuer Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Wuerzburg (Germany); Dittmaier, S.; Maierhoefer, P. [Albert-Ludwigs-Universitaet Freiburg, Physikalisches Institut, Freiburg (Germany); Gehrmann-De Ridder, A. [Universitaet Zuerich, Physik-Institut, Zurich (Switzerland); Institute for Theoretical Physics, ETH, Zurich (Switzerland); Huss, A. [Institute for Theoretical Physics, ETH, Zurich (Switzerland); Kallweit, S.; Mangano, M.L.; Salam, G.P. [CERN, Theoretical Physics Department, Geneva (Switzerland); Mueck, A. [RWTH Aachen University, Institut fuer Theoretische Teilchenphysik und Kosmologie, Aachen (Germany); Petriello, F. [Argonne National Laboratory, High Energy Physics Division, Argonne, IL (United States); Northwestern University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Evanston, IL (United States); Williams, C. [University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Department of Physics, Buffalo (United States)

2017-12-15

High-energy jets recoiling against missing transverse energy (MET) are powerful probes of dark matter at the LHC. Searches based on large MET signatures require a precise control of the Z(ν anti ν) + jet background in the signal region. This can be achieved by taking accurate data in control regions dominated by Z(l{sup +}l{sup -}) + jet, W(lν) + jet and γ + jet production, and extrapolating to the Z(ν anti ν) + jet background by means of precise theoretical predictions. In this context, recent advances in perturbative calculations open the door to significant sensitivity improvements in dark matter searches. In this spirit, we present a combination of state-of-the-art calculations for all relevant V + jets processes, including throughout NNLO QCD corrections and NLO electroweak corrections supplemented by Sudakov logarithms at two loops. Predictions at parton level are provided together with detailed recommendations for their usage in experimental analyses based on the reweighting of Monte Carlo samples. Particular attention is devoted to the estimate of theoretical uncertainties in the framework of dark matter searches, where subtle aspects such as correlations across different V + jet processes play a key role. The anticipated theoretical uncertainty in the Z(ν anti ν) + jet background is at the few percent level up to the TeV range. (orig.)

Provider and patient perception of psychiatry patient health literacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bacon O

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Inadequate health literacy in adults is a nationwide issue that is associated with worse health outcomes. There is a paucity of literacy regarding rates of inadequate health literacy in psychiatric populations. Objective: The aim of the study was to identify an existing tool that would easily identify patients who had inadequate health literacy, so that a targeted intervention could be performed. Secondarily we attempted to compare rates of inadequate health literacy with providers’ perception of patients’ health literacy. Methods: We assessed health literacy in a psychiatric population by administering the Brief Health Literacy Survey (BHLS. Additionally, all psychiatry residents, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and social workers were surveyed to assess their perception of patient health literacy. Differences between patient health literacy and provider expectations of patient health literacy were compared. Results: Inadequate health literacy was identified in 31 out of 61 patients (50.8% using 2 questions from the BHLS. Only 9 (29% of patients who were identified as having inadequate health literacy were identified by both BHLS questions. In contrast, almost 100% of providers identified their patients, in general, as having inadequate health literacy. Conclusions: These results identify a higher rate of health literacy in a psychiatric inpatient population than in the general population. However, providers at this institution likely over-identify health literacy. This highlights the need for a health literacy tool that can easily target patients with inadequate health literacy for an intervention.

LArGe: active background suppression using argon scintillation for the GERDA 0νββ-experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agostini, M.; Budjas, D.; Schoenert, S.; Barnabe-Heider, M.; Cattadori, C.; Gangapshev, A.; Gusev, K.; Heisel, M.; Smolnikov, A.; Junker, M.; Klimenko, A.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Pelczar, K.; Zuzel, G.

2015-01-01

LArGe is a GERDA low-background test facility to study novel background suppression methods in a low-background environment, for future application in the GERDA experiment. Similar to GERDA, LArGe operates bare germanium detectors submersed into liquid argon (1 m 3 , 1.4tons), which in addition is instrumented with photomultipliers to detect argon scintillation light. The scintillation signals are used in anti-coincidence with the germanium detectors to effectively suppress background events that deposit energy in the liquid argon. The background suppression efficiency was studied in combination with a pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique using a BEGe detector for various sources, which represent characteristic backgrounds to GERDA. Suppression factors of a few times 10 3 have been achieved. First background data of LArGe with a coaxial HPGe detector (without PSD) yield a background index of (0.12 - 4.6) x 10 -2 cts/(keV kg year) (90 % C.L.), which is at the level of GERDA Phase I. Furthermore, for the first time we monitor the natural 42 Ar abundance (parallel to GERDA), and have indication for the 2νββ-decay in natural germanium. These results show the effectivity of an active liquid argon veto in an ultra-low background environment. As a consequence, the implementation of a liquid argon veto in GERDA Phase II is pursued. (orig.)

LArGe: active background suppression using argon scintillation for the Gerda 0ν β β -experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, M.; Barnabé-Heider, M.; Budjáš, D.; Cattadori, C.; Gangapshev, A.; Gusev, K.; Heisel, M.; Junker, M.; Klimenko, A.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Pelczar, K.; Schönert, S.; Smolnikov, A.; Zuzel, G.

2015-10-01

LArGe is a Gerda low-background test facility to study novel background suppression methods in a low-background environment, for future application in the Gerda experiment. Similar to Gerda, LArGe operates bare germanium detectors submersed into liquid argon (1 m^3, 1.4 tons), which in addition is instrumented with photomultipliers to detect argon scintillation light. The scintillation signals are used in anti-coincidence with the germanium detectors to effectively suppress background events that deposit energy in the liquid argon. The background suppression efficiency was studied in combination with a pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique using a BEGe detector for various sources, which represent characteristic backgrounds to Gerda. Suppression factors of a few times 10^3 have been achieved. First background data of LArGe with a coaxial HPGe detector (without PSD) yield a background index of (0.12-4.6)× 10^{-2} cts/(keV kg year) (90 % C.L.), which is at the level of Gerda Phase I. Furthermore, for the first time we monitor the natural ^{42}Ar abundance (parallel to Gerda), and have indication for the 2ν β β -decay in natural germanium. These results show the effectivity of an active liquid argon veto in an ultra-low background environment. As a consequence, the implementation of a liquid argon veto in Gerda Phase II is pursued.

LArGe: active background suppression using argon scintillation for the GERDA 0νββ-experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agostini, M.; Budjas, D.; Schoenert, S. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Barnabe-Heider, M. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Cattadori, C. [Universita degli Studi di Milano, Milan (Italy); INFN, Milan (Italy); Gangapshev, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Institut for Nuclear Research, Moscow (Russian Federation); Gusev, K. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Joint Institut for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); National Research Center Kurchatov Institut, Moscow (Russian Federation); Heisel, M.; Smolnikov, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Junker, M. [Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi (Italy); Klimenko, A.; Lubashevskiy, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Joint Institut for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Pelczar, K. [Jagellonian University, Cracow (Poland); Zuzel, G. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Jagellonian University, Cracow (Poland)

2015-10-15

LArGe is a GERDA low-background test facility to study novel background suppression methods in a low-background environment, for future application in the GERDA experiment. Similar to GERDA, LArGe operates bare germanium detectors submersed into liquid argon (1 m{sup 3}, 1.4tons), which in addition is instrumented with photomultipliers to detect argon scintillation light. The scintillation signals are used in anti-coincidence with the germanium detectors to effectively suppress background events that deposit energy in the liquid argon. The background suppression efficiency was studied in combination with a pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique using a BEGe detector for various sources, which represent characteristic backgrounds to GERDA. Suppression factors of a few times 10{sup 3} have been achieved. First background data of LArGe with a coaxial HPGe detector (without PSD) yield a background index of (0.12 - 4.6) x 10{sup -2} cts/(keV kg year) (90 % C.L.), which is at the level of GERDA Phase I. Furthermore, for the first time we monitor the natural {sup 42}Ar abundance (parallel to GERDA), and have indication for the 2νββ-decay in natural germanium. These results show the effectivity of an active liquid argon veto in an ultra-low background environment. As a consequence, the implementation of a liquid argon veto in GERDA Phase II is pursued. (orig.)

BGSUB and BGFIX: FORTRAN programs to correct Ge(Li) gamma-ray spectra for photopeaks from radionuclides in background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cutshall, N.H.; Larsen, I.L.

1980-03-01

Two FORTRAN programs which provide correction and error analysis for background photopeak contributions to low-level gamma-ray spectra are discussed. A peak-by-peak background subtraction approach is used instead of channel-by-channel correction. The accuracy of corrected results near background levels is substantially improved over uncorrected values

LOFT gamma densitometer background fluxes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grimesey, R.A.; McCracken, R.T.

1978-01-01

Background gamma-ray fluxes were calculated at the location of the γ densitometers without integral shielding at both the hot-leg and cold-leg primary piping locations. The principal sources for background radiation at the γ densitometers are 16 N activity from the primary piping H 2 O and γ radiation from reactor internal sources. The background radiation was calculated by the point-kernel codes QAD-BSA and QAD-P5A. Reasonable assumptions were required to convert the response functions calculated by point-kernel procedures into the gamma-ray spectrum from reactor internal sources. A brief summary of point-kernel equations and theory is included

Radiographer interpretation of trauma radiographs: Issues for radiography education providers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardy, Maryann; Snaith, Beverly

2009-01-01

Background: The role of radiographers with respect to image interpretation within clinical practice is well recognised. It is the expectation of the professional, regulatory and academic bodies that upon qualification, radiographers will possess image interpretation skills. Additionally, The College of Radiographers has asserted that its aspiration is for all radiographers to be able to provide an immediate written interpretation on skeletal trauma radiographs by 2010. This paper explores the readiness of radiography education programmes in the UK to deliver this expectation. Method: A postal questionnaire was distributed to 25 Higher Education Institutions in the UK (including Northern Ireland) that provided pre-registration radiography education as identified from the Society and College of Radiographers register. Information was sought relating to the type of image interpretation education delivered at pre- and post-registration levels; the anatomical range of image interpretation education; and education delivery styles. Results: A total of 19 responses (n = 19/25; 76.0%) were received. Image interpretation education was included as part of all radiographer pre-registration programmes and offered at post-registration level at 12 academic centres (n = 12/19; 63.2%). The anatomical areas and educational delivery methods varied across institutions. Conclusion: Radiography education providers have embraced the need for image interpretation education within both pre- and post-registration radiography programmes. As a result, UK education programmes are able to meet the 2010 College of Radiographers aspiration.

JOURNALISM STUDIES IN ARGENTINA: BACKGROUND AND QUESTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Amado

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This article summarizes the background of empirical journalism studies in Argentina.  In recent publications, researchers have consistently underscored the lack of data on the profession and the scarce development of theoretical frameworks related to journalism studies.  The local investigations have prioritized approaches and methods that do not give the whole picture of the population of journalists. Most of the research tends to equate media analysis and media messages with journalism study and keeps on failing to provide data that allows for learning about the working conditions and the professional profile of the Argentinean journalists.

Science with Future Cosmic Microwave Background Observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernardis, P. de; Calvo, M.; Giordano, C.; Masi, S.; Nati, F.; Piacentini, F.; Schillaci, A. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Roma La Sapienza, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma (Italy)

2009-10-15

After the successful measurements of many ground based, balloon-borne and satellite experiments, which started the era of 'Precision Cosmology', Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations are now focusing on two targets: the precision measurement of B-modes in the polarization field, and the measurement of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect in distant clusters of galaxies. Polarization measurements represent the best way to probe the very early universe, and the energy scale of inflation. Fine-scale anisotropy measurements, possibly with spectral capabilities, can provide important information on dark matter and dark energy. Here we describe original approaches to these measurements.

Science with Future Cosmic Microwave Background Observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernardis, P. de; Calvo, M.; Giordano, C.; Masi, S.; Nati, F.; Piacentini, F.; Schillaci, A.

2009-01-01

After the successful measurements of many ground based, balloon-borne and satellite experiments, which started the era of 'Precision Cosmology', Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) observations are now focusing on two targets: the precision measurement of B-modes in the polarization field, and the measurement of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect in distant clusters of galaxies. Polarization measurements represent the best way to probe the very early universe, and the energy scale of inflation. Fine-scale anisotropy measurements, possibly with spectral capabilities, can provide important information on dark matter and dark energy. Here we describe original approaches to these measurements.

Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbott, B P; Abbott, R; Abbott, T D; Acernese, F; Ackley, K; Adams, C; Adams, T; Addesso, P; Adhikari, R X; Adya, V B; Affeldt, C; Afrough, M; Agarwal, B; Agathos, M; Agatsuma, K; Aggarwal, N; Aguiar, O D; Aiello, L; Ain, A; Ajith, P; Allen, B; Allen, G; Allocca, A; Altin, P A; Amato, A; Ananyeva, A; Anderson, S B; Anderson, W G; Angelova, S V; Antier, S; Appert, S; Arai, K; Araya, M C; Areeda, J S; Arnaud, N; Ascenzi, S; Ashton, G; Ast, M; Aston, S M; Astone, P; Atallah, D V; Aufmuth, P; Aulbert, C; AultONeal, K; Austin, C; Avila-Alvarez, A; Babak, S; Bacon, P; Bader, M K M; Bae, S; Baker, P T; Baldaccini, F; Ballardin, G; Ballmer, S W; Banagiri, S; Barayoga, J C; Barclay, S E; Barish, B C; Barker, D; Barkett, K; Barone, F; Barr, B; Barsotti, L; Barsuglia, M; Barta, D; Bartlett, J; Bartos, I; Bassiri, R; Basti, A; Batch, J C; Bawaj, M; Bayley, J C; Bazzan, M; Bécsy, B; Beer, C; Bejger, M; Belahcene, I; Bell, A S; Berger, B K; Bergmann, G; Bero, J J; Berry, C P L; Bersanetti, D; Bertolini, A; Betzwieser, J; Bhagwat, S; Bhandare, R; Bilenko, I A; Billingsley, G; Billman, C R; Birch, J; Birney, R; Birnholtz, O; Biscans, S; Biscoveanu, S; Bisht, A; Bitossi, M; Biwer, C; Bizouard, M A; Blackburn, J K; Blackman, J; Blair, C D; Blair, D G; Blair, R M; Bloemen, S; Bock, O; Bode, N; Boer, M; Bogaert, G; Bohe, A; Bondu, F; Bonilla, E; Bonnand, R; Boom, B A; Bork, R; Boschi, V; Bose, S; Bossie, K; Bouffanais, Y; Bozzi, A; Bradaschia, C; Brady, P R; Branchesi, M; Brau, J E; Briant, T; Brillet, A; Brinkmann, M; Brisson, V; Brockill, P; Broida, J E; Brooks, A F; Brown, D A; Brown, D D; Brunett, S; Buchanan, C C; Buikema, A; Bulik, T; Bulten, H J; Buonanno, A; Buskulic, D; Buy, C; Byer, R L; Cabero, M; Cadonati, L; Cagnoli, G; Cahillane, C; Calderón Bustillo, J; Callister, T A; Calloni, E; Camp, J B; Canepa, M; Canizares, P; Cannon, K C; Cao, H; Cao, J; Capano, C D; Capocasa, E; Carbognani, F; Caride, S; Carney, M F; Diaz, J Casanueva; Casentini, C; Caudill, S; Cavaglià, M; Cavalier, F; Cavalieri, R; Cella, G; Cepeda, C B; Cerdá-Durán, P; Cerretani, G; Cesarini, E; Chamberlin, S J; Chan, M; Chao, S; Charlton, P; Chase, E; Chassande-Mottin, E; Chatterjee, D; Cheeseboro, B D; Chen, H Y; Chen, X; Chen, Y; Cheng, H-P; Chia, H; Chincarini, A; Chiummo, A; Chmiel, T; Cho, H S; Cho, M; Chow, J H; Christensen, N; Chu, Q; Chua, A J K; Chua, S; Chung, A K W; Chung, S; Ciani, G; Ciolfi, R; Cirelli, C E; Cirone, A; Clara, F; Clark, J A; Clearwater, P; Cleva, F; Cocchieri, C; Coccia, E; Cohadon, P-F; Cohen, D; Colla, A; Collette, C G; Cominsky, L R; Constancio, M; Conti, L; Cooper, S J; Corban, P; Corbitt, T R; Cordero-Carrión, I; Corley, K R; Cornish, N; Corsi, A; Cortese, S; Costa, C A; Coughlin, E; Coughlin, M W; Coughlin, S B; Coulon, J-P; Countryman, S T; Couvares, P; Covas, P B; Cowan, E E; Coward, D M; Cowart, M J; Coyne, D C; Coyne, R; Creighton, J D E; Creighton, T D; Cripe, J; Crowder, S G; Cullen, T J; Cumming, A; Cunningham, L; Cuoco, E; Canton, T Dal; Dálya, G; Danilishin, S L; 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Grunewald, S; Gruning, P; Guidi, G M; Guo, X; Gupta, A; Gupta, M K; Gushwa, K E; Gustafson, E K; Gustafson, R; Halim, O; Hall, B R; Hall, E D; Hamilton, E Z; Hammond, G; Haney, M; Hanke, M M; Hanks, J; Hanna, C; Hannam, M D; Hannuksela, O A; Hanson, J; Hardwick, T; Harms, J; Harry, G M; Harry, I W; Hart, M J; Haster, C-J; Haughian, K; Healy, J; Heidmann, A; Heintze, M C; Heitmann, H; Hello, P; Hemming, G; Hendry, M; Heng, I S; Hennig, J; Heptonstall, A W; Heurs, M; Hild, S; Hinderer, T; Hoak, D; Hofman, D; Holt, K; Holz, D E; Hopkins, P; Horst, C; Hough, J; Houston, E A; Howell, E J; Hreibi, A; Hu, Y M; Huerta, E A; Huet, D; Hughey, B; Husa, S; Huttner, S H; Huynh-Dinh, T; Indik, N; Inta, R; Intini, G; Isa, H N; Isac, J-M; Isi, M; Iyer, B R; Izumi, K; Jacqmin, T; Jani, K; Jaranowski, P; Jawahar, S; Jiménez-Forteza, F; Johnson, W W; Jones, D I; Jones, R; Jonker, R J G; Ju, L; Junker, J; Kalaghatgi, C V; Kalogera, V; Kamai, B; Kandhasamy, S; Kang, G; Kanner, J B; Kapadia, S J; Karki, S; Karvinen, K S; Kasprzack, M; Katolik, M; Katsavounidis, E; Katzman, W; Kaufer, S; Kawabe, K; Kéfélian, F; Keitel, D; Kemball, A J; Kennedy, R; Kent, C; Key, J S; Khalili, F Y; Khan, I; Khan, S; Khan, Z; Khazanov, E A; Kijbunchoo, N; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J C; Kim, K; Kim, W; Kim, W S; Kim, Y-M; Kimbrell, S J; King, E J; King, P J; Kinley-Hanlon, M; Kirchhoff, R; Kissel, J S; Kleybolte, L; Klimenko, S; Knowles, T D; Koch, P; Koehlenbeck, S M; Koley, S; Kondrashov, V; Kontos, A; Korobko, M; Korth, W Z; Kowalska, I; Kozak, D B; Krämer, C; Kringel, V; Królak, A; Kuehn, G; Kumar, P; Kumar, R; Kumar, S; Kuo, L; Kutynia, A; Kwang, S; Lackey, B D; Lai, K H; Landry, M; Lang, R N; Lange, J; Lantz, B; Lanza, R K; Lartaux-Vollard, A; Lasky, P D; Laxen, M; Lazzarini, A; Lazzaro, C; Leaci, P; Leavey, S; Lee, C H; Lee, H K; Lee, H M; Lee, H W; Lee, K; Lehmann, J; Lenon, A; Leonardi, M; Leroy, N; Letendre, N; Levin, Y; Li, T G F; Linker, S D; Littenberg, T B; Liu, J; Lo, R K L; Lockerbie, N A; London, L T; Lord, J E; Lorenzini, M; Loriette, V; Lormand, M; Losurdo, G; Lough, J D; Lousto, C O; Lovelace, G; Lück, H; Lumaca, D; Lundgren, A P; Lynch, R; Ma, Y; Macas, R; Macfoy, S; Machenschalk, B; MacInnis, M; Macleod, D M; Magaña Hernandez, I; Magaña-Sandoval, F; Magaña Zertuche, L; Magee, R M; Majorana, E; Maksimovic, I; Man, N; Mandic, V; Mangano, V; Mansell, G L; Manske, M; Mantovani, M; Marchesoni, F; Marion, F; Márka, S; Márka, Z; Markakis, C; Markosyan, A S; Markowitz, A; Maros, E; Marquina, A; Martelli, F; Martellini, L; Martin, I W; Martin, R M; Martynov, D V; Mason, K; Massera, E; Masserot, A; Massinger, T J; Masso-Reid, M; Mastrogiovanni, S; Matas, A; Matichard, F; Matone, L; Mavalvala, N; Mazumder, N; McCarthy, R; McClelland, D E; McCormick, S; McCuller, L; McGuire, S C; McIntyre, G; McIver, J; McManus, D J; McNeill, L; McRae, T; McWilliams, S T; Meacher, D; Meadors, G D; Mehmet, M; Meidam, J; Mejuto-Villa, E; Melatos, A; Mendell, G; Mercer, R A; Merilh, E L; Merzougui, M; Meshkov, S; 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Torrie, C I; Töyrä, D; Travasso, F; Traylor, G; Trinastic, J; Tringali, M C; Trozzo, L; Tsang, K W; Tse, M; Tso, R; Tsukada, L; Tsuna, D; Tuyenbayev, D; Ueno, K; Ugolini, D; Unnikrishnan, C S; Urban, A L; Usman, S A; Vahlbruch, H; Vajente, G; Valdes, G; van Bakel, N; van Beuzekom, M; van den Brand, J F J; Van Den Broeck, C; Vander-Hyde, D C; van der Schaaf, L; van Heijningen, J V; van Veggel, A A; Vardaro, M; Varma, V; Vass, S; Vasúth, M; Vecchio, A; Vedovato, G; Veitch, J; Veitch, P J; Venkateswara, K; Venugopalan, G; Verkindt, D; Vetrano, F; Viceré, A; Viets, A D; Vinciguerra, S; Vine, D J; Vinet, J-Y; Vitale, S; Vo, T; Vocca, H; Vorvick, C; Vyatchanin, S P; Wade, A R; Wade, L E; Wade, M; Walet, R; Walker, M; Wallace, L; Walsh, S; Wang, G; Wang, H; Wang, J Z; Wang, W H; Wang, Y F; Ward, R L; Warner, J; Was, M; Watchi, J; Weaver, B; Wei, L-W; Weinert, M; Weinstein, A J; Weiss, R; Wen, L; Wessel, E K; Weßels, P; Westerweck, J; Westphal, T; Wette, K; Whelan, J T; Whiting, B F; Whittle, C; Wilken, D; Williams, D; Williams, R D; Williamson, A R; Willis, J L; Willke, B; Wimmer, M H; Winkler, W; Wipf, C C; Wittel, H; Woan, G; Woehler, J; Wofford, J; Wong, K W K; Worden, J; Wright, J L; Wu, D S; Wysocki, D M; Xiao, S; Yamamoto, H; Yancey, C C; Yang, L; Yap, M J; Yazback, M; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Yvert, M; Zadrożny, A; Zanolin, M; Zelenova, T; Zendri, J-P; Zevin, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, M; Zhang, T; Zhang, Y-H; Zhao, C; Zhou, M; Zhou, Z; Zhu, S J; Zhu, X J; Zucker, M E; Zweizig, J

2018-05-18

The detection of gravitational waves with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has enabled novel tests of general relativity, including direct study of the polarization of gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for only two tensor gravitational-wave polarizations, general metric theories can additionally predict two vector and two scalar polarizations. The polarization of gravitational waves is encoded in the spectral shape of the stochastic gravitational-wave background, formed by the superposition of cosmological and individually unresolved astrophysical sources. Using data recorded by Advanced LIGO during its first observing run, we search for a stochastic background of generically polarized gravitational waves. We find no evidence for a background of any polarization, and place the first direct bounds on the contributions of vector and scalar polarizations to the stochastic background. Under log-uniform priors for the energy in each polarization, we limit the energy densities of tensor, vector, and scalar modes at 95% credibility to Ω_{0}^{T}<5.58×10^{-8}, Ω_{0}^{V}<6.35×10^{-8}, and Ω_{0}^{S}<1.08×10^{-7} at a reference frequency f_{0}=25  Hz.

Search for Tensor, Vector, and Scalar Polarizations in the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background

Science.gov (United States)

Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Afrough, M.; Agarwal, B.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Amato, A.; Ananyeva, A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Angelova, S. V.; Antier, S.; Appert, S.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Atallah, D. V.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; AultONeal, K.; Austin, C.; Avila-Alvarez, A.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Bae, S.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Banagiri, S.; Barayoga, J. C.; Barclay, S. E.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, D.; Barkett, K.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Bawaj, M.; Bayley, J. 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R.; Hall, E. D.; Hamilton, E. Z.; Hammond, G.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hannuksela, O. A.; Hanson, J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Haster, C.-J.; Haughian, K.; Healy, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hinderer, T.; Hoak, D.; Hofman, D.; Holt, K.; Holz, D. E.; Hopkins, P.; Horst, C.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hreibi, A.; Hu, Y. M.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Indik, N.; Inta, R.; Intini, G.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J.-M.; Isi, M.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jiménez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Junker, J.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kamai, B.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Kapadia, S. J.; Karki, S.; Karvinen, K. S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katolik, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kawabe, K.; Kéfélian, F.; Keitel, D.; Kemball, A. J.; Kennedy, R.; Kent, C.; Key, J. S.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan, S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J. C.; Kim, K.; Kim, W.; Kim, W. S.; Kim, Y.-M.; Kimbrell, S. J.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kinley-Hanlon, M.; Kirchhoff, R.; Kissel, J. S.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Knowles, T. D.; Koch, P.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Krämer, C.; Kringel, V.; Królak, A.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kumar, R.; Kumar, S.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Kwang, S.; Lackey, B. D.; Lai, K. H.; Landry, M.; Lang, R. N.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lanza, R. K.; Lartaux-Vollard, A.; Lasky, P. D.; Laxen, M.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, H. W.; Lee, K.; Lehmann, J.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Li, T. G. F.; Linker, S. D.; Littenberg, T. B.; Liu, J.; Lo, R. K. L.; Lockerbie, N. A.; London, L. T.; Lord, J. E.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lousto, C. O.; Lovelace, G.; Lück, H.; Lumaca, D.; Lundgren, A. P.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; Macas, R.; Macfoy, S.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magaña Hernandez, I.; Magaña-Sandoval, F.; Magaña Zertuche, L.; Magee, R. M.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Man, N.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markakis, C.; Markosyan, A. S.; Markowitz, A.; Maros, E.; Marquina, A.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martin, R. M.; Martynov, D. V.; Mason, K.; Massera, E.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Matas, A.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; McCarthy, R.; McClelland, D. E.; McCormick, S.; McCuller, L.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McNeill, L.; McRae, T.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Mehmet, M.; Meidam, J.; Mejuto-Villa, E.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Metzdorff, R.; Meyers, P. M.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; Mikhailov, E. E.; Milano, L.; Miller, A. L.; Miller, B. B.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Milovich-Goff, M. C.; Minazzoli, O.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moffa, D.; Moggi, A.; Mogushi, K.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, C. J.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morriss, S. R.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Muñiz, E. A.; Muratore, M.; Murray, P. G.; Napier, K.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nayak, R. K.; Neilson, J.; Nelemans, G.; Nelson, T. J. N.; Nery, M.; Neunzert, A.; Nevin, L.; Newport, J. M.; Newton, G.; Ng, K. K. Y.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nichols, D.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Noack, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; North, C.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; O'Dea, G. D.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Okada, M. A.; Oliver, M.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; Ormiston, R.; Ortega, L. F.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ossokine, S.; Ottaway, D. J.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; Pace, A. E.; Page, J.; Page, M. A.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, Howard; Pan, Huang-Wei; Pang, B.; Pang, P. T. H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Parida, A.; Parker, W.; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patil, M.; Patricelli, B.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Perez, C. J.; Perreca, A.; Perri, L. M.; Pfeiffer, H. P.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pirello, M.; Pitkin, M.; Poe, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Porter, E. K.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Pratt, J. W. W.; Pratten, G.; Predoi, V.; Prestegard, T.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Pürrer, M.; Qi, H.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rajan, C.; Rajbhandari, B.; Rakhmanov, M.; Ramirez, K. E.; Ramos-Buades, A.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Read, J.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Ren, W.; Reyes, S. 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V.; Toland, K.; Tonelli, M.; Tornasi, Z.; Torres-Forné, A.; Torrie, C. I.; Töyrä, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trinastic, J.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tsang, K. W.; Tse, M.; Tso, R.; Tsukada, L.; Tsuna, D.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ueno, K.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Bakel, N.; van Beuzekom, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Varma, V.; Vass, S.; Vasúth, M.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Venugopalan, G.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Viets, A. D.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; Wade, L. E.; Wade, M.; Walet, R.; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, J. Z.; Wang, W. H.; Wang, Y. F.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Watchi, J.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L.-W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Wen, L.; Wessel, E. K.; Weßels, P.; Westerweck, J.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whiting, B. F.; Whittle, C.; Wilken, D.; Williams, D.; Williams, R. D.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Woehler, J.; Wofford, J.; Wong, K. W. K.; Worden, J.; Wright, J. L.; Wu, D. S.; Wysocki, D. M.; Xiao, S.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yang, L.; Yap, M. J.; Yazback, M.; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Yvert, M.; ZadroŻny, A.; Zanolin, M.; Zelenova, T.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, Y.-H.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, S. J.; Zhu, X. J.; Zucker, M. E.; Zweizig, J.; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration

2018-05-01

The detection of gravitational waves with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo has enabled novel tests of general relativity, including direct study of the polarization of gravitational waves. While general relativity allows for only two tensor gravitational-wave polarizations, general metric theories can additionally predict two vector and two scalar polarizations. The polarization of gravitational waves is encoded in the spectral shape of the stochastic gravitational-wave background, formed by the superposition of cosmological and individually unresolved astrophysical sources. Using data recorded by Advanced LIGO during its first observing run, we search for a stochastic background of generically polarized gravitational waves. We find no evidence for a background of any polarization, and place the first direct bounds on the contributions of vector and scalar polarizations to the stochastic background. Under log-uniform priors for the energy in each polarization, we limit the energy densities of tensor, vector, and scalar modes at 95% credibility to Ω0T<5.58 ×10-8 , Ω0V<6.35 ×10-8 , and Ω0S<1.08 ×10-7 at a reference frequency f0=25 Hz .

On the spatial behavior of background plasma in different background pressure in CPS device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samantaray, Subrata; Paikaray, Rita; Sahoo, Gourishankar; Das, Parthasarathi; Ghosh, Joydeep; Sanyasi, Amulya Kumar

2015-01-01

Blob formation and transport is a major concern for investigators as it greatly reduces the efficiency of the devices. Initial results from CPS device confirm the role of fast neutrals inside the bulk plasma in the process of blob formation and transport. 2-D simulation of curvature and velocity shear instability in plasma structures suggest that in the presence of background plasma, secondary instability do not grow non-linearly to a high level and stabilizes the flow. Adiabaticity effect also creates a radial barrier for interchange modes. In the absence of background plasma the blob fragments even at the modest level of viscosity. The fast neutrals outside bulk plasma supposed to stabilize the system. The background plasma set up is aimed at creating fast neutrals outside main plasma column, hence; the background plasma set up is done in CPS device. The spatial behavior of plasma column in between electrodes is different for different base pressure in CPS device. The spatial variation of electron temperature of plasma column between electrodes is presented in this communication. Electron temperature is measured from emission spectroscopy data. The maximum electron temperature (line averaged) is ∼ 1.5 eV. (author)

Aircraft and background noise annoyance effects

Science.gov (United States)

Willshire, K. F.

1984-01-01

To investigate annoyance of multiple noise sources, two experiments were conducted. The first experiment, which used 48 subjects, was designed to establish annoyance-noise level functions for three community noise sources presented individually: jet aircraft flyovers, air conditioner, and traffic. The second experiment, which used 216 subjects, investigated the effects of background noise on aircraft annoyance as a function of noise level and spectrum shape; and the differences between overall, aircraft, and background noise annoyance. In both experiments, rated annoyance was the dependent measure. Results indicate that the slope of the linear relationship between annoyance and noise level for traffic is significantly different from that of flyover and air conditioner noise and that further research was justified to determine the influence of the two background noises on overall, aircraft, and background noise annoyance (e.g., experiment two). In experiment two, total noise exposure, signal-to-noise ratio, and background source type were found to have effects on all three types of annoyance. Thus, both signal-to-noise ratio, and the background source must be considered when trying to determine community response to combined noise sources.

Real-Time Adaptive Foreground/Background Segmentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sridha Sridharan

2005-08-01

Full Text Available The automatic analysis of digital video scenes often requires the segmentation of moving objects from a static background. Historically, algorithms developed for this purpose have been restricted to small frame sizes, low frame rates, or offline processing. The simplest approach involves subtracting the current frame from the known background. However, as the background is rarely known beforehand, the key is how to learn and model it. This paper proposes a new algorithm that represents each pixel in the frame by a group of clusters. The clusters are sorted in order of the likelihood that they model the background and are adapted to deal with background and lighting variations. Incoming pixels are matched against the corresponding cluster group and are classified according to whether the matching cluster is considered part of the background. The algorithm has been qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated against three other well-known techniques. It demonstrated equal or better segmentation and proved capable of processing 320×240 PAL video at full frame rate using only 35%–40% of a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4 computer.

Natural background radiation and population dose distribution in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nambi, K.S.V.; Bapat, V.N.; David, M.; Sundaram, V.K.; Sunta, C.M.; Soman, S.D.

1986-01-01

A country-wide survey of the outdoor natural background gamma radiation levels has been made using mailed thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs). The salient features of the results are: (1) The air-kerma levels and the population doses in various states follow log-normal and normal distributions respectively. (2) The national average value for the air dose (air-kerma) is 775 ± 370 (1σ)μGy/y. (3) The lowest air-kerma recorded is 0.23 mGy/y at Minicoy (Laccadive Islands) and the highest is 26.73 mGy/y at Chavra (monazite areas, Kerala). (4) There are significant temporal variation s (even as high as ± 40 per cent) of the background radiation level at many locations and at least in 10 locations where radon/thoron measurements are available, these could be associated with the seasonal variations in radon/thoron levels. (5) The mail control TLDs indicate a country-wide average value of 785 ± 225 μGy/y for the air-kerma which can be considered to provide a truly national average value for the natural background radiation level in India. (6) The mean natural radiation per caput for the country works out to be 690 ± 200 (1σ) Sv/y. (7) The natural radiation per caput seems to be maximum for Andhra Pradesh (1065 ± 325 μSv/y) and minimum for Maharashtra (370 ± 80 μSv/y). (8) The population dose from the external natural background radiation is estimated to be half a million person-Sievert. (9) Assuming 1 CRP risk factor, it can be estimated that just one out of the 43 cancer deaths occurring on an average per 100,000 population in India, can be attributed to the external natural background radiation. (author). 18 refs., 13 tabs., 9 figs

Differential activation of an identified motor neuron and neuromodulation provide Aplysia's retractor muscle an additional function.

Science.gov (United States)

McManus, Jeffrey M; Lu, Hui; Cullins, Miranda J; Chiel, Hillel J

2014-08-15

To survive, animals must use the same peripheral structures to perform a variety of tasks. How does a nervous system employ one muscle to perform multiple functions? We addressed this question through work on the I3 jaw muscle of the marine mollusk Aplysia californica's feeding system. This muscle mediates retraction of Aplysia's food grasper in multiple feeding responses and is innervated by a pool of identified neurons that activate different muscle regions. One I3 motor neuron, B38, is active in the protraction phase, rather than the retraction phase, suggesting the muscle has an additional function. We used intracellular, extracellular, and muscle force recordings in several in vitro preparations as well as recordings of nerve and muscle activity from intact, behaving animals to characterize B38's activation of the muscle and its activity in different behavior types. We show that B38 specifically activates the anterior region of I3 and is specifically recruited during one behavior, swallowing. The function of this protraction-phase jaw muscle contraction is to hold food; thus the I3 muscle has an additional function beyond mediating retraction. We additionally show that B38's typical activity during in vivo swallowing is insufficient to generate force in an unmodulated muscle and that intrinsic and extrinsic modulation shift the force-frequency relationship to allow contraction. Using methods that traverse levels from individual neuron to muscle to intact animal, we show how regional muscle activation, differential motor neuron recruitment, and neuromodulation are key components in Aplysia's generation of multifunctionality. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Simultaneous measurement of tritium and radiocarbon by ultra-low-background proportional counting.

Science.gov (United States)

Mace, Emily; Aalseth, Craig; Alexander, Tom; Back, Henning; Day, Anthony; Hoppe, Eric; Keillor, Martin; Moran, Jim; Overman, Cory; Panisko, Mark; Seifert, Allen

2017-08-01

Use of ultra-low-background capabilities at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provide enhanced sensitivity for measurement of low-activity sources of tritium and radiocarbon using proportional counters. Tritium levels are nearly back to pre-nuclear test backgrounds (~2-8 TU in rainwater), which can complicate their dual measurement with radiocarbon due to overlap in the beta decay spectra. We present results of single-isotope proportional counter measurements used to analyze a dual-isotope methane sample synthesized from ~120mg of H 2 O and present sensitivity results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An analysis of the Bonn agreement. Background information for evaluating business implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torvanger, Asbjoern

2001-01-01

This report has been commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and written in August 2001. The aim of the report is to present and analyze the newest developments in the climate negotiations, particularly from part two of the sixth Conference of the Parties to the Climate Convention in Bonn in July 2001, and to provide background information to evaluate what the ''Bonn agreement'' means for business. The report is organized as a collection of slides with supporting text explaining the background and contents of each slide. (author)

Cultural competency: providing quality care to diverse populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Betancourt, Joseph R

2006-12-01

The goal of this paper is to define cultural competence and present a practical framework to address crosscultural challenges that emerge in the clinical encounter, with a particular focus on the issue of nonadherence. English-language literature, both primary and reports from various agencies, and the author's personal experiences in clinical practice. Relevant literature on patient-centered care and cultural competence. There is a growing literature that delineates the impact of sociocultural factors, race, ethnicity, and limited-English proficiency on health and clinical care. The field of cultural competence focuses on addressing these issues. Health care providers need a practical set of tools and skills that will enable them to provide quality care to patients during a brief encounter, whatever differences in background that may exist. Cultural competence has evolved from the gathering of information and making of assumptions about patients on the basis of their sociocultural background to the development of skills to implement the principles of patient-centered care. This patient-based approach to cross-cultural care consists of first, assessing core cross-cultural issues; second, exploring the meaning of the illness to the patient; third, determining the social context in which the patient lives; and fourth, engaging in negotiation with the patient to encourage adherence. Addressing adherence is a particularly challenging issue, the determinants of which are multifactorial, and the ESFT (explanatory/social/fears/treatment) model--derived from the patient-based approach--is a tool that identifies barriers to adherence and provides strategies to address them. It obviously is impossible to learn everything about every culture and that should not be expected. Instead, we should learn about the communities we care for. More important, we should have a framework that allows us to provide appropriate care for any patient--one that deals with issues of adherence

Computerized analysis of isometric tension studies provides important additional information about vasomotor activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent M.B.

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Concentration-response curves of isometric tension studies on isolated blood vessels are obtained traditionally. Although parameters such as Imax, EC50 and pA2 may be readily calculated, this method does not provide information on the temporal profile of the responses or the actual nature of the reaction curves. Computerized data acquisition systems can be used to obtain average data that represent a new source of otherwise inaccessible information, since early and late responses may be observed separately in detail

Measurement of background gamma radiation in the northern Marshall Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Bordner, Autumn S; Crosswell, Danielle A; Katz, Ainsley O; Shah, Jill T; Zhang, Catherine R; Nikolic-Hughes, Ivana; Hughes, Emlyn W; Ruderman, Malvin A

2016-06-21

We report measurements of background gamma radiation levels on six islands in the northern Marshall Islands (Enewetak, Medren, and Runit onEnewetak Atoll; Bikini and Nam on Bikini Atoll; and Rongelap on Rongelap Atoll). Measurable excess radiation could be expected from the decay of (137)Cs produced by the US nuclear testing program there from 1946 to 1958. These recordings are of relevance to safety of human habitation and resettlement. We find low levels of gamma radiation for the settled island of Enewetak [mean = 7.6 millirem/year (mrem/y) = 0.076 millisievert/year (mSv/y)], larger levels of gamma radiation for the island of Rongelap (mean = 19.8 mrem/y = 0.198 mSv/y), and relatively high gamma radiation on the island of Bikini (mean = 184 mrem/y = 1.84 mSv/y). Distributions of gamma radiation levels are provided, and hot spots are discussed. We provide interpolated maps for four islands (Enewetak, Medren, Bikini, and Rongelap), and make comparisons to control measurements performed on the island of Majuro in the southern Marshall Islands, measurements made in Central Park in New York City, and the standard agreed upon by the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) governments (100 mrem/y = 1 mSv/y). External gamma radiation levels on Bikini Island significantly exceed this standard (P = <0.01), and external gamma radiation levels on the other islands are below the standard. To determine conclusively whether these islands are safe for habitation, radiation exposure through additional pathways such as food ingestion must be considered.

The natural radiation background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duggleby, J.C.

1982-01-01

The components of the natural background radiation and their variations are described. Cosmic radiation is a major contributor to the external dose to the human body whilst naturally-occurring radionuclides of primordial and cosmogenic origin contribute to both the external and internal doses, with the primordial radionuclides being the major contributor in both cases. Man has continually modified the radiation dose to which he has been subjected. The two traditional methods of measuring background radiation, ionisation chamber measurements and scintillation counting, are looked at and the prospect of using thermoluminescent dosimetry is considered

Assessment of natural background radiation in one of the highest regions of Ecuador

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Mario; Chávez, Estefanía; Echeverría, Magdy; Córdova, Rafael; Recalde, Celso

2018-05-01

Natural background radiation was measured in the province of Chimborazo (Ecuador) with the following reference coordinates 1°40'00''S 78°39'00''W, where the furthest point to the center of the planet is located. Natural background radiation measurements were performed at 130 randomly selected sites using a Geiger Müller GCA-07W portable detector; these measurements were run at 6 m away from buildings or walls and 1 m above the ground. The global average natural background radiation established by UNSCEAR is 2.4 mSv y-1. In the study area measurements ranged from 0.57 mSv y-1 to 3.09 mSv y-1 with a mean value of 1.57 mSv y-1, the maximum value was recorded in the north of the study area at 5073 metres above sea level (m.a.s.l.), and the minimum value was recorded in the southwestern area at 297 m.a.s.l. An isodose map was plotted to represent the equivalent dose rate due to natural background radiation. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) between the data of the high and low regions of the study area showed a significant difference (p < α), in addition a linear correlation coefficient of 0.92 was obtained, supporting the hypothesis that in high altitude zones extraterrestrial radiation contributes significantly to natural background radiation.

12 CFR 408.1 - Background.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Background. 408.1 Section 408.1 Banks and Banking EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES PROCEDURES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT General § 408.1 Background. (a) The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C...

Sensitivity of LDEF foil analyses using ultra-low background germanium vs. large NaI(Tl) multidimensional spectrometers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reeves, J.H.; Arthur, R.J.; Brodzinski, R.L.

1992-06-01

Cobalt foils and stainless steel samples were analyzed for induced 6O Co activity with both an ultra-low background germanium gamma-ray spectrometer and with a large NaI(Tl) multidimensional spectrometer, both of which use electronic anticoincidence shielding to reduce background counts resulting from cosmic rays. Aluminum samples were analyzed for 22 Na. The results, in addition to the relative sensitivities and precisions afforded by the two methods, are presented

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants: preparing new providers for hospital medicine at the mayo clinic.

Science.gov (United States)

Spychalla, Megan T; Heathman, Joanne H; Pearson, Katherine A; Herber, Andrew J; Newman, James S

2014-01-01

Hospital medicine is a growing field with an increasing demand for additional healthcare providers, especially in the face of an aging population. Reductions in resident duty hours, coupled with a continued deficit of medical school graduates to appropriately meet the demand, require an additional workforce to counter the shortage. A major dilemma of incorporating nonphysician providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants (NPPAs) into a hospital medicine practice is their varying academic backgrounds and inpatient care experiences. Medical institutions seeking to add NPPAs to their hospital medicine practice need a structured orientation program and ongoing NPPA educational support. This article outlines an NPPA orientation and training program within the Division of Hospital Internal Medicine (HIM) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. In addition to a practical orientation program that other institutions can model and implement, the division of HIM also developed supplemental learning modalities to maintain ongoing NPPA competencies and fill learning gaps, including a formal NPPA hospital medicine continuing medical education (CME) course, an NPPA simulation-based boot camp, and the first hospital-based NPPA grand rounds offering CME credit. Since the NPPA orientation and training program was implemented, NPPAs within the division of HIM have gained a reputation for possessing a strong clinical skill set coupled with a depth of knowledge in hospital medicine. The NPPA-physician model serves as an alternative care practice, and we believe that with the institution of modalities, including a structured orientation program, didactic support, hands-on learning, and professional growth opportunities, NPPAs are capable of fulfilling the gap created by provider shortages and resident duty hour restrictions. Additionally, the use of NPPAs in hospital medicine allows for patient care continuity that is otherwise missing with resident practice models.

Quantum background independence in string theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witten, E.

1994-01-01

Not only in physical string theories, but also in some highly simplified situations, background independence has been difficult to understand. It is argued that the ''holomorphic anomaly'' of Bershadsky, Cecotti, Ooguri and Vafa gives a fundamental explanation of some of the problems. Moreover, their anomaly equation can be interpreted in terms of a rather peculiar quantum version of background independence: in systems afflicted by the anomaly, background independence does not hold order by order in perturbation theory, but the exact partition function as a function of the coupling constants has a background independent interpretation as a state in an auxiliary quantum Hilbert space. The significance of this auxiliary space is otherwise unknown. (author). 23 refs

Music listening while you learn: no influence of background music on verbal learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Jäncke, Lutz; Sandmann, Pascale

2010-01-07

Whether listening to background music enhances verbal learning performance is still disputed. In this study we investigated the influence of listening to background music on verbal learning performance and the associated brain activations. Musical excerpts were composed for this study to ensure that they were unknown to the subjects and designed to vary in tempo (fast vs. slow) and consonance (in-tune vs. out-of-tune). Noise was used as control stimulus. 75 subjects were randomly assigned to one of five groups and learned the presented verbal material (non-words with and without semantic connotation) with and without background music. Each group was exposed to one of five different background stimuli (in-tune fast, in-tune slow, out-of-tune fast, out-of-tune slow, and noise). As dependent variable, the number of learned words was used. In addition, event-related desynchronization (ERD) and event-related synchronization (ERS) of the EEG alpha-band were calculated as a measure for cortical activation. We did not find any substantial and consistent influence of background music on verbal learning. There was neither an enhancement nor a decrease in verbal learning performance during the background stimulation conditions. We found however a stronger event-related desynchronization around 800 - 1200 ms after word presentation for the group exposed to in-tune fast music while they learned the verbal material. There was also a stronger event-related synchronization for the group exposed to out-of-tune fast music around 1600 - 2000 ms after word presentation. Verbal learning during the exposure to different background music varying in tempo and consonance did not influence learning of verbal material. There was neither an enhancing nor a detrimental effect on verbal learning performance. The EEG data suggest that the different acoustic background conditions evoke different cortical activations. The reason for these different cortical activations is unclear. The most

Quantitative analysis of EGR proteins binding to DNA: assessing additivity in both the binding site and the protein

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stormo Gary D

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recognition codes for protein-DNA interactions typically assume that the interacting positions contribute additively to the binding energy. While this is known to not be precisely true, an additive model over the DNA positions can be a good approximation, at least for some proteins. Much less information is available about whether the protein positions contribute additively to the interaction. Results Using EGR zinc finger proteins, we measure the binding affinity of six different variants of the protein to each of six different variants of the consensus binding site. Both the protein and binding site variants include single and double mutations that allow us to assess how well additive models can account for the data. For each protein and DNA alone we find that additive models are good approximations, but over the combined set of data there are context effects that limit their accuracy. However, a small modification to the purely additive model, with only three additional parameters, improves the fit significantly. Conclusion The additive model holds very well for every DNA site and every protein included in this study, but clear context dependence in the interactions was detected. A simple modification to the independent model provides a better fit to the complete data.

Medical Care Provided Under California's Workers' Compensation Program: Effects of the Reforms and Additional Opportunities to Improve the Quality and Efficiency of Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Wynn, Barbara O; Timbie, Justin W; Sorbero, Melony E

2011-01-01

Since 2004, significant changes have been made to the California workers' compensation (WC) system. The Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation (CHSWC) asked the RAND Corporation to examine the impact that these changes have on the medical care provided to injured workers. This study synthesizes findings from interviews and available information regarding the implementation of the changes affecting WC medical care and identifies areas in which additional changes might increase the quality and efficiency of care delivered under the WC system. To improve incentives for efficiently providing medically appropriate care, California should revise its fee schedule allowances for services provided by hospitals to inpatients, freestanding ambulatory surgery centers, and physicians, create nonmonetary incentives for providing medically appropriate care in the medical provider network (MPN) context through more-selective contracting with providers and reducing medical review requirements for high-performing physicians; reduce incentives for inappropriate prescribing practices by curtailing in-office physician dispensing; and implement pharmacy benefit network regulations. To increase accountability for performance, California should revise the MPN certification process to place accountability for meeting MPN standards on the entity contracting with the physician network; strengthen Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) authorities to provide intermediate sanctions for failure to comply with MPN requirements; and modify the Labor Code to remove payers and MPNs from the definition of individually identifiable data so that performance on key measures can be publicly available. To facilitate monitoring and oversight, California should provide DWC with more flexibility to add needed data elements to medical data reporting and provide penalties for a claim administrator failing to comply with the data-reporting requirements; require that medical cost

Additive Manufacturing of Aerospace Propulsion Components

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, Ajay K.; Grady, Joseph E.; Carter, Robert

2015-01-01

The presentation will provide an overview of ongoing activities on additive manufacturing of aerospace propulsion components, which included rocket propulsion and gas turbine engines. Future opportunities on additive manufacturing of hybrid electric propulsion components will be discussed.

Do executives' backgrounds matter to IPO investors? Evidence from the life science industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Chok, Jay; Qian, Jifeng

2013-01-01

In this study, we focus on the impact of senior executives' industry backgrounds on the amount of capital raised in the stock market. The primary contribution of the study entails applying the upper echelon theory to the initial public offering (IPO) phenomenon. Specifically, we hypothesize that the industry backgrounds of corporate executives affect the amount of capital that the firm raised in the primary stock market. We argue that the firm's future investment strategies are unobserved by the investors ex-ante and investors expect firms' investment strategies to be based on the executives' industry backgrounds. As a result, the executives' industry backgrounds influence the investors' expectations about what investment strategies the firm is likely to deploy. Furthermore, the above logic also suggests that executives of different industry backgrounds should prefer different investment strategies corresponding with demand for different amount of capital. As a result, we expect the industry backgrounds to covary with the capital raised from both the supply and demand perspectives. To test the hypotheses, we ran a reduced econometric model wherein the executives' background predicts the amount of capital raised. Regression analyses suggest that the capital raised is negatively associated with the number of senior executives with prior career experience in the healthcare and genomic sectors but positively associated with the number of senior executives with prior career experience in regulatory affairs. The results provide tentative support for the notion that investors infer corporate strategies from senior executives' industry backgrounds.

Do executives' backgrounds matter to IPO investors? Evidence from the life science industry.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jay Chok

Full Text Available In this study, we focus on the impact of senior executives' industry backgrounds on the amount of capital raised in the stock market. The primary contribution of the study entails applying the upper echelon theory to the initial public offering (IPO phenomenon. Specifically, we hypothesize that the industry backgrounds of corporate executives affect the amount of capital that the firm raised in the primary stock market. We argue that the firm's future investment strategies are unobserved by the investors ex-ante and investors expect firms' investment strategies to be based on the executives' industry backgrounds. As a result, the executives' industry backgrounds influence the investors' expectations about what investment strategies the firm is likely to deploy. Furthermore, the above logic also suggests that executives of different industry backgrounds should prefer different investment strategies corresponding with demand for different amount of capital. As a result, we expect the industry backgrounds to covary with the capital raised from both the supply and demand perspectives. To test the hypotheses, we ran a reduced econometric model wherein the executives' background predicts the amount of capital raised. Regression analyses suggest that the capital raised is negatively associated with the number of senior executives with prior career experience in the healthcare and genomic sectors but positively associated with the number of senior executives with prior career experience in regulatory affairs. The results provide tentative support for the notion that investors infer corporate strategies from senior executives' industry backgrounds.

Do Executives' Backgrounds Matter to IPO Investors? Evidence from the Life Science Industry

Science.gov (United States)

Chok, Jay; Qian, Jifeng

2013-01-01

In this study, we focus on the impact of senior executives' industry backgrounds on the amount of capital raised in the stock market. The primary contribution of the study entails applying the upper echelon theory to the initial public offering (IPO) phenomenon. Specifically, we hypothesize that the industry backgrounds of corporate executives affect the amount of capital that the firm raised in the primary stock market. We argue that the firm's future investment strategies are unobserved by the investors ex-ante and investors expect firms' investment strategies to be based on the executives' industry backgrounds. As a result, the executives' industry backgrounds influence the investors' expectations about what investment strategies the firm is likely to deploy. Furthermore, the above logic also suggests that executives of different industry backgrounds should prefer different investment strategies corresponding with demand for different amount of capital. As a result, we expect the industry backgrounds to covary with the capital raised from both the supply and demand perspectives. To test the hypotheses, we ran a reduced econometric model wherein the executives' background predicts the amount of capital raised. Regression analyses suggest that the capital raised is negatively associated with the number of senior executives with prior career experience in the healthcare and genomic sectors but positively associated with the number of senior executives with prior career experience in regulatory affairs. The results provide tentative support for the notion that investors infer corporate strategies from senior executives' industry backgrounds. PMID:23690920

Background studies for NaI(Tl) detectors in the ANAIS dark matter project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amaré, J.; Borjabad, S.; Cebrián, S.; Cuesta, C.; Fortuño, D.; García, E.; Ginestra, C.; Gómez, H.; Martínez, M.; Oliván, M. A.; Ortigoza, Y.; Solórzano, A. Ortiz de; Pobes, C.; Puimedón, J.; Sarsa, M. L.; Villar, J. A.; Villar, P.

2013-01-01

Several large NaI(Tl) detectors, produced by different companies, have been operated in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) in the frame of the ANAIS (Annual modulation with NaI Scintillators) project devoted to the direct detection of dark matter. A complete background model has been developed for a 9.6 kg detector (referred as ANAIS-0 prototype) after a long data taking at LSC. Activities from the natural chains of 238 U and 232 Th, and 40 K in the NaI(Tl) crystal were evaluated applying different methods: discrimination of alpha particles vs beta/gamma background by Pulse Shape Analysis for quantifying the content of the natural chains and coincidence techniques for 40 K. Radioactive contaminations in the detector and shielding components were also determined by HPGe spectrometry. Monte Carlo simulations using Geant4 package were carried out to evaluate their contribution. At high energies, most of the measured background is nicely reproduced; at low energy some non-explained components are still present, although some plausible background sources have been analyzed. The 40 K content of the NaI(Tl) crystal has been confirmed to be the dominant contributor to the measured background with this detector. In addition, preliminary results of the background characterization, presently underway at the LSC, of two recently produced NaI(Tl) detectors, with 12.5 kg mass each, will be presented: cosmogenic induced activity has been clearly observed and is being quantified, and 40 K activity at a level ten times lower than in ANAIS-0 has been determined

The background in the experiment Gerda

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Andreotti, E.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Barnabé Heider, M.; Barros, N.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Becerici-Schmidt, N.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Budjáš, D.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; Cossavella, F.; Demidova, E. V.; Domula, A.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Ferella, A.; Freund, K.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gotti, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Guthikonda, K. K.; Hampel, W.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Heusser, G.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Ioannucci, L.; Csáthy, J. Janicskó; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Klimenko, A.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Liu, X.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Machado, A. A.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Nemchenok, I.; Nisi, S.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Palioselitis, D.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pessina, G.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Sada, C.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Schönert, S.; Shevchik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Strecker, H.; Tarka, M.; Ur, C. A.; Vasenko, A. A.; Volynets, O.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Walter, M.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zavarise, P.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

2014-04-01

The GERmanium Detector Array ( Gerda) experiment at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) of INFN is searching for neutrinoless double beta () decay of Ge. The signature of the signal is a monoenergetic peak at 2039 keV, the value of the decay. To avoid bias in the signal search, the present analysis does not consider all those events, that fall in a 40 keV wide region centered around . The main parameters needed for the analysis are described. A background model was developed to describe the observed energy spectrum. The model contains several contributions, that are expected on the basis of material screening or that are established by the observation of characteristic structures in the energy spectrum. The model predicts a flat energy spectrum for the blinding window around with a background index ranging from 17.6 to 23.8 cts/(keV kg yr). A part of the data not considered before has been used to test if the predictions of the background model are consistent. The observed number of events in this energy region is consistent with the background model. The background at is dominated by close sources, mainly due to K, Bi, Th, Co and emitting isotopes from the Ra decay chain. The individual fractions depend on the assumed locations of the contaminants. It is shown, that after removal of the known peaks, the energy spectrum can be fitted in an energy range of 200 keV around with a constant background. This gives a background index consistent with the full model and uncertainties of the same size.

Alpha Background Discrimination in the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR

Science.gov (United States)

Gruszko, Julieta; Majorana Collaboration

2017-09-01

The Majorana Demonstrator (MJD) searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76Ge using arrays of high-purity germanium detectors. If observed, this process would have implications for grand-unification and the predominance of matter over antimatter in the universe. A problematic background in such large granular detector arrays is posed by alpha particles. In MJD, potential background events that are consistent with energy-degraded alphas originating on the passivated detector surface have been observed. We have studied these events by scanning the passivated surface of a P-type point contact detector like those used in MJD with a collimated alpha source. We observe that surface alpha events exhibit high charge-trapping, with a significant fraction of the trapped charge being re-released slowly. This leads to both a reduced prompt signal and a measurable change in slope of the tail of a recorded pulse. In this contribution we discuss the characteristics of these events and the filter developed to identify the occurrence of this delayed charge recovery, allowing for the efficient rejection of passivated surface alpha events while retaining 99.8% of bulk events. We also discuss the impact of this filter on the sensitivity of MJD. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. DOE, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Phys., the Particle Astrophys. and Nuclear Phys. Programs of the NSF, and SURF. Additional support from the NSFGRFP under Grant No. 1256082.

Evaluation of patients ' satisfaction with quality of care provided at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: The umpteenth threats to change of healthcare provider by dissatisfied patients on formal sector health insurance are well known and can be a proxy indicator for the need for quality improvement in service delivery. Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating patientsf satisfaction with quality of care provided ...

Food Additives: "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy". Health and the Consumer.

Science.gov (United States)

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Elementary and Secondary Education.

One in a series, this consumer education learning activity package teaches secondary students about food additives. The package includes instructions for the teacher, suggestions for activities, lists of resource materials, film guides, student activity worksheets, a student resource booklet of background readings, and answer keys. Content taught…

Is natural background or radiation from nuclear power plants leukemogenic?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cronkite, E.P.

1989-01-01

The objective in this review is to provide some facts about normal hemopoietic cell proliferation relevant to leukemogenesis, physical, chemical, and biological facts about radiation effects with the hope that each person will be able to decide for themselves whether background radiation or emissions from nuclear power plants and facilities significantly add to the spontaneous leukemia incidence. 23 refs., 1 tab

The cosmic microwave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silk, J.

1991-01-01

Recent limits on spectral distortions and angular anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background are reviewed. The various backgrounds are described, and the theoretical implications are assessed. Constraints on inflationary cosmology dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) and on open cosmological models dominated by baryonic dark matter (BDM), with, respectively, primordial random phase scale-invariant curvature fluctuations or non-gaussian isocurvature fluctuations are described. More exotic theories are addressed, and I conclude with the 'bottom line': what theories expect experimentalists to be measuring within the next two to three years without having to abandon their most cherished theorists. (orig.)

77 FR 48609 - Additional Designations, Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-14

... in, or providing financial or technological support for or to, or providing goods or services in... service at (202) 622-0077. Background The Kingpin Act became law on December 3, 1999. The Kingpin Act...; 10/12 Halfmoon Avenue, Belmopan City, Belize; Tax ID No. GST- SIG 000465 (Belize) [SDNTK]. 2. CROWN...

Common Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Additives Alter the Structure and Function of Anaerobic Microbial Communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Mumford, Adam C; Akob, Denise M; Klinges, J Grace; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M

2018-04-15

The development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources results in the production of large volumes of wastewater containing a complex mixture of hydraulic fracturing chemical additives and components from the formation. The release of these wastewaters into the environment poses potential risks that are poorly understood. Microbial communities in stream sediments form the base of the food chain and may serve as sentinels for changes in stream health. Iron-reducing organisms have been shown to play a role in the biodegradation of a wide range of organic compounds, and so to evaluate their response to UOG wastewater, we enriched anaerobic microbial communities from sediments collected upstream (background) and downstream (impacted) of an UOG wastewater injection disposal facility in the presence of hydraulic fracturing fluid (HFF) additives: guar gum, ethylene glycol, and two biocides, 2,2-dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA) and bronopol (C 3 H 6 BrNO 4 ). Iron reduction was significantly inhibited early in the incubations with the addition of biocides, whereas amendment with guar gum and ethylene glycol stimulated iron reduction relative to levels in the unamended controls. Changes in the microbial community structure were observed across all treatments, indicating the potential for even small amounts of UOG wastewater components to influence natural microbial processes. The microbial community structure differed between enrichments with background and impacted sediments, suggesting that impacted sediments may have been preconditioned by exposure to wastewater. These experiments demonstrated the potential for biocides to significantly decrease iron reduction rates immediately following a spill and demonstrated how microbial communities previously exposed to UOG wastewater may be more resilient to additional spills. IMPORTANCE Organic components of UOG wastewater can alter microbial communities and biogeochemical processes, which could alter the rates of

Measurement of natural background neutron

CERN Document Server

Li Jain, Ping; Tang Jin Hua; Tang, E S; Xie Yan Fong

1982-01-01

A high sensitive neutron monitor is described. It has an approximate counting rate of 20 cpm for natural background neutrons. The pulse amplitude resolution, sensitivity and direction dependence of the monitor were determined. This monitor has been used for natural background measurement in Beijing area. The yearly average dose is given and compared with the results of KEK and CERN.

Effects of Classical Background Music on Stress, Anxiety, and Knowledge of Filipino Baccalaureate Nursing Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Evangelista, Kevin; Macabasag, Romeo Luis A; Capili, Brylle; Castro, Timothy; Danque, Marilee; Evangelista, Hanzel; Rivero, Jenica Ana; Gonong, Michell Katrina; Diño, Michael Joseph; Cajayon, Sharon

2017-10-28

Previous work on the use of background music suggests conflicting results in various psychological, behavioral, and educational measures. This quasi-experiment examined the effect of integrating classical background music during a lecture on stress, anxiety, and knowledge. A total of 42 nursing students participated this study. We utilized independent sample t-test and multivariate analysis of variance to examine the effect of classical background music. Our findings suggest that the presence or absence of classical background music do not affect stress, anxiety, and knowledge scores (Λ = 0.999 F(3, 78) = 0.029, p = 0.993). We provided literature to explain the non-significant result. Although classical music failed to establish a significant influence on the dependent variables, classical background music during lecture hours can be considered a non-threatening stimulus. We recommend follow up studies regarding the role of classical background music in regulating attention control of nursing students during lecture hours.

Origin of the cosmic x-ray background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Margon, B.

1983-01-01

Since 1962, it has been known that every part of the sky emits a uniform glow of x-rays. After two decades of intense study the origin of this diffuse x-ray background is still a subject of controversy. The near perfect isotropy of the x-ray background is clearly a vital clue to its origin. A second clue to the origin of the x-ray background arises from the fact that it is x-radiation tha is generated, rather than some longer wavelength radiation. Two hypotheses of the origin of this x-ray background are discussed. One hypothesis is that the x-ray background can be attributed to bremsstrahlung from a hot intergalactic medium. The second hypothesis is that the x-ray background originates from a large number of quasars. Because there is no estimate independent of the intensity of the x-ray background of how much hot intergalactic medium exists (if any), there is a real possibility that both sources contribute to the observed x-rays. (SC)

Geology - Background complementary studies. Forsmark modelling stage 2.2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephens, Michael B. [Geological Survey of Sweden, Uppsala (Sweden); Skagius, Kristina [Kemakta Konsult AB, Stockholm (Sweden)] (eds.)

2007-09-15

During Forsmark model stage 2.2, seven complementary geophysical and geological studies were initiated by the geological modelling team, in direct connection with and as a background support to the deterministic modelling of deformation zones. One of these studies involved a field control on the character of two low magnetic lineaments with NNE and NE trends inside the target volume. The interpretation of these lineaments formed one of the late deliveries to SKB that took place after the data freeze for model stage 2.2 and during the initial stage of the modelling work. Six studies involved a revised processing and analysis of reflection seismic, refraction seismic and selected oriented borehole radar data, all of which had been presented earlier in connection with the site investigation programme. A prime aim of all these studies was to provide a better understanding of the geological significance of indirect geophysical data to the geological modelling team. Such essential interpretative work was lacking in the material acquired in connection with the site investigation programme. The results of these background complementary studies are published together in this report. The titles and authors of the seven background complementary studies are presented below. Summaries of the results of each study, with a focus on the implications for the geological modelling of deformation zones, are presented in the master geological report, SKB-R--07-45. The sections in the master report, where reference is made to each background complementary study and where the summaries are placed, are also provided. The individual reports are listed in the order that they are referred to in the master geological report and as they appear in this report. 1. Scan line fracture mapping and magnetic susceptibility measurements across two low magnetic lineaments with NNE and NE trend, Forsmark. Jesper Petersson, Ulf B. Andersson and Johan Berglund. 2. Integrated interpretation of surface and

Geology - Background complementary studies. Forsmark modelling stage 2.2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephens, Michael B.; Skagius, Kristina

2007-09-01

During Forsmark model stage 2.2, seven complementary geophysical and geological studies were initiated by the geological modelling team, in direct connection with and as a background support to the deterministic modelling of deformation zones. One of these studies involved a field control on the character of two low magnetic lineaments with NNE and NE trends inside the target volume. The interpretation of these lineaments formed one of the late deliveries to SKB that took place after the data freeze for model stage 2.2 and during the initial stage of the modelling work. Six studies involved a revised processing and analysis of reflection seismic, refraction seismic and selected oriented borehole radar data, all of which had been presented earlier in connection with the site investigation programme. A prime aim of all these studies was to provide a better understanding of the geological significance of indirect geophysical data to the geological modelling team. Such essential interpretative work was lacking in the material acquired in connection with the site investigation programme. The results of these background complementary studies are published together in this report. The titles and authors of the seven background complementary studies are presented below. Summaries of the results of each study, with a focus on the implications for the geological modelling of deformation zones, are presented in the master geological report, SKB-R--07-45. The sections in the master report, where reference is made to each background complementary study and where the summaries are placed, are also provided. The individual reports are listed in the order that they are referred to in the master geological report and as they appear in this report. 1. Scan line fracture mapping and magnetic susceptibility measurements across two low magnetic lineaments with NNE and NE trend, Forsmark. Jesper Petersson, Ulf B. Andersson and Johan Berglund. 2. Integrated interpretation of surface and

CALDER: Cryogenic light detectors for background-free searches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardani, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica - Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma - Italy and Physics Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (United States); Bellini, F.; Casali, N.; Coppolecchia, A.; Cosmelli, C.; Cruciani, A.; Vignati, M. [Dipartimento di Fisica - Sapienza Università di Roma and INFN - Sezione di Roma, Roma - Italy (Italy); Castellano, M. G. [Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie - CNR, Roma - Italy (Italy); Colantoni, I. [Dipartimento di Fisica - Sapienza Università di Roma (Italy); Di Domizio, S. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, Genova - Italy and INFN Sezione di Genova, Genova - Italy (Italy); Tomei, C. [INFN - Sezione di Roma, Roma - Italy (Italy)

2015-08-17

The development of background-free detectors is essential for experiments searching for rare events. Bolometers, that are among the most competitive devices for the study of neutrino-less double beta decay (0νDBD) and Dark Matter interactions, suffer from the absence of techniques that allow to identify the nature of the interacting particles. This limit can be overcome by coupling the bolometer to an independent device for the measurement of the light emitted by interactions, as the combined read-out of the bolometric and light signals allows to identify and reject particles different from those of interest. CUORE, the most advanced bolometric experiment for 0νDBD searches, could disentangle the electrons produced by 0νDBD from the dangerous background due to α particles, by measuring the (tiny) Cherenkov light emitted by electrons and not by α’s. LUCIFER, a project based on ZnSe scintillating bolometers for the study of {sup 82}Se 0νDBD, would be competitive also in the search of Dark Matter interactions if equipped with light detectors that allow to distinguish and reject the background due to electrons and γ’s. These advances require cryogenic detectors characterized by noise lower than 20 eV, large active area, wide temperature range of operation, high radio-purity and ease in fabricating hundreds of channels. The CALDER collaboration aims to develop such detectors by exploiting the superb energy resolution and natural multiplexed read-out provided by Kinetic Inductance Detectors.

Plenoptic background oriented schlieren imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klemkowsky, Jenna N; Fahringer, Timothy W; Clifford, Christopher J; Thurow, Brian S; Bathel, Brett F

2017-01-01

The combination of the background oriented schlieren (BOS) technique with the unique imaging capabilities of a plenoptic camera, termed plenoptic BOS, is introduced as a new addition to the family of schlieren techniques. Compared to conventional single camera BOS, plenoptic BOS is capable of sampling multiple lines-of-sight simultaneously. Displacements from each line-of-sight are collectively used to build a four-dimensional displacement field, which is a vector function structured similarly to the original light field captured in a raw plenoptic image. The displacement field is used to render focused BOS images, which qualitatively are narrow depth of field slices of the density gradient field. Unlike focused schlieren methods that require manually changing the focal plane during data collection, plenoptic BOS synthetically changes the focal plane position during post-processing, such that all focal planes are captured in a single snapshot. Through two different experiments, this work demonstrates that plenoptic BOS is capable of isolating narrow depth of field features, qualitatively inferring depth, and quantitatively estimating the location of disturbances in 3D space. Such results motivate future work to transition this single-camera technique towards quantitative reconstructions of 3D density fields. (paper)

How do General Practitioners experience providing care for their psychotic patients?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oud, Marian J. T.; Schuling, Jan; Slooff, Cees J.; Meyboom-de Jong, Betty

2007-01-01

Background: In primary care, GPs usually provide care for patients with chronic diseases according to professional guidelines. However, such guidelines are not available in the Netherlands for patients with recurring psychoses. It seems that the specific difficulties that GPs experience in providing

[Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Theoretical background and practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenbeck, Nikolett; Schlosser, Károly Kornél; Szondy, Máté; Szabó-Bartha, Anett

The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one of the modern, so-called third-wave behavioural therapies. Among them the most successful is ACT, both in the number of therapists and respective scientific research. ACT's theoretical and philosophical background is described explicitly and its therapeutic interventions were developed according to this philosophy. Its psychopathological model is based on the idea that mainly the person's regulatory efforts of their own thoughts and feelings lead to psychological problems. That is, the source of human suffering and various psychological problems is the so called psychological inflexibility: control attempts of private events instead of living a life based on personal values and long-term goals. Therefore, clinical work in ACT focuses on the acceptance and defusion of the unwanted inner experiences and on the development of a meaningful life. The present article aims to provide a comprehensive description of ACT in Hungarian: its theoretical background, clinical techniques, and efficacy. At the end of the article, the state of ACT in Hungary will also be briefly discussed.

Low energy background radiation in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gopinath, D.V.

1980-01-01

Spectral distribution of background radiation at 9 locations spread all over India has been measured. Specifications of the counting set-up standardised for measurement are given. At one of the places, the background spectrum was measured with four different types of detectors. A broad peak in 60-100 keV with differing intensity and standard deviation is observed in all the spectra. In the Kalpakkam area, the peak near the seashore is observed to be more intense than away from the shore. This could be due to the presence of monazite sands on the seashore. The natural background radiation is observed to have a steep rise below 20 keV. Peak intensity is found to be independent of both the location (i.e. the source of energy) and the type of detector used for measurement. The calculated spectra due to multiple scattered radiation (with a nominal source energy of 1 MeV) through paraffin wax and the measured background spectrum with the detector shielded with 20 cm wax show good agreement above 40 keV. This shows that 80 keV hump in the natural background radiation is a property of air. The peak, therefore, in the spectra of natural background radiation is essentially a property of medium and it is independent of location or detector. (M.G.B.)

Signatures of a hidden cosmic microwave background.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaeckel, Joerg; Redondo, Javier; Ringwald, Andreas

2008-09-26

If there is a light Abelian gauge boson gamma' in the hidden sector its kinetic mixing with the photon can produce a hidden cosmic microwave background (HCMB). For meV masses, resonant oscillations gammagamma' happen after big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) but before CMB decoupling, increasing the effective number of neutrinos Nnu(eff) and the baryon to photon ratio, and distorting the CMB blackbody spectrum. The agreement between BBN and CMB data provides new constraints. However, including Lyman-alpha data, Nnu(eff) > 3 is preferred. It is tempting to attribute this effect to the HCMB. The interesting parameter range will be tested in upcoming laboratory experiments.

40 CFR 80.162 - Additive compositional data.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... detergent production quality control. EPA will respond to such requests in writing; the additional... variability is required, and provide evidence that the production detergent will perform adequately throughout... (CONTINUED) REGULATION OF FUELS AND FUEL ADDITIVES Detergent Gasoline § 80.162 Additive compositional data...

Cosmic microwave background, where next?

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2009-01-01

Ground-based, balloon-borne and space-based experiments will observe the Cosmic Microwave Background in greater details to address open questions about the origin and the evolution of the Universe. In particular, detailed observations the polarization pattern of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation have the potential to directly probe physics at the GUT scale and illuminate aspects of the physics of the very early Universe.

A cosmic microwave background feature consistent with a cosmic texture.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, M; Turok, N; Vielva, P; Martínez-González, E; Hobson, M

2007-12-07

The Cosmic Microwave Background provides our most ancient image of the universe and our best tool for studying its early evolution. Theories of high-energy physics predict the formation of various types of topological defects in the very early universe, including cosmic texture, which would generate hot and cold spots in the Cosmic Microwave Background. We show through a Bayesian statistical analysis that the most prominent 5 degrees -radius cold spot observed in all-sky images, which is otherwise hard to explain, is compatible with having being caused by a texture. From this model, we constrain the fundamental symmetry-breaking energy scale to be (0) approximately 8.7 x 10(15) gigaelectron volts. If confirmed, this detection of a cosmic defect will probe physics at energies exceeding any conceivable terrestrial experiment.

Background-cross-section-dependent subgroup parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Toshihisa

2003-01-01

A new set of subgroup parameters was derived that can reproduce the self-shielded cross section against a wide range of background cross sections. The subgroup parameters are expressed with a rational equation which numerator and denominator are expressed as the expansion series of background cross section, so that the background cross section dependence is exactly taken into account in the parameters. The advantage of the new subgroup parameters is that they can reproduce the self-shielded effect not only by group basis but also by subgroup basis. Then an adaptive method is also proposed which uses fitting procedure to evaluate the background-cross-section-dependence of the parameters. One of the simple fitting formula was able to reproduce the self-shielded subgroup cross section by less than 1% error from the precise evaluation. (author)

Background music: effects on attention performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Yi-Nuo; Huang, Rong-Hwa; Chiang, Hsin-Yu

2012-01-01

Previous studies indicate that noise may affect worker attention. However, some background music in the work environment can increase worker satisfaction and productivity. This study compared how music with, and without, lyrics affects human attention. One hundred and two participants, aged 20-24 years, were recruited into this study. Fifty-six males and 46 females participated in this study. Background music with, and without lyrics, was tested for effects on listener concentration in attention testing using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study. The comparison results revealed that background music with lyrics had significant negative effects on concentration and attention. The findings suggest that, if background music is played in the work environment, music without lyrics is preferable because songs with lyrics are likely to reduce worker attention and performance.

Selling a gun to a stranger without a background check: acceptable behaviour?

Science.gov (United States)

Hemenway, David; Azrael, Deborah; Miller, Matthew

2017-06-24

One way that guns get into the wrong hands is via gun sales without a background check. While the large majority of Americans support laws requiring universal background checks, no prior study has assessed whether Americans think it is acceptable behaviour to sell a gun to a stranger without a background check, whether or not there is a law against it. We sponsored a nationally representative survey of over 3900 American adults, oversampling gun owners, using an online panel provided by the survey firm Growth for Knowledge. Over 72% of American adults agree or strongly agree with the statement that 'whether it is legal or not, it is NOT acceptable to sell a gun to a stranger without a background check' and 11% disagree or strongly disagree. Subgroups less likely to agree are young adults, men, conservatives, those with less than a high school education and gun owners. Reducing the number of guns sold without a background check could help reduce the flow of guns to felons. Changes in normative attitudes and behaviours, as well as changes in law, could help accomplish this goal. Most Americans, including gun owners, believe selling a gun to a stranger without a background check is not acceptable behaviour. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

In-beam background suppression shield

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santoro, V.; Cai, Xiao Xiao; DiJulio, D. D.

2015-01-01

The long (3 ms) proton pulse of the European Spallation Source (ESS) gives rise to unique and potentially high backgrounds for the instrument suite. In such a source an instrument's capabilities will be limited by its Signal to Noise (S/N) ratio. The instruments with a direct view of the moderator......, which do not use a bender to help mitigate the fast neutron background, are the most challenging. For these beam lines we propose the innovative shielding of placing blocks of material directly into the guide system, which allow a minimum attenuation of the cold and thermal fluxes relative...... to the background suppression. This shielding configuration has been worked into a beam line model using Geant4. We study particularly the advantages of single crystal sapphire and silicon blocks....

Final report on the Background Soil Characterization Project at the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, D.R.; Ammons, J.T.; Branson, J.L.

1993-10-01

This report presents, evaluates, and documents data and results obtained in the Background Soil Characterization Project (BSCP). It is intended to be a stand-alone document for application and use in structuring and conducting remedial investigation and remedial action projects in the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program. The objectives of the BSCP consist of the following: determine background concentrations of organics, metals, and radionuclides in natural soils that are key to environmental restoration projects; provide remediation projects with 100% validated data on background concentrations, which are technically and legally defensible; and quantify baseline risks from background constituents for comparison of risks associated with contaminated sites

Homicide in the western family and background factors of a perpetrator.

Science.gov (United States)

Aho, Anna Liisa; Remahl, Anni; Paavilainen, Eija

2017-07-01

Familicide is a multiple-victim homicide incident in which the killer's spouse and one or more children are slain. A systematic review was conducted to reveal the background factors of western homicide perpetrators. The systematic search was performed in the Arto, Medic, Cinahl, Medline, EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier and Social Services abstracts databases. The keywords were familicide, family homicide, familicide-suicide, filicide-suicide, extended suicide, child, murder, family, filicide and infanticide. The searches revealed 4139 references from the databases. The references were filtered and 32 peer-reviewed research articles revealed in years 2004-2014 were selected as data. The articles were analysed using inductive content analysis, by finding all possible background factors related to homicide. The factors were described as percentages of the range. The background factors of familicide perpetrators were categorised as follows: perpetrators who had committed homicide of a child and intimate partner and possibly committed suicide; a father had who killed a child; a mother who had killed a child; a father who had committed a filicide-suicide; and a mother who had committed a filicide-suicide. Psychological instability, violence and crime were found in all these categories of familicides. Perpetrators who had committed a suicide in addition to the familicide had more often been diagnosed with depression, but they sought treatment for mental health problems less often and had violence and self-destructiveness less often in their background than in other familicide categories. Social and healthcare professionals should be more sensitive to emerging family problems and be prepared for intervention.

Effects of background music on concentration of workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Rong-Hwa; Shih, Yi-Nuo

2011-01-01

Background music is a common element in daily living and the workplace. Determination of whether background music affects human work concentration is a relevant concern. Studies have found background music influences human behavior, and this study attempts to understand how background music and listener fondness for types of music affects worker concentration. This study analyzes how different types of background music--and how listeners' degree of preference for the background music--can affect listener concentration in attention testing through Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). Data were collected from 89 workers. The participants ranged in age between 19 and 28 years old, with an average age of 24 years old. We conclude background music influenced listener attention. This influence has more to do with listener fondness for the music than with type of music. Compared to situations without background music, the likelihood of background music affecting test-taker attention performance is likely to increase with the degree to which the test-taker likes or dislikes the music. It is important not to select music that workers strongly like or dislike when making a selection of background music to avoid negatively affecting worker concentration.

Effects of background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knox, E.G.; Stewart, A.M.; Gilman, E.A.; Kneale, G.W.

1987-01-01

The primary objective of this investigation is to measure the relationship between exposure to different levels of background gamma radiation in different parts of the country, and different Relative Risks for leukaemias and cancers in children. The investigation is linked to an earlier analysis of the effects of prenatal medical x-rays upon leukaemia and cancer risk; the prior hypothesis on which the background-study was based, is derived from the earlier results. In a third analysis, the authors attempted to measure varying potency of medical x-rays delivered at different stages of gestation and the results supply a link between the other two estimates. (author)

The Cosmic Background Explorer

Science.gov (United States)

Gulkis, Samuel; Lubin, Philip M.; Meyer, Stephan S.; Silverberg, Robert F.

1990-01-01

The Cosmic Background Explorer (CBE), NASA's cosmological satellite which will observe a radiative relic of the big bang, is discussed. The major questions connected to the big bang theory which may be clarified using the CBE are reviewed. The satellite instruments and experiments are described, including the Differential Microwave Radiometer, which measures the difference between microwave radiation emitted from two points on the sky, the Far-Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer, which compares the spectrum of radiation from the sky at wavelengths from 100 microns to one cm with that from an internal blackbody, and the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment, which searches for the radiation from the earliest generation of stars.

Do instantons like a colorful background?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gies, H.; Pawlowski, J.M.; Wetterich, C. [Heidelberg Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik; Jaeckel, J. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2006-08-15

We investigate chiral symmetry breaking and color symmetry breaking in QCD. The effective potential of the corresponding scalar condensates is discussed in the presence of non-perturbative contributions from the semiclassical one-instanton sector. We concentrate on a color singlet scalar background which can describe chiral condensation, as well as a color cotet scalar background which can generate mass for the gluons. Whereas a non-vanishing singlet chiral field is favored by the instantons, we have found no indication for a preference of color octet backgrounds. (orig.)

Manual for the Jet Event and Background Simulation Library(JEBSimLib)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heinz, Matthias [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Soltz, Ron [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Angerami, Aaron [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-08-29

Jets are the collimated streams of particles resulting from hard scattering in the initial state of high-energy collisions. In heavy-ion collisions, jets interact with the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) before freezeout, providing a probe into the internal structure and properties of the QGP. In order to study jets, background must be subtracted from the measured event, potentially introducing a bias. We aim to understand and quantify this subtraction bias. PYTHIA, a library to simulate pure jet events, is used to simulate a model for a signature with one pure jet (a photon) and one quenched jet, where all quenched particle momenta are reduced by a user-de ned constant fraction. Background for the event is simulated using multiplicity values generated by the TRENTO initial state model of heavy-ion collisions fed into a thermal model consisting of a 3-dimensional Boltzmann distribution for particle types and momenta. Data from the simulated events is used to train a statistical model, which computes a posterior distribution of the quench factor for a data set. The model was tested rst on pure jet events and then on full events including the background. This model will allow for a quantitative determination of biases induced by various methods of background subtraction.

A genomic island provides Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC 53993 additional copper resistance: a possible competitive advantage.

Science.gov (United States)

Orellana, Luis H; Jerez, Carlos A

2011-11-01

There is great interest in understanding how extremophilic biomining bacteria adapt to exceptionally high copper concentrations in their environment. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC 53993 genome possesses the same copper resistance determinants as strain ATCC 23270. However, the former strain contains in its genome a 160-kb genomic island (GI), which is absent in ATCC 23270. This GI contains, amongst other genes, several genes coding for an additional putative copper ATPase and a Cus system. A. ferrooxidans ATCC 53993 showed a much higher resistance to CuSO(4) (>100 mM) than that of strain ATCC 23270 (<25 mM). When a similar number of bacteria from each strain were mixed and allowed to grow in the absence of copper, their respective final numbers remained approximately equal. However, in the presence of copper, there was a clear overgrowth of strain ATCC 53993 compared to ATCC 23270. This behavior is most likely explained by the presence of the additional copper-resistance genes in the GI of strain ATCC 53993. As determined by qRT-PCR, it was demonstrated that these genes are upregulated when A. ferrooxidans ATCC 53993 is grown in the presence of copper and were shown to be functional when expressed in copper-sensitive Escherichia coli mutants. Thus, the reason for resistance to copper of two strains of the same acidophilic microorganism could be determined by slight differences in their genomes, which may not only lead to changes in their capacities to adapt to their environment, but may also help to select the more fit microorganisms for industrial biomining operations. © Springer-Verlag 2011

Distinguishing nanomaterial particles from background airborne particulate matter for quantitative exposure assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Ono-Ogasawara, Mariko; Serita, Fumio; Takaya, Mitsutoshi

2009-10-01

As the production of engineered nanomaterials quantitatively expands, the chance that workers involved in the manufacturing process will be exposed to nanoparticles also increases. A risk management system is needed for workplaces in the nanomaterial industry based on the precautionary principle. One of the problems in the risk management system is difficulty of exposure assessment. In this article, examples of exposure assessment in nanomaterial industries are reviewed with a focus on distinguishing engineered nanomaterial particles from background nanoparticles in workplace atmosphere. An approach by JNIOSH (Japan National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) to quantitatively measure exposure to carbonaceous nanomaterials is also introduced. In addition to real-time measurements and qualitative analysis by electron microscopy, quantitative chemical analysis is necessary for quantitatively assessing exposure to nanomaterials. Chemical analysis is suitable for quantitative exposure measurement especially at facilities with high levels of background NPs.

Health Inequalities among Workers with a Foreign Background in Sweden: Do Working Conditions Matter?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikael Rostila

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Employment and working conditions are key social determinants of health, yet current information is lacking regarding relationships between foreign background status, working conditions and health among workers in Sweden. This study utilized cross-sectional data from the 2010 Swedish Level of Living Survey (LNU and the Level of Living Survey for Foreign Born Persons and their Children (LNU-UFB to assess whether or not health inequalities exist between native Swedish and foreign background workers and if exposure to adverse psychosocial and physical working conditions contributes to the risk for poor health among foreign background workers. A sub-sample of 4,021 employed individuals aged 18–65 was analyzed using logistic regression. Eastern European, Latin American and Other Non-Western workers had an increased risk of both poor self-rated health and mental distress compared to native Swedish workers. Exposure to adverse working conditions only minimally influenced the risk of poor health. Further research should examine workers who are less integrated or who have less secure labor market attachments and also investigate how additional working conditions may influence associations between health and foreign background status.

Ultra-low background retrieval of photons stored in warm Rb vapor

Science.gov (United States)

Figueroa, Eden; Neuzner, Andreas; Latka, Tobias; Schupp, Josef; Noelleke, Christian; Reiserer, Andreas; Ritter, Stephan; Rempe, Gerhard

2013-05-01

The development of a simple and inexpensive platform for interconnecting light and matter at the quantum level has recently emerged as one of the key challenges of the rapidly evolving field of quantum engineering. Although elementary quantum memory capabilities have been already shown using ensembles of cold atoms or single-atoms in optical cavities, a scalable-friendly architecture might still require room temperature operation. Here we use an ensemble of Rb atoms in the gaseous state and store light pulses at the single-photon level to demonstrate that even in a common vapor cell it is possible to achieve quantum-level operation with ultra-low background noise. We have obtained a measured signal- to-background noise ratio of 3.5, which is the first time this figure of merit has been lifted beyond unity for experiments with room temperature operation. In addition, we also show the capabilities of the system to arbitrarily tailor the temporal properties of the retrieved single-photon-level pulses.

Measurements of the cosmic background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, R.

1980-01-01

Measurements of the attributes of the 2.7-K microwave background radiation (CBR) are reviewed, with emphasis on the analytic phase of CBR studies. Methods for the direct measurement of the CBR spectrum are discussed. Attention is given to receivers, antennas, absolute receiver calibration, atmospheric emission and absorption, the galactic background contribution, the analysis of LF measurements, and recent HF observations of the CBR spectrum. Measurements of the large-angular-scale intensity distribution of the CBR (the most convincing evidence that the radiation is of cosmological origin) are examined, along with limits on the linear polarization of the CBR. A description is given of the NASA-sponsored Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite mission. The results of the COBE mission will be a set of sky maps showing, in the wave number range from 1 to 10,000 kaysers, the galactic background radiation due to synchrotron emission from galactic cosmic rays, to diffuse thermal emission from H II regions, and to diffuse thermal emission from interstellar and interplanetary dust, as well as a residue consisting of the CBR and whatever other cosmological background might exist

Service provider perceptions of telerehabilitation as an additional service delivery option within an Australian neurosurgical and orthopaedic physiotherapy screening clinic: A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cottrell, Michelle A; Hill, Anne J; O'Leary, Shaun P; Raymer, Maree E; Russell, Trevor G

2017-12-01

The Neurosurgical & Orthopaedic Physiotherapy Screening Clinic and Multidisciplinary Service (N/OPSC&MDS) originated as a complementary, non-surgical pathway for patients referred to public neurosurgical and orthopaedic specialist services. Patient access to the N/OPSC&MDS could potentially be improved with the implementation of telerehabilitation as an additional method of service delivery. To evaluate service provider's views on (1) current barriers to patients' accessing N/OPSC & MD services, and (2) the implementation of telerehabilitation within the N/OPSC&MDS. Qualitative descriptive study design. Healthcare providers (n = 26) were recruited from six N/OPSC&MD services located throughout Queensland, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore service providers' views with respect to existing barriers to patients accessing the N/OPSC&MDS, and if telerehabilitation could be feasibly adopted to address current barriers. Template analysis resulted in six themes: (1) barriers to some patients' accessing current N/OPSC&MD services are complex & multifaceted; (2) telerehabilitation could improve patient access to appropriate management for their musculoskeletal condition; (3) telerehabilitation may have limitations when compared to face-to-face healthcare; (4) the delivery of telerehabilitation needs to be flexible; (5) perceived barriers, and (6) facilitators to the successful implementation of telerehabilitation within the N/OPSC&MDS. This study represents a critical step in determining the readiness of service providers for the implementation of telerehabilitation within the N/OPSC&MDS. Although cautious, service providers are overall accepting of the implementation of telerehabilitation, acknowledging that it could eliminate several current barriers, subsequently achieving more equitable access to the service. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background Information on Crimes against Children Study. Information Memorandum 86-20.

Science.gov (United States)

Haas, Shaun

This document was prepared to assist the Wisconsin Legislative Council's Special Committee on Crimes Against Children in its study of current laws relating to crimes against children. It provides the background of the origin of the study and describes the characteristics of the Criminal Code, upon which much of the committee review will center.…

LHCb: Numerical Analysis of Machine Background in the LHCb Experiment for the Early and Nominal Operation of LHC

CERN Multimedia

Lieng, M H; Corti, G; Talanov, V

2010-01-01

We consider the formation of machine background induced by proton losses in the long straight section of the LHCb experiment at LHC. Both sources showering from the tertiary collimators located in the LHCb insertion region as well as local beam-gas interaction are taken into account. We present the procedure for, and results of, numerical studies of such background for various conditions. Additionally expected impact and on the experiment and signal characteristics are discussed.

Exactly solvable string models of curved space-time backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russo, J.G.

1995-01-01

We consider a new 3-parameter class of exact 4-dimensional solutions in closed string theory and solve the corresponding string model, determining the physical spectrum and the partition function. The background fields (4-metric, antisymmetric tensor, two Kaluza-Klein vector fields, dilaton and modulus) generically describe axially symmetric stationary rotating (electro)magnetic flux-tube type universes. Backgrounds of this class include both the ''dilatonic'' (a=1) and ''Kaluza-Klein'' (a=√(3)) Melvin solutions and the uniform magnetic field solution, as well as some singular space-times. Solvability of the string σ-model is related to its connection via duality to a simpler model which is a ''twisted'' product of a flat 2-space and a space dual to 2-plane. We discuss some physical properties of this model (tachyonic instabilities in the spectrum, gyromagnetic ratio, issue of singularities, etc.). It provides one of the first examples of a consistent solvable conformal string model with explicit D=4 curved space-time interpretation. (orig.)

Tracking alien chromosome in sativa background by genomic in situ hybridization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbasi, F.M.; Iqbal, M.; Salim, M.

2004-01-01

Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) was used to look into the genomic constitution of monosomic alien -addition line derived from O. sativa x O. brachyantha. Biotin label genomic DNA from O. brachyantha was used as probe. The probe hybridized to the brachyantha chromosome. No detectable hybridization signal was observed on sativa chromosomes. This differential painting of chromosome enables us to unequivocally discriminate brachyantha chromosome from those of sativa. Results showed the usefulness of GISH in the identification of a single alien chromosome in the sativa background. (author)

Characterization of γ-ray background at IMAT beamline of ISIS Spallation Neutron Source

Science.gov (United States)

Festa, G.; Andreani, C.; Arcidiacono, L.; Burca, G.; Kockelmann, W.; Minniti, T.; Senesi, R.

2017-08-01

The environmental γ -ray background on the IMAT beamline at ISIS Spallation Neutron Source, Target Station 2, is characterized via γ spectroscopy. The measurements include gamma exposure at the imaging detector position, along with the gamma background inside the beamline. Present results are discussed and compared with previous measurements recorded at INES and VESUVIO beamlines operating at Target Station 1. They provide new outcome for expanding and optimizing the PGAA experimental capability at the ISIS neutron source for the investigation of materials, engineering components and cultural heritage objects at the ISIS neutron source.

Characterization of γ-ray background at IMAT beamline of ISIS Spallation Neutron Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Festa, G.; Andreani, C.; Arcidiacono, L.; Senesi, R.; Burca, G.; Kockelmann, W.; Minniti, T.

2017-01-01

The environmental γ -ray background on the IMAT beamline at ISIS Spallation Neutron Source, Target Station 2, is characterized via γ  spectroscopy. The measurements include gamma exposure at the imaging detector position, along with the gamma background inside the beamline. Present results are discussed and compared with previous measurements recorded at INES and VESUVIO beamlines operating at Target Station 1. They provide new outcome for expanding and optimizing the PGAA experimental capability at the ISIS neutron source for the investigation of materials, engineering components and cultural heritage objects at the ISIS neutron source.

Report From BPTCS Project Team On Evaluation Of Additive Manufacturing For Pressure Retaining Equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rawls, G. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)

2016-09-22

ASME is evaluating the use of additive manufacturing (AM) for the construction of pressure equipment. The information in this report assesses available AM technologies for direct metal fabrication of pressure equipment. Background information is included in the report to provide context for those not experienced in AM technology. Only commercially available technologies for direct metal fabrication are addressed in the report because these AM methods are the only viable approaches for the construction of pressure equipment. Metal AM technologies can produce near-net shape parts by using multiple layers of material from a three dimensional (3D) design model of the geometry. Additive manufacturing of metal components was developed from polymer based rapid prototyping or 3D printing. At the current maturity level, AM application for pressure equipment has the potential to reduce delivery times and costs for complex shapes. AM will also lead to a reduction in the use of high cost materials, since parts can be created with corrosion resistant layers of high alloy material and structural layers of lower cost materials.

Early reionization by decaying particles and cosmic microwave background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasuya, S.; Kawasaki, M.

2004-01-01

We study the reionization scenario in which ionizing UV photons emitted from decaying particle, in addition to usual contributions from stars and quasars, ionize the universe. It is found that the scenario is consistent with both the first year data of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and the fact that the universe is not fully ionized until z∼6 as observed by Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Likelihood analysis revealed that rather broad parameter space can be chosen. This scenario will be discriminated by future observations, especially by the EE polarization power spectrum of cosmic microwave background radiation

Multicultural Nursing: Providing Better Employee Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Rittle, Chad

2015-12-01

Living in an increasingly multicultural society, nurses are regularly required to care for employees from a variety of cultural backgrounds. An awareness of cultural differences focuses occupational health nurses on those differences and results in better employee care. This article explores the concept of culturally competent employee care, some of the non-verbal communication cues among cultural groups, models associated with completing a cultural assessment, and how health disparities in the workplace can affect delivery of employee care. Self-evaluation of the occupational health nurse for personal preferences and biases is also discussed. Development of cultural competency is a process, and occupational health nurses must develop these skills. By developing cultural competence, occupational health nurses can conduct complete cultural assessments, facilitate better communication with employees from a variety of cultural backgrounds, and improve employee health and compliance with care regimens. Tips and guidelines for facilitating communication between occupational health nurses and employees are also provided. © 2015 The Author(s).

Demonstration of Cosmic Microwave Background Delensing Using the Cosmic Infrared Background.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Patricia; Challinor, Anthony; Sherwin, Blake D; Mak, Daisy

2016-10-07

Delensing is an increasingly important technique to reverse the gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and thus reveal primordial signals the lensing may obscure. We present a first demonstration of delensing on Planck temperature maps using the cosmic infrared background (CIB). Reversing the lensing deflections in Planck CMB temperature maps using a linear combination of the 545 and 857 GHz maps as a lensing tracer, we find that the lensing effects in the temperature power spectrum are reduced in a manner consistent with theoretical expectations. In particular, the characteristic sharpening of the acoustic peaks of the temperature power spectrum resulting from successful delensing is detected at a significance of 16σ, with an amplitude of A_{delens}=1.12±0.07 relative to the expected value of unity. This first demonstration on data of CIB delensing, and of delensing techniques in general, is significant because lensing removal will soon be essential for achieving high-precision constraints on inflationary B-mode polarization.

Introduction to the background field method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbott, L.F.; Brandeis Univ., Waltham, MA

1982-01-01

The background field approach to calculations in gauge field theories is presented. Conventional functional techniques are reviewed and the background field method is introduced. Feynman rules and renormalization are discussed and, as an example, the Yang-Mills β function is computed. (author)

Additive Biotech-Chances, challenges, and recent applications of additive manufacturing technologies in biotechnology.

Science.gov (United States)

Krujatz, Felix; Lode, Anja; Seidel, Julia; Bley, Thomas; Gelinsky, Michael; Steingroewer, Juliane

2017-10-25