Pinning, de-pinning and re-pinning of a slowly varying rivulet

KAUST Repository

Paterson, C.; Wilson, S.K.; Duffy, B.R.

2013-01-01

The solutions for the unidirectional flow of a thin rivulet with prescribed volume flux down an inclined planar substrate are used to describe the locally unidirectional flow of a rivulet with constant width (i.e. pinned contact lines) but slowly varying contact angle as well as the possible pinning and subsequent de-pinning of a rivulet with constant contact angle and the possible de-pinning and subsequent re-pinning of a rivulet with constant width as they flow in the azimuthal direction from the top to the bottom of a large horizontal cylinder. Despite being the same locally, the global behaviour of a rivulet with constant width can be very different from that of a rivulet with constant contact angle. In particular, while a rivulet with constant non-zero contact angle can always run from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, the behaviour of a rivulet with constant width depends on the value of the width. Specifically, while a narrow rivulet can run all the way from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, a wide rivulet can run from the top of the cylinder only to a critical azimuthal angle. The scenario in which the hitherto pinned contact lines of the rivulet de-pin at the critical azimuthal angle and the rivulet runs from the critical azimuthal angle to the bottom of the cylinder with zero contact angle but slowly varying width is discussed. The pinning and de-pinning of a rivulet with constant contact angle, and the corresponding situation involving the de-pinning and re-pinning of a rivulet with constant width at a non-zero contact angle which generalises the de-pinning at zero contact angle discussed earlier, are described. In the latter situation, the mass of fluid on the cylinder is found to be a monotonically increasing function of the constant width. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Pinning, de-pinning and re-pinning of a slowly varying rivulet

KAUST Repository

Paterson, C.

2013-09-01

The solutions for the unidirectional flow of a thin rivulet with prescribed volume flux down an inclined planar substrate are used to describe the locally unidirectional flow of a rivulet with constant width (i.e. pinned contact lines) but slowly varying contact angle as well as the possible pinning and subsequent de-pinning of a rivulet with constant contact angle and the possible de-pinning and subsequent re-pinning of a rivulet with constant width as they flow in the azimuthal direction from the top to the bottom of a large horizontal cylinder. Despite being the same locally, the global behaviour of a rivulet with constant width can be very different from that of a rivulet with constant contact angle. In particular, while a rivulet with constant non-zero contact angle can always run from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, the behaviour of a rivulet with constant width depends on the value of the width. Specifically, while a narrow rivulet can run all the way from the top to the bottom of the cylinder, a wide rivulet can run from the top of the cylinder only to a critical azimuthal angle. The scenario in which the hitherto pinned contact lines of the rivulet de-pin at the critical azimuthal angle and the rivulet runs from the critical azimuthal angle to the bottom of the cylinder with zero contact angle but slowly varying width is discussed. The pinning and de-pinning of a rivulet with constant contact angle, and the corresponding situation involving the de-pinning and re-pinning of a rivulet with constant width at a non-zero contact angle which generalises the de-pinning at zero contact angle discussed earlier, are described. In the latter situation, the mass of fluid on the cylinder is found to be a monotonically increasing function of the constant width. © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The role of statistics in operations research: Some personal re ections

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The role of statistics in operations research: Some personal re ections. ... AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search · USING AJOL ... Statistics has a very important role to play in Operations Research (OR), yet many ...

Atomistic mechanisms of ReRAM cell operation and reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Pandey, Sumeet C.

2018-01-01

We present results from first-principles-based modeling that captures functionally important physical phenomena critical to cell materials selection, operation, and reliability for resistance-switching memory technologies. An atomic-scale description of retention, the low- and high-resistance states (RS), and the sources of intrinsic cell-level variability in ReRAM is discussed. Through the results obtained from density functional theory, non-equilibrium Green’s function, molecular dynamics, and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations; the role of variable-charge vacancy defects and metal impurities in determining the RS, the LRS-stability, and electron-conduction in such RS is reported. Although, the statistical electrical characteristics of the oxygen-vacancy (Ox-ReRAM) and conductive-bridging RAM (M-ReRAM) are notably different, the underlying similar electrochemical phenomena describing retention and formation/dissolution of RS are being discussed.

Optimizing Re-planning Operation for Smart House Applying Solar Radiation Forecasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atsushi Yona

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes the re-planning operation method using Tabu Search for direct current (DC smart house with photovoltaic (PV, solar collector (SC, battery and heat pump system. The proposed method is based on solar radiation forecasting using reported weather data, Fuzzy theory and Recurrent Neural Network. Additionally, the re-planning operation method is proposed with consideration of solar radiation forecast error, battery and inverter losses. In this paper, it is assumed that the installation location for DC smart house is Okinawa, which is located in Southwest Japan. The validity of proposed method is confirmed by comparing the simulation results.

Re-alimentation in harbor seal pups: effects on the somatotropic axis and growth rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Richmond, Julie P; Norris, Tenaya; Zinn, Steven A

2010-01-15

The metabolic hormones, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, together with IGF binding proteins (IGFBP), have been well studied in domestic species and are the primary components of the somatotropic axis. This hormone axis is responsive to nutrient intake, associated with growth rate, and accretion of protein and adipose. However, this relationship has not been evaluated in species that rely heavily on adipose stores for survival, such as pinnipeds. The primary objectives of this research were to investigate the response of the somatotropic axis to reduced nutrient intake and re-alimentation in rehabilitated harbor seal pups, and to assess if these hormones are related to nutritional status and growth rate in harbor seals. Stranded harbor seal pups (n=24) arrived at the rehabilitation facility very thin after fasting for several days (nutritional nadir). Throughout rehabilitation nutrient intake increased and pups gained mass and body condition. Concentrations of GH and IGFBP-2 decreased with re-alimentation, while IGF-I and IGFBP-3 concentrations increased. Overall, GH and IGFBP-2 were negatively associated and IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were positively associated with growth rate and increased body condition of harbor sea pups. Further, the magnitude of the growth response was related to the magnitude in response of the somatotropic axis to varied levels of intake. These data suggest that multiple components of the somatotropic axis may be used to assess the energy status of individuals and may also provide information on the level of feed intake that is predictive of growth rate.

Analysis of gross error rates in operation of commercial nuclear power stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joos, D.W.; Sabri, Z.A.; Husseiny, A.A.

1979-01-01

Experience in operation of US commercial nuclear power plants is reviewed over a 25-month period. The reports accumulated in that period on events of human error and component failure are examined to evaluate gross operator error rates. The impact of such errors on plant operation and safety is examined through the use of proper taxonomies of error, tasks and failures. Four categories of human errors are considered; namely, operator, maintenance, installation and administrative. The computed error rates are used to examine appropriate operator models for evaluation of operator reliability. Human error rates are found to be significant to a varying degree in both BWR and PWR. This emphasizes the import of considering human factors in safety and reliability analysis of nuclear systems. The results also indicate that human errors, and especially operator errors, do indeed follow the exponential reliability model. (Auth.)

Facilitation of extinction and re-extinction of operant behavior in mice by chlordiazepoxide and D-cycloserine.

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Julian C; Norwood, Kelly

2013-05-01

The aim was to compare operant extinction with re-extinction following re-acquisition and to investigate neuropharmacological mechanisms through administration of drugs potentiating GABAergic or glutamatergic systems. Groups of C57Bl/6 mice were trained to lever press for food on a fixed ratio schedule, then extinguished with or without pre-session chlordiazepoxide or post-session d-cycloserine administration (15mg/kg in each case), then retrained to lever press for food, then re-extinguished with or without pre-session chlordiazepoxide or post-session d-cycloserine. Under vehicle injections, extinction and re-extinction curves were indistinguishable, but drug treatments showed that there was less resistance to extinction in the re-extinction phase. Chlordiazepoxide facilitated extinction and re-extinction, with an earlier effect during re-extinction. d-Cycloserine also facilitated extinction and re-extinction, with some evidence of an earlier effect during re-extinction. These results replicate and extend earlier findings with operant extinction, but differ from some previous reports of d-cycloserine on re-extinction of Pavlovian conditioned fear. Implications for accounts of the similarities and differences between neural mechanisms of extinction following either Pavlovian or operant conditioning, and applications of these findings, are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What is the optimal myocardial preservation strategy at re-operation for aortic valve replacement in the presence of a patent internal thoracic artery?

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Chan B; Suri, Rakesh M; Burkhart, Harold M; Greason, Kevin L; Dearani, Joseph A; Schaff, Hartzell V; Sundt, Thoralf M

2011-06-01

The optimal myocardial preservation strategy at re-operation for aortic valve replacement (AVR) after prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the presence of a patent internal thoracic artery (ITA) remains undefined. Patients undergoing AVR after prior CABG at our institution between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2007 were identified; operative notes and outcomes were reviewed. Of 628 patients with prior CABG undergoing AVR with or without concomitant procedures, 427 patients had a patent ITA. In 390, management of the ITA was detailed in the operative note, including 251 in whom it was clamped and 139 in whom it was left uncontrolled. Groups were demographically similar, although re-operative CABG was more frequent in the clamped group (42% vs 23%, poptimal perfusion temperature when the ITA was left uncontrolled. Efforts to control the patent ITA at re-operation for AVR after prior CABG increase risk of injury and may actually increase operative mortality rate compared with leaving this critical graft open and perfusing the heart. Copyright © 2010 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Similar failure rate in immediate post-operative weight bearing versus protected weight bearing following meniscal repair on peripheral, vertical meniscal tears.

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, Bryan; Gronbeck, Kyle R; Yue, Ruixian Alexander; Tompkins, Marc A

2017-08-16

Post-operative weight bearing after meniscal repair is a point of debate among physicians. This study sought to evaluate whether patients adhering to an immediate WBAT rehabilitation programme have a higher failure rate compared to those adhering to a more traditional, protected, NWB status following meniscal repair. The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference in failure between the two groups. A retrospective review of meniscal repair patients greater than 5 years from surgery was performed for patients receiving meniscal repair treatment. Patients were categorized by post-surgical weight-bearing status, either NWB or WBAT, and then analysed for failure of repair. Failure was defined as re-operation on the torn meniscus. The study controlled for variables including age at surgery, sex, height, weight, and BMI, classification of tear type, acuity of the tear, repair location (medial or lateral), repair location within the meniscus, repair technique, and concomitant procedures. Re-operations were performed in 61 of 157 patients [38.9%]. There was no difference between weight-bearing groups for failure of meniscus repair (n.s.). The tears were acute vertical tears located in the posterior horn and body. For the 61 patients with re-operation, the average time to re-operation was 2.2 years with 10 [16%] > 5 years from surgery, 17 [28%] 2-5 years from surgery, and 34 [56%] bearing groups for rate of re-operation (n.s.). Weight bearing as tolerated after meniscal repair for peripheral, vertical tears does not result in a higher failure rate than traditional, non-weight bearing over a five-year follow-up period. The clinical relevance is that, based on these data, it may be appropriate to allow weight bearing as tolerated following meniscal repair of peripheral, vertical tears. Retrospective cohort study, Level III.

Adenoma detection rate varies greatly during colonoscopy training

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Doorn, Sascha C.; Klanderman, Robert B.; Hazewinkel, Yark; Fockens, Paul; Dekker, Evelien

2015-01-01

The adenoma detection rate (ADR) is considered the most important quality indicator for colonoscopy and varies widely among colonoscopists. It is unknown whether the ADR of gastroenterology consultants can already be predicted during their colonoscopy training. To evaluate the ADR of fellows in

Re-resection rates after breast-conserving surgery as a performance indicator: introduction of a case-mix model to allow comparison between Dutch hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Talsma, A K; Reedijk, A M J; Damhuis, R A M; Westenend, P J; Vles, W J

2011-04-01

Re-resection rate after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) has been introduced as an indicator of quality of surgical treatment in international literature. The present study aims to develop a case-mix model for re-resection rates and to evaluate its performance in comparing results between hospitals. Electronic records of eligible patients diagnosed with in-situ and invasive breast cancer in 2006 and 2007 were derived from 16 hospitals in the Rotterdam Cancer Registry (RCR) (n = 961). A model was built in which prognostic factors for re-resections after BCS were identified and expected re-resection rate could be assessed for hospitals based on their case mix. To illustrate the opportunities of monitoring re-resections over time, after risk adjustment for patient profile, a VLAD chart was drawn for patients in one hospital. In general three out of every ten women had re-surgery; in about 50% this meant an additive mastectomy. Independent prognostic factors of re-resection after multivariate analysis were histological type, sublocalisation, tumour size, lymph node involvement and multifocal disease. After correction for case mix, one hospital was performing significantly less re-resections compared to the reference hospital. On the other hand, two were performing significantly more re-resections than was expected based on their patient mix. Our population-based study confirms earlier reports that re-resection is frequently required after an initial breast-conserving operation. Case-mix models such as the one we constructed can be used to correct for variation between hospitals performances. VLAD charts are valuable tools to monitor quality of care within individual hospitals. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Remaining useful life estimation for deteriorating systems with time-varying operational conditions and condition-specific failure zones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Qi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Dynamic time-varying operational conditions pose great challenge to the estimation of system remaining useful life (RUL for the deteriorating systems. This paper presents a method based on probabilistic and stochastic approaches to estimate system RUL for periodically monitored degradation processes with dynamic time-varying operational conditions and condition-specific failure zones. The method assumes that the degradation rate is influenced by specific operational condition and moreover, the transition between different operational conditions plays the most important role in affecting the degradation process. These operational conditions are assumed to evolve as a discrete-time Markov chain (DTMC. The failure thresholds are also determined by specific operational conditions and described as different failure zones. The 2008 PHM Conference Challenge Data is utilized to illustrate our method, which contains mass sensory signals related to the degradation process of a commercial turbofan engine. The RUL estimation method using the sensor measurements of a single sensor was first developed, and then multiple vital sensors were selected through a particular optimization procedure in order to increase the prediction accuracy. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed method are presented in a comparison with existing methods for the same dataset.

Varying Levels of Automation on UAS Operator Responses to Traffic Resolution Advisories in Civil Airspace

Science.gov (United States)

Kenny, Caitlin; Fern, Lisa

2012-01-01

Continuing demand for the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) has put increasing pressure on operations in civil airspace. The need to fly UAS in the National Airspace System (NAS) in order to perform missions vital to national security and defense, emergency management, and science is increasing at a rapid pace. In order to ensure safe operations in the NAS, operators of unmanned aircraft, like those of manned aircraft, may be required to maintain separation assurance and avoid loss of separation with other aircraft while performing their mission tasks. This experiment investigated the effects of varying levels of automation on UAS operator performance and workload while responding to conflict resolution instructions provided by the Tactical Collision Avoidance System II (TCAS II) during a UAS mission in high-density airspace. The purpose of this study was not to investigate the safety of using TCAS II on UAS, but rather to examine the effect of automation on the ability of operators to respond to traffic collision alerts. Six licensed pilots were recruited to act as UAS operators for this study. Operators were instructed to follow a specified mission flight path, while maintaining radio contact with Air Traffic Control and responding to TCAS II resolution advisories. Operators flew four, 45 minute, experimental missions with four different levels of automation: Manual, Knobs, Management by Exception, and Fully Automated. All missions included TCAS II Resolution Advisories (RAs) that required operator attention and rerouting. Operator compliance and reaction time to RAs was measured, and post-run NASA-TLX ratings were collected to measure workload. Results showed significantly higher compliance rates, faster responses to TCAS II alerts, as well as less preemptive operator actions when higher levels of automation are implemented. Physical and Temporal ratings of workload were significantly higher in the Manual condition than in the Management by Exception and

Should Unemployment Insurance Vary with the Unemployment Rate? Theory and Evidence

OpenAIRE

Kroft, Kory; Notowidigdo, Matthew J.

2012-01-01

We study how optimal unemployment insurance (UI) benefits vary over the business cycle by estimating how the moral hazard cost and the consumption smoothing benefit of UI vary with the unemployment rate. We find that the moral hazard cost is procyclical, greater when the unemployment rate is relatively low. By contrast, our evidence suggests that the consumption smoothing benefit of UI is acyclical. Using these estimates to calibrate our job search model, we find that a one standard deviation...

Re-OPCAB vs. Re-CABG for myocardial revascularization.

Science.gov (United States)

Schütz, A; Mair, H; Wildhirt, S M; Gillrath, G; Lamm, P; Kilger, E; Reichart, B

2001-06-01

The present study compared redo coronary artery bypass grafting (Re-OPCAB) techniques with conventional redo coronary artery bypass grafting (Re-CABG) with particular focus on myocardial damage and clinical outcome parameters. Redo OPCAB (Re-OPCAB) was performed on 20 consecutive patients (15 males, mean age 63.2 +/- 9.3 years) using either the anterolateral approach for minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (n = 4) or the Octopus technique with regular sternotomy (n = 16). The Re-CABG group consisted of 20 consecutive patients (18 males, mean age 67.1 +/- 6.6 years). Groups did not differ in the number of atherosclerotic risk factors, or left ventricular, renal or liver function. Duration of surgery, number of bypass grafts and amount of transfused red blood cells did not differ significantly between both groups. Requirement of epinephrine (mg/h) within the first 24 h was lower in the Re-OPCAB group (Re-OPCAB: 0.14 +/- 0.22 vs. CABG: 0.88 +/- 0.97; p<0.01). In addition, CKMB levels at 24 h after operation were lower in the Re-OPCAB group (Re-OPCAB: 10.0 +/- 10.1 vs. Re-CABG: 38.7 +/- 28.1 U/l, p<0.001). There were no acute myocardial infarctions or deaths in the perioperative period. In the CABG group, there was a longer time period to extubation (hours) (Re-OPCAB: 9.8 +/- 3.9 vs. Re-CABG: 28.7 +/- 25.5; p<0.001), and the length of ICU stay was significantly prolonged (OPCAB: 1.3 +/- 0.5 versus Re-CABG: 4.4 +/- 8.7; p<0.001). The graft patency rate at follow-up was 95% in the Re-OPCAB group. Re-OPCAB results in decreased cardiac specific enzyme release, reduced requirement of inotropes and comparable clinical outcome in the early postoperative period. It is an appropriate alternative to conventional Re-CABG in selected patients awaiting reoperation for myocardial revascularization. Larger prospective and randomized trials are required to select the appropriate patient who benefits most from one or the other treatment regime.

Epidemic spread in coupled populations with seasonally varying migration rates

Science.gov (United States)

Muzyczyn, Adam; Shaw, Leah B.

2009-03-01

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has spread worldwide, and this spread may be due to seasonal migration of birds and mixing of birds from different regions in the wintering grounds. We studied a multipatch model for avian influenza with seasonally varying migration rates. The bird population was divided into two spatially distinct patches, or subpopulations. Within each patch, the disease followed the SIR (susceptible-infected-recovered) model for epidemic spread. Migration rates were varied periodically, with a net flux toward the breeding grounds during the spring and towards the wintering grounds during the fall. The case of two symmetric patches reduced to single-patch SIR dynamics. However, asymmetry in the birth and contact rates in the breeding grounds and wintering grounds led to bifurcations to longer period orbits and chaotic dynamics. We studied the bifurcation structure of the model and the phase relationships between outbreaks in the two patches.

Meta-analysis shows similar re-bleeding rates among Western and Eastern populations after index video capsule endoscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tziatzios, Georgios; Gkolfakis, Paraskevas; Hassan, Cesare; Toth, Ervin; Zullo, Angelo; Koulaouzidis, Anastasios; Dimitriadis, George D; Triantafyllou, Konstantinos

2018-03-01

Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) is the first-line diagnostic procedure for investigating obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Different re-bleeding rates following index VCE have been reported among Western and Eastern studies. We conducted a comprehensive literature search to identify studies examining re-bleeding rates after VCE for OGIB. Meta-analysis assessed the pooled proportion of re-bleeding events after VCE for OGIB according to study's origin (Western vs. Eastern) and according to the length of follow-up (≥24 months vs. Western and 16 Eastern) studies with 5796 patients. Significant heterogeneity was detected among meta-analyzed studies. Overall, the pooled re-bleeding rate was similar between Western (29%; 95% CI: 23-34) and Eastern (21%; 95% CI: 15-27) populations, irrespective of the length of follow-up. The odds of re-bleeding was significantly higher after positive as compared to negative index VCE in Eastern studies (OR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.07-2.94). Application of specific treatment after positive index VCE was associated with lower re-bleeding odds in both Western (OR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.16-0.87) and Eastern (OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.21-0.72) populations. Patients undergoing VCE for OGIB have similar re-bleeding rates in the East and the West, regardless of the length of follow-up. However, increased re-bleeding odds after positive index VCE is observed in Eastern studies. Copyright © 2018 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TIME-VARYING DYNAMICAL STAR FORMATION RATE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Eve J.; Chang, Philip; Murray, Norman, E-mail: evelee@berkeley.edu [Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, 60 St. George Street, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada)

2015-02-10

We present numerical evidence of dynamic star formation in which the accreted stellar mass grows superlinearly with time, roughly as t {sup 2}. We perform simulations of star formation in self-gravitating hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic turbulence that is continuously driven. By turning the self-gravity of the gas in the simulations on or off, we demonstrate that self-gravity is the dominant physical effect setting the mass accretion rate at early times before feedback effects take over, contrary to theories of turbulence-regulated star formation. We find that gravitational collapse steepens the density profile around stars, generating the power-law tail on what is otherwise a lognormal density probability distribution function. Furthermore, we find turbulent velocity profiles to flatten inside collapsing regions, altering the size-line width relation. This local flattening reflects enhancements of turbulent velocity on small scales, as verified by changes to the velocity power spectra. Our results indicate that gas self-gravity dynamically alters both density and velocity structures in clouds, giving rise to a time-varying star formation rate. We find that a substantial fraction of the gas that forms stars arrives via low-density flows, as opposed to accreting through high-density filaments.

Institutionalization of safety re-assessment system for operating nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, H. J.; Cho, J. C.; Min, B. K.; Park, J. S.; Jung, H. D.; Oh, K. M.; Kim, W. K.; Lim, J. H.

1999-01-01

In this study, in-depth reviews of the foreign countries' experiences and practices in applications of the periodic safety review (PSR), backfitting and license renewal systems as well as the current status of nuclear power safety assurance programs and activities in Korea have been performed to investigate the necessity and feasibility of the application of the systems for the domestic operating nuclear power plants and to establish effective strategy and methodology for the institutionalization of a periodic safety re-assessment system appropriate to both the domestic and international nuclear power environments by incorporating the PSR with the backfitting and license renewal systems. For these purposes, the regulatory policy, fundamental principles and detailed requirements for the institutionalization of the safety re-assessment system and the effective measures for active implementation of the backfitting program have been developed and then a comparative study of benefits and shortcomings has been conducted for the three different models of the periodic safety re-assessment system incorporated with either the license renewal or life extension process, which have been considered as practicable ones in the domestic situation. The model chosen in this study as the most appropriate safety re-assessment system is the one that the re-assessments are performed at the interval of ten years throughout the service life of nuclear power plant and the ten-year license renewal or life extension after the expiration of design life can be permitted based on the regulatory review of the re-assessment results and follow-up measures. Finally, this paper has discussed on the details of the requirements, approach and procedures established for the institutionalization of the periodic safety re-assessment system chosen as the most appropriate one for domestic applications

Effect of PWR Re-start ramp rate on pellet-cladding interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yagnik, S.K.; Chang, B.C.; Sunderland, D.J.

2005-01-01

To mitigate pellet-cladding interaction (PCI) leading to fuel rod failures, fuel suppliers specify reactor power ramp rate limitations during reactor start-up after an outage. Typical re-start ramp rates are restricted and range between 3-4% per hour of full reactor power above a threshold power level. Relaxation of threshold power and ramp rate restrictions has the potential to improve plant economics. The paper will compare known re-start power ascension procedures employed in the US, German, French and Korean PWRs after a refuelling outage. A technical basis for optimising power ascension procedures during reactor start-up can be developed using analytical modelling. The main objective of the modelling is to determine the potential for PCI failure for various combinations of threshold power levels and ramp rate levels. A key element of our analysis is to estimate the decrease in margin to cladding failure by ISCC based on a time-temperature-stress failure criterion fashioned Act a cumulative cladding damage index. The analysis approach and the cladding damage model will be described and the results from three case studies based on the FALCON fuel rod behaviour code will be reported. We conclude that the PCI behaviour is more affected by ramp rate and threshold power than by the fuel design and that the fuel power history is the most important parameter. (authors)

Re-engaging with the past: recapitulation of encoding operations during retrieval

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexa eMorcom

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Recollection of events is accompanied by selective reactivation of cortical regions which responded to specific sensory and cognitive dimensions of the original events. This reactivation is thought to reflect the reinstatement of stored memory representations and therefore to reflect memory content, but it may also reveal processes which support both encoding and retrieval. The present study used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI to investigate whether regions selectively engaged in encoding face and scene context with studied words are also re-engaged when the context is later retrieved. As predicted, encoding face and scene context with visually presented words elicited activity in distinct, context-selective regions. Retrieval of face and scene context also re-engaged some of the regions which had shown successful encoding effects. However, this recapitulation of encoding activity did not show the same context selectivity observed at encoding. Successful retrieval of both face and scene context re-engaged regions which had been associated with encoding of the other type of context, as well as those associated with encoding the same type of context. This recapitulation may reflect retrieval attempts which are not context-selective, but use shared retrieval cues to re-engage encoding operations in service of recollection.

Effects of cycloheximide on extinction in an appetitively motivated operant conditioning task depend on re-exposure duration.

Science.gov (United States)

Mierzejewski, Pawel; Olczak, Mieszko; Rogowski, Artur; Kostowski, Wojciech; Samochowiec, Jerzy; Filip, Malgorzata; Przegalinski, Edmund; Bienkowski, Przemyslaw

2008-08-29

Little is known about the role of new protein synthesis in extinction of operant responding for natural and chemical reinforcers. In the present study, the authors investigated whether the effects of a protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide (CHX) on extinction of operant responding for sweet reward depended on the duration of re-exposure sessions. In addition, the authors investigated whether the effects of CHX on extinction could generalize to relapse of saccharin seeking induced by discrete cues. CHX injected after short re-exposure sessions (5min) accelerated extinction of non-reinforced responding. In contrast, the drug injected after long re-exposure sessions (30min) partially inhibited extinction. Reinstatement of saccharin seeking induced by the saccharin-paired discrete cues was not altered by the previous treatment with CHX. Concluding, the results of the present study indicate that: (i) the protein synthesis inhibitor, CHX can alter extinction of operant responding for sweet reward in rats; (ii) the effects of CHX on extinction critically depend on the duration of re-exposure/extinction sessions and do not generalize to relapse of saccharin seeking induced by discrete cues.

Home visits: why do rates vary so much?

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Stewart, P

2012-03-01

Data including information on patient age, gender, who initiated the visit and call classification was collected during office hours from 12 G.P. rural teaching practices with a combined GMS patient population of 24,720, over a 2 month period. There were a total of 603 home visits, giving an annual visiting rate of 143\\/1000. Visiting rates varied between practices from 45 to 305\\/1000 per year. When high visiting practices (>210\\/1000\\/year) were compared to low visiting rate practices (>90\\/1000\\/year), patients tended to be older (79.7 v. 74.5 years) and calls were 12 times more likely to be doctor initiated (16.6% v. 1.4%) or classified as routine( 50.7% v. 44.9%). The variation between practices was related in part to patient age but appears largely due to differences in doctor home visiting behaviour. There are no recent figures on home visiting in Ireland.

Modeling the time--varying subjective quality of HTTP video streams with rate adaptations.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chao; Choi, Lark Kwon; de Veciana, Gustavo; Caramanis, Constantine; Heath, Robert W; Bovik, Alan C

2014-05-01

Newly developed hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)-based video streaming technologies enable flexible rate-adaptation under varying channel conditions. Accurately predicting the users' quality of experience (QoE) for rate-adaptive HTTP video streams is thus critical to achieve efficiency. An important aspect of understanding and modeling QoE is predicting the up-to-the-moment subjective quality of a video as it is played, which is difficult due to hysteresis effects and nonlinearities in human behavioral responses. This paper presents a Hammerstein-Wiener model for predicting the time-varying subjective quality (TVSQ) of rate-adaptive videos. To collect data for model parameterization and validation, a database of longer duration videos with time-varying distortions was built and the TVSQs of the videos were measured in a large-scale subjective study. The proposed method is able to reliably predict the TVSQ of rate adaptive videos. Since the Hammerstein-Wiener model has a very simple structure, the proposed method is suitable for online TVSQ prediction in HTTP-based streaming.

Decreased re-conviction rates of DUI offenders with intensive supervision and home confinement.

Science.gov (United States)

Barta, William D; Fisher, Virginia; Hynes, Patrick

2017-11-01

In some jurisdictions, persons who are convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) are allowed to serve some portion of their prison sentence under home confinement as part of Intensive Supervision Programs (ISPs) which include pre-release psycho-education and close post-release supervision. Test the hypothesis that persons convicted of DUI offenses who have spent some portion of their sentence under home confinement, as compared to a historical comparison group, will exhibit a relatively low re-conviction rate. Using administrative data for 1,410 repeat DUI offenders (302 members of the historical comparison group, 948 ISP members, and 160 persons who appear in both groups at different points in time), with a follow-up period of up to 3 years and 10 months, a marginal Cox model was employed to compare conviction rates of persons who experienced intensive supervision and home confinement with historical comparison group members. Persons with ISP + home confinement experience a re-conviction rate that is less than half that observed in the comparison group. Age, ethnicity (white vs. non-white), and gender are also significant predictors of re-conviction. Home confinement, in conjunction with psycho-education and other program elements, is one means of reducing the costs of incarceration. The results of this study suggest that, in addition to cost savings, states may realize a public safety benefit in the form of a reduction in DUI offense rates.

Filmihullu eluvesi voolab Karlovy Varys / Margit Tõnson

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Tõnson, Margit, 1978-

2010-01-01

Karlovy Vary rahvusvahelisest filmifestivalist. Filmidest "Mr. Nobody" (rež. Jaco Van Dormaeli), "Kasside ema Teresa" (rež. Pawel Sala) ja "The Arbor" (rež. Clio Barnardi). Nimekiri võitnud töödest ja viimastel aastatel festivalil näidatud Eesti mängufilmidest

Hydrodynamic mean-field solutions of 1D exclusion processes with spatially varying hopping rates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lakatos, Greg; O' Brien, John; Chou, Tom [Department of Biomathematics and Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (United States)

2006-03-10

We analyse the open boundary partially asymmetric exclusion process with smoothly varying internal hopping rates in the infinite-size, mean-field limit. The mean-field equations for particle densities are written in terms of Ricatti equations with the steady-state current J as a parameter. These equations are solved both analytically and numerically. Upon imposing the boundary conditions set by the injection and extraction rates, the currents J are found self-consistently. We find a number of cases where analytic solutions can be found exactly or approximated. Results for J from asymptotic analyses for slowly varying hopping rates agree extremely well with those from extensive Monte Carlo simulations, suggesting that mean-field currents asymptotically approach the exact currents in the hydrodynamic limit, as the hopping rates vary slowly over the lattice. If the forward hopping rate is greater than or less than the backward hopping rate throughout the entire chain, the three standard steady-state phases are preserved. Our analysis reveals the sensitivity of the current to the relative phase between the forward and backward hopping rate functions.

Hydrodynamic mean-field solutions of 1D exclusion processes with spatially varying hopping rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lakatos, Greg; O'Brien, John; Chou, Tom

2006-01-01

We analyse the open boundary partially asymmetric exclusion process with smoothly varying internal hopping rates in the infinite-size, mean-field limit. The mean-field equations for particle densities are written in terms of Ricatti equations with the steady-state current J as a parameter. These equations are solved both analytically and numerically. Upon imposing the boundary conditions set by the injection and extraction rates, the currents J are found self-consistently. We find a number of cases where analytic solutions can be found exactly or approximated. Results for J from asymptotic analyses for slowly varying hopping rates agree extremely well with those from extensive Monte Carlo simulations, suggesting that mean-field currents asymptotically approach the exact currents in the hydrodynamic limit, as the hopping rates vary slowly over the lattice. If the forward hopping rate is greater than or less than the backward hopping rate throughout the entire chain, the three standard steady-state phases are preserved. Our analysis reveals the sensitivity of the current to the relative phase between the forward and backward hopping rate functions

Does a Teacher's Classroom Observation Rating Vary across Multiple Classrooms?

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Xiaoxuan; Li, Hongli; Leroux, Audrey J.

2018-01-01

Classroom observations have been increasingly used for teacher evaluations, and it is important to examine the measurement quality and the use of observation ratings. When a teacher is observed in multiple classrooms, his or her observation ratings may vary across classrooms. In that case, using ratings from one classroom per teacher may not be…

Complication rates of ostomy surgery are high and vary significantly between hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheetz, Kyle H; Waits, Seth A; Krell, Robert W; Morris, Arden M; Englesbe, Michael J; Mullard, Andrew; Campbell, Darrell A; Hendren, Samantha

2014-05-01

Ostomy surgery is common and has traditionally been associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, suggesting an important target for quality improvement. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the variation in outcomes after ostomy creation surgery within Michigan to identify targets for quality improvement. This was a retrospective cohort study. The study took place within the 34-hospital Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative. Patients included were those undergoing ostomy creation surgery between 2006 and 2011. We evaluated hospital morbidity and mortality rates after risk adjustment (age, comorbidities, emergency vs elective, and procedure type). A total of 4250 patients underwent ostomy creation surgery; 3866 procedures (91.0%) were open and 384 (9.0%) were laparoscopic. Unadjusted morbidity and mortality rates were 43.9% and 10.7%. Unadjusted morbidity rates for specific procedures ranged from 32.7% for ostomy-creation-only procedures to 47.8% for Hartmann procedures. Risk-adjusted morbidity rates varied significantly between hospitals, ranging from 31.2% (95% CI, 18.4-43.9) to 60.8% (95% CI, 48.9-72.6). There were 5 statistically significant high-outlier hospitals and 3 statistically significant low-outlier hospitals for risk-adjusted morbidity. The pattern of complication types was similar between high- and low-outlier hospitals. Case volume, operative duration, and use of laparoscopic surgery did not explain the variation in morbidity rates across hospitals. This work was limited by its retrospective study design, by unmeasured variation in case severity, and by our inability to differentiate between colostomies and ileostomies because of the use of Current Procedural Terminology codes. Morbidity and mortality rates for modern ostomy surgery are high. Although this type of surgery has received little attention in healthcare policy, these data reveal that it is both common and uncommonly morbid. Variation in hospital performance provides an

Optimistlik Karlovy Vary / Jaan Ruus

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Ruus, Jaan, 1938-2017

2007-01-01

42. Karlovy Vary rahvusvahelise filmifestivali auhinnatud filmidest (žürii esimees Peter Bart). Kristallgloobuse sai Islandi-Saksamaa "Katseklaasilinn" (režii Baltasar Kormakur), parimaks režissööriks tunnistati norralane Bard Breien ("Negatiivse mõtlemise kunst"). Austraallase Michael James Rowlandi "Hea õnne teekond" sai žürii eripreemia

Time-varying exchange rate pass-through: experiences of some industrial countries

OpenAIRE

Toshitaka Sekine

2006-01-01

This paper estimates exchange rate pass-through of six major industrial countries using a time-varying parameter with stochastic volatility model. Exchange rate pass-through is divided into impacts of exchange rate fluctuations to import prices (first-stage pass-through) and those of import price movements to consumer prices (second-stage pass-through). The paper finds that both stages of pass-through have declined over time for all the sample countries. The decline in second-stage pass-throu...

Towards artificial intelligence based diesel engine performance control under varying operating conditions using support vector regression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naradasu Kumar Ravi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Diesel engine designers are constantly on the look-out for performance enhancement through efficient control of operating parameters. In this paper, the concept of an intelligent engine control system is proposed that seeks to ensure optimized performance under varying operating conditions. The concept is based on arriving at the optimum engine operating parameters to ensure the desired output in terms of efficiency. In addition, a Support Vector Machines based prediction model has been developed to predict the engine performance under varying operating conditions. Experiments were carried out at varying loads, compression ratios and amounts of exhaust gas recirculation using a variable compression ratio diesel engine for data acquisition. It was observed that the SVM model was able to predict the engine performance accurately.

Re-engaging with the past: recapitulation of encoding operations during episodic retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Morcom, Alexa M.

2014-01-01

Recollection of events is accompanied by selective reactivation of cortical regions which responded to specific sensory and cognitive dimensions of the original events. This reactivation is thought to reflect the reinstatement of stored memory representations and therefore to reflect memory content, but it may also reveal processes which support both encoding and retrieval. The present study used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether regions selectively engaged in encoding face and scene context with studied words are also re-engaged when the context is later retrieved. As predicted, encoding face and scene context with visually presented words elicited activity in distinct, context-selective regions. Retrieval of face and scene context also re-engaged some of the regions which had shown successful encoding effects. However, this recapitulation of encoding activity did not show the same context selectivity observed at encoding. Successful retrieval of both face and scene context re-engaged regions which had been associated with encoding of the other type of context, as well as those associated with encoding the same type of context. This recapitulation may reflect retrieval attempts which are not context-selective, but use shared retrieval cues to re-engage encoding operations in service of recollection. PMID:24904386

Re-assessing copepod growth using the Moult Rate method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hirst, Andrew G.; Keister, J. E.; Richardson, A. J.

2014-01-01

Estimating growth and production rates of mesozooplankton, and copepods in particular, is important in describing flows of material and energy though pelagic systems. Over the past 30 years, the Moult Rate (MR) method has been used to estimate juvenile copepod growth rates in ∼40 papers. Yet the MR......-moulting stage, e.g. copepodite stage 5 to adult. We performed experiments with Calanus pacificus to estimate growth of stage C5 using an alternative method. We found that the error size and sign varied between mass type (i.e. DW, C and N). Recommendations for practical future assessments of growth in copepods...

A life cycle cost economics model for automation projects with uniformly varying operating costs. [applied to Deep Space Network and Air Force Systems Command

Science.gov (United States)

Remer, D. S.

1977-01-01

The described mathematical model calculates life-cycle costs for projects with operating costs increasing or decreasing linearly with time. The cost factors involved in the life-cycle cost are considered, and the errors resulting from the assumption of constant rather than uniformly varying operating costs are examined. Parameters in the study range from 2 to 30 years, for project life; 0 to 15% per year, for interest rate; and 5 to 90% of the initial operating cost, for the operating cost gradient. A numerical example is presented.

A study of re-tear cases after ARCR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishida, Yasuyuki; Chosa, Etsuo; Yano, Hiroaki

2011-01-01

Recently, good clinical outcomes of arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) are reported, but the re-tear rate of massive and large rotator cuff tears is still high. The purpose of this study is to review the clinical outcome and postoperative cuff integrity of ARCR in our hospital. We evaluated 80 shoulders (61 males, 19 females), whose age rauged from 30 to 78 (average: 61.8 years old). The size of tears were 8 small, 22 medium, 36 large, and 14 massive. We evaluated the pre-and postoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scored, and MRI findings 12 months postoperatively. We evaluated the cuff integrity and fatty degeneration of the ruptured cuff by Goutallier's classification. Postoperative MRI findings showed complete repair in 56 shoulders (70%) and re-tear in 24 shoulders (30%). Postoperative JOA score was poor in cases with large re-tears. Retear rates were high in large and massive tears, tears with advanced fatty degeneration, and subscapularis tears. As this operation is not a replacement procedure, the quality of the ruptured rotator cuff is important. Further discussion on the operative indication and method is necessary. (author)

Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and risk of re-operation due to post-surgical bleeding in breast cancer patients: a Danish population-based cohort study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lash Timothy L

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI decrease platelet-function, which suggests that SSRI use may increase the risk of post-surgical bleeding. Few studies have investigated this potential association. Methods We conducted a population-based study of the risk of re-operation due to post-surgical bleeding within two weeks of primary surgery among Danish women with primary breast cancer. Patients were categorised according to their use of SSRI: never users, current users (SSRI prescription within 30 days of initial breast cancer surgery, and former users (SSRI prescription more than 30 days before initial breast cancer surgery. We calculated the risk of re-operation due to post-surgical bleeding within 14 days of initial surgery, and the relative risk (RR of re-operation comparing SSRI users with never users of SSRI adjusting for potential confounders. Results 389 of 14,464 women (2.7% were re-operated. 1592 (11% had a history of SSRI use. Risk of re-operation was 2.6% among never users, 7.0% among current SSRI users, and 2.7% among former users. Current users thus had an increased risk of re-operation due to post-operative bleeding (adjusted relative risk = 2.3; 95% confidence interval (CI = 1.4, 3.9 compared with never users. There was no increased risk of re-operation associated with former use of SSRI (RR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.66, 1.3. Conclusions Current use of SSRI is associated with an increased risk of re-operation due to bleeding after surgery for breast cancer.

Action of the complex Monge-Ampère operator on piecewise-linear functions and exponential tropical varieties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazarnovskii, B Ya

2014-01-01

We consider exponential tropical varieties, which appear as analogues of algebraic tropical varieties when we pass from algebraic varieties to varieties given by zero sets of systems of exponential sums. We describe a construction of exponential tropical varieties arising from the action of the complex Monge-Ampère operator on piecewise-linear functions and show that every such variety can be obtained in this way. As an application, we deduce a criterion for the vanishing of the value of the mixed Monge-Ampère operator. This is an analogue and generalization of the criterion for the vanishing of the mixed volume of convex bodies

Rate Control for Network-Coded Multipath Relaying with Time-Varying Connectivity

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-10

Armen Babikyan, Nathaniel M. Jones, Thomas H. Shake, and Andrew P. Worthen MIT Lincoln Laboratory 244 Wood Street Lexington, MA 02420 DDRE, 1777...delay U U U U SAR 11 Zach Sweet 781-981-5997 1 Rate Control for Network-Coded Multipath Relaying with Time-Varying Connectivity Brooke Shrader, Armen

Re-excision rates of invasive ductal carcinoma with lobular features compared with invasive ductal carcinomas and invasive lobular carcinomas of the breast.

Science.gov (United States)

Arps, David P; Jorns, Julie M; Zhao, Lili; Bensenhaver, Jessica; Kleer, Celina G; Pang, Judy C

2014-12-01

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) with lobular features (IDC-L) is not recognized as a subtype of breast cancer. We previously showed that IDC-L may be a variant of IDC with clinicopathological characteristics more similar to invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). We sought to determine the re-excision rates of IDC-L compared with ILC and IDC, and the feasibility of diagnosing IDC-L on core biopsies. Surgical procedure, multiple tumor foci, tumor size, and residual invasive carcinoma on re-excision were recorded for IDC-L (n = 178), IDC (n = 636), and ILC (n = 251). Re-excision rates were calculated by excluding mastectomy as first procedure cases and including only re-excisions for invasive carcinoma. Slides of correlating core biopsies for IDC-L cases initially diagnosed as IDC were re-reviewed. For T2 tumors (2.1-5.0 cm), re-excision rates for IDC-L (76 %) and ILC (88 %) were higher than that for IDC (42 %) (p = 0.003). Multiple tumor foci were more common in IDC-L (31 %) and ILC (26 %) than IDC (7 %) (p < 0.0001), which was a significant factor in higher re-excision rates when compared with a single tumor focus (p < 0.001). Ninety-two of 149 patients (62 %) with IDC-L were diagnosed on core biopsies. Of the 44 patients initially diagnosed as IDC, 30 were re-reviewed, of which 24 (80 %) were re-classified as IDC-L. Similar to ILC, re-excision rates for IDC-L are higher than IDC for larger tumors. Patients may need to be counseled about the higher likelihood of additional procedures to achieve negative margins. This underscores the importance of distinguishing IDC-L from IDC on core biopsies.

76 FR 40403 - R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, R.E. Ginna Independent Spent...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-08

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 50-244; Docket No. 72-67] R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, LLC, R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, R.E. Ginna Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation; Notice of... Facility Operating License No. DPR-18, for the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant (Ginna), currently held by R...

High Re-Operation Rates Using Conserve Metal-On-Metal Total Hip Articulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, S L; Jakobsen, Thomas; Christoffersen, Hardy

2016-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Metal-on-metal hip articulations have been intensely debated after reports of adverse reactions and high failure rates. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the implant of a metal-on.metal total hip articulation (MOM THA) from a single manufacture in a two-center st......INTRODUCTION: Metal-on-metal hip articulations have been intensely debated after reports of adverse reactions and high failure rates. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the implant of a metal-on.metal total hip articulation (MOM THA) from a single manufacture in a two...

Time-varying Crash Risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christoffersen, Peter; Feunoua, Bruno; Jeon, Yoontae

We estimate a continuous-time model with stochastic volatility and dynamic crash probability for the S&P 500 index and find that market illiquidity dominates other factors in explaining the stock market crash risk. While the crash probability is time-varying, its dynamic depends only weakly on re...

A SVDD and K-Means Based Early Warning Method for Dual-Rotor Equipment under Time-Varying Operating Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhinong Jiang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Under frequently time-varying operating conditions, equipment with dual rotors like gas turbines is influenced by two rotors with different rotating speeds. Alarm methods of fixed threshold are unable to consider the influences of time-varying operating conditions. Hence, those methods are not suitable for monitoring dual-rotor equipment. An early warning method for dual-rotor equipment under time-varying operating conditions is proposed in this paper. The influences of time-varying rotating speeds of dual rotors on alarm thresholds have been considered. Firstly, the operating conditions are divided into several limited intervals according to rotating speeds of dual rotors. Secondly, the train data within each interval is processed by SVDD and the allowable ranges (i.e., the alarm threshold of the vibration are determined. The alarm threshold of each interval of operating conditions is obtained. The alarm threshold can be expressed as a sphere, whose controlling parameters are the coordinate of the center and the radius. Then, the cluster center of the test data, whose alarm state is to be judged, can be extracted through K-means. Finally, the alarm state can be obtained by comparing the cluster center with the corresponding sphere. Experiments are conducted to validate the proposed method.

Corrosion inhibition measures in primary cooling water system during refurbishment of Cirus, re-commissioning and subsequent operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rai, K.K.; Ramesh, N.; Sharma, R.C.

2008-01-01

Cirus is a 40 MWth, heavy water moderated, demineralized light water cooled, natural uranium fuelled research reactor. Reactor was commissioned in year 1960 and operated satisfactorily till 1990. After that availability factor started decreasing mainly due to equipment outage exhibiting signs of ageing. Based upon systematic ageing studies and assessment of condition of systems, structures and components, a refurbishment plan including safety upgrades was drawn up. Reactor was shut down in October 1997 for execution of jobs. After completion of refurbishment jobs reactor was started back in October 2002 and power operation was achieved in 2003. Primary cooling water (PCW) system consists of re-circulating pumps, heat exchangers, expansion tank, piping, valves, emergency storage reservoir (Ball Tank) and other components. Normally the fission heat from fuel is removed by re-circulating coolant in closed loop and transferred to seawater via heat exchangers. In case of outage of pumps, shut down cooling is provided by flow of water from Ball Tank under gravity to the underground dump tanks. The dissolved oxygen is maintained below 2 ppm and pH is maintained neutral to minimize corrosion of fuel cladding (Aluminum). This paper highlights the experience gained during segmentation of primary cooling water pipelines for pressure testing, measures taken to corrosion inhibition of primary cooling water lines to permit execution of refurbishment jobs, inspections and actions taken to repair/replace the corroded PCW pipe line segments, observations regarding corrosion related failures, re-commissioning of the system after refurbishment, assessment for safe reactor operation and experience during power operation. (author)

Magnesium-rich intermetallics RE3RuMg7 (RE = Y, Nd, Dy, Ho). Rows of condensed Ru rate at RE6/2 octahedra in magnesium matrices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kersting, Marcel; Rodewald, Ute C.; Schwickert, Christian; Poettgen, Rainer

2013-01-01

The magnesium-rich intermetallic phases RE 3 RuMg 7 (RE = Y, Nd, Dy, Ho) have been synthesized from the elements in sealed niobium ampoules and subsequently characterized by powder X-ray diffraction. The structure of the dysprosium compound was refined on the basis of single-crystal X-ray diffractometer data: Ti 6 Sn 5 type, P6 3 /mmc, a = 1019.1(2), c = 606.76(9) pm, wR2 = 0.0159, 439 F 2 values, 19 variables. The Mg3 site shows a small degree of Mg3/Dy mixing, leading to the composition Dy 3.03 RuMg 6.97 for the investigated crystal. The striking structural motifs in the Dy 3 RuMg 7 structure are rows of face-sharing Ru rate at Dy 6 octahedra and corner-sharing Mg2 rate at Mg 8 Dy 4 icosahedra. The rows of octahedra form a hexagonal rod-packing, and each rod is enrolled by six rows of the condensed icosahedra. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements of Dy 3 RuMg 7 show Curie-Weiss behavior with an experimental magnetic moment of 10.66(1) μ B per Dy atom. Antiferromagnetic ordering is detected at T N = 27.5(5) K. The 5 K isotherm shows a metamagnetic transition at a critical field of H C = 40 kOe. (orig.)

Optimal harvesting of fish stocks under a time-varying discount rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Duncan, Stephen; Hepburn, Cameron; Papachristodoulou, Antonis

2011-01-21

Optimal control theory has been extensively used to determine the optimal harvesting policy for renewable resources such as fish stocks. In such optimisations, it is common to maximise the discounted utility of harvesting over time, employing a constant time discount rate. However, evidence from human and animal behaviour suggests that we have evolved to employ discount rates which fall over time, often referred to as "hyperbolic discounting". This increases the weight on benefits in the distant future, which may appear to provide greater protection of resources for future generations, but also creates challenges of time-inconsistent plans. This paper examines harvesting plans when the discount rate declines over time. With a declining discount rate, the planner reduces stock levels in the early stages (when the discount rate is high) and intends to compensate by allowing the stock level to recover later (when the discount rate will be lower). Such a plan may be feasible and optimal, provided that the planner remains committed throughout. However, in practice there is a danger that such plans will be re-optimized and adjusted in the future. It is shown that repeatedly restarting the optimization can drive the stock level down to the point where the optimal policy is to harvest the stock to extinction. In short, a key contribution of this paper is to identify the surprising severity of the consequences flowing from incorporating a rather trivial, and widely prevalent, "non-rational" aspect of human behaviour into renewable resource management models. These ideas are related to the collapse of the Peruvian anchovy fishery in the 1970's. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient kinetic Monte Carlo method for reaction-diffusion problems with spatially varying annihilation rates

Science.gov (United States)

Schwarz, Karsten; Rieger, Heiko

2013-03-01

We present an efficient Monte Carlo method to simulate reaction-diffusion processes with spatially varying particle annihilation or transformation rates as it occurs for instance in the context of motor-driven intracellular transport. Like Green's function reaction dynamics and first-passage time methods, our algorithm avoids small diffusive hops by propagating sufficiently distant particles in large hops to the boundaries of protective domains. Since for spatially varying annihilation or transformation rates the single particle diffusion propagator is not known analytically, we present an algorithm that generates efficiently either particle displacements or annihilations with the correct statistics, as we prove rigorously. The numerical efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated with an illustrative example.

Examination of the optimal operation of building scale combined heat and power systems under disparate climate and GHG emissions rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howard, B.; Modi, V.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • CHP attributable reductions, not viable by electric generation alone, are defined. • Simplified operating strategy heuristics are optimal under specific circumstances. • Phosphoric acid fuel cells yield the largest reductions except in the extremes. • Changes in baseline emissions affect the optimal system capacity and operating hours. - Abstract: This work aims to elucidate notions concerning the ideal operation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefits of combined heat and power (CHP) systems by investigating how various metrics change as a function of the GHG emissions from the underlying electricity source, building use type and climate. Additionally, a new term entitled “CHP Attributable” reductions is introduced to quantify the benefits from the simultaneous use of thermal and electric energy, removing benefits achieved solely from fuel switching and generating electricity more efficiently. The GHG emission benefits from implementing internal combustion engine, microturbines, and phosphoric acid (PA) fuel cell based CHP systems were evaluated through an optimization approach considering energy demands of prototypical hospital, office, and residential buildings in varied climates. To explore the effect of electric GHG emissions rates, the ideal operation of the CHP systems was evaluated under three scenarios: “High” GHG emissions rates, “Low” GHG emissions rates, and “Current” GHG emissions rate for a specific location. The analysis finds that PA fuel cells achieve the highest GHG emission reductions in most cases considered, though there are exceptions. Common heuristics, such as electric load following and thermal load following, are the optimal operating strategy under specific conditions. The optimal CHP capacity and operating hours both vary as a function of building type, climate and GHG emissions rates from grid electricity. GHG emissions reductions can be as high as 49% considering a PA fuel cell for a

High rate of virological re-suppression among patients failing ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Results. Of 69 patients enrolled in the programme, 40 had at least one follow-up VL and no known drug resistance at enrolment; 27 (68%) of these re-suppressed while remaining on second-line ART following enhanced adherence support. The majority (18/27; 67%) achieved re-suppression within the first 3 months in the ...

Structure/property relations of aluminum under varying rates and stress states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tucker, Matthew T [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Horstemeyer, Mark F [MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV; Whittington, Wilburn R [MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV; Solanki, Kiran N [MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV.

2010-11-19

In this work we analyze the plasticity, damage, and fracture characteristics of three different processed aluminum alloys (rolled 5083-H13, cast A356-T6, and extruded 6061-T6) under varying stress states (tension, compression, and torsion) and strain rates (0.001/, 1/s., and 1000/s). The stress state difference had more of a flow stress effect than the applied strain rates for those given in this study (0.001/sec up to 1000/sec). The stress state and strain rate also had a profound effect on the damage evolution of each aluminum alloy. Tension and torsional straining gave much greater damage nucleation rates than compression. Although the damage of all three alloys was found to be void nucleation dominated, the A356-T6 and 5083-H131 aluminum alloys incurred void damage via micron scale particles where the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy incurred void damage from two scales, micron-scale particles and nanoscale precipitates. Having two length scales of particles that participated in the damage evolution made the 6061-T6 incur a strain rate sensitive damage rate that was different than the other two aluminum alloys. Under tension, as the strain rate increased, the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy's void nucleation rate decreased, but the A356-T6 and 5083-H131 aluminum alloys void nucleation rate increased.

Performance exploration of an energy harvester near the varying magnetic field of an operating induction motor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uzun, Yunus; Kurt, Erol

2013-01-01

Highlights: • This paper explores the piezoelectric harvester performance. • The varying magnetic field generates electricity via exciting harvester. • Generated power should be optimized via load resistance. • 0.11 mW/cm 3 Power can be generated from 500 cm 3 surrounding volume. - Abstract: This paper reports a performance exploration of a piezoelectric harvester which is positioned near an operating induction motor. The harvester includes a magnet knob in a pendulum arrangement, which ascertains mechanical vibrations under the varying magnetic field. This energy harvester transforms the ambient unused magnetic energy into the electricity due to the piezoelectric layer attached to the pendulum. It has been proven that when the motor is under operation, the varying ambient field causes a varying magnetic force at the tip of harvester, then output voltage between the terminals of piezoelectric layer is produced due to the mechanical vibrations. This output signal has some characteristics of the operating induction motor in terms of its operation frequency, number of magnetic pole and natural frequency of the harvester. Since the surrounding field of the induction motor directly depends on the current flowing through the windings and electrical parameters, both the amplitude U and the frequency ω m of the harvested voltage can be characterized after some certain parametrical explorations. It has been proven that the harvested voltage strictly depends on the electrical load, which is attached to the terminals of the harvester, after the rectifying circuit. The harvested power per surrounding volume can be increased up to 0.11 mW/cm 3 , if the entire surrounding volume of the motor is considered

Eesti filmil läks hästi Karlovy Vary festivalil / Marianne Kõrver

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Kõrver, Marianne, 1980-

2006-01-01

Lühimängufilm "Tühirand", režissöör Veiko Õunpuu, osales Karlovy Vary rahvusvahelise filmifestivali "Forum of Independents" programmis. 41. Karlovy Vary filmifestivali avas Korea režissööri Kim Ki-duki "Aeg". Lühidalt ka auhinnatutest ja huvitavamatest filmidest

Short message service reminder intervention doubles sexually transmitted infection/HIV re-testing rates among men who have sex with men.

Science.gov (United States)

Bourne, C; Knight, V; Guy, R; Wand, H; Lu, H; McNulty, A

2011-04-01

To evaluate the impact of a short message service (SMS) reminder system on HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) re-testing rates among men who have sex with men (MSM). The SMS reminder programme started in late 2008 at a large Australian sexual health clinic. SMS reminders were recommended 3-6 monthly for MSM considered high-risk based on self-reported sexual behaviour. The evaluation compared HIV negative MSM who had a HIV/STI test between 1 January and 31 August 2010 and received a SMS reminder (SMS group) with those tested in the same time period (comparison group) and pre-SMS period (pre-SMS group, 1 January 2008 and 31 August 2008) who did not receive the SMS. HIV/STI re-testing rates were measured within 9 months for each group. Baseline characteristics were compared between study groups and multivariate logistic regression used to assess the association between SMS and re-testing and control for any imbalances in the study groups. There were 714 HIV negative MSM in the SMS group, 1084 in the comparison group and 1753 in the pre-SMS group. In the SMS group, 64% were re-tested within 9 months compared to 30% in the comparison group (preminders increased HIV/STI re-testing among HIV negative MSM. SMS offers a cheap, efficient system to increase HIV/STI re-testing in a busy clinical setting.

Big bang nucleosynthesis with a varying fine structure constant and nonstandard expansion rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichikawa, Kazuhide; Kawasaki, Masahiro

2004-01-01

We calculate the primordial abundances of light elements produced during big bang nucleosynthesis when the fine structure constant and/or the cosmic expansion rate take nonstandard values. We compare them with the recent values of observed D, 4 He, and 7 Li abundances, which show a slight inconsistency among themselves in the standard big bang nucleosynthesis scenario. This inconsistency is not solved by considering either a varying fine structure constant or a nonstandard expansion rate separately but solutions are found by their simultaneous existence

Study of elemental mercury re-emission through a lab-scale simulated scrubber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng-Li Wu; Yan Cao; Cheng-Chun He; Zhong-Bing Dong; Wei-Ping Pan [Western Kentucky University, KY (United States). Institute for Combustion Science and Environmental Technology

2010-08-15

This paper describes a lab-scale simulated scrubber that was designed and built in the laboratory at Western Kentucky University's Institute for Combustion Science and Environmental Technology. A series of tests on slurries of CaO, CaSO{sub 3}, CaSO{sub 4}/CaSO{sub 3} and Na{sub 2}SO{sub 3} were carried out to simulate recirculating slurries in different oxidation modes. Elemental mercury (Hg{sup 0}) re-emission was replicated through the simulated scrubber. The relationship between the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) of the slurries and the Hg0 re-emissions was evaluated. Elemental mercury re-emission occurred when Hg{sup 2+} that was absorbed in the simulated scrubber was converted to Hg{sup 0}; then, Hg{sup 0} was emitted from the slurry together with the carrier gas. The effects of both the reagents and the operational conditions (including the temperature, pH, and oxygen concentrations in the carrier gas) on the Hg{sup 0} re-emission rates in the simulated scrubber were investigated. The results indicated that as the operational temperature of the scrubber and the pH value of the slurry increased, the Hg{sup 0} concentrations that were emitted from the simulated scrubber increased. The Hg{sup 0} re-emission rates decreased as the O{sub 2} concentration in the carrier gas increased. In addition, the effects of additives to suppress Hg{sup 0} re-emission were evaluated in this paper. Sodium tetrasulfide, TMT 15, NaHS and HI were added to the slurry, while Hg{sup 2+}, which was absorbed in the slurry, was retained in the slurry as mercury precipitates. Therefore, there was a significant capacity for the additives to suppress Hg{sup 0} re-emission. 11 refs., 11 figs., 5 tabs.

From dynamical systems with time-varying delay to circle maps and Koopman operators

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, David; Otto, Andreas; Radons, Günter

2017-06-01

In this paper, we investigate the influence of the retarded access by a time-varying delay on the dynamics of delay systems. We show that there are two universality classes of delays, which lead to fundamental differences in dynamical quantities such as the Lyapunov spectrum. Therefore, we introduce an operator theoretic framework, where the solution operator of the delay system is decomposed into the Koopman operator describing the delay access and an operator similar to the solution operator known from systems with constant delay. The Koopman operator corresponds to an iterated map, called access map, which is defined by the iteration of the delayed argument of the delay equation. The dynamics of this one-dimensional iterated map determines the universality classes of the infinite-dimensional state dynamics governed by the delay differential equation. In this way, we connect the theory of time-delay systems with the theory of circle maps and the framework of the Koopman operator. In this paper, we extend our previous work [A. Otto, D. Müller, and G. Radons, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 044104 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.044104] by elaborating the mathematical details and presenting further results also on the Lyapunov vectors.

Effects of the DRG-based prospective payment system operated by the voluntarily participating providers on the cesarean section rates in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kwangsoo; Lee, Sangil

2007-05-01

This study explored the effects of the diagnosis-related group (DRG)-based prospective payment system (PPS) operated by voluntarily participating organizations on the cesarean section (CS) rates, and analyzed whether the participating health care organizations had similar CS rates despite the varied participation periods. The study sample included delivery claims data from the Korean national health insurance program for the year 2003. Risk factors were identified and used in the adjustment model to distinguish the main reason for CS. Their risk-adjusted CS rates were compared by the reimbursement methods, and the organizations' internal and external environments were controlled. The final risk-adjustment model for the CS rates meets the criteria for an effective model. There were no significant differences of CS rates between providers in the DRG and fee-for-service system after controlling for organizational variables. The CS rates did not vary significantly depending on the providers' DRG participation periods. The results provide evidence that the DRG payment system operated by volunteering health care organizations had no impact on the CS rates, which can lower the quality of care. Although the providers joined the DRG system in different years, there were no differences in the CS rates among the DRG providers. These results support the future expansion of the DRG-based PPS plan to all health care services in Korea.

Throughput rate study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, L.; Bailey, W.; Gottlieb, P.; Emami, F.; Fleming, M.; Robertson, D.

1993-01-01

The Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS) Management and Operating (M ampersand O) Contractor, has completed a study to analyze system wide impacts of operating the CRWMS at varying throughput rates, including the 3000 MTU/year rate which has been assumed in the past. Impacts of throughput rate on all phases of the CRWMS operations (acceptance, transportation, storage and disposal) were evaluated. The results of the study indicate that a range from 3000 to 5000 MTU/year is preferred, based on system cost per MTU of SNF emplaced and logistics constraints

Re-recurrence after operation for recurrent inguinal hernia. A nationwide 8-year follow-up study on the role of type of repair

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bisgaard, Thue; Bay-Nielsen, M.; Kehlet, H.

2008-01-01

the surgical strategy and results after recurrent inguinal hernia repairs. METHODS: Prospective recording of all primary and subsequent recurrent inguinal hernia repairs from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2005, in the national Danish Hernia Database, using the reoperation rate as a proxy for recurrence...... = 1124) was significantly reduced after laparoscopic operation for recurrence (1.3% (95% CI: 0.4-3.0)) compared with open repairs for recurrence (Lichtenstein 11.3% (8.2-15.2), nonmesh 19.2% (14.0-25.4), mesh (non-Lichtenstein) 7.2% (4.0 - 11.8)). After primary nonmesh (n = 616), non-Lichtenstein mesh (n...... = 277), and laparoscopic repair (n = 100) there was no significant difference in re-reoperation rates between a laparoscopic repair and all open techniques of repair for recurrence. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic repair is recommended for reoperation of a recurrence after primary open Lichtenstein repair...

Investigation of surface roughness and tool wear length with varying combination of depth of cut and feed rate of Aluminium alloy and P20 steel machining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varmma Suparmaniam, Madan; Yusoff, Ahmad Razlan

2016-01-01

High-speed milling technique is often used in many industries to boost productivity of the manufacturing of high-technology components. The occurrence of wear highly limits the efficiency and accuracy of high- speed milling operations. In this paper, analysis of high-speed milling process parameters such as material removal rate, cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut carried out by implemented to conventional milling. This experiment investigate the effects of varying combination of depth of cut and feed rate to tool wear rate length using metallurgical microscope and surface roughness using portable surface roughness tester after end milling of Aluminium and P20 steel. Results showed that feed rate significantly influences the surface roughness value while depth of cut does not as the surface roughness value keep increasing with the increase of feed rate and decreasing depth of cut. Whereas, tool wear rate almost remain unchanged indicates that material removal rate strongly contribute the wear rate. It believe that with no significant tool wear rate the results of this experiment are useful by showing that HSM technique is possible to be applied in conventional machine with extra benefits of high productivity, eliminating semi-finishing operation and reducing tool load for finishing. (paper)

[High complication rate after surgical treatment of ankle fractures].

Science.gov (United States)

Bjørslev, Naja; Ebskov, Lars; Lind, Marianne; Mersø, Camilla

2014-08-04

The purpose of this study was to determine the quality and re-operation rate of the surgical treatment of ankle fractures at a large university hospital. X-rays and patient records of 137 patients surgically treated for ankle fractures were analyzed for: 1) correct classification according to Lauge-Hansen, 2) if congruity of the ankle joint was achieved, 3) selection and placement of the hardware, and 4) the surgeon's level of education. Totally 32 of 137 did not receive an optimal treatment, 11 were re-operated. There was no clear correlation between incorrect operation and the surgeon's level of education.

LOW ENDOPHTHALMITIS RATES AFTER INTRAVITREAL ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR INJECTIONS IN AN OPERATION ROOM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Freiberg, Florentina J; Brynskov, Troels; Munk, Marion R

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: To evaluate the rate of presumed endophthalmitis (EO) after intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections in three European hospitals performed in an operation room (OR) under sterile conditions. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter study between 2003 and 2016...... at three European sites, City Hospital Triemli Zurich, Switzerland (CHT), Zealand University Hospital Roskilde, Denmark (ZUH) and University Clinic Bern, Switzerland (UCB). Intravitreal injection (IVI) database of each department was reviewed. All anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections were...... performed using a standardized sterile technique in an operation room. Injection protocols were similar between the three sites. No preinjection antibiotics were given. Postoperative antibiotics varied among sites. RESULTS: A total of 134,701 intravitreal injections were performed at the 3 sites between...

Cesarean Delivery Rates Vary 10-Fold Among US Hospitals; Reducing Variation May Address Quality, Cost Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Kozhimannil, Katy Backes; Law, Michael R.; Virnig, Beth A.

2013-01-01

Cesarean delivery is the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the United States, and cesarean rates are increasing. Working with 2009 data from 593 US hospitals nationwide, we found that cesarean rates varied tenfold across hospitals, from 7.1 percent to 69.9 percent. Even for women with lower-risk pregnancies, in which more limited variation might be expected, cesarean rates varied fifteen-fold, from 2.4 percent to 36.5 percent. Thus, vast differences in practice patterns are likely to be driving the costly overuse of cesarean delivery in many US hospitals. Because Medicaid pays for nearly half of US births, government efforts to decrease variation are warranted. We focus on four promising directions for reducing these variations, including better coordination of maternity care, more data collection and measurement, tying Medicaid payment to quality improvement, and enhancing patient-centered decision making through public reporting. PMID:23459732

PSA-based evaluation and rating of operational events

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez Cobo, A.

1997-01-01

The presentation discusses the PSA-based evaluation and rating of operational events, including the following: historical background, procedures for event evaluation using PSA, use of PSA for event rating, current activities

Evaluation Of Factors Influencing On Causes Of Prosthetic Valve Re-operation And Early Postoperative Survival Tehran Emam hospital (1991-2001

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rahmani Reaza

2003-06-01

Full Text Available Prosthetic valve re-operation has greater mortality and morbidity than primary valve replacement. By recognition of factors influencing on causes of redo operation and preoperative survival, one can select appropriate prosthesis at primary valve replacement and when operation performed at appropriate time, surgical risk can be reduced."nMethods and Materials: Two hundred patients that underwent prosthetic valve re-operation from October 1991 through November 2001 were included in this study. There were 68 men and 132 women with the mean age of 42:tl 1.8 years. Structural failure was the commonest cause of bio-prosthesis replacement (93%. Valve thrombosis was the common cause of mechanical valve replacement (32%. Age younger Than 50 (P= 0.01 and interval after the first implantation more than 10 years (P= 0.01 affected bio-prosthesis degeneration."nResults: Atrial fibrillation (P<0.01, Older age especially more than 40 (P<0.05 and mitral position (P<0.01 affected mechanical valve thrombosis. Cross clamp time (P= 0.005, Tricuspid insufficiency (P = 0.001, NYHA IV (P = 0.005 and emergent operation (P= 0.001 were independent determinants of hospital mortality."nConclusion: In conclusion, in patients with more than 10-years life expectancy and age younger than 50, mechanical valve can be selected for primary valve replacement. If operation performed before patients reach deteriorated condition, preoperative survival would be excellent.

Mediastinitis after coronary artery bypass grafting: the effect of vacuum-assisted closure versus traditional closed drainage on survival and re-infection rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Risnes, Ivar; Abdelnoor, Michael; Veel, Terje; Svennevig, Jan Ludvig; Lundblad, Runar; Rynning, Stein Erik

2014-04-01

Mediastinitis is treated with either vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) or traditional closed drainage (TCD) with irrigation. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of the two treatments on mortality and re-infection rate in a source population, using 21 314 consecutive patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) from January 1997 to October 2010. Median observation time was 2·9 years in the VAC group and 8·0 years in the TCD group. The epidemiological design was of an exposed (VAC, n = 64) versus non-exposed (TCD, n = 66) cohort with two endpoints: (1) mortality and (2) failure of sternal wound healing or re-infection. The crude effect of treatment technique versus endpoint was estimated by univariate analysis. Stratification analysis by the Mantel-Haenszel method was performed to quantify confounders and to pinpoint effect modifiers. Adjustment for confounders was performed using Cox regression analysis. Mediastinitis was diagnosed 6-105 (median 14) days after primary operation in the VAC group and 13 (5-29) days in the TCD group. There was no difference between groups in long-term survival. Failure of sternal wound healing or re-infection occurred less frequently in the VAC group (6%) than in the TCD group (21%; relative risk = 0·29, 95% CI = 0·06-0·88, P = 0·01). There are concerns for increase in right ventricle rupture in VAC compared with TCD. There was no difference in survival after VAC therapy and TCD therapy of post-CABG mediastinitis. Failure of sternal wound healing or re-infection was more common after TCD therapy. © 2012 The Authors. International Wound Journal © 2012 Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development of Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wakayama, N. [Mazda Motor Corporation, Hiroshima (Japan)

2010-07-01

Hydrogen powered ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles can play an important role as an automotive power source in the future, because of its higher reliability and cost performance than those of fuel cell vehicles. Combined with hydrogen, Mazda's unique rotary engine (RE) has merits such as a prevention of hydrogen pre-ignition. Mazda has been developing hydrogen vehicles with the hydrogen RE from the early 1990s. Premacy (Mazda5) Hydrogen RE Hybrid was developed and launched in 2009, following RX-8 Hydrogen RE delivered in 2006. A series hybrid system was adopted in Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid. A traction motor switches its windings while the vehicle is moving. This switching technology allows the motor to be small and high-efficient. The lithium-ion high voltage battery, which has excellent input-output characteristics, was installed. These features extend the hydrogen fuel driving range to 200 km and obtain excellent acceleration performance. The hydrogen RE can be also operated by gasoline (Dual Fuel System). The additional gasoline operation makes hydrogen vehicles possible to drive in non-hydrogen station area. With approval from the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport, Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid was delivered successfully to the Japanese market in the form of leasing. (orig.)

Microstructural evolution and thixoformability of semi-solid aluminum 319s alloy during re-melting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, X.G.; Zhu, Q.; Lu, H.X.; Zhang, F.; Li, D.Q.; Midson, S.P.

2015-01-01

The aim of this paper is to characterize both microstructural evolution and thixoformability during partial melting of semi-solid 319s alloy. The thixoformability criteria of 319s was initially investigated by thermodynamic analysis. In-situ observation of partial re-melting was performed by a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope to determine the effect of heating rate on melting characteristics. Meanwhile, the microstructural evolution of 319s alloy at extremely low heating rate was also investigated in order to understand the mechanism of re-melting process. The studies demonstrated that 319s alloy is suitable for thixocasting because of the controllable liquid fraction in the operating window of 15 °C. The process window was effected by both temperature and heating time. The primary particles evolution in 319s alloy can be divided into four stages, and the coarsening rate during isothermal test is 227 μm 3 /s. The effective method to obtain desirable microstructure is to manage the time in the semi-solid state by controlling heating rate and soaking time. - Highlights: • The thixoformability of 319s is discussed by using SPSC and thermodynamic analysis. • The re-melting processes at different heating rate are in-situ observed. • We identified the four stages of microstructural evolution during re-melting. • The coarsening rate K for 319s during isothermal test is identified. • The variation tendency of Si particle size with increasing time is reported

A life cycle cost economics model for projects with uniformly varying operating costs. [management planning

Science.gov (United States)

Remer, D. S.

1977-01-01

A mathematical model is developed for calculating the life cycle costs for a project where the operating costs increase or decrease in a linear manner with time. The life cycle cost is shown to be a function of the investment costs, initial operating costs, operating cost gradient, project life time, interest rate for capital and salvage value. The results show that the life cycle cost for a project can be grossly underestimated (or overestimated) if the operating costs increase (or decrease) uniformly over time rather than being constant as is often assumed in project economic evaluations. The following range of variables is examined: (1) project life from 2 to 30 years; (2) interest rate from 0 to 15 percent per year; and (3) operating cost gradient from 5 to 90 percent of the initial operating costs. A numerical example plus tables and graphs is given to help calculate project life cycle costs over a wide range of variables.

Operative strategy based in low rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mejia S, D.M.; Torres A, C.

2004-01-01

This work describes the possibility of the reactor operation of the unit 1 of the Laguna Verde Nuclear Power plant (CNLV) with a low flow, compared with the Cycle 10 that it was called Cycle 10 similar for this work. The main objective is to analyze the advantages or disadvantages that are obtained when going down the flow from the reactor to an interval that varies, from 81% to 106%, being a flow window but big of the one that it was used that is from 93.1% to 100.8%. It is found that making this type of changes, a favorable response is obtained, without any possibility of fault of the reactor. (Author)

Familiære abdominale aortaaneurismer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mejnert Jørgensen, Trine; Lindholt, Jes S.; Høgh, Annette Langager

Formål og baggrund: Det er velkendt, at risikoen for at udvikle et abdominalt aortaaneurisme (AAA) er væsentligt forøget blandt førstegradsslægtninge til AAA-patienter, men tidligere studier er få og svært sammenlignelige, ligesom man ikke har kunnet belyse, om familiære tilfælde af AAA fremtræder...... mere aggressivt end ikke-familiære. Man ved således meget lidt om væksthastighed, prognose for ruptur, alder ved diagnose og operation og risiko for AAA-relaterede dødsfald for denne gruppe. Projektet vil forsøge at besvare følgende: Hvor stor er forekomsten af AAA blandt førstegradsslægtninge til AAA......-patienter på landsplan og er familiære tilfælde af AAA mere aggressive i form af lavere gennemsnitsalder ved diagnose og operation, hurtigere vækstrate, større rupturrisiko og højere forekomst af AAA-relaterede dødsfald end ikke-familiære AAA? Design: Projektet er et retrospektivt case-kontrolstudie, hvor man...

Failure rate modeling using fault tree analysis and Bayesian network: DEMO pulsed operation turbine study case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dongiovanni, Danilo Nicola; Iesmantas, Tomas

2016-01-01

Highlights: • RAMI (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Inspectability) assessment of secondary heat transfer loop for a DEMO nuclear fusion plant. • Definition of a fault tree for a nuclear steam turbine operated in pulsed mode. • Turbine failure rate models update by mean of a Bayesian network reflecting the fault tree analysis in the considered scenario. • Sensitivity analysis on system availability performance. - Abstract: Availability will play an important role in the Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO) success from an economic and safety perspective. Availability performance is commonly assessed by Reliability Availability Maintainability Inspectability (RAMI) analysis, strongly relying on the accurate definition of system components failure modes (FM) and failure rates (FR). Little component experience is available in fusion application, therefore requiring the adaptation of literature FR to fusion plant operating conditions, which may differ in several aspects. As a possible solution to this problem, a new methodology to extrapolate/estimate components failure rate under different operating conditions is presented. The DEMO Balance of Plant nuclear steam turbine component operated in pulse mode is considered as study case. The methodology moves from the definition of a fault tree taking into account failure modes possibly enhanced by pulsed operation. The fault tree is then translated into a Bayesian network. A statistical model for the turbine system failure rate in terms of subcomponents’ FR is hence obtained, allowing for sensitivity analyses on the structured mixture of literature and unknown FR data for which plausible value intervals are investigated to assess their impact on the whole turbine system FR. Finally, the impact of resulting turbine system FR on plant availability is assessed exploiting a Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) model for a typical secondary cooling system implementing a Rankine cycle. Mean inherent availability

Failure rate modeling using fault tree analysis and Bayesian network: DEMO pulsed operation turbine study case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dongiovanni, Danilo Nicola, E-mail: danilo.dongiovanni@enea.it [ENEA, Nuclear Fusion and Safety Technologies Department, via Enrico Fermi 45, Frascati 00040 (Italy); Iesmantas, Tomas [LEI, Breslaujos str. 3 Kaunas (Lithuania)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • RAMI (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Inspectability) assessment of secondary heat transfer loop for a DEMO nuclear fusion plant. • Definition of a fault tree for a nuclear steam turbine operated in pulsed mode. • Turbine failure rate models update by mean of a Bayesian network reflecting the fault tree analysis in the considered scenario. • Sensitivity analysis on system availability performance. - Abstract: Availability will play an important role in the Demonstration Power Plant (DEMO) success from an economic and safety perspective. Availability performance is commonly assessed by Reliability Availability Maintainability Inspectability (RAMI) analysis, strongly relying on the accurate definition of system components failure modes (FM) and failure rates (FR). Little component experience is available in fusion application, therefore requiring the adaptation of literature FR to fusion plant operating conditions, which may differ in several aspects. As a possible solution to this problem, a new methodology to extrapolate/estimate components failure rate under different operating conditions is presented. The DEMO Balance of Plant nuclear steam turbine component operated in pulse mode is considered as study case. The methodology moves from the definition of a fault tree taking into account failure modes possibly enhanced by pulsed operation. The fault tree is then translated into a Bayesian network. A statistical model for the turbine system failure rate in terms of subcomponents’ FR is hence obtained, allowing for sensitivity analyses on the structured mixture of literature and unknown FR data for which plausible value intervals are investigated to assess their impact on the whole turbine system FR. Finally, the impact of resulting turbine system FR on plant availability is assessed exploiting a Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) model for a typical secondary cooling system implementing a Rankine cycle. Mean inherent availability

OPERABILITY RATE OF DISTAL GASTRIC CANCER AND THE EFFECT OF GASTRIC OUTLET OBSTRUCTION IN THE OPERABILITY RATE AND POSTOPERATIVE OUTCOME- A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajesh T. R

2017-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Stomach cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in the world. 1 Except in countries where screening for stomach cancer is prevalent, most of the distal stomach tumours are diagnosed at advanced stage. Gastric outlet obstruction is usually believed to be a sign of locally-advanced disease. Complete surgical removal of the disease (R0 is the only potentially curative treatment for resectable gastric cancer. The aim of the study is to finda The operability rate of gastric cancer in our institution and the incidence of Gastric Outlet Obstruction (GOO in patients undergoing gastrectomy for distal gastric cancer. b To compare the postoperative outcome in patients with gastric outlet obstruction and those without gastric outlet obstruction. c To see if the histology of the tumour has any role in the development of GOO. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a retrospective study. The study includes patients who were admitted with carcinoma stomach and underwent operative or nonoperative treatment in our institution during 2013 to 2015. RESULTS Overall operability rate was 45.8%. Operable patients in the GOO group were 47%. Operability in the no outlet obstruction group were 45%. Data shows a slightly increased predilection for GOO in diffuse and mixed type of tumours (statistically not significant. Intestinal tumours had significant rate of anaemia compared to diffuse tumours (p <0.005. Overall mortality was 6.7%. Mortality is higher in the GOO group (8.8%. CONCLUSION (a. Operability rate of distal gastric cancer in our institution is 45.8%. (b. Incidence of gastric outlet obstruction in patients undergoing gastrectomy is 38.2%. (c. Presence of gastric outlet obstruction does not influence operability rate (47% vs. 45%. (d. Morbidity and mortality after distal radical gastrectomy is comparable in both groups. (e. Both intestinal and diffuse histology have equal incidence of GOO. (f. Chronic blood loss and incidence of anaemia is more in

A Novel Boil-Off Gas Re-Liquefaction Using a Spray Recondenser for Liquefied Natural-Gas Bunkering Operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiheon Ryu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This study presents the design of a novel boil-off gas (BOG re-liquefaction technology using a BOG recondenser system. The BOG recondenser system targets the liquefied natural gas (LNG bunkering operation, in which the BOG phase transition occurs in a pressure vessel instead of a heat exchanger. The BOG that is generated during LNG bunkering operation is characterized as an intermittent flow with various peak loads. The system was designed to temporarily store the transient BOG inflow, condense it with subcooled LNG and store the condensed liquid. The superiority of the system was verified by comparing it with the most extensively employed conventional re-liquefaction system in terms of consumption energy and via an exergy analysis. Static simulations were conducted for three compositions; the results indicated that the proposed system provided 0 to 6.9% higher efficiencies. The exergy analysis indicates that the useful work of the conventional system is 24.9%, and the useful work of the proposed system is 26.0%. Process dynamic simulations of six cases were also performed to verify the behaviour of the BOG recondenser system. The results show that the pressure of the holdup in the recondenser vessel increased during the BOG inflow mode and decreased during the initialization mode. The maximum pressure of one of the bunkering cases was 3.45 bar. The system encountered a challenge during repetitive operations due to overpressurizing of the BOG recondenser vessel.

ATLAS trigger operations: Monitoring with “Xmon” rate prediction system

CERN Document Server

Aukerman, Andrew Todd; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

We present the operations and online monitoring with the “Xmon” rate prediction system for the trigger system at the ATLAS Experiment. A two-level trigger system reduces the LHC’s bunch-crossing rate, 40 MHz at design capacity, to an average recording rate of about 1 kHz, while maintaining a high efficiency of selecting events of interest. The Xmon system uses the luminosity value to predict trigger rates that are, in turn, compared with incoming rates. The predictions rely on past runs to parameterize the luminosity dependency of the event rate for a trigger algorithm. Some examples are given to illustrate the performance of the tool during recent operations.

Recurrens Rates and Affecting Factors in Patients Operated for Endometrioma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cüneyt Eftal Taner

2008-09-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate reurrens rates and affecting factors in patients operated for endometrioma.\tMATERIAL-METHOD: The cases operated for over cyst diagnosis and pathologically endometrioma diagnosis between the years 2000-2004 has been reviewed retrospectively. Cases’s age, cyst diameter, endometriosis stage and operation procedure have been recorded and the cases that have recurrence and factors affecting recurrence are evaluated.\tRESULTS: Results: 51 of 137 (37.3% cases with endometrioma that have average age of 29.1 in course of operation ± 5.4 had left side, 37 of 137(27% had right side and 49 of 137 (35.7% had bilateral endometrioma. Average diameter of endometriomas was 5.1 ±1.9 cm (1-1.5 cm. After average 3.3±1.8 years from first operation time in 42 cases(30.6% had recurrence. in the left over recurrence rate was signifciantly high (10.8% to 41.2% than right over. For recurrence rate There were no significiant diference between the 102 cases that had laparoscopy and 35 cases that had laparotomy according to cyst diameter, case ages and type of operation.\tWhen the cases were reviewed according to endometriozis staging, There were significiantly high recurrence rate at stage III (28.9% and stage IV(46.0%. With respect to the operation type, patients that had one-sided ooferektomi,relapse is not seen. Patients that had fenestration and ablation as operation, relapse rate is 52.9% significiantly higher than patients that had kistektomi (26.9%.Despite decrease in preoperative complaints (dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain in early postoperative period, they recurred in late postoperative period. 47(56% of 84 patients who have fertility desire gave live birth unfortunately 12(14.3% of them.\tCONCLUSION: Recurrence rates were signifiantly higher in cases with lift sided endometrioma, advanced stafe of endometriosis and in patient udergone fenestration and ablation for treatment.

Improvement of rate of operation of LWRs, (2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makiura, Ryutaro

1978-01-01

In the first part, the growing importance of improving the rate of operation of nuclear power plants is expressed in view of the big unit capacity of the present plants. The following parts of this report are devoted to the description of various measures for improving the reliability and the rate of operation of BWR plants from the standpoint of plant makers. The first subject is the early solution of ''singular troubles'', for example, the channel wear due to the oscillation of LPRM strings. The second subject is ''ordinary troubles'' such as valve leak and malfunction, deterioration of various parts, and vibration of pipes. The improvement of load factor is discussed in the third part in connection with the present efforts to abolish the PCIOMR operation and to employ the fine motion of control rod-driving mechanism. The final subject concerns with the efforts for shortening the time required for regular inspection. Review of inspection items and shortening of their required time, reduction of radiation exposure automated and remote-controlled operation, and intensive training of operators are the main subjects discussed here. (Aoki, K.)

Consistency of motor-unit identification during force-varying static contractions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pilegaard, M; Jensen, B R; Sjøgaard, G

2000-01-01

active either before or after the 1 s at 0% MVC, and 18 as being de-recruited during force decreases and recruited during force increases. Both operators agreed that 16 of these 18 MUs were de-recruited at a higher force level than that at which they were recruited, which may be due...... to the electromechanical delay. The coefficient of variation for double determination of the results obtained by operators A and B was 8.5% for the number of MU firings, 4.5% for the MU mean firing rate, and 8.4% for the MU action potential (MUAP) amplitude. Therefore, the operator interactive decomposition method...... was considered to be valid for studying recruitment and de-recruitment as well as firing rate and MUAP amplitude during static, force-varying ramp contractions....

Rate of solidification of aluminium casting in varying wall thickness of cylindrical metallic moulds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katsina Christopher BALA

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The quality of final casting mainly depends on the rate of solidification as rapid solidification produces fine grains structures with better mechanical properties. The analysis of heat transfer during the casting and solidification of aluminium alloy as well as the experimental investigation of the rate of solidification in varying thicknesses of cylindrical metallic mould was carried out. The temperature variation with time of the casting was recorded from which cooling curves were obtained for the determination of solidification time of the cast. The results showed that as the cylindrical mould thickness increases the solidification time decreases due to the chilling effect of the mould.

Complexity rating of abnormal events and operator performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oeivind Braarud, Per

1998-01-01

The complexity of the work situation during abnormal situations is a major topic in a discussion of safety aspects of Nuclear Power plants. An understanding of complexity and its impact on operator performance in abnormal situations is important. One way to enhance understanding is to look at the dimensions that constitute complexity for NPP operators, and how those dimensions can be measured. A further step is to study how dimensions of complexity of the event are related to performance of operators. One aspect of complexity is the operator 's subjective experience of given difficulties of the event. Another related aspect of complexity is subject matter experts ratings of the complexity of the event. A definition and a measure of this part of complexity are being investigated at the OECD Halden Reactor Project in Norway. This paper focus on the results from a study of simulated scenarios carried out in the Halden Man-Machine Laboratory, which is a full scope PWR simulator. Six crews of two licensed operators each performed in 16 scenarios (simulated events). Before the experiment subject matter experts rated the complexity of the scenarios, using a Complexity Profiling Questionnaire. The Complexity Profiling Questionnaire contains eight previously identified dimensions associated with complexity. After completing the scenarios the operators received a questionnaire containing 39 questions about perceived complexity. This questionnaire was used for development of a measure of subjective complexity. The results from the study indicated that Process experts' rating of scenario complexity, using the Complexity Profiling Questionnaire, were able to predict crew performance quite well. The results further indicated that a measure of subjective complexity could be developed that was related to crew performance. Subjective complexity was found to be related to subjective work load. (author)

Quality assurance of Vari-source high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy- remote after loader and cost effectiveness of Vari-source HDR- brachytherapy: NORI, Islamabad experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, N.; Mahmood, H.; Jafri, S.R.A.

2004-01-01

A quality control of Vari-Source high dose rate (HDR) remote after loading brachytherapy machine was carried out and the cost effectiveness of HDR brachytherapy machine was also evaluated considering the cost of ten Iridium-192 wire sources at Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI), Islamabad, Pakistan. A total number of 253 intracavitary insertions were done in 98 patients from October 1996 to May 2001. The results of the quality control tests performed during 1996 to 2001 were within the acceptable limits. The cost effectiveness of Vari-Source HDR brachytherapy machine was also evaluated. The average cost per patient was calculated as US$ 491. Small number of patients was treated as the machine was used for gynecologic malignancies only. The objective was to assess the quality control status of HDR brachytherapy machine on patient treatment day, source exchange day and periodic day (monthly basis). It was found that the cost per patient can be minimized if other type of cancer patients are also treated on Vari-Source HDR machine. (author)

The impact of monetary policy and exchange rate shocks in Poland: evidence from a time-varying VAR

OpenAIRE

Arratibel, Olga; Michaelis, Henrike

2014-01-01

This paper follows the Bayesian time-varying VAR approach with stochastic volatility developed by Primiceri (2005), to analyse whether the reaction of output and prices to interest rate and exchange rate shocks has changed across time (1996-2012) in the Polish economy. The empirical findings show that: (1) output appears more responsive to an interest rate shock at the beginning of our sample. Since 2000, absorbing this shock has become less costly in terms of output, notwithstanding some rev...

Numerical investigation on the combined effects of varying piston bowl geometries and ramp injection rate-shapes on the combustion characteristics of a kerosene-diesel fueled direct injection compression ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tay, Kun Lin; Yang, Wenming; Zhao, Feiyang; Yu, Wenbin; Mohan, Balaji

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Effect of injection rate-shaping on heat-release is significant with less turbulence. • Two peak heat-releases are seen for the shallow-depth re-entrant piston. • Significant combustion phasing occurs with kerosene usage and high turbulence. - Abstract: In this work, the combustion characteristics of a direct injection compression ignition (DICI) engine fueled with kerosene-diesel blends, using different piston bowl geometries together with varying injection rate-shapes were investigated. A total of three combustion bowl geometries, namely the omega combustion chamber (OCC), the shallow-depth combustion chamber (SCC) and the shallow-depth re-entrant combustion chamber (SRCC), were used together with six different ramp injection rate-shapes and pure diesel, kerosene-diesel and pure kerosene fuels. It is seen that the SRCC geometry, which has the shortest throat length, gives the highest turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) and this resulted in two peak heat-releases, with a primary peak heat-release during the premixed combustion phase and a secondary peak heat-release during the mixing-controlled combustion phase. In addition, the SCC geometry gives rather distinct premixed combustion and mixing-controlled combustion phases due to the fact that combustion is predominantly controlled by the injected fuel spray itself because of less turbulence. Also, when kerosene is used in place of diesel, the heat-release during the premixed combustion phase increases and diminishes during the mixing-controlled and late combustion phases. It is interesting to note that the effect of injection rate-shaping on the heat-release rate is more obvious for bowl geometries that generate less TKE. Moreover, bowl geometries that generate higher TKEs as well as fuels with lower viscosities generally give lower carbon monoxide (CO) emissions and higher nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions. More importantly, it is possible to achieve low NO and CO emissions simultaneously by using the

Radiation Re-solution Calculation in Uranium-Silicide Fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, Christopher; Andersson, Anders David Ragnar; Unal, Cetin

2017-01-01

The release of fission gas from nuclear fuels is of primary concern for safe operation of nuclear power plants. Although the production of fission gas atoms can be easily calculated from the fission rate in the fuel and the average yield of fission gas, the actual diffusion, behavior, and ultimate escape of fission gas from nuclear fuel depends on many other variables. As fission gas diffuses through the fuel grain, it tends to collect into intra-granular bubbles, as portrayed in Figure 1.1. These bubbles continue to grow due to absorption of single gas atoms. Simultaneously, passing fission fragments can cause collisions in the bubble that result in gas atoms being knocked back into the grain. This so called ''re-solution'' event results in a transient equilibrium of single gas atoms within the grain. As single gas atoms progress through the grain, they will eventually collect along grain boundaries, creating inter-granular bubbles. As the inter-granular bubbles grow over time, they will interconnect with other grain-face bubbles until a pathway is created to the outside of the fuel surface, at which point the highly pressurized inter-granular bubbles will expel their contents into the fuel plenum. This last process is the primary cause of fission gas release. From the simple description above, it is clear there are several parameters that ultimately affect fission gas release, including the diffusivity of single gas atoms, the absorption and knockout rate of single gas atoms in intra-granular bubbles, and the growth and interlinkage of intergranular bubbles. Of these, the knockout, or re-solution rate has an particularly important role in determining the transient concentration of single gas atoms in the grain. The re-solution rate will be explored in the following sections with regards to uranium-silicide fuels in order to support future models of fission gas bubble behavior.

Additional Surgery after Breast-Conserving Surgery Varies Widely

Science.gov (United States)

A study published in the Feb. 1, 2012, issue of JAMA found that the number of women who have one or more additional surgeries to remove suspected residual tumor tissue (re-excisions) following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for breast cancer varies widely across surgeons and hospitals.

THE IMPLICATIONS OF VARYING EXCHANGE RATES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandu Carmen

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The benefit of international trade is a more efficient employment of the productive forces of the world. (John Stuart Mill The exchange rate is a primary factor that influences economy. This instrument is used by some countries in order to improve the lack of balance caused as a result of the financial crisis felt in many countries considered by then infallible. The negative effects of the financial crisis can also be found in the decreased volume of commodities involved in international trade exchanges, as a consequence of modified prices and decreased offer. The globalizing trend leads to a constant expansion of exchanges between countries and to the consolidation of international cooperation. Except that economic interdependence generates an increased risk under the influence of economic, financial, monetary or political factors. The currency risk can generate either a gain or loss during foreign trade operations. The long period of RON depreciation made possible the entry of Romanian products on the international markets due to their prices. Sheltered by the gain generated by the evolution of the exchange rate, most of the exporters were not concerned by the increase of product competitiveness or by avoiding the currency risk. The fact that, for many years, the evolution of the exchange rate generated substantial losses for the exporters shows that risk coverage in Romania is, in most cases, a purely theoretical concept.

Prediction of the time-dependent failure rate for normally operating components taking into account the operational history

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrbanic, I.; Simic, Z.; Sljivac, D.

2008-01-01

The prediction of the time-dependent failure rate has been studied, taking into account the operational history of a component used in applications such as system modeling in a probabilistic safety analysis in order to evaluate the impact of equipment aging and maintenance strategies on the risk measures considered. We have selected a time-dependent model for the failure rate which is based on the Weibull distribution and the principles of proportional age reduction by equipment overhauls. Estimation of the parameters that determine the failure rate is considered, including the definition of the operational history model and likelihood function for the Bayesian analysis of parameters for normally operating repairable components. The operational history is provided as a time axis with defined times of overhauls and failures. An example for demonstration is described with prediction of the future behavior for seven different operational histories. (orig.)

Re-Evaluation of Constant versus Varied Punishers Using Empirically Derived Consequences

Science.gov (United States)

Toole, Lisa M.; DeLeon, Iser G.; Kahng, Sung Woo; Ruffin, Geri E.; Pletcher, Carrie A.; Bowman, Lynn G.

2004-01-01

Charlop, Burgio, Iwata, and Ivancic [J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 21 (1988) 89] demonstrated that varied punishment procedures produced greater or more consistent reductions of problem behavior than a constant punishment procedure. More recently, Fisher and colleagues [Res. Dev. Disabil. 15 (1994) 133; J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 27 (1994) 447] developed a…

India RE Grid Integration Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cochran, Jaquelin M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-08

The use of renewable energy (RE) sources, primarily wind and solar generation, is poised to grow significantly within the Indian power system. The Government of India has established a target of 175 gigawatts (GW) of installed RE capacity by 2022, including 60 GW of wind and 100 GW of solar, up from 29 GW wind and 9 GW solar at the beginning of 2017. Thanks to advanced weather and power system modeling made for this project, the study team is able to explore operational impacts of meeting India's RE targets and identify actions that may be favorable for integration.

Stability Analysis and Stabilization of T-S Fuzzy Delta Operator Systems with Time-Varying Delay via an Input-Output Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhixiong Zhong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The stability analysis and stabilization of Takagi-Sugeno (T-S fuzzy delta operator systems with time-varying delay are investigated via an input-output approach. A model transformation method is employed to approximate the time-varying delay. The original system is transformed into a feedback interconnection form which has a forward subsystem with constant delays and a feedback one with uncertainties. By applying the scaled small gain (SSG theorem to deal with this new system, and based on a Lyapunov Krasovskii functional (LKF in delta operator domain, less conservative stability analysis and stabilization conditions are obtained. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the advantages of the proposed method.

Prolonged operative time increases infection rate in tibial plateau fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Colman, Matthew; Wright, Adam; Gruen, Gary; Siska, Peter; Pape, Hans-Christoph; Tarkin, Ivan

2013-02-01

Fractures of the tibial plateau present a treatment challenge and are susceptible to both prolonged operative times and high postoperative infection rates. For those fractures treated with open plating, we sought to identify the relationship between surgical site infection and prolonged operative time as well as to identify other surgical risk factors. We performed a retrospective controlled analysis of 309 consecutive unicondylar and bicondylar tibial plateau fractures treated with open plate osteosynthesis at our institution's level I trauma centre during a recent 5-year period. We recorded operative times, injury characteristics, surgical treatment, and need for operative debridement due to infection. Operative times of infected cases were compared to uncomplicated surgical cases. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for postoperative infection. Mean operative time in the infection group was 2.8h vs. 2.2h in the non-infected group (p=0.005). 15 fractures (4.9%) underwent four compartment fasciotomies as part of their treatment, with a significantly higher infection rate than those not undergoing fasciotomy (26.7% vs. 6.8%, p=0.01). Open fracture grade was also significantly related to infection rate (closed fractures: 5.3%, grade 1: 14.3%, grade 2: 40%, grade 3: 50%, pinfection rates (13.9% vs. 8.7%, p=0.36). Multivariable logistic regression analysis of the entire study group identified longer operative times (OR 1.78, p=0.013) and open fractures (OR 7.02, psite infection. Operative times approaching 3h and open fractures are related to an increased overall risk for surgical site infection after open plating of the tibial plateau. Dual incision approaches with bicolumnar plating do not appear to expose the patient to increased risk compared to single incision approaches. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of low-dose candesartan on the rate of re-endothelialisation following vascular wound healing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prakash Koshy

2001-03-01

Full Text Available The wound healing response of the vascular wall to injury involves re-endothelialisation of the denuded luminal surface and thickening of the intimal area (intimal hyperplasia, as expressed by the intimal-to-medial area ratio (I/M. Candesartan, at doses of 1 mg/kg/day or higher, has been reported to attenuate the intimal hyperplastic response. We tested the hypothesis that candesartan, at doses lower than those associated with attenuation of intimal hyperplasia, may affect re-endothelialisation. New Zealand White rabbits were subjected to balloon catheter injury to the thoracic aorta. Candesartan, at doses of 50, 100, and 500 µg/kg/day, was delivered via an Alzet pump placed in the abdomen one week prior to aortic injury. There was no attenuation of the hyperplastic response of the aortic wall. However, at 50 µg/kg/day the rate of reendothelialisation was significantly increased. These data suggest that candesartan may exhibit pleiotropic effects on vascular wound healing, in addition to the well-known effect of attenuating the development of intimal hyperplasia.

The role of periodically varying discharge on river plume structure and transport

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Yeping; Horner-Devine, Alexander R.; Avener, Margaret; Bevan, Shaun

2018-04-01

We present results from laboratory experiments that simulate the effects of periodically varying discharge on buoyant coastal plumes. Freshwater is discharged into a two meter diameter tank filled with saltwater on a rotating table. The mean inflow rate, tank rotation period and density of the ambient salt water are varied to simulate a range of inflow Froude and Rossby numbers. The amplitude and the period of the inflow modulation are varied across a range that simulates variability due to tides and storms. Using the optical thickness method, we measure the width and depth of the plume, plume volume and freshwater retention rate in the plume. With constant discharge, freshwater is retained in a growing anticyclonic bulge circulation near the river mouth, as observed in previous studies. When the discharge is varied, the bulge geometry oscillates between a circular plume structure that extends mainly in the offshore direction, and a compressed plume structure that extends mainly in the alongshore direction. The oscillations result in periodic variations in the width and depth of the bulge and the incidence angle formed where the bulge flow re-attaches with the coastal wall. The oscillations are more pronounced for longer modulation periods, but are relatively insensitive to the modulation amplitude. A phase difference between the time varying transport within the bulge and bulge geometry determines the fraction of the bulge flow discharged into the coastal current. As a result, the modulation period determines the variations in amount of freshwater that returns to the bulge. Freshwater retention in the bulge is increased in longer modulation periods and more pronounced for larger modulation amplitudes.

A re-evaluation of the 0-10 ka 10Be production rate for exposure dating obtained from the Koefels (Austria) landslide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubik, Peter W.; Ivy-Ochs, Susan

2004-01-01

The sea level, high latitude 10 Be production rate for exposure dating obtained from the giant 9.8 ka landslide of Koefels (Austria) has been calculated based on a re-assessment of the contribution of the muonic cosmic ray component. The 0-10 ka production rate value is 5.44 ± 0.19 10 Be atoms/y g quartz

The influence of re-employment on quality of life and self-rated health, a longitudinal study among unemployed persons in the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlier, Bouwine E; Schuring, Merel; Lötters, Freek J B; Bakker, Bernhard; Borgers, Natacha; Burdorf, Alex

2013-05-24

Unemployed persons have a poorer health compared with employed persons and unemployment may cause ill health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of re-employment on quality of life and health among unemployed persons on social benefits. A prospective study with 18 months follow-up was conducted among unemployed persons (n=4,308) in the Netherlands, receiving either unemployment benefits or social security benefits. Quality of life, self-rated health, and employment status were measured at baseline and every 6 months of follow up with questionnaires. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) modeling was performed to study the influence of re-employment on change in self-rated health and quality of life over time. In the study population 29% had a less than good quality of life and 17% had a poor self-rated health. Persons who started with paid employment during the follow-up period were more likely to improve towards a good quality of life (OR 1.76) and a good self-rated health (OR 2.88) compared with those persons who remained unemployed. Up to 6 months after re-employment, every month with paid employment, the likelihood of a good quality of life increased (OR 1.12). Starting with paid employment improves quality of life and self-rated health. This suggests that labour force participation should be considered as an important measure to improve health of unemployed persons. Improving possibilities for unemployed persons to find paid employment will reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health.

Re-burning of ash in grate boilers; Omfoerbraenning av askor i rosterpannor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bergqvist, Kristina; Myringer, Aase; Nordgren, Daniel; Rydberg, Stina [Vattenfall Utveckling AB, Aelvkarleby (Sweden)

2005-03-01

High contents of unburnt carbon in ashes that are dumped or recycled, is questionable from both an economical and an environmental point of view. The content of unburnt carbon in bottom and fly ash from grate boilers varies greatly between different plants but can sometimes exceed 50 %. Re-burning of ash that is separated before a final dust separation, is a relatively cheep and simple method for reducing the content of unburnt carbon in ash, which both reduces the fuel cost and the deposit cost, i.e. the cost of landfilling or recycling. As from 2005 it is prohibited to deposit ash with a too high content of unburnt organic material; the content is limited to 18 weight % of unburnt carbon. The study was carried out in two phases. The aim of the first phase was to map the different techniques used for re-burning ash that are used in grate boilers today. The mapping was done through telephone interviews and comprises technical descriptions of the systems, gathering of operational know-how, installations costs and the effect of the systems on the amount of ash generated at the plants and the content of unburnt carbon in the ash. In order to accomplish a deeper technical and economical evaluation of ash re-burning systems, the second phase involved field studies at two plants. In addition screening tests were done to investigate the connection between the content of unburnt carbon and particle size. The potential of reducing the amount of circulated inorganic material by sieving the ash before bringing it back to the furnace could thereby be determined. 13 plants that utilize re-burning of ash were identified, of which two plants re-burn the bottom ash that floats up to the surface in the wet ash removal system. The remaining 11 plants re-burn fly ash. At three plants the fly ash is first separated in a mesh sieve or similar equipment and only the coarser fly ash is re-burnt. As the amount of bottom ash that surfaces in the wet ash-removal is relatively small

Robust Stability and H∞ Stabilization of Switched Systems with Time-Varying Delays Using Delta Operator Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Qin

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the problems of the robust stability and robust H∞ controller design for time-varying delay switched systems using delta operator approach. Based on the average dwell time approach and delta operator theory, a sufficient condition of the robust exponential stability is presented by choosing an appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional candidate. Then, a state feedback controller is designed such that the resulting closed-loop system is exponentially stable with a guaranteed H∞ performance. The obtained results are formulated in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs. Finally, a numerical example is provided to explicitly illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Invariant operator theory for the single-photon energy in time-varying media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong-Ryeol, Choi

2010-01-01

After the birth of quantum mechanics, the notion in physics that the frequency of light is the only factor that determines the energy of a single photon has played a fundamental role. However, under the assumption that the theory of Lewis–Riesenfeld invariants is applicable in quantum optics, it is shown in the present work that this widely accepted notion is valid only for light described by a time-independent Hamiltonian, i.e., for light in media satisfying the conditions, ε(i) = ε(0), μ(t) = μ(0), and σ(t) = 0 simultaneously. The use of the Lewis–Riesenfeld invariant operator method in quantum optics leads to a marvelous result: the energy of a single photon propagating through time-varying linear media exhibits nontrivial time dependence without a change of frequency. (general)

Estimation of exponential convergence rate and exponential stability for neural networks with time-varying delay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tu Fenghua; Liao Xiaofeng

2005-01-01

We study the problem of estimating the exponential convergence rate and exponential stability for neural networks with time-varying delay. Some criteria for exponential stability are derived by using the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. They are less conservative than the existing ones. Some analytical methods are employed to investigate the bounds on the interconnection matrix and activation functions so that the systems are exponentially stable

Small Commercial Building Re-tuning: A Primer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cort, Katherine A.; Hostick, Donna J.; Underhill, Ronald M.; Fernandez, Nicholas; Katipamula, Srinivas

2013-09-30

To help building owners and managers address issues related to energy-efficient operation of small buildings, DOE has developed a Small Building Re-tuning training curriculum. This "primer" provides additional background information to understand some of the concepts presented in the Small Building Re-tuning training. The intent is that those who are less familiar with the buidling energy concepts will review this material before taking the building re-tuning training class.

Comparative NMR investigation of the Re-based borides

Science.gov (United States)

Lue, C. S.; Tao, Y. F.; Su, T. H.

2008-07-01

We report a systematic study of the rhenium-based borides, ReB2 , Re7B3 , and Re3B , by means of the B11 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. While Re7B3 and Re3B are superconductors, ReB2 exhibits no superconducting signature but is of current interest due to its superhard mechanical property. Since the major focus of this investigation is their electronic characteristics in the normal states, we performed the measurements at temperatures between 77 and 295 K. For Re7B3 and Re3B , s -character electrons were found to be responsible for the observed B11 NMR Knight shift and spin-lattice relaxation rate (1/T1) . From T1 analysis, we thus deduce the partial Bs Fermi-level density of states (DOS) of both borides. On the other hand, the relaxation rate of ReB2 is mainly associated with p electrons, similar to the cases of OsB2 and RuB2 . In addition, the extracted B2p Fermi-level DOS is in good agreement with the theoretical prediction from band-structure calculations.

Is it possible to do a re-sizing of a warehouse without affecting the quality and requirements of the operative areas?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dagnino, Miguel Angel; Ferrario, Alejandro Daniel

2010-09-15

VISION: In that case we considered, within of Supplying Area, to count whit Deposits of Materials-DM, distributed geographically according to an optimal criterion, determine the proportions suitably, contemplating the Logistics of Supplying to the different Operative Areas, diminishing the energy cost and with an optimal amount of materials according to, on the one hand, the operative requirements and, on the other, adopting an iron Policy of Stock Management. DEVELOPMENT: we began from a real case where as a result of a companies merger, one took place a rearrangement and re-sizing of the Operative Areas of each one of the original Companies.

Re-use of Low Bandwidth Equipment for High Bit Rate Transmission Using Signal Slicing Technique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wagner, Christoph; Spolitis, S.; Vegas Olmos, Juan José

: Massive fiber-to-the-home network deployment requires never ending equipment upgrades operating at higher bandwidth. We show effective signal slicing method, which can reuse low bandwidth opto-electronical components for optical communications at higher bit rates.......: Massive fiber-to-the-home network deployment requires never ending equipment upgrades operating at higher bandwidth. We show effective signal slicing method, which can reuse low bandwidth opto-electronical components for optical communications at higher bit rates....

Evaluation of varying ductile fracture criteria for 42CrMo steel by compressions at different temperatures and strain rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Quan, Guo-zheng; Luo, Gui-chang; Mao, An; Liang, Jian-ting; Wu, Dong-sen

2014-01-01

Fracturing by ductile damage occurs quite naturally in metal forming processes, and ductile fracture of strain-softening alloy, here 42CrMo steel, cannot be evaluated through simple procedures such as tension testing. Under these circumstances, it is very significant and economical to find a way to evaluate the ductile fracture criteria (DFC) and identify the relationships between damage evolution and deformation conditions. Under the guidance of the Cockcroft-Latham fracture criteria, an innovative approach involving hot compression tests, numerical simulations, and mathematic computations provides mutual support to evaluate ductile damage cumulating process and DFC diagram along with deformation conditions, which has not been expounded by Cockcroft and Latham. The results show that the maximum damage value appears in the region of upsetting drum, while the minimal value appears in the middle region. Furthermore, DFC of 42CrMo steel at temperature range of 1123~1348 K and strain rate of 0.01~10 s(-1) are not constant but change in a range of 0.160~0.226; thus, they have been defined as varying ductile fracture criteria (VDFC) and characterized by a function of temperature and strain rate. In bulk forming operations, VDFC help technicians to choose suitable process parameters and avoid the occurrence of fracture.

Evaluation of Varying Ductile Fracture Criteria for 42CrMo Steel by Compressions at Different Temperatures and Strain Rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo-zheng Quan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Fracturing by ductile damage occurs quite naturally in metal forming processes, and ductile fracture of strain-softening alloy, here 42CrMo steel, cannot be evaluated through simple procedures such as tension testing. Under these circumstances, it is very significant and economical to find a way to evaluate the ductile fracture criteria (DFC and identify the relationships between damage evolution and deformation conditions. Under the guidance of the Cockcroft-Latham fracture criteria, an innovative approach involving hot compression tests, numerical simulations, and mathematic computations provides mutual support to evaluate ductile damage cumulating process and DFC diagram along with deformation conditions, which has not been expounded by Cockcroft and Latham. The results show that the maximum damage value appears in the region of upsetting drum, while the minimal value appears in the middle region. Furthermore, DFC of 42CrMo steel at temperature range of 1123~1348 K and strain rate of 0.01~10 s-1 are not constant but change in a range of 0.160~0.226; thus, they have been defined as varying ductile fracture criteria (VDFC and characterized by a function of temperature and strain rate. In bulk forming operations, VDFC help technicians to choose suitable process parameters and avoid the occurrence of fracture.

Event-driven control of a speed varying digital displacement machine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Niels Henrik; Johansen, Per; Andersen, Torben O.

2017-01-01

. The controller synthesis is carried out as a discrete optimal deterministic problem with full state feedback. Based on a linear analysis of the feedback control system, stability is proven in a pre-specified operation region. Simulation of a non-linear evaluation model with the controller implemented shows great...... be treated as a Discrete Linear Time Invariant control problem with synchronous sampling rate. To make synchronous linear control theory applicable for a variable speed digital displacement machine, a method based on event-driven control is presented. Using this method, the time domain differential equations...... are converted into the spatial (position) domain to obtain a constant sampling rate and thus allowing for use of classical control theory. The method is applied to a down scaled digital fluid power motor, where the motor speed is controlled at varying references under varying pressure and load torque conditions...

A comparison of post-op haemoglobin levels and allogeneic blood transfusion rates following total knee arthroplasty without drainage or with reinfusion drains.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazarika, Shariff; Bhattacharya, Rajarshi; Bhavikatti, Mainudden; Dawson, Matthew

2010-02-01

The effects of re-infusion drains on the rate of allogeneic blood transfusion and post-op haemoglobin levels in Total Knee Arthroplasty were examined. A group of 22 patients undergoing primary Total Knee Arthroplasty using a CBCII Constavac Stryker re-infusion drainage system were compared with a group of 30 patients, matched for age, sex and type of prosthesis but without any drain usage. The re-infusion drain.group had a significantly lower day 1 and day 3 post-operative haemoglobin compared to the non-drainage group. The re-infusion drain group had a higher allogenic transfusion rate compared to the non-drainage group. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the rate of wound and transfusion related complications and mean length of post-operative stay. We found that reinfusion drains were ineffective in reducing allogeneic transfusion requirements as compared with non-drainage in total knee arthroplasty.

Hybrid Structure White Organic Light Emitting Diode for Enhanced Efficiency by Varied Doping Rate.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dong-Eun; Kang, Min-Jae; Park, Gwang-Ryeol; Kim, Nam-Kyu; Lee, Burm-Jong; Kwon, Young-Soo; Shin, Hoon-Kyu

2016-03-01

Novel materials based on Zn(HPB)2 and Ir-complexes were synthesized as blue or red emitters, respectively. White organic light emitting diodes were fabricated using the Zn(HPB)2 as a blue emitting layer, Ir-complexes as a red emitting layer and Alq3 as a green emitting layer. The obtained experimental results, were based on white OLEDs fabricated using double emission layers of Zn(HPB)2 and Alq3:Ir-complexes. The doping rate of the Ir-complexes was varied at 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8% and 1.0%. When the doping rate of the Alq3:Ir-complexes was 0.6%, a white emission was achieved. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage coordinates of the device's white emission were (0.316, 0.331) at an applied voltage of 10.75 V.

On the link between oil price and exchange rate: A time-varying VAR parameter approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bremond, Vincent; Razafindrabe, Tovonony; Hache, Emmanuel

2015-07-01

The aim of this paper is to study the relationship between the effective exchange rate of the dollar and the oil price dynamics from 1976 to 2013. In this context, we propose to explore the economic literature dedicated to financial channels factors (exchange rate, monetary policy, and international liquidity) that could affect the oil price dynamics. In addition to oil prices and the effective exchange rate of the dollar, we use the dry cargo index as a proxy for the real economic activity and prices for precious and industrial raw materials. Using a Bayesian time-varying parameter vector auto-regressive estimation, our main results show that the US Dollar effective exchange rate elasticity of the crude oil prices is not constant across the time and remains negative from 1989. It then highlights that a depreciation of the effective exchange rate of the dollar leads to an increase of the crude oil prices. Our paper also demonstrates the growing influence of financial and commodities markets development upon the global economy. (authors)

Experimental study of the inverse diffusion flame using high repetition rate OH/acetone PLIF and PIV

KAUST Repository

Elbaz, Ayman M.; Roberts, William L.

2015-01-01

Most previous work on inverse diffusion flames (IDFs) has focused on laminar IDF emissions and the soot formation characteristics. Here, we investigate the characteristics and structure of methane IDFs using high speed planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) images of OH, particle image velocimetry (PIV), and acetone PLIF imaging for non-reacting cases. First, the flame appearance was investigated with fixed methane loading (mass flux) but with varying airflow rates, yielding a central air jet Reynolds number (Re) of 1,000 to 6,000 (when blow-off occurs). Next, it was investigated a fixed central air jet Re of 4500, but with varied methane mass flux such that the global equivalence ratio spanned 0.5 to 4. It was observed that at Re smaller than 2000, the inner air jet promotes the establishment of an inverse diffusion flame surrounded by a normal diffusion flame. However, when the Re was increased to 2500, two distinct zones became apparent in the flame, a lower entrainment zone and an upper mixing and combustion zone. 10 kHz OH-PLIF images, and 2D PIV allow the identification of the fate and spatial flame structure. Many flame features were identified and further analyzed using simple but effective image processing methods, where three types of structure in all the flames investigated here: flame holes or breaks; closures; and growing kernels. Insights about the rate of evolution of these features, the dynamics of local extinction, and the sequence of events that lead to re-ignition are reported here. In the lower entrainment zone, the occurrence of the flame break events is counterbalanced by closure events, and the edge propagation appears to control the rate at which the flame holes and closures propagate. The rate of propagation of holes was found to be statistically faster than the rate of closure. As the flames approach blow-off, flame kernels become the main mechanism for flame re-ignition further downstream. The simultaneous OH-PLIF/Stereo PIV

Experimental study of the inverse diffusion flame using high repetition rate OH/acetone PLIF and PIV

KAUST Repository

Elbaz, Ayman M.

2015-10-29

Most previous work on inverse diffusion flames (IDFs) has focused on laminar IDF emissions and the soot formation characteristics. Here, we investigate the characteristics and structure of methane IDFs using high speed planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) images of OH, particle image velocimetry (PIV), and acetone PLIF imaging for non-reacting cases. First, the flame appearance was investigated with fixed methane loading (mass flux) but with varying airflow rates, yielding a central air jet Reynolds number (Re) of 1,000 to 6,000 (when blow-off occurs). Next, it was investigated a fixed central air jet Re of 4500, but with varied methane mass flux such that the global equivalence ratio spanned 0.5 to 4. It was observed that at Re smaller than 2000, the inner air jet promotes the establishment of an inverse diffusion flame surrounded by a normal diffusion flame. However, when the Re was increased to 2500, two distinct zones became apparent in the flame, a lower entrainment zone and an upper mixing and combustion zone. 10 kHz OH-PLIF images, and 2D PIV allow the identification of the fate and spatial flame structure. Many flame features were identified and further analyzed using simple but effective image processing methods, where three types of structure in all the flames investigated here: flame holes or breaks; closures; and growing kernels. Insights about the rate of evolution of these features, the dynamics of local extinction, and the sequence of events that lead to re-ignition are reported here. In the lower entrainment zone, the occurrence of the flame break events is counterbalanced by closure events, and the edge propagation appears to control the rate at which the flame holes and closures propagate. The rate of propagation of holes was found to be statistically faster than the rate of closure. As the flames approach blow-off, flame kernels become the main mechanism for flame re-ignition further downstream. The simultaneous OH-PLIF/Stereo PIV

Meta-analytic methods for pooling rates when follow-up duration varies: a case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolf Fredric M

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Meta-analysis can be used to pool rate measures across studies, but challenges arise when follow-up duration varies. Our objective was to compare different statistical approaches for pooling count data of varying follow-up times in terms of estimates of effect, precision, and clinical interpretability. Methods We examined data from a published Cochrane Review of asthma self-management education in children. We selected two rate measures with the largest number of contributing studies: school absences and emergency room (ER visits. We estimated fixed- and random-effects standardized weighted mean differences (SMD, stratified incidence rate differences (IRD, and stratified incidence rate ratios (IRR. We also fit Poisson regression models, which allowed for further adjustment for clustering by study. Results For both outcomes, all methods gave qualitatively similar estimates of effect in favor of the intervention. For school absences, SMD showed modest results in favor of the intervention (SMD -0.14, 95% CI -0.23 to -0.04. IRD implied that the intervention reduced school absences by 1.8 days per year (IRD -0.15 days/child-month, 95% CI -0.19 to -0.11, while IRR suggested a 14% reduction in absences (IRR 0.86, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.90. For ER visits, SMD showed a modest benefit in favor of the intervention (SMD -0.27, 95% CI: -0.45 to -0.09. IRD implied that the intervention reduced ER visits by 1 visit every 2 years (IRD -0.04 visits/child-month, 95% CI: -0.05 to -0.03, while IRR suggested a 34% reduction in ER visits (IRR 0.66, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.74. In Poisson models, adjustment for clustering lowered the precision of the estimates relative to stratified IRR results. For ER visits but not school absences, failure to incorporate study indicators resulted in a different estimate of effect (unadjusted IRR 0.77, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.99. Conclusions Choice of method among the ones presented had little effect on inference but affected the

Meta-analytic methods for pooling rates when follow-up duration varies: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Guevara, James P; Berlin, Jesse A; Wolf, Fredric M

2004-07-12

Meta-analysis can be used to pool rate measures across studies, but challenges arise when follow-up duration varies. Our objective was to compare different statistical approaches for pooling count data of varying follow-up times in terms of estimates of effect, precision, and clinical interpretability. We examined data from a published Cochrane Review of asthma self-management education in children. We selected two rate measures with the largest number of contributing studies: school absences and emergency room (ER) visits. We estimated fixed- and random-effects standardized weighted mean differences (SMD), stratified incidence rate differences (IRD), and stratified incidence rate ratios (IRR). We also fit Poisson regression models, which allowed for further adjustment for clustering by study. For both outcomes, all methods gave qualitatively similar estimates of effect in favor of the intervention. For school absences, SMD showed modest results in favor of the intervention (SMD -0.14, 95% CI -0.23 to -0.04). IRD implied that the intervention reduced school absences by 1.8 days per year (IRD -0.15 days/child-month, 95% CI -0.19 to -0.11), while IRR suggested a 14% reduction in absences (IRR 0.86, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.90). For ER visits, SMD showed a modest benefit in favor of the intervention (SMD -0.27, 95% CI: -0.45 to -0.09). IRD implied that the intervention reduced ER visits by 1 visit every 2 years (IRD -0.04 visits/child-month, 95% CI: -0.05 to -0.03), while IRR suggested a 34% reduction in ER visits (IRR 0.66, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.74). In Poisson models, adjustment for clustering lowered the precision of the estimates relative to stratified IRR results. For ER visits but not school absences, failure to incorporate study indicators resulted in a different estimate of effect (unadjusted IRR 0.77, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.99). Choice of method among the ones presented had little effect on inference but affected the clinical interpretability of the findings. Incidence rate

Analyzing the term structure of interest rates using the dynamic Nelson-Siegel model with time-varying parameters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koopman, S.J.; Mallee, M.I.P.; van der Wel, M.

2010-01-01

In this article we introduce time-varying parameters in the dynamic Nelson-Siegel yield curve model for the simultaneous analysis and forecasting of interest rates of different maturities. The Nelson-Siegel model has been recently reformulated as a dynamic factor model with vector autoregressive

Plastic surgeons' self-reported operative infection rates at a Canadian academic hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Wendy Ky; Kaur, Manraj Nirmal; Thoma, Achilleas

2014-01-01

Surgical site infection rates are of great interest to patients, surgeons, hospitals and third-party payers. While previous studies have reported hospital-acquired infection rates that are nonspecific to all surgical services, there remain no overall reported infection rates focusing specifically on plastic surgery in the literature. To estimate the reported surgical site infection rate in plastic surgery procedures over a 10-year period at an academic hospital in Canada. A review was conducted on reported plastic surgery surgical site infection rates from 2003 to 2013, based on procedures performed in the main operating room. For comparison, prospective infection surveillance data over an eight-year period (2005 to 2013) for nonplastic surgery procedures were reviewed to estimate the overall operative surgical site infection rates. A total of 12,183 plastic surgery operations were performed from 2003 to 2013, with 96 surgical site infections reported, corresponding to a net operative infection rate of 0.79%. There was a 0.49% surgeon-reported infection rate for implant-based procedures. For non-plastic surgery procedures, surgical site infection rates ranged from 0.04% for cataract surgery to 13.36% for high-risk abdominal hysterectomies. The plastic surgery infection rate at the study institution was found to be site infection rates. However, these results do not report patterns of infection rates germane to procedures, season, age groups or sex. To provide more in-depth knowledge of this topic, multicentre studies should be conducted.

Spatially varying predictors of teenage birth rates among counties in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Shoff

2012-09-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Limited information is available about teenage pregnancy and childbearing in rural areas, even though approximately 20 percent of the nation's youth live in rural areas. Identifying whether there are differences in the teenage birth rate (TBR across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas is important because these differences may reflect modifiable ecological-level influences such as education, employment, laws, healthcare infrastructure, and policies that could potentially reduce the TBR. OBJECTIVE The goals of this study are to investigate whether there are spatially varying relationships between the TBR and the independent variables, and if so, whether these associations differ between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. METHODS We explore the heterogeneity within metropolitan/nonmetropolitan county groups separately using geographically weighted regression (GWR, and investigate the difference between metropolitan/nonmetropolitan counties using spatial regime models with spatial errors. These analyses were applied to county-level data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the US Census Bureau. RESULTS GWR results suggested that non-stationarity exists in the associations between TBR and determinants within metropolitan/nonmetropolitan groups. The spatial regime analysis indicated that the effect of socioeconomic disadvantage on TBR significantly varied by the metropolitan status of counties. CONCLUSIONS While the spatially varying relationships between the TBR and independent variables were found within each metropolitan status of counties, only the magnitude of the impact of the socioeconomic disadvantage index is significantly stronger among metropolitan counties than nonmetropolitan counties. Our findings suggested that place-specific policies for the disadvantaged groups in a county could be implemented to reduce TBR in the US.

Robust and Optimal Control of Magnetic Microparticles inside Fluidic Channels with Time-Varying Flow Rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Islam S.M. Khalil

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Targeted therapy using magnetic microparticles and nanoparticles has the potential to mitigate the negative side-effects associated with conventional medical treatment. Major technological challenges still need to be addressed in order to translate these particles into in vivo applications. For example, magnetic particles need to be navigated controllably in vessels against flowing streams of body fluid. This paper describes the motion control of paramagnetic microparticles in the flowing streams of fluidic channels with time-varying flow rates (maximum flow is 35 ml.hr−1. This control is designed using a magnetic-based proportional-derivative (PD control system to compensate for the time-varying flow inside the channels (with width and depth of 2 mm and 1.5 mm, respectively. First, we achieve point-to-point motion control against and along flow rates of 4 ml.hr−1, 6 ml.hr−1, 17 ml.hr−1, and 35 ml.hr−1. The average speeds of single microparticle (with average diameter of 100 μm against flow rates of 6 ml.hr−1 and 30 ml.hr−1 are calculated to be 45 μm.s−1 and 15 μm.s−1, respectively. Second, we implement PD control with disturbance estimation and compensation. This control decreases the steady-state error by 50%, 70%, 73%, and 78% at flow rates of 4 ml.hr−1, 6 ml.hr−1, 17 ml.hr−1, and 35 ml.hr−1, respectively. Finally, we consider the problem of finding the optimal path (minimal kinetic energy between two points using calculus of variation, against the mentioned flow rates. Not only do we find that an optimal path between two collinear points with the direction of maximum flow (middle of the fluidic channel decreases the rise time of the microparticles, but we also decrease the input current that is supplied to the electromagnetic coils by minimizing the kinetic energy of the microparticles, compared to a PD control with disturbance compensation.

Consumer Protection and Premium Rate Services In Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trzaskowski, Jan

2006-01-01

The regulation of the telecommunication industry in Denmark is quite liberal. There are no requirements to register with national authorities when providing telecommunication services or Premium Rate Services. Only Network Operators, who want to make use of the scarce frequency resources, must re...... active in securing compliance with the law....

Estimation of time-varying growth, uptake and excretion rates from dynamic metabolomics data.

Science.gov (United States)

Cinquemani, Eugenio; Laroute, Valérie; Cocaign-Bousquet, Muriel; de Jong, Hidde; Ropers, Delphine

2017-07-15

Technological advances in metabolomics have made it possible to monitor the concentration of extracellular metabolites over time. From these data, it is possible to compute the rates of uptake and excretion of the metabolites by a growing cell population, providing precious information on the functioning of intracellular metabolism. The computation of the rate of these exchange reactions, however, is difficult to achieve in practice for a number of reasons, notably noisy measurements, correlations between the concentration profiles of the different extracellular metabolites, and discontinuties in the profiles due to sudden changes in metabolic regime. We present a method for precisely estimating time-varying uptake and excretion rates from time-series measurements of extracellular metabolite concentrations, specifically addressing all of the above issues. The estimation problem is formulated in a regularized Bayesian framework and solved by a combination of extended Kalman filtering and smoothing. The method is shown to improve upon methods based on spline smoothing of the data. Moreover, when applied to two actual datasets, the method recovers known features of overflow metabolism in Escherichia coli and Lactococcus lactis , and provides evidence for acetate uptake by L. lactis after glucose exhaustion. The results raise interesting perspectives for further work on rate estimation from measurements of intracellular metabolites. The Matlab code for the estimation method is available for download at https://team.inria.fr/ibis/rate-estimation-software/ , together with the datasets. eugenio.cinquemani@inria.fr. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Re Os depositional ages and seawater Os estimates for the Frasnian Famennian boundary: Implications for weathering rates, land plant evolution, and extinction mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Turgeon, Steven C.; Creaser, Robert A.; Algeo, Thomas J.

2007-09-01

Four TOC-rich shale intervals spanning the Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) boundary were recovered in a drillcore (West Valley NX-1) from western New York (USA) and radiometrically dated using Re-Os. Two of the black shale intervals (WVC785 from ˜ 2.9 m below, and WVC754 from ˜ 6.4 m above the F-F boundary, respectively) yielded statistically overlapping ages with uncertainties of initial 187Os/ 188Os (0.45 to 0.47), reflecting contemporaneous seawater Os values, are low but similar to the value of 0.42 reported for the Exshaw Fm (Canada) at the Devonian-Mississippian boundary (ca. 361 Ma) [Selby D., Creaser R.A., 2005. Direct radiometric dating of the Devonian-Mississippian time-scale boundary using the Re-Os black shale geochronometer. Geology 33, 545-548]. This may suggest fairly constant and low global continental weathering rates during the Late Devonian, although in view of the short residence time of Os in seawater (˜ 1-4 × 10 4 yr), further measurements are needed to assess potential short-term variation in seawater Os ratios. Owing to low Os and Re abundances at the F-F boundary, our data are inconsistent with long-term volcanism and bolide impact as potential Late Devonian mass extinction mechanisms. In addition, the Frasnian-Famennian ocean appears to have been depleted with respect to Re, possibly indicating an exhaustion of the Re seawater reservoir owing to high burial rates of redox-sensitive elements under dysoxic/anoxic conditions leading up to the F-F boundary.

The routine use of post-operative drains in thyroid surgery: an outdated concept.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Prichard, R S

2010-01-01

The use of surgical drains in patients undergoing thyroid surgery is standard surgical teaching. Life-threatening complications, arising from post-operative haematomas, mandates their utilization. There is increasing evidence to suggest that this is an outdated practice. This paper determines whether thyroid surgery can be safely performed without the routine use of drains. A retrospective review of patients undergoing thyroid surgery, over a three year period was performed and post-operative complications documented. One hundred and four thyroidectomies were performed. 63 (60.6%) patients had a partial thyroidectomy, 27 (25.9%) had a total thyroidectomy and 14 (13.5%) had a sub-total thyroidectomy. Suction drains were not inserted in any patient. A cervical haematoma did not develop in any patient in this series and no patient required re-operation. There is no evidence to suggest the routine use of surgical drains following uncomplicated thyroid surgery reduces the rate of haematoma formation or re-operation rates and indeed is now unwarranted.

Utilization of freshly induced high-energy gamma-ray activity as a measure of fission rates in re-irradiated burnt UO{sub 2} fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murphy, M. F.; Perret, G. [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Krohnert, H.; Chawla, R. [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)

2009-07-01

In the frame of the LIFE-PROTEUS (Large-scale Irradiation Fuel Experiments at PROTEUS) program, a measurement technique is being developed to measure fission rates in burnt fuel, following re-irradiation in a zero-power research reactor. In the presented approach, the fission rates are estimated by measuring high energy gamma-rays (above 2000 keV) emitted by short-lived fission products freshly produced in the fuel. Due to their high energies, these gamma-rays can be discriminated against the high intrinsic gamma-ray activity of the burnt fuel, which reaches energies up to 2000 keV. To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, fresh and burnt fuel samples (with burn-ups varying from 36 to 64 MWd/kg) were irradiated in the PROTEUS reactor at the Paul Scherrer Institut, and their emitted gamma-ray spectra were recorded shortly after irradiation. It was possible, for the first time, to detect the short-lived gamma-ray activity in the high-energy region, even in the presence of the intrinsic gamma-ray background of the burnt fuel samples. Using the short-lived gamma-ray lines {sup 142}La (2542 keV), {sup 89}Rb (2570 keV), 95Y (2632 keV), {sup 138}Cs (2640 keV) and {sup 95}Y (3576 keV), relative fission rates between different core positions were derived for a fresh sample as well as for a burnt sample with a burn-up of 36 MWd/kg. It was shown that, for both the fresh and burnt fuel samples, the measured fission rate ratios agreed well, i.e. within the statistical uncertainties, with calculation results obtained by Monte Carlo simulations. (authors)

Novel Power Reduction Technique for ReRAM with Automatic Avoidance Circuit for Wasteful Overwrite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takaya Handa

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Low-power operations can be great advantageous for ReRAM devices. However, wasteful overwriting such as the SET operation to low-resistance state (LRS device and the RESET operation to high-resistance state (HRS device causes not only an increase in power but also the degradation of the write cycles due to repeatedly rewriting. Thus, in this paper, we proposed a novel automatic avoidance circuit for dealing with wasteful overwriting that uses a sense amplifier and estimated the energy consumption reduction rate by conducting a circuit simulation. As a result, this circuit helped to reliably avoid the wasteful overwriting operation to reduce about 99% and 97% of wasteful energy using VSRC and CSRC, respectively.

High strength semi-active energy absorbers using shear- and mixedmode operation at high shear rates

Science.gov (United States)

Becnel, Andrew C.

This body of research expands the design space of semi-active energy absorbers for shock isolation and crash safety by investigating and characterizing magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) at high shear rates ( > 25,000 1/s) under shear and mixed-mode operation. Magnetorheological energy absorbers (MREAs) work well as adaptive isolators due to their ability to quickly and controllably adjust to changes in system mass or impact speed while providing fail-safe operation. However, typical linear stroking MREAs using pressure-driven flows have been shown to exhibit reduced controllability as impact speed (shear rate) increases. The objective of this work is to develop MREAs that improve controllability at high shear rates by using pure shear and mixed shear-squeeze modes of operation, and to present the fundamental theory and models of MR fluids under these conditions. A proof of concept instrument verified that the MR effect persists in shear mode devices at shear rates corresponding to low speed impacts. This instrument, a concentric cylinder Searle cell magnetorheometer, was then used to characterize three commercially available MRFs across a wide range of shear rates, applied magnetic fields, and temperatures. Characterization results are presented both as flow curves according to established practice, and as an alternate nondimensionalized analysis based on Mason number. The Mason number plots show that, with appropriate correction coefficients for operating temperature, the varied flow curve data can be collapsed to a single master curve. This work represents the first shear mode characterization of MRFs at shear rates over 10 times greater than available with commercial rheometers, as well as the first validation of Mason number analysis to high shear rate flows in MRFs. Using the results from the magnetorheometer, a full scale rotary vane MREA was developed as part of the Lightweight Magnetorheological Energy Absorber System (LMEAS) for an SH-60 Seahawk helicopter

[Design of Oxygen Saturation, Heart Rate, Respiration Rate Detection System Based on Smartphone of Android Operating System].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Mingshan; Zeng, Bixin

2015-03-01

In this paper, we designed an oxygen saturation, heart rate, respiration rate monitoring system based on smartphone of android operating system, physiological signal acquired by MSP430 microcontroller and transmitted by Bluetooth module.

Correlation between fuel rack sticking and unintentional re-starting of EDG

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young Cheol; Chung, Woo geun; Kang, Seung Hee; Kim, Myeong hoon [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

The Emergency Diesel Generator (EDG) was being tested after overhaul maintenance. While the EDG was running at the rated speed (450 rpm), an operator pressed the manual stop button. But the EDG failed to stop and unintentionally started again. After the unintentional re-start, the EDG maintained running speed of 340 rpm. In the category of a governing system, this paper analyzes the cause of unintentional restart of the EDG that unintentionally re-started and maintained a speed at 340 rpm. The results of the analysis were then verified by a test run. Finally, we identified a correlation between fuel rack sticking and unintentional re-starting of the EDG. An analysis was conducted to confirm the cause of an EDG which was unintentionally restarting and running at 340rpm (rated speed is 450 rpm). Through a test run, it was confirmed that the results of the analysis are correct. The cause of the EDG unintentionally restarting was that it still rotated at 55 rpm over the minimum starting speed at the moment when the shutdown cylinder stopped blocking the fuel, because of a stuck fuel rack at the R7 cylinder. At the same time, the fuel that had been supplied into the cylinders (combustion chamber) by the governing system exploded and the EDG restarted unintentionally.

The HAL 9000 Space Operating System Real-Time Planning Engine Design and Operations Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Stetson, Howard; Watson, Michael D.; Shaughnessy, Ray

2012-01-01

In support of future deep space manned missions, an autonomous/automated vehicle, providing crew autonomy and an autonomous response planning system, will be required due to the light time delays in communication. Vehicle capabilities as a whole must provide for tactical response to vehicle system failures and space environmental effects induced failures, for risk mitigation of permanent loss of communication with Earth, and for assured crew return capabilities. The complexity of human rated space systems and the limited crew sizes and crew skills mix drive the need for a robust autonomous capability on-board the vehicle. The HAL 9000 Space Operating System[2] designed for such missions and space craft includes the first distributed real-time planning / re-planning system. This paper will detail the software architecture of the multiple planning engine system, and the interface design for plan changes, approval and implementation that is performed autonomously. Operations scenarios will be defined for analysis of the planning engines operations and its requirements for nominal / off nominal activities. An assessment of the distributed realtime re-planning system, in the defined operations environment, will be provided as well as findings as it pertains to the vehicle, crew, and mission control requirements needed for implementation.

Hydrocarbons dating by Re-Os method: experimental study of the Re-Os couple geochemical behaviour in oils during the evolution of a petroleum system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahdaoui, Fatima

2013-01-01

The Re-Os radiogenic system is well adapted to the dating of oils and bitumen. However the meaning of the obtained age is ambiguous. This is mainly due to gaps in our knowledge of the geochemical behavior and the speciation of Re and Os in oils. Specifically, use of the Re-Os geo-chronometer requires an understanding of how Re-Os behavior can lead to the fulfillment of the conditions necessary for the development of an isochron. These conditions are: i) the isotopic homogenization of oils at the scale of a petroleum field ii) the fractionation of Re from Os so as to obtain samples with various Re/Os ratios iii) the closure of the system during the period of radiogenic ingrowth of the daughter isotope, that is, from the time of the event of interest to the present day. Experimental investigation of the organic geochemical behavior of Re and Os in oils under various conditions, designed as analogs of the different stages of petroleum generation and evolution, were performed in order to evaluate the use of the Re-Os system as a geo-chronometer in the context of a direct use on petroleum. The possibility of Re-Os fractionation resulting from asphaltene loss during oil evolution was investigated by sequential asphaltene precipitation in the laboratory. This study determined that Re and Os are mainly located in the most polar asphaltene fractions, that is, in the first to precipitate. This study also demonstrated that Re/Os ratios are not disturbed by asphaltene loss during the evolution of oils, unless this loss is unrealistically large. Thus asphaltene precipitation during migration and emplacement is not responsible for the Re/Os fractionation required for the use of the geo-chronometer. The possibility of metal transfer from formation waters to petroleum was studied by performing contact experiments between oils and aqueous solutions of Re and Os of various concentrations over a wide range of temperatures and for varying periods of time. This study demonstrated a

Effect of ventilation rate on air cleanliness and energy consumption in operation rooms at rest.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Shih-Tseng; Liang, Ching-Chieh; Chien, Tsung-Yi; Wu, Feng-Jen; Fan, Kuang-Chung; Wan, Gwo-Hwa

2018-02-27

The interrelationships between ventilation rate, indoor air quality, and energy consumption in operation rooms at rest are yet to be understood. We investigate the effect of ventilation rate on indoor air quality indices and energy consumption in ORs at rest. The study investigates the air temperature, relative humidity, concentrations of carbon dioxide, particulate matter (PM), and airborne bacteria at different ventilation rates in operation rooms at rest of a medical center. The energy consumption and cost analysis of the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in the operation rooms at rest were also evaluated for all ventilation rates. No air-conditioned operation rooms had very highest PM and airborne bacterial concentrations in the operation areas. The bacterial concentration in the operation areas with 6-30 air changes per hour (ACH) was below the suggested level set by the United Kingdom (UK) for an empty operation room. A 70% of reduction in annual energy cost by reducing the ventilation rate from 30 to 6 ACH was found in the operation rooms at rest. Maintenance of operation rooms at ventilation rate of 6 ACH could save considerable amounts of energy and achieve the goal of air cleanliness.

Prototype Operational Advances for Atmospheric Radiation Dose Rate Specification

Science.gov (United States)

Tobiska, W. K.; Bouwer, D.; Bailey, J. J.; Didkovsky, L. V.; Judge, K.; Garrett, H. B.; Atwell, W.; Gersey, B.; Wilkins, R.; Rice, D.; Schunk, R. W.; Bell, D.; Mertens, C. J.; Xu, X.; Crowley, G.; Reynolds, A.; Azeem, I.; Wiltberger, M. J.; Wiley, S.; Bacon, S.; Teets, E.; Sim, A.; Dominik, L.

2014-12-01

Space weather's effects upon the near-Earth environment are due to dynamic changes in the energy transfer processes from the Sun's photons, particles, and fields. The coupling between the solar and galactic high-energy particles, the magnetosphere, and atmospheric regions can significantly affect humans and our technology as a result of radiation exposure. Space Environment Technologies (SET) has developed innovative, new space weather observations that will become part of the toolset that is transitioned into operational use. One prototype operational system for providing timely information about the effects of space weather is SET's Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (ARMAS) system. ARMAS will provide the "weather" of the radiation environment to improve aircraft crew and passenger safety. Through several dozen flights the ARMAS project has successfully demonstrated the operation of a micro dosimeter on commercial aviation altitude aircraft that captures the real-time radiation environment resulting from Galactic Cosmic Rays and Solar Energetic Particles. The real-time radiation exposure is computed as an effective dose rate (body-averaged over the radiative-sensitive organs and tissues in units of microsieverts per hour); total ionizing dose is captured on the aircraft, downlinked in real-time via Iridium satellites, processed on the ground into effective dose rates, compared with NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC) most recent Nowcast of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation System (NAIRAS) global radiation climatology model runs, and then made available to end users via the web and smart phone apps. We are extending the dose measurement domain above commercial aviation altitudes into the stratosphere with a collaborative project organized by NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) called Upper-atmospheric Space and Earth Weather eXperiment (USEWX). In USEWX we will be flying on the ER-2 high altitude aircraft a micro dosimeter for

Contrast and autoshaping in multiple schedules varying reinforcer rate and duration.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, B E; Silberberg, A

1978-07-01

Thirteen master pigeons were exposed to multiple schedules in which reinforcement frequency (Experiment I) or duration (Experiment II) was varied. In Phases 1 and 3 of Experiment I, the values of the first and second components' random-interval schedules were 33 and 99 seconds, respectively. In Phase 2, these values were 99 seconds for both components. In Experiment II, a random-interval 33-second schedule was associated with each component. During Phases 1 and 3, the first and second components had hopper durations of 7.5 and 2.5 seconds respectively. During Phase 2, both components' hopper durations were 2.5 seconds. In each experiment, positive contrast obtained for about half the master subjects. The rest showed a rate increase in both components (positive induction). Each master subject's key colors and reinforcers were synchronously presented on a response-independent basis to a yoked control. Richer component key-pecking occurred during each experiment's Phases 1 and 3 among half these subjects. However, none responded during the contrast condition (unchanged component of each experiment's Phase 2). From this it is inferred that autoshaping did not contribute to the contrast and induction findings among master birds. Little evidence of local contrast (highest rate at beginning of richer component) was found in any subject. These data show that (a) contrast can occur independently from autoshaping, (b) contrast assays during equal-valued components may produce induction, (c) local contrast in multiple schedules often does not occur, and (d) differential hopper durations can produce autoshaping and contrast.

Leveraging Existing Mission Tools in a Re-Usable, Component-Based Software Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Greene, Kevin; Grenander, Sven; Kurien, James; z,s (fshir. z[orttr); z,scer; O'Reilly, Taifun

2006-01-01

Emerging methods in component-based software development offer significant advantages but may seem incompatible with existing mission operations applications. In this paper we relate our positive experiences integrating existing mission applications into component-based tools we are delivering to three missions. In most operations environments, a number of software applications have been integrated together to form the mission operations software. In contrast, with component-based software development chunks of related functionality and data structures, referred to as components, can be individually delivered, integrated and re-used. With the advent of powerful tools for managing component-based development, complex software systems can potentially see significant benefits in ease of integration, testability and reusability from these techniques. These benefits motivate us to ask how component-based development techniques can be relevant in a mission operations environment, where there is significant investment in software tools that are not component-based and may not be written in languages for which component-based tools even exist. Trusted and complex software tools for sequencing, validation, navigation, and other vital functions cannot simply be re-written or abandoned in order to gain the advantages offered by emerging component-based software techniques. Thus some middle ground must be found. We have faced exactly this issue, and have found several solutions. Ensemble is an open platform for development, integration, and deployment of mission operations software that we are developing. Ensemble itself is an extension of an open source, component-based software development platform called Eclipse. Due to the advantages of component-based development, we have been able to vary rapidly develop mission operations tools for three surface missions by mixing and matching from a common set of mission operation components. We have also had to determine how to

Motor skills under varied gravitoinertial force in parabolic flight

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Helen E.

Parabolic flight produces brief alternating periods of high and low gravitoinertial force. Subjects were tested on various paper-and-pencil aiming and tapping tasks during both normal and varied gravity in flight. It was found that changes in g level caused directional errors in the z body axis (the gravity axis), the arm aiming too high under 0g and too low under 2g. The standard deviation also increased for both vertical and lateral movements in the mid-frontal plane. Both variable and directional errors were greater under 0g than 2g. In an unpaced reciprocal tapping task subjects tended to increase their error rate rather than their movement time, but showed a non-significant trend towards slower speeds under 0g for all movement orientations. Larger variable errors or slower speeds were probably due to the difficulty of re-organising a motor skill in an unfamiliar force environment, combined with anchorage difficulties under 0g.

A Simulation of the Effects of Varying Repetition Rate and Pulse Width of Nanosecond Discharges on Premixed Lean Methane-Air Combustion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moon Soo Bak

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Two-dimensional kinetic simulation has been carried out to investigate the effects of repetition rate and pulse width of nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges on stabilizing premixed lean methane-air combustion. The repetition rate and pulse width are varied from 10 kHz to 50 kHz and from 9 ns to 2 ns while the total power is kept constant. The lower repetition rates provide larger amounts of radicals such as O, H, and OH. However, the effect on stabilization is found to be the same for all of the tested repetition rates. The shorter pulse width is found to favor the production of species in higher electronic states, but the varying effects on stabilization are also found to be small. Our results indicate that the total deposited power is the critical element that determines the extent of stabilization over this range of discharge properties studied.

Electric rate operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maillard, D.

1993-01-01

The share of nuclear power in EDF production implies multiple rate structures. How are these rates determined. What are the new applications of electricity, and in particular those that make use of the especially low summer prices for electricity. These are topics of interest to the man in the street (witness EDF's recent 'red-white-blue' rates). This prompted the 'Nuclear Power in the Financial, Energy and Economic situation' department of France's nuclear power company to organize a conference bringing together an expert on rates - M.P. Bernard, head of the rate fixing service at the EDF's headquarters - and representatives from suppliers of equipment taking advantage of the various EDF rate options

Diversité variétale de manioc sur la base des nominations ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SARAH

31 août 2016 ... très inégale, entrainant de fortes différences de portefeuilles variétaux entre villages et entre agriculteurs au sein de chaque site. Compte tenu des différences de portefeuilles variétaux observés, la mise en place d'une stratégie de conservation ..... Caillon S. et Lanouguère –Bruneau V. 2005 Gestion de.

Rating of intra-operative neuro-monitoring results in operative correction of the spinal deformities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Skripnikov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose of the work was filing the electrophysiological phenomena observed in the process of intra-operative neuromonitoring followed by development of the results’ scale of intra-operative neuro-physiological testing of the pyramidal tract. Materials and мethods. The selection for evaluation included data of 147 protocols of intra-operative neuromonitoring in 135 patients (53 males, 82 females, aged from 1 y. 5 m. to 52 years (14,1±0,7 years with spinal deformities of different etiology who underwent instrumentation spinal correction followed by fixation of thoracic / thoracolumbar spine segments using various variants of internal systems of trans-pedicular fixation. Intra-operative neuro-monitoring was performed using system «ISIS IOM» (Inomed Medizintechnik GmbH, Germany. The changes of motor evoked potentials were evaluated according to this scale. Results. Five types of pyramidal system reaction to operative invasion were revealed. According to neurophysiological criteria three grades of the risk of neurological disorders development during operative spinal deformity correction and, correspondingly, three levels of anxiety for the surgeon were defined. Conclusion. Intra-operative neurophysiological monitoring is the effective highly technological instrument to prevent neurological disorders in the spinal deformity. Offered rating scale of the risk of neurological complications gives the possibility to highlight three levels of anxiety during operative invasion.

The Impact of Family Engagement and Child Welfare Services on Maltreatment Re-reports and Substantiated Re-reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Tamara; Zhang, Saijun

2017-08-01

Despite decades of debate about the most effective ways to intervene with families reported to child protective services (CPS), little evidence exists regarding the types of services or approach that reduce children's risk of additional maltreatment. The current study used data collected during a statewide experimental evaluation of CPS to examine the impact of numerous service variables, family engagement, and family characteristics on the risk of maltreatment re-reports and substantiated re-reports among families initially reported for neglect and risk of harm. The sample included 4,868 families with screened-in reports that were randomly assigned to receive either an investigation or an assessment. The results of the Cox regression analyses found that service duration, intensity, and breadth were unrelated to maltreatment re-report or substantiated re-reports, but caseworker ratings of the service-need match were associated with both. The provision of domestic violence services was related to decreased risk of maltreatment re-reports. Increased levels of family engagement were associated with lowered risk of both maltreatment re-reports and substantiated re-reports. Once the effects of services, engagement, and family characteristics were taken into account, CPS response pathway (investigation or assessment) had no relationship to maltreatment re-reports or substantiated re-reports.

Treatment of operational monitoring data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azevedo P, D. de; Marcondes T, J.

1996-01-01

From effective doses calculation models, published in norms and regulatory guides, the specific dose conversion factors for different installations are used on monitoring data. The monitoring data are achieved from many individual parameters and, in case there is no individual parameters, area monitoring data are used. With the objective of reducing occupational exposures, the results are evaluated in function of the pertinent norms. The measurements are analyzed also in function of the consistency of the data obtained from former similar operations. The results are saved as individual historical dose, in each worker annual dose of every work year. The other files are formed by determined operation individual doses, calculated per capita; dose rates are achieved from individual monitoring data and the averages of each operational function are calculated; dose rates are also obtained by area monitoring, and each workplace mean is calculated. These averages are compared with the correspondent annual dose equivalent limit fraction. The analysis of variance is applied to individuals dose rates and to workplace dose rates in order to verify statistical differences, the largest mean is compared to the remaining. The individual working time in a programmed operation is limited in order to avoid that the predicted dose equivalent of twelve months exceed the established annual limit. When this limit is predicted to be exceeded, the working time is re-programmed, with worker removing at the beginning of the operation or before the end of operation, keeping prevision below the limit. (authors). 7 refs

Comparative efficacy of one versus two doses of praziquantel on cure rate of Schistosoma mansoni infection and re-infection in Mayuge District, Uganda

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tukahebwa, Edridah M.; Vennervald, Birgitte J; Nuwaha, Fred

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: The current recommended control strategy for schistosomiasis is annual treatment using 40 mg/kg of praziquantel. However, praziquantel is only effective on adult worms and giving a second dose may increase its efficacy. We assessed the effect of one versus two doses of praziquantel...... on cure rate and re-infection with Schistosoma mansoni in a high endemic community along Lake Victoria, Uganda. METHODOLOGY: To investigate the effect of the two regimens, 395 infected people were randomised into two groups; one received a single standard dose of praziquantel (Distocide® 600 mg, Shin...... Poong Pharmaceuticals, Seoul, Republic of Korea), 40mg/kg body weight, while the other group received a second dose 2 weeks later. Cure rate and infection intensity were assessed 9 weeks after the first treatment using standard parasitological procedures. Re-infection levels were monitored 8 and 24...

Space-Efficient Re-Pair Compression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bille, Philip; Gørtz, Inge Li; Prezza, Nicola

2017-01-01

Re-Pair [5] is an effective grammar-based compression scheme achieving strong compression rates in practice. Let n, σ, and d be the text length, alphabet size, and dictionary size of the final grammar, respectively. In their original paper, the authors show how to compute the Re-Pair grammar...... in expected linear time and 5n + 4σ2 + 4d + √n words of working space on top of the text. In this work, we propose two algorithms improving on the space of their original solution. Our model assumes a memory word of [log2 n] bits and a re-writable input text composed by n such words. Our first algorithm runs...

Behavioral tactics of male sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) under varying operating sex ratios

Science.gov (United States)

Quinn, Thomas P.; Adkison, Milo D.; Ward, Michael B.

1996-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated several reproductive-behavior patterns in male salmon, including competitive and sneaking tactics, the formation of hierarchies, and non-hierarchical aggregations around ripe females. Through behavioral observations at varying spatial and temporal scales, we examined the hypothesis that operational sex ratio (OSR) determines male sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) distribution and breeding tactics. Patterns of male distribution and behavior varied over both coarse and fine scales, associated with apparent shifts in reproductive opportunities, the physical characteristics of the breeding sites, and the deterioration of the fish as they approached death. Females spawned completely within a few days of arriving on the spawning grounds, whereas males courted the available ripe females from the date of their arrival on the spawning ground until their death. This difference in reproductive lifespans tended to elevate late-season OSRs but was partially counterbalanced by male departures and the arrival of other ripe females. The proportion of males able to dominate access to ripe females decreased and the number of large courting groups increased over the course of the season, apparently related to both increasing OSR and the deteriorating physical condition of males. However, great variation in OSR was observed within the spawning sites on a given day. OSRs were generally higher in shallow than in deep water, perhaps because larger females or more desirable breeding sites were concentrated in shallow water. The aggregations of males courting females were not stable (i.e. many arrivals and departures took place) and male aggression varied with group size. Aggression was most frequent at low OSRs and in groups of intermediate size (2–4 males per female), and much less frequent in larger groups, consistent with the needs of maximizing reproductive opportunities while minimizing unproductive energy expenditure. These results indicate

Lithium thionyl chloride high rate discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Klinedinst, K. A.

1980-04-01

Improvements in high rate lithium thionyl chloride power technology achieved by varying the electrolyte composition, operating temperature, cathode design, and cathode composition are discussed. Discharge capacities are plotted as a function of current density, cell voltage, and temperature.

中央银行再贷款利率与同业拆借利率的非对称动态传导机制%Unsymmetric Dynamic Transmitting System of Refinancing Rate and Inter Bank Operating Rate

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

徐寒飞

2004-01-01

The interest rate is an important tool for the monetary policy, while in China it is not as effective as which the macroeconomics theory has expected. This paper makes a nonsymmetrical error correction model for the re-loan rate and inter-bank rate, to research the dynamic transmission mechanism of the relation of these interest rates. The significant nonsymmetrical relation is found between the two interest rates and it is the nonsymmetrical relation that has great influence in the transmission effect of the interest rate policy, furthermore, the economics explanation of the nonsymmetrical relation is the arbitrage of the banks and the single direction of the re-loan rate.

Re-identification of persons in multi-camera surveillance under varying viewpoints and illumination

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouma, H.; Borsboom, A.S.; Hollander, R.J.M. den; Landsmeer, S.H.; Worring, M.

2012-01-01

The capability to track individuals in CCTV cameras is important for surveillance and forensics alike. However, it is laborious to do over multiple cameras. Therefore, an automated system is desirable. In literature several methods have been proposed, but their robustness against varying viewpoints

More on operator Bellman inequality | Mirzapour | Quaestiones ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We present a Bellman inequality involving operator means for operators acting on a Hilbert space. We also give some Bellman inequalities concerning sesquilinear forms. Finally, we re ne the Jensen's operator inequality and use it for obtaining a re nement of the Bellman operator inequality. Keywords: Bellman inequality ...

Re-exploration after open heart surgery at the madras medical mission, chennai, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Okonta, Ke; Rajan, S

2011-04-01

Re-explorations after open-heart surgery is a necessity in this Cardiac Center when a patient is obviously bleeding or shows features of cardiovascular instability. Timely intervention may reduce morbidity and mortality. This study aims to correlate the indications with the operative findings for re-explorations after open-heart surgeries as a way of justifying early surgical intervention. Between May2005 and April2011, 10,083 open-heart surgeries were performed in the Adult Cardiac Surgical Unit of the department of cardiac surgery, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai, India. The demographic data, the initial diagnoses, the types of surgery, the indications for re-exploration, the intraoperative findings, the timing, the estimated blood loss and treatment for the 362 patients who had reexploration were analysed using the Predictive Analysis Soft -ware(PASW)18. Out of the 10,083 patients who had cardiac operation within the period of study, three hundred and sixty two (3.6%) patients had re-exploration shortly after the operation. Males were 311(85.9%) while 51(14.1%) were female patients with mean age of 56.7+12.5years .The mean time interval between the primary surgery and the re-exploratory operation was 2.31+1.47hours and the mean chest tube drainage before re-exploration was 770.9+28.8ml. Coronary Artery Diseases (CAD) was the initial diagnosis 258 (71.3%) patients and Coronary Artery Bypass(CABG) operation was the initial surgery in 254(70.2%)patients, CABG and valve in 12(3.3%)patients, Valve surgery alone in 70(19.3%) patients, Bentall procedure(homograft aortic root replacement)in 13(3.6%) patients, others such as off-pump coronary artery bypass, Dor procedure(patch restoration of left ventricle by incising the aneurysm without excising it), pericardiectomy and thromboembelectomy in 13(3.6%). The indications for re-exploration were post operative haemorrhage in 283(78.2%) patients, Cardiac tamponade in 41(11.3%)patients

Investigation of component failure rates for pulsed versus steady state tokamak operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadwallader, L.C.

1992-07-01

This report presents component failure rate data sources applicable to magnetic fusion systems, and defines multiplicative factors to adjust these data for specific use on magnetic fusion experiment designs. The multipliers address both long pulse and steady state tokamak operation. Thermal fatigue and radiation damage are among the leading reasons for large multiplier values in pulsed operation applications. Field failure rate values for graphite protective tiles are presented, and beryllium tile failure rates in laboratory testing are also given. All of these data can be used for reliability studies, safety analyses, design tradeoff studies, and risk assessments

New Millennium Technology: A Tool for Re-Branding Education in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

New Millennium Technology: A Tool for Re-Branding Education in Nigeria. ... It could be formal or informal depending on the approaches used. The approaches call for varied and ... AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE AJOL.

IDC Re-Engineering Phase 3 Development Plan.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harris, James M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Burns, John F. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Pollock, David L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories has prepared a project development plan that proposes how the parties interested in the IDC Re-Engineering system will coordinate its development, testing and transition to operations.

IDC Re-Engineering Phase 3 Development Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, James M.; Burns, John F.; Pollock, David L.

2017-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories has prepared a project development plan that proposes how the parties interested in the IDC Re-Engineering system will coordinate its development, testing and transition to operations.

Determination of varying consumption rates from radiotracer data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadwell, L.L.; Schreckhise, R.G.

1976-01-01

Data obtained on the uptake and elimination of phosphorus-32 by foraging grasshoppers were utilized to estimate consumption rates of blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis). Grasshoppers were caged in field enclosures containing blue grama grass labeled with 32 P. Periodic measurements were made to determine the body burdens of the grasshoppers and concentration of 32 P in the grass. This information, along with a two-component exponential function which was observed to best mathematically describe the retention of acutely ingested phosphorus, provided the basis for a convolution integral of the consumption rate. The consumption rate was estimated by dividing the observed body burden of the grasshopper by the convolution integral of the input (grass concentration) and impulse (retention curve) function over each observation period. Successive calculations of the consumption rates were made at various points in time as the body burden changed from continued feeding on labeled forage

Palliative effect of Re-186 HEDP in different cancer patients with bone metastases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kucuk, N.O.; Ibis, E.; Aras, G.; Soylu, A.; Baltaci, S.; Beduk, Y.; Ozalp, G.; Canakci, N.

2001-01-01

The clinical picture of bone metastases is manifested by pain and loss of mechanical stability. Standard treatment options for bone metastases include external beam radiotherapy and the use of analgesics. Due to a large number of lesions in many patients, the use of radionuclide therapy with beta emitters may be preferable. Re-186 hydroxyethydilene diphosphonate (Re-186 HEDP) is one of the radiopharmaceuticals suitable for palliative treatment of metastatic bone pain. The aim of this study was to investigate palliative and side effects of Re-186 HEDP in pts with different type of cancers. Material and method: Thirty one (17 male, 14 female) patients with cancer (10 prostate, 10 breast, 4 rectum, 5 lung, 2 nasopharynx) and bone metastases were included in the study. Therapy was started with a fixed dose of 1295 MBq of Re-186 HEDP. If necessary, the same dose was repeated at least 3 times after an interval of 10-12 weeks A total of 40 standard doses (1295 MBq Re HEDP, Mallinckrodt, Holland) were given; 6 pts received repeated doses (3 doses in 3 pts, 2 doses in 3 pts). The pts with bone marrow suppression were excluded from the study. The pain relief was assessed with ECOG and Karnofsky status index. All pts were evaluated with standard evaluation forms filled daily a maximum of 10 weeks. Results: The respond rate was found as 87.5% in pts with breast and prostate Ca, 75% in pts with rectum Ca, 50% in pts with nasopharynx Ca and 20% in pts with lung Ca. The overall response rate was 67.5%. The palliation period varied between 6 to 10 weeks. The mean palliation period was 8.1 ± 1.3 weeks. Maximal palliation effect was observed between the 3 rd and the 7 th weeks. Any serious side effects were not seen except mild haematologic toxicity. Discussion and conclusion: It is concluded that Re-186 HEDP is a highly effective agent in the palliation of metastatic bone pain in pts with prostate, breast, rectum cancer, mildly effective in pts with nasopharynx cancer, but not

Indoor measurement of photovoltaic device characteristics at varying irradiance, temperature and spectrum for energy rating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bliss, M; Betts, T R; Gottschalg, R

2010-01-01

The first three-dimensional performance matrix for use in photovoltaic (PV) energy rating is reported utilizing a novel energy rating solar simulator based on LEDs. Device characteristics are measured indoors at varying irradiance (G), temperature (T) and spectrum (E). This opens the possibility for a more accurate measurement system for energy yield prediction of PV devices, especially for devices with high spectral dependence such as wide bandgap solar cells as they take into account spectral changes in the light. The main aspects of the LED-based solar simulator used are briefly described. A measurement method is developed and detailed in the paper, which takes into account the current imperfections in the achievable spectrum. Measurement results for a crystalline silicon solar cell are used to demonstrate the measurement approach. An uncertainty analysis of the measurement system is given, resulting in an overall absolute uncertainty of 4.3% (coverage factor k = 2) in maximum power measurements at 765 W m −2 irradiance with scope for further improvements

Progress on MEVVA source VARIS at GSI

Science.gov (United States)

Adonin, A.; Hollinger, R.

2018-05-01

For the last few years, the development of the VARIS (vacuum arc ion source) was concentrated on several aspects. One of them was the production of high current ion beams of heavy metals such as Au, Pb, and Bi. The requested ion charge state for these ion species is 4+. This is quite challenging to produce in vacuum arc driven sources for reasonable beam pulse length (>120 µs) due to the physical properties of these elements. However, the situation can be dramatically improved by using the composite materials or alloys with enhanced physical properties of the cathodes. Another aspect is an increase of the beam brilliance for intense U4+ beams by the optimization of the geometry of the extraction system. A new 7-hole triode extraction system allows an increase of the extraction voltage from 30 kV to 40 kV and also reduces the outer aperture of the extracted ion beam. Thus, a record beam brilliance for the U4+ beam in front of the RFQ (Radio-Frequency Quadrupole) has been achieved, exceeding the RFQ space charge limit for an ion current of 15 mA. Several new projectiles in the middle-heavy region have been successfully developed from VARIS to fulfill the requirements of the future FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) programs. An influence of an auxiliary gas on the production performance of certain ion charge states as well as on operation stability has been investigated. The optimization of the ion source parameters for a maximum production efficiency and highest particle current in front of the RFQ has been performed. The next important aspect of the development will be the increase of the operation repetition rate of VARIS for all elements especially for uranium to 2.7 Hz in order to provide the maximum availability of high current ion beams for future FAIR experiments.

Minor long-term effects 3-4 years after the ReDO™ intervention for women with stress-related disorders: A focus on sick leave rate, everyday occupations and well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Eklund, Mona

2017-01-01

The Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO™) work rehabilitation method has been found effective, compared with care as usual (CAU), for women with stress-related disorders. To conduct a long-term follow-up of former ReDO™ and CAU participants with respect to sick leave, well-being and everyday occupations 3-4 years after completed work rehabilitation. Forty-two women in each group participated. An index day was decided to estimate sick-leave rate, retrieved from register data. Fifty-five women also participated in a telephone interview addressing well-being, everyday occupations and life events. Both groups had reduced their sick-leave rate further, but no difference between the groups was established. The ReDO™ women perceived a better balance in the work domain of everyday occupations, whereas the CAU group reported more over-occupation. No differences were found on well-being. The groups had experienced similar important life events, affecting the women's work and private lives. Previous stress and anxiety predicted sick leave at the long-term follow-up. Although the ReDO™ intervention had speeded up return to work in the immediate follow-up perspective, the CAU had caught up in the longer term. Still, the ReDO™ women exhibited better balance in the work domain.

Fuel element cladding state change mathematical model for a WWER-1000 plant operated in the mode of varying loading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. N. Pelykh

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Main features of a fuel element cladding state change mathematical model for a WWER-1000 reactor plant operated in the mode of varying loading are listed. The integrated model is based on the energy creep theory, uses the finite element method for imultaneous solution of the fuel element heat conduction and mechanical deformation equa-tions. Proposed mathematical model allows us to determine the influence of the WWER-1000 regime parameters and fuel assembly design characteristics on the change of cladding properties under different loading conditions of normal operation, as well as the cladding limiting state at variable loading depending on the length, depth and number of cycles.

Comparison of programmed and cabled re-entrance systems. Elaboration of cabled re-entrance system for a CII 90.40

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perraudeau, Jean

1976-01-01

The objective of this research thesis is to study problems related to re-entrance, and, more particularly, to study a re-entrance system for a CII 90.40 computer. Such a system can be realised under a programmed or cabled form, and both approaches are described and compared. A generalisation of this comparison is briefly proposed. As the computer already possesses a programmed re-entrance system, the author focuses on the study of the cabled re-entrance system which results in an improvement of performance and possibilities provided by this computer, particularly for its use in real time. The design, realisation and development of such a cabled system are reported. A first part reports a theoretical study on re-entrance (definition, problems, applications), a presentation of the computer, a description of the programmed re-entrance system, a presentation of the principle of the chosen cabled re-entrance system, a definition of the structure and operating mode of the cabled pile and a description of its various components, and a flowchart analysis of function execution. The second part reports the practical realisation: definition, technological overview, technology used in the cabled pile, sequencing and multiplexing principle, impulse transmission, logical layouts, and circuit adjustments. The third part presents practical example. An assessment and perspectives are finally discussed

Alternation of apoptotic and implanting genes expression of mouse embryos after re-vitrification

Science.gov (United States)

Majidi Gharenaz, Nasrin; Movahedin, Mansoureh; Mazaheri, Zohreh; Pour beiranvand, Shahram

2016-01-01

Background: Nowadays, oocytes and embryos vitrification has become a routine technique. Based on clinical judgment, re-vitrification maybe required. But little is known about re-vitrification impact on genes expression. Objective: The impact of re-vitrification on apoptotic and implanting genes, Bax, Bcl-2 and ErbB4, at compaction stage embryos were evaluated in this study. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 8 cell embryos (n=240) were collected from female mature mice, 60-62 hr post HCG injection. The embryos were divided randomly to 3 groups included: fresh (n=80), vitrified at 8 cell stage (n=80), vitrified at 8 cell stage thawed and re-vitrified at compaction stage (n=80). Embryos were vitrified by using cryolock, (open system) described by Kuwayama. Q-PCR was used to examine the expression of Bax, Bcl2 ErbB4 genes in derived blastocysts. Results: Our result showed that expanded blastocyst rate was similar between vitrified and re-vitrified groups, while re-vitrified embryos showed significant decrease in expanded blastocyst rate comparing with fresh embryos (p=0.03). In addition, significant difference was observed on apoptotic gene expression when comparing re-vitrified and fresh embryos (p=0.004), however expression of Bax and Bcl-2 (apoptotic) genes didn't demonstrate a significant difference between re-vitrified and vitrified groups. The expression rate of ErbB4, an implantation gene was decreased in re-vitrified embryos comparing with fresh embryos (p=0.003), but it was similar between re-vitrified and vitrified embryos. Conclusion: Re-vitrification can alter the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and ErbB4 genes and developmental rate of mouse embryos in compaction stage. PMID:27679826

Investigation of hydraulic fracture re-orientation effects in tight gas reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hagemann, B.; Wegner, J.; Ganzer, L. [Technische Univ. Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany). ITE

2013-08-01

In tight gas formations where the low matrix permeability prevents successful and economic production rates, hydraulic fracturing is required to produce a well at economic rates. The initial fracture opens in the direction of minimum stress and propagates into the direction of maximum stress. As production from the well and its initial fracture declines, re-fracturing treatments are required to accelerate recovery. The orientation of the following hydraulic fracture depends on the actual stress-state of the formation in the vicinity of the wellbore. Previous investigations by Elbel and Mack (1993) demonstrated that the stress alters during depletion and a stress reversal region appears. This behavior causes a different fracture orientation of the re-fracturing operation. For the investigation of re-fracture orientation a two-dimensional reservoir model has been designed using COMSOL Multiphysics. The model represents a fractured vertical well in a tight gas reservoir of infinite thickness. A time dependent study was set up to simulate the reservoir depletion by the production from the fractured well. The theory of poroelasticity was used to couple the fluid flow and geo-mechanical behavior. The stress state is initially defined as uniform and the attention is concentrated to the alteration of stress due to the lowered pore pressure. Different cases with anisotropic and heterogeneous permeability are set up to determine its significance. The simulation shows that an elliptical shaped drainage area appears around the fracture. The poroelastic behavior effects that the stress re-orientates and a stress reversal region originates, if the difference between minimum and maximum horizontal stresses is small. The consideration of time indicates that the dimension of the region initially extends fast until it reaches its maximum. Subsequently, the stress reversal region's extent shrinks slowly until it finally disappears. The reservoir characteristics, e.g. the

Canadian fuel development program and recent operational experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, D.S.; Kohn, E.; Lau, J.H.K.; Dicke, G.J.; Macici, N.N.; Sancton, R.W.

1995-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the current Canadian CANDU fuel R and D programs and operational experience. The details of operational experience for fuel in Canadian reactors are summarized for the period 1991-1994; excellent fuel performance has been sustained, with steady-state bundle defect rates currently as low as 0.02%. The status of introducing long 37-element bundles, and bundles with rounded bearing pads is reviewed. These minor changes in fuel design have been selectively introduced in response to operational constraints (end-plate cracking and pressure-tube fretting) at Ontario Hydro's Bruce-B and Darlington stations. The R and D programs are generating a more complete understanding of CANDU fuel behaviour, while the CANDU Owners Group (COG) Fuel Technology Program is being re-aligned to a more exclusive focus on the needs of operating stations. Technical highlights and realized benefits from the COG program are summarized. Re-organization of AECL to provide a one-company focus, with an outward looking view to new CANDU markets, has strengthened R and D in advanced fuel cycles. Progress in AECL's key fuel cycle programs is also summarized. (author)

Production of {sup 186}Re and {sup 188}Re, and synthesis of {sup 188}Re-DTPA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, Kazuyuki; Motoishi, Shoji; Kobayashi, Katsutoshi; Izumo, Mishiroku [Department of Radioisotopes, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Musdja, Muhammad Yanis

1999-08-01

Production of radioactive rhenium isotopes {sup 186}Re and {sup 188}Re, and synthesis of {sup 188}Re-DTPA have been studied. For {sup 186}Re, a production method by the {sup 185}Re(n, {gamma}) {sup 186}Re reaction in a reactor has been established. For {sup 188}Re, a production method by the double neuron capture reaction of {sup 186}W, which produces a {sup 188}W/{sup 188}Re generator, has been established. For synthesis of {sup 188}Re-DTPA, the optimum conditions, including pH, the amounts of regents and so on, have been determined. (author)

Re-telling, Re-evaluating and Re-constructing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorana Tolja

2013-11-01

Full Text Available 'Graphic History: Essays on Graphic Novels and/as History '(2012 is a collection of 14 unique essays, edited by scholar Richard Iadonisi, that explores a variety of complex issues within the graphic novel medium as a means of historical narration. The essays address the issues of accuracy of re-counting history, history as re-constructed, and the ethics surrounding historical narration.

Beneficial Re-Use of Metal from Decommissioning of Power Reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eshleman, Troy; Raw, Graham; Moloney, Barry

2014-01-01

Utilities and contractors decommissioning nuclear power reactors can recycle a high proportion of the scrap metal generated during dismantling either by free release for general re-use directly from the point of generation, or by recycling off-site at facilities specifically licensed for radioactive material. The worldwide commercial vendors operate different commercial models of volumetric decontamination of ferrous metals by thermal treatment. Some aim to achieve free release of output metals for general use, while others accept higher activity metals as feedstock for the manufacture of steel products which contain residual radioactivity, which we term 'Beneficial Re-use'. It is estimated that 10-30% of metals from light water reactor decommissioning have been exposed to neutron radiation (activated) and/or are contaminated to such an extent that free release is not achievable. This paper outlines a cost-effective alternative to managed storage or disposal for lightly activated or contaminated metal, utilising a 'Beneficial Re-Use' programme which has been in routine operation in the United States for over 20 years. 'Beneficial Re-Use' describes the manufacture of products such as radiation shielding from radioactive scrap metal. Unlike recycling practised in Europe, such products remain under control in licensed facilities and the metal does not find its way into general circulation or consumer products. Since 1992, EnergySolutions and its predecessor Duratek has been melting scrap at their Bear Creek, Tennessee facility to produce shield blocks for use in high energy research facilities. Over 62,300 t of scrap steel have been re-used, and the demand for shielding products continues long into the future. 3,000 t of this feedstock originated outside the US. This paper proposes the potential for activated steel that will not be acceptable at European recycling facilities to enter the Beneficial Re-use programme. Acceptance criteria

Re-excision of margins before breast radiation-diagnostic or therapeutic?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chism, Derek B.; Freedman, Gary M.; Li, Tianyu; Anderson, Penny R.

2006-01-01

Purpose: To identify factors in breast cancer patients that predict the pathologic results of re-excision for close or positive margins and to determine the effect on local control. Methods and Materials: We divided 1,044 patients with Stage I-II breast cancer with a close (≤2 mm) or positive margin after initial excision into three groups. Group 1 included 199 patients without additional excision, Group 2 included 546 patients with re-excision found to be free of cancer, and Group 3 included 299 patients with re-excision and residual cancer. All patients were treated with radiotherapy with a median follow-up of 6.7 years. Results: The 10-year local control rate was 95% for Group 1 and 94% for Groups 2 and 3 (p = 0.788). Of the 846 patients, 65% had no residual disease on re-excision and 35% did have residual tumor. The factors significantly associated with positive re-excision findings were initial positive margins, positive nodes, Stage T2 tumor, and an extensive intraductal component. The 10-year local control rate was 95% for Group 2 vs. 91% for Group 3 (p = 0.038). Conclusion: The low recurrence rates seen in this study suggest that selected patients with non-negative margins, particularly those with a low risk of having residual disease at re-excision, may be treated with radiotherapy

Restoring Environmental Flows by Modifying Dam Operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian D. Richter

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The construction of new dams has become one of the most controversial issues in global efforts to alleviate poverty, improve human health, and strengthen regional economies. Unfortunately, this controversy has overshadowed the tremendous opportunity that exists for modifying the operations of existing dams to recover many of the environmental and social benefits of healthy ecosystems that have been compromised by present modes of dam operation. The potential benefits of dam "re-operation" include recovery of fish, shellfish, and other wildlife populations valued both commercially and recreationally, including estuarine species; reactivation of the flood storage and water purification benefits that occur when floods are allowed to flow into floodplain forests and wetlands; regaining some semblance of the naturally dynamic balance between river erosion and sedimentation that shapes physical habitat complexity, and arresting problems associated with geomorphic imbalances; cultural and spiritual uses of rivers; and many other socially valued products and services. This paper describes an assessment framework that can be used to evaluate the benefits that might be restored through dam re-operation. Assessing the potential benefits of dam re-operation begins by characterizing the dam's effects on the river flow regime, and formulating hypotheses about the ecological and social benefits that might be restored by releasing water from the dam in a manner that more closely resembles natural flow patterns. These hypotheses can be tested by implementing a re-operation plan, tracking the response of the ecosystem, and continually refining dam operations through adaptive management. The paper highlights a number of land and water management strategies useful in implementing a dam re-operation plan, with reference to a variety of management contexts ranging from individual dams to cascades of dams along a river to regional energy grids. Because many of the

Performance and emission studies on port injection of hydrogen with varied flow rates with Diesel as an ignition source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saravanan, N.; Nagarajan, G.

2010-01-01

Automobiles are one of the major sources of air pollution in the environment. In addition CO 2 emission, a product of complete combustion also has become a serious issue due to global warming effect. Hence the search for cleaner alternative fuels has become mandatory. Hydrogen is expected to be one of the most important fuels in the near future for solving the problems of air pollution and greenhouse gas problems (carbon dioxide), thereby protecting the environment. Hence in the present work, an experimental investigation has been carried out using hydrogen in the dual fuel mode in a Diesel engine system. In the study, a Diesel engine was converted into a dual fuel engine and hydrogen fuel was injected into the intake port while Diesel was injected directly inside the combustion chamber during the compression stroke. Diesel injected inside the combustion chamber will undergo combustion first which in-turn would ignite the hydrogen that will also assist the Diesel combustion. Using electronic control unit (ECU), the injection timings and injection durations were varied for hydrogen injection while for Diesel the injection timing was 23 o crank angle (CA) before injection top dead centre (BITDC). Based on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics, the optimized injection timing was found to be 5 o CA before gas exchange top dead centre (BGTDC) with injection duration of 30 o CA for hydrogen Diesel dual fuel operation. The optimum hydrogen flow rate was found to be 7.5 lpm. Results indicate that the brake thermal efficiency in hydrogen Diesel dual fuel operation increases by 15% compared to Diesel fuel at 75% load. The NO X emissions were higher by 1-2% in dual fuel operation at full load compared to Diesel. Smoke emissions are lower in the entire load spectra due to the absence of carbon in hydrogen fuel. The carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions were lesser in hydrogen Diesel dual fuel operation compared to Diesel. The use of hydrogen

Performance and emission studies on port injection of hydrogen with varied flow rates with Diesel as an ignition source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saravanan, N. [ERC Engines, Tata Motors, Pimpri, Pune (India); Nagarajan, G. [Internal Combustion Engineering Division, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University, Chennai (India)

2010-07-15

Automobiles are one of the major sources of air pollution in the environment. In addition CO{sub 2} emission, a product of complete combustion also has become a serious issue due to global warming effect. Hence the search for cleaner alternative fuels has become mandatory. Hydrogen is expected to be one of the most important fuels in the near future for solving the problems of air pollution and greenhouse gas problems (carbon dioxide), thereby protecting the environment. Hence in the present work, an experimental investigation has been carried out using hydrogen in the dual fuel mode in a Diesel engine system. In the study, a Diesel engine was converted into a dual fuel engine and hydrogen fuel was injected into the intake port while Diesel was injected directly inside the combustion chamber during the compression stroke. Diesel injected inside the combustion chamber will undergo combustion first which in-turn would ignite the hydrogen that will also assist the Diesel combustion. Using electronic control unit (ECU), the injection timings and injection durations were varied for hydrogen injection while for Diesel the injection timing was 23 crank angle (CA) before injection top dead centre (BITDC). Based on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics, the optimized injection timing was found to be 5 CA before gas exchange top dead centre (BGTDC) with injection duration of 30 CA for hydrogen Diesel dual fuel operation. The optimum hydrogen flow rate was found to be 7.5 lpm. Results indicate that the brake thermal efficiency in hydrogen Diesel dual fuel operation increases by 15% compared to Diesel fuel at 75% load. The NO{sub X} emissions were higher by 1-2% in dual fuel operation at full load compared to Diesel. Smoke emissions are lower in the entire load spectra due to the absence of carbon in hydrogen fuel. The carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions were lesser in hydrogen Diesel dual fuel operation compared to Diesel. The use of

42 CFR 412.62 - Federal rates for inpatient operating costs for fiscal year 1984.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... determines national adjusted DRG prospective payment rates for operating costs, for each inpatient hospital... DRG prospective payment rates for inpatient operating costs for such discharges in each region, for... classifications. (1) For purposes of paragraph (e) of this section, the following definitions apply: (i) The term...

Carbon transport and fuel retention in JT-60U with high temperature operation based on postmortem analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, M., E-mail: yoshida.masafumi@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Mukoyama 801-1, Naka-shi, Ibaraki-ken 311-0193 (Japan); Tanabe, T.; Adachi, A. [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581 (Japan); Hayashi, T.; Nakano, T.; Fukumoto, M.; Yagyu, J.; Miyo, Y.; Masaki, K.; Itami, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Mukoyama 801-1, Naka-shi, Ibaraki-ken 311-0193 (Japan)

2013-07-15

Fuel retention rates and carbon re-deposition rates in the plasma shadowed areas, or tile gaps and remote areas, in JT-60U were measured. The total fuel retention rate in the plasma shadowed areas was more than two times higher than that in the carbon re-deposited layers on the plasma facing surfaces, or the divertor tiles. This is because of lower temperature in the plasma shadowed areas than in the plasma facing surfaces, which leads to high hydrogen saturation concentration, although the amount of the carbon re-deposited on the plasma shadowed areas was only 60% of that on the plasma facing surfaces. The total fuel retention rate in JT-60U, including previously determined for all the plasma facing areas, was evaluated to be 1.3 × 10{sup 20} H + D s{sup −1}, and this retention rate was lower than that in the other devices, due probably to high baking temperature operation in JT-60U. Distributions of the fuel retention and the carbon re-deposition in the whole in-vessel of a large tokamak were determined for the first time in the world.

Carbon transport and fuel retention in JT-60U with high temperature operation based on postmortem analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, M.; Tanabe, T.; Adachi, A.; Hayashi, T.; Nakano, T.; Fukumoto, M.; Yagyu, J.; Miyo, Y.; Masaki, K.; Itami, K.

2013-01-01

Fuel retention rates and carbon re-deposition rates in the plasma shadowed areas, or tile gaps and remote areas, in JT-60U were measured. The total fuel retention rate in the plasma shadowed areas was more than two times higher than that in the carbon re-deposited layers on the plasma facing surfaces, or the divertor tiles. This is because of lower temperature in the plasma shadowed areas than in the plasma facing surfaces, which leads to high hydrogen saturation concentration, although the amount of the carbon re-deposited on the plasma shadowed areas was only 60% of that on the plasma facing surfaces. The total fuel retention rate in JT-60U, including previously determined for all the plasma facing areas, was evaluated to be 1.3 × 10 20 H + D s −1 , and this retention rate was lower than that in the other devices, due probably to high baking temperature operation in JT-60U. Distributions of the fuel retention and the carbon re-deposition in the whole in-vessel of a large tokamak were determined for the first time in the world

Surgical skill and complication rates after bariatric surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Birkmeyer, John D; Finks, Jonathan F; O'Reilly, Amanda; Oerline, Mary; Carlin, Arthur M; Nunn, Andre R; Dimick, Justin; Banerjee, Mousumi; Birkmeyer, Nancy J O

2013-10-10

Clinical outcomes after many complex surgical procedures vary widely across hospitals and surgeons. Although it has been assumed that the proficiency of the operating surgeon is an important factor underlying such variation, empirical data are lacking on the relationships between technical skill and postoperative outcomes. We conducted a study involving 20 bariatric surgeons in Michigan who participated in a statewide collaborative improvement program. Each surgeon submitted a single representative videotape of himself or herself performing a laparoscopic gastric bypass. Each videotape was rated in various domains of technical skill on a scale of 1 to 5 (with higher scores indicating more advanced skill) by at least 10 peer surgeons who were unaware of the identity of the operating surgeon. We then assessed relationships between these skill ratings and risk-adjusted complication rates, using data from a prospective, externally audited, clinical-outcomes registry involving 10,343 patients. Mean summary ratings of technical skill ranged from 2.6 to 4.8 across the 20 surgeons. The bottom quartile of surgical skill, as compared with the top quartile, was associated with higher complication rates (14.5% vs. 5.2%, Pbariatric surgeons varied widely, and greater skill was associated with fewer postoperative complications and lower rates of reoperation, readmission, and visits to the emergency department. Although these findings are preliminary, they suggest that peer rating of operative skill may be an effective strategy for assessing a surgeon's proficiency.

Alternation of apoptotic and implanting genes expression of mouse embryos after re-vitrification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nasrin Majidi Gharenaz

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Nowadays, oocytes and embryos vitrification has become a routine technique. Based on clinical judgment, re-vitrification maybe required. But little is known about re-vitrification impact on genes expression. Objective: The impact of re-vitrification on apoptotic and implanting genes, Bax, Bcl-2 and ErbB4, at compaction stage embryos were evaluated in this study. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 8 cell embryos (n=240 were collected from female mature mice, 60-62 hr post HCG injection. The embryos were divided randomly to 3 groups included: fresh (n=80, vitrified at 8 cell stage (n=80, vitrified at 8 cell stage thawed and re-vitrified at compaction stage (n=80. Embryos were vitrified by using cryolock, (open system described by Kuwayama. Q-PCR was used to examine the expression of Bax, Bcl2 ErbB4 genes in derived blastocysts. Results: Our result showed that expanded blastocyst rate was similar between vitrified and re-vitrified groups, while re-vitrified embryos showed significant decrease in expanded blastocyst rate comparing with fresh embryos (p=0.03. In addition, significant difference was observed on apoptotic gene expression when comparing re-vitrified and fresh embryos (p=0.004, however expression of Bax and Bcl-2 (apoptotic genes didn't demonstrate a significant difference between re-vitrified and vitrified groups. The expression rate of ErbB4, an implantation gene was decreased in re-vitrified embryos comparing with fresh embryos (p=0.003, but it was similar between re-vitrified and vitrified embryos. Conclusion: Re-vitrification can alter the expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and ErbB4 genes and developmental rate of mouse embryos in compaction stage

LHC Report: Rocky re-start

CERN Multimedia

Barbara Holzer for the LHC Team

2012-01-01

A rocky re-start with beam followed a successful machine development period and the first technical stop of 2012. Today, Friday 11 May, the machine began running again with 1380 bunches.   A short, two-day machine development period was successfully completed on 21-22 April. It focused on topics relevant for the 2012 physics beam operation. This was then followed by a five-day technical stop, the first of the year. The technical stop finished on time on Friday 26 April. The re-start with beam was somewhat tortuous and hampered by an unlucky succession of technical faults leading to extended periods of downtime. The planned intensity increase was put on hold for three days with the machine operating with 1092 bunches and a moderate bunch intensity of 1.3x1011 protons. This delivered a reasonable peak luminosity of 3.6x1033 cm-2s-1 to ATLAS and CMS. Higher than usual beam losses were observed in the ramp and squeeze, and time was required to investigate the causes and to implement mitigati...

The effect of zealots on the rate of consensus achievement in complex networks

Science.gov (United States)

Kashisaz, Hadi; Hosseini, S. Samira; Darooneh, Amir H.

2014-05-01

In this study, we investigate the role of zealots on the result of voting process on both scale-free and Watts-Strogatz networks. We observe that inflexible individuals are very effective in consensus achievement and also in the rate of ordering process in complex networks. Zealots make the magnetization of the system to vary exponentially with time. We obtain that on SF networks, increasing the zealots' population, Z, exponentially increases the rate of consensus achievement. The time needed for the system to reach a desired magnetization, shows a power-law dependence on Z. As well, we obtain that the decay time of the order parameter shows a power-law dependence on Z. We also investigate the role of zealots' degree on the rate of ordering process and finally, we analyze the effect of network's randomness on the efficiency of zealots. Moving from a regular to a random network, the re-wiring probability P increases. We show that with increasing P, the efficiency of zealots for reducing the consensus achievement time increases. The rate of consensus is compared with the rate of ordering for different re-wiring probabilities of WS networks.

Trapping and re-emission of energetic hydrogen and helium ions in materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Sadae

1981-01-01

The experimental results on the trapping and re-emission of energetic hydrogen and helium ions in materials are explained. The trapping of deuterium and helium in graphite saturates at the concentration of 10 18 ions/cm 2 . The trapping rate of hydrogen depends on the kinds of target materials. In the case of the implantation in Mo over 3 x 10 16 H/cm 2 , hydrogen is hardly trapped. On the other hand, the trapping of hydrogen in Ti, Zr and Ta which form solid solution is easily made. The hydrogen in these metals can diffuse toward the inside of metals. The deuterium retained in 316 SS decreased with time. The trapping rate reached saturation more rapidly at higher implantation temperature. The effective diffusion constant for the explanation of the re-emission process is 1/100 as small as the ordinary value. The radiation damage due to helium irradiation affects on the trapping of deuterium in Mo. The temperature dependence of the trapping rate can be explained by the diffusion model based on the Sievert's law. The re-emission of helium was measured at various temperature. At low temperature, the re-emission was low at first, then the rate increased. At high temperature, the re-emission rate was high from the beginning. (Kato, T.)

Spatially-varying surface roughness and ground-level air quality in an operational dispersion model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnes, M.J.; Brade, T.K.; MacKenzie, A.R.; Whyatt, J.D.; Carruthers, D.J.; Stocker, J.; Cai, X.; Hewitt, C.N.

2014-01-01

Urban form controls the overall aerodynamic roughness of a city, and hence plays a significant role in how air flow interacts with the urban landscape. This paper reports improved model performance resulting from the introduction of variable surface roughness in the operational air-quality model ADMS-Urban (v3.1). We then assess to what extent pollutant concentrations can be reduced solely through local reductions in roughness. The model results suggest that reducing surface roughness in a city centre can increase ground-level pollutant concentrations, both locally in the area of reduced roughness and downwind of that area. The unexpected simulation of increased ground-level pollutant concentrations implies that this type of modelling should be used with caution for urban planning and design studies looking at ventilation of pollution. We expect the results from this study to be relevant for all atmospheric dispersion models with urban-surface parameterisations based on roughness. -- Highlights: • Spatially variable roughness improved performance of an operational model. • Scenario modelling explored effect of reduced roughness on air pollution. • Reducing surface roughness can increase modelled ground-level pollution. • Damped vertical mixing outweighs increased horizontal advection in model study. • Result should hold for any model with a land-surface coupling based on roughness. -- Spatially varying roughness improves model simulations of urban air pollutant dispersion. Reducing roughness does not always decrease ground-level pollution concentrations

Japan: The institute for the economy of energy recommends a quick re-start of nuclear reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2014-01-01

The Japanese Institute for the Economy of the Energy (IEEJ) considers that the sooner the nuclear reactors will re-start, the better the Japanese economy and environment will be. The 48 Japanese reactors were stopped after the Fukushima accident and their restart is linked to the implementation of new measures for reinforcing safety. Until now only 2 reactors Sendai 1 and Sendai 2 have been allowed to re-start. The procedure for the safety assessment of the reactors is slower than expected. A study shows that only 7 reactors may be allowed to re-start before march 2015 and a total of 19 units may be operating in march 2016. In this scenario 2% of the electricity will come from nuclear energy in 2014 and 15% in 2015, natural gas imports will still be necessary for the production of electricity and their global cost is estimated to reach 56 billions euros while Japan's rate of energy independence will drop by 4.6%. (A.C.)

Detection and classification of alarm threshold violations in condition monitoring systems working in highly varying operational conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Strączkiewicz, M.; Barszcz, T.; Jabłoński, A.

2015-07-01

All commonly used condition monitoring systems (CMS) enable defining alarm thresholds that enhance efficient surveillance and maintenance of dynamic state of machinery. The thresholds are imposed on the measured values such as vibration-based indicators, temperature, pressure, etc. For complex machinery such as wind turbine (WT) the total number of thresholds might be counted in hundreds multiplied by the number of operational states. All the parameters vary not only due to possible machinery malfunctions, but also due to changes in operating conditions and these changes are typically much stronger than the former ones. Very often, such a behavior may lead to hundreds of false alarms. Therefore, authors propose a novel approach based on parameterized description of the threshold violation. For this purpose the novelty and severity factors are introduced. The first parameter refers to the time of violation occurrence while the second one describes the impact of the indicator-increase to the entire machine. Such approach increases reliability of the CMS by providing the operator with the most useful information of the system events. The idea of the procedure is presented on a simulated data similar to those from a wind turbine.

Detection and classification of alarm threshold violations in condition monitoring systems working in highly varying operational conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strączkiewicz, M; Barszcz, T; Jabłoński, A

2015-01-01

All commonly used condition monitoring systems (CMS) enable defining alarm thresholds that enhance efficient surveillance and maintenance of dynamic state of machinery. The thresholds are imposed on the measured values such as vibration-based indicators, temperature, pressure, etc. For complex machinery such as wind turbine (WT) the total number of thresholds might be counted in hundreds multiplied by the number of operational states. All the parameters vary not only due to possible machinery malfunctions, but also due to changes in operating conditions and these changes are typically much stronger than the former ones. Very often, such a behavior may lead to hundreds of false alarms. Therefore, authors propose a novel approach based on parameterized description of the threshold violation. For this purpose the novelty and severity factors are introduced. The first parameter refers to the time of violation occurrence while the second one describes the impact of the indicator-increase to the entire machine. Such approach increases reliability of the CMS by providing the operator with the most useful information of the system events. The idea of the procedure is presented on a simulated data similar to those from a wind turbine. (paper)

Factors Affecting Re-usage Intentions of Virtual Communities Supporting Cosmetic Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jhong-Min Yang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Aim/Purpose: This study uses a cosmetic virtual community (VC as the research context and the UTAUT model as the theoretical structure aim to explore factors affecting the re-usage intentions of VC members. Background: The Internet use rate of VC was up to 50%, thereby implying that VC gained the attention of Internet users. Therefore, operating a VC will be an effective way to communicate with customers. However, to maintain an existing member is more efficient than creating a new one. As such, understanding determinants of VC members’ re-use intentions becomes important for firms. Methodology: Through an online survey, 276 valid responses were gathered. The collected data were examined by performing confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling procedures, as well as the moderator analysis. Contribution: This study shows the importance in the context of online cosmetics-related VC, which was rarely explored before. We provide issues for future research, despite the accumulated academic literature related to UTAUT and VC. Findings: Results show that only performance expectancy and social influence significantly affecting re-usage intentions and only gender has moderating effects on the path from performance expectancy to VC re-use intention and from trust to VC re-use intention. Recommendations for Practitioners\t: This study found that users emphasized performance expectancy most of all. A cosmetic product-related VC should introduce products abundantly, offer useful information, and help people accomplish tasks quickly and productively. Recommendation for Researchers: Future researchers may use our findings to conduct further positivist research in the area of social influence using different subjects and research contexts.

Defense programs business practices re-engineering QFD exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, C.; Halbleib, L.

1996-03-01

The end of the cold war has resulted in many changes for the Nuclear Weapons Complex (NWC). We now work in a smaller complex, with reduced resources, a smaller stockpile, and no new phase 3 weapons development programs. This new environment demands that we re-evaluate the way we design and produce nuclear weapons. The Defense Program (DP) Business Practices Re-engineering activity was initiated to improve the design and production efficiency of the DP Sector. The activity had six goals: (1) to identify DP business practices that are exercised by the Product Realization Process (PRP); (2) to determine the impact (positive, negative, or none) of these practices on defined, prioritized customer criteria; (3) to identify business practices that are candidates for elimination or re-engineering; (4) to select two or three business practices for re-engineering; (5) to re-engineer the selected business practices; and (6) to exercise the re-engineered practices on three pilot development projects. Business practices include technical and well as administrative procedures that are exercised by the PRP. A QFD exercise was performed to address (1)-(4). The customer that identified, defined, and prioritized the criteria to rate the business practices was the Block Change Advisory Group. Five criteria were identified: cycle time, flexibility, cost, product performance/quality, and best practices. Forty-nine business practices were identified and rated per the criteria. From this analysis, the group made preliminary recommendations as to which practices would be addressed in the re-engineering activity. Sixteen practices will be addressed in the re-engineering activity. These practices will then be piloted on three projects: (1) the Electronic Component Assembly (ECA)/Radar Project, (2) the B61 Mod 11, and (3) Warhead Protection Program (WPP)

Components of Particle Emissions from Light-Duty Spark-Ignition Vehicles with Varying Aromatic Content and Octane Rating in Gasoline.

Science.gov (United States)

Short, Daniel Z; Vu, Diep; Durbin, Thomas D; Karavalakis, Georgios; Asa-Awuku, Akua

2015-09-01

Typical gasoline consists of varying concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons and octane ratings. However, their impacts on particulate matter (PM) such as black carbon (BC) and water-soluble and insoluble particle compositions are not well-defined. This study tests seven 2012 model year vehicles, which include one port fuel injection (PFI) configured hybrid vehicle, one PFI vehicle, and six gasoline direct injection (GDI) vehicles. Each vehicle was driven on the Unified transient testing cycle (UC) using four different fuels. Three fuels had a constant octane rating of 87 with varied aromatic concentrations at 15%, 25%, and 35%. A fourth fuel with higher octane rating, 91, contained 35% aromatics. BC, PM mass, surface tension, and water-soluble organic mass (WSOM) fractions were measured. The water-insoluble mass (WIM) fraction of the vehicle emissions was estimated. Increasing fuel aromatic content increases BC emission factors (EFs) of transient cycles. BC concentrations were higher for the GDI vehicles than the PFI and hybrid vehicles, suggesting a potential climate impact for increased GDI vehicle production. Vehicle steady-state testing showed that the hygroscopicity of PM emissions at high speeds (70 mph; κ > 1) are much larger than emissions at low speeds (30 mph; κ < 0.1). Iso-paraffin content in the fuels was correlated to the decrease in WSOM emissions. Both aromatic content and vehicle speed increase the amount of hygroscopic material found in particle emissions.

An Ecological Study on the Spatially Varying Relationship between County-Level Suicide Rates and Altitude in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoehun Ha

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Suicide is a serious but preventable public health issue. Several previous studies have revealed a positive association between altitude and suicide rates at the county level in the contiguous United States. We assessed the association between suicide rates and altitude using a cross-county ecological study design. Data on suicide rates were obtained from a Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS, maintained by the U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC. Altitude data were collected from the United States Geological Survey (USGS. We employed an ordinary least square (OLS regression to model the association between altitude and suicide rates in 3064 counties in the contiguous U.S. We conducted a geographically weighted regression (GWR to examine the spatially varying relationship between suicide rates and altitude after controlling for several well-established covariates. A significant positive association between altitude and suicide rates (average county rates between 2008 and 2014 was found in the dataset in the OLS model (R2 = 0.483, p < 0.001. Our GWR model fitted the data better, as indicated by an improved R2 (average: 0.62; range: 0.21–0.64 and a lower Akaike Information Criteria (AIC value (13,593.68 vs. 14,432.14 in the OLS model. The GWR model also significantly reduced the spatial autocorrelation, as indicated by Moran’s I test statistic (Moran’s I = 0.171; z = 33.656; p < 0.001 vs. Moran’s I = 0.323; z = 63.526; p < 0.001 in the OLS model. In addition, a stronger positive relationship was detected in areas of the northern regions, northern plain regions, and southeastern regions in the U.S. Our study confirmed a varying overall positive relationship between altitude and suicide. Future research may consider controlling more predictor variables in regression models, such as firearm ownership, religion, and access to mental health services.

Representation of Solar Capacity Value in the ReEDS Capacity Expansion Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sigrin, B. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sullivan, P. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ibanez, E. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, R. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2014-03-01

An important issue for electricity system operators is the estimation of renewables' capacity contributions to reliably meeting system demand, or their capacity value. While the capacity value of thermal generation can be estimated easily, assessment of wind and solar requires a more nuanced approach due to the resource variability. Reliability-based methods, particularly assessment of the Effective Load-Carrying Capacity, are considered to be the most robust and widely-accepted techniques for addressing this resource variability. This report compares estimates of solar PV capacity value by the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) capacity expansion model against two sources. The first comparison is against values published by utilities or other entities for known electrical systems at existing solar penetration levels. The second comparison is against a time-series ELCC simulation tool for high renewable penetration scenarios in the Western Interconnection. Results from the ReEDS model are found to compare well with both comparisons, despite being resolved at a super-hourly temporal resolution. Two results are relevant for other capacity-based models that use a super-hourly resolution to model solar capacity value. First, solar capacity value should not be parameterized as a static value, but must decay with increasing penetration. This is because -- for an afternoon-peaking system -- as solar penetration increases, the system's peak net load shifts to later in the day -- when solar output is lower. Second, long-term planning models should determine system adequacy requirements in each time period in order to approximate LOLP calculations. Within the ReEDS model we resolve these issues by using a capacity value estimate that varies by time-slice. Within each time period the net load and shadow price on ReEDS's planning reserve constraint signals the relative importance of additional firm capacity.

Probing background ionization: positive streamers with varying pulse repetition rate and with a radioactive admixture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nijdam, S; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Ebert, U; Wormeester, G

2011-01-01

Positive streamers need a source of free electrons ahead of them to propagate. A streamer can supply these electrons by itself through photo-ionization, or the electrons can be present due to external background ionization. Here we investigate the effects of background ionization on streamer propagation and morphology by changing the gas composition and the repetition rate of the voltage pulses, and by adding a small amount of radioactive 85 Kr. We find that the general morphology of a positive streamer discharge in high-purity nitrogen depends on background ionization: at lower background ionization levels the streamers branch more and have a more feather-like appearance. This is observed both when varying the repetition rate and when adding 85 Kr, though side branches are longer with the radioactive admixture. But velocities and minimal diameters of streamers are virtually independent of the background ionization level. In air, the inception cloud breaks up into streamers at a smaller radius when the repetition rate and therefore the background ionization level is higher. When measuring the effects of the pulse repetition rate and of the radioactive admixture on the discharge morphology, we found that our estimates of background ionization levels are consistent with these observations; this gives confidence in the estimates. Streamer channels generally do not follow the paths of previous discharge channels for repetition rates of up to 10 Hz. We estimate the effect of recombination and diffusion of ions and free electrons from the previous discharge and conclude that the old trail has largely disappeared at the moment of the next voltage pulse; therefore the next streamers indeed cannot follow the old trail.

Oncoplastic round block technique has comparable operative parameters as standard wide local excision: a matched case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Geok-Hoon; Allen, John Carson; Ng, Ruey Pyng

2017-08-01

Although oncoplastic breast surgery is used to resect larger tumors with lower re-excision rates compared to standard wide local excision (sWLE), criticisms of oncoplastic surgery include a longer-albeit, well concealed-scar, longer operating time and hospital stay, and increased risk of complications. Round block technique has been reported to be very suitable for patients with relatively smaller breasts and minimal ptosis. We aim to determine if round block technique will result in operative parameters comparable with sWLE. Breast cancer patients who underwent a round block procedure from 1st May 2014 to 31st January 2016 were included in the study. These patients were then matched for the type of axillary procedure, on a one to one basis, with breast cancer patients who had undergone sWLE from 1st August 2011 to 31st January 2016. The operative parameters between the 2 groups were compared. 22 patients were included in the study. Patient demographics and histologic parameters were similar in the 2 groups. No complications were reported in either group. The mean operating time was 122 and 114 minutes in the round block and sWLE groups, respectively (P=0.64). Length of stay was similar in the 2 groups (P=0.11). Round block patients had better cosmesis and lower re-excision rates. A higher rate of recurrence was observed in the sWLE group. The round block technique has comparable operative parameters to sWLE with no evidence of increased complications. Lower re-excision rate and better cosmesis were observed in the round block patients suggesting that the round block technique is not only comparable in general, but may have advantages to sWLE in selected cases.

Relationship between Drug Attitudes of Schizophrenic Patients on Discharge and Re-hospitalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannaneh Taghizadeh

2008-08-01

Full Text Available "n "nObjective: Non-compliance is one of the major problems in treatment of patients with schizophrenia. It is also the most significant risk factor for relapse and re-hospitalization. Previous studies showed that 25-70% of all patients with schizophrenia have negative attitudes to drugs. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the relationship between drug attitude and discharge and the rate of re-hospitalization in patients with schizophrenia. "nMethod: This cohort study was carried out on 200 hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI was completed for all the patients at the time of discharge. All patients were followed-up for one year for ehospitalization. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between drug attitude and specific risk factors. "nResults: The Mean age of patients was 37.34±10.74 years. Positive and negative drug attitudes were 68%.5 and 27% respectively. The rate of rehospitalization was 41.5% during the one year follow-up. The rate of negative attitude was not significantly different between the two groups with and without re-hospitalization. However, the mean DAI score was significantly lower in the re-hospitalized patients. Multivariate analysis showed that lower DAI score and being female were significant and independent risk factors for re-hospitalization. "n "nConclusion: The more negative attitude the patients with schizophrenia had towards drugs, the more rate of re-hospitalization they had. Moreover, female patients are at higher risk for re-hospitalization.

Decoupling, re-engaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rose, Jeremy; Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup

2013-01-01

the life of a major project and the complex demands of managing those fluctuations. We investigate evolving trust relationships in a longitudinal case analysis of a large integrated hospital system implementation for the Faroe Islands. Trust relationships suffered various breakdowns, but the project...... was able to recover and eventually meet its goals. Based on concepts from Giddens’ later work on modernity, we develop two approaches for managing dynamic trust relationships in implementation projects: decoupling and re-engaging....... in the project is contingent upon many factors, is likely to vary over time and should not be taken for granted. Previous studies have identified the relationship between trust and project outcomes and suggested trust-building strategies but have largely ignored the dynamic quality of trust relations through...

Re-investigation of slip rate along the southern part of the Sumatran Fault Zone using SuMo GPS network

Science.gov (United States)

Hermawan, I.; Lubis, A. M.; Sahputra, R.; Hill, E.; Sieh, K.; Feng, L.; Salman, R.; Hananto, N.

2015-12-01

The Sumatran Fault Zone (SFZ) accommodates a significant component of the strike-slip motion of oblique convergence along the Sumatra subduction zone. Previous studies have suggested that the slip rates of the SFZ increase from south to north. However, recent work shows that the slip rates may not vary along the SFZ [Bradley et al., 2015]. New data are needed to help confirm these results, and to assess slip-rate variability and fault segmentation in more detail. This information is vital for seismic hazard assessment for the region. We have therefore installed and operated the SuMo (Sumatran Fault Monitoring) network, a dense GPS campaign network focused around the SFZ. From 2013-2015 we selected and installed 32 GPS monuments over the southern part of the SFZ. The network comprises of three transects. The first transect is around the location of the great 1900 earthquake, at the Musi segment. Two transects cover the Manna segment, which saw its last great earthquake in 1893, and the Kumering segment, which saw two great earthquakes in 1933 (M 7.5) and 1994 (M 7.0). We have now conducted three GPS campaign surveys for these stations (3-4 days of measurement for each occupation site), and established 5 semi-permanent cGPS stations in the area. The processed data show that the campaigns sites are still too premature to be used for estimating slip rates, but from the preliminary results for the semi-permanent stations we may see our first signal of deformation. More data from future survey campaigns will help us to estimated revised slip rates. In addition to the science goals for our project, we are this year starting a project called "SuMo Goes to School," which will aim to disseminate information on our science to the schools that house the SuMo GPS stations. The SuMo project also achieves capacity building by training students from Bengkulu University in geodesy and campaign GPS survey techniques.

Development of a nonlocal convective mixing scheme with varying upward mixing rates for use in air quality and chemical transport models.

Science.gov (United States)

Mihailović, Dragutin T; Alapaty, Kiran; Sakradzija, Mirjana

2008-06-01

Asymmetrical convective non-local scheme (CON) with varying upward mixing rates is developed for simulation of vertical turbulent mixing in the convective boundary layer in air quality and chemical transport models. The upward mixing rate form the surface layer is parameterized using the sensible heat flux and the friction and convective velocities. Upward mixing rates varying with height are scaled with an amount of turbulent kinetic energy in layer, while the downward mixing rates are derived from mass conservation. This scheme provides a less rapid mass transport out of surface layer into other layers than other asymmetrical convective mixing schemes. In this paper, we studied the performance of a nonlocal convective mixing scheme with varying upward mixing in the atmospheric boundary layer and its impact on the concentration of pollutants calculated with chemical and air-quality models. This scheme was additionally compared versus a local eddy-diffusivity scheme (KSC). Simulated concentrations of NO(2) and the nitrate wet deposition by the CON scheme are closer to the observations when compared to those obtained from using the KSC scheme. Concentrations calculated with the CON scheme are in general higher and closer to the observations than those obtained by the KSC scheme (of the order of 15-20%). Nitrate wet deposition calculated with the CON scheme are in general higher and closer to the observations than those obtained by the KSC scheme. To examine the performance of the scheme, simulated and measured concentrations of a pollutant (NO(2)) and nitrate wet deposition was compared for the year 2002. The comparison was made for the whole domain used in simulations performed by the chemical European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme Unified model (version UNI-ACID, rv2.0) where schemes were incorporated.

Determination of total flow rate and flow rate of every operating branch in commissioning of heavy water loop for ARR-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Yan

1997-01-01

The heavy water loop (i,e, RCS) for ARR-2 in Algeria is a complex loop. Flow regulating means are not provided by the design in order to operate the reactor safely and simplify operating processes. How to determine precisely the orifice diameters of resistance parts for the loop is a key point for decreasing deviation between practical and design flow rates. Commissioning tests shall ensure that under every one of combined operating modes for the pumps, total coolant flow rate is about the same (the number of pumps operating in parallel is the same) and is consistent with design requirement, as well as the distribution of coolant flow rate to every branch is uniform. The flow Determination is divided into two steps. First and foremost, corresponding resistance part at each pump outlet is determined in commissioning test of shorted heavy water loop with light water, so that the problem about uniform distribution of the flow rate to each branch is solved, Secondly, resistance part at the reactor inlet is determined in commissioning test of heavy water loop connected with the vessel, so that the problem about that total heavy water flow rate is within optimal range is solved. According to practical requirements of the project, a computer program of hydraulic calculation and analysis for heavy water loop has been developed, and hydraulic characteristics test for a part of loop has been conducted in order to correct calculation error. By means of program calculation combining with tests in site, orifice diameters of 9 resistance parts has been determined rapidly and precisely and requirements of design and operation has been met adequately

Varying prior information in Bayesian inversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, Matthew; Curtis, Andrew

2014-01-01

Bayes' rule is used to combine likelihood and prior probability distributions. The former represents knowledge derived from new data, the latter represents pre-existing knowledge; the Bayesian combination is the so-called posterior distribution, representing the resultant new state of knowledge. While varying the likelihood due to differing data observations is common, there are also situations where the prior distribution must be changed or replaced repeatedly. For example, in mixture density neural network (MDN) inversion, using current methods the neural network employed for inversion needs to be retrained every time prior information changes. We develop a method of prior replacement to vary the prior without re-training the network. Thus the efficiency of MDN inversions can be increased, typically by orders of magnitude when applied to geophysical problems. We demonstrate this for the inversion of seismic attributes in a synthetic subsurface geological reservoir model. We also present results which suggest that prior replacement can be used to control the statistical properties (such as variance) of the final estimate of the posterior in more general (e.g., Monte Carlo based) inverse problem solutions. (paper)

Re-irradiation for metastatic brain tumors with whole-brain radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akiba, Takeshi; Kunieda, Etsuo; Kogawa, Asuka; Komatsu, Tetsuya; Tamai, Yoshifumi; Ohizumi, Yukio

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine whether second whole-brain irradiation is beneficial for patients previously treated with whole-brain irradiation. A retrospective analysis was done for 31 patients with brain metastases who had undergone re-irradiation. Initial whole-brain irradiation was performed with 30 Gy/10 fractions for 87% of these patients. Whole-brain re-irradiation was performed with 30 Gy/10 fractions for 42% of these patients (3-40 Gy/1-20 fractions). Three patients underwent a third whole-brain irradiation. The median interval between the initial irradiation and re-irradiation was 10 months (range: 2-69 months). The median survival time after re-irradiation was 4 months (range: 1-21 months). The symptomatic improvement rate after re-irradiation was 68%, and the partial and complete tumor response rate was 55%. Fifty-two percent of the patients developed Grade 1 acute reactions. On magnetic resonance imaging, brain atrophy was observed in 36% of these patients after the initial irradiation and 74% after re-irradiation. Grade ≥2 encephalopathy or cognitive disturbance was observed in 10 patients (32%) after re-irradiation. Based on univariate analysis, significant factors related to survival after re-irradiation were the location of the primary cancer (P=0.003) and the Karnofsky performance status at the time of re-irradiation (P=0.008). A Karnofsky performance status ≥70 was significant based on multivariate analysis (P=0.050). Whole-brain re-irradiation for brain metastases placed only a slight burden on patients and was effective for symptomatic improvement. However, their remaining survival time was limited and the incidence of cognitive disturbance was rather high. (author)

Vers la structuration d’une filière aurifère « durable » ? Etude du cas de la Guyane française

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica Oder

2011-09-01

Full Text Available L’objectif de cet article est de se demander si la filière aurifère légale en Guyane française peut servir les objectifs du développement durable. En effet, cette filière est en proie à des difficultés : alors que les cours de l’or sont en constante augmentation, le nombre d’opérateurs miniers diminue constamment, depuis près de sept ans. Ce paradoxe aurifère guyanais trouve ses origines dans la volonté étatique française d'organiser la filière et d'en faire un exemple en matière de « durabilité », volonté clairement exprimée à la suite du Grenelle de l’Environnement. Principalement élaboré à partir d’entretiens semi-directifs et d’archives, l’article a notamment cherché à analyser les principaux éléments de cette structuration, le schéma départemental d’orientation minière (SDOM, en cours d’adoption, et plusieurs initiatives destinées à améliorer les pratiques des opérateurs miniers qui sont majoritairement des artisans. Toutefois, cette évolution révèle des antagonismes entre les parties prenantes (collectivités territoriales, services de l'État, opérateurs miniers et environnementalistes. Ces derniers ont fait surface lors de l’affaire du Camp Caïman, impliquant la multinationale Iamgold, et pendant le processus d’élaboration du SDOM lui-même. Des problématiques connexes telles que les revendications locales de gestion de la ressource aurifère, mais aussi et surtout l’orpaillage illégal, dressent des perspectives d’avenir plutôt incertaines pour la filière aurifère.The aim of this article is to wonder whether the gold mining sector, in French Guiana, can be in line with the objectives of sustainable development. Actually, this sector is in the grip of difficulties: whereas gold rates are in constant increase, the number of mining operators drops constantly, since nearly seven years. This Guianese paradox originates in the will of the French State to make gold

A comparison of revision and rerupture rates of ACL reconstruction between autografts and allografts in the skeletally immature.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Ian R; Chen, Jason; Love, Rebecca; Davis, Brent R; Maletis, Gregory B; Funahashi, Tadashi T

2016-03-01

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (ACLRs) in skeletally immature patients are increasing. The purpose of this study is to describe the demographics, graft usage, revision, and re-operation rates in skeletally immature ACLRs in the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system. Skeletally immature patients (type; bone-patellar-tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft, hamstring autograft, and any type of allograft. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and race were evaluated as confounders. Cox proportional hazard models stratified by surgeon were used to analyse the risk of revision and re-operation. A total of 534 primary ACLR cases were evaluated with a mean follow-up of 2.9 years. The majority were hamstring autografts (n = 388, 72.7%), male (n = 339, 63.9%), and White (n = 232, 43.4%). Median age was 14.9 years, and median BMI was 21.9 kg/m(2). There were 44 (8.2%) aseptic revisions and 48 (9.0%) same-knee re-operations. The incidence rate for revision was BPTB autograft 5.5%, hamstring autograft 7.5%, and allograft 13.2%. After adjusting for confounders and surgeon clustering effect, the risk of aseptic revision and revision between allograft and hamstring autograft did not reach statistical significance. Graft selection differs in skeletally immature patients with a preponderance of surgeries being performed with hamstring tendon autografts. High revision rates were identified for all graft types used, though differences in revision rates across different graft types did not reach statistical significance. Surgeons should be aware of high rates of revision in this skeletally immature young population, although type of graft used did not appear to make a difference. III.

Re-integrating Influence and Cyber Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-01

30 3.6 Social Engineering ......................................................................................................... 33 3.7 The “ Sexy ...need to show results. 3.7 The “ Sexy Part” of IO In early 2001, the 92 nd Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron in San Antonio was struggling with...commander, “Network Operations is the Sexy Part of IO”. This commander was correct in a way, but for reasons unknown at the time. The Air Force has

An Exploratory Study on the Re-finding Behavior on the Web

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsiao-Tieh Pu

2010-06-01

Full Text Available It is common for users to relocate information previously found on the web. However, their search behaviors in initial finding and the subsequent re-finding may differ due to the dynamic nature and contextual diversity of the web. This study used experiment, observation, interview, and questionnaires to investigate the characteristics of re-finding behavior and compare users’ performance in finding and re-finding. Though not significantly different, the study participants used more search tools, combined various strategies to obtain contextual clues of finding process, utilized more complex search tactics, and had more interactions with search engines used. Findings also show that participants spent less time in re-finding than in finding, yet the cognitive loading and difficulties increased in re-finding. Participants were satisfied with the results obtained in re-finding, but they also claimed that the search performance would be better if the system offered more functions to support recall of previous search results. Participants’ satisfaction with search performance also varied by task type. Based on the findings, this study recommends that re-finding efficiency may be improved by enhancing recall functionalities in browsers and by using personal information management tools. [Article content in Chinese; Extended abstract in English

Study on the pharmacal of 186,188Re-SZ39

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zu Jianhua; Wu Yuanfang; Dong Mo; Li Huiyuan; ZhangYulong

2000-01-01

The stability, immunocompetence and cytotoxicity in tumor as well as tumor inhibiting rate of 186,188 Re-SZ39 are investigated. The results indicate that 186,188 Re-SZ39 is stable in vivo by imaging and the volume of tumor of nude mice reduced obviously. So 186,188 Re-SZ39 has a strong cytotoxicity effect against glioma cells and is of good prospect as immuno-radiotherapeutic agent

The effect of bedload transport rates on bedform and planform morphological development in a laboratory meandering stream under varying flow conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, C.; Good, R. G. R.; Binns, A. D.

2017-12-01

Sediment transport processes in streams provides valuable insight into the temporal evolution of planform and bedform geometry. The majority of previous experimental research in the literature has focused on bedload transport and corresponding bedform development in rectangular, confined channels, which does not consider planform adjustment processes in streams. In contrast, research conducted with laboratory streams having movable banks can investigate planform development in addition to bedform development, which is more representative of natural streams. The goal of this research is to explore the relationship between bedload transport rates and the morphological adjustments in meandering streams. To accomplish this, a series of experimental runs were conducted in a 5.6 m by 1.9 m river basin flume at the University of Guelph to analyze the bedload impacts on bed formations and planform adjustments in response to varying flow conditions. In total, three experimental runs were conducted: two runs using steady state conditions and one run using unsteady flow conditions in the form of a symmetrical hydrograph implementing quasi steady state flow. The runs were performed in a series of time-steps in order to monitor the evolution of the stream morphology and the bedload transport rates. Structure from motion (SfM) was utilized to capture the channel morphology after each time-step, and Agisoft PhotoScan software was used to produce digital elevation models to analyze the morphological evolution of the channel with time. Bedload transport rates were quantified using a sediment catch at the end of the flume. Although total flow volumes were similar for each run, the morphological evolution and bedload transport rates in each run varied. The observed bedload transport rates from the flume are compared with existing bedload transport formulas to assess their accuracy with respect to sediment transport in unconfined meandering channels. The measured sediment transport

Re-Engineering the ISS Payload Operations Control Center During Increased Utilization and Critical Onboard Events

Science.gov (United States)

Dudley, Stephanie R. B.; Marsh, Angela L.

2014-01-01

the project included executing over 450 crew-hours of ISS real-time payload operations including a major onboard communications upgrade, SpaceX un-berth, a Soyuz launch, roll-out of ISS live video and interviews from the POIC, annual BCC certification and hurricane season, and ISS simulations and testing. Continuous ISS payload operations were possible during the PCA facility modifications with the reconfiguration of four control rooms and standup of two temporary control areas. Another major restriction to the project was an ongoing facility upgrade that included a NASA Headquarters mandated replacement of all electrical and mechanical systems and replacement of an external generator. These upgrades required a facility power outage during the PCA upgrades. The project also encompassed console layout designs and ordering, amenities selections and ordering, excessing of old equipment, moves, disposal of old IT equipment, camera installations, facility tour re-schedules, and contract justifications. These were just some of the tasks needed for a successful project. This paper describes the logistics and lessons learned in upgrading a control center capability in the middle of complex real-time operations. Combining the efficiencies of controller interaction and new technology infusion were prime drivers for this upgrade to handle the increased utilization of science research on ISS. The success of this project could not jeopardize the current operations while these facility upgrades occurred.

Distributed resources and re-regulated electricity markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackermann, Thomas

2007-01-01

This paper briefly defines distributed resources (DR) and discusses the current status of DR. The main focus is on discussing the value DR can provide to re-regulated electricity markets. DR can, under certain circumstances, help to significantly reduce the main problem of re-regulation, i.e. market power. Distributed generation and demand-side resources may, even if only small quantities in terms of size of the entire market are utilised, be able to help to significantly reduce market power. This results in a significantly more efficient market. To achieve such benefits, however, DR must be in operation during times when market power issues are likely to arise. To a certain extent this is the case as demand-side resources are usually independent of established generation companies. In addition, many business cases for DG require DG to actually operate to capture the second revenue. (author)

Operation characteristic of a R123-based organic Rankine cycle depending on working fluid mass flow rates and heat source temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Yong-Qiang; Hung, Tzu-Chen; Wu, Shang-Lun; Lin, Chih-Hung; Li, Bing-Xi; Huang, Kuo-Chen; Qin, Jiang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The operation characteristic of an Organic Rankine Cycle using R123 and a scroll expander have been investigated. • The behaviors and detailed discussion for those four major components are examined. • The expander isentropic efficiency presents a slight decrease first and then a sharp increase with mass flow rate. • The maximum electrical power and system generation efficiency are 2.01 kW and 3.25%, respectively. - Abstract: The test and operation characteristic of an organic Rankine cycle using R123 and a scroll expander have been investigated. The steady-state operation characteristic is addressed with the varying working fluid mass flow rates ranging of 0.124–0.222 kg/s and heat source temperatures ranging of 383.15–413.15 K. The behaviors and detailed discussion for those four major components (pump, evaporator, expander and condenser) are examined. The experimental results show that the environmental temperature presents a higher influence on the pump behaviors. The range of pump power consumption, isentropic efficiency and back work ratio are 0.21–0.32 kW, 26.76–53.96%, and 14–32%, respectively. The expander isentropic efficiency presents a slight decrease first and then a sharp increase with mass flow rate, while a degree of superheating more than 3 K is necessary to avoid expander cavitation. The expander isentropic and generator efficiencies are in range of 69.10–85.17% and 60–73%, respectively, while the respective heat transfer coefficients for evaporator and condenser are ranging of 200–400 and 450–2000 W/m"2 K. The maximum expander shaft power and electrical power are 2.78 kW and 2.01 kW, respectively, while the maximum system generating efficiency is 3.25%. Moreover, the tested thermal efficiency presents a slight decrease trend with mass flow rate.

On-line statistical processing of radiation detector pulse trains with time-varying count rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apostolopoulos, G.

2008-01-01

Statistical analysis is of primary importance for the correct interpretation of nuclear measurements, due to the inherent random nature of radioactive decay processes. This paper discusses the application of statistical signal processing techniques to the random pulse trains generated by radiation detectors. The aims of the presented algorithms are: (i) continuous, on-line estimation of the underlying time-varying count rate θ(t) and its first-order derivative dθ/dt; (ii) detection of abrupt changes in both of these quantities and estimation of their new value after the change point. Maximum-likelihood techniques, based on the Poisson probability distribution, are employed for the on-line estimation of θ and dθ/dt. Detection of abrupt changes is achieved on the basis of the generalized likelihood ratio statistical test. The properties of the proposed algorithms are evaluated by extensive simulations and possible applications for on-line radiation monitoring are discussed

Dose rate evaluation of workers on the operation floor in Fukushima-Daiichi Unit 3

Science.gov (United States)

Matsushita, Kaoru; Kurosawa, Masahiko; Shirai, Keisuke; Matsuoka, Ippei; Mukaida, Naoki

2017-09-01

At Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3, installation of a fuel handling machine is planned to support the removal of spent fuel. The dose rates at the workplace were calculated based on the source distribution measured using a collimator in order to confirm that the dose rates on the operation floor were within a manageable range. It was confirmed that the accuracy of the source distribution was C/M = 1.0-2.4. These dose rates were then used to plan the work on the operation floor.

Rhenium Re

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busev, A.I.; Tiptsova, V.G.; Ivanov, V.M.

1978-01-01

The basic methods for determining rhenium in various objects are presented. The gravimetric determination of rhenium is based on a quantitative precipitation of ReO 4 - ions with tetraphenylarsonium chloride. The determination is not hindered by tungstates and molybdates. The potentiometric determination of rhenium in alloys (>=0.5% Re) is based on perrhenate ion reduction to Re(4) with the titrated solution of the Cr(2) salt. Re(7) is titrated in a hot sulfuric acid solution in the presence of KJ. The relative error of the method is 1 to 3%. The photometric determination of rhenium is performed by the rhodamide method in molybdenum-and tungsten-containing alloys and catalytically, in rocks, after it has been separated in the form of sulfide. The extraction-photometric determination of rhenium is carried out with the aid of methyl violet (analysis of a stock with a high content of Mo, W, Ta, Nb, Ti ahd Zr) and thio-oxine (the determination of Re is hindered by Au, Pt, Pd, Ru, Os, Rh, Ir). Also described are methods for differential-spectrophotometric determination of Re with the aid of thiocarbamide, as well as with the aid of dimethylglyoxime in the presence of SnCl 2 in an acid medium when Re is determined in its alloys with niobium and hafnium. It takes 2 hours to analyze the Hf-Re alloy and 3 hours to analyze the Nb-Re alloy, the standard deviation being 0.005 at 30-50% Re and 0.027 to 0.019 at 10-50% Re

Electronic and atomic disorder in icosahedral AlPdRe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapp, Oe; Karkin, A A; Goshchitskii, B N; Voronin, V I; Srinivas, V; Poon, S J

2008-01-01

Relations between electronic and atomic disorder of i-AlPdRe have been investigated by studies of neutron irradiated and annealed samples. The advantage with this technique is that a single sample can be monitored over a significant range of varying electronic properties, without concern for any influence of varying impurities. X-ray diffraction, the electrical resistivity and its temperature dependence, and the magnetoresistance are studied. The results show that annealings of an irradiated sample lead to improvement of the atomic order, as reflected in increased intensities of the x-ray diffraction peaks, while electronic properties change in the direction of increasing electronic disorder towards a metal-insulator transition. The observed relation in quasicrystals that improved atomic structure is associated with stronger anomalies in transport properties is thus also seen in i-AlPdRe. In particular, the variation of the diffusion constant in the region of small values of the resistivity is found to be similar for annealed polygrain samples and for single grain samples with varying Pd concentration, as evaluated from literature data, indicating a similar development of electronic disorder in both sets of samples. However, the problem remains as to why the resistivity is small in single grain samples which are atomically well-ordered. The possibility of a strong sensitivity to concentration differences is pointed out

Higher Volume at Time of Breast Conserving Surgery Reduces Re-Excision in DCIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. H. Wolf

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare the surgical and pathological variables which impact rate of re-excision following breast conserving therapy (BCS with or without concurrent additional margin excision (AM. Methods. The pathology database was queried for all patients with DCIS from January 2004 to September 2008. Pathologic assessment included volume of excision, subtype, size, distance from margin, grade, necrosis, multifocality, calcifications, and ER/PR status. Results. 405 cases were identified and 201 underwent BCS, 151-BCS-AM, and 53-mastectomy. Among the 201 BCS patients, 190 underwent re-excision for close or involved margins. 129 of these were treated with BCS and 61 with BCS-AM (P<.0001. The incidence of residual DCIS in the re-excision specimens was 32% (n=65 for BCS and 22% (n=33 for BCS-AM (P<.05. For both the BCS and the BCS-AM cohorts, volume of tissue excised is inversely correlated to the rate of re-excision (P=.0284. Multifocality (P=.0002 and ER status (P=.0382 were also significant predictors for rate of re-excision and variation in surgical technique was insignificant. Conclusions. The rate of positive margins, re-excision, and residual disease was significantly higher in patients with lower volume of excision. The performance of concurrent additional margin excision increases the efficacy of BCS for DCIS.

A> L1-TV algorithm for robust perspective photometric stereo with spatially-varying lightings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Quéau, Yvain; Lauze, Francois Bernard; Durou, Jean-Denis

2015-01-01

We tackle the problem of perspective 3D-reconstruction of Lambertian surfaces through photometric stereo, in the presence of outliers to Lambert's law, depth discontinuities, and unknown spatially-varying lightings. To this purpose, we introduce a robust $L^1$-TV variational formulation of the re...

Revision Total Hip Arthoplasty: Factors Associated with Re-Revision Surgery

OpenAIRE

Khatod, M; Cafri, G; Inacio, MCS; Schepps, AL; Paxton, EW; Bini, SA

2015-01-01

The survivorship of implants after revision total hip arthroplasty and risk factors associated with re-revision are not well defined. We evaluated the re-revision rate with use of the institutional total joint replacement registry. The purpose of this study was to determine patient, implant, and surgeon factors associated with re-revision total hip arthroplasty.A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The total joint replacement registry was used to identify patients who had undergone revi...

The Feasibility of Pellet Re-Fuelling of a Fusion Reactor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chang, Tinghong; Jørgensen, L. W.; Nielsen, P.

1980-01-01

The feasibility of re-fuelling a fusion reactor by injecting pellets of frozen hydrogen isotopes is reviewed. First a general look is taken of the dominant energy fluxes received by the pellet, the re-fuelling rate required and the relation between pellet size, injection speed and frequency...

Pre-Swirl Stator and Propeller Design for Varying Operating Conditions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Saettone, Simone; Regener, Pelle Bo; Andersen, Poul

2016-01-01

blades ahead of the propeller.This paper describes the hydrodynamic design of apre-swirl stator with radially variable pitch, paired with aconventional propeller. The aim is to achieve the highest possible effciency in various operating conditions, and to avoid effciency penalties in off-design operation.......To investigate the propeller and stator designs and configurations in different operating conditions, the computationally inexpensive vortex-lattice method is used a sa first step to optimize the geometry in an initial parameter study. Then the flow over hull, stator and propelleris simulated in a CFD...

Unilateral re-expansion pulmonary oedema treated with C-PAP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Volpicelli

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Unilateral re-expansion pulmonary oedema is a rare but dangerous complication of treatment for pulmonary atelectasis, pleural effusion and pneumothorax, whose pathogenesis is not completely known. The clinical picture varies considerably from asymptomatic forms with positive radiographic findings to forms with severe respiratory insufficiency and haemodynamic instability. Little data is available in literature on the treatment of re-expansion pulmonary oedema with non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure ventilation. In this article, we describe the case of a 75 year-old man who reported to our Emergency Department with extensive spontaneous left pneumothorax. Following placement of the transthoracic drain, the patient presented a clinical picture of severe respiratory insufficiency with circulatory collapse caused by unilateral re-expansion pulmonary oedema. The case was successfully treated with the application of non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure ventilation. The article briefly discusses current knowledge with regard to the aetiological and pathogenetic factors of this complication of emergency pneumothorax treatment.

Five-Year NRHP Re-Evaluation of Historic Buildings Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ullrich, R A; Heidecker, K R

2011-09-12

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) 'Draft Programmatic Agreement among the Department of Energy and the California State Historic Preservation Officer Regarding Operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory' requires a review and re-evaluation of the eligibility of laboratory properties for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) every five years. The original evaluation was published in 2005; this report serves as the first five-year re-evaluation. This re-evaluation includes consideration of changes within LLNL to management, to mission, and to the built environment. it also determines the status of those buildings, objects, and districts that were recommended as NRHP-eligible in the 2005 report. Buildings that were omitted from the earlier building list, those that have reached 50 years of age since the original assessment, and new buildings are also addressed in the re-evaluation.

High rate operation of micro-strip gas chambers on diamond-coated glass

CERN Document Server

Bouclier, Roger; Million, Gilbert; Ropelewski, Leszek; Sauli, Fabio; Temmel, T; Cooke, R A; Donnel, S; Sastri, S A; Sonderer, N

1996-01-01

Very high rate operation of micro­strip gas chambers can be achieved using slightly conducting substrates. We describe preliminary measurements realized with detectors manufactured on boro-silicate glass coated, before the photo-lithographic processing, with a diamond layer having a surface resistivity of around 1014 ‡/o. Stable medium-term operation, and a rate capability largely exceeding the one obtained with identical plates manufactured on uncoated glass are demonstrated. If these results are confirmed by long-term measurements the diamond coating technology appears very attractive since it allows, with a moderate cost overhead, to use thin, commercially available glass with the required surface quality for the large-scale production of gas micro-strip detectors.

Different diffusion mechanisms of oxygen in ReBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−x} (Re = Y, Ho) single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vovk, R.V.; Boiko, Y.I.; Bogdanov, V.V.; Kamchatnaya, S.N.; Goulatis, I.L. [V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, 4 Svobody sq., 61077 Kharkiv (Ukraine); Chroneos, A. [Faculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB (United Kingdom); Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • Single file diffusion mechanism of oxygen ions. • Ho modifies the diffusion mechanism in the oxygen sublattice. • Ho changes the efficient interaction of ions in CuO-planes. - Abstract: In the present study, the time dependencies of the resistivity of ReBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−x} (Re=Y, Ho) single crystals with varying degree of deviation from oxygen stoichiometry was investigated. It was shown that the accelerated transport of oxygen ions in the initial stage of the process can be carried out along the one-dimensional non-stoichiometric vacancies’ accumulation by the single file diffusion mechanism. The final phase redistribution of oxygen ions in ReBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7−x} (Re = Y, Ho) is described by the classical mechanism of volume diffusion. The substitution of yttrium by holmium significantly affects the charge redistribution and changes the efficient interaction of ions in CuO-planes, thereby modifying the mass transfer diffusion mechanisms in the oxygen sublattice. Thus, a significant length change of the time intervals occurs, corresponding to the oxygen ions’ single file and volume diffusion mechanisms.

Re-Sonification of Objects, Events, and Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, Alex M.

Digital sound synthesis allows the creation of a great variety of sounds. Focusing on interesting or ecologically valid sounds for music, simulation, aesthetics, or other purposes limits the otherwise vast digital audio palette. Tools for creating such sounds vary from arbitrary methods of altering recordings to precise simulations of vibrating objects. In this work, methods of sound synthesis by re-sonification are considered. Re-sonification, herein, refers to the general process of analyzing, possibly transforming, and resynthesizing or reusing recorded sounds in meaningful ways, to convey information. Applied to soundscapes, re-sonification is presented as a means of conveying activity within an environment. Applied to the sounds of objects, this work examines modeling the perception of objects as well as their physical properties and the ability to simulate interactive events with such objects. To create soundscapes to re-sonify geographic environments, a method of automated soundscape design is presented. Using recorded sounds that are classified based on acoustic, social, semantic, and geographic information, this method produces stochastically generated soundscapes to re-sonify selected geographic areas. Drawing on prior knowledge, local sounds and those deemed similar comprise a locale's soundscape. In the context of re-sonifying events, this work examines processes for modeling and estimating the excitations of sounding objects. These include plucking, striking, rubbing, and any interaction that imparts energy into a system, affecting the resultant sound. A method of estimating a linear system's input, constrained to a signal-subspace, is presented and applied toward improving the estimation of percussive excitations for re-sonification. To work toward robust recording-based modeling and re-sonification of objects, new implementations of banded waveguide (BWG) models are proposed for object modeling and sound synthesis. Previous implementations of BWGs

Adaptive operational modal identification for slow linear time-varying structures based on frozen-in coefficient method and limited memory recursive principal component analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Cheng; Guan, Wei; Wang, J. Y.; Zhong, Bineng; Lai, Xiongming; Chen, Yewang; Xiang, Liang

2018-02-01

To adaptively identify the transient modal parameters for linear weakly damped structures with slow time-varying characteristics under unmeasured stationary random ambient loads, this paper proposes a novel operational modal analysis (OMA) method based on the frozen-in coefficient method and limited memory recursive principal component analysis (LMRPCA). In the modal coordinate, the random vibration response signals of mechanical weakly damped structures can be decomposed into the inner product of modal shapes and modal responses, from which the natural frequencies and damping ratios can be well acquired by single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) identification approach such as FFT. Hence, for the OMA method based on principal component analysis (PCA), it becomes very crucial to examine the relation between the transformational matrix and the modal shapes matrix, to find the association between the principal components (PCs) matrix and the modal responses matrix, and to turn the operational modal parameter identification problem into PCA of the stationary random vibration response signals of weakly damped mechanical structures. Based on the theory of "time-freezing", the method of frozen-in coefficient, and the assumption of "short time invariant" and "quasistationary", the non-stationary random response signals of the weakly damped and slow linear time-varying structures (LTV) can approximately be seen as the stationary random response time series of weakly damped and linear time invariant structures (LTI) in a short interval. Thus, the adaptive identification of time-varying operational modal parameters is turned into decompositing the PCs of stationary random vibration response signals subsection of weakly damped mechanical structures after choosing an appropriate limited memory window. Finally, a three-degree-of-freedom (DOF) structure with weakly damped and slow time-varying mass is presented to illustrate this method of identification. Results show that the LMRPCA

Open-source hardware and software and web application for gamma dose rate network operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luff, R.; Zaehringer, M.; Harms, W.; Bleher, M.; Prommer, B.; Stoehlker, U.

2014-01-01

The German Federal Office for Radiation Protection operates a network of about 1800 gamma dose rate stations as a part of the national emergency preparedness plan. Each of the six network centres is capable of operating the network alone. Most of the used hardware and software have been developed in-house under open-source license. Short development cycles and close cooperation between developers and users ensure robustness, transparency and fast maintenance procedures, thus avoiding unnecessary complex solutions. This also reduces the overall costs of the network operation. An easy-to-expand web interface has been developed to make the complete system available to other interested network operators in order to increase cooperation between different countries. The interface is also regularly in use for education during scholarships of trainees supported, e.g. by the 'international Atomic Energy Agency' to operate a local area dose rate monitoring test network. (authors)

Effect of pre operative heart rate on post spinal hypotension in obsteric patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, S.; Zahoor, M.U.; Zaid, A.Y.; Buland, K.

2010-01-01

The purpose of the study was to determine the association between of preoperative heart rate and post spinal hypotension in women undergoing cesarean section, Two hundred patients undergoing caesarean were included in the study selected on non probability convenience sampling technique, The patients were divided into two groups depending upon their pre operative heart rate. Spinal anesthesia was administered and number of patients developing hypotension was noted. Among 200 patients, who were included in the study; 112 were placed in group A and 88 were placed in group B depending on mean heart rate of 90 beats per minute or less or 91 beats per minute or more respectively. In group A 14 (11.86%) patients developed hypotension where as in group B 28 (31,82%) patients developed hypotension. Pre operative heart rate is significantly associated with post spinal hypotension in obstetric patients undergoing cesarean section. (author)

Re-injection accelerates groundwater clean up at Fernald, Fluor Fernald, Inc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dave Brettschneider; William Hertel; Ken Broberg

2000-01-01

A successful one year long, field scale demonstration of the use of groundwater re-infection at Fernald was recently completed bringing DOE one step closer to achieving an accelerated site remediation (DOE 2000). The demonstration marks the end of a several year effort to evaluate whether: re-injection could be conducted efficiently at Fernald, and if the approved aquifer remedy at Fernald would benefit by incorporating re-infection. Evaluation of re-injection technology involved not only technical considerations, but also participation and cooperation of regulators and stakeholders. The demonstration was considered to be unique in that it was integrated into the design of the current approved aquifer remedy and utilized the existing remediation infrastructure. Information collected during the demonstration indicated that re-injection wells could be operated efficiently at Fernald and that the current approved groundwater remedy should be modified to include the use of re-injection

Gemini News Service Re-launch | IDRC - International Development ...

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

Gemini closed in 2002 after three decades of operation due, in part, to the high ... and, if appropriate, a business plan for re-launching Gemini News Service at the ... IWRA/IDRC webinar on climate change and adaptive water management.

Developments with melt spun RE-Fe-B powder for bonded magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.N.; Chen, Z.; Guschl, P.; Campbell, P.

2006-01-01

Rapidly quenched isotropic rare earth iron boride (RE-Fe-B) powders have found many applications throughout the electronics, automotive and white goods industries. The magnetic performance, thermal stability, corrosion resistance and processability of a powder are important factors when selecting a RE-Fe-B powder for a particular application. For electronic devices that operate at ambient temperatures, high remanence (B r ) tends to be a priority and RE 2 Fe 14 B/α-Fe nanocomposite powder magnets are favoured. Alternatively, automotive applications tend to require greater thermal stability and corrosion resistance, which are satisfied by single-phase RE 2 Fe 14 B powder magnets with higher intrinsic coercivity (H ci ). This article reviews the performance of commercially available rapidly solidified RE-Fe-B powders and recent developments made to address the demands of applications

77 FR 55817 - Panther Creek Power Operating, LLC; Supplemental Notice that Initial Market-Based Rate Filing...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-11

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. ER12-2570-000] Panther Creek Power Operating, LLC; Supplemental Notice that Initial Market-Based Rate Filing Includes Request for... Panther Creek Power Operating, LLC's application for market-based rate authority, with an accompanying...

Software Toolchain for Large-Scale RE-NFA Construction on FPGA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Hua E. Yang

2009-01-01

and O(n×m memory by our software. A large number of RE-NFAs are placed onto a two-dimensional staged pipeline, allowing scalability to thousands of RE-NFAs with linear area increase and little clock rate penalty due to scaling. On a PC with a 2 GHz Athlon64 processor and 2 GB memory, our prototype software constructs hundreds of RE-NFAs used by Snort in less than 10 seconds. We also designed a benchmark generator which can produce RE-NFAs with configurable pattern complexity parameters, including state count, state fan-in, loop-back and feed-forward distances. Several regular expressions with various complexities are used to test the performance of our RE-NFA construction software.

Impact of hydraulic and carbon loading rates of constructed wetlands on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharif, Fariya; Westerhoff, Paul; Herckes, Pierre

2014-01-01

Constructed wetlands remove trace organic contaminants via synergistic processes involving plant biomass that include hydrolysis, volatilization, sorption, biodegradation, and photolysis. Wetland design conditions, such as hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) and carbon loading rates (CLRs), influence these processes. Contaminant of emerging concern (CEC) removal by wetland plants was investigated at varying HLRs and CLRs. Rate constants and parameters obtained from batch-scale studies were used in a mechanistic model to evaluate the effect of these two loading rates on CEC removal. CLR significantly influenced CEC removal when wetlands were operated at HLR >5 cm/d. High values of CLR increased removal of estradiol and carbamazepine but lowered that of testosterone and atrazine. Without increasing the cumulative HLR, operating two wetlands in series with varying CLRs could be a way to improve CEC removal. -- Highlights: • A fate-predictive model was developed to evaluate the effect of loading rates on CEC removal in constructed wetlands. • Carbon loading rates (CLRs) can influence CEC removal when wetlands are operated at higher hydraulic loading rates (HLRs). • The effect of CLRs varies among CECs with different physico-chemical properties. • Combination of wetlands with different CLRs can optimize CEC removal without changing the net HLR. -- This article evaluates the effect of design loading rates on contaminant of emerging concern (CEC) removal in constructed wetlands

Studies of wheel-running reinforcement: parameters of Herrnstein's (1970) response-strength equation vary with schedule order.

Science.gov (United States)

Belke, T W

2000-05-01

Six male Wistar rats were exposed to different orders of reinforcement schedules to investigate if estimates from Herrnstein's (1970) single-operant matching law equation would vary systematically with schedule order. Reinforcement schedules were arranged in orders of increasing and decreasing reinforcement rate. Subsequently, all rats were exposed to a single reinforcement schedule within a session to determine within-session changes in responding. For each condition, the operant was lever pressing and the reinforcing consequence was the opportunity to run for 15 s. Estimates of k and R(O) were higher when reinforcement schedules were arranged in order of increasing reinforcement rate. Within a session on a single reinforcement schedule, response rates increased between the beginning and the end of a session. A positive correlation between the difference in parameters between schedule orders and the difference in response rates within a session suggests that the within-session change in response rates may be related to the difference in the asymptotes. These results call into question the validity of parameter estimates from Herrnstein's (1970) equation when reinforcer efficacy changes within a session.

Automation-aided Task Loads Index based on the Automation Rate Reflecting the Effects on Human Operators in NPPs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seungmin; Seong, Poonghyun; Kim, Jonghyun

2013-01-01

Many researchers have found that a high automation rate does not guarantee high performance. Therefore, to reflect the effects of automation on human performance, a new estimation method of the automation rate that considers the effects of automation on human operators in nuclear power plants (NPPs) was suggested. These suggested measures express how much automation support human operators but it cannot express the change of human operators' workload, whether the human operators' workload is increased or decreased. Before considering automation rates, whether the adopted automation is good or bad might be estimated in advance. In this study, to estimate the appropriateness of automation according to the change of the human operators' task loads, automation-aided task loads index is suggested based on the concept of the suggested automation rate. To insure plant safety and efficiency on behalf of human operators, various automation systems have been installed in NPPs, and many works which were previously conducted by human operators can now be supported by computer-based operator aids. According to the characteristics of the automation types, the estimation method of the system automation and the cognitive automation rate were suggested. The proposed estimation method concentrates on the effects of introducing automation, so it directly express how much the automated system support human operators. Based on the suggested automation rates, the way to estimate how much the automated system can affect the human operators' cognitive task load is suggested in this study. When there is no automation, the calculated index is 1, and it means there is no change of human operators' task load

Re-irradiation of the human spinal cord

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sminia, P.; Oldenburger, F.; Hulshof, M.C.C.M.; Slotman, B.J.; Schneider, J.J.

2002-01-01

Purpose: Experimental animal data give evidence of long-term recovery of the spinal cord after irradiation. By extrapolation of these data, re-irradiation regimes were designed for eight patients who required palliative radiotherapy. As a consequence of reirradiation, their spinal cords were exposed to cumulative doses exceeding the tolerance dose. Radiobiological and clinical data are presented. Patients and method: Eight patients were re-irradiated on the cervical (n=1), thoracic (n=5) and lumbar (n=2) spinal cord. The time interval between the initial and re-treatment ranged from 4 months to 12.7 years (median: 2.5 years). (Re-)treatment schemes were designed and analyzed on basis of the biologically effective dose (BED) according to the linear-quadratic model. The repair capacity (α/β ratio) for the cervico-thoracic and lumbar spinal cord was assumed to be 2 Gy and 4 Gy, with a BED tolerance of 100 Gy and 84 Gy, respectively. Results: The cumulative irradiation dose applied to the spinal cord varied between 125 and 172% of the BED tolerance . During follow-up, ranging from 33 days to >4.5 years (median: 370 days) none of the patients developed neurological complications. Seven patients died from tumor progression, and one patient is still alive. Conclusion: Long-term recovery of the spinal cord from radiation injury, which has been demonstrated in rodents and primates, may also occur in humans. (orig.) [de

Advanced operation strategy for feed-and-bleed operation in an OPR1000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bo Gyung; Yoon, Ho Joon; Kim, Jaewhan; Kang, Hyun Gook

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Advanced operating strategy covers all necessary conditions for F&B operation. • Advanced operating strategy identifies the urgency of F&B operation. • An advanced operating strategy for F&B operation is developed using a decision tree. • Human error probability is re-estimated based on a thermohydraulic analysis and K-HRA method. • An advanced operation strategy provides indications under various plant situations. - Abstract: When the secondary side is unavailable in a pressurized water reactor (PWR), heat from the core will accumulate in the primary side causing core damage. In this situation a heat removal mechanism called feed-and-bleed operation (F&B operation) must be used, which is a process of directly cooling the primary reactor cooling system (RCS). However, conventional operation strategy in emergency operating procedures (EOPs) does not cover all possible conditions to initiate F&B operation. If the EOP informs on the urgency of F&B operation, operators will be able to more clearly make decisions regarding F&B operation initiation. In order to cover all possible scenarios for F&B operation and systematically inform its urgency, an advanced operating strategy using a decision tree is developed in this study. The plant condition can be classified according to failure of secondary side, RCS pressure condition, injectable inventory to RCS, and remaining core inventory. RCS pressure, core level, and RCS temperature are representative indicators which provide information regarding the initiation of F&B operation. Indicators can be selected based on their detectability and quantification, and a decision tree is developed according to combinations of indicators. To estimate the effects of the advanced operation strategy, human error probability (HEP) of F&B operation is re-estimated based on a thermohydraulic analysis. The available time for operators to initiate F&B operation is also re-estimated to obtain more realistic data. This

Evaluation of leak rate by EPRI code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isozaki, Toshikuni; Hashiguchi, Issei; Kato, Kiyoshi; Miyazono, Shohachiro

1987-08-01

From 1987, a research on the leak rate from a cracked pipe under BWR or PWR operating condition is going to be carried out at the authors' laboratory. This report describes the computed results by EPRI's leak rate code which was mounted on JAERI FACOM-M380 machine. Henry's critical flow model is used in this program. For the planning of an experimental research, the leak rate from a crack under BWR or PWR operating condition is computed, varying a crack length 2c, crack opening diameter COD and pipe diameter. The COD value under which the minimum detectable leak rate of 5 gpm is given is 0.22 mm or 0.21 mm under the BWR or PWR condition with 2c = 100 mm and 16B pipe geometry. The entire lists are shown in the appendix. (author)

Accretion in Radiative Equipartition (AiRE) Disks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yazdi, Yasaman K.; Afshordi, Niayesh, E-mail: yyazdi@pitp.ca, E-mail: nafshordi@pitp.ca [Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline Street N, Waterloo, ON N2L 2Y5 (Canada)

2017-07-01

Standard accretion disk theory predicts that the total pressure in disks at typical (sub-)Eddington accretion rates becomes radiation pressure dominated. However, radiation pressure dominated disks are thermally unstable. Since these disks are observed in approximate steady state over the instability timescale, our accretion models in the radiation-pressure-dominated regime (i.e., inner disk) need to be modified. Here, we present a modification to the Shakura and Sunyaev model, where the radiation pressure is in equipartition with the gas pressure in the inner region. We call these flows accretion in radiative equipartition (AiRE) disks. We introduce the basic features of AiRE disks and show how they modify disk properties such as the Toomre parameter and the central temperature. We then show that the accretion rate of AiRE disks is limited from above and below, by Toomre and nodal sonic point instabilities, respectively. The former leads to a strict upper limit on the mass of supermassive black holes as a function of cosmic time (and spin), while the latter could explain the transition between hard and soft states of X-ray binaries.

Expanded Operational Temperature Range for Space Rated Li-Ion Batteries, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Quallion's response to this solicitation calls for expanding the nominal operation range of its space rated lithium ion cells, while maintaining their long life...

A study of factors affecting the labelling of tartrate with 188Re and the transchelation of the 188Re from the tartrate to a protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sailerova, Eva; Billinghurst, M.W.

2003-01-01

The formation of 188 Re-tartrate for use in transchelation reactions and the transchelation of the 188 Re onto albumin was studied. Two labelled tartrate products were separated using a non-traditional mobile phase on ITLC strips. Tartrate labelling yield increases with pH but so does the instability when the product is exposed to air. Lower pH's are preferred when oxygen-free labelling conditions can be achieved. Higher tin levels protect against air oxidation. Stability of the Re-tartrate complex is supported by addition of ascorbic acid and ferrous sulphate, however both these agents decreased the rate of the formation of the Re-tartrate complex. The labelling efficiency of a perrhenate solution decreased with the time for which it is stored prior to the labelling reaction, depending on the radioactive concentration. Re-albumin transchelation efficiency increases with the tartrate concentration, while increased stability of the Re-tartrate complex lowers the transchelation yields of Re-albumin

Investigation of the growth rate for joint fast breeder reactor and light water reactor operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanan, N.A.; Borg, C.R.; Ott, K.O.

1977-07-01

An investigation of fuel consumption and breeding characteristics of FBR-LWR joint operation is presented. The FBR operates in a closed cycle with joint-reprocessing of core and blanket material. The LWR-portion that runs on FBR plutonium operates in an open cycle. The growth rate of the system is defined based upon the fact that the discharge from the system will make up a fraction of an identical system; the system growth rate is found to have an almost linear dependence on the fraction of the LWR fed by plutonium from the FBR. The LWR growth rate, which is negative, is a constant and represents the fraction of the fuel burnt in the LWR-fraction that runs on FBR plutonium per year

False negative rate and other performance measures of a sponge-wipe surface sampling method for low contaminant concentrations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Einfeld, Wayne; Krauter, Paula A.; Boucher, Raymond M.; Tezak, Mathew; Amidan, Brett G. (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA); Piepel, Greg F. (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA)

2011-05-01

Recovery of spores from environmental surfaces is known to vary due to sampling methodology, techniques, spore size and characteristics, surface materials, and environmental conditions. A series of tests were performed to evaluate a new, validated sponge-wipe method. Specific factors evaluated were the effects of contaminant concentrations and surface materials on recovery efficiency (RE), false negative rate (FNR), limit of detection (LOD) - and the uncertainties of these quantities. Ceramic tile and stainless steel had the highest mean RE values (48.9 and 48.1%, respectively). Faux leather, vinyl tile, and painted wood had mean RE values of 30.3, 25.6, and 25.5, respectively, while plastic had the lowest mean RE (9.8%). Results show a roughly linear dependence of surface roughness on RE, where the smoothest surfaces have the highest mean RE values. REs were not influenced by the low spore concentrations tested (3 x 10{sup -3} to 1.86 CFU/cm{sup 2}). The FNR data were consistent with RE data, showing a trend of smoother surfaces resulting in higher REs and lower FNRs. Stainless steel generally had the lowest mean FNR (0.123) and plastic had the highest mean FNR (0.479). The LOD{sub 90} varied with surface material, from 0.015 CFU/cm{sup 2} on stainless steel up to 0.039 on plastic. Selecting sampling locations on the basis of surface roughness and using roughness to interpret spore recovery data can improve sampling. Further, FNR values, calculated as a function of concentration and surface material, can be used pre-sampling to calculate the numbers of samples for statistical sampling plans with desired performance, and post-sampling to calculate the confidence in characterization and clearance decisions.

Periodic safety re-evaluations in NPPs in EC member states, Finland and Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The work on periodic safety re-evaluations summarized in this report was performed by a Task Force of the CEC Working Group on the Safety of Thermal Reactors. The periodic safety re-evaluations under review in this study were those that are carried out in addition to other reviews which represent the primary means of safety assurance. The periodic safety re-evaluation is broader and more comprehensive in nature. The cumulative effects of experience (national and international), advances in knowledge and analysis techniques, improvements in safety standards and operating practices, overall effects of plant ageing, and the totality of all modifications over the period in question need to be taken into account. All countries have recognized the value of such periodic reviews, and licensees, either as a regulatory requirement or as a voluntary action, are carrying them out. The scope and contents of each country's review showed many similarities of approach, any differences being explained by the age and type of reactor in operation. Many similarities emerged in the topics selected for re-evaluation and in the approach to re-evaluation itself. The overall conclusion was that while approaches may differ in some respects, for practical purposes comparable levels of safety are achieved in the periodic safety re-evaluation of nuclear power plants

High-rate operant behavior in two mouse strains: a response-bout analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Joshua E; Pesek, Erin F; Newland, M Christopher

2009-06-01

Operant behavior sometimes occurs in bouts characterized by an initiation rate, within-bout response rate, and bout length. The generality of this structure was tested using high-rate nose-poking in mice. Reinforcement of short interresponse times produced high response rates while a random-interval schedule held reinforcement rates constant. BALB/c mice produced bouts that were more frequent, longer, and contained a higher within-bout rate of responding (nine nose-pokes/s) than did the C57BL/6 mice (five nose-pokes/s). Adding a running wheel decreased total nose-pokes and bout length, and increased bout-initiation rate. Free-feeding reduced nose-poking by decreasing bout-initiation rate. Photoperiod reversal decreased bout-initiation rate but not total nose-poke rate. Despite strain differences in bout structure, both strains responded similarly to the interventions. The three bout measures were correlated with overall rate but not with each other. Log-survival analyses provided independent descriptors of the structure of high-rate responding in these two strains.

Expanded Operational Temperature Range for Space Rated Li-Ion Batteries, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Quallion's Phase II proposal calls for expanding the nominal operation range of its space rated lithium ion cells, while maintaining their long life capabilities. To...

Pemodelan Markov Switching Dengan Time-varying Transition Probability

OpenAIRE

Savitri, Anggita Puri; Warsito, Budi; Rahmawati, Rita

2016-01-01

Exchange rate or currency is an economic variable which reflects country's state of economy. It fluctuates over time because of its ability to switch the condition or regime caused by economic and political factors. The changes in the exchange rate are depreciation and appreciation. Therefore, it could be modeled using Markov Switching with Time-Varying Transition Probability which observe the conditional changes and use information variable. From this model, time-varying transition probabili...

Measurements of crossed-field demagnetisation rate of trapped field magnets at high frequencies and below 77 K

Science.gov (United States)

Baskys, A.; Patel, A.; Glowacki, B. A.

2018-06-01

Design requirements of the next generation of electric aircraft place stringent requirements on the power density required from electric motors. A future prototype planned in the scope of the European project ‘Advanced Superconducting Motor Experimental Demonstrator’ (ASuMED) considers a permanent magnet synchronous motor, where the conventional ferromagnets are replaced with superconducting trapped field magnets, which promise higher flux densities and thus higher output power without adding weight. Previous work has indicated that stacks of tape show lower cross-field demagnetisation rates to bulk (RE)BCO whilst retaining similar performance for their size, however the crossed-field demagnetisation rate has not been studied in the temperature, the magnetic field and frequency range that are relevant for the operational prototype motor. This work investigates crossed-field demagnetisation in 2G high temperature superconducting stacks at temperatures below 77 K and a frequency range above 10 Hz. This information is crucial in developing designs and determining operational time before re-magnetisation could be required.

Effects of varying the longitudinal dispersion and no drip cask rate failures upon Yucca Mountain site performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winterle, Bret

2001-01-01

Proposed changes in the regulatory time limits used for viability assessments of the proposed national high-level radioactive waste repository in Yucca Mountain, Nevada from 10,000 years to 100,000 or even 1,000,000 years call into question both the modelling techniques used to represent the repository's long-term performance, and our ability to extrapolate technological, climatological and geological phenomenon. Using a high-powered risk-assessment software program called Goldsim that a simplified total system performance assessment (STSPA) was designed for, the effects of varying the performance parameters of two barrier systems, one natural and one man-made, upon the total system performance were observed. The conclusion reached by varying these two parameters is that for a regulatory guideline of 10,000 years, there is no noticeable effect on the total system performance, but at 300,000 years, it appears that the effect of reducing the longitudinal dispersion rate (a natural barrier) by one order of magnitude produced an astronomically high receptor dose, indicating that as predicted, our abilities to model situations beyond our ability to accurately extrapolate current scientific research is futile. (author)

Effects of varying the longitudinal dispersion and no drip cask rate failures upon Yucca Mountain site performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winterle, Bret

2001-07-01

Proposed changes in the regulatory time limits used for viability assessments of the proposed national high-level radioactive waste repository in Yucca Mountain, Nevada from 10,000 years to 100,000 or even 1,000,000 years call into question both the modelling techniques used to represent the repository's long-term performance, and our ability to extrapolate technological, climatological and geological phenomenon. Using a high-powered risk-assessment software program called Goldsim that a simplified total system performance assessment (STSPA) was designed for, the effects of varying the performance parameters of two barrier systems, one natural and one man-made, upon the total system performance were observed. The conclusion reached by varying these two parameters is that for a regulatory guideline of 10,000 years, there is no noticeable effect on the total system performance, but at 300,000 years, it appears that the effect of reducing the longitudinal dispersion rate (a natural barrier) by one order of magnitude produced an astronomically high receptor dose, indicating that as predicted, our abilities to model situations beyond our ability to accurately extrapolate current scientific research is futile. (author)

Decree 368/013 To grant to Resume Gas S A the concession to build and operate the pipeline linking the re gasification terminal Puntas de Sayago with Southern Cross Pipeline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Terminal project to be installed in the Resume Tips by Resume Gas S A under Boot mode (Build, Operate, Own, Transfer) in order to receive liquefied natural gas, re gasify and injecting it into the transmission network in the country

Dependences on RE of superconducting properties of transition metal co-doped (Ca, RE)FeAs_2 with RE = La–Gd

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yakita, H.; Ogino, H.; Sala, A.; Okada, T.; Yamamoto, A.; Kishio, K.; Iyo, A.; Eisaki, H.; Shimoyama, J.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We synthesized Co or Ni co-doped (Ca, RE)FeAs_2 with RE = La–Gd. • Co or Ni co-doping improved superconducting properties of all (Ca, RE)FeAs_2 samples. • T_c of (Ca, RE)FeAs_2 decreased with decreasing ionic radii of RE"3"+. • Eu doped samples showed exceptionally low T_c and long interlayer distance. • Long interlayer distance of Eu doped samples suggested co-existence of Eu"2"+ and Eu"3"+. - Abstract: Dependence of superconducting properties of (Ca, RE)(Fe, TM)As_2 [(Ca, RE)112, TM: Co, Ni)] on RE elements (RE = La–Gd) was systematically investigated. Improvement of superconducting properties by Co or Ni co-doping was observed for all (Ca, RE)112, which is similar to Co-co-doped (Ca, La)112 or (Ca, Pr)112. T_c of Co-co-doped samples decreased from 38 K for RE = La to 29 K for RE = Gd with decreasing ionic radii of RE"3"+. However, Co-co-doped (Ca, Eu)112 showed exceptionally low T_c = 21 K probably due to the co-existence of Eu"3"+ and Eu"2"+ suggested by longer interlayer distance d_F_e_–_F_e of (Ca, Eu)112 than other (Ca, RE)112.

Automation-aided Task Loads Index based on the Automation Rate Reflecting the Effects on Human Operators in NPPs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Seungmin; Seong, Poonghyun [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jonghyun [KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

Many researchers have found that a high automation rate does not guarantee high performance. Therefore, to reflect the effects of automation on human performance, a new estimation method of the automation rate that considers the effects of automation on human operators in nuclear power plants (NPPs) was suggested. These suggested measures express how much automation support human operators but it cannot express the change of human operators' workload, whether the human operators' workload is increased or decreased. Before considering automation rates, whether the adopted automation is good or bad might be estimated in advance. In this study, to estimate the appropriateness of automation according to the change of the human operators' task loads, automation-aided task loads index is suggested based on the concept of the suggested automation rate. To insure plant safety and efficiency on behalf of human operators, various automation systems have been installed in NPPs, and many works which were previously conducted by human operators can now be supported by computer-based operator aids. According to the characteristics of the automation types, the estimation method of the system automation and the cognitive automation rate were suggested. The proposed estimation method concentrates on the effects of introducing automation, so it directly express how much the automated system support human operators. Based on the suggested automation rates, the way to estimate how much the automated system can affect the human operators' cognitive task load is suggested in this study. When there is no automation, the calculated index is 1, and it means there is no change of human operators' task load.

STS-134 Re-Rendezvous Design History

Science.gov (United States)

Stuit, Timothy D.

2011-01-01

In preparation to provide the capability for the Orion spacecraft to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS), a new suite of relative navigation sensors are in development and will be tested on one of the final Space Shuttle missions to ISS. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) commissioned a flight test of prototypes of the instruments on STS-134, in order to test their performance in the space environment during the nominal rendezvous and docking, as well as a re-rendezvous dedicated to testing the prototype sensors following the undocking of the Space Shuttle Orbiter at the end of the mission. Unlike the initial rendezvous and docking, the re-rendezvous profile would replicate the newly designed Orion coelliptic approach trajectory, something never before attempted with the Shuttle Orbiter. Therefore, there were a number of new parameters that needed to be conceived of, designed, and tested for this re-rendezvous to make the flight test successful. And all of this work had to be integrated with the normal operations of the ISS and Shuttle and had to conform to the constraints of the mission and vehicles. The result of this work is a separation and re-rendezvous trajectory design that will prove not only the design of the relative navigation sensors for the Orion vehicle, but also will serve as a proof of concept for the Orion rendezvous trajectory itself. This document presents the analysis and decision making process involved in attaining the final STS-134 re-rendezvous design.

Fast space-varying convolution using matrix source coding with applications to camera stray light reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Jianing; Bouman, Charles A; Allebach, Jan P

2014-05-01

Many imaging applications require the implementation of space-varying convolution for accurate restoration and reconstruction of images. Here, we use the term space-varying convolution to refer to linear operators whose impulse response has slow spatial variation. In addition, these space-varying convolution operators are often dense, so direct implementation of the convolution operator is typically computationally impractical. One such example is the problem of stray light reduction in digital cameras, which requires the implementation of a dense space-varying deconvolution operator. However, other inverse problems, such as iterative tomographic reconstruction, can also depend on the implementation of dense space-varying convolution. While space-invariant convolution can be efficiently implemented with the fast Fourier transform, this approach does not work for space-varying operators. So direct convolution is often the only option for implementing space-varying convolution. In this paper, we develop a general approach to the efficient implementation of space-varying convolution, and demonstrate its use in the application of stray light reduction. Our approach, which we call matrix source coding, is based on lossy source coding of the dense space-varying convolution matrix. Importantly, by coding the transformation matrix, we not only reduce the memory required to store it; we also dramatically reduce the computation required to implement matrix-vector products. Our algorithm is able to reduce computation by approximately factoring the dense space-varying convolution operator into a product of sparse transforms. Experimental results show that our method can dramatically reduce the computation required for stray light reduction while maintaining high accuracy.

Performance Spread of Re-entrant System Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Erland Hejn

2001-01-01

-to-day operations. It might well be the case that those badly behaving systems merely constitute a set with a measure of almost zero. The key parameters that determine whether a re-entrant system is one of the badly behaving ones are essentially flow-structure, processing times and rules of priority between...... satisfactory. They are all vulnerable to certain job flow patterns and process time settings to a significant degree. The LBFS priority policy therefore presents itself not only as a stable, but also the safe and robust choice par excellence in relation to the control of re-entrant systems....... different job-classes on specific machines. Let us therefore face a re-entrant flow-shop production set-up in an order-driven production system, by which I mean that the flow structure relative to each production-batch shows great variability and where the size of the individual batches is quite large. One...

Economic Effects of Reservoir Re-operation Policy in the Rio Grande/Bravo for Sustainable Human and Environmental Water Management

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz Partida, J. P.; Sandoval Solis, S.; Lane, B.

2015-12-01

A central challenge of integrated water management is the design and implementation of policies to allocate water to both humans and the environment in a sustainable manner. This study uses the results from a reach-scale water-planning model to quantify and compare the economic benefits of two water management policies: (1) a business as usual (Baseline) policy and (2) a proposed reservoir re-operation policy to provide environmental flows (EFs). Results show that the EF policy would increase water supply profit, slightly decrease recreational activities profit, and reduce costs from flood damage and environmental restoration compared to the Baseline policy. In addition to supporting ecological objectives, the proposed EF policy would increase the economic benefits of water management objectives.

5th Evian Workshop on LHC beam operation

CERN Document Server

Goddard, B; Dubourg, S; Evian 2014

2014-01-01

The principal aims of the workshop are to: • Suggest operational parameter ranges for re-commissioning and operation in 2015; • Establish re-commissioning requirements for beam based LHC systems; • Establish planning for re-commissioning 2015; • Revisit overall strategy for 2015 (bunch spacing, scrubbing, special runs, MD etc.); • Provide input to Chamonix 2014. Chair: Mike LAMONT Deputy Chairs: Malika MEDDAHI, Brennan GODDARD Editors of the Proceedings: Brennan GODDARD, Sylvia DUBOURG Informatics & infrastructure support: Pierre CHARRUE Workshop Secretary: Sylvia DUBOURG

The ROC Toolbox: A toolbox for analyzing receiver-operating characteristics derived from confidence ratings.

Science.gov (United States)

Koen, Joshua D; Barrett, Frederick S; Harlow, Iain M; Yonelinas, Andrew P

2017-08-01

Signal-detection theory, and the analysis of receiver-operating characteristics (ROCs), has played a critical role in the development of theories of episodic memory and perception. The purpose of the current paper is to present the ROC Toolbox. This toolbox is a set of functions written in the Matlab programming language that can be used to fit various common signal detection models to ROC data obtained from confidence rating experiments. The goals for developing the ROC Toolbox were to create a tool (1) that is easy to use and easy for researchers to implement with their own data, (2) that can flexibly define models based on varying study parameters, such as the number of response options (e.g., confidence ratings) and experimental conditions, and (3) that provides optimal routines (e.g., Maximum Likelihood estimation) to obtain parameter estimates and numerous goodness-of-fit measures.The ROC toolbox allows for various different confidence scales and currently includes the models commonly used in recognition memory and perception: (1) the unequal variance signal detection (UVSD) model, (2) the dual process signal detection (DPSD) model, and (3) the mixture signal detection (MSD) model. For each model fit to a given data set the ROC toolbox plots summary information about the best fitting model parameters and various goodness-of-fit measures. Here, we present an overview of the ROC Toolbox, illustrate how it can be used to input and analyse real data, and finish with a brief discussion on features that can be added to the toolbox.

A re-examination of the exchange rate overshooting hypothesis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Southern African Business Review ... This finding is inconsistent with the monetary model of exchange rate determination, which asserts that there is a long-run relationship between the exchange rate ... Key words: Exchange rates, monetary model, autoregressive distributed lag, cointegration, exchange rate overshooting ...

Drag De-Orbit Device: A New Standard Re-Entry Actuator for CubeSats

Science.gov (United States)

Guglielmo, David; Omar, Sanny R.; Bevilacqua, Riccardo

2017-01-01

With the advent of CubeSats, research in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) becomes possible for universities and small research groups. Only a handful of launch sites can be used, due to geographical and political restrictions. As a result, common orbits in LEO are becoming crowded due to the additional launches made possible by low-cost access to space. CubeSat design principles require a maximum of a 25-year orbital lifetime in an effort to reduce the total number of spacecraft in orbit at any time. Additionally, since debris may survive re-entry, it is ideal to de-orbit spacecraft over unpopulated areas to prevent casualties. The Drag Deorbit Device (D3) is a self-contained targeted re-entry subsystem intended for CubeSats. By varying the cross-wind area, the atmospheric drag can be varied in such a way as to produce desired maneuvers. The D3 is intended to be used to remove spacecraft from orbit to reach a desired target interface point. Additionally, attitude stabilization is performed by the D3 prior to deployment and can replace a traditional ADACS on many missions.This paper presents the hardware used in the D3 and operation details. Four stepper-driven, repeatedly retractable booms are used to modify the cross-wind area of the D3 and attached spacecraft. Five magnetorquers (solenoids) over three axes are used to damp rotational velocity. This system is expected to be used to improve mission flexibility and allow additional launches by reducing the orbital lifetime of spacecraft.The D3 can be used to effect a re-entry to any target interface point, with the orbital inclination limiting the maximum latitude. In the chance that the main spacecraft fails, a timer will automatically deploy the booms fully, ensuring the spacecraft will at the minimum reenter the atmosphere in the minimum possible time, although not necessarily at the desired target interface point. Although this does not reduce the risk of casualties, the 25-year lifetime limit is still respected, allowing

Risk Assessment During the Final Phase of an Uncontrolled Re-Entry

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudel, A.; Hourtolle, C.; Goester, J. F.; Fuentes, N.

2013-09-01

As French National Space Agency, CNES is empowered to monitor compliance with technical regulations of the French Space Operation Act, FSOA, and to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of people, property, public health and environment for all space operations involving French responsibility at international level.Therefore, CNES developed ELECTRA that calculates the risk for ground population involved in three types of events: rocket launching, controlled re-entry and uncontrolled re-entry. For the first two cases, ELECTRA takes into account degraded cases due to a premature stop of propulsion.Major evolutions were implemented recently on ELECTRA to meet new users' requirements, like the risk assessment during the final phase of uncontrolled re-entry, that can be combined with the computed risk for each country involved by impacts.The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the ELECTRA method and main functionalities, and then to highlight these recent improvements.

Long Pulse Operation on NBI Systems for JT-60U

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akino, N.; Ebisawa, N.; Honda, A.; Ikeda, Y.; Kawai, M.; Kazawa, M.; Mogaki, K.; Ohga, T.; Umeda, N.; Usui, K.; Yamamoto, T.; Grisham, L.

2005-01-01

In the neutral beam injection (NBI) system, an extension of the pulse duration up to 30 sec has been intended to study quasi-steady state plasma on JT-60U. The four positive-ion based (P-NBI) units, which tangentially inject neutral beam to plasma, were mainly modified on the electric power supplies and the beam limiters to extend the pulse duration up to 30 sec with 2 MW at 80 keV per each. The seven P-NBI units, each of which perpendicularly injects for 10 sec, were conducted to operate in series for the total pulse duration of 30 sec. The ion source of the negative-ion based (N-NBI) unit, whose target beam energy is 500 keV for 10 sec, was also modified to reduce the heat load of the grid for long pulse operation. The reduction of the re-ionization of the neutral beam in the beam drift duct was a key to achieve a long pulse injection. It was found that the pressure rise in the beam drift duct, which gives the re-ionization rate, depended on the temperature of the re-ionization plates during NBI injection. Up to now, it was attained successfully that the pulse duration of the tangential P-NBI unit was extended up to 30 sec. 310 MJ of the total integrated injection energy into JT-60U plasma was achieved, including the negative-ion based NBI operation for 17 sec at 366 keV

Analysis of the influence of operating conditions on fouling rates in fired heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morales-Fuentes, A.; Picón-Núñez, M.; Polley, G.T.; Méndez-Díaz, S.

2014-01-01

Fouling due to chemical reaction in preheat trains for the processing of crude oil plays a key role in the operation and maintenance costs and on greenhouse emissions to atmosphere in crude processing plants. A preheat train consists of a set of heat transfer units that provide the crude oil stream the required amount of thermal energy to reach its target temperature either by heat recovery or by direct firing. Fired heaters supply external high temperature heating through the burning of fuel which result in complex heat transfer processes due to the large temperature and pressure changes and vaporization that takes place inside the unit. In this work, a thermo-hydraulic analysis of the performance of fired heaters is carried out through the application of commercial software to solve the mathematical models using finite difference methods; the analysis is applied to the crude side of a vertical fired heater in order to evaluate the impact of process conditions such as throughput and crude inlet temperature (CIT) on the fouling that take place at the early stages of operation. Using a fouling rate model based on thermo-hydraulic parameters, fouling rates are predicted assuming steady state operation and clean conditions. Although variations in process conditions are known to influence fouling rates, little work has been done on the subject. In this work excess air and steam injection are studied as a means to mitigate fouling. Results show that throughput reduction brings about a marked increase in the fouling rates. A decrease in CIT affects only the convection zone and it is found that this effect is negligible. In terms of excess air, it is found that although it affects negatively the heater efficiency it can be used to balance heat transfer between the convection and radiation zone in a way that fouling rates are reduced; however this strategy should be considered right from the design stage. Finally it is observed that steam injection is an effective method

Sol–gel synthesis of long-lasting phosphors CdSiO3: Mn2+, RE3+ (RE = Tb, Eu, Nd) and luminescence mechanism research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu, Xiaofei; Cao, Lixin; Liu, Wei; Su, Ge; Wang, Pingping; Schultz, Isabel

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► New long-lasting CdSiO 3 : Mn 2+ , RE 3+ (RE = Tb, Eu, Nd) phosphors were synthesized by a sol–gel method. ► The afterglow performance of the CdSiO 3 : Mn 2+ , Eu 3+ phosphor was the best. ► The role of RE 3+ co-doped into the CdSiO 3 : Mn 2+ matrix was discussed in this paper. -- Abstract: Mn 2+ and RE 3+ (RE = Tb, Eu, Nd) co-doped CdSiO 3 orange phosphors were prepared at 1050 °C by a sol–gel method. The phase and crystallinity of the synthesized materials were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The luminescence characteristics were analyzed using photoluminescence (PL) spectra, afterglow decay curves, long-lasting phosphorescence spectra, and thermoluminescence (TL) spectra. Due to the difference in co-doped rare earth ionic radii, it varied greatly in trap density and trap depth caused by the different defects deriving from RE 3+ ions co-doping into the CdSiO 3 : Mn 2+ host. The afterglow intensity and time for these samples increased as follows: CdSiO 3 : Mn 2+ 0.2%, Nd 3+ 0.8% 3 : Mn 2+ 0.4%, Tb 3+ 0.8% 3 : Mn 2+ 0.4%, Eu 3+ 0.3%. CdSiO 3 : Mn 2+ 0.4%, Eu 3+ 0.3% had the best afterglow properties, which could be due to the proper traps formed by Eu 3+ ions co-doping into the host. The role of RE 3+ co-doped into the CdSiO 3 : Mn 2+ matrix and the possible long-lasting phosphorescence process was also discussed in this paper.

A safety re-evaluation of the AVR pebble bed reactor operation and its consequences for future HTR concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moormann, R.

2008-06-15

The AVR pebble bed reactor (46 MW{sub th}) was operated 1967-88 at coolant outlet temperatures up to 990 C. A principle difference of pebble bed HTRs as AVR to conventional reactors is the continuous movement of fuel element pebbles through the core which complicates thermohydraulic, nuclear and safety estimations. Also because of a lack of other experience AVR operation is still a relevant basis for future pebble bed HTRs and thus requires careful examination. This paper deals mainly with some insufficiently published unresolved safety problems of AVR operation and of pebble bed HTRs but skips the widely known advantageous features of pebble bed HTRs. The AVR primary circuit is heavily contaminated with metallic fission products (Sr-90, Cs-137) which create problems in current dismantling. The amount of this contamination is not exactly known, but the evaluation of fission product deposition experiments indicates that the end of life contamination reached several percent of a single core inventory, which is some orders of magnitude more than precalculated and far more than in large LWRs. A major fraction of this contamination is bound on graphitic dust and thus partly mobile in depressurization accidents, which has to be considered in safety analyses of future reactors. A re-evaluation of the AVR contamination is performed here in order to quantify consequences for future HTRs (400 MW{sub th}). It leads to the conclusion that the AVR contamination was mainly caused by inadmissible high core temperatures, increasing fission product release rates, and not - as presumed in the past - by inadequate fuel quality only. The high AVR core temperatures were detected not earlier than one year before final AVR shut-down, because a pebble bed core cannot yet be equipped with instruments. The maximum core temperatures are still unknown but were more than 200 K higher than calculated. Further, azimuthal temperature differences at the active core margin of up to 200 K were

A safety re-evaluation of the AVR pebble bed reactor operation and its consequences for future HTR concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moormann, R.

2008-06-01

The AVR pebble bed reactor (46 MW th ) was operated 1967-88 at coolant outlet temperatures up to 990 C. A principle difference of pebble bed HTRs as AVR to conventional reactors is the continuous movement of fuel element pebbles through the core which complicates thermohydraulic, nuclear and safety estimations. Also because of a lack of other experience AVR operation is still a relevant basis for future pebble bed HTRs and thus requires careful examination. This paper deals mainly with some insufficiently published unresolved safety problems of AVR operation and of pebble bed HTRs but skips the widely known advantageous features of pebble bed HTRs. The AVR primary circuit is heavily contaminated with metallic fission products (Sr-90, Cs-137) which create problems in current dismantling. The amount of this contamination is not exactly known, but the evaluation of fission product deposition experiments indicates that the end of life contamination reached several percent of a single core inventory, which is some orders of magnitude more than precalculated and far more than in large LWRs. A major fraction of this contamination is bound on graphitic dust and thus partly mobile in depressurization accidents, which has to be considered in safety analyses of future reactors. A re-evaluation of the AVR contamination is performed here in order to quantify consequences for future HTRs (400 MW th ). It leads to the conclusion that the AVR contamination was mainly caused by inadmissible high core temperatures, increasing fission product release rates, and not - as presumed in the past - by inadequate fuel quality only. The high AVR core temperatures were detected not earlier than one year before final AVR shut-down, because a pebble bed core cannot yet be equipped with instruments. The maximum core temperatures are still unknown but were more than 200 K higher than calculated. Further, azimuthal temperature differences at the active core margin of up to 200 K were observed

Radioanalysis of RE enrichment of ion adsorption type RE ores

CERN Document Server

Zhao Shu Quan; Hu He Ping; Li Fu Sheng; Chen Ying Min; LiuShiMing

2002-01-01

Objective: To analyze the radioactivity in Rare Earth (RE) enrichment of ion adsorption type RE ores. Methods: Using HPGe-gamma spectrometer to analyze the activity ratio of gamma radionuclides in kind of samples, using FJ-2603 low background alpha, beta measurement apparatus to measure their total alpha and total beta activities, and using X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to analyze contents of La sub 2 O sub 3 and Y sub 2 O sub 3 , respectively. Results: HPGe gamma spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy are simple, convenient and non-destructive methods of analyzing radionuclides and La sub 2 O sub 3 , Y sub 2 O sub 3 in RE enrichment of ion adsorption type RE ores, respectively. Conclusion: The basic data were provided for radiation protection and treatment of gas, liquid and solid waste in RE production of ion adsorption type RE ores; method and experience were provided for studying ion adsorption type RE ores

Stereotactic body radiation therapy in the re-irradiation situation – a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mantel, Frederick; Flentje, Michael; Guckenberger, Matthias

2013-01-01

Although locoregional relapse is frequent after definitive radiotherapy (RT) or multimodal treatments, re-irradiation is only performed in few patients even in palliative settings like e.g. vertebral metastasis. This is most due to concern about potentially severe complications, especially when large volumes are exposed to re-irradiation. With technological advancements in treatment planning the interest in re-irradiation as a local treatment approach has been reinforced. Recently, several studies reported re-irradiation for spinal metastases using SBRT with promising local and symptom control rates and simultaneously low rates of toxicity. These early data consistently indicate that SBRT is a safe and effective treatment modality in this clinical situation, where other treatment alternatives are rare. Similarly, good results have been shown for SBRT in the re-irradiation of head and neck tumors. Despite severe late adverse effects were reported in several studies, especially after single fraction doses >10 Gy, they appear less frequently compared to conventional radiotherapy. Few studies with small patient numbers have been published on SBRT re-irradiation for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Overall survival (OS) is limited by systemic progression and seems to depend particularly on patient selection. SBRT re-irradiation after primary SBRT should not be practiced in centrally located tumors due to high risk of severe toxicity. Only limited data is available for SBRT re-irradiation of pelvic tumors: feasibility and acceptable toxicity has been described, suggesting SBRT as a complementary treatment modality for local symptom control

Operators and scales: diagnostic and rating issues in psychiatric PET research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aagren, H.

1992-01-01

In psychiatric research that for various reasons has to restrict itself to a limited number of subjects, such as studies involving expensive positron emission tomography techniques, issues concerning the parsimonious description of patients gain in importance. The number of descriptive variables must be optimally small. This paper offers a conceptual back-ground for the choice of operators in operational diagnostic systems designed to delimit pathological types, and of rating scales designed to measure syndromal severity in a dimensional way. A practical suggestion in five tenets for the organization of clinical research of this kind is presented. (author)

Operation and Thermal Modeling of the ISIS H– Source from 50 to 2 Hz Repetition Rates

CERN Document Server

Pereira, H; Lettry, J

2013-01-01

CERN’s Linac4 accelerator H− ion source, currently under construction, will operate at a 2 Hz repetition rate, with pulse length of 0.5 ms and a beam current of 80 mA. Its reliability must exceed 99 % with a mandatory 3 month uninterrupted operation period. A Penning ion source is successfully operated at ISIS; at 50 Hz repetition rate it reliably provides 55 mA H− pulses of 0.25 ms duration over 1 month. The discharge plasma ignition is very sensitive to the temperatures of the discharge region, especially of its cathode. The investigation by modeling and measurement of operation parameters suitable for arc ignition and H− production at 2 Hz is of paramount importance and must be understood prior to the implementation of discharge ion sources in the Linac4 accelerator. In its original configuration, the ISIS H− source delivers beam only if the repetition rate is above 12.5 Hz, this paper describes the implementation of a temperature control of the discharge region aiming at lower repetition rate op...

CAMAC based Test Signal Generator using Re-configurable device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Atish; Raval, Tushar; Srivastava, Amit K; Reddy, D Chenna

2010-01-01

There are many different types of signal generators, with different purposes and applications (and at varying levels of expense). In general, no device is suitable for all possible applications. Hence the selection of signal generator is as per requirements. For SST-1 Data Acquisition System requirements, we have developed a CAMAC based Test Signal Generator module using Re-configurable device (CPLD). This module is based on CAMAC interface but can be used for testing both CAMAC and PXI Data Acquisition Systems in SST-1 tokamak. It can also be used for other similar applications. Unlike traditional signal generators, which are embedded hardware, it is a flexible hardware unit, programmable through Graphical User Interface (GUI) developed in LabVIEW application development tool. The main aim of this work is to develop a signal generator for testing our data acquisition interface for a large number of channels simultaneously. The module front panel has various connectors like LEMO and D type connectors for signal interface. The module can be operated either in continuous signal generation mode or in triggered mode depending upon application. This can be done either by front panel switch or through CAMAC software commands (for remote operation). Similarly module reset and trigger generation operation can be performed either through front panel push button switch or through software CAMAC commands. The module has the facility to accept external TTL level trigger and clock through LEMO connectors. The module can also generate trigger and the clock signal, which can be delivered to other devices through LEMO connectors. The module generates two types of signals: Analog and digital (TTL level). The analog output (single channel) is generated from Digital to Analog Converter through CPLD for various types of waveforms like Sine, Square, Triangular and other wave shape that can vary in amplitude as well as in frequency. The module is quite useful to test up to 32 channels

Impact of nitrogen rates on growth, yield and radiation use efficiency of maize under varying environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khaliq, T.; Ahmad, A.; Hussain, A.

2008-01-01

Growth, yield and radiation use efficiency (RUE) of hybrid maize, in response to different nitrogen rates (150, 200, 250, 300, 350 kg ha/sub -1/ were analyzed for three different locations (Faisalabad, Sargodha and Sahiwal) in Punjab, Pakistan during 2004 and 2005. The results depicted a large yearly variations mainly attributed to more rainfall and incidence of solar radiation in 2005. Maize hybrids respond differently for all variable under study, at all sites except IPAR and radiation use efficiency 919 at different locations. Similar types of differences were noted in GGR and Final TOM. Increasing nitrogen rates had significant effects on CGR, final TOM and grain yield and RUE. The intercepted PAR, RUE/sub TDM/ and RUE/sub Gy/ were significantly affected by hybrid potential and nitrogen application rates. On an average RUE/sub TDM/ varied from 2.45 to 2.73 g MJ/sup -1/ at different locations, while RUE/sub Gy/ was recorded 1.12, 1.14 and 1.03 for Faisalabad, Sargodha and Sahiwal, respectively. Total dry matter and grain yield of different treatments was linearly related to IPAR at all location and the common regression (R/sup 2/) accounted for 94, 68, and 80 % for TDM and 64, 34, and 95% for grain yield at the Faisalabad, Sargodha and sahiwal, respectively. It was concluded that planting of hybrid Bemasal-202 with 300 kg N ha/sup -1/ is the best recommendation for semi-arid areas of Pakistan. (author)

Successful Enterprise System Re-Implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svejvig, Per

2017-01-01

Achieving success in enterprise systems (ES) implementations is challenging. The success rate is not high in view of the sums invested by many organizations in these companywide systems. The literature is charged with reasons for unsuccessful implementations, such as a lack of top management...... support and insufficient change management. Contrary to this research, empirical data from an ES re-implementation in a Scandinavian high-tech company shows successful implementation despite many problematic shifts in outsourcing partners. Therefore, it is natural to ask: why was the re......-implementation of the ES at SCANDI successful despite the major troubles encountered during the project? Building an analysis based on ten Critical Success Factors (CSFs) combined with an investigation into the institutional structures at play, we present several reasons for the successful implementation. The CSF analysis...

Workforce re-entry for Japanese unemployed dental hygienists.

Science.gov (United States)

Usui, Y; Miura, H

2015-02-01

The aim of this study was to define the profile of unemployed dental hygienists who could be enticed to re-enter the workforce and the factors that could facilitate their re-entry into the dental field in Japan. The questionnaire was mailed with a postage-paid return envelope to a sample of 3095 licensed dental hygienists. A 50.4% response rate (S = 1477) was observed. The rate of working dental hygienists was 60.3% (n = 891), and of unemployed dental hygienists was 39.7% (n = 586). Of the latter, 31.9% (n = 187) stated intentions of returning to the workplace. The unemployed dental hygienists seeking employment were more often married and had more children, compared with working dental hygienists currently. This group also had significantly fewer total service years. Moreover, only 11.96% of them belonged to the Japan Dental Hygienists' Association, and 41.3% of those attended training workshops. According to their response, they perceived their top three major barriers to re-entry as 'lack sufficient dental hygiene skill', 'child rearing' and 'poor working atmosphere'. 'Flexibility in the work schedule' and 'location' were the most important factors for re-entry from their perspective. There were not many dental hygienists hoping to return to the dental field. The findings suggested that strategies to encourage non-practicing dental hygienists to re-entry should be emphasized in the areas of a flexible working atmosphere, easy access to information on how to return to practice and guidance on how to maintain professionalism during inactivity. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sensitivity of CO2 storage performance to varying rates and dynamic injectivity in the Bunter Sandstone, UK

Science.gov (United States)

Kolster, C.; Mac Dowell, N.; Krevor, S. C.; Agada, S.

2016-12-01

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is needed for meeting legally binding greenhouse gas emissions targets in the UK (ECCC 2016). Energy systems models have been key to identifying the importance of CCS but they tend to impose few constraints on the availability and use of geologic CO2 storage reservoirs. Our aim is to develop simple models that use dynamic representations of limits on CO2 storage resources. This will allow for a first order representation of the storage reservoir for use in systems models with CCS. We use the ECLIPSE reservoir simulator and a model of the Southern North Sea Bunter Sandstone saline aquifer. We analyse reservoir performance sensitivities to scenarios of varying CO2 injection demand for a future UK low carbon energy market. With 12 injection sites, we compare the impact of injecting at a constant 2MtCO2/year per site and varying this rate by a factor of 1.8 and 0.2 cyclically every 5 and 2.5 years over 50 years of injection. The results show a maximum difference in average reservoir pressure of 3% amongst each case and a similar variation in plume migration extent. This suggests that simplified models can maintain accuracy by using average rates of injection over similar time periods. Meanwhile, by initiating injection at rates limited by pressurization at the wellhead we find that injectivity steadily increases. As a result, dynamic capacity increases. We find that instead of injecting into sites on a need basis, we can strategically inject the CO2 into 6 of the deepest sites increasing injectivity for the first 15 years by 13%. Our results show injectivity as highly dependent on reservoir heterogeneity near the injection site. Injecting 1MTCO2/year into a shallow, low permeability and porosity site instead of into a deep injection site with high permeability and porosity reduces injectivity in the first 5 years by 52%. ECCC. 2016. Future of Carbon Capture and Storage in the UK. UK Parliament House of Commons, Energy and Climate Change

System for controlling the operating temperature of a fuel cell

Science.gov (United States)

Fabis, Thomas R.; Makiel, Joseph M.; Veyo, Stephen E.

2006-06-06

A method and system are provided for improved control of the operating temperature of a fuel cell (32) utilizing an improved temperature control system (30) that varies the flow rate of inlet air entering the fuel cell (32) in response to changes in the operating temperature of the fuel cell (32). Consistent with the invention an improved temperature control system (30) is provided that includes a controller (37) that receives an indication of the temperature of the inlet air from a temperature sensor (39) and varies the heat output by at least one heat source (34, 36) to maintain the temperature of the inlet air at a set-point T.sub.inset. The controller (37) also receives an indication of the operating temperature of the fuel cell (32) and varies the flow output by an adjustable air mover (33), within a predetermined range around a set-point F.sub.set, in order to maintain the operating temperature of the fuel cell (32) at a set-point T.sub.opset.

Polytypism and unexpected strong interlayer coupling in two-dimensional layered ReS2

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Xiao-Fen; Wu, Jiang-Bin; Zhou, Linwei; Qiao, Jingsi; Shi, Wei; Chen, Tao; Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Jun; Ji, Wei; Tan, Ping-Heng

2016-04-01

Anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with both scientific interest and application potential, offer one more dimension than isotropic 2D materials to tune their physical properties. Various physical properties of 2D multi-layer materials are modulated by varying their stacking orders owing to significant interlayer vdW coupling. Multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a representative anisotropic 2D material, was expected to be randomly stacked and lack interlayer coupling. Here, we demonstrate two stable stacking orders, namely isotropic-like (IS) and anisotropic-like (AI) N layer (NL, N > 1) ReS2 are revealed by ultralow- and high-frequency Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence and first-principles density functional theory calculation. Two interlayer shear modes are observed in AI-NL-ReS2 while only one shear mode appears in IS-NL-ReS2, suggesting anisotropic- and isotropic-like stacking orders in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2, respectively. This explicit difference in the observed frequencies identifies an unexpected strong interlayer coupling in IS- and AI-NL-ReS2. Quantitatively, the force constants of them are found to be around 55-90% of those of multilayer MoS2. The revealed strong interlayer coupling and polytypism in multi-layer ReS2 may stimulate future studies on engineering physical properties of other anisotropic 2D materials by stacking orders.Anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) layered materials, with both scientific interest and application potential, offer one more dimension than isotropic 2D materials to tune their physical properties. Various physical properties of 2D multi-layer materials are modulated by varying their stacking orders owing to significant interlayer vdW coupling. Multilayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2), a representative anisotropic 2D material, was expected to be randomly stacked and lack interlayer coupling. Here, we demonstrate two stable stacking orders, namely isotropic-like (IS) and

Can re-regulation reservoirs and batteries cost-effectively mitigate sub-daily hydropeaking?

Science.gov (United States)

Haas, J.; Nowak, W.; Anindito, Y.; Olivares, M. A.

2017-12-01

To compensate for mismatches between generation and load, hydropower plants frequently operate in strong hydropeaking schemes, which is harmful to the downstream ecosystem. Furthermore, new power market structures and variable renewable systems may exacerbate this behavior. Ecological constraints (minimum flows, maximum ramps) are frequently used to mitigate hydropeaking, but these stand in direct tradeoff with the operational flexibility required for integrating renewable technologies. Fortunately, there are also physical methods (i.e. re-regulation reservoirs and batteries) but to date, there are no studies about their cost-effectiveness for hydropeaking mitigation. This study aims to fill that gap. For this, we formulate an hourly mixed-integer linear optimization model to plan the weekly operation of a hydro-thermal-renewable power system from southern Chile. The opportunity cost of water (needed for this weekly scheduling) is obtained from a mid-term programming solved with dynamic programming. We compare the current (unconstrained) hydropower operation with an ecologically constrained operation. The resulting cost increase is then contrasted with the annual payments necessary for the physical hydropeaking mitigation options. For highly constrained operations, both re-regulation reservoirs and batteries show to be economically attractive for hydropeaking mitigation. For intermediate constrained scenarios, re-regulation reservoirs are still economic, whereas batteries can be a viable solution only if they become cheaper in future. Given current cost projections, their break-even point (for hydropeaking mitigation) is expected within the next ten years. Finally, less stringent hydropeaking constraints do not justify physical mitigation measures, as the necessary flexibility can be provided by other power plants of the system.

Effects of airgun sounds on bowhead whale calling rates: evidence for two behavioral thresholds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanna B Blackwell

Full Text Available In proximity to seismic operations, bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus decrease their calling rates. Here, we investigate the transition from normal calling behavior to decreased calling and identify two threshold levels of received sound from airgun pulses at which calling behavior changes. Data were collected in August-October 2007-2010, during the westward autumn migration in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Up to 40 directional acoustic recorders (DASARs were deployed at five sites offshore of the Alaskan North Slope. Using triangulation, whale calls localized within 2 km of each DASAR were identified and tallied every 10 minutes each season, so that the detected call rate could be interpreted as the actual call production rate. Moreover, airgun pulses were identified on each DASAR, analyzed, and a cumulative sound exposure level was computed for each 10-min period each season (CSEL10-min. A Poisson regression model was used to examine the relationship between the received CSEL10-min from airguns and the number of detected bowhead calls. Calling rates increased as soon as airgun pulses were detectable, compared to calling rates in the absence of airgun pulses. After the initial increase, calling rates leveled off at a received CSEL10-min of ~94 dB re 1 μPa2-s (the lower threshold. In contrast, once CSEL10-min exceeded ~127 dB re 1 μPa2-s (the upper threshold, whale calling rates began decreasing, and when CSEL10-min values were above ~160 dB re 1 μPa2-s, the whales were virtually silent.

ELECTRA © Launch and Re-Entry Safety Analysis Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Lazare, B.; Arnal, M. H.; Aussilhou, C.; Blazquez, A.; Chemama, F.

2010-09-01

French Space Operation Act gives as prime objective to National Technical Regulations to protect people, properties, public health and environment. In this frame, an independent technical assessment of French space operation is delegated to CNES. To perform this task and also for his owns operations CNES needs efficient state-of-the-art tools for evaluating risks. The development of the ELECTRA© tool, undertaken in 2007, meets the requirement for precise quantification of the risks involved in launching and re-entry of spacecraft. The ELECTRA© project draws on the proven expertise of CNES technical centers in the field of flight analysis and safety, spaceflight dynamics and the design of spacecraft. The ELECTRA© tool was specifically designed to evaluate the risks involved in the re-entry and return to Earth of all or part of a spacecraft. It will also be used for locating and visualizing nominal or accidental re-entry zones while comparing them with suitable geographic data such as population density, urban areas, and shipping lines, among others. The method chosen for ELECTRA© consists of two main steps: calculating the possible reentry trajectories for each fragment after the spacecraft breaks up; calculating the risks while taking into account the energy of the fragments, the population density and protection afforded by buildings. For launch operations and active re-entry, the risk calculation will be weighted by the probability of instantaneous failure of the spacecraft and integrated for the whole trajectory. ELECTRA©’s development is today at the end of the validation phase, last step before delivery to users. Validation process has been performed in different ways: numerical application way for the risk formulation; benchmarking process for casualty area, level of energy of the fragments entries and level of protection housing module; best practices in space transportation industries concerning dependability evaluation; benchmarking process for

Re-injection feasibility study of fracturing flow-back fluid in shale gas mining

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Dingyu; Xue, Chen; Chen, Xinjian; Du, Jiajia; Shi, Shengwei; Qu, Chengtun; Yu, Tao

2018-02-01

Fracturing flow-back fluid in shale gas mining is usually treated by re-injecting into formation. After treatment, the fracturing flow-back fluid is injected back into the formation. In order to ensure that it will not cause too much damage to the bottom layer, feasibility evaluations of re-injection of two kinds of fracturing fluid with different salinity were researched. The experimental research of the compatibility of mixed water samples based on the static simulation method was conducted. Through the analysis of ion concentration, the amount of scale buildup and clay swelling rate, the feasibility of re-injection of different fracturing fluid were studied. The result shows that the swelling of the clay expansion rate of treated fracturing fluid is lower than the mixed water of treated fracturing fluid and the distilled water, indicating that in terms of clay expansion rate, the treated fracturing flow-back fluid is better than that of water injection after re-injection. In the compatibility test, the maximum amount of fouling in the Yangzhou oilfield is 12mg/L, and the maximum value of calcium loss rate is 1.47%, indicating that the compatibility is good. For the fracturing fluid with high salinity in the Yanchang oilfield, the maximum amount of scaling is 72mg/L, and the maximum calcium loss rate is 3.50%, indicating that the compatibility is better.

Prediction of critical flow rates through power-operated relief valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdollahian, D.; Singh, A.

1983-01-01

Existing single-phase and two-phase critical flow models are used to predict the flow rates through the power-operated relief valves tested in the EPRI Safety and Relief Valve test program. For liquid upstream conditions, Homogeneous Equilibrium Model, Moody, Henry-Fauske and Burnell two-phase critical flow models are used for comparison with data. Under steam upstream conditions, the flow rates are predicted either by the single-phase isentropic equations or the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model, depending on the thermodynamic condition of the fluid at the choking plane. The results of the comparisons are used to specify discharge coefficients for different valves under steam and liquid upstream conditions and evaluate the existing approximate critical flow relations for a wide range of subcooled water and steam conditions

Online scheduling of 2-re-entrant flexible manufacturing systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pinxten, J. van; Waqas, U.; Geilen, M.; Basten, T.; Somers, L.

2017-01-01

Online scheduling of operations is essential to optimize productivity of flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) where manufacturing requests arrive on the fly. An FMS processes products according to a particular flow through processing stations. This work focusses on online scheduling of re-entrant

No impact of repeated extinction exposures on operant responding maintained by different reinforcer rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, John Y H; Podlesnik, Christopher A

2017-05-01

Greater rates of intermittent reinforcement in the presence of discriminative stimuli generally produce greater resistance to extinction, consistent with predictions of behavioral momentum theory. Other studies reveal more rapid extinction with higher rates of reinforcers - the partial reinforcement extinction effect. Further, repeated extinction often produces more rapid decreases in operant responding due to learning a discrimination between training and extinction contingencies. The present study examined extinction repeatedly with training with different rates of intermittent reinforcement in a multiple schedule. We assessed whether repeated extinction would reverse the pattern of greater resistance to extinction with greater reinforcer rates. Counter to this prediction, resistance to extinction was consistently greater across twelve assessments of training followed by six successive sessions of extinction. Moreover, patterns of responding during extinction resembled those observed during satiation tests, which should not alter discrimination processes with repeated testing. These findings join others suggesting operant responding in extinction can be durable across repeated tests. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Selection of patients for re-irradiation with local implants in carcinomas of oropharynx and tongue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langlois, D.; Hoffstetter, S.; Pernot, M.

1988-01-01

Between 1972 and 1984, 123 patients with recurrent or new primary carcinomas in previously irradiated areas of soft palate, tonsil, base of tongue or mobile tongue were re-irradiated with iridium-192 afterloading techniques. The average re-irradiation dose was 62 Gy (31-84 Gy) and the total dose 131 Gy (92-162 Gy); only 28 cases of mucosal necrosis were observed (23%). Two and 5 years actuarial local control rates were 67% and 59% and survival rates 48% and 24% respectively. Death was related to local tumor in 48 cases, metastases in 8 cases and intercurrent disease in 39 cases. We analysed the effect on survival and local control of age, initial tumor site and volume, previous surgery, time between first irradiation and re-irradiation, doses, dose rate, and techniques of brachytherapy. With this analysis as background, we recommend the use of salvage brachytherapy for patients with a) small tumors of soft palate, tonsil or mobile tongue without synchronic lymph node metastases, b) long time interval between first irradiation and re-irradiation, c) new primary tumors (rather than recurrence of first tumor), and d) no previous local surgery. A high re-irradiation dose given with low dose rate is recommended. (orig.)

Peanut canopy temperature and NDVI response to varying irrigation rates

Science.gov (United States)

Variable rate irrigation (VRI) systems have the potential to conserve water by spatially allocating limited water resources. In this study, peanut was grown under a VRI system to evaluate the impact of differential irrigation rates on peanut yield. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of differenti...

Magnetotail Fast Flow Occurrence Rate and Dawn-Dusk Asymmetry at XGSM ˜ -60 RE

Science.gov (United States)

Kiehas, S. A.; Runov, A.; Angelopolos, V.; Hietala, H.; Korovinksiy, D.

2018-03-01

As a direct result of magnetic reconnection, plasma sheet fast flows act as primary transporter of mass, flux, and energy in the Earth's magnetotail. During the last decades, these flows were mainly studied within XGSM>-60RE, as observations near or beyond lunar orbit were limited. By using 5 years (2011-2015) of ARTEMIS (Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moons Interaction with the Sun) data, we statistically investigate earthward and tailward flows at around 60 RE downtail. A significant fraction of fast flows is directed earthward, comprising 43% (vx>400 km/s) to 56% (vx>100 km/s) of all observed flows. This suggests that near-Earth and midtail reconnection are equally probable of occurring on either side of the ARTEMIS downtail distance. For fast convective flows (v⊥x>400 km/s), this fraction of earthward flows is reduced to about 29%, which is in line with reconnection as source of these flows and a downtail decreasing Alfvén velocity. More than 60% of tailward convective flows occur in the dusk sector (as opposed to the dawn sector), while earthward convective flows are nearly symmetrically distributed between the two sectors for low AL (>-400 nT) and asymmetrically distributed toward the dusk sector for high AL (infer that near-Earth reconnection is preferentially located at dusk, whereas midtail reconnection (X >- 60RE) is likely symmetric across the tail during weak substorms and asymmetric toward the dusk sector for strong substorms, as the dawn-dusk asymmetric nature of reconnection onset in the near-Earth region progresses downtail.

Test-re-test reliability and inter-rater reliability of a digital pelvic inclinometer in young, healthy males and females.

Science.gov (United States)

Beardsley, Chris; Egerton, Tim; Skinner, Brendon

2016-01-01

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of a digital pelvic inclinometer (DPI) for measuring sagittal plane pelvic tilt in 18 young, healthy males and females. Method. The inter-rater reliability and test-re-test reliabilities of the DPI for measuring pelvic tilt in standing on both the right and left sides of the pelvis were measured by two raters carrying out two rating sessions of the same subjects, three weeks apart. Results. For measuring pelvic tilt, inter-rater reliability was designated as good on both sides (ICC = 0.81-0.88), test-re-test reliability within a single rating session was designated as good on both sides (ICC = 0.88-0.95), and test-re-test reliability between two rating sessions was designated as moderate on the left side (ICC = 0.65) and good on the right side (ICC = 0.85). Conclusion. Inter-rater reliability and test-re-test reliability within a single rating session of the DPI in measuring pelvic tilt were both good, while test-re-test reliability between rating sessions was moderate-to-good. Caution is required regarding the interpretation of the test-re-test reliability within a single rating session, as the raters were not blinded. Further research is required to establish validity.

Optimizing the data acquisition rate for a remotely controllable structural monitoring system with parallel operation and self-adaptive sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheng, Wenjuan; Guo, Aihuang; Liu, Yang; Azmi, Asrul Izam; Peng, Gang-Ding

2011-01-01

We present a novel technique that optimizes the real-time remote monitoring and control of dispersed civil infrastructures. The monitoring system is based on fiber Bragg gating (FBG) sensors, and transfers data via Ethernet. This technique combines parallel operation and self-adaptive sampling to increase the data acquisition rate in remote controllable structural monitoring systems. The compact parallel operation mode is highly efficient at achieving the highest possible data acquisition rate for the FBG sensor based local data acquisition system. Self-adaptive sampling is introduced to continuously coordinate local acquisition and remote control for data acquisition rate optimization. Key issues which impact the operation of the whole system, such as the real-time data acquisition rate, data processing capability, and buffer usage, are investigated. The results show that, by introducing parallel operation and self-adaptive sampling, the data acquisition rate can be increased by several times without affecting the system operating performance on both local data acquisition and remote process control

Re-tuning tuned mass dampers using ambient vibration measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hazra, B; Sadhu, A; Narasimhan, S; Lourenco, R

2010-01-01

Deterioration, accidental changes in the operating conditions, or incorrect estimates of the structure modal properties lead to de-tuning in tuned mass dampers (TMDs). To restore optimal performance, it is necessary to estimate the modal properties of the system, and re-tune the TMD to its optimal state. The presence of closely spaced modes and a relatively large amount of damping in the dominant modes renders the process of identification difficult. Furthermore, the process of estimating the modal properties of the bare structure using ambient vibration measurements of the structure with the TMD is challenging. In order to overcome these challenges, a novel identification and re-tuning algorithm is proposed. The process of identification consists of empirical mode decomposition to separate the closely spaced modes, followed by the blind identification of the remaining modes. Algorithms for estimating the fundamental frequency and the mode shape of the primary structure necessary for re-tuning the TMD are proposed. Experimental results from the application of the proposed algorithms to identify and re-tune a laboratory structure TMD system are presented

Spontaneous growth of whiskers on RE-bearing intermetallic compounds of Sn-RE, In-RE, and Pb-RE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Meng; Xian Aiping

2009-01-01

A phenomenon of the whiskers growth on the bulk rare earth (RE)-intermetallic compounds of NdSn 3 , NdIn 3 , and LaPb 3 is reported. The whiskers formed spontaneously on all of the RE-intermetallic compounds after exposed to room ambience (21-28 deg. C/20-56% RH, relative humidity) for several days. Among the samples, the propensity of whisker growth for NdSn 3 is the strongest, on which the tin whiskers were flourishing and covered all of the surfaces after exposed to room ambience for 22 days; while LaPb 3 is the secondary and NdIn 3 is the last one. Observed by SEM, the whiskers were exhibited as different morphology, size, and number density. The XRD analysis confirms the existence of RE(OH) 3 after whiskers formed, also, the weight gain curve of the samples exposed to room ambience supports that a spontaneous chemical reaction of the RE-intermetallic compounds with water in room ambience takes place. In discussion, it is proposed that the fresh metal atoms released by the chemical reaction could be causative to result in nucleation and spontaneous growth of the whiskers, while the anisotropy of crystal structure could be a reason to understand the difference of the whisker growth behaviors between Sn and Pb.

Count rate effect in proportional counters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bednarek, B.

1980-01-01

A new concept is presented explaining changes in spectrometric parameters of proportional counters which occur due to varying count rate. The basic feature of this concept is that the gas gain of the counter remains constant in a wide range of count rate and that the decrease in the pulse amplitude and the detorioration of the energy resolution observed are the results of changes in the shape of original current pulses generated in the active volume of the counter. In order to confirm the validity of this statement, measurements of the gas amplification factor have been made in a wide count rate range. It is shown that above a certain critical value the gas gain depends on both the operating voltage and the count rate. (author)

Epitaxial growth of ReS2(001) thin film via deposited-Re sulfurization

Science.gov (United States)

Urakami, Noriyuki; Okuda, Tetsuya; Hashimoto, Yoshio

2018-02-01

In this paper, we present the formation of large-size rhenium disulfide (ReS2) films via the sulfurization of Re films deposited on sapphire substrates. The effects of sulfurization temperature and pressure on the crystal quality were investigated. A [001]-oriented single crystal of ReS2 films with 6 × 10 mm2 area was realized. By sulfurizing Re films at 1100 °C, ReS2 films with well-defined sharp interfaces to c-plane sapphire substrates could be formed. Below and above the sulfurization temperature of 1100 °C, incomplete sulfurization and film degradation were observed. The twofold symmetry of the monocrystalline in-plane structure composed of Re-Re bonds along with Re-S bonds pointed to a distorted 1T structure, indicating that this structure is the most stable atomic arrangement for ReS2. For a S/Re compositional ratio equal to or slightly lower than 2.0, characteristic Raman vibrational modes with the narrowest line widths were observed. The typical absorption peak of ReS2 can be detected at 1.5 eV.

Outcome after re-irradiation of head and neck cancer patients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Platteaux, Nele; Dirix, Piet; Vanstraelen, Bianca; Nuyts, Sandra [University Hospitals Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg (Belgium). Dept. of Radiation Oncology

2011-01-15

Purpose: To retrospectively report the outcome of head and neck cancer patients following re-irradiation. Patients and Methods: A total of 51 patients with recurrent or second primary head and neck cancer received re-irradiation at Leuven University Hospital. Survival and locoregional control were calculated. Doses to organs at risk were retrieved from dose-volume histograms. Radiation-related toxicities were reported. Results: The 2-year actuarial overall survival rate was 30%. On univariate analysis, surgery before re-irradiation and high radiation dose were associated with superior survival. Grade 3 acute and grade 3 or more late toxicity occurred in respectively 29.4% and 35.3% of the patients. Conclusion: Re-irradiation in head and neck cancer patients is feasible with acceptable late toxicity, although the survival remains poor. (orig.)

Operation of high rate microstrip gas chambers

CERN Document Server

Barr, A J; Bouclier, Roger; Capéans-Garrido, M; Dominik, Wojciech; Manzin, G; Million, Gilbert; Hoch, M; Ropelewski, Leszek; Sauli, Fabio; Sharma, A

1996-01-01

We describe recent measurements carried out in well controlled and reproducible conditions to help understanding the factors affecting the short and long term behaviour of Microstrip Gas Chambers. Special care has been taken concerning the gas purity and choice of materials used in the system and for the detectors construction. Detectors built on glasses with surface resistivity in the range $10^{13}-10^{15} \\Omega/\\Box$ have shown satisfactory performance as they do not show charging-up process at high rate and stand the large doses required for the future high luminosity experiments (~10 mC·cm-1·yr-1). Concerning the lifetime measurements, it has been observed that chambers manufactured on high-resistivity glass are far more susceptible of suffering ageing than detectors made on low resistivity, electron-conducting supports, independently of the metal used for the artwork (chromium or gold) at least in clean gas conditions. The successfully operation in the laboratory of detectors manufactured on diamond-...

High-Rate Communications Outage Recorder Operations for Optimal Payload and Science Telemetry Management Onboard the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Shell, Michael T.; McElyea, Richard M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

All International Space Station (ISS) Ku-band telemetry transmits through the High-Rate Communications Outage Recorder (HCOR). The HCOR provides the recording and playback capability for all payload, science, and International Partner data streams transmitting through NASA's Ku-band antenna system. The HCOR is a solid-state memory recorder that provides recording capability to record all eight ISS high-rate data during ISS Loss-of-Signal periods. NASA payloads in the Destiny module are prime users of the HCOR; however, NASDA and ESA will also utilize the HCOR for data capture and playback of their high data rate links from the Kibo and Columbus modules. Marshall Space Flight Center's Payload Operations Integration Center manages the HCOR for nominal functions, including system configurations and playback operations. The purpose of this paper is to present the nominal operations plan for the HCOR and the plans for handling contingency operations affecting payload operations. In addition, the paper will address HCOR operation limitations and the expected effects on payload operations. The HCOR is manifested for ISS delivery on flight 9A with the HCOR backup manifested on flight 11A. The HCOR replaces the Medium-Rate Communications Outage Recorder (MCOR), which has supported payloads since flight 5A.1.

Dressed to Present: Ratings of Classroom Presentations Vary with Attire

Science.gov (United States)

Gurung, Regan A. R.; Kempen, Laura; Klemm, Kayla; Senn, Rebecca; Wysocki, Rosie

2014-01-01

This study investigates the effects of formality of dress on ratings of classroom presentations. Participants (N = 65, 66% women) from a Midwestern university in the United States rated three female students giving a presentation designed for a health psychology class in one of four outfits: casual, party, business casual, or business formal.…

"Diamond" over-coated Microstrip Gas Chambers for high rate operation

CERN Document Server

Barr, A J; Bouclier, Roger; Capéans-Garrido, M; Dominik, Wojciech; Hoch, M; Manzin, G; Million, Gilbert; Ropelewski, Leszek; Sauli, Fabio; Sharma, A

1997-01-01

We describe the recent developments on the diamond-like carbon (DLC) over-coated Microstrip Gas Chambers made on drawn glass substrates. MSGC surface coating with thin DLC layer of stable and controlled resistivity was proposed to overcome the limitation of detector operation due to surface charging-up under avalanches. This brings also advantages for the detector manufacturing technology. The thin layer, deposited on top of a manufactured MSGC (over-coating), demonstrates excellent mechanical properties and very good stability. We report on recent measurements with DLC over-coated MSGCs of various surface resistivities (ranging from 1013W/r to 1016W/r) on D-263 and AF45 glass substrates. Over-coated MSGCs exhibit good rate capability for the resistivity of the surface around 1015W/r. Stable operation up to 50 mC/cm of accumulated charge from avalanches has been demonstrated.

Corrosion rate of steel in concrete - Evaluation of confinement techniques for on-site corrosion rate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nygaard, Peter Vagn; Geiker, Mette Rica; Elsener, Bernhard

2009-01-01

Earlier on-site investigations and laboratory studies have shown that varying corrosion rates are obtained when different commercially available instruments are used. The different confinement techniques, rather than the different electrochemical techniques used in the instruments, are considered...... to be the main reason for the discrepancies. This paper presents a method for the quantitative assessment of confinement techniques based on monitoring the operation of the corrosion rate instrument and the current distribution between the electrode assembly on the concrete surface and a segmented reinforcement...... bar embedded in the concrete. The applicability of the method was demonstrated on two commercially available corrosion rate instruments based on different confinement techniques. The method provided an explanation of the differences in performance of the two instruments. Correlated measurements...

TU-H-BRC-06: Temperature Simulation of Tungsten and W25Re Targets to Deliver High Dose Rate 10 MV Photons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, J; Trovati, S; Loo, B; Maxim, P; Fahrig, R [Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California (United States); Borchard, P [Tibaray Inc, San Francisco, CA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To study the impact of electron beam size, target thickness, and target temperature on the ability of the flattening filter-free mode (FFF) treatment head to deliver high-dose-rate irradiations. Methods: The dose distribution and transient temperature of the X-ray target under 10 MeV electron beam with pulse length of 5 microseconds, and repetition rate of 1000 Hz was studied. A MCNP model was built to calculate the percentage depth dose (PPD) distribution in a water phantom at a distance of 100 cm. ANSYS software was used to run heat transfer simulations. The PPD and temperature for both tungsten and W25Re targets for different electron beam sizes (FHWM 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 mm) and target thickness (0.2 to 2 mm) were studied. Results: Decreasing the target thickness from 1 mm to 0.5 mm, caused a surface dose increase about 10 percent. For both target materials, the peak temperature was about 1.6 times higher for 0.5 mm electron beam compared to the 1 mm beam after reaching their equilibrium. For increasing target thicknesses, the temperature rise caused by the first pulse is similar for all thicknesses, however the temperature difference for subsequent pulses becomes larger until a constant ratio is reached. The target peak temperature after reaching equilibrium can be calculated by adding the steady state temperature and the amplitude of the temperature oscillation. Conclusion: This work indicates the potential to obtain high dose rate irradiation by selecting target material, geometry and electron beam parameters. W25Re may not outperformed tungsten when the target is thick due to its relatively low thermal conductivity. The electron beam size only affects the target temperature but not the PPD. Thin target is preferred to obtain high dose rate and low target temperature, however, the resulting high surface dose is a major concern. NIH funding:R21 EB015957-01; DOD funding:W81XWH-13-1-0165 BL, PM, PB, and RF are founders of TibaRay, Inc. BL is also a borad

TU-H-BRC-06: Temperature Simulation of Tungsten and W25Re Targets to Deliver High Dose Rate 10 MV Photons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J; Trovati, S; Loo, B; Maxim, P; Fahrig, R; Borchard, P

2016-01-01

Purpose: To study the impact of electron beam size, target thickness, and target temperature on the ability of the flattening filter-free mode (FFF) treatment head to deliver high-dose-rate irradiations. Methods: The dose distribution and transient temperature of the X-ray target under 10 MeV electron beam with pulse length of 5 microseconds, and repetition rate of 1000 Hz was studied. A MCNP model was built to calculate the percentage depth dose (PPD) distribution in a water phantom at a distance of 100 cm. ANSYS software was used to run heat transfer simulations. The PPD and temperature for both tungsten and W25Re targets for different electron beam sizes (FHWM 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 mm) and target thickness (0.2 to 2 mm) were studied. Results: Decreasing the target thickness from 1 mm to 0.5 mm, caused a surface dose increase about 10 percent. For both target materials, the peak temperature was about 1.6 times higher for 0.5 mm electron beam compared to the 1 mm beam after reaching their equilibrium. For increasing target thicknesses, the temperature rise caused by the first pulse is similar for all thicknesses, however the temperature difference for subsequent pulses becomes larger until a constant ratio is reached. The target peak temperature after reaching equilibrium can be calculated by adding the steady state temperature and the amplitude of the temperature oscillation. Conclusion: This work indicates the potential to obtain high dose rate irradiation by selecting target material, geometry and electron beam parameters. W25Re may not outperformed tungsten when the target is thick due to its relatively low thermal conductivity. The electron beam size only affects the target temperature but not the PPD. Thin target is preferred to obtain high dose rate and low target temperature, however, the resulting high surface dose is a major concern. NIH funding:R21 EB015957-01; DOD funding:W81XWH-13-1-0165 BL, PM, PB, and RF are founders of TibaRay, Inc. BL is also a borad

[Effect of priming solution and ultrafiltration on post-operative bleeding and blood transfusion in cardiac surgery. Randomized controlled trial].

Science.gov (United States)

Olmos Rodríguez, M; Ballester Hernández, J A; Arteta Bárcenas, M T; Rodríguez Cerezo, A; Vidarte Ortiz de Artiñano, M A; Veiga Alameda, C

2015-02-01

Assess the effectiveness of priming the extracorporeal circulation system with albumin-mannitol combined with ultrafiltration during extracorporeal circulation to reduce post-operative bleeding and transfusion requirements in heart surgery, as well as its impact on the fluid balance, coagulation and hematocrit parameters, re-operation for bleeding, ICU, and hospital length of stay. A total of 134 patients scheduled for heart surgery were randomized to receive Ringer's lactate 1,500mL in the priming reservoir (group C), or mannitol 20% 250mL, albumin 20% 150mL and Ringer's lactate 1,100mL combined with ultrafiltration (group T). Bleeding volume, transfusions, fluid balance, coagulation, and hematology parameters were determined until 48h in the post-operative period. There was a reduction of postoperative bleeding in group T, 1,165±789mL vs 992±662mL (P=.17), and red blood cell concentrate transfusions, 694±843mL vs 413±605mL (P=.03). Intra-operative and post-operative fluid balance was significantly less positive in group T, with an overall balance of 2,292±2,152mL vs 5,388±2,834mL (P<.001). There were higher values of hemoglobin and hematocrit, intraoperative (P<.001), on admission to ICU (P=.001), and at 6h (P=.05) in group T, and lower INR at 6h (P=.01) and 24h (P=.02). Re-operation rate and length of stay in ICU were higher in group C, but not statiscally significant. The priming of extracorporeal reservoir with mannitol, albumin, and Ringer's lactate, combined with ultrafiltration, significantly improves intra- and post-operative fluid balance, resulting in a reduction in blood transfusions, with no significant decrease in post-operative bleeding, re-operation bleeding rate, and length of stay in the ICU. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Radiolabeling of anti-CD20 with Re0-188: liquid kit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Carla Roberta; Osso Junior, Joao Alberto

2007-01-01

Radioimmunotherapy uses the targeting features of monoclonal antibody to deliver radiation from an attached radionuclide. The radionuclide 188 Re is currently produced from the father nuclide 188 W through a transportable generator system. Because of its easy availability and suitable nuclear properties (E βMAX =2.1 MeV, t 1/2 =16.9 h, E γ =155 keV), this radionuclide is considered an attractive candidate for application as therapeutic agents and could be conveniently utilized for imaging and dosimetric purposes. The objective of this work is the optimization of radiolabeling of anti-CD20 with 188 Re using a liquid formulation. Anti-CD20 was reduced by incubation with 2-ME and purified over a PD-10 column. The number of resulting free SH was assayed with Ellman's reagent. Optimization of radiolabeling was achieved by varying parameters: antibody mass, reducing agent, reaction time and 188 Re volume in the liquid kit. Radiochemical purity of 188 Re-anti-CD20 was evaluated. An average of 12 SH groups per mol in the reductions was found. The best labeling efficiency (> 93%) was achieved in the following conditions: 1 mg anti-CD20; 82.8 mg sodium tartrate; 1 mg SnCl 2 ; 0.25 mg gentisic acid, 1 mL 188 Re and reaction time of 1 hour at room temperature. (author)

Anthropogenic seismicity rates and operational parameters at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field.

Science.gov (United States)

Brodsky, Emily E; Lajoie, Lia J

2013-08-02

Geothermal power is a growing energy source; however, efforts to increase production are tempered by concern over induced earthquakes. Although increased seismicity commonly accompanies geothermal production, induced earthquake rate cannot currently be forecast on the basis of fluid injection volumes or any other operational parameters. We show that at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, the total volume of fluid extracted or injected tracks the long-term evolution of seismicity. After correcting for the aftershock rate, the net fluid volume (extracted-injected) provides the best correlation with seismicity in recent years. We model the background earthquake rate with a linear combination of injection and net production rates that allows us to track the secular development of the field as the number of earthquakes per fluid volume injected decreases over time.

Effect of Different Silicon Sources on Yield and Silicon Uptake of Rice Grown under Varying Phosphorus Rates.

Science.gov (United States)

Agostinho, Flavia B; Tubana, Brenda S; Martins, Murilo S; Datnoff, Lawrence E

2017-08-29

A series of pot experiments were conducted to: (1) evaluate the effects of different Si sources (soil- and foliar-applied) on grain yield and Si accumulation of rice supplied with varying P rates, and (2) evaluate Si absorption of rice using foliar- and soil-applied Si fertilizers. Three P rates, (0, 112, and 224 kg ha -1 ) combined with five Si treatments (wollastonite and slag applied at 4.5 ton ha -1 and one foliar Si solution applied at 20, 40 and 80 mg Si L -1 ) and a check were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The presence of P and Si in the soil created a synergistic effect on soil Al, Mn, and As ( P rice growth and P uptake. Wollastonite and slag application were most effective in raising rice Si content than foliar applied Si ( P production (25%) for rice receiving foliar Si, no supporting evidence was obtained in these experiments to verify leaf surface Si absorption. The application of Si-rich materials to soil still remains the most effective method for enhancing Si uptake by plants.

Adaptive prostate IGRT combining online re-optimization and re-positioning: a feasibility study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Taoran; Zhu Xiaofeng; Lee, W Robert; Vujaskovic, Zeljko; Yin Fangfang; Wu, Q Jackie; Thongphiew, Danthai

2011-01-01

In prostate radiation therapy, inter-fractional organ motion/deformation has posed significant challenges on reliable daily dose delivery. To correct for this issue, off-line re-optimization and online re-positioning have been used clinically. In this paper, we propose an adaptive images guided radiation therapy (AIGRT) scheme that combines these two correction methods in an anatomy-driven fashion. The AIGRT process first tries to find a best plan for the daily target from a plan pool, which consists of the original CT plan and all previous re-optimized plans. If successful, the selected plan is used for daily treatment with translational shifts. Otherwise, the AIGRT invokes the re-optimization process of the CT plan for the anatomy of the day, which is afterward added to the plan pool as a candidate for future fractions. The AIGRT scheme is evaluated by comparisons with daily re-optimization and online re-positioning techniques based on daily target coverage, organs at risk (OAR) sparing and implementation efficiency. Simulated treatment courses for 18 patients with re-optimization alone, re-positioning alone and AIGRT shows that AIGRT offers reliable daily target coverage that is highly comparable to daily re-optimization and significantly improves from re-positioning. AIGRT is also seen to provide improved OAR sparing compared to re-positioning. Apart from dosimetric benefits, AIGRT in addition offers an efficient scheme to integrate re-optimization to current re-positioning-based IGRT workflow.

A control method of the rotor re-levitation for different orbit responses during touchdowns in active magnetic bearings

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Mindong; Liu, Tao; Wang, Zixi; Yan, Shaoze; Jia, Xiaohong; Wang, Yuming

2018-05-01

Touchdown can make active magnetic bearings (AMB) unable to work, and bring severe damages to touchdown bearings (TDB). To resolve it, we presents a novel re-levitation method consisting of two operations, i.e., orbit response recognition and rotor re-levitation. In the operation of orbit response recognition, the three orbit responses (pendulum vibration, combined rub and bouncing, and full rub) can be identified by the expectation of radial displacement of rotor and expectation of instantaneous frequency (IF) of rotor motion in the sampling period. In the rotor re-levitation operation, a decentralized PID control algorithm is employed for pendulum vibration and combined rub and bouncing, and the decentralized PID control algorithm and another whirl damping algorithm, in which the weighting factor is determined by the whirl frequency, are jointly executed for the full rub. The method has been demonstrated by the simulation results of an AMB model. The results reveal that the method is effective in actively suppressing the whirl motion and promptly re-levitating the rotor. As the PID control algorithm and the simple operations of signal processing are employed, the algorithm has a low computation intensity, which makes it more easily realized in practical applications.

Theoretical analysis of hydrogen chemisorption on Pd(111), Re(0001) and PdML/Re(0001), ReML/Pd(111) pseudomorphic overlayers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pallassana, Venkataraman; Neurock, Matthew; Hansen, Lars Bruno

1999-01-01

not appear to provide an independent parameter for assessing surface reactivity. The weak chemisorption of hydrogen on the Pd-ML/Re(0001) surface relates to substantial lowering of the d-band center of Pd, when it is pseudomorphically deposited as a monolayer on a Re substrate. [S0163-1829(99)00331-2].......Gradient-corrected density-functional theory (DFT-GGA) periodic slab calculations have been used to analyze the binding of atomic hydrogen on monometallic Pd(111), Re(0001), and bimetallic Pd-mL/Re(0001) [pseudomorphic monolayer of Pd(111) on Re(0001)] and Re-ML/Pd(111) surfaces. The computed...

Test–re-test reliability and inter-rater reliability of a digital pelvic inclinometer in young, healthy males and females

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris Beardsley

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of a digital pelvic inclinometer (DPI for measuring sagittal plane pelvic tilt in 18 young, healthy males and females. Method. The inter-rater reliability and test–re-test reliabilities of the DPI for measuring pelvic tilt in standing on both the right and left sides of the pelvis were measured by two raters carrying out two rating sessions of the same subjects, three weeks apart. Results. For measuring pelvic tilt, inter-rater reliability was designated as good on both sides (ICC = 0.81–0.88, test–re-test reliability within a single rating session was designated as good on both sides (ICC = 0.88–0.95, and test–re-test reliability between two rating sessions was designated as moderate on the left side (ICC = 0.65 and good on the right side (ICC = 0.85. Conclusion. Inter-rater reliability and test–re-test reliability within a single rating session of the DPI in measuring pelvic tilt were both good, while test–re-test reliability between rating sessions was moderate-to-good. Caution is required regarding the interpretation of the test–re-test reliability within a single rating session, as the raters were not blinded. Further research is required to establish validity.

Behavior of Re and Os during contact between an aqueous solution and oil: Consequences for the application of the Re-Os geochronometer to petroleum

Science.gov (United States)

Mahdaoui, Fatima; Michels, Raymond; Reisberg, Laurie; Pujol, Magali; Poirier, Yannick

2015-06-01

Several recent studies have raised the exciting possibility that oils can be dated using the Re-Os radioisotope system. However the exact nature of the events dated by this technique often remains unclear. Geochronologic interpretation of Re-Os data for oils is hampered by our limited knowledge of how these metals behave in petroleum systems. In particular, it is difficult to understand how isotopic homogenization, an essential prerequisite for the development of an isochronal relationship, can be achieved at the scale of a petroleum basin. The mechanisms capable of fractionating the Re/Os ratio in a suite of oils are also poorly understood. For this reason, we have performed an experimental study aimed at investigating the behavior of Re and Os during a particularly widespread phenomenon in petroleum systems, the interaction of formation waters with oils during migration. Contact experiments between natural oils and aqueous solutions enriched in Re and/or Os were carried out for varying lengths of time (6 h to 5 months), at different temperatures (25-150 °C), over a wide range of metal concentrations in the enriched solution (0.001-100 μg/g for Re; 1 and 10 ng/g for Os). In addition, the effect of oil composition on Re-Os exchange at the water-oil interface was examined by testing two oils with very different properties. All of our results demonstrate that Re and Os are transferred massively and very rapidly from the aqueous solution to the organic phase. This is true regardless of temperature or oil composition. It is also true for a very wide range of metal concentrations in the aqueous solution, up to an apparent saturation level that exceeds natural concentrations in oils by several orders of magnitude. Given the efficiency of Re and Os transfer from water to oil demonstrated here, and assuming that our findings are applicable to natural conditions, water/oil ratios of only about 250 would be needed to explain the Re and Os contents of most oils, based on

Spontaneous growth of whiskers on RE-bearing intermetallic compounds of Sn-RE, In-RE, and Pb-RE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Meng [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China); Xian Aiping, E-mail: ap.xian@imr.ac.c [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China)

2009-11-03

A phenomenon of the whiskers growth on the bulk rare earth (RE)-intermetallic compounds of NdSn{sub 3}, NdIn{sub 3}, and LaPb{sub 3} is reported. The whiskers formed spontaneously on all of the RE-intermetallic compounds after exposed to room ambience (21-28 deg. C/20-56% RH, relative humidity) for several days. Among the samples, the propensity of whisker growth for NdSn{sub 3} is the strongest, on which the tin whiskers were flourishing and covered all of the surfaces after exposed to room ambience for 22 days; while LaPb{sub 3} is the secondary and NdIn{sub 3} is the last one. Observed by SEM, the whiskers were exhibited as different morphology, size, and number density. The XRD analysis confirms the existence of RE(OH){sub 3} after whiskers formed, also, the weight gain curve of the samples exposed to room ambience supports that a spontaneous chemical reaction of the RE-intermetallic compounds with water in room ambience takes place. In discussion, it is proposed that the fresh metal atoms released by the chemical reaction could be causative to result in nucleation and spontaneous growth of the whiskers, while the anisotropy of crystal structure could be a reason to understand the difference of the whisker growth behaviors between Sn and Pb.

Presence of animal feeding operations and community socioeconomic factors impact salmonellosis incidence rates: An ecological analysis using data from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), 2004-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaw, Kristi S; Cruz-Cano, Raul; Jiang, Chengsheng; Malayil, Leena; Blythe, David; Ryan, Patricia; Sapkota, Amy R

2016-10-01

Nontyphoidal Salmonella spp. are a leading cause of foodborne illness. Risk factors for salmonellosis include the consumption of contaminated chicken, eggs, pork and beef. Agricultural, environmental and socioeconomic factors also have been associated with rates of Salmonella infection. However, to our knowledge, these factors have not been modeled together at the community-level to improve our understanding of whether rates of salmonellosis are variable across communities defined by differing factors. To address this knowledge gap, we obtained data on culture-confirmed Salmonella Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, S. Newport and S. Javiana cases (2004-2010; n=14,297) from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), and socioeconomic, environmental and agricultural data from the 2010 Census of Population and Housing, the 2011 American Community Survey, and the 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture. We linked data by zip code and derived incidence rate ratios using negative binomial regressions. Multiple community-level factors were associated with salmonellosis rates; however, our findings varied by state. For example, in Georgia (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR)=1.01; 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=1.005-1.015) Maryland (IRR=1.01; 95% CI=1.003-1.015) and Tennessee (IRR=1.01; 95% CI=1.002-1.012), zip codes characterized by greater rurality had higher rates of S. Newport infections. The presence of broiler chicken operations, dairy operations and cattle operations in a zip code also was associated with significantly higher rates of infection with at least one serotype in states that are leading producers of these animal products. For instance, in Georgia and Tennessee, rates of S. Enteritidis infection were 48% (IRR=1.48; 95% CI=1.12-1.95) and 46% (IRR=1.46; 95% CI=1.17-1.81) higher in zip codes with broiler chicken operations compared to those without these operations. In Maryland, New Mexico and Tennessee, higher poverty levels in zip codes were associated with

Investigations on steel slag re-utilization in developing countries; Hatten tojokoku ni okeru tekko slag sairiyo ni kansuru chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

In order to promote steel slag re-utilization in developing countries, a possibility was presented for technical cooperation to India, Indonesia and Thailand upon putting the status of slag utilization in Japan into order. Blast furnace slag produced in Japan (having a re-utilization rate of 95%) is re-utilized and processed as cement aggregates and road beds, and converter slag as civil engineering materials and ores. Steel making slag (having a re-utilization rate of 80%) is re-utilized as road, processing and civil engineering materials. Since the steel making slag faces intensifying competition with ash made by incinerating construction and general wastes, it is important to improve its price competitiveness or mixed utilization with other materials. Re-utilization has not advanced to a recognizable level in developing countries because of having no difficulty for availability of lands for wastes. However, growth of full-scale steel industries and elevation in tendency of environment preservation now urge increase in the slag re-utilization rate. Required to achieve the goal would include wider use of re-utilization technologies, quality control on slag, joint use of facilities to produce re-utilization products, and governmental assistance on burdens of transportation cost. Assistance from Japan is expected to help meet these requirements. 25 figs., 31 tabs.

Clinical analysis of long-term outcomes of re-intervention of transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Fuquan; Yue Zhendong; Zhao Hongwei

2012-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the safety,effectiveness and clinical factors of re-intervention of transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt (TIPS). Methods: A retrospective study of safety and long-term outcomes of TIPS was made in 771 patients from August 1994 to August 2010. The 625 patients had follow-up data.The patients who received TIPS once, twice, and more than twice were divided into group 1, group 2 and group 3, respectively. Clinical symptoms, survival rate and restenosis rate of each group were analyzed. Clinical influencing factors of re-intervention effect were discussed. Results: The success rate of first intervention was 98.2% (757/771), the death rate was 0.7% (5/757) and severe complication rate was 2.5% (19/757). The success rate of re-intervention was 98.7% (457/463), no death and severe complications occurred. The restenosis rate in group 3 decreased significantly than group 1 (χ 2 =7.908, P<0.05) in the first year of TIPS. The restenosis rates in group 2 and group 3 were lower than group 1 from 2 to 5 years of TIPS (χ2 values were 27.046, 25.724, 37.002 and 19.046, respectively, P<0.05). The survival rate in group 3 was higher than group 1 (χ 2 =9.114, P<0.05)and group 2 was higher than group 1 (χ 2 =4.929, P<0.05) in the first year of TIPS, while there was no statistical difference between group 2 and group 3 (χ 2 =2.678, P>0.05). The patients in group 2 and group 3 also had higher survival rates than group 1 from 2 to 5 years of TIPS (χ 2 value were 41.314, 26.920, 13.692 and 6.713, respectively, P<0.05). 19.4% (79/406) of patients who received re-intervention had symptom recurrence and shunt stenosis or occlusion. 11.6% (47/406) of patients had symptom recurrence with portal hypertension signs, 62.8% (255/406) had shunt stenosis or occlusion with portal hypertension signs. Conclusions: Restenosis or occlusion of TIPS, symptom recurrence and portal hypertension signs were important factors for re-intervention. Re-intervention of TIPS was

Attribute-based proxy re-encryption with keyword search.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Yanfeng; Liu, Jiqiang; Han, Zhen; Zheng, Qingji; Zhang, Rui; Qiu, Shuo

2014-01-01

Keyword search on encrypted data allows one to issue the search token and conduct search operations on encrypted data while still preserving keyword privacy. In the present paper, we consider the keyword search problem further and introduce a novel notion called attribute-based proxy re-encryption with keyword search (ABRKS), which introduces a promising feature: In addition to supporting keyword search on encrypted data, it enables data owners to delegate the keyword search capability to some other data users complying with the specific access control policy. To be specific, ABRKS allows (i) the data owner to outsource his encrypted data to the cloud and then ask the cloud to conduct keyword search on outsourced encrypted data with the given search token, and (ii) the data owner to delegate other data users keyword search capability in the fine-grained access control manner through allowing the cloud to re-encrypted stored encrypted data with a re-encrypted data (embedding with some form of access control policy). We formalize the syntax and security definitions for ABRKS, and propose two concrete constructions for ABRKS: key-policy ABRKS and ciphertext-policy ABRKS. In the nutshell, our constructions can be treated as the integration of technologies in the fields of attribute-based cryptography and proxy re-encryption cryptography.

Attribute-Based Proxy Re-Encryption with Keyword Search

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Yanfeng; Liu, Jiqiang; Han, Zhen; Zheng, Qingji; Zhang, Rui; Qiu, Shuo

2014-01-01

Keyword search on encrypted data allows one to issue the search token and conduct search operations on encrypted data while still preserving keyword privacy. In the present paper, we consider the keyword search problem further and introduce a novel notion called attribute-based proxy re-encryption with keyword search (), which introduces a promising feature: In addition to supporting keyword search on encrypted data, it enables data owners to delegate the keyword search capability to some other data users complying with the specific access control policy. To be specific, allows (i) the data owner to outsource his encrypted data to the cloud and then ask the cloud to conduct keyword search on outsourced encrypted data with the given search token, and (ii) the data owner to delegate other data users keyword search capability in the fine-grained access control manner through allowing the cloud to re-encrypted stored encrypted data with a re-encrypted data (embedding with some form of access control policy). We formalize the syntax and security definitions for , and propose two concrete constructions for : key-policy and ciphertext-policy . In the nutshell, our constructions can be treated as the integration of technologies in the fields of attribute-based cryptography and proxy re-encryption cryptography. PMID:25549257

Telehealth Delivery of Rapid Syllable Transitions (ReST) Treatment for Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Donna C.; McCabe, Patricia; Ballard, Kirrie J.; Lincoln, Michelle

2016-01-01

Background: Rapid Syllable Transitions (ReST) treatment uses pseudo-word targets with varying lexical stress to target simultaneously articulation, prosodic accuracy and coarticulatory transitions in childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). The treatment is efficacious for the acquisition of imitated pseudo-words, and generalization of skill to…

Wavelet and receiver operating characteristic analysis of heart rate variability

Science.gov (United States)

McCaffery, G.; Griffith, T. M.; Naka, K.; Frennaux, M. P.; Matthai, C. C.

2002-02-01

Multiresolution wavelet analysis has been used to study the heart rate variability in two classes of patients with different pathological conditions. The scale dependent measure of Thurner et al. was found to be statistically significant in discriminating patients suffering from hypercardiomyopathy from a control set of normal subjects. We have performed Receiver Operating Characteristc (ROC) analysis and found the ROC area to be a useful measure by which to label the significance of the discrimination, as well as to describe the severity of heart dysfunction.

Re-Greening Ethiopia: History, Challenges and Lessons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mulugeta Lemenih

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In Ethiopia, deforestation rates remain high and the gap between demand and domestic supply of forest products is expanding, even though government-initiated re-greening efforts began over a century ago. Today, over 3 million hectares (ha of degraded forest land are under area exclosure; smallholder plantations cover 0.8 million ha; and state-owned industrial plantations stagnate at under 0.25 million ha. This review captures experiences related to re-greening practices in Ethiopia, specifically with regards to area exclosure and afforestation and reforestation, and distills lessons regarding processes, achievements and challenges. The findings show that farmers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs are the main players, and that the private sector has so far played only a small role. The role of the government was mixed: supportive in some cases and hindering in others. The challenges of state- and NGO-led re-greening practices are: inadequate involvement of communities; poorly defined rehabilitation objectives; lack of management plans; unclear responsibilities and benefit-sharing arrangements; and poor silvicultural practices. The lessons include: a more active role for non-state actors in re-greening initiatives; more attention to market signals; devolution of management responsibility; clear definition of responsibilities and benefit-sharing arrangements; and better tenure security, which are all major factors to success.

Crystal structure of R.E. NiSn and R.E. PdSn equiatomic compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwight, A.E.

1983-03-01

Call constants and volume per formula weight are tabulated for RE NiSn (RE = La to Lu, Y) and RE PdSn (RE = Nd to Ho). The unit cell constants are also plotted versus ionic radius of the RE; trends are noted

Undergraduate surgical nursing preparation and guided operating room experience: A quantitative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Foran, Paula

2016-01-01

The aim of this research was to determine if guided operating theatre experience in the undergraduate nursing curricula enhanced surgical knowledge and understanding of nursing care provided outside this specialist area in the pre- and post-operative surgical wards. Using quantitative analyses, undergraduate nurses were knowledge tested on areas of pre- and post-operative surgical nursing in their final semester of study. As much learning occurs in nurses' first year of practice, participants were re-tested again after their Graduate Nurse Program/Preceptorship year. Participants' results were compared to the model of operating room education they had participated in to determine if there was a relationship between the type of theatre education they experienced (if any) and their knowledge of surgical ward nursing. Findings revealed undergraduates nurses receiving guided operating theatre experience had a 76% pass rate compared to 56% with non-guided or no experience (p nurses achieved a 100% pass rate compared to 53% with non-guided or no experience (p research informs us that undergraduate nurses achieve greater learning about surgical ward nursing via guided operating room experience as opposed to surgical ward nursing experience alone. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil and biomass carbon re-accumulation after landslide disturbances

Science.gov (United States)

Schomakers, Jasmin; Jien, Shih-Hao; Lee, Tsung-Yu; Huang-Chuan, Jr.; Hseu, Zeng-Yei; Lin, Zan Liang; Lee, Li-Chin; Hein, Thomas; Mentler, Axel; Zehetner, Franz

2017-07-01

In high-standing islands of the Western Pacific, typhoon-triggered landslides occasionally strip parts of the landscape of its vegetative cover and soil layer and export large amounts of biomass and soil organic carbon (OC) from land to the ocean. After such disturbances, new vegetation colonizes the landslide scars and OC starts to re-accumulate. In the subtropical mountains of Taiwan and in other parts of the world, bamboo (Bambusoideae) species may invade at a certain point in the succession of recovering landslide scars. Bamboo has a high potential for carbon sequestration because of its fast growth and dense rooting system. However, it is still largely unknown how these properties translate into soil OC re-accumulation rates after landslide disturbance. In this study, a chronosequence was established on four former landslide scars in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan, ranging in age from 6 to 41 years post disturbance as determined by landslide mapping from remote sensing. The younger landslide scars were colonized by Miscanthus floridulus, while after approx. 15 to 20 years of succession, bamboo species (Phyllostachys) were dominating. Biomass and soil OC stocks were measured on the recovering landslide scars and compared to an undisturbed Cryptomeria japonica forest stand in the area. After initially slow re-vegetation, biomass carbon accumulated in Miscanthus stands with mean annual accretion rates of 2 ± 0.5 Mg C ha- 1 yr- 1. Biomass carbon continued to increase after bamboo invasion and reached 40% of that in the reference forest site after 41 years of landslide recovery. Soil OC accumulation rates were 2.0 Mg C ha- 1 yr- 1, 6 to 41 years post disturbance reaching 64% of the level in the reference forest. Our results from this in-situ study suggest that recovering landslide scars are strong carbon sinks once an initial lag period of vegetation re-establishment is overcome.

Impact of hyperglycemia on morbidity and mortality, length of hospitalization and rates of re-hospitalization in a general hospital setting in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leite Silmara AO

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients is known to be related to a higher incidence of clinical and surgical complications and poorer outcomes. Adequate glycemic control and earlier diagnosis of type 2 diabetes during hospitalization are cost-effective measures. Methods This prospective cohort study was designed to determine the impact of hyperglycemia on morbidity and mortality in a general hospital setting during a 3-month period by reviewing patients' records. The primary purposes of this trial were to verify that hyperglycemia was diagnosed properly and sufficiently early and that it was managed during the hospital stay; we also aimed to evaluate the relationship between in-hospital hyperglycemia control and outcomes such as complications during the hospital stay, extent of hospitalization, frequency of re-hospitalization, death rates and number of days in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit after admission. Statistical analyses utilized the Kruskall-Wallis complemented by the "a posteriori" d.m.s. test, Spearman correlation and Chi-squared test, with a level of significance of 5% (p Results We reviewed 779 patient records that fulfilled inclusion criteria. The patients were divided into 5 groups: group (1 diabetic with normal glycemic levels according to American Diabetes Association criteria for in-hospital patients (n = 123; group (2 diabetics with hyperglycemia (n = 76; group (3 non-diabetics with hyperglycemia (n = 225; group (4diabetics and non-diabetics with persistent hyperglycemia during 3 consecutive days (n = 57 and group (5 those with normal glucose control (n = 298. Compared to patients in groups 1 and 5, patients in groups 2, 3 and 4 had significantly higher mortality rates (17.7% vs. 2.8% and Intensive Care Unit admissions with complications (23.3% vs. 4.5%. Patients in group 4 had the longest hospitalizations (mean 15.5 days, and group 5 had the lowest re-hospitalization rate (mean of 1.28 hospitalizations. Only

From collision to collaboration - Integrating informal recyclers and re-use operators in Europe: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheinberg, Anne; Nesić, Jelena; Savain, Rachel; Luppi, Pietro; Sinnott, Portia; Petean, Flaviu; Pop, Flaviu

2016-09-01

The European Union hosts some of the world's most developed waste management systems and an ambitious policy commitment to the circular economy. The existence of informal recycling and re-use activities in Europe has been vigorously denied until quite recently, and remains a very challenging subject for the European solid waste management sector, as well as for European government and private institutions. In countries ranging from Malta to Macedonia and from France to Turkey, informal recyclers excluded from legal recycling niches increasingly collide with formalised and controlled European Union approaches to urban waste management, packaging recovery schemes, formal re-use enterprises, and extended producer responsibility systems.This review focuses on the period from 2004 through the first half of 2016. The 78 sources on European (and neighbouring) informal recycling and re-use are contextualised with global sources and experience. The articles focus on informal recovery in and at the borders of the European Union, document the conflicts and collisions, and elaborate some constructive approaches towards legalisation, integration, and reconciliation. The overarching recommendation, to locate the issue of informal recovery and integration in the framework of the European circular economy package, is supported by four specific pillars of an integration strategy: Documentation, legalisation, occupational and enterprise recognition, and preparation for structural integration. © The Author(s) 2016.

A systematic review of re-identification attacks on health data.

Science.gov (United States)

El Emam, Khaled; Jonker, Elizabeth; Arbuckle, Luk; Malin, Bradley

2011-01-01

Privacy legislation in most jurisdictions allows the disclosure of health data for secondary purposes without patient consent if it is de-identified. Some recent articles in the medical, legal, and computer science literature have argued that de-identification methods do not provide sufficient protection because they are easy to reverse. Should this be the case, it would have significant and important implications on how health information is disclosed, including: (a) potentially limiting its availability for secondary purposes such as research, and (b) resulting in more identifiable health information being disclosed. Our objectives in this systematic review were to: (a) characterize known re-identification attacks on health data and contrast that to re-identification attacks on other kinds of data, (b) compute the overall proportion of records that have been correctly re-identified in these attacks, and (c) assess whether these demonstrate weaknesses in current de-identification methods. Searches were conducted in IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and PubMed. After screening, fourteen eligible articles representing distinct attacks were identified. On average, approximately a quarter of the records were re-identified across all studies (0.26 with 95% CI 0.046-0.478) and 0.34 for attacks on health data (95% CI 0-0.744). There was considerable uncertainty around the proportions as evidenced by the wide confidence intervals, and the mean proportion of records re-identified was sensitive to unpublished studies. Two of fourteen attacks were performed with data that was de-identified using existing standards. Only one of these attacks was on health data, which resulted in a success rate of 0.00013. The current evidence shows a high re-identification rate but is dominated by small-scale studies on data that was not de-identified according to existing standards. This evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions about the efficacy of de-identification methods.

A systematic review of re-identification attacks on health data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaled El Emam

Full Text Available Privacy legislation in most jurisdictions allows the disclosure of health data for secondary purposes without patient consent if it is de-identified. Some recent articles in the medical, legal, and computer science literature have argued that de-identification methods do not provide sufficient protection because they are easy to reverse. Should this be the case, it would have significant and important implications on how health information is disclosed, including: (a potentially limiting its availability for secondary purposes such as research, and (b resulting in more identifiable health information being disclosed. Our objectives in this systematic review were to: (a characterize known re-identification attacks on health data and contrast that to re-identification attacks on other kinds of data, (b compute the overall proportion of records that have been correctly re-identified in these attacks, and (c assess whether these demonstrate weaknesses in current de-identification methods.Searches were conducted in IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and PubMed. After screening, fourteen eligible articles representing distinct attacks were identified. On average, approximately a quarter of the records were re-identified across all studies (0.26 with 95% CI 0.046-0.478 and 0.34 for attacks on health data (95% CI 0-0.744. There was considerable uncertainty around the proportions as evidenced by the wide confidence intervals, and the mean proportion of records re-identified was sensitive to unpublished studies. Two of fourteen attacks were performed with data that was de-identified using existing standards. Only one of these attacks was on health data, which resulted in a success rate of 0.00013.The current evidence shows a high re-identification rate but is dominated by small-scale studies on data that was not de-identified according to existing standards. This evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions about the efficacy of de-identification methods.

7 CFR 1435.301 - Annual estimates and quarterly re-estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS, PURCHASES, AND OTHER OPERATIONS SUGAR PROGRAM Flexible Marketing..., estimates, and re-estimates in this subpart will use available USDA statistics and estimates of production, consumption, and stocks, taking into account, where appropriate, data supplied in reports submitted pursuant...

Real-Time Integrated Re-scheduling for Tramway Operations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cheung, Kam-Fung; Kuo, Yong-Hong; Lai, S.W.; Leung, Janny M.Y.

2018-01-01

Our work aims to develop practical solution approaches for real-time dispatch of crews and vehicles for disruption management. The practical motivation for our research arose from the operations of a public tramway system in Hong Kong. The tram system shares the road with other vehicular traffic in

Nuclear power's effects on electric rate making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.S.; Lancaster, A.A.

1978-01-01

Government and the electric utility industry are re-evaluating nuclear power's contribution to the total U.S. energy supplies. This article addresses how the recently increased nuclear plant construction and operation costs are translated into the prices that consumers pay for electricity. The electric rates that consumers pay must reflect the costs of producing electricity, as well as the costs of transmission, distribution, metering, and billing. The use of nuclear power for electric production is anticipated to grow rapidly so as to meet a larger portion of our country's electricity needs through the end of the century; so nuclear power costs are expected to be an even larger portion of the total electricity price. There are certain rate-making issues that are actively being discussed in public forums and before state and Federal regulatory bodies. These issues are not unique to nuclear power, but take on added significance when nuclear power is used by utilities to produce electricity because of the technology required and because of the type, timing, and magnitude of the costs involved. These are: (1) inclusion of construction work in progress in the rate base; (2) fuel adjustment clauses and treatment of nuclear fuel cycle costs; (3) treatment of certain taxes under the rate-making method called normalization or deferral accounting (sometimes referred to as ''phantom taxes''); and (4) rate treatment for particular nuclear expense items reflecting costs of delays, plant cancellations, and operational slowdowns

Paradoxical dissociation between heart rate and heart rate variability following different modalities of exercise in individuals with metabolic syndrome: The RESOLVE study.

Science.gov (United States)

Boudet, Gil; Walther, Guillaume; Courteix, Daniel; Obert, Philippe; Lesourd, Bruno; Pereira, Bruno; Chapier, Robert; Vinet, Agnès; Chamoux, Alain; Naughton, Geraldine; Poirier, Paul; Dutheil, Frédéric

2017-02-01

Aims To analyse the effects of different modalities of exercise training on heart rate variability (HRV) in individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods and results Eighty MetS participants (aged 50-70 years) were housed and managed in an inpatient medical centre for 21 days, including weekends. Physical activity and food intake/diet were intensively monitored. Participants were randomly assigned into three training groups, differing only by intensity of exercise: moderate-endurance-moderate-resistance ( re), high-resistance-moderate-endurance ( Re), and moderate-resistance-high-endurance ( rE). HRV was recorded before and after the intervention by 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram. Although mean 24-hour heart rate decreased more in Re than re (-11.6 ± 1.6 vs. -4.8 ± 2.1%; P = 0.010), low frequency/high frequency decreased more in re than Re (-20.4 ± 5.5% vs. + 20.4 ± 9.1%; P = 0.002) and rE (-20.4 ± 5.5% vs. -0.3 ± 11.1%; P = 0.003). Very low frequency increased more in Re than re (+121.2 ± 35.7 vs. 42.9 ± 11.3%; P = 0.004). For all HRV parameters, rE ranged between re and Re values. Low frequency/high frequency changes were linked with visceral fat loss only in re (coefficient 5.9, 95% CI 1.9-10.0; P = 0.004). By day 21, HRV parameters of MetS groups (heart rate -8.6 ± 1.0%, standard deviation of R-R intervals + 34.0 ± 6.6%, total power + 63.3 ± 11.1%; P < 0.001) became closer to values of 50 aged-matched healthy controls. Conclusions A 3-week residential programme with intensive volumes of physical activity (15-20 hours per week) enhanced HRV in individuals with MetS. Participants with moderate intensity of training had greater improvements in sympathovagal balance, whereas those with high intensity in resistance training had greater decreases in heart rate and greater increases in very low frequency. Modality-specific relationships were observed between enhanced HRV

Simple re-instantiation of small databases using cloud computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Tin Wee; Xie, Chao; De Silva, Mark; Lim, Kuan Siong; Patro, C Pawan K; Lim, Shen Jean; Govindarajan, Kunde Ramamoorthy; Tong, Joo Chuan; Choo, Khar Heng; Ranganathan, Shoba; Khan, Asif M

2013-01-01

Small bioinformatics databases, unlike institutionally funded large databases, are vulnerable to discontinuation and many reported in publications are no longer accessible. This leads to irreproducible scientific work and redundant effort, impeding the pace of scientific progress. We describe a Web-accessible system, available online at http://biodb100.apbionet.org, for archival and future on demand re-instantiation of small databases within minutes. Depositors can rebuild their databases by downloading a Linux live operating system (http://www.bioslax.com), preinstalled with bioinformatics and UNIX tools. The database and its dependencies can be compressed into an ".lzm" file for deposition. End-users can search for archived databases and activate them on dynamically re-instantiated BioSlax instances, run as virtual machines over the two popular full virtualization standard cloud-computing platforms, Xen Hypervisor or vSphere. The system is adaptable to increasing demand for disk storage or computational load and allows database developers to use the re-instantiated databases for integration and development of new databases. Herein, we demonstrate that a relatively inexpensive solution can be implemented for archival of bioinformatics databases and their rapid re-instantiation should the live databases disappear.

Re-qualification of MTR-type fuel plates fabrication process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elseaidy, I.M.; Ghoneim, M.M.

2010-01-01

The fabricability issues with increased uranium loading due to use low enrichment of uranium (LEU), i.e. less than 20 % of U 235 , increase the problems which occur during compact manufacturing, roll bonding of the fuel plates, potential difficulty in forming during rolling process, mechanical integrity of the core during fabrication, potential difficulty in meat homogeneity, and the ability to fabricate plates with thicker core as a means of increasing total uranium loading. To produce MTR- type fuel plates with high uranium loading (HUL) and keep the required quality of these plates, many of qualification process must be done in the commissioning step of fuel fabrication plant. After that any changing of the fabrication parameters, for example changing of any of the raw materials, devises, operators, and etc., a re- qualification process should be done in order to keep the quality of produced plates. Objective of the present work is the general description of the activities to be accomplished for re-qualification of manufacturing MTR- type nuclear fuel plates. For each process to be re-qualified, a detailed of re-qualification process were established. (author)

Library Automation Alternatives in 1996 and User Satisfaction Ratings of Library Users by Operating System.

Science.gov (United States)

Cibbarelli, Pamela

1996-01-01

Examines library automation product introductions and conversions to new operating systems. Compares user satisfaction ratings of the following library software packages: DOS/Windows, UNIX, Macintosh, and DEC VAX/VMS. Software is rated according to documentation, service/support, training, product reliability, product capabilities, ease of use,…

Design and commissioning of ReStoX for XENON1T

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheibelhut, Melanie [Institut fuer Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz (Germany)

2015-07-01

The XENON1T experiment, currently under construction at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory LNGS, uses the concept of a xenon dual-phase (liquid/gas) time projection chamber to search for Dark Matter particles. This requires cooling to about 175 K and liquefaction of the noble gas. The ReStoX (Recovery and Storage of Xenon) is a novel device to store and recover up to 7 tons of xenon - either in liquid phase at cryogenic temperatures and 1-2 bar of pressure, or in gaseous form at room temperature at about 70 bar of pressure. The ReStoX system consists of a double insulated stainless steel sphere with liquid nitrogen cooling loops distributed across the inner sphere. A condenser on the inside, also operated with liquid nitrogen, provides a cooling power of 3 kW. ReStoX is designed to provide an effective means for various operating modes: to fill the TPC fast, to recover xenon from the TPC under normal and emergency conditions, to store xenon safely in liquid or gaseous form, or to remain in cold standby nearly empty as a safety device. Here we present the design and first commissioning results.

The impact assessment of anticancer drug imatinib on the feeding behavior of rotifers with an integrated perspective: Exposure, post-exposure and re-exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Zhengyu; Yan, Kun; He, Xingliang; Liu, Yanhua; Zhang, Jie; Lopez Torres, Oscar; Guo, Ruixin; Chen, Jianqiu

2017-10-01

The anticancer drugs are getting increasing attention as an emerging contaminant in the aquatic environments. In the present study, feeding behavior of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus under the impact of anticancer drug imatinib was evaluated. Traditional toxicological studies usually focus on dose-effect relationship at a given exposure time, while ignore the possible impact after the exposure. Thus, how the impact varied in the post-exposure and re-exposure was also considered in the present study. The feeding depression of the rotifers was attributed to the increased concentration of imatinib. Although the filtration and ingestion rate of the rotifers recovered to a certain extent after the exposure, the significant feeding inhibition still persisted even if the exposure was ended. In the re-exposure period, the feeding behavior was less depressed than those of the exposure period, which implied that rotifers might develop a tolerance to the same toxics. The activities of acetylcholine esterase (AchE) and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rotifers were also detected. Imatinib inhibited the activities of AchE in the exposure and re-exposure while ROS levels increased significantly in the re-exposure period. Our present study provided an integrated assessment the potential environmental risks of imatinib at a new perspective. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Time-varying value of electric energy efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mims, Natalie A.; Eckman, Tom; Goldman, Charles

2017-06-30

Electric energy efficiency resources save energy and may reduce peak demand. Historically, quantification of energy efficiency benefits has largely focused on the economic value of energy savings during the first year and lifetime of the installed measures. Due in part to the lack of publicly available research on end-use load shapes (i.e., the hourly or seasonal timing of electricity savings) and energy savings shapes, consideration of the impact of energy efficiency on peak demand reduction (i.e., capacity savings) has been more limited. End-use load research and the hourly valuation of efficiency savings are used for a variety of electricity planning functions, including load forecasting, demand-side management and evaluation, capacity and demand response planning, long-term resource planning, renewable energy integration, assessing potential grid modernization investments, establishing rates and pricing, and customer service. This study reviews existing literature on the time-varying value of energy efficiency savings, provides examples in four geographically diverse locations of how consideration of the time-varying value of efficiency savings impacts the calculation of power system benefits, and identifies future research needs to enhance the consideration of the time-varying value of energy efficiency in cost-effectiveness screening analysis. Findings from this study include: -The time-varying value of individual energy efficiency measures varies across the locations studied because of the physical and operational characteristics of the individual utility system (e.g., summer or winter peaking, load factor, reserve margin) as well as the time periods during which savings from measures occur. -Across the four locations studied, some of the largest capacity benefits from energy efficiency are derived from the deferral of transmission and distribution system infrastructure upgrades. However, the deferred cost of such upgrades also exhibited the greatest range

An integrative time-varying frequency detection and channel sounding method for dynamic plasma sheath

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Lei; Yao, Bo; Zhao, Lei; Liu, Xiaotong; Yang, Min; Liu, Yanming

2018-01-01

The plasma sheath-surrounded hypersonic vehicle is a dynamic and time-varying medium and it is almost impossible to calculate time-varying physical parameters directly. The in-fight detection of the time-varying degree is important to understand the dynamic nature of the physical parameters and their effect on re-entry communication. In this paper, a constant envelope zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) sequence based on time-varying frequency detection and channel sounding method is proposed to detect the plasma sheath electronic density time-varying property and wireless channel characteristic. The proposed method utilizes the CAZAC sequence, which has excellent autocorrelation and spread gain characteristics, to realize dynamic time-varying detection/channel sounding under low signal-to-noise ratio in the plasma sheath environment. Theoretical simulation under a typical time-varying radio channel shows that the proposed method is capable of detecting time-variation frequency up to 200 kHz and can trace the channel amplitude and phase in the time domain well under -10 dB. Experimental results conducted in the RF modulation discharge plasma device verified the time variation detection ability in practical dynamic plasma sheath. Meanwhile, nonlinear phenomenon of dynamic plasma sheath on communication signal is observed thorough channel sounding result.

Comparison of Technical and Economical Effect of Different Planters using Varied Seed Rates on Canola Yield in Moghan Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Taghinazhad

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction One of the most important agricultural crops is rape seed oil as its special features can play an important role in the agricultural region. Due to the presence of more than 40% oil and 25% protein in the grain can play an important role in the supply of edible oil. After determining of various factors such as uniformity of planting depth, evenness between shrub, plant height and grain yield concluded that Nordsten drill along the seeding density of 75 cm for mechanized planting is acceptable yield. Afzali nia et al. (1999 in one study aimed to assess the performance of common grain drills in Iran in Zarghan area in Fars Province showed that differences between treatments in terms of seed distribution uniformity factor, plant population per unit area and yield product is not significant. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and select the most suitable types of canola planter and variable seed rate planting density and aims to increase the canola cultivated area by the highest yield. Materials and Methods Moghan Plain, located in the north areas of Ardebil province, is considered as an important areas of canola planting in Iran. This study was performed in the agricultural research center of Ardabil Province (Moghan (39°39´N; 48°88´E; 78 m a.s.l. in Northwest of Iran. To evaluate different planters with varied seed rates on canola yield. The experimental design was carried out in a randomized complete block design with strip splits (varied seed rates 6, 8 and10 kg per hectare and different drills consist of B1: Barzagar Hamadani drill (conventional method B2: Amazon drill pals teeth harrow, B3: Gaspardo drill pals teeth harrow and B4: Agromaster drill and four replications. To investigatethe different treatments in the experiment, various parameters such as percent germination, seeding uniformity of width and depth intervals, plant establishment, effective field capacity, fuel consumption rate andgrain yield were measured

Logistic Regression Analysis of Operational Errors and Routine Operations Using Sector Characteristics

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Pfleiderer, Elaine M; Scroggins, Cheryl L; Manning, Carol A

2009-01-01

...) and routine operation (RO) traffic samples. OE data were derived from SATORI re-creations of OEs occurring at the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center between 9/17/2001 and 12/10/2003...

A re-examination of the exchange rate overshooting hypothesis

African Journals Online (AJOL)

kirstam

Studies on exchange rate overshooting on the Zambian foreign exchange rate market are .... depreciation between 2008 and 2009 during the great recession. Figure 2 shows ...... manufacturing sector in Nigeria', European Journal of Business and Management, 5(22):. 67–73 .... paper. Washington, DC: IMF Working Paper.

Radiolabeling of anti-CD20 with Re0-188: liquid kit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dias, Carla Roberta; Osso Junior, Joao Alberto [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)]. E-mail: carlarobertab@yahoo.com.br; jaosso@ipen.br

2007-07-01

Radioimmunotherapy uses the targeting features of monoclonal antibody to deliver radiation from an attached radionuclide. The radionuclide {sup 188}Re is currently produced from the father nuclide {sup 188}W through a transportable generator system. Because of its easy availability and suitable nuclear properties (E{sub {beta}}{sub MAX} =2.1 MeV, t{sub 1/2}=16.9 h, E{sub {gamma}}=155 keV), this radionuclide is considered an attractive candidate for application as therapeutic agents and could be conveniently utilized for imaging and dosimetric purposes. The objective of this work is the optimization of radiolabeling of anti-CD20 with {sup 188}Re using a liquid formulation. Anti-CD20 was reduced by incubation with 2-ME and purified over a PD-10 column. The number of resulting free SH was assayed with Ellman's reagent. Optimization of radiolabeling was achieved by varying parameters: antibody mass, reducing agent, reaction time and {sup 188}Re volume in the liquid kit. Radiochemical purity of {sup 188}Re-anti-CD20 was evaluated. An average of 12 SH groups per mol in the reductions was found. The best labeling efficiency (> 93%) was achieved in the following conditions: 1 mg anti-CD20; 82.8 mg sodium tartrate; 1 mg SnCl{sub 2}; 0.25 mg gentisic acid, 1 mL {sup 188}Re and reaction time of 1 hour at room temperature. (author)

Status report on seismic re-evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

areas of the seismic re-evaluation process are considered in the future for the mutual benefit of the member countries. These include a better understanding of the benefits and disadvantages of the various methods employed in the re-evaluation process, the definition of the scope of plant to be selected for the re-evaluation process, definition of the criteria for re-evaluation, and the role and scope of the peer review process. Also included are the strengthening of plant, the incorporation of operational and research data/experience into the re-evaluation process and the identification of areas of new research that could provide benefits and improvements for the re-evaluation process. A summary of the responses to each section of the questionnaire is contained in Section 2. The responses are discussed in Section 3 of the report, and conclusions and recommendations resulting from the discussion are contained in Section 4. Appendix A contains a copy of the questionnaire which was issued to the participants. Appendix B presents details of the participating countries, organisations and individual representatives, and a copy of each of the completed and returned questionnaires is presented in Appendix C. Appendix D contains some brief details relating to the nuclear power industry in each of the participating countries, together with a database of details of the nuclear power plants in each of the participating countries

High repetition rate intense ion beam source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammer, D.A.; Glidden, S.C.; Noonan, B.

1992-01-01

This final report describes a ≤ 150kV, 40kA, 100ns high repetition rate pulsed power system and intense ion beam source which is now in operation at Cornell University. Operation of the Magnetically-controlled Anode Plasma (MAP) ion diode at > 100Hz (burst mode for up to 10 pulse bursts) provides an initial look at repetition rate limitations of both the ion diode and beam diagnostics. The pulsed power systems are capable of ≥ 1kHz operation (up to 10 pulse bursts), but ion diode operation was limited to ∼100Hz because of diagnostic limitations. By varying MAP diode operating parameters, ion beams can be extracted at a few 10s of keV or at up to 150keV, the corresponding accelerating gap impedance ranging from about 1Ω to about 10Ω. The ability to make hundreds of test pulses per day at an average repetition rate of about 2 pulses per minute permits statistical analysis of diode operation as a function of various parameters. Most diode components have now survived more than 10 4 pulses, and the design and construction of the various pulsed power components of the MAP diode which have enabled us to reach this point are discussed. A high speed data acquisition system and companion analysis software capable of acquiring pulse data at 1ms intervals (in bursts of up to 10 pulses) and processing it in ≤ min is described

Two-dimensional optoelectronic interconnect-processor and its operational bit error rate

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, J. Jiang; Gollsneider, Brian; Chang, Wayne H.; Carhart, Gary W.; Vorontsov, Mikhail A.; Simonis, George J.; Shoop, Barry L.

2004-10-01

Two-dimensional (2-D) multi-channel 8x8 optical interconnect and processor system were designed and developed using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) driven 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) arrays and the photodetector (PD) arrays with corresponding wavelengths. We performed operation and bit-error-rate (BER) analysis on this free-space integrated 8x8 VCSEL optical interconnects driven by silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) circuits. Pseudo-random bit stream (PRBS) data sequence was used in operation of the interconnects. Eye diagrams were measured from individual channels and analyzed using a digital oscilloscope at data rates from 155 Mb/s to 1.5 Gb/s. Using a statistical model of Gaussian distribution for the random noise in the transmission, we developed a method to compute the BER instantaneously with the digital eye-diagrams. Direct measurements on this interconnects were also taken on a standard BER tester for verification. We found that the results of two methods were in the same order and within 50% accuracy. The integrated interconnects were investigated in an optoelectronic processing architecture of digital halftoning image processor. Error diffusion networks implemented by the inherently parallel nature of photonics promise to provide high quality digital halftoned images.

(ReTranslating as Re-membering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julie Tarif

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This paper explores how (retranslation – interlingual and intersemiotic – can be perceived as a way of both remembering the literary legacy of other cultures but also as a way of re-membering/re-generating the body of literature(s of the importing culture. It focuses on what is called “a classic” and anchors its reflexion in polysystem theory and in the metaphorical vision of literary works as an organic living body. To do so, it concentrates on the British literary classic Oliver Twist and its translations and adaptations into French. The article addresses the following questions: What is to be remembered of certain works? Why, how and by whom are those works remembered?

Extraction of Tc(VII) and Re(VII) on TRU resin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerin, Nicolas; Riopel, Remi; Kramer-Tremblay, Sheila [Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Chalk River, ON (Canada). Radiobiology and Health Branch; De Silva, Nimal; Cornett, Jack [Ottawa Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Dai, Xiongxin [China Institute for Radiation Protection, Beijing (China)

2017-06-01

TRU resin can be used to rapidly and selectively extract Tc(VII) and Re(VII). The retention capacity curves of Tc(VII) and Re(VII) for HNO{sub 3}, HCl, H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} and H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} solutions were studied and prepared. Tc(VII) and Re(VII) were simultaneously extracted in 2 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} and 1.5 M H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} and were effectively separated from Mo(VI) and Ru(III). Tc(VII) and Re(VII) remained strongly bonded to the resin even after washing using a large volume of 2 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} at a relatively high flow rate. Also, they were both completely eluted from the resin using 15 mL of near boiling water, an eluent directly compatible for ICP-MS instrument measurements.

Music and 're-education' in the Soviet Gulag.

Science.gov (United States)

Klause, Inna

2013-01-01

After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks announced a new human dimension of penal policy whose goal should be the so-called 're-education' of prisoners. The desired 're-education' was to be realised using two kinds of measures: the physical work of the prisoners, and 'cultural education work'. A varied musical life in groups, 'agitation brigades', ensembles, orchestras and choirs developed within the framework of the 'cultural education work'. Two camps responsible for building canals in the 1930s particularly adopted this musical life: Belbaltlag and Dmitlag. In the latter, a composition competition took place in 1936 in which, among others, the arrested composer Sergey Protopopov took part. Since the 1930s, the Gulag administration had publicised that the measures taken for 're-education' concerned primarily criminal prisoners, as opposed to 'political prisoners', who were labelled as foreign to socialist society. Although the 'cultural education work' would not have functioned as well as it did without the cooperation of 'political prisoners', since their participation did not fit into the prescribed ideology, they were often underappreciated or even completely concealed. The following is a depiction of the officially organised musical life in the Gulag in the 1920s and 1930s as a grey zone. Music making and listening represented not only a source of strength for the prisoners, but also brought about situations that meant physical and psychological torture for them.

Effect of Different Silicon Sources on Yield and Silicon Uptake of Rice Grown under Varying Phosphorus Rates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flavia B. Agostinho

2017-08-01

Full Text Available A series of pot experiments were conducted to: (1 evaluate the effects of different Si sources (soil- and foliar-applied on grain yield and Si accumulation of rice supplied with varying P rates, and (2 evaluate Si absorption of rice using foliar- and soil-applied Si fertilizers. Three P rates, (0, 112, and 224 kg ha−1 combined with five Si treatments (wollastonite and slag applied at 4.5 ton ha−1 and one foliar Si solution applied at 20, 40 and 80 mg Si L−1 and a check were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The presence of P and Si in the soil created a synergistic effect on soil Al, Mn, and As (P < 0.01, but not on rice growth and P uptake. Wollastonite and slag application were most effective in raising rice Si content than foliar applied Si (P < 0.001. While there was an improvement in biomass (42% and tiller production (25% for rice receiving foliar Si, no supporting evidence was obtained in these experiments to verify leaf surface Si absorption. The application of Si-rich materials to soil still remains the most effective method for enhancing Si uptake by plants.

Re-attenders to the emergency department of a major urban hospital serving a population of 290,000.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ramasubbu, B

2015-01-01

The national Emergency Medicine Programme (EMP) in Ireland, defines a re-attender as any patient re-presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) within 28 days with the same chief complaint. A retrospective, electronic patient record audit was carried out on all re-attenders to Connolly ED during November 2012. There were 2919 attendances made up from 2530 patients; 230 patients re-attended a total of 389 times. The re-attendance rate was 13% (389\\/2919). 63 (27%) were frequent presenters. There was a significantly higher admission rate at second attendance than first (89 (39%) vs 39 (17%), p < 0.001). 25% (57\\/230) of patients \\'left before completion of treatment\\' (LBCT) at first attendance (significantly higher than the number at second attendance (p < 0.01)). 14\\/57 (25%) of those who LBCT at first attendance required admission at second attendance. 28\\/89 (31%) of second attendance admissions were failed discharges from first attendance. Reasons for re-attendance are multi-factorial and include both patient and departmental factors.

Operating a locomotive on liquid methane fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stolz, J.L.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that several years ago, Burlington Northern Railroad looked into the feasibility of operating a diesel railroad locomotive to also run on compressed natural gas in a dual-fuel mode. Recognizing the large volume of on-board storage required and other limitations of CNG in the application, a program was begun to fuel a locomotive with liquefied natural gas. Because natural gas composition can vary with source and processing, it was considered desirable to use essentially pure liquid methane as the engine fuel. Initial testing results show the locomotive system achieved full diesel-rated power when operating on liquid methane and with equivalent fuel efficiency. Extended testing, including an American Association of Railroad 500-hour durability test, was undertaken to obtain information on engine life, wear rate and lubrication oil life

Sludge behavior in centrifugal contactor operation for nuclear fuel reprocessing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, Atsushi; Sano, Yuichi; Takeuchi, Masayuki; Okamura, Nobuo; Koizumi, Kenji

2015-01-01

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been developing the centrifugal contactor for spent fuel reprocessing. In this study, we investigated the sludge behavior in centrifugal contactors at three different scales. The operational conditions (the flow rate and rotor speed) were varied. Most insoluble particles such as sludge remained in the rotor via centrifugal force. The capture ratio of sludge in the contactor was measured as a function of particle size at various flow rates, rotor speeds, and contactor scales. The sludge adhered and accumulated inside the rotor as the operational time increased, and the operational conditions influenced the capture ratio of the sludge; a lower flow rate and higher rotor speed increased the capture ratio. The results confirmed that Stokes' law can be applied to estimate the experimental result on the behavior of the capture ratio for centrifugal contactors with different scales. (author)

Time varying voltage combustion control and diagnostics sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Chorpening, Benjamin T [Morgantown, WV; Thornton, Jimmy D [Morgantown, WV; Huckaby, E David [Morgantown, WV; Fincham, William [Fairmont, WV

2011-04-19

A time-varying voltage is applied to an electrode, or a pair of electrodes, of a sensor installed in a fuel nozzle disposed adjacent the combustion zone of a continuous combustion system, such as of the gas turbine engine type. The time-varying voltage induces a time-varying current in the flame which is measured and used to determine flame capacitance using AC electrical circuit analysis. Flame capacitance is used to accurately determine the position of the flame from the sensor and the fuel/air ratio. The fuel and/or air flow rate (s) is/are then adjusted to provide reduced flame instability problems such as flashback, combustion dynamics and lean blowout, as well as reduced emissions. The time-varying voltage may be an alternating voltage and the time-varying current may be an alternating current.

IR radiation characteristics of rocket exhaust plumes under varying motor operating conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qinglin NIU

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The infrared (IR irradiance signature from rocket motor exhaust plumes is closely related to motor type, propellant composition, burn time, rocket geometry, chamber parameters and flight conditions. In this paper, an infrared signature analysis tool (IRSAT was developed to understand the spectral characteristics of exhaust plumes in detail. Through a finite volume technique, flow field properties were obtained through the solution of axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations with the Reynolds-averaged approach. A refined 13-species, 30-reaction chemistry scheme was used for combustion effects and a k-ε-Rt turbulence model for entrainment effects. Using flowfield properties as input data, the spectrum was integrated with a line of sight (LOS method based on a single line group (SLG model with Curtis-Godson approximation. The model correctly predicted spectral distribution in the wavelengths of 1.50–5.50 μm and had good agreement for its location with imaging spectrometer data. The IRSAT was then applied to discuss the effects of three operating conditions on IR signatures: (a afterburning; (b chamber pressure from ignition to cutoff; and (c minor changes in the ratio of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB binder to ammonium perchlorate (AP oxidizer in propellant. Results show that afterburning effects can increase the size and shape of radiance images with enhancement of radiation intensity up to 40%. Also, the total IR irradiance in different bands can be characterized by a non-dimensional chamber pressure trace in which the maximum discrepancy is less than 13% during ignition and engine cutoff. An increase of chamber pressure can lead to more distinct diamonds, whose distance intervals are extended, and the position of the first diamond moving backwards. In addition, an increase in HTPB/AP causes a significant jump in spectral intensity. The incremental rates of radiance intensity integrated in each band are linear with the increase of HTPB

Re-evaluation of Station Blackout in Nuclear Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Eunchan; Shin, Taeyoung [Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. Ltd., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

This paper proposes a reduction of the uncertainty due to the small number of LOOP events and an estimation of the non-recovery probability after a LOOP event where the operators fail to energize a safety bus using the offsite power recovery during an SBO with recent operating experience. In addition, in this analysis, the CDF is re-evaluated through reflecting the enhancement of the Class-1E battery capacity. For newly constructed KHNP plants, the LOOP frequency and non-recovery probability after a LOOP during an SBO were re-evaluated through integrating the KHNP events into generic data containing broader experiences for PSA. For an initiating event frequency, a new LOOP frequency was calculated through a Bayesian update of the KHNP LOOP frequency using NUREG/CR-6890, which reflects the recent trends and has a large data size. For the non-recovery probability estimation, domestic data were added to the American experiences in the NUREG/CR-6890; these data were fitted to a lognormal distribution in order to reduce the uncertainty due to the small size of the KHNP data. Regarding the battery capacity enhancement, the success criteria during an SBO were re-evaluated considering the longer battery duty time. The CDF was recalculated using the resultant available time for operator action. The changed CDF was reduced by approximately 50% compared with the value before battery improvement. In conclusion, it was quantitatively proven that enlarging the battery capacity to manage SBOs positively affected plant safety. In addition, methods to improve data uncertainty due to the small number of experiences were selected in order to evaluate the LOOP frequency and non-recovery probability after a LOOP for future plants. These efforts contribute to obtaining a realistic risk profile and to prioritizing countermeasures and improvements of vulnerabilities for safety.

Using GPS technology to (re-examine operational definitions of ‘neighbourhood’ in place-based health research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boruff Bryan J

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Inconsistencies in research findings on the impact of the built environment on walking across the life course may be methodologically driven. Commonly used methods to define ‘neighbourhood’, from which built environment variables are measured, may not accurately represent the spatial extent to which the behaviour in question occurs. This paper aims to provide new methods for spatially defining ‘neighbourhood’ based on how people use their surrounding environment. Results Informed by Global Positioning Systems (GPS tracking data, several alternative neighbourhood delineation techniques were examined (i.e., variable width, convex hull and standard deviation buffers. Compared with traditionally used buffers (i.e., circular and polygon network, differences were found in built environment characteristics within the newly created ‘neighbourhoods’. Model fit statistics indicated that exposure measures derived from alternative buffering techniques provided a better fit when examining the relationship between land-use and walking for transport or leisure. Conclusions This research identifies how changes in the spatial extent from which built environment measures are derived may influence walking behaviour. Buffer size and orientation influences the relationship between built environment measures and walking for leisure in older adults. The use of GPS data proved suitable for re-examining operational definitions of neighbourhood.

A Process Re-engineering Framework for Reverse Logistics based on a Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hing Kai Chan

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Reverse logistics has gained increasing attention in recent years as a channel for companies to achieve operational excellence. The process involves manipulation of returned materials, or even products, which forms a pivotal role in sustainable development throughout the whole supply chains. To make reverse logistics possible, process re-engineering may need to be carried out. However, the processes involved in reengineering are practically complicated. Objectives, benefits, and applicability of any process re-engineering require a careful and detailed strategic planning. This paper aims to propose an easy-to-follow step-by-step framework for practitioners to perform process re-engineering, to learn and identify the critical issues in each step, and to be successful in applying process re-engineering in order to enhance reverse logistics performance. A learner-centred approach is adopted based on a case study of process re-engineering, which is demonstrated in the paper for explanation.

Doses rate in contact with plastic syringes of 1, 2 and 5 mL for different beta and gamma emitting radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres Berdeguez, Mirta; Ayra Pardo, Enrique; Falcon, Lazaro

2008-01-01

The objective of this paper is to calculate the dose rate in contact with plastic syringes of 1, 2 and 5 m L volume, unshielded and the dose rate in the same syringes after a lead or a Lucite shield of various thickness has been installed, depending on the emission of the radionuclide used. The radionuclides involved in the assessment were 32 P, 51 Cr, 90 Y, 99m Tc, 125 I, 131 I, 153 Sm, 186 Re, 188 Re, 169 Er and 177 Lu. The code used was the MCNP4C. The results are intended to be used by a Radiation Protection Officer wherever the radionuclides in question are handled to rapidly assess the dose in hands of the operators. (author)

Application of the FADS system on the Re-entry Module

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Huang

2016-07-01

The aerodynamic model for Flush Air Data Sensing System (FADS) is built based on the surface pressure distribution obtained through the pressure orifices laid on specific positions of the surface,and the flight parameters,such as angle of attack,angle of side-slip,Mach number,free-stream static pressure and dynamic pressure are inferred from the aerodynamic model.The flush air data sensing system (FADS) has been used on several flight tests of aircraft and re-entry vehicle,such as,X-15,space shuttle,F-14,X-33,X-43A and so on. This paper discusses the application of the FADS on the re-entry module with blunt body to obtain high-precision aerodynamic parameters.First of all,a basic theory and operating principle of the FADS is shown.Then,the applications of the FADS on typical aircrafts and re-entry vehicles are described.Thirdly,the application mode on the re-entry module with blunt body is discussed in detail,including aerodynamic simulation,pressure distribution,trajectory reconstruction and the hardware shoule be used,such as flush air data sensing system(FADS),inertial navigation system (INS),data acquisition system,data storage system.Finally,ablunt module re-entry flight test from low earth orbit (LEO) is planned to obtain aerodynamic parameters and amend the aerodynamic model with this FADS system data.The results show that FADS system can be applied widely in re-entry module with blunt bodies.

Re-thinking residential mobility

Science.gov (United States)

van Ham, Maarten; Findlay, Allan M.

2015-01-01

While researchers are increasingly re-conceptualizing international migration, far less attention has been devoted to re-thinking short-distance residential mobility and immobility. In this paper we harness the life course approach to propose a new conceptual framework for residential mobility research. We contend that residential mobility and immobility should be re-conceptualized as relational practices that link lives through time and space while connecting people to structural conditions. Re-thinking and re-assessing residential mobility by exploiting new developments in longitudinal analysis will allow geographers to understand, critique and address pressing societal challenges. PMID:27330243

Exploiting Multiple Detections for Person Re-Identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amran Bhuiyan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Re-identification systems aim at recognizing the same individuals in multiple cameras, and one of the most relevant problems is that the appearance of same individual varies across cameras due to illumination and viewpoint changes. This paper proposes the use of cumulative weighted brightness transfer functions (CWBTFs to model these appearance variations. Different from recently proposed methods which only consider pairs of images to learn a brightness transfer function, we exploit such a multiple-frame-based learning approach that leverages consecutive detections of each individual to transfer the appearance. We first present a CWBTF framework for the task of transforming appearance from one camera to another. We then present a re-identification framework where we segment the pedestrian images into meaningful parts and extract features from such parts, as well as from the whole body. Jointly, both of these frameworks contribute to model the appearance variations more robustly. We tested our approach on standard multi-camera surveillance datasets, showing consistent and significant improvements over existing methods on three different datasets without any other additional cost. Our approach is general and can be applied to any appearance-based method.

Is meditation always relaxing? Investigating heart rate, heart rate variability, experienced effort and likeability during training of three types of meditation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lumma, Anna-Lena; Kok, Bethany E; Singer, Tania

2015-07-01

Meditation is often associated with a relaxed state of the body. However, meditation can also be regarded as a type of mental task and training, associated with mental effort and physiological arousal. The cardiovascular effects of meditation may vary depending on the type of meditation, degree of mental effort, and amount of training. In the current study we assessed heart rate (HR), high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and subjective ratings of effort and likeability during three types of meditation varying in their cognitive and attentional requirements, namely breathing meditation, loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation. In the context of the ReSource project, a one-year longitudinal mental training study, participants practiced each meditation exercise on a daily basis for 3 months. As expected HR and effort were higher during loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation compared to breathing meditation. With training over time HR and likeability increased, while HF-HRV and the subjective experience of effort decreased. The increase in HR and decrease in HF-HRV over training was higher for loving-kindness meditation and observing-thoughts meditation compared to breathing meditation. In contrast to implicit beliefs that meditation is always relaxing and associated with low arousal, the current results show that core meditations aiming at improving compassion and meta-cognitive skills require effort and are associated with physiological arousal compared to breathing meditation. Overall these findings can be useful in making more specific suggestions about which type of meditation is most adaptive for a given context and population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variable food absorption by Antarctic krill: Relationships between diet, egestion rate and the composition and sinking rates of their fecal pellets

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, A.; Schmidt, K.; Fielding, S.; Kawaguchi, S.; Geissler, P. A.

2012-01-01

The kinetics of food processing by zooplankton affects both their energy budgets and the biogeochemical fate of their fecal pellets. We sampled 40 schools of krill across the Scotia Sea during spring, summer and autumn and found that in all 3 seasons, every aspect of their absorption and defecation varied greatly. The C content of fecal pellets varied from 0.85% to 29% of their dry mass (median 9.8%) and C egestion rates varied 75-fold. C:N mass ratios of pellets ranged from 4.9 to 13.2 (median 7.8), higher than values of 3.9 in the krill and 5.4 in their food, pointing to enhanced uptake of N. Pellet sinking rates equated to 27-1218 m d -1 (median 304 m d -1), being governed mainly by pellet diameter (80-600 μm, mean 183 μm) and density (1.038-1.391 g cm -3, mean 1.121 g cm -3). Pellets showed little loss of C or N in filtered seawater over the first 2 days and were physically robust. When feeding rates were low, slow gut passage time and high absorption efficiency resulted in low egestion rates of pellets that were low in C and N content. These pellets were compact, dense and fast-sinking. Conversely, in good feeding conditions much food tended to pass quickly through the gut and was not efficiently absorbed, producing C and N-rich, slow-sinking pellets. Such "superfluous feeding" probably maximises the absolute rates of nutrient absorption. Food composition was also important: diatom-rich diets depressed the C content of the pellets but increased their sinking rates, likely due to silica ballasting. So depending on how krill process food, their pellets could represent both vehicles for rapid export and slow sinking, C and N-rich food sources for pelagic scavengers. C egestion rates by krill averaged 3.4% of summer primary production (and ingestion rates would be 2-10-fold higher than this) so whatever the fate of the pellets, krill are an important re-packager within the food web. While salp pellets tend to sink faster than those of krill, it is the latter

Synthesis of {sup 188}Re-DMSA complex using carrier-free {sup 188}Re

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashimoto, Kazuyuki; Izumo, Mishiroku [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Islam, M S

1997-03-01

The synthesis of rhenium-DMSA labelled compound using carrier-free {sup 188}Re from the {sup 188}W/{sup 188}Re generator has been carried out. Stannous chloride was used as the reducing agent for reduction of rhenium and ascorbic acid was used as an antioxidant in the reaction media. The dependence of the yield of Re-DMSA complex upon the concentration of reducing agent, pH, reaction time, anti-oxidant, carrier and temperature was investigated. Under optimum conditions, the yield of Re-DMSA complexes were more than 98% for the carrier-free as well as carrier-added {sup 188}Re. The stability of the Re-DMSA complexes at different pH and time were also investigated. It was found that the Re-DMSA complex was very stable and did not undergo any changes or decomposition with the changes of pH from its initial values even after 48 hours of pH change for carrier-free as well as carrier-added complexes. (author)

CC130 pilot fatigue during re-supply missions to former Yugoslavia.

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, M A; Pigeau, R A; Weinberg, H

2001-11-01

Deployment of troops in foreign theaters requires a massive airlift capability. The fatigue encountered in such operations can be severe enough to pose a flight safety hazard. The current study documents sleep and the effect of fatigue on aircrew performance during re-supply missions in support of Canadian troops in Bosnia in 1996. Ten routine re-supply missions from Trenton, Canada, to Zagreb, Croatia, were studied and involved 9 pilots and 9 co-pilots. To document their sleep hygiene, all pilots wore wrist actigraphs from approximately 5 d prior to the mission, until the mission was completed. Psychomotor performance was tested during the actual flights. Three psychomotor trials during the outbound transatlantic leg (Trenton to Lyneham, UK) were employed, one trial on the Lyneham-Zagreb-Lyneham leg, and three trials on the return transatlantic leg from Lyneham to Trenton. The amount of daily sleep during the 3-d period prior to the mission steadily decreased from an average of 8 h 40 min per day to 6 h 30 min (p multitask showed probable fatigue effects during the outbound leg of the missions. Our transport pilots showed a pattern of progressively decreasing sleep. Self-rated scores for alertness, mental and physical fatigue, indicate a deterioration of alertness, and an increase in fatigue throughout the long transatlantic flights.

Delta/mu opioid receptor interactions in operant conditioning assays of pain-depressed responding and drug-induced rate suppression: assessment of therapeutic index in male Sprague Dawley rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Cone, Katherine; Lanpher, Janell; Kinens, Abigail; Richard, Philomena; Couture, Sarah; Brackin, Rebecca; Payne, Emily; Harrington, Kylee; Rice, Kenner C; Stevenson, Glenn W

2018-05-01

Although delta/mu receptor interactions vary as a function of behavioral endpoint, there have been no assessments of these interactions using assays of pain-depressed responding. This is the first report of delta/mu interactions using an assay of pain-depressed behavior. A mult-cycle FR10 operant schedule was utilized in the presence of (nociception) and in the absence of (rate suppression) a lactic acid inflammatory pain-like manipulation. SNC80 and methadone were used as selective/high efficacy delta and mu agonists, respectively. Both SNC80 and methadone alone produced a dose-dependent restoration of pain-depressed responding and dose-dependent response rate suppression. Three fixed ratio mixtures, based on the relative potencies of the drugs in the nociception assay, also produced dose-dependent antinociception and sedation. Isobolographic analysis indicated that all three mixtures produced supra-additive antinociceptive effects and simply additive sedation effects. The therapeutic index (TI) inversely varied as a function of amount of SNC80 in the mixture, such that lower amounts of SNC80 produced a higher TI, and larger amounts produced a lower TI. Compared to literature using standard pain-elicited assays, the orderly relationship between SNC80 and TI reported here may be a unique function of assessing pain-depressed behavior.

Re-annotation and re-analysis of the Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168 genome sequence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorrell Nick

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Campylobacter jejuni is the leading bacterial cause of human gastroenteritis in the developed world. To improve our understanding of this important human pathogen, the C. jejuni NCTC11168 genome was sequenced and published in 2000. The original annotation was a milestone in Campylobacter research, but is outdated. We now describe the complete re-annotation and re-analysis of the C. jejuni NCTC11168 genome using current database information, novel tools and annotation techniques not used during the original annotation. Results Re-annotation was carried out using sequence database searches such as FASTA, along with programs such as TMHMM for additional support. The re-annotation also utilises sequence data from additional Campylobacter strains and species not available during the original annotation. Re-annotation was accompanied by a full literature search that was incorporated into the updated EMBL file [EMBL: AL111168]. The C. jejuni NCTC11168 re-annotation reduced the total number of coding sequences from 1654 to 1643, of which 90.0% have additional information regarding the identification of new motifs and/or relevant literature. Re-annotation has led to 18.2% of coding sequence product functions being revised. Conclusions Major updates were made to genes involved in the biosynthesis of important surface structures such as lipooligosaccharide, capsule and both O- and N-linked glycosylation. This re-annotation will be a key resource for Campylobacter research and will also provide a prototype for the re-annotation and re-interpretation of other bacterial genomes.

Complexation of 188Re-phosphonates: in vitro and in vivo studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faintuch, B.L.; Muramoto, E.; Faintuch, S.

2003-01-01

MDP (methylenediphosphonate) and HEDP (hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate), both disphosphonates, and EDTMP (ethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphonic acid), a tetraphosphonate ligand, have been previously labeled with 188 Re for use in metastatic bone-pain palliation. The aim of this study was a comparison between the three complexes 188 Re-MDP, 188 Re-HEDP and 188 Re-EDTMP concerning the complexation conditions, in order to achieve maximum yield, stability and bone uptake. Methods: MDP was dissolved in water and HEDP and EDTMP were dissolved in NaOH 1 N followed by reduction of pH with HCl 1 N. To all mixtures stannous chloride and 188 ReO 4 - were added in a nitrogen atmosphere. The preparations were heated in boiling water bath for 15 min. Yield as well as radiochemical stability was estimated by ITLC. Different concentrations of phosphonates and stannous chloride were evaluated. Biodistribution studies in Swiss mice were done for the three 188 Re-phosphonates that presented the best radiochemical yield. The optimal ligand concentration for maximum complexation was 85.2 mM for MDP, 72.8 mM for HEDP and 45.8 mM for EDTMP. The best amount of SnCl 2 .2H 2 O was 1.5 mg/mL for 188 Re-HEDP and 1 mg/mL for both 188 Re-MDP and 188 Re-EDTMP. In these conditions the three complexes showed a complexation rate above 95%. Reasonable radiochemical stability for 24 hours was achieved by 188 Re-EDTMP when employing ascorbic acid. All products showed a great uptake by the kidneys. 188 Re-EDTMP had the greatest uptake by femur (3.1 ± 0.2% ID/g) followed by 188 Re-MDP (1.2 ± 0.1% ID/g) and 188 Re-HEDP (1.0 ± 0.1% ID/g), 4 hours post injection. 188 Re-EDTMP displayed a femur bone/muscle ratio of 28.5, 188 Re-MDP 4.9 and 188 Re-HEDP 4.9. In conclusion 188 Re-EDTMP demonstrated the best potential as a radiopharmaceutical for bone cancer pain relief, encouraging further dosimetric studies and clinical trials. (orig.)

Operational electricity transmission rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roggen, M.

1997-01-01

In a liberalized electricity market both the consumers and the producers of electricity must pay for the use of the power transmission network. Thus, the net manager has unlimited options to realize efficiency improvements. A neutral and transparent management of the power grid is necessary to avoid disturbance of the market. KEMA Consulting translated abstract ideas and strategic advices to operational concepts in its report 'A framework for the determination of tariffs of the transport in the Dutch electricity sector'

The Emissions Impacts of Varied Energy Storage Operational Objectives Across Regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barrett, Emily L.; Thayer, Brandon L.; Studarus, Karen E.; Pal, Seemita

2017-11-15

The emissions consequences of smart grid technologies can be significant but are not always intuitive. This is particularly true in the implementation of energy storage (ES) systems that are being increasingly adopted to integrate more intermittent renewable generation, to reduce peak demand, and to participate in energy markets. Both the location of the ES system within the grid and the way it is operated will dictate its resulting impacts. The Grid Project Impact Quantification tool can provide insight into some of the emissions implications of hypothetical ES systems for a variety of operational objectives in diverse locations within the United States.

Freshly induced short-lived gamma-ray activity as a measure of fission rates in lightly re-irradiated spent fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kroehnert, H., E-mail: hanna.kroehnert@psi.c [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), OPRA-E07, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Perret, G., E-mail: gregory.perret@psi.c [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), OPRA-E07, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Murphy, M.F., E-mail: mike.murphy@psi.c [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), OPRA-E07, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Chawla, R., E-mail: rakesh.chawla@epfl.c [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), OPRA-E07, CH-5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)

2010-12-01

A new measurement technique has been developed to determine fission rates in burnt fuel, following re-irradiation in a zero-power research reactor. The development has been made in the frame of the LIFE-PROTEUS program at the Paul Scherrer Institute, which aims at characterizing the interfaces between fresh and highly burnt fuel assemblies in modern LWRs. To discriminate against the high intrinsic gamma-ray activity of the burnt fuel, the proposed measurement technique uses high-energy gamma-rays, above 2000 keV, emitted by short-lived fission products freshly produced in the fuel. To demonstrate the feasibility of this technique, a fresh UO{sub 2} sample and a 36 GWd/t burnt UO{sub 2} sample were irradiated in the PROTEUS reactor and their gamma-ray activities were recorded directly after irradiation. For both fresh and the burnt fuel samples, relative fission rates were derived for different core positions, based on the short-lived {sup 142}La (2542 keV), {sup 89}Rb (2570 keV), {sup 138}Cs (2640 keV) and {sup 95}Y (3576 keV) gamma-ray lines. Uncertainties on the inter-position fission rate ratios were mainly due to the uncertainties on the net-area of the gamma-ray peaks and were about 1-3% for the fresh sample, and 3-6% for the burnt one. Thus, for the first time, it has been shown that the short-lived gamma-ray activity, induced in burnt fuel by irradiation in a zero-power reactor, can be used as a quantitative measure of the fission rate. For both fresh and burnt fuel, the measured results agreed, within the uncertainties, with Monte Carlo (MCNPX) predictions.

Re-evaluation of the shielding adequacy of the brachytherapy treatment room at Korle-Bu teaching hospital, Ghana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arwui, C. C.

2009-06-01

Staff and the general public's safety during the operation of the 137 Cs brachytherapy unit at the Korle Bu teaching hospital depends on the adequacy of the shielding of the facility. Shielding design of the brachytherapy unit at the hospital was based on postulated workload and postulated occupancy factors to critical locations at the facility where the public and staff may occupy. This facility has been in existence for the past twelve (12) years and has accumulated operational workload data which differs from the postulated one. A study was carried out to re-evaluate the integrity of the biological shielding of the 137 Cs brachytherapy unit. This study analyzed the accumulated workload data and used the information to perform shielding calculations to verify the adequacy of the biological shielding thicknesses to provide sufficient protection of staff and the public. Dose rate calculations were verified by measurements with calibrated dose rate meters. This provided the basis for determining the current state of protection and safety for staff and the general public. The results show that despite the variation in actual and postulated workloads, the dose rates were below the reference values of 0.5μSv/h for public areas and 7.5μSv/h for controlled areas. It was confirmed that the present shielding thickness of 535 mm can accommodate a high dose rate (HDR) 192 Ir source with activity in the range 370 - 570 GBq with an operational workload of 30 patients per week and an average treatment time of 10 minutes.

Variations in the use of emergency PCI for the treatment of re-infarction following intravenous fibrinolytic therapy: impact on outcomes in HERO-2.

Science.gov (United States)

Edmond, J J; French, J K; Aylward, P E G; Wong, C K; Stewart, R A H; Williams, B F; De Pasquale, C G; O'connell, R L; Van den Berg, K; Van de Werf, F J; Simes, R J; White, H D

2007-06-01

Patients who suffer re-infarction during initial hospitalization for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have decreased survival compared to patients without re-infarction, so treatment of re-infarction may influence survival. To determine whether the utilization of reperfusion therapies varied within 12 h of re-infarction and was associated with 30-day mortality, we studied 552 patients with re-infarction of 17,073 patients with STEMI enrolled in HERO-2 in five regions (Russia, Eastern Europe, Western Countries, Asia, and Latin America). Patients presenting within 6 h of symptom-onset were randomized to receive either bivalirudin or unfractionated heparin intravenously just prior to streptokinase. Re-infarction occurred in 2.8 and 3.6% of bivalirudin and heparin treated patients, respectively (P = 0.004), but treatment assignment did not influence mortality after re-infarction. Patients with re-infarction had a higher 30-day mortality than those without re-infarction (24 vs. 10%; P model). Within 12 h of re-infarction, fibrinolytic therapy was administered to 12.0 and 8.2% underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); these two treatments were more frequently utilized in patients from Western countries (n = 112), compared to patients from other countries (n = 440) (34.8 and 16.1% compared to 6.1 and 6.1%, respectively, P < 0.001). Mortality was 15% in patients receiving reperfusion therapy for re-infarction and 27% for those with conservative management, hazard ratio (HR) 0.53 (95% CI 0.32-0.88), P = 0.01. In multiple Cox regression analysis which included adjustment for clinical variables and randomized treatment assignment, 30-day mortality after re-infarction varied by region (highest Latin America 29%, lowest Western countries 15%; P = 0.01). Other independent prognostic factors included age, time from randomization to re-infarction, and Killip class at randomization. The HR for PCI treatment of re-infarction was 0.18 [(95% CI 0.04-0.76), P = 0

Labelling of Re-ABP with 188Re for bone pain palliation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arteaga de Murphy, Consuelo; Ferro-Flores, Guillermina; Pedraza-Lopez, Martha; Melendez-Alafort, Laura; Croft, B.Y.Barbara Y.; Ramirez, Flor de Maria; Padilla, Juan

2001-01-01

Etidronate and medronate have been labelled with technetium-99m ( 99m Tc-HEDP, 99m Tc-MDP) for bone scanning and, with rhenium-188 ( 188 Re-HEDP) to palliate the pain resulting from bone metastases. The objective of this study was to label alendronate, ABP, a new bisphosphonate, with SnF 2 -reduced- 188 Re. The reagents for the 5 mg ABP kit were SnF 2 , KReO 4 and gentisic acid at acid pH. The chemical, spectroscopic and microscopic characteristics, quality control, rat bone uptake of [ 188 Re]Re-ABP and similarities with 99m Tc-ABP are presented. We conclude that this is a promising new radiopharmaceutical for bone metastases pain palliation

Reducing the rate and duration of Re-ADMISsions among patients with unipolar disorder and bipolar disorder using smartphone-based monitoring and treatment - the RADMIS trials: study protocol for two randomized controlled trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Faurholt-Jepsen, Maria; Frost, Mads; Martiny, Klaus; Tuxen, Nanna; Rosenberg, Nicole; Busk, Jonas; Winther, Ole; Bardram, Jakob Eyvind; Kessing, Lars Vedel

2017-06-15

Unipolar and bipolar disorder combined account for nearly half of all morbidity and mortality due to mental and substance use disorders, and burden society with the highest health care costs of all psychiatric and neurological disorders. Among these, costs due to psychiatric hospitalization are a major burden. Smartphones comprise an innovative and unique platform for the monitoring and treatment of depression and mania. No prior trial has investigated whether the use of a smartphone-based system can prevent re-admission among patients discharged from hospital. The present RADMIS trials aim to investigate whether using a smartphone-based monitoring and treatment system, including an integrated clinical feedback loop, reduces the rate and duration of re-admissions more than standard treatment in unipolar disorder and bipolar disorder. The RADMIS trials use a randomized controlled, single-blind, parallel-group design. Patients with unipolar disorder and patients with bipolar disorder are invited to participate in each trial when discharged from psychiatric hospitals in The Capital Region of Denmark following an affective episode and randomized to either (1) a smartphone-based monitoring system including (a) an integrated feedback loop between patients and clinicians and (b) context-aware cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) modules (intervention group) or (2) standard treatment (control group) for a 6-month trial period. The trial started in May 2017. The outcomes are (1) number and duration of re-admissions (primary), (2) severity of depressive and manic (only for patients with bipolar disorder) symptoms; psychosocial functioning; number of affective episodes (secondary), and (3) perceived stress, quality of life, self-rated depressive symptoms, self-rated manic symptoms (only for patients with bipolar disorder), recovery, empowerment, adherence to medication, wellbeing, ruminations, worrying, and satisfaction (tertiary). A total of 400 patients (200 patients with

Potential Dermal Exposure in greenhouses for manual sprayers: Analysis of the mix/load, application and re-entry stages

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramos, Laura M.; Querejeta, Giselle A.; Flores, Andrea P.; Hughes, Enrique A.; Zalts, Anita [Instituto de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento (UNGS), J. M. Gutierrez 1150, (B1613GSX) Los Polvorines, Prov. de Buenos Aires (Argentina); Montserrat, Javier M., E-mail: jmontser@ungs.edu.ar [Instituto de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento (UNGS), J. M. Gutierrez 1150, (B1613GSX) Los Polvorines, Prov. de Buenos Aires (Argentina); Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingenieria Genetica y Biologia Molecular (CONICET), Vuelta de Obligado 2490, 2o piso, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2010-09-01

An evaluation of the Potential Dermal Exposure for the mix/load, application and re-entry stages, associated with procymidone and deltamethrin usage, was carried out for tomatoes grown in greenhouses of small production units in Argentina. Eight experiments were done with four different operators, under typical field conditions with a lever operated backpack sprayer. The methodology applied was based on the Whole Body Dosimetry technique, evaluating a set of different data for the mix and load, application and re-entry operations. These results indicated that the Potential Dermal Exposure of the application step was (38 {+-} 17) mL h{sup -1} with the highest proportion on torso, head and arms. When the three stages were compared, re-entry was found to contribute least towards the total Potential Dermal Exposure; meanwhile in all cases, except one, the mix/load operation was the stage with highest exposure. The Margin of Safety for each different operation was also calculated and the proportion of pesticide drift from the greenhouse to the environment is presented. These results emphasize the importance of improving the personal protection measures in the mix and load stage, an operation that is not usually associated with high-risk in small production units.

Potential Dermal Exposure in greenhouses for manual sprayers: Analysis of the mix/load, application and re-entry stages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos, Laura M.; Querejeta, Giselle A.; Flores, Andrea P.; Hughes, Enrique A.; Zalts, Anita; Montserrat, Javier M.

2010-01-01

An evaluation of the Potential Dermal Exposure for the mix/load, application and re-entry stages, associated with procymidone and deltamethrin usage, was carried out for tomatoes grown in greenhouses of small production units in Argentina. Eight experiments were done with four different operators, under typical field conditions with a lever operated backpack sprayer. The methodology applied was based on the Whole Body Dosimetry technique, evaluating a set of different data for the mix and load, application and re-entry operations. These results indicated that the Potential Dermal Exposure of the application step was (38 ± 17) mL h -1 with the highest proportion on torso, head and arms. When the three stages were compared, re-entry was found to contribute least towards the total Potential Dermal Exposure; meanwhile in all cases, except one, the mix/load operation was the stage with highest exposure. The Margin of Safety for each different operation was also calculated and the proportion of pesticide drift from the greenhouse to the environment is presented. These results emphasize the importance of improving the personal protection measures in the mix and load stage, an operation that is not usually associated with high-risk in small production units.

Benthic Uptake Rate due to Hyporheic Exchange: The Effects of Streambed Morphology for Constant and Sinusoidally Varying Nutrient Loads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Tonina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Hyporheic exchange carries reactive solutes, which may include biological oxygen demand (BOD, dissolved oxygen (DO and reactive dissolved inorganic nitrogen (Nr, into the sediment, where biochemical reactions consume DO. Here, we study the impact of streambed morphology, stream-reactive solute loads and their diel oscillations on the DO benthic uptake rate (BUR due to hyporheic processes. Our model solves the hyporheic flow field and the solute transport equations analytically, within a Lagrangian framework, considering advection, longitudinal diffusion and reactions modeled as first order kinetics. The application of the model to DO field measurements over a gravel bar-pool sequence shows a good match with measured DO concentrations with an overall agreement of 58% and a kappa index of 0.46. We apply the model to investigate the effects of daily constant and sinusoidally time varying stream BOD, DO and Nr loads and of the morphodynamic parameters on BUR. Our modeling results show that BUR varies as a function of bedform size and of nutrient loads and that the hyporheic zone may consume up to 0.06% of the stream DO at the pool-riffle bedform scale. Daily oscillations of stream BOD and DO loads have small effects on BUR, but may have an important influence on local hyporheic processes and organisms’ distribution.

Effect of LET on the efficiency of dose re-estimation in LiF using uv photo-transfer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Douglas, J A; Baker, D M; Marshall, M; Budd, T [UKAEA Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell. Environmental and Medical Sciences Div.

1980-09-01

Glow curves from TLD600 and TLD700 extruded rods exposed to ..gamma..-, X- and neutron radiations have been compared before and after uv photo-transfer. Re-estimation efficiency increases with LET by an amount which varies from batch to batch.

Modeling land use and cover change: Predicting re-enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program using GIS and data mining procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Shcherbaniuk, Mykola Vasylyovych

In this research, the concept of the CRP lands being re-enrolled or returned to crop production was considered as a part of a larger conceptual domain of land use and cover change (LUCC). The aim of the study was to develop models for predicting the probability of farmers' re-enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the Cache River Watershed, in Southern Illinois. The results of these analyses showed that the probability of the CRP re-enrollment is a function of a number of factors including both the economic incentives to farmers as well as the spatial and non-spatial characteristics of the farms and the CRP land parcels. Both logistical regressions and decision tree models confirmed the importance of seven individual variables. It was found that the probability of CRP re-enrollment was higher for parcels located closer to a stream, the national forest, a road and a town. Also higher re-enrollment was indicated for predominant farm location adjacent to the national forest and within a floodplain and on dry soils, higher proportion of farmland in pasture and higher elevation and population density. Alternatively, the probability of re-enrollment was found to be lower closer to an interstate highway, predominant farm location adjacent to the national refuge and higher proportion of farmland in row crops. The probability of CRP re-enrollment was found to be higher at higher CRP rental rates, lower commodity prices, lower cropland acreage, and lower proportion of farmland in cropland. For two additional important determinants, the probability of re-enrollment was found to be higher for lower proportion of cropland enrolled in CRP and in cases where the farmer was both the owner and operator. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the spatial heterogeneity of farms and land parcels (as accounted by spatial variables that were found to be relevant) should be taken into account while malting the plans for the CRP re-enrollment for the 2007 farm

A Systematic Review of Re-Identification Attacks on Health Data

Science.gov (United States)

El Emam, Khaled; Jonker, Elizabeth; Arbuckle, Luk; Malin, Bradley

2011-01-01

Background Privacy legislation in most jurisdictions allows the disclosure of health data for secondary purposes without patient consent if it is de-identified. Some recent articles in the medical, legal, and computer science literature have argued that de-identification methods do not provide sufficient protection because they are easy to reverse. Should this be the case, it would have significant and important implications on how health information is disclosed, including: (a) potentially limiting its availability for secondary purposes such as research, and (b) resulting in more identifiable health information being disclosed. Our objectives in this systematic review were to: (a) characterize known re-identification attacks on health data and contrast that to re-identification attacks on other kinds of data, (b) compute the overall proportion of records that have been correctly re-identified in these attacks, and (c) assess whether these demonstrate weaknesses in current de-identification methods. Methods and Findings Searches were conducted in IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and PubMed. After screening, fourteen eligible articles representing distinct attacks were identified. On average, approximately a quarter of the records were re-identified across all studies (0.26 with 95% CI 0.046–0.478) and 0.34 for attacks on health data (95% CI 0–0.744). There was considerable uncertainty around the proportions as evidenced by the wide confidence intervals, and the mean proportion of records re-identified was sensitive to unpublished studies. Two of fourteen attacks were performed with data that was de-identified using existing standards. Only one of these attacks was on health data, which resulted in a success rate of 0.00013. Conclusions The current evidence shows a high re-identification rate but is dominated by small-scale studies on data that was not de-identified according to existing standards. This evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions about the

Re-engineering pre-employment check-up systems: a model for improving health services.

Science.gov (United States)

Rateb, Said Abdel Hakim; El Nouman, Azza Abdel Razek; Rateb, Moshira Abdel Hakim; Asar, Mohamed Naguib; El Amin, Ayman Mohammed; Gad, Saad abdel Aziz; Mohamed, Mohamed Salah Eldin

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to develop a model for improving health services provided by the pre-employment medical fitness check-up system affiliated to Egypt's Health Insurance Organization (HIO). Operations research, notably system re-engineering, is used in six randomly selected centers and findings before and after re-engineering are compared. The re-engineering model follows a systems approach, focusing on three areas: structure, process and outcome. The model is based on six main components: electronic booking, standardized check-up processes, protected medical documents, advanced archiving through an electronic content management (ECM) system, infrastructure development, and capacity building. The model originates mainly from customer needs and expectations. The centers' monthly customer flow increased significantly after re-engineering. The mean time spent per customer cycle improved after re-engineering--18.3 +/- 5.5 minutes as compared to 48.8 +/- 14.5 minutes before. Appointment delay was also significantly decreased from an average 18 to 6.2 days. Both beneficiaries and service providers were significantly more satisfied with the services after re-engineering. The model proves that re-engineering program costs are exceeded by increased revenue. Re-engineering in this study involved multiple structure and process elements. The literature review did not reveal similar re-engineering healthcare packages. Therefore, each element was compared separately. This model is highly recommended for improving service effectiveness and efficiency. This research is the first in Egypt to apply the re-engineering approach to public health systems. Developing user-friendly models for service improvement is an added value.

Electron re-scattering from aligned linear molecules using the R-matrix method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey, A G; Tennyson, J

2009-01-01

Electron re-scattering in a strong laser field provides an important probe of molecular structure and processes. The laser field drives the ionization of the molecule, followed by acceleration and subsequent recollision of the electron with the parent molecular ion, the scattered electrons carry information about the nuclear geometry and electronic states of the molecular ion. It is advantageous in strong field experiments to work with aligned molecules, which introduces extra physics compared to the standard gas-phase, electron-molecule scattering problem. The formalism for scattering from oriented linear molecules is presented and applied to H 2 and CO 2 . Differential cross sections are presented for (re-)scattering by these systems concentrating on the most common, linear alignment. In H 2 these cross sections show significant angular structure which, particularly for a scattering angle of 90 deg., are predicted to vary significantly between re-collisions stimulated by an even or an odd number of photons. In CO 2 these cross sections are zero indicating the necessity of using non-parallel alignment with this molecule.

Time-varying surrogate data to assess nonlinearity in nonstationary time series: application to heart rate variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Faes, Luca; Zhao, He; Chon, Ki H; Nollo, Giandomenico

2009-03-01

We propose a method to extend to time-varying (TV) systems the procedure for generating typical surrogate time series, in order to test the presence of nonlinear dynamics in potentially nonstationary signals. The method is based on fitting a TV autoregressive (AR) model to the original series and then regressing the model coefficients with random replacements of the model residuals to generate TV AR surrogate series. The proposed surrogate series were used in combination with a TV sample entropy (SE) discriminating statistic to assess nonlinearity in both simulated and experimental time series, in comparison with traditional time-invariant (TIV) surrogates combined with the TIV SE discriminating statistic. Analysis of simulated time series showed that using TIV surrogates, linear nonstationary time series may be erroneously regarded as nonlinear and weak TV nonlinearities may remain unrevealed, while the use of TV AR surrogates markedly increases the probability of a correct interpretation. Application to short (500 beats) heart rate variability (HRV) time series recorded at rest (R), after head-up tilt (T), and during paced breathing (PB) showed: 1) modifications of the SE statistic that were well interpretable with the known cardiovascular physiology; 2) significant contribution of nonlinear dynamics to HRV in all conditions, with significant increase during PB at 0.2 Hz respiration rate; and 3) a disagreement between TV AR surrogates and TIV surrogates in about a quarter of the series, suggesting that nonstationarity may affect HRV recordings and bias the outcome of the traditional surrogate-based nonlinearity test.

Matrix Transformation in Boron Containing High-Temperature Co-Re-Cr Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Strunz, Pavel; Mukherji, Debashis; Beran, Přemysl; Gilles, Ralph; Karge, Lukas; Hofmann, Michael; Hoelzel, Markus; Rösler, Joachim; Farkas, Gergely

2018-03-01

An addition of boron largely increases the ductility in polycrystalline high-temperature Co-Re alloys. Therefore, the effect of boron on the alloy structural characteristics is of high importance for the stability of the matrix at operational temperatures. Volume fractions of ɛ (hexagonal close-packed—hcp), γ (face-centered cubic—fcc) and σ (Cr2Re3 type) phases were measured at ambient and high temperatures (up to 1500 °C) for a boron-containing Co-17Re-23Cr alloy using neutron diffraction. The matrix phase undergoes an allotropic transformation from ɛ to γ structure at high temperatures, similar to pure cobalt and to the previously investigated, more complex Co-17Re-23Cr-1.2Ta-2.6C alloy. It was determined in this study that the transformation temperature depends on the boron content (0-1000 wt. ppm). Nevertheless, the transformation temperature did not change monotonically with the increase in the boron content but reached a minimum at approximately 200 ppm of boron. A probable reason is the interplay between the amount of boron in the matrix and the amount of σ phase, which binds hcp-stabilizing elements (Cr and Re). Moreover, borides were identified in alloys with high boron content.

Motor operated valve testing and the 'rate of loading' phenomenon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, B.R.

1991-01-01

This paper discusses valve design features which affect the ability to predict motor operated valve (MOV) performance and reviews factors which should be considered when selecting switch settings to limit stem loads. Considerable attention is given to the rate of loading phenomenon which affects the relationship between valve stem thrust and actuator spring pack deflection. Equations are developed, and testing is discussed which permit the construction of an MOV dynamic model. Factors which must be considered when maintaining switch settings correct throughout the life of the plant are discussed. And switch setting acceptance criteria for use with baseline Static and Design Basis testing are suggested

Failure rate evaluation for different components operating in sodium, based on operating experience of the RAPSODIE and the PHENIX reactors and the test loops

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boisseau, J.; Dorey, J.; Hedin, F.; Le Floch, C.

1982-01-01

The failure rates of the following components, valves operating in sodium, mechanical and electromagnetic pumps, and heat exchangers including intermediate heat exchangers, cold traps, steam generators, are evaluated by analysing the main incidents which occurred on these components. Therefore, this paper contains an evaluation of the operating experience of components working in sodium and of the reliability of these components

Theoretical determination of spectrum-exposure rate conversion operator of HPGe detector and its application to the measurement of environmental gamma-ray exposure rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ch.M.; Choi, B.I.; Kwak, S.S.; Ji, P.K.; Kim, T.W.; Park, Y.W.; Yoon, B.K.

1993-01-01

A conversion operator between spectrum and exposure rate, using a portable HPGe detector for environmental radiation monitoring, was determined theoretically under the assumption of uniform distribution of radiation source on the ground surface. The measurement results were compared with those of a pressurized ionization chamber. The results obtained with the HPGe detector were slightly lower. The method can be easily applied to any gamma ray detector to obtain a spectrum - exposure-rate conversion factor for computing the exposure rate of environmental gamma radiation. (N.T.) 15 refs.; 6 figs.; 3 tabs

The Re/Os Clock Revisited

CERN Multimedia

Leal, L C; Kitis, G; Guber, K H; Quaranta, A; Koehler, P E

2002-01-01

The purpose of the proposed project of an accurate measurement of the relevant neutron cross sections of $^{186}$Os and $^{187}$Os is to remove the principal nuclear physics uncertainties in the analysis of the Re/Os cosmochronometer. The necessary cross section information will be obtained in complementary experiments at the nTOF facility at CERN and at the Karlsruhe Van de Graaff accelerator. Transformation of these results into significantly improved stellar reaction rates will allow to evaluate the age of the elements in the framework of galactic chemical evolution models.

Investigation of Continuous Gas Engine CHP Operation on Biomass Producer Gas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahrenfeldt, Jesper; Henriksen, Ulrik Birk; Jensen, Torben Kvist

2005-01-01

More than 2000 hours of gas engine operation with producer gas from biomass as fuel has been conducted on the gasification CHP demonstration and research plant, named “Viking” at the Technical University of Denmark. The gas engine is an integrated part of the entire gasification plant. The excess...... operates with varying excess of air due to variation in gas composition and thus stoichiometry, and a second where the excess of air in the exhaust gas is fixed and the flow rate of produced gas from the gasifier is varying. The interaction between the gas engine and the gasification system has been...... investigated. The engine and the plant are equipped with continuously data acquisition that monitors the operation including the composition of the producer gas and the flow. Producer gas properties and contaminations have been investigated. No detectable tar or particle content was observed...

Humidity Testing for Human Rated Spacecraft

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Gary B.

2009-01-01

Determination that equipment can operate in and survive exposure to the humidity environments unique to human rated spacecraft presents widely varying challenges. Equipment may need to operate in habitable volumes where the atmosphere contains perspiration, exhalation, and residual moisture. Equipment located outside the pressurized volumes may be exposed to repetitive diurnal cycles that may result in moisture absorption and/or condensation. Equipment may be thermally affected by conduction to coldplate or structure, by forced or ambient air convection (hot/cold or wet/dry), or by radiation to space through windows or hatches. The equipment s on/off state also contributes to the equipment s susceptibility to humidity. Like-equipment is sometimes used in more than one location and under varying operational modes. Due to these challenges, developing a test scenario that bounds all physical, environmental and operational modes for both pressurized and unpressurized volumes requires an integrated assessment to determine the "worst-case combined conditions." Such an assessment was performed for the Constellation program, considering all of the aforementioned variables; and a test profile was developed based on approximately 300 variable combinations. The test profile has been vetted by several subject matter experts and partially validated by testing. Final testing to determine the efficacy of the test profile on actual space hardware is in the planning stages. When validation is completed, the test profile will be formally incorporated into NASA document CxP 30036, "Constellation Environmental Qualification and Acceptance Testing Requirements (CEQATR)."

Re-fabrication and Instrumentation - resume and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleeman, Hans-Joerg; Oberlaender, Barbara C.

2005-01-01

The special technique ''re-fabrication and instrumentation'' applied at the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) makes further testing and measuring of irradiated fuel rods in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor (HBWR) possible. Machines, necessary for such operations, were designed and produced at IFE in the years 1991-92. Hot Lab-operations called ''re-fabrication'' include all modifications necessary to load an irradiated fuel rod, commercial or experimental, into the Halden reactor for further testing. ''Instrumentation'' includes all operations necessary to fit instruments into an irradiated fuel rod segment to measure for instance the temperature in the centreline of the fuel stack, pressure increase in the fuel rod and/or changes of the rod length during reactor experiments. The machines used are referred to as: ''Cutting and Grinding Unit'' for machining of the canning; ''Freezing and Drilling Unit'' for drilling of the centreline thermocouple hole in the active fuel stack;''Welding and Drying Unit'' a TIG welding machine for the circumferential welds and the seal welding; and a hydraulic ''Encapsulation Bench''. The ''Welding and Drilling Unit'' includes also a ''He-leak test chamber'' and a ''Hydraulic Press''. In addition, different types of PIE methods are used in quality assurance and documenting of the work done with the fuel rod. For example neutron radiography, visual inspection, dimension measurement, free volume measurements, equipment to measure the flow capability through the fuel stack and different function tests of the measuring devices. This paper will give an overview of the work done so far with this equipment and give information about new equipment which will be installed soon to deal with even more complicated test fuel designs. (Author)

Credit Rating and Competition

OpenAIRE

Nelson Camanho; Pragyan Deb; Zijun Liu

2010-01-01

In principle, credit rating agencies are supposed to be impartial observers that bridge the gap between private information of issuers and the information available to the wider pool of investors. However, since the 1970s, rating agencies have relied on an issuer-pay model, creating a conflict of interest the largest source of income for the rating agencies are the fees paid by the issuers the rating agencies are supposed to impartially rate. In this paper, we explore the trade-off between re...

Plant Mating Systems Often Vary Widely Among Populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael R. Whitehead

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Most flowering plants are hermaphroditic, yet the proportion of seeds fertilized by self and outcross pollen varies widely among species, ranging from predominant self-fertilization to exclusive outcrossing. A population's rate of outcrossing has important evolutionary outcomes as it influences genetic structure, effective population size, and offspring fitness. Because most mating system studies have quantified outcrossing rates for just one or two populations, past reviews of mating system diversity have not been able to characterize the extent of variation among populations. Here we present a new database of more than 30 years of mating system studies that report outcrossing rates for three or more populations per species. This survey, which includes 741 populations from 105 species, illustrates substantial and prevalent among-population variation in the mating system. Intermediate outcrossing rates (mixed mating are common; 63% of species had at least one mixed mating population. The variance among populations and within species was not significantly correlated with pollination mode or phylogeny. Our review underscores the need for studies exploring variation in the relative influence of ecological and genetic factors on the mating system, and how this varies among populations. We conclude that estimates of outcrossing rates from single populations are often highly unreliable indicators of the mating system of an entire species.

Dosimetric benefit of adaptive re-planning in pancreatic cancer stereotactic body radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Yongbao [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Key Laboratory of Particle & Radiation Imaging (Tsinghua University), Ministry of Education, Beijing (China); Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States); Hoisak, Jeremy D.P.; Li, Nan; Jiang, Carrie [Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Tian, Zhen [Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States); Gautier, Quentin; Zarepisheh, Masoud [Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Wu, Zhaoxia; Liu, Yaqiang [Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Key Laboratory of Particle & Radiation Imaging (Tsinghua University), Ministry of Education, Beijing (China); Jia, Xun [Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States); and others

2015-01-01

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) shows promise in unresectable pancreatic cancer, though this treatment modality has high rates of normal tissue toxicity. This study explores the dosimetric utility of daily adaptive re-planning with pancreas SBRT. We used a previously developed supercomputing online re-planning environment (SCORE) to re-plan 10 patients with pancreas SBRT. Tumor and normal tissue contours were deformed from treatment planning computed tomographies (CTs) and transferred to daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) scans before re-optimizing each daily treatment plan. We compared the intended radiation dose, the actual radiation dose, and the optimized radiation dose for the pancreas tumor planning target volume (PTV) and the duodenum. Treatment re-optimization improved coverage of the PTV and reduced dose to the duodenum. Within the PTV, the actual hot spot (volume receiving 110% of the prescription dose) decreased from 4.5% to 0.5% after daily adaptive re-planning. Within the duodenum, the volume receiving the prescription dose decreased from 0.9% to 0.3% after re-planning. It is noteworthy that variation in the amount of air within a patient's stomach substantially changed dose to the PTV. Adaptive re-planning with pancreas SBRT has the ability to improve dose to the tumor and decrease dose to the nearby duodenum, thereby reducing the risk of toxicity.

Controllable deterioration rate for time-dependent demand and time-varying holding cost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mishra Vinod Kumar

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we develop an inventory model for non-instantaneous deteriorating items under the consideration of the facts: deterioration rate can be controlled by using the preservation technology (PT during deteriorating period, and holding cost and demand rate both are linear function of time, which was treated as constant in most of the deteriorating inventory models. So in this paper, we developed a deterministic inventory model for non-instantaneous deteriorating items in which both demand rate and holding cost are a linear function of time, deterioration rate is constant, backlogging rate is variable and depend on the length of the next replenishment, shortages are allowed and partially backlogged. The model is solved analytically by minimizing the total cost of the inventory system. The model can be applied to optimizing the total inventory cost of non-instantaneous deteriorating items inventory for the business enterprises, where the preservation technology is used to control the deterioration rate, and demand & holding cost both are a linear function of time.

A multi-group path analysis of the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and self-rated stress: how does it vary across racial/ethnic groups?

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Tse-Chuan; Chen, Danhong

2018-04-01

The objective of this study was to answer three questions: (1) Is perceived discrimination adversely related to self-rated stress via the social capital and health care system distrust pathways? (2) Does the relationship between perceived discrimination and self-rated stress vary across race/ethnicity groups? and (3) Do the two pathways differ by one's race/ethnicity background? Using the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation's Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Survey, we classified 9831 respondents into 4 race/ethnicity groups: non-Hispanic White (n = 6621), non-Hispanic Black (n = 2359), Hispanic (n = 505), and non-Hispanic other races (n = 346). Structural equation modeling was employed to simultaneously estimate five sets of equations, including the confirmatory factor analysis for both social capital and health care distrust and both direct and indirect effects from perceived discrimination to self-rated stress. The key findings drawn from the analysis include the following: (1) in general, people who experienced racial discrimination have higher distrust and weaker social capital than those without perceived discrimination and both distrust and social capital are ultimately related to self-rated stress. (2) The direct relationship between perceived discrimination and self-rated stress is found for all race/ethnicity groups (except non-Hispanic other races) and it does not vary across groups. (3) The two pathways can be applied to non-Hispanic White and Black, but for Hispanic and non-Hispanic other races, we found little evidence for the social capital pathway. For non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic, perceived discrimination is negatively related to self-rated stress. This finding highlights the importance of reducing interpersonal discriminatory behavior even for non-Hispanic White. The health care system distrust pathway can be used to address the racial health disparity in stress as it holds true for all four race

Salvage Re-Irradiation for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Nancy; Chan, Kelvin; Bekelman, Justin E.; Zhung, Joanne; Mechalakos, James; Narayana, Ashwatha; Wolden, Suzanne; Venkatraman, Ennapadam S.; Pfister, David; Kraus, Dennis; Shah, Jatin; Zelefsky, Michael J.

2007-01-01

Purpose: To present a retrospective review of treatment outcomes for recurrent head and neck (HN) cancer patients treated with re-irradiation (re-RT) at a single medical center. Methods and Materials: From July 1996-September 2005, 105 patients with recurrent HN cancer underwent re-RT at our institution. Sites included were: the neck (n = 21), nasopharynx (n 21), paranasal sinus (n = 18), oropharynx (n = 16), oral cavity (n = 9), larynx (n = 10), parotid (n = 6), and hypopharynx (n = 4). The median prior RT dose was 62 Gy. Seventy-five patients received chemotherapy with their re-RT (platinum-based in the majority of cases). The median re-RT dose was 59.4 Gy. In 74 (70%), re-RT utilized intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Results: With a median follow-up of 35 months, 18 patients were alive with no evidence of disease. The 2-year loco-regional progression-free survival (LRPFS) and overall survival rates were 42% and 37%, respectively. Patients who underwent IMRT, compared to those who did not, had a better 2-year LRPF (52% vs. 20%, p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, non-nasopharynx and non-IMRT were associated with an increased risk of loco-regional (LR) failure. Patients with LR progression-free disease had better 2-year overall survival vs. those with LR failure (56% vs. 21%, p < 0.001). Acute and late Grade 3-4 toxicities were reported in 23% and 15% of patients. Severe Grade 3-4 late complications were observed in 12 patients, with a median time to development of 6 months after re-RT. Conclusions: Based on our data, achieving LR control is crucial for improved overall survival in this patient population. The use of IMRT predicted better LR tumor control. Future aggressive efforts in maximizing tumor control in the recurrent setting, including dose escalation with IMRT and improved chemotherapy, are warranted

Peace Operations in the Former Yugoslavia: A Re-Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

currency, and were susceptible to bribery and “ taxation ” by the Serbs, with up to a quarter of the 103...sponsored, and were even supported by the peace operations. Some UN peacekeepers, including the Turkish, Malaysian , Bangladeshi, and Maltese, are known

Lapse rate modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Giovanni, Domenico

2010-01-01

prepayment models for mortgage backed securities, this paper builds a Rational Expectation (RE) model describing the policyholders' behavior in lapsing the contract. A market model with stochastic interest rates is considered, and the pricing is carried out through numerical approximation...

Lapse Rate Modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Giovanni, Domenico

prepayment models for mortgage backed securities, this paper builds a Rational Expectation (RE) model describing the policyholders' behavior in lapsing the contract. A market model with stochastic interest rates is considered, and the pricing is carried out through numerical approximation...

Preparation of cyclotron-produced {sup 186}Re and comparison with reactor-produced {sup 186}Re and generator-produced {sup 188}Re for the labeling of bombesin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moustapha, Moustapha E. [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); Ehrhardt, Gary J. [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); Smith, Charles J. [Department of Radiology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); Research Services, Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, MO 65201 (United States); Szajek, Lawrence P. [Positron Emission Tomography Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1180 (United States); Eckelman, William C. [Positron Emission Tomography Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1180 (United States); Jurisson, Silvia S. [Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States)]. E-mail: jurissons@missouri.edu

2006-01-15

The radioisotopes {sup 186}Re and {sup 188}Re have been extensively investigated for various forms of radiotherapy due to their useful and high-abundance {beta} particle emissions, low-abundance and imageable {gamma}-rays, and chemical resemblance to technetium. In addition, {sup 188}Re is available in no-carrier-added (NCA) form from long lived W-188 generators, whereas {sup 186}Re can be produced in large quantities from reactors, although not in NCA form. However, NCA {sup 186}Re can be produced on a cyclotron by a (p,n) reaction on {sup 186}W. The purpose of this study was to compare labeling of the peptide bombesin with these three forms of rhenium radioisotopes. Cyclotron-produced NCA {sup 186}Re was separated radiochemically from enriched {sup 186}W (96.9%) targets using high-purity methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). The resulting {sup 186}Re-MEK was then loaded onto a small alumina column to separate the resulting NCA {sup 186}Re from any remaining {sup 186}W. The experimental levels of impurities associated with {sup 186}Re at the end of the separation process were found to be 5.7x10{sup -6} Ci of {sup 182}Re (0.57%, t {sub 1/2}=12.7 h) and 1.283x10{sup -5} Ci of {sup 182m}Re (1.28%, t {sub 1/2}=2.67 days). The radionuclidic purity of the separated {sup 186}Re was found to be 99.6%, whereas the chemical identity was determined by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) to be perrhenate ({sup 186}ReO{sub 4} {sup -}). Generator-produced {sup 188}ReO{sub 4} {sup -} from a {sup 188}W/{sup 188}Re generator (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and CA {sup 186}ReO{sub 4} {sup -} produced from a {sup 185}Re(n,{gamma}){sup 186}Re reaction at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) were used for comparison with the NCA {sup 186}Re in subsequent studies. N{sub 3}S-5-Ava-BBN(7-14)NH{sub 2} conjugates provide flexibility for designing {sup 186,188}Re-labeled conjugates that retain high in vitro and in vivo specificity targeting of GRP receptor