Measuring subjective meaning structures by the laddering method: Theoretical considerations and methodological problems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grunert, Klaus G.; Grunert, Suzanne C.

1995-01-01

Starting from a general model of measuring cognitive structures for predicting consumer behaviour, we discuss laddering as a possible method to obtain estimates of consumption-relevant cognitive structures which will have predictive validity. Four criteria for valid measurement are derived and ap...

Clinical relevance of routinely measured vital signs in hospitalized patients: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Storm-Versloot, Marja N.; Verweij, Lotte; Lucas, Cees; Ludikhuize, Jeroen; Goslings, J. Carel; Legemate, Dink A.; Vermeulen, Hester

2014-01-01

Conflicting evidence exists on the effectiveness of routinely measured vital signs on the early detection of increased probability of adverse events. To assess the clinical relevance of routinely measured vital signs in medically and surgically hospitalized patients through a systematic review.

The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Advancing Innovative, Policy-Relevant Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Crootof, A.; Albrecht, T.; Scott, C. A.

2017-12-01

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is rapidly expanding in scholarly literature and policy settings as a novel way to address complex Anthropocene challenges. The nexus approach aims to identify tradeoffs and synergies of water, energy, and food systems, internalize social and environmental impacts, and guide development of cross-sectoral policies. However, a primary limitation of the nexus approach is the absence - or gaps and inconsistent use - of adequate methods to advance an innovative and policy-relevant nexus approach. This paper presents an analytical framework to identify robust nexus methods that align with nexus thinking and highlights innovative nexus methods at the frontier. The current state of nexus methods was assessed with a systematic review of 245 journal articles and book chapters. This review revealed (a) use of specific and reproducible methods for nexus assessment is uncommon - less than one-third of the reviewed studies present explicit methods; (b) nexus methods frequently fall short of capturing interactions among water, energy, and food - the very concept they purport to address; (c) assessments strongly favor quantitative approaches - 70% use primarily quantitative tools; (d) use of social science methods is limited (26%); and (e) many nexus methods are confined to disciplinary silos - only about one-quarter combine methods from diverse disciplines and less than one-fifth utilize both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Despite some pitfalls of current nexus methods, there are a host of studies that offer innovative approaches to help quantify nexus linkages and interactions among sectors, conceptualize dynamic feedbacks, and support mixed method approaches to better understand WEF systems. Applying our analytical framework to all 245 studies, we identify, and analyze herein, seventeen studies that implement innovative multi-method and cross-scalar tools to demonstrate promising advances toward improved nexus assessment. This paper

Methods for interpreting change over time in patient-reported outcome measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Wyrwich, K W; Norquist, J M; Lenderking, W R; Acaster, S

2013-04-01

Interpretation guidelines are needed for patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures' change scores to evaluate efficacy of an intervention and to communicate PRO results to regulators, patients, physicians, and providers. The 2009 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Guidance for Industry Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) Measures: Use in Medical Product Development to Support Labeling Claims (hereafter referred to as the final FDA PRO Guidance) provides some recommendations for the interpretation of change in PRO scores as evidence of treatment efficacy. This article reviews the evolution of the methods and the terminology used to describe and aid in the communication of meaningful PRO change score thresholds. Anchor- and distribution-based methods have played important roles, and the FDA has recently stressed the importance of cross-sectional patient global assessments of concept as anchor-based methods for estimation of the responder definition, which describes an individual-level treatment benefit. The final FDA PRO Guidance proposes the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of responses as a useful method to depict the effect of treatments across the study population. While CDFs serve an important role, they should not be a replacement for the careful investigation of a PRO's relevant responder definition using anchor-based methods and providing stakeholders with a relevant threshold for the interpretation of change over time.

Financial Indicators of Performance Measurement: Reality, Relevance and Distortion

OpenAIRE

Flavius-Andrei Guinea

2016-01-01

The main criticism brought to managers and to managerial accounting systems was the lack of emphasis on the return of the use of invested capital and the excessive focus on the efficiency of production processes. This fact forced the transition to a new view on the way of establishing the strategic objectives measured by financial indicators. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate, through case studies, the relevance and possibilities of manipulation of a series of indicators used for assess...

A Method to Measure the Bracelet Based on Feature Energy

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hongmin; Li, Lu; Wang, Zhiheng; Huo, Zhanqiang

2017-12-01

To measure the bracelet automatically, a novel method based on feature energy is proposed. Firstly, the morphological method is utilized to preprocess the image, and the contour consisting of a concentric circle is extracted. Then, a feature energy function, which is relevant to the distances from one pixel to the edge points, is defined taking into account the geometric properties of the concentric circle. The input image is subsequently transformed to the feature energy distribution map (FEDM) by computing the feature energy of each pixel. The center of the concentric circle is thus located by detecting the maximum on the FEDM; meanwhile, the radii of the concentric circle are determined according to the feature energy function of the center pixel. Finally, with the use of a calibration template, the internal diameter and thickness of the bracelet are measured. The experimental results show that the proposed method can measure the true sizes of the bracelet accurately with the simplicity, directness and robustness compared to the existing methods.

Materials interactions test methods to measure radionuclide release from waste forms under repository-relevant conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strickert, R.G.; Erikson, R.L.; Shade, J.W.

1984-10-01

At the request of the Basalt Waste Isolation Project, the Materials Characterization Center has collected and developed a set of procedures into a waste form compliance test method (MCC-14.4). The purpose of the test is to measure the steady-state concentrations of specified radionuclides in solutions contacting a waste form material. The test method uses a crushed waste form and basalt material suspended in a synthetic basalt groundwater and agitated for up to three months at 150 0 C under anoxic conditions. Elemental and radioisotopic analyses are made on filtered and unfiltered aliquots of the solution. Replicate experiments are performed and simultaneous tests are conducted with an approved test material (ATM) to help ensure precise and reliable data for the actual waste form material. Various features of the test method, equipment, and test conditions are reviewed. Experimental testing using actinide-doped borosilicate glasses are also discussed. 9 references, 2 tables

A DYNAMIC FEATURE SELECTION METHOD FOR DOCUMENT RANKING WITH RELEVANCE FEEDBACK APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Latha

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Ranking search results is essential for information retrieval and Web search. Search engines need to not only return highly relevant results, but also be fast to satisfy users. As a result, not all available features can be used for ranking, and in fact only a small percentage of these features can be used. Thus, it is crucial to have a feature selection mechanism that can find a subset of features that both meets latency requirements and achieves high relevance. In this paper we describe a 0/1 knapsack procedure for automatically selecting features to use within Generalization model for Document Ranking. We propose an approach for Relevance Feedback using Expectation Maximization method and evaluate the algorithm on the TREC Collection for describing classes of feedback textual information retrieval features. Experimental results, evaluated on standard TREC-9 part of the OHSUMED collections, show that our feature selection algorithm produces models that are either significantly more effective than, or equally effective as, models such as Markov Random Field model, Correlation Co-efficient and Count Difference method

Comparison of Thermal Properties Measured by Different Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundberg, Jan; Kukkonen, Ilmo; Haelldahl, Lars

2003-04-01

one or both methods cannot be excluded. For future investigations a set of thermal conductivity standard materials should be selected for testing using the different methods of the laboratories. The material should have thermal properties in the range of typical rocks, be fine-grained and suitable for making samples of different shapes and volumes adjusted to different measurement techniques. Because of large obtained individual variations in the results, comparisons of different methods should continue and include measurements of temperature dependence of thermal properties, especially the specific heat. This should cover the relevant temperature range of about 0-90 deg C. Further comparisons would add to previous studies of temperature dependence of the present rocks

Comparison of Thermal Properties Measured by Different Methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundberg, Jan [Geo Innova AB, Linkoeping (Sweden); Kukkonen, Ilmo [Geological Survey of Finland, Helsinki (Finland); Haelldahl, Lars [Hot Disk AB, Uppsala (Sweden)

2003-04-01

one or both methods cannot be excluded. For future investigations a set of thermal conductivity standard materials should be selected for testing using the different methods of the laboratories. The material should have thermal properties in the range of typical rocks, be fine-grained and suitable for making samples of different shapes and volumes adjusted to different measurement techniques. Because of large obtained individual variations in the results, comparisons of different methods should continue and include measurements of temperature dependence of thermal properties, especially the specific heat. This should cover the relevant temperature range of about 0-90 deg C. Further comparisons would add to previous studies of temperature dependence of the present rocks.

Lifetime measurements using the recoil distance method - achievements and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruecken, R.

2001-01-01

The recoil distance method (RDM) for measuring pico-second nuclear level lifetimes and its use in nuclear structure studies is reviewed and perspectives for the future are presented. High precision measurements in the mass-130 region, studies of multi-phonon states in rare earth nuclei, the investigation of shape coexistence and the recently discovered phenomenon of 'magnetic rotation' are reviewed. Prospects for lifetime measurements in exotic regions of nuclei such as the measurement of lifetimes in neutron rich nuclei populated via spontaneous and heavy-ion induced fission are discussed. Other prospects include the use of the RDM technique in conjunction with recoil separators. The relevance of these techniques for experiments with radioactive ion beams will be discussed

Accreditation - Its relevance for laboratories measuring radionuclides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palsson, S E [Icelandic Radiation Protection Inst. (Iceland)

2001-11-01

Accreditation is an internationally recognised way for laboratories to demonstrate their competence. Obtaining and maintaining accreditation is, however, a costly and time-consuming procedure. The benefits of accreditation also depend on the role of the laboratory. Accreditation may be of limited relevance for a research laboratory, but essential for a laboratory associated with a national authority and e.g. issuing certificates. This report describes work done within the NKSBOK-1.1 sub-project on introducing accreditation to Nordic laboratories measuring radionuclides. Initially the focus was on the new standard ISO/IEC 17025, which was just in a draft form at the time, but which provides now a new framework for accreditation of laboratories. Later the focus was widened to include a general introduction to accreditation and providing through seminars a forum for exchanging views on the experience laboratories have had in this field. Copies of overheads from the last such seminar are included in the appendix to this report. (au)

Organizational flexibility as a challenge of contemporary management. Determinants and methods of measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotr Buła

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This paper has been aimed at defining contemporary management flexibility determinants and the methods of its measurement. Problem investigated: This paper presents an analysis of organizational flexibility determinants related to the contemporary concepts and challenges within the area of management. The discussion includes two types of measurement of organizational flexibility based on declarative tests and quantitative criteria. The described methods are subject to evaluation. The paper also presents authors' own proposal for determinants classification, organizational flexibility assessment and an exemplary application. Methodology: The paper has been based on the results of research on organizational flexibility conducted by the Department of Business Studies Aalborg University (Denmark and Wrocław University of Economics (Poland. Conclusion: Organizational flexibility constitutes one of the major challenges of contemporary management. This issue has already been extensively discussed, however, despite numerous publications and relevant research projects many issues still need to be resolved. One of them is organizational flexibility measurement. In the first place, it needs a description of flexibility determinants relevant to a certain organization. There are no objective methods that would allow a description of the set of determinants since they are dependent on organization's special features and individually set objectives. In addition, it should be noted that those factors are subject to change, in line with the development of theory and concepts of management. The very flexibility measurement requires simultaneous application of various methods of factor analysis and polling stakeholder opinions.

Time-Quality Tradeoff of Waiting Strategies for Tutors to Retrieve Relevant Teaching Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Shih, Wen-Chung; Tseng, Shian-Shyong; Yang, Che-Ching; Liang, Tyne

2011-01-01

As more and more undergraduate students act as voluntary tutors to rural pupils after school, there is a growing need for a supporting environment to facilitate adaptive instruction. Among others, a teaching method retrieval system is intended to help tutors find relevant teaching methods for teaching a particular concept. However, teaching…

Parsimonious relevance models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meij, E.; Weerkamp, W.; Balog, K.; de Rijke, M.; Myang, S.-H.; Oard, D.W.; Sebastiani, F.; Chua, T.-S.; Leong, M.-K.

2008-01-01

We describe a method for applying parsimonious language models to re-estimate the term probabilities assigned by relevance models. We apply our method to six topic sets from test collections in five different genres. Our parsimonious relevance models (i) improve retrieval effectiveness in terms of

The estimation of effective doses using measurement of several relevant physical parameters from radon exposures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ridzikova, A; Fronka, A.; Maly, B.; Moucka, L.

2003-01-01

In the present investigation, we will be study the dose relevant factors from continual monitoring in real homes into account getting more accurate estimation of 222 Rn the effective dose. The dose relevant parameters include the radon concentration, the equilibrium factor (f), the fraction (fp) of unattached radon decay products and real time occupancy people in home. The result of the measurement are the time courses of radon concentration that are based on estimation effective doses together with assessment of the real time occupancy people indoor. We found out by analysis that year effective dose is lower than effective dose estimated by ICRP recommendation from the integral measurement that included only average radon concentration. Our analysis of estimation effective doses using measurement of several physical parameters was made only in one case and for the better specification is important to measure in different real occupancy houses. (authors)

A study of the river velocity measurement techniques and analysis methods

Science.gov (United States)

Chung Yang, Han; Lun Chiang, Jie

2013-04-01

Velocity measurement technology can be traced back to the pitot tube velocity measurement method in the 18th century and today's velocity measurement technology use the acoustic and radar technology, with the Doppler principle developed technology advances, in order to develop the measurement method is more suitable for the measurement of velocity, the purpose is to get a more accurate measurement data and with the surface velocity theory, the maximum velocity theory and the indicator theory to obtain the mean velocity. As the main research direction of this article is to review the literature of the velocity measurement techniques and analysis methods, and to explore the applicability of the measurement method of the velocity measurement instruments, and then to describe the advantages and disadvantages of the different mean velocity profiles analysis method. Adequate review of the references of this study will be able to provide a reference for follow-up study of the velocity measurement. Review velocity measurement literature that different velocity measurement is required to follow the different flow conditions measured be upgraded its accuracy, because each flow rate measurement method has its advantages and disadvantages. Traditional velocity instrument can be used at low flow and RiverRAD microwave radar or imaging technology measurement method may be applied in high flow. In the tidal river can use the ADCP to quickly measure river vertical velocity distribution. In addition, urban rivers may be used the CW radar to set up on the bridge, and wide rivers can be used RiverRAD microwave radar to measure the velocities. Review the relevant literature also found that using Ultrasonic Doppler Current Profiler with the Chiu's theory to the velocity of observing automation work can save manpower and resources to improve measurement accuracy, reduce the risk of measurement, but the great variability of river characteristics in Taiwan and a lot of drifting floating

Allergic Contact Dermatitis to Ophthalmic Medications: Relevant Allergens and Alternative Testing Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Grey, Katherine R; Warshaw, Erin M

Allergic contact dermatitis is an important cause of periorbital dermatitis. Topical ophthalmic agents are relevant sensitizers. Contact dermatitis to ophthalmic medications can be challenging to diagnose and manage given the numerous possible offending agents, including both active and inactive ingredients. Furthermore, a substantial body of literature reports false-negative patch test results to ophthalmic agents. Subsequently, numerous alternative testing methods have been described. This review outlines the periorbital manifestations, causative agents, and alternative testing methods of allergic contact dermatitis to ophthalmic medications.

Customisation and Desirable Characteristics of a Standard Method of Measurement for Building Works in Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Nani

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This paper reports a study that identified andcategorised the modifications to the 5thEdition of the British Standard Method ofMeasurement (SMM5 of building works inGhana. Typical modifications involved ‘costinsignificant items’, ‘minor labour items’,‘custom units of measurement’, ‘methodrelated items’, ‘combinable items’,‘subordinate items’, and ‘items of minorinformative impact’. It was also observed thatthe desirable characteristics/ qualities ofstandard methods of measurement (SMM ofbuilding work were noteworthy, since theyprovide insight into the nature of a SMMrequired for the construction industry inGhana.The research reviewed available literature,various SMMs and bills of quantities (BQs.The relevance of the modifications andSMM characteristics identified wasconfirmed by a survey of the opinions ofprofessional quantity surveyors conductedthrough a carefully designed questionnaire.Inferences from the opinion survey formedthe basis for grouping both SMMmodifications found and the desired qualitiesof a SMM for Ghana.Survey respondents confirmed all theidentified modifications to the British SMM,except for the elimination of items of minorinformative impact. It was held that allinformation was relevant in measurement.Desirable characteristics of a SMM were ratedin decreasing order of relevance as: easylocation of items; cost significance; simplicity;thoroughness; ease of cost analysis; goodpractice; conciseness; adoptability; precision;industry practice; stakeholders’ opinion;custom classification; regional relevance; andinclusion of jargon. It was noted that therelevance of these characteristics may varyform one region to the other as a result oftechnological, cultural and legal differences.However, the desired SMM characteristicswere recommended as fundamental indeveloping an appropriate SMM for Ghana.

Clinical tooth preparations and associated measuring methods: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiu, Janine; Al-Amleh, Basil; Waddell, J Neil; Duncan, Warwick J

2015-03-01

The geometries of tooth preparations are important features that aid in the retention and resistance of cemented complete crowns. The clinically relevant values and the methods used to measure these are not clear. The purpose of this systematic review was to retrieve, organize, and critically appraise studies measuring clinical tooth preparation parameters, specifically the methodology used to measure the preparation geometry. A database search was performed in Scopus, PubMed, and ScienceDirect with an additional hand search on December 5, 2013. The articles were screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria and information regarding the total occlusal convergence (TOC) angle, margin design, and associated measuring methods were extracted. The values and associated measuring methods were tabulated. A total of 1006 publications were initially retrieved. After removing duplicates and filtering by using exclusion and inclusion criteria, 983 articles were excluded. Twenty-three articles reported clinical tooth preparation values. Twenty articles reported the TOC, 4 articles reported margin designs, 4 articles reported margin angles, and 3 articles reported the abutment height of preparations. A variety of methods were used to measure these parameters. TOC values seem to be the most important preparation parameter. Recommended TOC values have increased over the past 4 decades from an unachievable 2- to 5-degree taper to a more realistic 10 to 22 degrees. Recommended values are more likely to be achieved under experimental conditions if crown preparations are performed outside of the mouth. We recommend that a standardized measurement method based on the cross sections of crown preparations and standardized reporting be developed for future studies analyzing preparation geometry. Copyright © 2015 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Trend extraction of rail corrugation measured dynamically based on the relevant low-frequency principal components reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yanfu; Liu, Hongli; Ma, Ziji

2016-01-01

Rail corrugation dynamic measurement techniques are critical to guarantee transport security and guide rail maintenance. During the inspection process, low-frequency trends caused by rail fluctuation are usually superimposed on rail corrugation and seriously affect the assessment of rail maintenance quality. In order to extract and remove the nonlinear and non-stationary trends from original mixed signals, a hybrid model based ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and modified principal component analysis (MPCA) is proposed in this paper. Compared with the existing de-trending methods based on EMD, this method first considers low-frequency intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) thought to be underlying trend components that maybe contain some unrelated components, such as white noise and low-frequency signal itself, and proposes to use PCA to accurately extract the pure trends from the IMFs containing multiple components. On the other hand, due to the energy contribution ratio between trends and mixed signals is prior unknown, and the principal components (PCs) decomposed by PCA are arranged in order of energy reduction without considering frequency distribution, the proposed method modifies traditional PCA and just selects relevant low-frequency PCs to reconstruct the trends based on the zero-crossing numbers (ZCN) of each PC. Extensive tests are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show the proposed EEMD-PCA-ZCN is an effective tool for trend extraction of rail corrugation measured dynamically. (paper)

Measurements at LHC and their relevance for cosmic ray physics

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

Many LHC measurements are already used to improve hadronic interaction models used in cosmic ray analyses. This already had a positive effect on the model dependence of crucial data analyses. Some of the data and the model tuning is reviewed. However, the LHC still has a lot more potential to provide crucial information. Since the start of Run2 the highest accelerator beam energies are reached and no further increase can be expected for a long time. First data of Run2 are published and the fundamental performance of cosmic ray hadronic interaction models can be scrutinized. The relevance of LHC data in general for cosmic ray data analyses is demonstrated.

A Tissue Relevance and Meshing Method for Computing Patient-Specific Anatomical Models in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Audette, M. A.; Hertel, I.; Burgert, O.; Strauss, G.

This paper presents on-going work on a method for determining which subvolumes of a patient-specific tissue map, extracted from CT data of the head, are relevant to simulating endoscopic sinus surgery of that individual, and for decomposing these relevant tissues into triangles and tetrahedra whose mesh size is well controlled. The overall goal is to limit the complexity of the real-time biomechanical interaction while ensuring the clinical relevance of the simulation. Relevant tissues are determined as the union of the pathology present in the patient, of critical tissues deemed to be near the intended surgical path or pathology, and of bone and soft tissue near the intended path, pathology or critical tissues. The processing of tissues, prior to meshing, is based on the Fast Marching method applied under various guises, in a conditional manner that is related to tissue classes. The meshing is based on an adaptation of a meshing method of ours, which combines the Marching Tetrahedra method and the discrete Simplex mesh surface model to produce a topologically faithful surface mesh with well controlled edge and face size as a first stage, and Almost-regular Tetrahedralization of the same prescribed mesh size as a last stage.

The Relevance Voxel Machine (RVoxM): A Bayesian Method for Image-Based Prediction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sabuncu, Mert R.; Van Leemput, Koen

2011-01-01

This paper presents the Relevance VoxelMachine (RVoxM), a Bayesian multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) algorithm that is specifically designed for making predictions based on image data. In contrast to generic MVPA algorithms that have often been used for this purpose, the method is designed to ...

The comparative analysis of the current-meter method and the pressure-time method used for discharge measurements in the Kaplan turbine penstocks

Science.gov (United States)

Adamkowski, A.; Krzemianowski, Z.

2012-11-01

The paper presents experiences gathered during many years of utilizing the current-meter and pressure-time methods for flow rate measurements in many hydropower plants. The integration techniques used in these both methods are different from the recommendations contained in the relevant international standards, mainly from the graphical and arithmetical ones. The results of the comparative analysis of both methods applied at the same time during the hydraulic performance tests of two Kaplan turbines in one of the Polish hydropower plant are presented in the final part of the paper. In the case of the pressure-time method application, the concrete penstocks of the tested turbines required installing a special measuring instrumentation inside the penstock. The comparison has shown a satisfactory agreement between the results of discharge measurements executed using the both considered methods. Maximum differences between the discharge values have not exceeded 1.0 % and the average differences have not been greater than 0.5 %.

The comparative analysis of the current-meter method and the pressure-time method used for discharge measurements in the Kaplan turbine penstocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adamkowski, A; Krzemianowski, Z

2012-01-01

The paper presents experiences gathered during many years of utilizing the current-meter and pressure-time methods for flow rate measurements in many hydropower plants. The integration techniques used in these both methods are different from the recommendations contained in the relevant international standards, mainly from the graphical and arithmetical ones. The results of the comparative analysis of both methods applied at the same time during the hydraulic performance tests of two Kaplan turbines in one of the Polish hydropower plant are presented in the final part of the paper. In the case of the pressure-time method application, the concrete penstocks of the tested turbines required installing a special measuring instrumentation inside the penstock. The comparison has shown a satisfactory agreement between the results of discharge measurements executed using the both considered methods. Maximum differences between the discharge values have not exceeded 1.0 % and the average differences have not been greater than 0.5 %.

Uncertainty characterization of particle depth measurement using digital in-line holography and the hybrid method.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Jian; Guildenbecher, Daniel R; Reu, Phillip L; Chen, Jun

2013-11-04

In the detection of particles using digital in-line holography, measurement accuracy is substantially influenced by the hologram processing method. In particular, a number of methods have been proposed to determine the out-of-plane particle depth (z location). However, due to the lack of consistent uncertainty characterization, it has been unclear which method is best suited to a given measurement problem. In this work, depth determination accuracies of seven particle detection methods, including a recently proposed hybrid method, are systematically investigated in terms of relative depth measurement errors and uncertainties. Both synthetic and experimental holograms of particle fields are considered at conditions relevant to particle sizing and tracking. While all methods display a range of particle conditions where they are most accurate, in general the hybrid method is shown to be the most robust with depth uncertainty less than twice the particle diameter over a wide range of particle field conditions.

Impact of a novel teaching method based on feedback, activity, individuality and relevance on students’ learning

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, William S.; Laskar, Simone N.; Benjamin, Miles W.; Chan, Philip

2016-01-01

Objectives This study examines the perceived impact of a novel clinical teaching method based on FAIR principles (feedback, activity, individuality and relevance) on students’ learning on clinical placement. Methods This was a qualitative research study. Participants were third year and final year medical students attached to one UK vascular firm over a four-year period (N=108). Students were asked to write a reflective essay on how FAIRness approach differs from previous clinical placement, and its advantages and disadvantages. Essays were thematically analysed and globally rated (positive, negative or neutral) by two independent researchers. Results Over 90% of essays reported positive experiences of feedback, activity, individuality and relevance model.  The model provided multifaceted feedback; active participation; longitudinal improvement; relevance to stage of learning and future goals; structured teaching; professional development; safe learning environment; consultant involvement in teaching. Students perceived preparation for tutorials to be time intensive for tutors/students; a lack of teaching on medical sciences and direct observation of performance; more than once weekly sessions would be beneficial; some issues with peer and public feedback, relevance to upcoming exam and large group sizes. Students described negative experiences of “standard” clinical teaching. Conclusions Progressive teaching programmes based on the FAIRness principles, feedback, activity, individuality and relevance, could be used as a model to improve current undergraduate clinical teaching. PMID:26995588

Financial Indicators of Performance Measurement: Reality, Relevance and Distortion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flavius-Andrei Guinea

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The main criticism brought to managers and to managerial accounting systems was the lack of emphasis on the return of the use of invested capital and the excessive focus on the efficiency of production processes. This fact forced the transition to a new view on the way of establishing the strategic objectives measured by financial indicators. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate, through case studies, the relevance and possibilities of manipulation of a series of indicators used for assessing performance: return on investment, residual profit, economic added value, commercial profitability. The relativity and the criticized appraisal of performance only through the means of profit were thought to be solved by implementing other indicators that would link several ingredients of profitability. The conclusions highlight that the remedy promoted by the new sets of financial indicators imposes a considerable cost, represented by the temptation of information distortion.

Comparison of microstickies measurement methods. Part I, sample preparation and measurement methods

Science.gov (United States)

Mahendra R. Doshi; Angeles Blanco; Carlos Negro; Gilles M. Dorris; Carlos C. Castro; Axel Hamann; R. Daniel Haynes; Carl Houtman; Karen Scallon; Hans-Joachim Putz; Hans Johansson; R.A. Venditti; K. Copeland; H.-M. Chang

2003-01-01

Recently, we completed a project on the comparison of macrostickies measurement methods. Based on the success of the project, we decided to embark on this new project on comparison of microstickies measurement methods. When we started this project, there were some concerns and doubts principally due to the lack of an accepted definition of microstickies. However, we...

Trade Off Relevance Dan Reliability: Isu Ifrs

OpenAIRE

Mahmudah, Hadi

2013-01-01

Financial reports containing qualitative characteristic that are useful for usernya.For a long time believed to be the existence of trade off between characteristic of qualitative relevance and reliability. Trade off due to the fact that the use of the method of measurement historical cost and fair value. Trade off occur because of the interests of for the purpose of the preparation of reports on finance. Accountability for the purpose of the measurement of the cost of historical still reliab...

Enrichment methods to detect bone marrow micrometastases in breast carcinoma patients: clinical relevance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choesmel, Valérie; Pierga, Jean-Yves; Nos, Claude; Vincent-Salomon, Anne; Sigal-Zafrani, Brigitte; Thiery, Jean-Paul; Blin, Nathalie

2004-01-01

Improving technologies for the detection and purification of bone marrow (BM) micrometastatic cells in breast cancer patients should lead to earlier prognosis of the risk of relapse and should make it possible to design more appropriate therapies. The technique used has to overcome the challenges resulting from the small number of target cells (one per million hematopoietic cells) and the heterogeneous expression of micrometastatic cell markers. In the present study, we have assessed the clinical relevance of current methods aimed at detecting rare disseminated carcinoma cells. BM aspirates from 32 carcinoma patients were screened for the presence of micrometastatic cells positive for epithelial cell adhesion molecule and positive for cytokeratins, using optimized immunodetection methods. A comparison with data obtained for 46 control BM aspirates and a correlation with the clinical status of patients were performed. We developed a sensitive and efficient immunomagnetic protocol for the enrichment of BM micrometastases. This method was used to divide 32 breast carcinoma patients into three categories according to their epithelial cell adhesion molecule status. These categories were highly correlated with the recently revised American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for breast cancer, demonstrating the clinical relevance of this simple and reliable immunomagnetic technique. We also evaluated immunocytochemical detection of cytokeratin-positive cells and cytomorphological parameters. Immunocytochemistry-based methods for the detection of BM micrometastases did not provide any information about the clinical status of patients, but helped to refine the immunomagnetic data by confirming the presence of micrometastases in some cases. We also tested a new density gradient centrifugation system, able to enrich the tumor fraction of BM specimens by twofold to threefold as compared with standard Ficoll methods. These improved methods for the detection of

Evidence-Based Indicators of Neuropsychological Change in the Individual Patient: Relevant Concepts and Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Duff, Kevin

2012-01-01

Repeated assessments are a relatively common occurrence in clinical neuropsychology. The current paper will review some of the relevant concepts (e.g., reliability, practice effects, alternate forms) and methods (e.g., reliable change index, standardized based regression) that are used in repeated neuropsychological evaluations. The focus will be on the understanding and application of these concepts and methods in the evaluation of the individual patient through examples. Finally, some future directions for assessing change will be described. PMID:22382384

A method of bias correction for maximal reliability with dichotomous measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Penev, Spiridon; Raykov, Tenko

2010-02-01

This paper is concerned with the reliability of weighted combinations of a given set of dichotomous measures. Maximal reliability for such measures has been discussed in the past, but the pertinent estimator exhibits a considerable bias and mean squared error for moderate sample sizes. We examine this bias, propose a procedure for bias correction, and develop a more accurate asymptotic confidence interval for the resulting estimator. In most empirically relevant cases, the bias correction and mean squared error correction can be performed simultaneously. We propose an approximate (asymptotic) confidence interval for the maximal reliability coefficient, discuss the implementation of this estimator, and investigate the mean squared error of the associated asymptotic approximation. We illustrate the proposed methods using a numerical example.

How to choose methods for lake greenhouse gas flux measurements?

Science.gov (United States)

Bastviken, David

2017-04-01

Lake greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes are increasingly recognized as important for lake ecosystems as well as for large scale carbon and GHG budgets. However, many of our flux estimates are uncertain and it can be discussed if the presently available data is representative for the systems studied or not. Data are also very limited for some important flux pathways. Hence, many ongoing efforts try to better constrain fluxes and understand flux regulation. A fundamental challenge towards improved knowledge and when starting new studies is what methods to choose. A variety of approaches to measure aquatic GHG exchange is used and data from different methods and methodological approaches have often been treated as equally valid to create large datasets for extrapolations and syntheses. However, data from different approaches may cover different flux pathways or spatio-temporal domains and are thus not always comparable. Method inter-comparisons and critical method evaluations addressing these issues are rare. Emerging efforts to organize systematic multi-lake monitoring networks for GHG fluxes leads to method choices that may set the foundation for decades of data generation and therefore require fundamental evaluation of different approaches. The method choices do not only regard the equipment but also for example consideration of overall measurement design and field approaches, relevant spatial and temporal resolution for different flux components, and accessory variables to measure. In addition, consideration of how to design monitoring approaches being affordable, suitable for widespread (global) use, and comparable across regions is needed. Inspired by discussions with Prof. Dr. Cristian Blodau during the EGU General Assembly 2016, this presentation aims to (1) illustrate fundamental pros and cons for a number of common methods, (2) show how common methodological approaches originally adapted for other environments can be improved for lake flux measurements, (3) suggest

Methods for measuring denitrification: Diverse approaches to a difficult problem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Groffman, Peter M.; Altabet, Mark A.; Böhlke, J. K.

2006-01-01

, and global scales. Unfortunately, this process is very difficult to measure, and existing methods are problematic for different reasons in different places at different times. In this paper, we review the major approaches that have been taken to measure denitrification in terrestrial and aquatic environments...... based on stable isotopes, (8) in situ gradients with atmospheric environmental tracers, and (9) molecular approaches. Our review makes it clear that the prospects for improved quantification of denitrification vary greatly in different environments and at different scales. While current methodology allows...... for the production of accurate estimates of denitrification at scales relevant to water and air quality and ecosystem fertility questions in some systems (e.g., aquatic sediments, well-defined aquifers), methodology for other systems, especially upland terrestrial areas, still needs development. Comparison of mass...

Moisture disturbance when measuring boron content in wet glass fibre materials with thermal neutron transmission method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhiping; Liu Shengkang; Zhang Yongjie

2001-01-01

The theoretical calculation and experimental study on the moisture disturbance in the boron content measurement of wet glass fibre materials using the thermal neutron transmission method were reported. The relevant formula of the moisture disturbance was derived. For samples with a mass of 16 g, it was found that a moisture variation of 1% (mass percent) would result in a deviation of 0.28% (mass percent) in the measurement of boron contents

New Methods for Crafting Locally Decision-Relevant Scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Lempert, R. J.

2015-12-01

Scenarios can play an important role in helping decision makers to imagine future worlds, both good and bad, different than the one with which we are familiar and to take concrete steps now to address the risks generated by climate change. At their best, scenarios can effectively represent deep uncertainty; integrate over multiple domains; and enable parties with different expectation and values to expand the range of futures they consider, to see the world from different points of view, and to grapple seriously with the potential implications of surprising or inconvenient futures. These attributes of scenario processes can prove crucial in helping craft effective responses to climate change. But traditional scenario methods can also fail to overcome difficulties related to choosing, communicating, and using scenarios to identify, evaluate, and reach consensus on appropriate policies. Such challenges can limit scenario's impact in broad public discourse. This talk will demonstrate how new decision support approaches can employ new quantitative tools that allow scenarios to emerge from a process of deliberation with analysis among stakeholders, rather than serve as inputs to it, thereby increasing the impacts of scenarios on decision making. This talk will demonstrate these methods in the design of a decision support tool to help residents of low lying coastal cities grapple with the long-term risks of sea level rise. In particular, this talk will show how information from the IPCC SSP's can be combined with local information to provide a rich set of locally decision-relevant information.

Simple and efficient machine learning frameworks for identifying protein-protein interaction relevant articles and experimental methods used to study the interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Shashank; Liu, Feifan; Yu, Hong

2011-10-03

Protein-protein interaction (PPI) is an important biomedical phenomenon. Automatically detecting PPI-relevant articles and identifying methods that are used to study PPI are important text mining tasks. In this study, we have explored domain independent features to develop two open source machine learning frameworks. One performs binary classification to determine whether the given article is PPI relevant or not, named "Simple Classifier", and the other one maps the PPI relevant articles with corresponding interaction method nodes in a standardized PSI-MI (Proteomics Standards Initiative-Molecular Interactions) ontology, named "OntoNorm". We evaluated our system in the context of BioCreative challenge competition using the standardized data set. Our systems are amongst the top systems reported by the organizers, attaining 60.8% F1-score for identifying relevant documents, and 52.3% F1-score for mapping articles to interaction method ontology. Our results show that domain-independent machine learning frameworks can perform competitively well at the tasks of detecting PPI relevant articles and identifying the methods that were used to study the interaction in such articles. Simple Classifier is available at http://sourceforge.net/p/simpleclassify/home/ and OntoNorm at http://sourceforge.net/p/ontonorm/home/.

Vegetation relevés and soil measurements in the Netherlands: the Ecological Conditions Database (EC)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wamelink, G.W.W.; Adrichem, van M.H.C.; Dobben, van H.F.; Frissel, J.Y.; Held, den M.E.; Joosten, V.; Malinowska, A.H.; Slim, P.A.; Wegman, R.M.A.

2012-01-01

Since its establishment around 1990, the Ecological Conditions Database (EC; GIVD ID EU-00-006) has been accumulating vegetation relevés from the Netherlands, each accompanied by at least one abiotic soil measurement (e.g. pH or nutrient availability). On 1-1-2010, the database contained 8,229

CESAR cost-efficient methods and processes for safety-relevant embedded systems

CERN Document Server

Wahl, Thomas

2013-01-01

The book summarizes the findings and contributions of the European ARTEMIS project, CESAR, for improving and enabling interoperability of methods, tools, and processes to meet the demands in embedded systems development across four domains - avionics, automotive, automation, and rail. The contributions give insight to an improved engineering and safety process life-cycle for the development of safety critical systems. They present new concept of engineering tools integration platform to improve the development of safety critical embedded systems and illustrate capacity of this framework for end-user instantiation to specific domain needs and processes. They also advance state-of-the-art in component-based development as well as component and system validation and verification, with tool support. And finally they describe industry relevant evaluated processes and methods especially designed for the embedded systems sector as well as easy adoptable common interoperability principles for software tool integratio...

Profiles of Dialogue for Relevance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douglas Walton

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper uses argument diagrams, argumentation schemes, and some tools from formal argumentation systems developed in artificial intelligence to build a graph-theoretic model of relevance shown to be applicable (with some extensions as a practical method for helping a third party judge issues of relevance or irrelevance of an argument in real examples. Examples used to illustrate how the method works are drawn from disputes about relevance in natural language discourse, including a criminal trial and a parliamentary debate.

A method for measuring three-dimensional mandibular kinematics in vivo using single-plane fluoroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, C-C; Lin, C-C; Chen, Y-J; Hong, S-W; Lu, T-W

2013-01-01

Objectives Accurate measurement of the three-dimensional (3D) motion of the mandible in vivo is essential for relevant clinical applications. Existing techniques are either of limited accuracy or require the use of transoral devices that interfere with jaw movements. This study aimed to develop further an existing method for measuring 3D, in vivo mandibular kinematics using single-plane fluoroscopy; to determine the accuracy of the method; and to demonstrate its clinical applicability via measurements on a healthy subject during opening/closing and chewing movements. Methods The proposed method was based on the registration of single-plane fluoroscopy images and 3D low-radiation cone beam CT data. It was validated using roentgen single-plane photogrammetric analysis at static positions and during opening/closing and chewing movements. Results The method was found to have measurement errors of 0.1 ± 0.9 mm for all translations and 0.2° ± 0.6° for all rotations in static conditions, and of 1.0 ± 1.4 mm for all translations and 0.2° ± 0.7° for all rotations in dynamic conditions. Conclusions The proposed method is considered an accurate method for quantifying the 3D mandibular motion in vivo. Without relying on transoral devices, the method has advantages over existing methods, especially in the assessment of patients with missing or unstable teeth, making it useful for the research and clinical assessment of the temporomandibular joint and chewing function. PMID:22842637

Methods of Reverberation Mapping. I. Time-lag Determination by Measures of Randomness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chelouche, Doron; Pozo-Nuñez, Francisco [Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838 (Israel); Zucker, Shay, E-mail: doron@sci.haifa.ac.il, E-mail: francisco.pozon@gmail.com, E-mail: shayz@post.tau.ac.il [Department of Geosciences, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801 (Israel)

2017-08-01

A class of methods for measuring time delays between astronomical time series is introduced in the context of quasar reverberation mapping, which is based on measures of randomness or complexity of the data. Several distinct statistical estimators are considered that do not rely on polynomial interpolations of the light curves nor on their stochastic modeling, and do not require binning in correlation space. Methods based on von Neumann’s mean-square successive-difference estimator are found to be superior to those using other estimators. An optimized von Neumann scheme is formulated, which better handles sparsely sampled data and outperforms current implementations of discrete correlation function methods. This scheme is applied to existing reverberation data of varying quality, and consistency with previously reported time delays is found. In particular, the size–luminosity relation of the broad-line region in quasars is recovered with a scatter comparable to that obtained by other works, yet with fewer assumptions made concerning the process underlying the variability. The proposed method for time-lag determination is particularly relevant for irregularly sampled time series, and in cases where the process underlying the variability cannot be adequately modeled.

Automated methods of corrosion measurement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jens Enevold Thaulov; Bech-Nielsen, Gregers; Reeve, John Ch

1997-01-01

to revise assumptions regarding the basis of the method, which sometimes leads to the discovery of as-yet unnoticed phenomena. The present selection of automated methods for corrosion measurements is not motivated simply by the fact that a certain measurement can be performed automatically. Automation...... is applied to nearly all types of measurements today....

Impact of a novel teaching method based on feedback, activity, individuality and relevance on students' learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Edafe, Ovie; Brooks, William S; Laskar, Simone N; Benjamin, Miles W; Chan, Philip

2016-03-20

This study examines the perceived impact of a novel clinical teaching method based on FAIR principles (feedback, activity, individuality and relevance) on students' learning on clinical placement. This was a qualitative research study. Participants were third year and final year medical students attached to one UK vascular firm over a four-year period (N=108). Students were asked to write a reflective essay on how FAIRness approach differs from previous clinical placement, and its advantages and disadvantages. Essays were thematically analysed and globally rated (positive, negative or neutral) by two independent researchers. Over 90% of essays reported positive experiences of feedback, activity, individuality and relevance model. The model provided multifaceted feedback; active participation; longitudinal improvement; relevance to stage of learning and future goals; structured teaching; professional development; safe learning environment; consultant involvement in teaching. Students perceived preparation for tutorials to be time intensive for tutors/students; a lack of teaching on medical sciences and direct observation of performance; more than once weekly sessions would be beneficial; some issues with peer and public feedback, relevance to upcoming exam and large group sizes. Students described negative experiences of "standard" clinical teaching. Progressive teaching programmes based on the FAIRness principles, feedback, activity, individuality and relevance, could be used as a model to improve current undergraduate clinical teaching.

A new method for measuring the thermal regulatory properties of phase change material (PCM) fabrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, X; Fan, J

2009-01-01

Several methods already exist for the measurement of the thermal regulatory properties of fabrics containing phase change materials (PCMs). However, they do not adequately simulate the actual use condition; consequently the measurements may not have relevance to the performance of PCM fabrics in actual use. Here we report on the development of a new method, which better simulates the real use situation. In this method, a hot plate, simulating the human body, generates a constant amount of heat depending on the type of human activity to be simulated. The hot plate covered by the PCM fabric is then exposed to a thermal transient simulating a wearer moving from one thermal environment to another; the changes of surface temperature and heat loss of the hot plate are then recorded and used to characterize the thermal regulatory properties of the PCM fabrics

A New Void Fraction Measurement Method for Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in Small Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huajun Li

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Based on a laser diode, a 12 × 6 photodiode array sensor, and machine learning techniques, a new void fraction measurement method for gas-liquid two-phase flow in small channels is proposed. To overcome the influence of flow pattern on the void fraction measurement, the flow pattern of the two-phase flow is firstly identified by Fisher Discriminant Analysis (FDA. Then, according to the identification result, a relevant void fraction measurement model which is developed by Support Vector Machine (SVM is selected to implement the void fraction measurement. A void fraction measurement system for the two-phase flow is developed and experiments are carried out in four different small channels. Four typical flow patterns (including bubble flow, slug flow, stratified flow and annular flow are investigated. The experimental results show that the development of the measurement system is successful. The proposed void fraction measurement method is effective and the void fraction measurement accuracy is satisfactory. Compared with the conventional laser measurement systems using standard laser sources, the developed measurement system has the advantages of low cost and simple structure. Compared with the conventional void fraction measurement methods, the proposed method overcomes the influence of flow pattern on the void fraction measurement. This work also provides a good example of using low-cost laser diode as a competent replacement of the expensive standard laser source and hence implementing the parameter measurement of gas-liquid two-phase flow. The research results can be a useful reference for other researchers’ works.

A New Void Fraction Measurement Method for Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow in Small Channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Huajun; Ji, Haifeng; Huang, Zhiyao; Wang, Baoliang; Li, Haiqing; Wu, Guohua

2016-01-27

Based on a laser diode, a 12 × 6 photodiode array sensor, and machine learning techniques, a new void fraction measurement method for gas-liquid two-phase flow in small channels is proposed. To overcome the influence of flow pattern on the void fraction measurement, the flow pattern of the two-phase flow is firstly identified by Fisher Discriminant Analysis (FDA). Then, according to the identification result, a relevant void fraction measurement model which is developed by Support Vector Machine (SVM) is selected to implement the void fraction measurement. A void fraction measurement system for the two-phase flow is developed and experiments are carried out in four different small channels. Four typical flow patterns (including bubble flow, slug flow, stratified flow and annular flow) are investigated. The experimental results show that the development of the measurement system is successful. The proposed void fraction measurement method is effective and the void fraction measurement accuracy is satisfactory. Compared with the conventional laser measurement systems using standard laser sources, the developed measurement system has the advantages of low cost and simple structure. Compared with the conventional void fraction measurement methods, the proposed method overcomes the influence of flow pattern on the void fraction measurement. This work also provides a good example of using low-cost laser diode as a competent replacement of the expensive standard laser source and hence implementing the parameter measurement of gas-liquid two-phase flow. The research results can be a useful reference for other researchers' works.

Development of nondestructive hybrid measuring method for three-dimensional residual stress distribution of thick welded joint. Hybrid measuring method of inherent strain method and neutron diffraction method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakacho, Keiji; Kasahara, Norifumi; Tamura, Ryota

2012-01-01

The measuring methods of the residual stress are classified into destructive one and nondestructive one. The inherent strain method (ISM) is destructive one. The neutron diffraction method (NDM) is nondestructive one. But the measurable depth is limited within about 20 mm and the method cannot measure the weld zone, without destruction of the object. So, in this study, the hybrid measuring method has been developed, by combining the ISM and the NDM. The theory of the hybrid method is the same as the ISM. In the analysis, the strains measured by the NDM without destruction are used. This hybrid measuring method is a true nondestructive measuring method for a thick welded joint. The applicability of the hybrid method has been verified by simulation, using a butt welded joint of thick pipes. In the simulation, the reliable order of the strains measured by the present NDM is very important, and was considered as 10 micro. The measurable regions by the present NDM were assumed. Under the above conditions, the data (the residual elastic strains assumed to be measured by the NDM) were made, and used in the ISM. As a result of such simulation, it has been cleared that the estimated residual stress has very high accuracy, if enough data are used. The required number of data is less than the ISM. (author)

Measurement of productive efficiency with frontier methods. A case study for wind farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iglesias, Guillermo; Castellanos, Pablo; Seijas, Amparo

2010-01-01

In this paper, we measure the productive efficiency of a group of wind farms during the period 2001-2004 using the frontier methods Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). Taking an extensive definition of the productive process of wind electricity as our starting point, we obtain results which allow us to identify, on the one hand, an essentially ex ante efficiency measure and, on the other hand, aspects of relevance for wind farm development companies (developers), technology suppliers and operators in terms of their economic impact. These results may also be of interest for regulators and other stakeholders in the sector. Furthermore, we discuss the implications of the simultaneous use of DEA and SFA methodologies. (author)

Detecting clinically relevant new information in clinical notes across specialties and settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Pakhomov, Serguei V S; Arsoniadis, Elliot G; Lee, Janet T; Wang, Yan; Melton, Genevieve B

2017-07-05

Automated methods for identifying clinically relevant new versus redundant information in electronic health record (EHR) clinical notes is useful for clinicians and researchers involved in patient care and clinical research, respectively. We evaluated methods to automatically identify clinically relevant new information in clinical notes, and compared the quantity of redundant information across specialties and clinical settings. Statistical language models augmented with semantic similarity measures were evaluated as a means to detect and quantify clinically relevant new and redundant information over longitudinal clinical notes for a given patient. A corpus of 591 progress notes over 40 inpatient admissions was annotated for new information longitudinally by physicians to generate a reference standard. Note redundancy between various specialties was evaluated on 71,021 outpatient notes and 64,695 inpatient notes from 500 solid organ transplant patients (April 2015 through August 2015). Our best method achieved at best performance of 0.87 recall, 0.62 precision, and 0.72 F-measure. Addition of semantic similarity metrics compared to baseline improved recall but otherwise resulted in similar performance. While outpatient and inpatient notes had relatively similar levels of high redundancy (61% and 68%, respectively), redundancy differed by author specialty with mean redundancy of 75%, 66%, 57%, and 55% observed in pediatric, internal medicine, psychiatry and surgical notes, respectively. Automated techniques with statistical language models for detecting redundant versus clinically relevant new information in clinical notes do not improve with the addition of semantic similarity measures. While levels of redundancy seem relatively similar in the inpatient and ambulatory settings in the Fairview Health Services, clinical note redundancy appears to vary significantly with different medical specialties.

Prediction of human core body temperature using non-invasive measurement methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Niedermann, Reto; Wyss, Eva; Annaheim, Simon; Psikuta, Agnes; Davey, Sarah; Rossi, René Michel

2014-01-01

The measurement of core body temperature is an efficient method for monitoring heat stress amongst workers in hot conditions. However, invasive measurement of core body temperature (e.g. rectal, intestinal, oesophageal temperature) is impractical for such applications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to define relevant non-invasive measures to predict core body temperature under various conditions. We conducted two human subject studies with different experimental protocols, different environmental temperatures (10 °C, 30 °C) and different subjects. In both studies the same non-invasive measurement methods (skin temperature, skin heat flux, heart rate) were applied. A principle component analysis was conducted to extract independent factors, which were then used in a linear regression model. We identified six parameters (three skin temperatures, two skin heat fluxes and heart rate), which were included for the calculation of two factors. The predictive value of these factors for core body temperature was evaluated by a multiple regression analysis. The calculated root mean square deviation (rmsd) was in the range from 0.28 °C to 0.34 °C for all environmental conditions. These errors are similar to previous models using non-invasive measures to predict core body temperature. The results from this study illustrate that multiple physiological parameters (e.g. skin temperature and skin heat fluxes) are needed to predict core body temperature. In addition, the physiological measurements chosen in this study and the algorithm defined in this work are potentially applicable as real-time core body temperature monitoring to assess health risk in broad range of working conditions.

Update on NOx measuring methods and emission levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, N.; Desprets, M.

1997-01-01

The survey was carried out in 1995 to update the NO x report prepared for presentation at the 19th World Gas Conference held in Milan in 1994 and drawn out on the basis of the information obtained through the survey carried out in 1992. Over the past three years the work on standard developments and/or improvements on NO x emissions has progressed in several IGU member countries. For example, in Europe a report on 'Determination of emissions from appliances burning gaseous fuels during type-testing' was drafted by European Committee for Standardization (CEN) in March 1994 as 'CR 1404 : 1994'. This report is based on the work so far carried out within MARCOGAZ, and it is expected that the NO x measuring methods specified in this report would be finally introduced into relevant gas appliance standards issued by CEN for type-testing of gas appliances covered by this report. (au)

Which Domains of Thyroid-Related Quality of Life Are Most Relevant? Patients and Clinicians Provide Complementary Perspectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Watt, Torquil; Hegedüs, Laszlo; Rasmussen, Åse Krogh

2007-01-01

, 17 thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, and 16 primary hypothyroidism) were interviewed. METHODS: The relevance of 138 thyroid disease-related issues was rated during interviews. For each issue, three relevance measures were obtained: a diagnosis-specific patient rating, a diagnosis-specific expert...

Channel box dimension measuring method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oshima, Hirotake; Jo, Hiroto.

1994-01-01

The present invention provides a method for measuring the entire length of a channel box of a fuel assembly of a BWR type reactor. Namely, four sensors are used as one set that generate ultrasonic waves from oblique upper portion, oblique lower portion, upper portion and lower portion of the channel box respectively. The distances between the four sensors and each of the portions of the channel box are measured respectively for both of a reference member and a member to be measured. The entire length of the channel box is measured by calculating the measured values and the angles of the obliquely disposed sensors according to a predetermined formula. According to the method of the present invention, the inclination of the channel box to be measured can be corrected. In addition, accuracy of the measurement is improved and the measuring time is saved as well as the measuring device and operation can be simplified. (I.S.)

Characteristics and correlation of various radiation measuring methods in spatial radiation measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoneda, Kazuhiro; Tonouchi, Shigemasa

1992-01-01

When the survey of the state of natural radiation distribution was carried out, for the purpose of examining the useful measuring method, the comparison of the γ-ray dose rate calculated from survey meter method, in-situ measuring method and the measuring method by sampling soil was carried out. Between the in-situ measuring method and the survey meter method, the correlation Y=0.986X+5.73, r=0.903, n=18, P<0.01 was obtained, and the high correlation having the inclination of nearly 1 was shown. Between the survey meter method and the measuring method by sampling soil, the correlation Y=1.297X-10.30, r=0.966, n=20 P<0.01 was obtained, and the high correlation was shown, but as for the dose rate contribution, the disparities of 36% in U series, 6% in Th series and 20% in K-40 were observed. For the survey of the state of natural radiation distribution, the method of using in combination the survey meter method and the in-situ measuring method or the measuring method by sampling soil is suitable. (author)

Methods for measurement of durability parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ernst Jan De Place

1996-01-01

Present selected methods for measurement of durabilty parameters relating to chlorides, corrosion, moisture and freeze-thaw, primarly on concrete. Advantages and drawbacks of the different methods are included.......Present selected methods for measurement of durabilty parameters relating to chlorides, corrosion, moisture and freeze-thaw, primarly on concrete. Advantages and drawbacks of the different methods are included....

30 CFR 75.1719-3 - Methods of measurement; light measuring instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... being measured and a sufficient distance from the surface to allow the light sensing element in the... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Methods of measurement; light measuring... § 75.1719-3 Methods of measurement; light measuring instruments. (a) Compliance with § 75.1719-1(d...

Climate-relevant monitorings in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metternich, P.

1993-01-01

This catalogue contains so-called meta-data; i.e. information on data. For each measuring programme or set of data, users find the address (postal address, telephone, fax-number) of the respective contact person at the beginning of the entry. The catalogue has three parts: Part A is a compilation of monitoring programmes using conventional methods adopted on the ground. Part B contains research programmes or sets of data from the field of remote sensing. In part C, data sets from time series of climate-relevant parameters are described. Section A was additionally structured according so the compartments of the climate system: Atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere. (orig./KW) [de

System for steam-reactivity measurements on fusion-relevant materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderl, R.A.; Pawelko, R.J.; Oates, M.A.; Smolik, G.R.; McCarthy, K.A.

1996-01-01

This paper describes an experimental system developed to investigate steam-metal reactions important to fusion technology. The system is configured specifically to measure hydrogen generation rates and tritium mobilization rates for irradiated beryllium specimens that are heated and exposed to steam. Results are presented for extensive performance and scoping tests of the system to validate the experimental technique, to determine hydrogen-generation rate detection sensitivity, and to establish appropriate calibration methods. These results include measurements of the hydrogen generation rates for steam interactions with austenitic steel, tungsten and beryllium metal specimens. The results of these scoping tests compare favorably with previous work, and they indicate a significant improvement in hydrogen detection sensitivity over previous approaches. 6 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab

Exhaled human breath measurement method for assessing exposure to halogenated volatile organic compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Pleil, J D; Lindstrom, A B

1997-05-01

The organic constituents of exhaled human breath are representative of blood-borne concentrations through gas exchange in the blood/breath interface in the lungs. The presence of specific compounds can be an indicator of recent exposure or represent a biological response of the subject. For volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sampling and analysis of breath is preferred to direct measurement from blood samples because breath collection is noninvasive, potentially infectious waste is avoided, and the measurement of gas-phase analytes is much simpler in a gas matrix rather than in a complex biological tissue such as blood. To exploit these advantages, we have developed the "single breath canister" (SBC) technique, a simple direct collection method for individual alveolar breath samples, and adapted conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analytical methods for trace-concentration VOC analysis. The focus of this paper is to describe briefly the techniques for making VOC measurements in breath, to present some specific applications for which these methods are relevant, and to demonstrate how to estimate exposure to example VOCs on the basis of breath elimination. We present data from three different exposure scenarios: (a) vinyl chloride and cis-1,2-dichloroethene from showering with contaminated water from a private well, (b) chloroform and bromodichloromethane from high-intensity swimming in chlorinated pool water, and (c) trichloroethene from a controlled exposure chamber experiment. In all cases, for all subjects, the experiment is the same: preexposure breath measurement, exposure to halogenated VOC, and a postexposure time-dependent series of breath measurements. Data are presented only to demonstrate the use of the method and how to interpret the analytical results.

Study on the relevance of some of the description methods for plateau-honed surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yousfi, M; Mezghani, S; Demirci, I; El Mansori, M

2014-01-01

Much work has been undertaken in recent years into the determination of a complete parametric description of plateau-honed surfaces with the intention of making a link between the process conditions, the surface topography and the required functional performances. Different advanced techniques (plateau/valleys decomposition using the normalized Abbott–Firestone curve or morphological operators, multiscale decomposition using continuous wavelets transform, etc) were proposed and applied in different studies. This paper re-examines the current state of developments and addresses a discussion on the relevance of the different proposed parameters and characterization methods for plateau-honed surfaces by considering the control loop manufacturing-characterization-function. The relevance of appropriate characterization is demonstrated through two experimental studies. They consider the effect of the most plateau honing process variables (the abrasive grit size and abrasive indentation velocity in finish-honing and the plateau-honing stage duration and pressure) on cylinder liner surface textures and hydrodynamic friction of the ring-pack system. (paper)

Has Financial Statement Information become Less Relevant?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thinggaard, Frank; Damkier, Jesper

This paper presents insights into the question of whether accounting information based on the EU’s Accounting Directives has become less value-relevant to investors over time. The study is based on a research design first used by Francis and Schipper (1999), where value-relevance is measured......? The sample is based on non-financial companies listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in the period 1984-2002. Our analyses show that all the applied accounting measures are value-relevant as investment strategies based on the information earn positive market-adjusted returns in our sample period....... The results provide some indication of a decline in the value-relevance of earnings information in the 1984-2001 period, and mixed, but not statistically reliable, evidence for accounting measures where book value information and asset values are also extracted from financial statements. The results seem...

Emittance measurements by variable quadrupole method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toprek, D.

2005-01-01

The beam emittance is a measure of both the beam size and beam divergence, we cannot directly measure its value. If the beam size is measured at different locations or under different focusing conditions such that different parts of the phase space ellipse will be probed by the beam size monitor, the beam emittance can be determined. An emittance measurement can be performed by different methods. Here we will consider the varying quadrupole setting method.

Rapid and accurate processing method for amide proton exchange rate measurement in proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koskela, Harri; Heikkinen, Outi; Kilpelaeinen, Ilkka; Heikkinen, Sami

2007-01-01

Exchange between protein backbone amide hydrogen and water gives relevant information about solvent accessibility and protein secondary structure stability. NMR spectroscopy provides a convenient tool to study these dynamic processes with saturation transfer experiments. Processing of this type of NMR spectra has traditionally required peak integration followed by exponential fitting, which can be tedious with large data sets. We propose here a computer-aided method that applies inverse Laplace transform in the exchange rate measurement. With this approach, the determination of exchange rates can be automated, and reliable results can be acquired rapidly without a need for manual processing

Methods for Human Dehydration Measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Trenz, Florian; Weigel, Robert; Hagelauer, Amelie

2018-03-01

The aim of this article is to give a broad overview of current methods for the identification and quantification of the human dehydration level. Starting off from most common clinical setups, including vital parameters and general patients' appearance, more quantifiable results from chemical laboratory and electromagnetic measurement methods will be reviewed. Different analysis methods throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from direct current (DC) conductivity measurements up to neutron activation analysis (NAA), are discussed on the base of published results. Finally, promising technologies, which allow for an integration of a dehydration assessment system in a compact and portable way, will be spotted.

Spectrometric kidney depth measurement method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, P.; Soussaline, F.; Raynaud, C.

1976-01-01

The method proposed uses the single posterior surface measurement of the kidney radioactivity distribution. The ratio C/P of the number of scattered photons to the number of primary photons, which is a function of the tissue depth penetrated, is calculated for a given region. The parameters on which the C/P value depends are determined from studies on phantoms. On the basis of these results the kidney depth was measured on a series of 13 patients and a correlation was established between the value thus calculated and that obtained by the profile method. The reproducibility of the method is satisfactory [fr

Tag-Based Social Image Search: Toward Relevant and Diverse Results

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Kuiyuan; Wang, Meng; Hua, Xian-Sheng; Zhang, Hong-Jiang

Recent years have witnessed a great success of social media websites. Tag-based image search is an important approach to access the image content of interest on these websites. However, the existing ranking methods for tag-based image search frequently return results that are irrelevant or lack of diversity. This chapter presents a diverse relevance ranking scheme which simultaneously takes relevance and diversity into account by exploring the content of images and their associated tags. First, it estimates the relevance scores of images with respect to the query term based on both visual information of images and semantic information of associated tags. Then semantic similarities of social images are estimated based on their tags. Based on the relevance scores and the similarities, the ranking list is generated by a greedy ordering algorithm which optimizes Average Diverse Precision (ADP), a novel measure that is extended from the conventional Average Precision (AP). Comprehensive experiments and user studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.

COMPANY PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING METHODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicu Ioana Elena

2012-12-01

Full Text Available One of the priorities of economic research has been and remains the re-evaluation of the notion of performance and especially exploring and finding some indicators that would reflect as accurately as possible the subtleties of the economic entity. The main purpose of this paper is to highlight the main company performance measurement and reporting methods. Performance is a concept that raises many question marks concerning the most accurate or the best method of reporting the performance at the company level. The research methodology has aimed at studying the Romanian and foreign specialized literature dealing with the analyzed field, studying magazines specialized on company performance measurement. If the financial performance measurement indicators are considered to offer an accurate image of the situation of the company, the modern approach through non-financial indicators offers a new perspective upon performance measurement, which is based on simplicity. In conclusion, after the theoretical study, I have noticed that the methods of performance measurement, reporting and interpretation are various, the opinions regarding the best performance measurement methods are contradictive and the companies prefer resorting to financial indicators that still play a more important role in the consolidation of the company performance measurement than the non-financial indicators do.

Automated Micro Hall Effect measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Dirch Hjorth; Henrichsen, Henrik Hartmann; Lin, Rong

2014-01-01

With increasing complexity of processes and variety of materials used for semiconductor devices, stringent control of the electronic properties is becoming ever more relevant. Collinear micro four-point probe (M4PP) based measurement systems have become high-end metrology methods for characteriza......With increasing complexity of processes and variety of materials used for semiconductor devices, stringent control of the electronic properties is becoming ever more relevant. Collinear micro four-point probe (M4PP) based measurement systems have become high-end metrology methods...

Seven methods to measure ground moisture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1983-01-01

The correct irrigation methods are of great importance to the deciduous fruit grower. The article discusses seven methods for the measuring of ground humidity. These methods are based on gravimetry, electric resistance, gamma attenuation, neutron humidity measurement, tensiometers and a study of the correlation between ground humidity and water evaporation. At this stage, the last technique is regarded as the most practicle method. Neutron moisture gages might be used if adhered to the regulations of NUCOR

Rocchio-based relevance feedback in video event retrieval

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pingen, G.L.J.; de Boer, M.H.T.; Aly, Robin; Amsaleg, Laurent; Guðmundsson, Gylfi Þór; Gurrin, Cathal; Jónsson, Björn Þór; Satoh, Shin’ichi

This paper investigates methods for user and pseudo relevance feedback in video event retrieval. Existing feedback methods achieve strong performance but adjust the ranking based on few individual examples. We propose a relevance feedback algorithm (ARF) derived from the Rocchio method, which is a

The effect of ISM absorption on stellar activity measurements and its relevance for exoplanet studies

Science.gov (United States)

Fossati, L.; Marcelja, S. E.; Staab, D.; Cubillos, P. E.; France, K.; Haswell, C. A.; Ingrassia, S.; Jenkins, J. S.; Koskinen, T.; Lanza, A. F.; Redfield, S.; Youngblood, A.; Pelzmann, G.

2017-05-01

Past ultraviolet and optical observations of stars hosting close-in Jupiter-mass planets have shown that some of these stars present an anomalously low chromospheric activity, significantly below the basal level. For the hot Jupiter planet host WASP-13, observations have shown that the apparent lack of activity is possibly caused by absorption from the intervening interstellar medium (ISM). Inspired by this result, we study the effect of ISM absorption on activity measurements (S and log R 'HK indices) for main-sequence late-type stars. To this end, we employ synthetic stellar photospheric spectra combined with varying amounts of chromospheric emission and ISM absorption. We present the effect of ISM absorption on activity measurements by varying several instrumental (spectral resolution), stellar (projected rotational velocity, effective temperature, and chromospheric emission flux), and ISM parameters (relative velocity between stellar and ISM Ca II lines, broadening b-parameter, and Ca II column density). We find that for relative velocities between the stellar and ISM lines smaller than 30-40 km s-1 and for ISM Ca II column densities log NCaII ⪆ 12, the ISM absorption has a significant influence on activity measurements. Direct measurements and three dimensional maps of the Galactic ISM absorption indicate that an ISM Ca II column density of log NCaII = 12 is typically reached by a distance of about 100 pc along most sight lines. In particular, for a Sun-like star lying at a distance greater than 100 pc, we expect a depression (bias) in the log R'HK value larger than 0.05-0.1 dex, about the same size as the typical measurement and calibration uncertainties on this parameter. This work shows that the bias introduced by ISM absorption must always be considered when measuring activity for stars lying beyond 100 pc. We also consider the effect of multiple ISM absorption components. We discuss the relevance of this result for exoplanet studies and revise the

A dental implant-based registration method for measuring mandibular kinematics using cone beam computed tomography-based fluoroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Cheng-Chung; Chen, Chien-Chih; Chen, Yunn-Jy; Lu, Tung-Wu; Hong, Shih-Wun

2014-01-01

This study aimed to develop and evaluate experimentally an implant-based registration method for measuring three-dimensional (3D) kinematics of the mandible and dental implants in the mandible based on dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), modified to include fluoroscopic function. The proposed implant-based registration method was based on the registration of CBCT data of implants/bones with single-plane fluoroscopy images. Seven registration conditions that included one to three implants were evaluated experimentally for their performance in a cadaveric porcine headmodel. The implant-based registration method was shown to have measurement errors (SD) of less than -0.2 (0.3) mm, 1.1 (2.2) mm, and 0.7 degrees (1.3 degrees) for the in-plane translation, out-of-plane translation, and all angular components, respectively, regardless of the number of implants used. The corresponding errors were reduced to less than -0.1 (0.1) mm, -0.3 (1.7) mm, and 0.5 degree (0.4 degree) when three implants were used. An implant-based registration method was developed to measure the 3D kinematics of the mandible/implants. With its high accuracy and reliability, the new method will be useful for measuring the 3D motion of the bones/implants for relevant applications.

Gamma spectrometric methods for measuring plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunnink, R.

1978-01-01

Nondestructive analyses of plutonium can be made by detecting and measuring the gamma rays emitted by a sample. Although qualitative and semiquantitative assays can be performed with relative ease, only recently have methods been developed, using computer analysis techniques, that provide quantitative results. This paper reviews some new techniques developed for measuring plutonium. The features of plutonium gamma-ray spectra are reviewed and some of the computer methods used for spectrum analysis are discussed. The discussion includes a description of a powerful computer method of unfolding complex peak multiplets that uses the standard linear least-squares techniques of data analysis. This computer method is based on the generation of response profiles for the isotopes composing a plutonium sample and requires a description of the peak positions, relative intensities, and line shapes. The principles that plutonium isotopic measurements are based on are also developed, followed by illustrations of the measurement procedures as applied to the quantitative analysis of plutonium liquid and solid samples

An Improved Optimization Method for the Relevance Voxel Machine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ganz, Melanie; Sabuncu, M. R.; Van Leemput, Koen

2013-01-01

In this paper, we will re-visit the Relevance Voxel Machine (RVoxM), a recently developed sparse Bayesian framework used for predicting biological markers, e.g., presence of disease, from high-dimensional image data, e.g., brain MRI volumes. The proposed improvement, called IRVoxM, mitigates the ...

The variability of piezoelectric measurements. Material and measurement method contributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, M.; Cain, M.

2002-01-01

The variability of piezoelectric materials measurements has been investigated in order to separate the contributions from intrinsic instrumental variability, and the contributions from the variability in materials. The work has pinpointed several areas where weaknesses in the measurement methods result in high variability, and also show that good correlation between piezoelectric parameters allow simpler measurement methods to be used. The Berlincourt method has been shown to be unreliable when testing thin discs, however when testing thicker samples there is a good correlation between this and other methods. The high field permittivity and low field permittivity correlate well, so tolerances on low field measurements would predict high field performance. In trying to identify microstructural origins of samples that behave differently to others within a batch, no direct evidence was found to suggest that outliers originate from either differences in microstructure or crystallography. Some of the samples chosen as maximum outliers showed pin-holes, probably from electrical breakdown during poling, even though these defects would ordinarily be detrimental to piezoelectric output. (author)

Residual gravimetric method to measure nebulizer output.

Science.gov (United States)

Vecellio None, Laurent; Grimbert, Daniel; Bordenave, Joelle; Benoit, Guy; Furet, Yves; Fauroux, Brigitte; Boissinot, Eric; De Monte, Michele; Lemarié, Etienne; Diot, Patrice

2004-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess a residual gravimetric method based on weighing dry filters to measure the aerosol output of nebulizers. This residual gravimetric method was compared to assay methods based on spectrophotometric measurement of terbutaline (Bricanyl, Astra Zeneca, France), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurement of tobramycin (Tobi, Chiron, U.S.A.), and electrochemical measurements of NaF (as defined by the European standard). Two breath-enhanced jet nebulizers, one standard jet nebulizer, and one ultrasonic nebulizer were tested. Output produced by the residual gravimetric method was calculated by weighing the filters both before and after aerosol collection and by filter drying corrected by the proportion of drug contained in total solute mass. Output produced by the electrochemical, spectrophotometric, and HPLC methods was determined after assaying the drug extraction filter. The results demonstrated a strong correlation between the residual gravimetric method (x axis) and assay methods (y axis) in terms of drug mass output (y = 1.00 x -0.02, r(2) = 0.99, n = 27). We conclude that a residual gravimetric method based on dry filters, when validated for a particular agent, is an accurate way of measuring aerosol output.

A heteroscedastic measurement error model for method comparison data with replicate measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Nawarathna, Lakshika S; Choudhary, Pankaj K

2015-03-30

Measurement error models offer a flexible framework for modeling data collected in studies comparing methods of quantitative measurement. These models generally make two simplifying assumptions: (i) the measurements are homoscedastic, and (ii) the unobservable true values of the methods are linearly related. One or both of these assumptions may be violated in practice. In particular, error variabilities of the methods may depend on the magnitude of measurement, or the true values may be nonlinearly related. Data with these features call for a heteroscedastic measurement error model that allows nonlinear relationships in the true values. We present such a model for the case when the measurements are replicated, discuss its fitting, and explain how to evaluate similarity of measurement methods and agreement between them, which are two common goals of data analysis, under this model. Model fitting involves dealing with lack of a closed form for the likelihood function. We consider estimation methods that approximate either the likelihood or the model to yield approximate maximum likelihood estimates. The fitting methods are evaluated in a simulation study. The proposed methodology is used to analyze a cholesterol dataset. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The effects of audit quality on the value relevance of other comprehensive incomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Levinska Primavera

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Stockholders claim deals with handling crucial role to investors while another ac-counting measurement has not yet been paid attention by the investors and analysts. Beside, another comprehensive income despite of its equal role to net income also re-quires a deep concern. This research uses financial industry data in Indonesia Capital Market for 2011-2012 under panel method and also cross-section method as the addi-tional analysis. This research assesses the effect of audit quality on value relevance of other comprehensive income regarding subjectivity embedded in other comprehensive income components. These components are determined through fair value aspects, which eventually lead to management discretion in measuring other comprehensive income components. Subjective components of other comprehensive incomes consist of foreign exchange translation (forex, revaluation in fixed assets (rev, minimum pension liability adjustment (pen, and available-for-sale securities adjustment (sec. The audit quality is believed as a mechanism which can increase the value relevance of subjective of other comprehensive income components. On the other hand, when as-sessing the value relevance of other comprehensive income components both indivi-dually and in aggregate, it is encouraged by inconsistency of previous research results.

Absolute measurement method of environment radon content

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Changsong

1989-11-01

A portable environment radon content device with a 40 liter decay chamber based on the method of Thomas double filter radon content absolute measurement has been developed. The correctness of the method of Thomas double filter absolute measurement has been verified by the experiments to measure the sampling gas density of radon that the theoretical density has been known. In addition, the intrinsic uncertainty of this method is also determined in the experiments. The confidence of this device is about 95%, the sensitivity is better than 0.37 Bqm -3 and the intrinsic uncertainty is less than 10%. The results show that the selected measuring and structure parameters are reasonable and the experimental methods are acceptable. In this method, the influence on the measured values from the radioactive equilibrium of radon and its daughters, the ratio of combination daughters to the total daughters and the fraction of charged particles has been excluded in the theory and experimental methods. The formula of Thomas double filter absolute measuring radon is applicable to the cylinder decay chamber, and the applicability is also verified when the diameter of exit filter is much smaller than the diameter of inlet filter

Method for extracting relevant electrical parameters from graphene field-effect transistors using a physical model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boscá, A.; Pedrós, J.; Martínez, J.; Calle, F.

2015-01-01

Due to its intrinsic high mobility, graphene has proved to be a suitable material for high-speed electronics, where graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) has shown excellent properties. In this work, we present a method for extracting relevant electrical parameters from GFET devices using a simple electrical characterization and a model fitting. With experimental data from the device output characteristics, the method allows to calculate parameters such as the mobility, the contact resistance, and the fixed charge. Differentiated electron and hole mobilities and direct connection with intrinsic material properties are some of the key aspects of this method. Moreover, the method output values can be correlated with several issues during key fabrication steps such as the graphene growth and transfer, the lithographic steps, or the metalization processes, providing a flexible tool for quality control in GFET fabrication, as well as a valuable feedback for improving the material-growth process

Method for extracting relevant electrical parameters from graphene field-effect transistors using a physical model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boscá, A., E-mail: alberto.bosca@upm.es [Instituto de Sistemas Optoelectrónicos y Microtecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Dpto. de Ingeniería Electrónica, E.T.S.I. de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Pedrós, J. [Instituto de Sistemas Optoelectrónicos y Microtecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Campus de Excelencia Internacional, Campus Moncloa UCM-UPM, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Martínez, J. [Instituto de Sistemas Optoelectrónicos y Microtecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Dpto. de Ciencia de Materiales, E.T.S.I de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Calle, F. [Instituto de Sistemas Optoelectrónicos y Microtecnología, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Dpto. de Ingeniería Electrónica, E.T.S.I. de Telecomunicación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid 28040 (Spain); Campus de Excelencia Internacional, Campus Moncloa UCM-UPM, Madrid 28040 (Spain)

2015-01-28

Due to its intrinsic high mobility, graphene has proved to be a suitable material for high-speed electronics, where graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) has shown excellent properties. In this work, we present a method for extracting relevant electrical parameters from GFET devices using a simple electrical characterization and a model fitting. With experimental data from the device output characteristics, the method allows to calculate parameters such as the mobility, the contact resistance, and the fixed charge. Differentiated electron and hole mobilities and direct connection with intrinsic material properties are some of the key aspects of this method. Moreover, the method output values can be correlated with several issues during key fabrication steps such as the graphene growth and transfer, the lithographic steps, or the metalization processes, providing a flexible tool for quality control in GFET fabrication, as well as a valuable feedback for improving the material-growth process.

SWeRF--A method for estimating the relevant fine particle fraction in bulk materials for classification and labelling purposes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pensis, Ingeborg; Luetzenkirchen, Frank; Friede, Bernd

2014-05-01

In accordance with the European regulation for classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) as well as the criteria as set out in the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), fine fraction of crystalline silica (CS) has been classified as a specific target organ toxicity, the specific organ in this case being the lung. Generic cut-off values for products containing a fine fraction of CS trigger the need for a method for the quantification of the fine fraction of CS in bulk materials. This article describes the so-called SWeRF method, the size-weighted relevant fine fraction. The SWeRF method combines the particle size distribution of a powder with probability factors from the EN 481 standard and allows the relevant fine fraction of a material to be calculated. The SWeRF method has been validated with a number of industrial minerals. This will enable manufacturers and blenders to apply the CLP and GHS criteria for the classification of mineral products containing RCS a fine fraction of CS.

New developments in measurements technology relevant to the studies of deep geological repositories in bedded salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mao, N.; Ramirez, A.L.

1980-01-01

This report presents new developments in measurement technology relevant to the studies of deep geological repositories for nuclear waste disposal during all phases of development, i.e., site selection, site characterization, construction, operation, and decommission. Emphasis has been placed on geophysics and geotechnics with special attention to those techniques applicable to bedded salt. The techniques are grouped into sections as follows: tectonic environment, state of stress, subsurface structures, fractures, stress changes, deformation, thermal properties, fluid transport properties, and other approaches. Several areas that merit further research and developments are identified. These areas are: in situ thermal measurement techniques, fracture detection and characterization, in situ stress measurements, and creep behavior. The available instrumentations should generally be improved to have better resolution and accuracy, enhanced instrument survivability, and reliability for extended time periods in a hostile environment

New developments in measurements technology relevant to the studies of deep geological repositories in bedded salt

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, N. H.; Ramirez, A. L.

1980-10-01

Developments in measurement technology are presented which are relevant to the studies of deep geological repositories for nuclear waste disposal during all phases of development, i.e., site selection, site characterization, construction, operation, and decommission. Emphasis was placed on geophysics and geotechnics with special attention to those techniques applicable to bedded salt. The techniques are grouped into sections as follows: tectonic environment, state of stress, subsurface structures, fractures, stress changes, deformation, thermal properties, fluid transport properties, and other approaches. Several areas that merit further research and developments are identified. These areas are: in situ thermal measurement techniques, fracture detection and characterization, in situ stress measurements, and creep behavior. The available instrumentations should generally be improved to have better resolution and accuracy, enhanced instrument survivability, and reliability for extended time periods in a hostile environment.

SELF-DIAGNOSIS METHOD FOR CHECKING THE WAYSIDE SYSTEMS FOR WHEEL-RAIL VERTICAL LOAD MEASUREMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele CORTIS

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, wayside measurement systems of wheel-rail contact forces have acquired great relevance for the monitoring of rolling stock, especially for freight trains. Thanks to these solutions, infrastructure managers can check and monitor the status of rolling stock and, when necessary, impose corrective actions for the railway companies. On the other hand, the evaluation of contact forces is part of the rolling stock authorisation process [1] and a mainstone for the study of the running stability. The data provided by these measurements could give useful information to correlate the wear of the track with the frequency of applied loads, helping in the development of a better maintenance strategy of railway networks [2]. In this paper, the monitoring of vertical forces is based on the SMCV (Vertical Loads Monitoring System method, where shear strains of the rail web are measured with a simple combination of four electrical strain gauges, placed on both sides of the rail web along each span. The research has identified self-diagnosis methods for the SMCV system to ensure the reliability and the quality of the measurements and to extend the knowledge of the system. The recorded signals have been processed and converted into easily interpretable physical quantities by means of MATLAB® algorithm.

Methods of measuring residual stresses in components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossini, N.S.; Dassisti, M.; Benyounis, K.Y.; Olabi, A.G.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Defining the different methods of measuring residual stresses in manufactured components. ► Comprehensive study on the hole drilling, neutron diffraction and other techniques. ► Evaluating advantage and disadvantage of each method. ► Advising the reader with the appropriate method to use. -- Abstract: Residual stresses occur in many manufactured structures and components. Large number of investigations have been carried out to study this phenomenon and its effect on the mechanical characteristics of these components. Over the years, different methods have been developed to measure residual stress for different types of components in order to obtain reliable assessment. The various specific methods have evolved over several decades and their practical applications have greatly benefited from the development of complementary technologies, notably in material cutting, full-field deformation measurement techniques, numerical methods and computing power. These complementary technologies have stimulated advances not only in measurement accuracy and reliability, but also in range of application; much greater detail in residual stresses measurement is now available. This paper aims to classify the different residual stresses measurement methods and to provide an overview of some of the recent advances in this area to help researchers on selecting their techniques among destructive, semi destructive and non-destructive techniques depends on their application and the availabilities of those techniques. For each method scope, physical limitation, advantages and disadvantages are summarized. In the end this paper indicates some promising directions for future developments.

Estimating alcohol content of traditional brew in Western Kenya using culturally relevant methods: the case for cost over volume.

Science.gov (United States)

Papas, Rebecca K; Sidle, John E; Wamalwa, Emmanuel S; Okumu, Thomas O; Bryant, Kendall L; Goulet, Joseph L; Maisto, Stephen A; Braithwaite, R Scott; Justice, Amy C

2010-08-01

Traditional homemade brew is believed to represent the highest proportion of alcohol use in sub-Saharan Africa. In Eldoret, Kenya, two types of brew are common: chang'aa, spirits, and busaa, maize beer. Local residents refer to the amount of brew consumed by the amount of money spent, suggesting a culturally relevant estimation method. The purposes of this study were to analyze ethanol content of chang'aa and busaa; and to compare two methods of alcohol estimation: use by cost, and use by volume, the latter the current international standard. Laboratory results showed mean ethanol content was 34% (SD = 14%) for chang'aa and 4% (SD = 1%) for busaa. Standard drink unit equivalents for chang'aa and busaa, respectively, were 2 and 1.3 (US) and 3.5 and 2.3 (Great Britain). Using a computational approach, both methods demonstrated comparable results. We conclude that cost estimation of alcohol content is more culturally relevant and does not differ in accuracy from the international standard.

Mining Specific and General Features in Both Positive and Negative Relevance Feedback. QUT E-Discovery Lab at the TREC󈧍 Relevance Feedback Track

Science.gov (United States)

2009-11-01

relevance feedback algo- rithm. Four methods, εMap [1], MapA , P10A, and StatAP [2], were used in the track to measure the performance of Phase 2 runs...εMap and StatAP were applied to the runs us- ing the testing set of only ClueWeb09 Category-B, whereas MapA and P10A were applied to those using the...whole ClueWeb09 English set. Because our experiments were based on only ClueWeb09 Category-B, measuring our per- formance by MapA and P10A might not

Absolute cross sections measurement for the 12C + 12C system at astrophysically relevant energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barron-Palos, L.; Aguilera, E.F.; Aspiazu, J.; Huerta, A.; Martinez-Quiroz, E.; Monroy, R.; Moreno, E.; Murillo, G.; Ortiz, M.E.; Policroniades, R.; Varela, A.; Chavez, E.

2006-01-01

The 12 C + 12 C fusion reaction has been studied in the center-of-mass energy range of 2.25 to 6.01 MeV. Through the detection of gamma rays from the first excited states of the residual nuclei 20 Ne, 23 Na and 23 Mg, absolute cross sections for the 12 C( 12 C,-bar α), 12 C( 12 C,-bar p) and 12 C( 12 C,-bar n) reactions have been obtained. In this new measurement, the energy dependence of the S-factor is found to increase as the energy decreases below 3 MeV in the center of mass. This tendency was observed in previous measurements by Mazarakis et al., and has since then become a subject of controversy. In this work, where the cross sections are measured at even lower energies, we confirm the rise in the S-factor toward the energy region relevant for star evolution and nucleosynthesis calculations (E c.m. =1-3 MeV)

[A non-invasive glucose measurement method based on orthogonal twin-polarized light and its pilot experimental investigation].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hong; Wu, Baoming; Liu, Ding

2010-04-01

In order to overcome the existing shortcomings of the non-invasive blood glucose polarized light measurement methods of optical heterodyne detection and direct detection, we present in this paper a new orthogonal twin-polarized light (OTPL) non-invasive blood glucose measurement method, which converts the micro-angle rotated by an optical active substance such as glucose to the energy difference of OTPL, amplifies the signals by the high-sensitivity lock-in amplifier made of relevant principle, controls Faraday coil current to compensate the changes in deflection angle caused by blood glucose, and makes use of the linear relationship between blood glucose concentration and Faraday coil current to calculate blood glucose concentration. In our comparative experiment using the data measured by LX-20 automatic biochemical analyzer as a standard, a 0.9777 correlation coefficient is obtained in glucose concentration experiment, and a 0.952 in serum experiment. The result shows that this method has higher detection sensitivity and accuracy and lays a foundation for the development of practical new type of non-invasive blood glucose tester for diabetic patients.

First cross-section measurements of the reactions Ag,109107(p ,γ )Cd,110108 at energies relevant to the p process

Science.gov (United States)

Khaliel, A.; Mertzimekis, T. J.; Asimakopoulou, E.-M.; Kanellakopoulos, A.; Lagaki, V.; Psaltis, A.; Psyrra, I.; Mavrommatis, E.

2017-09-01

Background: One of the primary objectives of the field of Nuclear Astrophysics is the study of the elemental and isotopic abundances in the universe. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms behind the production of a large number of nuclides in the isotopic chart, there are still many open questions regarding a number of neutron-deficient nuclei, the p nuclei. To that end, experimentally deduced nuclear reaction cross sections can provide invaluable input to astrophysical models. Purpose: The reactions Ag,109107(p ,γ )Cd,110108 have been studied at energies inside the astrophysically relevant energy window in an attempt to provide experimental data required for the testing of reaction-rate predictions in terms of the statistical model of Hauser-Feshbach around the p nucleus 108Cd. Methods: The experiments were performed with in-beam γ -ray spectroscopy with proton beams accelerated by the Tandem Van de Graaff Accelerator at NCSR "Demokritos" impinging a target of natural silver. A set of high-purity germanium detectors was employed to record the emitted radiation. Results: A first set of total cross-section measurements in radiative proton-capture reactions involving Ag,109107, producing the p -nucleus 108Cd, inside the astrophysically relevant energy window is reported. The experimental results are compared to theoretical calculations, using talys. An overall good agreement between the data and the theoretical calculations has been found. Conclusions: The results reported in this work add new information to the relatively unexplored p process. The present measurements can serve as a reference point in understanding the nuclear parameters in the related astrophysical environments and for future theoretical modeling and experimental works.

Study on the association between earnings management and value relevance based on the reporting method used for operating cash flows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marilena Mironiuc

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This paper analyses the association between earnings management and value relevance of accounting information, for a number of 556 observations from a sample of 65 companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange during a 10 year period: 2006-2015. Sampled companies are classified according to the method used for the reporting of operating cash flows. Findings confirm that entities using the indirect method have a higher level of discretionary accruals and are more tempted to opportunistically increase their earnings. As far as value relevance is concerned, results show that participants on the Romanian capital market place more weight on the information reported by entities experiencing higher levels of discretionary accruals.

Methods for measuring shrinkage

OpenAIRE

Chapman, Paul; Templar, Simon

2006-01-01

This paper presents findings from research amongst European grocery retailers into their methods for measuring shrinkage. The findings indicate that: there is no dominant method for valuing or stating shrinkage; shrinkage in the supply chain is frequently overlooked; data is essential in pinpointing where and when loss occurs and that many retailers collect data at the stock-keeping unit (SKU) level and do so every 6 months. These findings reveal that it is difficult to benc...

The NEWMEDS rodent touchscreen test battery for cognition relevant to schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hvoslef-Eide, M; Mar, A C; Nilsson, S R O; Alsiö, J; Heath, C J; Saksida, L M; Robbins, T W; Bussey, T J

2015-11-01

The NEWMEDS initiative (Novel Methods leading to New Medications in Depression and Schizophrenia, http://www.newmeds-europe.com ) is a large industrial-academic collaborative project aimed at developing new methods for drug discovery for schizophrenia. As part of this project, Work package 2 (WP02) has developed and validated a comprehensive battery of novel touchscreen tasks for rats and mice for assessing cognitive domains relevant to schizophrenia. This article provides a review of the touchscreen battery of tasks for rats and mice for assessing cognitive domains relevant to schizophrenia and highlights validation data presented in several primary articles in this issue and elsewhere. The battery consists of the five-choice serial reaction time task and a novel rodent continuous performance task for measuring attention, a three-stimulus visual reversal and the serial visual reversal task for measuring cognitive flexibility, novel non-matching to sample-based tasks for measuring spatial working memory and paired-associates learning for measuring long-term memory. The rodent (i.e. both rats and mice) touchscreen operant chamber and battery has high translational value across species due to its emphasis on construct as well as face validity. In addition, it offers cognitive profiling of models of diseases with cognitive symptoms (not limited to schizophrenia) through a battery approach, whereby multiple cognitive constructs can be measured using the same apparatus, enabling comparisons of performance across tasks. This battery of tests constitutes an extensive tool package for both model characterisation and pre-clinical drug discovery.

Valuing urban open space using the travel-cost method and the implications of measurement error.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanauer, Merlin M; Reid, John

2017-08-01

Urbanization has placed pressure on open space within and adjacent to cities. In recent decades, a greater awareness has developed to the fact that individuals derive multiple benefits from urban open space. Given the location, there is often a high opportunity cost to preserving urban open space, thus it is important for both public and private stakeholders to justify such investments. The goals of this study are twofold. First, we use detailed surveys and precise, accessible, mapping methods to demonstrate how travel-cost methods can be applied to the valuation of urban open space. Second, we assess the degree to which typical methods of estimating travel times, and thus travel costs, introduce bias to the estimates of welfare. The site we study is Taylor Mountain Regional Park, a 1100-acre space located immediately adjacent to Santa Rosa, California, which is the largest city (∼170,000 population) in Sonoma County and lies 50 miles north of San Francisco. We estimate that the average per trip access value (consumer surplus) is $13.70. We also demonstrate that typical methods of measuring travel costs significantly understate these welfare measures. Our study provides policy-relevant results and highlights the sensitivity of urban open space travel-cost studies to bias stemming from travel-cost measurement error. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tune measurement at GSI SIS-18. Methods and applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Rahul

2014-05-15

Two parallel tune measurement systems are installed at GSI SIS-18 based on different principles. The first is called the Tune, Orbit and POSition measurement system TOPOS. Its working principle involves direct digitization of BPM signals at 125 MSa/s, which is used for online bunch-by-bunch position calculation in FPGAs. In the course of this work, position calculation algorithms were developed and studied for real time implementation in the TOPOS FPGAs. The regression fit algorithm is found to be more efficient and robust in comparison to previously used weighted mean algorithm with the baseline restoration procedure. The second system is the Baseband Tune measurement system referred to as BBQ system. The operational principle of this system was conceived at the CERN Beam Instrumentation group and is based on direct diode detection. In the framework of this work, this system was optimized and brought into operation at GSI SIS-18. Front-end data from both systems are used to calculate the tune spectrum every 250-5000 beam revolutions or turns within SIS-18 based on the resolution requirement and the mode of operation. Advanced non-parametric spectrum estimation method like amplitude Capon estimator is compared to the conventional DFT based methods in terms of resolving power and computational requirements for the calculated spectrum. Further the TOPOS and BBQ systems are compared and characterized in terms of sensitivity, reliability and operational usage. The results from both systems are found to be consistent with each other and have their favoured regimes of operation. The effects on tune spectra obtained from both systems were studied with different types of excitations with excitation power levels up to 6 mW/Hz. These systems in association with other beam diagnostic devices at SIS-18 were used to conduct extensive experiments to understand the effect of high intensity beams on the tune spectrum. These careful measurements recorded all the relevant beam

Absolute method of measuring magnetic susceptibility

Science.gov (United States)

Thorpe, A.; Senftle, F.E.

1959-01-01

An absolute method of standardization and measurement of the magnetic susceptibility of small samples is presented which can be applied to most techniques based on the Faraday method. The fact that the susceptibility is a function of the area under the curve of sample displacement versus distance of the magnet from the sample, offers a simple method of measuring the susceptibility without recourse to a standard sample. Typical results on a few substances are compared with reported values, and an error of less than 2% can be achieved. ?? 1959 The American Institute of Physics.

An electron microscopy based method for the detection and quantification of nanomaterial number concentration in environmentally relevant media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prasad, A. [School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Lead, J.R., E-mail: jlead@mailbox.sc.edu [School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University South Carolina, Columbia 29208, SC (United States); Baalousha, M., E-mail: mbaalous@mailbox.sc.edu [Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University South Carolina, Columbia 29208, SC (United States)

2015-12-15

Improved detection and characterization of nanomaterials (NMs) in complex environmental media requires the development of novel sampling approaches to improve the detection limit to be close to environmentally realistic concentrations. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an indispensable metrological tool in nanotechnology and environmental nanoscience due to its high spatial resolution and analytical capabilities when coupled to spectroscopic techniques. However, these capabilities are hampered by the conventional sample preparation methods, which suffer from low NM recovery. The current work presents a validated, fully quantitative sampling technique for TEM that overcomes conventional sample preparation shortcomings, and thus enables the use of TEM for measurement of particle number concentration and their detection in complex media at environmentally realistic concentrations. This sampling method is based on ultracentrifugation of NMs from suspension onto a poly-L-lysine (PLL) functionalized TEM grid, using active deposition (by ultracentrifugation) and retention (by PLL interactions with NM surface) of NMs on the substrate, enabling fully quantitative analysis. Similar analysis with AFM was satisfactory in simple media but the lack of chemical-selectivity of AFM limits its applicability for the detection of NMs in complex environmental samples. The sampling approach was validated using both citrate- and PVP-coated AuNMs in pure water, which demonstrated an even distribution of NM on the TEM grid and high NM recovery (80–100%) at environmentally relevant NM concentrations (ca. 0.20–100 μg L{sup −1}). The applicability of the sampling method to complex environmental samples was demonstrated by the quantification of particle number concentration of AuNMs in EPA soft water (with and without Suwannee River fulvic acid) and lake water. This sample preparation approach is also applicable to other types of NMs with some modifications (e.g. centrifugation

An electron microscopy based method for the detection and quantification of nanomaterial number concentration in environmentally relevant media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prasad, A.; Lead, J.R.; Baalousha, M.

2015-01-01

Improved detection and characterization of nanomaterials (NMs) in complex environmental media requires the development of novel sampling approaches to improve the detection limit to be close to environmentally realistic concentrations. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an indispensable metrological tool in nanotechnology and environmental nanoscience due to its high spatial resolution and analytical capabilities when coupled to spectroscopic techniques. However, these capabilities are hampered by the conventional sample preparation methods, which suffer from low NM recovery. The current work presents a validated, fully quantitative sampling technique for TEM that overcomes conventional sample preparation shortcomings, and thus enables the use of TEM for measurement of particle number concentration and their detection in complex media at environmentally realistic concentrations. This sampling method is based on ultracentrifugation of NMs from suspension onto a poly-L-lysine (PLL) functionalized TEM grid, using active deposition (by ultracentrifugation) and retention (by PLL interactions with NM surface) of NMs on the substrate, enabling fully quantitative analysis. Similar analysis with AFM was satisfactory in simple media but the lack of chemical-selectivity of AFM limits its applicability for the detection of NMs in complex environmental samples. The sampling approach was validated using both citrate- and PVP-coated AuNMs in pure water, which demonstrated an even distribution of NM on the TEM grid and high NM recovery (80–100%) at environmentally relevant NM concentrations (ca. 0.20–100 μg L"−"1). The applicability of the sampling method to complex environmental samples was demonstrated by the quantification of particle number concentration of AuNMs in EPA soft water (with and without Suwannee River fulvic acid) and lake water. This sample preparation approach is also applicable to other types of NMs with some modifications (e.g. centrifugation

Why relevance theory is relevant for lexicography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bothma, Theo; Tarp, Sven

2014-01-01

This article starts by providing a brief summary of relevance theory in information science in relation to the function theory of lexicography, explaining the different types of relevance, viz. objective system relevance and the subjective types of relevance, i.e. topical, cognitive, situational...... that is very important for lexicography as well as for information science, viz. functional relevance. Since all lexicographic work is ultimately aimed at satisfying users’ information needs, the article then discusses why the lexicographer should take note of all these types of relevance when planning a new...... dictionary project, identifying new tasks and responsibilities of the modern lexicographer. The article furthermore discusses how relevance theory impacts on teaching dictionary culture and reference skills. By integrating insights from lexicography and information science, the article contributes to new...

Photogrammetric methods of measurement in industrial applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godding, R.; Groene, A.; Heinrich, G.; Schneider, C.T.

1993-01-01

Methods for 3D measurement are required for very varied applications in the industrial field. This includes tasks of quality assurance and plant monitoring, among others. It should be possible to apply the process flexibly it should require as short interruptions of production as possible and should meet the required accuracies. These requirements can be met by photogrammetric methods of measurement. The article introduces these methods and shows their capabilities from various selected examples (eg: the replacement of large components in a pressurized water reactor, and aircraft measurements (orig./DG) [de

Optimization on Measurement Method for Neutron Moisture Meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong Yalin; Wu Zhiqiang; Li Yanfeng; Wang Wei; Song Qingfeng; Liu Hui; Wei Xiaoyun; Zhao Zhonghua

2010-01-01

When the water in the measured material is nonuniformity, the measured results of the neutron moisture meter in the field may have errors, so the measured errors of the moisture meter associated with the water nonuniformity in material were simulated by Monte Carlo method. A new measurement method of moisture meter named 'transmission plus scatter' was put forward. The experiment results show that the new measurement method can reduce the error even if the water in the material is nonuniformity. (authors)

Method of orthogonally splitting imaging pose measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Na; Sun, Changku; Wang, Peng; Yang, Qian; Liu, Xintong

2018-01-01

In order to meet the aviation's and machinery manufacturing's pose measurement need of high precision, fast speed and wide measurement range, and to resolve the contradiction between measurement range and resolution of vision sensor, this paper proposes an orthogonally splitting imaging pose measurement method. This paper designs and realizes an orthogonally splitting imaging vision sensor and establishes a pose measurement system. The vision sensor consists of one imaging lens, a beam splitter prism, cylindrical lenses and dual linear CCD. Dual linear CCD respectively acquire one dimensional image coordinate data of the target point, and two data can restore the two dimensional image coordinates of the target point. According to the characteristics of imaging system, this paper establishes the nonlinear distortion model to correct distortion. Based on cross ratio invariability, polynomial equation is established and solved by the least square fitting method. After completing distortion correction, this paper establishes the measurement mathematical model of vision sensor, and determines intrinsic parameters to calibrate. An array of feature points for calibration is built by placing a planar target in any different positions for a few times. An terative optimization method is presented to solve the parameters of model. The experimental results show that the field angle is 52 °, the focus distance is 27.40 mm, image resolution is 5185×5117 pixels, displacement measurement error is less than 0.1mm, and rotation angle measurement error is less than 0.15°. The method of orthogonally splitting imaging pose measurement can satisfy the pose measurement requirement of high precision, fast speed and wide measurement range.

Fine particles and NO{sub 2}. Development and validation of a method for the immission-relevant, dynamic re-routing of traffic; Feinstaub und NO{sub 2}. Entwicklung und Validierung einer Methode zur immissionsabhaengigen dynamischen Verkehrssteuerung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ludes, G.; Siebers, B. [simuPlan, Dorsten (Germany); Kuhlbusch, T.; Quass, U.; Beyer, M. [Institut fuer Energie- und Umwelttechnik, Duisburg (Germany); Weber, F. [Stadt Hagen (Germany)

2010-05-15

Due to the coming into effect of the twenty-second BImSchV comprehensive investigations on the ambient air quality have been carried out in the city of Hagen in recent years by means of measurement and modelling. High concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and respirable dust have been found along the main streets and the roads belonging to the city ring road system. Main cause of the present situation is road traffic, esp. heavy duty vehicles (HDV). Therefore the concept of measures for the implementation of the air monitoring plan and the action plan set up by the project group includes a HDV-routing system and dynamic, immission-relevant re-routing of traffic. Through this research project the practicability and the effects on air quality of the dynamic, immission-relevant re-routing of HDV-traffic will especially be examined within the highly polluted area of the ''Maerkischer Ring''. By making use of the control programme simDRIVE this innovative concept allows temporary closures of the ''Maerkischer Ring'' for HDV-traffic if transgression of critical limit values is prognosticated due to traffic volume and meteorological circumstances. During these closure periods HDV-traffic will be diverted to alternative and previously determined routes by dynamic and static traffic signs in order to guarantee that intended destinations can be reached. With the help of this research project it should be demonstrated in addition (a) if and how this particular method for NO{sub 2} can also be applied on the reduction of respirable dust, (b) how this measure affects the situation of air pollution regarding respirable dust in other parts of Hagen and (c) if the transfer of methods for the use in other cities is possible. (orig.)

Accuracy of measurement of pulmonary emphysema with computed tomography: relevant points

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hochhegger, Bruno; Marchiori, Edson; Oliveira, Hugo

2010-01-01

Some technical aspects should be taken into consideration in order to guarantee the reliability of the assessment of pulmonary emphysema with lung computed tomography densitometry. Changes in lung density associated with variations in lungs inspiratory and expiratory levels, computed tomography slice thickness, reconstruction algorithm and type of computed tomography apparatus make tomographic comparisons more difficult in follow-up studies of pulmonary emphysema. Nevertheless, quantitative computed tomography has replaced the visual assessment competing with pulmonary function tests as a sensitive method to measure pulmonary emphysema. The present review discusses technical variables of lung computed tomography and their influence on measurements of pulmonary emphysema. (author)

Accuracy of measurement of pulmonary emphysema with computed tomography: relevant points

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hochhegger, Bruno, E-mail: brunohochhegger@googlemail.co [Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil); Marchiori, Edson [Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niteroi, RJ (Brazil). Dept. de Radiologia; Irion, Klaus L. [Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Oliveira, Hugo [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil)

2010-07-15

Some technical aspects should be taken into consideration in order to guarantee the reliability of the assessment of pulmonary emphysema with lung computed tomography densitometry. Changes in lung density associated with variations in lungs inspiratory and expiratory levels, computed tomography slice thickness, reconstruction algorithm and type of computed tomography apparatus make tomographic comparisons more difficult in follow-up studies of pulmonary emphysema. Nevertheless, quantitative computed tomography has replaced the visual assessment competing with pulmonary function tests as a sensitive method to measure pulmonary emphysema. The present review discusses technical variables of lung computed tomography and their influence on measurements of pulmonary emphysema. (author)

Measuring method for optical fibre sensors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lammerink, Theodorus S.J.; Fluitman, J.H.J.

1984-01-01

A new measuring method for the signal amplitude in intensity modulating fibre optic sensors is described. A reference signal is generated in the time domain. The method is insensitive for the sensitivity fluctuations of the light transmitter and the light receiver. The method is experimentally

An in-situ measuring method for planar straightness error

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xi; Fu, Luhua; Yang, Tongyu; Sun, Changku; Wang, Zhong; Zhao, Yan; Liu, Changjie

2018-01-01

According to some current problems in the course of measuring the plane shape error of workpiece, an in-situ measuring method based on laser triangulation is presented in this paper. The method avoids the inefficiency of traditional methods like knife straightedge as well as the time and cost requirements of coordinate measuring machine(CMM). A laser-based measuring head is designed and installed on the spindle of a numerical control(NC) machine. The measuring head moves in the path planning to measure measuring points. The spatial coordinates of the measuring points are obtained by the combination of the laser triangulation displacement sensor and the coordinate system of the NC machine, which could make the indicators of measurement come true. The method to evaluate planar straightness error adopts particle swarm optimization(PSO). To verify the feasibility and accuracy of the measuring method, simulation experiments were implemented with a CMM. Comparing the measurement results of measuring head with the corresponding measured values obtained by composite measuring machine, it is verified that the method can realize high-precise and automatic measurement of the planar straightness error of the workpiece.

The Netherlands XTC Toxicity (NeXT) study: objectives and methods of a study investigating causality, course, and clinical relevance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Win, Maartje M. L.; Jager, Gerry; Vervaeke, Hylke K. E.; Schilt, Thelma; Reneman, Liesbeth; Booij, Jan; Verhulst, Frank C.; den Heeten, Gerard J.; Ramsey, Nick F.; Korf, Dirk J.; van den Brink, Wim

2005-01-01

This paper describes the objectives and methods of The Netherlands XTC Toxicity (NeXT) study focussing on the causality, course, and clinical relevance of ecstasy neurotoxicity. Previous studies suggest that ecstasy (3,4 methylene-dioxymethamphetamine, MDMA, XTC) is toxic toward brain serotonin

Methods of radon measurement and devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miles, J.

2004-01-01

The following topics and instrumentation are discussed: The quantity to be measured; Active measurement methods (scintillation cells, ionisation chambers, electrostatic collection of decay products); Passive measurement methods (charcoal detectors; electret ion chambers; etched track detectors); and Detector considerations for large-scale surveys ('always on' or 'switchable' detectors?; response to radon-220; avoidance of electrostatic effects; quality assurance for passive radon detectors; quality control within the laboratory; external quality assurance; detectors need to be easily deliverable). It is concluded that the ideal detector for large scale surveys of radon in houses is a small, closed detector in a conducting holder which excludes radon-220, supported by rigorous quality assurance procedures. (P.A.)

Handbook of nuclear safeguards measurement methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, D.R.

1983-09-01

This handbook is intended to be a guide to the selection of methods for meeting specific measurement requirements. The information was compiled from a survey of production facilities, the literature, and current exchange programs. The survey included bulk measurements, chemical assay, sampling techniques, isotopic measurements, passive NDA, and active NDA

S-factor measurement of the 2H(α,γ)6Li reaction at energies relevant for Big-Bang nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anders, Michael

2013-01-01

For about 20 years now, observations of 6 Li in several old metal-poor stars inside the halo of our galaxy have been reported, which are largely independent of the stars' metallicity, and which point to a possible primordial origin. The observations exceed the predictions of the Standard Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis model by a factor of 500. In the relevant energy range, no directly measured S-factors were available yet for the main production reaction 2 H(α,γ) 6 Li, while different theoretical estimations have an uncertainty of up to two orders of magnitude. The very small cross section in the picobarn range has been measured with a deuterium gas target at the LUNA accelerator (Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics), located deep underground inside Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. A beam-induced, neutron-caused background in the γ-detector occurred which had to be analyzed carefully and subtracted in an appropriate way, to finally infer the weak signal of the reaction. For this purpose, a method to parameterize the Compton background has been developed. The results are a contribution to the discussion about the accuracy of the recent 6 Li observations, and to the question if it is necessary to include new physics into the Standard Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis model.

Handheld Device Adapted to Smartphone Cameras for the Measurement of Sodium Ion Concentrations at Saliva-Relevant Levels via Fluorescence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle Lipowicz

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The use of saliva sampling as a minimally-invasive means for drug testing and monitoring physiology is a subject of great interest to researchers and clinicians. This study describes a new optical method based on non-axially symmetric focusing of light using an oblate spheroid sample chamber. The device is simple, lightweight, low cost and is easily attached to several different brands/models of smartphones (Apple, Samsung, HTC and Nokia for the measurement of sodium ion levels at physiologically-relevant saliva concentrations. The sample and fluorescent reagent solutions are placed in a specially-designed, lightweight device that excludes ambient light and concentrates 470-nm excitation light, from a low-power photodiode, within the sample through non-axially-symmetric refraction. The study found that smartphone cameras and post-image processing quantitated sodium ion concentration in water over the range of 0.5–10 mM, yielding best-fit regressions of the data that agree well with a data regression of microplate luminometer results. The data suggest that fluorescence can be used for the measurement of salivary sodium ion concentrations in low-resource or point-of-care settings. With further fluorescent assay testing, the device may find application in a variety of enzymatic or chemical assays.

Cross section measurements of proton capture reactions on Se isotopes relevant to the astrophysical p process

Science.gov (United States)

Foteinou, V.; Harissopulos, S.; Axiotis, M.; Lagoyannis, A.; Provatas, G.; Spyrou, A.; Perdikakis, G.; Zarkadas, Ch.; Demetriou, P.

2018-03-01

Cross sections of proton capture reactions on 74Se, 78Se, and 80Se have been measured at incident beam energies from 2 to 6 MeV, 1.7 to 3 MeV, and 1.5 to 3.5 MeV, respectively. In the case of Se,8078, cross sections were obtained from in-beam γ -angular distribution measurements, whereas for the 74Se isotope they were derived from off-beam activity measurements. The measured cross sections were compared with calculations performed with the nuclear reaction code talys (version 1.6). A good agreement between theory and experiment was found. Astrophysical S factors and reaction rates deduced from the experimental and calculated cross sections were also compared and the impact of different nuclear ingredients in the calculations on the reaction rates was investigated. It was found that, for certain combinations of nuclear input models, the reaction rates obtained at temperatures relevant to p -process nucleosynthesis differ by a factor 2 at the most, differences that are well within the acceptable deviations of calculated p -nuclei abundances and observations.

Telerobotic system performance measurement - Motivation and methods

Science.gov (United States)

Kondraske, George V.; Khoury, George J.

1992-01-01

A systems performance-based strategy for modeling and conducting experiments relevant to the design and performance characterization of telerobotic systems is described. A developmental testbed consisting of a distributed telerobotics network and initial efforts to implement the strategy described is presented. Consideration is given to the general systems performance theory (GSPT) to tackle human performance problems as a basis for: measurement of overall telerobotic system (TRS) performance; task decomposition; development of a generic TRS model; and the characterization of performance of subsystems comprising the generic model. GSPT employs a resource construct to model performance and resource economic principles to govern the interface of systems to tasks. It provides a comprehensive modeling/measurement strategy applicable to complex systems including both human and artificial components. Application is presented within the framework of a distributed telerobotics network as a testbed. Insight into the design of test protocols which elicit application-independent data is described.

Radiation protection, measurements and methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-06-01

The introductory lectures discuss subjects such as radiation protection principles and appropriate measuring techniques; methods, quantities and units in radiation protection measurement; technical equipment; national and international radiation protection standards. The papers presented at the various sessions deal with: Dosimetry of external radiation (27 papers); Working environment monitoring and emission monitoring (21 contributions); Environmental monitoring (19 papers); Incorporation monitoring (9 papers); Detection limits (4 papers); Non-ionizing radiation, measurement of body dose and biological dosimetry (10 papers). All 94 contributions (lectures, compacts and posters) are retrievable as separate records. (HP) [de

The value relevance of environmental emissions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melinda Lydia Nelwan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This study examines whether environmental performance has value relevance by investigating the relations between environmental emissions and stock prices for the U.S. public companies. The previous studies argued that the conjectured relations between accounting performance measures and environmental performance do not have a strong theoretical basis, and the modeling of relations between market per-formance measures and environmental performance do not adequately consider the relevance of accounting performance to market value. Therefore, this study examines whether publicly reported environmental emissions provide incremental information to accounting earnings in pricing companies stocks. It is done among the complete set of industries covered by Toxics Release Inventory (TRI reporting for the period 2007 to 2010. Using Ohlson model but modified to include different types of emis-sions, it is found that ground emissions (underground injection and land emissions are value relevant but other emission types (air and water and transferred-out emis-sions appear to not provide incremental information in the valuation model. The result in this study raise concerns that different types of emissions are assessed differently by the market, confirming that studies should not aggregate such measures.

Radon/radon-daughter measurement methods and instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rock, R.L.

1977-01-01

Radon-daughter measurement equipment and techniques have been continuously improved over the last 25 years. Improvements have been in the areas of accuracy, time and convenience. We now have miniaturized scalers and detectors available for measuring the alpha particle count rates from aerosol samples collected on filter papers. We also have small lightweight efficient pumps for conveniently collecting samples and we have various counting methods which allow us to choose between making very precise measurements or nominal measurements. Radon-daughter measurement methods used in uranium mines and mills are discussed including a personal radon-daughter-exposure integrating device which can be worn by miners

A synthetic-dynamic method for water solubility measurements in high pressure CO_2 using ATR–FTIR spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Comak, Gurbuz; Foltran, Stéphanie; Ke, Jie; Pérez, Eduardo; Sánchez-Vicente, Yolanda; George, Michael W.; Poliakoff, Martyn

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A synthetic method using ATR–FTIR spectroscopy has been developed to measure the solubility of water in CO_2_. • New data have been obtained for the dew point of the water at 4.05 MPa, 5.05 MPa and 6.03 MPa. • These data fill a gap in the literature and could be of significance for CO_2 transport in pipelines for CCS technology. - Abstract: A new synthetic method for studying phase behaviour is described using Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) spectroscopy. The method has been developed to provide relevant information on the solubility of water in CO_2. The dew point of water has been determined at three different pressures, viz. (4.05, 5.05 and 6.03) MPa with mole fractions of water between 0.01 and 0.04. The data obtained fill the gap in the literature in these regions of pressures and temperatures and could be of high importance in the context of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology. Indeed, the presence of water in the captured CO_2 could damage the pipeline used for CO_2 transport. Hence, it is very important to have a fully understanding of the behaviour of the (CO_2 + H_2O) mixtures in wide range of temperature relevant for CCS.

PENGARUH UKURAN KAP DAN AUDITOR TENURE TERHADAP VALUE RELEVANCE DARI NILAI WAJAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taufik Hidayat

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This study examines the value relevance of fair value and whether the value relevance of fair value measured at quoted active market is higher than value measured at valuation techniques. We also examine whether the value relevance offair value with valuation techniques improves if auditor tenure is longer or financial statements are audited by a Big Four Firm. Hypothesis testing was conducted by a panel data based on model of Ohlson (1995. Using a sample of 147 companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2008-2011, resulting the general conclusion that fair value has value relevance, where the value relevance of fair value measured at quoted active market is higher than the valuation technique. Value relevance of fair value measured at valuation techniques will increase as auditor tenure increases or financial statements were audited by a Big Four Firm.

Laser-induced Breakdown spectroscopy quantitative analysis method via adaptive analytical line selection and relevance vector machine regression model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Jianhong; Yi, Cancan; Xu, Jinwu; Ma, Xianghong

2015-01-01

A new LIBS quantitative analysis method based on analytical line adaptive selection and Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) regression model is proposed. First, a scheme of adaptively selecting analytical line is put forward in order to overcome the drawback of high dependency on a priori knowledge. The candidate analytical lines are automatically selected based on the built-in characteristics of spectral lines, such as spectral intensity, wavelength and width at half height. The analytical lines which will be used as input variables of regression model are determined adaptively according to the samples for both training and testing. Second, an LIBS quantitative analysis method based on RVM is presented. The intensities of analytical lines and the elemental concentrations of certified standard samples are used to train the RVM regression model. The predicted elemental concentration analysis results will be given with a form of confidence interval of probabilistic distribution, which is helpful for evaluating the uncertainness contained in the measured spectra. Chromium concentration analysis experiments of 23 certified standard high-alloy steel samples have been carried out. The multiple correlation coefficient of the prediction was up to 98.85%, and the average relative error of the prediction was 4.01%. The experiment results showed that the proposed LIBS quantitative analysis method achieved better prediction accuracy and better modeling robustness compared with the methods based on partial least squares regression, artificial neural network and standard support vector machine. - Highlights: • Both training and testing samples are considered for analytical lines selection. • The analytical lines are auto-selected based on the built-in characteristics of spectral lines. • The new method can achieve better prediction accuracy and modeling robustness. • Model predictions are given with confidence interval of probabilistic distribution

Policy relevance of various proposals for greening GDP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Wit, G.

1996-02-01

From the study on the title subject it appears that the use of a number of separate physical indicators is valuable for policy making but that it would be helpful for policy to develop (alongside the conventional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and these environmental indicators) an extra 'green' GDP. The analysis of the various surveyed proposals of greening GDP results into the conclusion that adjustments should be made as follows: (1) adjustment for the net depletion of natural resources according to the net price method, (2) adjustment for the degradation of nature by polluting emissions with the aid of shadow prices derived from politics, and (3) adjustment for certain categories of environmental defensive expenditures. The major reasons for this recommendation are: (1) such a GDP can facilitate government in decisions where trade-offs between production and a clean environment are at stake, (2) the recommended way of valuation minimizes the inherent subjectiveness of valuing nature, (3) the way of valuation of nature is not likely to lead to an overestimation, and (4) at least for the Netherlands the proposal is operational in the near future. In Chapter 2 a set of evaluation criteria is designed. One evaluation criterion is the potential policy relevance of a proposed indicator, i.e. its relevance when the indicator measures exactly what it is intended to measure. In Chapter 3 the potential policy relevance of an adjusted GDP is elaborated. Another evaluation criterion is the scientific validity of a proposed indicator: is the indicator really measuring what it is intended to measure? To judge whether this is the case for the various proposals for adjusting GDP, a theoretical framework that facilitates such a judgement is discussed in Chapter 4. In Chapters 5, 6 and 7 actual evaluation of the various proposals for environmental indicators is carried out. In Chapter 5 proposals regarding the depletion of natural resources are evaluated. (Abstract Truncated)

Automatic Query Generation and Query Relevance Measurement for Unsupervised Language Model Adaptation of Speech Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzuki Motoyuki

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract We are developing a method of Web-based unsupervised language model adaptation for recognition of spoken documents. The proposed method chooses keywords from the preliminary recognition result and retrieves Web documents using the chosen keywords. A problem is that the selected keywords tend to contain misrecognized words. The proposed method introduces two new ideas for avoiding the effects of keywords derived from misrecognized words. The first idea is to compose multiple queries from selected keyword candidates so that the misrecognized words and correct words do not fall into one query. The second idea is that the number of Web documents downloaded for each query is determined according to the "query relevance." Combining these two ideas, we can alleviate bad effect of misrecognized keywords by decreasing the number of downloaded Web documents from queries that contain misrecognized keywords. Finally, we examine a method of determining the number of iterative adaptations based on the recognition likelihood. Experiments have shown that the proposed stopping criterion can determine almost the optimum number of iterations. In the final experiment, the word accuracy without adaptation (55.29% was improved to 60.38%, which was 1.13 point better than the result of the conventional unsupervised adaptation method (59.25%.

Automatic Query Generation and Query Relevance Measurement for Unsupervised Language Model Adaptation of Speech Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akinori Ito

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We are developing a method of Web-based unsupervised language model adaptation for recognition of spoken documents. The proposed method chooses keywords from the preliminary recognition result and retrieves Web documents using the chosen keywords. A problem is that the selected keywords tend to contain misrecognized words. The proposed method introduces two new ideas for avoiding the effects of keywords derived from misrecognized words. The first idea is to compose multiple queries from selected keyword candidates so that the misrecognized words and correct words do not fall into one query. The second idea is that the number of Web documents downloaded for each query is determined according to the “query relevance.” Combining these two ideas, we can alleviate bad effect of misrecognized keywords by decreasing the number of downloaded Web documents from queries that contain misrecognized keywords. Finally, we examine a method of determining the number of iterative adaptations based on the recognition likelihood. Experiments have shown that the proposed stopping criterion can determine almost the optimum number of iterations. In the final experiment, the word accuracy without adaptation (55.29% was improved to 60.38%, which was 1.13 point better than the result of the conventional unsupervised adaptation method (59.25%.

A method of reconstructing the spatial measurement network by mobile measurement transmitter for shipbuilding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Siyang; Lin, Jiarui; Yang, Linghui; Ren, Yongjie; Guo, Yin

2017-01-01

The workshop Measurement Position System (wMPS) is a distributed measurement system which is suitable for the large-scale metrology. However, there are some inevitable measurement problems in the shipbuilding industry, such as the restriction by obstacles and limited measurement range. To deal with these factors, this paper presents a method of reconstructing the spatial measurement network by mobile transmitter. A high-precision coordinate control network with more than six target points is established. The mobile measuring transmitter can be added into the measurement network using this coordinate control network with the spatial resection method. This method reconstructs the measurement network and broadens the measurement scope efficiently. To verify this method, two comparison experiments are designed with the laser tracker as the reference. The results demonstrate that the accuracy of point-to-point length is better than 0.4mm and the accuracy of coordinate measurement is better than 0.6mm. (paper)

Reflections on relevance: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics in 2004.

Science.gov (United States)

Balon, Richard

2005-01-01

Relevance of an article is a highly desirable yet hardly predictable quality at the time of its publication. Article relevance is frequently measured by the impact factor of the journal where the article is published. Furthermore, impact factor, citation index and citation analysis are used as a measure of research progress and scientific wealth of a nation. The wisdom and significance of this approach to relevance is debatable and thus discussed here. In 2004, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics published a variety of articles which, in the author's view, are clinically relevant. Several selected clinically relevant issues reviewed in this article include: the conceptualization of fibromyalgia as a stress disorder; the psychosocial impact and psychosocial interventions in cancer; the impact of alexithymia on patient care; the possible relationship between depression and nutrition (namely intake of folate and pyridoxal phosphate); the significance of hypercoagulability in panic-like anxiety; the questionable value of single isomer drugs, and the relevance and adequacy of clinimetrics versus psychometrics in clinical research. The reviewed issues seem to be relevant to clinical practice, research or both, but also to our critical thinking, and the critical review of the developments in psychiatry and psychology. Copyright 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Measures and time points relevant for post-surgical follow-up in patients with inflammatory arthritis: a pilot study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tägil Magnus

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rheumatic diseases commonly affect joints and other structures in the hand. Surgery is a traditional way to treat hand problems in inflammatory rheumatic diseases with the purposes of pain relief, restore function and prevent progression. There are numerous measures to choose from, and a combination of outcome measures is recommended. This study evaluated if instruments commonly used in rheumatologic clinical practice are suitable to measure outcome of hand surgery and to identify time points relevant for follow-up. Methods Thirty-one patients (median age 56 years, median disease duration 15 years with inflammatory rheumatic disease and need for post-surgical occupational therapy intervention formed this pilot study group. Hand function was assessed regarding grip strength (Grippit, pain (VAS, range of motion (ROM (Signals of Functional Impairment (SOFI and grip ability (Grip Ability Test (GAT. Activities of daily life (ADL were assessed by means of Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Outcome (DASH and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM. The instruments were evaluated by responsiveness and feasibility; follow-up points were 0, 3, 6 and 12 months. Results All instruments showed significant change at one or more follow-up points. Satisfaction with activities (COPM showed the best responsiveness (SMR>0.8, while ROM measured with SOFI had low responsiveness at most follow-up time points. The responsiveness of the instruments was stable between 6 and 12 month follow-up which imply that 6 month is an appropriate time for evaluating short-term effect of hand surgery in rheumatic diseases. Conclusion We suggest a core set of instruments measuring pain, grip strength, grip ability, perceived symptoms and self-defined daily activities. This study has shown that VAS pain, the Grippit instrument, GAT, DASH symptom scale and COPM are suitable outcome instruments for hand surgery, while SOFI may be a more insensitive

Relevance of useful visual words in object retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Siyuan; Luo, Yupin

2013-07-01

The most popular methods in object retrieval are almost based on bag-of-words(BOW) which is both effective and efficient. In this paper we present a method use the relations between words of the vocabulary to improve the retrieval performance based on the BOW framework. In basic BOW retrieval framework, only a few words of the vocabulary is useful for retrieval, which are spatial consistent in images. We introduce a method to useful select useful words and build a relevance between these words. We combine useful relevance with basic BOW framework and query expansion as well. The useful relevance is able to discover latent related words which is not exist in the query image, so that we can get a more accurate vector model for retrieval. Combined with query expansion method, the retrieval performance are better and fewer time cost.

Noise thermometry - a new temperature measuring method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brixy, H.; Hecker, R.; Rittinghaus, K.F.

1975-01-01

The thermal Johnson-Niquist noise is the basis of noise thermometry. This temperature measuring method is, e.g., of interest insofar as the noise thermometer gives absolute values as a primary thermometer and is in principle extensively independent of environmental influences and material properties. The resistance values of the measuring probe are about 10 Ohm to a few kOhm. The demands of electronics are high, the self-noise of the measuring apparatus must be as small as possible; a comparative measuring method is advantageous. 1 to 2,500 K are given as a possible temperature range. An accuracy of 0.1% could be achieved in laboratory measurements. Temperature measurements to be used in operation in a few nuclear reactors are mentioned. (HP/LH) [de

Ratio method of measuring W boson mass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Feng [Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)

2010-08-01

This dissertation describes an alternative method of measuring the W boson mass in DØ experiment. Instead of extracting M_W from the fitting of W → ev fast Monte Carlo simulations to W → ev data as in the standard method, we make the direct fit of transverse mass between W → ev data and Z → ee data. One of the two electrons from Z boson is treated as a neutrino in the calculation of transverse mass. In ratio method, the best fitted scale factor corresponds to the ratio of W and Z boson mass (M_W/M_Z). Given the precisely measured Z boson mass, W mass is directly fitted from W → ev and Z → ee data. This dissertation demonstrates that ratio method is a plausible method of measuring the W boson mass. With the 1 fb^-1 DØ Run IIa dataset, ratio method gives M_W = 80435 ± 43(stat) ± 26(sys) MeV.

High-angle scattering events strongly affect light collection in clinically relevant measurement geometries for light transport through tissue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canpolat, M.; Mourant, J.R.

2000-01-01

Measurement of light transport in tissue has the potential to be an inexpensive and practical tool for non-invasive tissue diagnosis in medical applications because it can provide information on both morphological and biochemical properties. To capitalize on the potential of light transport as a diagnostic tool, an understanding of what information can be gleaned from light transport measurements is needed. We present data concerning the sensitivity of light transport measurements, made in clinically relevant geometries, to scattering properties. The intensity of the backscattered light at small source-detector separations is shown to be sensitive to the phase function, and furthermore the collected light intensity is found to be correlated with the amount of high-angle scattering in the medium. (author)

Methods of viscosity measurements in sealed ampoules

Science.gov (United States)

Mazuruk, Konstantin

1999-07-01

Viscosity of semiconductors and metallic melts is usually measured by oscillating cup method. This method utilizes the melts contained in vacuum sealed silica ampoules, thus the problems related to volatility, contamination, and high temperature and pressure can be alleviate. In a typical design, the time required for a single measurement is of the order of one hour. In order to reduce this time to a minute range, a high resolution angular detection system is implemented in our design of the viscometer. Furthermore, an electromagnet generating a rotational magnetic field (RMF) is incorporated into the apparatus. This magnetic field can be used to remotely and nonintrusively measure the electrical conductivity of the melt. It can also be used to induce a well controlled rotational flow in the system. The transient behavior of this flow can potentially yield of the fluid. Based on RMF implementation, two novel viscometry methods are proposed in this work: a) the transient torque method, b) the resonance method. A unified theoretical approach to the three methods is presented along with the initial test result of the constructed apparatus. Advantages of each of the method are discussed.

Advances on the molecular characterization, clinical relevance, and detection methods of Gadiform parvalbumin allergens.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, Telmo J R; Costa, Joana; Carrapatoso, Isabel; Oliveira, Maria Beatriz P P; Mafra, Isabel

2017-10-13

Gadiform order includes several fish families, from which Gadidae and Merlucciidae are part of, comprising the most commercially important and highly appreciated fish species, such as cod, pollock, haddock, and hake. Parvalbumins, classified as calcium-binding proteins, are considered the main components involved in the majority of fish allergies. Nine and thirteen parvalbumins were identified in different fish species from Gadidae and Merlucciidae families, respectively. This review intends to describe their molecular characterization and the clinical relevance, as well as the prevalence of fish allergy. In addition, the main protein- and DNA-based methods to detect fish allergens are fully reviewed owing to their importance in the safeguard of sensitized/allergic individuals.

Selecting relevant and feasible measurement instruments for the revised Dutch clinical practice guideline for physical therapy in patients after stroke

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Otterman, Nicoline; Veerbeek, Janne; Schiemanck, Sven; van der Wees, Philip; Nollet, Frans; Kwakkel, Gert

2017-01-01

Purpose: To select relevant and feasible instruments for the revision of the Dutch clinical practice guideline for physical therapy in patients with stroke. Methods: In this implementation study a comprehensive proposal for ICF categories and matching instruments was developed, based on reliability

Selecting relevant and feasible measurement instruments for the revised Dutch clinical practice guideline for physical therapy in patients after stroke

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Otterman, N.; Veerbeek, J.; Schiemanck, S.; Wees, P.J. van der; Nollet, F.; Kwakkel, G.

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: To select relevant and feasible instruments for the revision of the Dutch clinical practice guideline for physical therapy in patients with stroke. METHODS: In this implementation study a comprehensive proposal for ICF categories and matching instruments was developed, based on reliability

Measured attenuation correction methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostertag, H.; Kuebler, W.K.; Doll, J.; Lorenz, W.J.

1989-01-01

Accurate attenuation correction is a prerequisite for the determination of exact local radioactivity concentrations in positron emission tomography. Attenuation correction factors range from 4-5 in brain studies to 50-100 in whole body measurements. This report gives an overview of the different methods of determining the attenuation correction factors by transmission measurements using an external positron emitting source. The long-lived generator nuclide 68 Ge/ 68 Ga is commonly used for this purpose. The additional patient dose from the transmission source is usually a small fraction of the dose due to the subsequent emission measurement. Ring-shaped transmission sources as well as rotating point or line sources are employed in modern positron tomographs. By masking a rotating line or point source, random and scattered events in the transmission scans can be effectively suppressed. The problems of measured attenuation correction are discussed: Transmission/emission mismatch, random and scattered event contamination, counting statistics, transmission/emission scatter compensation, transmission scan after administration of activity to the patient. By using a double masking technique simultaneous emission and transmission scans become feasible. (orig.)

Clinical significance of measurement of plasma relevant cytokines (GM-CSF, IL-2, TPO, EPO) levels in patients with aplastic anemia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Tintin

2006-01-01

Objective: To investigate the role of relevant cytokines in the development and pathogenesis of aplastic anemia. Methods: Plasma GM-CSF, IL-2, TPO (with RIA) and EPO (with CLIA) contents were measured in 100 patients (acute 43, chronic 57) with aplastic anemia and 50 controls. Complete blood count was also performed in all these subjects. Results: The peripheral RBC, WBC, platelet counts and GM-CSF contents were significantly lower in the patients with aplastic anemia than those in the controls (P<0.05), while the IL-2, EPO and TPO contents were significantly higher in the patients (P<0.05). GM-CSF contents were positively correlated with the WBC numbers. EPO contents were negatively correlated with the RBC counts and TPO contents were correlated (negatively) with the platelet counts. Conclusion: There was correlationship between each blood elements (WBC, RBC, platelet) and its corresponding cytokine (GS-CSF, EPO, TPO respectively). IL-2 contents were not correlated with WBC counts. (authors)

Discussion groups with parents of children with cerebral palsy in Europe designed to assist development of a relevant measure of environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McManus, V; Michelsen, S I; Parkinson, K

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: An instrument to measure environmental factors relevant to physically impaired children is being developed in a European context. Preliminary work in England had identified some potentially important themes. Further inquiry was needed to identify issues important in other European...

A gamma-source method of measuring soil moisture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Jeboori, M.A.; Ameen, I.A.

1986-01-01

Water content in soil column was measured using NaI scintillation detector 5 mci Cs-137 as a gamma source. The measurements were done with a back scatter gauge, restricted with scattering angle less to than /2 overcome the effect of soil type. A 3 cm air gap was maintained between the front of the detector and the wall of the soil container in order to increase the counting rate. The distance between the center of the source and the center of the back scattering detector was 14 cm. The accuracy of the measurements was 0.63. For comparision, a direct rays method was used to measure the soil moisture. The results gave an error of 0.65. Results of the two methods were compared with the gravimetric method which gave an error of 0.18 g/g and 0.17 g/g for direct and back method respectively. The quick direct method was used to determine the gravimetric and volumetric percentage constants, and were found to be 1.62 and 0.865 respectively. The method then used to measure the water content in the layers of soil column.(6 tabs., 4 figs., 12 refs.)

Radon in indoor air. Health risk, measurement methods and remedial measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strand, T.

1996-02-01

Radon in indoor air is the main source of ionizing radiation in Norway. The booklet contains a presentation of radon sources, measurement methods, indoor radon concentrations, action levels, health risk and remedial measures

A Novel Relevance Feedback Approach Based on Similarity Measure Modification in an X-Ray Image Retrieval System Based on Fuzzy Representation Using Fuzzy Attributed Relational Graph

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossien Pourghassem

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Relevance feedback approaches is used to improve the performance of content-based image retrieval systems. In this paper, a novel relevance feedback approach based on similarity measure modification in an X-ray image retrieval system based on fuzzy representation using fuzzy attributed relational graph (FARG is presented. In this approach, optimum weight of each feature in feature vector is calculated using similarity rate between query image and relevant and irrelevant images in user feedback. The calculated weight is used to tune fuzzy graph matching algorithm as a modifier parameter in similarity measure. The standard deviation of the retrieved image features is applied to calculate the optimum weight. The proposed image retrieval system uses a FARG for representation of images, a fuzzy matching graph algorithm as similarity measure and a semantic classifier based on merging scheme for determination of the search space in image database. To evaluate relevance feedback approach in the proposed system, a standard X-ray image database consisting of 10000 images in 57 classes is used. The improvement of the evaluation parameters shows proficiency and efficiency of the proposed system.

L-C Measurement Acquisition Method for Aerospace Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Woodard, Stanley E.; Taylor, B. Douglas; Shams, Qamar A.; Fox, Robert L.

2003-01-01

This paper describes a measurement acquisition method for aerospace systems that eliminates the need for sensors to have physical connection to a power source (i.e., no lead wires) or to data acquisition equipment. Furthermore, the method does not require the sensors to be in proximity to any form of acquisition hardware. Multiple sensors can be interrogated using this method. The sensors consist of a capacitor, C(p), whose capacitance changes with changes to a physical property, p, electrically connected to an inductor, L. The method uses an antenna to broadcast electromagnetic energy that electrically excites one or more inductive-capacitive sensors via Faraday induction. This method facilitates measurements that were not previously possible because there was no practical means of providing power and data acquisition electrical connections to a sensor. Unlike traditional sensors, which measure only a single physical property, the manner in which the sensing element is interrogated simultaneously allows measurement of at least two unrelated physical properties (e.g., displacement rate and fluid level) by using each constituent of the L-C element. The key to using the method for aerospace applications is to increase the distance between the L-C elements and interrogating antenna; develop all key components to be non-obtrusive and to develop sensing elements that can easily be implemented. Techniques that have resulted in increased distance between antenna and sensor will be presented. Fluid-level measurements and pressure measurements using the acquisition method are demonstrated in the paper.

Measuring Patient Preferences: An Overview of Methods with a Focus on Discrete Choice Experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazlewood, Glen S

2018-05-01

There is increasing recognition of the importance of patient preferences and methodologies to measure them. In this article, methods to quantify patient preferences are reviewed, with a focus on discrete choice experiments. In a discrete choice experiment, patients are asked to choose between 2 or more treatments. The results can be used to quantify the relative importance of treatment outcomes and/or other considerations relevant to medical decision making. Conducting and interpreting a discrete choice experiment requires multiple steps and an understanding of the potential biases that can arise, which we review in this article with examples in rheumatic diseases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reactivity measurements using the Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2015-07-01

The zero count probability method (also called Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method, after its inventors) is a method for measuring the reactivity in nuclear reactors, being a competitor of the [more well-known in the West] Feynman-alpha Method and the Rossi-alpha Method. The modus operandi of this method is using the detector channels where there was no counting at all in order to calculate reactor parameters. In deep subcriticality few models have been tested and this work tries out the Zolotukhin-Mogilner Method in one of such scenarios: measurements will be made in environments below -3,5 k pcm in the zero-potency water-moderated reactor IPEN/MB-01 which is fuelled by UO{sub 2} enriched by 4.3%. These extremely low reactivity environments are required because the chance of no counts on the detector must be significant: otherwise, the method would demand a large time of acquisition of data. Besides that, the method is very simple and straightforward. One of the advantages of this method is that it needs very little data reduction, since the essential data is directly given by the measuring apparatus. The detection will be in charge of modern BF{sub 3} detectors. It will be assumed that, in these deep subcritical systems, the function K{sub eff} = f(N-Nkp) has a linear portion in its first part, resulting of the decomposition of it in a Taylor series. The value of alpha is related to the reactivity ρ with linear dependency. The results will be compared with recent studies of the two main methods described above. Presented for the first time in the 60's, this tool has seen little use in the west hemisphere. This work shows its use in the measurements of the nuclear reactor IPEN/MB-01, as well as the code developed for its employment. It will be the first time this method is used in the south hemisphere. (authors)

The Effects of Topic Familiarity, Author Expertise, and Content Relevance on Norwegian Students' Document Selection: A Mixed Methods Study

Science.gov (United States)

McCrudden, Matthew T.; Stenseth, Tonje; Bråten, Ivar; Strømsø, Helge I.

2016-01-01

This mixed methods study investigated the extent to which author expertise and content relevance were salient to secondary Norwegian students (N = 153) when they selected documents that pertained to more familiar and less familiar topics. Quantitative results indicated that author expertise was more salient for the less familiar topic (nuclear…

A novel XRF method to measure environmental release of copper and zinc from antifouling paints.

Science.gov (United States)

Ytreberg, Erik; Lagerström, Maria; Holmqvist, Albin; Eklund, Britta; Elwing, Hans; Dahlström, Magnus; Dahl, Peter; Dahlström, Mia

2017-06-01

The release of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) from vessels and leisure crafts coated with antifouling paints can pose a threat to water quality in semi-enclosed areas such as harbors and marinas as well as to coastal archipelagos. However, no reliable, practical and low-cost method exists to measure the direct release of metals from antifouling paints. Therefore, the paint industry and regulatory authorities are obliged to use release rate measurements derived from either mathematical models or from laboratory studies. To bridge this gap, we have developed a novel method using a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) to determine the cumulative release of Cu and Zn from antifouling paints. The results showed a strong linear relationship between XRF K α net intensities and metal concentrations, as determined by ICP-MS. The release of Cu and Zn were determined for coated panels exposed in harbors located in the Baltic Sea and in Kattegat. The field study showed salinity to have a strong impact on the release of Cu, i.e. the release increased with salinity. Contrary, the effect of salinity on Zn was not as evident. As exemplified in this work, the XRF method also makes it possible to identify the governing parameters to the release of Cu and Zn, e.g. salinity and type of paint formulation. Thus, the XRF method can be used to measure environmentally relevant releases of metallic compounds to design more efficient and optimized antifouling coatings. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Characterisation and optimisation of a method for the detection and quantification of atmospherically relevant carbonyl compounds in aqueous medium

Science.gov (United States)

Rodigast, M.; Mutzel, A.; Iinuma, Y.; Haferkorn, S.; Herrmann, H.

2015-01-01

Carbonyl compounds are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and either emitted primarily from anthropogenic and biogenic sources or they are produced secondarily from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Despite a number of studies about the quantification of carbonyl compounds a comprehensive description of optimised methods is scarce for the quantification of atmospherically relevant carbonyl compounds. Thus a method was systematically characterised and improved to quantify carbonyl compounds. Quantification with the present method can be carried out for each carbonyl compound sampled in the aqueous phase regardless of their source. The method optimisation was conducted for seven atmospherically relevant carbonyl compounds including acrolein, benzaldehyde, glyoxal, methyl glyoxal, methacrolein, methyl vinyl ketone and 2,3-butanedione. O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) was used as derivatisation reagent and the formed oximes were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The main advantage of the improved method presented in this study is the low detection limit in the range of 0.01 and 0.17 μmol L-1 depending on carbonyl compounds. Furthermore best results were found for extraction with dichloromethane for 30 min followed by derivatisation with PFBHA for 24 h with 0.43 mg mL-1 PFBHA at a pH value of 3. The optimised method was evaluated in the present study by the OH radical initiated oxidation of 3-methylbutanone in the aqueous phase. Methyl glyoxal and 2,3-butanedione were found to be oxidation products in the samples with a yield of 2% for methyl glyoxal and 14% for 2,3-butanedione.

[Comparision of Different Methods of Area Measurement in Irregular Scar].

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, D; Li, W J; Sun, Q G; Li, J Q; Xia, Q

2016-10-01

To determine a measurement standard of irregular scar area by comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different measurement methods in measuring same irregular scar area. Irregular scar area was scanned by digital scanning and measured by coordinate reading method, AutoCAD pixel method, Photoshop lasso pixel method, Photoshop magic bar filled pixel method and Foxit PDF reading software, and some aspects of these methods such as measurement time, repeatability, whether could be recorded and whether could be traced were compared and analyzed. There was no significant difference in the scar areas by the measurement methods above. However, there was statistical difference in the measurement time and repeatability by one or multi performers and only Foxit PDF reading software could be traced back. The methods above can be used for measuring scar area, but each one has its advantages and disadvantages. It is necessary to develop new measurement software for forensic identification. Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Forensic Medicine

Suspended sediment assessment by combining sound attenuation and backscatter measurements - analytical method and experimental validation

Science.gov (United States)

Guerrero, Massimo; Di Federico, Vittorio

2018-03-01

The use of acoustic techniques has become common for estimating suspended sediment in water environments. An emitted beam propagates into water producing backscatter and attenuation, which depend on scattering particles concentration and size distribution. Unfortunately, the actual particles size distribution (PSD) may largely affect the accuracy of concentration quantification through the unknown coefficients of backscattering strength, ks2, and normalized attenuation, ζs. This issue was partially solved by applying the multi-frequency approach. Despite this possibility, a relevant scientific and practical question remains regarding the possibility of using acoustic methods to investigate poorly sorted sediment in the spectrum ranging from clay to fine sand. The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of combining the measurement of sound attenuation and backscatter to determine ζs for the suspended particles and the corresponding concentration. The proposed method is moderately dependent from actual PSD, thus relaxing the need of frequent calibrations to account for changes in ks2 and ζs coefficients. Laboratory tests were conducted under controlled conditions to validate this measurement technique. With respect to existing approaches, the developed method more accurately estimates the concentration of suspended particles ranging from clay to fine sand and, at the same time, gives an indication on their actual PSD.

Torsion method for measuring piezooptic coefficients

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skab, I.; Smaga, I.; Savaryn, V.; Vasylkiv, Yu.; Vlokh, R. [Institute of Physical Optics, Lviv (Ukraine)

2011-01-15

We develop and describe analytically a torsion method for measuring piezooptic coefficients associated with shear stresses. It is shown that the method enables to increase significantly the accuracy of determination of piezooptic coefficients. The method and the appropriate apparatus are verified experimentally on the example of LiNbO{sub 3} crystals. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Measurement System Analyses - Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Cepova, Lenka; Kovacikova, Andrea; Cep, Robert; Klaput, Pavel; Mizera, Ondrej

2018-02-01

The submitted article focuses on a detailed explanation of the average and range method (Automotive Industry Action Group, Measurement System Analysis approach) and of the honest Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility method (Evaluating the Measurement Process approach). The measured data (thickness of plastic parts) were evaluated by both methods and their results were compared on the basis of numerical evaluation. Both methods were additionally compared and their advantages and disadvantages were discussed. One difference between both methods is the calculation of variation components. The AIAG method calculates the variation components based on standard deviation (then a sum of variation components does not give 100 %) and the honest GRR study calculates the variation components based on variance, where the sum of all variation components (part to part variation, EV & AV) gives the total variation of 100 %. Acceptance of both methods among the professional society, future use, and acceptance by manufacturing industry were also discussed. Nowadays, the AIAG is the leading method in the industry.

Distinguishing Biologically Relevant Hexoses by Water Adduction to the Lithium-Cationized Molecule.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Matthew T; Chen, Dazhe; Wallbillich, Nicholas J; Glish, Gary L

2017-10-03

A method to distinguish the four most common biologically relevant underivatized hexoses, d-glucose, d-galactose, d-mannose, and d-fructose, using only mass spectrometry with no prior separation/derivatization step has been developed. Electrospray of a solution containing hexose and a lithium salt generates [Hexose+Li] + . The lithium-cationized hexoses adduct water in a quadrupole ion trap. The rate of this water adduction reaction can be used to distinguish the four hexoses. Additionally, for each hexose, multiple lithiation sites are possible, allowing for multiple structures of [Hexose+Li] + . Electrospray produces at least one structure that reacts with water and at least one that does not. The ratio of unreactive lithium-cationized hexose to total lithium-cationized hexose is unique for the four hexoses studied, providing a second method for distinguishing the isomers. Use of the water adduction reaction rate or the unreactive ratio provides two separate methods for confidently (p ≤ 0.02) distinguishing the most common biologically relevant hexoses using only femtomoles of hexose. Additionally, binary mixtures of glucose and fructose were studied. A calibration curve was created by measuring the reaction rate of various samples with different ratios of fructose and glucose. The calibration curve was used to accurately measure the percentage of fructose in three samples of high fructose corn syrup (<4% error).

What gets measured gets managed: A new method of measuring household food waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Elimelech, Efrat; Ayalon, Ofira; Ert, Eyal

2018-03-22

The quantification of household food waste is an essential part of setting policies and waste reduction goals, but it is very difficult to estimate. Current methods include either direct measurements (physical waste surveys) or measurements based on self-reports (diaries, interviews, and questionnaires). The main limitation of the first method is that it cannot always trace the waste source, i.e., an individual household, whereas the second method lacks objectivity. This article presents a new measurement method that offers a solution to these challenges by measuring daily produced food waste at the household level. This method is based on four main principles: (1) capturing waste as it enters the stream, (2) collecting waste samples at the doorstep, (3) using the individual household as the sampling unit, and (4) collecting and sorting waste daily. We tested the feasibility of the new method with an empirical study of 192 households, measuring the actual amounts of food waste from households as well as its composition. Household food waste accounted for 45% of total waste (573 g/day per capita), of which 54% was identified as avoidable. Approximately two thirds of avoidable waste consisted of vegetables and fruit. These results are similar to previous findings from waste surveys, yet the new method showed a higher level of accuracy. The feasibility test suggests that the proposed method provides a practical tool for policy makers for setting policy based on reliable empirical data and monitoring the effectiveness of different policies over time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trojan Horse Method: Recent Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pizzone, R. G.; Spitaleri, C.

2008-01-01

Owing the presence of the Coulomb barrier at astrophysically relevant kinetic energies, it is very difficult, or sometimes impossible to measure astrophysical reaction rates in laboratory. This is why different indirect techniques are being used along with direct measurements. The THM is unique indirect technique allowing one measure astrophysical rearrangement reactions down to astrophysical relevant energies. The basic principle and a review of the main application of the Trojan Horse Method are presented. The applications aiming at the extraction of the bare S b (E) astrophysical factor and electron screening potentials U e for several two body processes are discussed

Analytical assessment about the simultaneous quantification of releasable pharmaceutical relevant inorganic nanoparticles in tap water and domestic waste water.

Science.gov (United States)

Krystek, Petra; Bäuerlein, Patrick S; Kooij, Pascal J F

2015-03-15

For pharmaceutical applications, the use of inorganic engineered nanoparticles is of growing interest while silver (Ag) and gold (Au) are the most relevant elements. A few methods were developed recently but the validation and the application testing were quite limited. Therefore, a routinely suitable multi element method for the identification of nanoparticles of different sizes below 100 nm and elemental composition by applying asymmetric flow field flow fraction (AF4) - inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) is developed. A complete validation model of the quantification of releasable pharmaceutical relevant inorganic nanoparticles based on Ag and Au is presented for the most relevant aqueous matrices of tap water and domestic waste water. The samples are originated from locations in the Netherlands and it is of great interest to study the unwanted presence of Ag and Au as nanoparticle residues due to possible health and environmental risks. During method development, instability effects are observed for 60 nm and 70 nm Ag ENPs with different capping agents. These effects are studied more closely in relation to matrix effects. Besides the methodological aspects, the obtained analytical results and relevant performance characteristics (e.g. measuring range, limit of detection, repeatability, reproducibility, trueness, and expanded uncertainty of measurement) are determined and discussed. For the chosen aqueous matrices, the results of the performance characteristics are significantly better for Au ENPs in comparison to Ag ENPs; e.g. repeatability and reproducibility are below 10% for all Au ENPs respectively maximal 27% repeatability for larger Ag ENPs. The method is a promising tool for the simultaneous determination of releasable pharmaceutical relevant inorganic nanoparticles. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The iso-response method: measuring neuronal stimulus integration with closed-loop experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Gollisch, Tim; Herz, Andreas V. M.

2012-01-01

Throughout the nervous system, neurons integrate high-dimensional input streams and transform them into an output of their own. This integration of incoming signals involves filtering processes and complex non-linear operations. The shapes of these filters and non-linearities determine the computational features of single neurons and their functional roles within larger networks. A detailed characterization of signal integration is thus a central ingredient to understanding information processing in neural circuits. Conventional methods for measuring single-neuron response properties, such as reverse correlation, however, are often limited by the implicit assumption that stimulus integration occurs in a linear fashion. Here, we review a conceptual and experimental alternative that is based on exploring the space of those sensory stimuli that result in the same neural output. As demonstrated by recent results in the auditory and visual system, such iso-response stimuli can be used to identify the non-linearities relevant for stimulus integration, disentangle consecutive neural processing steps, and determine their characteristics with unprecedented precision. Automated closed-loop experiments are crucial for this advance, allowing rapid search strategies for identifying iso-response stimuli during experiments. Prime targets for the method are feed-forward neural signaling chains in sensory systems, but the method has also been successfully applied to feedback systems. Depending on the specific question, “iso-response” may refer to a predefined firing rate, single-spike probability, first-spike latency, or other output measures. Examples from different studies show that substantial progress in understanding neural dynamics and coding can be achieved once rapid online data analysis and stimulus generation, adaptive sampling, and computational modeling are tightly integrated into experiments. PMID:23267315

The quadrant method measuring four points is as a reliable and accurate as the quadrant method in the evaluation after anatomical double-bundle ACL reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Mochizuki, Yuta; Kaneko, Takao; Kawahara, Keisuke; Toyoda, Shinya; Kono, Norihiko; Hada, Masaru; Ikegami, Hiroyasu; Musha, Yoshiro

2017-11-20

The quadrant method was described by Bernard et al. and it has been widely used for postoperative evaluation of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The purpose of this research is to further develop the quadrant method measuring four points, which we named four-point quadrant method, and to compare with the quadrant method. Three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) analyses were performed in 25 patients who underwent double-bundle ACL reconstruction using the outside-in technique. The four points in this study's quadrant method were defined as point1-highest, point2-deepest, point3-lowest, and point4-shallowest, in femoral tunnel position. Value of depth and height in each point was measured. Antero-medial (AM) tunnel is (depth1, height2) and postero-lateral (PL) tunnel is (depth3, height4) in this four-point quadrant method. The 3D-CT images were evaluated independently by 2 orthopaedic surgeons. A second measurement was performed by both observers after a 4-week interval. Intra- and inter-observer reliability was calculated by means of intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Also, the accuracy of the method was evaluated against the quadrant method. Intra-observer reliability was almost perfect for both AM and PL tunnel (ICC > 0.81). Inter-observer reliability of AM tunnel was substantial (ICC > 0.61) and that of PL tunnel was almost perfect (ICC > 0.81). The AM tunnel position was 0.13% deep, 0.58% high and PL tunnel position was 0.01% shallow, 0.13% low compared to quadrant method. The four-point quadrant method was found to have high intra- and inter-observer reliability and accuracy. This method can evaluate the tunnel position regardless of the shape and morphology of the bone tunnel aperture for use of comparison and can provide measurement that can be compared with various reconstruction methods. The four-point quadrant method of this study is considered to have clinical relevance in that it is a detailed and accurate tool for

Direct methods for radionuclides measurement in water environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernyaev, A.; Gaponov, I.; Kazennov, A.

2004-01-01

The paper is devoted to the direct method of anthropogenic radionuclide measurement in the water environment. Opportunities of application of submersible gamma-spectrometers for in situ underwater measurements of gamma-radiating nuclides and also the direct method for 90 Sr detection are considered

Geological conditions for lateral sealing of active faults and relevant research methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang Fu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Many researchers worked a lot on geologic conditions for lateral sealing of faults, but none of their studies took the effect of internal structures of fault zones on the lateral sealing capacity of faults. Therefore, the lateral sealing of active faults has rarely been discussed. In this paper, based on the analysis of the composition and structure characteristics of fault fillings, the geological conditions for lateral sealing of active faults and relevant research method were discussed in reference to the lateral sealing mechanisms of inactive fault rocks. It is shown that, in order to satisfy geologically the lateral sealing of active faults, the faults should be antithetic and the faulted strata should be mainly composed of mudstone, so that the displacement pressure of fault fillings is higher than or equal to that of reservoir rocks in oil and gas migration block. Then, a research method for the lateral sealing of active faults was established by comparing the displacement pressure of fillings in the fault with that of reservoir rocks in oil and gas migration block. This method was applied to three antithetic faults (F1, F2 and F3 in No. 1 structure of the Nanpu Sag, Bohai Bay Basin. As revealed, the fillings of these three active faults were mostly argillaceous at the stage of natural gas accumulation (the late stage of Neogene Minghuazhen Fm sedimentation, and their displacement pressures were higher than that of reservoir rocks in the first member of Paleogene Dongying Fm (F1 and F3 and the Neogene Guantao Fm (F2. Accordingly, they are laterally sealed for natural gas, which is conducive to the accumulation and preservation of natural gas. Industrial gas flow has been produced from the first member of Paleogene Dongying Fm in Well Np101, the Guantao Fm in Well Np1-2 and the first member of Paleogene Dongying Fm in Well Np1, which is in agreement with the analysis result. It is verified that this method is feasible for investigating the

Assessment of a colorimetric method for the measurement of low concentrations of peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide in water.

Science.gov (United States)

Domínguez-Henao, Laura; Turolla, Andrea; Monticelli, Damiano; Antonelli, Manuela

2018-06-01

The recent growing interest in peracetic acid (PAA) as disinfectant for wastewater treatment demands reliable and readily-available methods for its measurement. In detail, the monitoring of PAA in wastewater treatment plants requires a simple, accurate, rapid and inexpensive measurement procedure. In the present work, a method for analyzing low concentrations of PAA, adapted from the US EPA colorimetric method for total chlorine, is assessed. This method employs N,N-diethyl-p-phenylelnediamine (DPD) in the presence of an excess of iodide in a phosphate buffer system. Pink colored species are produced proportionally to the concentration of PAA in the sample. Considering that PAA is available commercially as an equilibrium solution of PAA and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), a measurement method for H 2 O 2 is also investigated. This method, as the one for the determination of PAA, is also based on the oxidation of iodide to iodine, with the difference that ammonium molybdate Mo(VI) is added to catalyze the oxidation reaction between H 2 O 2 and iodide, quantifying the total peroxides (PAA+ H 2 O 2 ). The two methods are suitable for concentration ranges from about 0.1-1.65 mg L -1 and from about 0.3-3.3 mg L -1 , respectively for PAA and H 2 O 2 . Moreover, the work elucidates some relevant aspects related to the operational conditions, kinetics and the possible interference of H 2 O 2 on PAA measurement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regulatory relevant and reliable methods and data for determining the environmental fate of manufactured nanomaterials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baun, Anders; Sayre, Phil; Steinhäuser, Klaus Günter

2017-01-01

The widespread use of manufactured nanomaterials (MN) increases the need for describing and predicting their environmental fate and behaviour. A number of recent reviews have addressed the scientific challenges in disclosing the governing processes for the environmental fate and behaviour of MNs,...... data. Gaps do however exist in test methods for environmental fate, such as methods to estimate heteroagglomeration and the tendency for MNs to transform in the environment.......The widespread use of manufactured nanomaterials (MN) increases the need for describing and predicting their environmental fate and behaviour. A number of recent reviews have addressed the scientific challenges in disclosing the governing processes for the environmental fate and behaviour of MNs......, however there has been less focus on the regulatory adequacy of the data available for MN. The aim of this paper is therefore to review data, testing protocols and guidance papers which describe the environmental fate and behaviour of MN with a focus on their regulatory reliability and relevance. Given...

Dual-force ISOMAP: a new relevance feedback method for medical image retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Hualei; Tao, Dacheng; Ma, Dianfu

2013-01-01

With great potential for assisting radiological image interpretation and decision making, content-based image retrieval in the medical domain has become a hot topic in recent years. Many methods to enhance the performance of content-based medical image retrieval have been proposed, among which the relevance feedback (RF) scheme is one of the most promising. Given user feedback information, RF algorithms interactively learn a user's preferences to bridge the "semantic gap" between low-level computerized visual features and high-level human semantic perception and thus improve retrieval performance. However, most existing RF algorithms perform in the original high-dimensional feature space and ignore the manifold structure of the low-level visual features of images. In this paper, we propose a new method, termed dual-force ISOMAP (DFISOMAP), for content-based medical image retrieval. Under the assumption that medical images lie on a low-dimensional manifold embedded in a high-dimensional ambient space, DFISOMAP operates in the following three stages. First, the geometric structure of positive examples in the learned low-dimensional embedding is preserved according to the isometric feature mapping (ISOMAP) criterion. To precisely model the geometric structure, a reconstruction error constraint is also added. Second, the average distance between positive and negative examples is maximized to separate them; this margin maximization acts as a force that pushes negative examples far away from positive examples. Finally, the similarity propagation technique is utilized to provide negative examples with another force that will pull them back into the negative sample set. We evaluate the proposed method on a subset of the IRMA medical image dataset with a RF-based medical image retrieval framework. Experimental results show that DFISOMAP outperforms popular approaches for content-based medical image retrieval in terms of accuracy and stability.

Regularization in Matrix Relevance Learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schneider, Petra; Bunte, Kerstin; Stiekema, Han; Hammer, Barbara; Villmann, Thomas; Biehl, Michael

A In this paper, we present a regularization technique to extend recently proposed matrix learning schemes in learning vector quantization (LVQ). These learning algorithms extend the concept of adaptive distance measures in LVQ to the use of relevance matrices. In general, metric learning can

SU-E-I-40: New Method for Measurement of Task-Specific, High-Resolution Detector System Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loughran, B; Singh, V; Jain, A; Bednarek, D; Rudin, S [University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Although generalized linear system analytic metrics such as GMTF and GDQE can evaluate performance of the whole imaging system including detector, scatter and focal-spot, a simplified task-specific measured metric may help to better compare detector systems. Methods: Low quantum-noise images of a neuro-vascular stent with a modified ANSI head phantom were obtained from the average of many exposures taken with the high-resolution Micro-Angiographic Fluoroscope (MAF) and with a Flat Panel Detector (FPD). The square of the Fourier Transform of each averaged image, equivalent to the measured product of the system GMTF and the object function in spatial-frequency space, was then divided by the normalized noise power spectra (NNPS) for each respective system to obtain a task-specific generalized signal-to-noise ratio. A generalized measured relative object detectability (GM-ROD) was obtained by taking the ratio of the integral of the resulting expressions for each detector system to give an overall metric that enables a realistic systems comparison for the given detection task. Results: The GM-ROD provides comparison of relative performance of detector systems from actual measurements of the object function as imaged by those detector systems. This metric includes noise correlations and spatial frequencies relevant to the specific object. Additionally, the integration bounds for the GM-ROD can be selected to emphasis the higher frequency band of each detector if high-resolution image details are to be evaluated. Examples of this new metric are discussed with a comparison of the MAF to the FPD for neuro-vascular interventional imaging. Conclusion: The GM-ROD is a new direct-measured task-specific metric that can provide clinically relevant comparison of the relative performance of imaging systems. Supported by NIH Grant: 2R01EB002873 and an equipment grant from Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation.

Carbon dioxide titration method for soil respiration measurements

OpenAIRE

Martín Rubio, Luis

2017-01-01

This thesis was commissioned by Tampere University of Applied Sciences, which was interested in studying and developing a titration measurement method for soil respiration and biodegradability. Some experiments were carried out measuring soil respiration for testing the method and others adding some biodegradable material like polylactic acid compressed material and 100% biodegradable plastic bags to test its biodegradability and the possibility to measure it via titration. The thesi...

Track detection methods of radium measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Somogyi, G.

1986-06-01

The principles of tack formation and processing including the description of etching and etch-track evaluation for the preferably used plastic track detectors are discussed. Measuring methods to determine 226 Ra activity based either on the mapping of alpha-decaying elements in the complete U-Ra series by alpha-radiography, or on the measurement of uranium alone by neutron induced fissionography, or on the alpha-decay measurement of 222 Rn, the first daughter element of radium, and finally on the measurement of alpha-tracks originating from radium itself, which is separated from its parent nuclides are described in detail. (V.N.)

Research On The Measure Method Of Oblique Pinhole Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Yu-Zhen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available There are many special advantages in measuring the diameter of blind and deep holes with a capacitive probe, there are still some challenges for the measurement of a oblique pinhole parameters because the measuring device is inconvenient to stretch into the oblique pinhole exactly. A five-dimensional measurement system was adopted in the paper which included a capacitive sensor probe and a three-coordinate measuring machine to accomplish the measurement for oblique pinholes. With the help of the three-dimensional coordinates measured from the pinhole axis, we put forward a comprehensive method of combining the projection method and the least squares method together for fitting spatial straight line to obtain the optimal equation of the spacial axis. Finally, a reliable and entire measurement system was set up.

At Home Photography-Based Method for Measuring Wrist Range of Motion.

Science.gov (United States)

Trehan, Samir K; Rancy, Schneider K; Johnsen, Parker H; Hillstrom, Howard J; Lee, Steve K; Wolfe, Scott W

2017-11-01

Purpose  To determine the reliability of wrist range of motion (WROM) measurements based on digital photographs taken by patients at home compared with traditional measurements done in the office with a goniometer. Methods  Sixty-nine postoperative patients were enrolled in this study at least 3 months postoperatively. Active and passive wrist flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation were recorded by one of the two attending surgeons with a 1-degree resolution goniometer at the last postoperative office visit. Patients were provided an illustrated instruction sheet detailing how to take digital photographic images at home in six wrist positions (active and passive flexion/extension, and radial/ulnar deviation). Wrist position was measured from digital images by both the attending surgeons in a randomized, blinded fashion on two separate occasions greater than 2 weeks apart using the same goniometer. Reliability analysis was performed using the intraclass correlation coefficient to assess agreement between clinical and photography-based goniometry, as well as intra- and interobserver agreement. Results  Out of 69 enrolled patients, 30 (43%) patients sent digital images. Of the 180 digital photographs, only 9 (5%) were missing or deemed inadequate for WROM measurements. Agreement between clinical and photography-based measurements was "almost perfect" for passive wrist flexion/extension and "substantial" for active wrist flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation. Inter- and intraobserver agreement for the attending surgeons was "almost perfect" for all measurements. Discussion  This study validates a photography-based goniometry protocol allowing accurate and reliable WROM measurements without direct physician contact. Passive WROM was more accurately measured from photographs than active WROM. This study builds on previous photography-based goniometry literature by validating a protocol in which patients or their families take and submit their own

Balancing relevance criteria through multi-objective optimization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Doorn, J.; Odijk, D.; Roijers, D.M.; de Rijke, M.

2016-01-01

Offline evaluation of information retrieval systems typically focuses on a single effectiveness measure that models the utility for a typical user. Such a measure usually combines a behavior-based rank discount with a notion of document utility that captures the single relevance criterion of

Measurement of ion energy by a calorimetric method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizuhashi, Kiyoshi; Tajima, Satoshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment; Bunak, Suwat

1996-12-01

In calorimetric method, ion energy is determined based on the temperature changes during radiation of an absorbing material, radiation current and heat capacity of the calorimeter. This method is convenient and its measuring procedures are simple as well as the measuring apparatus. Here, the temperature changes of the calorimeter during {sup 14}N ion beam radiation were determined. The temperature increased linearly when irradiated with {sup 14}N{sup 3+}, 8.3 MeV or {sup 14}N{sup 2+}, 6 MeV, but not linearly for {sup 14}N{sup 1+}, 3.6 MeV, resulting in a comparatively large error. Thus, the measurement of ion energy by calorimetric method was found available as a convenient method for an accelerator having an energy stability less than 10{sup -3}. Especially this method seems to be useful for low-energy ion accelerator or ion injecting apparatus. (M.N.)

Video coding and decoding devices and methods preserving ppg relevant information

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2013-01-01

The present invention relates to a video encoding device (10) for encoding video data and a corresponding video decoding device, wherein during decoding PPG relevant information shall be preserved. For this purpose the video coding device (10) comprises a first encoder (20) for encoding input video

Methods for Free-Space Ultra-Short Solitary EMP Measurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petr Drexler

2006-01-01

Full Text Available There are some suitable methods for ultra-short solitary electromagnetic pulses (EMP measurement. The EMPs are generated by high power microwave generators. The characteristic of EMPs is high power level (Pmax = 250 MW and very short time duration (tp Î <1, 60> ns. Special requirements for measurement methods are placed because of the specific EMPs properties.Two suitable methods for this application are presented in the paper. The first – calorimetric method, utilizes the thermal impacts of microwave absorption. The second method presented – magneto-optic method, use the Faraday’s magneto-optic effect as a sensor principle. It was realized combined calorimetric sensor and there were made some experimental EMP measurements with good results. The sensor utilizing magneto-optic method is in development.

PSYCHE CPMG-HSQMBC: An NMR Spectroscopic Method for Precise and Simple Measurement of Long-Range Heteronuclear Coupling Constants.

Science.gov (United States)

Timári, István; Szilágyi, László; Kövér, Katalin E

2015-09-28

Among the NMR spectroscopic parameters, long-range heteronuclear coupling constants convey invaluable information on torsion angles relevant to glycosidic linkages of carbohydrates. A broadband homonuclear decoupled PSYCHE CPMG-HSQMBC method for the precise and direct measurement of multiple-bond heteronuclear couplings is presented. The PSYCHE scheme built into the pulse sequence efficiently eliminates unwanted proton-proton splittings from the heteronuclear multiplets so that the desired heteronuclear couplings can be determined simply by measuring frequency differences between peak maxima of pure antiphase doublets. Moreover, PSYCHE CPMG-HSQMBC can provide significant improvement in sensitivity as compared to an earlier Zangger-Sterk-based method. Applications of the proposed pulse sequence are demonstrated for the extraction of (n)J((1)H,(77)Se) and (n)J((1)H,(13)C) values, respectively, in carbohydrates; further extensions can be envisioned in any J-based structural and conformational studies. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Comparison of electric field exposure measurement methods under power lines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korpinen, L.; Kuisti, H.; Tarao, H.; Paeaekkoenen, R.; Elovaara, J.

2014-01-01

The object of the study was to investigate extremely low frequency (ELF) electric field exposure measurement methods under power lines. The authors compared two different methods under power lines: in Method A, the sensor was placed on a tripod; and Method B required the measurer to hold the meter horizontally so that the distance from him/her was at least 1.5 m. The study includes 20 measurements in three places under 400 kV power lines. The authors used two commercial three-axis meters, EFA-3 and EFA-300. In statistical analyses, they did not find significant differences between Methods A and B. However, in the future, it is important to take into account that measurement methods can, in some cases, influence ELF electric field measurement results, and it is important to report the methods used so that it is possible to repeat the measurements. (authors)

Measurement of the $^{44}$Ti($\\alpha$,p)$^{47}$V reaction cross section, of relevance to $\\gamma$-ray observation of core collapse supernovae, using reclaimed $^{44}$Ti

CERN Multimedia

Despite decades of research, fundamental uncertainties remain in the underlying explosion mechanism of core collapse supernovae. One of the most direct methods that might help resolve this problem is a comparison of the predicted to the observed flux of $\\gamma$-rays due to decay of $^{44}$Ti produced in the explosion, as it is believed this could reveal the location of the mass cut, a key hydrodynamical property of the explosion. Such a study is at present limited by the uncertainty in the $^{44}$Ti($\\alpha$,p)$^{47}$V reaction rate. In this experiment we propose to measure the cross section for this reaction at astrophysically relevant energies. The single previous measurement of this reaction was limited to higher energies due to low beam intensities. Here, a more intense beam will be employed, generated from $^{44}$Ti reclaimed as part of the ERAWAST project at PSI.

DISCOVER-AQ Airborne Measurements Quantify How Satellite-Retrievable Becomes Health-Relevant: The Example Of Smog And Its Production

Science.gov (United States)

Esswein, R. F.; Chatfield, R. B.; Crawford, J. H.; Weinheimer, A. J.; Fried, A.; Barrick, J. D.

2012-12-01

Unusually rich information about health-relevant surface smog pollution may be expected from developing multi-wavelength retrievals from space, e.g., in upcoming missions being planned by the United States ("GEO-CAPE") and by European and Asian agencies. The key is that ozone and its precursors are vertically correlated in layers that can be retrieved, and that situation-to-situation variation is more important than small local spatial variations. Variations in relationships are understood in terms of simple weather principles such as subsidence and repeating local circulation features. BACKGROUND: Near-surface pollution is one of the most challenging problems for Earth observations from space. Near- surface information must be inferred from column-integrated quantities obtained by passive remote sensing from nadir-looking satellite instruments. NASA has undertaken a major five-year experimental mission to investigate air pollution on the 1- to 100-km urban/regional scale. The mission concept involved Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from COlumn and VERtically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality, generally known better by its acronym DISCOVER-AQ. A major goal is to understand the usefulness of and best methodologies for satellite remote sensing data. The DISCOVER-AQ airborne study repeatedly made spirals over various urban, industrial, transportation, and rural sites in detail around the Baltimore-Washington area in July, 2011. We compare mixing ratios appropriately averaged over a 0.2-3 km altitude ("Retrievable") and those measured at the bottom of the spirals, 0.2-0.5 km, the "Relevant". The "Retrievable" layer 0.2-3 km. was set by GEO-CAPE remote- sensing sensitivity analyses for ozone [Natraj et al., Atmos. Environ., 2011]. Correlations were quite good, ca. 0.9. Retrieved-relevant correlations for O3 were determined mostly by synoptic conditions. Comparisons for NO2 and HCHO mixing ratio (= m.r.) and especially log(m.r.) are affected by

Method of measurement on materials shielding effectiveness test in time domain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Shunkun; Han Jun; Chen Xiangyue

2009-01-01

Windows method is a measurement of slot coupling effect in nature when it is used to measure material's shielding effectiveness. The error of measurement will become serious when it is used to measure material's shielding effectiveness in low frequency band. It is difficult to measure material's shielding effectiveness of electromagnetic pulse with Windows method. Device under test method (DUT method) was presented in this paper to overcome the limitations of Windows method in material's shielding effectiveness test. The method can be used to measure any material's shielding Effectiveness effectively through the design and the test of the DUT.The method was used to measure shielding effectiveness of special cement .Compared with theoretical analysis,the measurement result prove the DUT method to be very efficient in material's shielding effectiveness test. (authors)

A biologically relevant method for considering patterns of oceanic retention in the Southern Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Mao; Corney, Stuart P.; Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica; Klocker, Andreas; Sumner, Michael; Constable, Andrew

2017-12-01

Many marine species have planktonic forms - either during a larval stage or throughout their lifecycle - that move passively or are strongly influenced by ocean currents. Understanding these patterns of movement is important for informing marine ecosystem management and for understanding ecological processes generally. Retention of biological particles in a particular area due to ocean currents has received less attention than transport pathways, particularly for the Southern Ocean. We present a method for modelling retention time, based on the half-life for particles in a particular region, that is relevant for biological processes. This method uses geostrophic velocities at the ocean surface, derived from 23 years of satellite altimetry data (1993-2016), to simulate the advection of passive particles during the Southern Hemisphere summer season (from December to March). We assess spatial patterns in the retention time of passive particles and evaluate the processes affecting these patterns for the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. Our results indicate that the distribution of retention time is related to bathymetric features and the resulting ocean dynamics. Our analysis also reveals a moderate level of consistency between spatial patterns of retention time and observations of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) distribution.

Direct measurement of tritium in urine by liquid scintillation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Caihong; Wen Qinghua; Chen Kefei; Li Huaixin

1999-01-01

The author introduces the method for direct measurement of tritium concentration in urine using liquid scintillation. Effects of sampling containers, store patterns and storage time are studied. Meanwhile, results of two methods are compared with direct measurement method and oxidation distillation method. The results shows that direct measurement method is a economic and simple method, which can meet the need of determination of urine tritium for NPP workers. There is no significant difference compared with the data obtained by oxidation distillation method

New developments in measurement technology relevant to the studies of deep geological repositories in domed salt and basalt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez, A.L.; Mao, N.H.

1980-01-01

This report briefly describes recent geophysical and geotechnical instrumentation developments relevant to the studies of deep geologic repositories. Special emphasis has been placed on techniques that appear to minimize measurement problems associated with repositories constructed in basalt or domed salt. Included in the listing are existing measurement capabilities and deficiencies that have been identified by a few authors and instrumentation workshops that have assessed the capabilities of existing instrumentation with respect to repository applications. These deficiencies have been compared with the reported advantages and limitations of the new developments described. Based on these comparisons, areas that merit further research and development have been identified. The report is based on a thorough literature review and on discussions with several instrumentation specialists involved in instrumentation development

Influence of bad measurements in properties of GeodeticNnetwork

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Jakub

2008-12-01

Full Text Available In establishment of LGS (Local geodetic Net some given coordinated points from the relevant area are used, new points areestablished and the required distances and angles among the points are measured. If some measurements are defective, the netadjustment with the obtained values is depreciated, unacceptable. In the paper there is given an identification method of incorrectmeasurement results. The faulty results are eliminated in a new adjustment or the relevant defective measurements are repeated forobtaining correct values.

Analytical methods for the measurement of polymerization kinetics and stresses of dental resin-based composites: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehrsima Ghavami-Lahiji

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Resin-based composites are commonly used restorative materials in dentistry. Such tooth-colored restorations can adhere to the dental tissues. One drawback is that the polymerization shrinkage and induced stresses during the curing procedure is an inherent property of resin composite materials that might impair their performance. This review focuses on the significant developments of laboratory tools in the measurement of polymerization shrinkage and stresses of dental resin-based materials during polymerization. An electronic search of publications from January 1977 to July 2016 was made using ScienceDirect, PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar databases. The search included only English-language articles. Only studies that performed laboratory methods to evaluate the amount of the polymerization shrinkage and/or stresses of dental resin-based materials during polymerization were selected. The results indicated that various techniques have been introduced with different mechanical/physical bases. Besides, there are factors that may contribute the differences between the various methods in measuring the amount of shrinkages and stresses of resin composites. The search for an ideal and standard apparatus for measuring shrinkage stress and volumetric polymerization shrinkage of resin-based materials in dentistry is still required. Researchers and clinicians must be aware of differences between analytical methods to make proper interpretation and indications of each technique relevant to a clinical situation.

New radiocarbon measurement methods in the Hertelendi Laboratory, Hungary

Science.gov (United States)

Janovics, Róbert; Major, István; Rinyu, László; Veres, Mihály; Molnár, Mihály

2013-04-01

In this paper we present two very different and novel methods for C-14 measurement from dissolved inorganic carbonate (DIC) of water samples. A new LSC sample preparation method for liquid scintillation C-14 measurements was implemented in the ATOMKI. The first method uses direct absorption into a special absorbent (Carbosorb E®) and a following liquid scintillation measurement. Typical sample size is 20-40 litre of water. The developed CO2 absorption method is fast, and simple. The C-14 activities is measured by an ultra low background LSC (TRI-CARB 3170 TR/SL, Perkin Elmer) including quenching parameter (tSIE).The corresponding limit of C-14 dating is 31200 year. Several tests were executed with old borehole CO2 gas without significant content of C-14 and also performed on samples of known C-14 activities between 29 and 7000 pMC, previously measured by GPC. The combined uncertainty of the described determination is about 2 % in the case of recent carbon. It is a very cost-effective and easy to use method based on a novel and simple static absorption process for the CO2 extracted from groundwater. The other very sensitive method is based on accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) using gas ion source. This method does not require graphite generation and a small volume of water sample (1-20mL) is enough for the radiocarbon measurement. The procedure is very similar to pre-treatment of carbonate contained sample preparation for stable isotope measurement with gasbench technique. We applied a MICADAS type accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) with gas ion source for C-14 analysis. The radiocarbon content of water was sat free with phosphoric acid and then the headspace gas was rinsed vials. The whole measurement needs only 20 min of each sample. The precision of measurement is better than 1% for modern samples. The preparation is vastly reduced compared to the other AMS methods and principally allows fully automated measurements of groundwater samples with an auto

Measuring societal effects of transdisciplinary research projects: design and application of an evaluation method.

Science.gov (United States)

Walter, Alexander I; Helgenberger, Sebastian; Wiek, Arnim; Scholz, Roland W

2007-11-01

Most Transdisciplinary Research (TdR) projects combine scientific research with the building of decision making capacity for the involved stakeholders. These projects usually deal with complex, societally relevant, real-world problems. This paper focuses on TdR projects, which integrate the knowledge of researchers and stakeholders in a collaborative transdisciplinary process through structured methods of mutual learning. Previous research on the evaluation of TdR has insufficiently explored the intended effects of transdisciplinary processes on the real world (societal effects). We developed an evaluation framework for assessing the societal effects of transdisciplinary processes. Outputs (measured as procedural and product-related involvement of the stakeholders), impacts (intermediate effects connecting outputs and outcomes) and outcomes (enhanced decision making capacity) are distinguished as three types of societal effects. Our model links outputs and outcomes of transdisciplinary processes via the impacts using a mediating variables approach. We applied this model in an ex post evaluation of a transdisciplinary process. 84 out of 188 agents participated in a survey. The results show significant mediation effects of the two impacts "network building" and "transformation knowledge". These results indicate an influence of a transdisciplinary process on the decision making capacity of stakeholders, especially through social network building and the generation of knowledge relevant for action.

The Sine Method: An Alternative Height Measurement Technique

Science.gov (United States)

Don C. Bragg; Lee E. Frelich; Robert T. Leverett; Will Blozan; Dale J. Luthringer

2011-01-01

Height is one of the most important dimensions of trees, but few observers are fully aware of the consequences of the misapplication of conventional height measurement techniques. A new approach, the sine method, can improve height measurement by being less sensitive to the requirements of conventional techniques (similar triangles and the tangent method). We studied...

Instructions for applying inverse method for reactivity measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milosevic, M.

1988-11-01

This report is a brief description of the completed method for reactivity measurement. It contains description of the experimental procedure needed instrumentation and computer code IM for determining reactivity. The objective of this instructions manual is to enable experiments and reactivity measurement on any critical system according to the methods adopted at the RB reactor

Accurate color measurement methods for medical displays.

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Anindita; Kelley, Edward F; Badano, Aldo

2010-01-01

The necessity for standard instrumentation and measurements of color that are repeatable and reproducible is the major motivation behind this work. Currently, different instrumentation and methods can yield very different results when measuring the same feature such as color uniformity or color difference. As color increasingly comes into play in medical imaging diagnostics, display color will have to be quantified in order to assess whether the display should be used for imaging purposes. The authors report on the characterization of three novel probes for measuring display color with minimal contamination from screen areas outside the measurement spot or from off-normal emissions. They compare three probe designs: A modified small-spot luminance probe and two conic probe designs based on black frusta. To compare the three color probe designs, spectral and luminance measurements were taken with specialized instrumentation to determine the luminance changes and color separation abilities of the probes. The probes were characterized with a scanning slit method, veiling glare, and a moving laser and LED arrangement. The scanning slit measurement was done using a black slit plate over a white line on an LCD monitor. The luminance was measured in 1 mm increments from the center of the slit to +/- 15 mm above and below the slit at different distances between the probe and the slit. The veiling glare setup consisted of measurements of the luminance of a black spot pattern with a white disk of radius of 100 mm as the black spot increases in 1 mm radius increments. The moving LED and laser method consisted of a red and green light orthogonal to the probe tip for the light to directly shine into the probe. The green light source was moved away from the red source in 1 cm increments to measure color stray-light contamination at different probe distances. The results of the color testing using the LED and laser methods suggest a better performance of one of the frusta probes

[Impact of corrective measures on fluoroquinolones prescriptions for urinary tract infections during a 2-round relevance study].

Science.gov (United States)

Gendrin, V; Letranchant, L; Hénard, S; Frentiu, E; Demore, B; Burty, C; May, T; Doco-Lecompte, T

2012-01-01

Evaluating the impact of corrective measures on fluoroquinolones (FQ) prescriptions for urinary tract infections (UTI) during a 2-round relevance study on a regional scale. FQ prescriptions of voluntary hospitals were checked by an infectious diseases physician and a pharmacist according to regional guidelines. A first round (R1) took place in January 2008, with feedback and proposal for personalized corrective measures in January 2009. A second round (R2) was organized in June 2009. UTI data were extracted and the results of the two rounds were compared. Four hundred and thirty-five and 302 FQ prescriptions for UTI, coming from 28 and 24 different hospitals, were analyzed at R1 and R2, respectively. Thirty-six percent and 55% of these prescriptions were entirely in accordance with regional guidelines, at respectively R1 and R2 (PUTI through better adhesion to the regional guidelines between the two rounds. This is probably due to first turn results feedback, and corrective measures suggestion. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A New Method to Measure Vaginal Sensibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lakeman, M. M. E.; Laan, E.; Vaart, C. H.; Roovers, J. P.

2010-01-01

Introduction: Vaginal surgery may affect sexual function both positively and negatively. Possibly, negative consequences of surgical interventions on sexuality may be caused by reduced sensibility of the vaginal wall. Aims: To develop a new method to measure vaginal sensibility. Methods: We

Acoustic methods for measuring bullet velocity

OpenAIRE

Courtney, Michael

2008-01-01

This article describes two acoustic methods to measure bullet velocity with an accuracy of 1% or better. In one method, a microphone is placed within 0.1 m of the gun muzzle and a bullet is fired at a steel target 45 m away. The bullet's flight time is the recorded time between the muzzle blast and sound of hitting the target minus the time for the sound to return from the target to the microphone. In the other method, the microphone is placed equidistant from both the gun muzzle and the stee...

Palpatory method of measuring diastolic blood pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinesh Sahu

2010-01-01

Conclusion: The palpatory method would be very useful where frequent blood pressure measurement are being done manually like in wards, in busy OPD, patient on treadmill and also whenever stethoscope is not available. The blood pressure can be measured in noisy environment too.

An AFM-based pit-measuring method for indirect measurements of cell-surface membrane vesicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xiaojun; Chen, Yuan; Chen, Yong

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Air drying induced the transformation of cell-surface membrane vesicles into pits. • An AFM-based pit-measuring method was developed to measure cell-surface vesicles. • Our method detected at least two populations of cell-surface membrane vesicles. - Abstract: Circulating membrane vesicles, which are shed from many cell types, have multiple functions and have been correlated with many diseases. Although circulating membrane vesicles have been extensively characterized, the status of cell-surface membrane vesicles prior to their release is less understood due to the lack of effective measurement methods. Recently, as a powerful, micro- or nano-scale imaging tool, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been applied in measuring circulating membrane vesicles. However, it seems very difficult for AFM to directly image/identify and measure cell-bound membrane vesicles due to the similarity of surface morphology between membrane vesicles and cell surfaces. Therefore, until now no AFM studies on cell-surface membrane vesicles have been reported. In this study, we found that air drying can induce the transformation of most cell-surface membrane vesicles into pits that are more readily detectable by AFM. Based on this, we developed an AFM-based pit-measuring method and, for the first time, used AFM to indirectly measure cell-surface membrane vesicles on cultured endothelial cells. Using this approach, we observed and quantitatively measured at least two populations of cell-surface membrane vesicles, a nanoscale population (<500 nm in diameter peaking at ∼250 nm) and a microscale population (from 500 nm to ∼2 μm peaking at ∼0.8 μm), whereas confocal microscopy only detected the microscale population. The AFM-based pit-measuring method is potentially useful for studying cell-surface membrane vesicles and for investigating the mechanisms of membrane vesicle formation/release

Three methods to measure RH bond energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berkowitz, J.; Ellison, G.B.; Gutman, D.

1993-01-01

In this paper the authors compare and contrast three powerful methods for experimentally measuring bond energies in polyatomic molecules. The methods are: radical kinetics; gas phase acidity cycles; and photoionization mass spectroscopy. The knowledge of the values of bond energies are a basic piece of information to a chemist. Chemical reactions involve the making and breaking of chemical bonds. It has been shown that comparable bonds in polyatomic molecules, compared to the same bonds in radicals, can be significantly different. These bond energies can be measured in terms of bond dissociation energies

Measurement methods of building structures deflections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wróblewska Magdalena

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Underground mining exploitation is leading to the occurrence of deformations manifested by, in particular, sloping terrain. The structures situated on the deforming subsoil are subject to uneven subsidence which is leading in consequence to their deflection. Before a building rectification process takes place by, e.g. uneven raising, the structure's deflection direction and value is determined so that the structure is restored to its vertical position as a result of the undertaken remedial measures. Deflection can be determined by applying classical as well as modern measurement techniques. The article presents examples of measurement methods used considering the measured elements of building structures’ constructions and field measurements. Moreover, for a given example of a mining area, the existing deflections of buildings were compared with mining terrain sloping.

A new method to measure vaginal sensibility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lakeman, M. M. E.; Laan, E.; Vaart, C. H.; Roovers, J. P.

2010-01-01

Vaginal surgery may affect sexual function both positively and negatively. Possibly, negative consequences of surgical interventions on sexuality may be caused by reduced sensibility of the vaginal wall. To develop a new method to measure vaginal sensibility. We developed a technique to measure the

National comparison on volume sample activity measurement methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahagia, M.; Grigorescu, E.L.; Popescu, C.; Razdolescu, C.

1992-01-01

A national comparison on volume sample activity measurements methods may be regarded as a step toward accomplishing the traceability of the environmental and food chain activity measurements to national standards. For this purpose, the Radionuclide Metrology Laboratory has distributed 137 Cs and 134 Cs water-equivalent solid standard sources to 24 laboratories having responsibilities in this matter. Every laboratory has to measure the activity of the received source(s) by using its own standards, equipment and methods and report the obtained results to the organizer. The 'measured activities' will be compared with the 'true activities'. A final report will be issued, which plans to evaluate the national level of precision of such measurements and give some suggestions for improvement. (Author)

MTR fuel element burn-up measurements by the reactivity method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuniga, A.; Cuya, T.R.; Ravnik, M.

2003-01-01

Fuel element burn-up was measured by the reactivity method in the 10 MW Peruvian MTR reactor RP-10. The main purpose of the experiment was testing the reactivity method for an MTR reactor as the reactivity method was originally developed for TRIGA reactors. The reactivity worth of each measured fuel element was measured in its original core position in order to measure the burn-up of the fuel elements that were part of the experimental core. The burn-up of each measured fuel element was derived by interpolating its reactivity worth from the reactivity worth of two reference fuel elements of known burn-up, whose reactivity worth was measured in the position of the measured fuel element. The accuracy of the method was improved by separating the reactivity effect of burn-up from the effect of the position in the core. The results of the experiment showed that the modified reactivity method for fuel element burn-up determination could be applied also to MTR reactors. (orig.)

Role of calibration, validation, and relevance in multi-level uncertainty integration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Chenzhao; Mahadevan, Sankaran

2016-01-01

Calibration of model parameters is an essential step in predicting the response of a complicated system, but the lack of data at the system level makes it impossible to conduct this quantification directly. In such a situation, system model parameters are estimated using tests at lower levels of complexity which share the same model parameters with the system. For such a multi-level problem, this paper proposes a methodology to quantify the uncertainty in the system level prediction by integrating calibration, validation and sensitivity analysis at different levels. The proposed approach considers the validity of the models used for parameter estimation at lower levels, as well as the relevance at the lower level to the prediction at the system level. The model validity is evaluated using a model reliability metric, and models with multivariate output are considered. The relevance is quantified by comparing Sobol indices at the lower level and system level, thus measuring the extent to which a lower level test represents the characteristics of the system so that the calibration results can be reliably used in the system level. Finally the results of calibration, validation and relevance analysis are integrated in a roll-up method to predict the system output. - Highlights: • Relevance analysis to quantify the closeness of two models. • Stochastic model reliability metric to integrate multiple validation experiments. • Extend the model reliability metric to deal with multivariate output. • Roll-up formula to integrate calibration, validation, and relevance.

A condensed water method for measuring the atmospheric radon

CERN Document Server

Wu Xin; Pan Xiao Qing; Yu Yi Ling

1998-01-01

The author summarizes the present situation of atmospheric Radon measurement, and introduces the working principle, working method and advantage and disadvantage of condensed water method in detail. The structure and function of the instrument used for this method, and the measuring result are discussed. The direction of further work is pointed out from now on

Non-destructive measurement methods for large scale gaseous diffusion process equipment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayer, R.L.; Hagenauer, R.C.; McGinnis, B.R.

1994-01-01

Two measurement methods have been developed to measure non-destructively uranium hold-up in gaseous diffusion plants. These methods include passive neutron and passive γ ray measurements. An additional method, high resolution γ ray spectroscopy, provides supplementary information about additional γ ray emitting isotopes, γ ray correction factors, 235 U/ 234 U ratios and 235 U enrichment. Many of these methods can be used as a general purpose measurement technique for large containers of uranium. Measurement applications for these methods include uranium hold-up, waste measurements, criticality safety and nuclear accountability

A four-probe thermal transport measurement method for nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jaehyun; Ou, Eric; Sellan, Daniel P.; Shi, Li, E-mail: lishi@mail.utexas.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

2015-04-15

Several experimental techniques reported in recent years have enabled the measurement of thermal transport properties of nanostructures. However, eliminating the contact thermal resistance error from the measurement results has remained a critical challenge. Here, we report a different four-probe measurement method that can separately obtain both the intrinsic thermal conductance and the contact thermal resistance of individual nanostructures. The measurement device consists of four microfabricated, suspended metal lines that act as resistive heaters and thermometers, across which the nanostructure sample is assembled. The method takes advantage of the variation in the heat flow along the suspended nanostructure and across its contacts to the four suspended heater and thermometer lines, and uses sixteen sets of temperature and heat flow measurements to obtain nine of the thermal resistances in the measurement device and the nanostructure sample, including the intrinsic thermal resistance and the two contact thermal resistances to the middle suspended segment of the nanostructure. Two single crystalline Si nanowires with different cross sections are measured in this work to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. This four-probe thermal transport measurement method can lead to future discoveries of unique size-dependent thermal transport phenomena in nanostructures and low-dimensional materials, in addition to providing reliable experimental data for calibrating theoretical models.

A four-probe thermal transport measurement method for nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jaehyun; Ou, Eric; Sellan, Daniel P.; Shi, Li

2015-01-01

Several experimental techniques reported in recent years have enabled the measurement of thermal transport properties of nanostructures. However, eliminating the contact thermal resistance error from the measurement results has remained a critical challenge. Here, we report a different four-probe measurement method that can separately obtain both the intrinsic thermal conductance and the contact thermal resistance of individual nanostructures. The measurement device consists of four microfabricated, suspended metal lines that act as resistive heaters and thermometers, across which the nanostructure sample is assembled. The method takes advantage of the variation in the heat flow along the suspended nanostructure and across its contacts to the four suspended heater and thermometer lines, and uses sixteen sets of temperature and heat flow measurements to obtain nine of the thermal resistances in the measurement device and the nanostructure sample, including the intrinsic thermal resistance and the two contact thermal resistances to the middle suspended segment of the nanostructure. Two single crystalline Si nanowires with different cross sections are measured in this work to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. This four-probe thermal transport measurement method can lead to future discoveries of unique size-dependent thermal transport phenomena in nanostructures and low-dimensional materials, in addition to providing reliable experimental data for calibrating theoretical models

Separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement

Science.gov (United States)

Mohd, Siti Munirah; Idrus, Bahari; Mukhtar, Muriati

2014-06-01

Quantum computers have the potentials to solve certain problems faster than classical computers. In quantum computer, entanglement is one of the elements beside superposition. Recently, with the advent of quantum information theory, entanglement has become an important resource for Quantum Information and Computation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement. This paper is aimed at viewing the method that has been proposed in previous works in bipartite and multipartite entanglement. The outcome of this paper is to classify the different method that used to measure entanglement for bipartite and multipartite cases including the advantage and disadvantage of each method.

Separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohd, Siti Munirah; Idrus, Bahari; Mukhtar, Muriati [Industrial Computing Research Group, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

2014-06-19

Quantum computers have the potentials to solve certain problems faster than classical computers. In quantum computer, entanglement is one of the elements beside superposition. Recently, with the advent of quantum information theory, entanglement has become an important resource for Quantum Information and Computation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement. This paper is aimed at viewing the method that has been proposed in previous works in bipartite and multipartite entanglement. The outcome of this paper is to classify the different method that used to measure entanglement for bipartite and multipartite cases including the advantage and disadvantage of each method.

Separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd, Siti Munirah; Idrus, Bahari; Mukhtar, Muriati

2014-01-01

Quantum computers have the potentials to solve certain problems faster than classical computers. In quantum computer, entanglement is one of the elements beside superposition. Recently, with the advent of quantum information theory, entanglement has become an important resource for Quantum Information and Computation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the separability criteria and method of measurement for entanglement. This paper is aimed at viewing the method that has been proposed in previous works in bipartite and multipartite entanglement. The outcome of this paper is to classify the different method that used to measure entanglement for bipartite and multipartite cases including the advantage and disadvantage of each method

Automatic Methods in Image Processing and Their Relevance to Map-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-02-11

folding fre- quency = .5) and s is the "shaoing fac- tor" which controls the spatial frequency content of the signal; the signal band- width increases...ARIZONA UNIV TUCSON DIGITAL IAgE ANALYSIS LAB Iris 8/ 2AUTOMATIC METHOOS IN IMAGE PROCESSING AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO MA-.ETC~tl;FEB 1 S R HUNT DAA629

Application of radiotracer methods in streamflow measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dincer, T.

1967-01-01

An attempt is made to evaluate methods using radiotracers in streamflow measurements. The basic principles of the tracer method are explained and background information given. Radiotracers used in stream discharge measurements are discussed and measurements made by different research workers are described. Problems such as adsorption of the tracer and the mixing length are discussed and the potential use of the radioisotopes as tracer in the routine stream-gauging work is evaluated. It is concluded that, at the present stage of development, radiotracer methods do not seem to be ready for routine use in stream-gauging work, and can only be used in some special cases. For gamma-emitting radioisotopes there are problems related to safety, transport and injection which should be solved. Tritium, though a very attractive tracer in some respects, has the disadvantages of having a relatively long half-life and of disturbing the natural tritium levels in the region. Finally, an attempt is made to define the objectives of the research in the field of application of radioisotopes in hydrometry. (author)

Practical Relevance of Experiments in Comprehensibility of Requirements Specifications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Condori-Fernandez, Nelly; Daneva, Maia; Sikkel, Nicolaas; Herrmann, Andrea

2011-01-01

Recently, the Requirements Engineering (RE) community has become increasingly aware of the importance of carrying out industry-relevant research. Researchers and practitioners should be able to evaluate the relevance of their empirical research to increase the likely adoption of RE methods in

Depression of home cage wheel running: a reliable and clinically relevant method to assess migraine pain in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandasamy, Ram; Lee, Andrea T; Morgan, Michael M

2017-12-01

The development of new anti-migraine treatments is limited by the difficulty inassessing migraine pain in laboratory animals. Depression of activity is one of the few diagnostic criteria formigraine that can be mimicked in rats. The goal of the present study was to test the hypothesis thatdepression of home cage wheel running is a reliable and clinically relevant method to assess migraine painin rats. Adult female rats were implanted with a cannula to inject allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) onto the dura to induce migraine pain, as has been shown before. Rats recovered from implantation surgery for 8 days in cages containing a running wheel. Home cage wheel running was recorded 23 h a day. AITC and the migraine medication sumatriptan were administered in the hour prior to onset of the dark phase. Administration of AITC caused a concentration-dependent decrease in wheel running that lasted 3 h. The duration and magnitude of AITC-induced depression of wheel running was consistent following three repeated injections spaced 48 h apart. Administration of sumatriptan attenuated AITC-induced depressionof wheel running when a large dose (1 mg/kg) was administered immediately following AITC administration. Wheel running patterns did not change when sumatriptan was given to naïve rats. These data indicate that home cage wheel running is a sensitive, reliable, and clinically relevant method to assess migraine pain in the rat.

Quality control method to measure predator evasion in wild and mass-reared Mediterranean fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendrichs, M.; Wornoayporn, V.; Hendrichs, J.; Katsoyannos, B.

2007-01-01

Sterile male insects, mass-reared and released as part of sterile insect technique (SIT) programs, must survive long enough in the field to mature sexually and compete effectively with wild males for wild females. An often reported problem in Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) SIT programs is that numbers of released sterile males decrease rapidly in the field for various reasons, including losses to different types of predators. This is a serious issue in view that most operational programs release sterile flies at an age when they are still immature. Previous field and field-cage tests have confirmed that flies of laboratory strains are less able to evade predators than wild flies. Such tests involve, however, considerable manipulation and observation of predators and are therefore not suitable for routine measurements of predator evasion. Here we describe a simple quality control method with aspirators to measure agility in medflies and show that this parameter is related to the capacity of flies to evade predators. Although further standardization of the test is necessary to allow more accurate inter-strain comparisons, results confirm the relevance of measuring predator evasion in mass-reared medfly strains. Besides being a measure of this sterile male quality parameter, the described method could be used for the systematic selection of strains with a higher capacity for predator evasion. (author) [es

Do infants find snakes aversive? Infants' physiological responses to "fear-relevant" stimuli.

Science.gov (United States)

Thrasher, Cat; LoBue, Vanessa

2016-02-01

In the current research, we sought to measure infants' physiological responses to snakes-one of the world's most widely feared stimuli-to examine whether they find snakes aversive or merely attention grabbing. Using a similar method to DeLoache and LoBue (Developmental Science, 2009, Vol. 12, pp. 201-207), 6- to 9-month-olds watched a series of multimodal (both auditory and visual) stimuli: a video of a snake (fear-relevant) or an elephant (non-fear-relevant) paired with either a fearful or happy auditory track. We measured physiological responses to the pairs of stimuli, including startle magnitude, latency to startle, and heart rate. Results suggest that snakes capture infants' attention; infants showed the fastest startle responses and lowest average heart rate to the snakes, especially when paired with a fearful voice. Unexpectedly, they also showed significantly reduced startle magnitude during this same snake video plus fearful voice combination. The results are discussed with respect to theoretical perspectives on fear acquisition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Joint Concept Correlation and Feature-Concept Relevance Learning for Multilabel Classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaowei; Ma, Zhigang; Li, Zhi; Li, Zhihui

2018-02-01

In recent years, multilabel classification has attracted significant attention in multimedia annotation. However, most of the multilabel classification methods focus only on the inherent correlations existing among multiple labels and concepts and ignore the relevance between features and the target concepts. To obtain more robust multilabel classification results, we propose a new multilabel classification method aiming to capture the correlations among multiple concepts by leveraging hypergraph that is proved to be beneficial for relational learning. Moreover, we consider mining feature-concept relevance, which is often overlooked by many multilabel learning algorithms. To better show the feature-concept relevance, we impose a sparsity constraint on the proposed method. We compare the proposed method with several other multilabel classification methods and evaluate the classification performance by mean average precision on several data sets. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

Deep learning relevance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lioma, Christina; Larsen, Birger; Petersen, Casper

2016-01-01

train a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) on existing relevant information to that query. We then use the RNN to "deep learn" a single, synthetic, and we assume, relevant document for that query. We design a crowdsourcing experiment to assess how relevant the "deep learned" document is, compared...... to existing relevant documents. Users are shown a query and four wordclouds (of three existing relevant documents and our deep learned synthetic document). The synthetic document is ranked on average most relevant of all....

Simultaneous Helmert transformations among multiple frames considering all relevant measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Guobin; Lin, Peng; Bian, Hefang; Gao, Jingxiang

2018-03-01

Helmert or similarity models are widely employed to relate different coordinate frames. It is often encountered in practice to transform coordinates from more than one old frame into a new one. One may perform separate Helmert transformations for each old frame. However, although each transformation is locally optimal, this is not globally optimal. Transformations among three frames, namely one new and two old, are studied as an example. Simultaneous Helmert transformations among all frames are also studied. Least-squares estimation of the transformation parameters and the coordinates in the new frame of all stations involved is performed. A functional model for the transformations among multiple frames is developed. A realistic stochastic model is followed, in which not only non-common stations are taken into consideration, but also errors in all measurements are addressed. An algorithm of iterative linearizations and estimations is derived in detail. The proposed method is globally optimal, and, perhaps more importantly, it produces a unified network of the new frame providing coordinate estimates for all involved stations and the associated covariance matrix, with the latter being consistent with the true errors of the former. Simulations are conducted, and the results validate the superiority of the proposed combined method over separate approaches.

Preliminary measurement of the drag force on a porous cylinder with fluid evolution under conditions relevant to pulverised-fuel combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dijan Supramono; Graham J. Nathan; Peter J. Ashman; Peter J. Mullinger [University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA (Australia). Cooperative Research Centre for Clean Power from Lignite, Schools of Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering

2003-07-01

The trajectories of the particles in pulverised coal combustion systems determine their residence times and reaction environments, and hence coal burnout and flame length. The trajectories, in turn, depend upon the drag coefficient of the particle. The effect of the evolution of fluid from the surface of the particle on this coefficient has never been measured before, particularly at the low particle Reynolds numbers that apply during coal combustion. Therefore mathematical models must rely on assumed sphere drag coefficients, which do not account for the effect of fluid evolving from the surface. A technique of using a porous cylinder mounted on a pendulum, instead of a sphere, through which fluid can be forced to evolve, simulating fluid evolution in coal devolatilisation and char burning, is used. The pendulum is capable of measuring drag forces of the order of 10-5 to 10-6 Newton, at Reynolds numbers similar to that experienced by coal particles. This paper presents preliminary measurements of drag force at relevant conditions. The working fluid is water in the first instance, although it will be extended to diluted glycerine in the future. The cross flow is provided by a water tunnel and the ejected fluid is induced by a separate pump. Both the Reynolds number and the ratio of evolution velocity to free-stream velocity are chosen to span conditions relevant to pulverised coal combustion. 16 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Comparison of two methods for measuring the emittance of a beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parain, J.

Two methods of measuring beam emittance were analyzed. The three-distance method is based on measurement of the dimensions of the beam at three points, while the three-slope method uses beam dimension measurements under three focusing conditions. Allowing for the errors in measuring the dimensions of the beam, the two methods are of equal accuracy. The three-distance method requires three detectors, but it has the advantage of making it possible to measure the emittance on a single cycle of the accelerator, and can therefore be used to perform control measurements on each cycle. (auth)

Measuring methods for the TFR plasma diagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Etievant, C.

1975-02-01

The measuring methods in operation or still under development for the diagnostics of the TFR plasma parameters (ion and electron temperatures, electron density, current density are reviewed, the diagnostics of the electrical behavior of the discharge, the neutral gas densities, the impurities and the parameters of the plasma turbulence being also investigated. Actual works are principally devoted to: improving ion temperature measurements by the possible use of the Doppler effect or infra-red incoherent scattering; improving n(e) and T(e) measurement by Thomson scattering; measuring the poloidal field and current density; measuring impurities by X and UV spectroscopy and measuring instabilities and turbulence [fr

Delayless acceleration measurement method for motion control applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaeliviita, S.; Ovaska, S.J. [Helsinki University of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland). Institute of Intelligent Power Electronics

1997-12-31

Delayless and accurate sensing of angular acceleration can improve the performance of motion control in motor drives. Acceleration control is, however, seldom implemented in practical drive systems due to prohibitively high costs or unsatisfactory results of most acceleration measurement methods. In this paper we propose an efficient and accurate acceleration measurement method based on direct differentiation of the corresponding velocity signal. Polynomial predictive filtering is used to smooth the resulting noisy signal without delay. This type of prediction is justified by noticing that a low-degree polynomial can usually be fitted into the primary acceleration curve. No additional hardware is required to implement the procedure if the velocity signal is already available. The performance of the acceleration measurement method is evaluated by applying it to a demanding motion control application. (orig.) 12 refs.

Using Inertial Fusion Implosions to Measure the T+^{3}He Fusion Cross Section at Nucleosynthesis-Relevant Energies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zylstra, A B; Herrmann, H W; Johnson, M Gatu; Kim, Y H; Frenje, J A; Hale, G; Li, C K; Rubery, M; Paris, M; Bacher, A; Brune, C R; Forrest, C; Glebov, V Yu; Janezic, R; McNabb, D; Nikroo, A; Pino, J; Sangster, T C; Séguin, F H; Seka, W; Sio, H; Stoeckl, C; Petrasso, R D

2016-07-15

Light nuclei were created during big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Standard BBN theory, using rates inferred from accelerator-beam data, cannot explain high levels of ^{6}Li in low-metallicity stars. Using high-energy-density plasmas we measure the T(^{3}He,γ)^{6}Li reaction rate, a candidate for anomalously high ^{6}Li production; we find that the rate is too low to explain the observations, and different than values used in common BBN models. This is the first data directly relevant to BBN, and also the first use of laboratory plasmas, at comparable conditions to astrophysical systems, to address a problem in nuclear astrophysics.

Effects of Coherence and Relevance on Shallow and Deep Text Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehman, Stephen; Schraw, Gregory

2002-01-01

Examines the effects of coherence and relevance on shallow and deeper text processing, testing the hypothesis that enhancing the relevance of text segments compensates for breaks in local and global coherence. Results reveal that breaks in local coherence had no effect on any outcome measures, whereas relevance enhanced deeper processing.…

Vertical separation of the atmospheric aerosol components by using poliphon retrieval in polarized micro pulse lidar (P-MPL) measurements: case studies of specific climate-relevant aerosol types

Science.gov (United States)

Córdoba-Jabonero, Carmen; Sicard, Michaël; Ansmann, Albert; Águila, Ana del; Baars, Holger

2018-04-01

POLIPHON (POlarization-LIdar PHOtometer Networking) retrieval consists in the vertical separation of two/three particle components in aerosol mixtures, highlighting their relative contributions in terms of the optical properties and mass concentrations. This method is based on the specific particle linear depolarization ratio given for different types of aerosols, and is applied to the new polarized Micro-Pulse Lidar (P-MPL). Case studies of specific climate-relevant aerosols (dust particles, fire smoke, and pollen aerosols, including a clean case as reference) observed over Barcelona (Spain) are presented in order to evaluate firstly the potential of P-MPLs measurements in combination with POLIPHON for retrieving the vertical separation of those particle components forming aerosol mixtures and their properties.

[Relevance of safety measures to avoid HTLV transmission by transfusion in 2014].

Science.gov (United States)

Laperche, S; Pillonel, J

2014-11-01

In high-income countries, the safety of blood transfusion related to viruses has reached a very high level, especially thanks to the implementation of multiple measures aimed at reducing the transfusion risk. The cost-effectiveness of these preventive measures is frequently discussed due to global financial resources, which are more and more limited. Hence, the revision of safety strategies is a key issue, especially when these strategies are redundant, as those implemented to avoid Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) transmission, which are based on both antibodies screening and leucoreduction of blood products. The residual risk of the transmission of HTLV by transfusion has been recently estimated at 1 in 20 million donations (2010-2012) in France (excluding overseas territories). This estimation did not take into account the leucoreduction, which appears to be a very efficient preventive measure as the virus is strictly intra-cellular. To help decision-making, we have evaluated some parameters related to HTLV blood transmission. Firstly, the probability that an incident occurring during the leucoreduction process affects a HTLV-positive blood donation has been estimated at 1 in 178 million. Estimation of clinical consequences of HTLV-positive transfusions would affect 1 to 2 transfused-patients without leucoreduction, and one recipient every 192 years in case of 10% failures of the filtration method. Obviously, despite a risk, which appears to be controlled, HTLV screening will be disputed as soon as the efficiency of leucoreduction to totally prevent virus blood transmission will be proven and when pathogen inactivation methods are generalized to all blood cellular products. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT OF MEASURING EQUIPMENT USING STATISTIC METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pavel POLÁK

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Capability assessment of the measurement device is one of the methods of process quality control. Only in case the measurement device is capable, the capability of the measurement and consequently production process can be assessed. This paper deals with assessment of the capability of the measuring device using indices Cg and Cgk.

A Method for The Assessing of Reliability Characteristics Relevant to an Assumed Position-Fixing Accuracy in Navigational Positioning Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Specht Cezary

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a method which makes it possible to determine reliability characteristics of navigational positioning systems, relevant to an assumed value of permissible error in position fixing. The method allows to calculate: availability , reliability as well as operation continuity of position fixing system for an assumed, determined on the basis of formal requirements - both worldwide and national, position-fixing accuracy. The proposed mathematical model allows to satisfy, by any navigational positioning system, not only requirements as to position-fixing accuracy of a given navigational application (for air , sea or land traffic but also the remaining characteristics associated with technical serviceability of a system.

Measuring method of liquid flow behavior using visualization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serizawa, Akimi; Kamei, Takashi; Takahashi, Osamu; Kawara, Zensaku

1994-01-01

It is important for the safety of nuclear reactor to understand the behavior of gas-liquid two-phase flow. For that analysis, we have to understand its time and spatial dependence. But most of the measuring methods applied to two-phase flow experiments are not enough for this purpose, because they consider the time averaged value, and they are put on the local position in test sections. Standing on such a point of view, we have been developing a measuring method using fluorescence. And from those pictures gotten by video camera, after processed by computer, we measure liquid film thickness. (author)

Neutron spectrum measurement using rise-time discrimination method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Zhiping; Suzuki, C.; Kosako, T.; Ma Jizeng

2009-01-01

PSD method can be used to measure the fast neutron spectrum in n/γ mixed field. A set of assemblies for measuring the pulse height distribution of neutrons is built up,based on a large volume NE213 liquid scintillator and standard NIM circuits,through the rise-time discrimination method. After that,the response matrix is calculated using Monte Carlo method. The energy calibration of the pulse height distribution is accomplished using 60 Co radioisotope. The neutron spectrum of the mono-energetic accelerator neutron source is achieved by unfolding process. Suggestions for further improvement of the system are presented at last. (authors)

Principle of coincidence method and application in activity measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Mou; Dai Yihua; Ni Jianzhong

2008-01-01

The basic principle of coincidence method was discussed. The basic principle was generalized by analysing the actual example, and the condition in theory of coincidence method was brought forward. The cause of variation of efficiency curve and the effect of dead-time in activity measurement were explained using the above principle and condition. This principle of coincidence method provides the foundation in theory for activity measurement. (authors)

Measuring Teacher Dispositions: Identifying Workplace Personality Traits Most Relevant to Teaching Professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Yuankun; Pagnani, Alexander; Thomas, Matt; Abellan-Pagnani, Luisa; Brown, Terrell; Buchanan, Dawna Lisa

2017-01-01

What personality traits represent dispositions most relevant to teaching professionals? Could an instrument reflecting work personality traits for a wide variety of professions provide a valid assessment of dispositions for teacher candidates? This study analyzed the internal structure of a state mandated dispositions assessment that was adapted…

The measurement problem on classical diffusion process: inverse method on stochastic processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bigerelle, M.; Iost, A.

2004-01-01

In a high number of diffusive systems, measures are processed to calculate material parameters such as diffusion coefficients, or to verify the accuracy of mathematical models. However, the precision of the parameter determination or of the model relevance depends on the location of the measure itself. The aim of this paper is first to analyse, for a mono-dimensional system, the precision of the measure in relation with its location by an inverse problem algorithm and secondly to examine the physical meaning of the results. Statistical mechanic considerations show that, passing over a time-distance criterion, measurement becomes uncertain whatever the initial conditions. The criterion proves that this chaotic mode is related to the production of anti-entropy at a mesoscopique scale that is in violation to quantum theory about measurement

Classification of methods for measuring current-voltage characteristics of semiconductor devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iermolenko Ia. O.

2014-06-01

Full Text Available It is shown that computer systems for measuring current-voltage characteristics are very important for semiconductor devices production. The main criteria of efficiency of such systems are defined. It is shown that efficiency of such systems significantly depends on the methods for measuring current-voltage characteristics of semiconductor devices. The aim of this work is to analyze existing methods for measuring current-voltage characteristics of semiconductor devices and to create the classification of these methods in order to specify the most effective solutions in terms of defined criteria. To achieve this aim, the most common classifications of methods for measuring current-voltage characteristics of semiconductor devices and their main disadvantages are considered. Automated and manual, continuous, pulse, mixed, isothermal and isodynamic methods for measuring current-voltage characteristics are analyzed. As a result of the analysis and generalization of existing methods the next classification criteria are defined: the level of automation, the form of measurement signals, the condition of semiconductor device during the measurements, and the use of mathematical processing of the measurement results. With the use of these criteria the classification scheme of methods for measuring current-voltage characteristics of semiconductor devices is composed and the most effective methods are specified.

Interval sampling methods and measurement error: a computer simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wirth, Oliver; Slaven, James; Taylor, Matthew A

2014-01-01

A simulation study was conducted to provide a more thorough account of measurement error associated with interval sampling methods. A computer program simulated the application of momentary time sampling, partial-interval recording, and whole-interval recording methods on target events randomly distributed across an observation period. The simulation yielded measures of error for multiple combinations of observation period, interval duration, event duration, and cumulative event duration. The simulations were conducted up to 100 times to yield measures of error variability. Although the present simulation confirmed some previously reported characteristics of interval sampling methods, it also revealed many new findings that pertain to each method's inherent strengths and weaknesses. The analysis and resulting error tables can help guide the selection of the most appropriate sampling method for observation-based behavioral assessments. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Measurement of the thermal diffusivity on ceramics and metals using the laser flash method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumm, J.; Sauseng, B.

2001-01-01

Full Text: In the past few decades measurement of the thermophysical properties such as thermal expansion, specific heat, thermal diffusivity or thermal conductivity has become increasingly important for industrial applications. One example is the optimization of the heat transfer in industrial assemblies used for automotive or space applications. The thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of all components exposed to high and/or sub-ambient temperatures or large temperature gradients should be accurately known. Another well known example is the characterization of materials such as graphite used in nuclear reactors. Furthermore, analysis of solid and liquid metals is of paramount importance for the simulation of casting processes using finite element software programs. Thermal barrier coatings (zirconia) are used more and more often for high-temperature turbine blades. Reducing the thermal conductivity and the heat transfer through such coatings usually allows higher working temperatures and therefore higher efficiency of the gas turbine. These examples clearly demonstrate the need of instrumentation for the accurate measurement of the required thermophysical properties. The laser flash method has been developed to become one of the most commonly used techniques for the measurement of the thermal diffusivity of various kinds of solids and liquids. Easy sample preparation, small sample dimensions, fast measurement times and high accuracy are only some of the advantages of this non-destructive measurement technique. In addition, temperature dependent measurements can easily be realized. Since the development of the method by Parker et al. new routines for processing of the raw data have been established. Analytical mathematical descriptions were found to compensate for heat loss and finite pulse effects. Using modern personal computers and non-linear regression routines, mathematical models can be used to fit the raw data, yielding improved results for thermal

An evaluation of the hydrologic relevance of lateral flow in snow at hillslope and catchment scales

Science.gov (United States)

David Eiriksson; Michael Whitson; Charles H. Luce; Hans Peter Marshall; John Bradford; Shawn G. Benner; Thomas Black; Hank Hetrick; James P. McNamara

2013-01-01

Lateral downslope flow in snow during snowmelt and rain-on-snow (ROS) events is a well-known phenomenon, yet its relevance to water redistribution at hillslope and catchment scales is not well understood. We used dye tracers, geophysical methods, and hydrometric measurements to describe the snow properties that promote lateral flow, assess the relative velocities of...

Measurement of airborne droplets by the magnesium oxide method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

May, K R

1950-01-01

A complete calibration has been made for the first time of the method of detecting and measuring airborne droplets whereby the permanent impressions made when they strike a layer of magnesium oxide smoked on a glass slide are measured microscopically. A size range of 200 to 10 microns and a wide range of liquids and impact velocities were investigated, and it was found that the ratio of true drop size to impression size is constant at 0.86 for droplets greater than 20 microns of any liquid. The method fails below 10 microns. The calibration was made against an absolute method of droplet measurement, also against the so-called focal-length method. Droplets of any desired size were generated by a uniform spray apparatus.

Is ‘legal empowerment of the poor’ relevant to people with disabilities in developing countries? An empirical and normative review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Borg

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Legal empowerment of the poor is highly relevant to public health as it aims to relieve income poverty, a main determinant of health. The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor (CLEP has proposed legal empowerment measures in the following four domains: access to justice and the rule of law, property, labor, and business rights. Despite being overrepresented among the poor, CLEP has not explicitly considered the situation of people with disabilities. Objectives: To examine the empirical evidence for the relevance of the CLEP legal empowerment measures to people with disabilities in low- and lower middle-income countries, and to evaluate the extent to which the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD addresses those measures. Methods: Critical literature review of empirical studies and a checklist assessment of the CRPD. Results: Fourteen included articles confirm that people with disabilities experience problems in the domains of access to justice and the rule of law, labor rights, and business rights. No texts on property rights were found. Evidence for the effectiveness of the proposed measures is insufficient. Overall, the CRPD fully or partially supports two-thirds of the proposed measures (seven out of nine measures for access to justice and the rule of law, none of the five measures for property rights, all seven measures for labor rights, and six out of nine measures for business rights. Conclusions: Although most of the domains of the CLEP legal empowerment measures are relevant to people with disabilities from both empirical and normative perspectives, it is uncertain whether the devised measures are of immediate relevance to them. Further research is warranted in this regard.

A review on measuring methods of gas-liquid flow rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minemura, Kiyoshi; Yamashita, Masato

2000-01-01

This paper presents a review on the state of current measuring techniques for gas-liquid multiphase flow rates. After briefly discussing the basic idea on measuring methods for single-phase and two-phase flows, existing methods for the two-phase flow rates are classified into several types, that is, with or without a homogenizing device, single or combined method of several techniques, with intrusive or non-intrusive sensors, and physical or software method. Each methods are comparatively reviewed in view of measuring accuracy and manageability. Its scope also contains the techniques developed for petroleum-gas-water flow rates. (author)

[Analysis of clinical relevance applied to 3methods of reducing weight in overweight or obesity followed-up for one year].

Science.gov (United States)

Tárraga Marcos, M L; Panisello Royo, J M; Carbayo Herencia, J A; Rosich Domenech, N; Alins Presas, J; Castell Panisello, E; Tárraga López, P J

To analyse the effect of the use/implementation of 3methods to reduce weight in overweight or obese patients during one year of follow up. The design corresponds to a double-blind, randomised, controlled clinical trial with 3arms, and 12 months of follow-up. Patients were randomised into 3intervention groups: obesity motivational intervention, with a nurse previously trained in motivational intervention by expert psychologists (G1; n=60); lower intensity consultation, non-motivational group, with digital platform support (G2; N=61), and a third group that received recommendations for weight loss and follow-up in Primary Care Clinic (G3; n=59). Anthropometric variables (weight, height, and abdominal-waist circumference) were measured, and the percentage of patients who managed to reduce their weight ≥5% was considered as the main measurement of treatment effectiveness. All groups significantly decreased body weight at the end of the study, with a reduction in G1 (-5.6kg) followed by G2 (-4.3kg), and G3 (-1.7kg), with an overall mean: -3.9kg. The indicators of clinical relevance were in G1/G3: relative risk (RR): 4.99 (95% CI: from 2.71 to 9.18); relative risk reduction (RRR): 399.1% (171.3 to 818.0); Absolute risk reduction (RAR): 65.3% (from 51.5 to 79.1) and NNT: 2 (from 2 to 2). In the G2/G3 groups: RR: 3.01 (from 1.57 to 5.76); RRR: 200.5% (from 57.0 to 475.5); RAR: 32.8% (from 16.9 to 48.7) and NNT: 4 (from 3 to 6). In the G1/G2 groups: RR: 1.66 (from 1.25 to 2.20); RRR: 66.1% (from 25.3 to 120.1); RAR: 32.5% (from 16.6 to 48.4) and NNT: 4 (from 3 to 7). All 3groups were able to reduce weight. Although the group with motivational intervention achieved the greatest decrease, as well as the most favourable clinical relevance indicators. Copyright © 2017 SEH-LELHA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Statistical learning modeling method for space debris photometric measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wenjing; Sun, Jinqiu; Zhang, Yanning; Li, Haisen

2016-03-01

Photometric measurement is an important way to identify the space debris, but the present methods of photometric measurement have many constraints on star image and need complex image processing. Aiming at the problems, a statistical learning modeling method for space debris photometric measurement is proposed based on the global consistency of the star image, and the statistical information of star images is used to eliminate the measurement noises. First, the known stars on the star image are divided into training stars and testing stars. Then, the training stars are selected as the least squares fitting parameters to construct the photometric measurement model, and the testing stars are used to calculate the measurement accuracy of the photometric measurement model. Experimental results show that, the accuracy of the proposed photometric measurement model is about 0.1 magnitudes.

Relevance Vector Machine and Support Vector Machine Classifier Analysis of Scanning Laser Polarimetry Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Bowd, Christopher; Medeiros, Felipe A.; Zhang, Zuohua; Zangwill, Linda M.; Hao, Jiucang; Lee, Te-Won; Sejnowski, Terrence J.; Weinreb, Robert N.; Goldbaum, Michael H.

2010-01-01

Purpose To classify healthy and glaucomatous eyes using relevance vector machine (RVM) and support vector machine (SVM) learning classifiers trained on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements obtained by scanning laser polarimetry (SLP). Methods Seventy-two eyes of 72 healthy control subjects (average age = 64.3 ± 8.8 years, visual field mean deviation =−0.71 ± 1.2 dB) and 92 eyes of 92 patients with glaucoma (average age = 66.9 ± 8.9 years, visual field mean deviation =−5.32 ± 4.0 dB) were imaged with SLP with variable corneal compensation (GDx VCC; Laser Diagnostic Technologies, San Diego, CA). RVM and SVM learning classifiers were trained and tested on SLP-determined RNFL thickness measurements from 14 standard parameters and 64 sectors (approximately 5.6° each) obtained in the circumpapillary area under the instrument-defined measurement ellipse (total 78 parameters). Tenfold cross-validation was used to train and test RVM and SVM classifiers on unique subsets of the full 164-eye data set and areas under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve for the classification of eyes in the test set were generated. AUROC curve results from RVM and SVM were compared to those for 14 SLP software-generated global and regional RNFL thickness parameters. Also reported was the AUROC curve for the GDx VCC software-generated nerve fiber indicator (NFI). Results The AUROC curves for RVM and SVM were 0.90 and 0.91, respectively, and increased to 0.93 and 0.94 when the training sets were optimized with sequential forward and backward selection (resulting in reduced dimensional data sets). AUROC curves for optimized RVM and SVM were significantly larger than those for all individual SLP parameters. The AUROC curve for the NFI was 0.87. Conclusions Results from RVM and SVM trained on SLP RNFL thickness measurements are similar and provide accurate classification of glaucomatous and healthy eyes. RVM may be preferable to SVM, because it provides a

Method of measuring the polarization of high momentum proton beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Underwood, D.G.

1976-01-01

A method of measuring the polarization of high momentum proton beams is proposed. This method utilizes the Primakoff effect and relates asymmetries at high energy to large asymmetries already measured at low energy. Such a new method is essential for the success of future experiments at energies where present methods are no longer feasible

A Proposal of a Method to Measure and Evaluate the Effect to Apply External Support Measures for Owners by Construction Management Method, etc

Science.gov (United States)

Tada, Hiroshi; Miyatake, Ichiro; Mouri, Junji; Ajiki, Norihiko; Fueta, Toshiharu

In Japan, various approaches have been taken to ensure the quality of public works or to support the procurement regime of the governmental agencies, as a means to utilize external resources, which include the procurement support service or the construction management (CM) method. Although discussions on these measures to utilize external resources (hereinafter referred to as external support measure) have been going on, as well as the follow-up surveys showing the positive effects of such measures have been conducted, the surveys only deal with the matters concerning the overall effects of the external support measure on the whole, meaning that the effect of each item of the tasks have not been addressed, and that the extent it dealt with the expectations of the client is unknown. However, the effective use of the external support measure in future cannot be achieved without knowing what was the purpose to introduce the external support measure, and what effect was expected on each task item, and what extent the expectation fulfilled. Furthermore, it is important to clarify not only the effect as compared to the client's expectation (performance), but also the public benefit of this measure (value improvement). From this point of view, there is not an established method to figure out the effect of the client's measure to utilize external resources. In view of this background, this study takes the CM method as an example of the external support measure, and proposes a method to measure and evaluate the effect by each task item, and suggests the future issues and possible responses, in the aim of contributing the promotion, improvement, and proper implementation of the external support measures in future.

Discrepancies between adolescents' attributed relevance and experiences regarding communication are associated with poorer client participation and learning processes in psychosocial care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jager, Margot; Reijneveld, Sijmen A.; Metselaar, Janneke; Knorth, Erik J.; De Winter, Andrea F.

2014-01-01

Objective: To examine adolescents' attributed relevance and experiences regarding communication, and whether discrepancies in these are associated with clients' participation and learning processes in psychosocial care. Methods: Adolescents receiving psychosocial care (n = 211) completed measures of

Evaluation of a clinically intuitive quality assurance method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norris, H; Thomas, A; Oldham, M

2013-01-01

There is a pressing need for clinically intuitive quality assurance methods that report metrics of relevance to the likely impact on tumor control of normal tissue injury. This paper presents a preliminary investigation into the accuracy of a novel ''transform method'' which enables a clinically relevant analysis through dose-volume-histograms (DVHs) and dose overlays on the patient's CT data. The transform method was tested by inducing a series of known mechanical and delivery errors onto simulated 3D dosimetry measurements of six different head-and-neck IMRT treatment plans. Accuracy was then examined through the comparison of the transformed patient dose distributions and the known actual patient dose distributions through dose-volume histograms and normalized dose difference analysis. Through these metrics, the transform method was found to be highly accurate in predicting measured patient dose distributions for these types of errors.

Measurement of H'(0.07) with pulse height weighting integration method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liye, LIU; Gang, JIN; Jizeng, MA

2002-01-01

H'(0.07) is an important quantity for radiation field measurement in health physics. One of the plastic scintillator measurement methods is employing the weak current produced by PMT. However, there are some weaknesses in the current method. For instance: sensitive to environment humidity and temperature, non-linearity energy response. In order to increase the precision of H'(0.07) measurement, a Pulse Height Weighting Integration Method is introduced for its advantages: low noise, high sensitivity, data processable, wide measurement range. Pulse Height Weighting Integration Method seems to be acceptable to measure directional dose equivalent. The representative theoretical energy response of the pre-described method accords with the preliminary experiment result

Improved Method for PD-Quantification in Power Cables

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holbøll, Joachim T.; Villefrance, Rasmus; Henriksen, Mogens

1999-01-01

n this paper, a method is described for improved quantification of partial discharges(PD) in power cables. The method is suitable for PD-detection and location systems in the MHz-range, where pulse attenuation and distortion along the cable cannot be neglected. The system transfer function...... was calculated and measured in order to form basis for magnitude calculation after each measurements. --- Limitations and capabilities of the method will be discussed and related to relevant field applications of high frequent PD-measurements. --- Methods for increased signal/noise ratio are easily implemented...

Phase Method of Invariant Measurement of Active-Inductive Measuring Two-Pole Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris MAMIKONYAN

2017-04-01

Full Text Available There has been given the solution of the technical problem of separate measurement of parameters of inductance coils and inductive primary converters on alternating current without application of potential-current signals. As a measuring circuit the scheme of voltage divider with active-inductive two-pole is used, and as an output signal there has been used the angle of phase shift between two output voltages of the measuring circuit. For forming the output signal temporal separation of measurement channel is used. The advantages of phase method are mostly due to capacity of using microcontrollers. In the technical solutions under consideration the microcontroller regulates the measuring process and develops the measurement results.

[A new measurement method of time-resolved spectrum].

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Zhi-gang; Huang, Shi-hua; Liang, Chun-jun; Lei, Quan-sheng

2007-02-01

A new method for measuring time-resolved spectrum (TRS) is brought forward. Programming with assemble language controlled the micro-control-processor (AT89C51), and a kind of peripheral circuit constituted the drive circuit, which drived the stepping motor to run the monochromator. So the light of different kinds of expected wavelength could be obtained. The optical signal was transformed to electrical signal by optical-to-electrical transform with the help of photomultiplier tube (Hamamatsu 1P28). The electrical signal of spectrum data was transmitted to the oscillograph. Connecting the two serial interfaces of RS232 between the oscillograph and computer, the electrical signal of spectrum data could be transmitted to computer for programming to draw the attenuation curve and time-resolved spectrum (TRS) of the swatch. The method for measuring time-resolved spectrum (TRS) features parallel measurement in time scale but serial measurement in wavelength scale. Time-resolved spectrum (TRS) and integrated emission spectrum of Tb3+ in swatch Tb(o-BBA)3 phen were measured using this method. Compared with the real time-resolved spectrum (TRS). It was validated to be feasible, credible and convenient. The 3D spectra of fluorescence intensity-wavelength-time, and the integrated spectrum of the swatch Tb(o-BBA)3 phen are given.

A new method for measurement of granular velocities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyborg Andersen, B.

1984-01-01

A new, supplementary method to measure granular velocities is presented. The method utilizes the Doppler shift caused by the line of sight component of the solar rotation to cause a wavelength shift through spectral lines as function of heliocentric angle. By measuring the center-to-limb variation of the granular intensity fluctations at different wavelength positions in the lines, the velocities are found. To do this, assumptions regarding the geometrical structure of the velocity and intensity fields have to be made. Preliminary application of the method results in a steep velocity gradient suggesting zero velocity at a hight of 200 km above tau 500 = 1. Possible causes are discussed

Computational methods for industrial radiation measurement applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, R.P.; Guo, P.; Ao, Q.

1996-01-01

Computational methods have been used with considerable success to complement radiation measurements in solving a wide range of industrial problems. The almost exponential growth of computer capability and applications in the last few years leads to a open-quotes black boxclose quotes mentality for radiation measurement applications. If a black box is defined as any radiation measurement device that is capable of measuring the parameters of interest when a wide range of operating and sample conditions may occur, then the development of computational methods for industrial radiation measurement applications should now be focused on the black box approach and the deduction of properties of interest from the response with acceptable accuracy and reasonable efficiency. Nowadays, increasingly better understanding of radiation physical processes, more accurate and complete fundamental physical data, and more advanced modeling and software/hardware techniques have made it possible to make giant strides in that direction with new ideas implemented with computer software. The Center for Engineering Applications of Radioisotopes (CEAR) at North Carolina State University has been working on a variety of projects in the area of radiation analyzers and gauges for accomplishing this for quite some time, and they are discussed here with emphasis on current accomplishments

Clinical relevance of trace element measurement in patients on initiation of parenteral nutrition.

Science.gov (United States)

Salota, Rashim; Omar, Sohail; Sherwood, Roy A; Raja, Kishor; Vincent, Royce P

2016-11-01

Background and Aims Serum zinc, copper and selenium are measured in patients prior to commencing on parenteral nutrition; however, their interpretation can be difficult due to acute phase reactions. We assessed (i) the relationship of raised C-reactive protein with trace elements and albumin (ii) benefits of measuring trace elements when C-reactive protein is raised in patients requiring short-term parenteral nutrition. Methods Samples were collected for zinc, copper, selenium and albumin at baseline and then every two weeks and correlated with C-reactive protein results in patients on parenteral nutrition. Results were categorized into four groups based on the C-reactive protein concentrations: (i)  0.05), whereas selenium and albumin were lower in the group with C-reactive protein > 40 mg/L ( P parenteral nutrition, measurement of C-reactive protein is essential when interpreting zinc and selenium but not copper results. Routine measurement of trace elements prior to commencing parenteral nutrition has to be considered on an individual basis in patients with inflammation.

High sensitivity optical measurement of skin gloss

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ezerskaia, A.; Ras, Arno; Bloemen, Pascal; Pereira, S.F.; Urbach, Paul; Varghese, Babu

2017-01-01

We demonstrate a low-cost optical method for measuring the gloss properties with improved sensitivity in the low gloss regime, relevant for skin gloss properties. The gloss estimation method is based on, on the one hand, the slope of the intensity gradient in the transition regime between

Calibration and uncertainty in electromagnetic fields measuring methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anglesio, L.; Crotti, G.; Borsero, M.; Vizio, G.

1999-01-01

Calibration and reliability in electromagnetic field measuring methods are assured by calibration of measuring instruments. In this work are illustrated systems for generation of electromagnetic fields at low and high frequency, calibration standard and accuracy [it

Improved method of measurement for outer leak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Guang

2012-01-01

Pneumatic pipeline is installed for the airborne radioactivity measurement equipment, air tightness and outer leak rate are essential for the testing of the characteristics, both in the national criteria and ISO standards, an improved practical method is available for the measurement of the outer air leak rate based on the engineering experiences for the equipment acceptance and testing procedure. (authors)

Statistical methods towards more efficient infiltration measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Franz, T; Krebs, P

2006-01-01

A comprehensive knowledge about the infiltration situation in a catchment is required for operation and maintenance. Due to the high expenditures, an optimisation of necessary measurement campaigns is essential. Methods based on multivariate statistics were developed to improve the information yield of measurements by identifying appropriate gauge locations. The methods have a high degree of freedom against data needs. They were successfully tested on real and artificial data. For suitable catchments, it is estimated that the optimisation potential amounts up to 30% accuracy improvement compared to nonoptimised gauge distributions. Beside this, a correlation between independent reach parameters and dependent infiltration rates could be identified, which is not dominated by the groundwater head.

Advanced Measuring (Instrumentation Methods for Nuclear Installations: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Qiu-kuan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The nuclear technology has been widely used in the world. The research of measurement in nuclear installations involves many aspects, such as nuclear reactors, nuclear fuel cycle, safety and security, nuclear accident, after action, analysis, and environmental applications. In last decades, many advanced measuring devices and techniques have been widely applied in nuclear installations. This paper mainly introduces the development of the measuring (instrumentation methods for nuclear installations and the applications of these instruments and methods.

Methods for production of UNK SC-dipoles magnetic measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smirnov, N.L.

1991-01-01

Many SC-dipoles for UNK will require from the chosen magnetic measurement methods high accuracy and efficiency. The brief of using methods, their possibilities and analysis of their errors are given. The measurements results for a full-scale model of SC-dipole SPDM1 are presented. 5 refs.; 4 figs.; 4 tabs

Wettability measurements of irregular shapes with Wilhelmy plate method

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jaehyung; Pasaogullari, Ugur; Bonville, Leonard

2018-01-01

One of the most accurate methods for measuring the dynamic contact angle of liquids on solid surfaces is the Wilhelmy plate method. This method generally requires the use of rectangular samples having a constant perimeter in the liquid during advancing and receding cycles. A new formulation based on the Wilhelmy force balance equation to determine the contact angle for plate samples with irregular shapes has been developed. This method employs a profile plot obtained from an optical image to determine the perimeter (i.e. wetted length) of the sample as a function of the immersion depth. The raw force data measured by the force tensiometer is manipulated using the profile plot and the Wilhelmy equation to determine the wetting force and consequently advancing and the receding contact angle. This method is verified with both triangular and irregular PTFE samples in water, and measured contact angles are in good agreement with results from conventional regular shaped samples with a constant perimeter.

Measurement of photooxidants relevant to human biometeorology in an urban agglomeration (PHOTOX). Measurement of various hydrocarbons as precursors of photooxidants relevant to human biometeorology (KOVOX). Final report of Part 2; Erfassung von human-biometeorologisch relevanten Photooxidantien in einem Ballungsraum (PHOTOX). Erfassung verschiedener Kohlenwasserstoffe als Vorlaeufersubstanzen fuer human-biometeorologisch relevante Photooxidantien (KOVOX). Abschlussbericht zum Teil 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jakobi, G.; Fabian, P. [eds.

1997-04-01

The air-chemical components ozone and PAN (peroxy acetyl nitrate), their precursors NO and NO{sub 2} and the meteorological parameters air temperature, humidity, global radiation, wind direction and wind velocity were measured in the framework of a research project (PHOTOX - Measurement of photooxidants relevant to human biometeorology in an urban agglomeration) carried out by the Department of Bioclimatology and Pollution Research. Further, a wide range of anthropogenic and biogenic hydrocarbons, which are important groups of precursors of photooxidants and potential pollution factors, were measured in the framework of another research project (KOVOX - Measurement of various hydrocarbons as precursors of photooxidants relevant to human biometeorology). (orig/SR) [Deutsch] Die Messung der luftchemischen Komponenten Ozon und PAN (Peroxiacetylnitrat), deren Vorlaeufersubstanzen Stickstoffmonoxid (NO) und Stickstoffdioxid (NO{sub 2}) sowie deren meteorologischen Parameter Lufttemperatur, Luftfeuchtigkeit, Globalstrahlung, Windrichtung und Windgeschwindigkeit wurde im Rahmen des am Lehrstuhl fuer Bioklimatologie und Immisionsforschung laufenden Forschungsvorhabens ``Erfassung von human-biometeorologisch relevanten Photooxidantien in einem Ballungsraum (PHOTOX)`` durchgefuehrt. Des weiteren erfolgte die Messung einer breiten Palette anthropogener und biogener Kohlenwasserstoffe als wichtige Gruppen der Vorlaeufersubstanzen zur Photooxidantienbildung und moeglicher Wirkfaktoren, im Rahmen des Projektes ``Erfassung verschiedener Kohlenwasserstoffe als Vorlaeufersubstanzen fuer human-biometeorologisch relevante Photooxidantien (KOVOX)``. (orig./BW)

Comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty: relevant radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geer, L.E. de

2001-01-01

With the first version of the IDC software all known radionuclides, less the natural ones and one 'naturalised' man-made one, caused a spectrum measured in the IMS network to be characterised as interesting from a CTBT point of view. But this is really not true for the majority of nuclides, so a change has been made to let only nuclides from a limited set of so called CTBT relevant nuclides have an impact on the characterization scheme. In the present paper the concept of CTBT relevance is analysed and a set of 96 relevant nuclides are defined. Out of these 51 are fission products and 41 are neutron activation products. There are also 4 nuclides which are residues from the nuclear fuel itself or added tracers. (orig.) [de

Advances in the Surface Renewal Flux Measurement Method

Science.gov (United States)

Shapland, T. M.; McElrone, A.; Paw U, K. T.; Snyder, R. L.

2011-12-01

The measurement of ecosystem-scale energy and mass fluxes between the planetary surface and the atmosphere is crucial for understanding geophysical processes. Surface renewal is a flux measurement technique based on analyzing the turbulent coherent structures that interact with the surface. It is a less expensive technique because it does not require fast-response velocity measurements, but only a fast-response scalar measurement. It is therefore also a useful tool for the study of the global cycling of trace gases. Currently, surface renewal requires calibration against another flux measurement technique, such as eddy covariance, to account for the linear bias of its measurements. We present two advances in the surface renewal theory and methodology that bring the technique closer to becoming a fully independent flux measurement method. The first advance develops the theory of turbulent coherent structure transport associated with the different scales of coherent structures. A novel method was developed for identifying the scalar change rate within structures at different scales. Our results suggest that for canopies less than one meter in height, the second smallest coherent structure scale dominates the energy and mass flux process. Using the method for resolving the scalar exchange rate of the second smallest coherent structure scale, calibration is unnecessary for surface renewal measurements over short canopies. This study forms the foundation for analysis over more complex surfaces. The second advance is a sensor frequency response correction for measuring the sensible heat flux via surface renewal. Inexpensive fine-wire thermocouples are frequently used to record high frequency temperature data in the surface renewal technique. The sensible heat flux is used in conjunction with net radiation and ground heat flux measurements to determine the latent heat flux as the energy balance residual. The robust thermocouples commonly used in field experiments

Measurement of heat transfer coefficient using termoanemometry methods

Science.gov (United States)

Dančová, P.; Sitek, P.; Vít, T.

2014-03-01

This work deals with a measurement of heat transfer from a heated flat plate on which a synthetic jet impacts perpendicularly. Measurement of a heat transfer coefficient (HTC) is carried out using the hot wire anemometry method with glue film probe Dantec 55M47. The paper brings also results of velocity profiles measurements and turbulence intensity calculations.

Monte Carlo simulation of air sampling methods for the measurement of radon decay products.

Science.gov (United States)

Sima, Octavian; Luca, Aurelian; Sahagia, Maria

2017-08-01

A stochastic model of the processes involved in the measurement of the activity of the 222 Rn decay products was developed. The distributions of the relevant factors, including air sampling and radionuclide collection, are propagated using Monte Carlo simulation to the final distribution of the measurement results. The uncertainties of the 222 Rn decay products concentrations in the air are realistically evaluated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of isotopic dilution method for measuring N2 fixation in azolla: comparison with other methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sah, R.N.; Goyal, S.S.; Rains, D.W.; Paige, D.F.

1989-01-01

An isotopic dilution method that overcomes the drawbacks of commonly used methods for measuring N 2 fixation by aquatic N‐fixers such as Azolla pinnata‐Anabaena azollae association (Azolla) is presented. The method was compared with 15 N2 gas (while maintaining CO 2 ) and the difference methods of measuring N 2 fixation. The isotopic dilution method was used for two conditions: a. For 15 N‐free growth medium, Azolla was pre‐enriched with 15 N, and N 2 fixation was determined by measuring the dilution of 15 N in the tissue. b. For the growth medium containing N, N2 fixation was determined by providing 15 N enriched ammonium sulfate in the growth medium and measuring 15 N to 14 N ratio in the tissue. An airtight chamber, necessary for 15 N 2 gas and acetylene reduction methods, was not representative of the growing environment of Azolla. Temperature in the airtight chamber was far from uniform and CO 2 was rapidly depleted. The isotopic dilution method is simpler, relatively inexpensive, subject to fewer errors and applicable to more diverse conditions, and yet was as accurate as 15 N2‐gas method. (author)

Methods for analysing cardiovascular studies with repeated measures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cleophas, T. J.; Zwinderman, A. H.; van Ouwerkerk, B. M.

2009-01-01

Background. Repeated measurements in a single subject are generally more similar than unrepeated measurements in different subjects. Unrepeated analyses of repeated data cause underestimation of the treatment effects. Objective. To review methods adequate for the analysis of cardiovascular studies

An improved fast neutron radiography quantitative measurement method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsubayashi, Masahito; Hibiki, Takashi; Mishima, Kaichiro; Yoshii, Koji; Okamoto, Koji

2004-01-01

The validity of a fast neutron radiography quantification method, the Σ-scaling method, which was originally proposed for thermal neutron radiography was examined with Monte Carlo calculations and experiments conducted at the YAYOI fast neutron source reactor. Water and copper were selected as comparative samples for a thermal neutron radiography case and a dense object, respectively. Although different characteristics on effective macroscopic cross-sections were implied by the simulation, the Σ-scaled experimental results with the fission neutron spectrum cross-sections were well fitted to the measurements for both the water and copper samples. This indicates that the Σ-scaling method could be successfully adopted for quantitative measurements in fast neutron radiography

Study on dynamic rod worth measurement method and its test verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Lei; Liu Tongxian; Zhao Wenbo; Li Songling; Yu Yingrui

2015-01-01

An advanced rod worth measurement technique, the dynamic rod worth measurement method (DRWM) has been developed. Static Spatial Factors (SSF) and Dynamic Spatial Factor (DSF) were introduced to improve the inverse kinetics method. The three dimensional steady and transient simulations for the measurement process was carried out to calculate the modification factors. The rod worth measurement, test was performed on a research reactor to verify DRWM. The results showed that the DRWM method provided the improved accuracy and could be a replacement of the traditional methods. (authors)

Stress measurement by neutron diffraction method. Standard method using angular dispersion method and trial of using neutron IP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Toshihiko; Takago, Shigeki

2016-01-01

This paper outlined a stress measurement method using neutrons, and introduced the application examples to stress measurement for metal-based composite materials. In the angular dispersion type measurement using a steady-state reactor type neutron source, the white beams taken out from a nuclear reactor are monochromatized (wavelength λ is a constant value) with a single crystal monochromator and utilized. As an example of measurement, there was the case as follows: the stress of a sintered material which has been put to practical use as valve seat part for automobiles was measured by the neutron method, and the deformation behavior during load was studied. This study performed neutron diffraction measurement using a residual stress analyzer (RESA: Diffractometer for Residual Stress Analysis) installed at JAEA's experimental reactor JRR-3. As a result, it was found that the stress state of the sintered composite material of Fe-Cr and TiN can be predicted with a micromechanics model. A neutron diffraction ring can be obtained using a neutron image plate (IP), where fine powder of gadolinium (Gd) was incorporated into IP for X-rays, and it can be used as an IP reader in the same way as the case of X-rays. A report has been introduced on the examination results of the highly accurate stress measurement by applying the cos α method devised for X-ray stress measurement to neutron diffraction ring. (A.O.)

Automated pavement horizontal curve measurement methods based on inertial measurement unit and 3D profiling data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenting Luo

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Pavement horizontal curve is designed to serve as a transition between straight segments, and its presence may cause a series of driving-related safety issues to motorists and drivers. As is recognized that traditional methods for curve geometry investigation are time consuming, labor intensive, and inaccurate, this study attempts to develop a method that can automatically conduct horizontal curve identification and measurement at network level. The digital highway data vehicle (DHDV was utilized for data collection, in which three Euler angles, driving speed, and acceleration of survey vehicle were measured with an inertial measurement unit (IMU. The 3D profiling data used for cross slope calibration was obtained with PaveVision3D Ultra technology at 1 mm resolution. In this study, the curve identification was based on the variation of heading angle, and the curve radius was calculated with kinematic method, geometry method, and lateral acceleration method. In order to verify the accuracy of the three methods, the analysis of variance (ANOVA test was applied by using the control variable of curve radius measured by field test. Based on the measured curve radius, a curve safety analysis model was used to predict the crash rates and safe driving speeds at horizontal curves. Finally, a case study on 4.35 km road segment demonstrated that the proposed method could efficiently conduct network level analysis.

Diagnostic Performance of a Rapid Magnetic Resonance Imaging Method of Measuring Hepatic Steatosis

Science.gov (United States)

House, Michael J.; Gan, Eng K.; Adams, Leon A.; Ayonrinde, Oyekoya T.; Bangma, Sander J.; Bhathal, Prithi S.; Olynyk, John K.; St. Pierre, Tim G.

2013-01-01

Objectives Hepatic steatosis is associated with an increased risk of developing serious liver disease and other clinical sequelae of the metabolic syndrome. However, visual estimates of steatosis from histological sections of biopsy samples are subjective and reliant on an invasive procedure with associated risks. The aim of this study was to test the ability of a rapid, routinely available, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method to diagnose clinically relevant grades of hepatic steatosis in a cohort of patients with diverse liver diseases. Materials and Methods Fifty-nine patients with a range of liver diseases underwent liver biopsy and MRI. Hepatic steatosis was quantified firstly using an opposed-phase, in-phase gradient echo, single breath-hold MRI methodology and secondly, using liver biopsy with visual estimation by a histopathologist and by computer-assisted morphometric image analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the diagnostic performance of the MRI method against the biopsy observations. Results The MRI approach had high sensitivity and specificity at all hepatic steatosis thresholds. Areas under ROC curves were 0.962, 0.993, and 0.972 at thresholds of 5%, 33%, and 66% liver fat, respectively. MRI measurements were strongly associated with visual (r2 = 0.83) and computer-assisted morphometric (r2 = 0.84) estimates of hepatic steatosis from histological specimens. Conclusions This MRI approach, using a conventional, rapid, gradient echo method, has high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing liver fat at all grades of steatosis in a cohort with a range of liver diseases. PMID:23555650

Measurement of heat transfer coefficient using termoanemometry methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dančová P.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This work deals with a measurement of heat transfer from a heated flat plate on which a synthetic jet impacts perpendicularly. Measurement of a heat transfer coefficient (HTC is carried out using the hot wire anemometry method with glue film probe Dantec 55M47. The paper brings also results of velocity profiles measurements and turbulence intensity calculations.

Resistivity measurements using a direct current induction method (1963)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delaplace, J.; Hillairet, J.

1964-01-01

The conventional methods for measuring electrical resistivities necessitate the fixing of electrical contacts on the sample either mechanically or by soldering. Furthermore it is also necessary to carry,out the measurements on low cross-section samples which are not always easy to obtain. Our direct-current induction method on the other hand requires no contacts and can easily be applied to samples of large cross-section. The sample is placed in a uniform magnetic field; at the moment when the current is cut, eddy currents appear in the sample which tend to oppose the disappearance of the field. The way in which the magnetic flux decreases in the sample makes it possible to determine the resistivity of the material. This method has been applied to samples having diameters of between 1 and 30 mm in the case of metals which are good conductors. It gives a value for the local resistivity and makes it possible to detect any variation along a sample. The measurements can be carried out at all temperature from a few degrees absolute to 500 deg. C. We have used the induction method to follow the purification of beryllium by zone-melting; it is in effect possible to estimate the purity of a material by resistivity measurements. We have measured the resistivity along each bar treated by the zone-melting technique and have thus, localised the purest section. High temperature measurements have been carried out on uranium carbide and on iron-aluminium alloys. This method constitutes an interesting means of investigation the resistivity of solid materials. Its accuracy and rapidity make it particularly adapted both to fundamental research and to production control. (authors) [fr

Implementation and Development of the Incremental Hole Drilling Method for the Measurement of Residual Stress in Thermal Spray Coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Valente, T.; Bartuli, C.; Sebastiani, M.; Loreto, A.

2005-12-01

The experimental measurement of residual stresses originating within thick coatings deposited by thermal spray on solid substrates plays a role of fundamental relevance in the preliminary stages of coating design and process parameters optimization. The hole-drilling method is a versatile and widely used technique for the experimental determination of residual stress in the most superficial layers of a solid body. The consolidated procedure, however, can only be implemented for metallic bulk materials or for homogeneous, linear elastic, and isotropic materials. The main objective of the present investigation was to adapt the experimental method to the measurement of stress fields built up in ceramic coatings/metallic bonding layers structures manufactured by plasma spray deposition. A finite element calculation procedure was implemented to identify the calibration coefficients necessary to take into account the elastic modulus discontinuities that characterize the layered structure through its thickness. Experimental adjustments were then proposed to overcome problems related to the low thermal conductivity of the coatings. The number of calculation steps and experimental drilling steps were finally optimized.

Measuring electric conductivity in liquid metals by eddy current method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuravlev, S.P.; Ostrovskij, O.I.; Grigoryan, V.A.

1982-01-01

Technique permitting to apply the method of vertiginous currents for investigation of electric conductivity of metal melts in the high temperature range is presented. Interferences affecting accuracy of measurements are specified and ways of their removing are pointed out. Scheme of measuring and design of the facility are described. Results of measuring electric resistance of liquid Fe, Co, Ni obtained for the first time by this method are presented. The data obtained agree with the results of measurements conducted by the method of the rotating magnetic field. Difference in absolute values of electric resistance in parallel experiments for each metal does not exceed 4%

Measurement of unattached radon progeny based in electrostatic deposition method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canoba, A.C.; Lopez, F.O.

1999-01-01

A method for the measurement of unattached radon progeny based on its electrostatic deposition onto wire screens, using only one pump, has been implemented and calibrated. The importance of being able of making use of this method is related with the special radiological significance that has the unattached fraction of the short-lived radon progeny. Because of this, the assessment of exposure could be directly related to dose with far greater accuracy than before. The advantages of this method are its simplicity, even with the tools needed for the sample collection, as well as the measurement instruments used. Also, the suitability of this method is enhanced by the fact that it can effectively be used with a simple measuring procedure such as the Kusnetz method. (author)

Testing and Validation of the Dynamic Interia Measurement Method

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, Alexander; Herrera, Claudia; Spivey, Natalie; Fladung, William; Cloutier, David

2015-01-01

This presentation describes the DIM method and how it measures the inertia properties of an object by analyzing the frequency response functions measured during a ground vibration test (GVT). The DIM method has been in development at the University of Cincinnati and has shown success on a variety of small scale test articles. The NASA AFRC version was modified for larger applications.

The estimation of the measurement results with using statistical methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ukrmetrteststandard, 4, Metrologichna Str., 03680, Kyiv (Ukraine))" data-affiliation=" (State Enterprise Ukrmetrteststandard, 4, Metrologichna Str., 03680, Kyiv (Ukraine))" >Velychko, O; UkrNDIspirtbioprod, 3, Babushkina Lane, 03190, Kyiv (Ukraine))" data-affiliation=" (State Scientific Institution UkrNDIspirtbioprod, 3, Babushkina Lane, 03190, Kyiv (Ukraine))" >Gordiyenko, T

2015-01-01

The row of international standards and guides describe various statistical methods that apply for a management, control and improvement of processes with the purpose of realization of analysis of the technical measurement results. The analysis of international standards and guides on statistical methods estimation of the measurement results recommendations for those applications in laboratories is described. For realization of analysis of standards and guides the cause-and-effect Ishikawa diagrams concerting to application of statistical methods for estimation of the measurement results are constructed

The estimation of the measurement results with using statistical methods

Science.gov (United States)

Velychko, O.; Gordiyenko, T.

2015-02-01

The row of international standards and guides describe various statistical methods that apply for a management, control and improvement of processes with the purpose of realization of analysis of the technical measurement results. The analysis of international standards and guides on statistical methods estimation of the measurement results recommendations for those applications in laboratories is described. For realization of analysis of standards and guides the cause-and-effect Ishikawa diagrams concerting to application of statistical methods for estimation of the measurement results are constructed.

PHASE GRADIENT METHOD OF MAGNETIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. G. Ptitsyna

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Operation of electric and hybrid vehicles demands real time magnetic field control, for instance, for fire and electromagnetic safety. The article deals with a method of magnetic field measurements onboard electric cars taking into account peculiar features of these fields. The method is based on differential methods of measurements, and minimizes the quantity of magnetic sensors.

An interlaboratory comparison of methods for measuring rock matrix porosity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasilainen, K.; Hellmuth, K.H.; Kivekaes, L.; Ruskeeniemi, T.; Melamed, A.; Siitari-Kauppi, M.

1996-09-01

An interlaboratory comparison study was conducted for the available Finnish methods of rock matrix porosity measurements. The aim was first to compare different experimental methods for future applications, and second to obtain quality assured data for the needs of matrix diffusion modelling. Three different versions of water immersion techniques, a tracer elution method, a helium gas through-diffusion method, and a C-14-PMMA method were tested. All methods selected for this study were established experimental tools in the respective laboratories, and they had already been individually tested. Rock samples for the study were obtained from a homogeneous granitic drill core section from the natural analogue site at Palmottu. The drill core section was cut into slabs that were expected to be practically identical. The subsamples were then circulated between the different laboratories using a round robin approach. The circulation was possible because all methods were non-destructive, except the C-14-PMMA method, which was always the last method to be applied. The possible effect of drying temperature on the measured porosity was also preliminarily tested. These measurements were done in the order of increasing drying temperature. Based on the study, it can be concluded that all methods are comparable in their accuracy. The selection of methods for future applications can therefore be based on practical considerations. Drying temperature seemed to have very little effect on the measured porosity, but a more detailed study is needed for definite conclusions. (author) (4 refs.)

Independent effects of relevance and arousal on deductive reasoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Caparos, Serge; Blanchette, Isabelle

2017-08-01

Emotional content can have either a deleterious or a beneficial impact on logicality. Using standard deductive-reasoning tasks, we tested the hypothesis that the interplay of two factors - personal relevance and arousal - determines the nature of the effect of emotional content on logicality. Arousal was assessed using measures of skin conductance. Personal relevance was manipulated by asking participants to reason about semantic contents linked to an emotional event that they had experienced or not. Findings showed that (1) personal relevance exerts a positive effect on logicality while arousal exerts a negative effect, and that (2) these effects are independent of each other.

Passive Rn dose meters - measuring methods appropriate for large measurement series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urban, M.; Kiefer, H.

1985-01-01

Passive integrating measuring methods can be classified in several groups by their functioning principle, e.g. spray chambers or open chambers with nuclear trace detectors or TL detectors, open detectors, activated carbon dose meters with or without TL detectors. According to the functioning principle, only radon or radon and fission products can be detected. The lecture gives a survey of the present state of development of passive Rn dose meters. By the example of the Ra dose meter developed at Karlsruhe which was used in inquiry measurements carried out in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria, etching technology, estimation of measuring uncertainties, reproducibility and fading behaviour shall be discussed. (orig./HP) [de

Measurement of subcriticality by a pulsing α-method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jitarev, V.E.; Kachanov, V.M.; Kuzmin, A.N.

1999-01-01

The report presents results of a pulsing α-method [1] for determination of the WWER system subcriticality. The pulsing α-method permits to conduct measurements of system subcriticality in conditions of subcritical state and large neutron background. Therefore this method can be used for the control of a subcriticality of storehouses of a burn up nuclear fuel and stopped reactor. (Authors)

Investigation on field method using strain measurement on pipe surface to measure pressure pulsation in piping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maekawa, Akira; Tsuji, Takashi; Takahashi, Tsuneo; Kato, Minoru

2013-01-01

Accurate evaluation of the occurrence location and amplitude of pressure pulsations in piping systems can lead to efficient plant maintenance by preventing fatigue failure of piping and components because the pulsations can be one of the main causes of vibration fatigue and acoustic noise in piping. A non-destructive field method to measure pressure pulsations easily and directly was proposed to replace conventional methods such as prediction using numerical simulations and estimation using locally installed pressure gauges. The proposed method was validated experimentally by measuring pulsating flow in a mock-up piping system. As a result, it was demonstrated that the method to combine strain measurement on the outer surface of pipe with the formula for thick-walled cylinders could measure amplitudes and behavior of the pressure pulsations with a practical accuracy. Factors affecting the measurement accuracy of the proposed method were also discussed. Furthermore, the applicability of the formula for thin-walled cylinders was examined for variously shaped pipes. (author)

Measurement methods for several properties of scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Fengqun; Ji Changsong

1998-01-01

The current paper describes the experimental measurement methods for the relative light output, the relative energy conversion efficiency, the intrinsic amplitude resolution and the detection efficiency of the scintillators and their temperature effects

A brief measure of attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Lynne D; Povee, Kate

2014-01-01

The adoption of mixed methods research in psychology has trailed behind other social science disciplines. Teaching psychology students, academics, and practitioners about mixed methodologies may increase the use of mixed methods within the discipline. However, tailoring and evaluating education and training in mixed methodologies requires an understanding of, and way of measuring, attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology. To date, no such measure exists. In this article we present the development and initial validation of a new measure: Attitudes toward Mixed Methods Research in Psychology. A pool of 42 items developed from previous qualitative research on attitudes toward mixed methods research along with validation measures was administered via an online survey to a convenience sample of 274 psychology students, academics and psychologists. Principal axis factoring with varimax rotation on a subset of the sample produced a four-factor, 12-item solution. Confirmatory factor analysis on a separate subset of the sample indicated that a higher order four factor model provided the best fit to the data. The four factors; 'Limited Exposure,' '(in)Compatibility,' 'Validity,' and 'Tokenistic Qualitative Component'; each have acceptable internal reliability. Known groups validity analyses based on preferred research orientation and self-rated mixed methods research skills, and convergent and divergent validity analyses based on measures of attitudes toward psychology as a science and scientist and practitioner orientation, provide initial validation of the measure. This brief, internally reliable measure can be used in assessing attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology, measuring change in attitudes as part of the evaluation of mixed methods education, and in larger research programs.

Flow-rate measurement using radioactive tracers and transit time method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turtiainen, Heikki

1986-08-01

The transit time method is a flow measurement method based on tracer techniques. Measurement is done by injecting to the flow a pulse of tracer and measuring its transit time between two detection positions. From the transit time the mean flow velosity and - using the pipe cross section area - the volume flow rate can be calculated. When a radioisotope tracer is used the measurement can be done from outside the pipe and without disturbing the process (excluding the tracer injection). The use of the transit time method has been limited because of difficulties associated with handling and availability of radioactive tracers and lack of equipment suitable for routine use in industrial environments. The purpose of this study was to find out if these difficulties may be overcome by using a portable isotope generator as a tracer source and automating the measurement. In the study a test rig and measuring equipment based on the use of a ''1''3''7Cs/''1''3''7''''mBa isotope generator were constructed. They were used to study the accuracy and error sources of the method and to compare different algorithms to calculate the transit time. The usability of the method and the equipment in industrial environments were studied by carrying out over 20 flow measurements in paper and pulp mills. On the basis of the results of the study, a project for constructing a compact radiatracer flowmeter for industrial use has been started. The application range of this kind of meter is very large. The most obvious applications are in situ calibration of flowmeters, material and energy balance studies, process equipment analyses (e.g. pump efficiency analyses). At the moment tracer techniques are the only methods applicable to these measurements on-line and with sufficient accuracy

Development of a clinically relevant impingement test method for a mobile bearing lumbar total disc replacement.

Science.gov (United States)

Siskey, Ryan; Peck, Jonathan; Mehta, Hitesh; Kosydar, Allison; Kurtz, Steven; Hill, Genevieve

2016-09-01

Total disc arthroplasty is an alternative therapy to spinal fusion for the treatment of neck or low back pain and is hypothesized to reduce the risk of disease progression to the adjacent spinal levels. Radiographic and retrieval analyses of various total disc replacements (TDRs) have shown evidence of impingement damage. Impingement of TDRs can occur when the device reaches the limits of its functional range of motion, causing contact between peripheral regions of the device. Impingement can be associated with increased wear and mechanical damage; however, impingement conditions are not simulated in current standardized mechanical bench test methods. This study explored the test conditions necessary to apply clinically relevant impingement loading to a lumbar TDR in vitro. An experimental protocol was developed and evaluated using in vivo retrievals for qualitative and quantitative validation. Retrieval analysis was conducted on a set of 11 size 3 retrieved Charité devices using American Society for Testing and Materials F561 as a guide. The impingement range of motion was determined using a combination of modeling and experiments, and was used as an input in vitro testing. A 1-million cycle in vitro test was then conducted, and the in vitro samples were characterized using methods similar to the retreived devices. All in vitro tested samples exhibited impingement regions and damage patterns consistent with retrieved devices. Consistent with the retrievals, the impingement damage on the rim was a combination of abrasive wear and plastic deformation. Micro computed tomography (microCT) was used to quantitatively assess rim damage due to impingement. Rim penetration was statistically lower in the retrievals when compared with both in vitro groups. Rim elongation was comparable among all groups. The simulated-facet group had statistically greater angular rim deformations than the retrieval group and the no-facet group. Results demonstrate that clinically relevant

Characterisation and optimisation of a sample preparation method for the detection and quantification of atmospherically relevant carbonyl compounds in aqueous medium

Science.gov (United States)

Rodigast, M.; Mutzel, A.; Iinuma, Y.; Haferkorn, S.; Herrmann, H.

2015-06-01

Carbonyl compounds are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and either emitted primarily from anthropogenic and biogenic sources or they are produced secondarily from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds. Despite a number of studies about the quantification of carbonyl compounds a comprehensive description of optimised methods is scarce for the quantification of atmospherically relevant carbonyl compounds. The method optimisation was conducted for seven atmospherically relevant carbonyl compounds including acrolein, benzaldehyde, glyoxal, methyl glyoxal, methacrolein, methyl vinyl ketone and 2,3-butanedione. O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) was used as derivatisation reagent and the formed oximes were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). With the present method quantification can be carried out for each carbonyl compound originating from fog, cloud and rain or sampled from the gas- and particle phase in water. Detection limits between 0.01 and 0.17 μmol L-1 were found, depending on carbonyl compounds. Furthermore, best results were found for the derivatisation with a PFBHA concentration of 0.43 mg mL-1 for 24 h followed by a subsequent extraction with dichloromethane for 30 min at pH = 1. The optimised method was evaluated in the present study by the OH radical initiated oxidation of 3-methylbutanone in the aqueous phase. Methyl glyoxal and 2,3-butanedione were found to be oxidation products in the samples with a yield of 2% for methyl glyoxal and 14% for 2,3-butanedione after a reaction time of 5 h.

Pressure measurement using thermal properties of materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz Pessoa, Jose Dalton; Calbo, Adonai Gimenes

2004-01-01

This work presents a design and two methods, one isothermal and one isovolumetric, for pressure measurements based on the compressibility coefficient (κ) and thermal expansibility (α) of the fluid under test. The setup and relevant construction details are described. To demonstrate the applicability of the isovolumetric measurement method, the setup was calibrated with respect to a Bourdon-type manometer; the other isothermic method was analyzed to determine construction details that could realize resolution requirements. The authors determined the effect of ambient temperature on device operation and the time response of the isovolumetric method. The device can be used to estimate the compressibility of a fluid and, in addition, could become an alternative for direct plant cell turgor measurement

The flow measurement methods for the primary system of integral reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.; Seo, J. K.; Lee, D. J.

2001-01-01

It is the common features of the integral reactors that the main components of the primary system are installed within the reactor vessel, and so there are no any flow pipes connecting the reactor coolant pumps or steam generators. Due to no any flow pipes, it is impossible to measure the differential pressure at the primary system of the integral reactors, and it also makes impossible measure the primary coolant flow rate. The objective of the study is to draw up the flow measurement methods for the primary system of integral reactors. As a result of the review, we have made a selection of the flow measurement method by pump speed, bt HBM, and by pump motor power as the flow measurement methods for the primary system of integral reactors. Peculiarly, we did not found out a precedent which the direct pump motor power-flow rate curve is used as the flow measurement method in the existing commercial nuclear power reactors. Therefore, to use this method for integral reactors, it is needed to bear the follow-up measures in mind. The follow-up measures is included in this report

The identification and repair of anomalous measurements in the measurement of big diameter based on rolling-wheel method

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Haiou; Yu, Xiaofen

2011-05-01

Rolling-wheel method is an effective way of measuring big diameter. After amending the temperature error and pressure error, the uncertainty of measurement can not be φ =5um/m stably because of the influence of skid. The traditional method of identifying skid loses sight of the influences of the unstable motor speed, the appearance form error and the eccentric of installation of the big axis and rolling wheel and so on, so the method has its limitation. In this paper, a new method of multiple identification and repair is introduced, namely n diameters are measured and Chauvenet standard is used for identifying the anomalous measurements one by one, and then the average value of the remaining data is used for repairing identified anomalous measurements, and the next round identification and repair is carried out until the accuracy requirement of the measurement is satisfied. The result of experiments indicates that the method can identify anomalous measurements whose offsets caused by the skid are greater than 0.2φ , and the uncertainty of measurement has improved substantially.

Assessment and comparison of methods for solar ultraviolet radiation measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leszczynski, K

1995-06-01

In the study, the different methods to measure the solar ultraviolet radiation are compared. The methods included are spectroradiometric, erythemally weighted broadband and multi-channel measurements. The comparison of the different methods is based on a literature review and assessments of optical characteristics of the spectroradiometer Optronic 742 of the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (STUK) and of the erythemally weighted Robertson-Berger type broadband radiometers Solar Light models 500 and 501 of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and STUK. An introduction to the sources of error in solar UV measurements, to methods for radiometric characterization of UV radiometers together with methods for error reduction are presented. Reviews on experiences from world-wide UV monitoring efforts and instrumentation as well as on the results from international UV radiometer intercomparisons are also presented. (62 refs.).

Assessment and comparison of methods for solar ultraviolet radiation measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leszczynski, K.

1995-06-01

In the study, the different methods to measure the solar ultraviolet radiation are compared. The methods included are spectroradiometric, erythemally weighted broadband and multi-channel measurements. The comparison of the different methods is based on a literature review and assessments of optical characteristics of the spectroradiometer Optronic 742 of the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (STUK) and of the erythemally weighted Robertson-Berger type broadband radiometers Solar Light models 500 and 501 of the Finnish Meteorological Institute and STUK. An introduction to the sources of error in solar UV measurements, to methods for radiometric characterization of UV radiometers together with methods for error reduction are presented. Reviews on experiences from world-wide UV monitoring efforts and instrumentation as well as on the results from international UV radiometer intercomparisons are also presented. (62 refs.)

A multi-scale relevance vector regression approach for daily urban water demand forecasting

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Yun; Wang, Pu; Li, Chuan; Xie, Jingjing; Wang, Yin

2014-09-01

Water is one of the most important resources for economic and social developments. Daily water demand forecasting is an effective measure for scheduling urban water facilities. This work proposes a multi-scale relevance vector regression (MSRVR) approach to forecast daily urban water demand. The approach uses the stationary wavelet transform to decompose historical time series of daily water supplies into different scales. At each scale, the wavelet coefficients are used to train a machine-learning model using the relevance vector regression (RVR) method. The estimated coefficients of the RVR outputs for all of the scales are employed to reconstruct the forecasting result through the inverse wavelet transform. To better facilitate the MSRVR forecasting, the chaos features of the daily water supply series are analyzed to determine the input variables of the RVR model. In addition, an adaptive chaos particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to find the optimal combination of the RVR model parameters. The MSRVR approach is evaluated using real data collected from two waterworks and is compared with recently reported methods. The results show that the proposed MSRVR method can forecast daily urban water demand much more precisely in terms of the normalized root-mean-square error, correlation coefficient, and mean absolute percentage error criteria.

Quantifying the measurement uncertainty of results from environmental analytical methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Moser, J; Wegscheider, W; Sperka-Gottlieb, C

2001-07-01

The Eurachem-CITAC Guide Quantifying Uncertainty in Analytical Measurement was put into practice in a public laboratory devoted to environmental analytical measurements. In doing so due regard was given to the provisions of ISO 17025 and an attempt was made to base the entire estimation of measurement uncertainty on available data from the literature or from previously performed validation studies. Most environmental analytical procedures laid down in national or international standards are the result of cooperative efforts and put into effect as part of a compromise between all parties involved, public and private, that also encompasses environmental standards and statutory limits. Central to many procedures is the focus on the measurement of environmental effects rather than on individual chemical species. In this situation it is particularly important to understand the measurement process well enough to produce a realistic uncertainty statement. Environmental analytical methods will be examined as far as necessary, but reference will also be made to analytical methods in general and to physical measurement methods where appropriate. This paper describes ways and means of quantifying uncertainty for frequently practised methods of environmental analysis. It will be shown that operationally defined measurands are no obstacle to the estimation process as described in the Eurachem/CITAC Guide if it is accepted that the dominating component of uncertainty comes from the actual practice of the method as a reproducibility standard deviation.

Impulse method for temperature measurement of silicon detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kushpil, V.V.; Kushpil, S.A.; Petracek, V.

1999-01-01

A new impulse method of temperature measurement based on switching characteristic of the P-N junction is described. Temperature of silicon detector can be determined, due to the strong temperature dependence of minority carrier lifetime, from the charge registered during the switching-off process. The method has been tested in temperature range 25 - 60 deg C. Advantages, drawbacks and precision of this method are discussed

Neutron activation analysis: A primary method of measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenberg, Robert R., E-mail: robert.greenberg@nist.gov [National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8395 (United States); Bode, Peter, E-mail: p.bode@tudelft.nl [Delft University of Technology, Delft (Netherlands); De Nadai Fernandes, Elisabete A., E-mail: lis@cena.usp.br [Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, SP (Brazil)

2011-03-15

Neutron activation analysis (NAA), based on the comparator method, has the potential to fulfill the requirements of a primary ratio method as defined in 1998 by the Comite Consultatif pour la Quantite de Matiere - Metrologie en Chimie (CCQM, Consultative Committee on Amount of Substance - Metrology in Chemistry). This thesis is evidenced in this paper in three chapters by: demonstration that the method is fully physically and chemically understood; that a measurement equation can be written down in which the values of all parameters have dimensions in SI units and thus having the potential for metrological traceability to these units; that all contributions to uncertainty of measurement can be quantitatively evaluated, underpinning the metrological traceability; and that the performance of NAA in CCQM key-comparisons of trace elements in complex matrices between 2000 and 2007 is similar to the performance of Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry (IDMS), which had been formerly designated by the CCQM as a primary ratio method.

Measurements of industrial fugitive emissions by the FTIR Tracer Method (FTM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mellqvist, J.; Arlander, B.; Galle, B.; Bergqvist, B.

1996-01-01

A new method called the FTIR Tracer Method (FTM), has been developed for measuring and quantifying fugitive (diffuse) emissions of hydrocarbons. The method has been evaluated in field experiments which were conducted in the vicinity of several petrochemical plants and an oil refinery during 1993-1995. The technique is based on concentration measurements with infrared remote sensing by Long Path Fourier Transform InfraRed (LPFTIR), combined with tracer releases. The field experiments show the FTM to be very useful for mass flux measurements of both alkanes and alkenes and that the measurements are consistent with the conventional SF 6 method. However, the technique needs to be further validated and a more thorough understanding of the measurement uncertainties have to be achieved

Towards identification of relevant variables in the observed aerosol optical depth bias between MODIS and AERONET observations

Science.gov (United States)

Malakar, N. K.; Lary, D. J.; Gencaga, D.; Albayrak, A.; Wei, J.

2013-08-01

Measurements made by satellite remote sensing, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and globally distributed Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) are compared. Comparison of the two datasets measurements for aerosol optical depth values show that there are biases between the two data products. In this paper, we present a general framework towards identifying relevant set of variables responsible for the observed bias. We present a general framework to identify the possible factors influencing the bias, which might be associated with the measurement conditions such as the solar and sensor zenith angles, the solar and sensor azimuth, scattering angles, and surface reflectivity at the various measured wavelengths, etc. Specifically, we performed analysis for remote sensing Aqua-Land data set, and used machine learning technique, neural network in this case, to perform multivariate regression between the ground-truth and the training data sets. Finally, we used mutual information between the observed and the predicted values as the measure of similarity to identify the most relevant set of variables. The search is brute force method as we have to consider all possible combinations. The computations involves a huge number crunching exercise, and we implemented it by writing a job-parallel program.

Measuring of heat transfer coefficient

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henningsen, Poul; Lindegren, Maria

Subtask 3.4 Measuring of heat transfer coefficient Subtask 3.4.1 Design and setting up of tests to measure heat transfer coefficient Objective: Complementary testing methods together with the relevant experimental equipment are to be designed by the two partners involved in order to measure...... the heat transfer coefficient for a wide range of interface conditions in hot and warm forging processes. Subtask 3.4.2 Measurement of heat transfer coefficient The objective of subtask 3.4.2 is to determine heat transfer values for different interface conditions reflecting those typically operating in hot...

Statistical methods for assessing agreement between continuous measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sokolowski, Ineta; Hansen, Rikke Pilegaard; Vedsted, Peter

Background: Clinical research often involves study of agreement amongst observers. Agreement can be measured in different ways, and one can obtain quite different values depending on which method one uses. Objective: We review the approaches that have been discussed to assess the agreement between...... continuous measures and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. Different methods are illustrated using actual data from the `Delay in diagnosis of cancer in general practice´ project in Aarhus, Denmark. Subjects and Methods: We use weighted kappa-statistic, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC......), concordance coefficient, Bland-Altman limits of agreement and percentage of agreement to assess the agreement between patient reported delay and doctor reported delay in diagnosis of cancer in general practice. Key messages: The correct statistical approach is not obvious. Many studies give the product...

Instrumentation and method for measuring NIR light absorbed in tissue during MR imaging in medical NIRS measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Myllylä, Teemu S.; Sorvoja, Hannu S. S.; Nikkinen, Juha; Tervonen, Osmo; Kiviniemi, Vesa; Myllylä, Risto A.

2011-07-01

Our goal is to provide a cost-effective method for examining human tissue, particularly the brain, by the simultaneous use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Due to its compatibility requirements, MRI poses a demanding challenge for NIRS measurements. This paper focuses particularly on presenting the instrumentation and a method for the non-invasive measurement of NIR light absorbed in human tissue during MR imaging. One practical method to avoid disturbances in MR imaging involves using long fibre bundles to enable conducting the measurements at some distance from the MRI scanner. This setup serves in fact a dual purpose, since also the NIRS device will be less disturbed by the MRI scanner. However, measurements based on long fibre bundles suffer from light attenuation. Furthermore, because one of our primary goals was to make the measuring method as cost-effective as possible, we used high-power light emitting diodes instead of more expensive lasers. The use of LEDs, however, limits the maximum output power which can be extracted to illuminate the tissue. To meet these requirements, we improved methods of emitting light sufficiently deep into tissue. We also show how to measure NIR light of a very small power level that scatters from the tissue in the MRI environment, which is characterized by strong electromagnetic interference. In this paper, we present the implemented instrumentation and measuring method and report on test measurements conducted during MRI scanning. These measurements were performed in MRI operating rooms housing 1.5 Tesla-strength closed MRI scanners (manufactured by GE) in the Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology at the Oulu University Hospital.

Precision lifetime measurements using the recoil distance method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruecken, R.

2000-01-01

The recoil distance method (RDM) for the measurements of lifetimes of excited nuclear levels in the range from about 1 ps to 1,000 ps is reviewed. The New Yale Plunger Device for RDM experiments is introduced and the Differential Decay Curve Method for their analysis is reviewed. Results from recent RDM experiments on SD bands in the mass-190 region, shears bands in the neutron deficient lead isotopes, and ground state bands in the mass-130 region are presented. Perspectives for the use of RDM measurements in the study of neutron-rich nuclei are discussed

Precision Lifetime Measurements Using the Recoil Distance Method

Science.gov (United States)

Krücken, R.

2000-01-01

The recoil distance method (RDM) for the measurements of lifetimes of excited nuclear levels in the range from about 1 ps to 1000 ps is reviewed. The New Yale Plunger Device for RDM experiments is introduced and the Differential Decay Curve Method for their analysis is reviewed. Results from recent RDM experiments on SD bands in the mass-190 region, shears bands in the neutron deficient lead isotopes, and ground state bands in the mass-130 region are presented. Perspectives for the use of RDM measurements in the study of neutron-rich nuclei are discussed. PMID:27551587

A brief measure of attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Lynne D.; Povee, Kate

2014-01-01

The adoption of mixed methods research in psychology has trailed behind other social science disciplines. Teaching psychology students, academics, and practitioners about mixed methodologies may increase the use of mixed methods within the discipline. However, tailoring and evaluating education and training in mixed methodologies requires an understanding of, and way of measuring, attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology. To date, no such measure exists. In this article we present the development and initial validation of a new measure: Attitudes toward Mixed Methods Research in Psychology. A pool of 42 items developed from previous qualitative research on attitudes toward mixed methods research along with validation measures was administered via an online survey to a convenience sample of 274 psychology students, academics and psychologists. Principal axis factoring with varimax rotation on a subset of the sample produced a four-factor, 12-item solution. Confirmatory factor analysis on a separate subset of the sample indicated that a higher order four factor model provided the best fit to the data. The four factors; ‘Limited Exposure,’ ‘(in)Compatibility,’ ‘Validity,’ and ‘Tokenistic Qualitative Component’; each have acceptable internal reliability. Known groups validity analyses based on preferred research orientation and self-rated mixed methods research skills, and convergent and divergent validity analyses based on measures of attitudes toward psychology as a science and scientist and practitioner orientation, provide initial validation of the measure. This brief, internally reliable measure can be used in assessing attitudes toward mixed methods research in psychology, measuring change in attitudes as part of the evaluation of mixed methods education, and in larger research programs. PMID:25429281

Measuring digit lengths with 3D digital stereophotogrammetry: A comparison across methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Gremba, Allison; Weinberg, Seth M

2018-05-09

We compared digital 3D stereophotogrammetry to more traditional measurement methods (direct anthropometry and 2D scanning) to capture digit lengths and ratios. The length of the second and fourth digits was measured by each method and the second-to-fourth ratio was calculated. For each digit measurement, intraobserver agreement was calculated for each of the three collection methods. Further, measurements from the three methods were compared directly to one another. Agreement statistics included the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and technical error of measurement (TEM). Intraobserver agreement statistics for the digit length measurements were high for all three methods; ICC values exceeded 0.97 and TEM values were below 1 mm. For digit ratio, intraobserver agreement was also acceptable for all methods, with direct anthropometry exhibiting lower agreement (ICC = 0.87) compared to indirect methods. For the comparison across methods, the overall agreement was high for digit length measurements (ICC values ranging from 0.93 to 0.98; TEM values below 2 mm). For digit ratios, high agreement was observed between the two indirect methods (ICC = 0.93), whereas indirect methods showed lower agreement when compared to direct anthropometry (ICC < 0.75). Digit measurements and derived ratios from 3D stereophotogrammetry showed high intraobserver agreement (similar to more traditional methods) suggesting that landmarks could be placed reliably on 3D hand surface images. While digit length measurements were found to be comparable across all three methods, ratios derived from direct anthropometry tended to be higher than those calculated indirectly from 2D or 3D images. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comparison of microstickies measurement methods. Part II, Results and discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Mahendra R. Doshi; Angeles Blanco; Carlos Negro; Concepcion Monte; Gilles M. Dorris; Carlos C. Castro; Axel Hamann; R. Daniel Haynes; Carl Houtman; Karen Scallon; Hans-Joachim Putz; Hans Johansson; R. A. Venditti; K. Copeland; H.-M. Chang

2003-01-01

In part I of the article we discussed sample preparation procedure and described various methods used for the measurement of microstickies. Some of the important features of different methods are highlighted in Table 1. Temperatures used in the measurement methods vary from room temperature in some cases, 45 °C to 65 °C in other cases. Sample size ranges from as low as...

Digital photography and transparency-based methods for measuring wound surface area.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhedi, Amul; Saxena, Atul K; Gadani, Ravi; Patel, Ritesh

2013-04-01

To compare and determine a credible method of measurement of wound surface area by linear, transparency, and photographic methods for monitoring progress of wound healing accurately and ascertaining whether these methods are significantly different. From April 2005 to December 2006, 40 patients (30 men, 5 women, 5 children) admitted to the surgical ward of Shree Sayaji General Hospital, Baroda, had clean as well as infected wound following trauma, debridement, pressure sore, venous ulcer, and incision and drainage. Wound surface areas were measured by these three methods (linear, transparency, and photographic methods) simultaneously on alternate days. The linear method is statistically and significantly different from transparency and photographic methods (P value transparency and photographic methods (P value >0.05). Photographic and transparency methods provided measurements of wound surface area with equivalent result and there was no statistically significant difference between these two methods.

Are Validity and Reliability "Relevant" in Qualitative Evaluation Research?

Science.gov (United States)

Goodwin, Laura D.; Goodwin, William L.

1984-01-01

The views of prominant qualitative methodologists on the appropriateness of validity and reliability estimation for the measurement strategies employed in qualitative evaluations are summarized. A case is made for the relevance of validity and reliability estimation. Definitions of validity and reliability for qualitative measurement are presented…

Measurement of subcritical multiplication by the interval distribution method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, G.W.

1985-01-01

The prompt decay constant or the subcritical neutron multiplication may be determined by measuring the distribution of the time intervals between successive neutron counts. The distribution data is analyzed by least-squares fitting to a theoretical distribution function derived from a point reactor probability model. Published results of measurements with one- and two-detector systems are discussed. Data collection times are shorter, and statistical errors are smaller the nearer the system is to delayed critical. Several of the measurements indicate that a shorter data collection time and higher accuracy are possible with the interval distribution method than with the Feynman variance method

Method for 3D profilometry measurement based on contouring moire fringe

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Zhiwei; Lin, Juhua

2007-12-01

3D shape measurement is one of the most active branches of optical research recently. A method of 3D profilometry measurement by the combination of Moire projection method and phase-shifting technology based on SCM (Single Chip Microcomputer) control is presented in the paper. Automatic measurement of 3D surface profiles can be carried out by applying this method with high speed and high precision.

Measuring reinforcement learning and motivation constructs in experimental animals: relevance to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Science.gov (United States)

Markou, Athina; Salamone, John D.; Bussey, Timothy; Mar, Adam; Brunner, Daniela; Gilmour, Gary; Balsam, Peter

2013-01-01

The present review article summarizes and expands upon the discussions that were initiated during a meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS; http://cntrics.ucdavis.edu). A major goal of the CNTRICS meeting was to identify experimental procedures and measures that can be used in laboratory animals to assess psychological constructs that are related to the psychopathology of schizophrenia. The issues discussed in this review reflect the deliberations of the Motivation Working Group of the CNTRICS meeting, which included most of the authors of this article as well as additional participants. After receiving task nominations from the general research community, this working group was asked to identify experimental procedures in laboratory animals that can assess aspects of reinforcement learning and motivation that may be relevant for research on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as other disorders characterized by deficits in reinforcement learning and motivation. The tasks described here that assess reinforcement learning are the Autoshaping Task, Probabilistic Reward Learning Tasks, and the Response Bias Probabilistic Reward Task. The tasks described here that assess motivation are Outcome Devaluation and Contingency Degradation Tasks and Effort-Based Tasks. In addition to describing such methods and procedures, the present article provides a working vocabulary for research and theory in this field, as well as an industry perspective about how such tasks may be used in drug discovery. It is hoped that this review can aid investigators who are conducting research in this complex area, promote translational studies by highlighting shared research goals and fostering a common vocabulary across basic and clinical fields, and facilitate the development of medications for the treatment of symptoms mediated by reinforcement learning and motivational deficits. PMID:23994273

Measuring reinforcement learning and motivation constructs in experimental animals: relevance to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Markou, Athina; Salamone, John D; Bussey, Timothy J; Mar, Adam C; Brunner, Daniela; Gilmour, Gary; Balsam, Peter

2013-11-01

The present review article summarizes and expands upon the discussions that were initiated during a meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (CNTRICS; http://cntrics.ucdavis.edu) meeting. A major goal of the CNTRICS meeting was to identify experimental procedures and measures that can be used in laboratory animals to assess psychological constructs that are related to the psychopathology of schizophrenia. The issues discussed in this review reflect the deliberations of the Motivation Working Group of the CNTRICS meeting, which included most of the authors of this article as well as additional participants. After receiving task nominations from the general research community, this working group was asked to identify experimental procedures in laboratory animals that can assess aspects of reinforcement learning and motivation that may be relevant for research on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as other disorders characterized by deficits in reinforcement learning and motivation. The tasks described here that assess reinforcement learning are the Autoshaping Task, Probabilistic Reward Learning Tasks, and the Response Bias Probabilistic Reward Task. The tasks described here that assess motivation are Outcome Devaluation and Contingency Degradation Tasks and Effort-Based Tasks. In addition to describing such methods and procedures, the present article provides a working vocabulary for research and theory in this field, as well as an industry perspective about how such tasks may be used in drug discovery. It is hoped that this review can aid investigators who are conducting research in this complex area, promote translational studies by highlighting shared research goals and fostering a common vocabulary across basic and clinical fields, and facilitate the development of medications for the treatment of symptoms mediated by reinforcement learning and motivational deficits. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier

Measurement of micro Bubbles generated by a pressurized dissolution method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hosokawa, S; Tanaka, K; Tomiyama, A [Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501 (Japan); Maeda, Y; Yamaguchi, S; Ito, Y, E-mail: hosokawa@mech.kobe-u.ac.j [Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd., 1048 Kadoma, Osaka 571-8686 (Japan)

2009-02-01

Diameters of micro-bubbles are apt to range from about one mm to several-hundred mm, and therefore, it is difficult to measure a correct diameter distribution using a single measurement method. In this study, diameters of bubbles generated by a pressurized dissolution method are measured by using phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) and an image processing method, which is based on the Sobel filter and Hough transform. The diameter distribution and the Sauter mean diameter of micro bubbles are evaluated based on the diameters measured by both methods. Experiments are conducted for several mass flow rates of dissolved gas and of air bubbles entrained in the upstream of the decompression nozzle to examine effects of the entrained bubbles on bubble diameter. As a result, the following conclusions are obtained: (1) Diameter distribution of micro bubbles can be accurately measured for a wide range of diameter by using PDA and the image processing method. (2) The mean diameter of micro-bubbles generated by gasification of dissolved gas is smaller than that generated by breakup of air bubbles entrained in the upstream of the decompression nozzle. (3) The mean bubble diameter increases with the entrainment of air bubbles in the upstream of the decompression nozzle at a constant mass flow rate of dissolved gas.

Measurement of micro Bubbles generated by a pressurized dissolution method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosokawa, S; Tanaka, K; Tomiyama, A; Maeda, Y; Yamaguchi, S; Ito, Y

2009-01-01

Diameters of micro-bubbles are apt to range from about one mm to several-hundred mm, and therefore, it is difficult to measure a correct diameter distribution using a single measurement method. In this study, diameters of bubbles generated by a pressurized dissolution method are measured by using phase Doppler anemometry (PDA) and an image processing method, which is based on the Sobel filter and Hough transform. The diameter distribution and the Sauter mean diameter of micro bubbles are evaluated based on the diameters measured by both methods. Experiments are conducted for several mass flow rates of dissolved gas and of air bubbles entrained in the upstream of the decompression nozzle to examine effects of the entrained bubbles on bubble diameter. As a result, the following conclusions are obtained: (1) Diameter distribution of micro bubbles can be accurately measured for a wide range of diameter by using PDA and the image processing method. (2) The mean diameter of micro-bubbles generated by gasification of dissolved gas is smaller than that generated by breakup of air bubbles entrained in the upstream of the decompression nozzle. (3) The mean bubble diameter increases with the entrainment of air bubbles in the upstream of the decompression nozzle at a constant mass flow rate of dissolved gas.

Center index method-an alternative for wear measurements with radiostereometry (RSA).

Science.gov (United States)

Dahl, Jon; Figved, Wender; Snorrason, Finnur; Nordsletten, Lars; Röhrl, Stephan M

2013-03-01

Radiostereometry (RSA) is considered to be the most precise and accurate method for wear-measurements in total hip replacement. Post-operative stereoradiographs has so far been necessary for wear measurement. Hence, the use of RSA has been limited to studies planned for RSA measurements. We compared a new RSA method for wear measurements that does not require previous radiographs with conventional RSA. Instead of comparing present stereoradiographs with post-operative ones, we developed a method for calculating the post-operative position of the center of the femoral head on the present examination and using this as the index measurement. We compared this alternative method to conventional RSA in 27 hips in an ongoing RSA study. We found a high degree of agreement between the methods for both mean proximal (1.19 mm vs. 1.14 mm) and mean 3D wear (1.52 mm vs. 1.44 mm) after 10 years. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were 0.958 and 0.955, respectively (pRSA offers comparable results to conventional RSA measurements. It allows precise wear measurements without previous radiological examinations. Copyright © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society.

Methods and Devices used to Measure Friction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jeswiet, Jack; Arentoft, Mogens; Henningsen, Poul

2004-01-01

. To gain a good understanding of the mechanisms at the interface and to be able to verify the friction and tribology models that exist, friction sensors are needed. Designing sensors to measure friction-stress in metal working has been pursued by many researchers. This paper surveys methods, which have...... been tried in the past and discusses some of the recent sensor designs, which can now be used to measure Friction in both production situations and for research purposes....

Comparison of three methods for ascertainment of contact information relevant to respiratory pathogen transmission in encounter networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nathan Paula M

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mathematical models of infection that consider targeted interventions are exquisitely dependent on the assumed mixing patterns of the population. We report on a pilot study designed to assess three different methods (one retrospective, two prospective for obtaining contact data relevant to the determination of these mixing patterns. Methods 65 adults were asked to record their social encounters in each location visited during 6 study days using a novel method whereby a change in physical location of the study participant triggered data entry. Using a cross-over design, all participants recorded encounters on 3 days in a paper diary and 3 days using an electronic recording device (PDA. Participants were randomised to first prospective recording method. Results Both methods captured more contacts than a pre-study questionnaire, but ascertainment using the paper diary was superior to the PDA (mean difference: 4.52 (95% CI 0.28, 8.77. Paper diaries were found more acceptable to the participants compared with the PDA. Statistical analysis confirms that our results are broadly consistent with those reported from large-scale European based surveys. An association between household size (trend 0.14, 95% CI (0.06, 0.22, P P Conclusions The study's location-based reporting design allows greater scope compared to other methods for examining differences in the characteristics of encounters over a range of environments. Improved parameterisation of dynamic transmission models gained from work of this type will aid in the development of more robust decision support tools to assist health policy makers and planners.

Direct measurement of thermal effusivity of foods by front configuration of the photpyroelectric method

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Szafner, G.; Bicanic, D.D.; Kulcsár, R.; Doka, O.

2014-01-01

Thermophysical properties of foods are of considerable relevance to food industry. The One among less explored thermophysical quantities is the thermal effusivity. In this paper the front variant of the photopyroelectric method was applied to determine thermal effusivity of both, fresh hen egg¿s

Chapter 1: Introduction. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy-Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Michael [Dept. of Energy (DOE), Washington DC (United States). Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Haeri, Hossein [The Cadmus Group, Portland, OR (United States); Reynolds, Arlis [The Cadmus Group, Portland, OR (United States)

2017-09-28

This chapter provides a set of model protocols for determining energy and demand savings that result from specific energy efficiency measures implemented through state and utility efficiency programs. The methods described here are approaches that are or are among the most commonly used and accepted in the energy efficiency industry for certain measures or programs. As such, they draw from the existing body of research and best practices for energy efficiency program evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V). These protocols were developed as part of the Uniform Methods Project (UMP), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The principal objective for the project was to establish easy-to-follow protocols based on commonly accepted methods for a core set of widely deployed energy efficiency measures.

Faraday rotation measurement method and apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

Brockman, M. H. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

A method and device for measuring Faraday rotation of a received RF signal is described. A simultaneous orthogonal polarization receiver compensates for a 3 db loss due to splitting of a received signal into left circular and right circular polarization channels. The compensation is achieved by RF and modulation arraying utilizing a specific receiver array which also detects and measures Faraday rotation in the presence or absence of spin stabilization effects on a linear polarization vector. Either up-link or down-link measurement of Faraday rotation is possible. Specifically, the Faraday measurement apparatus utilized in conjunction with the specific receiver array provides a means for comparing the phase of a reference signal in the receiver array to the phase of a tracking loop signal related to the incoming signal, and comparing the phase of the reference signal to the phase of the tracking signal shifted in phase by 90 degrees. The averaged and unaveraged signals, are compared, the phase changes between the two signals being related to Faraday rotation.

Comparison of methods for measuring flux gradients in type II superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroeger, D.M.; Koch, C.C.; Charlesworth, J.P.

1975-01-01

A comparison has been made of four methods of measuring the critical current density J/sub c/ in hysteretic type II superconductors, having a wide range of K and J/sub c/ values, in magnetic fields up to 70 kOe. Two of the methods, (a) resistive measurements and (b) magnetization measurements, were carried out in static magnetic fields. The other two methods involved analysis of the response of the sample to a small alternating field superimposed on the static field. The response was analyzed either (c) by measuring the third-harmonic content or (d) by integration of the waveform to obtain measure of flux penetration. The results are discussed with reference to the agreement between the different techniques and the consistency of the critical state hypothesis on which all these techniques are based. It is concluded that flux-penetration measurements by method (d) provide the most detailed information about J/sub c/ but that one must be wary of minor failures of the critical state hypothesis. Best results are likely to be obtained by using more than one method. (U.S.)

Method for traceable measurement of LTE signals

Science.gov (United States)

Sunder Dash, Soumya; Pythoud, Frederic; Leuchtmann, Pascal; Leuthold, Juerg

2018-04-01

This contribution presents a reference setup to measure the power of the cell-specific resource elements present in downlink long term evolution (LTE) signals in a way that the measurements are traceable to the international system of units. This setup can be used to calibrate the LTE code-selective field probes that are used to measure the radiation of base stations for mobile telephony. It can also be used to calibrate LTE signal generators and receivers. The method is based on traceable scope measurements performed directly at the output of a measuring antenna. It implements offline digital signal processing demodulation algorithms that consider the digital down-conversion, timing synchronization, frequency synchronization, phase synchronization and robust LTE cell identification to produce the downlink time-frequency LTE grid. Experimental results on conducted test scenarios, both single-input-single-output and multiple-input-multiple-output antenna configuration, show promising results confirming measurement uncertainties of the order of 0.05 dB with a coverage factor of 2.

Radiometric measuring method for egg shells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forberg, S; Svaerdstroem, K

1973-02-01

A description is given of a fast nondestructive radiometric method for registration of the thickness of egg shells of the tawny owl, hen, osprey, and Canada goose. Certain errors are discussed. Measurement of the thickness of egg shells (mineral content per cm/sup 2/) with an accuracy better than 1% is possible in less than one minute under field conditions. (auth)

Stress measurement and bolt tensioning by ultrasonic methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, J.F.; Greiner, J.D.

1980-01-01

In the past decade, a new technique has been developed for measuring tensile stresses in solids. This ultrasonic technique has been used thus far primarily for measuring fastener tension. The precision of measurement is routinely to 2-3% and, with special care, to approx. 1%. The method is insensitive to the frictional losses which plague tensioning by torque wrench. Though the approach is relatively new, it promises a wide range of applicability

Stress Measurement and Bolt Tensioning by Ultrasonic Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J. F.; Greiner, John D.

1980-07-01

In the past decade, a new technique has been developed for measuring tensile stresses in solids. This ultrasonic technique has been used thus far primarily for measuring fastener tension. The precision of measurement is routinely to 2-3% and, with special care, to ˜1%. The method is insensitive to the frictional losses which plague tensioning by torque wrench. Though the approach is relatively new, it promises a wide range of applicability.

How to measure comorbidity. a critical review of available methods.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, V.; Beckerman, H.; Lankhorst, G.J.; Bouter, L.M.

2003-01-01

The object of this article was to systematically review available methods to measure comorbidity and to assess their validity and reliability. A search was made in Medline and Embase, with the keywords comorbidity and multi-morbidity, to identify articles in which a method to measure comorbidity was

How to measure comorbidity. A critical review of available methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, V; Beckerman, H; Lankhorst, G J; Bouter, L M

2003-01-01

The object of this article was to systematically review available methods to measure comorbidity and to assess their validity and reliability. A search was made in Medline and Embase, with the keywords comorbidity and multi-morbidity, to identify articles in which a method to measure comorbidity was

Phase Difference Measurement Method Based on Progressive Phase Shift

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Zhang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a method for phase difference measurement based on the principle of progressive phase shift (PPS. A phase difference measurement system based on PPS and implemented in the FPGA chip is proposed and tested. In the realized system, a fully programmable delay line (PDL is constructed, which provides accurate and stable delay, benefitting from the feed-back structure of the control module. The control module calibrates the delay according to process, voltage and temperature (PVT variations. Furthermore, a modified method based on double PPS is incorporated to improve the resolution. The obtained resolution is 25 ps. Moreover, to improve the resolution, the proposed method is implemented on the 20 nm Xilinx Kintex Ultrascale platform, and test results indicate that the obtained measurement error and clock synchronization error is within the range of ±5 ps.

Practical relevance of pattern uniqueness in forensic science.

Science.gov (United States)

Jayaprakash, Paul T

2013-09-10

Uniqueness being unprovable, it has recently been argued that individualization in forensic science is irrelevant and, probability, as applied for DNA profiles, should be applied for all identifications. Critiques against uniqueness have omitted physical matching, a realistic and tangible individualization that supports uniqueness. Describing case examples illustrating pattern matches including physical matching, it is indicated that individualizations are practically relevant for forensic science as they establish facts on a definitive basis providing firm leads benefitting criminal investigation. As a tenet of forensic identification, uniqueness forms a fundamental paradigm relevant for individualization. Evidence on the indeterministic and stochastic causal pathways of characteristics in patterns available in the related fields of science sufficiently supports the proposition of uniqueness. Characteristics involved in physical matching and matching achieved in patterned evidence existing in the state of nature are not events amenable for counting; instead these are ensemble of visible units occupying the entire pattern area stretching the probability of re-occurrence of a verisimilitude pattern into infinity offering epistemic support to uniqueness. Observational methods are as respectable as instrumental or statistical methods since they are capable of generating results that are tangible and obviously valid as in physical matching. Applying the probabilistic interpretation used for DNA profiles to the other patterns would be unbefitting since these two are disparate, the causal pathways of the events, the loci, in the manipulated DNA profiles being determinable. While uniqueness enables individualizations, it does not vouch for eliminating errors. Instead of dismissing uniqueness and individualization, accepting errors as human or system failures and seeking remedial measures would benefit forensic science practice and criminal investigation. Copyright © 2013

Application of Hot-wire Method for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Fine Ceramics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shangxi WANG

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Ceramic substrate is preferred in high density packaging due to its high electrical resistivity and moderate expansion coefficient. The thermal conductivity is a key parameter for packaging substrates. There are two common methods to measure the thermal conductivity, which are the hot-wire method and the laser-flash method. Usually, the thermal conductivities of porcelain is low and meet the measurement range of hot-wire method, and the measured value by hot-wire method has little difference with that by laser-flash method. In recent years, with the requirement of high-powered LED lighting, some kinds of ceramic substrates with good thermal conductivity have been developed and their thermal conductivity always measured by the means of laser flash method, which needs expensive instrument. In this paper, in order to detect the thermal conductivity of fine ceramic with convenience and low cost, the feasibility of replacing the laser flash method with hot wire method to measure thermal conductivity of ceramic composites was studied. The experiment results showed that the thermal conductivity value of fine ceramics measured by the hot-wire method is severely lower than that by the laser-flash method. However, there is a positive relationship between them. It is possible to measure the thermal conductivity of fine ceramic workpiece instantly by hot-wire method via a correction formula.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.22.4.12543

Method of superconducting joint and its measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Woo Gon; Lee, Ho Jin; Hong, Gye Won

1994-04-01

The development of joint techniques for superconducting wires is essential to fabricate the high quality superconducting magnet. In this report, the various joining methods and their measuring techniques were reviewed. In order to fabricate a precise superconducting magnet, joining and measuring experiment by using the field decay technique carried out. The contact resistance of coupled specimens with joint was measured as 3.0 x 10 -15 ohm at 1 Tesla which is lower than that of the real operating condition of MRI magnet. It is expected that these data can be used to design and fabricate the superconducting magnets successfully. (Author) 12 refs., 20 figs., 2 tabs

Sodium flow rate measurement method of annular linear induction pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araseki, Hideo; Kirillov, Igor R.; Preslitsky, Gennady V.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We found a new method of flow rate monitoring of electromagnetic pump. ► The method is very simple and does not require a large space. ► The method was verified with an experiment and a numerical analysis. ► The experimental data and the numerical results are in good agreement. - Abstract: The present paper proposes a method for measuring sodium flow rate of annular linear induction pumps. The feature of the method lies in measuring the leaked magnetic field with measuring coils near the stator end on the outlet side and in correlating it with the sodium flow rate. This method is verified through an experiment and a numerical analysis. The data obtained in the experiment reveals that the correlation between the leaked magnetic field and the sodium flow rate is almost linear. The result of the numerical analysis agrees with the experimental data. The present method will be particularly effective to sodium flow rate monitoring of each one of plural annular linear induction pumps arranged in parallel in a vessel which forms a large-scale pump unit.

Method for Measuring Small Nonlinearities of Electric Characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guldbrandsen, Tom; Meyer, Niels I; Schjær-Jacobsen, Jørgen

1965-01-01

A method is described for measuring very small deviations from linearity in electric characteristics. The measurement is based on the harmonics generated by the nonlinear element when subjected to a sine wave signal. A special bridge circuit is used to balance out the undesired harmonics...... of the signal generator together with the first harmonic frequency. The set-up measures the small-signal value and the first and second derivative with respect to voltage. The detailed circuits are given for measuring nonlinearities in Ohmic and capacitive components. In the Ohmic case, a sensitivity...

Calibration of quantitative neutron radiography method for moisture measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemec, T.; Jeraj, R.

1999-01-01

Quantitative measurements of moisture and hydrogenous matter in building materials by neutron radiography (NR) are regularly performed at TRIGA Mark II research of 'Jozef Stefan' Institute in Ljubljana. Calibration of quantitative method is performed using standard brick samples with known moisture content and also with a secondary standard, plexiglas step wedge. In general, the contribution of scattered neutrons to the neutron image is not determined explicitly what introduces an error to the measured signal. Influence of scattered neutrons is significant in regions with high gradients of moisture concentrations, where the build up of scattered neutrons causes distortion of the moisture concentration profile. In this paper detailed analysis of validity of our calibration method for different geometrical parameters is presented. The error in the measured hydrogen concentration is evaluated by an experiment and compared with results obtained by Monte Carlo calculation with computer code MCNP 4B. Optimal conditions are determined for quantitative moisture measurements in order to minimize the error due to scattered neutrons. The method is tested on concrete samples with high moisture content.(author)

Method for calibration measurement in a liquid scintillation counter and carrier used in the method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reunanen, M.A.

1976-01-01

The present invention relates to a method for use in liquid scintillation measurements to feed an accurately determined amount of radioactive substance to a fluid scintillation system for a calibration measurement. According to the invention an accurately determined amount of radioactive substance is adsorbed to a carrier, which is introduced into the fluid scintillation system. The invention also relates to a carrier for use in the method

Laser triangulation method for measuring the size of parking claw

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bo; Zhang, Ming; Pang, Ying

2017-10-01

With the development of science and technology and the maturity of measurement technology, the 3D profile measurement technology has been developed rapidly. Three dimensional measurement technology is widely used in mold manufacturing, industrial inspection, automatic processing and manufacturing, etc. There are many kinds of situations in scientific research and industrial production. It is necessary to transform the original mechanical parts into the 3D data model on the computer quickly and accurately. At present, many methods have been developed to measure the contour size, laser triangulation is one of the most widely used methods.

Water flow measurements with the pulsed neutron activation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linden, P.

1997-05-01

The objective of this work was to develop and study the feasibility of a flow-meter, based on the pulsed neutron activation method. It is a non-invasive method with good potential regarding accuracy. However, the ultimate accuracy has not been fully investigated before. Two series of flow rate measurements have been performed and analysed. The first series was done under moderately accurate flow calibration conditions to get sufficient confidence in the method and to get indication of the obtainable accuracy. The results were encouraging and further measurements with high accuracy flow calibration were planned. A dedicated loop was designed and built, and it was used with satisfactory performance. Two models have been used for analysis of recorded data; time weighting method and a fit to Taylor diffusion theory. The results show that the accuracy in mean flow velocity obtained from the used analysis models is in the range of 2-4% for Reynolds numbers greater than 10,000. Data recorded from high calibration measurements will also be used for validation of future calculations. 19 refs, 4 figs

Gravimetric method for in vitro calibration of skin hydration measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinsen, Ørjan G; Grimnes, Sverre; Nilsen, Jon K; Tronstad, Christian; Jang, Wooyoung; Kim, Hongsig; Shin, Kunsoo; Naderi, Majid; Thielmann, Frank

2008-02-01

A novel method for in vitro calibration of skin hydration measurements is presented. The method combines gravimetric and electrical measurements and reveals an exponential dependency of measured electrical susceptance to absolute water content in the epidermal stratum corneum. The results also show that absorption of water into the stratum corneum exhibits three different phases with significant differences in absorption time constant. These phases probably correspond to bound, loosely bound, and bulk water.

Comparison of two- and three-dimensional assessment methods of nasolabial appearance in cleft lip and palate patients: Do the assessment methods measure the same outcome?

Science.gov (United States)

Mosmuller, David G M; Maal, Thomas J; Prahl, Charlotte; Tan, Robin A; Mulder, Frans J; Schwirtz, Roderic M F; de Vet, Henrica C W; Bergé, Stefaan J; Don Griot, J P W

2017-08-01

For the assessment of the nasolabial appearance in cleft patients, a widely accepted, reliable scoring system is not available. In this study four different methods of assessment are compared, including 2D and 3D asymmetry and aesthetic assessments. The data and ratings from an earlier study using the Asher-McDade aesthetic index on 3D photographs and the outcomes of 3D facial distance mapping were compared to a 2D aesthetic assessment, the Cleft Aesthetic Rating Scale, and to SymNose, a computerized 2D asymmetry assessment technique. The reliability and correlation between the four assessment techniques were tested using a sample of 79 patients. The 3D asymmetry assessment had the highest reliability and could be performed by just one observer (Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC): 0.99). The 2D asymmetry assessment of the nose was highly reliable when performed by just one observer (ICC: 0.89). However, for the 2D asymmetry assessment of the lip more observers were needed. For the 2D aesthetic assessments 3 observers were needed. The 3D aesthetic assessment had the lowest single-observer reliability (ICC: 0.38-0.56) of all four techniques. The agreement between the different assessment methods is poor to very poor. The highest correlation (R: 0.48) was found between 2D and 3D aesthetic assessments. Remarkably, the lowest correlations were found between 2D and 3D asymmetry assessments (0.08-0.17). Different assessment methods are not in agreement and seem to measure different nasolabial aspects. More research is needed to establish exactly what each assessment technique measures and which measurements or outcomes are relevant for the patients. Copyright © 2017 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Methods for Assessing the Impact of Fog Oil Smoke on Availability, Palatability, & Food Quality of Relevant Life Stages of Insects for Threatened and Endangered Species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Driver, Crystal J.; Strenge, Dennis L.; Su, Yin-Fong; Cullinan, Valerie I.; Herrington, Ricky S.; Saunders, Danielle L.; Rogers, Lee E.

2007-04-01

A methodology for quantifying population dynamics and food source value of insect fauna in areas subjected to fog oil smoke was developed. Our approach employed an environmentally controlled re-circulating wind tunnel outfitted with a high-heat vaporization and re-condensation fog oil generator that has been shown to produce aerosols of comparable chemistry and droplet-size distribution as those of field releases of the smoke. This method provides reproducible exposures of insects under realistic climatic and environmental conditions to fog oil aerosols that duplicate chemical and droplet-size characteristics of field releases of the smoke. The responses measured take into account reduction in food sources due to death and to changes in availability of relevant life stages of insects that form the prey base for the listed Threatened and Endangered Species. The influence of key environmental factors, wind speed and canopy structure on these responses were characterized. Data generated using this method was used to develop response functions related to particle size, concentration, wind speed, and canopy structure that will allow military personnel to assess and manage impacts to endangered species from fog oil smoke used in military training.

Methods of measuring radioactivity in the environment

Science.gov (United States)

Isaksson, Mats

In this thesis a variety of sampling methods have been utilised to assess the amount of deposited activity, mainly of 137Cs, from the Chernobyl accident and from the nuclear weapons tests. Starting with the Chernobyl accident in 1986 sampling of air and rain was used to determine the composition and amount of radioactive debris from this accident, brought to southern Sweden by the weather systems. The resulting deposition and its removal from urban areas was than studied through measurements on sewage sludge and water. The main part of the thesis considers methods of determining the amount of radiocaesium in the ground through soil sampling. In connection with soil sampling a method of optimising the sampling procedure has been developed and tested in the areas of Sweden which have a comparatively high amount of 137Cs from the Chernobyl accident. This method was then used in a survey of the activity in soil in Lund and Skane, divided between nuclear weapons fallout and fallout from the Chernobyl accident. By comparing the results from this survey with deposition calculated from precipitation measurements it was found possible to predict the deposition pattern over Skane for both nuclear weapons fallout and fallout from the Chernobyl accident. In addition, the vertical distribution of 137Cs has been modelled and the temporal variation of the depth distribution has been described.

A new method of measuring the thermal flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grexová Slávka

2001-03-01

Full Text Available The subject of this article is the measurement of thermal flow under laboratory conditions. We can define thermal flow as the amount of heat transmitted through the surface of rock over a certain period of time.According to the Atlas of Geothermal Energy the thermal flow ranges from 40 to 120 mW/m2; it is not possible to measure directly on the surface of the rock. The conventional method of measurement is the use of “separation bar” thermic conduction measurement system or to measure the temperature of the rock in two different places at selected underground depth intervals.The method of measurement suggested by us combines these two techniques. The measurement is based on a sample of processed store from the Slovak Academy of Science. This sample represents the rock massiv:The complex model includes:- a heating system to imitate the thermal flow,- an isolation box to maintain stable conditions,- temperature stabilizing components (thermostat, bulbs, electric conductors,- a heat accumulator including a temperature sensor.A special computer program to measure the thermal flow was created using the Borland Delphi 3.0 programming language. The role of the program is to process extensive data quickly. The results of the measured temperatures and modelled thermal flow are displayed graphically in this article. As seen from the graph, the course of measurement thermal flow is linear. In our geographical location this value is cca 120 m W.m-2. This value proves, that at the projection physical model we are approximating to the reality in areas of sensitive elements. Another fact is that Joule heat which rose into a heater system of transformer straps under muster would thermal flow 2,25 W.m-2. From the present results that by follow the sensitivity measurement scanners it is needed to measure a minimum threefold during a longer time or to improve the sensitivity measurement chains.These measurements and analyses are not sufficient to make a final

Tomographic diagnosis and relevant aspects of otosclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaiotti, Juliana Oggioni; Gomes, Natalia Delage; Costa, Ana Maria Doffemond; Villela, Caroline Laurita Batista Couto; Moreira, Wanderval; Diniz, Renata Lopes Furletti Caldeira

2013-01-01

A literature review and pictorial essay were developed to discuss the importance of knowing the main findings and locations of otosclerosis at multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). The authors performed a retrospective review of cases of otosclerosis diagnosed in their institution by means of high resolution multidetector computed tomography. Otosclerosis corresponds to otic capsule dysplasia characterized by metabolic derangement of its endochondral layer. Such condition constitutes a relevant cause of sensorineural hearing loss, affecting about 7% to 10% of the general population. The diagnosis is usually clinical, but imaging methods play a significant role in the anatomical detailing, differential diagnosis, surgical planning and evaluation of postoperative complications. Among such methods, the relevance of MDCT is highlighted. Radiologists should be familiar with the MDCT findings of otosclerosis, as well as with the temporal bone anatomy to assist in the appropriate clinical management of this disease. (author)

Tomographic diagnosis and relevant aspects of otosclerosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaiotti, Juliana Oggioni; Gomes, Natalia Delage; Costa, Ana Maria Doffemond; Villela, Caroline Laurita Batista Couto; Moreira, Wanderval; Diniz, Renata Lopes Furletti Caldeira, E-mail: jugaiotti@gmail.com [Hospital Mater Dei-Mater Imagem, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

2013-09-15

A literature review and pictorial essay were developed to discuss the importance of knowing the main findings and locations of otosclerosis at multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). The authors performed a retrospective review of cases of otosclerosis diagnosed in their institution by means of high resolution multidetector computed tomography. Otosclerosis corresponds to otic capsule dysplasia characterized by metabolic derangement of its endochondral layer. Such condition constitutes a relevant cause of sensorineural hearing loss, affecting about 7% to 10% of the general population. The diagnosis is usually clinical, but imaging methods play a significant role in the anatomical detailing, differential diagnosis, surgical planning and evaluation of postoperative complications. Among such methods, the relevance of MDCT is highlighted. Radiologists should be familiar with the MDCT findings of otosclerosis, as well as with the temporal bone anatomy to assist in the appropriate clinical management of this disease. (author)

Comparison of three methods of measuring vertebral heart size in German Shepherd dogs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spasojevic-Kosic, Lj.; Krstic, N.; Trailovic, R.D.

2007-01-01

The method of measuring the heart size in thoracic radiography by comparing it to the length of thoracic vertebrae is marked as vertebral heart size (VHS). Besides of the original VHS measurement suggested by Buchanan and Buecheler, there are modifications of these measurements in literature. With the aim to evaluate differences between different methods of VHS measurement, we compared radiographs of six clinically healthy dogs of the same breed and age (German Shepherd dogs, 3 years of age), whose heart size was measured according to three different methods of VHS measurement. There were not significant differences between the values obtained by different methods of VHS measurement. In our study, we also compared findings of radiographs subjective assessment and VHS measurements. The second and third method of measurement were much more consistent to subjective assessment than the first method. Diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities in dgs should not be based solely on the measuremet of vertebral heart size. However, VHS measurement is very suitable for clinical practice. According to the study reported here, the second method of VHS measurement described in this paper, was recommended

A circular feature-based pose measurement method for metal part grasping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Chenrui; He, Zaixing; Zhang, Shuyou; Zhao, Xinyue

2017-01-01

The grasping of circular metal parts such as bearings and flanges is a common task in industry. Limited by low texture and repeated features, the point-feature-based method is not applicable in pose measurement of these parts. In this paper, we propose a novel pose measurement method for grasping circular metal parts. This method is based on cone degradation and involves a monocular camera. To achieve higher measurement accuracy, a position-based visual servoing method is presented to continuously control an eye-in-hand, six-degrees-of-freedom robot arm to grasp the part. The uncertainty of the part’s coordinate frame during the control process is solved by defining a fixed virtual coordinate frame. Experimental results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and the factors that affect measurement accuracy are analyzed. (paper)

Feasibility Study on a Measurement Method and a Portable Measuring System to Estimate the Concentration of Cloxacillin and β-Lactamase in Milk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luca Ferrari

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Antibiotics are nowadays used and abused worldwide in common veterinary practice to treat diseases, prevent infections, and promote animal’s growth. Drug resistance occurrence is a relevant phenomenon that can inactivate the antibiotic. Moreover, antibiotics used for animals are also found in milk and it poses serious health risks to humans. Another negative effect is related to milk processors since antibiotics cause detrimental effects on cheese and yogurt starter bacteria. Given its consumption as both beverage and derivatives, milk is one of the most regulated products in food industry. Nowadays several commercial tests are available to investigate antibiotics in milk, but they generally provide a qualitative result, require bulky procedure, and are time consuming. In this paper, we investigate the use of a chromogenic cephalosporin to quantify the concentration of cloxacillin—a β-lactam difficult to be detected by using “cowside” screenings which is the drug of choice in the method of mastitis control. The proposed measurement method and prototype have been demonstrated to be able to detect cloxacillin in milk at concentrations lower than the MRL set by the European Commission. Moreover, they are also able to detect the illegal practice of using β-lactamase to degrade β-lactams in milk.

How to measure kyphosis in everyday clinical practice: a reliability study on different methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaina, Fabio; Donzelli, Sabrina; Lusini, Monia; Negrini, Stefano

2012-01-01

The sagittal plane measures have a relevant role both in Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) and in Hyperkyphosis (HK) management. Nevertheless, clinical tools for everyday use are scarce and not adequately studied. To assess the repeatability of different methods for the collection of the sagittal profile of patients with spinal deformities during everyday clinics. We performed 4 different studies in 4 different populations of AIS and HK patients. In the first study we reported the normative data and measurement error of the plumbline measures in a general population of 180 adolescents. In the second study we compared the sagittal distances from the plumbline of C7, T12, L3, and Sagittal Index (SI = C7+L3) with the measures of the Video Rasterstereography at the same levels and the angles of kyphosis and lordosis in 100 AIS patients. In the third study we evaluated the intra and inter-rater repeatability and the measurement error of kyphosis and lordosis angles measured with the Inclimed in 100 AIS patients. In the last study we evaluated the repeatability of the sagittal distances from the plumbline, by using a 1 mm change instead of 5 mm in a population of 40 patients. repeatability has been evaluated according to Bland and Altman, to identify the limits of variation that are clinically significant. Results. Study 1: the normative data were: females: 34 ± 11 mm for C7; 34 ± 15 mm for L3, males: 34 ± 10 mm for C7; 48 ± 10 mm for L3;. Study 2: a coefficient of correlation was calculated in order to compare measures. Study 3: the k value for Inclimed varied from fair to good. Study 4: the repeatability was fair for this measure. Some clinical instruments are now available for sagittal plane assessment in AIS and hyperkyphosis. The results of the present study report the limits during measurements in a clinical setting of parameters that are routinely collected by some clinicians.

Simple method for measuring reflectance of optical coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wen Gui Wang; Yi Sheng Chen

1995-01-01

The quality of optical coatings has an important effect on the performance of optical instrument. The last few years, the requirements for super low loss dielectric mirror coatings used in low gain laser systems such as free electron laser and the ring laser etc., have given an impetus to the development of the technology of precise reflectance measurement of optical coatings. A reliable and workable technique is to measure the light intensity decay time of optical resonant cavity. This paper describes a measuring method which is dependent on direct measurement of the light intensity decay time of a resonant cavity comprised of low loss optical components. According to the evolution of a luminous flux stored inside the cavity, this method guarantees not only a quick and precise reflectance measurements of low loss highly reflecting mirror coatings but also transmittance measurements of low loss antireflection coatings and is especially effective with super los loss highly reflecting mirror. From the round-trip path length of the cavity and the speed of light, the light intensity exponential decay time of an optical cavity is easy to obtain and the cavity losses can be deduced. An optical reflectance of low loss highly mirror coatings and antireflection coatings is precisely measured as well. This is highly significant for the discrimination of the coating surface characteristics, the improvement of the performance of optical instrument and the development of high technology

Prognosis Essay Scoring and Article Relevancy Using Multi-Text Features and Machine Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arif Mehmood

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study develops a model for essay scoring and article relevancy. Essay scoring is a costly process when we consider the time spent by an evaluator. It may lead to inequalities of the effort by various evaluators to apply the same evaluation criteria. Bibliometric research uses the evaluation criteria to find relevancy of articles instead. Researchers mostly face relevancy issues while searching articles. Therefore, they classify the articles manually. However, manual classification is burdensome due to time needed for evaluation. The proposed model performs automatic essay evaluation using multi-text features and ensemble machine learning. The proposed method is implemented in two data sets: a Kaggle short answer data set for essay scoring that includes four ranges of disciplines (Science, Biology, English, and English language Arts, and a bibliometric data set having IoT (Internet of Things and non-IoT classes. The efficacy of the model is measured against the Tandalla and AutoP approach using Cohen’s kappa. The model achieves kappa values of 0.80 and 0.83 for the first and second data sets, respectively. Kappa values show that the proposed model has better performance than those of earlier approaches.

Development of a Multi-class Steroid Hormone Screening Method using Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

Science.gov (United States)

Boggs, Ashley S. P.; Bowden, John A.; Galligan, Thomas M.; Guillette, Louis J.; Kucklick, John R.

2016-01-01

Monitoring complex endocrine pathways is often limited by indirect measurement or measurement of a single hormone class per analysis. There is a burgeoning need to develop specific direct-detection methods capable of providing simultaneous measurement of biologically relevant concentrations of multiple classes of hormones (estrogens, androgens, progestogens, and corticosteroids). The objectives of this study were to develop a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for multi-class steroid hormone detection using biologically relevant concentrations, then test limits of detection (LOD) in a high-background matrix by spiking charcoal-stripped fetal bovine serum (FBS) extract. Accuracy was tested with National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) with certified concentrations of cortisol, testosterone, and progesterone. 11-Deoxycorticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, 17-hydroxypregnenolone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, adrenosterone, androstenedione, cortisol, corticosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol, estriol, estrone, equilin, pregnenolone, progesterone, and testosterone were also measured using isotopic dilution. Dansyl chloride (DC) derivatization was investigated maintaining the same method to improve and expedite estrogen analysis. Biologically relevant LODs were determined for 15 hormones. DC derivatization improved estrogen response two- to eight-fold, and improved chromatographic separation. All measurements had an accuracy ≤ 14 % difference from certified values (not accounting for uncertainty) and relative standard deviation ≤ 14 %. This method chromatographically separated and quantified biologically relevant concentrations of four hormone classes using highly specific fragmentation patterns and measured certified values of hormones that were previously split into three separate chromatographic methods. PMID:27039201

New method of noncontact temperature measurement in on-line textile production

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Xianping; Song, Xing-Li; Deng, Xing-Zhong

1993-09-01

Based on the condition of textile production the method of infrared non-contact temperature measurement is adcpted in the heat-setting and drying heat-treatment process . This method is used to monitor the moving cloth. The temperature of the cloth is displayed rapidly and exactly. The principle of the temperature measurement is analysed theoretically in this paper. Mathematical analysis and calculation are used for introducing signal transmitting method. Adopted method of combining software with hardware the temperature is corrected and compensated with the aid of a single-chip microcomputer. The results of test indicate that the application of temperature measurement instrument provides reliable parameters in the quality control. And it is an important measure on improving the quality of products.

Optimized Method for Knee Displacement Measurement in Vehicle Sled Crash Test

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Sun Hang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper provides an optimized method for measuring dummy’s knee displacement in vehicle sled crash test. The proposed method utilizes completely new elements for measurement, which are acceleration and angular velocity of dummy’s pelvis, as well as the rotational angle of its femur. Compared with the traditional measurement only using camera-based high-speed motion image analysis, the optimized one can not only maintain the measuring accuracy, but also avoid the disturbance caused by dummy movement, dashboard blocking and knee deformation during the crash. An experiment is made to verify the accuracy of the proposed method, which eliminates the strong dependence on single target tracing in traditional method. Moreover, it is very appropriate for calculating the penetration depth to the dashboard.

Quantitative autoradiography - a method of radioactivity measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treutler, H.C.; Freyer, K.

1988-01-01

In the last years the autoradiography has been developed to a quantitative method of radioactivity measurement. Operating techniques of quantitative autoradiography are demonstrated using special standard objects. Influences of irradiation quality, of backscattering in sample and detector materials, and of sensitivity and fading of the detectors are considered. Furthermore, questions of quantitative evaluation of autoradiograms are dealt with, and measuring errors are discussed. Finally, some practical uses of quantitative autoradiography are demonstrated by means of the estimation of activity distribution in radioactive foil samples. (author)

A dynamic method for magnetic torque measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, C. E.; Jou, H. L.

1994-01-01

In a magnetic suspension system, accurate force measurement will result in better control performance in the test section, especially when a wider range of operation is required. Although many useful methods were developed to obtain the desired model, however, significant error is inevitable since the magnetic field distribution of the large-gap magnetic suspension system is extremely nonlinear. This paper proposed an easy approach to measure the magnetic torque of a magnetic suspension system using an angular photo encoder. Through the measurement of the velocity change data, the magnetic torque is converted. The proposed idea is described and implemented to obtain the desired data. It is useful to the calculation of a magnetic force in the magnetic suspension system.

Unilateral Measures addressing Non-Trade Concerns. A Study on WTO Consistency, Relevance of other International Agreements, Economic Effectiveness and Impact on Developing Countries of Measures concerning Non-Product-Related Processes and Production Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van den Bossche, P.; Schrijver, N.; Faber, G.

2007-01-01

Over the last two years, the debate in the Netherlands on trade measures addressing non-trade concerns has focused on two important and politically sensitive issues, namely: (1) the sustainability of the large-scale production of biomass as an alternative source of energy; and (2) the production of livestock products in a manner that is consistent with animal welfare requirements. In February 2007 a report was issued on the 'Toetsingskader voor Duurzame Biomassa', the so-called Cramer Report. This report discusses the risks associated with large-scale biomass production and establishes a list of criteria for the sustainable production of biomass. These criteria reflect a broad range of non-trade concerns, including environmental protection, global warming, food security, biodiversity, economic prosperity and social welfare. The report recognizes that the implementation of the criteria (including the establishment of a certification system) will require careful consideration of the obligations of the Netherlands under EU and WTO law. Governments called upon to address non-trade concerns may do so by using different types of measures. Prominent among these are measures concerning processes and production methods of products. In the present study, these issues are examined primarily with regard to existing, proposed or still purely hypothetical measures for implementing the Cramer criteria for the sustainable production of biomass. Several other, non-energy-related issues are discussed in this report

Measurement of uranium in soil environment optimization of liquid fluorescent method improvement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Guangcheng; Li Yan

2013-01-01

Measurement of uranium in soil environment were introduced in this paper optimization improvement fluid fluorescence analysis method. Use 'on the determination of uranium in soil, rocks, etc. Samples of liquid fluorescent method' when measuring low environment soil samples can not meet the required precision of 8% or less in gansu province and method detection limit of 0.3 mg/kg or less. In affecting the method detection limit, recovery rate and precision of the soil sample decomposition temperature, measuring the temperature of the sample, sample pH value measurement, the background fluorescence measurement condition optimization of analysis is determined, the method detection limit of 0.133 mg/kg, the average recovery rate was 96.6%, the precision is 3.80%. The experimental results show that the method can meet the requirements for determination of trace uranium m environment soil samples. (authors)

Evaluation of positional plagiocephaly: Conventional anthropometric measurement versus laser scanning method.

Science.gov (United States)

Nahles, Susanne; Klein, Martin; Yacoub, Anke; Neyer, Julia

2018-01-01

The incidence of plagiocephaly has increased in the 25 years since the "Back to Sleep" campaign in 1991 to prevent sudden infant death. Plagiocephaly is not considered to be a pathological condition. It is more of an esthetic impairment and could have potentially negative psychological or psychosocial consequences; therefore, treatment is recommended. The aim of this study is to compare conventional anthropometry and laser scanning - two different measurement methods - as diagnostic instruments for plagiocephaly. The present study also tests the measurement time of both methods and whether one method is easier on the patient than the other. A total of 44 children (21 girls, 23 boys) with a mean age of 8.8 months were involved in the present study. Of all patients, the following parameters were routinely evaluated using a standard protocol with the conventional anthropometric method and the scan method: head circumference, head length, head width, head diagonals, and distances ex-t. Furthermore, the time required to obtain measurements and the behavior of the children during measurement were documented. For statistical analysis, a t-test and a Wilcoxon test were used to analyze differences between the two methods. The results for head circumference showed a mean of 441.5 mm for the anthropometric measurements and 441.6 mm for the scan method, with no significant difference between the two methods. A significant difference was found regarding the head width, head length, diagonals, and distance ex-t. The measurement process using the scan method needed a mean of 579.6 s in contrast to the manual anthropometric method, which required a mean time of 180.5 s. In comparison with the conventional anthropometric method, measurements made with a 3D laser scanner yield inconsistent results. Moreover, the current state of technology of 3D cephalometry has no advantages compared with the conventional anthropometric method. Disadvantages worth mentioning appear to be the

New simple method for fast and accurate measurement of volumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frattolillo, Antonio

2006-01-01

A new simple method is presented, which allows us to measure in just a few minutes but with reasonable accuracy (less than 1%) the volume confined inside a generic enclosure, regardless of the complexity of its shape. The technique proposed also allows us to measure the volume of any portion of a complex manifold, including, for instance, pipes and pipe fittings, valves, gauge heads, and so on, without disassembling the manifold at all. To this purpose an airtight variable volume is used, whose volume adjustment can be precisely measured; it has an overall capacity larger than that of the unknown volume. Such a variable volume is initially filled with a suitable test gas (for instance, air) at a known pressure, as carefully measured by means of a high precision capacitive gauge. By opening a valve, the test gas is allowed to expand into the previously evacuated unknown volume. A feedback control loop reacts to the resulting finite pressure drop, thus contracting the variable volume until the pressure exactly retrieves its initial value. The overall reduction of the variable volume achieved at the end of this process gives a direct measurement of the unknown volume, and definitively gets rid of the problem of dead spaces. The method proposed actually does not require the test gas to be rigorously held at a constant temperature, thus resulting in a huge simplification as compared to complex arrangements commonly used in metrology (gas expansion method), which can grant extremely accurate measurement but requires rather expensive equipments and results in time consuming methods, being therefore impractical in most applications. A simple theoretical analysis of the thermodynamic cycle and the results of experimental tests are described, which demonstrate that, in spite of its simplicity, the method provides a measurement accuracy within 0.5%. The system requires just a few minutes to complete a single measurement, and is ready immediately at the end of the process. The

Study on photoelectric parameter measurement method of high capacitance solar cell

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Junchao; Xiong, Limin; Meng, Haifeng; He, Yingwei; Cai, Chuan; Zhang, Bifeng; Li, Xiaohui; Wang, Changshi

2018-01-01

The high efficiency solar cells usually have high capacitance characteristic, so the measurement of their photoelectric performance usually requires long pulse width and long sweep time. The effects of irradiance non-uniformity, probe shielding and spectral mismatch on the IV curve measurement are analyzed experimentally. A compensation method for irradiance loss caused by probe shielding is proposed, and the accurate measurement of the irradiance intensity in the IV curve measurement process of solar cell is realized. Based on the characteristics that the open circuit voltage of solar cell is sensitive to the junction temperature, an accurate measurement method of the temperature of solar cell under continuous irradiation condition is proposed. Finally, a measurement method with the characteristic of high accuracy and wide application range for high capacitance solar cell is presented.

Pain-relevant anxiety affects desire for pain relief, but not pain perception

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Adriana Banozic

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Pain context plays a significant role in the perception of pain. Despite recent interest in vicarious learning and anxiety in pain modulation, there have been no attempts to explore pain modulation by specific environmental cues. Aims: Therefore, the present study evaluated pain responses in the condition that was attributed as either anxiety relevant (AR or anxiety irrelevant. Materials and Methods: Participants were exposed to both conditions through social observational learning. Pain perception was assessed by means of a visual analog scale ranging from 0 = no pain to 10 = maximum imaginable pain. State anxiety, empathy, expectancy, and desire for pain relief were also measured at both neutral and emotionally inducing conditions. Results: No effect of relevancy of anxiety for the pain context on any of the pain-related constructs was found. However, participants in the AR condition reported an increased desire for pain relief. Maximizing similarities between observed and experienced pain context did not enhance observational learning effects in the emotionally inducing condition regardless of its relevance, but significant changes were found in comparison to the affectively neutral group. Conclusions: These results could have potentially significant clinical implications suggesting that even though observing painful procedures does not increase pain it could affect medication usage.

Image based method for aberration measurement of lithographic tools

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Shuang; Tao, Bo; Guo, Yongxing; Li, Gongfa

2018-01-01

Information of lens aberration of lithographic tools is important as it directly affects the intensity distribution in the image plane. Zernike polynomials are commonly used for a mathematical description of lens aberrations. Due to the advantage of lower cost and easier implementation of tools, image based measurement techniques have been widely used. Lithographic tools are typically partially coherent systems that can be described by a bilinear model, which entails time consuming calculations and does not lend a simple and intuitive relationship between lens aberrations and the resulted images. Previous methods for retrieving lens aberrations in such partially coherent systems involve through-focus image measurements and time-consuming iterative algorithms. In this work, we propose a method for aberration measurement in lithographic tools, which only requires measuring two images of intensity distribution. Two linear formulations are derived in matrix forms that directly relate the measured images to the unknown Zernike coefficients. Consequently, an efficient non-iterative solution is obtained.

Comparison of measurement methods for benzene and toluene

Science.gov (United States)

Wideqvist, U.; Vesely, V.; Johansson, C.; Potter, A.; Brorström-Lundén, E.; Sjöberg, K.; Jonsson, T.

Diffusive sampling and active (pumped) sampling (tubes filled with Tenax TA or Carbopack B) were compared with an automatic BTX instrument (Chrompack, GC/FID) for measurements of benzene and toluene. The measurements were made during differing pollution levels and different weather conditions at a roof-top site and in a densely trafficked street canyon in Stockholm, Sweden. The BTX instrument was used as the reference method for comparison with the other methods. Considering all data the Perkin-Elmer diffusive samplers, containing Tenax TA and assuming a constant uptake rate of 0.406 cm3 min-1, showed about 30% higher benzene values compared to the BTX instrument. This discrepancy may be explained by a dose-dependent uptake rate with higher uptake rates at lower dose as suggested by laboratory experiments presented in the literature. After correction by applying the relationship between uptake rate and dose as suggested by Roche et al. (Atmos. Environ. 33 (1999) 1905), the two methods agreed almost perfectly. For toluene there was much better agreement between the two methods. No sign of a dose-dependent uptake could be seen. The mean concentrations and 95% confidence intervals of all toluene measurements (67 values) were (10.80±1.6) μg m -3 for diffusive sampling and (11.3±1.6) μg m -3 for the BTX instrument, respectively. The overall ratio between the concentrations obtained using diffusive sampling and the BTX instrument was 0.91±0.07 (95% confidence interval). Tenax TA was found to be equal to Carbopack B for measuring benzene and toluene in this concentration range, although it has been proposed not to be optimal for benzene. There was also good agreement between the active samplers and the BTX instrument.

Relevant multi-setting tight Bell inequalities for qubits and qutrits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Dongling; Zhou Zisui; Chen Jingling

2009-01-01

In the celebrated paper [D. Collins, N. Gisin, J. Phys. A Math. Gen. 37 (2004) 1775], Collins and Gisin presented for the first time a three-setting Bell inequality (here we call it CG inequality for simplicity) which is relevant to the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality. Inspired by their brilliant ideas, we obtained some multi-setting tight Bell inequalities, which are relevant to the CHSH inequality and the CG inequality. Moreover, we generalized the method in the paper [J.L. Chen, D.L. Deng, Phys. Rev. A 79 (2009) 012115] to construct Bell inequality for qubits to higher dimensional system. Based on the generalized method, we present, for the first time, a three-setting tight Bell inequality for two qutrits, which is maximally violated by nonmaximally entangled states and relevant to the Collins-Gisin-Linden-Massar-Popescu inequality.

An Effective Measured Data Preprocessing Method in Electrical Impedance Tomography

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Chenglong Yu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available As an advanced process detection technology, electrical impedance tomography (EIT has widely been paid attention to and studied in the industrial fields. But the EIT techniques are greatly limited to the low spatial resolutions. This problem may result from the incorrect preprocessing of measuring data and lack of general criterion to evaluate different preprocessing processes. In this paper, an EIT data preprocessing method is proposed by all rooting measured data and evaluated by two constructed indexes based on all rooted EIT measured data. By finding the optimums of the two indexes, the proposed method can be applied to improve the EIT imaging spatial resolutions. In terms of a theoretical model, the optimal rooting times of the two indexes range in [0.23, 0.33] and in [0.22, 0.35], respectively. Moreover, these factors that affect the correctness of the proposed method are generally analyzed. The measuring data preprocessing is necessary and helpful for any imaging process. Thus, the proposed method can be generally and widely used in any imaging process. Experimental results validate the two proposed indexes.

Standard test method for calibration of surface/stress measuring devices

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

1997-01-01

Return to Contents page 1.1 This test method covers calibration or verification of calibration, or both, of surface-stress measuring devices used to measure stress in annealed and heat-strengthened or tempered glass using polariscopic or refractometry based principles. 1.2 This test method is nondestructive. 1.3 This test method uses transmitted light, and therefore, is applicable to light-transmitting glasses. 1.4 This test method is not applicable to chemically tempered glass. 1.5 Using the procedure described, surface stresses can be measured only on the “tin” side of float glass. 1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Assessment on the methods of measuring the tyre-road contact patch stresses

Science.gov (United States)

Anghelache, G.; Moisescu, A.-R.; Buretea, D.

2017-08-01

The paper reviews established and modern methods for investigating tri-axial stress distributions in the tyre-road contact patch. The authors used three methods of measuring stress distributions: strain gauge method; force sensing technique; acceleration measurements. Four prototypes of instrumented pins transducers involving mentioned measuring methods were developed. Data acquisitions of the contact patch stresses distributions were performed using each transducer with instrumented pin. The results are analysed and compared, underlining the advantages and drawbacks of each method. The experimental results indicate that the three methods are valuable.

A quantitative method for measuring the quality of history matches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaw, T.S. [Kerr-McGee Corp., Oklahoma City, OK (United States); Knapp, R.M. [Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)

1997-08-01

History matching can be an efficient tool for reservoir characterization. A {open_quotes}good{close_quotes} history matching job can generate reliable reservoir parameters. However, reservoir engineers are often frustrated when they try to select a {open_quotes}better{close_quotes} match from a series of history matching runs. Without a quantitative measurement, it is always difficult to tell the difference between a {open_quotes}good{close_quotes} and a {open_quotes}better{close_quotes} matches. For this reason, we need a quantitative method for testing the quality of matches. This paper presents a method for such a purpose. The method uses three statistical indices to (1) test shape conformity, (2) examine bias errors, and (3) measure magnitude of deviation. The shape conformity test insures that the shape of a simulated curve matches that of a historical curve. Examining bias errors assures that model reservoir parameters have been calibrated to that of a real reservoir. Measuring the magnitude of deviation assures that the difference between the model and the real reservoir parameters is minimized. The method was first tested on a hypothetical model and then applied to published field studies. The results showed that the method can efficiently measure the quality of matches. It also showed that the method can serve as a diagnostic tool for calibrating reservoir parameters during history matching.

Measurement methods to build up the digital optical twin

Science.gov (United States)

Prochnau, Marcel; Holzbrink, Michael; Wang, Wenxin; Holters, Martin; Stollenwerk, Jochen; Loosen, Peter

2018-02-01

The realization of the Digital Optical Twin (DOT), which is in short the digital representation of the physical state of an optical system, is particularly useful in the context of an automated assembly process of optical systems. During the assembly process, the physical system status of the optical system is continuously measured and compared with the digital model. In case of deviations between physical state and the digital model, the latter one is adapted to match the physical state. To reach the goal described above, in a first step measurement/characterization technologies concerning their suitability to generate a precise digital twin of an existing optical system have to be identified and evaluated. This paper gives an overview of possible characterization methods and, finally, shows first results of evaluated, compared methods (e.g. spot-radius, MTF, Zernike-polynomials), to create a DOT. The focus initially lies on the unequivocalness of the optimization results as well as on the computational time required for the optimization to reach the characterized system state. Possible sources of error are the measurement accuracy (to characterize the system) , execution time of the measurement, time needed to map the digital to the physical world (optimization step) as well as interface possibilities to integrate the measurement tool into an assembly cell. Moreover, it is to be discussed whether the used measurement methods are suitable for a `seamless' integration into an assembly cell.

A new ore reserve estimation method, Yang Chizhong filtering and inferential measurement method, and its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Jingqin.

1989-01-01

Yang Chizhong filtering and inferential measurement method is a new method used for variable statistics of ore deposits. In order to apply this theory to estimate the uranium ore reserves under the circumstances of regular or irregular prospecting grids, small ore bodies, less sampling points, and complex occurrence, the author has used this method to estimate the ore reserves in five ore bodies of two deposits and achieved satisfactory results. It is demonstrated that compared with the traditional block measurement method, this method is simple and clear in formula, convenient in application, rapid in calculation, accurate in results, less expensive, and high economic benefits. The procedure and experience in the application of this method and the preliminary evaluation of its results are mainly described

EPA Method 1615. Measurement of Enterovirus and Norovirus ...

Science.gov (United States)

A standardized method is required when national studies on virus occurrence in environmental and drinking waters utilize multiple analytical laboratories. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Method 1615 was developed with the goal of providing such a standard for measuring Enterovirus and Norovirus in these waters. Virus is concentrated from water using an electropositive filter, eluted from the filter surface with beef extract, and then concentrated further using organic flocculation. Herein we present the protocol from Method 1615 for filter elution, secondary concentration, and measurement of total culturable viruses. A portion of the concentrated eluate from each sample is inoculated onto ten replicate flasks of Buffalo Green Monkey kidney cells. The number of flasks demonstrating cytopathic effects is used to quantify the most probable number (MPN) of infectious units per liter. The method uses a number of quality controls to increase data quality and to reduce interlaboratory and intralaboratory variation. Laboratories must meet defined performance standards. Method 1615 was evaluated by examining virus recovery from reagent-grade and ground waters seeded with Sabin poliovirus type 3. Mean poliovirus recoveries with the total culturable assay were 111% in reagent grade water and 58% in groundwaters. EPA Method 1615 is being used by a number of national and international labs. This paper and the accompanying video will provide training oppo

Automatic medical image annotation and keyword-based image retrieval using relevance feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Byoung Chul; Lee, JiHyeon; Nam, Jae-Yeal

2012-08-01

This paper presents novel multiple keywords annotation for medical images, keyword-based medical image retrieval, and relevance feedback method for image retrieval for enhancing image retrieval performance. For semantic keyword annotation, this study proposes a novel medical image classification method combining local wavelet-based center symmetric-local binary patterns with random forests. For keyword-based image retrieval, our retrieval system use the confidence score that is assigned to each annotated keyword by combining probabilities of random forests with predefined body relation graph. To overcome the limitation of keyword-based image retrieval, we combine our image retrieval system with relevance feedback mechanism based on visual feature and pattern classifier. Compared with other annotation and relevance feedback algorithms, the proposed method shows both improved annotation performance and accurate retrieval results.

Relevant Measures to Prevent the Spread of African Swine Fever in the European Union Domestic Pig Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Jurado

2018-04-01

Full Text Available During the past decade, African swine fever (ASF has spread from the Caucasus region to eastern European Union countries affecting domestic pig and wild boar populations. In order to avert ASF spread, mitigation measures targeting both populations have been established. However, despite these efforts, ASF has been reported in thirteen different countries (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Moldova, Czech Republic, and Romania. In the absence of an effective vaccine or treatment to ASF, introduction and spread of ASF onto domestic pig farms can only be prevented by strict compliance to control measures. This study systematically reviewed available measures to prevent the spread of ASF in the EU domestic pig sector distinguishing between commercial, non-commercial, and outdoor farms. The search was performed in PubMed and using a common browser. A total of 52 documents were selected for the final review process, which included scientific articles, reports, EU documents and official recommendations, among others. From this literature review, 37 measures were identified as preventive measures for the introduction and spread of ASF. Subsequently, these measures were assessed by ASF experts for their relevance in the mitigation of ASF spread on the three mentioned types of farms. All experts agreed that some of the important preventive measures for all three types of farms were: the identification of animals and farm records; strict enforcement of the ban on swill feeding; and containment of pigs, so as to not allow direct or indirect pig–pig and/or pig–wild boar contacts. Other important preventive measures for all farms were education of farmers, workers, and operators; no contact between farmers and farm staff and external pigs; appropriate removal of carcasses, slaughter residues, and food waste; proper disposal of manure and dead animals, and abstaining from hunting

Relevant Measures to Prevent the Spread of African Swine Fever in the European Union Domestic Pig Sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Jurado, Cristina; Martínez-Avilés, Marta; De La Torre, Ana; Štukelj, Marina; de Carvalho Ferreira, Helena Cardoso; Cerioli, Monica; Sánchez-Vizcaíno, José Manuel; Bellini, Silvia

2018-01-01

During the past decade, African swine fever (ASF) has spread from the Caucasus region to eastern European Union countries affecting domestic pig and wild boar populations. In order to avert ASF spread, mitigation measures targeting both populations have been established. However, despite these efforts, ASF has been reported in thirteen different countries (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Moldova, Czech Republic, and Romania). In the absence of an effective vaccine or treatment to ASF, introduction and spread of ASF onto domestic pig farms can only be prevented by strict compliance to control measures. This study systematically reviewed available measures to prevent the spread of ASF in the EU domestic pig sector distinguishing between commercial, non-commercial, and outdoor farms. The search was performed in PubMed and using a common browser. A total of 52 documents were selected for the final review process, which included scientific articles, reports, EU documents and official recommendations, among others. From this literature review, 37 measures were identified as preventive measures for the introduction and spread of ASF. Subsequently, these measures were assessed by ASF experts for their relevance in the mitigation of ASF spread on the three mentioned types of farms. All experts agreed that some of the important preventive measures for all three types of farms were: the identification of animals and farm records; strict enforcement of the ban on swill feeding; and containment of pigs, so as to not allow direct or indirect pig-pig and/or pig-wild boar contacts. Other important preventive measures for all farms were education of farmers, workers, and operators; no contact between farmers and farm staff and external pigs; appropriate removal of carcasses, slaughter residues, and food waste; proper disposal of manure and dead animals, and abstaining from hunting activities during the

Relevant Measures to Prevent the Spread of African Swine Fever in the European Union Domestic Pig Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Jurado, Cristina; Martínez-Avilés, Marta; De La Torre, Ana; Štukelj, Marina; de Carvalho Ferreira, Helena Cardoso; Cerioli, Monica; Sánchez-Vizcaíno, José Manuel; Bellini, Silvia

2018-01-01

During the past decade, African swine fever (ASF) has spread from the Caucasus region to eastern European Union countries affecting domestic pig and wild boar populations. In order to avert ASF spread, mitigation measures targeting both populations have been established. However, despite these efforts, ASF has been reported in thirteen different countries (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Moldova, Czech Republic, and Romania). In the absence of an effective vaccine or treatment to ASF, introduction and spread of ASF onto domestic pig farms can only be prevented by strict compliance to control measures. This study systematically reviewed available measures to prevent the spread of ASF in the EU domestic pig sector distinguishing between commercial, non-commercial, and outdoor farms. The search was performed in PubMed and using a common browser. A total of 52 documents were selected for the final review process, which included scientific articles, reports, EU documents and official recommendations, among others. From this literature review, 37 measures were identified as preventive measures for the introduction and spread of ASF. Subsequently, these measures were assessed by ASF experts for their relevance in the mitigation of ASF spread on the three mentioned types of farms. All experts agreed that some of the important preventive measures for all three types of farms were: the identification of animals and farm records; strict enforcement of the ban on swill feeding; and containment of pigs, so as to not allow direct or indirect pig–pig and/or pig–wild boar contacts. Other important preventive measures for all farms were education of farmers, workers, and operators; no contact between farmers and farm staff and external pigs; appropriate removal of carcasses, slaughter residues, and food waste; proper disposal of manure and dead animals, and abstaining from hunting activities during the