WorldWideScience

Sample records for safety datalink vsd

  1. Vaccine Safety Datalink

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Vaccine Safety Datalink is part of the National Immunization Program within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was started in recognition of gaps in the scientific knowledge of rare vaccine side effects.

  2. Risk of venous thromboembolism following influenza vaccination in adults aged 50years and older in the Vaccine Safety Datalink.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vickers, Elizabeth R; McClure, David L; Naleway, Allison L; Jacobsen, Steven J; Klein, Nicola P; Glanz, Jason M; Weintraub, Eric S; Belongia, Edward A

    2017-10-13

    Influenza-like illness and inflammation are known risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). However, few studies have characterized the risk of VTE following influenza vaccination. We examined VTE risk after vaccination in adults 50years old and older within the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD). We used the self-controlled case series method to determine the risk of VTE among age-eligible adults who received influenza vaccine (with or without pandemic H1N1) and experienced a VTE during the months of September through December in 2007 through 2012. Presumptive VTE cases were identified among VSD participants using diagnostic codes, diagnostic tests, and oral anticoagulant prescription. Potential cases were validated by medical record review. The VTE incidence rate ratio was calculated among confirmed cases for the risk window 1 to 10days after vaccination relative to all other person-time from September through December. Of the 1,488 presumptive cases identified, 508 were reviewed, of which 492 (97%) were confirmed cases of VTE. The analysis included 396 incident, confirmed cases. Overall, there was no increased risk of VTE in the 1 to 10days after influenza vaccination (IRR=0.89, 95% CI 0.69-1.17) compared to the control period. Results were similar when all person-time was censored before vaccination. A post hoc analysis showed an increased risk among current tobacco smokers (IRR=2.57, 95% CI 1.06-6.23). No clustering of VTE was observed in the 1-42days after vaccination. Overall, there was no evidence that inactivated influenza vaccine was associated with VTE in adults ≥50years old. An increased risk was found among current smokers in a post hoc analysis. These findings are consistent with previous research and support the safety of annual vaccination in this population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Dicty_cDB: VSD385 [Dicty_cDB

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available VS (Link to library) VSD385 (Link to dictyBase) - - - - VSD385E (Link to Original s...ite) VSD385F 523 VSD385Z 639 VSD385P 1162 VSD385E 639 Show VSD385 Library VS (Link to library) Clone ID VSD385 (Link to dict...yBase) Atlas ID - NBRP ID - dictyBase ID - Link to Contig - Original site URL http://dictycd...KTKMNKFIIGFFLCLTVFLTFVNSSEIDHQYSLTSSINGSSSGVSNSTDNTGCGEYTS CGDCREDKGCVWCGSEGICTEGTFYGTKPLNINGACKDFMWMQCKIQGR...ame B: KYKTKMNKFIIGFFLCLTVFLTFVNSSEIDHQYSLTSSINGSSSGVSNSTDNTGCGEYTS CGDCREDKGCVWCGSEGICTEGTFYGTKPLNINGACKDFM

  4. Safety of the yellow Fever vaccine: a retrospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordin, James D; Parker, Emily D; Vazquez-Benitez, Gabriela; Kharbanda, Elyse O; Naleway, Allison; Marcy, S Michael; Molitor, Beth; Kuckler, Leslie; Baggs, James

    2013-01-01

    Yellow fever (YF) vaccine is considered safe; however, severe illness and death following vaccination have been reported. Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) and US Department of Defense (DoD) data were used to identify adverse reactions following YF vaccination. Within the VSD, YF-vaccine-exposed subjects were compared to age-, site-, and gender-matched unexposed subjects. YF-vaccine-exposed DoD subjects were studied using a risk-interval design. For both cohorts, ICD-9 codes were analyzed for allergic and local reactions, mild systemic reactions, and possible visceral and neurologic adverse events (AEs). The VSD cohort received 47,159 doses from 1991 through 2006. The DoD cohort received 1.12 million doses from 1999 through 2007. Most subjects received other vaccines simultaneously. In the VSD cohort, rates of allergic, local, and mild systemic reactions were not statistically different between YF-vaccine-exposed and -unexposed subjects. In the DoD, there was an increased risk for outpatient allergic events in the period following vaccination with YF and other vaccines rate ratios [RR 3.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.35-4.41] but with no increased risk for inpatient allergic reactions. In both cohorts, inpatient ICD-9 codes for visceral events were significantly less common following vaccination; inpatient codes for neurologic events were less common in the VSD YF-vaccine-exposed adult cohort, but did not differ between exposed and unexposed periods in the DoD. In the DoD, one fatal case of YF-vaccine-associated viscerotropic disease (YF-vaccine-AVD) was detected. The estimated death rate was 0.89 for 1,000,000 YF vaccine doses (95% CI 0.12-6.31/1,000,000 doses). No YF vaccine-associated deaths occurred in the VSD. In these closed cohorts we did not detect increased risk for visceral or neurologic events following YF vaccination. The death rate following YF vaccine was consistent with previous reports. These data support current recommendations for use of YF

  5. Surface Map Traffic Intent Displays and Net-Centric Data-link Communications for NextGen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shelton, Kevin J.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Jones, Denise R.; Allamandola, Angela S.; Arthur, Jarvis J., III; Bailey, Randall E.

    2009-01-01

    By 2025, U.S. air traffic is predicted to increase three fold and may strain the current air traffic management system, which may not be able to accommodate this growth. In response to this challenge, a revolutionary new concept has been proposed for U.S. aviation operations, termed the Next Generation Air Transportation System or "NextGen". Many key capabilities are being identified to enable NextGen, including the use of data-link communications. Because NextGen represents a radically different approach to air traffic management and requires a dramatic shift in the tasks, roles, and responsibilities for the flight deck, there are numerous research issues and challenges that must be overcome to ensure a safe, sustainable air transportation system. Flight deck display and crew-vehicle interaction concepts are being developed that proactively investigate and overcome potential technology and safety barriers that might otherwise constrain the full realization of NextGen. The paper describes simulation research, conducted at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center, examining data-link communications and traffic intent data during envisioned four-dimensional trajectory (4DT)-based and equivalent visual (EV) surface operations. Overall, the results suggest that controller pilot data-link communications (CPDLC) with the use of mandatory pilot read-back of all clearances significantly enhanced situation awareness for 4DT and EV surface operations. The depiction of graphical traffic state and intent information on the surface map display further enhanced off-nominal detection and pilot qualitative reports of safety and awareness.

  6. The subtype of VSD and the angiographic differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choe, Kyu Ok; Sul, Jun Hee; Lee, Sung Kyu; Cho, Bum Koo; Hong, Sung Nok

    1985-01-01

    VSD is the most common congenital cardiac malformation and the natural history depends not only on the age of patients and the size of defect but the subtype of VSD as well, important factor in clinical management of those patients. In 110 patients, with surgically repaired VSD in Yonsei Medical Center in 1984, the subtype of VSDs evaluated by surgical observation were correlated with LV angiogram findings to verify the incidence of subtype in Korean and the diagnostic accuracy to predict the subtype by angiogram. 1. 110 patients included 64 boys and 46 girls, the age ranged from 3 months to 14 years (average 4.6 years old). 2. Angiographic findings were interpreted as follows; a. Perimembranous defects were profiled in LAO 60 .deg. LV angiogram and located below the aortic valve. In inlet excavation the shunted blood opacified the recess between septal leaflet of tricuspid valve and interventricular septum in early phase, in infundibular excavation opacified the recess between anterior leaflet of TV and anterior free wall of RV and in trabecular excavation the shunted blood traversed anterior portion of TV ring, opacified trabecular portion of RV cavity. b. Subarterial types were profiled in RAO 30 .deg. LV angiogram, just below aortic valve as well as pulmonic valve. Total infundibular defects were profiled in RAO 30 .deg. and LAO 60 .deg. LV angiogram subaortic in location in both views. c. In muscular VSD the profiled angle was varied according to the subtype but the defects were separated from the aortic valve as muscular septum interposed between the aortic valve and the defect. 3. The incidence of subtype of VSDs evaluated by surgical observation were as follows. Subarterial type : 32 cases (29.1%) Total infundibular defect : 5 cases (4.5%) Perimembranous type : 73 cases (66.3%) Infundibular excavation : 32 cases (29.2%) Trabecular excavation : 28 cases (25.5%) Inlet excavation : 10 cases (9.1%) Mixed : 3 cases (2.7%) Muscular type : 1 cases (0.9%) Total 63

  7. Not Your Daddy's Data Link: Musings on Datalink Communications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branstetter, James

    2004-01-01

    Viewgraphs about musings on Datalink Communications are presented. Some of the topics include: 1) Keen Eye for a Straight Proposal (Next Gen Data Link); 2) So many datalinks so little funding!!!; 3) Brave New World; 4) Time marches on!; 5) Through the Looking Glass; 6) Dollars & Sense Cooking; 7) Economics 101; 8) The Missing Link(s); 9) Straight Shooting; and 10) All is not lost.

  8. Childhood vaccines and Kawasaki disease, Vaccine Safety Datalink, 1996-2006.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abrams, Joseph Y; Weintraub, Eric S; Baggs, James M; McCarthy, Natalie L; Schonberger, Lawrence B; Lee, Grace M; Klein, Nicola P; Belongia, Edward A; Jackson, Michael L; Naleway, Allison L; Nordin, James D; Hambidge, Simon J; Belay, Ermias D

    2015-01-03

    Kawasaki disease is a childhood vascular disorder of unknown etiology. Concerns have been raised about vaccinations being a potential risk factor for Kawasaki disease. Data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink were collected on children aged 0-6 years at seven managed care organizations across the United States. Defining exposure as one of several time periods up to 42 days after vaccination, we conducted Poisson regressions controlling for age, sex, season, and managed care organization to determine if rates of physician-diagnosed and verified Kawasaki disease were elevated following vaccination compared to rates during all unexposed periods. We also performed case-crossover analyses to control for unmeasured confounding. A total of 1,721,186 children aged 0-6 years from seven managed care organizations were followed for a combined 4,417,766 person-years. The rate of verified Kawasaki disease was significantly lower during the 1-42 days after vaccination (rate ratio=0.50, 95% CL=0.27-0.92) and 8-42 days after vaccination (rate ratio=0.45, 95% CL=0.22-0.90) compared to rates during unexposed periods. Breaking down the analysis by vaccination category did not identify a subset of vaccines which was solely responsible for this association. The case-crossover analyses revealed that children with Kawasaki disease had lower rates of vaccination in the 42 days prior to symptom onset for both physician-diagnosed Kawasaki disease (rate ratio=0.79, 95% CL=0.64-0.97) and verified Kawasaki disease (rate ratio=0.38, 95% CL=0.20-0.75). Childhood vaccinations' studied did not increase the risk of Kawasaki disease; conversely, vaccination was associated with a transient decrease in Kawasaki disease incidence. Verifying and understanding this potential protective effect could yield clues to the underlying etiology of Kawasaki disease. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  9. Manual de uso del programa VSD (Video Stereo Digitalizador)

    OpenAIRE

    Almagro, Antonio; López Hernández, Gerardo

    2001-01-01

    El Vídeo Estéreo Digitalizador (VSD) de AGH, creado por el profesor J.J. Jachimski y el informático J.M. Zielinski del Departamento de Fotogrametría y Teledetección informática de la Universidad de Minería y Metalurgia de Cracovia, es un estereorrestituidor concebido para la producción de dibujos vectoriales a partir de pares de imágenes fotogramétricas digitales, en blanco y negro o color (estereopares u ortoestereopares). El VSD utiliza imágenes digitales, lo cual se traduce en la posibilid...

  10. Applying value sensitive design (VSD) to wind turbines and wind parks: an exploration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oosterlaken, Ilse

    2015-04-01

    Community acceptance still remains a challenge for wind energy projects. The most popular explanation for local opposition, the Not in My Backyard effect, has received fierce criticism in the past decade. Critics argue that opposition is not merely a matter of selfishness or ignorance, but that moral, ecological and aesthetic values play an important role. In order to better take such values into account, a more bottom-up, participatory decision process is usually proposed. Research on this topic focusses on either stakeholder motivations/attitudes, or their behavior during project implementation. This paper proposes a third research focus, namely the 'objects' which elicit certain behavioral responses and attitudes-the wind turbine and parks. More concretely, this paper explores Value Sensitive Design (VSD) as way to arrive at wind turbines and parks that better embed or reflect key values. After a critical discussion of the notion of acceptance versus acceptability and support, the paper discusses existing literature on ecology and aesthetics in relation to wind turbine/park design, which could serve as 'building blocks' of a more integral VSD approach of the topic. It also discusses the challenge of demarcating wind park projects as VSD projects. A further challenge is that VSD has been applied mainly at the level of technical artifacts, whereas wind parks can best be conceptualized as socio-technical system. This new application would therefore expand the current practice of VSD, and may as a consequence also lead to interesting new insights for the VSD community. The paper concludes that such an outcome-oriented approach of wind turbines and park is worth exploring further, as a supplement to rather than a replacement of the process-oriented approach that is promoted by the current literature on community acceptance of wind parks.

  11. Percutaneous ASD and VSD closure of 4-month-old infant in the same session

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazmi Narin

    2015-09-01

    In conclusion, percutaneous ASD, VSD closure is being done safely in children, but for the first time, percutaneous VSD closure was done in an infant with low body weight in the same session with ASD closure successfully. This case will be an encouraging example for the future.

  12. Rancang Bangun Inverter SVM Berbasis Mikrokontroler PIC 18F4431 Untuk Sistem VSD

    OpenAIRE

    Tarmizi; Muyassar

    2013-01-01

    Sebuah sistem pengaturan kecepatan motor disebut dengan sistem Variable Speed Drives (VSD). Sistem VSD motor induksi menggunakan inverter untuk mengatur frekuensi suplai motor. Untuk mendapatkan frekuensi suplai motor yang mendekati sinusoidal, inveter perlu di switching dengan metode tertentu. Pada penelitian ini, switching inverter 3 fasa menggunakan metode SVM (Space Vector Modulation) yang dikontrol oleh Mikrokontroler PIC18F4431. Sebelum dilakukan ekperimen, inverter SVM ini lakukan si...

  13. Ventricular Septal Defect in an Octogenarian: A Case Report of VSD Surgical Repair Concomitant with Coronary Artery Bypass and Valvular Surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eiki Tayama

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Finding an untreated or asymptomatic large ventricular septal defect (VSD in an elderly patient is uncommon. The present case was an 81-year-old man who suffered from acute myocardial infarction due to three-vessel coronary disease, mitral and tricuspid valve insufficiency, and high-flow perimembranous VSD (Qp/Qs 2.3. Although the patient was elderly and the VSD had been asymptomatic for a long time, we considered that high-flow VSD and valve diseases should be repaired simultaneously with coronary disease. Then, he underwent elective surgery, namely, VSD patch repair concomitant with coronary artery bypass grafting, and mitral and tricuspid annuloplasty. His postoperative course was uneventful. We conclude that, even for an octogenarian, surgical repair of VSD is recommendable, if surgical indications are appropriate.

  14. Software Defined Radio Datalink Implementation Using PC-Type Computers

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Zafeiropoulos, Georgios

    2003-01-01

    The objective of this thesis was to examine the feasibility of implementation and the performance of a Software Defined Radio datalink, using a common PC type host computer and a high level programming language...

  15. Evaluation of Mixed-Mode Data-Link Communications for NextGen 4DT and Equivalent Visual Surface Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Shelton, Kevin J.; Jones, Denise R.; Allamandola, Angela S.; Arthur, Jarvis, J., III; Bailey, Randall E.

    2010-01-01

    By 2025, U.S. air traffic is predicted to increase 3-fold and may strain the current air traffic management system, which may not be able to accommodate this growth. In response to this challenge, a revolutionary new concept has been proposed for U.S. aviation operations, termed the Next Generation Air Transportation System or NextGen. Many key capabilities are being identified to enable NextGen, including the use of data-link communications. Because NextGen represents a radically different approach to air traffic management and requires a dramatic shift in the tasks, roles, and responsibilities for the flight deck, there are numerous research issues and challenges that must be overcome to ensure a safe, sustainable air transportation system. Flight deck display and crew-vehicle interaction concepts are being developed that proactively investigate and overcome potential technology and safety barriers that might otherwise constrain the full realization of NextGen. The paper describes simulation research examining data-link communications during 4DT and equivalent visual surface operations.

  16. Mural endocarditis caused by Corynebacterium mustelae in a dog with a VSD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winter, Randolph L; Gordon, Sonya G; Zhang, Shuping; Hariu, Crystal D; Miller, Matthew W

    2014-01-01

    A 6 yr old female spayed large Munsterlander was evaluated following a 3 wk history of lethargy, inappetence, intermittent fever, and a recent change to the timing of her previously diagnosed heart murmur. Physical examination revealed marked dehydration, lethargy, and a grade 5/6 to-and-fro heart murmur that was auscultated best at the right sternal border. The dog was febrile, and echocardiography revealed a large, mobile, vegetative lesion in the right ventricular outflow tract associated with a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Mild aortic insufficiency was present. Corynebacterium mustelae (C. mustelae) was isolated from a pooled blood culture. Treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) was initiated along with supportive care, and the patient was discharged 9 days later. The dog remained without clinical signs 132 days after discharge. VSD is rarely mentioned as a predisposing factor for development of IE in veterinary literature; however, this report highlights that dogs with a VSD may be at risk for IE. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented case of a canine infection with C. mustelae. Infection with C. mustelae in this case represents a novel agent for IE in the dog.

  17. Surveillance and Datalink Communication Performance Analysis for Distributed Separation Assurance System Architectures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, William W.; Linse, Dennis J.; Alaverdi, Omeed; Ifarraguerri, Carlos; Seifert, Scott C.; Salvano, Dan; Calender, Dale

    2012-01-01

    This study investigates the effects of two technical enablers: Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) and digital datalink communication, of the Federal Aviation Administration s Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) under two separation assurance (SA) system architectures: ground-based SA and airborne SA, on overall separation assurance performance. Datalink performance such as successful reception probability in both surveillance and communication messages, and surveillance accuracy are examined in various operational conditions. Required SA performance is evaluated as a function of subsystem performance, using availability, continuity, and integrity metrics to establish overall required separation assurance performance, under normal and off-nominal conditions.

  18. Effectiveness of several dosage formula of oil and nano emulsion of citronella against vascular streak dieback (VSD) disease on cocoa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noveriza, R.; Trisno, J.; Rahma, H.; Yuliani, S.; Reflin; Martinius

    2018-02-01

    The disease of Vascular streak dieback (VSD) is a deadly disease of cocoa plants, because it attacks the vascular tissue of cocoa at growing point of the plant. In West Sumatra the disease was first reported in 2015 with an incidence of disease range 58.82% - 100% and an intensity of disease range 24.29% - 44.7%. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of dosage application of oil formula and nano emulsion of citronella formula against Vascular streak dieback (VSD) disease on cocoa plants in West Sumatra (in Padang Pariaman District and Limapuluh Kota District). The results showed that the percentage of VSD disease attacks in both testing sites was 100%. The oil and nano emulsion of citronella formulas can reduce the intensity of VSD disease on cocoa plants in West Sumatra, particularly in Padang Pariaman District and Limapuluh Kota District. The reduction of VSD intensity in Padang Pariaman district ranged from 8.32 to 21.13%; while in Limapuluh Kota district ranged from 4.33 to 11.80%. The nano emulsion of citronella formulation is effective to suppress the intensity of VSD disease on cocoa plants at doses 0.1% (≥ 30% of effectiveness level).

  19. Postinfarct VSD management using 3D computer printing assisted percutaneous closure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamad Lazkani

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Postinfarct VSD (PIVSD carries a grim prognosis. The mainstay of management has been surgical repair. The advent of septal occluder devices has offered an attractive alternative to surgical repair. Most PIVSD have serpiginous tracts with necrotic tissue, which makes assessing the defect challenging. 3D computer printing has become useful in preprocedure planning of complex surgical procedures in multiple subspecialties.

  20. Frequency of medically attended adverse events following tetanus and diphtheria toxoid vaccine in adolescents and young adults: a Vaccine Safety Datalink study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naleway Allison

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Local reactions are the most commonly reported adverse events following tetanus and diphtheria toxoid (Td vaccine and the risk of local reactions may increase with number of prior Td vaccinations. Methods To estimate the risk of medically attended local reactions following Td vaccination in adolescents and young adults we conducted a six-year retrospective cohort study assessing 436,828 Td vaccinations given to persons 9 through 25 years of age in the Vaccine Safety Datalink population from 1999 through 2004. Results Overall, the estimated risk of a medically attended local reaction was 3.6 events per 10,000 Td vaccinations. The lowest risk (2.8 events per 10,000 vaccinations was found in the 11 to 15 year old age group. In comparison with that group, the event risks were significantly higher in both the 9 to 10 and 21 to 25 year old age groups. The risk of a local reaction was significantly higher in persons who had received another tetanus and diphtheria toxoid containing vaccine (TDCV in the previous five years (incidence rate ratio, 2.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 7.2. Twenty-eight percent of persons with a local reaction to Td vaccine were prescribed antibiotics. Conclusion Medically attended local reactions were uncommon following Td vaccination. The risk of those reactions varied by age and by prior receipt of TDCVs. These findings provide a point of reference for future evaluations of the safety profile of newer vaccines containing tetanus or diphtheria toxoid.

  1. Data-linked pilot reply time on controller workload and communication in a simulated terminal option

    Science.gov (United States)

    2001-05-01

    This report describes an analysis of air traffic control communication and workload in a simulated terminal radar approach : control environment. The objective of this study was to investigate how pilot-to-controller data-link acknowledgment time : m...

  2. Patterns of pneumococcal vaccination and revaccination in elderly and non-elderly adults: a Vaccine Safety Datalink study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belongia Edward A

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV is recommended for all adults 65 years of age and older and for younger adults with high-risk conditions. While data from national surveys provide information on the proportion of adults 65 years of age and older reporting ever receipt of PPV they do not collect more detailed information, such as age at vaccination or the total number of vaccinations received. In addition, there is relatively little information available on PPV coverage in younger adults with chronic conditions. To assess contemporary patterns of pneumococcal vaccination and revaccination of adults, we conducted a cross-sectional study of adults enrolled in medical care organizations (MCOs participating in the Vaccine Safety Datalink project. Methods The study population included 1.5 million adults 25 years of age and older enrolled in the four participating MCOs on December 1, 2006. PPVs administered to members of the study population prior to that date were identified from computerized immunization registries maintained by the MCOs. Results Among the general population of adults 25 through 64 years of age, vaccine coverage increased from 2% in the 25–29 year old age-group to 26% in the 60–64 year old age-group. In all age-groups, coverage was substantially higher in persons defined as having a chronic high risk condition. This was particularly true for diabetes mellitus, with vaccine coverage of over 50% in the lower age-groups and 75% in those 60–64 years of age. Among adults 65 years of age and older, 82% had received at least one PPV and 18% had received two or more PPVs. Conclusion We found higher levels of PPV coverage among adults 65 years of age and older and among younger adults with diabetes mellitus than reported by national surveys and for those groups PPV coverage approached the Healthy People 2010 national objectives. These results suggest that achieving those objectives for PPV is possible and

  3. Limited Evaluation of a Relative GPS Datalink Between Two C-12C Aircraft (Project "Lost Wingman")

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    George, Benjamin E; Wilder, Bruce J; Pasanen, York W; Faulkner, Adam M; Sullivan, Scott T

    2005-01-01

    .... This project was a risk reduction step to test the stability of the datalink to provide relative position and attitude information from a lead aircraft to a trail aircraft for the potential purpose...

  4. Smart Sensor for Online Detection of Multiple-Combined Faults in VSD-Fed Induction Motors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Ramirez, Armando G.; Osornio-Rios, Roque A.; Granados-Lieberman, David; Garcia-Perez, Arturo; Romero-Troncoso, Rene J.

    2012-01-01

    Induction motors fed through variable speed drives (VSD) are widely used in different industrial processes. Nowadays, the industry demands the integration of smart sensors to improve the fault detection in order to reduce cost, maintenance and power consumption. Induction motors can develop one or more faults at the same time that can be produce severe damages. The combined fault identification in induction motors is a demanding task, but it has been rarely considered in spite of being a common situation, because it is difficult to identify two or more faults simultaneously. This work presents a smart sensor for online detection of simple and multiple-combined faults in induction motors fed through a VSD in a wide frequency range covering low frequencies from 3 Hz and high frequencies up to 60 Hz based on a primary sensor being a commercially available current clamp or a hall-effect sensor. The proposed smart sensor implements a methodology based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT), RMS calculation and artificial neural networks (ANN), which are processed online using digital hardware signal processing based on field programmable gate array (FPGA).

  5. VSD a compressor that automatically reduces the power consumption; VSD un compresor que reduce automaticamente el consumo energetico

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Anda L, Pedro [Atlas Copco, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2001-07-01

    With the purpose of verifying the behavior in the demand of air in the different plants Copco Atlas made a sampling of 135 measurements, from which it was concluded, that the air consumption of the plants behaves under three main profiles. In the following graphs the behavior of the demand of air with one color for every day of the week and 24 hours per day. In this sample Profile No. 1 is typical of the industries that work 24 hours a day and have low demand of air at night. This type of profile represents a percentage of 64% of the total of the measurements made. The second profile represents industries that work 5 days per week with two shifts and represents a percentage of 28%. The third profile is typical for applications of fixed consumption during the 5 days of the week, this represents an 8% of the measurements. With the purpose of improving the efficiency in the compressors energy consumption, Atlas Copco has been pioneering in the development of compressors with Variable Speed Drive (VSD), that offers the possibility of adapting with extreme precision the capacity of the compressor to the variable demand of compressed air of the plant. [Spanish] Con la finalidad de verificar el comportamiento en la demanda de aire en las diferentes plantas Atlas Copco realizo un muestreo de 135 mediciones, del cual se concluyo, que el consumo de aire de las plantas se comporta bajo tres perfiles principales. En las siguientes graficas se muestra el comportamiento de la demanda de aire con un color por cada dia de la semana y 24 horas al dia . En esta muestra el Perfil No. 1 es tipico de las Industrias que trabajan las 24 horas del dia y tiene baja demanda de aire en las noches. Este tipo de perfil representa un porcentaje de 64% del total de las mediciones realizadas. El segundo perfil representa industrias que traban 5 dias a la semana con dos turnos y representa un porcentaje de 28%. El tercer perfil estetico para aplicaciones de consumo fijo durante 5 dias a la semana

  6. Assessing Agricultural Drought Vulnerability by a VSD Model: A Case Study in Yunnan Province, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiansheng Wu

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Drought vulnerability of agriculture is significant to economic development and sustainable food production. In this paper, we proposed a framework to evaluate the regional agricultural-eco environment in the face of drought caused by climate change. Based on a vulnerability scoping diagram (VSD model, we built up a comprehensive system to evaluate the agricultural drought vulnerability of Yunnan Province in China. The model highlights the human-land relationship by considering both natural conditions and human activities. Twelve indicators were generated to construct three components of the model: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. During the construction of the VSD model, the entropy and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP comprehensive analysis method were adopted to generate the weights and to compute the composite index for each section. Furthermore, the factor analysis method was used to determine the dominant factors of different cities and the main indicators driving the system. The results indicated a spatial pattern that the vulnerability value was high on the eastern and western sides, but low in the middle of Yunnan Province. Most of the vulnerable regions were concentrated in remote areas. Indicators such as population density, irrigation level, annual average precipitation, cultivation land ratio, and difficulty of water supply were the main driving factors. This means that there is a deep connection between agricultural drought vulnerability and urbanization. The evaluation system developed during this research will provide guidance for drought mitigation in regions of complex terrain.

  7. Physical and data-link security techniques for future communication systems

    CERN Document Server

    Tomasin, Stefano

    2016-01-01

     This book focuses on techniques that can be applied at the physical and data-link layers of communication systems in order to secure transmissions against eavesdroppers. Topics ranging from information theory-based security to coding for security and cryptography are discussed, with presentation of cutting-edge research and innovative results from leading researchers. The characteristic feature of all the contributions is their relevance for practical embodiments: detailed consideration is given to applications of security principles to a variety of widely used communication techniques such as multiantenna systems, ultra-wide band communication systems, power line communications, and quantum key distribution techniques. A further distinctive aspect is the attention paid to both unconditional and computational security techniques, providing a bridge between two usually distinct worlds. The book comprises extended versions of contributions delivered at the Workshop on Communication Security, held in Ancona, I...

  8. Data-Link and Surface Map Traffic Intent Displays for NextGen 4DT and Equivalent Visual Surface Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shelton, Kevin J.; Prinzel, Lawrence J., III; Arthur, Jarvis J., III; Jones, Deise R.; Allamandola, Angela S.; Bailey, Randall E.

    2009-01-01

    By 2025, U.S. air traffic is predicted to increase 3-fold and may strain the current air traffic management system, which may not be able to accommodate this growth. In response to this challenge, a consortium of industry, academia and government agencies have proposed a revolutionary new concept for U.S. aviation operations, termed the Next Generation Air Transportation System or "NextGen". Many key capabilities are being identified to enable NextGen, including the concept of "net-centric" operations whereby each aircraft and air services provider shares information to allow real-time adaptability to ever-changing factors such as weather, traffic, flight trajectories, and security. Data-link is likely to be the primary source of communication in NextGen. Because NextGen represents a radically different approach to air traffic management and requires a dramatic shift in the tasks, roles, and responsibilities for the flight deck, there are numerous research issues and challenges that must be overcome to ensure a safe, sustainable air transportation system. Flight deck display and crew-vehicle interaction concepts are being developed that proactively investigate and overcome potential technology and safety barriers that might otherwise constrain the full realization of NextGen.

  9. An Interesting Case Report of Unexpected VSD Device Embolization and its Challenging Percutaneous Retrieval

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinod Raghunath Revankar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Device closure of Ventricular septal defect (VSD is gaining popularity as a preferred method of treatment in suitable patients. The decreased morbidity and mortality associated with the procedure as compared to open heart surgery is the main reason behind this. Device embolization is a dreaded complication that occurs rarely with this procedure. While surgical retrieval of the device is preferred at most centres, the device can be retrieved per cutaneously by employing suitable maneuvers. We are reporting a case where we successfully retrieved an embolized ADOII device in our patient. We intend to emphasize the need for thorough pre operative assessment of the patient before proceeding with device closure in order to prevent this complication from occurring.

  10. Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Influenza Vaccination, and Antecedent Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Infections: A Case-Centered Analysis in the Vaccine Safety Datalink, 2009-2011.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharon K Greene

    Full Text Available Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS can be triggered by gastrointestinal or respiratory infections, including influenza. During the 2009 influenza A (H1N1 pandemic in the United States, monovalent inactivated influenza vaccine (MIV availability coincided with high rates of wildtype influenza infections. Several prior studies suggested an elevated GBS risk following MIV, but adjustment for antecedent infection was limited.We identified patients enrolled in health plans participating in the Vaccine Safety Datalink and diagnosed with GBS from July 2009 through June 2011. Medical records of GBS cases with 2009-10 MIV, 2010-11 trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV, and/or a medically-attended respiratory or gastrointestinal infection in the 1 through 141 days prior to GBS diagnosis were reviewed and classified according to Brighton Collaboration criteria for diagnostic certainty. Using a case-centered design, logistic regression models adjusted for patient-level time-varying sources of confounding, including seasonal vaccinations and infections in GBS cases and population-level controls.Eighteen confirmed GBS cases received vaccination in the 6 weeks preceding onset, among 1.27 million 2009-10 MIV recipients and 2.80 million 2010-11 TIV recipients. Forty-four confirmed GBS cases had infection in the 6 weeks preceding onset, among 3.77 million patients diagnosed with medically-attended infection. The observed-versus-expected odds that 2009-10 MIV/2010-11 TIV was received in the 6 weeks preceding GBS onset was odds ratio = 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI, 0.59-3.99; risk difference = 0.93 per million doses, 95% CI, -0.71-5.16. The association between GBS and medically-attended infection was: odds ratio = 7.73, 95% CI, 3.60-16.61; risk difference = 11.62 per million infected patients, 95% CI, 4.49-26.94. These findings were consistent in sensitivity analyses using alternative infection definitions and risk intervals for prior

  11. Prevalence of hypercalcemia of malignancy among pediatric cancer patients in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink database

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jick S

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Susan Jick,1 Lin Li,1 Victor M Gastanaga,2 Alexander Liede,2 Rohini K Hernandez2 1Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, Boston University School of Public Health, Lexington, MA, USA; 2Center for Observational Research, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks and South San Francisco, CA, USA Background: The reported proportion of cancer patients who experience hypercalcemia of malignancy (HCM is low, particularly in the pediatric population, ranging between <1% and 5%. HCM can be observed with any type of tumor in children and occurs most commonly with leukemia. While HCM is a potentially fatal condition, the prevalence of HCM is not well understood in pediatric cancer patients. Methods: Using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, we identified pediatric cancer patients with recorded corrected serum calcium (CSC from 2003 through 2014. Hypercalcemic patients (CSC ≥10.8 mg/dL were classified into 4 CSC levels. We estimated the annual prevalence of HCM using Byar’s method. Results: Among 517 pediatric cancer patients, leukemia, lymphoma, and brain tumors were the most frequent cancer types. The prevalence of HCM overall (grade 1 or higher ranged from 0.24% to 0.81% between 2003 and 2014. There were too few cases to compare prevalence by type of cancer. Conclusion: We provide the first systematic analysis using a UK population-based data source to estimate the number of pediatric cancer patients affected with HCM by grade. Our findings showed that the prevalence of pediatric HCM was very low (0.24%–0.81% over the 12-year study period, which is consistent with previous study of adult cancer patients in the UK (0.20%–0.67%. Keywords: hypercalcemia, pediatric, cancer, prevalence, Clinical Practice Research Datalink

  12. NASA Aviation Safety Program Weather Accident Prevention/weather Information Communications (WINCOMM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feinberg, Arthur; Tauss, James; Chomos, Gerald (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Weather is a contributing factor in approximately 25-30 percent of general aviation accidents. The lack of timely, accurate and usable weather information to the general aviation pilot in the cockpit to enhance pilot situational awareness and improve pilot judgment remains a major impediment to improving aviation safety. NASA Glenn Research Center commissioned this 120 day weather datalink market survey to assess the technologies, infrastructure, products, and services of commercial avionics systems being marketed to the general aviation community to address these longstanding safety concerns. A market survey of companies providing or proposing to provide graphical weather information to the general aviation cockpit was conducted. Fifteen commercial companies were surveyed. These systems are characterized and evaluated in this report by availability, end-user pricing/cost, system constraints/limits and technical specifications. An analysis of market survey results and an evaluation of product offerings were made. In addition, recommendations to NASA for additional research and technology development investment have been made as a result of this survey to accelerate deployment of cockpit weather information systems for enhancing aviation safety.

  13. Test Results of a Platform for Safety I and C Systems of SMART MMIS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suh, Yong Suk; Keum, Jong Yong; Jeong, Kwang Il; Lee, Joon Ku; Lee, Sang Seok; Kim, Kwan Woong

    2011-01-01

    SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor), a 330MWt integral pressurized light water reactor that integrates four reactor coolant pumps, one pressurizer, eight steam generators, and one reactor core into a reactor vessel, has been under development at KAERI since 1997. A standard design safety analysis report of the SMART prepared by KAERI was submitted to Korea institute of nuclear safety (KINS) at the end of 2010. KAERI aims to achieve standard design approval (SDA) from KINS by the end of 2011. SMART MMIS has been designed using digital systems. It has digital-based compact control rooms. Its instrumentation and control (I and C) systems are designed using modular equipment connected through datalinks. Non-safety I and C systems are designed based on the commercial distributed control systems. Safety I and C systems are based on a new platform developed by KAERI. The platform is a high-speed digital signal processor (DSP)-based control unit. It plays the role of a module that provides control functions of the safety I and C systems. The test facilities have been developed at KAERI since 2009. This paper presents the development and test results of the platform

  14. Performance Test Results of Safety I and C Systems of SMART MMIS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suh, Yong Suk; Keum, Jong Yong; Jeong, Kwang Il; Lee, Joon Ku; Lee, Sang Seok; Kim, Kwan Woong

    2011-01-01

    KAERI has developed SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor), a 330MWt integral pressurized light water reactor that integrates four reactor coolant pumps, one pressurizer, eight steam generators, and one reactor core into a reactor vessel, since 1997 and submitted a SSAR (Standard design Safety Analysis Report) to Korea institute of nuclear safety (KINS) at the end of 2010 for the purpose of achieving the standard design approval (SDA) by the end of 2011. SMART MMIS has been designed with fully digitalized systems. Non-safety instrumentation and control (I and C) systems are designed based on the commercial distributed control systems. The safety I and C systems are designed using a new platform that was developed and validated by KAERI. Safety I and C systems are modularized using the platform. In the protection systems (PSs), datalinks are used to transmit data in a one-way direction in order to meet the independency requirement. In the engineered safety features-component control system (ESF-CCS), network switch devices (NSDs) are used to connect the group and loop controllers. The NSD was also newly developed and validated by KAERI. After validating the platform and NSD, a test facility was developed using the platform and NSDs to validate the performance of safety I and C systems. This paper presents the development and test results from the test facility

  15. A Dose-Response Relationship between Organic Mercury Exposure from Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David A. Geier

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available A hypothesis testing case-control study evaluated concerns about the toxic effects of organic-mercury (Hg exposure from thimerosal-containing (49.55% Hg by weight vaccines on the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs. Automated medical records were examined to identify cases and controls enrolled from their date-of-birth (1991–2000 in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD project. ND cases were diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD, specific developmental delay, tic disorder or hyperkinetic syndrome of childhood. In addition, putative non-thimerosal-related outcomes of febrile seizure, failure to thrive and cerebral degenerations were examined. The cumulative total dose of Hg exposure from thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccine (T-HBV administered within the first six months of life was calculated. On a per microgram of organic-Hg basis, PDD (odds ratio (OR = 1.054, specific developmental delay (OR = 1.035, tic disorder (OR = 1.034 and hyperkinetic syndrome of childhood (OR = 1.05 cases were significantly more likely than controls to receive increased organic-Hg exposure. By contrast, none of the non-thimerosal related outcomes were significantly more likely than the controls to have received increased organic-Hg exposure. Routine childhood vaccination may be an important public health tool to reduce infectious disease-associated morbidity/mortality, but the present study significantly associates organic-Hg exposure from T-HBV with an increased risk of an ND diagnosis.

  16. A longitudinal cohort study of the relationship between Thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccination and specific delays in development in the United States: Assessment of attributable risk and lifetime care costs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David A. Geier

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Epidemiological evidence suggests a link between mercury (Hg exposure from Thimerosal-containing vaccines and specific delays in development. A hypothesis-testing longitudinal cohort study (n = 49,835 using medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between exposure to Hg from Thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccines (T-HBVs administered at specific intervals in the first 6 months of life and specific delays in development [International Classification of Disease, 9th revision (ICD-9: 315.xx] among children born between 1991 and 1994 and continuously enrolled from birth for at least 5.81 years. Infants receiving increased Hg doses from T-HBVs administered within the first month, the first 2 months, and the first 6 months of life were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with specific delays in development than infants receiving no Hg doses from T-HBVs. During the decade in which T-HBVs were routinely recommended and administered to US infants (1991–2001, an estimated 0.5–1 million additional US children were diagnosed with specific delays in development as a consequence of 25 μg or 37.5 μg organic Hg from T-HBVs administered within the first 6 months of life. The resulting lifetime costs to the United States may exceed $1 trillion.

  17. Construction of a multisite DataLink using electronic health records for the identification, surveillance, prevention, and management of diabetes mellitus: the SUPREME-DM project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nichols, Gregory A; Desai, Jay; Elston Lafata, Jennifer; Lawrence, Jean M; O'Connor, Patrick J; Pathak, Ram D; Raebel, Marsha A; Reid, Robert J; Selby, Joseph V; Silverman, Barbara G; Steiner, John F; Stewart, W F; Vupputuri, Suma; Waitzfelder, Beth

    2012-01-01

    Electronic health record (EHR) data enhance opportunities for conducting surveillance of diabetes. The objective of this study was to identify the number of people with diabetes from a diabetes DataLink developed as part of the SUPREME-DM (SUrveillance, PREvention, and ManagEment of Diabetes Mellitus) project, a consortium of 11 integrated health systems that use comprehensive EHR data for research. We identified all members of 11 health care systems who had any enrollment from January 2005 through December 2009. For these members, we searched inpatient and outpatient diagnosis codes, laboratory test results, and pharmaceutical dispensings from January 2000 through December 2009 to create indicator variables that could potentially identify a person with diabetes. Using this information, we estimated the number of people with diabetes and among them, the number of incident cases, defined as indication of diabetes after at least 2 years of continuous health system enrollment. The 11 health systems contributed 15,765,529 unique members, of whom 1,085,947 (6.9%) met 1 or more study criteria for diabetes. The nonstandardized proportion meeting study criteria for diabetes ranged from 4.2% to 12.4% across sites. Most members with diabetes (88%) met multiple criteria. Of the members with diabetes, 428,349 (39.4%) were incident cases. The SUPREME-DM DataLink is a unique resource that provides an opportunity to conduct comparative effectiveness research, epidemiologic surveillance including longitudinal analyses, and population-based care management studies of people with diabetes. It also provides a useful data source for pragmatic clinical trials of prevention or treatment interventions.

  18. Unruptured Aneurysm of Sinus of Valsalva Coexisting with the Large Ventricular Septal Defect and Severe Aortic Regurgitation in a Young Man

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pouya Nezafati

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Unruptured sinus of valsalva aneurysm (SVA is a rare congenital anomaly, particularly, when it coexists with a ventricular septal defect (VSD and aortic regurgitation due to the prolapse of the elongated aortic cusp into the VSD. In this report, we present the case of a 19-year-old young man with VSD challenging in spite of dyspnea and lower limb edema. Presentation of Case. Its diagnosis was made on the basis of transthoracic echocardiography results. Surgical management consisted of replacing the SVA with mechanical valve prosthesis. A Gore-Tex patch repaired the VSD. Discussion. In the follow-up periods, clinical and echocardiographic tests showed that the patient was in excellent status. Conclusion. SVA requires a surgical procedure due to its high risk of mortality in unoperated patients and a good safety of surgery.

  19. Construction of a Multisite DataLink Using Electronic Health Records for the Identification, Surveillance, Prevention, and Management of Diabetes Mellitus: The SUPREME-DM Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desai, Jay; Elston Lafata, Jennifer; Lawrence, Jean M.; O’Connor, Patrick J.; Pathak, Ram D.; Raebel, Marsha A.; Reid, Robert J.; Selby, Joseph V.; Silverman, Barbara G.; Steiner, John F.; Stewart, W.F.; Vupputuri, Suma; Waitzfelder, Beth

    2012-01-01

    Introduction Electronic health record (EHR) data enhance opportunities for conducting surveillance of diabetes. The objective of this study was to identify the number of people with diabetes from a diabetes DataLink developed as part of the SUPREME-DM (SUrveillance, PREvention, and ManagEment of Diabetes Mellitus) project, a consortium of 11 integrated health systems that use comprehensive EHR data for research. Methods We identified all members of 11 health care systems who had any enrollment from January 2005 through December 2009. For these members, we searched inpatient and outpatient diagnosis codes, laboratory test results, and pharmaceutical dispensings from January 2000 through December 2009 to create indicator variables that could potentially identify a person with diabetes. Using this information, we estimated the number of people with diabetes and among them, the number of incident cases, defined as indication of diabetes after at least 2 years of continuous health system enrollment. Results The 11 health systems contributed 15,765,529 unique members, of whom 1,085,947 (6.9%) met 1 or more study criteria for diabetes. The nonstandardized proportion meeting study criteria for diabetes ranged from 4.2% to 12.4% across sites. Most members with diabetes (88%) met multiple criteria. Of the members with diabetes, 428,349 (39.4%) were incident cases. Conclusion The SUPREME-DM DataLink is a unique resource that provides an opportunity to conduct comparative effectiveness research, epidemiologic surveillance including longitudinal analyses, and population-based care management studies of people with diabetes. It also provides a useful data source for pragmatic clinical trials of prevention or treatment interventions. PMID:22677160

  20. An ADS-B Emergency Respone System for NextGen Airspace Safety, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — FAA NextGencontrollers can employ the ADS-B datalink to send aircraft flight plans guiding the around traffic conflicts that the on-board system hasn't seen or...

  1. A Prospective Longitudinal Assessment of Medical Records for Diagnostic Substitution among Subjects Diagnosed with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder in the United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David eGeier

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Previously, investigators suggested that diagnostic substitution from other diagnoses, e.g., mental retardation (MR and/or cerebral palsy (CP to pervasive developmental disorder (PDD is a driving factor behind increases in PDD. This study evaluated potential diagnostic substitution among subjects diagnosed with PDD vs MR or CP by examining birth characteristic overlap.Methods: SAS® and StatsDirect software examined medical records for subjects within the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD database who were Health Maintenance Organization (HMO-enrolled from birth until diagnosed with an International Classification of Disease, 9th revision (ICD-9 outcome of PDD (299.xx, n=84, CP (343.xx, n=300, or MR (317.xx, 318.xx, or 319.xx, n=51.Results: Subjects with PDD had significantly (p<0.01 increased: male/female ratio (PDD=5.5 vs CP=1.5 or MR=1.3, mean age of initial diagnosis in years (PDD=3.13 vs CP=1.09 or MR=1.62, mean gestational age in weeks at birth (PDD=38.73 vs CP=36.20 or MR=34.84, mean birth weight in grams (PDD=3,368 vs CP=2,767 or MR=2,406, and mean Appearance-Pulse-Grimace-Activity-Respiration (APGAR scores at 1 minute (PDD=7.82 vs CP=6.37 or MR=6.76 and 5 minutes (PDD=8.77 vs CP=7.92 or MR=8.04, as compared to subjects diagnosed with CP or MR.Conclusion: This study suggests diagnostic substitution cannot fully explain increased PDD prevalence during the 1990s within the United States.

  2. Uptake of meningococcal conjugate vaccine among adolescents in large managed care organizations, United States, 2005: Demand, supply and seasonality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wortley Pascale M

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In February 2005, the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the new meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4 for routine use among 11- to 12-year-olds (at the preadolescent health-care visit, 14- to 15-year-olds (before high-school entry, and groups at increased risk. Vaccine distribution started in March; however, in July, the manufacturer reported inability to meet demand and widespread MCV4 shortages were reported. Our objectives were to determine early uptake patterns among target (11-12 and 14-15 year olds and non-target (13- plus 16-year-olds age groups. A post hoc analysis was conducted to compare seasonal uptake patterns of MCV4 with polysaccharide meningococcal (MPSV4 and tetanus diphtheria (Td vaccines. Methods We analyzed data for adolescents 11-16 years from five managed care organizations participating in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD. For MCV4, we estimated monthly and cumulative coverage during 2005 and calculated risk ratios. For MPSV4 and Td, we combined 2003 and 2004 data and compared their seasonal uptake patterns with MCV4. Results Coverage for MCV4 during 2005 among the 623,889 11-16 years olds was 10%. Coverage for 11-12 and 14-15 year olds was 12% and 11%, respectively, compared with 8% for 13- plus 16-year-olds (p Conclusion A surge in vaccine uptake between June and August was observed among adolescents for MCV4, MPSV4 and Td vaccines. The increase in summer-time vaccinations and vaccination of non-targeted adolescents coupled with supply limitations likely contributed to the reported shortages of MCV4 in 2005.

  3. Vaccination and 30-Day Mortality Risk in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarthy, Natalie L; Gee, Julianne; Sukumaran, Lakshmi; Weintraub, Eric; Duffy, Jonathan; Kharbanda, Elyse O; Baxter, Roger; Irving, Stephanie; King, Jennifer; Daley, Matthew F; Hechter, Rulin; McNeil, Michael M

    2016-03-01

    This study evaluates the potential association of vaccination and death in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD). The study cohort included individuals ages 9 to 26 years with deaths between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011. We implemented a case-centered method to estimate a relative risk (RR) for death in days 0 to 30 after vaccination.Deaths due to external causes (accidents, homicides, and suicides) were excluded from the primary analysis. In a secondary analysis, we included all deaths regardless of cause. A team of physicians reviewed available medical records and coroner's reports to confirm cause of death and assess the causal relationship between death and vaccination. Of the 1100 deaths identified during the study period, 76 (7%) occurred 0 to 30 days after vaccination. The relative risks for deaths after any vaccination and influenza vaccination were significantly lower for deaths due to nonexternal causes (RR 0.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38-0.83, and RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.24-0.80, respectively) and deaths due to all causes (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.91, and RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.28-0.65). No other individual vaccines were significantly associated with death. Among deaths reviewed, 1 cause of death was unknown, 25 deaths were due to nonexternal causes, and 34 deaths were due to external causes. The causality assessment found no evidence of a causal association between vaccination and death. Risk of death was not increased during the 30 days after vaccination, and no deaths were found to be causally associated with vaccination. Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  4. Convection Weather Detection by General Aviation Pilots with Convectional and Data-Linked Graphical Weather Information Sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamberlain, James P.; Latorella, Kara A.

    2001-01-01

    This study compares how well general aviation (GA) pilots detect convective weather in flight with different weather information sources. A flight test was conducted in which GA pilot test subjects were given different in-flight weather information cues and flown toward convective weather of moderate or greater intensity. The test subjects were not actually flying the aircraft, but were given pilot tasks representative of the workload and position awareness requirements of the en route portion of a cross country GA flight. On each flight, one test subject received weather cues typical of a flight in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), another received cues typical of flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and a third received cues typical of flight in IMC but augmented with a graphical weather information system (GWIS). The GWIS provided the subject with near real time data-linked weather products, including a weather radar mosaic superimposed on a moving map with a symbol depicting the aircraft's present position and direction of track. At several points during each flight, the test subjects completed short questionnaires which included items addressing their weather situation awareness and flight decisions. In particular, test subjects were asked to identify the location of the nearest convective cells. After the point of nearest approach to convective weather, the test subjects were asked to draw the location of convective weather on an aeronautical chart, along with the aircraft's present position. This paper reports preliminary results on how accurately test subjects provided with these different weather sources could identify the nearest cell of moderate or greater intensity along their route of flight. Additional flight tests are currently being conducted to complete the data set.

  5. Validation of asthma recording in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nissen, Francis; Morales, Daniel R; Mullerova, Hana; Smeeth, Liam; Douglas, Ian J; Quint, Jennifer K

    2017-08-11

    The optimal method of identifying people with asthma from electronic health records in primary care is not known. The aim of this study is to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of different algorithms using clinical codes and prescription data to identify people with asthma in the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). 684 participants registered with a general practitioner (GP) practice contributing to CPRD between 1 December 2013 and 30 November 2015 were selected according to one of eight predefined potential asthma identification algorithms. A questionnaire was sent to the GPs to confirm asthma status and provide additional information to support an asthma diagnosis. Two study physicians independently reviewed and adjudicated the questionnaires and additional information to form a gold standard for asthma diagnosis. The PPV was calculated for each algorithm. 684 questionnaires were sent, of which 494 (72%) were returned and 475 (69%) were complete and analysed. All five algorithms including a specific Read code indicating asthma or non-specific Read code accompanied by additional conditions performed well. The PPV for asthma diagnosis using only a specific asthma code was 86.4% (95% CI 77.4% to 95.4%). Extra information on asthma medication prescription (PPV 83.3%), evidence of reversibility testing (PPV 86.0%) or a combination of all three selection criteria (PPV 86.4%) did not result in a higher PPV. The algorithm using non-specific asthma codes, information on reversibility testing and respiratory medication use scored highest (PPV 90.7%, 95% CI (82.8% to 98.7%), but had a much lower identifiable population. Algorithms based on asthma symptom codes had low PPVs (43.1% to 57.8%)%). People with asthma can be accurately identified from UK primary care records using specific Read codes. The inclusion of spirometry or asthma medications in the algorithm did not clearly improve accuracy. The protocol for this research was approved

  6. Coexisting ventricular septal defect affects the features of ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Jin

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To determine the correlation exists between ventricular septal defect (VSD and ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (RSVA. Methods: Between September 2003 and April 2014, 80 RSVA patients underwent surgical repair. These patients were retrospectively divided into two groups: the VSD group (38 cases and the non-VSD group (42 cases. Results: Rupture points of SVA originated more frequently in the right coronary sinus (RCS of patients in the VSD group than those in the non-VSD group (p=0.002. In the VSD group, more than 92.1% tended to rupture into the right ventricular outflow tract. The rupture points are diverse in the non-VSD group. A significant difference was found in rupture points of RSVA between the two groups (p<0.001. Patients in the VSD group presented with aortic valve disease more often than those in the non-VSD group (p<0.001. A total of 67 patients were repaired with a patch at the opening of RSVA; of those, all patients in VSD group and 29 patients in non-VSD group were repaired with a patch. Nine patients in non-VSD group received transcatheter closure of RSVA. Conclusion: The presence or absence of VSD affects the rupture points of SVA, aortic valve disease involved, and therapeutic schedule. Ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm type should be clinically modified on the basis of presence or absence of VSD.

  7. Live attenuated influenza vaccine use and safety in children and adults with asthma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duffy, Jonathan; Lewis, Melissa; Harrington, Theresa; Baxter, Roger; Belongia, Edward A; Jackson, Lisa A; Jacobsen, Steven J; Lee, Grace M; Naleway, Allison L; Nordin, James; Daley, Matthew F

    2017-04-01

    Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) might increase the risk of wheezing in persons with asthma or children younger than 5 years with a history of recurrent wheezing. To describe the use and assess the safety of LAIV in persons with asthma in the Vaccine Safety Datalink population. We identified persons with asthma using diagnosis codes and medication records in 7 health care organizations over 3 influenza seasons (2008-2009 through 2010-2011) and determined their influenza vaccination rates. Using the self-controlled risk interval method, we calculated the incidence rate ratio of medically attended respiratory events in the 14 days after LAIV compared with 29 to 42 days after vaccination in persons 2 through 49 years old. In our population of 6.3 million, asthma prevalence was 5.9%. Of persons with asthma, approximately 50% received any influenza vaccine but less than 1% received LAIV. The safety study included 12,354 LAIV doses (75% in children; 93% in those with intermittent or mild persistent asthma). The incidence rate ratio for inpatient and emergency department visits for lower respiratory events (including asthma exacerbation and wheezing) was 0.98 (95% confidence interval 0.63-1.51) and the incidence rate ratio for upper respiratory events was 0.94 (95% confidence interval 0.48-1.86). The risk of lower respiratory events was similar for intermittent and mild persistent asthma, across age groups, and for seasonal trivalent LAIV and 2009 H1N1 pandemic monovalent LAIV. LAIV use in asthma was mostly in persons with intermittent or mild persistent asthma. LAIV was not associated with an increased risk of medically attended respiratory adverse events. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Thimerosal exposure and increased risk for diagnosed tic disorder in the United States: a case-control study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geier David A.

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available A hypothesis testing, case-control study evaluated automated medical records for exposure to organic-Hg from Thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccines (TM-HepB administered at specific intervals in the first six-months-of-life among cases diagnosed with a tic disorder (TD or cerebral degeneration (CD (an outcome not biologically plausibly linked to TM exposure in comparison to controls; both cases and controls were continuously enrolled from birth (born from 1991–2000 within the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD database. TD cases were significantly more likely than controls to have received increased organic-Hg from TM-HepB administered within the first month-of-life (odds ratio (OR=1.59, p<0.00001, first two-months-of-life (OR=1.59, p<0.00001, and first six-months-of-life (OR=2.97, p<0.00001. Male TD cases were significantly more likely than male controls to have received increased organic-Hg from TM-HepB administered within the first month-of-life (OR =1.65, p<0.0001, first two-months-of-life (OR=1.64, p<0.0001, and first six months-of-life (OR=2.47, p<0.05, where as female TD were significantly more likely than female controls to have received increased organic-Hg from TM-HepB administered within the first six-months-of-life (OR=4.97, p<0.05. By contrast, CD cases were no more likely than controls to have received increased organic-Hg exposure from TM-HepB administered at any period studied within the first six-months-of-life. Although routine childhood vaccination is considered an important public health tool to combat infectious diseases, the present study associates increasing organic-Hg exposure from TM-HepB and the subsequent risk of a TD diagnosis.

  9. Representativeness and optimal use of body mass index (BMI) in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhaskaran, Krishnan; Forbes, Harriet J; Douglas, Ian; Leon, David A; Smeeth, Liam

    2013-01-01

    Objectives To assess the completeness and representativeness of body mass index (BMI) data in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), and determine an optimal strategy for their use. Design Descriptive study. Setting Electronic healthcare records from primary care. Participants A million patient random sample from the UK CPRD primary care database, aged ≥16 years. Primary and secondary outcome measures BMI completeness in CPRD was evaluated by age, sex and calendar period. CPRD-based summary BMI statistics for each calendar year (2003–2010) were age-standardised and sex-standardised and compared with equivalent statistics from the Health Survey for England (HSE). Results BMI completeness increased over calendar time from 37% in 1990–1994 to 77% in 2005–2011, was higher among females and increased with age. When BMI at specific time points was assigned based on the most recent record, calendar–year-specific mean BMI statistics underestimated equivalent HSE statistics by 0.75–1.1 kg/m2. Restriction to those with a recent (≤3 years) BMI resulted in mean BMI estimates closer to HSE (≤0.28 kg/m2 underestimation), but excluded up to 47% of patients. An alternative strategy of imputing up-to-date BMI based on modelled changes in BMI over time since the last available record also led to mean BMI estimates that were close to HSE (≤0.37 kg/m2 underestimation). Conclusions Completeness of BMI in CPRD increased over time and varied by age and sex. At a given point in time, a large proportion of the most recent BMIs are unlikely to reflect current BMI; consequent BMI misclassification might be reduced by employing model-based imputation of current BMI. PMID:24038008

  10. Lansoprazole use and tuberculosis incidence in the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink: A population based cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yates, Tom A; Tomlinson, Laurie A; Bhaskaran, Krishnan; Langan, Sinead; Thomas, Sara; Smeeth, Liam; Douglas, Ian J

    2017-11-01

    Recent in vitro and animal studies have found the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) lansoprazole to be highly active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Omeprazole and pantoprazole have no activity. There is no evidence that, in clinical practice, lansoprazole can treat or prevent incident tuberculosis (TB) disease. We studied a cohort of new users of lansoprazole, omeprazole, or pantoprazole from the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink to determine whether lansoprazole users have a lower incidence of TB disease than omeprazole or pantoprazole users. Negative control outcomes of myocardial infarction (MI) and herpes zoster were also studied. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to adjust for potential confounding by a wide range of factors. We identified 527,364 lansoprazole initiators and 923,500 omeprazole or pantoprazole initiators. Lansoprazole users had a lower rate of TB disease (n = 86; 10.0 cases per 100,000 person years; 95% confidence interval 8.1-12.4) than omeprazole or pantoprazole users (n = 193; 15.3 cases per 100,000 person years; 95% confidence interval 13.3-17.7), with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.68 (0.52-0.89). No association was found with MI (adjusted HR 1.04; 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.08) or herpes zoster (adjusted HR 1.03; 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.06). Limitations of this study are that we could not determine whether TB disease was due to reactivation of latent infection or a result of recent transmission, nor could we determine whether lansoprazole would have a beneficial effect if given to people presenting with TB disease. In this study, use of the commonly prescribed and cheaply available PPI lansoprazole was associated with reduced incidence of TB disease. Given the serious problem of drug resistance and the adverse side effect profiles of many TB drugs, further investigation of lansoprazole as a potential antituberculosis agent is warranted.

  11. Validation of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses recorded in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, 1990–2014

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hagberg KW

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Katrina Wilcox Hagberg, Susan S Jick Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program, Boston University School of Public Health, Lexington, MA, USA Background: Prior studies have reported that the validity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD diagnoses recorded in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD was high; however, diagnostic criteria and screening practices have changed since the last study was published in 2004.Objectives: 1 To calculate the positive predictive value (PPV of ASD diagnoses recorded in the CPRD compared to original medical records and 2 to describe characteristics of cases and use of clinical codes that support the ASD diagnosis as recorded in the electronic data by general practitioners over time.Methods: We identified children with a code for ASD (autism spectrum disorder, autism, Asperger’s, or pervasive developmental disorder in the CPRD from 1990 to 2014. We evaluated presence of codes in the electronic medical record indicating the presence of developmental delay, speech delay, behavioral problems, and other supporting clinical codes (e.g., therapy, referrals, etc.. We also evaluated changes in recording of these clinical codes over time. We compared the information present in the electronic medical record to original medical records for a sample of cases and calculated PPVs of ASD diagnoses recorded in the CPRD.Results: We identified 2154 children with a code for ASD. The mean age at diagnosis was 5.8 years, and 84% of cases were male. The majority (78.4% had 1 ASD diagnosis code in their electronic medical record. Approximately half of the cases had a code indicating behavioral problem, developmental delay, or speech delay, and 24.7% had a code indicating specialist referral or visit. After review of original medical records, the PPV of ASD diagnoses recorded in the CPRD was 91.9%. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that ASD diagnoses recorded in the CPRD are reliable and can be used with confidence

  12. The twisted ion-permeation pathway of a resting voltage-sensing domain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tombola, Francesco; Pathak, Medha M; Gorostiza, Pau; Isacoff, Ehud Y

    2007-02-01

    Proteins containing voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) translate changes in membrane potential into changes in ion permeability or enzymatic activity. In channels, voltage change triggers a switch in conformation of the VSD, which drives gating in a separate pore domain, or, in channels lacking a pore domain, directly gates an ion pathway within the VSD. Neither mechanism is well understood. In the Shaker potassium channel, mutation of the first arginine residue of the S4 helix to a smaller uncharged residue makes the VSD permeable to ions ('omega current') in the resting conformation ('S4 down'). Here we perform a structure-guided perturbation analysis of the omega conductance to map its VSD permeation pathway. We find that there are four omega pores per channel, which is consistent with one conduction path per VSD. Permeating ions from the extracellular medium enter the VSD at its peripheral junction with the pore domain, and then plunge into the core of the VSD in a curved conduction pathway. Our results provide a model of the resting conformation of the VSD.

  13. Intraoperative device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects in the young children under transthoracic echocardiographic guidance; initial experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cao Hua

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objectives This study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of intraoperative device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defects (VSD in young children guided by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE. Methods We enrolled 18 patients from our hospital to participate in the study from June 2011 to September 2011. A minimal inferior median incision was performed after full evaluation of the perimembranous VSD by real-time TTE, and a domestically made device was inserted to occlude the perimembranous VSD. The proper size of the device was determined by means of transthoracic echocardiographic analysis. Results Implantation was ultimately successful in 16 patients using TTE guidance. In these cases, the complete closure rate immediately following the operation and on subsequent follow-up was 100%. Symmetric devices were used in 14 patients, and asymmetric devices were used in two patients. Two patient were transformed to surgical treatment, one for significant residual shunting, and the other for unsuccessful wire penetration of the VSD. The follow-up periods were less than nine months, and only one patient had mild aortic regurgitation. There were no instances of residual shunt, noticeable aortic regurgitation, significant arrhythmia, thrombosis, or device failure. Conclusions Minimally invasive transthoracic device closure of perimembranous VSDs is safe and feasible, using a domestically made device under transthoracic echocardiographic guidance, without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass. This technique should be considered an acceptable alternative to surgery or device closure guided by transesophageal echocardiography in selected young children. However, a long-term evaluation of outcomes is necessary.

  14. Transcatheter closure of post-operative residual ventricular septal defect using a patent ductus arteriosus closure device in an adult: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Djer, Mulyadi M; Idris, Nikmah S; Alwi, Idrus; Wijaya, Ika P

    2014-07-01

    Transcatheter closure of perimembranous and muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD) has been performed widely and it has more advantages compare to surgery. However, transcatheter closure of residual VSD post operation of complex congenital heart disease is still challenging because of the complexity of anatomy and concern about device stability, so the operator should meticulously choose the most appropriate technique and device. We would like to report a case of transcatheter closure of residual VSD post Rastelli operation in a patient with double outlet right ventricle (DORV), sub-aortic VSD, severe infundibulum pulmonary stenosis (PS) and single coronary artery. The patient had undergone operations for four times, but he still had intractable heart failure that did not response to medications. On the first attempt. we closed the VSD using a VSD occluder, unfortunately the device embolized into the descending aorta, but fortunately we was able to snare it out. Then we decided to close the VSD using a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA occluder). On transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and angiography evaluation, the device position was stable. Post transcatheter VSD closure, the patient clinical condition improved significantly and he could finally be discharged after a long post-surgery hospitalization. Based on this experience we concluded that the transcatheter closure of residual VSD in complex CHD using PDA occluder could be an effective alternative treatment.

  15. Characterization of circulating microRNA expression in patients with a ventricular septal defect.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Li

    Full Text Available Ventricular septal defect (VSD, one of the most common types of congenital heart disease (CHD, results from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Recent studies demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs are involved in development of CHD. This study was to characterize the expression of miRNAs that might be involved in the development or reflect the consequences of VSD.MiRNA microarray analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR were employed to determine the miRNA expression profile from 3 patients with VSD and 3 VSD-free controls. 3 target gene databases were employed to predict the target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs. miRNAs that were generally consensus across the three databases were selected and then independently validated using real time PCR in plasma samples from 20 VSD patients and 15 VSD-free controls. Target genes of validated 8 miRNAs were predicted using bioinformatic methods.36 differentially expressed miRNAs were found in the patients with VSD and the VSD-free controls. Compared with VSD-free controls, expression of 15 miRNAs were up-regulated and 21 miRNAs were downregulated in the VSD group. 15 miRNAs were selected based on database analysis results and expression levels of 8 miRNAs were validated. The results of the real time PCR were consistent with those of the microarray analysis. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the top target genes were mainly related to cardiac right ventricle morphogenesis. NOTCH1, HAND1, ZFPM2, and GATA3 were predicted as targets of hsa-let-7e-5p, hsa-miR-222-3p and hsa-miR-433.We report for the first time the circulating miRNA profile for patients with VSD and showed that 7 miRNAs were downregulated and 1 upregulated when matched to VSD-free controls. Analysis revealed target genes involved in cardiac development were probably regulated by these miRNAs.

  16. Characterization of circulating microRNA expression in patients with a ventricular septal defect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Dong; Ji, Long; Liu, Lianbo; Liu, Yizhi; Hou, Haifeng; Yu, Kunkun; Sun, Qiang; Zhao, Zhongtang

    2014-01-01

    Ventricular septal defect (VSD), one of the most common types of congenital heart disease (CHD), results from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Recent studies demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in development of CHD. This study was to characterize the expression of miRNAs that might be involved in the development or reflect the consequences of VSD. MiRNA microarray analysis and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were employed to determine the miRNA expression profile from 3 patients with VSD and 3 VSD-free controls. 3 target gene databases were employed to predict the target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs. miRNAs that were generally consensus across the three databases were selected and then independently validated using real time PCR in plasma samples from 20 VSD patients and 15 VSD-free controls. Target genes of validated 8 miRNAs were predicted using bioinformatic methods. 36 differentially expressed miRNAs were found in the patients with VSD and the VSD-free controls. Compared with VSD-free controls, expression of 15 miRNAs were up-regulated and 21 miRNAs were downregulated in the VSD group. 15 miRNAs were selected based on database analysis results and expression levels of 8 miRNAs were validated. The results of the real time PCR were consistent with those of the microarray analysis. Gene ontology analysis indicated that the top target genes were mainly related to cardiac right ventricle morphogenesis. NOTCH1, HAND1, ZFPM2, and GATA3 were predicted as targets of hsa-let-7e-5p, hsa-miR-222-3p and hsa-miR-433. We report for the first time the circulating miRNA profile for patients with VSD and showed that 7 miRNAs were downregulated and 1 upregulated when matched to VSD-free controls. Analysis revealed target genes involved in cardiac development were probably regulated by these miRNAs.

  17. What values in design? The challenge of incorporating moral values into design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manders-Huits, Noëmi

    2011-06-01

    Recently, there is increased attention to the integration of moral values into the conception, design, and development of emerging IT. The most reviewed approach for this purpose in ethics and technology so far is Value-Sensitive Design (VSD). This article considers VSD as the prime candidate for implementing normative considerations into design. Its methodology is considered from a conceptual, analytical, normative perspective. The focus here is on the suitability of VSD for integrating moral values into the design of technologies in a way that joins in with an analytical perspective on ethics of technology. Despite its promising character, it turns out that VSD falls short in several respects: (1) VSD does not have a clear methodology for identifying stakeholders, (2) the integration of empirical methods with conceptual research within the methodology of VSD is obscure, (3) VSD runs the risk of committing the naturalistic fallacy when using empirical knowledge for implementing values in design, (4) the concept of values, as well as their realization, is left undetermined and (5) VSD lacks a complimentary or explicit ethical theory for dealing with value trade-offs. For the normative evaluation of a technology, I claim that an explicit and justified ethical starting point or principle is required. Moreover, explicit attention should be given to the value aims and assumptions of a particular design. The criteria of adequacy for such an approach or methodology follow from the evaluation of VSD as the prime candidate for implementing moral values in design.

  18. The unnatural history of the ventricular septal defect : outcome up to 40 years after surgical closure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Menting, Myrthe E; Cuypers, Judith A A E; Opić, Petra; Utens, Elisabeth M W J; Witsenburg, Maarten; van den Bosch, Annemien E; van Domburg, Ron T; Meijboom, Folkert J; Boersma, Eric; Bogers, Ad J J C; Roos-Hesselink, Jolien W

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Few prospective data are available regarding long-term outcomes after surgical closure of a ventricular septal defect (VSD). OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate clinical outcomes>30 years after surgical VSD closure. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgical VSD

  19. [Value of a novel categorization of congenital double-outlet right ventricle on guiding the choice of surgical approaches].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pang, Kunjing; Meng, Hong; Wang, Hao; Hu, Shengshou; Hua, Zhongdong; Pan, Xiangbin; Li, Shoujun

    2015-11-01

    To explore the feasibility and value of a new categorization of double outlet right ventricular (DORV) on guiding the optimal choices of surgical approaches. Five hundred and twenty one DORV patients diagnosed by echocardiography, angiocardiography and CT at Fuwai Hospital from May 2003 to September 2014 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Congenital DORV was categorized according to three basic factors as follows: the positional relationships of great arteries (normal relation or abnormal relation), the relationships of the ventricular septal defect (VSD) to the great arteries (committed VSD or remote VSD), the presence or absence of pulmonary outflow tract obstruction (POTO). Eight types of DORV were established: type I (normal relation, committed VSD, without POTO), type II (normal relation, committed VSD, POTO), type III (normal relation, remote VSD, without POTO), type IV (normal relation, remote VSD, POTO), type V (abnormal relation, committed VSD, without POTO), type VI (abnormal relation, committed VSD, POTO), type VII (abnormal relation, remote VSD, without POTO), type VIII (abnormal relation, remote VSD, POTO). Feasibility of this classification and the value of this classification on guiding the choice of surgical approaches were analyzed. Among the five hundred and twenty one patients, there were 90 patients (17.3%) with type I DORV, 94 patients (18.0%) with type II, 33 patients (6.3%) with type III, 34 patients (6.5%) with type IV, 64 patients (12.3%) with type V, 61 patients (11.7%) with type VI, 33 patients (6.3%) with type VII, 112 patients (21.5%) with type VIII. Thus, all patients could be typed by this classification method. The echocardiography diagnosis was consistent with the intra-operative and or cardiac catheterization/CT findings. Excluding the contraindications of bi-ventricular repair, different surgical approaches were performed in every subtype of DORV according the classification, which indicated that this novel categorization

  20. NMR investigation of the isolated second voltage-sensing domain of human Nav1.4 channel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paramonov, A S; Lyukmanova, E N; Myshkin, M Yu; Shulepko, M A; Kulbatskii, D S; Petrosian, N S; Chugunov, A O; Dolgikh, D A; Kirpichnikov, M P; Arseniev, A S; Shenkarev, Z O

    2017-03-01

    Voltage-gated Na + channels are essential for the functioning of cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems. The α-subunit of eukaryotic Na + channel consists of ~2000 amino acid residues and encloses 24 transmembrane (TM) helices, which form five membrane domains: four voltage-sensing (VSD) and one pore domain. The structural complexity significantly impedes recombinant production and structural studies of full-sized Na + channels. Modular organization of voltage-gated channels gives an idea for studying of the isolated second VSD of human skeletal muscle Nav1.4 channel (VSD-II). Several variants of VSD-II (~150a.a., four TM helices) with different N- and C-termini were produced by cell-free expression. Screening of membrane mimetics revealed low stability of VSD-II samples in media containing phospholipids (bicelles, nanodiscs) associated with the aggregation of electrically neutral domain molecules. The almost complete resonance assignment of 13 C, 15 N-labeled VSD-II was obtained in LPPG micelles. The secondary structure of VSD-II showed similarity with the structures of bacterial Na + channels. The fragment of S4 TM helix between the first and second conserved Arg residues probably adopts 3 10 -helical conformation. Water accessibility of S3 helix, observed by the Mn 2+ titration, pointed to the formation of water-filled crevices in the micelle embedded VSD-II. 15 N relaxation data revealed characteristic pattern of μs-ms time scale motions in the VSD-II regions sharing expected interhelical contacts. VSD-II demonstrated enhanced mobility at ps-ns time scale as compared to isolated VSDs of K + channels. These results validate structural studies of isolated VSDs of Na + channels and show possible pitfalls in application of this 'divide and conquer' approach. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. The unnatural history of the ventricular septal defect: outcome up to 40 years after surgical closure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Menting, Myrthe E.; Cuypers, Judith A. A. E.; Opić, Petra; Utens, Elisabeth M. W. J.; Witsenburg, Maarten; van den Bosch, Annemien E.; van Domburg, Ron T.; Meijboom, Folkert J.; Boersma, Eric; Bogers, Ad J. J. C.; Roos-Hesselink, Jolien W.

    2015-01-01

    Few prospective data are available regarding long-term outcomes after surgical closure of a ventricular septal defect (VSD). The objective of this study was to investigate clinical outcomes>30 years after surgical VSD closure. Patients who underwent surgical VSD closure during childhood between 1968

  2. Modelling Conditions and Health Care Processes in Electronic Health Records: An Application to Severe Mental Illness with the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olier, Ivan; Springate, David A; Ashcroft, Darren M; Doran, Tim; Reeves, David; Planner, Claire; Reilly, Siobhan; Kontopantelis, Evangelos

    2016-01-01

    The use of Electronic Health Records databases for medical research has become mainstream. In the UK, increasing use of Primary Care Databases is largely driven by almost complete computerisation and uniform standards within the National Health Service. Electronic Health Records research often begins with the development of a list of clinical codes with which to identify cases with a specific condition. We present a methodology and accompanying Stata and R commands (pcdsearch/Rpcdsearch) to help researchers in this task. We present severe mental illness as an example. We used the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, a UK Primary Care Database in which clinical information is largely organised using Read codes, a hierarchical clinical coding system. Pcdsearch is used to identify potentially relevant clinical codes and/or product codes from word-stubs and code-stubs suggested by clinicians. The returned code-lists are reviewed and codes relevant to the condition of interest are selected. The final code-list is then used to identify patients. We identified 270 Read codes linked to SMI and used them to identify cases in the database. We observed that our approach identified cases that would have been missed with a simpler approach using SMI registers defined within the UK Quality and Outcomes Framework. We described a framework for researchers of Electronic Health Records databases, for identifying patients with a particular condition or matching certain clinical criteria. The method is invariant to coding system or database and can be used with SNOMED CT, ICD or other medical classification code-lists.

  3. Relative transmembrane segment rearrangements during BK channel activation resolved by structurally assigned fluorophore–quencher pairing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pantazis, Antonios

    2012-01-01

    Voltage-activated proteins can sense, and respond to, changes in the electric field pervading the cell membrane by virtue of a transmembrane helix bundle, the voltage-sensing domain (VSD). Canonical VSDs consist of four transmembrane helices (S1–S4) of which S4 is considered a principal component because it possesses charged residues immersed in the electric field. Membrane depolarization compels the charges, and by extension S4, to rearrange with respect to the field. The VSD of large-conductance voltage- and Ca-activated K+ (BK) channels exhibits two salient inconsistencies from the canonical VSD model: (1) the BK channel VSD possesses an additional nonconserved transmembrane helix (S0); and (2) it exhibits a “decentralized” distribution of voltage-sensing charges, in helices S2 and S3, in addition to S4. Considering these unique features, the voltage-dependent rearrangements of the BK VSD could differ significantly from the standard model of VSD operation. To understand the mode of operation of this unique VSD, we have optically tracked the relative motions of the BK VSD transmembrane helices during activation, by manipulating the quenching environment of site-directed fluorescent labels with native and introduced Trp residues. Having previously reported that S0 and S4 diverge during activation, in this work we demonstrate that S4 also diverges from S1 and S2, whereas S2, compelled by its voltage-sensing charged residues, moves closer to S1. This information contributes spatial constraints for understanding the BK channel voltage-sensing process, revealing the structural rearrangements in a non-canonical VSD. PMID:22802360

  4. Expression, purification, and reconstitution of the voltage-sensing domain from Ci-VSP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qufei; Jogini, Vishwanath; Wanderling, Sherry; Cortes, D Marien; Perozo, Eduardo

    2012-10-16

    The voltage-sensing domain (VSD) is the common scaffold responsible for the functional behavior of voltage-gated ion channels, voltage sensitive enzymes, and proton channels. Because of the position of the voltage dependence of the available VSD structures, at present, they all represent the activated state of the sensor. Yet in the absence of a consensus resting state structure, the mechanistic details of voltage sensing remain controversial. The voltage dependence of the VSD from Ci-VSP (Ci-VSD) is dramatically right shifted, so that at 0 mV it presumably populates the putative resting state. Appropriate biochemical methods are an essential prerequisite for generating sufficient amounts of Ci-VSD protein for high-resolution structural studies. Here, we present a simple and robust protocol for the expression of eukaryotic Ci-VSD in Escherichia coli at milligram levels. The protein is pure, homogeneous, monodisperse, and well-folded after solubilization in Anzergent 3-14 at the analyzed concentration (~0.3 mg/mL). Ci-VSD can be reconstituted into liposomes of various compositions, and initial site-directed spin labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic measurements indicate its first transmembrane segment folds into an α-helix, in agreement with the homologous region of other VSDs. On the basis of our results and enhanced relaxation EPR spectroscopy measurement, Ci-VSD reconstitutes essentially randomly in proteoliposomes, precluding straightforward application of transmembrane voltages in combination with spectroscopic methods. Nevertheless, these results represent an initial step that makes the resting state of a VSD accessible to a variety of biophysical and structural approaches, including X-ray crystallography, spectroscopic methods, and electrophysiology in lipid bilayers.

  5. Expression, Purification and Reconstitution of the Voltage Sensing Domain from Ci-VSP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qufei; Jogini, Vishwanath; Wanderling, Sherry; Cortes, D. Marien; Perozo, Eduardo

    2013-01-01

    The voltage-sensing domain (VSD) is the common scaffold responsible for the functional behavior of voltage gated ion channels, voltage sensitive enzymes and proton channels. Because of the position of the voltage dependence of the available VSD structures, at present, they all represent the activated state of the sensor. Yet, in the absence of a consensus resting state structure, the mechanistic details of voltage sensing remain controversial. The voltage dependence of the VSD from Ci-VSP (Ci-VSD) is dramatically right shifted, so that at 0 mV It presumably populates the putative resting state. Appropriate biochemical methods are an essential prerequisite to generate sufficient amounts of Ci-VSD protein for high-resolution structural studies. Here, we present a simple and robust protocol for the Escherichia coli expression of eukaryotic Ci-VSD at milligram levels. The protein is pure, homogeneous, mono-disperse and well folded after solubilization in Anzergent 3-14 at the analyzed concentration (~ 0.3 mg/mL). Ci-VSD can be reconstituted into liposomes of various compositions and initial site-directed spin labeling and EPR spectroscopic measurements indicate its first transmembrane segment folds into an α-helix, in agreement to the homologous region of other VSDs. Based on current results and enhanced relaxation EPR spectroscopy measurement, Ci-VSD reconstitutes essentially randomly in proteo-liposomes, precluding straightforward application of transmembrane voltages in combination with spectroscopic methods. Nevertheless, the present results represent an initial step that makes the resting state of a VSD accessible to a variety of biophysical and structural approaches, including X-ray crystallography, spectroscopic methods and electrophysiology in lipid bilayers. PMID:22989304

  6. Interval between onset of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis comparing the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink with a hospital-based cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tillett, William; Charlton, Rachel; Nightingale, Alison; Snowball, Julia; Green, Amelia; Smith, Catherine; Shaddick, Gavin; McHugh, Neil

    2017-12-01

    To describe the time interval between the onset of psoriasis and PsA in the UK primary care setting and compare with a large, well-classified secondary care cohort. Patients with PsA and/or psoriasis were identified in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The secondary care cohort comprised patients from the Bath PsA longitudinal observational cohort study. For incident PsA patients in the CPRD who also had a record of psoriasis, the time interval between PsA diagnosis and first psoriasis record was calculated. Comparisons were made with the time interval between diagnoses in the Bath cohort. There were 5272 eligible PsA patients in the CPRD and 815 in the Bath cohort. In both cohorts, the majority of patients (82.3 and 61.3%, respectively) had psoriasis before their PsA diagnosis or within the same calendar year (10.5 and 23.8%), with only a minority receiving their PsA diagnosis first (7.1 and 14.8%). Excluding those who presented with arthritis before psoriasis, the median time between diagnoses was 8 years [interquartile range (IQR) 2-15] in the CPRD and 7 years (IQR 0-20) in the Bath cohort. In the CPRD, 60.1 and 75.1% received their PsA diagnosis within 10 and 15 years of their psoriasis diagnosis, respectively; this was comparable with 57.2 and 67.7% in the Bath cohort. A similar distribution for the time interval between psoriasis and arthritis was observed in the CPRD and secondary care cohort. These data can inform screening strategies and support the validity of data from each cohort. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  7. Visualization of a Small Ventricular Septal Defect at First-pass Contrast-enhanced Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Secchi

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Ventricular septal defect (VSD is a congenital heart disease that accounts for up to 40% of all congenital cardiac malformations. VSD is a connection between right and left ventricle, through the ventricular septum. Echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI help identify this entity. This case presents a 12-year-old male diagnosed with a small muscular apical VSD of 3 mm in diameter, at echocardiography. Cardiac MRI using first-pass perfusion sequence, combining the right plane of acquisition with a short bolus of contrast material, clearly confirmed the presence of VSD.

  8. Intermittent′ restrictive ventricular septal defect in Tetralogy of Fallot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudhir S Shetkar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Ventricular septal defect (VSD in Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF is usually large and non-restrictive with equalization of right and left ventricular pressures. Restrictive VSD in TOF is rare. We present an unusual case of TOF with restriction to VSD caused by accessory tricuspid valve tissue that varied with respiration.

  9. Lung scintiscanning in corrective surgery of congenital heart diseases, 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endo, Kaoru

    1981-01-01

    External scintillation scanning of intravenously administered 131 I-MAA was employed to evaluate the distribution of pulmonary blood flow in 63 patients (42 VSD, 9 PDA, 5 VSD with PDA, 4 ECD, 2 VSD with MI and 1 A-P window) with pulmonary hypertension. 1) Preoperative uniformity of lung scintigram was 33.3 - 100% (average 73.0%) in VSD, 27.7 - 100% (68.8%) in PDA, 66.6 - 72.2% (68.2%) in VSD with PDA, 63.8 - 86.1% (78.4%) in ECD, 58.3 - 100% in VSD with MI and 88.8% in A-P window. 2) Preoperative uniformity of lung scintigram correlated with the pulmonary arterial systolic pressure and the ratio of pulmonary to systemic pressure in patients over 1 year of age, but not correlated with pulmonary hemodynamics in patients under 1 year of age. 3) Even though the value of uniformity of lung scintigram was low, pulmonary arterial pressure decreased evidently after corrective surgery in the cases under 1 year of age. However, its decrease was mild in the cases over 1 year of age. Operative death was found in 6 cases. Of these, the value of uniformity of lung scintigram was as low as 55.5 - 72.2% in VSD and PDA, on the other hand, it was as high as 80.5 - 83.3% in ECD. 4) Preoperative pulmonary blood flow disturbances were found in about 51% of the cases of VSD, PDA and VSD with PDA. In cases with the deranged distribution pattern in the left lung or both lungs, postoperative care in the acute stage must be done carefully. 5) In cases with the deranged distribution preoperatively, the postoperative changes of the lung scintigrams were studied at 1 to 2 months after surgery. Postoperative distribution pattern of the pulmonary flow has not improved sufficiently at this time. (author)

  10. Electro-chemical coupling in the voltage-dependent phosphatase Ci-VSP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohout, Susy C.; Bell, Sarah C.; Liu, Lijun; Xu, Qiang; Minor, Daniel L.; Isacoff, Ehud Y.

    2010-01-01

    In the voltage sensing phosphatase, Ci-VSP, a voltage sensing domain (VSD) controls a lipid phosphatase domain (PD). The mechanism by which the domains are allosterically coupled is not well understood. Using an in vivo assay, we find that the inter-domain linker that connects the VSD to the PD is essential for coupling the full-length protein. Biochemical assays show that the linker is also needed for activity in the isolated PD. We identify a late step of VSD motion in the full-length protein that depends on the linker. Strikingly, this VSD motion is found to require PI(4,5)P2, a substrate of Ci-VSP. These results suggest that the voltage-driven motion of the VSD turns the enzyme on by rearranging the linker into an activated conformation, and that this activated conformation is stabilized by PI(4,5)P2. We propose that Ci-VSP activity is self-limited because its decrease of PI(4,5)P2 levels decouples the VSD from the enzyme. PMID:20364128

  11. Intermediate state trapping of a voltage sensor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lacroix, Jérôme J; Pless, Stephan Alexander; Maragliano, Luca

    2012-01-01

    Voltage sensor domains (VSDs) regulate ion channels and enzymes by undergoing conformational changes depending on membrane electrical signals. The molecular mechanisms underlying the VSD transitions are not fully understood. Here, we show that some mutations of I241 in the S1 segment of the Shaker...... Kv channel positively shift the voltage dependence of the VSD movement and alter the functional coupling between VSD and pore domains. Among the I241 mutants, I241W immobilized the VSD movement during activation and deactivation, approximately halfway between the resting and active states......, and drastically shifted the voltage activation of the ionic conductance. This phenotype, which is consistent with a stabilization of an intermediate VSD conformation by the I241W mutation, was diminished by the charge-conserving R2K mutation but not by the charge-neutralizing R2Q mutation. Interestingly, most...

  12. Long-term Associations of an Early Corrected Ventricular Septal Defect and Stress Systems of Child and Mother at Primary School Age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stonawski, Valeska; Vollmer, Laura; Köhler-Jonas, Nicola; Rohleder, Nicolas; Golub, Yulia; Purbojo, Ariawan; Moll, Gunther H; Heinrich, Hartmut; Cesnjevar, Robert A; Kratz, Oliver; Eichler, Anna

    2017-01-01

    Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the most common congenital heart defect, with larger VSDs typically being corrected with an open-heart surgery during infancy. Long-term consequences of a VSD-corrective surgery on stress systems of child and mother are still unknown. The aim of the present study is to investigate the associations of an early corrected VSD and diurnal cortisol release of child and mother. 26 children (12 boys) between 6 and 9 years old, who underwent surgery for an isolated VSD within the first 3 years of life, and their mothers participated in the study. Their diurnal cortisol profiles were compared to a sex-, age-, and socioeconomic status-matched healthy control group. Within the VSD group, associations between cortisol and characteristics of surgery and hospitalization were investigated. Child and mother psychopathological symptoms were considered as a possible interfering mechanism of altered cortisol profiles. Diurnal cortisol profiles of children with an early corrected VSD did not differ from those of controls. However, mothers of affected children exhibited higher cortisol levels in the morning ( p  early corrected VSD, in terms of comparable diurnal cortisol profiles with healthy controls, according to a comparable mother-rated psychopathology. Mothers of affected children reveal altered diurnal cortisol levels, without differences in self-rated psychopathology. This divergence should be clarified in future research.

  13. Ventricular septal defect in children and adolescents in Angola: experience of a tertiary center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manuel, Valdano; Morais, Humberto; Manuel, Ana; David, Bruna; Gamboa, Sebastiana

    2014-10-01

    This is the first study in Angola with the aim of characterizing ventricular septal defect (VSD) among children and adolescents. A cross-sectional study based on echocardiographic records of the largest pediatric cardiology center in Angola included all children and adolescents (0 to 18 years old) with VSD between April 2010 and March 2011. The diagnosis was made by transthoracic and Doppler echocardiography with a Medison SA 8000 system. The sample was divided into two groups: Group 1, isolated VSD; and Group 2, VSD associated with other congenital heart defects (CHDs). Age, gender, type of VSD, associated CHDs and genetic syndromes were assessed. A total of 490 CHDs were diagnosed, of which 283 were VSDs. In Group 1 (140, 49%) the mean age was 29±36 months. The most frequent age (mode) at diagnosis was 24 months. There was no predominance of gender (ratio 1:1). The majority (127, 91%) had perimembranous VSD. In Group 2 (143, 51%) 113 patients (79%) had one, 27 patients (19%) had two and three patients (2%) had three other CHDs. Trisomy 21 was the most common genetic syndrome (23, 96%). The study shows that VSD is the most common CHD in childhood, the diagnosis is made late and almost half of VSDs are associated with other CHDs. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  14. Aerospace Communications Security Technologies Demonstrated

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griner, James H.; Martzaklis, Konstantinos S.

    2003-01-01

    In light of the events of September 11, 2001, NASA senior management requested an investigation of technologies and concepts to enhance aviation security. The investigation was to focus on near-term technologies that could be demonstrated within 90 days and implemented in less than 2 years. In response to this request, an internal NASA Glenn Research Center Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance Aviation Security Tiger Team was assembled. The 2-year plan developed by the team included an investigation of multiple aviation security concepts, multiple aircraft platforms, and extensively leveraged datalink communications technologies. It incorporated industry partners from NASA's Graphical Weather-in-the-Cockpit research, which is within NASA's Aviation Safety Program. Two concepts from the plan were selected for demonstration: remote "black box," and cockpit/cabin surveillance. The remote "black box" concept involves real-time downlinking of aircraft parameters for remote monitoring and archiving of aircraft data, which would assure access to the data following the loss or inaccessibility of an aircraft. The cockpit/cabin surveillance concept involves remote audio and/or visual surveillance of cockpit and cabin activity, which would allow immediate response to any security breach and would serve as a possible deterrent to such breaches. The datalink selected for the demonstrations was VDL Mode 2 (VHF digital link), the first digital datalink for air-ground communications designed for aircraft use. VDL Mode 2 is beginning to be implemented through the deployment of ground stations and aircraft avionics installations, with the goal of being operational in 2 years. The first demonstration was performed December 3, 2001, onboard the LearJet 25 at Glenn. NASA worked with Honeywell, Inc., for the broadcast VDL Mode 2 datalink capability and with actual Boeing 757 aircraft data. This demonstration used a cockpitmounted camera for video surveillance and a coupling to

  15. Traumatic ventricular septal defect in a 4-year-old boy after blunt chest injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun Mi Kim

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Traumatic ventricular septal defect (VSD resulting from blunt chest injury is a very rare event. The mechanisms of traumatic VSD have been of little concern to dateuntil now, but two dominant theories have been described. In one, the rupture occurs due to acute compression of the heart; in the other, it is due to myocardial infarction of the septum. The clinical symptoms and timing of presentation are variable, so appropriate diagnosis can be difficult or delayed. Closure of traumatic VSD has been based on a combination of heart failure symptoms, hemodynamics, and defect size. Here, we present a case of a 4-year-old boy who presented with a traumatic VSD following a car accident. He showed normal cardiac structure at the time of injury, but after 8 days, his repeated echocardiography revealed a VSD. He was successfully treated by surgical closure of the VSD, and has been doing well up to the present. This report suggests that the clinician should pay great close attention to the patients injured by blunt chest trauma, keeping in mind the possibility of cardiac injury.

  16. Prenatal Isolated Ventricular Septal Defect May Not Be Associated with Trisomy 21

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ori Shen

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine if isolated fetal ventricular septal defect (VSD is associated with trisomy 21. One hundred twenty six cases with prenatal VSD diagnosed by a pediatric cardiologist were reviewed. Cases with known risk factors for congenital heart disease, the presence of other major anomalies, soft signs for trisomy 21 or a positive screen test for trisomy 21 were excluded. Ninety two cases formed the study group. None of the cases in the study group had trisomy 21. The upper limit of prevalence for trisomy 21 in isolated VSD is 3%. When prenatal VSD is not associated with other major anomalies, soft markers for trisomy 21 or a positive nuchal translucency or biochemical screen, a decision whether to perform genetic amniocentesis should be individualized. The currently unknown association between isolated VSD and microdeletions and microduplications should be considered when discussing this option.

  17. [Vacuum sealing drainage for infection wound in earthquake].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Dengbin; Ning, Ning; Liu, Xiaoyan; Gan, Chunlan

    2009-10-01

    To investigate the effect of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) technology on prevention and treatment of infection wound and to repair the infectious fracture wound in earthquake. Twenty-two patients with limb fractures and open infection wound received VSD from May 12, 2008 to June 19, 2008 in West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Before the VSD, we debrided all wounds and gave effective systemic antibiotics. A -18 ~ -14 kPa pressure was exerted to the wound, and the VSD was used for 8-10 days. We took a germiculture regularly. The capacity, color, and nature of negative pressure drainage, the regression of limb swelling, and systemic inflammatory responses were observed. There was no active bleeding wound or transparent film off in all patients. Three patients had drainage clogging, and were kept flowing freely using the sterile saline pipe to remove the blockage of necrotic tissues. During the VSD, granulation tissues grew well in the 13 patients with bone exposure of the wounded. Two patients whose symptom of inflammatory was not obviously eased had another debridement to completely remove the necrosis, and the symptom was relieved. After 3-5 days of VSD, swelling and fever in the other 20 patients significantly subsided. VSD can alleviate the wound inflammation, facilitate the growth of the fresh granulation tissue from the surrounding to the center, and reduce the flap transfer area for the Stage II coverage of the exposed bone.

  18. A validation study of the CirCom comorbidity score in an English cirrhosis population using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Crooks CJ

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Colin J Crooks,1,2 Joe West,1,2 Peter Jepsen3,4 1Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; 2Nottingham Digestive Diseases Biomedical Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; 3Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; 4Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark Purpose: The CirCom score has been developed from Danish data as a specific measure of comorbidity for cirrhosis to predict all-cause mortality. We compared its performance with the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI in an English cirrhosis population. Patients and methods: We used comorbidity scores in a survival model to predict mortality in a cirrhosis cohort in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. The discrimination of each score was compared by age, gender, socioeconomic status, cirrhosis etiology, cirrhosis stage, and year after cirrhosis diagnosis. We also measured their ability to predict liver-related versus non-liver-related death.Results: There was a small improvement in the C statistic from the model using the CirCom score (C=0.63 compared to the CCI (C=0.62, and there was an overall improvement in the net reclassification index of 1.5%. The improvement was more notable in younger patients, those with an alcohol etiology, and those with compensated cirrhosis. Both scores performed better (C statistic >0.7 for non-liver-related deaths than liver-related deaths (C statistic <0.6, as comorbidity was only weakly predictive of liver-related death.Conclusion: The CirCom score provided a small improvement in performance over the CCI in the prediction of all-cause and non-liver mortality, but not liver-related mortality. Therefore, it is important to include a measure of comorbidity in studies of cirrhosis survival, alongside a measure of cirrhosis severity. Keywords: cirrhosis, mortality, comorbidity, prognosis

  19. MicroRNA expression, target genes, and signaling pathways in infants with a ventricular septal defect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chai, Hui; Yan, Zhaoyuan; Huang, Ke; Jiang, Yuanqing; Zhang, Lin

    2018-02-01

    This study aimed to systematically investigate the relationship between miRNA expression and the occurrence of ventricular septal defect (VSD), and characterize the miRNA target genes and pathways that can lead to VSD. The miRNAs that were differentially expressed in blood samples from VSD and normal infants were screened and validated by implementing miRNA microarrays and qRT-PCR. The target genes regulated by differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted using three target gene databases. The functions and signaling pathways of the target genes were enriched using the GO database and KEGG database, respectively. The transcription and protein expression of specific target genes in critical pathways were compared in the VSD and normal control groups using qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Compared with the normal control group, the VSD group had 22 differentially expressed miRNAs; 19 were downregulated and three were upregulated. The 10,677 predicted target genes participated in many biological functions related to cardiac development and morphogenesis. Four target genes (mGLUR, Gq, PLC, and PKC) were involved in the PKC pathway and four (ECM, FAK, PI3 K, and PDK1) were involved in the PI3 K-Akt pathway. The transcription and protein expression of these eight target genes were significantly upregulated in the VSD group. The 22 miRNAs that were dysregulated in the VSD group were mainly downregulated, which may result in the dysregulation of several key genes and biological functions related to cardiac development. These effects could also be exerted via the upregulation of eight specific target genes, the subsequent over-activation of the PKC and PI3 K-Akt pathways, and the eventual abnormal cardiac development and VSD.

  20. Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Call your doctor if your baby or child: Tires easily when eating or playing Is not gaining ... heart procedures. Risk factors Ventricular septal defects may run in families and sometimes may occur with other ...

  1. Supracristal ventricular septal defect with severe right coronary cusp prolapse

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hussain, A.H.; Hanif, B.; Khan, G.; Hasan, K.

    2011-01-01

    The case of a 20 years old male, diagnosed as supracristal ventricular septal defect (VSD) for last 6 years is being presented. He came in emergency department with decompensated congestive cardiac failure. After initial stabilization, he underwent trans thoracic echocardiogram which showed large supracristal VSD, severely prolapsing right coronary cusp, severe aortic regurgitation and severe pulmonary hypertension. Right heart catheterization was performed which documented reversible pulmonary vascular resistance after high flow oxygen inhalation. He underwent VSD repair, right coronary cusp was excised and aortic valve was replaced by mechanical prosthesis. Post operative recovery was uneventful. He was discharged home in one week.The case of a 20 years old male, diagnosed as supracristal ventricular septal defect (VSD) for last 6 years is being presented. He came in emergency department with decompensated congestive cardiac failure. After initial stabilization, he underwent trans thoracic echocardiogram which showed large supracristal VSD, severely prolapsing right coronary cusp, severe aortic regurgitation and severe pulmonary hypertension. Right heart catheterization was performed which documented reversible pulmonary vascular resistance after high flow oxygen inhalation. He underwent VSD repair, right coronary cusp was excised and aortic valve was replaced by mechanical prosthesis. Post operative recovery was uneventful. He was discharged home in one week. (author)

  2. ITS data management system : year one activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-08-01

    This report documents research conducted in the development of an ITS data management system, hereafter referred to as ITS DataLink. The objective of the ITS DataLink system is to retain, manage, share, and analyze ITS data for a variety of tra...

  3. Exploration of genetically encoded voltage indicators based on a chimeric voltage sensing domain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yukiko eMishina

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Deciphering how the brain generates cognitive function from patterns of electrical signals is one of the ultimate challenges in neuroscience. To this end, it would be highly desirable to monitor the activities of very large numbers of neurons while an animal engages in complex behaviours. Optical imaging of electrical activity using genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs has the potential to meet this challenge. Currently prevalent GEVIs are based on the voltage-sensitive fluorescent protein (VSFP prototypical design or on the voltage dependent state transitions of microbial opsins.We recently introduced a new VSFP design in which the voltage-sensing domain (VSD is sandwiched between a FRET pair of fluorescent proteins (termed VSFP-Butterflies and also demonstrated a series of chimeric VSD in which portions of the VSD of Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensitive phosphatase (Ci-VSP are substituted by homologous portions of a voltage-gated potassium channel subunit. These chimeric VSD had faster sensing kinetics than that of the native Ci-VSD. Here, we describe a new set of VSFPs that combine chimeric VSD with the Butterfly structure. We show that these chimeric VSFP-Butterflies can report membrane voltage oscillations of up to 200 Hz in cultured cells and report sensory evoked cortical population responses in living mice. This class of GEVIs may be suitable for imaging of brain rhythms in behaving mammalians.

  4. Exploration of genetically encoded voltage indicators based on a chimeric voltage sensing domain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mishina, Yukiko; Mutoh, Hiroki; Song, Chenchen; Knöpfel, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    Deciphering how the brain generates cognitive function from patterns of electrical signals is one of the ultimate challenges in neuroscience. To this end, it would be highly desirable to monitor the activities of very large numbers of neurons while an animal engages in complex behaviors. Optical imaging of electrical activity using genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) has the potential to meet this challenge. Currently prevalent GEVIs are based on the voltage-sensitive fluorescent protein (VSFP) prototypical design or on the voltage-dependent state transitions of microbial opsins. We recently introduced a new VSFP design in which the voltage-sensing domain (VSD) is sandwiched between a fluorescence resonance energy transfer pair of fluorescent proteins (termed VSFP-Butterflies) and also demonstrated a series of chimeric VSD in which portions of the VSD of Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensitive phosphatase are substituted by homologous portions of a voltage-gated potassium channel subunit. These chimeric VSD had faster sensing kinetics than that of the native Ci-VSD. Here, we describe a new set of VSFPs that combine chimeric VSD with the Butterfly structure. We show that these chimeric VSFP-Butterflies can report membrane voltage oscillations of up to 200 Hz in cultured cells and report sensory evoked cortical population responses in living mice. This class of GEVIs may be suitable for imaging of brain rhythms in behaving mammalians.

  5. Transcatheter closure of ventricular septal defects with nitinol wire occluders of type patent ductus arteriosus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wierzyk, Arkadiusz; Szkutnik, Małgorzata; Fiszer, Roland; Banaszak, Paweł; Pawlak, Szymon; Białkowski, Jacek

    2014-01-01

    Ventricular septal defects closure (VSD) depending on the anatomy and clinical setting can be performed surgically or by a hybrid and transcatheter approach. Two cases of children with VSD will be presented. Patients' defects were closed with various types of occluders made of nitinol wire mesh occluder, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) type. The first case was a 2.5-year-old boy after cardiosurgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). After the procedure, a significant haemodynamic residual VSD was observed, which was not successfully closed during the subsequent reoperation. Despite pharmacological treatment, symptoms of heart failure were observed in this patient. In echocardiographic images the residual VSD was presented as a tunnel-like dissection of the ventricular septum (length 6 mm and diameter 3.4 mm). The defect was closed via arterial access with an Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (ADO II). The procedure was successfully performed without any medical complications. In this child, a significant shunt reduction and a noticeable improvement in the patient's clinical status and diminished symptoms of heart failure were noticed. The second patient was a 4-year-old girl suffering from a multi-perforated perimembranous VSD accompanied by a ventricular septal defect with aneurysm. The defect was closed by a venous approach with a PDA Cardio-O-Fix occluder (very similar to ADO I). No short-term or long-term complications were visible during or after the procedure. Only a mild residual shunt through the VSD was observed 6 months afterwards. Transcatheter VSD closure with a proper morphology, with occluders of type Amplatzer Duct Occluder ADO I or ADO II, constitutes a safe and effective therapeutic alternative.

  6. Surgical Treatment of Double Outlet Right Ventricle Complicated by Pulmonary Hypertension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qing-Yu Wu

    2017-01-01

    Conclusions: PAP of patients with DORV complicated by PH can be expected to fall significantly after surgery. An arterial switch procedure can achieve excellent results in patients with transposition of the great arteries type. Higher incidence of complications may occur in patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD type before 1 year of age. For those with remote VSD type, VSD enlargement and right ventricle outflow tract reconstruction are usually required with acceptable results. The degree of aortic overriding does not influence surgical outcome.

  7. Trajectory Specification for Terminal Air Traffic: Pairwise Conflict Detection and Resolution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paielli, Russ; Erzberger, Heinz

    2017-01-01

    Trajectory specification is the explicit bounding and control of aircraft trajectories such that the position at each point in time is constrained to a precisely defined volume of space. The bounding space is defined by cross-track, along-track, and vertical tolerances relative to a reference trajectory that specifies position as a function of time. The tolerances are dynamic and will be based on the aircraft navigation capabilities and the current traffic situation. A standard language will be developed to represent these specifications and to communicate them by datalink. Assuming conformance, trajectory specification can guarantee safe separation for an arbitrary period of time even in the event of an air traffic control (ATC) system or datalink failure, hence it can help to achieve the high level of safety and reliability needed for ATC automation. As a more proactive form of ATC, it can also maximize airspace capacity and reduce the reliance on tactical backup systems during normal operation. It applies to both enroute airspace and the terminal area around airports, but this paper focuses on the terminal area and presents algorithms and software for spacing arrivals and deconflicting both arrivals and departures.

  8. Trajectory Specification for Automation of Terminal Air Traffic Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paielli, Russell A.

    2016-01-01

    "Trajectory specification" is the explicit bounding and control of aircraft tra- jectories such that the position at each point in time is constrained to a precisely defined volume of space. The bounding space is defined by cross-track, along-track, and vertical tolerances relative to a reference trajectory that specifies position as a function of time. The tolerances are dynamic and will be based on the aircraft nav- igation capabilities and the current traffic situation. A standard language will be developed to represent these specifications and to communicate them by datalink. Assuming conformance, trajectory specification can guarantee safe separation for an arbitrary period of time even in the event of an air traffic control (ATC) sys- tem or datalink failure, hence it can help to achieve the high level of safety and reliability needed for ATC automation. As a more proactive form of ATC, it can also maximize airspace capacity and reduce the reliance on tactical backup systems during normal operation. It applies to both enroute airspace and the terminal area around airports, but this paper focuses on arrival spacing in the terminal area and presents ATC algorithms and software for achieving a specified delay of runway arrival time.

  9. Perbandingan Passive LC Filter Dan Passve Single Tuned Filter Untuk Mereduksi Harmonisa Variable Speed Drive Dengan Beban Motor Induksi Tiga Fasa

    OpenAIRE

    Mustamam

    2016-01-01

    Most of the tools that used as speed control of three phase induction motors rotation is 1 phase Variable Speed Drive (VSD), where VSD is a harmonic generator. Therefore the harmonics that arise in the VSD can be reduced by using passive LC filters fasif namely passive single tuned filter that meet the standards IEC61000-3-2 Class A.The results obtained through passive LC filter could reduce the total distortion of harmonic current (THDi) from 102.9% to 23.78% while passive sin...

  10. NMR structural and dynamical investigation of the isolated voltage-sensing domain of the potassium channel KvAP: implications for voltage gating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shenkarev, Zakhar O; Paramonov, Alexander S; Lyukmanova, Ekaterina N; Shingarova, Lyudmila N; Yakimov, Sergei A; Dubinnyi, Maxim A; Chupin, Vladimir V; Kirpichnikov, Mikhail P; Blommers, Marcel J J; Arseniev, Alexander S

    2010-04-28

    The structure and dynamics of the isolated voltage-sensing domain (VSD) of the archaeal potassium channel KvAP was studied by high-resolution NMR. The almost complete backbone resonance assignment and partial side-chain assignment of the (2)H,(13)C,(15)N-labeled VSD were obtained for the protein domain solubilized in DPC/LDAO (2:1) mixed micelles. Secondary and tertiary structures of the VSD were characterized using secondary chemical shifts and NOE contacts. These data indicate that the spatial structure of the VSD solubilized in micelles corresponds to the structure of the domain in an open state of the channel. NOE contacts and secondary chemical shifts of amide protons indicate the presence of tightly bound water molecule as well as hydrogen bond formation involving an interhelical salt bridge (Asp62-R133) that stabilizes the overall structure of the domain. The backbone dynamics of the VSD was studied using (15)N relaxation measurements. The loop regions S1-S2 and S2-S3 were found mobile, while the S3-S4 loop (voltage-sensor paddle) was found stable at the ps-ns time scale. The moieties of S1, S2, S3, and S4 helices sharing interhelical contacts (at the level of the Asp62-R133 salt bridge) were observed in conformational exchange on the micros-ms time scale. Similar exchange-induced broadening of characteristic resonances was observed for the VSD solubilized in the membrane of lipid-protein nanodiscs composed of DMPC, DMPG, and POPC/DOPG lipids. Apparently, the observed interhelical motions represent an inherent property of the VSD of the KvAP channel and can play an important role in the voltage gating.

  11. Percutaneous closure of postoperative ventricular septal residual left-to-right shunt with the China made device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin Yongwen; Zhao Xianxian; Wu Hong; Ding Jijun; Cao Jiang; Zheng Xin

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of percutaneous transcatheter closure of residual ventricular septal defect (VSD)after surgical closure using China made-nitinol VSD device. Methods: Transcatheter closure was attempted in 11 patients (5 males, 6 females)with a residual VSD following surgical closure. The mean residual VSD narrowest diameter was(5.82 ± 2.09) mm (range from 3 to 9 mm)by echocardiography. A 6 F-9 F delivery sheath was advanced across the residual VSD over a guidewire from femoral vein to deploy the occluder under guidance of left ventriculography and transthoracic echocardiography. Results: The left ventriculography showed membranous part aneurism-like residual VSD in 8 patients and funnel type in 3 cases. There were multiple outlet in 5 cases and one outlets in 6 cases, with mean residual VSD narrowest diameter of (6.09 ± 1.58) mm (range from 3 to 9 mm)measured by left ventriculography. The diameter of occluder was (9.18 ± 2.79) mm (range from 8 to 12 mm). Complete closure of the defect was obtained in 10 cases, and another small residual shunt still remained in one case who had four outlets been treated by 2 occluders. No aortic valvular regurgitation occured in all patients except 1 patient presented complete atrioventricular block within 3 days after the procedure and recovered 2 weeks later with intravenous steroids therapy; and no other complications occured. The fluoroscopy time was(16.91 ± 4.23) min (range from 8 to 30 min). During follow-up from 1 m - 4 y, only 1 case showed residual shunt, and the other had no episodes of endocarditis, thromboembolism, hemolysis, infectious endocarditis, displacement of the occluder and aortic valvular regurgitation. Conclusion: Transcatheter closure of postoperative ventricular septal residual left-to-right shunt with China made-nitinol occluder is safe and effective. (authors)

  12. KCNQ1 channel modulation by KCNE proteins via the voltage-sensing domain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakajo, Koichi; Kubo, Yoshihiro

    2015-06-15

    The gating of the KCNQ1 potassium channel is drastically regulated by auxiliary subunit KCNE proteins. KCNE1, for example, slows the activation kinetics of KCNQ1 by two orders of magnitude. Like other voltage-gated ion channels, the opening of KCNQ1 is regulated by the voltage-sensing domain (VSD; S1-S4 segments). Although it has been known that KCNE proteins interact with KCNQ1 via the pore domain, some recent reports suggest that the VSD movement may be altered by KCNE. The altered VSD movement of KCNQ1 by KCNE proteins has been examined by site-directed mutagenesis, the scanning cysteine accessibility method (SCAM), voltage clamp fluorometry (VCF) and gating charge measurements. These accumulated data support the idea that KCNE proteins interact with the VSDs of KCNQ1 and modulate the gating of the KCNQ1 channel. In this review, we will summarize recent findings and current views of the KCNQ1 modulation by KCNE via the VSD. In this context, we discuss our recent findings that KCNE1 may alter physical interactions between the S4 segment (VSD) and the S5 segment (pore domain) of KCNQ1. Based on these findings from ourselves and others, we propose a hypothetical mechanism for how KCNE1 binding alters the VSD movement and the gating of the channel. © 2015 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2015 The Physiological Society.

  13. Clinical efficacy of artificial skin combined with vacuum sealing drainage in treating large-area skin defects

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    TANG Jin; GUO Wei-chun; YU Ling; ZHAO Sheng-hao

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of artificial skin combined with vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) in treating large-area skin defects.Methods: Totally 18 patients with skin defects, treated with artificial skin combined with VSD from September 2008to May 2009 in our hospital, were retrospectively analyzed in this study. There were 15 males and 3 females, aged 7-66years, 34.3 years on average. Among them, 10 cases had skin laceration caused by traffic accidents (7 with open fractures), 1 mangled injury, 1 blast injury, 1 stump infection combined with skin defects after amputation and 5 heel ulcers.Results: All skin grafts in 16 cases survived after being controlled by VSD for one time. For the rest 2 patients,one with skin avulsion on the left foot was given median thickness skin grafts after three times of VSD, the other with open fractures in the left tibia and fibula caused by a traffic accident was given free flap transplantation. Skin grafts of both patients survived, with normal color and rich blood supply.Conclusion: Skin grafting in conjunction with artificial skin and VSD is much more effective than traditional dressing treatment and worth wide application in clinic.

  14. Developing Tools to Counteract and Prevent Suicide Bomber Incidents: A Case Study in Value Sensitive Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Royakkers, Lambèr; Steen, Marc

    2017-08-01

    Developers and designers make all sorts of moral decisions throughout an innovation project. In this article, we describe how teams of developers and designers engaged with ethics in the early phases of innovation based on case studies in the SUBCOP project (SUBCOP stands for 'SUicide Bomber COunteraction and Prevention'). For that purpose, Value Sensitive Design (VSD) will be used as a reference. Specifically, we focus on the following two research questions: How can researchers/developers learn about users' perspectives and values during the innovation process? and How can researchers/developers take into account these values, and related design criteria, in their decision-making during the innovation process? Based on a case study of several innovation processes in this project, we conclude the researchers/developers involved are able to do something similar to VSD (without them knowing about VSD or calling it 'VSD'), supported by relatively simple exercises in the project, e.g., meetings with potential end-users and discussions with members of the Ethical Advisory Board of the project. Furthermore, we also found-possibly somewhat counterintuitively-that a commercial, with its focus on understanding and satisfying customers' needs, can promote VSD.

  15. The unnatural history of the ventricular septal defect: Outcome up to 40 years after surgical closure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    M.E. Menting (Myrthe); J.A.A.E. Cuypers (Judith); P. Opic (Petra); E.M.W.J. Utens (Elisabeth); M. Witsenburg (Maarten); A.E. van den Bosch (Annemien); R.T. van Domburg (Ron); F.J. Meijboom (Folkert); H. Boersma (Eric); A.J.J.C. Bogers (Ad); J.W. Roos-Hesselink (Jolien)

    2015-01-01

    textabstractBackground Few prospective data are available regarding long-term outcomes after surgical closure of a ventricular septal defect (VSD). Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate clinical outcomes >30 years after surgical VSD closure. Methods Patients who underwent

  16. Two distinct voltage-sensing domains control voltage sensitivity and kinetics of current activation in CaV1.1 calcium channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuluc, Petronel; Benedetti, Bruno; Coste de Bagneaux, Pierre; Grabner, Manfred; Flucher, Bernhard E

    2016-06-01

    Alternative splicing of the skeletal muscle CaV1.1 voltage-gated calcium channel gives rise to two channel variants with very different gating properties. The currents of both channels activate slowly; however, insertion of exon 29 in the adult splice variant CaV1.1a causes an ∼30-mV right shift in the voltage dependence of activation. Existing evidence suggests that the S3-S4 linker in repeat IV (containing exon 29) regulates voltage sensitivity in this voltage-sensing domain (VSD) by modulating interactions between the adjacent transmembrane segments IVS3 and IVS4. However, activation kinetics are thought to be determined by corresponding structures in repeat I. Here, we use patch-clamp analysis of dysgenic (CaV1.1 null) myotubes reconstituted with CaV1.1 mutants and chimeras to identify the specific roles of these regions in regulating channel gating properties. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate that the structure and/or hydrophobicity of the IVS3-S4 linker is critical for regulating voltage sensitivity in the IV VSD, but by itself cannot modulate voltage sensitivity in the I VSD. Swapping sequence domains between the I and the IV VSDs reveals that IVS4 plus the IVS3-S4 linker is sufficient to confer CaV1.1a-like voltage dependence to the I VSD and that the IS3-S4 linker plus IS4 is sufficient to transfer CaV1.1e-like voltage dependence to the IV VSD. Any mismatch of transmembrane helices S3 and S4 from the I and IV VSDs causes a right shift of voltage sensitivity, indicating that regulation of voltage sensitivity by the IVS3-S4 linker requires specific interaction of IVS4 with its corresponding IVS3 segment. In contrast, slow current kinetics are perturbed by any heterologous sequences inserted into the I VSD and cannot be transferred by moving VSD I sequences to VSD IV. Thus, CaV1.1 calcium channels are organized in a modular manner, and control of voltage sensitivity and activation kinetics is accomplished by specific molecular mechanisms

  17. Transcatheter closure of membranous ventricular septal defects with home-made nitinol occluder

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yongwen, Qin; Xianxian, Zhao; Xing, Zheng; Jijun, Ding; Jiang, Cao [Second Military Medical Univ., Shanghai (China). Changhai Hospital, Dept. of Cardiology

    2004-04-01

    Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of transcatheter perimembranous ventricular septal defects (VSD) occlusion with home-made nitinol occluder. Methods: Transcatheter closure was attempted in 196 patients with perimembranous VSD. The diameter of VSD measured by echocardiography was 3 to 15 mm, mean (4.94 {+-} 2.23) mm. The angiographic diameter of the VSD was 3 to 6 mm, mean (3.92 {+-} 1.44) mm. A 7-10 F delivery sheath was advanced across the perimembranous VSD over a wire from femoral vein to deploy the occluder with the guidance of echocardiography and fluoroscopy. The device diameter selected was from 4 to 20 mm, mean (6.68 {+-} 2.76) mm. Left ventriculography and transthoracic echocardiography were repeated to assess the closure of the defects 15 min after the procedure. Continuous electrocardiogram monitoring lasted for 5 days. The echocardiography and electrocardiogram examination were scheduled for 1, 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Results: The occluders were successfully deployed in 191 patients. There were five procedural failures, two with device-related aortic insufficiency, and three of inability to pass through VSD. After deployment of the devices, there were no residual shunt in 180 of 191 patients, 11 patients with a trivial residual shunt that disappeared in 8 patients after one month of follow up. 3 patients developed mild tricuspid insufficiency. 12 developed transient complete right bundle branch block, and 5 transient complete left bundle branch block, and 2 transient complete atrioventricular block. There were repetitive nonparoxysmal ventricular tachycardia in 4 patients 1 week after the procedure. One patient had a detached device embolized into the left pulmonary artery but with a successful catheter retrieval by snare and transcatheter closure. The devices were similarly applied to patients with VSD associated with patent ductus arteriosus, and 4 patients with VSD complicated by atrial septal defects. The fluoroscopy time

  18. Pattern of cardiac diseases among children in a tertiary hospital in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2018-03-07

    Mar 7, 2018 ... (71.4%) of ACHD followed by Patent ductus arteriosus. (PDA) which accounted for ... Ventricular septal defect(VSD). 15. 71.4. Patent ductus ... (one at Garki hospital, Abuja for VSD closure and the other in India). Majority of the ...

  19. Relationship between the shoot characteristics and plant resistance to vascular-streak dieback on cocoa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agung Wahyu Soesilo

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Vascular-streak dieback (Oncobasidium theobromae is a serious disease on cocoa damaging the vegetative tissue especially on the branches and leaves. This research was aimed to identify the relationship between characteristics of sprouting ability and VSD resistance to confirm the response of cocoa to pruning treatment on VSD control and developing criteria for selection. Trial was carried out at Kaliwining Experimental Station of ICCRI, a VSD-endemic area by using 668 plants of hybrid populayion which were derivated from intercrossing among seven clones performing different response to VSD. The resistance was evaluated by scoring the plant damage with the scale of 0-6 on drought season in the year of 2009 and 2011. The characteristics of sprouting ability was assessed by recording the pruned trees for the variables of the number of re-growth shoot, shoot height, number of new shoot per pruned branches, shoot diameter and number of leaves per shoot. It was analyzed that the variables of the number of shoot per pruned branches, shoot diameter, shoot height and number of leaves per shoot were not significantly correlated to the score of VSD damage. Grouping of the resistance also performed similar results whereas mean of the sprouting variables were not different among group but the percentage of sprouted branches tend to be higher with the higher of the resistance (lower score. This result confirmed any mechanism of tolerance on VSD resistance by accelerating shoot rejuvenation on resistant plant. Key words : vascular-streak diaback, cocoa, resistance, characteristics of sprouting

  20. Trends in the incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia in the UK, 2001-2013: a Clinical Practice Research Datalink study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collin, Simon M; Bakken, Inger J; Nazareth, Irwin; Crawley, Esther; White, Peter D

    2017-06-01

    Objective Trends in recorded diagnoses of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, also known as 'myalgic encephalomyelitis' (ME)) and fibromyalgia (FM) in the UK were last reported more than ten years ago, for the period 1990-2001. Our aim was to analyse trends in incident diagnoses of CFS/ME and FM for the period 2001-2013, and to investigate whether incidence might vary by index of multiple deprivation (IMD) score. Design Electronic health records cohort study. Setting NHS primary care practices in the UK. Participants Participants: Patients registered with general practices linked to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) primary care database from January 2001 to December 2013. Main outcome measure Incidence of CFS/ME, FM, post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS), and asthenia/debility. Results The overall annual incidence of recorded cases of CFS/ME was 14.8 (95% CI 14.5, 15.1) per 100,000 people. Overall annual incidence per 100,000 people for FM was 33.3 (32.8-33.8), for PVFS 12.2 (11.9, 12.5), and for asthenia/debility 7.0 (6.8, 7.2). Annual incidence rates for CFS/ME diagnoses decreased from 17.5 (16.1, 18.9) in 2001 to 12.6 (11.5, 13.8) in 2013 (annual percent change -2.8% (-3.6%, -2.0%)). Annual incidence rates for FM diagnoses decreased from 32.3 (30.4, 34.3) to 27.1 (25.5, 28.6) in 2007, then increased to 38.2 (36.3, 40.1) per 100,000 people in 2013. Overall annual incidence of recorded fatigue symptoms was 2246 (2242, 2250) per 100,000 people. Compared with the least deprived IMD quintile, incidence of CFS/ME in the most deprived quintile was 39% lower (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.61 (0.50, 0.75)), whereas rates of FM were 40% higher (IRR 1.40 (0.95, 2.06)). Conclusion These analyses suggest a gradual decline in recorded diagnoses of CFS/ME since 2001, and an increase in diagnoses of fibromyalgia, with opposing socioeconomic patterns of lower rates of CFS/ME diagnoses in the poorest areas compared with higher rates of FM diagnoses.

  1. Engineering of a genetically encodable fluorescent voltage sensor exploiting fast Ci-VSP voltage-sensing movements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundby, Alicia; Mutoh, Hiroki; Dimitrov, Dimitar

    2008-01-01

    Ci-VSP contains a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) homologous to that of voltage-gated potassium channels. Using charge displacement ('gating' current) measurements we show that voltage-sensing movements of this VSD can occur within 1 ms in mammalian membranes. Our analysis lead to development...

  2. Acquired ventricular septal defect due to infective endocarditis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Randi E Durden

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Acquired intracardiac left-to-right shunts are rare occurrences. Chest trauma and myocardial infection are well-known causes of acquired ventricular septal defect (VSD. There have been several case reports describing left ventricle to right atrium shunt after infective endocarditis (IE. We present here a patient found to have an acquired VSD secondary to IE of the aortic and tricuspid valves in the setting of a known bicuspid aortic valve. This is the first case reported of acquired VSD in a pediatric patient in the setting of IE along with literature review of acquired left-to-right shunts.

  3. S1 constrains S4 in the voltage sensor domain of Kv7.1 K+ channels.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoni Haitin

    Full Text Available Voltage-gated K(+ channels comprise a central pore enclosed by four voltage-sensing domains (VSDs. While movement of the S4 helix is known to couple to channel gate opening and closing, the nature of S4 motion is unclear. Here, we substituted S4 residues of Kv7.1 channels by cysteine and recorded whole-cell mutant channel currents in Xenopus oocytes using the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. In the closed state, disulfide and metal bridges constrain residue S225 (S4 nearby C136 (S1 within the same VSD. In the open state, two neighboring I227 (S4 are constrained at proximity while residue R228 (S4 is confined close to C136 (S1 of an adjacent VSD. Structural modeling predicts that in the closed to open transition, an axial rotation (approximately 190 degrees and outward translation of S4 (approximately 12 A is accompanied by VSD rocking. This large sensor motion changes the intra-VSD S1-S4 interaction to an inter-VSD S1-S4 interaction. These constraints provide a ground for cooperative subunit interactions and suggest a key role of the S1 segment in steering S4 motion during Kv7.1 gating.

  4. Allosteric substrate switching in a voltage-sensing lipid phosphatase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Sasha S; Isacoff, Ehud Y

    2016-04-01

    Allostery provides a critical control over enzyme activity, biasing the catalytic site between inactive and active states. We found that the Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensing phosphatase (Ci-VSP), which modifies phosphoinositide signaling lipids (PIPs), has not one but two sequential active states with distinct substrate specificities, whose occupancy is allosterically controlled by sequential conformations of the voltage-sensing domain (VSD). Using fast fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) reporters of PIPs to monitor enzyme activity and voltage-clamp fluorometry to monitor conformational changes in the VSD, we found that Ci-VSP switches from inactive to a PIP3-preferring active state when the VSD undergoes an initial voltage-sensing motion and then into a second PIP2-preferring active state when the VSD activates fully. This two-step allosteric control over a dual-specificity enzyme enables voltage to shape PIP concentrations in time, and provides a mechanism for the complex modulation of PIP-regulated ion channels, transporters, cell motility, endocytosis and exocytosis.

  5. Allosteric substrate switching in a voltage sensing lipid phosphatase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Sasha S.; Isacoff, Ehud Y.

    2016-01-01

    Allostery provides a critical control over enzyme activity, biasing the catalytic site between inactive and active states. We find the Ciona intestinalis voltage-sensing phosphatase (Ci-VSP), which modifies phosphoinositide signaling lipids (PIPs), to have not one but two sequential active states with distinct substrate specificities, whose occupancy is allosterically controlled by sequential conformations of the voltage sensing domain (VSD). Using fast FRET reporters of PIPs to monitor enzyme activity and voltage clamp fluorometry to monitor conformational changes in the VSD, we find that Ci-VSP switches from inactive to a PIP3-preferring active state when the VSD undergoes an initial voltage sensing motion and then into a second PIP2-preferring active state when the VSD activates fully. This novel 2-step allosteric control over a dual specificity enzyme enables voltage to shape PIP concentrations in time, and provides a mechanism for the complex modulation of PIP-regulated ion channels, transporters, cell motility and endo/exocytosis. PMID:26878552

  6. Grafting voltage and pharmacological sensitivity in potassium channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lan, Xi; Fan, Chunyan; Ji, Wei; Tian, Fuyun; Xu, Tao; Gao, Zhaobing

    2016-08-01

    A classical voltage-gated ion channel consists of four voltage-sensing domains (VSDs). However, the roles of each VSD in the channels remain elusive. We developed a GVTDT (Graft VSD To Dimeric TASK3 channels that lack endogenous VSDs) strategy to produce voltage-gated channels with a reduced number of VSDs. TASK3 channels exhibit a high host tolerance to VSDs of various voltage-gated ion channels without interfering with the intrinsic properties of the TASK3 selectivity filter. The constructed channels, exemplified by the channels grafted with one or two VSDs from Kv7.1 channels, exhibit classical voltage sensitivity, including voltage-dependent opening and closing. Furthermore, the grafted Kv7.1 VSD transfers the potentiation activity of benzbromarone, an activator that acts on the VSDs of the donor channels, to the constructed channels. Our study indicates that one VSD is sufficient to voltage-dependently gate the pore and provides new insight into the roles of VSDs.

  7. Ventricular septal necrosis after blunt chest trauma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Ahmadi

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD after blunt chest trauma is a very rare traumatic affection.We report here a case of blunt chest injury-related VSD and pseudoaneurysm.A 30-year old male truck driver was referred from a trauma center to our hospital seven days after a blunt chest trauma and rib fracture. The patient had severe pulmonary edemaand echocardiography showed large VSD. Several mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of this affection including an acute compression of the heart muscle between the sternum and the spine, leading to excessive changes in the intrathoracic and most likely theintracardiac pressure after blunt chest injury. Traumatical patients with the same symptoms may be at risk of sudden death. Therefore, a high grade of suspicion is mandatory even without solid evidence of myocardial damage on the initial evaluation. In continue somehidden angles of this case was discussed. Given the prognostic implications of traumatic VSD with associated pseudoaneurysm, its detection has critical value for preventing its clinicalsequelae.

  8. Induction of divalent cation permeability by heterologous expression of a voltage sensor domain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arima, Hiroki; Tsutsui, Hidekazu; Sakamoto, Ayako; Yoshida, Manabu; Okamura, Yasushi

    2018-01-06

    The voltage sensor domain (VSD) is a protein domain that confers sensitivity to membrane potential in voltage-gated ion channels as well as the voltage-sensing phosphatase. Although VSDs have long been considered to function as regulatory units acting on adjacent effectors, recent studies have revealed the existence of direct ion permeation paths in some mutated VSDs and in the voltage-gated proton channel. In this study, we show that calcium currents are evoked upon membrane hyperpolarization in cells expressing a VSD derived from an ascidian voltage-gated ion channel superfamily. Unlike the previously reported omega-pore in the Shaker K + channel and rNav1.4, mutations are not required. From electrophysiological experiments in heterologous expression systems, we found that the conductance is directly mediated by the VSD itself and is carried by both monovalent and divalent cations. This is the first report of divalent cation permeation through a VSD-like structure. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Cancer recording in patients with and without type 2 diabetes in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink primary care data and linked hospital admission data: a cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Rachael; van Staa, Tjeerd-Pieter; Gallagher, Arlene M; Hammad, Tarek; Leufkens, Hubert G M; de Vries, Frank

    2018-05-26

    Conflicting results from studies using electronic health records to evaluate the associations between type 2 diabetes and cancer fuel concerns regarding potential biases. This study aimed to describe completeness of cancer recording in UK primary care data linked to hospital admissions records. Patients aged 40+ years with insulin or oral antidiabetic prescriptions in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) primary care without type 1 diabetes were matched by age, sex and general practitioner practice to non-diabetics. Those eligible for linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC), and with follow-up during April 1997-December 2006 were included. Cancer recording and date of first record of cancer were compared. Characteristics of patients with cancer most likely to have the diagnosis recorded only in a single data source were assessed. Relative rates of cancer estimated from the two datasets were compared. 53 585 patients with type 2 diabetes matched to 47 435 patients without diabetes were included. Of all cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) recorded in CPRD, 83% were recorded in HES APC. 94% of cases in HES APC were recorded in CPRD. Concordance was lower when restricted to same-site cancer records, and was negatively associated with increasing age. Relative rates for cancer were similar in both datasets. Good concordance in cancer recording was found between CPRD and HES APC among type 2 diabetics and matched controls. Linked data may reduce misclassification and increase case ascertainment when analysis focuses on site-specific cancers. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  10. Permanent complete heart block following surgical correction of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Conclusion: Permanent post-operative complete heart block occurred in 1.3% of patients undergoing VSD repair and 5.5% of those undergoing repair of conotruncal anomalies (Fallot's tetralogy). The dominant anatomic risk factor was a large perimembranous VSD as an isolated defect or as part of a conotruncal anomaly.

  11. Transcatheter closure of membranous ventricular septal defects with home-made nitinol occluder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin Yongwen; Zhao Xianxian; Zheng Xing; Ding Jijun; Cao Jiang

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of transcatheter perimembranous ventricular septal defects (VSD) occlusion with home-made nitinol occluder. Methods: Transcatheter closure was attempted in 196 patients with perimembranous VSD. The diameter of VSD measured by echocardiography was 3 to 15 mm, mean (4.94 ± 2.23) mm. The angiographic diameter of the VSD was 3 to 6 mm, mean (3.92 ± 1.44) mm. A 7-10 F delivery sheath was advanced across the perimembranous VSD over a wire from femoral vein to deploy the occluder with the guidance of echocardiography and fluoroscopy. The device diameter selected was from 4 to 20 mm, mean (6.68 ± 2.76) mm. Left ventriculography and transthoracic echocardiography were repeated to assess the closure of the defects 15 min after the procedure. Continuous electrocardiogram monitoring lasted for 5 days. The echocardiography and electrocardiogram examination were scheduled for 1, 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Results: The occluders were successfully deployed in 191 patients. There were five procedural failures, two with device-related aortic insufficiency, and three of inability to pass through VSD. After deployment of the devices, there were no residual shunt in 180 of 191 patients, 11 patients with a trivial residual shunt that disappeared in 8 patients after one month of follow up. 3 patients developed mild tricuspid insufficiency. 12 developed transient complete right bundle branch block, and 5 transient complete left bundle branch block, and 2 transient complete atrioventricular block. There were repetitive nonparoxysmal ventricular tachycardia in 4 patients 1 week after the procedure. One patient had a detached device embolized into the left pulmonary artery but with a successful catheter retrieval by snare and transcatheter closure. The devices were similarly applied to patients with VSD associated with patent ductus arteriosus, and 4 patients with VSD complicated by atrial septal defects. The fluoroscopy time for the

  12. Congenital Heart Diseases in Adults: A Review of Echocardiogram ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The most common congenital anomalies were ventricular septal defects (VSD) ‑ 31.3%, (36/115), atrial septal defects ‑ 28.7% (33/115) and tetralogy of fallot ‑ 10.4% (12/115). Conclusion: VSD are the most common congenital heart diseases in adults presenting for echocardiographic examination in Enugu, Nigeria.

  13. Transcatheter coil occluder for closure of ventricular septal defect (a report of 4 cases)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Wei; Zhou Aiqing; Yu Zhiqing; Li Fen; Zhong Yumin; Zhang Yuqi; Huang Meirong; Sun Kun

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To explore the indication, methodology and complication of transcatheter coil closure of ventricular septal defect (VSD) in children. Methods: Transcatheter closure of perimembranous VSD with coils was performed in 4 cases from 2003 to 2005. The Duct-Occlude (pfm) and detachable coil (Cook) were chosen for embolization depending on the results of the left ventricular angiogram. The coil size was generally about 1-4 mm larger than the diameter of VSD. Follow up was carried out with echocardiography, ultrasound and clinical examination. Results: The defect diameters of the four cases were 2.0 mm, 2.7 mm, 2.5 mm and 1.5 mm respectively. The Duct-Occlude were successfully implanted in 3 cases of perimembranous VSD with the same type coil (OD[mm]7-3-6, windings 5-3-4) for each. One detachable coil (Cook) (5 x 5) was implanted in the remaining case. All cases had trivial residual shunt immediately after implantation which disappeared 24 hours later. Follow-up for 2 months to one year showed no coil displacement and secondary bacterial arteritis. No tricuspid and aortic regurgitation, no emboli, no endocarditis, and no arrhythmia were found. Conclusions: Coil closure of some small VSD with membranate part pseudo-ventricular aneurysm has good efficacy with the advantages of simple operation, less metal content and mini-invasion also applicable for infants. (authors)

  14. Enzyme domain affects the movement of the voltage sensor in ascidian and zebrafish voltage-sensing phosphatases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hossain, Md Israil; Iwasaki, Hirohide; Okochi, Yoshifumi; Chahine, Mohamed; Higashijima, Shinichi; Nagayama, Kuniaki; Okamura, Yasushi

    2008-06-27

    The ascidian voltage-sensing phosphatase (Ci-VSP) consists of the voltage sensor domain (VSD) and a cytoplasmic phosphatase region that has significant homology to the phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome TEN (PTEN). The phosphatase activity of Ci-VSP is modified by the conformational change of the VSD. In many proteins, two protein modules are bidirectionally coupled, but it is unknown whether the phosphatase domain could affect the movement of the VSD in VSP. We addressed this issue by whole-cell patch recording of gating currents from a teleost VSP (Dr-VSP) cloned from Danio rerio expressed in tsA201 cells. Replacement of a critical cysteine residue, in the phosphatase active center of Dr-VSP, by serine sharpened both ON- and OFF-gating currents. Similar changes were produced by treatment with phosphatase inhibitors, pervanadate and orthovanadate, that constitutively bind to cysteine in the active catalytic center of phosphatases. The distinct kinetics of gating currents dependent on enzyme activity were not because of altered phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate levels, because the kinetics of gating current did not change by depletion of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, as reported by coexpressed KCNQ2/3 channels. These results indicate that the movement of the VSD is influenced by the enzymatic state of the cytoplasmic domain, providing an important clue for understanding mechanisms of coupling between the VSD and its effector.

  15. Atomistic Modeling of Ion Conduction through the Voltage-Sensing Domain of the Shaker K+ Ion Channel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Mona L; Freites, J Alfredo; Tombola, Francesco; Tobias, Douglas J

    2017-04-20

    Voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) sense changes in the membrane electrostatic potential and, through conformational changes, regulate a specific function. The VSDs of wild-type voltage-dependent K + , Na + , and Ca 2+ channels do not conduct ions, but they can become ion-permeable through pathological mutations in the VSD. Relatively little is known about the underlying mechanisms of conduction through VSDs. The most detailed studies have been performed on Shaker K + channel variants in which ion conduction through the VSD is manifested in electrophysiology experiments as a voltage-dependent inward current, the so-called omega current, which appears when the VSDs are in their resting state conformation. Only monovalent cations appear to permeate the Shaker VSD via a pathway that is believed to be, at least in part, the same as that followed by the S4 basic side chains during voltage-dependent activation. We performed μs-time scale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of a cation-conducting variant of the Shaker VSD under applied electric fields in an experimentally validated resting-state conformation, embedded in a lipid bilayer surrounded by solutions containing guanidinium chloride or potassium chloride. Our simulations provide insights into the Shaker VSD permeation pathway, the protein-ion interactions that control permeation kinetics, and the mechanism of voltage-dependent activation of voltage-gated ion channels.

  16. [Vacuum sealing drainage as an adjuvant treatment of penile and scrotal gangrene: Clinical analysis of 4 cases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Tong; Liao, Liang-Gong; Li, Yan-Feng; Liu, Xu-Dong; Hu, Ming; Zhang, Yong; Li, Zhong-Tai; Cao, Quan-Fu; Jiang, Jun

    2017-03-01

    To search for an optimal strategy for the treatment of penile and scrotal gangrene by analyzing the clinical effect of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) as an adjuvant treatment on this disease. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about 4 cases of penile and scrotal gangrene treated by VSD as an adjuvant treatment from January 2015 to June 2016. The 4 patients all underwent early extensive and radical debridement of gangrene of the scrotum and penis and received intravenous injection of two broad-spectrum antibiotics, followed by VSD for wound drainage and irrigation. Adequate wound drainage was achieved in all the 4 cases, the gangrene range rapidly localized and testicular necrosis avoided. The wound surface healed satisfactorily after cleansing and suturing. The patients were followed up for 3 months after discharged from the hospital and none experienced recurrence. VSD combined with early adequate debridement can effectively localize the gangrene range, significantly reduce the frequency of changing dressings and shorten the hospitalization time of the patient, and therefore is a very effective adjuvant treatment of penile and scrotal gangrene.

  17. Off-Pump Repair of a Post Myocardial Infarction Ventricular Septal Defect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feridoun Sabzi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Refractory cardiogenic shock meant that traditional patch repairs requiring cardiopulmonary bypass would be poorly tolerated and external sandwich closure of post myocardial ventricular septal defect (VSD appears to be simple and effective after initial myocardial infarction (MI. The three cases presented with a VSD after of acute MI with or without thrombolysed with streptokinase during patient admission. The general condition of the three patients was poor with pulmonary edema, low cardiac output and renal failure. The heart was approached through a median sternotomy. Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting of the coronary artery lesion was done first using octopus and beating heart surgery method and latero - lateral septal plication was performed using sandwich technique. Low cardiac output managed with intra-aortic balloon pump in these patients accompanied with inotropic drugs. Post-operative transesophageal echocardiography revealed that VSD was closed completely in one patient and in two patients small residual VSD remained. More experience is required to ascertain whether this technique will become an accepted alternative to patch repairs.

  18. Assessing the mean strength and variations of the time-to-time fluctuations of resting-state brain activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhengjun; Zang, Yu-Feng; Ding, Jianping; Wang, Ze

    2017-04-01

    The time-to-time fluctuations (TTFs) of resting-state brain activity as captured by resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) have been repeatedly shown to be informative of functional brain structures and disease-related alterations. TTFs can be characterized by the mean and the range of successive difference. The former can be measured with the mean squared successive difference (MSSD), which is mathematically similar to standard deviation; the latter can be calculated by the variability of the successive difference (VSD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate both the resting state-MSSD and VSD of rsfMRI regarding their test-retest stability, sensitivity to brain state change, as well as their biological meanings. We hypothesized that MSSD and VSD are reliable in resting brain; both measures are sensitive to brain state changes such as eyes-open compared to eyes-closed condition; both are predictive of age. These hypotheses were tested with three rsfMRI datasets and proven true, suggesting both MSSD and VSD as reliable and useful tools for resting-state studies.

  19. Voltage-sensing domain mode shift is coupled to the activation gate by the N-terminal tail of hERG channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Peter S; Perry, Matthew D; Ng, Chai Ann; Vandenberg, Jamie I; Hill, Adam P

    2012-09-01

    Human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channels exhibit unique gating kinetics characterized by unusually slow activation and deactivation. The N terminus of the channel, which contains an amphipathic helix and an unstructured tail, has been shown to be involved in regulation of this slow deactivation. However, the mechanism of how this occurs and the connection between voltage-sensing domain (VSD) return and closing of the gate are unclear. To examine this relationship, we have used voltage-clamp fluorometry to simultaneously measure VSD motion and gate closure in N-terminally truncated constructs. We report that mode shifting of the hERG VSD results in a corresponding shift in the voltage-dependent equilibrium of channel closing and that at negative potentials, coupling of the mode-shifted VSD to the gate defines the rate of channel closure. Deletion of the first 25 aa from the N terminus of hERG does not alter mode shifting of the VSD but uncouples the shift from closure of the cytoplasmic gate. Based on these observations, we propose the N-terminal tail as an adaptor that couples voltage sensor return to gate closure to define slow deactivation gating in hERG channels. Furthermore, because the mode shift occurs on a time scale relevant to the cardiac action potential, we suggest a physiological role for this phenomenon in maximizing current flow through hERG channels during repolarization.

  20. Managing Ventricular Septal Defect with Associated Aortic Regurgitation: Two Decades of Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanoussi, Ahmed; Demanet, Helene; Dessy, Hughes; Massin, Martial; Biarent, Dominique; Deville, Andree; Wauthy, Pierre

    2015-09-01

    Ventricular septal defect (VSD) with aortic regurgitation (AR) is a well-known association. However, there is still no agreement about its management, particularly regarding the technical details of its operative treatment. The study aim was to describe all components of the syndrome and to evaluate the various techniques used with regards to its anatomical and functional features. A total of 31 patients (mean age 7.4 years; range: 1.0-14.3 years) who underwent repair of VSD and AR between 1990 and 2013 was reviewed. The VSD was perimembranous in 22 patients, and subarterial in nine. Trusler's valvuloplasty technique was used in 15 patients, Yacoub's technique in seven, and Carpentier's technique (triangular resection) in four. Two patients underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR), and three patients with no significant aortic valve lesions underwent a simple patch repair of the VSD. The aortic valvuloplasty results were generally good, with an initial aortic valvuloplasty avoiding AVR. During the immediate postoperative period, valvuloplasty failure occurred in three patients, regardless of the technique used, and all three patients were reoperated on. The mean duration of follow up was 8.5 years (range: 3.2-20.6 years). The initial result was maintained in all patients, except for four who underwent late AVR. The study findings contributed to an analysis of VSD and AR, and helped to clarify the best surgical strategy. The results obtained suggest that adequacy of the initial repair is the most important determinant of subsequent evolution.

  1. An Infectious Pseudoaneurysm Caused by Ventricular Septal Defect Occluder in Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closure in a Two-Year-Old Child.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Dingyang; Qiu, Qiu; Jin, Jing; Zhang, Changdong; Wang, Lijun; Zhang, Gangcheng

    2017-12-12

    We present a case of an infectious pseudoaneurysm after patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure with a ventricular septal defect (VSD) occluder in a two-year-old child. The aneurysm grew rapidly but was successfully removed in time and the patient survived. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an infectious pseudoaneurysm caused by VSD occluder in PDA closure.

  2. CERNET High Speed Data Link

    CERN Multimedia

    1975-01-01

    This card, based on a "4 slot DEC module", arbitrated the access priority of 15 datalinks of a CERNET node. Each datalinks could transfer data full duplex at 2.5 Mbit/sec over 1 Km of twisted pair (POD) cable. This was the frontier technology in 1980. The modest amount of integrated circuits was compensated by printing on the board photographs of the hardware designers, whose Belgian, Dutch and French nationality was underlined by the the short poem.

  3. The effect of residual ventricular septal defects on early clinical outcome: initial experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaman, H.; Cheema, M.A.; Jalal, A.

    2000-01-01

    Residual ventricular septal defect (VSD)after repair of isolated VSD or Fallot's tetralogy is one of the main causes of morbidity and re-operations. In this paper we have presented the results of out initial experience regarding the management of this problem. The data consists of 71 patients (22 isolated VSD and 29 fallout's tetralogy) operate during January 1991 to July, 1993. The incidence of residual VSD as shown by color doppler study at the time of discharge from hospital and at three month's follow-up was 3 out of 60 patients(73%) and 12 out of to (20%) respectively. Six out of these 12 patients were NYHA class III-IV who underwent cardiac catheterization which revealed patch dehiscence in two patients and residual right ventricular outflow tract obstruction in four patients. The two patients, with patch dehiscence were reported successfully with very good outcome. Simple color doppler mapping tends to over-diagnose residual VSDs since it can pick up small haemodynamically insignificant leaks around stitches and needle holes which seal off in due course. The findings of color doppler should, therefore, be correlated with actual clinical outcome in order to proceed with further investigation and re-operation. (author)

  4. Common Arterial Trunk in a 3-Day-Old Alpaca Cria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tsumugi Anne Kurosawa

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A 3-day-old alpaca cria presented for progressive weakness and dyspnea since birth. Complete bloodwork, thoracic radiographs, and endoscopic examination of the nasal passages and distal trachea revealed no significant findings. Echocardiogram and contrast study revealed a single artery overriding a large ventricular septal defect (VSD. A small atrial septal defect or patent foramen ovale was also noted. Color flow Doppler and an agitated saline contrast study revealed bidirectional but primarily right to left flow through the VSD and bidirectional shunting through the atrial defect. Differential diagnosis based on echocardiographic findings included common arterial trunk, Tetralogy of Fallot, and pulmonary atresia with a VSD. Postmortem examination revealed a large common arterial trunk with a quadricuspid valve overriding a VSD. Additionally, defect in the atrial septum was determined to be a patent foramen ovale. A single pulmonary trunk arose from the common arterial trunk and bifurcated to the left and right pulmonary artery, consistent with a Collet and Edwards’ type I common arterial trunk with aortic predominance. Although uncommon, congenital cardiac defects should be considered in animals presenting with clinical signs of hypoxemia, dyspnea, or failure to thrive.

  5. Can commonly prescribed drugs be repurposed for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases? Protocol for an observational cohort study in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Venexia M; Davies, Neil M; Jones, Tim; Kehoe, Patrick G; Martin, Richard M

    2016-12-13

    Current treatments for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases have only limited effectiveness meaning that there is an urgent need for new medications that could influence disease incidence and progression. We will investigate the potential of a selection of commonly prescribed drugs, as a more efficient and cost-effective method of identifying new drugs for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer's disease, non-Alzheimer's disease dementias, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Our research will focus on drugs used for the treatment of hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and type 2 diabetes, all of which have previously been identified as potentially cerebroprotective and have variable levels of preclinical evidence that suggest they may have beneficial effects for various aspects of dementia pathology. We will conduct a hypothesis testing observational cohort study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Our analysis will consider four statistical methods, which have different approaches for modelling confounding. These are multivariable adjusted Cox regression; propensity matched regression; instrumental variable analysis and marginal structural models. We will also use an intention-to-treat analysis, whereby we will define all exposures based on the first prescription observed in the database so that the target parameter is comparable to that estimated by a randomised controlled trial. This protocol has been approved by the CPRD's Independent Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC). We will publish the results of the study as open-access peer-reviewed publications and disseminate findings through national and international conferences as are appropriate. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  6. Natural history of ventricular septal defects in Nigerian children

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Most (35 – 57.4%) of the patients were female, their mean age at presentation was 11.2±5.2 months, and the most common type of VSD ..... 26. 13 (50.0). Nutritional status. Malnutrition. 27. 8 (29.6). 0.104. Normal nutrition. 28. 19 (67.9). VSD type. Muscular. 17. 14 (82.4). 0.003. Perimembranous. 39. 14 (35.9). Subaortic. 5. 0.

  7. Characterization of the Functional Domains of a Mammalian Voltage-Sensitive Phosphatase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosasco, Mario G; Gordon, Sharona E; Bajjalieh, Sandra M

    2015-12-15

    Voltage-sensitive phosphatases (VSPs) are proteins that directly couple changes in membrane electrical potential to inositol lipid phosphatase activity. VSPs thus couple two signaling pathways that are critical for cellular functioning. Although a number of nonmammalian VSPs have been characterized biophysically, mammalian VSPs are less well understood at both the physiological and biophysical levels. In this study, we aimed to address this gap in knowledge by determining whether the VSP from mouse, Mm-VSP, is expressed in the brain and contains a functional voltage-sensing domain (VSD) and a phosphatase domain. We report that Mm-VSP is expressed in neurons and is developmentally regulated. To address whether the functions of the VSD and phosphatase domain are retained in Mm-VSP, we took advantage of the modular nature of these domains and expressed each independently as a chimeric protein in a heterologous expression system. We found that the Mm-VSP VSD, fused to a viral potassium channel, was able to drive voltage-dependent gating of the channel pore. The Mm-VSP phosphatase domain, fused to the VSD of a nonmammalian VSP, was also functional: activation resulted in PI(4,5)P2 depletion that was sufficient to inhibit the PI(4,5)P2-regulated KCNQ2/3 channels. While testing the functionality of the VSD and phosphatase domain, we observed slight differences between the activities of Mm-VSP-based chimeras and those of nonmammalian VSPs. Although the properties of VSP chimeras may not completely reflect the properties of native VSPs, the differences we observed in voltage-sensing and phosphatase activity provide a starting point for future experiments to investigate the function of Mm-VSP and other mammalian VSPs. In conclusion, our data reveal that both the VSD and the lipid phosphatase domain of Mm-VSP are functional, indicating that Mm-VSP likely plays an important role in mouse neurophysiology. Copyright © 2015 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All

  8. Developing architecture for upgrading I and C systems of an operating nuclear power plant using a quality attribute-driven design method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suh, Yong Suk; Keum, Jong Yong [SMART Technology Validation Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 150-1 Dukjin-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyeon Soo, E-mail: hskim401@cnu.ac.kr [Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chungnam Nat' l Univ., 220 Gung-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejon (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-12-15

    This paper presents the architecture for upgrading the instrumentation and control (I and C) systems of a Korean standard nuclear power plant (KSNP) as an operating nuclear power plant. This paper uses the analysis results of KSNP's I and C systems performed in a previous study. This paper proposes a Preparation-Decision-Design-Assessment (PDDA) process that focuses on quality oriented development, as a cyclical process to develop the architecture. The PDDA was motivated from the practice of architecture-based development used in software engineering fields. In the preparation step of the PDDA, the architecture of digital-based I and C systems was setup for an architectural goal. Single failure criterion and determinism were setup for architectural drivers. In the decision step, defense-in-depth, diversity, redundancy, and independence were determined as architectural tactics to satisfy the single failure criterion, and sequential execution was determined as a tactic to satisfy the determinism. After determining the tactics, the primitive digital-based I and C architecture was determined. In the design step, 17 systems were selected from the KSNP's I and C systems for the upgrade and functionally grouped based on the primitive architecture. The overall architecture was developed to show the deployment of the systems. The detailed architecture of the safety systems was developed by applying a 2-out-of-3 voting logic, and the detailed architecture of the non-safety systems was developed by hot-standby redundancy. While developing the detailed architecture, three ways of signal transmission were determined with proper rationales: hardwire, datalink, and network. In the assessment step, the required network performance, considering the worst-case of data transmission was calculated: the datalink was required by 120 kbps, the safety network by 5 Mbps, and the non-safety network by 60 Mbps. The architecture covered 17 systems out of 22 KSNP's I and C

  9. Developing architecture for upgrading I and C systems of an operating nuclear power plant using a quality attribute-driven design method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suh, Yong Suk; Keum, Jong Yong; Kim, Hyeon Soo

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents the architecture for upgrading the instrumentation and control (I and C) systems of a Korean standard nuclear power plant (KSNP) as an operating nuclear power plant. This paper uses the analysis results of KSNP's I and C systems performed in a previous study. This paper proposes a Preparation–Decision–Design–Assessment (PDDA) process that focuses on quality oriented development, as a cyclical process to develop the architecture. The PDDA was motivated from the practice of architecture-based development used in software engineering fields. In the preparation step of the PDDA, the architecture of digital-based I and C systems was setup for an architectural goal. Single failure criterion and determinism were setup for architectural drivers. In the decision step, defense-in-depth, diversity, redundancy, and independence were determined as architectural tactics to satisfy the single failure criterion, and sequential execution was determined as a tactic to satisfy the determinism. After determining the tactics, the primitive digital-based I and C architecture was determined. In the design step, 17 systems were selected from the KSNP's I and C systems for the upgrade and functionally grouped based on the primitive architecture. The overall architecture was developed to show the deployment of the systems. The detailed architecture of the safety systems was developed by applying a 2-out-of-3 voting logic, and the detailed architecture of the non-safety systems was developed by hot-standby redundancy. While developing the detailed architecture, three ways of signal transmission were determined with proper rationales: hardwire, datalink, and network. In the assessment step, the required network performance, considering the worst-case of data transmission was calculated: the datalink was required by 120 kbps, the safety network by 5 Mbps, and the non-safety network by 60 Mbps. The architecture covered 17 systems out of 22 KSNP's I and C systems. The

  10. Patient safety: Safety culture and patient safety ethics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Marlene Dyrløv

    2006-01-01

    ,demonstrating significant, consistent and sometimes large differences in terms of safety culture factors across the units participating in the survey. Paper 5 is the results of a study of the relation between safety culture, occupational health andpatient safety using a safety culture questionnaire survey......Patient safety - the prevention of medical error and adverse events - and the initiative of developing safety cultures to assure patients from harm have become one of the central concerns in quality improvement in healthcare both nationally andinternationally. This subject raises numerous...... challenging issues of systemic, organisational, cultural and ethical relevance, which this dissertation seeks to address through the application of different disciplinary approaches. The main focus of researchis safety culture; through empirical and theoretical studies to comprehend the phenomenon, address...

  11. Defining safety culture and the nexus between safety goals and safety culture. 4. Enhancing Safety Culture Through the Establishment of Safety Goals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tateiwa, Kenji; Miyata, Koichi; Yahagi, Kimitoshi

    2001-01-01

    Safety culture is the perception of each individual and organization of a nuclear power plant that safety is the first priority, and at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), we have been practicing it in everyday activities. On the other hand, with the demand for competitiveness of nuclear power becoming even more intense these days, we need to pursue efficient management while maintaining the safety level at the same time. Below, we discuss how to achieve compatibility between safety culture and efficient management as well as enhance safety culture. Discussion at Tepco: safety culture-nurturing activities such as the following are being implemented: 1. informing the employees of the 'Declaration of Safety Promotion' by handing out brochures and posting it on the intranet home page; 2. publishing safety culture reports covering stories on safety culture of other industry sectors, recent movements on safety culture, etc.; 3. conducting periodic questionnaires to employees to grasp how deeply safety culture is being established; 4. carrying out educational programs to learn from past cases inside and outside the nuclear industry; 5. committing to common ownership of information with the public. The current status of safety culture in Japan sometimes seems to be biased to the quest of ultimate safety; rephrasing it, there have been few discussions regarding the sufficiency of the quantitative safety level in conjunction with the safety culture. Safety culture is one of the most crucial foundations guaranteeing the plant's safety, and for example, the plant safety level evaluated by probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) could be said to be valid only on the ground that a sound and sufficient safety culture exists. Although there is no doubt that the safety culture is a fundamental and important attitude of an individual and organization that keeps safety the first priority, the safety culture in itself should not be considered an obstruction to efforts to implement

  12. Usefulness of electrocardiography-gated dual-source computed tomography for evaluating morphological features of the ventricles in children with complex congenital heart defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakagawa, Motoo; Hara, Masaki; Sakurai, Keita; Asano, Miki; Shibamoto, Yuta; Ohashi, Kazuya

    2011-01-01

    Improved time resolution using dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) enabled adaptation of electrocardiography (ECG)-gated cardiac CT for children with a high heart rate. In this study, we evaluated the ability of ECG-gated DSCT (ECG-DSCT) to depict the morphological ventricular features in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Between August 2006 and March 2010, a total of 66 patients with CHD (aged 1 day to 9 years, median 11 months) were analyzed using ECG-DSCT. The type of anomaly was ventricular septal defect (VSD) in 32 (malaligned type in 20, perimembranous type in 7, supracristal type in 3, muscular type in 2), single ventricle (SV) in 11, and corrected transposition of the great arteries (cTGA) in 3. All patients underwent ECG-DSCT and ultrasonography (US). We evaluated the accuracy of diagnosing the type of VSD. For the cases with SV and cTGA, we evaluated the ability to depict anatomical ventricular features. In all 32 cases of VSD, DSCT could confirm the VSD defects, and the findings were identical to those obtained by US. Anatomical configurations of the SV and cTGA were correctly diagnosed, similar to that on US. Our study suggests that ECG-DSCT can clearly depict the configuration of ventricles. (author)

  13. Regulation of Na+ channel inactivation by the DIII and DIV voltage-sensing domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Eric J; Zhu, Wandi; Schubert, Angela R; Voelker, Taylor; Varga, Zoltan; Silva, Jonathan R

    2017-03-06

    Functional eukaryotic voltage-gated Na + (Na V ) channels comprise four domains (DI-DIV), each containing six membrane-spanning segments (S1-S6). Voltage sensing is accomplished by the first four membrane-spanning segments (S1-S4), which together form a voltage-sensing domain (VSD). A critical Na V channel gating process, inactivation, has previously been linked to activation of the VSDs in DIII and DIV. Here, we probe this interaction by using voltage-clamp fluorometry to observe VSD kinetics in the presence of mutations at locations that have been shown to impair Na V channel inactivation. These locations include the DIII-DIV linker, the DIII S4-S5 linker, and the DIV S4-S5 linker. Our results show that, within the 10-ms timeframe of fast inactivation, the DIV-VSD is the primary regulator of inactivation. However, after longer 100-ms pulses, the DIII-DIV linker slows DIII-VSD deactivation, and the rate of DIII deactivation correlates strongly with the rate of recovery from inactivation. Our results imply that, over the course of an action potential, DIV-VSDs regulate the onset of fast inactivation while DIII-VSDs determine its recovery. © 2017 Hsu et al.

  14. Disulfide mapping the voltage-sensing mechanism of a voltage-dependent potassium channel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nozaki, Tomohiro; Ozawa, Shin-Ichiro; Harada, Hitomi; Kimura, Tomomi; Osawa, Masanori; Shimada, Ichio

    2016-11-17

    Voltage-dependent potassium (Kv) channels allow for the selective permeability of potassium ions in a membrane potential dependent manner, playing crucial roles in neurotransmission and muscle contraction. Kv channel is a tetramer, in which each subunit possesses a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) and a pore domain (PD). Although several lines of evidence indicated that membrane depolarization is sensed as the movement of helix S4 of the VSD, the detailed voltage-sensing mechanism remained elusive, due to the difficulty of structural analyses at resting potential. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive disulfide locking analysis of the VSD using 36 double Cys mutants, in order to identify the proximal residue pairs of the VSD in the presence or absence of a membrane potential. An intramolecular SS-bond was formed between 6 Cys pairs under both polarized and depolarized environment, and one pair only under depolarized environment. The multiple conformations captured by the SS-bond can be divided by two states, up and down, where S4 lies on the extracellular and intracellular sides of the membrane, respectively, with axial rotation of 180°. The transition between these two states is caused by the S4 translocation of 12 Å, enabling allosteric regulation of the gating at the PD.

  15. [Good reproducibility of a 14-item food frequency questionnaire for cardiovascular prevention in students].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balquet, L; Noury-Desvaux, B; Jaquinandi, V; Mahé, G

    2015-02-01

    Diet is a modifiable risk factor of atherosclerosis. A 14-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) has been developed. The reproducibility of this FFQ is unknown in a student population whereas its use could be of interest. This FFQ allows calculating different scores for different food groups involved in cardiovascular disease. The vascular dietary score (VDS) can be calculated. The VSD ranges from -17 to +19. The higher the VSD, the better diet. Reproducibility was assessed in sports faculty students using mean tests comparing measurement 1 and 2 (minimum time interval ≥ 7 days) and intra-class correlation (ICC) tests. Thirty students (50% men) were included in a French Sports Faculty. Time between two FFQ assessments was 19 ± 9 days. Mean VSD was 0.50 ± 3.70 for the first assessment and 0.30 ± 3.14 for the second one (non significant). Any score for each food group was statistically significant between the first and the second measurement. ICC of VSD was 0.68 [95% confidence interval: 0.43-0.83]. This FFQ that assesses a risky vascular diet has good reproducibility. This tool could be useful for large studies involving students. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. Characterization of SMAD3 Gene Variants for Possible Roles in Ventricular Septal Defects and Other Congenital Heart Diseases.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fei-Feng Li

    Full Text Available Nodal/TGF signaling pathway has an important effect at early stages of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in directing them to develop into different embryonic lineages. SMAD3 is a key intracellular messenger regulating factor in the Nodal/TGF signaling pathway, playing important roles in embryonic and, particularly, cardiovascular system development. The aim of this work was to find evidence on whether SMAD3 variations might be associated with ventricular septal defects (VSD or other congenital heart diseases (CHD.We sequenced the SMAD3 gene for 372 Chinese Han CHD patients including 176 VSD patients and evaluated SNP rs2289263, which is located before the 5'UTR sequence of the gene. The statistical analyses were conducted using Chi-Square Tests as implemented in SPSS (version 13.0. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test of the population was carried out using the online software OEGE.Three heterozygous variants in SMAD3 gene, rs2289263, rs35874463 and rs17228212, were identified. Statistical analyses showed that the rs2289263 variant located before the 5'UTR sequence of SMAD3 gene was associated with the risk of VSD (P value=0.013 <0.05.The SNP rs2289263 in the SMAD3 gene is associated with VSD in Chinese Han populations.

  17. Dilatation of the Great Arteries in an Infant with Marfan Syndrome and Ventricular Septal Defect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Rozendaal

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We describe an infant presenting with contractures of the fingers, a large ventricular septal defect (VSD, and severe pulmonary artery dilatation. He had clinical and echocardiographic features of both neonatal or infantile Marfan syndrome (MFS and congenital contractural arachnodactyly. After surgical VSD closure, the aortic root developed progressive dilatation while the size of pulmonary artery returned to normal limits. Eventually the diagnosis of MFS was confirmed by DNA analysis.

  18. Guillain - Barre syndrome in a patient with acute myocardial infarction with ventricular septal defect repair treated with plasma exchange

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maitrey D Gajjar

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Guillain - Barre syndrome (GBS is an acute, frequently severe progressive illness of peripheral nervous system that is autoimmune in nature. GBS after myocardial infarction (MI with ventricular septal defect (VSD is uncommon with high mortality rate if not treated promptly. [1] We report a successful outcome of GBS post MI with VSD in a 60-year-old male patient who was on a ventilator treated successfully with therapeutic plasma exchange.

  19. Engineering of a genetically encodable fluorescent voltage sensor exploiting fast Ci-VSP voltage-sensing movements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lundby, Alicia; Mutoh, Hiroki; Dimitrov, Dimitar; Akemann, Walther; Knöpfel, Thomas

    2008-06-25

    Ci-VSP contains a voltage-sensing domain (VSD) homologous to that of voltage-gated potassium channels. Using charge displacement ('gating' current) measurements we show that voltage-sensing movements of this VSD can occur within 1 ms in mammalian membranes. Our analysis lead to development of a genetically encodable fluorescent protein voltage sensor (VSFP) in which the fast, voltage-dependent conformational changes of the Ci-VSP voltage sensor are transduced to similarly fast fluorescence read-outs.

  20. Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC): An Analysis of Aviation Safety Reporting System Reports Concerning PDC Related Errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montalyo, Michael L.; Lebacqz, J. Victor (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    Airlines operating in the United States are required to operate under instrument flight rules (EFR). Typically, a clearance is issued via voice transmission from clearance delivery at the departing airport. In 1990, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began deployment of the Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) system at 30 U.S. airports. The PDC system utilizes aeronautical datalink and Aircraft Communication and Reporting System (ACARS) to transmit departure clearances directly to the pilot. An objective of the PDC system is to provide an immediate reduction in voice congestion over the clearance delivery frequency. Participating airports report that this objective has been met. However, preliminary analysis of 42 Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) reports has revealed problems in PDC procedures and formatting which have caused errors in the proper execution of the clearance. It must be acknowledged that this technology, along with other advancements on the flightdeck, is adding more responsibility to the crew and increasing the opportunity for error. The present study uses these findings as a basis for further coding and analysis of an additional 82 reports obtained from an ASRS database search. These reports indicate that clearances are often amended or exceptions are added in order to accommodate local ATC facilities. However, the onboard ACARS is limited in its ability to emphasize or highlight these changes which has resulted in altitude and heading deviations along with increases in ATC workload. Furthermore, few participating airports require any type of PDC receipt confirmation. In fact, 35% of all ASRS reports dealing with PDC's include failure to acquire the PDC at all. Consequently, this study examines pilots' suggestions contained in ASRS reports in order to develop recommendations to airlines and ATC facilities to help reduce the amount of incidents that occur.

  1. Annual Targets, UAVs and Range Operations Symposium and Exhibition (49th) Held in Fort Walton Beach, Florida on October 25-27, 2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-27

    COMP Mountain Home COMP Shaw COMP Barksdale COMP Hill COMP Homestead ARB COMP Savannah CRTC COMP Gulfport CRTC COMP Alpena CRTC COMP Montana...Spangdahlem AB Aviano AB Kadena AB Programmed: 165 Baseline Pods purchase in FY12 (del FY13) Alpena CRTC Holloman AFB Eielson AFB Planned: 368...ARQ-52(V)2 ARQ-52B(V)2 ARDS (HDIS) ASQ- T35A P4NS (NACTS-RSI) KITS (Kadena) ASQ-T34 ASQ-T46 AKITS ( Alpena ) Israel No Datalink No Datalink P4R1 ASQ

  2. Nuclear safety culture and nuclear safety supervision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chai Jianshe

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, the author reviews systematically and summarizes up the development process and stage characteristics of nuclear safety culture, analysis the connotation and characteristics of nuclear safety culture, sums up the achievements of our country's nuclear safety supervision, dissects the challenges and problems of nuclear safety supervision. This thesis focused on the relationship between nuclear safety culture and nuclear safety supervision, they are essential differences, but there is a close relationship. Nuclear safety supervision needs to introduce some concepts of nuclear safety culture, lays emphasis on humanistic care and improves its level and efficiency. Nuclear safety supervision authorities must strengthen nuclear safety culture training, conduct the development of nuclear safety culture, make sure that nuclear safety culture can play significant roles. (author)

  3. Engineering of a genetically encodable fluorescent voltage sensor exploiting fast Ci-VSP voltage-sensing movements.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alicia Lundby

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Ci-VSP contains a voltage-sensing domain (VSD homologous to that of voltage-gated potassium channels. Using charge displacement ('gating' current measurements we show that voltage-sensing movements of this VSD can occur within 1 ms in mammalian membranes. Our analysis lead to development of a genetically encodable fluorescent protein voltage sensor (VSFP in which the fast, voltage-dependent conformational changes of the Ci-VSP voltage sensor are transduced to similarly fast fluorescence read-outs.

  4. Transcatheter occlusion of perimembranous ventricular septal defects with Amplatzer duct occluder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren Sengen; Kang Kang; Wu Danning; Shi Hong; Wu Jingzhang; Yang Mei; Han Feizhou; Zhou Fei; Zhu Zhijun

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To study the feasibility of congenital perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) occlusion by Amplatzer duct occluder (ADO) and to establish guidelines for its safe and effective application. Methods: From May 2001 to December 2002, percutaneous transcatheter occlusion of congenital perimembranous VSD was performed in 41 patients, in which 18 patients had an associated aneurysm of the membranous septum. There were 20 male and 21 female subjects, with age ranging from 6 to 38 years (median 14.9) and weights of 18 to 62 kg (median 41.5). The diameter of VSD ranged from 4 to 12.8 mm (median 6.0), and the distance of VSD to the aortic valve were 4.5 to 12 mm (median 6.6). The ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow (Qp/Qs) was 1.4 to 2.6 (median 1.7) and the pulmonary systolic pressure was 19 to 34 mmHg (median 25). Results: All the patients underwent successfully complete occlusion of VSD with ADO, and the size of ADO ranged from 6/4 to 16/14 mm. After the procedure, left ventricular angiography and transthoracic echocardiography showing the ADOs were precisely placed inside the VSDs with no residual shunt and also no abnormalities revealed by auscultation. Chest X-ray showed the relief of congestion of the lungs. Electrocardiogram demonstrated complete left bundle branch block in one case and incomplete right bundle branch block in other 12 cases, all disappeared within 1 to 2 weeks. Over a period of 2 to 21 months follow-up, all the devices maintained in good position and the patients' condition turned much better. No patient developed aortic or tricuspid regurgitation and other complications. Conclusions: ADO is a safe, effective and convenient occlusion device which could be practically applied for the congenital perimembranous VSDs

  5. Septal Leaflet versus Chordal Detachment in Closure of Hard-To-Expose Ventricular Septal Defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pourmoghadam, Kamal K; Boron, Agnieszka; Ruzmetov, Mark; Narasimhulu, Sukumar Suguna; Kube, Alicia; O'Brien, Michael C; DeCampli, William M

    2018-04-04

    Different techniques have been used for exposure of ventricular septal defect (VSD) margins when there is crowding of the VSD anatomy by tricuspid valve (TV) subvalvar apparatus. The aim of this study was to compare surgical outcomes, for the two techniques of TV leaflet detachment and the rarely described TV chordal detachment for hard-to-expose VSDs. Patients undergoing transatrial VSD repair were identified from our institutional database. Follow-up echocardiography and patient data were obtained from medical records. Between 1/2005-8/2016, 130 isolated conoventricular VSDs were repaired. Among these, 26patients had leaflet detachment, while 15 underwent chordal detachment, and 89 had regular VSD repair (reference group). There was no significant difference between the groups in age, weight, postoperative length-of-stay, genetic/syndromic abnormalities, time-to-extubation, and left and right ventricular systolic function. The cardiopulmonary bypass and cross-clamp time were significantly higher in leaflet detachment group, when compared with reference group (118+28vs102+32, p=0.02; and 73+20vs61+23, p=0.01, respectively). Echocardiographic follow-up were available for 87patients at a mean of 2.6years (1month-11years). Tricuspid regurgitation was rated as none or trivial in 66(76%), mild in 20(23%) and moderate in one reference group patient. There was no difference in presence of residual VSD, or degree of tricuspid regurgitation amongst the three groups. There was no reoperation for tricuspid regurgitation. Tricuspid valve leaflet and chordal detachment techniques provide equally viable and safe alternative to closure of hard-to-expose VSDs while maintaining appropriate TV function. Their use in our series did not lead to increased TV dysfunction at early-to-midterm echocardiographic assessment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  6. Safety balance: Analysis of safety systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delage, M.; Giroux, C.

    1990-12-01

    Safety analysis, and particularly analysis of exploitation of NPPs is constantly affected by EDF and by the safety authorities and their methodologies. Periodic safety reports ensure that important issues are not missed on daily basis, that incidents are identified and that relevant actions are undertaken. French safety analysis method consists of three principal steps. First type of safety balance is analyzed at the normal start-up phase for each unit including the final safety report. This enables analysis of behaviour of units ten years after their licensing. Second type is periodic operational safety analysis performed during a few years. Finally, the third step consists of safety analysis of the oldest units with the aim to improve the safety standards. The three steps of safety analysis are described in this presentation in detail with the aim to present the objectives and principles. Examples of most recent exercises are included in order to illustrate the importance of such analyses

  7. Charge of a quasiparticle in a superconductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronen, Yuval; Cohen, Yonatan; Kang, Jung-Hyun; Haim, Arbel; Rieder, Maria-Theresa; Heiblum, Moty; Mahalu, Diana; Shtrikman, Hadas

    2016-02-16

    Nonlinear charge transport in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions has a unique signature in the shuttled charge quantum between the two superconductors. In the zero-bias limit Cooper pairs, each with twice the electron charge, carry the Josephson current. An applied bias VSD leads to multiple Andreev reflections (MAR), which in the limit of weak tunneling probability should lead to integer multiples of the electron charge ne traversing the junction, with n integer larger than 2Δ/eVSD and Δ the superconducting order parameter. Exceptionally, just above the gap eVSD ≥ 2Δ, with Andreev reflections suppressed, one would expect the current to be carried by partitioned quasiparticles, each with energy-dependent charge, being a superposition of an electron and a hole. Using shot-noise measurements in an SIS junction induced in an InAs nanowire (with noise proportional to the partitioned charge), we first observed quantization of the partitioned charge q = e*/e = n, with n = 1-4, thus reaffirming the validity of our charge interpretation. Concentrating next on the bias region eVSD ~ 2Δ, we found a reproducible and clear dip in the extracted charge to q ~ 0.6, which, after excluding other possibilities, we attribute to the partitioned quasiparticle charge. Such dip is supported by numerical simulations of our SIS structure.

  8. Safety margins in deterministic safety analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Viktorov, A.

    2011-01-01

    The concept of safety margins has acquired certain prominence in the attempts to demonstrate quantitatively the level of the nuclear power plant safety by means of deterministic analysis, especially when considering impacts from plant ageing and discovery issues. A number of international or industry publications exist that discuss various applications and interpretations of safety margins. The objective of this presentation is to bring together and examine in some detail, from the regulatory point of view, the safety margins that relate to deterministic safety analysis. In this paper, definitions of various safety margins are presented and discussed along with the regulatory expectations for them. Interrelationships of analysis input and output parameters with corresponding limits are explored. It is shown that the overall safety margin is composed of several components each having different origins and potential uses; in particular, margins associated with analysis output parameters are contrasted with margins linked to the analysis input. While these are separate, it is possible to influence output margins through the analysis input, and analysis method. Preserving safety margins is tantamount to maintaining safety. At the same time, efficiency of operation requires optimization of safety margins taking into account various technical and regulatory considerations. For this, basic definitions and rules for safety margins must be first established. (author)

  9. Maternal alcohol drinking pattern during pregnancy and the risk for an offspring with an isolated congenital heart defect and in particular a ventricular septal defect or an atrial septal defect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Strandberg-Larsen, Katrine; Skov-Ettrup, Lise Skrubbeltrang; Grønbaek, Morten

    2011-01-01

    (VSD) or of an atrial septal defect (ASD). METHODS: Participants were 80,346 pregnant women who were enrolled into the Danish National Birth Cohort in 1996-2002 and gave birth to a live-born singleton without any chromosome anomalies. Twice during pregnancy these women were asked about their intake...... the early part of pregnancy was not statistical significantly associated with the prevalence of isolated VSD and ASD in offspring. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc....

  10. System safety education focused on flight safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holt, E.

    1971-01-01

    The measures necessary for achieving higher levels of system safety are analyzed with an eye toward maintaining the combat capability of the Air Force. Several education courses were provided for personnel involved in safety management. Data include: (1) Flight Safety Officer Course, (2) Advanced Safety Program Management, (3) Fundamentals of System Safety, and (4) Quantitative Methods of Safety Analysis.

  11. Labor unions and safety climate: perceived union safety values and retail employee safety outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinclair, Robert R; Martin, James E; Sears, Lindsay E

    2010-09-01

    Although trade unions have long been recognized as a critical advocate for employee safety and health, safety climate research has not paid much attention to the role unions play in workplace safety. We proposed a multiple constituency model of workplace safety which focused on three central safety stakeholders: top management, ones' immediate supervisor, and the labor union. Safety climate research focuses on management and supervisors as key stakeholders, but has not considered whether employee perceptions about the priority their union places on safety contributes contribute to safety outcomes. We addressed this gap in the literature by investigating unionized retail employee (N=535) perceptions about the extent to which their top management, immediate supervisors, and union valued safety. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that perceived union safety values could be distinguished from measures of safety training, workplace hazards, top management safety values, and supervisor values. Structural equation analyses indicated that union safety values influenced safety outcomes through its association with higher safety motivation, showing a similar effect as that of supervisor safety values. These findings highlight the need for further attention to union-focused measures related to workplace safety as well as further study of retail employees in general. We discuss the practical implications of our findings and identify several directions for future safety research. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Voltage-sensing domain of voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 shares mechanism of block with pore domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Liang; Pathak, Medha M; Kim, Iris H; Ta, Dennis; Tombola, Francesco

    2013-01-23

    Voltage-gated sodium, potassium, and calcium channels are made of a pore domain (PD) controlled by four voltage-sensing domains (VSDs). The PD contains the ion permeation pathway and the activation gate located on the intracellular side of the membrane. A large number of small molecules are known to inhibit the PD by acting as open channel blockers. The voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 is made of two VSDs and lacks the PD. The location of the activation gate in the VSD is unknown and open channel blockers for VSDs have not yet been identified. Here, we describe a class of small molecules which act as open channel blockers on the Hv1 VSD and find that a highly conserved phenylalanine in the charge transfer center of the VSD plays a key role in blocker binding. We then use one of the blockers to show that Hv1 contains two intracellular and allosterically coupled gates. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Perforation of the right aortic valve cusp: complication of ventricular septal defect closure with a modified Rashkind umbrella.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogel, M; Rigby, M L; Shore, D

    1996-01-01

    An 18-month-old boy with a perimembranous ventricular septal defect (VSD) had undergone transcatheter closure of the defect with a modified 17 mm Rashkind umbrella device at age 4 months (weight 3.8 kg). The clinical signs of a VSD persisted, and he developed aortic incompetence, first detected 5 months after the procedure, which progressed from mild to moderate. A three-dimensional echocardiographic study demonstrated that one of the four arms holding the umbrella was protruding into the aortic valve and had perforated the right aortic valve cusp. This diagnosis was confirmed at subsequent surgery. Surgical repair of the perforated right aortic valve leaflet was necessary. The umbrella was adherent to the tricuspid valve and could not be removed. Instead it was left in situ, but three of the stainless steel arms were cut off. When umbrella closure of a perimembranous VSD is undertaken, the close proximity of part of the distal umbrella to the aortic valve can lead to aortic regurgitation.

  14. Double-chambered right ventricle, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus in a dog

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morozumi, M. [Togasaki Animal Hospital, Misato, Saitama (Japan); Kurosu, Y.; Kogure, K.; Chimura, S.; Shibata, S.; Kanemoto, I.

    1989-12-15

    A 4-month-old female mongrel puppy was presented with an anophthalmos. On physical examination, systolic murmur was heard at the 4th left intercostal space near the sternum. However the dog appeared healthy without cyanosis and had no history of exercise intolerance. The phonocardiogram revealed a pansystolic murmur and a continuous murmur on the mitral area. A systolic ejection murmur was also recorded on the pulmonic area. The electrocardiogram indicated bi-ventricular hypertrophy. Left ventricular enlargement was seen on chest radiographs. Ventricular septal defect (VSD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) were diagnosed from these findings. PDA closure was performed at 2 years of age. After 2 months from the operation, the dog died during an attempted repair of the VSD. At necropsy, it was found that the double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) was formed by an anomalous septal band. The VSD was localized on the proximal conus and was 8 mm in diameter. (author)

  15. Double-chambered right ventricle, ventricular septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus in a dog

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morozumi, M.; Kurosu, Y.; Kogure, K.; Chimura, S.; Shibata, S.; Kanemoto, I.

    1989-01-01

    A 4-month-old female mongrel puppy was presented with an anophthalmos. On physical examination, systolic murmur was heard at the 4th left intercostal space near the sternum. However the dog appeared healthy without cyanosis and had no history of exercise intolerance. The phonocardiogram revealed a pansystolic murmur and a continuous murmur on the mitral area. A systolic ejection murmur was also recorded on the pulmonic area. The electrocardiogram indicated bi-ventricular hypertrophy. Left ventricular enlargement was seen on chest radiographs. Ventricular septal defect (VSD) and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) were diagnosed from these findings. PDA closure was performed at 2 years of age. After 2 months from the operation, the dog died during an attempted repair of the VSD. At necropsy, it was found that the double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) was formed by an anomalous septal band. The VSD was localized on the proximal conus and was 8 mm in diameter. (author)

  16. Variable-State-Dimension Kalman-based Filter for orientation determination using inertial and magnetic sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabatini, Angelo Maria

    2012-01-01

    In this paper a quaternion-based Variable-State-Dimension Extended Kalman Filter (VSD-EKF) is developed for estimating the three-dimensional orientation of a rigid body using the measurements from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) integrated with a triaxial magnetic sensor. Gyro bias and magnetic disturbances are modeled and compensated by including them in the filter state vector. The VSD-EKF switches between a quiescent EKF, where the magnetic disturbance is modeled as a first-order Gauss-Markov stochastic process (GM-1), and a higher-order EKF where extra state components are introduced to model the time-rate of change of the magnetic field as a GM-1 stochastic process, namely the magnetic disturbance is modeled as a second-order Gauss-Markov stochastic process (GM-2). Experimental validation tests show the effectiveness of the VSD-EKF, as compared to either the quiescent EKF or the higher-order EKF when they run separately.

  17. Variable-State-Dimension Kalman-Based Filter for Orientation Determination Using Inertial and Magnetic Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelo Maria Sabatini

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a quaternion-based Variable-State-Dimension Extended Kalman Filter (VSD-EKF is developed for estimating the three-dimensional orientation of a rigid body using the measurements from an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU integrated with a triaxial magnetic sensor. Gyro bias and magnetic disturbances are modeled and compensated by including them in the filter state vector. The VSD-EKF switches between a quiescent EKF, where the magnetic disturbance is modeled as a first-order Gauss-Markov stochastic process (GM-1, and a higher-order EKF where extra state components are introduced to model the time-rate of change of the magnetic field as a GM-1 stochastic process, namely the magnetic disturbance is modeled as a second-order Gauss-Markov stochastic process (GM-2. Experimental validation tests show the effectiveness of the VSD-EKF, as compared to either the quiescent EKF or the higher-order EKF when they run separately.

  18. Linking Safety Analysis to Safety Requirements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Kirsten Mark

    Software for safety critical systems must deal with the hazards identified by safety analysistechniques: Fault trees, event trees,and cause consequence diagrams can be interpreted as safety requirements and used in the design activity. We propose that the safety analysis and the system design use...

  19. Safety of Research Reactors. Safety Requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    The main objective of this Safety Requirements publication is to provide a basis for safety and a basis for safety assessment for all stages in the lifetime of a research reactor. Another objective is to establish requirements on aspects relating to regulatory control, the management of safety, site evaluation, design, operation and decommissioning. Technical and administrative requirements for the safety of research reactors are established in accordance with these objectives. This Safety Requirements publication is intended for use by organizations engaged in the site evaluation, design, manufacturing, construction, operation and decommissioning of research reactors as well as by regulatory bodies

  20. Human factors in safety assessment. Safety culture assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Li; Deng Zhiliang; Wang Yiqun; Huang Weigang

    1996-01-01

    This paper analyses the present conditions and problems in enterprises safety assessment, and introduces the characteristics and effects of safety culture. The authors think that safety culture must be used as a 'soul' to form the pattern of modern safety management. Furthermore, they propose that the human safety and synthetic safety management assessment in a system should be changed into safety culture assessment. Finally, the assessment indicators are discussed

  1. Utilizing Three-Dimensional Printing Technology to Assess the Feasibility of High-Fidelity Synthetic Ventricular Septal Defect Models for Simulation in Medical Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costello, John P; Olivieri, Laura J; Krieger, Axel; Thabit, Omar; Marshall, M Blair; Yoo, Shi-Joon; Kim, Peter C; Jonas, Richard A; Nath, Dilip S

    2014-07-01

    The current educational approach for teaching congenital heart disease (CHD) anatomy to students involves instructional tools and techniques that have significant limitations. This study sought to assess the feasibility of utilizing present-day three-dimensional (3D) printing technology to create high-fidelity synthetic heart models with ventricular septal defect (VSD) lesions and applying these models to a novel, simulation-based educational curriculum for premedical and medical students. Archived, de-identified magnetic resonance images of five common VSD subtypes were obtained. These cardiac images were then segmented and built into 3D computer-aided design models using Mimics Innovation Suite software. An Objet500 Connex 3D printer was subsequently utilized to print a high-fidelity heart model for each VSD subtype. Next, a simulation-based educational curriculum using these heart models was developed and implemented in the instruction of 29 premedical and medical students. Assessment of this curriculum was undertaken with Likert-type questionnaires. High-fidelity VSD models were successfully created utilizing magnetic resonance imaging data and 3D printing. Following instruction with these high-fidelity models, all students reported significant improvement in knowledge acquisition (P 3D printing technology to create high-fidelity heart models with complex intracardiac defects. Furthermore, this tool forms the foundation for an innovative, simulation-based educational approach to teach students about CHD and creates a novel opportunity to stimulate their interest in this field. © The Author(s) 2014.

  2. Fundamental safety principles. Safety fundamentals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    This publication states the fundamental safety objective and ten associated safety principles, and briefly describes their intent and purpose. The fundamental safety objective - to protect people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation - applies to all circumstances that give rise to radiation risks. The safety principles are applicable, as relevant, throughout the entire lifetime of all facilities and activities - existing and new - utilized for peaceful purposes, and to protective actions to reduce existing radiation risks. They provide the basis for requirements and measures for the protection of people and the environment against radiation risks and for the safety of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks, including, in particular, nuclear installations and uses of radiation and radioactive sources, the transport of radioactive material and the management of radioactive waste

  3. Fundamental safety principles. Safety fundamentals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    This publication states the fundamental safety objective and ten associated safety principles, and briefly describes their intent and purpose. The fundamental safety objective - to protect people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation - applies to all circumstances that give rise to radiation risks. The safety principles are applicable, as relevant, throughout the entire lifetime of all facilities and activities - existing and new - utilized for peaceful purposes, and to protective actions to reduce existing radiation risks. They provide the basis for requirements and measures for the protection of people and the environment against radiation risks and for the safety of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks, including, in particular, nuclear installations and uses of radiation and radioactive sources, the transport of radioactive material and the management of radioactive waste

  4. Management of safety, safety culture and self assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carnino, A.

    2000-01-01

    Safety management is the term used for the measures required to ensure that an acceptable level of safety is maintained throughout the life of an installation, including decommissioning. The safety culture concept and its implementation are described in part one of the paper. The principles of safety are now quite well known and are implemented worldwide. It leads to a situation where harmonization is being achieved as indicated by the entry into force of the Convention on Nuclear Safety. To go beyond the present nuclear safety levels, management of safety and safety culture will be the means for achieving progress. Recent events which took place in major nuclear power countries have shown the importance of the management and the consequences on safety. At the same time, electricity deregulation is coming and will impact on safety through reductions in staffing and in operation and maintenance cost at nuclear installations. Management of safety as well as its control and monitoring by the safety authorities become a key to the future of nuclear energy.(author)

  5. Behavioral integrity for safety, priority of safety, psychological safety, and patient safety : a team-level study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leroy, H.; Dierynck, B.; Anseel, F.; Simons, T.; Halbesleben, J.R.; McCaughey, D.; Savage, G.T.; Sels, L.

    2012-01-01

    This article clarifies how leader behavioral integrity for safety helps solve follower's double bind between adhering to safety protocols and speaking up about mistakes against protocols. Path modeling of survey data in 54 nursing teams showed that head nurse behavioral integrity for safety

  6. [Percutaneous closure of ductus arteriosus and muscular ventricular defect with amplatzer occluder in a patient with severe pulmonary hypertension].

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Montes, José Antonio; Zabal Cerdeira, Carlos; Calderón-Colmenero, Juan; Espínola, Nilda; Fernández de la Reguera, Guillermo; Buendía Hernández, Alfonso

    2005-01-01

    Surgical treatment of multiple muscular ventricular septal defects with associated lesions and severe pulmonary hypertension has a high morbility and mortality. Closure of these defects by the Amplatzer muscular VSD occluder is an alternative to surgery, avoiding the need of cardiopulmonary bypass. We present the case of a 38 year-old woman with signs of heart failure in NYHA functional class IV, with two muscular ventricular septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus and severe pulmonary hypertension, that were treated with three Amplatzer muscular VSD occluders, with significant reduction of pulmonary pressure and functional class improvement.

  7. Successful two-stage correction of ventricular septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus in a patient with fixed pulmonary hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pac, Aysenur; Polat, Tugcin Bora; Vural, Kerem; Pac, Mustafa

    2010-01-01

    We report a case of a 6-year-old boy with fixed severe pulmonary artery hypertension secondary to a ventricular septal defect (VSD) together with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). As a preliminary step, PDA embolization was performed following therapy with inhaled prostacyclin over a period of 6 months. Further, the patient underwent successful surgical VSD closure. We postulate that a staged procedure with long-term prostaglandin therapy might be capable of reducing pulmonary artery resistance and permitting total correction in a patient once considered to have inoperable pulmonary arteriopathy.

  8. Intraoperative closure of infant multiple muscular ventricular septal defects with Amplatzer occluder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Jinfen; Gao Wei; Zhu Zhongqun; Chen Huiwen; Zhang Yuqi

    2005-01-01

    Objective: To report the preliminary experience of intraoperative hybrid therapy for closure of multiple muscular ventricular septal defects (VSD) in a small infant. Methods: After median sternotomy, a AGA Amplatzer occluder was introduced through right ventricular surface to close 2 muscular ventricular septal defects under transesophageal echocardiographic guidance. Results: The infant survived after the treatment without residual shunting, and rehabilitated rapidly. Conclusions: Intraoperative hybrid therapy with combined surgical technique and interventional procedure for closure of multiple muscular VSD in small infant is a safe and effective method. (authors)

  9. Playground Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Prevention Fall Prevention Playground Safety Poisoning Prevention Road Traffic Safety Sports Safety Get Email Updates To receive ... at the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Playground Safety website . References U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Injuries and ...

  10. More safety by improving the safety culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laaksonen, J.

    1993-01-01

    In its meeting in 1986, after Chernobyl accident, the INSAG group concluded, that the most important reason for the accident was lack of safety culture. Later the group realized that the safety culture, if it is well enough, can be used as a powerful tool to assess and develop practices affecting safety in any country. A comprehensive view on the various aspects of safety culture was presented in the INSAG-4 report published in 1991. Finland was among the first nations include the concept of safety culture in its regulations. This article describes the roles of government and the regulatory body in creating a national safety culture. How safety culture is seen in the operation of a nuclear power plant is also discussed. (orig.)

  11. SAFETY

    CERN Multimedia

    Niels Dupont

    2013-01-01

    CERN Safety rules and Radiation Protection at CMS The CERN Safety rules are defined by the Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Unit (HSE Unit), CERN’s institutional authority and central Safety organ attached to the Director General. In particular the Radiation Protection group (DGS-RP1) ensures that personnel on the CERN sites and the public are protected from potentially harmful effects of ionising radiation linked to CERN activities. The RP Group fulfils its mandate in collaboration with the CERN departments owning or operating sources of ionising radiation and having the responsibility for Radiation Safety of these sources. The specific responsibilities concerning "Radiation Safety" and "Radiation Protection" are delegated as follows: Radiation Safety is the responsibility of every CERN Department owning radiation sources or using radiation sources put at its disposition. These Departments are in charge of implementing the requi...

  12. Funcionamiento Efectivo y Dimensión Subjetiva del Vínculo Significativo con los Demás / Effective Functioning and Subjective Dimension of the Significant Link with Others

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisca Maureira Sepúlveda

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Utilizando la base de datos de la Encuesta de Desarrollo Humano del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD-EDH aplicada en Chile durante el año 2011 a un total de 2.535 personas mayores de 18 años, esta investigación analiza el “Vínculo Significativo con los Demás” (VSD en su componente Funcionamiento Efectivo (VSD-FE y en su dimensión Subjetiva (VSD-S. En general las personas desarrollan adecuados vínculos con sus otros significativos, no obstante distinguirse una mayor prevalencia en la dimensión subjetiva del índice VSD. Reconocen ser objeto de estima y declaran percibir la valoración y preocupación de los demás, a pesar de desarrollar con menor frecuencia actividades de afiliación con familiares y amigos. Elevan el índice VSD un mayor nivel socioeconómico (NSE, vivir acompañado, tener pareja, la ausencia de hijos, pertenecer a un menor tramo etario y vivir en zonas urbanas o urbes de concentración poblacional. Abstract Using the Human Development Survey database of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP-EDH applied in Chile in 2011 to a total of 2,535 people over the age of 18, this research analyzes the “Significant Link with the Other” (SLO in its Effective Function (SLO-EF and Subjective Dimension (SLO-S. In general, people develop adequate links with their significant others; however, a higher prevalence is distinguished in the subjective dimension of the SLO index. They recognize that they are esteemed and declare to perceive the esteem and concern of others, even though they are less likely to develop affiliation activities with family and friends. A higher socioeconomic level (NSE, living with others, having a partner, the absence of children, belonging to a smaller age group and living in urban areas or cities with population concentration, raises the SLO index.

  13. Safety of nuclear power plants: Design. Safety requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-01-01

    The present publication supersedes the Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design (Safety Series No. 50-C-D (Rev. 1), issued in 1988). It takes account of developments relating to the safety of nuclear power plants since the Code on Design was last revised. These developments include the issuing of the Safety Fundamentals publication, The Safety of Nuclear Installations, and the present revision of various safety standards and other publications relating to safety. Requirements for nuclear safety are intended to ensure adequate protection of site personnel, the public and the environment from the effects of ionizing radiation arising from nuclear power plants. It is recognized that technology and scientific knowledge advance, and nuclear safety and what is considered adequate protection are not static entities. Safety requirements change with these developments and this publication reflects the present consensus. This Safety Requirements publication takes account of the developments in safety requirements by, for example, including the consideration of severe accidents in the design process. Other topics that have been given more detailed attention include management of safety, design management, plant ageing and wearing out effects, computer based safety systems, external and internal hazards, human factors, feedback of operational experience, and safety assessment and verification. This publication establishes safety requirements that define the elements necessary to ensure nuclear safety. These requirements are applicable to safety functions and the associated structures, systems and components, as well as to procedures important to safety in nuclear power plants. It is expected that this publication will be used primarily for land based stationary nuclear power plants with water cooled reactors designed for electricity generation or for other heat production applications (such as district heating or desalination). It is recognized that in the case of

  14. Safety of nuclear power plants: Design. Safety requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    The present publication supersedes the Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design (Safety Series No. 50-C-D (Rev. 1), issued in 1988). It takes account of developments relating to the safety of nuclear power plants since the Code on Design was last revised. These developments include the issuing of the Safety Fundamentals publication, The Safety of Nuclear Installations, and the present revision of various safety standards and other publications relating to safety. Requirements for nuclear safety are intended to ensure adequate protection of site personnel, the public and the environment from the effects of ionizing radiation arising from nuclear power plants. It is recognized that technology and scientific knowledge advance, and nuclear safety and what is considered adequate protection are not static entities. Safety requirements change with these developments and this publication reflects the present consensus. This Safety Requirements publication takes account of the developments in safety requirements by, for example, including the consideration of severe accidents in the design process. Other topics that have been given more detailed attention include management of safety, design management, plant ageing and wearing out effects, computer based safety systems, external and internal hazards, human factors, feedback of operational experience, and safety assessment and verification. This publication establishes safety requirements that define the elements necessary to ensure nuclear safety. These requirements are applicable to safety functions and the associated structures, systems and components, as well as to procedures important to safety in nuclear power plants. It is expected that this publication will be used primarily for land based stationary nuclear power plants with water cooled reactors designed for electricity generation or for other heat production applications (such as district heating or desalination). It is recognized that in the case of

  15. Implementation of the safety culture for HANARO safety management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Jong Sup; Han, Gee Yang; Kim, Ik Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-11-15

    Safety is the fundamental principal upon which a management system is based. The IAEA INSAG(International Nuclear Safety Group) states the general aims of a safety management system. One of which is to foster and support a strong safety culture through the development and reinforcement of good safety attitudes and behavior in individuals and teams, so as to allow them to carry out their tasks safety. The safety culture activities have been implemented and the importance of a safety management in nuclear activities for a reactor application and utilization has also been emphasized for more than 10 years in HANARO which is a 30 MW multi purpose research reactor that achieved its first criticality in February 1995. The safety culture activities and implementation have been conducted continuously to enhance its safe operation such as the seminars and lectures related to safety matters, participation in international workshops and the development of safety culture indicators, a survey on the attitude of HANARO staff toward the safety culture indicators, a survey on the attitude of HANARO staff toward the safety culture, the development of operational safety performance indicators (SPIs), the preparation of a safety text book and the development of an e Learning program for a safety education purpose.

  16. Implementation of the safety culture for HANARO safety management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Jong Sup; Han, Gee Yang; Kim, Ik Soo

    2008-01-01

    Safety is the fundamental principal upon which a management system is based. The IAEA INSAG(International Nuclear Safety Group) states the general aims of a safety management system. One of which is to foster and support a strong safety culture through the development and reinforcement of good safety attitudes and behavior in individuals and teams, so as to allow them to carry out their tasks safety. The safety culture activities have been implemented and the importance of a safety management in nuclear activities for a reactor application and utilization has also been emphasized for more than 10 years in HANARO which is a 30 MW multi purpose research reactor that achieved its first criticality in February 1995. The safety culture activities and implementation have been conducted continuously to enhance its safe operation such as the seminars and lectures related to safety matters, participation in international workshops and the development of safety culture indicators, a survey on the attitude of HANARO staff toward the safety culture indicators, a survey on the attitude of HANARO staff toward the safety culture, the development of operational safety performance indicators (SPIs), the preparation of a safety text book and the development of an e Learning program for a safety education purpose

  17. Implementation of the safety culture for HANARO Safety Management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Jongsup; Han, Geeyang; Kim, Iksoo

    2008-01-01

    Safety is the fundamental principal upon which the management system is based. The IAEA INSAG(International Nuclear Safety Group) states the general aims of the safety management system. One of which is to foster and support a strong safety culture through the development and reinforcement of good safety attitudes and behavior in individuals and teams so as to allow them to carry out their tasks safety. The safety culture activities have been implemented and the importance of safety management in nuclear activities for a reactor application and utilization has also been emphasized more than 10 years in HANARO which is a 30 MW multi-purpose research reactor and achieved its first criticality in February 1995. The safety culture activities and implementations have been conducted continuously to enhance its safe operation like the seminars and lectures related to safety matters, participation in international workshops, the development of safety culture indicators, the survey on the attitude of safety culture, the development of operational safety performance indicators (SPIs), the preparation of a safety text book and the development of an e-Learning program for safety education. (author)

  18. Nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tarride, Bruno

    2015-10-01

    The author proposes an overview of methods and concepts used in the nuclear industry, at the design level as well as at the exploitation level, to ensure an acceptable safety level, notably in the case of nuclear reactors. He first addresses the general objectives of nuclear safety and the notion of acceptable risk: definition and organisation of nuclear safety (relationships between safety authorities and operators), notion of acceptable risk, deterministic safety approach and main safety principles (safety functions and confinement barriers, concept of defence in depth). Then, the author addresses the safety approach at the design level: studies of operational situations, studies of internal and external aggressions, safety report, design principles for important-for-safety systems (failure criterion, redundancy, failure prevention, safety classification). The next part addresses safety during exploitation and general exploitation rules: definition of the operation domain and of its limits, periodic controls and tests, management in case of incidents, accidents or aggressions

  19. Formal Safety versus Real Safety: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Safety Culture – Evidence from Estonia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Järvis Marina

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines differences between formal safety and real safety in Estonian small and medium-sized enterprises. The results reveal key issues in safety culture assessment. Statistical analysis of safety culture questionnaires showed many organisations with an outstanding safety culture and positive safety attitudes. However, qualitative data indicated some important safety weaknesses and aspects that should be included in the process of evaluation of safety culture in organisations.

  20. Ischaemic cardiac events and use of strontium ranelate in postmenopausal osteoporosis: a nested case-control study in the CPRD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, C; Fox, K M; Borer, J S

    2014-02-01

    We explored the cardiac safety of the osteoporosis treatment strontium ranelate in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. While known cardiovascular risk factors like obesity and smoking were associated with increased cardiac risk, use of strontium ranelate was not associated with any increase in myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death. It has been suggested that strontium ranelate may increase risk for cardiac events in postmenopausal osteoporosis. We set out to explore the cardiac safety of strontium ranelate in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and linked datasets. We performed a nested case-control study. Primary outcomes were first definite myocardial infarction, hospitalisation with myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular death. Cases and matched controls were nested in a cohort of women treated for osteoporosis. The association with exposure to strontium ranelate was analysed by multivariate conditional logistic regression. Of the 112,445 women with treated postmenopausal osteoporosis, 6,487 received strontium ranelate. Annual incidence rates for first definite myocardial infarction (1,352 cases), myocardial infarction with hospitalisation (1,465 cases), and cardiovascular death (3,619 cases) were 3.24, 6.13, and 14.66 per 1,000 patient-years, respectively. Obesity, smoking, and cardiovascular treatments were associated with significant increases in risk for cardiac events. Current or past use of strontium ranelate was not associated with increased risk for first definite myocardial infarction (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.68-1.61 and OR 1.12, 95 % CI 0.79-1.58, respectively), hospitalisation with myocardial infarction (OR 0.84, 95 % CI 0.54-1.30 and OR 1.17, 95 % CI 0.83-1.66), or cardiovascular death (OR 0.96, 95 % CI 0.76-1.21 and OR 1.16, 95 % CI 0.94-1.43) versus patients who had never used strontium ranelate. Analysis in the CPRD did not find evidence for a higher risk for cardiac events associated

  1. Defining safety culture and the nexus between safety goals and safety culture. 1. An Investigation Study on Practical Points of Safety Management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasegawa, Naoko; Takano, Kenichi; Hirose, Ayako

    2001-01-01

    In a report after the Chernobyl accident, the International Atomic Energy Agency indicated the definition and the importance of safety culture and the ideal organizational state where safety culture pervades. However, the report did not mention practical approaches to enhance safety culture. In Japan, although there had been investigations that clarified the consciousness of employees and the organizational climate in the nuclear power and railway industries, organizational factors that clarified the level of organization safety and practical methods that spread safety culture in an organization had not been studied. The Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry conducted surveys of organizational culture for the construction, chemical, and manufacturing industries. The aim of our study was to clarify the organizational factors that influence safety in an organization expressed in employee safety consciousness, commitment to safety activities, rate of accidents, etc. If these areas were clarified, the level of organization safety might be evaluated, and practical ways could be suggested to enhance the safety culture. Consequently, a series of investigations was conducted to clarify relationships among organizational climate, employee consciousness, safety management and activities, and rate of accidents. The questionnaire surveys were conducted in 1998-1999. The subjects were (a) managers of the safety management sections in the head offices of the construction, chemical, and manufacturing industries; (b) responsible persons in factories of the chemical and manufacturing industries; and (c) general workers in factories of the chemical and manufacturing industries. The number of collected data was (a) managers in the head office: 48 from the construction industry and 58 from the chemical and manufacturing industries, (b) responsible persons in factories: 567, and (c) general workers: from 29 factories. Items in the questionnaires were selected from

  2. Priming patient safety: A middle-range theory of safety goal priming via safety culture communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groves, Patricia S; Bunch, Jacinda L

    2018-05-18

    The aim of this paper is discussion of a new middle-range theory of patient safety goal priming via safety culture communication. Bedside nurses are key to safe care, but there is little theory about how organizations can influence nursing behavior through safety culture to improve patient safety outcomes. We theorize patient safety goal priming via safety culture communication may support organizations in this endeavor. According to this theory, hospital safety culture communication activates a previously held patient safety goal and increases the perceived value of actions nurses can take to achieve that goal. Nurses subsequently prioritize and are motivated to perform tasks and risk assessment related to achieving patient safety. These efforts continue until nurses mitigate or ameliorate identified risks and hazards during the patient care encounter. Critically, this process requires nurses to have a previously held safety goal associated with a repertoire of appropriate actions. This theory suggests undergraduate educators should foster an outcomes focus emphasizing the connections between nursing interventions and safety outcomes, hospitals should strategically structure patient safety primes into communicative activities, and organizations should support professional development including new skills and the latest evidence supporting nursing practice for patient safety. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Highway Safety Program Manual: Volume 3: Motorcycle Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (DOT), Washington, DC.

    Volume 3 of the 19-volume Highway Safety Program Manual (which provides guidance to State and local governments on preferred highway safety practices) concentrates on aspects of motorcycle safety. The purpose and specific objectives of a State motorcycle safety program are outlined. Federal authority in the highway safety area and general policies…

  4. Safety of nuclear power plants: Operation. Safety requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    The safety of a nuclear power plant is ensured by means of its proper siting, design, construction and commissioning, followed by the proper management and operation of the plant. In a later phase, proper decommissioning is required. This Safety Requirements publication supersedes the Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which was issued in 1988 as Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1). The purpose of this revision was: to restructure Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1) in the light of the basic objectives, concepts and principles in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. To be consistent with the requirements of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources. And to reflect current practice and new concepts and technical developments. Guidance on fulfillment of these Safety Requirements may be found in the appropriate Safety Guides relating to plant operation. The objective of this publication is to establish the requirements which, in the light of experience and the present state of technology, must be satisfied to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. These requirements are governed by the basic objectives, concepts and principles that are presented in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. This publication deals with matters specific to the safe operation of land based stationary thermal neutron nuclear power plants, and also covers their commissioning and subsequent decommissioning

  5. Safety of nuclear power plants: Operation. Safety requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    The safety of a nuclear power plant is ensured by means of its proper siting, design, construction and commissioning, followed by the proper management and operation of the plant. In a later phase, proper decommissioning is required. This Safety Requirements publication supersedes the Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which was issued in 1988 as Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1). The purpose of this revision was: to restructure Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1) in the light of the basic objectives, concepts and principles in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. To be consistent with the requirements of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources. And to reflect current practice and new concepts and technical developments. Guidance on fulfillment of these Safety Requirements may be found in the appropriate Safety Guides relating to plant operation. The objective of this publication is to establish the requirements which, in the light of experience and the present state of technology, must be satisfied to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. These requirements are governed by the basic objectives, concepts and principles that are presented in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. This publication deals with matters specific to the safe operation of land based stationary thermal neutron nuclear power plants, and also covers their commissioning and subsequent decommissioning

  6. Safety of nuclear power plants: Operation. Safety requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-01-01

    The safety of a nuclear power plant is ensured by means of its proper siting, design, construction and commissioning, followed by the proper management and operation of the plant. In a later phase, proper decommissioning is required. This Safety Requirements publication supersedes the Code on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, which was issued in 1988 as Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1). The purpose of this revision was: to restructure Safety Series No. 50-C-O (Rev. 1) in the light of the basic objectives, concepts and principles in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations; to be consistent with the requirements of the International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources; and to reflect current practice and new concepts and technical developments. Guidance on fulfillment of these Safety Requirements may be found in the appropriate Safety Guides relating to plant operation. The objective of this publication is to establish the requirements which, in the light of experience and the present state of technology, must be satisfied to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. These requirements are governed by the basic objectives, concepts and principles that are presented in the Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations. This publication deals with matters specific to the safe operation of land based stationary thermal neutron nuclear power plants, and also covers their commissioning and subsequent decommissioning

  7. Implementation of the safety culture for HANARO safety management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Jongsup; Han, Geeyang; Kim, Iksoo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-11-15

    Safety is the fundamental principal upon which a management system is based. The IAEA INSAG (International Nuclear Safety Group) states the general aims of a safety management system. One of which is to foster and support a strong safety culture through the development and reinforcement of good safety attitudes and behavior in individuals and teams, so as to allow them to carry out their tasks safely. The safety culture activities have been implemented and the importance of a safety management in nuclear activities for a reactor application and utilization has also been emphasized for more than 10 years in HANARO which is a 30MW multi-purpose research reactor that achieved its first criticality in February 1995. The safety culture activities and implementations have been conducted continuously to enhance its safe operation such as the seminars and lectures related to safety matters, participation in international workshops and the development of safety culture indicators, a survey on the attitude of HANARO staff toward the safety culture, the development of operational safety performance indicators (SPIs), the preparation of a safety text book and the development of a e-learning program for a safety education purpose.

  8. Implementation of the safety culture for HANARO safety management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Jongsup; Han, Geeyang; Kim, Iksoo

    2008-01-01

    Safety is the fundamental principal upon which a management system is based. The IAEA INSAG (International Nuclear Safety Group) states the general aims of a safety management system. One of which is to foster and support a strong safety culture through the development and reinforcement of good safety attitudes and behavior in individuals and teams, so as to allow them to carry out their tasks safely. The safety culture activities have been implemented and the importance of a safety management in nuclear activities for a reactor application and utilization has also been emphasized for more than 10 years in HANARO which is a 30MW multi-purpose research reactor that achieved its first criticality in February 1995. The safety culture activities and implementations have been conducted continuously to enhance its safe operation such as the seminars and lectures related to safety matters, participation in international workshops and the development of safety culture indicators, a survey on the attitude of HANARO staff toward the safety culture, the development of operational safety performance indicators (SPIs), the preparation of a safety text book and the development of a e-learning program for a safety education purpose

  9. The impact of masculinity on safety oversights, safety priority and safety violations in two male-dominated occupations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kent; Hansen, Claus D.; Bloksgaard, Lotte

    2015-01-01

    Background Although men have a higher risk of occupational injuries than women the role of masculinity for organizational safety outcomes has only rarely been the object of research. Aim The current study investigated the association between masculinity and safety oversights, safety priority......-related context factors (safety leadership, commitment of the safety representative, and safety involvement) and three safety-related outcome factors (safety violations, safety oversights and safety priority) were administered twice 12 months apart to Danish ambulance workers (n = 1157) and slaughterhouse workers...

  10. Regulation of KV channel voltage-dependent activation by transmembrane β subunits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaohui eSun

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Voltage-activated K+ (KV channels are important for shaping action potentials and maintaining resting membrane potential in excitable cells. KV channels contain a central pore-gate domain (PGD surrounded by four voltage-sensing domains (VSD. The VSDs will change conformation in response to alterations of the membrane potential thereby inducing the opening of the PGD. Many KV channels are heteromeric protein complexes containing auxiliary β subunits. These β subunits modulate channel expression and activity to increase functional diversity and render tissue specific phenotypes. This review focuses on the KV β subunits that contain transmembrane (TM segments including the KCNE family and the β subunits of large conductance, Ca2+- and voltage-activated K+ (BK channels. These TM β subunits affect the voltage-dependent activation of KV α subunits. Experimental and computational studies have described the structural location of these β subunits in the channel complexes and the biophysical effects on VSD activation, PGD opening and VSD-PGD coupling. These results reveal some common characteristics and mechanistic insights into KV channel modulation by TM β subunits.

  11. Functional diversity of potassium channel voltage-sensing domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islas, León D

    2016-01-01

    Voltage-gated potassium channels or Kv's are membrane proteins with fundamental physiological roles. They are composed of 2 main functional protein domains, the pore domain, which regulates ion permeation, and the voltage-sensing domain, which is in charge of sensing voltage and undergoing a conformational change that is later transduced into pore opening. The voltage-sensing domain or VSD is a highly conserved structural motif found in all voltage-gated ion channels and can also exist as an independent feature, giving rise to voltage sensitive enzymes and also sustaining proton fluxes in proton-permeable channels. In spite of the structural conservation of VSDs in potassium channels, there are several differences in the details of VSD function found across variants of Kvs. These differences are mainly reflected in variations in the electrostatic energy needed to open different potassium channels. In turn, the differences in detailed VSD functioning among voltage-gated potassium channels might have physiological consequences that have not been explored and which might reflect evolutionary adaptations to the different roles played by Kv channels in cell physiology.

  12. Microscopic origin of gating current fluctuations in a potassium channel voltage sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freites, J Alfredo; Schow, Eric V; White, Stephen H; Tobias, Douglas J

    2012-06-06

    Voltage-dependent ion channels open and close in response to changes in membrane electrical potential due to the motion of their voltage-sensing domains (VSDs). VSD charge displacements within the membrane electric field are observed in electrophysiology experiments as gating currents preceding ionic conduction. The elementary charge motions that give rise to the gating current cannot be observed directly, but appear as discrete current pulses that generate fluctuations in gating current measurements. Here we report direct observation of gating-charge displacements in an atomistic molecular dynamics simulation of the isolated VSD from the KvAP channel in a hydrated lipid bilayer on the timescale (10-μs) expected for elementary gating charge transitions. The results reveal that gating-charge displacements are associated with the water-catalyzed rearrangement of salt bridges between the S4 arginines and a set of conserved acidic side chains on the S1-S3 transmembrane segments in the hydrated interior of the VSD. Copyright © 2012 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Hybrid management of a large atrial septal defect and a patent ductus arteriosus in an infant with chronic lung disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedra Simone

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We report a case wherein a dysmorphic four-month-old infant (weighing 4.5 kgs with an 8 mm atrial septal defect (ASD, a 1.5 mm patent ductus arteriosus (PDA, a 2 mm mid-muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD associated with chronic lung disease, and severe pulmonary hypertension, was successfully managed using a hybrid approach, without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB. Through a median sternotomy, the PDA was ligated and the ASD was closed with a 9 mm Amplatzer septal occluder implanted through peratrial access. The VSD was left untouched. Serial echocardiograms showed complete closure of the ASD and PDA, with progressive normalization of the pulmonary artery (PA pressures within three months. The child rapidly gained weight and was weaned from sildenafil and oxygen administration. After 12 months, the VSD closed spontaneously and the child remained well, with normal PA pressures. A hybrid approach without the use of CPB should be considered in the management of infants with congenital heart disease, associated with chronic lung disease and pulmonary hypertension.

  14. Hybrid management of a large atrial septal defect and a patent ductus arteriosus in an infant with chronic lung disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pedra, Simone F; Jatene, Marcelo; Pedra, Carlos AC

    2010-01-01

    We report a case wherein a dysmorphic four-month-old infant (weighing 4.5 kgs) with an 8 mm atrial septal defect (ASD), a 1.5 mm patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a 2 mm mid-muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD) associated with chronic lung disease, and severe pulmonary hypertension, was successfully managed using a hybrid approach, without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Through a median sternotomy, the PDA was ligated and the ASD was closed with a 9 mm Amplatzer septal occluder implanted through peratrial access. The VSD was left untouched. Serial echocardiograms showed complete closure of the ASD and PDA, with progressive normalization of the pulmonary artery (PA) pressures within three months. The child rapidly gained weight and was weaned from sildenafil and oxygen administration. After 12 months, the VSD closed spontaneously and the child remained well, with normal PA pressures. A hybrid approach without the use of CPB should be considered in the management of infants with congenital heart disease, associated with chronic lung disease and pulmonary hypertension

  15. Hybrid management of a large atrial septal defect and a patent ductus arteriosus in an infant with chronic lung disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pedra, Simone F; Jatene, Marcelo; Pedra, Carlos AC, E-mail: carlosacpedra@hotmail.com [Hospital do Coração da Associação Sanatório Sírio, São Paulo (Brazil)

    2010-01-01

    We report a case wherein a dysmorphic four-month-old infant (weighing 4.5 kgs) with an 8 mm atrial septal defect (ASD), a 1.5 mm patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a 2 mm mid-muscular ventricular septal defect (VSD) associated with chronic lung disease, and severe pulmonary hypertension, was successfully managed using a hybrid approach, without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Through a median sternotomy, the PDA was ligated and the ASD was closed with a 9 mm Amplatzer septal occluder implanted through peratrial access. The VSD was left untouched. Serial echocardiograms showed complete closure of the ASD and PDA, with progressive normalization of the pulmonary artery (PA) pressures within three months. The child rapidly gained weight and was weaned from sildenafil and oxygen administration. After 12 months, the VSD closed spontaneously and the child remained well, with normal PA pressures. A hybrid approach without the use of CPB should be considered in the management of infants with congenital heart disease, associated with chronic lung disease and pulmonary hypertension.

  16. Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-01-01

    This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factor, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations (registrants and licensees) and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks

  17. Does Employee Safety Matter for Patients Too? Employee Safety Climate and Patient Safety Culture in Health Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohr, David C; Eaton, Jennifer Lipkowitz; McPhaul, Kathleen M; Hodgson, Michael J

    2015-04-22

    We examined relationships between employee safety climate and patient safety culture. Because employee safety may be a precondition for the development of patient safety, we hypothesized that employee safety culture would be strongly and positively related to patient safety culture. An employee safety climate survey was administered in 2010 and assessed employees' views and experiences of safety for employees. The patient safety survey administered in 2011 assessed the safety culture for patients. We performed Pearson correlations and multiple regression analysis to examine the relationships between a composite measure of employee safety with subdimensions of patient safety culture. The regression models controlled for size, geographic characteristics, and teaching affiliation. Analyses were conducted at the group level using data from 132 medical centers. Higher employee safety climate composite scores were positively associated with all 9 patient safety culture measures examined. Standardized multivariate regression coefficients ranged from 0.44 to 0.64. Medical facilities where staff have more positive perceptions of health care workplace safety climate tended to have more positive assessments of patient safety culture. This suggests that patient safety culture and employee safety climate could be mutually reinforcing, such that investments and improvements in one domain positively impacts the other. Further research is needed to better understand the nexus between health care employee and patient safety to generalize and act upon findings.

  18. The impact of different strategies to handle missing data on both precision and bias in a drug safety study: a multidatabase multinational population-based cohort study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín-Merino, Elisa; Calderón-Larrañaga, Amaia; Hawley, Samuel; Poblador-Plou, Beatriz; Llorente-García, Ana; Petersen, Irene; Prieto-Alhambra, Daniel

    2018-01-01

    Background Missing data are often an issue in electronic medical records (EMRs) research. However, there are many ways that people deal with missing data in drug safety studies. Aim To compare the risk estimates resulting from different strategies for the handling of missing data in the study of venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk associated with antiosteoporotic medications (AOM). Methods New users of AOM (alendronic acid, other bisphosphonates, strontium ranelate, selective estrogen receptor modulators, teriparatide, or denosumab) aged ≥50 years during 1998–2014 were identified in two Spanish (the Base de datos para la Investigación Farmacoepidemiológica en Atención Primaria [BIFAP] and EpiChron cohort) and one UK (Clinical Practice Research Datalink [CPRD]) EMR. Hazard ratios (HRs) according to AOM (with alendronic acid as reference) were calculated adjusting for VTE risk factors, body mass index (that was missing in 61% of patients included in the three databases), and smoking (that was missing in 23% of patients) in the year of AOM therapy initiation. HRs and standard errors obtained using cross-sectional multiple imputation (MI) (reference method) were compared to complete case (CC) analysis – using only patients with complete data – and longitudinal MI – adding to the cross-sectional MI model the body mass index/smoking values as recorded in the year before and after therapy initiation. Results Overall, 422/95,057 (0.4%), 19/12,688 (0.1%), and 2,051/161,202 (1.3%) VTE cases/participants were seen in BIFAP, EpiChron, and CPRD, respectively. HRs moved from 100.00% underestimation to 40.31% overestimation in CC compared with cross-sectional MI, while longitudinal MI methods provided similar risk estimates compared with cross-sectional MI. Precision for HR improved in cross-sectional MI versus CC by up to 160.28%, while longitudinal MI improved precision (compared with cross-sectional) only minimally (up to 0.80%). Conclusion CC may substantially

  19. Software Safety Risk in Legacy Safety-Critical Computer Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Janice L.; Baggs, Rhoda

    2007-01-01

    Safety Standards contain technical and process-oriented safety requirements. Technical requirements are those such as "must work" and "must not work" functions in the system. Process-Oriented requirements are software engineering and safety management process requirements. Address the system perspective and some cover just software in the system > NASA-STD-8719.13B Software Safety Standard is the current standard of interest. NASA programs/projects will have their own set of safety requirements derived from the standard. Safety Cases: a) Documented demonstration that a system complies with the specified safety requirements. b) Evidence is gathered on the integrity of the system and put forward as an argued case. [Gardener (ed.)] c) Problems occur when trying to meet safety standards, and thus make retrospective safety cases, in legacy safety-critical computer systems.

  20. Safety assessment and verification for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    This publication supports the Safety Requirements on the Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. This Safety Guide was prepared on the basis of a systematic review of all the relevant publications including the Safety Fundamentals, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design, current and ongoing revisions of other Safety Guides, INSAG reports and other publications that have addressed the safety of nuclear power plants. This Safety Guide also provides guidance for Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety in meeting their obligations under Article 14 on Assessment and Verification of Safety. The Safety Requirements publication entitled Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design states that a comprehensive safety assessment and an independent verification of the safety assessment shall be carried out before the design is submitted to the regulatory body. This publication provides guidance on how this requirement should be met. This Safety Guide provides recommendations to designers for carrying out a safety assessment during the initial design process and design modifications, as well as to the operating organization in carrying out independent verification of the safety assessment of new nuclear power plants with a new or already existing design. The recommendations for performing a safety assessment are suitable also as guidance for the safety review of an existing plant. The objective of reviewing existing plants against current standards and practices is to determine whether there are any deviations which would have an impact on plant safety. The methods and the recommendations of this Safety Guide can also be used by regulatory bodies for the conduct of the regulatory review and assessment. Although most recommendations of this Safety Guide are general and applicable to all types of nuclear reactors, some specific recommendations and examples apply mostly to water cooled reactors. Terms such as 'safety assessment', 'safety analysis' and 'independent

  1. Reactor safety research and safety technology. Pt. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Theenhaus, R.; Wolters, J.

    1987-01-01

    The state of HTR safety research work reached permits a comprehensive and reliable answer to be given to questions which have been raised by the reactor accident at Chernobyl, regarding HTR safety. Together with the probability safety analyses, the way to a safety concept suitable for an HTR is cleared; instructions are given for design optimisation with regard to safety technique and economy. The consequences of a graphite fire, the neutron physics design and the consequenes of the lack of a safety containment are briefly described. (DG) [de

  2. Safety climate and safety behaviors in the construction industry: The importance of co-workers commitment to safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwatka, Natalie V; Rosecrance, John C

    2016-06-16

    There is growing empirical evidence that as safety climate improves work site safety practice improve. Safety climate is often measured by asking workers about their perceptions of management commitment to safety. However, it is less common to include perceptions of their co-workers commitment to safety. While the involvement of management in safety is essential, working with co-workers who value and prioritize safety may be just as important. To evaluate a concept of safety climate that focuses on top management, supervisors and co-workers commitment to safety, which is relatively new and untested in the United States construction industry. Survey data was collected from a cohort of 300 unionized construction workers in the United States. The significance of direct and indirect (mediation) effects among safety climate and safety behavior factors were evaluated via structural equation modeling. Results indicated that safety climate was associated with safety behaviors on the job. More specifically, perceptions of co-workers commitment to safety was a mediator between both management commitment to safety climate factors and safety behaviors. These results support workplace health and safety interventions that build and sustain safety climate and a commitment to safety amongst work teams.

  3. Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    A brief account of activities carried out by the Nuclear power plants Jaslovske Bohunice in 1997 is presented. These activities are reported under the headings: (1) Nuclear safety; (2) Industrial and health safety; (3) Radiation safety; and Fire protection

  4. Retrospective analysis of transthoracic echocardiography about the failure of transcather closure of ventricular septal defect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yigang; Li Shijie; Liu Ru; Li Zhihong; Fu Qiang

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the value of echocardiography in investigation the failure of interventional therapy of VSDs and to increase the successful rate. Methods: 15 cases with failure of VSD closure through interventional approach were undertaken measurement of major parameters of the defect on left ventriculography and then followed by Philips 5500 color Doppler US for repeated multi-direction tangential measuring of the size, morphologic change, relation with peripheral structure and individual valvular regurgitation. Results: (1) Marginal membranous VSD 10 eases; membranance aneurysm 8 cases, ≥ 2 outlets 6 cases. Width of basal part of membranous aneurysm was 8-18 (10±2) mm with depth of 3 10 (6±2) mm, distance from aortic valve was 0-6 (2±1) mm and from tricuspid valve was 2-5 (2±1) mm; associated with slight tricuspid valvular regurgitation. Aortic valvular regurgitation 5 cases showed slight to mild amount and without membranous aneurysm occurred in 2 cases. (2) Intracristal VSD 5 cases showed the size of defect as 6-10 (7±1) mm, with distances of 2-3 (1±0.8) mm from pulmonary valve and 1-2 (1±0.6) mm from aortic valve associated with slight regurgitation in 4 cases, slight tricuspid valvular regurgitation in 5 eases and aortic valvular prolapse in 4 cases. Conclusions: Many factors can influence the direction tangential continuous scanning should be taken for accurate localization and measurement of VSD in order to select the very sight occludor providing high successful rate of occlusion and long term efficacy. (authors)

  5. Recording membrane potential changes through photoacoustic voltage sensitive dye

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haichong K.; Kang, Jeeun; Yan, Ping; Abou, Diane S.; Le, Hanh N. D.; Thorek, Daniel L. J.; Kang, Jin U.; Gjedde, Albert; Rahmim, Arman; Wong, Dean F.; Loew, Leslie M.; Boctor, Emad M.

    2017-03-01

    Monitoring of the membrane potential is possible using voltage sensitive dyes (VSD), where fluorescence intensity changes in response to neuronal electrical activity. However, fluorescence imaging is limited by depth of penetration and high scattering losses, which leads to low sensitivity in vivo systems for external detection. In contrast, photoacoustic (PA) imaging, an emerging modality, is capable of deep tissue, noninvasive imaging by combining near infrared light excitation and ultrasound detection. In this work, we develop the theoretical concept whereby the voltage-dependent quenching of dye fluorescence leads to a reciprocal enhancement of PA intensity. Based on this concept, we synthesized a novel near infrared photoacoustic VSD (PA-VSD) whose PA intensity change is sensitive to membrane potential. In the polarized state, this cyanine-based probe enhances PA intensity while decreasing fluorescence output in a lipid vesicle membrane model. With a 3-9 μM VSD concentration, we measured a PA signal increase in the range of 5.3 % to 18.1 %, and observed a corresponding signal reduction in fluorescence emission of 30.0 % to 48.7 %. A theoretical model successfully accounts for how the experimental PA intensity change depends on fluorescence and absorbance properties of the dye. These results not only demonstrate the voltage sensing capability of the dye, but also indicate the necessity of considering both fluorescence and absorbance spectral sensitivities in order to optimize the characteristics of improved photoacoustic probes. Together, our results demonstrate photoacoustic sensing as a potential new modality for sub-second recording and external imaging of electrophysiological and neurochemical events in the brain.

  6. The Fate of the Tricuspid Valve Following the Transatrial Closure of the Ventricular Septal Defect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giordano, Raffaele; Cantinotti, Massimiliano; Di Tommaso, Luigi; Comentale, Giuseppe; Tozzi, Andrea; Pilato, Emanuele; Iannelli, Gabriele; Palma, Gaetano

    2018-05-17

    The transatrial repair of the ventricular septal defect (VSD) requires an adequate exposure of its rim. We retrospectively evaluated the impact of adopting the tricuspid valve incision (TVI) technique, either with detachment or radial incision, on the postoperative outcome of children undergoing surgical VSD repair. From January 2008 to September 2017 we retrospectively enrolled 141 patients, divided into two groups: 97 patients were subjected to TVI (68.8%) and 44 patients (31.2%) were not subjected to TVI. All patients received an echocardiogram upon discharge from the hospital and after 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and a year from the treatment. No perioperative or late deaths resulted in our dataset. TVI was associated with a slightly longer cardio-pulmonary bypass and cross-clamp time but there were no differences in the surgical outcome between the two groups. Moreover, no differences occurred concerning residual VSD, atrioventricular block or tricuspid regurgitation at discharge. Echocardiograms at follow-up were available for 134 patients (95%) with a median of 5.3 years (range 0.5-9.3) and the degree of tricuspid regurgitation did not differ between groups. No patient required reoperation for tricuspid regurgitation or residual interventricular shunt. Finally, no difference was found even when comparing the two TVI subgroups. TVI should be used whenever intraoperative exposure of VSD is compromised in order to avoid a residual shunt and atrioventricular block. Here we show that this procedure does not significantly compromise the tricuspid function although a large, multicenter, randomized controlled trial is advised to validate this hypothesis. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  7. Imaging the spatio-temporal dynamics of supragranular activity in the rat somatosensory cortex in response to stimulation of the paws.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M L Morales-Botello

    Full Text Available We employed voltage-sensitive dye (VSD imaging to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of the responses of the supragranular somatosensory cortex to stimulation of the four paws in urethane-anesthetized rats. We obtained the following main results. (1 Stimulation of the contralateral forepaw evoked VSD responses with greater amplitude and smaller latency than stimulation of the contralateral hindpaw, and ipsilateral VSD responses had a lower amplitude and greater latency than contralateral responses. (2 While the contralateral stimulation initially activated only one focus, the ipsilateral stimulation initially activated two foci: one focus was typically medial to the focus activated by contralateral stimulation and was stereotaxically localized in the motor cortex; the other focus was typically posterior to the focus activated by contralateral stimulation and was stereotaxically localized in the somatosensory cortex. (3 Forepaw and hindpaw somatosensory stimuli activated large areas of the sensorimotor cortex, well beyond the forepaw and hindpaw somatosensory areas of classical somatotopic maps, and forepaw stimuli activated larger cortical areas with greater activation velocity than hindpaw stimuli. (4 Stimulation of the forepaw and hindpaw evoked different cortical activation dynamics: forepaw responses displayed a clear medial directionality, whereas hindpaw responses were much more uniform in all directions. In conclusion, this work offers a complete spatio-temporal map of the supragranular VSD cortical activation in response to stimulation of the paws, showing important somatotopic differences between contralateral and ipsilateral maps as well as differences in the spatio-temporal activation dynamics in response to forepaw and hindpaw stimuli.

  8. Safety Justification and Safety Case for Safety-critical Software in Digital Reactor Protection System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, Kee-Choon; Lee, Jang-Soo; Jee, Eunkyoung

    2016-01-01

    Nuclear safety-critical software is under strict regulatory requirements and these regulatory requirements are essential for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. The verification & validation (V and V) and hazard analysis of the safety-critical software are required to follow regulatory requirements through the entire software life cycle. In order to obtain a license from the regulatory body through the development and validation of safety-critical software, it is essential to meet the standards which are required by the regulatory body throughout the software development process. Generally, large amounts of documents, which demonstrate safety justification including standard compliance, V and V, hazard analysis, and vulnerability assessment activities, are submitted to the regulatory body during the licensing process. It is not easy to accurately read and evaluate the whole documentation for the development activities, implementation technology, and validation activities. The safety case methodology has been kwon a promising approach to evaluate the level and depth of the development and validation results. A safety case is a structured argument, supported by a body of evidence that provides a compelling, comprehensible, and valid case that a system is safe for a given application in a given operating environment. It is suggested to evaluate the level and depth of the results of development and validation by applying safety case methodology to achieve software safety demonstration. A lot of documents provided as evidence are connected to claim that corresponds to the topic for safety demonstration. We demonstrated a case study in which more systematic safety demonstration for the target system software is performed via safety case construction than simply listing the documents

  9. Safety Justification and Safety Case for Safety-critical Software in Digital Reactor Protection System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Kee-Choon; Lee, Jang-Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Jee, Eunkyoung [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Nuclear safety-critical software is under strict regulatory requirements and these regulatory requirements are essential for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. The verification & validation (V and V) and hazard analysis of the safety-critical software are required to follow regulatory requirements through the entire software life cycle. In order to obtain a license from the regulatory body through the development and validation of safety-critical software, it is essential to meet the standards which are required by the regulatory body throughout the software development process. Generally, large amounts of documents, which demonstrate safety justification including standard compliance, V and V, hazard analysis, and vulnerability assessment activities, are submitted to the regulatory body during the licensing process. It is not easy to accurately read and evaluate the whole documentation for the development activities, implementation technology, and validation activities. The safety case methodology has been kwon a promising approach to evaluate the level and depth of the development and validation results. A safety case is a structured argument, supported by a body of evidence that provides a compelling, comprehensible, and valid case that a system is safe for a given application in a given operating environment. It is suggested to evaluate the level and depth of the results of development and validation by applying safety case methodology to achieve software safety demonstration. A lot of documents provided as evidence are connected to claim that corresponds to the topic for safety demonstration. We demonstrated a case study in which more systematic safety demonstration for the target system software is performed via safety case construction than simply listing the documents.

  10. New Safety rules

    CERN Multimedia

    Safety Commission

    2008-01-01

    The revision of CERN Safety rules is in progress and the following new Safety rules have been issued on 15-04-2008: Safety Procedure SP-R1 Establishing, Updating and Publishing CERN Safety rules: http://cern.ch/safety-rules/SP-R1.htm; Safety Regulation SR-S Smoking at CERN: http://cern.ch/safety-rules/SR-S.htm; Safety Regulation SR-M Mechanical Equipment: http://cern.ch/safety-rules/SR-M.htm; General Safety Instruction GSI-M1 Standard Lifting Equipment: http://cern.ch/safety-rules/GSI-M1.htm; General Safety Instruction GSI-M2 Standard Pressure Equipment: http://cern.ch/safety-rules/GSI-M2.htm; General Safety Instruction GSI-M3 Special Mechanical Equipment: http://cern.ch/safety-rules/GSI-M3.htm. These documents apply to all persons under the Director General’s authority. All Safety rules are available at the web page: http://www.cern.ch/safety-rules The Safety Commission

  11. The role of probabilistic safety assessment and probabilistic safety criteria in nuclear power plant safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-01-01

    The purpose of this Safety Report is to provide guidelines on the role of probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) and a range of associated reference points, collectively referred to as probabilistic safety criteria (PSC), in nuclear safety. The application of this Safety Report and the supporting Safety Practice publication should help to ensure that PSA methodology is used appropriately to assess and enhance the safety of nuclear power plants. The guidelines are intended for use by nuclear power plant designers, operators and regulators. While these guidelines have been prepared with nuclear power plants in mind, the principles involved have wide application to other nuclear and non-nuclear facilities. In Section 2 of this Safety Report guidelines are established on the role PSA can play as part of an overall safety assurance programme. Section 3 summarizes guidelines for the conduct of PSAs, and in Section 4 a PSC framework is recommended and guidance is provided for the establishment of PSC values

  12. Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. Specific Safety Requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    On the basis of the principles included in the Fundamental Safety Principles, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, this Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements applicable to the design of nuclear power plants. It covers the design phase and provides input for the safe operation of the power plant. It elaborates on the safety objective, safety principles and concepts that provide the basis for deriving the safety requirements that must be met for the design of a nuclear power plant. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Applying the safety principles and concepts; 3. Management of safety in design; 4. Principal technical requirements; 5. General plant design; 6. Design of specific plant systems.

  13. Discussion on the safety classification of nuclear safety mechanical equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen Wei

    2010-01-01

    The purpose and definition of the equipment safety classification in nuclear plant are introduced. The differences of several safety classification criterions are compared, and the object of safety classification is determined. According to the regulation, the definition and category of the safety functions are represented. The safety classification method, safety classification process, safety class interface, and the requirement for the safety class mechanical equipment are explored. At last, the relation of the safety classification between the mechanical and electrical equipment is presented, and the relation of the safety classification between mechanical equipment and system is also presented. (author)

  14. Traceability of Software Safety Requirements in Legacy Safety Critical Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Janice L.

    2007-01-01

    How can traceability of software safety requirements be created for legacy safety critical systems? Requirements in safety standards are imposed most times during contract negotiations. On the other hand, there are instances where safety standards are levied on legacy safety critical systems, some of which may be considered for reuse for new applications. Safety standards often specify that software development documentation include process-oriented and technical safety requirements, and also require that system and software safety analyses are performed supporting technical safety requirements implementation. So what can be done if the requisite documents for establishing and maintaining safety requirements traceability are not available?

  15. Safety design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunitomi, Kazuhiko; Shiozawa, Shusaku

    2004-01-01

    JAERI established the safety design philosophy of the HTTR based on that of current reactors such as LWR in Japan, considering inherent safety features of the HTTR. The strategy of defense in depth was implemented so that the safety engineering functions such as control of reactivity, removal of residual heat and confinement of fission products shall be well performed to ensure safety. However, unlike the LWR, the inherent design features of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) enables the HTTR meet stringent regulatory criteria without much dependence on active safety systems. On the other hand, the safety in an accident typical to the HTGR such as the depressurization accident initiated by a primary pipe rupture shall be ensured. The safety design philosophy of the HTTR considers these unique features appropriately and is expected to be the basis for future Japanese HTGRs. This paper describes the safety design philosophy and safety evaluation procedure of the HTTR especially focusing on unique considerations to the HTTR. Also, experiences obtained from an HTTR safety review and R and D needs for establishing the safety philosophy for the future HTGRs are reported

  16. Safety KPIs - Monitoring of safety performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrej Lališ

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to provide brief overview of aviation safety development focusing on modern trends represented by implementation of Safety Key Performance Indicators. Even though aviation is perceived as safe means of transport, it is still struggling with its complexity given by long-term growth and robustness which it has reached today. Thus nowadays safety issues are much more complex and harder to handle than ever before. We are more and more concerned about organizational factors and control mechanisms which have potential to further increase level of aviation safety. Within this paper we will not only introduce the concept of Key Performance Indicators in area of aviation safety as an efficient control mechanism, but also analyse available legislation and documentation. Finally we will propose complex set of indicators which could be applied to Czech Air Navigation Service Provider.

  17. HSE's safety assessment principles for criticality safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simister, D N; Finnerty, M D; Warburton, S J; Thomas, E A; Macphail, M R

    2008-01-01

    The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published its revised Safety Assessment Principles for Nuclear Facilities (SAPs) in December 2006. The SAPs are primarily intended for use by HSE's inspectors when judging the adequacy of safety cases for nuclear facilities. The revised SAPs relate to all aspects of safety in nuclear facilities including the technical discipline of criticality safety. The purpose of this paper is to set out for the benefit of a wider audience some of the thinking behind the final published words and to provide an insight into the development of UK regulatory guidance. The paper notes that it is HSE's intention that the Safety Assessment Principles should be viewed as a reflection of good practice in the context of interpreting primary legislation such as the requirements under site licence conditions for arrangements for producing an adequate safety case and for producing a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (SI1999/3232 www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/uksi_19993232_en.pdf). (memorandum)

  18. ITER safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raeder, J.; Piet, S.; Buende, R.

    1991-01-01

    As part of the series of publications by the IAEA that summarize the results of the Conceptual Design Activities for the ITER project, this document describes the ITER safety analyses. It contains an assessment of normal operation effluents, accident scenarios, plasma chamber safety, tritium system safety, magnet system safety, external loss of coolant and coolant flow problems, and a waste management assessment, while it describes the implementation of the safety approach for ITER. The document ends with a list of major conclusions, a set of topical remarks on technical safety issues, and recommendations for the Engineering Design Activities, safety considerations for siting ITER, and recommendations with regard to the safety issues for the R and D for ITER. Refs, figs and tabs

  19. Using LDR as Sensing Element for an External Fuzzy Controller Applied in Photovoltaic Pumping Systems with Variable-Speed Drives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maranhão, Geraldo Neves De A; Brito, Alaan Ubaiara; Leal, Anderson Marques; Fonseca, Jéssica Kelly Silva; Macêdo, Wilson Negrão

    2015-09-22

    In the present paper, a fuzzy controller applied to a Variable-Speed Drive (VSD) for use in Photovoltaic Pumping Systems (PVPS) is proposed. The fuzzy logic system (FLS) used is embedded in a microcontroller and corresponds to a proportional-derivative controller. A Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR) is used to measure, approximately, the irradiance incident on the PV array. Experimental tests are executed using an Arduino board. The experimental results show that the fuzzy controller is capable of operating the system continuously throughout the day and controlling the direct current (DC) voltage level in the VSD with a good performance.

  20. Using LDR as Sensing Element for an External Fuzzy Controller Applied in Photovoltaic Pumping Systems with Variable-Speed Drives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geraldo Neves De A. Maranhão

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In the present paper, a fuzzy controller applied to a Variable-Speed Drive (VSD for use in Photovoltaic Pumping Systems (PVPS is proposed. The fuzzy logic system (FLS used is embedded in a microcontroller and corresponds to a proportional-derivative controller. A Light-Dependent Resistor (LDR is used to measure, approximately, the irradiance incident on the PV array. Experimental tests are executed using an Arduino board. The experimental results show that the fuzzy controller is capable of operating the system continuously throughout the day and controlling the direct current (DC voltage level in the VSD with a good performance.

  1. Safety culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keen, L.J.

    2003-01-01

    Safety culture has become a topic of increasing interest for industry and regulators as issues are raised on safety problems around the world. The keys to safety culture are organizational effectiveness, effective communications, organizational learning, and a culture that encourages the identification and resolution of safety issues. The necessity of a strong safety culture places an onus on all of us to continually question whether the safety measures already in place are sufficient, and are being applied. (author)

  2. Safety Climate, Perceived Risk, and Involvement in Safety Management

    OpenAIRE

    Kouabenan , Dongo Rémi; Ngueutsa , Robert ,; Safiétou , Mbaye

    2015-01-01

    International audience; This article examines the relationship between safety climate, risk perception and involvement in safety management by first-line managers (FLM). Sixty-three FLMs from two French nuclear plants answered a questionnaire measuring perceived workplace safety climate, perceived risk, and involvement in safety management. We hypothesized that a positive perception of safety climate would promote substantial involvement in safety management, and that this effect would be str...

  3. 10 CFR 70.62 - Safety program and integrated safety analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ...; (iv) Potential accident sequences caused by process deviations or other events internal to the... have experience in nuclear criticality safety, radiation safety, fire safety, and chemical process... this safety program; namely, process safety information, integrated safety analysis, and management...

  4. Safety Assessment for Research Reactors and Preparation of the Safety Analysis Report. Specific Safety Guide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2011-11-15

    The IAEA's Statute authorizes the Agency to 'establish or adopt' standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger to life and property' - standards that the IAEA must use in its own operations, and which States can apply by means of their regulatory provisions for nuclear and radiation safety. The IAEA does this in consultation with the competent organs of the United Nations and with the specialized agencies concerned. A comprehensive set of high quality standards under regular review is a key element of a stable and sustainable global safety regime, as is the IAEA's assistance in their application. The IAEA commenced its safety standards programme in 1958. The emphasis placed on quality, fitness for purpose and continuous improvement has led to the widespread use of the IAEA standards throughout the world. The Safety Standards Series now includes unified Fundamental Safety Principles, which represent an international consensus on what must constitute a high level of protection and safety. With the strong support of the Commission on Safety Standards, the IAEA is working to promote the global acceptance and use of its standards. Standards are only effective if they are properly applied in practice. The IAEA's safety services encompass design, siting and engineering safety, operational safety, radiation safety, safe transport of radioactive material and safe management of radioactive waste, as well as governmental organization, regulatory matters and safety culture in organizations. These safety services assist Member States in the application of the standards and enable valuable experience and insights to be shared. Regulating safety is a national responsibility, and many States have decided to adopt the IAEA's standards for use in their national regulations. For parties to the various international safety conventions, IAEA standards provide a consistent, reliable means of ensuring the effective fulfilment of obligations under the conventions

  5. Safety Assessment for Research Reactors and Preparation of the Safety Analysis Report. Specific Safety Guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    The IAEA's Statute authorizes the Agency to 'establish or adopt' standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger to life and property' - standards that the IAEA must use in its own operations, and which States can apply by means of their regulatory provisions for nuclear and radiation safety. The IAEA does this in consultation with the competent organs of the United Nations and with the specialized agencies concerned. A comprehensive set of high quality standards under regular review is a key element of a stable and sustainable global safety regime, as is the IAEA's assistance in their application. The IAEA commenced its safety standards programme in 1958. The emphasis placed on quality, fitness for purpose and continuous improvement has led to the widespread use of the IAEA standards throughout the world. The Safety Standards Series now includes unified Fundamental Safety Principles, which represent an international consensus on what must constitute a high level of protection and safety. With the strong support of the Commission on Safety Standards, the IAEA is working to promote the global acceptance and use of its standards. Standards are only effective if they are properly applied in practice. The IAEA's safety services encompass design, siting and engineering safety, operational safety, radiation safety, safe transport of radioactive material and safe management of radioactive waste, as well as governmental organization, regulatory matters and safety culture in organizations. These safety services assist Member States in the application of the standards and enable valuable experience and insights to be shared. Regulating safety is a national responsibility, and many States have decided to adopt the IAEA's standards for use in their national regulations. For parties to the various international safety conventions, IAEA standards provide a consistent, reliable means of ensuring the effective fulfilment of obligations under the conventions

  6. IAEA Safety Standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-09-01

    The IAEA Safety Standards Series comprises publications of a regulatory nature covering nuclear safety, radiation protection, radioactive waste management, the transport of radioactive material, the safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities and management systems. These publications are issued under the terms of Article III of the IAEA’s Statute, which authorizes the IAEA to establish “standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger to life and property”. Safety standards are categorized into: • Safety Fundamentals, stating the basic objective, concepts and principles of safety; • Safety Requirements, establishing the requirements that must be fulfilled to ensure safety; and • Safety Guides, recommending measures for complying with these requirements for safety. For numbering purposes, the IAEA Safety Standards Series is subdivided into General Safety Requirements and General Safety Guides (GSR and GSG), which are applicable to all types of facilities and activities, and Specific Safety Requirements and Specific Safety Guides (SSR and SSG), which are for application in particular thematic areas. This booklet lists all current IAEA Safety Standards, including those forthcoming

  7. 78 FR 53790 - Public Forum-Safety Culture: Enhancing Transportation Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-30

    ... NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD Public Forum--Safety Culture: Enhancing Transportation Safety On Tuesday and Wednesday, September 10-11, 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will convene a forum titled, ``Safety Culture: Enhancing Transportation Safety.'' The forum will begin at 9:00...

  8. Nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-02-01

    This book reviews the accomplishments, operations, and problems faced by the defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. Specifically, it discusses the recommendations that the Safety Board made to improve safety and health conditions at the Department of Energy's defense nuclear facilities, problems the Safety Board has encountered in hiring technical staff, and management problems that could affect the Safety Board's independence and credibility

  9. Auto Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Auto Safety KidsHealth / For Parents / Auto Safety What's in this ... by teaching some basic rules. Importance of Child Safety Seats Using a child safety seat (car seat) ...

  10. LFR safety approach and main ELFR safety analysis results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bubelis, E.; Schikorr, M.; Frogheri, M.; Mansani, L.; Bandini, G.; Burgazzi, L.; Mikityuk, K.; Zhang, Y.; Lo Frano, R.; Forgione, N.

    2013-01-01

    LFR safety approach: → A global safety approach for the LFR reference plant has been assessed and the safety analyses methodology has been developed. → LFR follows the general guidelines of the Generation IV safety concept recommendations. Thus, improved safety and higher reliability are recognized as an essential priority. → The fundamental safety objectives and the Defence-in-Depth (DiD) approach, as described by IAEA Safety Guides, have been preserved. → The recommendations of the Risk and Safety Working Group (RSWG) of GEN-IV IF has been taken into account: • safety is to be “built-in” in the fundamental design rather than “added on”; • full implementation of the Defence-in-Depth principles in a manner that is demonstrably exhaustive, progressive, tolerant, forgiving and well-balanced; • “risk-informed” approach - deterministic approach complemented with a probabilistic one; • adoption of an integrated methodology that can be used to evaluate and document the safety of Gen IV nuclear systems - ISAM. In particular the OPT tool is the fundamental methodology used throughout the design process

  11. Safety campaigns. TIS Launches New Safety Information Campaign

    CERN Multimedia

    2001-01-01

    Need to start a new installation and worried about safety aspects? Or are you newly responsible for safety matters in a CERN building? Perhaps you're simply interested in how to make the working environment safer for yourself and your colleagues. Whatever the case, a new information campaign launched by TIS this week can help. The most visible aspects of the new campaign will be posters distributed around the Laboratory treating a different subject each month. The Web site - http://safety.cern.ch/ - which provides all safety related information. But these are not the only aspects of the new campaign. Members of the TIS/GS group, whose contact details can be found on the safety web site, are available to give information and advice on a one-to-one basis at any time. The campaign's launch has been timed to coincide with European Safety Week, organized by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the subject treated in the first posters is safety inspection. This particular topic only concerns thos...

  12. The association between EMS workplace safety culture and safety outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, Matthew D; Wang, Henry E; Fairbanks, Rollin J; Patterson, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    Prior studies have highlighted wide variation in emergency medical services (EMS) workplace safety culture across agencies. To determine the association between EMS workplace safety culture scores and patient or provider safety outcomes. We administered a cross-sectional survey to EMS workers affiliated with a convenience sample of agencies. We recruited these agencies from a national EMS management organization. We used the EMS Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (EMS-SAQ) to measure workplace safety culture and the EMS Safety Inventory (EMS-SI), a tool developed to capture self-reported safety outcomes from EMS workers. The EMS-SAQ provides reliable and valid measures of six domains: safety climate, teamwork climate, perceptions of management, working conditions, stress recognition, and job satisfaction. A panel of medical directors, emergency medical technicians and paramedics, and occupational epidemiologists developed the EMS-SI to measure self-reported injury, medical errors and adverse events, and safety-compromising behaviors. We used hierarchical linear models to evaluate the association between EMS-SAQ scores and EMS-SI safety outcome measures. Sixteen percent of all respondents reported experiencing an injury in the past three months, four of every 10 respondents reported an error or adverse event (AE), and 89% reported safety-compromising behaviors. Respondents reporting injury scored lower on five of the six domains of safety culture. Respondents reporting an error or AE scored lower for four of the six domains, while respondents reporting safety-compromising behavior had lower safety culture scores for five of the six domains. Individual EMS worker perceptions of workplace safety culture are associated with composite measures of patient and provider safety outcomes. This study is preliminary evidence of the association between safety culture and patient or provider safety outcomes.

  13. Transformational and passive leadership as cross-level moderators of the relationships between safety knowledge, safety motivation, and safety participation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Lixin; Probst, Tahira M

    2016-06-01

    While safety knowledge and safety motivation are well-established predictors of safety participation, less is known about the impact of leadership styles on these relationships. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether the positive relationships between safety knowledge and motivation and safety participation are contingent on transformational and passive forms of safety leadership. Using multilevel modeling with a sample of 171 employees nested in 40 workgroups, we found that transformational safety leadership strengthened the safety knowledge-participation relationship, whereas passive leadership weakened the safety motivation-participation relationship. Under low transformational leadership, safety motivation was not related to safety participation; under high passive leadership, safety knowledge was not related to safety participation. These results are discussed in light of organizational efforts to increase safety-related citizenship behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

  14. Selecting of key safety parameters in reactor nuclear safety supervision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Fan; Yu Hong

    2014-01-01

    The safety parameters indicate the operational states and safety of research reactor are the basis of nuclear safety supervision institution to carry out effective supervision to nuclear facilities. In this paper, the selecting of key safety parameters presented by the research reactor operating unit to National Nuclear Safety Administration that can express the research reactor operational states and safety when operational occurrence or nuclear accident happens, and the interrelationship between them are discussed. Analysis shows that, the key parameters to nuclear safety supervision of research reactor including design limits, operational limits and conditions, safety system settings, safety limits, acceptable limits and emergency action level etc. (authors)

  15. Perceived organizational support for safety and employee safety voice: the mediating role of coworker support for safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tucker, Sean; Chmiel, Nik; Turner, Nick; Hershcovis, M Sandy; Stride, Chris B

    2008-10-01

    In the present study, we modeled 2 sources of safety support (perceived organizational support for safety and perceived coworker support for safety) as predictors of employee safety voice, that is, speaking out in an attempt to change unsafe working conditions. Drawing on social exchange and social impact theories, we hypothesized and tested a mediated model predicting employee safety voice using a cross-sectional survey of urban bus drivers (n = 213) in the United Kingdom. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that perceived coworker support for safety fully mediated the relationship between perceived organizational support for safety and employee safety voice. This study adds to the employee voice literature by evaluating the important role that coworkers can play in encouraging others to speak out about safety issues. Implications for research and practice related to change-oriented safety communication are discussed.

  16. Safety of Research Reactors. Specific Safety Requirements (French Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2017-01-01

    This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements for all main areas of safety for research reactors, with particular emphasis on requirements for design and operation. It explains the safety objectives and concepts that form the basis for safety and safety assessment for all stages in the lifetime of a research reactor. Technical and administrative requirements for the safety of new research reactors are established in accordance with these objectives and concepts, and they are to be applied to the extent practicable for existing research reactors. The safety requirements established in this publication for the management of safety and regulatory supervision apply to site evaluation, design, manufacturing, construction, commissioning, operation (including utilization and modification), and planning for decommissioning of research reactors (including critical assemblies and subcritical assemblies). The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies and other organizations with responsibilities in these areas and in safety analysis, verification and review, and the provision of technical support.

  17. Relationships among Safety Climate, Safety Behavior, and Safety Outcomes for Ethnic Minority Construction Workers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sainan Lyu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In many countries, it is common practice to attract and employ ethnic minority (EM or migrant workers in the construction industry. This primarily occurs in order to alleviate the labor shortage caused by an aging workforce with a lack of new entrants. Statistics show that EM construction workers are more likely to have occupational fatal and nonfatal injuries than their local counterparts; however, the mechanism underlying accidents and injuries in this vulnerable population has been rarely examined. This study aims to investigate relationships among safety climate, safety behavior, and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. To this end, a theoretical research model was developed based on a comprehensive review of the current literature. In total, 289 valid questionnaires were collected face-to-face from 223 Nepalese construction workers and 56 Pakistani construction workers working on 15 construction sites in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling was employed to validate the constructs and test the hypothesized model. Results show that there were significant positive relationships between safety climate and safety behaviors, and significant negative relationships between safety behaviors and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. This research contributes to the literature regarding EM workers by providing empirical evidence of the mechanisms by which safety climate affects safety behaviors and outcomes. It also provides insights in order to help the key stakeholders formulate safety strategies for EM workers in many areas where numerous EM workers are employed, such as in the U.S., the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Middle East.

  18. Relationships among Safety Climate, Safety Behavior, and Safety Outcomes for Ethnic Minority Construction Workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyu, Sainan; Hon, Carol K H; Chan, Albert P C; Wong, Francis K W; Javed, Arshad Ali

    2018-03-09

    In many countries, it is common practice to attract and employ ethnic minority (EM) or migrant workers in the construction industry. This primarily occurs in order to alleviate the labor shortage caused by an aging workforce with a lack of new entrants. Statistics show that EM construction workers are more likely to have occupational fatal and nonfatal injuries than their local counterparts; however, the mechanism underlying accidents and injuries in this vulnerable population has been rarely examined. This study aims to investigate relationships among safety climate, safety behavior, and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. To this end, a theoretical research model was developed based on a comprehensive review of the current literature. In total, 289 valid questionnaires were collected face-to-face from 223 Nepalese construction workers and 56 Pakistani construction workers working on 15 construction sites in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling was employed to validate the constructs and test the hypothesized model. Results show that there were significant positive relationships between safety climate and safety behaviors, and significant negative relationships between safety behaviors and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. This research contributes to the literature regarding EM workers by providing empirical evidence of the mechanisms by which safety climate affects safety behaviors and outcomes. It also provides insights in order to help the key stakeholders formulate safety strategies for EM workers in many areas where numerous EM workers are employed, such as in the U.S., the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Middle East.

  19. Safety culture : a significant influence on safety in transportation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-01

    An organizations safety culture can influence safety outcomes. Research and experience show that when safety culture is strong, accidents are less frequent and less severe. As a result, building and maintaining strong safety cultures should be a t...

  20. Total safety management: An approach to improving safety culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blush, S.M.

    1993-01-01

    A little over 4 yr ago, Admiral James D. Watkins became Secretary of Energy. President Bush, who had appointed him, informed Watkins that his principal task would be to clean up the nuclear weapons complex and put the US Department of Energy (DOE) back in the business of producing tritium for the nation's nuclear deterrent. Watkins recognized that in order to achieve these objectives, he would have to substantially improve the DOE's safety culture. Safety culture is a relatively new term. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) used it in a 1986 report on the root causes of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. In 1990, the IAEA's International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group issued a document focusing directly on safety culture. It provides guidelines to the international nuclear community for measuring the effectiveness of safety culture in nuclear organizations. Safety culture has two principal aspects: an organizational framework conducive to safety and the necessary organizational and individual attitudes that promote safety. These obviously go hand in hand. An organization must create the right framework to foster the right attitudes, but individuals must have the right attitudes to create the organizational framework that will support a good safety culture. The difficulty in developing such a synergistic relationship suggests that achieving and sustaining a strong safety culture is not easy, particularly in an organization whose safety culture is in serious disrepair

  1. Safety for Users

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    CERN welcomes more than 8000 Users every year. The PH Department as host to these scientific associates requires the highest safety standards. The PH Safety Office has published a Safety Flyer for Users. Important safety topics and procedures are presented. Although the Flyer is intended primarily to provide safety information for Users, the PH Safety Office invites all those on the CERN sites to keep a copy of the flyer as it gives guidance in matters of safety and explains what to do in the event of an emergency. Link: http://ph-dep.web.cern.ch/ph-dep/Safety/SafetyOffice.html PH-Safety Office PH Department

  2. Safety for Users

    CERN Multimedia

    HR Department

    2008-01-01

    CERN welcomes more than 8000 Users every year. The PH Department as host to these scientific associates requires the highest safety standards. The PH Safety Office has published a safety flyer for Users. Important safety topics and procedures are presented. Although the flyer is intended primarily to provide safety information for Users, the PH Safety Office invites all those on the CERN sites to keep a copy of the flyer as it gives guidance in matters of safety and explains what to do in the event of an emergency. The flyer is available at: http://ph-dep.web.cern.ch/ph-dep/Safety/SafetyOffice.html PH-Safety Office PH Department

  3. Food safety performance indicators to benchmark food safety output of food safety management systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacxsens, L; Uyttendaele, M; Devlieghere, F; Rovira, J; Gomez, S Oses; Luning, P A

    2010-07-31

    There is a need to measure the food safety performance in the agri-food chain without performing actual microbiological analysis. A food safety performance diagnosis, based on seven indicators and corresponding assessment grids have been developed and validated in nine European food businesses. Validation was conducted on the basis of an extensive microbiological assessment scheme (MAS). The assumption behind the food safety performance diagnosis is that food businesses which evaluate the performance of their food safety management system in a more structured way and according to very strict and specific criteria will have a better insight in their actual microbiological food safety performance, because food safety problems will be more systematically detected. The diagnosis can be a useful tool to have a first indication about the microbiological performance of a food safety management system present in a food business. Moreover, the diagnosis can be used in quantitative studies to get insight in the effect of interventions on sector or governmental level. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Safety first. Status reports on the IAEA's safety standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Webb, G.; Karbassioun, A.; Linsley, G.; Rawl, R.

    1998-01-01

    Documents in the IAEA's Safety Standards Series known as RASS (Radiation Safety Standards) are produced to develop an internally consistent set of regulatory-style publications that reflects an international consensus on the principles of radiation protection and safety and their application through regulation. In this article are briefly presented the Agency's programmes on Nuclear Safety Standards (NUSS), Radioactive Waste Safety Standards (RADWASS), and Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials

  5. Safety analysis SFR 1. Long-term safety

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2008-12-15

    An updated assessment of the long-term safety of SKB's final repository for radioactive operational waste, SFR 1, is presented in this report. The report is included in the safety analysis report for SFR 1. The most recent account of long-term safety was submitted to the regulatory authorities in 2001. The present report has been compiled on SKB's initiative to address the regulatory authorities' viewpoints regarding the preceding account of long-term safety. Besides the new mode of working with safety functions there is another important difference between the 2001 safety assessment and the current assessment: The time horizon in the current assessment has been extended to 100,000 years in order to include the effect of future climate changes. The purpose of this renewed assessment of the long-term safety of SFR 1 is to show with improved data that the repository is capable of protecting human health and the environment against ionizing radiation in a long-term perspective. This is done by showing that calculated risks lie below the risk criteria stipulated by the regulatory authorities. SFR 1 is built to receive, and after closure serve as a passive repository for, low. and intermediate-level radioactive waste. The disposal chambers are situated in rock beneath the sea floor, covered by about 60 metres of rock. The underground part of the facility is reached via two tunnels whose entrances are near the harbour. The repository has been designed so that it can be abandoned after closure without further measures needing to be taken to maintain its function. The waste in SFR 1 is short-lived low- and intermediate-level waste. After 100 years the activity is less than half, and after 1,000 years only about 2% of the original activity remains. The report on long-term safety comprises eleven chapters. Chapter 1 Introduction. The chapter describes the purpose, background, format and contents of SAR-08, applicable regulations and injunctions, and the regulatory

  6. Safety analysis SFR 1. Long-term safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-12-01

    An updated assessment of the long-term safety of SKB's final repository for radioactive operational waste, SFR 1, is presented in this report. The report is included in the safety analysis report for SFR 1. The most recent account of long-term safety was submitted to the regulatory authorities in 2001. The present report has been compiled on SKB's initiative to address the regulatory authorities' viewpoints regarding the preceding account of long-term safety. Besides the new mode of working with safety functions there is another important difference between the 2001 safety assessment and the current assessment: The time horizon in the current assessment has been extended to 100,000 years in order to include the effect of future climate changes. The purpose of this renewed assessment of the long-term safety of SFR 1 is to show with improved data that the repository is capable of protecting human health and the environment against ionizing radiation in a long-term perspective. This is done by showing that calculated risks lie below the risk criteria stipulated by the regulatory authorities. SFR 1 is built to receive, and after closure serve as a passive repository for, low. and intermediate-level radioactive waste. The disposal chambers are situated in rock beneath the sea floor, covered by about 60 metres of rock. The underground part of the facility is reached via two tunnels whose entrances are near the harbour. The repository has been designed so that it can be abandoned after closure without further measures needing to be taken to maintain its function. The waste in SFR 1 is short-lived low- and intermediate-level waste. After 100 years the activity is less than half, and after 1,000 years only about 2% of the original activity remains. The report on long-term safety comprises eleven chapters. Chapter 1 Introduction. The chapter describes the purpose, background, format and contents of SAR-08, applicable regulations and injunctions, and the regulatory

  7. Safety analysis SFR 1. Long-term safety

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2008-12-15

    An updated assessment of the long-term safety of SKB's final repository for radioactive operational waste, SFR 1, is presented in this report. The report is included in the safety analysis report for SFR 1. The most recent account of long-term safety was submitted to the regulatory authorities in 2001. The present report has been compiled on SKB's initiative to address the regulatory authorities' viewpoints regarding the preceding account of long-term safety. Besides the new mode of working with safety functions there is another important difference between the 2001 safety assessment and the current assessment: The time horizon in the current assessment has been extended to 100,000 years in order to include the effect of future climate changes. The purpose of this renewed assessment of the long-term safety of SFR 1 is to show with improved data that the repository is capable of protecting human health and the environment against ionizing radiation in a long-term perspective. This is done by showing that calculated risks lie below the risk criteria stipulated by the regulatory authorities. SFR 1 is built to receive, and after closure serve as a passive repository for, low. and intermediate-level radioactive waste. The disposal chambers are situated in rock beneath the sea floor, covered by about 60 metres of rock. The underground part of the facility is reached via two tunnels whose entrances are near the harbour. The repository has been designed so that it can be abandoned after closure without further measures needing to be taken to maintain its function. The waste in SFR 1 is short-lived low- and intermediate-level waste. After 100 years the activity is less than half, and after 1,000 years only about 2% of the original activity remains. The report on long-term safety comprises eleven chapters. Chapter 1 Introduction. The chapter describes the purpose, background, format and contents of SAR-08, applicable regulations and injunctions, and the

  8. IAEA safety standards and approach to safety of advanced reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gasparini, M.

    2004-01-01

    The paper presents an overview of the IAEA safety standards including their overall structure and purpose. A detailed presentation is devoted to the general approach to safety that is embodied in the current safety requirements for the design of nuclear power plants. A safety approach is proposed for the future. This approach can be used as reference for a safe design, for safety assessment and for the preparation of the safety requirements. The method proposes an integration of deterministic and risk informed concepts in the general frame of a generalized concept of safety goals and defence in depth. This methodology may provide a useful tool for the preparation of safety requirements for the design and operation of any kind of reactor including small and medium sized reactors with innovative safety features.(author)

  9. Is road safety management linked to road safety performance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papadimitriou, Eleonora; Yannis, George

    2013-10-01

    This research aims to explore the relationship between road safety management and road safety performance at country level. For that purpose, an appropriate theoretical framework is selected, namely the 'SUNflower' pyramid, which describes road safety management systems in terms of a five-level hierarchy: (i) structure and culture, (ii) programmes and measures, (iii) 'intermediate' outcomes'--safety performance indicators (SPIs), (iv) final outcomes--fatalities and injuries, and (v) social costs. For each layer of the pyramid, a composite indicator is implemented, on the basis of data for 30 European countries. Especially as regards road safety management indicators, these are estimated on the basis of Categorical Principal Component Analysis upon the responses of a dedicated road safety management questionnaire, jointly created and dispatched by the ETSC/PIN group and the 'DaCoTA' research project. Then, quasi-Poisson models and Beta regression models are developed for linking road safety management indicators and other indicators (i.e. background characteristics, SPIs) with road safety performance. In this context, different indicators of road safety performance are explored: mortality and fatality rates, percentage reduction in fatalities over a given period, a composite indicator of road safety final outcomes, and a composite indicator of 'intermediate' outcomes (SPIs). The results of the analyses suggest that road safety management can be described on the basis of three composite indicators: "vision and strategy", "budget, evaluation and reporting", and "measurement of road user attitudes and behaviours". Moreover, no direct statistical relationship could be established between road safety management indicators and final outcomes. However, a statistical relationship was found between road safety management and 'intermediate' outcomes, which were in turn found to affect 'final' outcomes, confirming the SUNflower approach on the consecutive effect of each layer

  10. [Effectiveness of vacuum sealing drainage combined with anti-taken skin graft for primary closing of open amputation wound].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Qiande; Xu, Jian; Weng, Xiao-Jun; Zhong, Da; Liu, Zhiqin; Wang, Chenggong

    2012-05-01

    To observe the effectiveness of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) combined with anti-taken skin graft on open amputation wound by comparing with direct anti-taken skin graft. Between March 2005 and June 2010, 60 cases of amputation wounds for limbs open fractures were selected by using the random single-blind method. The amputation wounds were treated with VSD combined with anti-taken skin graft (test group, n = 30) and direct anti-taken skin graft (control group, n = 30). No significant difference was found in age, gender, injury cause, amputation level, defect size, preoperative albumin index, or injury time between 2 groups (P > 0.05). In test group, the redundant stump skin was used to prepare reattached staggered-meshed middle-thickness skin flap by using a drum dermatome dealing after amputation, which was transplanted amputation wounds, and then the skin surface was covered with VSD for continuous negative pressure drainage for 7-10 days. In control group, wounds were covered by anti-taken thickness skin flap directly after amputation, and conventional dress changing was given. To observe the survival condition of the skin graft in test group, the VSD device was removed at 8 days after operation. The skin graft survival rate, wound infection rate, reamputation rate, times of dressing change, and the hospitalization days in test group were significantly better than those in control group [ 90.0% vs. 63.3%, 3.3% vs. 20.0%, 0 vs. 13.3%, (2.0 +/- 0.5) times vs. (8.0 +/- 1.5) times, and (12.0 +/- 2.6) days vs. (18.0 +/- 3.2) days, respectively] (P 0.05). In comparison with the contralateral limbs, the muscle had disuse atrophy and decreased strength in residual limbs of 2 groups. There was significant difference in the muscle strength between normal and affected limbs (P 0.05). Compared with direct anti-taken skin graft on amputation wound, the wound could be closed primarily by using the VSD combined with anti-taken skin graft. At the same time it could achieve

  11. Fundamental Safety Principles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdelmalik, W.E.Y.

    2011-01-01

    This work presents a summary of the IAEA Safety Standards Series publication No. SF-1 entitled F UDAMENTAL Safety PRINCIPLES p ublished on 2006. This publication states the fundamental safety objective and ten associated safety principles, and briefly describes their intent and purposes. Safety measures and security measures have in common the aim of protecting human life and health and the environment. These safety principles are: 1) Responsibility for safety, 2) Role of the government, 3) Leadership and management for safety, 4) Justification of facilities and activities, 5) Optimization of protection, 6) Limitation of risks to individuals, 7) Protection of present and future generations, 8) Prevention of accidents, 9)Emergency preparedness and response and 10) Protective action to reduce existing or unregulated radiation risks. The safety principles concern the security of facilities and activities to the extent that they apply to measures that contribute to both safety and security. Safety measures and security measures must be designed and implemented in an integrated manner so that security measures do not compromise safety and safety measures do not compromise security.

  12. Reactor safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butz, H.P.; Heuser, F.W.; May, H.

    1985-01-01

    The paper comprises an introduction into nuclear physics bases, the safety concept generally speaking, safety devices of pwr type reactors, accident analysis, external influences, probabilistic safety assessment and risk studies. It further describes operational experience, licensing procedures under the Atomic Energy Law, research in reactor safety and the nuclear fuel cycle. (DG) [de

  13. Safety indicators: an efficient tool for a better safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aufort, P.; Lars, R.

    1993-01-01

    Safety indicators based on the examination of the Operating Technical Specifications have been defined with the aim of following the in-operation safety level of French nuclear power plants. These safety indicators are operation feedback tools which permit the a posteriori justification and the adjustment of actual procedures. They would allow detection of an abnormal unavailability occurrence rate or a situation revealing a potential safety problem. So, data acquisition, processing, analysis and display software allowing trend analysis of these indicators has been developed so far as: a reflexion tool for the power plant operators about the safety instructions and the adjustment of preventive maintenance, and a help for decision making at a national level for the examination and the improvement of Operating Technical Specifications. This paper presents the objectives of these safety indicators, the processing tool associated, the preliminary results obtained and more elaborate processing of these indicators. These safety indicators may be very useful in framing probabilistic safety assessments. (author)

  14. Safety culture: modern slogan or effective contribution to safety?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salm, M.

    1994-01-01

    Safety culture is defined and its impact on nuclear power plants is documented using the words of the INSAG of IAEA. Two examples from the field of aviation and space flight testify, that the upper management, by its sheer image, may considerably influence actions of the lower levels of the hierarchy. Management therefore can do a lot more for safety than is commonly assumed. Two examples, although separated by 57 years, show that the mentioned influence remains unchanged inspire of progress in management- and organisation-methods as well as in safety-engineering. Safety culture is an overriding element of safety, acting at all levels of a hierarchy. Its action is most important on those levels, for which precise reglementation is hardly possible. The chain of technical and organisational measures guarantees safety only under the condition, that it is embedded in 'safety culture'. Safety culture therefore merits our full attention. (author) 1 fig

  15. Novel application of vacuum sealing drainage with continuous irrigation of potassium permanganate for managing infective wounds of gas gangrene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Ning; Wu, Xing-Huo; Liu, Rong; Yang, Shu-Hua; Huang, Wei; Jiang, Dian-Ming; Wu, Qiang; Xia, Tian; Shao, Zeng-Wu; Ye, Zhe-Wei

    2015-08-01

    Traumatic gas gangrene is a fatal infection mainly caused by Clostridium perfringens. It is a challenge to manage gas gangrene in open wounds and control infection after debridement or amputation. The aim of the present study was to use vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) with continuous irrigation of potassium permanganate to manage infective wounds of gas gangrene and observe its clinical efficacy. A total of 48 patients with open traumatic gas gangrene infection were included in this study. Amputations were done for 27 patients, and limb salvage procedures were performed for the others. After amputation or aggressive debridement, the VSD system, including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) foam dressing and polyurethane (PU) film, with continuous irrigation of 1:5000 potassium permanganate solutions, was applied to the wounds. During the follow-up, all the patients healed without recurrence within 8-18 months. There were four complications. Cardiac arrest during amputation surgery occurred in one patient who suffered from severe septic shock. Emergent resuscitation was performed and the patient returned to stable condition. One patient suffered from mixed infection of Staphylococcal aureus, and a second-stage debridement was performed. One patient suffered from severe pain of the limb after the debridement. Exploratory operation was done and the possible reason was trauma of a local peripheral nerve. Three cases of crush syndrome had dialysis treatment for concomitant renal failure. In conclusion, VSD can convert open wound to closed wound, and evacuate necrotic tissues. Furthermore, potassium permanganate solutions help eliminate anaerobic microenvironment and achieve good therapeutic effect on gas gangrene and mixed infection. VSD with continuous irrigation of potassium permanganate is a novel, simple and feasible alternative for severe traumatic open wounds with gas gangrene infection.

  16. Horizontal right axillary minithoracotomy: aesthetic and effective option for atrial and ventricular septal defect repair in infants and toddlers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana da Fonseca da Silva

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Congenital heart defects treatment shows progressive reduction in morbidity and mortality, however, the scar, resulting from ventricular (VSD and atrial septal defect (ASD repair, may cause discomfort. Right axillary minithoracotomy approach, by avoiding the breast growth region, is an option for correction of these defects that may provide better aesthetic results at low cost. Since October 2011, we have been using this technique for repairing VSD and ASD defects as well as associated defects. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of this method in children undergoing correction of VSD and ASD, to compare perioperative clinical outcomes with those repaired by median sternotomy, and to evaluate the aesthetic result. Methods: Perioperative clinical data of 25 patients submitted to axillary thoracotomy were compared with data from a paired group of 25 patients with similar heart defects repaired by median sternotomy, from October 2011 to August 2012. Results: Axillary approach was possible even in infants. There was no mortality and the main perioperative variables were similar in both groups, except for lower use of blood products in the axillary group (6/25 vs. control (13/25, with statistical difference (P =0.04. The VSD size varied from 7 to 15 mm in axillary group. Cannulation of the aorta and vena cavae was performed through the main incision, whose size ranged from 3 to 5 cm in the axillary group, with excellent aesthetic results. Conclusion: The axillary thoracotomy was effective, allowing for a heart defect repair similar to the median sternotomy, with more satisfactory aesthetic results and reduced blood transfusion, and it can be safely used in infants.

  17. [Neonatal anatomical repair of transposition of great vessels associated with atrial septal defect. Apropos of 42 cases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Planché, C; Serraf, A; Bruniaux, J; Lacour-Gayet, F; Bouchart, F; Losay, J; Touchot, A

    1991-05-01

    The good results obtained by anatomic correction of simple transposition of the great arteries (TGA) in the neonatal period have incited some surgical teams to widen the indications to neonates with TGA associated with ventricular septal defect (VSD). The classical management of these patients is a two stage procedure: banding of the pulmonary artery followed by detransposition, which carries a certain risk. Between January 1985 and June 1990, 42 neonates with TGA and VSD underwent a combined procedure consisting in anatomic correction of the TGA and closure of the VSD. The average age of these patients was 16 days, and the average weight was 3.3 kg. Ten patients had coarctation and 6 underwent a complete one stage correction by an anterior approach. The surgical technique consisted in closing the VSD from the right atrium in 20 patients, from the right ventricle in 11 patients and from the pulmonary artery in 11 patients, associated with detransposition of the great arteries and coronary artery reimplantation. Three children died in the preoperative period (7.1%). In two cases, death was related to malposition of the coronary artery. The third fatality was the result of haemorrhage. There has been one late death three years after surgery. Four patients have been reoperated for stenosis of the right ventricular outflow tract (1 case), recurrence of coarctation (2 cases) and stenosis of the superior vena cava (1 case) and have survived. All patients were followed up for an average period of 26.4 +/- 19 months. They are all in the NYHA Class I without treatment. One patient has mild aortic regurgitation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  18. Dental management of pediatric patients affected by pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect: A scoping review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garrocho-Rangel, A; Echavarría-García, A-C; Rosales-Bérber, M-A; Flores-Velázquez, J; Pozos-Guillén, A

    2017-07-01

    Congenital Heart Diseases (CHD) involves a wide range of pathological conditions, such as Pulmonary Atresia with Ventricle Septal Defect (PA/VSD). This disorder leads to the systemic circulation of oxygen-poor blood (cyanosis), with associated features and consequences in the oral cavity. Using scoping review methodology for screening and article selection, the primary objectives of this paper were as follows: first, to pose a research question; second, to identify relevant studies in order to answer the research question; third, to select and retrieve the studies; fourth, to chart the critical data, and finally, to collate, summarize, and report the results from the most important articles on the dental management of children affected with PA/VSD. Relevant articles (Randomized Controlled Trials [RCT], reviews, observational studies, and clinical case reports) published over a 10-year period were identified and retrieved from four Internet databases: PubMed; Embase/Ovid; Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. By title and abstract screening and after removing duplicates, 24 articles were finally included in the present scoping review. According to the extracted data, the following are the most important clinical issues to be considered when treating children with PA/VSD in the dental setting: prevalence of dental caries; prevention of dental disease (oral hygiene and diet); bacteremia and infective endocarditis risk, and child behavior control and treatment under general anesthesia. Pediatric Dentists should bear in mind that early diagnosis and treatment, together a long-term follow-up of children with PA/VSD, continue to be the best approaches for achieving enhanced patient psychological well-being and, in consequence, their good quality of life.

  19. Nuclear Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-09-01

    In this short paper it has only been possible to deal in a rather general way with the standards of safety used in the UK nuclear industry. The record of the industry extending over at least twenty years is impressive and, indeed, unique. No other industry has been so painstaking in protection of its workers and in its avoidance of damage to the environment. Headings are: introduction; how a nuclear power station works; radiation and its effects (including reference to ICRP, the UK National Radiological Protection Board, and safety standards); typical radiation doses (natural radiation, therapy, nuclear power programme and other sources); safety of nuclear reactors - design; key questions (matters of concern which arise in the public mind); safety of operators; safety of people in the vicinity of a nuclear power station; safety of the general public; safety bodies. (U.K.)

  20. Industrial safety management with emphasis on construction safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharya, R.

    2016-01-01

    Safety professionals, line managers, team leaders and concerned workers today eagerly discuss to find out the best safety approach for their workplace. Some research suggested that behaviour based and comprehensive ergonomics approaches lead in average reduction of injuries. This article discusses 'the science and engineering' behind improvement in industrial safety aspects particularly at construction sites through various safety approaches. A high degree of commitment to safety by the project management and rigorous and proactive measures are essential to prevent accidents at construction sites particularly in DAE units because of its sensitivity. Persistent efforts by the project management are needed for sustainable and committed safety at work place. The number of fatalities occurring from construction work in DAE units is sometimes disturbing and fall of person from height and through openings are the major causes for serious accidents

  1. Organization and Nuclear Safety: Safety culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin Marquinez, A.

    1998-01-01

    This book presents the experience in nuclear safety and its influence in the exploitation on nuclear power plants. The safety organization and quality management before and after Chernobylsk and three mile island accidents

  2. Anaesthetic management of a child with "cor-triatriatum" and multiple ventricular septal defects - A rare congenital anomaly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sriram Sabade

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Cor-triatriatum is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly. It accounts for 0.1% of congenital heart diseases. Its association with multiple ventricular septal defects (VSD is even rarer. A five-month-old baby was admitted with respiratory distress and failure to thrive. Clinical examination revealed diastolic murmur over mitral area. Chest X-ray showed cardiomegaly. Haematological and biochemical investigations were within normal limits. Electrocardiogram showed left atrial enlargement. 2D echo showed double-chambered left atrium (cor-triatriatum, atrial septal defect (ASD and muscular VSD with moderate pulmonary arterial hypertension. The child was treated with 100% oxygen, diuretics and digoxin and was stabilized medically. We used balanced anaesthetic technique using oxygen, air, isoflurane, fentanyl, midazolam and vecuronium. Patient was operated under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB with moderate hypothermia. Through right atriotomy abnormal membrane in the left atrium was excised to make one chamber. VSD were closed with Dacron patches and ASD was closed with autologous pericardial patch. Patient tolerated the whole procedure well and was ventilated electively for 12h in the intensive care unit. He was discharged on the 10 th postoperative day.

  3. Arginine side chain interactions and the role of arginine as a gating charge carrier in voltage sensitive ion channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Craig T.; Mason, Philip E.; Anderson, J. L. Ross; Dempsey, Christopher E.

    2016-02-01

    Gating charges in voltage-sensing domains (VSD) of voltage-sensitive ion channels and enzymes are carried on arginine side chains rather than lysine. This arginine preference may result from the unique hydration properties of the side chain guanidinium group which facilitates its movement through a hydrophobic plug that seals the center of the VSD, as suggested by molecular dynamics simulations. To test for side chain interactions implicit in this model we inspected interactions of the side chains of arginine and lysine with each of the 19 non-glycine amino acids in proteins in the protein data bank. The arginine guanidinium interacts with non-polar aromatic and aliphatic side chains above and below the guanidinium plane while hydrogen bonding with polar side chains is restricted to in-plane positions. In contrast, non-polar side chains interact largely with the aliphatic part of the lysine side chain. The hydration properties of arginine and lysine are strongly reflected in their respective interactions with non-polar and polar side chains as observed in protein structures and in molecular dynamics simulations, and likely underlie the preference for arginine as a mobile charge carrier in VSD.

  4. Rest and exercise ventricular function in adults with congenital ventricular septal defects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jablonsky, G.; Hilton, J.D.; Liu, P.P.; Morch, J.E.; Druck, M.N.; Bar-Shlomo, B.Z.; McLaughlin, P.R.

    1983-01-01

    Rest and exercise right and left ventricular function were compared using equilibrium gated radionuclide angiography in 19 normal sedentary control subjects and 34 patients with hemodynamically documented congenital ventricular septal defect (VSD). Gated radionuclide angiography was performed at rest and during each level of graded supine bicycle exercise to fatigue. Heart rate, blood pressure, maximal work load achieved, and right and left ventricular ejection fractions were assessed. The control subjects demonstrated an increase in both the left and right ventricular ejection fractions with exercise. All study groups failed to demonstrate an increase in ejection fraction in either ventricle with exercise. Furthermore, resting left ventricular ejection fraction in Groups 2 and 3 was lower than that in the control subjects and resting right ventricular ejection fraction was lower in Group 3 versus control subjects. Thus left and right ventricular function on exercise were abnormal in patients with residual VSD as compared with control subjects; rest and exercise left ventricular ejection fractions remained abnormal despite surgical closure of VSD in the remote past; resting left and right ventricular function was abnormal in patients with Eisenmenger's complex; lifelong volume overload may be detrimental to myocardial function

  5. Safety assessment and verification for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    This Safety Guide was prepared under the IAEA programme for safety standards for nuclear power plants. The present publication is a revision of the IAEA Safety Guide on Management of Nuclear Power Plants for Safe Operation issued in 1984. It supplements Section 2 of the Safety Requirements publication on Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation. Nuclear power technology is different from the customary technology of power generation from fossil fuel and by hydroelectric means. One major difference between the management of nuclear power plants and that of conventional generating plants is the emphasis that should be placed on nuclear safety, quality assurance, the management of radioactive waste and radiological protection, and the accompanying national regulatory requirements. This Safety Guide highlights the important elements of effective management in relation to these aspects of safety. The attention to be paid to safety requires that the management recognize that personnel involved in the nuclear power programme should understand, respond effectively to, and continuously search for ways to enhance safety in the light of any additional requirements socially and legally demanded of nuclear energy. This will help to ensure that safety policies that result in the safe operation of nuclear power plants are implemented and that margins of safety are always maintained. The structure of the organization, management standards and administrative controls should be such that there is a high degree of assurance that safety policies and decisions are implemented, safety is continuously enhanced and a strong safety culture is promoted and supported. The objective of this publication is to guide Member States in setting up an operating organization which facilitates the safe operation of nuclear power plants to a high level internationally. The second objective is to provide guidance on the most important organizational elements in order to contribute to a strong safety

  6. Safety assessment and verification for nuclear power plants. Safety guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    This Safety Guide was prepared under the IAEA programme for safety standards for nuclear power plants. The present publication is a revision of the IAEA Safety Guide on Management of Nuclear Power Plants for Safe Operation issued in 1984. It supplements Section 2 of the Safety Requirements publication on Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation. Nuclear power technology is different from the customary technology of power generation from fossil fuel and by hydroelectric means. One major difference between the management of nuclear power plants and that of conventional generating plants is the emphasis that should be placed on nuclear safety, quality assurance, the management of radioactive waste and radiological protection, and the accompanying national regulatory requirements. This Safety Guide highlights the important elements of effective management in relation to these aspects of safety. The attention to be paid to safety requires that the management recognize that personnel involved in the nuclear power programme should understand, respond effectively to, and continuously search for ways to enhance safety in the light of any additional requirements socially and legally demanded of nuclear energy. This will help to ensure that safety policies that result in the safe operation of nuclear power plants are implemented and that margins of safety are always maintained. The structure of the organization, management standards and administrative controls should be such that there is a high degree of assurance that safety policies and decisions are implemented, safety is continuously enhanced and a strong safety culture is promoted and supported. The objective of this publication is to guide Member States in setting up an operating organization which facilitates the safe operation of nuclear power plants to a high level internationally. The second objective is to provide guidance on the most important organizational elements in order to contribute to a strong safety

  7. Safety and security profiles of industry networks used in safety- critical applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mária FRANEKOVÁ

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The author describes the mechanisms of safety and security profiles of industry and communication networks used within safety – related applications in technological and information levels of process control recommended according to standards IEC 61784-3,4. Nowadays the number of vendors of the safety – related communication technologies who guarantees besides the standard communication, the communication amongst the safety – related equipment according to IEC 61508 is increasing. Also the number of safety – related products is increasing, e. g. safety Fieldbus, safety PLC, safety curtains, safety laser scanners, safety buttons, safety relays and other. According to world survey the safety Fieldbus denoted the highest growth from all manufactured safety products.The main part of this paper is the description of the safety-related Fieldbus communication system, which has to guaranty Safety Integrity Level.

  8. Hospital safety climate and safety behavior: A social exchange perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ancarani, Alessandro; Di Mauro, Carmela; Giammanco, Maria D

    Safety climate is considered beneficial to the improvement of hospital safety outcomes. Nevertheless, the relations between two of its key constituents, namely those stemming from leader-subordinate relations and coworker support for safety, are still to be fully ascertained. This article uses the theoretical lens of Social Exchange Theory to study the joint impact of leader-member exchange in the safety sphere and coworker support for safety on safety-related behavior at the hospital ward level. Social exchange constructs are further related to the existence of a shame-/blame-free environment, seen as a potential antecedent of safety behavior. A cross-sectional study including 166 inpatients in hospital wards belonging to 10 public hospitals in Italy was undertaken to test the hypotheses developed. Hypothesized relations have been analyzed through a fully mediated multilevel structural equation model. This methodology allows studying behavior at the individual level, while keeping into account the heterogeneity among hospital specialties. Results suggest that the linkage between leader support for safety and individual safety behavior is mediated by coworker support on safety issues and by the creation of a shame-free environment. These findings call for the creation of a safety climate in which managerial efforts should be directed not only to the provision of new safety resources and the enforcement of safety rules but also to the encouragement of teamwork and freedom to report errors as ways to foster the capacity of the staff to communicate, share, and learn from each other.

  9. Safety assessment, safety performance indicators at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baji, C.; Vamos, G.; Toth, J.

    2001-01-01

    The Paks Nuclear Power Plant has been using different methods of safety assessment (event analysis, self-assessment, probabilistic safety analysis), including performance indicators characterizing both operational and safety performance since the early years of operation of the plant. Regarding the safety performance, the indicators include safety system performance, number of scrams, release of radioactive materials, number of safety significant events, industrial safety indicator, etc. The Paks NPP also reports a set of ten indicators to WANO Performance Indicator Programme which, among others, include safety related indicators as well. However, a more systematic approach to structuring and trending safety indicators is needed so that they can contribute to the enhancement of the operational safety. A more comprehensive set of indicators and a systematic evaluation process was introduced in 1996. The performance indicators framework proposed by the IAEA was adapted to Paks in this year to further improve the process. Safety culture assessment and characterizing safety culture is part of the assessment process. (author)

  10. Management of safety and safety culture at the NPPs of Ukraine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koltakov, Vladimir

    2002-01-01

    The report contains general aspects of safety and safety culture. The brief description of operational characteristics and basic indexes of atomic power plants at the Ukraine are represented. The information referring to structure of NPPs of Operation organization license-holder, safety responsibility of both Regulatory and Utility Bodies also is given. The main part of the report include seven sections: 1. Practical application of safety management models; 2. erspective on the relationship between safety management and safety culture; 3. The role of leadership in achieving high standards of safety; 4. Current and future challengers that impact on safety culture and safety management (e.g. the impact of competition, changing, economic and political circumstances, workforce demographics, etc.); 5. Key lessons learned from major events; 6. Practical applications of safety culture concepts (e.g. learning organizations, training staff communications, etc.); 7. dvance in human performance. Some of the main pending safety and safety culture problems that are necessary to achieve in the near future are mentioned

  11. Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery with patent ductus arteriosus: a must to recognize entity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awasthy, Neeraj; Marwah, Ashutosh; Sharma, Rajesh; Dalvi, Bharat

    2010-09-01

    Anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk (ALCAPA) presents in early infancy with a clinical picture of congestive heart failure with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and mitral insufficiency. These manifestations of myocardial ischaemia may be masked in the presence of an associated patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) or ventricular septal defect (VSD) which prevents the fall of pulmonary artery pressures and allows perfusion of the anomalous coronary artery. We present a case of a patient with large PDA-associated ALCAPA and preserved LV function. The importance of such a finding lies in the fact that VSD closure or PDA ligation in such cases would unmask the ALCAPA.

  12. The Safety Case and Safety Assessment for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2012-09-15

    This Safety Guide provides guidance and recommendations on meeting the safety requirements in respect of the safety case and supporting safety assessment for the disposal of radioactive waste. The safety case and supporting safety assessment provide the basis for demonstration of safety and for licensing of radioactive waste disposal facilities and assist and guide decisions on siting, design and operations. The safety case is also the main basis on which dialogue with interested parties is conducted and on which confidence in the safety of the disposal facility is developed. This Safety Guide is relevant for operating organizations preparing the safety case as well as for the regulatory body responsible for developing the regulations and regulatory guidance that determine the basis and scope of the safety case. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Demonstrating the safety of radioactive waste disposal; 3. Safety principles and safety requirements; 4. The safety case for disposal of radioactive waste; 5. Radiological impact assessment for the period after closure; 6. Specific issues; 7. Documentation and use of the safety case; 8. Regulatory review process.

  13. Design for safety: theoretical framework of the safety aspect of BIM system to determine the safety index

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ai Lin Evelyn Teo

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Despite the safety improvement drive that has been implemented in the construction industry in Singapore for many years, the industry continues to report the highest number of workplace fatalities, compared to other industries. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the theoretical framework of the safety aspect of a proposed BIM System to determine a Safety Index. An online questionnaire survey was conducted to ascertain the current workplace safety and health situation in the construction industry and explore how BIM can be used to improve safety performance in the industry. A safety hazard library was developed based on the main contributors to fatal accidents in the construction industry, determined from the formal records and existing literature, and a series of discussions with representatives from the Workplace Safety and Health Institute (WSH Institute in Singapore. The results from the survey suggested that the majority of the firms have implemented the necessary policies, programmes and procedures on Workplace Safety and Health (WSH practices. However, BIM is still not widely applied or explored beyond the mandatory requirement that building plans should be submitted to the authorities for approval in BIM format. This paper presents a discussion of the safety aspect of the Intelligent Productivity and Safety System (IPASS developed in the study. IPASS is an intelligent system incorporating the buildable design concept, theory on the detection, prevention and control of hazards, and the Construction Safety Audit Scoring System (ConSASS. The system is based on the premise that safety should be considered at the design stage, and BIM can be an effective tool to facilitate the efforts to enhance safety performance. IPASS allows users to analyse and monitor key aspects of the safety performance of the project before the project starts and as the project progresses.

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  20. Down's syndrome with Ventricular septal Defect (VsD)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    InTRodUcTIon. Down's syndrome (DS) (Trisomy 21) occurs in about one in 800 live births without predilection for race or socioeconomic class with a male to female ratio of. 1:1. It is the most common chromosomal abnormality in newborns and one of the most frequent genetic causes of mild to moderate mental retardation1, ...

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  18. Periodic safety review of the HTR-10 safety analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Fubing; Zheng Yanhua; Shi Lei; Li Fu

    2015-01-01

    Designed by the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET) of Tsinghua University, the 10 MW High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor-Test Module (HTR-10) is the first modular High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) in China. According to the nuclear safety regulations of China, the periodic safety review (PSR) of the HTR-10 was initiated by INET after approved by the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) of China. Safety analysis of the HTR-10 is one of the key safety factors of the PSR. In this paper, the main contents in the review of safety analysis are summarized; meanwhile, the internal evaluation on the review results is presented by INET. (authors)

  19. Safety-barrier diagrams as a safety management tool

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duijm, Nijs Jan

    2009-01-01

    Safety-barrier diagrams and “bow-tie” diagrams have become popular methods in risk analysis and safety management. This paper describes the syntax and principles for constructing consistent and valid safety-barrier diagrams. The latter's relation to other methods such as fault trees and Bayesian...

  20. Risk communication activities toward nuclear safety in Tokai: your safety is our safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuchiya, T.

    2007-01-01

    As several decades have passed since the construction of nuclear power plants began, residents have become gradually less interested in nuclear safety. The Tokai criticality accident in 1909, however, had roused residents in Tokai-Mura to realize that they live with nuclear technology risks. To prepare a field of risk communication, the Tokai-Mura C 3 project began as a pilot research project supported by NISA. Alter the project ended, we are continuing risk. communication activities as a non-profit organisation. The most important activity of C 3 project is the citizen's inspection programme for nuclear related facilities. This programme was decided by participants who voluntarily applied to the project. The concept of the citizen's inspection programme is 'not the usual facility tours'. Participants are involved from the planning stage and continue to communicate with workers of the inspected nuclear facility. Since 2003, we have conducted six programmes for five nuclear related organisations. Participants evaluated that radiation protection measures were near good but there were some problems concerning the worker's safety and safety culture, and proposed a mixture of advice based on personal experience. Some advice was accepted and it did improve the facility's safety measures. Other suggestions were not agreed upon by nuclear organisations. The reason lies in the difference of concept between the nuclear expert's 'safety' and the citizen's 'safety'. Residents do not worry about radiation only, but also about the facility's safety as a whole including the worker's safety. They say, 'If the workers are not safe, you also are unable to protect us'. Although the disagreement remained, the participants and the nuclear industry learned much about each other. Participating citizens received a substantial amount of knowledge about the nuclear industry and its safety measures, and feel the credibility and openness of the nuclear industry. On the other hand, the nuclear

  1. Patient safety climate and worker safety behaviours in acute hospitals in Scotland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agnew, Cakil; Flin, Rhona; Mearns, Kathryn

    2013-06-01

    To obtain a measure of hospital safety climate from a sample of National Health Service (NHS) acute hospitals in Scotland and to test whether these scores were associated with worker safety behaviors, and patient and worker injuries. Data were from 1,866 NHS clinical staff in six Scottish acute hospitals. A Scottish Hospital Safety Questionnaire measured hospital safety climate (Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture), worker safety behaviors, and worker and patient injuries. The associations between the hospital safety climate scores and the outcome measures (safety behaviors, worker and patient injury rates) were examined. Hospital safety climate scores were significantly correlated with clinical workers' safety behavior and patient and worker injury measures, although the effect sizes were smaller for the latter. Regression analyses revealed that perceptions of staffing levels and managerial commitment were significant predictors for all the safety outcome measures. Both patient-specific and more generic safety climate items were found to have significant impacts on safety outcome measures. This study demonstrated the influences of different aspects of hospital safety climate on both patient and worker safety outcomes. Moreover, it has been shown that in a hospital setting, a safety climate supporting safer patient care would also help to ensure worker safety. The Scottish Hospital Safety Questionnaire has proved to be a usable method of measuring both hospital safety climate as well as patient and worker safety outcomes. Copyright © 2013 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements (Arabic Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-01-01

    This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factors, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.

  3. Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements (Chinese Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-01-01

    This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factors, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.

  4. Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements (French Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-01-01

    This Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factors, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.

  5. Leadership and Management for Safety. General Safety Requirements (Spanish Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2017-01-01

    his Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements that support Principle 3 of the Fundamental Safety Principles in relation to establishing, sustaining and continuously improving leadership and management for safety and an integrated management system. It emphasizes that leadership for safety, management for safety, an effective management system and a systemic approach (i.e. an approach in which interactions between technical, human and organizational factors are duly considered) are all essential to the specification and application of adequate safety measures and to the fostering of a strong safety culture. Leadership and an effective management system will integrate safety, health, environmental, security, quality, human-and-organizational factors, societal and economic elements. The management system will ensure the fostering of a strong safety culture, regular assessment of performance and the application of lessons from experience. The publication is intended for use by regulatory bodies, operating organizations and other organizations concerned with facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.

  6. Safety Evakuation Of Triga-2000 Reactor Operation Viewed From Safety Culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karliana, Itjeu

    2001-01-01

    The safety evaluation activities of TRIGA-2000 operation viewed from safety culture performed by questioners data collected from the operators and supervisor site of TRIGA-2000 P3TN, Bandung. There are 9 activity aspects surveyed, for instant to avail the policy of safety from their chairman, safety management, education and training, emergency aids planning, safety consultancy, accident information, safety analysis, safety devices, safety and occupational health. The surveying undertaken by filling the questioner that containing of 9 activity aspects and 20 samples of employees. The safety evaluation results' of the operation personnel in TRIGA-2000 P3TN are good implemented by both the operators and supervisors should be improve and attention need to provide the equipment's. The education and training especially for safety refreshment must be performing

  7. Product Safety Culture: A New Variant of Safety Culture?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suhanyiova, L.; Flin, R.; Irwin, A.

    2016-01-01

    Product safety culture is a new research area which concerns user safety rather than worker or process safety. The concept appears to have emerged after the investigation into the Nimrod aircraft accident (Haddon-Cave, 2009) which echoed aspects of NASA’s Challenger and Columbia crashes. In these cases, through a blend of human and organizational failures, the culture deteriorated to the extent of damaging product integrity, resulting in user fatalities. Haddon-Cave noted that it was due to a failure in leadership and organizational safety culture that accidents such as the Nimrod happened, where the aircraft exploded due to several serious technical failures, preceded by deficiencies in the safety case. Now some organizations are starting to measure product safety culture. This is important in day-to-day life as well, where a product failure as a result of poor organizational safety culture, can cause user harm or death, as in the case of Takata airbags scandal in 2015. Eight people have lost their lives and many were injured. According to investigation reports this was due to the company’s safety malpractices of fixing faulty airbags and proceeding to install them in vehicles, as well as secretly conducting tests to assess the integrity of their product and then deleting the data and denying safety issues as a result of the company’s cost-cutting policies. As such, organizational culture, specifically the applications of safety culture, can have far-reaching consequences beyond the workplace of an organization.

  8. O papel da biopsia pulmonar na indicação cirúrgica de cardiopatias congénitas The role of lung biopsy in the decision-making process for congenital heart disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Solange Bordignon

    1992-12-01

    were studied from 198 0 to 1991 at the Instituto de Cardiologia do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Age range was 5m to 28y6m (mean=7y7m. The diagnoses were: VSD (16; PDA (3; VSD and SubAortic Stenosis (1; PDA and VSD (2; PDA and ASD (1; AVSD (7; Incomplete AVSV and PDA (1; PDA and ACo (1; AAI with PDA and VSD (2; DORV with VSD and or PDA (6; DOLV with PS (1; TA (1, TGA (1; Corrected TGA with VSD (1 and Truncus Arteriosus (5. There were 3 hospitalar deaths after the biopsy procedure (6.1%. When the pulmonary vascular lesions were classified as Heath-Edwards class III or less, surgical correction was performed. There were 21 patients, 11 simple defects (PDA; VSD; AVSD with 4 deaths (36.4% and 10 complex heart defects with 3 deaths (30% . One patient with VSD had persistent evolutive pulmonary hypertension. The remaining 13 had benefited from the correction. In conclusion, lung biopsy may be useful for the surgical decision in congenital heart disease with severe pulmonary hypertension. As a surgical procedure with the involved risks, it must be selectively indicated. Most patients with vascular lesions below class III (H-E, despite other methods of evaluation would benefit from the corrective procedure.

  9. Safety culture in nuclear installations. Management of safety and safety culture in Indian NPPs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rawal, S.C.

    2002-01-01

    Nuclear Power Corporation Of India Ltd. (NPCIL) is a company owned by Government of India and is responsible for Design, Construction, Commissioning, Operation and Decommissioning of Nuclear Power plants in India. Presently, a total of 13 Nuclear power Stations are in operation with an installed capacity of 2620 MWe and 2 VVR type PWR Units of 1000 MWe capacity each, 2 PHWR type units of 500 MWe capacity each and 4 PHWR type 220 MWe capacity each are under construction. NPPs generation capacity has been increased from 70% to 85% in the span Of last 7 years with high level of safety standards. This could be achieved through Management commitment towards building a strong Safety Culture. Safety culture is that assembly of characteristics and attitudes in organisation and individuals which establishes that as an overriding priority nuclear plant safety issues receives the attention warranted by their significance. This definition of safety culture brings out two major components in its manifestation. The framework within which individuals within the organisation works.The attitude and response of individual towards the safety issues over productivity and economics in the organisational work practices. The two attributes of safety culture are built in and upgraded in each individuals through special training at the time of entry in the organisation and later through in built procedures in the work practices, motivation and encouragement for free participation of each individuals. Individuals are encouraged to participate in Quality circle teams at the sectional level and review of safety proposal originated by individuals in Station operation Review Committee at Station level, in addition to this to continuously enhance the safety culture, refresher training courses are being organised at regular intervals. The safety related proposals are categorised in to two namely: Proposals from Operating Plants, and Proposals from projects and Design. The concept of safety

  10. Correlation between safety climate and contractor safety assessment programs in construction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sparer, Emily H; Murphy, Lauren A; Taylor, Kathryn M; Dennerlein, Jack T

    2013-12-01

    Contractor safety assessment programs (CSAPs) measure safety performance by integrating multiple data sources together; however, the relationship between these measures of safety performance and safety climate within the construction industry is unknown. Four hundred and one construction workers employed by 68 companies on 26 sites and 11 safety managers employed by 11 companies completed brief surveys containing a nine-item safety climate scale developed for the construction industry. CSAP scores from ConstructSecure, Inc., an online CSAP database, classified these 68 companies as high or low scorers, with the median score of the sample population as the threshold. Spearman rank correlations evaluated the association between the CSAP score and the safety climate score at the individual level, as well as with various grouping methodologies. In addition, Spearman correlations evaluated the comparison between manager-assessed safety climate and worker-assessed safety climate. There were no statistically significant differences between safety climate scores reported by workers in the high and low CSAP groups. There were, at best, weak correlations between workers' safety climate scores and the company CSAP scores, with marginal statistical significance with two groupings of the data. There were also no significant differences between the manager-assessed safety climate and the worker-assessed safety climate scores. A CSAP safety performance score does not appear to capture safety climate, as measured in this study. The nature of safety climate in construction is complex, which may be reflective of the challenges in measuring safety climate within this industry. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:1463-1472, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Current Activities on Nuclear Safety Culture in Korea. How to meet the challenges for Safety and Safety Culture?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oh, Chaewoon [International Policy Department Policy and Standard Division, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, 19 Gusung-Dong Yuseong-Ku, 305-338 DAEJEON (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-07-01

    'Statement of Nuclear Safety Policy' declared by the Korean Government elucidates adherence to the principle of 'priority to safety'. The 3. Comprehensive Nuclear Energy Promotion Plan (2007-2011) more specifically addressed the necessity to develop and apply 'safety culture evaluation criteria' and to strengthen safety management of concerned organizations in an autonomous way. Putting these policies as a backdrop, Korean Government has taken diverse safety culture initiatives and has encouraged the relevant organizations to develop safety culture practices of their own accord. Accordingly, KHNP, the operating organization in Korea, developed a 'safety culture performance indicator', which has been used to evaluate safety mind of employees and the evaluation results have been continuously reflected in operational management and training programs. Furthermore, KHNP inserted 'nuclear safety culture subject' into every course of more than two week length, and provided employees with special lectures on safety culture. KINS, the regulatory organization, developed indicators for the safety culture evaluation based on the IAEA Guidelines. Also, KINS has hosted an annual Nuclear Safety Technology Information Meeting to share information between regulatory organizations and industries. Furthermore, KINS provided a nuclear safety culture class to the new employees and they are given a chance to participate in performance of a role-reversal socio-drama. Additionally, KINS developed a safety culture training program, published training materials and conducted a 'Nuclear Safety Culture Basic Course' in October 2007, 4 times of which are planed this year. In conclusion, from Government to relevant organizations, 'nuclear safety culture' concept is embraced as important and has been put into practice on a variety of forms. Specifically, 'education and training' is a starting line and sharing

  12. Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    This annual report of the Senior Inspector for the Nuclear Safety, analyses the nuclear safety at EDF for the year 1999 and proposes twelve subjects of consideration to progress. Five technical documents are also provided and discussed concerning the nuclear power plants maintenance and safety (thermal fatigue, vibration fatigue, assisted control and instrumentation of the N4 bearing, 1300 MW reactors containment and time of life of power plants). (A.L.B.)

  13. Patient participation in patient safety still missing: Patient safety experts' views.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahlström, Merja; Partanen, Pirjo; Rathert, Cheryl; Turunen, Hannele

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study was to elicit patient safety experts' views of patient participation in promoting patient safety. Data were collected between September and December in 2014 via an electronic semi-structured questionnaire and interviews with Finnish patient safety experts (n = 21), then analysed using inductive content analysis. Patient safety experts regarded patients as having a crucial role in promoting patient safety. They generally deemed the level of patient safety as 'acceptable' in their organizations, but reported that patient participation in their own safety varied, and did not always meet national standards. Management of patient safety incidents differed between organizations. Experts also suggested that patient safety training should be increased in both basic and continuing education programmes for healthcare professionals. Patient participation in patient safety is still lacking in clinical practice and systematic actions are needed to create a safety culture in which patients are seen as equal partners in the promotion of high-quality and safe care. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  14. Drug Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... over-the-counter drug. The FDA evaluates the safety of a drug by looking at Side effects ... clinical trials The FDA also monitors a drug's safety after approval. For you, drug safety means buying ...

  15. Safety - Multiple Languages

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... bosanski (Bosnian) PDF Fire Safety at Home - English MP3 Fire Safety at Home - bosanski (Bosnian) MP3 Fire Safety at Home - English MP4 Fire Safety ... Burmese) PDF Home Safety Checklist - myanma bhasa (Burmese) MP3 Minnesota Department of Health Chinese, Simplified (Mandarin dialect) ( ...

  16. How could intelligent safety transport systems enhance safety ?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiethoff, M. Heijer, T. & Bekiaris, E.

    2017-01-01

    In Europe, many deaths and injured each years are the cost of today's road traffic. Therefore, it is wise to look for possible solutions for enhancing traffic safety. Some Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are expected to increase safety, but they may also evoke new safety hazards. Only

  17. Safety design guide for safety related systems for CANDU 9

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Duk Su; Chang, Woo Hyun; Lee, Nam Young; A. C. D. Wright

    1996-03-01

    In general, two types of safety related systems and structures exist in the nuclear plant; The one is a systems and structures which perform safety functions during the normal operation of the plant, and the other is a systems and structures which perform safety functions to mitigate events caused by failure of the normally operating systems or by naturally occurring phenomena. In this safety design guide, these systems are identified in detail, and the major events for which the safety functions are required and the major safety requirements are identified in the list. As the probabilistic safety assessments are completed during the course of the project, additions or deletions to the list may be justified. 3 tabs. (Author) .new

  18. Safety design guide for safety related systems for CANDU 9

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Duk Su; Chang, Woo Hyun; Lee, Nam Young [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daeduk (Korea, Republic of); Wright, A.C.D. [Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Toronto (Canada)

    1996-03-01

    In general, two types of safety related systems and structures exist in the nuclear plant; The one is a systems and structures which perform safety functions during the normal operation of the plant, and the other is a systems and structures which perform safety functions to mitigate events caused by failure of the normally operating systems or by naturally occurring phenomena. In this safety design guide, these systems are identified in detail, and the major events for which the safety functions are required and the major safety requirements are identified in the list. As the probabilistic safety assessments are completed during the course of the project, additions or deletions to the list may be justified. 3 tabs. (Author) .new.

  19. Occupational safety motivation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Louise; Kines, Pete

    2010-01-01

    Background: Motivation is one of the most important factors for safety behaviour and for implementing change in general. However, theoretical and psychometric studies of safety performance have traditionally treated safety motivation, safety compliance and safety participation unidimensionally....... At the same time many motivation questionnaire items are seldom founded on theory and/or do not account for the theories’ ontological and epistemological differences, e.g. of how knowledge, attitude and action are related. Present questionnaire items tap into occupational safety motivation in asking whether...... or not respondents ‘are’ motivated and whether they feel that safety is important or worthwhile. Another important aspect is ‘what’ motivates workers to comply to and participate in safety. The aim of this article is to introduce a new theory-based occupational safety motivation scale which is validated...

  20. Disentangling the roles of safety climate and safety culture: Multi-level effects on the relationship between supervisor enforcement and safety compliance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petitta, Laura; Probst, Tahira M; Barbaranelli, Claudio; Ghezzi, Valerio

    2017-02-01

    Despite increasing attention to contextual effects on the relationship between supervisor enforcement and employee safety compliance, no study has yet explored the conjoint influence exerted simultaneously by organizational safety climate and safety culture. The present study seeks to address this literature shortcoming. We first begin by briefly discussing the theoretical distinctions between safety climate and culture and the rationale for examining these together. Next, using survey data collected from 1342 employees in 32 Italian organizations, we found that employee-level supervisor enforcement, organizational-level safety climate, and autocratic, bureaucratic, and technocratic safety culture dimensions all predicted individual-level safety compliance behaviors. However, the cross-level moderating effect of safety climate was bounded by certain safety culture dimensions, such that safety climate moderated the supervisor enforcement-compliance relationship only under the clan-patronage culture dimension. Additionally, the autocratic and bureaucratic culture dimensions attenuated the relationship between supervisor enforcement and compliance. Finally, when testing the effects of technocratic safety culture and cooperative safety culture, neither safety culture nor climate moderated the relationship between supervisor enforcement and safety compliance. The results suggest a complex relationship between organizational safety culture and safety climate, indicating that organizations with particular safety cultures may be more likely to develop more (or less) positive safety climates. Moreover, employee safety compliance is a function of supervisor safety leadership, as well as the safety climate and safety culture dimensions prevalent within the organization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Predicting safety culture: the roles of employer, operations manager and safety professional.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tsung-Chih; Lin, Chia-Hung; Shiau, Sen-Yu

    2010-10-01

    This study explores predictive factors in safety culture. In 2008, a sample 939 employees was drawn from 22 departments of a telecoms firm in five regions in central Taiwan. The sample completed a questionnaire containing four scales: the employer safety leadership scale, the operations manager safety leadership scale, the safety professional safety leadership scale, and the safety culture scale. The sample was then randomly split into two subsamples. One subsample was used for measures development, one for the empirical study. A stepwise regression analysis found four factors with a significant impact on safety culture (R²=0.337): safety informing by operations managers; safety caring by employers; and safety coordination and safety regulation by safety professionals. Safety informing by operations managers (ß=0.213) was by far the most significant predictive factor. The findings of this study provide a framework for promoting a positive safety culture at the group level. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Improving construction site safety through leader-based verbal safety communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kines, Pete; Andersen, Lars P S; Spangenberg, Soren; Mikkelsen, Kim L; Dyreborg, Johnny; Zohar, Dov

    2010-10-01

    The construction industry is one of the most injury-prone industries, in which production is usually prioritized over safety in daily on-site communication. Workers have an informal and oral culture of risk, in which safety is rarely openly expressed. This paper tests the effect of increasing leader-based on-site verbal safety communication on the level of safety and safety climate at construction sites. A pre-post intervention-control design with five construction work gangs is carried out. Foremen in two intervention groups are coached and given bi-weekly feedback about their daily verbal safety communications with their workers. Foremen-worker verbal safety exchanges (experience sampling method, n=1,693 interviews), construction site safety level (correct vs. incorrect, n=22,077 single observations), and safety climate (seven dimensions, n=105 questionnaires) are measured over a period of up to 42 weeks. Baseline measurements in the two intervention and three control groups reveal that foremen speak with their workers several times a day. Workers perceive safety as part of their verbal communication with their foremen in only 6-16% of exchanges, and the levels of safety at the sites range from 70-87% (correct observations). Measurements from baseline to follow-up in the two intervention groups reveal that safety communication between foremen and workers increases significantly in one of the groups (factor 7.1 increase), and a significant yet smaller increase is found when the two intervention groups are combined (factor 4.6). Significant increases in the level of safety are seen in both intervention groups (7% and 12% increases, respectively), particularly in regards to 'access ways' and 'railings and coverings' (39% and 84% increases, respectively). Increases in safety climate are seen in only one of the intervention groups with respect to their 'attention to safety.' No significant trend changes are seen in the three control groups on any of the three measures

  3. Human Factors and Safety Culture in Maritime Safety (revised

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heinz Peter Berg

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available As in every industry at risk, the human and organizational factors constitute the main stakes for maritime safety. Furthermore, several events at sea have been used to develop appropriate risk models. The investigation on maritime accidents is, nowadays, a very important tool to identify the problems related to human factor and can support accident prevention and the improvement of maritime safety. Part of this investigation should in future also be near misses. Operation of ships is full of regulations, instructions and guidelines also addressing human factors and safety culture to enhance safety. However, even though the roots of a safety culture have been established, there are still serious barriers to the breakthrough of the safety management. One of the most common deficiencies in the case of maritime transport is the respective monitoring and documentation usually lacking of adequacy and excellence. Nonetheless, the maritime area can be exemplified from other industries where activities are ongoing to foster and enhance safety culture.

  4. SafetyAnalyst : software tools for safety management of specific highway sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    SafetyAnalyst provides a set of software tools for use by state and local highway agencies for highway safety management. SafetyAnalyst can be used by highway agencies to improve their programming of site-specific highway safety improvements. SafetyA...

  5. 76 FR 53086 - Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 49 CFR Part 192 [Docket No. PHMSA-2011-0023] RIN 2137-AE72 Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Department of Transportation (DOT...

  6. Survey and evaluation of inherent safety characteristics and passive safety systems for use in probabilistic safety analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wetzel, N.; Scharfe, A.

    1998-01-01

    The present report examines the possibilities and limits of a probabilistic safety analysis to evaluate passive safety systems and inherent safety characteristics. The inherent safety characteristics are based on physical principles, that together with the safety system lead to no damage. A probabilistic evaluation of the inherent safety characteristic is not made. An inventory of passive safety systems of accomplished nuclear power plant types in the Federal Republic of Germany was drawn up. The evaluation of the passive safety system in the analysis of the accomplished nuclear power plant types was examined. The analysis showed that the passive manner of working was always assumed to be successful. A probabilistic evaluation was not performed. The unavailability of the passive safety system was determined by the failure of active components which are necessary in order to activate the passive safety system. To evaluate the passive safety features in new concepts of nuclear power plants the AP600 from Westinghouse, the SBWR from General Electric and the SWR 600 from Siemens, were selected. Under these three reactor concepts, the SWR 600 is specially attractive because the safety features need no energy sources and instrumentation in this concept. First approaches for the assessment of the reliability of passively operating systems are summarized. Generally it can be established that the core melt frequency for the passive concepts AP600 and SBWR is advantageous in comparison to the probabilistic objectives from the European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR). Under the passive concepts is the SWR 600 particularly interesting. In this concept the passive systems need no energy sources and instrumentation, and has active operational systems and active safety equipment. Siemens argues that with this concept the frequency of a core melt will be two orders of magnitude lower than for the conventional reactors. (orig.) [de

  7. Safety at CERN

    CERN Document Server

    2009-01-01

    Safety is an integral part of our working lives, and should be in our minds whatever job we do at CERN. Ultimately, safety is the responsibility of the Director General – your safety is my concern. That’s why I have this week appointed a new Safety Policy Committee (SAPOCO) that reflects the new Organizational structure of CERN. CERN’s Staff Rules and Regulations clearly lay out in chapter 3 the scope of safety at CERN as well as my responsibilities and yours in safety matters. At CERN, safety is considered in the broadest sense, encompassing occupational Health and Safety, environmental protection, and the safety of equipment and installations. It is my responsibility to put appropriate measures in place to ensure that these conditions are met. And it is the responsibility of us all to ensure that we are fully conversant with safety provisions applicable in our areas of work and that we comply with them. The appointment of a n...

  8. Advancing sustainable safety : National Road Safety Outlook for 2005-2020.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wegman, F.C.M. & Aarts, L.T. (eds.)

    2006-01-01

    Advancing Sustainable Safety: National Road Safety Outlook for 2005-2020 is the follow-up to Naar een duurzaam veilig wegverkeer [Towards sustainably safe road traffic] (Koornstra et al., 1992). Advancing Sustainable Safety is a critique of Sustainable Safety. In this advanced version, adaptations

  9. 76 FR 70953 - Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 49 CFR Part 192 [Docket ID PHMSA-2011-0023] RIN 2137-AE72 Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA); DOT. ACTION: Advance notice of...

  10. Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. Specific Safety Requirements (Chinese Ed.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    On the basis of the principles included in the Fundamental Safety Principles, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, this Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements applicable to the design of nuclear power plants. It covers the design phase and provides input for the safe operation of the power plant. It elaborates on the safety objective, safety principles and concepts that provide the basis for deriving the safety requirements that must be met for the design of a nuclear power plant. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Applying the safety principles and concepts; 3. Management of safety in design; 4. Principal technical requirements; 5. General plant design; 6. Design of specific plant systems.

  11. Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. Specific Safety Requirements (French Ed.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    On the basis of the principles included in the Fundamental Safety Principles, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, this Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements applicable to the design of nuclear power plants. It covers the design phase and provides input for the safe operation of the power plant. It elaborates on the safety objective, safety principles and concepts that provide the basis for deriving the safety requirements that must be met for the design of a nuclear power plant. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Applying the safety principles and concepts; 3. Management of safety in design; 4. Principal technical requirements; 5. General plant design; 6. Design of specific plant systems.

  12. Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. Specific Safety Requirements (Arabic Ed.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    On the basis of the principles included in the Fundamental Safety Principles, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, this Safety Requirements publication establishes requirements applicable to the design of nuclear power plants. It covers the design phase and provides input for the safe operation of the power plant. It elaborates on the safety objective, safety principles and concepts that provide the basis for deriving the safety requirements that must be met for the design of a nuclear power plant. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Applying the safety principles and concepts; 3. Management of safety in design; 4. Principal technical requirements; 5. General plant design; 6. Design of specific plant systems.

  13. Safety climate and attitude as evaluation measures of organizational safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isla Díaz, R; Díaz Cabrera, D

    1997-09-01

    The main aim of this research is to develop a set of evaluation measures for safety attitudes and safety climate. Specifically it is intended: (a) to test the instruments; (b) to identify the essential dimensions of the safety climate in the airport ground handling companies; (c) to assess the quality of the differences in the safety climate for each company and its relation to the accident rate; (d) to analyse the relationship between attitudes and safety climate; and (e) to evaluate the influences of situational and personal factors on both safety climate and attitude. The study sample consisted of 166 subjects from three airport companies. Specifically, this research was centered on ground handling departments. The factor analysis of the safety climate instrument resulted in six factors which explained 69.8% of the total variance. We found significant differences in safety attitudes and climate in relation to type of enterprise.

  14. Safety significance of ATR passive safety response attributes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atkinson, S.A.

    1990-01-01

    The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory was designed with some passive safety response attributes which contribute to the safety of the facility. The three passive safety attributes being evaluated in the paper are: 1) In-core and in-vessel natural convection cooling, 2) a passive heat sink capability of the ATR primary coolant system (PCS) for the transfer of decay power from the uninsulated piping to the confinement, and 3) gravity feed of emergency coolant makeup. The safety significance of the ATR passive safety response attributes is that the reactor can passively respond to most transients, given a reactor scram, to provide adequate decay power removal and a significant time for operator action should the normal active heat removal systems and their backup systems both fail. The ATR Interim Level 1 Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) models and results were used to evaluate the significance to ATR fuel damage frequency (or probability) of the above three passive response attributes. The results of the evaluation indicate that the first attribute is a major safety characteristic of the ATR. The second attribute has a noticeable but only minor safety significance. The third attribute has no significant influence on the ATR firewater injection system (emergency coolant system)

  15. The road safety audit and road safety inspection.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2007-01-01

    A road safety audit (RSA) and a road safety inspection (RSI) are used to test the safety level of the road infrastructure. The RSA tests the design of new roads or the reconstruction of existing roads, whereas the RSI is used for testing existing roads. An RSA, therefore, aims to 'improve' the road

  16. Safety handbook

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1990-01-01

    The purpose of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization's Safety Handbook is to outline simply the fundamental procedures and safety precautions which provide an appropriate framework for safe working with any potential hazards, such as fire and explosion, welding, cutting, brazing and soldering, compressed gases, cryogenic liquids, chemicals, ionizing radiations, non-ionising radiations, sound and vibration, as well as safety in the office. It also specifies the organisation for safety at the Lucas Heights Research Laboratories and the responsibilities of individuals and committees. It also defines the procedures for the scrutiny and review of all operations and the resultant setting of safety rules for them. ills

  17. Safety evaluations required in the safety regulations for Monju and the validity confirmation of safety evaluation methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2013-08-15

    The purposes of this study are to perform the safety evaluations of the fast breeder reactor 'Monju' and to confirm the validity of the safety evaluation methods. In JFY 2012, the following results were obtained. As for the development of safety evaluation methods needed in the safety examination achieved for the reactor establishment permission, development of the analysis codes, such as a core damage analysis code, were carried out according to the plan. As for the development of the safety evaluation method needed for the risk informed safety regulation, the quantification technique of the event tree using the Continuous Markov chain Monte Carlo method (CMMC method) were studied. (author)

  18. Radiation Safety in Industrial Radiography. Specific Safety Guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    This Safety Guide provides recommendations for ensuring radiation safety in industrial radiography used in non-destructive testing. This includes industrial radiography work that utilizes X ray and gamma sources, both in shielded facilities that have effective engineering controls and in outside shielded facilities using mobile sources. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Duties and responsibilities; 3. Safety assessment; 4. Radiation protection programme; 5. Training and qualification; 6. Individual monitoring of workers; 7. Workplace monitoring; 8. Control of radioactive sources; 9. Safety of industrial radiography sources and exposure devices; 10. Radiography in shielded enclosures; 11. Site radiography; 12. Transport of radioactive sources; 13. Emergency preparedness and response; Appendix: IAEA categorization of radioactive sources; Annex I: Example safety assessment; Annex II: Overview of industrial radiography sources and equipment; Annex III: Examples of accidents in industrial radiography.

  19. Associations between safety climate and safety management practices in the construction industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marín, Luz S; Lipscomb, Hester; Cifuentes, Manuel; Punnett, Laura

    2017-06-01

    Safety climate, a group-level measure of workers' perceptions regarding management's safety priorities, has been suggested as a key predictor of safety outcomes. However, its relationship with actual injury rates is inconsistent. We posit that safety climate may instead be a parallel outcome of workplace safety practices, rather than a determinant of workers' safety behaviors or outcomes. Using a sample of 25 commercial construction companies in Colombia, selected by injury rate stratum (high, medium, low), we examined the relationship between workers' safety climate perceptions and safety management practices (SMPs) reported by safety officers. Workers' perceptions of safety climate were independent of their own company's implementation of SMPs, as measured here, and its injury rates. However, injury rates were negatively related to the implementation of SMPs. Safety management practices may be more important than workers' perceptions of safety climate as direct predictors of injury rates. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Dynamic Safety Cases for Through-Life Safety Assurance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Denney, Ewen; Pai, Ganesh; Habli, Ibrahim

    2015-01-01

    We describe dynamic safety cases, a novel operationalization of the concept of through-life safety assurance, whose goal is to enable proactive safety management. Using an example from the aviation systems domain, we motivate our approach, its underlying principles, and a lifecycle. We then identify the key elements required to move towards a formalization of the associated framework.

  1. Nuclear safety in Slovak Republic. Status of safety improvements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toth, A.

    1999-01-01

    Status of the safety improvements at Bohunice V-1 units concerning WWER-440/V-230 design upgrading were as follows: supplementing of steam generator super-emergency feed water system; higher capacity of emergency core cooling system; supplementing of automatic links between primary and secondary circuit systems; higher level of secondary system automation. The goal of the modernization program for Bohunice V-1 units WWER-440/V-230 was to increase nuclear safety to the level of the proposals and IAEA recommendations and to reach probability goals of the reactor concerning active zone damage, leak of radioactive materials, failures of safety systems and damage shields. Upgrading program for Mochovce NPP - WWER-440/V-213 is concerned with improving the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel, steam generators 'leak before break' methods applied for the NPP, instrumentation and control of safety systems, diagnostic systems, replacement of in-core monitoring system, emergency analyses, pressurizers safety relief valves, hydrogen removal system, seismic evaluations, non-destructive testing, fire protection. Implementation of quality assurance has a special role in improvement of operational safety activities as well as safety management and safety culture, radiation protection, decommissioning and waste management and training. The Year 2000 problem is mentioned as well

  2. Developing a strong safety culture - a safety management challenge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Low, M.; Gipson, G. P.; Williams, M.

    1995-01-01

    The approach is presented adapted by Nuclear Electric to build a strong safety culture through the development of its safety management system. Two features regarded as critical to a strong safety culture are: provision of effective communications to promote an awareness and ownership of safety among craft, and commitment to continuous improvement with a genuine willingness to learn from own experiences and those from others. (N.T.) 5 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

  3. Food safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... safety URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002434.htm Food safety To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. Food safety refers to the conditions and practices that preserve the quality of food. These practices prevent contamination and foodborne ...

  4. Optimization of safety equipment outages improves safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cepin, Marko

    2002-01-01

    Testing and maintenance activities of safety equipment in nuclear power plants are an important potential for risk and cost reduction. An optimization method is presented based on the simulated annealing algorithm. The method determines the optimal schedule of safety equipment outages due to testing and maintenance based on minimization of selected risk measure. The mean value of the selected time dependent risk measure represents the objective function of the optimization. The time dependent function of the selected risk measure is obtained from probabilistic safety assessment, i.e. the fault tree analysis at the system level and the fault tree/event tree analysis at the plant level, both extended with inclusion of time requirements. Results of several examples showed that it is possible to reduce risk by application of the proposed method. Because of large uncertainties in the probabilistic safety assessment, the most important result of the method may not be a selection of the most suitable schedule of safety equipment outages among those, which results in similarly low risk. But, it may be a prevention of such schedules of safety equipment outages, which result in high risk. Such finding increases the importance of evaluation speed versus the requirement of getting always the global optimum no matter if it is only slightly better that certain local one

  5. Deterministic Safety Analysis for Nuclear Power Plants. Specific Safety Guide (Russian Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-01-01

    The objective of this Safety Guide is to provide harmonized guidance to designers, operators, regulators and providers of technical support on deterministic safety analysis for nuclear power plants. It provides information on the utilization of the results of such analysis for safety and reliability improvements. The Safety Guide addresses conservative, best estimate and uncertainty evaluation approaches to deterministic safety analysis and is applicable to current and future designs. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Grouping of initiating events and associated transients relating to plant states; 3. Deterministic safety analysis and acceptance criteria; 4. Conservative deterministic safety analysis; 5. Best estimate plus uncertainty analysis; 6. Verification and validation of computer codes; 7. Relation of deterministic safety analysis to engineering aspects of safety and probabilistic safety analysis; 8. Application of deterministic safety analysis; 9. Source term evaluation for operational states and accident conditions; References

  6. Safety analysis fundamentals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wright, A.C.D.

    2002-01-01

    This paper discusses the safety analysis fundamentals in reactor design. This study includes safety analysis done to show consequences of postulated accidents are acceptable. Safety analysis is also used to set design of special safety systems and includes design assist analysis to support conceptual design. safety analysis is necessary for licensing a reactor, to maintain an operating license, support changes in plant operations

  7. Health and safety manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-02-01

    The manual consists of the following chapters: general policies and administration; the Environmental Health and Safety Department; the Medical Services Department: biological hazards; chemical safety; confined space entry; cryogenic safety; electrical safety; emergency plans; engineering and construction; evacuations, trenching, and shoring; fire safety; gases, flammable and compressed; guarding, mechanical; ladders and scaffolds, work surfaces; laser safety; materials handling and storage; noise; personal protective equipment; pressure safety; radiation safety, ionizing and non-ionizing; sanitation; seismic safety; training, environmental health and safety; tools, power and hand-operated; traffic and transportation; and warning signs and devices

  8. Beyond safety accountability

    CERN Document Server

    Geller, E Scott

    2001-01-01

    Written in an easy-to-read conversational tone, Beyond Safety Accountability explains how to develop an organizational culture that encourages people to be accountable for their work practices and to embrace a higher sense of personal responsibility. The author begins by thoroughly explaining the difference between safety accountability and safety responsibility. He then examines the need of organizations to improve safety performance, discusses why such performance improvement can be achieved through a continuous safety process, as distinguished from a safety program, and provides the practic

  9. Leadership and Safety Culture: Leadership for Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fischer, E.

    2016-01-01

    Following the challenge to operate Nuclear Power Plants towards operational excellence, a highly skilled and motivated organization is needed. Therefore, leadership is a valuable success factor. On the other hand a well-engineered safety orientated design of NPP’s is necessary. Once built, an NPP constantly requires maintenance, ageing management and lifetime modifications. E.ON tries to keep the nuclear units as close as possible to the state of the art of science and technology. Not at least a requirement followed by our German regulation. As a consequence of this we are continuously challenged to improve our units and the working processes using national and international operational experiences too. A lot of modifications are driven by our self and by regulators. That why these institutions — authorities and independent examiners—contribute significantly to the safety success. Not that it is easy all the day. The relationship between the regulatory body, examiners and the utilities should be challenging but also cooperative and trustful within a permanent dialog. To reach the common goal of highest standards regarding nuclear safety all parties have to secure a living safety culture. Without this attitude there is a higher risk that safety relevant aspects may stay undetected and room for improvement is not used. Nuclear operators should always be sensitized and follow each single deviation. Leaders in an NPP-organization are challenged to create a safety-, working-, and performance culture based on clear common values and behaviours, repeated and lived along all of our days to create a least a strong identity in the staffs mind to the value of safety, common culture and overall performance. (author)

  10. [Clinical application of continuous douche and vacuum sealing drainage in refractory tissue, bone and joint infections after debridement].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ping-lin; He, Xi-jing; Li, Hao-peng; Wang, Guo-yu; Zang, Quan-jin

    2010-01-01

    To explore effect and the application value of continuous douche and vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) in refractory tissue, and joint infections after complete debridement. As retrospective analysis of treatment time and restoration or recurrence, from Jan. 2006 to Dec. 2007, 61 cases of refractory tissue, bone and joint infections underwent continuous douche and VSD combined with the treatment of anti-inflammatory and rehabilitation training after debridement in our hospital. The 61 patients included 39 males and 22 females with age ranging from 10 to 58 years with an average of (35 +/- 12) years, among whom 61 identified to have ankle ulcers combined with infections,open fracture combined with infections, sacrococcygeal pressure ulcers combined with infections, infections after hip replacement, infections after open fracture, and infections after skin avulsion postoperation were 11, 15, 9, 3, 5 and 18 cases respectively. The course was from 2 weeks to 11 months with an average of 4 months. In all 61 patients,the mean healing time was 17, 36, 42, 24, 32, 29 and 28 days in ankle ulcers and infections, tibia and fibula open fracture and infections, femoral shaft fracture and infections, sacrococcygeal pressure ulcers and infections, infections after hip replacement, infections after open fracture, and infections after skin avulsion postoperation respectively. The replacement of VSD was 1, 2-4, 3-5, 1-3, 2-4, 2-3 and 1-3 times in each group respectively. There was no wound recurrence except for 2 cases with recurrent in 61 cases with external fixation nail hole semi-pathological fracture in 1 case of femoral shaft fracture and infection and 1 case of tibia and fibula fracture and infection after follow-up at least one year. Application of continuous douche and VSD can effectively decrease incidence of complications and promote the refractory tissue, bone and joint infections wound growth, healing and considerably shorten the healing time.

  11. A new mechanism of voltage-dependent gating exposed by KV10.1 channels interrupted between voltage sensor and pore.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomczak, Adam P; Fernández-Trillo, Jorge; Bharill, Shashank; Papp, Ferenc; Panyi, Gyorgy; Stühmer, Walter; Isacoff, Ehud Y; Pardo, Luis A

    2017-05-01

    Voltage-gated ion channels couple transmembrane potential changes to ion flow. Conformational changes in the voltage-sensing domain (VSD) of the channel are thought to be transmitted to the pore domain (PD) through an α-helical linker between them (S4-S5 linker). However, our recent work on channels disrupted in the S4-S5 linker has challenged this interpretation for the KCNH family. Furthermore, a recent single-particle cryo-electron microscopy structure of K V 10.1 revealed that the S4-S5 linker is a short loop in this KCNH family member, confirming the need for an alternative gating model. Here we use "split" channels made by expression of VSD and PD as separate fragments to investigate the mechanism of gating in K V 10.1. We find that disruption of the covalent connection within the S4 helix compromises the ability of channels to close at negative voltage, whereas disconnecting the S4-S5 linker from S5 slows down activation and deactivation kinetics. Surprisingly, voltage-clamp fluorometry and MTS accessibility assays show that the motion of the S4 voltage sensor is virtually unaffected when VSD and PD are not covalently bound. Finally, experiments using constitutively open PD mutants suggest that the presence of the VSD is structurally important for the conducting conformation of the pore. Collectively, our observations offer partial support to the gating model that assumes that an inward motion of the C-terminal S4 helix, rather than the S4-S5 linker, closes the channel gate, while also suggesting that control of the pore by the voltage sensor involves more than one mechanism. © 2017 Tomczak et al.

  12. Keefektivan Trichoderma harzianum sebagai Agens Pengendali Hayati Penyakit Pembuluh kayu (Vascular Streak Dieback Pada Tanaman Kakao Klon ICCRI 03 dan TSH 858

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    joko susiyanto

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRAKPenyakit Pembuluh Kayu (PPK/ Vascular Streak Dieback (VSD merupakan penyakit penting yang menyerang perkebunan kakao yang disebabkan oleh patogen Oncobasidium theobromae. Penggunaan cendawan Trichoderma harzianum sebagai agens antagonis karena mempunyai kemampuan dalam menghambat pertumbuhan cendawan patogen. Pengujian keefektivan cendawan T. harzianum isolat Jember dan isolat Banyuwangi pada beberapa konsentrasi dalam mengendalikan penyakit pembuluh kayu (PPK/VSD telah dilaksanakan dikebun percobaan pusat penelitian kopi dan kakao Indonesia. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan selama 3 bulan dan pengamatan setiap minggu. Perlakuan yang digunakan dalam keefektivan yaitu: (1 T. harzianum isolat Jember dengan konsentrasi 108 spora/ml, (2 T. harzianum isolat Jember dengan konsentrasi 109 spora/ml, (3 T. harzianum isolat Jember dengan konsentrasi 1010 spora/ml, (4 T. harzianum isolat Banyuwangi konsentrasi 108 spora/ml, (5 T. harzianum isolat Banyuwangi konsentrasi 109 spora/ml, (6 T. harzianum isolat Banyuwangi konsentrasi 1010 spora/ml, dan Kontrol menggunakan air bersih. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa T. harzianum  baik isolat Jember dan Banyuwangi cukup efektif menekan perkembangan penyakit pembuluh kayu (PPK/VSD. Perlakuan T. harzianum terbaik dalam mengendalikan penyakit (PPK/VSD ditunjukkan oleh perlakuan T. harzianum  isolat Jember  109 spora/ml dengan nilai IP sebesar 0,71 % pada klon ICCRI 03, sedangkan pada klon TSH 858 isolat Banyuwangi konsentrasi 1010 spora/ml dengan nilai 7,38%. Kategori Tingkat Efikasi (TE tertinggi ditunjukkan oleh perlakuan isolat Jember konsentrasi 109 spora/ml dengan nilai sebesar 95,3% pada klon ICCRI 03, sedangkan pada klon TSH 858 isolat banyuwangi konsentrasi  1010 spora/ml dengan nilai 80,55%. Hasil uji t tanpa memperhatikan perlakuan pada Tingkat Efikasi (TE klon ICCRI 03 menunjukkan hasil berbeda nyata dengan nilai TE lebih tinggi/terbaik bila dibandingkan dengan nilai TE klon TSH 858. 

  13. Safety Learning, Organizational Contradictions and the Dynamics of Safety Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ripamonti, Silvio Carlo; Scaratti, Giuseppe

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the enactment of safety routines in a transshipment port. Research on work safety and reliability has largely neglected the role of the workers' knowledge in practice in the enactment of organisational safety. The workers' lack of compliance with safety regulations represents an enduring problem…

  14. Ferrocyanide Safety Program: Safety criteria for ferrocyanide watch list tanks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Postma, A.K.; Meacham, J.E.; Barney, G.S.

    1994-01-01

    This report provides a technical basis for closing the ferrocyanide Unreviewed Safety Question (USQ) at the Hanford Site. Three work efforts were performed in developing this technical basis. The efforts described herein are: 1. The formulation of criteria for ranking the relative safety of waste in each ferrocyanide tank. 2. The current classification of tanks into safety categories by comparing available information on tank contents with the safety criteria; 3. The identification of additional information required to resolve the ferrocyanide safety issue

  15. Leadership and safety culture. Leadership for safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fischer, Erwin; Nithack, Eckhard

    2016-01-01

    The meaning of leadership for safety in the nuclear industry is pointed out. This topic has became an increasing rank since the German ''Energiewende''. Despite the phase-out of the German NPP's nuclear safety and the belonging safety culture needs to be well maintained. A challenge for the whole organisation. Following the challenge to operate nuclear power plants towards Operational Excellence a highly skilled and motivated organisation is needed. Therefore Leadership is a valuable success factor.

  16. Leadership and safety culture. Leadership for safety

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fischer, Erwin; Nithack, Eckhard [PreussenElektra GmbH, Hannover (Germany)

    2016-08-15

    The meaning of leadership for safety in the nuclear industry is pointed out. This topic has became an increasing rank since the German ''Energiewende''. Despite the phase-out of the German NPP's nuclear safety and the belonging safety culture needs to be well maintained. A challenge for the whole organisation. Following the challenge to operate nuclear power plants towards Operational Excellence a highly skilled and motivated organisation is needed. Therefore Leadership is a valuable success factor.

  17. Safety sans Frontières: An International Safety Culture Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reader, Tom W; Noort, Mark C; Shorrock, Steven; Kirwan, Barry

    2015-05-01

    The management of safety culture in international and culturally diverse organizations is a concern for many high-risk industries. Yet, research has primarily developed models of safety culture within Western countries, and there is a need to extend investigations of safety culture to global environments. We examined (i) whether safety culture can be reliably measured within a single industry operating across different cultural environments, and (ii) if there is an association between safety culture and national culture. The psychometric properties of a safety culture model developed for the air traffic management (ATM) industry were examined in 17 European countries from four culturally distinct regions of Europe (North, East, South, West). Participants were ATM operational staff (n = 5,176) and management staff (n = 1,230). Through employing multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, good psychometric properties of the model were established. This demonstrates, for the first time, that when safety culture models are tailored to a specific industry, they can operate consistently across national boundaries and occupational groups. Additionally, safety culture scores at both regional and national levels were associated with country-level data on Hofstede's five national culture dimensions (collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and long-term orientation). MANOVAs indicated safety culture to be most positive in Northern Europe, less so in Western and Eastern Europe, and least positive in Southern Europe. This indicates that national cultural traits may influence the development of organizational safety culture, with significant implications for safety culture theory and practice. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

  18. Safety of mechanical devices. Safety of automation systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pahl, G.; Schweizer, G.; Kapp, K.

    1985-01-01

    The paper deals with the classic procedures of safety engineering in the sectors mechanical engineering, electrical and energy engineering, construction and transport, medicine technology and process technology. Particular stress is laid on the safety of automation systems, control technology, protection of mechanical devices, reactor safety, mechanical constructions, transport systems, railway signalling devices, road traffic and protection at work in chemical plans. (DG) [de

  19. Safety class methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donner, E.B.; Low, J.M.; Lux, C.R.

    1992-01-01

    DOE Order 6430.1A, General Design Criteria (GDC), requires that DOE facilities be evaluated with respect to ''safety class items.'' Although the GDC defines safety class items, it does not provide a methodology for selecting safety class items. The methodology described in this paper was developed to assure that Safety Class Items at the Savannah River Site (SRS) are selected in a consistent and technically defensible manner. Safety class items are those in the highest of four categories determined to be of special importance to nuclear safety and, merit appropriately higher-quality design, fabrication, and industrial test standards and codes. The identification of safety class items is approached using a cascading strategy that begins at the 'safety function' level (i.e., a cooling function, ventilation function, etc.) and proceeds down to the system, component, or structure level. Thus, the items that are required to support a safety function are SCls. The basic steps in this procedure apply to the determination of SCls for both new project activities, and for operating facilities. The GDC lists six characteristics of SCls to be considered as a starting point for safety item classification. They are as follows: 1. Those items whose failure would produce exposure consequences that would exceed the guidelines in Section 1300-1.4, ''Guidance on Limiting Exposure of the Public,'' at the site boundary or nearest point of public access 2. Those items required to maintain operating parameters within the safety limits specified in the Operational Safety Requirements during normal operations and anticipated operational occurrences. 3. Those items required for nuclear criticality safety. 4. Those items required to monitor the release of radioactive material to the environment during and after a Design Basis Accident. Those items required to achieve, and maintain the facility in a safe shutdown condition 6. Those items that control Safety Class Item listed above

  20. Safety first!

    CERN Multimedia

    2016-01-01

    Among the many duties I assumed at the beginning of the year was the ultimate responsibility for Safety at CERN: the responsibility for the physical safety of the personnel, the responsibility for the safe operation of the facilities, and the responsibility to ensure that CERN acts in accordance with the highest standards of radiation and environmental protection.   The Safety Policy document drawn up in September 2014 is an excellent basis for the implementation of Safety in all areas of CERN’s work. I am happy to commit during my mandate to help meet its objectives, not least by ensuring the Organization makes available the necessary means to achieve its Safety objectives. One of the main objectives of the HSE (Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Protection) unit in the coming months is to enhance the measures to minimise CERN’s impact on the environment. I believe CERN should become a role model for an environmentally-aware scientific research laboratory. Risk ...

  1. IAEA Safety Standards on Management Systems and Safety Culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Persson, Kerstin Dahlgren

    2007-01-01

    The IAEA has developed a new set of Safety Standard for applying an integrated Management System for facilities and activities. The objective of the new Safety Standards is to define requirements and provide guidance for establishing, implementing, assessing and continually improving a Management System that integrates safety, health, environmental, security, quality and economic related elements to ensure that safety is properly taken into account in all the activities of an organization. With an integrated approach to management system it is also necessary to include the aspect of culture, where the organizational culture and safety culture is seen as crucial elements of the successful implementation of this management system and the attainment of all the goals and particularly the safety goals of the organization. The IAEA has developed a set of service aimed at assisting it's Member States in establishing. Implementing, assessing and continually improving an integrated management system. (author)

  2. Nuclear Safety Culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2017-01-01

    Ethics is caring about people and Safety is caring that no physical harm comes to people.Therefore Safety is a type of Ethical Behavior. Culture: is The Way We Do Things Here.Safety Culture is mixture of organization traditions, values, attitudes and behaviors modeled by Its leaders and internalized by its members that serve to make nuclear safety the overriding priority. Safety Culture is that assembly of characteristics and attitudes in Organisations and individuals which established that, as an overriding priority, nuclear plant safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance

  3. Safety- barrier diagrams

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duijm, Nijs Jan

    2008-01-01

    Safety-barrier diagrams and the related so-called 'bow-tie' diagrams have become popular methods in risk analysis. This paper describes the syntax and principles for constructing consistent and valid safety-barrier diagrams. The relation of safety-barrier diagrams to other methods such as fault...... trees and Bayesian networks is discussed. A simple method for quantification of safety-barrier diagrams is proposed. It is concluded that safety-barrier diagrams provide a useful framework for an electronic data structure that integrates information from risk analysis with operational safety management....

  4. Safety-barrier diagrams

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duijm, Nijs Jan

    2007-01-01

    Safety-barrier diagrams and the related so-called "bow-tie" diagrams have become popular methods in risk analysis. This paper describes the syntax and principles for constructing consistent and valid safety-barrier diagrams. The relation with other methods such as fault trees and Bayesian networks...... are discussed. A simple method for quantification of safety-barrier diagrams is proposed, including situations where safety barriers depend on shared common elements. It is concluded that safety-barrier diagrams provide a useful framework for an electronic data structure that integrates information from risk...... analysis with operational safety management....

  5. Defining safety culture and the nexus between safety goals and safety culture. 2. Decreasing Ambiguity of the Safety Culture Concept

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Shiichiro; Hosoda, Satoshi; Suganuma, Takashi; Monta, Kazuo; Kameda, Akiyuki

    2001-01-01

    The concept of safety culture was first advocated for the industrial world by INSAG reports that discussed the Chernobyl accident [INSAG-3 1988 (Ref. 1); INSAG-4, 1991 (Ref. 2)]. Since then, the term 'safety culture' has been discussed on various occasions when the causes of accidents were analyzed, and it has created interest among people-not only safety managers but also engineers and top management-and it has become inevitable as an influential factor of disasters. The JCO's 1999 criticality accident in Japan underscored the need for the safety culture concept. There had been a sort of myth in the past, at least among the people of this industry in Japan, that the nuclear industry had high technology and maintained a high level of safety. Therefore, the people related with the accident said in the first instance, 'Unbelievable') Some of them even insisted that the fuel processing and the power generation were two different systems. As the causes of JCO's criticality accident were revealed, they started to recognize that safety in the nuclear industry could not be secured without safety culture. We review the situation of the past 13 yr after the safety culture concept was introduced. To our regret, the culture has not yet taken root in the organization. What causes have delayed the realization of the culture? The first cause is the ambiguity of the concept. The expression 'safety culture' is too abstract to define something that the plant employees should do. People who are supposed to create the culture concept are held responsible for this point. The second cause is the enthusiasm and strong intentions of the related people. Although the importance of the concept is well recognized, the basic attitude of the people is like 'agreeing in generalities, but disagreeing in specifics'. The authorities for regulation seem somewhat suspicious about its effectiveness even if they set the rules and regulations based on the safety culture concept. Power companies are

  6. China's nuclear safety regulatory body: The national nuclear safety administration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Shiguan

    1991-04-01

    The establishment of an independent nuclear safety regulatory body is necessary for ensuring the safety of nuclear installations and nuclear fuel. Therefore the National Nuclear Safety Administration was established by the state. The aim, purpose, organization structure and main tasks of the Administration are presented. At the same time the practical examples, such as nuclear safety regulation on the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, safety review and inspections for the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant during the construction, and nuclear material accounting and management system in the nuclear fuel fabrication plant in China, are given in order to demonstrate the important roles having been played on nuclear safety by the Administration after its founding

  7. Producing health, producing safety. Developing a collective safety culture in radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nascimento, Adelaide

    2009-01-01

    This research thesis aims at a better understanding of safety management in radiotherapy and at proposing improvements for patient safety through the development of a collective safety culture. A first part presents the current context in France and abroad, addresses the transposition of other safety methods to the medical domain, and discusses the peculiarities of radiotherapy in terms of risks and the existing quality-assurance approaches. The second part presents the theoretical framework by commenting the intellectual evolution with respect to system safety and the emergence of the concept of safety culture, and by presenting the labour collective aspects and their relationship with system safety. The author then comments the variety of safety cultures among the different professions present in radiotherapy, highlights the importance of the collective dimension in correcting discrepancies at the end of the treatment process, and highlights how physicians take their colleagues work into account. Recommendations are made to improve patient safety in radiotherapy

  8. Indicators of safety culture - selection and utilization of leading safety performance indicators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reiman, Teemu; Pietikaeinen, Elina (VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland))

    2010-03-15

    Safety indicators play a role in providing information on organizational performance, motivating people to work on safety and increasing organizational potential for safety. The aim of this report is to provide an overview on leading safety indicators in the domain of nuclear safety. The report explains the distinction between lead and lag indicators and proposes a framework of three types of safety performance indicators - feedback, monitor and drive indicators. Finally the report provides guidance for nuclear energy organizations for selecting and interpreting safety indicators. It proposes the use of safety culture as a leading safety performance indicator and offers an example list of potential indicators in all three categories. The report concludes that monitor and drive indicators are so called lead indicators. Drive indicators are chosen priority areas of organizational safety activity. They are based on the underlying safety model and potential safety activities and safety policy derived from it. Drive indicators influence control measures that manage the socio technical system; change, maintain, reinforce, or reduce something. Monitor indicators provide a view on the dynamics of the system in question; the activities taking place, abilities, skills and motivation of the personnel, routines and practices - the organizational potential for safety. They also monitor the efficacy of the control measures that are used to manage the socio technical system. Typically the safety performance indicators that are used are lagging (feedback) indicators that measure the outcomes of the socio technical system. Besides feedback indicators, organizations should also acknowledge the important role of monitor and drive indicators in managing safety. The selection and use of safety performance indicators is always based on an understanding (a model) of the socio technical system and safety. The safety model defines what risks are perceived. It is important that the safety

  9. Indicators of safety culture - selection and utilization of leading safety performance indicators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reiman, Teemu; Pietikaeinen, Elina

    2010-03-01

    Safety indicators play a role in providing information on organizational performance, motivating people to work on safety and increasing organizational potential for safety. The aim of this report is to provide an overview on leading safety indicators in the domain of nuclear safety. The report explains the distinction between lead and lag indicators and proposes a framework of three types of safety performance indicators - feedback, monitor and drive indicators. Finally the report provides guidance for nuclear energy organizations for selecting and interpreting safety indicators. It proposes the use of safety culture as a leading safety performance indicator and offers an example list of potential indicators in all three categories. The report concludes that monitor and drive indicators are so called lead indicators. Drive indicators are chosen priority areas of organizational safety activity. They are based on the underlying safety model and potential safety activities and safety policy derived from it. Drive indicators influence control measures that manage the socio technical system; change, maintain, reinforce, or reduce something. Monitor indicators provide a view on the dynamics of the system in question; the activities taking place, abilities, skills and motivation of the personnel, routines and practices - the organizational potential for safety. They also monitor the efficacy of the control measures that are used to manage the socio technical system. Typically the safety performance indicators that are used are lagging (feedback) indicators that measure the outcomes of the socio technical system. Besides feedback indicators, organizations should also acknowledge the important role of monitor and drive indicators in managing safety. The selection and use of safety performance indicators is always based on an understanding (a model) of the socio technical system and safety. The safety model defines what risks are perceived. It is important that the safety

  10. NPP Krsko periodic safety review. Safety assessment and analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basic, I.; Spiler, J.; Thaulez, F.

    2002-01-01

    Definition of a PSR (Periodic Safety Review) project is a comprehensive safety review of a plant after ten years of operation. The objective is a verification by means of a comprehensive review using current methods that the plant remains safe when judged against current safety objectives and practices and that adequate arrangements are in place to maintain plant safety. The overall goals of the NEK PSR Program are defined in compliance with the basic role of a PSR and the current practice typical for most of the countries in EU. This practice is described in the related guides and good practice documents issued by international organizations. The overall goals of the NEK PSR are formulated as follows: to demonstrate that the plant is as safe as originally intended; to evaluate the actual plant status with respect to aging and wear-out identifying any structures, systems or components that could limit the life of the plant in the foreseeable future, and to identify appropriate corrective actions, where needed; to compare current level of safety in the light of modern standards and knowledge, and to identify where improvements would be beneficial for minimizing deviations at justifiable costs. The Krsko PSR will address the following safety factors: Operational Experience, Safety Assessment, EQ and Aging Management, Safety Culture, Emergency Planning, Environmental Impact and Radioactive Waste.(author)

  11. SAFETY INSTRUCTION AND SAFETY NOTE

    CERN Multimedia

    TIS Secretariat

    2002-01-01

    Please note that the SAFETY INSTRUCTION N0 49 (IS 49) and the SAFETY NOTE N0 28 (NS 28) entitled respectively 'AVOIDING CHEMICAL POLLUTION OF WATER' and 'CERN EXHIBITIONS - FIRE PRECAUTIONS' are available on the web at the following urls: http://edms.cern.ch/document/335814 and http://edms.cern.ch/document/335861 Paper copies can also be obtained from the TIS Divisional Secretariat, email: TIS.Secretariat@cern.ch

  12. EUROSAFE Forum for nuclear safety. Towards Convergence of Technical Nuclear Safety Practices in Europe. Safety Improvements - Reasons, Strategies, Implementation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erven, Ulrich (ed.) [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, GRS mbH, Schwertnergasse 1, 50667 Koeln (Germany); Cherie, Jean-Bernard (ed.) [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, IRSN, BP 17, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex (France); Boeck, Benoit De (ed.) [Association Vincotte Nuclear, AVN, Rue Walcourt 148, 1070 Bruxelles (Belgium)

    2005-07-01

    The EUROSAFE Forum for Nuclear Safety is part of the EUROSAFE approach, which consists of two further elements: the EUROSAFE Tribune and the EUROSAFE Web site. The general aim of EUROSAFE is to contribute to fostering the convergence of technical nuclear safety practices in a broad European context. This is done by providing technical safety and research organisations, safety authorities, power utilities, the rest of the industry and non-governmental organisations mainly from the European Union and East-European countries, and international organisations with a platform for the presentation of recent analyses and R and D in the field of nuclear safety. The goal is to share experiences, to exchange technical and scientific opinions, and to conduct debates on key issues in the fields of nuclear safety and radiation protection. The EUROSAFE Forum on 2005 focused on Safety Improvements, Reasons - Strategies - Implementation, from the point of view of the authorities, TSOs and industry. Latest work in nuclear installation safety and research, waste management, radiation safety as well as nuclear material and nuclear facilities security carried out by GRS, IRSN, AVN and their partners in the European Union, Switzerland and Eastern Europe are presented. A high level of nuclear safety is a priority for the countries of Europe. The technical safety organisations play an important role in contributing to that objective through appropriate approaches to major safety issues as part of their assessments and research activities. The challenges to nuclear safety are international. Changes in underlying technologies such as instrumentation and control, the impact of electricity market deregulation, demands for improved safety and safety management, the ageing of nuclear facilities, waste management, maintaining and improving scientific and technical knowledge, and the need for greater transparency - these are all issues where the value of an international approach is gaining

  13. EUROSAFE Forum for nuclear safety. Towards Convergence of Technical Nuclear Safety Practices in Europe. Safety Improvements - Reasons, Strategies, Implementation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erven, Ulrich [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, GRS mbH, Schwertnergasse 1, 50667 Koeln (Germany); Cherie, Jean-Bernard [Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, IRSN, BP 17, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex (France); Boeck, Benoit De [Association Vincotte Nuclear, AVN, Rue Walcourt 148, 1070 Bruxelles (Belgium)

    2005-07-01

    The EUROSAFE Forum for Nuclear Safety is part of the EUROSAFE approach, which consists of two further elements: the EUROSAFE Tribune and the EUROSAFE Web site. The general aim of EUROSAFE is to contribute to fostering the convergence of technical nuclear safety practices in a broad European context. This is done by providing technical safety and research organisations, safety authorities, power utilities, the rest of the industry and non-governmental organisations mainly from the European Union and East-European countries, and international organisations with a platform for the presentation of recent analyses and R and D in the field of nuclear safety. The goal is to share experiences, to exchange technical and scientific opinions, and to conduct debates on key issues in the fields of nuclear safety and radiation protection. The EUROSAFE Forum on 2005 focused on Safety Improvements, Reasons - Strategies - Implementation, from the point of view of the authorities, TSOs and industry. Latest work in nuclear installation safety and research, waste management, radiation safety as well as nuclear material and nuclear facilities security carried out by GRS, IRSN, AVN and their partners in the European Union, Switzerland and Eastern Europe are presented. A high level of nuclear safety is a priority for the countries of Europe. The technical safety organisations play an important role in contributing to that objective through appropriate approaches to major safety issues as part of their assessments and research activities. The challenges to nuclear safety are international. Changes in underlying technologies such as instrumentation and control, the impact of electricity market deregulation, demands for improved safety and safety management, the ageing of nuclear facilities, waste management, maintaining and improving scientific and technical knowledge, and the need for greater transparency - these are all issues where the value of an international approach is gaining

  14. Discussion on building safety culture inside a nuclear safety regulatory body

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Yumao

    2013-01-01

    A strong internal safety culture plays a key role in improving the performance of a nuclear regulatory body. This paper discusses the definition of internal safety culture of nuclear regulatory bodies, and explains the functions that the safety culture to facilitate the nuclear safety regulation and finally puts forward some thoughts about building internal safety culture inside regulatory bodies. (author)

  15. Ethics and technology design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albrechtslund, Anders

    2007-01-01

    This article offers a discussion of the connection between technology and values and, specifically, I take a closer look at ethically sound design. In order to bring the discussion into a concrete context, the theory of Value Sensitive Design (VSD) will be the focus point. To illustrate my argument...... concerning design ethics, the discussion involves a case study of an augmented window, designed by the VSD Research Lab, which has turned out to be a potentially surveillance-enabling technology. I call attention to a "positivist problem" that has to do with the connection between the design context...... of design ethics, is intended as a constructive criticism, which can hopefully contribute to the further development of design ethics....

  16. CERN's new safety policy

    CERN Multimedia

    2014-01-01

    The documents below, published on 29 September 2014 on the HSE website, together replace the document SAPOCO 42 as well as Safety Codes A1, A5, A9, A10, which are no longer in force. As from the publication date of these documents any reference made to the document SAPOCO 42 or to Safety Codes A1, A5, A9 and A10 in contractual documents or CERN rules and regulations shall be deemed to constitute a reference to the corresponding provisions of the documents listed below.   "The CERN Safety Policy" "Safety Regulation SR-SO - Responsibilities and organisational structure in matters of Safety at CERN" "General Safety Instruction GSI-SO-1 - Departmental Safety Officer (DSO)" "General Safety Instruction GSI-SO-2 - Territorial Safety Officer (TSO)" "General Safety Instruction GSI-SO-3 - Safety Linkperson (SLP)" "General Safety Instruction GSI-SO-4 - Large Experiment Group Leader In Matters of Safety (LEXGLI...

  17. Safety standards and safety record of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davis, A.B.

    1984-01-01

    This paper focuses on the use of standards and the measurement and enforcement of these standards to achieve safe operation of nuclear power plants. Since a discussion of the safety standards that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) uses to regulate the nuclear power industry can be a rather tedious subject, this discussion will provide you with not only a description of what safety standards are, but some examples of their application, and various indicators that provide an overall perspective on safety. These remarks are confined to the safety standards adopted by the NRC. There are other agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the state regulatory agencies which impact on a nuclear power plant. The NRC has regulatory authority for the commercial use of the nuclear materials and facilities which are defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to assure that the public health and safety and national security are protected

  18. Safety performance indicators used by the Russian Safety Regulatory Authority in its practical activities on nuclear power plant safety regulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khazanov, A.L.

    2005-01-01

    The Sixth Department of the Nuclear, Industrial and Environmental Regulatory Authority of Russia, Scientific and Engineering Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety process, analyse and use the information on nuclear power plants (NPPs) operational experience or NPPs safety improvement. Safety performance indicators (SPIs), derived from processing of information on operational violations and analysis of annual NPP Safety Reports, are used as tools to determination of trends towards changing of characteristics of operational safety, to assess the effectiveness of corrective measures, to monitor and evaluate the current operational safety level of NPPs, to regulate NPP safety. This report includes a list of the basic SPIs, those used by the Russian safety regulatory authority in regulatory activity. Some of them are absent in list of IAEA-TECDOC-1141 ('Operational safety performance indicators for nuclear power plants'). (author)

  19. Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. Specific Safety Requirements (Spanish Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    This publication is a revision of Safety Requirements No. NS-R-1, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. It establishes requirements applicable to the design of nuclear power plants and elaborates on the safety objective, safety principles and concepts that provide the basis for deriving the safety requirements that must be met for the design of a nuclear power plant. It will be useful for organizations involved in the design, manufacture, construction, modification, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants, as well as for regulatory bodies. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Applying the safety principles and concepts; 3. Management of safety in design; 4. Principal technical requirements; 5. General plant design; 6. Design of specific plant systems.

  20. Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. Specific Safety Requirements (Russian Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    This publication is a revision of Safety Requirements No. NS-R-1, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design. It establishes requirements applicable to the design of nuclear power plants and elaborates on the safety objective, safety principles and concepts that provide the basis for deriving the safety requirements that must be met for the design of a nuclear power plant. It will be useful for organizations involved in the design, manufacture, construction, modification, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants, as well as for regulatory bodies. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Applying the safety principles and concepts; 3. Management of safety in design; 4. Principal technical requirements; 5. General plant design; 6. Design of specific plant systems.

  1. Safety in construction?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Swuste, P.H.J.J.

    2013-01-01

    The available literature on Construction Safety is not very optimistic about the chances of evidence-based safety in the construction industry exerting a positive influence. Many articles indicate that the structures and processes that are designed to ensure safety in the industry are poor. Safety

  2. System and Method for Aiding Pilot Preview, Rehearsal, Review, and Real-Time Visual Acquisition of Flight Mission Progress

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prinzel, III, Lawrence J. (Inventor); Pope, Alan T. (Inventor); Williams, Steven P. (Inventor); Bailey, Randall E. (Inventor); Arthur, Jarvis J. (Inventor); Kramer, Lynda J. (Inventor); Schutte, Paul C. (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    Embodiments of the invention permit flight paths (current and planned) to be viewed from various orientations to provide improved path and terrain awareness via graphical two-dimensional or three-dimensional perspective display formats. By coupling the flight path information with a terrain database, uncompromising terrain awareness relative to the path and ownship is provided. In addition, missed approaches, path deviations, and any navigational path can be reviewed and rehearsed before performing the actual task. By rehearsing a particular mission, check list items can be reviewed, terrain awareness can be highlighted, and missed approach procedures can be discussed by the flight crew. Further, the use of Controller Pilot Datalink Communications enables data-linked path, flight plan changes, and Air Traffic Control requests to be integrated into the flight display of the present invention.

  3. Deterministic Safety Analysis for Nuclear Power Plants. Specific Safety Guide (Spanish Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    The IAEA's Statute authorizes the Agency to establish safety standards to protect health and minimize danger to life and property - standards which the IAEA must use in its own operations, and which a State can apply by means of its regulatory provisions for nuclear and radiation safety. A comprehensive body of safety standards under regular review, together with the IAEA's assistance in their application, has become a key element in a global safety regime. In the mid-1990s, a major overhaul of the IAEA's safety standards programme was initiated, with a revised oversight committee structure and a systematic approach to updating the entire corpus of standards. The new standards that have resulted are of a high calibre and reflect best practices in Member States. With the assistance of the Commission on Safety Standards, the IAEA is working to promote the global acceptance and use of its safety standards. Safety standards are only effective, however, if they are properly applied in practice. The IAEA's safety services - which range in scope from engineering safety, operational safety, and radiation, transport and waste safety to regulatory matters and safety culture in organizations - assist Member States in applying the standards and appraise their effectiveness. These safety services enable valuable insights to be shared and I continue to urge all Member States to make use of them. Regulating nuclear and radiation safety is a national responsibility, and many Member States have decided to adopt the IAEA's safety standards for use in their national regulations. For the contracting parties to the various international safety conventions, IAEA standards provide a consistent, reliable means of ensuring the effective fulfilment of obligations under the conventions. The standards are also applied by designers, manufacturers and operators around the world to enhance nuclear and radiation safety in power generation, medicine, industry, agriculture, research and education

  4. Safety functions and safety function indicators - key elements in SKB'S methodology for assessing long-term safety of a KBS-3 repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hedin, A.

    2008-01-01

    The application of so called safety function indicators in SKB safety assessment of a KBS-3 repository for spent nuclear fuel is presented. Isolation and retardation are the two main safety functions of the KBS-3 concept. In order to quantitatively evaluate safety on a sub-system level, these functions need to be differentiated, associated with quantitative measures and, where possible, with quantitative criteria relating to the fulfillment of the safety functions. A safety function is defined as a role through which a repository component contributes to safety. A safety function indicator is a measurable or calculable property of a repository component that allows quantitative evaluation of a safety function. A safety function indicator criterion is a quantitative limit such that if the criterion is fulfilled, the corresponding safety function is upheld. The safety functions and their associated indicators and criteria developed for the KBS-3 repository are primarily related to the isolating potential and to physical states of the canister and the clay buffer surrounding the canister. They are thus not directly related to release rates of radionuclides. The paper also describes how the concepts introduced i) aid in focussing the assessment on critical, safety related issues, ii) provide a framework for the accounting of safety throughout the different time frames of the assessment and iii) provide key information in the selection of scenarios for the safety assessment. (author)

  5. Safety: Preventive Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotula, John R.; Digenakis, Anthony

    1985-01-01

    Underscores the need for community colleges to practice safety within the institutions and to instruct students in workplace safety procedures and requirements. Reviews Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) regulations and their impact on industry and education. Looks at the legal responsibilities of colleges for safety. (DMM)

  6. Improving safety culture through the health and safety organization: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, Kent J

    2014-02-01

    International research indicates that internal health and safety organizations (HSO) and health and safety committees (HSC) do not have the intended impact on companies' safety performance. The aim of this case study at an industrial plant was to test whether the HSO can improve company safety culture by creating more and better safety-related interactions both within the HSO and between HSO members and the shop-floor. A quasi-experimental single case study design based on action research with both quantitative and qualitative measures was used. Based on baseline mapping of safety culture and the efficiency of the HSO three developmental processes were started aimed at the HSC, the whole HSO, and the safety representatives, respectively. Results at follow-up indicated a marked improvement in HSO performance, interaction patterns concerning safety, safety culture indicators, and a changed trend in injury rates. These improvements are interpreted as cultural change because an organizational double-loop learning process leading to modification of the basic assumptions could be identified. The study provides evidence that the HSO can improve company safety culture by focusing on safety-related interactions. © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council.

  7. Regulatory review of safety cases and safety assessments - associated challenges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bennett, D.G.; Ben Belfadhel, M.; Metcalf, P.E.

    2006-01-01

    Regulatory reviews of safety cases and safety assessments are essential for credible decision making on the licensing or authorization of radioactive waste disposal facilities. Regulatory review also plays an important role in developing the safety case and in establishing stakeholders' confidence in the safety of the facility. Reviews of safety cases for radioactive waste disposal facilities need to be conducted by suitably qualified and experienced staff, following systematic and well planned review processes. Regulatory reviews should be sufficiently comprehensive in their coverage of issues potentially affecting the safety of the disposal system, and should assess the safety case against clearly established criteria. The conclusions drawn from a regulatory review, and the rationale for them should be reproducible and documented in a transparent and traceable way. Many challenges are faced when conducting regulatory reviews of safety cases. Some of these relate to issues of project and programme management, and resources, while others derive from the inherent difficulties of assessing the potential long term future behaviour of engineered and environmental systems. The paper describes approaches to the conduct of regulatory reviews and discusses some of the challenges faced. (author)

  8. Nuclear Safety. 1997

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    A quick review of the nuclear safety at EDF may be summarized as follows: - the nuclear safety at EDF maintains at a rather good standard; - none of the incidents that took place has had any direct impact upon safety; - the availability remained good; - initiation of the floor 4 reactor generation (N4 unit - 1450 MW) ensued without major difficulties (the Civaux 1 NPP has been coupled to the power network at 24 december 1997); - the analysis of the incidents interesting from the safety point of view presents many similarities with earlier ones. Significant progress has been recorded in promoting actively and directly a safe operation by making visible, evident and concrete the exertion of the nuclear operation responsibility and its control by the hierarchy. The report develops the following chapters and subjects: 1. An overview on 1997; 1.1. The technical issues of the nuclear sector; 1.2. General performances in safety; 1.3. The main incidents; 1.4. Wastes and radiation protection; 2. Nuclear safety management; 2.1. Dynamics and results; 2.2. Ameliorations to be consolidated; 3. Other important issues in safety; 3.1. Probabilistic safety studies; 3.2. Approach for safety re-evaluation; 3.3. The network safety; 3.4. Crisis management; 3.5. The Lifetime program; 3.6. PWR; 3.7. Documentation; 3.8. Competence; 4. Safety management in the future; 4.1. An open future; 4.2. The fast neutron NPP at Creys-Malville; 4.3. Stabilization of the PWR reference frame; 4.4. Implementing the EURATOM directive regarding the radiation protection standards; 4.5. Development of biomedical research and epidemiological studies; 4.6. New regulations concerning the liquid and gaseous effluents; 5. Visions of an open future; 5.1. Alternative views upon safety ay EDF; 5.2. Safety authority; 5.3. International considerations; 5.4. What happens abroad; 5.5. References from non-nuclear domain. Four appendices are added referring to policy of safety management, policy of human factors in NPPs

  9. Pre-operative evaluation with MR in tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holmqvist, C.; Hochbergs, P.; Bjoerkhem, G.; Brockstedt, S.; Laurin, S.

    2000-01-01

    To assess whether MR imaging could replace angiography in pre-operative evaluation of patients with tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (VSD), especially since the surgical correction was done earlier than was previously the rule. Fourteen patients with tetralogy of Fallot (n=10) or pulmonary atresia with VSD (n=4), mean age 7.5±4.4 months, were evaluated with angiocardiography and MR before definitive surgical correction. There was good diagnostic agreement between the two modalities when evaluating right ventricular outflow obstruction; 86% for valvular and 93% for supra valvular stenosis, but the agreement was somewhat lower for the sub valvular obstruction (57%). Surgery findings, however, were in favour of MR in 5 patients concerning the sub valvular right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. MR images identified all stenoses in the right and left pulmonary arteries, but overlooked one stenosis in the main pulmonary artery. MR could evaluate patency in all palliative shunts. Even in this young age group, MR imaging offers a good alternative to angiocardiography for the pre-operative evaluation of the right ventricular outflow tract, the main pulmonary artery and the proximal right and left pulmonary arteries, before definitive surgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia with VSD

  10. Pre-operative evaluation with MR in tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Holmqvist, C.; Hochbergs, P. [Univ. Hospital, Lund (Sweden). Dept of Diagnostic Radiology; Bjoerkhem, G. [Univ. Hospital, Lund (Sweden). Dept of Paediatrics; Brockstedt, S.; Laurin, S. [Univ. Hospital, Lund (Sweden). Dept of Diagnostic Radiology

    2000-01-01

    To assess whether MR imaging could replace angiography in pre-operative evaluation of patients with tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (VSD), especially since the surgical correction was done earlier than was previously the rule. Fourteen patients with tetralogy of Fallot (n=10) or pulmonary atresia with VSD (n=4), mean age 7.5{+-}4.4 months, were evaluated with angiocardiography and MR before definitive surgical correction. There was good diagnostic agreement between the two modalities when evaluating right ventricular outflow obstruction; 86% for valvular and 93% for supra valvular stenosis, but the agreement was somewhat lower for the sub valvular obstruction (57%). Surgery findings, however, were in favour of MR in 5 patients concerning the sub valvular right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. MR images identified all stenoses in the right and left pulmonary arteries, but overlooked one stenosis in the main pulmonary artery. MR could evaluate patency in all palliative shunts. Even in this young age group, MR imaging offers a good alternative to angiocardiography for the pre-operative evaluation of the right ventricular outflow tract, the main pulmonary artery and the proximal right and left pulmonary arteries, before definitive surgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia with VSD.

  11. Pado, a fluorescent protein with proton channel activity can optically monitor membrane potential, intracellular pH, and map gap junctions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Bok Eum; Baker, Bradley J

    2016-04-04

    An in silico search strategy was developed to identify potential voltage-sensing domains (VSD) for the development of genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs). Using a conserved charge distribution in the S2 α-helix, a single in silico search yielded most voltage-sensing proteins including voltage-gated potassium channels, voltage-gated calcium channels, voltage-gated sodium channels, voltage-gated proton channels, and voltage-sensing phosphatases from organisms ranging from mammals to bacteria and plants. A GEVI utilizing the VSD from a voltage-gated proton channel identified from that search was able to optically report changes in membrane potential. In addition this sensor was capable of manipulating the internal pH while simultaneously reporting that change optically since it maintains the voltage-gated proton channel activity of the VSD. Biophysical characterization of this GEVI, Pado, demonstrated that the voltage-dependent signal was distinct from the pH-dependent signal and was dependent on the movement of the S4 α-helix. Further investigation into the mechanism of the voltage-dependent optical signal revealed that inhibiting the dimerization of the fluorescent protein greatly reduced the optical signal. Dimerization of the FP thereby enabled the movement of the S4 α-helix to mediate a fluorescent response.

  12. Coupled 0D-1D CFD Modeling of Right Heart and Pulmonary Artery Morphometry Tree

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Melody; Yang, Weiguang; Feinstein, Jeffrey A.; Marsden, Alison

    2017-11-01

    Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by elevated pulmonary artery (PA) pressure and remodeling of the distal PAs resulting in right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and failure. It is hypothesized that patients with untreated ventricular septal defects (VSD) may develop PAH due to elevated flows and pressures in the PAs. Wall shear stress (WSS), due to elevated flows, and circumferential stress, due to elevated pressures, are known to play a role in vascular mechanobiology. Thus, simulating VSD hemodynamics and wall mechanics may facilitate our understanding of mechanical stimuli leading to PAH initiation and progression. Although 3D CFD models can capture detailed hemodynamics in the proximal PAs, they cannot easily model hemodynamics and wave propagation in the distal PAs, where remodeling occurs. To improve current PA models, we will present a new method that couples distal PA hemodynamics with RV function. Our model couples a 0D lumped parameter model of the RV to a 1D model of the PA tree, based on human PA morphometry data, to characterize RV performance and WSS changes in the PA tree. We will compare a VSD 0D-1D model and a 0D-3D model coupled to a mathematical morphometry tree model to quantify WSS in the entire PA vascular tree.

  13. Profile of congenital heart disease and correlation to risk adjustment for surgery; an echocardiographic study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akhtar, K.; Ahmed, W.

    2008-01-01

    To determine the pattern and profile of Congenital Heart Diseases (CHD) in paediatric patients (age 1 day to 18 years) presenting to a paediatric tertiary referral centre and its correlation to risk adjustment for surgery for congenital heart disease. Over a period of 6 months, 1149 cases underwent 2-D echocardiography. It was a non-probability purposive sampling. This study showed 25% of all referrals had normal hearts. A male preponderance (38%) was observed from 1 year to 5 years age group. Nineteen percent of the cases were categorized as cyanotic CHD with the remaining as acyanotic variety. Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) represented 10%, Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD) 24%, followed by Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) and Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), which comprised 6.6% and 6.5% respectively. VSD was the most common association in patients with more complex CHD (10%) followed by PDA in 3% and ASD in 1.2% of the cases. Most of the cases were category 2 in the RACHS-1 scoring system. VSD and TOF formed the major groups of cases profiled. Most of the cases recommended for surgery for congenital heart disease belonged to the risk category 2 (28.1%) followed by the risk category 1 (12.7%) of the RACHS-1 scoring system. (author)

  14. Does the concept of safety culture help or hinder systems thinking in safety?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reiman, Teemu; Rollenhagen, Carl

    2014-07-01

    The concept of safety culture has become established in safety management applications in all major safety-critical domains. The idea that safety culture somehow represents a "systemic view" on safety is seldom explicitly spoken out, but nevertheless seem to linger behind many safety culture discourses. However, in this paper we argue that the "new" contribution to safety management from safety culture never really became integrated with classical engineering principles and concepts. This integration would have been necessary for the development of a more genuine systems-oriented view on safety; e.g. a conception of safety in which human, technological, organisational and cultural factors are understood as mutually interacting elements. Without of this integration, researchers and the users of the various tools and methods associated with safety culture have sometimes fostered a belief that "safety culture" in fact represents such a systemic view about safety. This belief is, however, not backed up by theoretical or empirical evidence. It is true that safety culture, at least in some sense, represents a holistic term-a totality of factors that include human, organisational and technological aspects. However, the departure for such safety culture models is still human and organisational factors rather than technology (or safety) itself. The aim of this paper is to critically review the various uses of the concept of safety culture as representing a systemic view on safety. The article will take a look at the concepts of culture and safety culture based on previous studies, and outlines in more detail the theoretical challenges in safety culture as a systems concept. The paper also presents recommendations on how to make safety culture more systemic. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Obtaining Valid Safety Data for Software Safety Measurement and Process Improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basili, Victor r.; Zelkowitz, Marvin V.; Layman, Lucas; Dangle, Kathleen; Diep, Madeline

    2010-01-01

    We report on a preliminary case study to examine software safety risk in the early design phase of the NASA Constellation spaceflight program. Our goal is to provide NASA quality assurance managers with information regarding the ongoing state of software safety across the program. We examined 154 hazard reports created during the preliminary design phase of three major flight hardware systems within the Constellation program. Our purpose was two-fold: 1) to quantify the relative importance of software with respect to system safety; and 2) to identify potential risks due to incorrect application of the safety process, deficiencies in the safety process, or the lack of a defined process. One early outcome of this work was to show that there are structural deficiencies in collecting valid safety data that make software safety different from hardware safety. In our conclusions we present some of these deficiencies.

  16. 77 FR 25179 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Surgical Safety Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety... voluntary relinquishment from the Surgical Safety Institute of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorizes the...

  17. A Methodological Framework for Software Safety in Safety Critical Computer Systems

    OpenAIRE

    P. V. Srinivas Acharyulu; P. Seetharamaiah

    2012-01-01

    Software safety must deal with the principles of safety management, safety engineering and software engineering for developing safety-critical computer systems, with the target of making the system safe, risk-free and fail-safe in addition to provide a clarified differentaition for assessing and evaluating the risk, with the principles of software risk management. Problem statement: Prevailing software quality models, standards were not subsisting in adequately addressing the software safety ...

  18. IAEA safety requirements for safety assessment of fuel cycle facilities and activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, G.

    2013-01-01

    The IAEA's Statute authorises the Agency to establish standards of safety for protection of health and minimisation of danger to life and property. In that respect, the IAEA has established a Safety Fundamentals publication which contains ten safety principles for ensuring the protection of workers, the public and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation. A number of these principles require safety assessments to be carried out as a means of evaluating compliance with safety requirements for all nuclear facilities and activities and to determine the measures that need to be taken to ensure safety. The safety assessments are required to be carried out and documented by the organisation responsible for operating the facility or conducting the activity, are to be independently verified and are to be submitted to the regulatory body as part of the licensing or authorisation process. In addition to the principles of the Safety Fundamentals, the IAEA establishes requirements that must be met to ensure the protection of people and the environment and which are governed by the principles in the Safety Fundamentals. The IAEA's Safety Requirements publication 'Safety Assessment for Facilities and Activities', establishes the safety requirements that need to be fulfilled in conducting and maintaining safety assessments for the lifetime of facilities and activities, with specific attention to defence in depth and the requirement for a graded approach to the application of these safety requirements across the wide range of fuel cycle facilities and activities. Requirements for independent verification of the safety assessment that needs to be carried out by the operating organisation, including the requirement for the safety assessment to be periodically reviewed and updated are also covered. For many fuel cycle facilities and activities, environmental impact assessments and non-radiological risk assessments will be required. The

  19. Integrated Safety in ''SARAF'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dickstein, P.; Grof, Y.; Machlev, M.; Pernick, A.

    2004-01-01

    As of the very early stages of the accelerator project at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center ''SARAF'' a safety group was established which has been an inseparable participant in the planning and design of the new facility. The safety group comprises of teams responsible for the shielding, radiation protection and general industrial safety aspects of ''SARAF''. The safety group prepared and documented the safety envelope for the accelerator, dealing with the safety requirements and guidelines for the first, pre-operational, stages of the project. The safety envelope, though based upon generic principles, took into account the accelerator features and the expected modes of operation. The safety envelope was prepared in a hierarchical structure, containing Basic Principles, Basic Guidelines, General Principles for Safety Implementation, Safety Requirements and Safety Underlining Issues. The above safety envelope applies to the entire facility, which entails the accelerator itself and the experimental areas and associated plant and equipment utilizing and supporting the production of the accelerated particle beams

  20. ITER-FEAT safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordon, C.W.; Bartels, H.-W.; Honda, T.; Raeder, J.; Topilski, L.; Iseli, M.; Moshonas, K.; Taylor, N.; Gulden, W.; Kolbasov, B.; Inabe, T.; Tada, E.

    2001-01-01

    Safety has been an integral part of the design process for ITER since the Conceptual Design Activities of the project. The safety approach adopted in the ITER-FEAT design and the complementary assessments underway, to be documented in the Generic Site Safety Report (GSSR), are expected to help demonstrate the attractiveness of fusion and thereby set a good precedent for future fusion power reactors. The assessments address ITER's radiological hazards taking into account fusion's favourable safety characteristics. The expectation that ITER will need regulatory approval has influenced the entire safety design and assessment approach. This paper summarises the ITER-FEAT safety approach and assessments underway. (author)

  1. Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation. Specific Safety Requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2017-01-01

    This publication is a revision of IAEA Safety Standards Series No. NS-R-2, Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation, and has been extended to cover the commissioning stage. It describes the requirements to be met to ensure the safe commissioning, operation, and transition from operation to decommissioning of nuclear power plants. Over recent years there have been developments in areas such as long term operation of nuclear power plants, plant ageing, periodic safety review, probabilistic safety analysis review and risk informed decision making processes. It became necessary to revise the IAEA’s Safety Requirements in these areas and to correct and/or improve the publication on the basis of feedback from its application by both the IAEA and its Member States. In addition, the requirements are governed by, and must apply, the safety objective and safety principles that are established in the IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, Fundamental Safety Principles. A review of Safety Requirements publications, initiated in 2011 following the accident in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, revealed no significant areas of weakness but resulted in a small set of amendments to strengthen the requirements and facilitate their implementation. These are contained in the present publication.

  2. Defining safety culture and the nexus between safety goals and safety culture. 3. A Methodology for Identifying Deficiencies in Safety Culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apostolakis, George; Weil, Rick

    2001-01-01

    At present, the drivers of performance problems at nuclear power plants (NPPs) are organizational in nature. Organizational deficiencies and other 'latent' conditions cause human errors, resulting in incidents that impact the performance of NPPs. Therefore, the human reliability community, regulators, and others concerned with NPP safety express the view that safety culture and organizational factors play an important role in plant safety. However, we have yet to identify one complete set of organizational factors, establish links between deficient safety culture and performance, or develop adequate tools to measure safety culture. This paper will contribute to the resolution of these issues. Safety culture is not a single factor but rather is a collection of several distinct factors. This paper asserts that in order to pro-actively manage safety culture at NPPs, leading indicators and appropriate measurements must be identified and developed. Central to this effort are the identification of the distinct factors comprising safety culture and the relationships between those factors and performance. We have identified several factors important to safety culture. We have developed a methodology that is a combination of traditional root-cause analysis and theories of human error, most notably Reason's theory of accident causation. In addition to this methodology's usefulness in identifying deficiencies in safety culture, it could also be used as a starting point to identify leading indicators of deteriorating safety performance. We have identified six organizational factors as being important: communication, formalization, goal prioritization, problem identification, roles and responsibilities, and technical knowledge. In addition, we have found that certain organizational factors, although pervasive throughout the organization, have a much greater influence on the successful outcome of particular tasks of work processes, rather than being equally important to all

  3. Visit safety

    CERN Document Server

    2012-01-01

    Experiment areas, offices, workshops: it is possible to have co-workers or friends visit these places.     You already know about the official visits service, the VIP office, and professional visits. But do you know about the safety instruction GSI-OHS1, “Visits on the CERN site”? This is a mandatory General Safety Instruction that was created to assist you in ensuring safety for all your visits, whatever their nature—especially those that are non-official. Questions? The HSE Unit will be happy to answer them. Write to safety-general@cern.ch.   The HSE Unit

  4. Supplement to safety analysis report. 306-W building operations safety requirement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Richey, C.R.

    1979-08-01

    The operations safety requirements (OSRs) presented in this report define the conditions, safe boundaries, and management control needed for safely conducting operations with radioactive materials in the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) 306-W building. The safety requirements are organized in five sections. Safety limits are safety-related process variables that are observable and measurable. Limiting conditions cover: equipment and technical conditions and characteristics of the facility and operations necessary for continued safe operation. Surveillance requirements prescribe the requirements for checking systems and components that are essential to safety. Equipment design controls require that changes to process equipment and systems be independently checked and approved to assure that the changes will have no adverse effect on safety. Administrative controls describe and discuss the organization and administrative systems and procedures to be used for safe operation of the facility. Details of the implementation of the operations safety requirements are prescribed by internal PNL documents such as criticality safety specifications and radiation work procedures

  5. Consideration of future safety consequences: a new predictor of employee safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Probst, Tahira M; Graso, Maja; Estrada, Armando X; Greer, Sarah

    2013-06-01

    Compliance with safety behaviors is often associated with longer term benefits, but may require some short-term sacrifices. This study examines the extent to which consideration of future safety consequences (CFSC) predicts employee safety outcomes. Two field studies were conducted to evaluate the reliability and validity of the newly developed Consideration of Future Safety Consequences (CFSC) scale. Surveys containing the CFSC scale and other measures of safety attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes were administered during working hours to a sample of 128 pulp and paper mill employees; after revising the CFSC scale based on these initial results, follow-up survey data were collected in a second sample of 212 copper miners. In Study I, CFSC was predictive of employee safety knowledge and motivation, compliance, safety citizenship behaviors, accident reporting attitudes and behaviors, and workplace injuries - even after accounting for conscientiousness and demographic variables. Moreover, the effects of CFSC on the variables generally appear to be direct, as opposed to mediated by safety knowledge or motivation. These findings were largely replicated in Study II. CFSC appears to be an important personality construct that may predict those individuals who are more likely to comply with safety rules and have more positive safety outcomes. Future research should examine the longitudinal stability of CFSC to determine the extent to which this construct is a stable trait, rather than a safety attitude amenable to change over time or following an intervention. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Nuclear safety and regulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hho Jung

    2000-03-01

    This book contains 12 chapters, which are atom and radiation, nuclear reactor and kinds of nuclear power plant, safeguard actuation system and stability evaluation for rock foundation of nuclear power plant, nuclear safety and principle, safety analysis and classification of incident, probabilistic safety assessment and major incident, nuclear safety regulation, system of nuclear safety regulation, main function and subject of safety regulation in nuclear facilities, regulation of fuel cycle and a nuclear dump site, protection of radiation and, safety supervision and, safety supervision and measurement of environmental radioactivity.

  7. Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation. Specific Safety Requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-01-01

    This publication describes the requirements to be met to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants. It takes into account developments in areas such as long term operation of nuclear power plants, plant ageing, periodic safety review, probabilistic safety analysis and risk informed decision making processes. In addition, the requirements are governed by, and must apply, the safety objective and safety principles that are established in the IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, Fundamental Safety Principles. A review of Safety Requirements publications was commenced in 2011 following the accident in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The review revealed no significant areas of weakness and resulted in just a small set of amendments to strengthen the requirements and facilitate their implementation, which are contained in the present publication

  8. Radiation safety audit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kadadunna, K.P.I.K.; Mod Ali, Noriah

    2008-01-01

    Audit has been seen as one of the effective methods to ensure harmonization in radiation protection. A radiation safety audit is a formal safety performance examination of existing or future work activities by an independent team. Regular audit will assist the management in its mission to maintain the facilities environment that is inherently safe for its employees. The audits review the adequacy of facilities for the type of use, training, and competency of workers, supervision by authorized users, availability of survey instruments, security of radioactive materials, minimization of personnel exposure to radiation, safety equipment, and the required record keeping. All approved areas of use are included in these periodic audits. Any deficiency found in the audit shall be corrected as soon as possible after they are reported. Radiation safety audit is a proactive approach to improve radiation safety practices and identify and prevent any potential radiation accident. It is an excellent tool to identify potential problem to radiation users and to assure that safety measures to eliminate or reduce the problems are fully considered. Radiation safety audit will help to develop safety culture of the facility. It is intended to be the cornerstone of a safety program designed to aid the facility, staff and management in maintaining a safe environment in which activities are carried out. The initiative of this work is to evaluate the need of having a proper audit as one of the mechanism to manage the safety using ionizing radiation. This study is focused on the need of having a proper radiation safety audit to identify deviations and deficiencies of radiation protection programmes. It will be based on studies conducted on several institutes/radiation facilities in Malaysia in 2006. Steps will then be formulated towards strengthening radiation safety through proper audit. This will result in a better working situation and confidence in the radiation protection community

  9. Safety design requirements for safety systems and components of JSFR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kubo, Shigenobu; Shimakawa, Yoshio; Yamano, Hidemasa; Kotake, Shoji

    2011-01-01

    Safety design requirements for JSFR were summarized taking the development targets of the FaCT project and design feature of JSFR into account. The related safety principle and requirements for Monju, CRBRP, PRISM, SPX, LWRs, IAEA standards, goals of GIF, basic principle of INPRO etc. were also taken into account so that the safety design requirements can be a next-generation global standard. The development targets for safety and reliability are set based on those of FaCT, namely, ensuring safety and reliability equal to future LWR and related fuel cycle facilities. In order to achieve these targets, the defence-in-depth concept is used as the basic safety design principle. General features of the safety design requirements are 1) Achievement of higher reliability, 2) Achievement of higher inspectability and maintainability, 3) Introduction of passive safety features, 4) Reduction of operator action needs, 5) Design consideration against Beyond Design Basis Events, 6) In-Vessel Retention of degraded core materials, 7) Prevention and mitigation against sodium chemical reactions, and 8) Design against external events. The current specific requirements for each system and component are summarized taking the basic design concept of JSFR into account, which is an advanced loop-type large-output power plant with a mixed-oxide-fuelled core. (author)

  10. Systems engineered health and safety criteria for safety analysis reports

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beitel, G.A.; Morcos, N.

    1993-01-01

    The world of safety analysis is filled with ambiguous words: codes and standards, consequences and risks, hazard and accident, and health and safety. These words have been subject to disparate interpretations by safety analysis report (SAR) writers, readers, and users. open-quotes Principal health and safety criteriaclose quotes has been one of the most frequently misused phrases; rarely is it used consistently or effectively. This paper offers an easily understood definition for open-quotes principal health and safety criteriaclose quotes and uses systems engineering to convert an otherwise mysterious topic into the primary means of producing an integrated SAR. This paper is based on SARs being written for environmental restoration and waste management activities for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Requirements for these SARs are prescribed in DOE Order 5480-23, open-quotes Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports.close quotes

  11. Age and Gender Variations in Cancer Diagnostic Intervals in 15 Cancers: Analysis of Data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nafees U Din

    Full Text Available Time from symptomatic presentation to cancer diagnosis (diagnostic interval is an important, and modifiable, part of the patient's cancer pathway, and can be affected by various factors such as age, gender and type of presenting symptoms. The aim of this study was to quantify the relationships of diagnostic interval with these variables in 15 cancers diagnosed between 2007 and 2010 using routinely collected data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD in the UK.Symptom lists for each cancer were prepared from the literature and by consensus amongst the clinician researchers, which were then categorised into either NICE qualifying (NICE or not (non-NICE based on NICE Urgent Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer criteria. Multivariable linear regression models were fitted to examine the relationship between diagnostic interval (outcome and the predictors: age, gender and symptom type.18,618 newly diagnosed cancer patients aged ≥40 who had a recorded symptom in the preceding year were included in the analysis. Mean diagnostic interval was greater for older patients in four disease sites (difference in days per 10 year increase in age; 95% CI: bladder (10.3; 5.5 to 15.1; P<0.001, kidney (11.0; 3.4 to 18.6; P=0.004, leukaemia (18.5; 8.8 to 28.1; P<0.001 and lung (10.1; 6.7 to 13.4; P<0.001. There was also evidence of longer diagnostic interval in older patients with colorectal cancer (P<0.001. However, we found that mean diagnostic interval was shorter with increasing age in two cancers: gastric (-5.9; -11.7 to -0.2; P=0.04 and pancreatic (-6.0; -11.2 to -0.7; P=0.03. Diagnostic interval was longer for females in six of the gender non-specific cancers (mean difference in days; 95% CI: bladder (12.2; 0.8 to 23.6; P=0.04, colorectal (10.4; 4.3 to 16.5; P=0.001, gastric (14.3; 1.1 to 27.6; P=0.03, head and neck (31.3; 6.2 to 56.5; P=0.02, lung (8.0; 1.2 to 14.9; P=0.02, and lymphoma (19.2; 3.8 to 34.7; P=0.01. Evidence of longer

  12. Regulatory Oversight of Safety Culture in Finland: A Systemic Approach to Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oedewald, P.; Väisäsvaara, J.

    2016-01-01

    In Finland the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority STUK specifies detailed regulatory requirements for good safety culture. Both the requirements and the practical safety culture oversight activities reflect a systemic approach to safety: the interconnections between the technical, human and organizational factors receive special attention. The conference paper aims to show how the oversight of safety culture can be integrated into everyday oversight activities. The paper also emphasises that the scope of the safety culture oversight is not specific safety culture activities of the licencees, but rather the overall functioning of the licence holder or the new build project organization from safety point of view. The regulatory approach towards human and organizational factors and safety culture has evolved throughout the years of nuclear energy production in Finland. Especially the recent new build projects have highlighted the need to systematically pay attention to the non-technical aspects of safety as it has become obvious how the HOF issues can affect the design processes and quality of construction work. Current regulatory guides include a set of safety culture related requirements. The requirements are binding to the licence holders and they set both generic and specific demands on the licencee to understand, monitor and to develop safety culture of their own organization but also that of their supplier network. The requirements set for the licence holders has facilitated the need to develop the regulator’s safety culture oversight practices towards a proactive and systemic approach.

  13. Enhancing operational nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sengoku, Katsuhisa

    2008-01-01

    Since Chernobyl, the dictum A n accident anywhere is an accident everywhere i s a globally shared perception. The paper presents challenges to the international nuclear community: globalization, sustainable and dynamic development, secure, safe and clean energy supply, nuclear r enaissance , public concern for nuclear safety, nuclear security, and technology and management. Strong national safety infrastructures and international cooperation are required to maintain a high level of nuclear safety and security worldwide. There is an increasing number of countries thinking of going nuclear: Morocco, Indonesia, Iran, Poland, Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, Vietnam, Chile, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Uruguay, Tunisia, Algeria. Another serious incident will jeopardize the prospect of nuclear renaissance. Safety and security are preconditions for countries newly introducing NPP as well as for those with mature nuclear programmes. The Global Nuclear Safety Regime (GNSR) is referred to as the institutional, legal and technical framework to achieve worldwide implementation of the safety of nuclear installations. At the top of the framework is the Convention on Nuclear Safety which covers the nuclear power plants. The convention has 56 contracting parties which meet triennially where national reports are presented and subject to the review of peers. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) undertakes a programme to foster the GNSR through the establishment of IAEA safety standards and related publications. The programme provides for the application of standards for the (1) safety of nuclear installations, (2) safety of radioactive sources, (3) safe transport of radioactive material and (4) management of radioactive waste. It also provides for the security of nuclear installations, nuclear material and radioactive material. The safety standards hierarchy is as follows: safety fundamental, safety requirements and safety guides. The safety fundamentals are the bases for IAEA

  14. Improving safety on rural local and tribal roads safety toolkit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-08-01

    Rural roadway safety is an important issue for communities throughout the country and presents a challenge for state, local, and Tribal agencies. The Improving Safety on Rural Local and Tribal Roads Safety Toolkit was created to help rural local ...

  15. Safety goals and safety culture opening plenary. 2. Safety Regulation Implemented by Gosatomnadzor of Russia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutsalov, A.T.; Bukrinsky, A.M.

    2001-01-01

    This paper describes principles and approaches used by Gosatomnadzor of Russia in establishing safety goals. The link between safety goals and safety culture is demonstrated. The paper also contains information on nuclear regulatory activities in Russia. Regulatory documents of Gosatomnadzor of Russia do not provide precise definitions of safety goals as IAEA documents INSAG-3 or INSAG-12 do. However, overall activities of Gosatomnadzor of Russia are directed to the achievement of these safety goals, as Gosatomnadzor of Russia is a federal executive authority responsible for the regulation of nuclear and radiation safety in accordance with the Russian Federal Law 'On the Use of Nuclear Energy'. Thus, in the Statement of the Policy of the Russian Regulatory Authority, enacted in 1992, it was established that the overall activities of Gosatomnadzor of Russia are directed to the achievement of the main goal. This goal is to establish conditions that ensure that personnel, the public, and the environment are protected from unacceptable radiation and nonproliferation of nuclear materials. The practical application of such a method as given by the publication of Statements of Policy of Gosatomnadzor of Russia may be considered as a safety culture element. 'General Provisions of NPP Safety Ensuring' (OPB-88/ 97) is a regulatory document of the highest level in the hierarchy of regulatory documents of Gosatomnadzor of Russia. It establishes quantitative values of safety goals as do the foregoing IAEA documents. Thus, this regulatory document sets up the following: 1. The estimated total probability of severe accidents should not exceed 10 5 /reactor.yr. 2. The estimated probability of the worst possible radioactive release to the environment specified in the standards should not exceed 10 -7 /reactor.yr in the case of severe beyond-design-basis accidents. 3. The probability of a reactor vessel failure should not exceed 10 -7 /reactor.yr. The foregoing values are somehow

  16. Development of French technical safety regulations: safety fundamental rules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebouleux, P.

    1982-09-01

    The technical regulation related to nuclear safety in France is made of a set of regulation texts, of a different nature, that define the requirements for the construction, commissioning and operations of nuclear facilities. Simultaneously, the safety authorities (Service Central de Surete des Installations Nucleaires: SCSIN) issue recommendations or guides which are not strictly speaking regulations in the juridical sense; they are called ''Regles Fondamentales de Surete'' (RFS). The RFS set up and detail the conditions, the respect of which is deemed to be complying with the French regulation pratice, for the subject to which they relate. Their purpose is to make known rules judged acceptable by safety authorities, thus making the safety review easier. The RFS program is described. A RFS -or a letter- can also give the result of the examination of the constructor and operator code (RCC) by safety authorities

  17. Development of French technical safety regulations: safety fundamental rules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebouleux, P.

    1983-01-01

    The technical regulation related to nuclear safety in France is made of a set of regulation texts, of a different nature, that define the requirements for the construction, commissioning and operating of nuclear facilities. Simultaneously, the safety authorities (Service Central de Surete des Installations Nucleaires: SCSIN) issue recommendations or guides which are not strictly speaking regulations in the juridicial sense; they are called Regles Fondamentales de Surete (RFS). The RFS set up and detail the conditions, the respect of which is deemed to be complying with the French regulation practice, for the subject to which they relate. Their purpose is to make known rules judged acceptable by safety authorities, thus making the safety review easier. The RFS program is described. A RFS - or a letter - can also give the result of the examination of the constructor and operator codes (RCC) by safety authorities

  18. Measuring Safety Culture on Ships Using Safety Climate: A Study among Indian Officers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yogendra Bhattacharya

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Workplace safety continues to be an area of concern in the maritime industry due to the international nature of the operations. The effectiveness of extensive legislation to manage shipboard safety remains in doubt. The focus must therefore shift towards the human element - seafarers and their perceptions of safety. The study aims to understand the alignment that exists between safety culture and safety climate on board ships as perceived by seafarers. The underlying factors of safety climate were identified using factor analysis which isolated seven factors - Support on Safety, Organizational Support, Resource Availability, Work Environment, Job Demands, ‘Just’ Culture, and Safety Compliance. The perception of safety level of seafarers was found to be low indicating the existence of misalignments between safety culture values and the actual safety climate. The study also reveals that the safety perceptions of officers employed directly by ship owners and those by managers do not differ significantly, nor do they differ between senior and junior officers. A shift in perspective towards how seafarers themselves feel towards safety might provide more effective solutions – instead of relying on regulations - and indeed aid in reducing incidents on board. This paper details practical suggestions on how to identify the factors that contribute towards a better safety climate on board ships.

  19. Safety in the Utilization and Modification of Research Reactors. Specific Safety Guide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2012-07-15

    This Safety Guide is a revision of Safety Series No. 35-G2 on safety in the utilization and modification of research reactors. It provides recommendations on meeting the requirements for the categorization, safety assessment and approval of research reactor experiments and modification projects. Specific safety considerations in different phases of utilization and modification projects are covered, including the pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation phases. Guidance is also provided on the operational safety of experiments, including in the handling, dismantling, post-irradiation examination and disposal of experimental devices. Examples of the application of the safety categorization process for experiments and modification projects and of the content of the safety analysis report for an experiment are also provided. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Management system for the utilization and modification of a research reactor; 3. Categorization, safety assessment and approval of an experiment or modification; 4. Safety considerations for the design of an experiment or modification; 5. Pre-implementation phase of a modification or utilization project; 6. Implementation phase of a modification or utilization project; 7. Post-implementation phase of a utilization or modification project; 8. Operational safety of experiments at a research reactor; 9. Safety considerations in the handling, dismantling, post-irradiation examination and disposal of experimental devices; 10. Safety aspects of out-of-reactor-core installations; Annex I: Example of a checklist for the categorization of an experiment or modification at a research reactor; Annex II: Example of the content of the safety analysis report for an experiment at a research reactor; Annex III: Examples of reasons for a modification at a research reactor.

  20. Safety in the Utilization and Modification of Research Reactors. Specific Safety Guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    This Safety Guide is a revision of Safety Series No. 35-G2 on safety in the utilization and modification of research reactors. It provides recommendations on meeting the requirements for the categorization, safety assessment and approval of research reactor experiments and modification projects. Specific safety considerations in different phases of utilization and modification projects are covered, including the pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation phases. Guidance is also provided on the operational safety of experiments, including in the handling, dismantling, post-irradiation examination and disposal of experimental devices. Examples of the application of the safety categorization process for experiments and modification projects and of the content of the safety analysis report for an experiment are also provided. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Management system for the utilization and modification of a research reactor; 3. Categorization, safety assessment and approval of an experiment or modification; 4. Safety considerations for the design of an experiment or modification; 5. Pre-implementation phase of a modification or utilization project; 6. Implementation phase of a modification or utilization project; 7. Post-implementation phase of a utilization or modification project; 8. Operational safety of experiments at a research reactor; 9. Safety considerations in the handling, dismantling, post-irradiation examination and disposal of experimental devices; 10. Safety aspects of out-of-reactor-core installations; Annex I: Example of a checklist for the categorization of an experiment or modification at a research reactor; Annex II: Example of the content of the safety analysis report for an experiment at a research reactor; Annex III: Examples of reasons for a modification at a research reactor.

  1. IAEA safety glossary. Terminology used in nuclear safety and radiation protection. 2007 ed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    In developing and establishing standards of safety for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation and for the safety of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks, clear communication on scientific and technical concepts is essential. The principles, requirements and recommendations that are established and explained in the IAEA's safety standards and elaborated upon in other publications must be clearly expressed. To this end, this Safety Glossary defines and explains technical terms used in IAEA safety standards and other safety related publications, and provides information on their usage. The primary purpose of the Safety Glossary is to harmonize terminology and usage in the IAEA safety standards for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation, and in their application. Once definitions of terms have been established, they are, in general, intended to be observed in safety standards and other safety related publications and in the work of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security generally. The achievement of consistently high quality in its publications contributes to the authority and credibility of the IAEA, and thus to its influence and effectiveness. High quality in publications and documents is achieved not only by review to ensure that the relevant requirements are met, but also by managing their preparation so as to achieve high quality in their drafting. The Safety Glossary provides guidance primarily for the drafters and reviewers of safety standards, including IAEA technical officers and consultants and bodies for the endorsement of safety standards. The Safety Glossary is also a source of information for users of IAEA safety standards and other safety and security related IAEA publications and for other IAEA staff - notably writers, editors, translators, revisers and interpreters. Users of the Safety Glossary, in particular drafters of national

  2. IAEA safety glossary. Terminology used in nuclear safety and radiation protection. 2007 ed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-06-01

    In developing and establishing standards of safety for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation and for the safety of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks, clear communication on scientific and technical concepts is essential. The principles, requirements and recommendations that are established and explained in the IAEA's safety standards and elaborated upon in other publications must be clearly expressed. To this end, this Safety Glossary defines and explains technical terms used in IAEA safety standards and other safety related publications, and provides information on their usage. The primary purpose of the Safety Glossary is to harmonize terminology and usage in the IAEA safety standards for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation, and in their application. Once definitions of terms have been established, they are, in general, intended to be observed in safety standards and other safety related publications and in the work of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security generally. The achievement of consistently high quality in its publications contributes to the authority and credibility of the IAEA, and thus to its influence and effectiveness. High quality in publications and documents is achieved not only by review to ensure that the relevant requirements are met, but also by managing their preparation so as to achieve high quality in their drafting. The Safety Glossary provides guidance primarily for the drafters and reviewers of safety standards, including IAEA technical officers and consultants and bodies for the endorsement of safety standards. The Safety Glossary is also a source of information for users of IAEA safety standards and other safety and security related IAEA publications and for other IAEA staff - notably writers, editors, translators, revisers and interpreters. Users of the Safety Glossary, in particular drafters of national

  3. IAEA safety glossary. Terminology used in nuclear safety and radiation protection. 2007 ed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    In developing and establishing standards of safety for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation and for the safety of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks, clear communication on scientific and technical concepts is essential. The principles, requirements and recommendations that are established and explained in the IAA's safety standards and elaborated upon in other publications must be clearly expressed. To this end, this Safety Glossary defines and explains technical terms used in IAEA safety standards and other safety related publications, and provides information on their usage. The primary purpose of the Safety Glossary is to harmonize terminology and usage in the IAEA safety standards for protecting people and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation, and in their application. Once definitions of terms have been established, they are, in general, intended to be observed in safety standards and other safety related publications and in the work of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security generally. The achievement of consistently high quality in its publications contributes to the authority and credibility of the IAEA, and thus to its influence and effectiveness. High quality in publications and documents is achieved not only by review to ensure that the relevant requirements are met, but also by managing their preparation so as to achieve high quality in their drafting. The Safety Glossary provides guidance primarily for the drafters and reviewers of safety standards, including IAEA technical officers and consultants and bodies for the endorsement of safety standards. The Safety Glossary is also a source of information for users of IAEA safety standards and other safety and security related IAEA publications and for other IAEA staff - notably writers, editors, translators, revisers and interpreters. Users of the Safety Glossary, in particular drafters of national

  4. Safety Training: Basic Safety and Access Courses

    CERN Multimedia

    Antonella Vignes

    2005-01-01

    Objective The purpose of the basic safety courses is to increase awareness for everyone working on the CERN site (CERN staff, associates, outside companies, students and apprentices) of the various existing on-site hazards, and how to recognize and avoid them. Safety course changes The current organization for basic safety courses is changing. There will be two main modifications: the organization of the courses and the implementation of a specific new training course for the LHC machine during the LHC tests and hardware commissioning phase. Organizational changes This concerns the existing basic safety training, currently called level1, level2 and level3. Under the new procedure, a video will be projected in registration building 55 and will run every day at 14.00 and 15.00 in English. The duration of the video will be 50 minutes. The course contents will be the same as the slides currently used, plus a video showing real situations. With this new organization, attendees will systematically follow the...

  5. Safety Training: basic safety and access courses

    CERN Multimedia

    2005-01-01

    Objective The purpose of the basic safety courses is to increase awareness for everyone working on the CERN site (CERN staff, associates, outside companies, students and apprentices) of the various hazards existing on site, and how to recognise and avoid them. Safety course changes The current organisation of basic safety courses is changing. There will be two main modifications: the organisation of the courses and the implementation of a specific new training course for the LHC machine during the LHC tests and hardware commissioning phase. Organisational changes This concerns the existing basic safety training, currently called level 1, level 2 and level 3. Under the new procedure, a video will be projected in registration building 55 and will run every day at 14.00 and 15.00 in English. The duration of the video will be 50 minutes. The course contents will be the same as the slides currently used, plus a video showing real situations. With this new organization, participants will systematically follow...

  6. IAEA safety fundamentals: the safety of nuclear installations and the defence in depth concept

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aro, I.

    2005-01-01

    This presentation is a replica of the similar presentation provided by the IAEA Basic Professional Training Course on Nuclear Safety. The presentation utilizes the IAEA Safety Series document No. 110, Safety Fundamentals: the Safety of Nuclear Installations. The objective of the presentation is to provide the basic rationale for actions in provision of nuclear safety. The presentation also provides basis to understand national nuclear safety requirements. There are three Safety Fundamentals documents in the IAEA Safety Series: one for nuclear safety, one for radiation safety and one for waste safety. The IAEA is currently revising its Safety Fundamentals by combining them into one general Safety Fundamentals document. The IAEA Safety Fundamentals are not binding requirements to the Member States. But, a very similar text has been provided in the Convention on Nuclear Safety which is legally binding for the Member State after ratification by the Parliament. This presentation concentrates on nuclear safety. The Safety Fundamentals documents are the 'policy documents' of the IAEA Safety Standards Series. They state the basic objectives, concepts and principles involved in ensuring protection and safety in the development and application of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. They will state - without providing technical details and without going into the application of principles - the rationale for actions necessary in meeting Safety Requirements. Chapter 7 of this presentation describes the basic features of defence in depth concept which is referred to in the Safety Fundamentals document. The defence in depth concept is a key issue in reaching high level of safety specifically at the design stage but as the reader can see the extended concept also refers to the operational stage. The appendix has been taken directly from the IAEA Basic Professional Training Course on Nuclear Safety and applied to the Finnish conditions. The text originates from the references

  7. Rad waste disposal safety analysis / Integrated safety assessment of a waste repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Jongtae; Choi, Jongwon; Kang, Chulhyung

    2012-04-01

    We developed CYPRUS+and adopted PID and RES method for the development of scenario. Safety performance assessment program was developed using GoldSim for the safety assessment of disposal system for the disposal of spnet fuels and wastes resulting from the pyrpoprocessing. Biosphere model was developed and verified in cooperation with JAEA. The capability to evaluate post-closure performance and safety was added to the previously developed program. And, nuclide migration and release to the biosphere considering site characteristics was evaluated by using deterministic and probabilistic approach. Operational safety assessment for drop, fire, and earthquake was also statistically evaluated considering well-established input parameter distribution. Conservative assessment showed that dose rate is below the limit value of low- and intermediate-level repository. Gas generation mechanism within engineered barrier was defined and its influence on safety was evaluated. We made probabilistic safety assessment by obtaining the probability distribution functions of important input variables and also made a sensitivity analysis. The maximum annual dose rate was shown to be below the safety limit value of 10 mSv/yr. The structure and element of safety case was developed to increase reliability of safety assessment methodology for a deep geological repository. Finally, milestone for safety case development and implementation strategy for each safety case element was also proposed

  8. Radiation protection and safety of radiation sources international basic safety standards

    CERN Document Server

    International Atomic Energy Agency. Vienna

    2014-01-01

    The Board of Governors of the IAEA first approved Basic Safety Standards in June 1962; they were published by the IAEA as IAEA Safety Series No. 9. A revised edition was issued in 1967. A third revision was published by the IAEA as the 1982 Edition of IAEA Safety Series No. 9 ; this edition was jointly sponsored by the IAEA, ILO, OECD/NEA and the WHO. The next edition was International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources, published by the IAEA as IAEA Safety Series No. 115 in February 1996, and jointly sponsored by the FAO, IAEA, ILO, OECD/NEA, PAHO and the WHO.

  9. Exploring relationships between hospital patient safety culture and Consumer Reports safety scores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Scott Alan; Yount, Naomi; Sorra, Joann

    2017-02-16

    A number of private and public companies calculate and publish proprietary hospital patient safety scores based on publicly available quality measures initially reported by the U.S. federal government. This study examines whether patient safety culture perceptions of U.S. hospital staff in a large national survey are related to publicly reported patient safety ratings of hospitals. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (Hospital SOPS) assesses provider and staff perceptions of hospital patient safety culture. Consumer Reports (CR), a U.S. based non-profit organization, calculates and shares with its subscribers a Hospital Safety Score calculated annually from patient experience survey data and outcomes data gathered from federal databases. Linking data collected during similar time periods, we analyzed relationships between staff perceptions of patient safety culture composites and the CR Hospital Safety Score and its five components using multiple multivariate linear regressions. We analyzed data from 164 hospitals, with patient safety culture survey responses from 140,316 providers and staff, with an average of 856 completed surveys per hospital and an average response rate per hospital of 56%. Higher overall Hospital SOPS composite average scores were significantly associated with higher overall CR Hospital Safety Scores (β = 0.24, p Consumer Reports Hospital Safety Score, which is a composite of patient experience and outcomes data from federal databases. As hospital managers allocate resources to improve patient safety culture within their organizations, their efforts may also indirectly improve consumer-focused, publicly reported hospital rating scores like the Consumer Reports Hospital Safety Score.

  10. Preliminary safety evaluation for CSR1000 with passive safety system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Pan; Gou, Junli; Shan, Jianqiang; Zhang, Bo; Li, Xiang

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The basic information of a Chinese SCWR concept CSR1000 is introduced. • An innovative passive safety system is proposed for CSR1000. • 6 Transients and 3 accidents are analysed with system code SCTRAN. • The passive safety systems greatly mitigate the consequences of these incidents. • The inherent safety of CSR1000 is enhanced. - Abstract: This paper describes the preliminary safety analysis of the Chinese Supercritical water cooled Reactor (CSR1000), which is proposed by Nuclear Power Institute of China (NPIC). The two-pass core design applied to CSR1000 decreases the fuel cladding temperature and flattens the power distribution of the core at normal operation condition. Each fuel assembly is made up of four sub-assemblies with downward-flow water rods, which is favorable to the core cooling during abnormal conditions due to the large water inventory of the water rods. Additionally, a passive safety system is proposed for CSR1000 to increase the safety reliability at abnormal conditions. In this paper, accidents of “pump seizure”, “loss of coolant flow accidents (LOFA)”, “core depressurization”, as well as some typical transients are analysed with code SCTRAN, which is a one-dimensional safety analysis code for SCWRs. The results indicate that the maximum cladding surface temperatures (MCST), which is the most important safety criterion, of the both passes in the mentioned incidents are all below the safety criterion by a large margin. The sensitivity analyses of the delay time of RCPs trip in “loss of offsite power” and the delay time of RMT actuation in “loss of coolant flowrate” were also included in this paper. The analyses have shown that the core design of CSR1000 is feasible and the proposed passive safety system is capable of mitigating the consequences of the selected abnormalities

  11. Global nuclear safety culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-01-01

    As stated in the Nuclear Safety Review 1996, three components characterize the global nuclear safety culture infrastructure: (i) legally binding international agreements; (ii) non-binding common safety standards; and (iii) the application of safety standards. The IAEA has continued to foster the global nuclear safety culture by supporting intergovernmental collaborative efforts; it has facilitated extensive information exchange, promoted the drafting of international legal agreements and the development of common safety standards, and provided for the application of safety standards by organizing a wide variety of expert services

  12. Safety Management and Safety Culture Self Assessment of Kartini Research Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Syarip, S., E-mail: syarip@batan.go.id [Centre for Accelerator and Material Process Technology, National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN), Yogyakarta (Indonesia)

    2014-10-15

    The self-assessment of safety culture and safety management status of Kartini research reactor is a step to foster safety culture and management by identifying good practices and areas for improvement, and also to improve reactor safety in a whole. The method used in this assessment is based on questionnaires provided by the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA), then reviewed by experts. Based on the assessment and evaluation results, it can be concluded that there were several good practices in maintaining the safety status of Kartini reactor such as: reactor operators and radiation protection workers were aware and knowledgeable of the safety standards and policies that apply to their operation, readily accept constructive criticism from their management and from the inspectors of regulatory body that address safety performance. As a proof, for the last four years the number of inspection/audit findings from Regulatory Body (BAPETEN) tended to decrease while the reactor utilization and its operating hour increased. On the other hands there were also some comments and recommendations for improvement of reactor safety culture, such as that there should be more frequent open dialogues between employees and managers, to grow and attain a mutual support to achieve safety goals. (author)

  13. Safety climate and self-reported injury: assessing the mediating role of employee safety control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yueng-Hsiang; Ho, Michael; Smith, Gordon S; Chen, Peter Y

    2006-05-01

    To further reduce injuries in the workplace, companies have begun focusing on organizational factors which may contribute to workplace safety. Safety climate is an organizational factor commonly cited as a predictor of injury occurrence. Characterized by the shared perceptions of employees, safety climate can be viewed as a snapshot of the prevailing state of safety in the organization at a discrete point in time. However, few studies have elaborated plausible mechanisms through which safety climate likely influences injury occurrence. A mediating model is proposed to link safety climate (i.e., management commitment to safety, return-to-work policies, post-injury administration, and safety training) with self-reported injury through employees' perceived control on safety. Factorial evidence substantiated that management commitment to safety, return-to-work policies, post-injury administration, and safety training are important dimensions of safety climate. In addition, the data support that safety climate is a critical factor predicting the history of a self-reported occupational injury, and that employee safety control mediates the relationship between safety climate and occupational injury. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating organizational factors and workers' characteristics in efforts to improve organizational safety performance.

  14. Safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Safety requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    This publication covers the broad scope of requirements for fuel cycle facilities that, in light of the experience and present state of technology, must be satisfied to ensure safety for the lifetime of the facility. Topics of specific reference include aspects of nuclear fuel generation, storage, reprocessing and disposal. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. The safety objective, concepts and safety principles; 3. Legal framework and regulatory supervision; 4. The management system and verification of safety; 5. Siting of the facility; 6. Design of the facility; 7. Construction of the facility; 8. Commissioning of the facility; 9. Operation of the facility; 10. Decommissioning of the facility; Appendix I: Requirements specific to uranium fuel fabrication facilities; Appendix II: Requirements specific to mixed oxide fuel fabrication facilities; Appendix III: Requirements specific to conversion facilities and enrichment facilities

  15. Nuclear law - Nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pontier, Jean-Marie; Roux, Emmanuel; Leger, Marc; Deguergue, Maryse; Vallar, Christian; Pissaloux, Jean-Luc; Bernie-Boissard, Catherine; Thireau, Veronique; Takahashi, Nobuyuki; Spencer, Mary; Zhang, Li; Park, Kyun Sung; Artus, J.C.

    2012-01-01

    This book contains the contributions presented during a one-day seminar. The authors propose a framework for a legal approach to nuclear safety, a discussion of the 2009/71/EURATOM directive which establishes a European framework for nuclear safety in nuclear installations, a comment on nuclear safety and environmental governance, a discussion of the relationship between citizenship and nuclear, some thoughts about the Nuclear Safety Authority, an overview of the situation regarding the safety in nuclear waste burying, a comment on the Nome law with respect to electricity price and nuclear safety, a comment on the legal consequences of the Fukushima accident on nuclear safety in the Japanese law, a presentation of the USA nuclear regulation, an overview of nuclear safety in China, and a discussion of nuclear safety in the medical sector

  16. National Nuclear Safety Report 2001. Convention on Nuclear Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    The First National Nuclear Safety Report was presented at the first review meeting of the Nuclear Safety Convention. At that time it was concluded that Argentina met the obligations of the Convention. This second National Nuclear Safety Report is an updated report which includes all safety aspects of the Argentinian nuclear power plants and the measures taken to enhance the safety of the plants. The present report also takes into account the observations and discussions maintained during the first review meeting. The conclusion made in the first review meeting about the compliance by Argentina of the obligations of the Convention are included as Annex 1. In general, the information contained in this Report has been updated since March 31, 1998 to March 31, 2001. Those aspects that remain unchanged were not addressed in this second report with the objective of avoiding repetitions and in order to carry out a detailed analysis considering article by article. As a result of the above mentioned detailed analysis of all the Articles, it can be stated that the country fulfils all the obligations imposed by the Nuclear Safety Convention

  17. National nuclear safety report 2004. Convention on nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    The second National Nuclear Safety Report was presented at the second review meeting of the Nuclear Safety Convention. At that time it was concluded that Argentina met the obligations of the Convention. This third National Nuclear Safety Report is an updated report which includes all safety aspects of the Argentinian nuclear power plants and the measures taken to enhance the safety of the plants. The present report also takes into account the observations and discussions maintained during the second review meeting. The conclusion made in the first review meeting about the compliance by Argentina of the obligations of the Convention are included as Annex I and those belonging to the second review meeting are included as Annex II. In general, the information contained in this Report has been updated since March 31, 2001 to April 30, 2004. Those aspects that remain unchanged were not addressed in this third report. As a result of the detailed analysis of all the Articles, it can be stated that the country fulfils all the obligations imposed by the Nuclear Safety Convention. The questions and answers originated at the Second Review Meeting are included as Annex III

  18. Framework of nuclear safety and safety assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Furuta, Kazuo

    2007-01-01

    Since enormous energy is released by nuclear chain reaction mainly as a form of radiation, a great potential risk accompanies utilization of nuclear energy. Safety has been continuously a critical issue therefore from the very beginning of its development. Though the framework of nuclear safety that has been established at an early developmental stage of nuclear engineering is still valid, more comprehensive approaches are required having experienced several events such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and JCO. This article gives a brief view of the most basic principles how nuclear safety is achieved, which were introduced and sophisticated in nuclear engineering but applicable also to other engineering domains in general. (author)

  19. Safety for all: bringing together patient and employee safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevenson, R Lynn; Moss, Lesley; Newlands, Tracey; Archer, Jana

    2013-01-01

    The safety of patients and of employees in healthcare have historically been separately managed and regulated. Despite efforts to reduce injury rates for employees and adverse events for patients, healthcare organizations continue to see less-than-optimal outcomes in both domains. This article challenges readers to consider how the traditional siloed approach to patient and employee safety can lead to duplication of effort, confusion, missed opportunities and unintended consequences. The authors propose that only through integrating patient and employee safety activities and challenging the paradigms that juxtapose the two will healthcare organizations experience sustained and improved safety practice and outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Longwoods Publishing.

  20. Multimegawatt Space Reactor Safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stanley, M.L.

    1989-01-01

    The Multimegawatt (MMW) Space Reactor Project supports the Strategic Defense Initiative Office requirement to provide reliable, safe, cost-effective, electrical power in the MMW range. Specifically, power may be used for neutral particle beams, free electron lasers, electromagnetic launchers, and orbital transfer vehicles. This power plant technology may also apply to the electrical power required for other uses such as deep-space probes and planetary exploration. The Multimegawatt Space Reactor Project, the Thermionic Fuel Element Verification Program, and Centaurus Program all support the Multimegawatt Space Nuclear Power Program and form an important part of the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) space and defense power systems activities. A major objective of the MMW project is the development of a reference flight system design that provides the desired levels of public safety, health protection, and special nuclear material (SNM) protection when used during its designated missions. The safety requirements for the MMW project are a hierarchy of requirements that consist of safety requirements/regulations, a safety policy, general safety criteria, safety technical specifications, safety design specifications, and the system design. This paper describes the strategy and philosophy behind the development of the safety requirements imposed upon the MMW concept developers. The safety organization, safety policy, generic safety issues, general safety criteria, and the safety technical specifications are discussed

  1. Bathroom safety - adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Older adult bathroom safety; Falls - bathroom safety ... You may need to have safety bars in your bathroom. These grab bars should be secured vertically or horizontally to the wall, not diagonally. DO NOT use ...

  2. IRSN safety research carried out for reviewing geological disposal safety case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serres, Christophe; Besnus, Francois; Gay, Didier

    2010-01-01

    The Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Institute develops a research programme on scientific issues related to geological disposal safety in order to supporting the technical assessment carried out in the framework of the regulatory review process. This research programme is organised along key safety questions that deal with various scientific disciplines as geology, hydrogeology, mechanics, geochemistry or physics and is implemented in national and international partnerships. It aims at providing IRSN with sufficient independent knowledge and scientific skills in order to be able to assess whether the scientific results gained by the waste management organisation and their integration for demonstrating the safety of the geological disposal are acceptable with regard to the safety issues to be dealt with in the Safety Case. (author)

  3. Road safety performance indicators : country profiles. SafetyNet, Building the European Road Safety Observatory, Workpackage 3, Deliverable 3.7b.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riguelle, F. Eksler, V. Holló, P. Morsink, P. Gent, A. van Gitelman, V. Assum, T. & Rackliff, L.

    2009-01-01

    The EC 6th Framework Integrated Project SafetyNet aims to accelerate the availability and use of harmonised road safety data in Europe. Having such data available throughout Europe would be tremendously beneficial for road safety, since it would enable the evaluation of road safety measures, the

  4. 76 FR 71345 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Child Health Patient Safety...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-11-17

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Child Health Patient Safety Organization, Inc. AGENCY: Agency for... notification of voluntary relinquishment from Child Health Patient Safety Organization, Inc. of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety...

  5. 76 FR 79192 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From HSMS Patient Safety Organization

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-21

    ... Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From HSMS Patient Safety Organization AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare... voluntary relinquishment from the HSMS Patient Safety Organization of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109...

  6. Transportation Safety Excellence in Operations Through Improved Transportation Safety Document

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dr. Michael A. Lehto; MAL

    2007-01-01

    A recent accomplishment of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) Nuclear Safety analysis group was to obtain DOE-ID approval for the inter-facility transfer of greater-than-Hazard-Category-3 quantity radioactive/fissionable waste in Department of Transportation (DOT) Type A drums at MFC. This accomplishment supported excellence in operations through safety analysis by better integrating nuclear safety requirements with waste requirements in the Transportation Safety Document (TSD); reducing container and transport costs; and making facility operations more efficient. The MFC TSD governs and controls the inter-facility transfer of greater-than-Hazard-Category-3 radioactive and/or fissionable materials in non-DOT approved containers. Previously, the TSD did not include the capability to transfer payloads of greater-than-Hazard-Category-3 radioactive and/or fissionable materials using DOT Type A drums. Previous practice was to package the waste materials to less-than-Hazard-Category-3 quantities when loading DOT Type A drums for transfer out of facilities to reduce facility waste accumulations. This practice allowed operations to proceed, but resulted in drums being loaded to less than the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) waste acceptance criteria (WAC) waste limits, which was not cost effective or operations friendly. An improved and revised safety analysis was used to gain DOE-ID approval for adding this container configuration to the MFC TSD safety basis. In the process of obtaining approval of the revised safety basis, safety analysis practices were used effectively to directly support excellence in operations. Several factors contributed to the success of MFC's effort to obtain approval for the use of DOT Type A drums, including two practices that could help in future safety basis changes at other facilities. (1) The process of incorporating the DOT Type A drums into the TSD at MFC helped to better integrate nuclear safety

  7. Safety philosophy and safety technology of the Soviet RBMK reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuend, H.; Jarvis, A.S.; Haennis, H.P.; Tikal, J.

    1986-01-01

    Safety requirements and control in USSR are outlined. Safety criteria and practical application in the case of the RBMK type reactor Chernobyl-4 are discussed. An overview of the Chernobyl-4 reactor accident including its causes is given. Measures to improve the safety of RBMK reactors are described

  8. Safety Teams: An Approach to Engage Students in Laboratory Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alaimo, Peter J.; Langenhan, Joseph M.; Tanner, Martha J.; Ferrenberg, Scott M.

    2010-01-01

    We developed and implemented a yearlong safety program into our organic chemistry lab courses that aims to enhance student attitudes toward safety and to ensure students learn to recognize, demonstrate, and assess safe laboratory practices. This active, collaborative program involves the use of student "safety teams" and includes…

  9. Instrumentation and control systems important to safety in nuclear power plants. Safety guide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    This Safety Guide was prepared under the IAEA programme for establishing safety standards for nuclear power plants. It supplements Safety Standards Series No. NS-R-1: Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Design (the Requirements for Design), which establishes the design requirements for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. This Safety Guide describes how the requirements should be met for instrumentation and control (I and C) systems important to safety. This publication is a revision and combination of two previous Safety Guides: Safety Series Nos 50-SG-D3 and 50-SG-D8, which are superseded by this new Safety Guide. The revision takes account of developments in I and C systems important to safety since the earlier Safety Guides were published in 1980 and 1984, respectively. The objective of this Safety Guide is to provide guidance on the design of I and C systems important to safety in nuclear power plants, including all I and C components, from the sensors allocated to the mechanical systems to the actuated equipment, operator interfaces and auxiliary equipment. This Safety Guide deals mainly with design requirements for those I and C systems that are important to safety. It expands on paragraphs of Ref in the area of I and C systems important to safety. This publication is intended for use primarily by designers of nuclear power plants and also by owners and/or operators and regulators of nuclear power plants. This Safety Guide provides general guidance on I and C systems important to safety which is broadly applicable to many nuclear power plants. More detailed requirements and limitations for safe operation specific to a particular plant type should be established as part of the design process. The present guidance is focused on the design principles for systems important to safety that warrant particular attention, and should be applied to both the design of new I and C systems and the modernization of existing systems. Guidance is provided on how design

  10. Safety Review related to Commercial Grade Digital Equipment in Safety System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Yeongjin; Park, Hyunshin; Yu, Yeongjin; Lee, Jaeheung

    2013-01-01

    The upgrades or replacement of I and C systems on safety system typically involve digital equipment developed in accordance with non-nuclear standards. However, the use of commercial grade digital equipment could include the vulnerability for software common-mode failure, electromagnetic interference and unanticipated problems. Although guidelines and standards for dedication methods of commercial grade digital equipment are provided, there are some difficulties to apply the methods to commercial grade digital equipment for safety system. This paper focuses on regulatory guidelines and relevant documents for commercial grade digital equipment and presents safety review experiences related to commercial grade digital equipment in safety system. This paper focuses on KINS regulatory guides and relevant documents for dedication of commercial grade digital equipment and presents safety review experiences related to commercial grade digital equipment in safety system. Dedication including critical characteristics is required to use the commercial grade digital equipment on safety system in accordance with KEPIC ENB 6370 and EPRI TR-106439. The dedication process should be controlled in a configuration management process. Appropriate methods, criteria and evaluation result should be provided to verify acceptability of the commercial digital equipment used for safety function

  11. Spectrally-resolved response properties of the three most advanced FRET based fluorescent protein voltage probes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroki Mutoh

    Full Text Available Genetically-encoded optical probes for membrane potential hold the promise of monitoring electrical signaling of electrically active cells such as specific neuronal populations in intact brain tissue. The most advanced class of these probes was generated by molecular fusion of the voltage sensing domain (VSD of Ci-VSP with a fluorescent protein (FP pair. We quantitatively compared the three most advanced versions of these probes (two previously reported and one new variant, each involving a spectrally distinct tandem of FPs. Despite these different FP tandems and dissimilarities within the amino acid sequence linking the VSD to the FPs, the amplitude and kinetics of voltage dependent fluorescence changes were surprisingly similar. However, each of these fluorescent probes has specific merits when considering different potential applications.

  12. Epicardial deployment of right ventricular disk during perventricular device closure in a child with apical muscular ventricular septal defect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nageswara Rao Koneti

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We report a successful perventricular closure of an apical muscular ventricular septal defect (mVSD by a modified technique. An eight-month-old infant, weighing 6.5 kilograms, presented with refractory heart failure. The transthoracic echocardiogram showed multiple apical mVSDs with the largest one measuring 10 mm. perventricular device closure using a 12 mm Amplatzer mVSD occluder was planned. The left ventricular disk was positioned approximating the interventricular septum; however, the right ventricular (RV disk was deployed on the free wall of the RV due to an absent apical muscular septum and a small cavity at the apex. The RV disk of the device was covered using an autologous pericardium. His heart failure improved during follow-up.

  13. Radiological Diagnosis of Recirculatory Congenital Heart Disease with Increased Pulmonary Blood Flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartusevichiene, A.; Rulevichius, A.; Dobrovolskis, K.R.

    1995-01-01

    The number of patients with congenital diseases is increasing therefore early diagnosis of these diseases is of crucial importance. Radiological diagnostics of recirculatory congenital heart disease with increased pulmonary blood flow, i.e. atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricle septal defect (VSD), ductus arteriosus (Botalli) persistence (DAP) and atrioventricular communication (AVC) have been analysed. Recirculatory congenital heart disease with increased pulmonary blood flow (ASD, VSD, DAP)radiologically causes similar lung, lung roots and pulmonary arterial changes. After the radiomorphological and radiofunctional examination of chest organs the following symptoms of the disease were defined: all the patients had hypervolemy, enlarged structural lungs roots, enlarged pulmonary arterial arch. These radiofunctional symptoms help to differentiate congenital heart diseases case by case. (author). 7 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

  14. Safety; Avertissement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-07-01

    This annual report of the Senior Inspector for the Nuclear Safety, analyses the nuclear safety at EDF for the year 1999 and proposes twelve subjects of consideration to progress. Five technical documents are also provided and discussed concerning the nuclear power plants maintenance and safety (thermal fatigue, vibration fatigue, assisted control and instrumentation of the N4 bearing, 1300 MW reactors containment and time of life of power plants). (A.L.B.)

  15. Car Seat Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Car Seat Safety KidsHealth / For Parents / Car Seat Safety ... certified child passenger safety technician.) Guidelines for Choosing Car Seats Choose a seat with a label that ...

  16. Food safety performance indicators to benchmark food safety output of food safety management systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jacxsens, L.; Uyttendaele, M.; Devlieghere, F.; Rovira, J.; Oses Gomez, S.; Luning, P.A.

    2010-01-01

    There is a need to measure the food safety performance in the agri-food chain without performing actual microbiological analysis. A food safety performance diagnosis, based on seven indicators and corresponding assessment grids have been developed and validated in nine European food businesses.

  17. Arizona Traffic Safety Education, K-8. Passenger Safety, Grade 3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mesa Public Schools, AZ.

    One in a series designed to assist Arizona elementary and junior high school teachers in developing children's traffic safety skills, this curriculum guide contains four lessons and an appendix of school bus safety tips for use in grade 3. Introductory information provided for the teacher includes basic highway safety concepts, stressing…

  18. Bathroom safety - children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Well child - bathroom safety ... be put in charge of a younger child's safety. There should be an adult in the bathroom ... sure grandparents, friends, and other caretakers follow bathroom safety guidelines. Make sure your child's daycare also follows ...

  19. Safety-in-numbers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elvik, Rune; Bjørnskau, Torkel

    2017-01-01

    Highlights •26 studies of the safety-in-numbers effect are reviewed. •The existence of a safety-in-numbers effect is confirmed. •Results are consistent. •Causes of the safety-in-numbers effect are incompletely known....

  20. Nuclear Safety Review 2013

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2013-07-15

    The Nuclear Safety Review 2013 focuses on the dominant nuclear safety trends, issues and challenges in 2012. The Executive Overview provides crosscutting and worldwide nuclear safety information along with a summary of the major sections covered in this report. Sections A-E of this report cover improving radiation, transport and waste safety; strengthening safety in nuclear installations; improving regulatory infrastructure and effectiveness; enhancing emergency preparedness and response (EPR); and civil liability for nuclear damage. The Appendix provides details on the activities of the Commission on Safety Standards (CSS), and activities relevant to the IAEA Safety Standards. The world nuclear community has made noteworthy progress in strengthening nuclear safety in 2012, as promoted by the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety (hereinafter referred to as ''the Action Plan''). For example, an overwhelming majority of Member States with operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) have undertaken and essentially completed comprehensive safety reassessments ('stress tests') with the aim of evaluating the design and safety aspects of plant robustness to protect against extreme events, including: defence in depth, safety margins, cliff edge effects, multiple failures, and the prolonged loss of support systems. As a result, many have introduced additional safety measures including mitigation of station blackout. Moreover, the IAEA's peer review services and safety standards have been reviewed and strengthened where needed. Capacity building programmes have been built or improved, and EPR programmes have also been reviewed and improved. Furthermore, in 2012, the IAEA continued to share lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident with the nuclear community including through three international experts' meetings (IEMs) on reactor and spent fuel safety, communication in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency, and protection against extreme earthquakes and tsunamis.

  1. Nuclear Safety Review 2013

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-07-01

    The Nuclear Safety Review 2013 focuses on the dominant nuclear safety trends, issues and challenges in 2012. The Executive Overview provides crosscutting and worldwide nuclear safety information along with a summary of the major sections covered in this report. Sections A-E of this report cover improving radiation, transport and waste safety; strengthening safety in nuclear installations; improving regulatory infrastructure and effectiveness; enhancing emergency preparedness and response (EPR); and civil liability for nuclear damage. The Appendix provides details on the activities of the Commission on Safety Standards (CSS), and activities relevant to the IAEA Safety Standards. The world nuclear community has made noteworthy progress in strengthening nuclear safety in 2012, as promoted by the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety (hereinafter referred to as ''the Action Plan''). For example, an overwhelming majority of Member States with operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) have undertaken and essentially completed comprehensive safety reassessments ('stress tests') with the aim of evaluating the design and safety aspects of plant robustness to protect against extreme events, including: defence in depth, safety margins, cliff edge effects, multiple failures, and the prolonged loss of support systems. As a result, many have introduced additional safety measures including mitigation of station blackout. Moreover, the IAEA's peer review services and safety standards have been reviewed and strengthened where needed. Capacity building programmes have been built or improved, and EPR programmes have also been reviewed and improved. Furthermore, in 2012, the IAEA continued to share lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident with the nuclear community including through three international experts' meetings (IEMs) on reactor and spent fuel safety, communication in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency, and protection against extreme earthquakes and tsunamis

  2. Nuclear power safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1988-01-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency, the organization concerned with worldwide nuclear safety has produced two international conventions to provide (1) prompt notification of nuclear accidents and (2) procedures to facilitate mutual assistance during an emergency. IAEA has also expanded operational safety review team missions, enhanced information exchange on operational safety events at nuclear power plants, and planned a review of its nuclear safety standards to ensure that they include the lessons learned from the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident. However, there appears to be a nearly unanimous belief among IAEA members that may attempt to impose international safety standards verified by an international inspection program would infringe on national sovereignty. Although several Western European countries have proposed establishing binding safety standards and inspections, no specific plant have been made; IAEA's member states are unlikely to adopt such standards and an inspection program

  3. Communication's Role in Safety Management and Performance for the Road Safety Practices

    OpenAIRE

    Salim Keffane (s)

    2014-01-01

    Communication among organizations could play an important role in increasing road safety. To get in-depth knowledge of its role, this study measured managers' and employees' perceptions of the communication's role on six safety management and performance criteria for road safety practices by conducting a survey using a questionnaire among 165 employees and 135 managers. Path analysis using AMOS-19 software shows that some of the safety management road safety practices have high correlation wi...

  4. Safety-I, Safety-II and Resilience Engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patterson, Mary; Deutsch, Ellen S

    2015-12-01

    In the quest to continually improve the health care delivered to patients, it is important to understand "what went wrong," also known as Safety-I, when there are undesired outcomes, but it is also important to understand, and optimize "what went right," also known as Safety-II. The difference between Safety-I and Safety-II are philosophical as well as pragmatic. Improving health care delivery involves understanding that health care delivery is a complex adaptive system; components of that system impact, and are impacted by, the actions of other components of the system. Challenges to optimal care include regular, irregular and unexampled threats. This article addresses the dangers of brittleness and miscalibration, as well as the value of adaptive capacity and margin. These qualities can, respectively, detract from or contribute to the emergence of organizational resilience. Resilience is characterized by the ability to monitor, react, anticipate, and learn. Finally, this article celebrates the importance of humans, who make use of system capabilities and proactively mitigate the effects of system limitations to contribute to successful outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Safety behavior: Job demands, job resources, and perceived management commitment to safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansez, Isabelle; Chmiel, Nik

    2010-07-01

    The job demands-resources model posits that job demands and resources influence outcomes through job strain and work engagement processes. We test whether the model can be extended to effort-related "routine" safety violations and "situational" safety violations provoked by the organization. In addition we test more directly the involvement of job strain than previous studies which have used burnout measures. Structural equation modeling provided, for the first time, evidence of predicted relationships between job strain and "routine" violations and work engagement with "routine" and "situational" violations, thereby supporting the extension of the job demands-resources model to safety behaviors. In addition our results showed that a key safety-specific construct 'perceived management commitment to safety' added to the explanatory power of the job demands-resources model. A predicted path from job resources to perceived management commitment to safety was highly significant, supporting the view that job resources can influence safety behavior through both general motivational involvement in work (work engagement) and through safety-specific processes.

  6. Safety assessment for facilities and activities. General safety requirements. Pt. 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The Safety Fundamentals publication, Fundamental Safety Principles, establishes principles for ensuring the protection of workers, the public and the environment, now and in the future, from harmful effects of ionizing radiation. The objective of this Safety Requirements publication is to establish the generally applicable requirements to be fulfilled in safety assessment for facilities and activities, with special attention paid to defence in depth, quantitative analyses and the application of a graded approach to the ranges of facilities and of activities that are addressed. The publication also addresses the independent verification of the safety assessment that needs to be carried out by the originators and users of the safety assessment. This publication is intended to provide a consistent and coherent basis for safety assessment across all facilities and activities, which will facilitate the transfer of good practices between organizations conducting safety assessments and will assist in enhancing the confidence of all interested parties that an adequate level of safety has been achieved for facilities and activities. The requirements, which are derived from the Fundamental Safety Principles, relate to any human activity that may cause people to be exposed to radiation risks arising from facilities and activities, as follows: Facilities includes: (a) Nuclear power plants; (b) Other reactors (such as research reactors and critical assemblies); (c) Enrichment facilities and fuel fabrication facilities; (d) Conversion facilities used to generate UF 6 ; (e) Storage and reprocessing plants for irradiated fuel; (f) Facilities for radioactive waste management where radioactive waste is treated, conditioned, stored or disposed of; (g) Any other places where radioactive materials are produced, processed, used, handled or stored; (h) Irradiation facilities for medical, industrial, research and other purposes, and any places where radiation generators are installed; (i

  7. Safety Assessment for Facilities and Activities. General Safety Requirements. Pt. 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The Safety Fundamentals publication, Fundamental Safety Principles, establishes principles for ensuring the protection of workers, the public and the environment, now and in the future, from harmful effects of ionizing radiation. The objective of this Safety Requirements publication is to establish the generally applicable requirements to be fulfilled in safety assessment for facilities and activities, with special attention paid to defence in depth, quantitative analyses and the application of a graded approach to the ranges of facilities and of activities that are addressed. The publication also addresses the independent verification of the safety assessment that needs to be carried out by the originators and users of the safety assessment. This publication is intended to provide a consistent and coherent basis for safety assessment across all facilities and activities, which will facilitate the transfer of good practices between organizations conducting safety assessments and will assist in enhancing the confidence of all interested parties that an adequate level of safety has been achieved for facilities and activities. The requirements, which are derived from the Fundamental Safety Principles, relate to any human activity that may cause people to be exposed to radiation risks arising from facilities and activities, as follows: Facilities includes: (a) Nuclear power plants; (b) Other reactors (such as research reactors and critical assemblies); (c) Enrichment facilities and fuel fabrication facilities; (d) Conversion facilities used to generate UF6; (e) Storage and reprocessing plants for irradiated fuel; (f) Facilities for radioactive waste management where radioactive waste is treated, conditioned, stored or disposed of; (g) Any other places where radioactive materials are produced, processed, used, handled or stored; (h) Irradiation facilities for medical, industrial, research and other purposes, and any places where radiation generators are installed; (i

  8. Safety Assessment for Facilities and Activities. General Safety Requirements. Pt. 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    The Safety Fundamentals publication, Fundamental Safety Principles, establishes principles for ensuring the protection of workers, the public and the environment, now and in the future, from harmful effects of ionizing radiation. The objective of this Safety Requirements publication is to establish the generally applicable requirements to be fulfilled in safety assessment for facilities and activities, with special attention paid to defence in depth, quantitative analyses and the application of a graded approach to the ranges of facilities and of activities that are addressed. The publication also addresses the independent verification of the safety assessment that needs to be carried out by the originators and users of the safety assessment. This publication is intended to provide a consistent and coherent basis for safety assessment across all facilities and activities, which will facilitate the transfer of good practices between organizations conducting safety assessments and will assist in enhancing the confidence of all interested parties that an adequate level of safety has been achieved for facilities and activities. The requirements, which are derived from the Fundamental Safety Principles, relate to any human activity that may cause people to be exposed to radiation risks arising from facilities and activities, as follows: Facilities includes: (a) Nuclear power plants; (b) Other reactors (such as research reactors and critical assemblies); (c) Enrichment facilities and fuel fabrication facilities; (d) Conversion facilities used to generate UF6; (e) Storage and reprocessing plants for irradiated fuel; (f) Facilities for radioactive waste management where radioactive waste is treated, conditioned, stored or disposed of; (g) Any other places where radioactive materials are produced, processed, used, handled or stored; (h) Irradiation facilities for medical, industrial, research and other purposes, and any places where radiation generators are installed; (i

  9. Safety Assessment for Facilities and Activities. General Safety Requirements. Pt. 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The Safety Fundamentals publication, Fundamental Safety Principles, establishes principles for ensuring the protection of workers, the public and the environment, now and in the future, from harmful effects of ionizing radiation.? read more The objective of this Safety Requirements publication is to establish the generally applicable requirements to be fulfilled in safety assessment for facilities and activities, with special attention paid to defence in depth, quantitative analyses and the application of a graded approach to the ranges of facilities and of activities that are addressed. The publication also addresses the independent verification of the safety assessment that needs to be carried out by the originators and users of the safety assessment. This publication is intended to provide a consistent and coherent basis for safety assessment across all facilities and activities, which will facilitate the transfer of good practices between organizations conducting safety assessments and will assist in enhancing the confidence of all interested parties that an adequate level of safety has been achieved for facilities and activities. The requirements, which are derived from the Fundamental Safety Principles, relate to any human activity that may cause people to be exposed to radiation risks arising from facilities and activities, as follows: Facilities includes: (a) Nuclear power plants; (b) Other reactors (such as research reactors and critical assemblies); (c) Enrichment facilities and fuel fabrication facilities; (d) Conversion facilities used to generate UF6; (e) Storage and reprocessing plants for irradiated fuel; (f) Facilities for radioactive waste management where radioactive waste is treated, conditioned, stored or disposed of; (g) Any other places where radioactive materials are produced, processed, used, handled or stored; (h) Irradiation facilities for medical, industrial, research and other purposes, and any places where radiation generators are

  10. Development of safety related technology and infrastructure for safety assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venkat Raj, V.

    1997-01-01

    Development and optimum utilisation of any technology calls for the building up of the necessary infrastructure and backup facilities. This is particularly true for a developing country like India and more so for an advanced technology like nuclear technology. Right from the inception of its nuclear power programme, the Indian approach has been to develop adequate infrastructure in various areas such as design, construction, manufacture, installation, commissioning and safety assessment of nuclear plants. This paper deals with the development of safety related technology and the relevant infrastructure for safety assessment. A number of computer codes for safety assessment have been developed or adapted in the areas of thermal hydraulics, structural dynamics etc. These codes have undergone extensive validation through data generated in the experimental facilities set up in India as well as participation in international standard problem exercises. Side by side with the development of the tools for safety assessment, the development of safety related technology was also given equal importance. Many of the technologies required for the inspection, ageing assessment and estimation of the residual life of various components and equipment, particularly those having a bearing on safety, were developed. This paper highlights, briefly, the work carried out in some of the areas mentioned above. (author)

  11. Safety-barrier diagrams as a tool for modelling safety of hydrogen applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duijm, Nijs Jan; Markert, Frank

    2009-01-01

    Safety-barrier diagrams have proven to be a useful tool in documenting the safety measures taken to prevent incidents and accidents in process industry. Especially during the introduction of new hydrogen technologies or applications, as e.g. hydrogen refuelling stations, safety-barrier diagrams...... are considered a valuable supplement to other traditional risk analysis tools to support the communication with authorities and other stakeholders during the permitting process. Another advantage of safety-barrier diagrams is that they highlight the importance of functional and reliable safety barriers in any...... system and here is a direct focus on those barriers that need to be subject to safety management in terms of design and installation, operational use, inspection and monitoring, and maintenance. Safety-barrier diagrams support both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The paper will describe...

  12. International conference on the strengthening of nuclear safety in Eastern Europe. Keynote papers. Regulatory aspects of NPP safety, status of safety improvements, status of safety analysis report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-06-01

    The Objective of the Conference was to assess the past decade of nuclear safety efforts in countries operating WWER and RBMK nuclear reactors and to address remaining safety issues which require further work. A particular focus of the Conference was on international co-operation and assistance and where such efforts should be focused in the future. All Eastern European countries that operate RBMK or WWER reactors participated in the Conference, and presented papers on three key areas of nuclear safety: Regulatory Aspects of Nuclear Power Plant Safety; Status of Safety Improvements; and Status of Safety Analysis Reports. In addition, representatives from 18 additional countries that provide financial and/or technical assistance and co-operation in the area of WWER and RBMK safety offered the most extensive commentary. Key international (IAEA, World Association of Nuclear Operators, the Nuclear Energy Agency, the G-24 NUSAC, the European Commission, and the EBRD) organizations that provide nuclear safety assistance for WWER and RBMK reactors also made presentations. There is no question that considerable progress on nuclear safety has been made in Eastern Europe. Special mention should be made of successful efforts to strengthen the independence and technical competence of the nuclear regulatory authorities. Efforts should now concentrate on improving the depth and scope of the technical abilities of the regulatory authorities. More attention by governments is needed to ensure that the regulatory authorities have the financial resources and enforcement authority to fully execute their missions. In respect to the operators of the nuclear power plants, they have demonstrated clear progress in operational safety improvements. Significant additional efforts are required to maintain and enhance an effective safety culture. Design safety improvement programmes are in place in all countries. Implementation of these programmes has varied and is particularly affected by

  13. Radiation Safety in Industrial Radiography. Specific Safety Guide (Spanish Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    This Safety Guide provides recommendations for ensuring radiation safety in industrial radiography used in non-destructive testing. This includes industrial radiography work that utilizes X ray and gamma sources, both in shielded facilities that have effective engineering controls and in outside shielded facilities using mobile sources. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Duties and responsibilities; 3. Safety assessment; 4. Radiation protection programme; 5. Training and qualification; 6. Individual monitoring of workers; 7. Workplace monitoring; 8. Control of radioactive sources; 9. Safety of industrial radiography sources and exposure devices; 10. Radiography in shielded enclosures; 11. Site radiography; 12. Transport of radioactive sources; 13. Emergency preparedness and response; Appendix: IAEA categorization of radioactive sources; Annex I: Example safety assessment; Annex II: Overview of industrial radiography sources and equipment; Annex III: Examples of accidents in industrial radiography

  14. Radiation Safety in Industrial Radiography. Specific Safety Guide (French Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2013-01-01

    This Safety Guide provides recommendations for ensuring radiation safety in industrial radiography used in non-destructive testing. This includes industrial radiography work that utilizes X ray and gamma sources, both in … shielded facilities that have effective engineering controls and in outside shielded facilities using mobile sources. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Duties and responsibilities; 3. Safety assessment; 4. Radiation protection programme; 5. Training and qualification; 6. Individual monitoring of workers; 7. Workplace monitoring; 8. Control of radioactive sources; 9. Safety of industrial radiography sources and exposure devices; 10. Radiography in shielded enclosures; 11. Site radiography; 12. Transport of radioactive sources; 13. Emergency preparedness and response; Appendix: IAEA categorization of radioactive sources; Annex I: Example safety assessment; Annex II: Overview of industrial radiography sources and equipment; Annex III: Examples of accidents in industrial radiography

  15. Radiation Safety in Industrial Radiography. Specific Safety Guide (Arabic Edition)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    This Safety Guide provides recommendations for ensuring radiation safety in industrial radiography used in non-destructive testing. This includes industrial radiography work that utilizes X ray and gamma sources, both in shielded facilities that have effective engineering controls and outside shielded facilities using mobile sources. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Duties and responsibilities; 3. Safety assessment; 4. Radiation protection programme; 5. Training and qualification; 6. Individual monitoring of workers; 7. Workplace monitoring; 8. Control of radioactive sources; 9. Safety of industrial radiography sources and exposure devices; 10. Radiography in shielded enclosures; 11. Site radiography; 12. Transport of radioactive sources; 13. Emergency preparedness and response; Appendix: IAEA categorization of radioactive sources; Annex I: Example safety assessment; Annex II: Overview of industrial radiography sources and equipment; Annex III: Examples of accidents in industrial radiography.

  16. Safety goals and safety culture opening plenary. 1. WANO's Role in Maintaining and Improving Safety Culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsutsumi, Ryosuke

    2001-01-01

    Over the past several years, operators of the world's nuclear plants have compiled an increasingly impressive record of operational performance. Among the many factors that have led to this improvement are the unprecedented cooperation and information exchange among the world's nuclear operators. This paper presents the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) operating experience program and WANO peer review program as examples of the kinds of interaction that are occurring around the globe to maintain and improve the nuclear safety culture. In addition, some unique features of WANO are discussed. WANO has established four programs to help its members communicate effectively with each other. These include the exchange of operating experiences, voluntary peer reviews, professional and technical development, and technical support and exchange. The operating experience program alerts members to events that have occurred at other NPPs and enables members to take appropriate actions to prevent event recurrence. When an event occurs at a plant, management at that plant analyses the event and completes an event report, which is then sent to the WANO regional center to which the plant belongs. After a regional center review and necessary iteration, the report is posted onto the WANO Web site to make it available to all WANO members. By the end of 2000, more than 1500 event reports had been posted. The WANO Peer Review Program is a unique opportunity for members to learn and share the best worldwide insights into safe and reliable nuclear operations. The peer review program has become one of WANO's most important activities containing all essential elements of WANO's mission. A WANO peer review team consists of 15 to 16 people with NPP experience; most team members are from countries outside the one that they are visiting. These teams of peers from plants around the world visit host plants upon request to identify strengths and areas for improvement, with a strong

  17. Laboratory safety and the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCay, Layla; Lemer, Claire; Wu, Albert W

    2009-06-01

    Laboratory medicine has been a pioneer in the field of patient safety; indeed, the College of American Pathology first called attention to the issue in 1946. Delivering reliable laboratory results has long been considered a priority, as the data produced in laboratory medicine have the potential to critically influence individual patients' diagnosis and management. Until recently, most attention on laboratory safety has focused on the analytic stage of laboratory medicine. Addressing this stage has led to significant and impressive improvements in the areas over which laboratories have direct control. However, recent data demonstrate that pre- and post-analytical phases are at least as vulnerable to errors; to further improve patient safety in laboratory medicine, attention must now be focused on the pre- and post-analytic phases, and the concept of patient safety as a multi-disciplinary, multi-stage and multi-system concept better understood. The World Alliance for Patient Safety (WAPS) supports improvement of patient safety globally and provides a potential framework for considering the total testing process.

  18. Electrical safety guidelines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1993-09-01

    The Electrical Safety Guidelines prescribes the DOE safety standards for DOE field offices or facilities involved in the use of electrical energy. It has been prepared to provide a uniform set of electrical safety standards and guidance for DOE installations in order to affect a reduction or elimination of risks associated with the use of electrical energy. The objectives of these guidelines are to enhance electrical safety awareness and mitigate electrical hazards to employees, the public, and the environment.

  19. A Methodology To Incorporate The Safety Culture Into Probabilistic Safety Assessments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sunghyun; Kim, Namyeong; Jae, Moosung [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    In order to incorporate organizational factors into PSA, a methodology needs to be developed. Using the AHP to weigh organizational factors as well as the SLIM to rate those factors, a methodology is introduced in this study. The safety issues related to nuclear safety culture have occurred increasingly. The quantification tool has to be developed in order to include the organizational factor into Probabilistic Safety Assessments. In this study, the state-of-the-art for the organizational evaluation methodologies has been surveyed. This study includes the research for organizational factors, maintenance process, maintenance process analysis models, a quantitative methodology using Analytic Hierarchy Process, Success Likelihood Index Methodology. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology to incorporate the safety culture into PSA for obtaining more objective risk than before. The organizational factor considered in nuclear safety culture might affect the potential risk of human error and hardware-failure. The safety culture impact index to monitor the plant safety culture can be assessed by applying the developed methodology into a nuclear power plant.

  20. Improving safety in small enterprises through an integrated safety management intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kines, Pete; Andersen, Dorte; Andersen, Lars Peter; Nielsen, Kent; Pedersen, Louise

    2013-02-01

    This study tests the applicability of a participatory behavior-based injury prevention approach integrated with safety culture initiatives. Sixteen small metal industry enterprises (10-19 employees) are randomly assigned to receive the intervention or not. Safety coaching of owners/managers result in the identification of 48 safety tasks, 85% of which are solved at follow-up. Owner/manager led constructive dialogue meetings with workers result in the prioritization of 29 tasks, 79% of which are accomplished at follow-up. Intervention enterprises have significant increases on six of eight safety-perception-survey factors, while comparisons increase on only one factor. Both intervention and comparison enterprises demonstrate significant increases in their safety observation scores. Interview data validate and supplement these results, providing some evidence for behavior change and the initiation of safety culture change. Given that over 95% of enterprises in most countries have less than 20 employees, there is great potential for adapting this integrated approach to other industries. Copyright © 2012 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. A Methodology To Incorporate The Safety Culture Into Probabilistic Safety Assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sunghyun; Kim, Namyeong; Jae, Moosung

    2015-01-01

    In order to incorporate organizational factors into PSA, a methodology needs to be developed. Using the AHP to weigh organizational factors as well as the SLIM to rate those factors, a methodology is introduced in this study. The safety issues related to nuclear safety culture have occurred increasingly. The quantification tool has to be developed in order to include the organizational factor into Probabilistic Safety Assessments. In this study, the state-of-the-art for the organizational evaluation methodologies has been surveyed. This study includes the research for organizational factors, maintenance process, maintenance process analysis models, a quantitative methodology using Analytic Hierarchy Process, Success Likelihood Index Methodology. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology to incorporate the safety culture into PSA for obtaining more objective risk than before. The organizational factor considered in nuclear safety culture might affect the potential risk of human error and hardware-failure. The safety culture impact index to monitor the plant safety culture can be assessed by applying the developed methodology into a nuclear power plant

  2. Radiation safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jain, Priyanka

    2014-01-01

    The use of radiation sources is a privilege; in order to retain the privilege, all persons who use sources of radiation must follow policies and procedures for their safe and legal use. The purpose of this poster is to describe the policies and procedures of the Radiation Protection Program. Specific conditions of radiation safety require the establishment of peer committees to evaluate proposals for the use of radionuclides, the appointment of a radiation safety officer, and the implementation of a radiation safety program. In addition, the University and Medical Centre administrations have determined that the use of radiation producing machines and non-ionizing radiation sources shall be included in the radiation safety program. These Radiation Safety policies are intended to ensure that such use is in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations and accepted standards as directed towards the protection of health and the minimization of hazard to life or property. It is the policy that all activities involving ionizing radiation or radiation emitting devices be conducted so as to keep hazards from radiation to a minimum. Persons involved in these activities are expected to comply fully with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Act and all it. The risk of prosecution by the Department of Health and Community Services exists if compliance with all applicable legislation is not fulfilled. (author)

  3. Product Engineering Class in the Software Safety Risk Taxonomy for Building Safety-Critical Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Janice; Victor, Daniel

    2008-01-01

    When software safety requirements are imposed on legacy safety-critical systems, retrospective safety cases need to be formulated as part of recertifying the systems for further use and risks must be documented and managed to give confidence for reusing the systems. The SEJ Software Development Risk Taxonomy [4] focuses on general software development issues. It does not, however, cover all the safety risks. The Software Safety Risk Taxonomy [8] was developed which provides a construct for eliciting and categorizing software safety risks in a straightforward manner. In this paper, we present extended work on the taxonomy for safety that incorporates the additional issues inherent in the development and maintenance of safety-critical systems with software. An instrument called a Software Safety Risk Taxonomy Based Questionnaire (TBQ) is generated containing questions addressing each safety attribute in the Software Safety Risk Taxonomy. Software safety risks are surfaced using the new TBQ and then analyzed. In this paper we give the definitions for the specialized Product Engineering Class within the Software Safety Risk Taxonomy. At the end of the paper, we present the tool known as the 'Legacy Systems Risk Database Tool' that is used to collect and analyze the data required to show traceability to a particular safety standard

  4. Safety Culture Monitoring: How to Assess Safety Culture in Real Time?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zronek, B.; Maryska, J.; Treslova, L.

    2016-01-01

    Do you know what is current level of safety culture in your company? Are you able to follow trend changes? Do you know what your recent issues are? Since safety culture is understood as vital part of nuclear industry daily life, it is crucial to know what the current level is. It is common to perform safety culture survey or ad hoc assessment. This contribution shares Temelin NPP, CEZ approach how to assess safety culture level permanently. Using behavioral related outputs of gap solving system, observation program, dedicated surveys, regulatory assessment, etc., allows creating real time safety culture monitoring without the need to perform any other activities. (author)

  5. Highway Safety Program Manual: Volume 8: Alcohol in Relation to Highway Safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (DOT), Washington, DC.

    Volume 8 of the 19-volume Highway Safety Program Manual (which provides guidance to State and local governments on preferred highway safety practices) concentrates on alcohol in relation to highway safety. The purpose and objectives of the alcohol program are outlined. Federal authority in the area of highway safety and general policies regarding…

  6. Resolving conflicting safety cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slider, J.E.; Patterson, M.

    1993-01-01

    Several nuclear power plant sites have been wounded in the crossfire between two distinct corporate cultures. The traditional utility culture lies on one side and that of the nuclear navy on the other. The two corporate cultures lead to different perceptions of open-quotes safety culture.close quotes This clash of safety cultures obscures a very important point about nuclear plant operations: Safety depends on organizational learning. Organizational learning provides the foundation for a perception of safety culture that transcends the conflict between utility and nuclear navy cultures. Corporate culture may be defined as the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs shared by employees of a given company. Safety culture is the part of corporate culture concerning shared attitudes and beliefs affecting individual or public safety. If the safety culture promotes behaviors that lead to greater safety, employees will tend to open-quotes do the right thingclose quotes even when circumstances and formal guidance alone do not ensure that actions will be correct. Safety culture has become particularly important to nuclear plant owners and regulators as they have sought to establish and maintain a high level of safety in today's plants

  7. Nuclear safety regulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    The Departmental Rules and The Safety Guides were issued by the NNSA in 1998. The NNSA performed the activities of propagation and implementation of nuclear safety regulations at QTNPP in order to improve the nuclear safety culture of operating organization and construct and contract organizations

  8. Safety culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-01-01

    The response to a previous publication by the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG), indicated a broad international interest in expansion of the concept of Safety Culture, in such a way that its effectiveness in particular cases may be judged. This report responds to that need. In its manifestation, Safety Culture has two major components: the framework determined by organizational policy and by managerial action, and the response of individuals in working within and benefiting by the framework. 1 fig

  9. Nuclear safety in France

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanguy, P.

    1979-01-01

    A brief description of the main safety aspects of the French nuclear energy programme and of the general safety organization is followed by a discussion on the current thinking in CEA on some important safety issues. As far as methodology is concerned, the use of probabilistic analysis in the licensing procedure is being extensively developed. Reactor safety research is aimed at a better knowledge of the safety margins involved in the present designs of both PWRs and LMFBRs. A greater emphasis should be put during the next years in the safety of the nuclear fuel cycle installations, including waste disposals. Finally, it is suggested that further international cooperation in the field of nuclear safety should be developed in order to insure for all countries the very high safety level which has been achieved up till now. (author)

  10. Vaccine Safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... During Pregnancy Frequently Asked Questions about Vaccine Recalls Historical Vaccine Safety Concerns FAQs about GBS and Menactra ... CISA Resources for Healthcare Professionals Evaluation Current Studies Historical Background 2001-12 Publications Technical Reports Vaccine Safety ...

  11. Patient safety--worker safety: building a culture of safety to improve healthcare worker and patient well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yassi, Annalee; Hancock, Tina

    2005-01-01

    Patient safety within the Canadian healthcare system is currently a high national priority, which merits a comprehensive understanding of the underlying causes of adverse events. Not least among these is worker health and safety, which is linked to patient outcomes. Healthcare workers have a high risk of workplace injuries and more mental health problems than most other occupational groups. Many healthcare professionals feel fatigued, stressed, in pain, or at risk of illness or injury-factors they feel impede their ability to provide consistent quality care. With this background, the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare (OHSAH) in British Columbia, jointly governed by healthcare unions and healthcare employers, launched several major initiatives to improve the healthcare workplace. These included the promotion of safe patient handling, adaptive clothing, scheduled toileting, stroke management training, measures to improve management of aggressive behaviour and, of course, infection control-all intended to improve the safety of workers, but also to improve patient safety and quality of care. Other projects also explicitly promoting physical and mental health at work, as well as patient safety are also underway. Results of the projects are at various stages of completion, but ample evidence has already been obtained to indicate that looking after the well-being of healthcare workers results in safer and better quality patient care. While more research is needed, our work to date suggests that a comprehensive systems approach to promoting a climate of safety, which includes taking into account workplace organizational factors and physical and psychological hazards for workers, is the best way to improve the healthcare workplace and thereby patient safety.

  12. Nuclear power safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-11-01

    This paper reports that since the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident in 1986, over 70 of the International Atomic Energy Agency's 112 member states have adopted two conventions to enhance international cooperation by providing timely notification of an accident and emergency assistance. The Agency and other international organizations also developed programs to improve nuclear power plant safety and minimize dangers from radioactive contamination. Despite meaningful improvements, some of the measures have limitations, and serious nuclear safety problems remain in the design and operation of the older, Soviet-designed nuclear power plants. The Agency's ability to select reactors under its operational safety review program is limited. Also, information on the extent and seriousness of safety-related incidents at reactors in foreign countries is not publicly available. No agreements exist among nuclear power countries to make compliance with an nuclear safety standards or principles mandatory. Currently, adherence to international safety standards or principles is voluntary and nonbinding. Some states support the concept of mandatory compliance, but others, including the United States, believe that mandatory compliance infringes on national sovereignty and that the responsibility for nuclear reactor safety remains with each nation

  13. Taking ownership of safety. What are the active ingredients of safety coaching and how do they impact safety outcomes in critical offshore working environments?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krauesslar, Victoria; Avery, Rachel E; Passmore, Jonathan

    2015-01-01

    Safety coaching interventions have become a common feature in the safety critical offshore working environments of the North Sea. Whilst the beneficial impact of coaching as an organizational tool has been evidenced, there remains a question specifically over the use of safety coaching and its impact on behavioural change and producing safe working practices. A series of 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups of experts in the offshore industry: safety coaches, offshore managers and HSE directors. Using a thematic analysis approach, several significant themes were identified across the three expert groups including connecting with and creating safety ownership in the individual, personal significance and humanisation, ingraining safety and assessing and measuring a safety coach's competence. Results suggest clear utility of safety coaching when applied by safety coaches with appropriate coach training and understanding of safety issues in an offshore environment. The current work has found that the use of safety coaching in the safety critical offshore oil and gas industry is a powerful tool in managing and promoting a culture of safety and care.

  14. Safety Aspects of Sustainable Storage Dams and Earthquake Safety of Existing Dams

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Wieland

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The basic element in any sustainable dam project is safety, which includes the following safety elements: ① structural safety, ② dam safety monitoring, ③ operational safety and maintenance, and ④ emergency planning. Long-term safety primarily includes the analysis of all hazards affecting the project; that is, hazards from the natural environment, hazards from the man-made environment, and project-specific and site-specific hazards. The special features of the seismic safety of dams are discussed. Large dams were the first structures to be systematically designed against earthquakes, starting in the 1930s. However, the seismic safety of older dams is unknown, as most were designed using seismic design criteria and methods of dynamic analysis that are considered obsolete today. Therefore, we need to reevaluate the seismic safety of existing dams based on current state-of-the-art practices and rehabilitate deficient dams. For large dams, a site-specific seismic hazard analysis is usually recommended. Today, large dams and the safety-relevant elements used for controlling the reservoir after a strong earthquake must be able to withstand the ground motions of a safety evaluation earthquake. The ground motion parameters can be determined either by a probabilistic or a deterministic seismic hazard analysis. During strong earthquakes, inelastic deformations may occur in a dam; therefore, the seismic analysis has to be carried out in the time domain. Furthermore, earthquakes create multiple seismic hazards for dams such as ground shaking, fault movements, mass movements, and others. The ground motions needed by the dam engineer are not real earthquake ground motions but models of the ground motion, which allow the safe design of dams. It must also be kept in mind that dam safety evaluations must be carried out several times during the long life of large storage dams. These features are discussed in this paper.

  15. Safety assessment in plant layout design using indexing approach: Implementing inherent safety perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tugnoli, Alessandro; Khan, Faisal; Amyotte, Paul; Cozzani, Valerio

    2008-01-01

    Layout planning plays a key role in the inherent safety performance of process plants since this design feature controls the possibility of accidental chain-events and the magnitude of possible consequences. A lack of suitable methods to promote the effective implementation of inherent safety in layout design calls for the development of new techniques and methods. In the present paper, a safety assessment approach suitable for layout design in the critical early phase is proposed. The concept of inherent safety is implemented within this safety assessment; the approach is based on an integrated assessment of inherent safety guideword applicability within the constraints typically present in layout design. Application of these guidewords is evaluated along with unit hazards and control devices to quantitatively map the safety performance of different layout options. Moreover, the economic aspects related to safety and inherent safety are evaluated by the method. Specific sub-indices are developed within the integrated safety assessment system to analyze and quantify the hazard related to domino effects. The proposed approach is quick in application, auditable and shares a common framework applicable in other phases of the design lifecycle (e.g. process design). The present work is divided in two parts: Part 1 (current paper) presents the application of inherent safety guidelines in layout design and the index method for safety assessment; Part 2 (accompanying paper) describes the domino hazard sub-index and demonstrates the proposed approach with a case study, thus evidencing the introduction of inherent safety features in layout design

  16. General safety considerations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-09-01

    This document presents the full filling of the Brazilian obligations under the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The Chapter 4 of the document contains some details about the priority to safety, financial and human resources, human factors, quality assurance, safety assessment and verification, radiation protection and emergency preparedness.

  17. General safety considerations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-01-01

    This document presents the full filling of the Brazilian obligations under the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The Chapter 4 of the document contains some details about the priority to safety, financial and human resources, human factors, quality assurance, safety assessment and verification, radiation protection and emergency preparedness

  18. General safety considerations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-09-01

    This document presents the full filling of the Brazilian obligations under the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The Chapter 4 of the document contains some details about the priority to safety, financial and human resources, human factors, quality assurance, safety assessment and verification, radiation protection and emergency preparedness.

  19. General safety considerations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-01-01

    This document presents the full filling of the Brazilian obligations under the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The Chapter 4 of the document contains some details about the priority to safety, financial and human resources, human factors, quality assurance, safety assessment and verification, radiation protection and emergency preparedness

  20. Development and Validation of a Controlled Virtual Environment for Guidance, Navigation and Control of Quadrotor UAV

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-01

    Width Modulation QuarC Quanser Real-time Control RC Remote Controlled RPV Remotely Piloted Vehicles SLAM Simultaneous Localization and Mapping UAV...development of the following systems: 1. Navigation (GPS, Lidar , etc.) 2. Communication (Datalink) 3. Ground Control Station (GUI, software programming