PAEA Accreditation Task Force Briefing Paper: Moving Toward Profession-Defined, Outcomes-Based Accreditation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bondy, Mary Jo; Fletcher, Sara; Lane, Steven

2017-12-01

In anticipation of a revision to the Standards for Accreditation, the Phyisician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) charged a small task force to develop a strategy for engaging its members in the revision process. Rather than focusing on the current Standards, the task force members recommend a backward design approach to determine the desired outcomes of a successful revision to the Standards. Ultimately, the group believes that shifting to a profession-defined, outcomes-based model for accreditation will allow for greater innovation in physician assistant education and reduce the strain on programs facing resource limitations, particularly clinical site shortages. Task force members value accreditation and urge a paradigm shift in the Standards revision process to focus on meaningful educational outcomes that lead to enhanced program quality and patient safety.

The task force process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Applegate, J.S.

1995-01-01

This paper focuses on the unique aspects of the Fernald Citizens Task Force process that have contributed to a largely successful public participation effort at Fernald. The Fernald Citizens Task Force passed quickly by many procedural issues. Instead, the Task Force concentrated on (a) educating itself about the site, its problems, and possible solutions, and (b) choosing a directed way to approach its mandate: To make recommendations on several open-quotes big pictureclose quotes issues, including future use of the site, cleanup levels, waste disposition, and cleanup priorities. This paper presents the approach used at Fernald for establishing and running a focused site-specific advisory board, the key issues that have been faced, and how these issues were resolved. The success of Fernald in establishing a strong and functioning site-specific advisory board serves as a useful model for other DOE facilities, although the Fernald model is just one of many approaches that can be taken. However, the approach presented here has worked extremely well for Fernald

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

... USPSTF Our Members Conflict of Interest Disclosures Task Force Resources Our Partners Reports to Congress Contact Us ... effort to make the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations clearer and its processes more transparent, ...

Effects of force reflection on servomanipulator task performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Draper, J.V.; Moore, W.E.; Herndon, J.N.; Weil, B.S.

1986-01-01

This paper reports results of a testing program that assessed the impact of force reflection on servomanipulator task performance. The testing program compared three force-reflection levels: 4 to 1 (four units of force on the slave produce one unit of force at the master controller), 1 to 1, and infinity to 1 (no force reflection). Time required to complete tasks, rate of occurrence of errors, the maximum force applied to task components, and variability in forces during completion of representative remote handling tasks were used as dependent variables. Operators exhibited lower error rates, lower peak forces, and more consistent application of forces using force reflection than they did without it. These data support the hypothesis that force reflection provides useful information for servomanipulator operators

Task Force report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1987-01-01

The International Task Force on Prevention of Nuclear Terrorism was formed in 1985 under the auspices of the Nuclear Control Institute. This report is a consensus report of the 26 task force members - all members not necessarily agreeing on every point and all wordings, but in each case a substantial majority did agree. First, the report defines the threat, then establishes the priorities. Short-term recommendations are presented on: (1) protecting nuclear weapons; (2) protecting nuclear materials; (3) protecting nuclear facilities; (4) intelligence programs; (5) civil liberties concerns; (6) controlling nuclear transfers; (7) US - Soviet cooperation; (8) arms control initiatives; (9) convention of physical protection of nuclear material; (10) role of emergency management programs; and (11) role of the media. Brief long-term recommendations are included on (1) international measures, and (2) emerging nuclear technologies. An Appendix, Production of Nuclear Materials Usable in Weapons is presented for further consideration (without recommendations)

TWTF project criticality task force final review and assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinley, K.B.; Cannon, J.W.; Wheeler, F.J.; Worle, H.A.

1980-11-01

The Transuranic Waste Treatment Facility (TWTF) is being developed to process transuranic waste, stored and buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, into a chemically inert, physically stable basalt-like residue acceptable at a federal repository. A task force was assembled by the TWTF Project Division to review and assess all aspects of criticality safety for the TWTF. This document presents the final review, assessments, and recommendations of this task force. The following conclusions were made: Additional criticality studies are needed for the entire envelope of feed compositions and temperature effects. Safe operating k/sub eff/'s need to be determined for process components. Criticality analyses validation experiments may also be required. SRP neutron interrogation should be replaced by DDT neutron interrogation. Accuracy studies need to be performed for the proposed assaying techniques. Time-correlated neutron monitoring needs to be mocked up for process components to prove feasibility and determine accuracy. The criticality control techniques developed for the TWTF conceptual design are in compliance with ERDAM 0530, including the Double Contingency Rule. Detailed procedures and controls need to be developed

Antiphospholipid Syndrome Clinical Research Task Force Report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erkan, D.; Derksen, R.; Levy, R.; Machin, S.; Ortel, T.; Pierangeli, S.; Roubey, R.; Lockshin, M.

The Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) Clinical Research Task Force (CRTF) was one of six Task Forces developed by the 13(th) International Congress on Antiphospholipid Antibodies (aPL) organization committee with the purpose of: a) evaluating the limitations of APS clinical research and developing

32 CFR 700.1053 - Commander of a task force.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Commander of a task force. 700.1053 Section 700... Command Detail to Duty § 700.1053 Commander of a task force. (a) A geographic fleet commander, and any other naval commander, may detail in command of a task force, or other task command, any eligible...

Force-field compensation in a manual tracking task.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Squeri

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This study addresses force/movement control in a dynamic "hybrid" task: the master sub-task is continuous manual tracking of a target moving along an eight-shaped Lissajous figure, with the tracking error as the primary performance index; the slave sub-task is compensation of a disturbing curl viscous field, compatibly with the primary performance index. The two sub-tasks are correlated because the lateral force the subject must exert on the eight-shape must be proportional to the longitudinal movement speed in order to perform a good tracking. The results confirm that visuo-manual tracking is characterized by an intermittent control mechanism, in agreement with previous work; the novel finding is that the overall control patterns are not altered by the presence of a large deviating force field, if compared with the undisturbed condition. It is also found that the control of interaction-forces is achieved by a combination of arm stiffness properties and direct force control, as suggested by the systematic lateral deviation of the trajectories from the nominal path and the comparison between perturbed trials and catch trials. The coordination of the two sub-tasks is quickly learnt after the activation of the deviating force field and is achieved by a combination of force and the stiffness components (about 80% vs. 20%, which is a function of the implicit accuracy of the tracking task.

75 FR 32186 - Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Task Force on Community Preventive Services Name: Task Force on Community Preventive Services meeting. Times and Dates: 8... by space available. Purpose: The mission of the Task Force is to develop and publish the Guide to...

75 FR 4402 - Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-27

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Task Force on Community Preventive Services Name: Task Force on Community Preventive Services meeting. Times and Dates: 8..., limited only by space available. Purpose: The mission of the Task Force is to develop and publish the...

The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Task Force Report on Antidepressant Use in Bipolar Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Pacchiarotti, Isabella; Bond, David J.; Baldessarini, Ross J.; Nolen, Willem A.; Grunze, Heinz; Licht, Rasmus W.; Post, Robert M.; Berk, Michael; Goodwin, Guy M.; Sachs, Gary S.; Tondo, Leonardo; Findling, Robert L.; Youngstrom, Eric A.; Tohen, Mauricio; Undurraga, Juan; González-Pinto, Ana; Goldberg, Joseph F.; Yildiz, Ayşegül; Altshuler, Lori L.; Calabrese, Joseph R.; Mitchell, Philip B.; Thase, Michael E.; Koukopoulos, Athanasios; Colom, Francesc; Frye, Mark A.; Malhi, Gin S.; Fountoulakis, Konstantinos N.; Vázquez, Gustavo; Perlis, Roy H.; Ketter, Terence A.; Cassidy, Frederick; Akiskal, Hagop; Azorin, Jean-Michel; Valentí, Marc; Mazzei, Diego Hidalgo; Lafer, Beny; Kato, Tadafumi; Mazzarini, Lorenzo; Martínez-Aran, Anabel; Parker, Gordon; Souery, Daniel; Özerdem, Ayşegül; McElroy, Susan L.; Girardi, Paolo; Bauer, Michael; Yatham, Lakshmi N.; Zarate, Carlos A.; Nierenberg, Andrew A.; Birmaher, Boris; Kanba, Shigenobu; El-Mallakh, Rif S.; Serretti, Alessandro; Rihmer, Zoltan; Young, Allan H.; Kotzalidis, Georgios D.; MacQueen, Glenda M.; Bowden, Charles L.; Ghaemi, S. Nassir; Lopez-Jaramillo, Carlos; Rybakowski, Janusz; Ha, Kyooseob; Perugi, Giulio; Kasper, Siegfried; Amsterdam, Jay D.; Hirschfeld, Robert M.; Kapczinski, Flávio; Vieta, Eduard

2014-01-01

Objective The risk-benefit profile of antidepressant medications in bipolar disorder is controversial. When conclusive evidence is lacking, expert consensus can guide treatment decisions. The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) convened a task force to seek consensus recommendations on the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorders. Method An expert task force iteratively developed consensus through serial consensus-based revisions using the Delphi method. Initial survey items were based on systematic review of the literature. Subsequent surveys included new or reworded items and items that needed to be rerated. This process resulted in the final ISBD Task Force clinical recommendations on antidepressant use in bipolar disorder. Results There is striking incongruity between the wide use of and the weak evidence base for the efficacy and safety of antidepressant drugs in bipolar disorder. Few well-designed, long-term trials of prophylactic benefits have been conducted, and there is insufficient evidence for treatment benefits with antidepressants combined with mood stabilizers. A major concern is the risk for mood switch to hypomania, mania, and mixed states. Integrating the evidence and the experience of the task force members, a consensus was reached on 12 statements on the use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder. Conclusions Because of limited data, the task force could not make broad statements endorsing antidepressant use but acknowledged that individual bipolar patients may benefit from antidepressants. Regarding safety, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and bupropion may have lower rates of manic switch than tricyclic and tetracyclic antidepressants and norepinephrine-serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The frequency and severity of antidepressant-associated mood elevations appear to be greater in bipolar I than bipolar II disorder. Hence, in bipolar I patients antidepressants should be prescribed only as an adjunct to mood-stabilizing medications

Inter-Association Task Force Report on Image.

Science.gov (United States)

Special Libraries Association, Washington, DC.

In 1988, the Board of Directors of the Special Libraries Association provided funding to a task force to gather data which would determine how certain segments of society perceive librarians, how librarians view themselves and their colleagues, and to provide recommendations for addressing the issue of image. The task force project consisted of…

Childhood Obesity Task Forces Established by State Legislatures, 2001-2010

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sonia A.; Sherry, Bettylou; Blanck, Heidi M.

2013-01-01

Introduction States and communities are considering policy and environmental strategies, including enacting legislation, to reduce and prevent childhood obesity. One legislative approach has been to create task forces to understand key issues and develop a course of action. The goal of this study was to describe state-level, childhood obesity task forces in the United States created by legislation from 2001 through 2010. Methods We used the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity database to identify state-level childhood obesity task forces created through legislation from 2001 through 2010. Results We identified 21 states that had enacted legislation creating childhood obesity task forces of which 6 had created more than one task force. Most task forces were charged with both gathering and reviewing information and making recommendations for obesity-prevention actions in the state. Most legislation required that task forces include representation from the state legislature, state agencies, community organizations, and community members. Conclusion Evaluation of the effectiveness of obesity-prevention task forces and the primary components that contribute to their success may help to determine the advantages of the use of such strategies in obesity prevention. PMID:23987250

Transport Task Force Leadership, Task 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Callen, J.D.

1991-07-01

The Transport Task Force (TTF) was initiated as a broad-based US magnetic fusion community activity during the fall of 1988 to focus attention on and encourage development of an increased understanding of anomalous transport in tokamaks. The overall TTF goal is to make progress on Characterizing, Understanding and Identifying how to Reduce plasma transport in tokamaks -- to CUIR transport

Task force report on health effects assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, C.; Hushon, J.

1978-08-01

From April to August, 1978 MITRE supported the Health Effects Assessment Task Force sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Environment at DOE. The findings of that Task Force are incorporated in this report and include a detailed definition of health effects assessment, a survey of the mandates for health effects assessments within DOE/EV, a review of current DOE-EV health effects assessment activities, an analysis of the constraints affecting the health effects assessment process and a discussion of the Task Force recommendations. Included as appendices are summaries of two workshops conducted by the Task Force to determine the state-of-the-art of health effects assessment and modeling and a review of risk assessment activities in other federal agencies. The primary recommendation of the panel was that an office be designated or created under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Environment to coordinate the Health Effects Risk Assessment effort covering up to 40 program and policy areas; a similar need was expressed for the environmental effects assessment area. 1 tab

Proceedings of the IRI task force activity 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radicella, Sandro M.

2001-05-01

This internal report of the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) contains presentations delivered during the International Reference Ionosphere Task Force Activity 2000 which took place at the Abdus Salam ICTP during July 2000. The 2000 Task Force Activity is the seventh successful encounter of specialists organized by the URSI-COSPAR IRI Working Group and the Aeronomy and Radiopropagation Laboratory of the ICTP of Trieste, Italy. The main topic of this task force activity was the modeling of the topside ionosphere and the development of strategies for modeling of ionospheric variability

A guide for statewide impaired-driving task forces.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-09-01

The purpose of the guide is to assist State officials and other stakeholders who are interested in establishing an : Impaired-Driving Statewide Task Force or who are exploring ways to improve their current Task Force. The guide : addresses issues suc...

[Environmental investigation of ground water contamination at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio]. Volume 4, Health and Safety Plan (HSP); Phase 1, Task 4 Field Investigation report: Draft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-10-01

This Health and Safety Plan (HSP) was developed for the Environmental Investigation of Ground-water Contamination Investigation at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, based on the projected scope of work for the Phase 1, Task 4 Field Investigation. The HSP describes hazards that may be encountered during the investigation, assesses the hazards, and indicates what type of personal protective equipment is to be used for each task performed. The HSP also addresses the medical monitoring program, decontamination procedures, air monitoring, training, site control, accident prevention, and emergency response.

IEA HIA Task 37 - Hydrogen Safety

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Markert, Frank

The work plan and objectives of this task are designed to support the acceleration of safe implementation of hydrogen infrastructure through coordinated international collaborations and hydrogen safety knowledge dissemination.......The work plan and objectives of this task are designed to support the acceleration of safe implementation of hydrogen infrastructure through coordinated international collaborations and hydrogen safety knowledge dissemination....

Report of the Fermilab ILC Citizens' Task Force

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2008-06-01

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory convened the ILC Citizens' Task Force to provide guidance and advice to the laboratory to ensure that community concerns and ideas are included in all public aspects of planning and design for a proposed future accelerator, the International Linear Collider. In this report, the members of the Task Force describe the process they used to gather and analyze information on all aspects of the proposed accelerator and its potential location at Fermilab in northern Illinois. They present the conclusions and recommendations they reached as a result of the learning process and their subsequent discussions and deliberations. While the Task Force was charged to provide guidance on the ILC, it became clear during the process that the high cost of the proposed accelerator made a near-term start for the project at Fermilab unlikely. Nevertheless, based on a year of extensive learning and dialogue, the Task Force developed a series of recommendations for Fermilab to consider as the laboratory develops all successor projects to the Tevatron. The Task Force recognizes that bringing a next-generation particle physics project to Fermilab will require both a large international effort and the support of the local community. While the Task Force developed its recommendations in response to the parameters of a future ILC, the principles they set forth apply directly to any large project that may be conceived at Fermilab, or at other laboratories, in the future. With this report, the Task Force fulfills its task of guiding Fermilab from the perspective of the local community on how to move forward with a large-scale project while building positive relationships with surrounding communities. The report summarizes the benefits, concerns and potential impacts of bringing a large-scale scientific project to northern Illinois.

CHANGE@CERN:Task Force 4: Matching personnel to activities

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

Our series on the work of the Task Forces moves on to Human Ressources at CERN. Staff mobility and topics related to contract policy were the main personnel issues to be considered by Task Force 4, led by John Ferguson, head of AS Division. The aim, as with the other Task Forces, was to find ways to focus resources on the LHC, and once again the recommendations recognise the opportunity to make constructive changes, in this case in Human Resources policy at CERN. Movement of staff between divisions at CERN has generally not been easy, with 'staff complements' (total numbers) set for each sector (research, accelerator, technical and administration). However, the restructuring of the accelerator sector (proposed by Task Force 5 and already agreed in principle) should allow some staff to move to LHC activities. More generally, Task Force 4 recommends that the Laboratory carries out a review of all activities, at a relatively detailed level, so as to identify the resources required to achieve specific goals (t...

CHANGE@CERN:Task Force 1: finding the least painful cuts

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

This week sees the first in our series of reports on the work of the Task Forces By 2004, COMPASS will be the main experiment at the SPS, but the LHC experiments will also be calibrating detectors. 'It was a painful task, with which we had to proceed in the least damaging way', says Dieter Schlatter, Head of the EP Division, when describing his experience as Convenor of Task Force 1. This Task Force was charged with responsibility for advising on how money could be saved within CERN's research programme, in order to help deal with the increased cost to completion of the LHC project. Their role, as with the other Task Forces, was to suggest where savings could be made, and in most cases their suggestions have been incorporated in the Management's draft Long Term Plan. The pain of the task was to some extent alleviated by developments within the LHC project itself. Delays in the delivery of superconducting cable meant that the start up of the LHC would be delayed by a year, to 2007, and this gave Task Force ...

Task force for integral test of High Energy nuclear data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oyama, Yukio [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1998-11-01

According to completion of the JENDL-High Energy file for neutron nuclear cross sections up to 50 MeV, a task force for integral test of high energy nuclear data was organized to discuss a guide line for integral test activities. A status of existing differential and integral experiments and how to perform such a test were discussed in the task force. Here the purpose and outline of the task force is explained with some future problems raised in discussion among the task member. (author)

76 FR 5232 - Small Business Information Security Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-28

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Information Security Task Force AGENCY: U.S. Small... publish meeting minutes for the Small Business Information Security Task Force Meeting. DATES: 1 p.m... 2009, SBA submits the meeting minutes for the third meeting of the Small Business Information Security...

75 FR 77934 - Small Business Information Security Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-14

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Information Security Task Force AGENCY: U.S. Small... publish meeting minutes for the Small Business Information Security Task Force Meeting. DATES: 1 p.m... 2009, SBA submits the meeting minutes for the second meeting of the Small Business Information Security...

75 FR 70764 - Small Business Information Security Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-18

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Information Security Task Force AGENCY: U.S. Small... publish meeting minutes for the Small Business Information Security Task Force Meeting. DATES: 1 p.m... 2009, SBA submits the meeting minutes for the first meeting of the Small Business Information Security...

76 FR 11307 - Small Business Information Security Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Small Business Information Security Task Force AGENCY: U.S. Small... publish meeting minutes for the Small Business Information Security Task Force Meeting. DATES: 1 p.m... 2009, SBA submits the meeting minutes for the third meeting of the Small Business Information Security...

76 FR 65321 - Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-20

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force AGENCY: Department of... Veterans Affairs (VA) established the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) in August 2009 to conduct a comprehensive review of VA's approach to and programs addressing 1990-1991 Gulf War Veterans...

78 FR 28292 - Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-14

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force AGENCY: Department of... Veterans Affairs (VA) established the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) in August 2009 to conduct a comprehensive review of VA's approach to and programs addressing 1990-1991 Gulf War Veterans...

75 FR 16577 - Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force AGENCY: Department of... Veterans Affairs (VA) established the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) in August 2009 to conduct a comprehensive review of VA's approach to and programs addressing 1990-1991 Gulf War Veterans...

Honeywell's Working Parents Task Force. Final Report and Recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Honeywell, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.

This publication provides a summary of the Honeywell Working Parent Task Force's recommendations on how to solve problems experienced by working parents. The Task Force consisted of three committees: the Employment Practices Committee (EPC); the Parent Education Committee (PEC); and the Child Care Facilities Committee (CCFC). After examining a…

Consensus statement of the ESICM task force on colloid volume therapy in critically ill patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reinhart, Konrad; Perner, Anders; Sprung, Charles L

2012-01-01

PURPOSE: Colloids are administered to more patients than crystalloids, although recent evidence suggests that colloids may possibly be harmful in some patients. The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine therefore assembled a task force to compile consensus recommendations based on the current...... that any new colloid should be introduced into clinical practice only after its patient-important safety parameters are established....

DOE high-level waste tank safety program Final report, Task 002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The overall objective of the work on Task 002 was to provide LANL with support to the DOE High-Level Waste Tank Safety program. The objective of the work was to develop safety documentation in support of the unsafe tank mitigation activities at Hanford. The work includes the development of safety assessment and an environmental assessment. All tasks which were assigned under this Task Order were completed. Descriptions of the objectives of each task and effort performed to complete each objective are provided. The two tasks were: Task 2.1--safety assessment for instrumentation insertion; and Task 2.2--environmental assessment

Control of force during rapid visuomotor force-matching tasks can be described by discrete time PID control algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Dideriksen, Jakob Lund; Feeney, Daniel F; Almuklass, Awad M; Enoka, Roger M

2017-08-01

Force trajectories during isometric force-matching tasks involving isometric contractions vary substantially across individuals. In this study, we investigated if this variability can be explained by discrete time proportional, integral, derivative (PID) control algorithms with varying model parameters. To this end, we analyzed the pinch force trajectories of 24 subjects performing two rapid force-matching tasks with visual feedback. Both tasks involved isometric contractions to a target force of 10% maximal voluntary contraction. One task involved a single action (pinch) and the other required a double action (concurrent pinch and wrist extension). 50,000 force trajectories were simulated with a computational neuromuscular model whose input was determined by a PID controller with different PID gains and frequencies at which the controller adjusted muscle commands. The goal was to find the best match between each experimental force trajectory and all simulated trajectories. It was possible to identify one realization of the PID controller that matched the experimental force produced during each task for most subjects (average index of similarity: 0.87 ± 0.12; 1 = perfect similarity). The similarities for both tasks were significantly greater than that would be expected by chance (single action: p = 0.01; double action: p = 0.04). Furthermore, the identified control frequencies in the simulated PID controller with the greatest similarities decreased as task difficulty increased (single action: 4.0 ± 1.8 Hz; double action: 3.1 ± 1.3 Hz). Overall, the results indicate that discrete time PID controllers are realistic models for the neural control of force in rapid force-matching tasks involving isometric contractions.

San Juan College Task Force on Innovation 1995 Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Nelle

In fall 1994, San Juan College, in New Mexico, established the Task Force on Innovation to examine changes in the paradigm of education and how those changes might affect the college. The Task Force determined that the primary driver of change in education was technology, and specifically the increasing number of means and ease of access to…

Exploiting impedance shaping approaches to overcome force overshoots in delicate interaction tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loris Roveda

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of the presented article is to overcome the force overshoot issue in impedance based force tracking applications. Nowadays, light-weight manipulators are involved in high-accurate force control applications (such as polishing tasks, where the force overshoot issue is critical (i.e. damaging the component causing a production waste, exploiting the impedance control. Two main force tracking impedance control approaches are described in literature: (a set-point deformation and (b variable stiffness approaches. However, no contributions are directly related to the force overshoot issue. The presented article extends both such methodologies to analytically achieve the force overshoots avoidance in interaction tasks based on the on-line estimation of the interacting environment stiffness (available through an EKF. Both the proposed control algorithms allow to achieve a linear closed-loop dynamics for the coupled robot-environment system. Therefore, control gains can be analytically on-line calculated to achieve an over-damped closed-loop dynamics of the controlled coupled system. Control strategies have been validated in experiments, involving a KUKA LWR 4+. A probing task has been performed, representative of many industrial tasks (e.g. assembly tasks, in which a main force task direction is defined.

Task force activity to take the effect of elastic-plastic behaviour into account on the seismic safety evaluation of nuclear piping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Izumi; Shiratori, Masaki; Morishita, Masaki; Otani, Akihito; Shibutani, Tadahito

2015-01-01

According to investigations of several nuclear power plants (NPPs) hit by actual seismic events and a number of experimental researches on the failure behavior of piping systems under seismic loads, it is recognized that piping systems used in NPPs include a large seismic safety margin until boundary failure. Since the stress assessment based on the elastic analysis does not reflect actual seismic capability of piping systems including plastic region, it is necessary to develop a rational procedures to estimate the elastic-plastic behavior of piping systems under a large seismic load. With the aim of establishing a procedure that takes into account the elastic-plastic behavior effect in the seismic safety estimation of nuclear piping systems, a task force activity has been planned. Through the activity, the authors intend to establish guidelines to estimate the elastic-plastic behavior of piping systems rationally and conservatively, and to provide new rational seismic safety criteria taking the effect of elastic-plastic behavior into account. As the first step of making out the analysis guideline, benchmark analyses are conducted for a pipe element test and a piping system test. In this paper, the outline of the research activity and the preliminary results of benchmark analyses are described. (author)

DOE Defense Program (DP) safety programs. Final report, Task 003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The overall objective of the work on Task 003 of Subcontract 9-X52-W7423-1 was to provide LANL with support to the DOE Defense Program (DP) Safety Programs. The effort included the identification of appropriate safety requirements, the refinement of a DP-specific Safety Analysis Report (SAR) Format and Content Guide (FCG) and Comprehensive Review Plan (CRP), incorporation of graded approach instructions into the guidance, and the development of a safety analysis methodologies document. All tasks which were assigned under this Task Order were completed. Descriptions of the objectives of each task and effort performed to complete each objective is provided here

Final Technical Report Transport Task Force Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

P.W. Terry

2006-01-01

The Transport Task Force has functioned as the primary scientific organization in the area of magnetic-fusion confinement and transport since its inception in 1988. It has defined and set research directions, coordinated broad research efforts, advocated new funding initiatives, and created a highly successful and widely admired interactive culture between experiment, theory and modeling. The Transport Task Force carries out its activities under the direction of its chair and the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is comprised of the leaders and deputy leaders of the scientific working groups. The working groups are structured and organized according to research needs and priorities and have been organized around the areas of Core Transport, H Mode and Pedestal, Fast Particle Transport, Transient Transport Phenomena, and Modeling and Simulation. A steering committee provides advise on TTF activities. Further information on the working groups and the structure and management of the TTF can be found at http://psfcwww2.psfc.mit.edu/ttf/index.html. The TTF holds an annual workshop. A summary of the workshops held during the period of this report is given in Appendix I. During the period of this report the Transport Task Force was involved in several significant activities. Foremost of these was a sweeping review of the status of transport science, the key research tasks for progress during the next 5-10 years, and a proposal for a funding initiative to ensure application of adequate resources to these problems. The conclusions of this study were incorporated into a white paper, which is copied below in Appendix II. Other significant activities have included the introduction of an extended, ongoing discussion on verification and validation as a requisite for defining and codifying the path toward predictive capability, the orchestration of a gradual shift of focus from ion thermal confinement to electron thermal confinement, and a joining of efforts on edge

77 FR 18307 - Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force Report

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-27

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force Report AGENCY: Department...) established the Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force (GWVI-TF) in August 2009 to conduct a comprehensive review of VA policies and programs addressing 1990-1991 Gulf War Veterans' illnesses. The GWVI-TF...

Force sharing and other collaborative strategies in a dyadic force perception task.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatti, Fabio; Baud-Bovy, Gabriel

2018-01-01

When several persons perform a physical task jointly, such as transporting an object together, the interaction force that each person experiences is the sum of the forces applied by all other persons on the same object. Therefore, there is a fundamental ambiguity about the origin of the force that each person experiences. This study investigated the ability of a dyad (two persons) to identify the direction of a small force produced by a haptic device and applied to a jointly held object. In this particular task, the dyad might split the force produced by the haptic device (the external force) in an infinite number of ways, depending on how the two partners interacted physically. A major objective of this study was to understand how the two partners coordinated their action to perceive the direction of the third force that was applied to the jointly held object. This study included a condition where each participant responded independently and another one where the two participants had to agree upon a single negotiated response. The results showed a broad range of behaviors. In general, the external force was not split in a way that would maximize the joint performance. In fact, the external force was often split very unequally, leaving one person without information about the external force. However, the performance was better than expected in this case, which led to the discovery of an unanticipated strategy whereby the person who took all the force transmitted this information to the partner by moving the jointly held object. When the dyad could negotiate the response, we found that the participant with less force information tended to switch his or her response more often.

Proceedings of the IRI Task Force Activity 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radicella, S.M.

2002-08-01

This ICTP Internal Report contains the list of papers presented, activity report and the write up of a number of presentations delivered during the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) Task Force Activity 2001 which took place at the Abdus Salam ICTP during May 2001, particularly centred in the week from 21-25 May. The 2001 Task Force Activity is the eighth successful encounter of specialists organized by the URSI-Cospar IRI Working Group and the Aeronomy and Radiopropagation Laboratory of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics of Trieste, Italy. This project continues the IRI Task Force Activities at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. The primary focus of this activity was the development of a specification model for ionospheric variability. Such a model is high on the wish list of users of ionospheric models. Climatological models like IRI provide monthly mean values of ionospheric parameters. Understandably a satellite designer or operator needs to know not only the monthly average conditions but also the expected deviations from these mean values. The main discussions and presentations took place during the week 21-25 May. The format was similar to last year's activity with presentations and round-table discussions in the morning and follow-on work in small subgroups in front of computer terminals in the afternoon. This Proceedings contains also four papers of the previous IRI Task Force Activity which were omitted

Task Force Report 4. Report of the Task Force on Marketing and Communications

Science.gov (United States)

Dickinson, John C.; Evans, Kenneth L.; Carter, Jan; Burke, Kevin

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND To ensure the success of the proposed New Model of family medicine and to create a better understanding of the nature and role of family medicine, an effective communications plan must be developed and implemented. This Future of Family Medicine task force report proposes strategies for communicating the role of family physicians within medicine, as well as to purchasers, consumers, and other entities. METHODS After reviewing the findings from the research conducted for the Future of Family Medicine project, the task force presents a preliminary brand-positioning strategy for family medicine messages. Based on this strategy, the task force identifies 5 major audiences to which family medicine communications should be directed. A consistent method was used to determine optimum strategies to address each audience: defining the audience, assessing the literature and other pertinent evidence, identifying the communication objectives, determining the key messages, developing brand promises, and proposing strategies and tactics to support the messages and objectives. Preliminary communications plans are then presented for each of the 5 target audiences. MAJOR FINDINGS It is important that the organizations involved in family medicine make a multiyear commitment of resources to implement and support an aggressive communications strategy, which is based on key messages to target audiences. A concerted effort is particularly needed to address the declining interest among medical students in the specialty. Implementing a comprehensive family medicine career development program may be one effective strategy to reverse this trend. To help eliminate the current confusion among the public regarding family medicine and to promote clarity and consistency in terminology, the specialty should replace the name family practice with family medicine and a new graphic symbol for the discipline of family medicine should be developed. CONCLUSION As a discipline, family medicine

Report of the HDA building Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheerer, Ernest W

2006-01-01

The Building Task Force, after researching the many options, recommended to the Board of Trustees that, at this time, it is in the best interest of the association and its members to keep the building. In addition to the reasons outlined in the preceding paragraphs, the conclusions drawn by the Task Force can be summarized as follows: 1) This is not the time to make a change as both land and construction costs are high; 2) There is little inventory at this time that would provide a significant improvement over the present building; 3) There is no urgent need to act now; and 4) Cost-effective changes can be made to make the building more valuable to the association.

77 FR 74341 - Establishing the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-14

..., local, and tribal communities to improve the region's resilience, health, and prosperity by building for... Urban Development (Chair). (a) In addition to the Chair, the Task Force shall consist of the head of... offices related to the functions of the Task Force; and (iii) specifying the form and subject matter of...

Task forces for the European railway: trains and rail systems of the future; Task Force der EG: Zuege und Eisenbahnsysteme der Zukunft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blonk, W. [European Commission, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General VII Transport

1999-02-01

To achieve greatest benefit from the R and D activities of the EC, the Commission introduced the concept to task forces in 1995. One of these is concerned with 'trains and rail systems of the future'. This was to be seen as an element in a far-reaching political framework guideline, so bringing together hitherto separate strands of railway-related transport with industrial and research policy, contributing to revival of the sector. The main objective of these joint efforts was to contribute to radical structural and cultural changes on the railway so as - on the basis of market orientation, quality demands and cost efficiency - to give greater weight among the population to future transport challenges. This article reviews the main results attained by way of the task force and how these will be implemented in the 5th framework programme of the European Community. (orig.) [German] Um mit den FuE-Aktivitaeten der Europaeischen Gemeinschaft groessten Nutzen zu erzielen, richtete die Kommission im Jahre 1995 das Konzept von Task Forces ein. Eine dieser Task Forces beschaeftigte sich mit dem Thema 'Zuege und Eisenbahnsysteme der Zukunft'. Es war als ein Element einer weitgesteckten politischen Rahmenrichtlinie anzusehen, wobei es die vorher getrennten Straenge der eisenbahngebundenen Verkehre mit der Industrie- und Forschungspolitik zusammenbrachte und dadurch zur Wiederbelebung des Sektors beitragen konnte. (orig.)

Force sharing and other collaborative strategies in a dyadic force perception task

Science.gov (United States)

Tatti, Fabio

2018-01-01

When several persons perform a physical task jointly, such as transporting an object together, the interaction force that each person experiences is the sum of the forces applied by all other persons on the same object. Therefore, there is a fundamental ambiguity about the origin of the force that each person experiences. This study investigated the ability of a dyad (two persons) to identify the direction of a small force produced by a haptic device and applied to a jointly held object. In this particular task, the dyad might split the force produced by the haptic device (the external force) in an infinite number of ways, depending on how the two partners interacted physically. A major objective of this study was to understand how the two partners coordinated their action to perceive the direction of the third force that was applied to the jointly held object. This study included a condition where each participant responded independently and another one where the two participants had to agree upon a single negotiated response. The results showed a broad range of behaviors. In general, the external force was not split in a way that would maximize the joint performance. In fact, the external force was often split very unequally, leaving one person without information about the external force. However, the performance was better than expected in this case, which led to the discovery of an unanticipated strategy whereby the person who took all the force transmitted this information to the partner by moving the jointly held object. When the dyad could negotiate the response, we found that the participant with less force information tended to switch his or her response more often. PMID:29474433

Practicing for 2023 and 2024: What the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force Learned from the "Great American Eclipse" of 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Fienberg, R. T.; Speck, A. K.; Habbal, S. R.

2017-12-01

More than three years ahead of the "Great American Eclipse" of August 2017, the American Astronomical Society formed the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force to function as a think tank, coordinating body, and communication gateway to the vast resources available about the 2017 eclipse and solar eclipses more generally. The task force included professional and amateur astronomers, formal and informal educators, and science journalists; many had experienced total solar eclipses before, and others would experience their first totality in August 2017. The AAS task force secured funding from the AAS Council, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. These resources were used mainly for three purposes: (1) to build a website that contains basic information about solar eclipses, safe viewing practices, and eclipse imaging and video, along with resources for educators and the media and a searchable map of eclipse-related events and activities, with links to other authoritative websites with more detailed information; (2) to solicit, receive, evaluate, and fund proposals for mini-grants to support eclipse-related education and public outreach to underrepresented groups both inside and outside the path of totality; and (3) to organize a series of multidisciplinary workshops across the country to prepare communities for the eclipse and to facilitate collaborations between astronomers, meteorologists, school administrators, and transporation and emergency-management professionals. Most importantly, the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force focused on developing and disseminating appropriate eclipse safety information. The AAS and NASA jointly developed safety messaging that won the endorsement of the American Academies of Opthalmology and Optometry. In the weeks immediately preceding the eclipse, it became clear that the marketplace was being flooded by counterfeit eclipse glasses and solar viewers, leading to a last minute change in our communication strategy. In this talk, we'll review the

An overview of the activities of the OECD/NEA Task Force on adapting computer codes in nuclear applications to parallel architectures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirk, B.L. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Sartori, E. [OCDE/OECD NEA Data Bank, Issy-les-Moulineaux (France); Viedma, L.G. de [Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear, Madrid (Spain)

1997-06-01

Subsequent to the introduction of High Performance Computing in the developed countries, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) created the Task Force on Adapting Computer Codes in Nuclear Applications to Parallel Architectures (under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee`s Working Party on Advanced Computing) to study the growth area in supercomputing and its applicability to the nuclear community`s computer codes. The result has been four years of investigation for the Task Force in different subject fields - deterministic and Monte Carlo radiation transport, computational mechanics and fluid dynamics, nuclear safety, atmospheric models and waste management.

An overview of the activities of the OECD/NEA Task Force on adapting computer codes in nuclear applications to parallel architectures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirk, B.L.; Sartori, E.; Viedma, L.G. de

1997-01-01

Subsequent to the introduction of High Performance Computing in the developed countries, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) created the Task Force on Adapting Computer Codes in Nuclear Applications to Parallel Architectures (under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee's Working Party on Advanced Computing) to study the growth area in supercomputing and its applicability to the nuclear community's computer codes. The result has been four years of investigation for the Task Force in different subject fields - deterministic and Monte Carlo radiation transport, computational mechanics and fluid dynamics, nuclear safety, atmospheric models and waste management

Classifying Secondary Task Driving Safety Using Method of F-ANP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisheng Jin

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This study was designed to build an evaluation system for secondary task driving safety by using method of Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (F-ANP. Forty drivers completed driving on driving simulator while interacting with or without a secondary task. Measures of fixations, saccades, and vehicle running status were analyzed. According to five experts' opinions, a hierarchical model for secondary task driving safety evaluation was built. The hierarchical model was divided into three levels: goal, assessment dimension, and criteria. Seven indexes make up the level of criteria, and the assessment dimension includes two clusters: vehicle control risk and driver eye movement risk. By method of F-ANP, the priorities of the criteria and the subcriteria were determined. Furthermore, to rank the driving safety, an approach based on the principle of maximum membership degree was adopted. At last, a case study of secondary task driving safety evaluation by forty drivers using the proposed method was done. The results indicated that the application of the proposed method is practically feasible and adoptable for secondary task driving safety evaluation.

CHANGE@CERN:Task Force 3: adjusting services to future needs

CERN Document Server

2002-01-01

We continue our articles on the Task Force reports The number of craftsmen and technicians could be increased with a change in the staff composition. The mandate for Task Force 3 was to make proposals for savings and new cost control procedures in the area of Industrial Support and Contracts for the period until 2009. The aim, explains the convenor, Karl-Heinz Kissler, was to keep spending under control under difficult conditions when staff numbers are decreasing and the work for the LHC becomes more demanding. The measures proposed, if implemented, could lead to savings of around 170 MCHF. The proposals involve both Industrial Services contracts, which were discussed in the Bulletin of the 22nd of April (n°17/2002) and readjustments for staff at CERN, on which we concentrate here. As with other Task Forces the principle aim was to be able to refocus resources onto the LHC project. In this respect, Task Force 3 could work within the framework of the revised programme for the LHC and the reduced non-LHC pro...

Minutes of the kick-off Meeting of the WPRS / EGRPANS / Sodium Fast Reactor Task Force (SFR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buiron, Laurent; Stauff, Nicolas; Varaine, Frederic; Blanchet, D.; Stauff, N.; Ivanov, Evgeny; Michel-Sendis, Franco; ); Mikityuk, Konstantin; Pelloni, Sandro; Ponomarev, Alexander; Kim, Taek K.; Taiwo, Temitope; Kereszturi, Andras; Van den Eynde, Gert; Kotiluoto, Petri; Juutilainen, Pauli; Lepp Anen, Jaakko

2011-01-01

The kick-off meeting of the Sodium-cooled fast reactor Task Force (SFR) was an informal one where discussion among participants was encouraged. F. Varaine reminded the participants of the objectives and milestones of the proposed benchmark. A discussion followed on how to define transients in a safety approach. Speaking for ANL, T.A Taiwo anticipated the need to include experts from ANL safety division in the thermal-hydraulics/transient part of the benchmark and observed the initial timeline proposed was too tight to meet. It was agreed the timeline of the benchmark would be modified to a more realistic schedule, keeping the neutronic part as the first stage to finish before the end of the year. It was decided that CEA would provide a spreadsheet template to fill out by benchmark participants to facilitate compilation of results. During the presentations, L. Buiron presented the benchmark in detail and introduced the bibliographic study he has been compiling with the aim to develop a state of the art of feedback calculations. He reported this work is ongoing and could become a contribution for a report of the Expert Group. E. Ivanov presented a proposal for complementary calculations to be included in the benchmark. He reported these calculations would allow for interpretation of the discrepancies that may be observed between the different results obtained by the participants, and commented such an interpretation is essential in any safety analysis presented before decision-makers. A discussion followed on the necessity to include the additional calculations proposed by IRSN at such an early state of the benchmark. The proposal was met with interest, and it was decided that it would be discussed again at the next meeting where first neutronic results could be shown and the importance of these calculations demonstrated. E. Ivanov agreed to provide more detailed specifications of the tallies requested by the next meeting. It was decided that these complementary

An introductory handbook for state task forces to combat drunk driving.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-01-01

In June 1982 Governor Robb created a task force to identify and assess efforts under way in Virginia to address the problem of drunken driving and to make recommendations. This booklet was prepared to assist the task force in its deliberations.

The Multinational Logistics Joint Task Force (MLJTF)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Higginbotham, Matthew T

2007-01-01

In this monograph, by analyzing the UN, NATO and the US Army's evolving Modular Logistics Doctrine, the author integrates the key areas from each doctrine into a multinational logistics joint task force (MLJTF) organization...

Task Force On Contractor Logistics in Support of Contingency Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

task force also strongly recommends outsourcing the necessary data gathering for older contracts and moving current contracts up in the queue with a...personnel, and administration, and extend to morale, welfare , recreation, and even mortuary affairs. Other services include airfield operations...analyzed and then audited only on a high-risk basis. The task force also strongly recommends outsourcing the necessary data gathering for older contracts

Report of the Material Control and Material Accounting Task Force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-03-01

In September 1977 a Task Force was formed to complete a study of the role of material control and material accounting in NRC's safeguards program. The Task Force's assignment was to: define the roles and objectives of material control and material accounting in the NRC safeguards program; recommend goals for the material control and material accounting systems based on their roles and objectives; assess the extent to which the existing safeguards regulatory base meets or provides the capability to meet the recommended goals; and provide direction for material control and material accounting development, including both near-term and long-term upgrades. The study was limited to domestic nuclear facilities possessing significant amounts of plutonium, uranium-233 or highly enriched uranium in unsealed form. The Task Force findings are reported

3 CFR - White House Task Force on Middle-Class Working Families

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false White House Task Force on Middle-Class Working Families Presidential Documents Other Presidential Documents Memorandum of January 30, 2009 White House... times. To these ends, I hereby direct the following: Section 1. White House Task Force on Middle-Class...

Response to Vogelstein: How the 2012 AAP Task Force on circumcision went wrong.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Howe, Robert S

2018-01-01

Vogelstein cautions medical organizations against jumping into the fray of controversial issues, yet proffers the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics' Task Force policy position on infant male circumcision as 'an appropriate use of position-statements.' Only a scratch below the surface of this policy statement uncovers the Task Force's failure to consider Vogelstein's many caveats. The Task Force supported the cultural practice by putting undeserved emphasis on questionable scientific data, while ignoring or underplaying the importance of valid contrary scientific data. Without any effort to quantitatively assess the risk/benefit balance, the Task Force concluded the benefits of circumcision outweighed the risks, while acknowledging that the incidence of risks was unknown. This Task Force differed from other Academy policy-forming panels by ignoring the Academy's standard quality measures and by not appointing members with extensive research experience, extensive publications, or recognized expertise directly related to this topic. Despite nearly 100 publications available at the time addressing the substantial ethical issues associated with infant male circumcision, the Task Force chose to ignore the ethical controversy. They merely stated, with minimal justification, the opinion of one of the Task Force members that the practice of infant male circumcision is morally permissible. The release of the report has fostered an explosion of academic discussion on the ethics of infant male circumcision with a number of national medical organizations now decrying the practice as a human rights violation. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

76 FR 7579 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-10

.... Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior... Service (Service), announce a public business meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) [email protected] ); or Liza Johnson, U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Department of the Interior Liaison, U.S...

CHANGE@CERN:Task Force 5 : Restructuring the accelerator sector

CERN Document Server

2002-01-01

The last of our series on the Task Forces. PS accelerator 'We had a clear mandate, which we could approach in a logical way', explains Steve Myers, Head of SL Division and convenor of Task Force 5, 'To avoid duplication of effort in the accelerator sector through a restructuring that would lead to greater efficiency and flexibility and so release resources for the LHC.' The implementation of all their recommendations is already underway, albeit with different time scales. In 2001 the accelerator sector involved more than 900 staff members in three divisions (LHC, PS and SL) and one unit (AC), working in 141 sections within 34 groups. The first step for the Task Force was to identify major activities within the sector and to set up inter-divisional working groups to review these activities (16 in all), identifying the technologies and the numbers of staff associated with each activity. The working groups were also asked to propose ways of grouping the activities into a new more efficient organizational stru...

75 FR 24781 - Task Force on Space Industry Workforce and Economic Development

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-06

... economic and workforce-development efforts through a Task Force composed of senior-level Administration... officials on existing committees or task forces addressing technological development, research, or aerospace... Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (c) This...

76 FR 52318 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-22

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Coral Reef Task Force... of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The meeting will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This meeting, the 26th bi-annual meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, provides a forum for coordinated...

76 FR 67761 - Establishment of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-02

... the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence AGENCY: Office of Juvenile.... SUMMARY: The Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence (the Task Force) is....C., App. 2. The Task Force will provide the Attorney General with valuable advice on a broad array...

Report and recommendations of the task force on tree and shrub planting on active oil sands tailings dams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-02-15

In oil sands reclamation operations in Canada there is a conflict between dam safety and the planting of trees and woody shrubs. Indeed, tree planting is being restricted on the downstream slopes of dams to avoid damage to drains and to ensure the integrity of visual and instrumentation monitoring conflicting thus with progressive reclamation. Alberta Environment hired the Oil Sands Research and Information Network (OSRIN), an independent organization which analyzes and interprets available knowledge on soil and water reclamation in the oil sands mining sector, to address this issue and make recommendations. The organization appointed a Task Force which presented its final report in March 2011. The Task Force recommended that the Engineer of Record should be responsible for determining the tree and shrub planting zones and that he should submit his plans to Alberta Environment for approval.

75 FR 47624 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-06

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and... (Service), announce a public meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and a request for written.... Coral Reef Task Force Department of the Interior Liaison, U.S. Department of the Interior, MS-3530-MIB...

Dynamical signatures of isometric force control as a function of age, expertise, and task constraints.

Science.gov (United States)

Vieluf, Solveig; Sleimen-Malkoun, Rita; Voelcker-Rehage, Claudia; Jirsa, Viktor; Reuter, Eva-Maria; Godde, Ben; Temprado, Jean-Jacques; Huys, Raoul

2017-07-01

From the conceptual and methodological framework of the dynamical systems approach, force control results from complex interactions of various subsystems yielding observable behavioral fluctuations, which comprise both deterministic (predictable) and stochastic (noise-like) dynamical components. Here, we investigated these components contributing to the observed variability in force control in groups of participants differing in age and expertise level. To this aim, young (18-25 yr) as well as late middle-aged (55-65 yr) novices and experts (precision mechanics) performed a force maintenance and a force modulation task. Results showed that whereas the amplitude of force variability did not differ across groups in the maintenance tasks, in the modulation task it was higher for late middle-aged novices than for experts and higher for both these groups than for young participants. Within both tasks and for all groups, stochastic fluctuations were lowest where the deterministic influence was smallest. However, although all groups showed similar dynamics underlying force control in the maintenance task, a group effect was found for deterministic and stochastic fluctuations in the modulation task. The latter findings imply that both components were involved in the observed group differences in the variability of force fluctuations in the modulation task. These findings suggest that between groups the general characteristics of the dynamics do not differ in either task and that force control is more affected by age than by expertise. However, expertise seems to counteract some of the age effects. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Stochastic and deterministic dynamical components contribute to force production. Dynamical signatures differ between force maintenance and cyclic force modulation tasks but hardly between age and expertise groups. Differences in both stochastic and deterministic components are associated with group differences in behavioral variability, and observed behavioral

Task Force on Innovation in Dental Hygiene Curricula.

Science.gov (United States)

Bader, James; And Others

1989-01-01

The background, origins, functions, and recommendations of the American Association of Dental Schools' task force investigating improvement of access to dental hygiene training programs and of curriculum and program design are presented. (MSE)

ATR Commissioning Software Task Force Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D' Ottavio, Ted [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Kewisch, Jorg [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Saltmarsh, Chris [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Sathe, Smita [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Satogata, Todd [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Shea, Don [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Tepikian, Steve [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Trahern, Garry [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

1994-12-16

The Beam Injection Tests Software Task Force was charged with studying the software needed for the ATR tests, seen as a stepping stone or template for the larger scope of the full RHIC control system. This report outlines our avenues of exploration so far, presents the current analysis and implementation work in progress, and gives recommendations for the future on the ATR and longer time scales.

Bidirectional transfer between joint and individual actions in a task of discrete force production.

Science.gov (United States)

Masumoto, Junya; Inui, Nobuyuki

2017-07-01

The present study examined bidirectional learning transfer between joint and individual actions involving discrete isometric force production with the right index finger. To examine the effects of practice of joint action on performance of the individual action, participants performed a pre-test (individual condition), practice blocks (joint condition), and a post-test (individual condition) (IJI task). To examine the effects of practice of the individual action on performance during the joint action, the participants performed a pre-test (joint condition), practice blocks (individual condition), and a post-test (joint condition) (JIJ task). Whereas one participant made pressing movements with a target peak force of 10% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in the individual condition, two participants produced the target force of the sum of 10% MVC produced by each of them in the joint condition. In both the IJI and JIJ tasks, absolute errors and standard deviations of peak force were smaller post-test than pre-test, indicating bidirectional transfer between individual and joint conditions for force accuracy and variability. Although the negative correlation between forces produced by two participants (complementary force production) became stronger with practice blocks in the IJI task, there was no difference between the pre- and post-tests for the negative correlation in the JIJ task. In the JIJ task, the decrease in force accuracy and variability during the individual action did not facilitate complementary force production during the joint action. This indicates that practice performed by two people is essential for complementary force production in joint action.

Can NATO's new Very High Readiness Joint Task Force deter?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rynning, Sten; Ringsmose, Jens

2017-01-01

” a distinct strategic rival – Russia. Chief among the Welsh summit initiatives was the decision to set up a new multinational spearhead force – the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) – as part of an enhanced NATO Response Force (NRF) and within the framework of a so-called Readiness Action Plan (RAP...

Proceedings of the IRI Task Force Activity 2002. 1. ed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radicella, S.M.

2003-06-01

This ICTP Internal Report contains the list of papers presented, activity reports and the write up of a number of presentations delivered during the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) Task Force Activity 2002 which took place at the Abdus Salam ICTP during August 2002. The 2002 Task Force Activity is the ninth successful encounter of specialists organized by the URSI-Cospar IRI Working Group and the Aeronomy and Radiopropagation Laboratory of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics of Trieste, Italy. The main topics of the meeting were ionosphere variability and topside ionosphere

75 FR 48929 - Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-12

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Natural Resources Conservation Service Notice of Meeting of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), United States... Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711; (919) 541-5400. The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will...

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome: task force report summary.

Science.gov (United States)

Cervera, R; Rodríguez-Pintó, I

2014-10-01

The Task Force on Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome (CAPS) aimed to assess the current knowledge on pathogenesis, clinical and laboratory features, diagnosis and classification, precipitating factors and treatment of CAPS. This article summarizes the main aspects of its final report. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Interstate Migrant Education Task Force: Migrant Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO.

Because ill-clothed, sick, or hungry migrant children learn poorly, the Task Force has emphasized the migrant health situation in 1979. Migrant workers have a 33% shorter life expectancy, a 25% higher infant mortality rate, and a 25% higher death rate from tuberculosis and other communicable diseases than the national average. Common among…

Offshore petroleum engineering task force report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruelokke, M.

1999-05-01

The Offshore Petroleum Engineering Task Force was established in July 1998 in response to concerns about Newfoundland and Labrador's share of offshore petroleum engineering activity, with the aim of determining the current capability of the local sector, the demand for such companies and individuals until the year 2010, their capability to grow over that time-frame, and requirements in order to achieve that growth. The report summarizes the analysis undertaken by the Task Force as well as the conclusions it reached and associated recommendations. Section two provides an overview of the offshore engineering activity, including its origins, structure, and key success factors, and its also provides a profile of the industry, internationally, in Canada and in Newfoundland. Section three presents an analysis of the future demand for offshore engineering in Newfoundland until 2010, based on three development scenarios. Section four based on a Consulting Engineers of Newfoundland and Labrador (CENL) survey, establishes the present offshore engineering capacity and capabilities within the province. Section five examines current education and training programs and their ability to respond to future demands. Section six summarizes the conclusions of the analysis and presents recommendations designed to facilitate and promote the development of the local offshore engineering industry. 6 figs

OSHA Laboratory Standard: Driving Force for Laboratory Safety!

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Kenneth R.

2000-01-01

Discusses the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) Laboratory Safety Standards as the major driving force in establishing and maintaining a safe working environment for teachers and students. (Author)

Department of Defense Recovering Warrior Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-02

accessible and available to the Veterans Benefits Administration ( VBA ) as soon as possible381; however, because military service records include health...programs are meeting expectations ........................................... 35 Facilitating Access to Health Care...Enduring RW Mission, Facilitating RW Recovery and Transition, and Facilitating Access to Health Care. SUMMARY 2  DoD Recovering Warrior Task Force

Report of the ASHP Task Force on Caring for Patients Served by Specialty Suppliers.

Science.gov (United States)

Caselnova, Dominick; Donley, Kathy; Ehlers, Diane; Hyduk, Amy E; Koontz, Susannah E; Nowobilski-Vasilios, Anna; Pawlicki, Kathleen S; Poikonen, John C; Poremba, Art C; Sasser, Cathy L; Schell, Kenneth H; Schwab, Jay L; Swinarski, Dave; Chen, David; Kirschenbaum, Bonnie; Armitstead, John

2010-10-01

Task Force recommendations are discussed in more detail in eAppendix A (available at www.ajhp.org). What follows is a brief summary of those recommendations. In very abbreviated terms, the Task Force suggested that ASHP: 1. Consider creating and maintaining a Web resource center on ASHP's website to provide information about restricted drug distributions systems (RDDSs), risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMSs), risk assessment and minimization plans (RiskMAPs), and specialty suppliers and products. 2. Provide comprehensive education to members, other health professionals, regulators, third-party payers, patients, and other stakeholders about RDDSs, REMSs, RiskMAPs, and specialty suppliers and products. 3. Develop policies to advocate that a. Pharmacists serve as the institutional leaders in compliance and utilization challenges of safely managing externally supplied medications and related drug administration devices, b. Agencies, organizations, and associations that influence the distribution, sale, and dispensing of medications under these alternative distribution models address issues these models create in continuity of care, reimbursement, and patient safety, c. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Joint Commission develop standards and interpretations that accommodate hospital use of these products and devices when currently available technology (e.g., cold-chain storage, e-pedigree) is used to ensure patient safety, d. Group purchasing organizations negotiate contractual arrangements for specialty pharmaceuticals for both acquisition costs and distribution arrangements, and e. Information technology (IT) be used to resolve issues created by alternative distribution models and that ASHP work with IT vendors to ensure that programs are designed to meet the needs of these evolving models. 4. Quantify through research, perhaps in cooperation with entities such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Institute of

77 FR 61019 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-05

...: http://anstaskforce.gov/meetings.php . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Mangin, Executive... information are on the ANS Task Force Web site at: http://anstaskforce.gov/meetings.php . Accessibility...

76 FR 15334 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-21

... Task Force Web site at: http://anstaskforce.gov/meetings.php . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan...: http://anstaskforce.gov/meetings.php . Dated: March 14, 2011. Jeffrey Underwood, Acting Assistant...

Aespoe modelling task force - experiences of the site specific flow and transport modelling (in detailed and site scale)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gustafson, Gunnar [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden); Stroem, A.; Wikberg, P. [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co. , Stockholm (Sweden)

1998-09-01

The Aespoe Task Force on modelling of groundwater flow and transport of solutes was initiated in 1992. The Task Force shall be a forum for the organisations supporting the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory Project to interact in the area of conceptual and numerical modelling of groundwater flow and solute transport in fractured rock. Much emphasis is put on building of confidence in the approaches and methods in use for modelling of groundwater flow and nuclide migration in order to demonstrate their use for performance and safety assessment. The modelling work within the Task Force is linked to the experiments performed at the Aespoe Laboratory. As the first Modelling Task, a large scale pumping and tracer experiment called LPT2 was chosen. This was the final part of the characterisation work for the Aespoe site before the construction of the laboratory in 1990. The construction of the Aespoe HRL access tunnel caused an even larger hydraulic disturbance on a much larger scale than that caused by the LPT2 pumping test. This was regarded as an interesting test case for the conceptual and numerical models of the Aespoe site developed during Task No 1, and was chosen as the third Modelling Task. The aim of Task 3 can be seen from two different perspectives. The Aespoe HRL project saw it as a test of their ability to define a conceptual and structural model of the site that can be utilised by independent modelling groups and be transformed to a predictive groundwater flow model. The modelling groups saw it as a means of understanding groundwater flow in a large fractured rock volume and of testing their computational tools. A general conclusion is that Task 3 has served these purposes well. Non-sorbing tracers tests, made as a part of the TRUE-experiments were chosen as the next predictive modelling task. A preliminary comparison between model predictions made by the Aespoe Task Force and the experimental results, shows that most modelling teams predicted breakthrough from

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations and cancer screening among female Medicare beneficiaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Salloum, Ramzi G; Kohler, Racquel E; Jensen, Gail A; Sheridan, Stacey L; Carpenter, William R; Biddle, Andrea K

2014-03-01

Medicare covers several cancer screening tests not currently recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force). In September 2002, the Task Force relaxed the upper age limit of 70 years for breast cancer screening recommendations, and in March 2003 an upper age limit of 65 years was introduced for cervical cancer screening recommendations. We assessed whether mammogram and Pap test utilization among women with Medicare coverage is influenced by changes in the Task Force's recommendations for screening. We identified female Medicare beneficiaries aged 66-80 years and used bivariate probit regression to examine the receipt of breast (mammogram) and cervical (Pap test) cancer screening reflecting changes in the Task Force recommendations. We analyzed 9,760 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey responses from 2001 to 2007. More than two-thirds reported receiving a mammogram and more than one-third a Pap test in the previous 2 years. Lack of recommendation was given as a reason for not getting screened among the majority (51% for mammogram and 75% for Pap). After controlling for beneficiary-level socioeconomic characteristics and access to care factors, we did not observe a significant change in breast and cervical cancer screening patterns following the changes in Task Force recommendations. Although there is evidence that many Medicare beneficiaries adhere to screening guidelines, some women may be receiving non-recommended screening services covered by Medicare.

75 FR 15457 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-29

...: http://anstaskforce.gov/meetings.php . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Mangin, Executive... on the ANS Task Force Web site at: http://anstaskforce.gov/meetings.php . Dated: March 19, 2010...

Report of the Task Force on bonding and perpetual care of nuclear licensed activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snellings, D.D. Jr.

1975-01-01

The primary concern was to consider the bonding and perpetual care requirements of state-licensed shallow land burial sites used for the disposal of radioactive wastes. The specific charge of the task force was to examine in detail the requirements for establishing bonding and perpetual care programs for all types of licensed nuclear activities and to report the findings of the task force as guidance to assist states in program development. Goals and recommendations of the task force are discussed

Conference-EC-US Task Force Joint US-EU Workshop on Metabolomics and Environmental Biotechnology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

PI: Lily Y. Young

2009-06-04

Since 1990, the EC-US Task Force on Biotechnology Research has been coordinating transatlantic efforts to guide and exploit the ongoing revolution in biotechnology and the life sciences. The Task Force was established in June 1990 by the European Commission and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The Task Force has acted as an effective forum for discussion, coordination, and development of new ideas for the last 18 years. Task Force members are European Commission and US Government science and technology administrators who meet annually to enhance communication across the Atlantic, and to encourage collaborative research. Through sponsoring workshops, and other activities, the Task Force also brings together scientific leaders and early career researchers from both sides of the Atlantic to forecast research challenges and opportunities and to promote better links between researchers. Over the years, by keeping a focus on the future of science, the Task Force has played a key role in establishing a diverse range of emerging scientific fields, including biodiversity research, neuroinformatics, genomics, nanobiotechnology, neonatal immunology, transkingdom molecular biology, biologically-based fuels, and environmental biotechnology. The EC-US Task Force has sponsored a number of Working Groups on topics of mutual transatlantic interest. The idea to create a Working Group on Environmental Biotechnology research was discussed in the Task Force meeting of October 1993. The EC-US Working Group on Environmental Biotechnology set as its mission 'To train the next generation of leaders in environmental biotechnology in the United States and the European Union to work collaboratively across the Atlantic.' Since 1995, the Working Group supported three kinds of activities, all of which focus one early career scientists: (1) Workshops on the use of molecular methods and genomics in environmental biotechnology; (2) Short courses with theoretical

Task force on resource development and the economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansell, R.L.; Staples, L.B.

2011-02-01

In Alberta, the development and growth of the economy relies heavily on the resource sectors, which drive half of all employment. In 2009, the Alberta Chamber of Resources commissioned a task force, comprising groups from the 9 resource sectors in Alberta, to examine resource development and the economy. The aim of this team was to present the impact that the resource sectors had on Alberta's economy in the past, the impact it could have in the future, and to make recommendations on how to meet the full potential of resource development in the province. This reports states that considerable resources of bitumen and coal are present in Alberta and that forestry and diamonds could also play important roles in future resource development. The task force believes that the resource sectors will continue lead gross domestic product growth in Alberta and 16 recommendations for meeting the province's full potential are provided.

Safety training priorities

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, N. A.; Ruck, H. W.

1984-04-01

The Air Force is interested in identifying potentially hazardous tasks and prevention of accidents. This effort proposes four methods for determining safety training priorities for job tasks in three enlisted specialties. These methods can be used to design training aimed at avoiding loss of people, time, materials, and money associated with on-the-job accidents. Job tasks performed by airmen were measured using task and job factor ratings. Combining accident reports and job inventories, subject-matter experts identified tasks associated with accidents over a 3-year period. Applying correlational, multiple regression, and cost-benefit analysis, four methods were developed for ordering hazardous tasks to determine safety training priorities.

ACR-SNM Task Force on Nuclear Medicine Training: report of the task force.

Science.gov (United States)

Guiberteau, Milton J; Graham, Michael M

2011-06-01

The expansion of knowledge and technological advances in nuclear medicine and radiology require physicians to have more expertise in functional and anatomic imaging. The convergence of these two specialties into the new discipline of molecular imaging has also begun to place demands on residency training programs for additional instruction in physiology and molecular biology. These changes have unmasked weaknesses in current nuclear medicine and radiology training programs. Adding to the impetus for change are the attendant realities of the job market and uncertain employment prospects for physicians trained in nuclear medicine but not also trained in diagnostic radiology. With this background, the ACR and the Society of Nuclear Medicine convened the Task Force on Nuclear Medicine Training to define the issues and develop recommendations for resident training.

77 FR 6786 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-09

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Coral Reef Task Force... of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. The meeting will be held in Washington, DC This meeting, the 27th [[Page 6787

U.S. Transport Task Force 2010 Meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diamond, P.H.

2011-01-01

The Transport Task Force (TTF) Meeting is a venue for vigorous scientific discourse and discussion on topics in transport and turbulence in fusion plasmas. Its participation is international. The 2010 meeting was highly effective, with 139 registered participants and 131 presentations. This is remarkable for an even year (IAEA year) meeting. The meeting clearly fostered progress in understanding and control of turbulent transport.

Report from the ATLAS Architecture TaskForce

CERN Document Server

Haywood, S

1999-01-01

In this report, the activities and conclusions of the ATLAS Architecture TaskForce (ATF) are summarised. A key part of the ATF's work has been the first attempt at a design of the global architecture for the ATLAS Offline Software. This is contained in this document and an auxillary report and should lead to a realisation of the ATLAS Framework.

Report of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation technical assistance task force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-11-01

In 1981, the Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) chartered a task force to assess the office program of technical assistance and to recommend improvements. The task force divided the technical assistance program into four areas, and the practices in each area were assessed through a series of surveys of staff, management, and contractor personnel. The task force placed emphasis in its interview and assessment process on the problem areas that exist in the technical assistance program. The report thus reflects a weight on the faults found as a result of the inquiries made. The four major areas of technical assistance contracting studied were program planning, program management and execution, program control and management information systems, and program administration and coordination

Real time relationship between individual finger force and grip exertion on distal phalanges in linear force following tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Shi-Jian; Shu, Ge; Gong, Yan

2018-05-01

Individual finger force (FF) in a grip task is a vital concern in rehabilitation engineering and precise control of manipulators because disorders in any of the fingers will affect the stability or accuracy of the grip force (GF). To understand the functions of each finger in a dynamic grip exertion task, a GF following experiment with four individual fingers without thumb was designed. This study obtained four individual FFs from the distal phalanges with a cylindrical handle in dynamic GF following tasks. Ten healthy male subjects with similar hand sizes participated in the four-finger linear GF following tasks at different submaximal voluntary contraction (SMVC) levels. The total GF, individual FF, finger force contribution, and following error were subsequently calculated and analyzed. The statistics indicated the following: 1) the accuracy and stability of GF at low %MVC were significantly higher than those at high SMVC; 2) at low SMVC, the ability of the fingers to increase the GF was better than the ability to reduce it, but it was contrary at high SMVC; 3) when the target wave (TW) was changing, all four fingers strongly participated in the force exertion, but the participation of the little finger decreased significantly when TW remained stable; 4) the index finger and ring finger had a complementary relationship and played a vital role in the adjustment and control of GF. The middle finger and little finger had a minor influence on the force control and adjustment. In conclusion, each of the fingers had different functions in a GF following task. These findings can be used in the assessment of finger injury rehabilitation and for algorithms of precise control. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consumer Information. NASFAA Task Force Report. Consumer Information

Science.gov (United States)

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, 2014

2014-01-01

The National Association of Student Financial Aid and Administrators (NASFAA) Consumer Information Task Force was convened to conduct a thorough review of the current student consumer information requirements and propose ways to streamline both the content and delivery of those requirements. The proposals in the this report were produced for…

Report of the Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2010-08-01

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to a set of technologies that can greatly reduce carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions from new and existing coal- and gas-fired power plants, industrial processes, and other stationary sources of CO{sub 2}. In its application to electricity generation, CCS could play an important role in achieving national and global greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals. However, widespread cost-effective deployment of CCS will occur only if the technology is commercially available and a supportive national policy framework is in place. In keeping with that objective, on February 3, 2010, President Obama established an Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage composed of 14 Executive Departments and Federal Agencies. The Task Force, co-chaired by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was charged with proposing a plan to overcome the barriers to the widespread, cost-effective deployment of CCS within ten years, with a goal of bringing five to ten commercial demonstration projects online by 2016. Composed of more than 100 Federal employees, the Task Force examined challenges facing early CCS projects as well as factors that could inhibit widespread commercial deployment of CCS. In developing the findings and recommendations outlined in this report, the Task Force relied on published literature and individual input from more than 100 experts and stakeholders, as well as public comments submitted to the Task Force. The Task Force also held a large public meeting and several targeted stakeholder briefings. While CCS can be applied to a variety of stationary sources of CO{sub 2}, its application to coal-fired power plant emissions offers the greatest potential for GHG reductions. Coal has served as an important domestic source of reliable, affordable energy for decades, and the coal industry has provided stable and quality high-paying jobs for American workers. At the same time, coal-fired power

LIBER MARC Harmonization Task Force - Format activities in European countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renate Gömpel

2004-03-01

Full Text Available The LIBER MARC Harmonization Task Force has its origins in an initiative of the past President of LIBER, Professor Elmar Mittler from the Göttingen State and University Library. Professor Mittler asked Dr Elisabeth Niggemann from Die Deutsche Bibliothek to take part in the meeting of the MARC Harmonization Coordinating Committee in Ottawa in May 2001. Following that meeting the LIBER MARC Harmonization Task Force was founded at the LIBER Annual Conference in July 2001 in London. The LIBER MARC Harmonization Task Force held its first meeting on 14 January 2002 at Die Deutsche Bibliothek Frankfurt am Main, with the aim of gaining an overview of format activities in Europe. The group's aim was to concentrate on European developments and to build up stronger cooperation in the library world in order to strengthen Europe's international influence. The LIBER MARC Harmonization Task Force held a second meeting at the IFLA 2002 Conference in Glasgow and discussed the first draft of its report and recommendations to LIBER. After final discussion within the group, this report has been further revised and was submitted to LIBER. The aim of the report is to give an overview of format activities in European countries and to make recommendations to LIBER regarding the use and development of data formats in Europe. The annex includes reports on migration activities from different countries. The report is based on information on data formats collected and compiled on the basis of a questionnaire distributed to the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL. Cataloguing issues were further discussed at the 1st IFLA Meeting of Experts on an International Cataloguing Code held in Frankfurt in July 2003. Further meetings will be held at the IFLA conferences in Buenos Aires (2004 and Seoul (2006.

Goals for a waste management system: a task force report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bishop, W.

1976-01-01

This task force set out in a holistic way to study societal concerns regarding nuclear waste management, and to seek places where the technology interacts with our social system. The procedures involved in the goals for safe waste management are outlined and the organizations needed to carry them out are considered. The task force concluded that the needs for disposing of the present waste should not dictate the nature of the systems to be designed for the future wastes, and that budgetary considerations should not slow down the waste management in the second time frame (wastes no longer being produced). Other desirable goals, such as independence of waste management system regarding the stability of social institutions, are also discussed

Screening for Syphilis Infection in Pregnancy : US Preventive Services Task Force Reaffirmation Recommendation Statement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calonge, Ned; Petitti, Diana B.; DeWitt, Thomas G.; Dietrich, Allen; Gregory, Kimberly D.; Grossman, David; Isham, George; LeFevre, Michael L.; Leipzig, Rosanne; Marion, Lucy N.; Melnyk, Bernadette; Moyer, Virginia A.; Ockene, Judith K.; Sawaya, George F.; Schwartz, J. Sanford; Wilt, Timothy

2009-01-01

Description: Update of the 2004 U. S. Preventive Services Task Force statement about screening for syphilis in pregnancy. Methods: The U. S. Preventive Services Task Force did a targeted literature search for evidence on the benefits of screening, the harms of screening, and the harms of treatment

Research on safety evaluation model for in-vehicle secondary task driving.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Lisheng; Xian, Huacai; Niu, Qingning; Bie, Jing

2015-08-01

This paper presents a new method for evaluating in-vehicle secondary task driving safety. There are five in-vehicle distracter tasks: tuning the radio to a local station, touching the touch-screen telephone menu to a certain song, talking with laboratory assistant, answering a telephone via Bluetooth headset, and finding the navigation system from Ipad4 computer. Forty young drivers completed the driving experiment on a driving simulator. Measures of fixations, saccades, and blinks are collected and analyzed. Based on the measures of driver eye movements which have significant difference between the baseline and secondary task driving conditions, the evaluation index system is built. The Analytic Network Process (ANP) theory is applied for determining the importance weight of the evaluation index in a fuzzy environment. On the basis of the importance weight of the evaluation index, Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) method is utilized to evaluate the secondary task driving safety. Results show that driving with secondary tasks greatly distracts the driver's attention from road and the evaluation model built in this study could estimate driving safety effectively under different driving conditions. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Report of the Task Force on Computer Charging.

Science.gov (United States)

Computer Co-ordination Group, Ottawa (Ontario).

The objectives of the Task Force on Computer Charging as approved by the Committee of Presidents of Universities of Ontario were: (1) to identify alternative methods of costing computing services; (2) to identify alternative methods of pricing computing services; (3) to develop guidelines for the pricing of computing services; (4) to identify…

TMI-2 [Three Mile Island Unit 2] reactor building dose reduction task force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daniels, R.S.

1988-01-01

In late October 1982, the director of Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) created the dose reduction task force with the objective of identifying the principal radiological sources in the reactor building and recommending actions to minimize the dose to workers on labor-intensive projects. Members of the task force were drawn form various groups at TMI. Findings and recommendations were presented to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a briefing on November 18, 1982. The task force developed a three-step approach toward dose reduction. Step 1 identified the radiological sources. Step 2 modeled the source and estimated its contribution to the general area dose rates. Step 3 recommended actions to achieve dose reductions consistent with general exposure rate goals

Evaluation of methods to assess push/pull forces in a construction task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoozemans, M J; Van Der Beek, Allard J.; Frings-Dresena, M H; Van der Molen, Henk F.

2001-01-01

The objective of the present study was to determine the validity of methods to assess push/pull forces exerted in a construction task. Forces assessed using a hand-held digital force gauge were compared to those obtained using a highly accurate measuring frame. No significant differences were found

Critical Analysis on the Defeat of Task Force Ranger

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Day, Clifford

1997-01-01

.... The final stage, UNOSOM II, involved a peace enforcement and nation building mission. On Sunday, 3 October 1993, the relative success of UNOSOM II suddenly turned violent when a US Task Force came under heavy fire from Somali gunmen...

Status of the new initiative task force work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheffield, J.

1992-01-01

The proposal for a open-quotes New Initiatives Task Forceclose quotes emerged from discussions in the scientific community on how to proceed following the demise of the Burning Plasma Experiment (BPX). In particular, the action of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board (SEAB), which made the following recommendation in 1991, prompted the initiative: open-quotes Concept exploration should begin to define a new experiment in the $500 million class for the purpose of scientific study of tokomak improvements (e.g., second stability, steady state, bootstrap current) that could suggest new operating modes for ITER and permit the design of more reactor-desirable follow-ons to ITER.close quotes A New Initiative Task force, was chartered by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in October 1991 to provide oversight in the development of a new experimental initiative and to provide guidance to advocate groups in the following areas: programmatic mission and technical objectives, critical issues of physics, engineering, and technology, design criteria, costing, and modes of operation. The guidance was designed to be based on broad community involvement. In addition, the Task Force was asked to identify the preferred options which could proceed to the design stage. Three primary machine designs have emerged from the work of this group, and they are briefly described. 4 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs

Report of the Task Force on radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacker, D.K.; Porter, B.J.; Watkins, G.

1975-01-01

The procedures for evaluation of IND and NDA applications were reviewed by FDA and the state members of the Task Force believe that there is significant progress being made toward expeditious handling of these items. Progress toward publication of the final rule on radiopharmaceuticals has reduced the need for state regulatory activity in investigational aspects of radiopharmaceutical research to the point that the original concept for the training is no longer valid

Interagency task force on the health effects of ionizing radiation. final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-06-01

This is the final report of the task force and incorporates the findings and recommendations of six smaller work groups, each with a more specific focus; i.e., science, privacy, care and benefits, exposure reduction, public information, and institutional arrangements. A research agenda that could provide some answers to questions about the effects of low-level radiation is proposed, along with recommendations to facilitate research. A public information program is outlined. Recommendations are advanced to improve systems that deliver care and benefits to those who may have been injured by exposure to radiation, and proposals for steps that might reduce unnecessary radiation exposure in the future are identified. The task force also recommends measures to institutionalize the interagency cooperation that characterized the task force. Three tables and one figure show the collective estimates of the U.S. general population, Federal research financing, cancer linked to radiation in particular populations, and a general dose-response model

Army Energy Initiatives Task Force Industry Summit (portfolio)

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-03

IY Q N’ZWrt• r Q N’ZWarte US Army Kw•J•I•Io. Atoll. R•public of Monhollltl.nd• fotta..a..,.,., Puerto Rico a (11Jf:!;!6£1) Assistant...Turbine Engines Vehicle connected microgrid to provide assured power Low Speed Electric Vehicles 11 Vehicle Power Energy Initiatives Task Force

77 FR 39724 - U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-05

...-DS61200000] U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Public Meeting and Public Comment AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service... Wildlife Service (Service), announce a public meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and a... strengthen U.S. government actions to better preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems. The Departments of...

Adaptive increase in force variance during fatigue in tasks with low redundancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Tarkeshwar; S K M, Varadhan; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M; Latash, Mark L

2010-11-26

We tested a hypothesis that fatigue of an element (a finger) leads to an adaptive neural strategy that involves an increase in force variability in the other finger(s) and an increase in co-variation of commands to fingers to keep total force variability relatively unchanged. We tested this hypothesis using a system with small redundancy (two fingers) and a marginally redundant system (with an additional constraint related to the total moment of force produced by the fingers, unstable condition). The subjects performed isometric accurate rhythmic force production tasks by the index (I) finger and two fingers (I and middle, M) pressing together before and after a fatiguing exercise by the I finger. Fatigue led to a large increase in force variance in the I-finger task and a smaller increase in the IM-task. We quantified two components of variance in the space of hypothetical commands to fingers, finger modes. Under both stable and unstable conditions, there was a large increase in the variance component that did not affect total force and a much smaller increase in the component that did. This resulted in an increase in an index of the force-stabilizing synergy. These results indicate that marginal redundancy is sufficient to allow the central nervous system to use adaptive increase in variability to shield important variables from effects of fatigue. We offer an interpretation of these results based on a recent development of the equilibrium-point hypothesis known as the referent configuration hypothesis. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 59698 - Federal Advisory Committee; Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-28

... for the continuous improvements of such policies and programs. The Task Force, pursuant to section 724...-medical case management; iv. The disability evaluation process for members of the Armed Forces; v... Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Member of...

Revitalizing Rural Washington: Report and Recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Rural Affairs.

Science.gov (United States)

Governor's Task Force on Rural Affairs, Olympia, WA.

Recognizing that urban and rural problems are interconnected, the Governor's Advisory Council on Urban Affairs (State of Washington), made a recommendation that led to formation (in 1970) of the Task Force on Rural Affairs. The report of that task force identifies the continuing technological revolution in agriculture as an important cause of (1)…

7 CFR 1900.6 - Chair, Loan Resolution Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 12 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Chair, Loan Resolution Task Force. 1900.6 Section 1900.6 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL HOUSING SERVICE, RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE, RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, AND FARM SERVICE AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF...

76 FR 22685 - Interagency Management Task Force Public Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-22

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Interagency Management Task Force Public Meeting AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy (DOE.../events.html for the time, location, agenda, and related materials of the meetings. The purpose of the...

Can augmented force feedback facilitate virtual target acquisition tasks?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houtsma, A.J.M.; Keuning - van Oirschot, H.; Westwood, J.D.; Haluck, R.S.

2006-01-01

This study investigates facilitation of a manual target acquisition task by the application of appropriate force feedback through the control device (e.g., mouse, joystick, trackball). Typical manual movements with these devices were measured, and models of such movements were used to predict an

77 FR 23667 - Department of Defense Task Force on the Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-20

... Recommendation Development Review of Services for PTSD TBI. 2-2:15 p.m. Break. 2:15-4 p.m. Task Force...-3:15 p.m. Break. 3:15-5 p.m. Task Force Recommendation Development Review of Transition Outcomes, Do...: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 8-8:30 a.m. Public Forum. 8:30-9:30 a.m. Task Force Recommendation Development...

Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education. NASFAA Task Force Report

Science.gov (United States)

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, 2017

2017-01-01

The Assessing Tuition- and Debt-Free Higher Education Task Force was convened in July 2016. Charged by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators's (NASFAA's) Board of Directors with evaluating the existing landscape of state and local promise programs with a focus on scaling such models to the national level, the task force…

Army Task Force on Behavioral Health: Corrective Action Plan

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Veterans Affairs Legal Section KNOWLEDGE MGMT SECTION • KMO • CAA Analyst Figure I-1. Task Force Organization. ACRONYM Key ASA(M&RA): Assistant...Army Audit Agency OTIG: Office of the Inspector General OTSG: Office of the Surgeon General KMO : Knowledge Management Officer CAA: Center for

How effective are task forces in tackling illegal logging? Empirical evidence from Ghana

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Franck, Marte; Hansen, Christian Pilegaard

2014-01-01

not proven effective in Ghana. The task forces are influenced by corruption; interference by powerful actors; fear of violence; and logistical and resource-related challenges. The paper suggests that effectively addressing illegal logging in Ghana will require a more normative approach that involves policy...... reforms addressing fundamental issues such as rights to trees and benefits from them. Without such reforms, timber task forces as well as other types of “hard” law enforcement become illusive....

Task Force 1. Report of the Task Force on Patient Expectations, Core Values, Reintegration, and the New Model of Family Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Larry A.; Graham, Robert; Bagley, Bruce; Kilo, Charles M.; Spann, Stephen J.; Bogdewic, Stephen P.; Swanson, John

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND To lay the groundwork for the development of a comprehensive strategy to transform and renew the specialty of family medicine, this Future of Family Medicine task force was charged with identifying the core values of family medicine, developing proposals to reform family medicine to meet consumer expectations, and determining systems of care to be delivered by family medicine in the future. METHODS A diverse, multidisciplinary task force representing a broad spectrum of perspectives and expertise analyzed and discussed published literature; findings from surveys, interviews, and focus groups compiled by research firms contracted to the Future of Family Medicine project; and analyses from The Robert Graham Center, professional societies in the United States and abroad, and others. Through meetings, conference calls, and writing, and revision of a series of subcommittee reports, the entire task force reached consensus on its conclusions and recommendations. These were reviewed by an external panel of experts and revisions were made accordingly. MAJOR FINDINGS After delivering on its promise to reverse the decline of general practice in the United States, family medicine and the nation face additional challenges to assure all people receive care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. Challenges the discipline needs to address to improve family physicians’ ability to make important further contributions include developing a broader, more accurate understanding of the specialty among the public and other health professionals, addressing the wide scope and variance in practice types within family medicine, winning respect for the specialty in academic circles, making family medicine a more attractive career option, and dealing with the perception that family medicine is not solidly grounded in science and technology. The task force set forth a proposed identity statement for family medicine, a basket of services that

MINING OPERATIONS'' SAFETY PROVISION - FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED SCIENCE TASK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakharov V.N.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The stages of the modern Russian scientiic school of comprehensive exploitation of mineral resourcesformation, the main directions of which were concentrated in the Institute of Comprehensive Exploitation of Mineral Resources are considered. The main directions of ICEMR scientiic activity and the most important results of fundamental and applied research are presented, which are the scientiic Ьasis of modern research related to the safety of mineral reserves use provision. The importance of studying the coal and methane interaction, gas dynamic phenomena in coal mines, coal seam degassing technologies and mine methane utilization, mathematical modeling and solving proЬlems in the ield of stressed-deformed state, strength, fracturing mechanics, thermal conductivity, hydromechanics, forced viЬration, etc. are outlined.The effectiveness analysis of the state, academic and industrial Ьranch scientiic centers, university science, design organizations and mining companies joint efforts to reduce industrial injuries in the mining sector of the Russian economy is conducted. The need for targeted measures to move to new technical-technological and regulatory levels of mining, allowing to prevent the accidents with massive fatal injuries, was determined. The solution of these tasks is possiЬle only Ьy comЬining the efforts of the specialized institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, of the Ьranch science, of universities and mining companies through the implementation of the "Mining Safety" Scientiic Research Comprehensive Plan, coordinated Ьy ICEMR RAS.

Reaping the benefits of task conflict in teams: the critical role of team psychological safety climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, Bret H; Postlethwaite, Bennett E; Klotz, Anthony C; Hamdani, Maria R; Brown, Kenneth G

2012-01-01

Past research suggests that task conflict may improve team performance under certain conditions; however, we know little about these specific conditions. On the basis of prior theory and research on conflict in teams, we argue that a climate of psychological safety is one specific context under which task conflict will improve team performance. Using evidence from 117 project teams, the present research found that psychological safety climate moderates the relationship between task conflict and performance. Specifically, task conflict and team performance were positively associated under conditions of high psychological safety. The results support the conclusion that psychological safety facilitates the performance benefits of task conflict in teams. Theoretical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Force control tasks with pure haptic feedback promote short-term focused attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dangxiao; Zhang, Yuru; Yang, Xiaoxiao; Yang, Gaofeng; Yang, Yi

2014-01-01

Focused attention has great impact on our quality of life. Our learning, social skills and even happiness are closely intertwined with our capacity for focused attention. Attention promotion is replete with examples of training-induced increases in attention capability, most of which rely on visual and auditory stimulation. Pure haptic stimulation to increase attention capability is rarely found. We show that accurate force control tasks with pure haptic feedback enhance short-term focused attention. Participants were trained by a force control task in which information from visual and auditory channels was blocked, and only haptic feedback was provided. The trainees were asked to exert a target force within a pre-defined force tolerance for a specific duration. The tolerance was adaptively modified to different levels of difficulty to elicit full participant engagement. Three attention tests showed significant changes in different aspects of focused attention in participants who had been trained as compared with those who had not, thereby illustrating the role of haptic-based sensory-motor tasks in the promotion of short-term focused attention. The findings highlight the potential value of haptic stimuli in brain plasticity and serve as a new tool to extend existing computer games for cognitive enhancement.

The states/BC oil spill task force - an international model for formulating and influencing public policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neel, J.; Bones, J.; Dimmick, E.; Kent, L.J.T.; Dunstan, R.; Sutherland, B.

1993-01-01

The States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force was established in 1989 to enhance spill coordination among the West Coast states and British Columbia, and to address a number of issues that became apparent during the Nestucca barge and Exxon Valdez oil spills. Task Force members are the directors of the oil spill prevention and response agencies in Alaska, British Columbia, California, Oregon, and Washington. The Task Force has become a national model for facilitating cooperation and building consensus between coastal states and provinces and their federal governments. In October of 1990, the task force issued a report containing a comprehensive set of recommendations addressing oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response. The group had achieved remarkable consensus, and many of the report's recommendations have been included in recent legislation enacted by the member states. The success of the task force's approach to regional coordination has also reduced the need for a proposed Pacific Oceans Resources Interstate Compact, which has been proposed to expand the states' role in areas of regulation that are otherwise federally preempted. The task force has become an effective mechanism for developing vigorous, productive relationships between government agencies, industry, and the public in both the United States and Canada. It has created important linkages between state provincial antifederal regulatory activities; for example, by providing input to Coast Guard and EPA rulemaking that implemented the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. The task force is continuing to advance its goals of promoting public policy on oil spill prevention; cooperative management of major spills by government and industry; protection of the states provincial rights and their natural and economic resources; and inter-governmental consistency in regulations adopted for oil spill prevention, contingency planning, and resource damage assessment

Flexible Training Strategy (National Task Force on Medical Staffing)

OpenAIRE

Department of Health (Ireland)

2003-01-01

Flexible Training Strategy (National Task Force on Medical Staffing) The Flexible Training Strategy, while endorsing flexible/part-time options recognises that the preferred option for the majority of doctors-in-training and consultants is most likely to continue to be full-time training and work. Click here to download PDF

International confederation for cleft lip and palate and related craniofacial anomalies task force report: holistic outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Broder, Hillary L

2014-11-01

Objective : This paper describes the process and outcomes of the 2013 American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association task force on Holistic Outcomes. The goals and membership of the task force are presented. Methods : Using internet communication, the group introduced themselves, shared ideas and information related to holistic assessment and implementation of using a validated holistic measure, the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP) at participating international sites. Results : Data from the sites were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Administration of the COHIP was successful. It varied from self-completion as well as verbal presentation due to language differences and a function of the short time period to complete collection. Additionally qualitative comments were reported by the task force site directors. Conclusions : Future directions for holistic assessment and communication among task force members and sites were discussed at the Congress and are presented in this report.

Answers to questions posed by the Michigan Governor's Nuclear Waste Disposal Task Force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

A general presentation of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program was given on July 26, 1976, to the Michigan Environmental Review Board and the Michigan Governor's Nuclear Waste Disposal Task Force. Following the presentation, Dr. William G. Taylor, Chairman of the Task Force, provided ERDA with a listing of questions which pertained to the NWTS program and ERDA/OWI's interest in northeast Michigan. This document contains copies of the information which was provided to Dr. Taylor in response to his inquiry

Die zukünftige Ausrichtung der AGMB: ein Bericht aus der Task-Force / The future strategic concept of the AGMB: a preliminary report given by the task force

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kintzel, Melanie

2008-12-01

Full Text Available In the spring of 2008 the managing-committee of the Medical Library Association (AGMB invited the members to form a task force in order to concentrate on a new strategic concept for the association and develop corresponding recommendations and visions. Stagnating attendance at the association’s annual conferences in recent years as well as difficulties in finding future venues and new candidates for the elections to the board gave reason to this scheme. This article introduces the members of the task force and their work hitherto with a special focus on the member survey conducted in the summer of 2008 and its first results.

Urban Consortium Energy Task Force - Year 21 Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-04-01

The Urban Consortium Energy Task Force (UCETF), comprised of representatives of large cities and counties in the United States, is a subgroup of the Urban Consortium, an organization of the nation's largest cities and counties joined together to identify, develop and deploy innovative approaches and technological solutions to pressing urban issues.

78 FR 29378 - Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force; Public Teleconference/Webinar

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-20

... Invasive Species Awareness Week, Michigan and Mississippi ANS Management Plans, and Asian Carp Surveillance....gov . Dated: May 14, 2013. Jeffrey Underwood, Acting Co-Chair, Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force...

A compilation of minutes for the Stripa task force on fracture flow modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgkinson, D.

1992-01-01

This report is a compilation of minutes from the nine meetings of the Stripa task force on fracture flow modelling, held at various locations around the world from February 1988 to December 1991. The task force was set up as a peer review group with the specific objectives of 1. recommending criteria for the verification and validation of fracture flow models, 2. facilitating the dissemination of information to countries participating in the Stripa project, and 3. coordinating the work of the three modelling groups form AEA Harwell, Golder Associates and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The report provides a detailed technical commentary of the interplay between the development and application of mathematical models, and the design, execution and interpretation of experiment, within a structured project management framework. In particular, the task force has pioneered the definition and implementation of a validation process and associated criteria based on the analysis of a wide range of experimental data. (au)

Status Report of the Inter-Laboratory Task Force on Remote Operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phinney, Nan

2001-01-01

The next generation of particle accelerators will be major projects which may require a new mode of international and inter-laboratory collaboration. They are likely to be too costly to be funded by a single nation and too large to be built by a single laboratory. The tremendous technical challenge of a new facility requires a critical mass of highly qualified and experienced physicists and engineers. These experts are presently distributed among the major accelerator centers around the world and it is believed important to maintain and develop this broad base of expertise. The successful accelerator technology development of recent decades depended on extensive exchange of people with complementary technical skills. Therefore, it is desirable and probably necessary that several accelerator laboratories will participate in any future project. A consequence of a multi-laboratory project is that the accelerator will be located a considerable distance from most of the contributing institutions which design, build and operate it. These considerations led the International Committee for Future Accelerators to initiate a study on the general and technical implications of such a collaboration. Two task forces were formed in February 2000 to conduct this study and they were asked to prepare a report on a time scale of one year. The task force on Remote Operation included members from most of the major accelerator laboratories around the world with expertise on accelerator operation, controls software, communication technologies, hardware design and maintenance. The task force members gathered information from the experts at their own institutions and from available experience in other fields, particularly astronomy. The task force on Remote Operations began by developing a model for an international multi-laboratory collaboration to construct and operate an accelerator facility. This model is described in section 3. While it is clear that there are numerous alternative

Research on Evaluation Model for Secondary Task Driving Safety Based on Driver Eye Movements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisheng Jin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study was designed to gain insight into the influence of performing different types of secondary task while driving on driver eye movements and to build a safety evaluation model for secondary task driving. Eighteen young drivers were selected and completed the driving experiment on a driving simulator. Measures of fixations, saccades, and blinks were analyzed. Based on measures which had significant difference between the baseline and secondary tasks driving conditions, the evaluation index system was built. Method of principal component analysis (PCA was applied to analyze evaluation indexes data in order to obtain the coefficient weights of indexes and build the safety evaluation model. Based on evaluation scores, the driving safety was grouped into five levels (very high, high, average, low, and very low using K-means clustering algorithm. Results showed that secondary task driving severely distracts the driver and the evaluation model built in this study could estimate driving safety effectively under different driving conditions.

Can NATO's new very high readiness joint task force deter?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rynning, Sten; Ringsmose, Jens

2017-01-01

When NATO-allies met at their Wales summit in September 2014, the D-word was back in vogue. Not in a muttering, shy or implicit way, but unambiguously and straightforward. For the first time in more than two decades NATO’s heads of states and governments openly discussed how best to “deter......” a distinct strategic rival – Russia. Chief among the Welsh summit initiatives was the decision to set up a new multinational spearhead force – the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) – as part of an enhanced NATO Response Force (NRF) and within the framework of a so-called Readiness Action Plan (RAP...

Interim report of the task force on energy policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

A Task Force was established by the Premier of British Columbia in August 2001 to draft an energy policy framework for the province. Based on best practices worldwide, and keeping in mind the specific energy needs of British Columbia, this framework aims at fostering energy development in British Columbia, in accordance with exemplary environmental practices. This interim report comprises the preliminary findings of the Task Force, and public input is sought before the final report is finalized and presented to government. The energy sector of British Columbia comprises hydroelectric power, oil, gas and coal resources. In addition, green energy and alternative energy technologies are being developed, such as wind, solar, and wave power, and hydrogen fuel cells. Industry and individual consumers are well served by the highly developed transmission and distribution systems for energy. Several strategic directions were identified by the Task Force for inclusion in the energy policy of British Columbia, to meet its full potential. They are: growth to ensure safe, reliable energy and take advantage of economic opportunities; diversification; competitiveness; industry restructuring and expansion; environmental imperative; government leadership; and community and First Nations' involvement. Some changes are also required for the continuing success of the energy sector in British Columbia: a move to fully competitive markets in the electricity system, the development of natural gas storage capacity in the Lower Mainland, additional considerations for coal use, and the development of alternative energy sources. It is expected that private capital and more energy supply will result from a fully competitive energy market, which in turn would lower energy costs. Jobs and income would increase as a result of the growth in the sector. Diversification makes good economic and environmental sense. tabs., figs

Bilateral neuromuscular and force differences during a plyometric task.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Nick B; Scurr, Joanna C

2009-08-01

The purpose of this article is to compare the bilateral neuromuscular and force contribution during a plyometric bounce drop jump task and to assess the affects of nonsimultaneous foot placement. Sixteen male participants performed bounce drop jumps from a height of 0.4 m. Mean peak electromyography activity of the soleus, medial, and lateral gastrocnemius of both legs was recorded from each phase of the drop jump and normalized to a reference dynamic muscle action. Resultant ground reaction force, ground contact time, and duration of the drop jumps were recorded from each leg. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare bilateral electromyographic activity, resultant peak ground reaction force, and contact duration. Pearson's correlations (r) ascertained relationships between normalized electromyographic activity and contact time. Significant differences were shown between left and right triceps surae normalized electromyography during precontact and contact40ms (p 0.01). Significant differences were found between normalized soleus electromyography and both gastrocnemii for both legs during precontact (p 0.01). Weak relationships were found between normalized electromyographic activity and nonsimultaneous foot contact (r < 0.2). This study showed differences between left and right triceps surae in neuromuscular strategies engaged in the early stages of a drop jump task. Differences in contact time initiation were present; however, they are not significant enough to cause neuromuscular differences in the plantar flexor muscles.

CHANGE@CERN:Task Force 2: reshaping for the future

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

Second in our series reviewing the Task Forces reports. How to lay the foundations for a more efficient organisational structure. Our present organization is based on sixteen Divisions and units under the Directorate. CERN's organization is based on a Directorate and sixteen Divisions and units, while its activities are broadly divided into four Sectors: Research, Accelerators, Technical and Administration. The mandate of Task Force 2, led by Horst Wenninger, was to identify if a structural change and a reduction of duplicated efforts could result in an increased efficiency at CERN, especially as the Laboratory continues to focus its resources on the LHC. 'This is the most difficult project ever undertaken at CERN', acknowledges Wenninger, 'a double accelerator at a temperature of 1.9 K'. For the next five years the success of the LHC must be the main priority, and CERN will have to adapt the procedures of how it works. Wenninger sees the process as an opportunity for the Laboratory to move into the 21st c...

AAPM/SNMMI Joint Task Force: report on the current state of nuclear medicine physics training

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, Jerry D.; Clements, Jessica B.; Coffey, Charles W.; Fahey, Frederic H.; Gress, Dustin A.; Kinahan, Paul E.; Nickoloff, Edward L.; Mawlawi, Osama R.; MacDougall, Robert D.; Pizzuitello, Robert J.

2015-01-01

The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) recognized the need for a review of the current state of nuclear medicine physics training and the need to explore pathways for improving nuclear medicine physics training opportunities. For these reasons, the two organizations formed a joint AAPM/SNMMI Ad Hoc Task Force on Nuclear Medicine Physics Training. The mission of this task force was to assemble a representative group of stakeholders to: Estimate the demand for board‐certified nuclear medicine physicists in the next 5–10 years,Identify the critical issues related to supplying an adequate number of physicists who have received the appropriate level of training in nuclear medicine physics, andIdentify approaches that may be considered to facilitate the training of nuclear medicine physicists. As a result, a task force was appointed and chaired by an active member of both organizations that included representation from the AAPM, SNMMI, the American Board of Radiology (ABR), the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM), and the Commission for the Accreditation of Medical Physics Educational Programs (CAMPEP). The Task Force first met at the AAPM Annual Meeting in Charlotte in July 2012 and has met regularly face‐to‐face, online, and by conference calls. This manuscript reports the findings of the Task Force, as well as recommendations to achieve the stated mission. PACS number: 01.40.G‐ PMID:26699325

13th EU-US Transport Task Force Workshop on transport in fusion plasmas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Connor, J.W.; Fasoli, A.; Hidalgo, C.

2009-01-01

This report summarizes the contributions presented at the 13th EU-US Transport Task Force Workshop on transport in fusion plasmas, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1-4 September 2008. There were sessions on core heat and particle transport; core and edge momentum transport; edge and scrape-off-layer ......This report summarizes the contributions presented at the 13th EU-US Transport Task Force Workshop on transport in fusion plasmas, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1-4 September 2008. There were sessions on core heat and particle transport; core and edge momentum transport; edge and scrape...

Strategic Change and the Joint Terrorism Task Force: Ideas and Recommendations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

D'Angelo, Anthony P

2007-01-01

... and the multidisciplinary Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The terrorist attacks served as a catalyst for evaluating cultural, psychological and organizational processes, policies and procedures that influenced the FBI and impacted the JTTF program...

[Occupational risks among public safety and security forces].

Science.gov (United States)

Candura, S M; Verni, P; Minelli, C M; Rosso, G L; Cappelli, M I; Strambi, S; Martellosio, V

2006-01-01

The present paper tries to identify the occupational risk factors (physical, chemical, biological, psychological), variable depending on jobs and tasks, to which the heterogeneous public safety/security workers are exposed. The fight against criminality and public order maintenance imply (sometimes fatal) traumatic risks, and expose to psychophysical and sensorial tiring, unfavourable macro- and microclimatic conditions, the risk of baropathy (air navigation, underwater activities), noise (generated by firearms and several other sources), vibrations and shakings (automatic weapons, transport vehicles), the risk of electric injury, ionizing (X and gamma rays) and non-inonizing (ultraviolet rays, microwaves and radiofrequencies, electromagnetic fields) radiations. Chemical hazards include carbon monoxide and other combustion products (fires, urban traffic), substances released in chemical accidents, tear gases, lead (firing grounds, metal works, environmental pollution), solvents, lubrificants and cutting oils (mechanic repair and maintenance), laboratory materials and reagents, irritant and/or sensitizing agents contained in gloves. The main biological risks are tetanus, blood-borne diseases (viral hepatitis, AIDS), aerogenous diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, Legionnaire's disease, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis), dog- or horse-transmitted zoonosis. Finally, emotional, psychosomatic and behavioural stress-related disorders (e.g., burn-out syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder) are typically frequent. The presence of numerous and diversified hazards among public safety/security forces imposes the adoption of occupational medicine measures, including risk assessment, health education, technical and environmental prevention, personal protective devices, sanitary surveillance and biological monitoring, clinical interventions (diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation of occupational accidents and illnesses), prompt medico-legal evaluation of occupational

75 FR 7197 - Establishing a Task Force on Childhood Obesity

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-18

... of February 9, 2010 Establishing a Task Force on Childhood Obesity Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies Across our country, childhood obesity has reached epidemic rates and, as... is committed to redoubling our efforts to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation...

Task force on compliance and enforcement. Final report. Volume 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-03-01

Recommendations for measures to strengthen the FEA enforcement program in the area of petroleum price regulation are presented. Results of task force efforts are presented in report and recommendations sections concerned with pending cases, compliance program organization, enforcement powers, compliance strategy, and audit staffing and techniques. (JRD)

Product Evaluation Task Force Phase Two report for CAGR graphite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, A.J.; Davies, A.

1991-01-01

It has been proposed that all Intermediate Level Wastes arising at Sellafield should be encapsulated prior to ultimate disposal. The Product Evaluation Task Force (PETF) was set up to investigate possible encapsulants and to produce an adequate data base to justify the preferred matrices. This report details the work carried out under Phase 2 of the Product Evaluation Task Force programme, on CAGR graphite. Three possible types of encapsulants for CAGR graphites:-Inorganic cements, Polymer cements and Polymers are evaluated using the Kepner Tregoe decision analysis technique. This technique provides a methodology for scoring and ranking alternative options and evaluating any risks associated with an option. The analysis shows that for all four stages of waste management operations ie Storage, Transport, handling and emplacement, Disposal and Process, cement matrices are considerably superior to other potential matrices. A matrix, consisting of three parts Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) to one part Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is recommended as the preferred matrix for Phase 3 studies on CAGR graphite. (author)

Report of the Task Group on Electrical Safety of Department of Energy facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1993-01-01

The Task Group on Electrical Safety at DOE Facilities (Task Group), which was formally established on October 27, 1992. The Task Group reviewed the electrical safety-related occurrence history of, and conducted field visits to, seven DOE sites chosen to represent a cross section of the Department`s electrical safety activities. The purpose of the field visits was to review, firsthand, electrical safety programs and practices and to gain greater insight to the root causes and corrective actions taken for recently reported incidents. The electrical safety environment of the DOE complex is extremely varied, ranging from common office and industrial electrical systems to large high-voltage power distribution systems (commercial transmission line systems). It includes high-voltage/high-power systems associated with research programs such as linear accelerators and experimental fusion confinement systems. Age, condition, and magnitude of the facilities also varies, with facilities dating from the Manhattan Project, during World War II, to the most modem complexes. The complex is populated by Federal (DOE and other agencies) and contractor employees engaged in a wide variety of occupations and activities in office, research and development, and industrial settings. The sites visited included all of these variations and are considered by the Task Group to offer a valid representation of the Department`s electrical safety issues. The sites visited were Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), Nevada Test Site (NTS), Savannah River Site (SRS), Hanford Reservation (Hanford), and the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project (UMTRA) located at Grand Junction, Colorado.

Proceedings of the IRI task force activity 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radicella, S.M.

1996-05-01

The report contains the programme, conclusions and the write up of 11 presentations delivered during the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) Task Force Activity 1995 that took place at the ICTP Trieste between 13-17 November 1995. The presentations included have been grouped in three chapters: Status report and data availability (2 presentations), Electron density profile shape below Nmax (5 presentations) and Intermediate regions (F1) electron density profile (4 presentations). Each presentation was indexed separately. Refs, figs, tabs

Overall evaluation of the modelling of the TRUE-1 tracer tests - Task 4. The Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marschall, Paul; Elert, Mark

2003-09-01

The Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes is a forum for the international organisations supporting the Aespoe HRL Project. The purpose of the Task Force is to interact in the area of conceptual and numerical modelling of groundwater flow and solute transport in fractured rock. Task 4 of the Aespoe Modelling Task Force consists of modelling exercises in support of the TRUE-1 tracer tests. The task was carried out in 1995-2000 and consisted of several modelling exercises in support of the TRUE-1 tracer tests, including predictive modelling where experimental results were not available beforehand. This report presents an overall evaluation of the achievements of Task 4. The specific objectives of the overall evaluation were to highlight innovative and successful modelling approaches developed, to assess the stages of the task which proved most beneficial for conceptual understanding of transport processes at the TRUE-1 site and to assess the success of various steering tools. A concise summary of scientific achievements is given and conclusions drawn with respect to unresolved technical issues. Recommendations are presented that can optimise the management of future modelling tasks

Report of the Task Force on Sawmill Wood Residue Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

The Sawmill Wood Residue Task Force was established in 1993 to seek solutions to managing wood residue at sawmills, shingle mills, and log sort yards in British Columbia without burning or landfilling. In particular, the Task Force was formed to address the phaseout of beehive-type wood waste burners by January 1, 1996. The Task Force was formed at the forest product industry's request and included representatives from industry associations and government. It reviewed existing information on the quantities of mill residues and the options available for reducing, reusing, and recycling the residues. Nearly half of all the province's residues of 5 million bone dry tonnes/y is disposed of by burning with no energy recovery, or by landfilling. It was recognized that the total volume of wood residue cannot be handled by any one method suitable for all sources but that in the near term, electricity generation could deal with a significant percentage of wood currently being burned. The most immediate technically viable opportnity by industry in this area may be in cogeneration of electricity for load displacement at pulp mills. Other opportunities exist such as conversion of wood residue to liquid fuels but these require greater commitments to research and development. The need to handle bark and sawdust was identified as a critical requirement for alternate uses. Small niche uses for wood residue must be examined on a case by case basis for each company or group of companies in a region. The provincial government can also promote better use of wood wastes through policies such as social costing of power generation options and sales tax exemption for ethanol fuel. 1 tab

Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Strategic Communication

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2008-01-01

The 2007 Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Strategic Communication has written this report within the context of a larger study, the DSB 2007 Summer Study on Challenges to Military Operations in Support of National Interests...

Legal issues, authoritative licenses and tasks in relation with nuclear safety in Hungary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oerdoegh, J.; Voeroess, L.

1998-01-01

After a brief historical overview of nuclear authorities in Hungary, the role and functions of the National Atomic Energy Office are presented. It is the primary authority in this country on nuclear safety, with tasks and functions of licensing, inspection and enforcing safety measures. The organizational structure of NAEO and its position as a Governmental body is shown. Other tasks include the promotion of R and D coordination and international cooperation. (R.P.)

Selected component failure rate values from fusion safety assessment tasks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cadwallader, L.C.

1998-09-01

This report is a compilation of component failure rate and repair rate values that can be used in magnetic fusion safety assessment tasks. Several safety systems are examined, such as gas cleanup systems and plasma shutdown systems. Vacuum system component reliability values, including large vacuum chambers, have been reviewed. Values for water cooling system components have also been reported here. The report concludes with the examination of some equipment important to personnel safety, atmospheres, combustible gases, and airborne releases of radioactivity. These data should be useful to system designers to calculate scoping values for the availability and repair intervals for their systems, and for probabilistic safety or risk analysts to assess fusion systems for safety of the public and the workers.

Selected Component Failure Rate Values from Fusion Safety Assessment Tasks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cadwallader, Lee Charles

1998-09-01

This report is a compilation of component failure rate and repair rate values that can be used in magnetic fusion safety assessment tasks. Several safety systems are examined, such as gas cleanup systems and plasma shutdown systems. Vacuum system component reliability values, including large vacuum chambers, have been reviewed. Values for water cooling system components have also been reported here. The report concludes with the examination of some equipment important to personnel safety, atmospheres, combustible gases, and airborne releases of radioactivity. These data should be useful to system designers to calculate scoping values for the availability and repair intervals for their systems, and for probabilistic safety or risk analysts to assess fusion systems for safety of the public and the workers.

Selected component failure rate values from fusion safety assessment tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadwallader, L.C.

1998-01-01

This report is a compilation of component failure rate and repair rate values that can be used in magnetic fusion safety assessment tasks. Several safety systems are examined, such as gas cleanup systems and plasma shutdown systems. Vacuum system component reliability values, including large vacuum chambers, have been reviewed. Values for water cooling system components have also been reported here. The report concludes with the examination of some equipment important to personnel safety, atmospheres, combustible gases, and airborne releases of radioactivity. These data should be useful to system designers to calculate scoping values for the availability and repair intervals for their systems, and for probabilistic safety or risk analysts to assess fusion systems for safety of the public and the workers

Minutes and group memories from all NERBC/USGS-RPA power plant siting task force meetings through October, 1980. Appendix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-11-01

The New England River Basins Commission/United States Geological Survey-Resource Planning Analysis Office (NERBC/USGS-RPA) Power Plant Siting Task Force has formerly met seven times between July 1979 and August 1980. At the first meeting on July 13, 1979, the members agreed that there were many problems with the current process of selecting sites for power plants in New England, and that they would work by consensus to find solutions for these problems. At the second meeting on October 19, 1979, NERBC staff presented information on the site selection and approval processes in New England. The Task Force began a preliminary discussion of problems in these processes, and agreed that the initial scope of work of the Task Force would focus on issues in site selection. At the third meeting on January 18, 1980, the Task Force began initial discussions in three areas: imperfections in the site selection process, stakeholders in the site selection process, and principles to guide solutions to the problems in site selection. On March 7, 1980, at the fourth meeting, the Task Force continued discussions on imperfections, stakeholders, and principles. At the fifth meeting on May 2, 1980, the Task Force reached a wide range of agreements on the difficulties encountered in the site selection process and on the principles guiding problem solving in site selection. At the sixth meeting on May 29, 1980, the Task Force focused on solutions to the problems identified at earlier meetings. Groups of Task Force members constructed eight different scenarios describing alternative power plant siting processes. In July 1980, the Task Force met for the seventh time and refined the eight scenarios, paring them down to five. An attempt was made to develop two scenarios using the common elements from the five. One of these two graphic models was based on government involvement in the site selection process, and the other was based on stakeholder involvement in the process

Analytical model for computing transient pressures and forces in the safety/relief valve discharge line. Mark I Containment Program, task number 7.1.2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wheeler, A.J.

1978-02-01

An analytical model is described that computes the transient pressures, velocities and forces in the safety/relief valve discharge line immediately after safety/relief valve opening. Equations of motion are defined for the gas-flow and water-flow models. Results are not only verified by comparing them with an earlier version of the model, but also with Quad Cities and Monticello plant data. The model shows reasonable agreement with the earlier model and the plant data

Night Fighters Without Equal, Task Force 39 at Empress Augusta Bay

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Fuquea, David

2004-01-01

On the 1st of November 1943, the ships and men of Rear Admiral "Tip" Merrill's Task Force 39 steamed off the west coast of the island of Bougainville, the last island at the northern end of the Solomon Islands chain...

77 FR 73734 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-11

... by the Engineering and System Safety Task Forces. This agenda is subject to change, including the... National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Transit Administration. The diversity of the...

78 FR 26423 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-06

... Engineering and System Safety Task Forces. This agenda is subject to change, including the possible addition... National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Transit Administration. The diversity of the...

In vacuum undulator task force report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hastings, J.B.; Kao, C.C.; Stefan, P. [and others

1998-06-01

Historically the NSLS has been active in R&D for state-of-the-art electron beams, photon beams and x-ray optics. One of the available straight sections has therefore been dedicated to insertion device R&D. Over the past five to seven years a program aimed at exploiting the very small vertical {beta} function in the straight sections has yielded first a prototype small gap undulator (PSGU) and then an in-vacuum undulator (IVUN). The IVUN sources attain a brightness similar to the existing hybrid wigglers in X21 and X25. They radiate significantly lower total power than the wigglers but produce higher power densities. They provide undulator rather than wiggler spectra. Because of the small gaps and small periods there is not much tunability in these devices and they will have to be purpose-built for a specific scientific program. The original IVUN parameters were chosen for in-elastic x-ray scattering, similar to the scientific program on X21. This put the fundamental at 4.6 keV and the third harmonic at 13.8 keV. The question that this new possible insertion device poses is what science programs can best take advantage of this new insertion device source? To answer this, a task force was formed by M. Hart, NSLS Department Chair and charged with identifying viable scientific programs that could seek outside funding to construct IVUN beamlines. The task force concentrated on experimental programs that are presently being pursued on new insertion devices worldwide. For example, x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, which takes advantage of the large coherent flux from undulator sources, was considered. However, this program was not considered as the highest priority. The general area of protein crystallography, however, is ideal for the IVUN source. The unique electron beam optics that makes the IVUN possible in the first place also makes the IVUN ideal as a source for microdiffraction.

77 FR 4561 - Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-30

... Disease, Mental Health, and Alcohol. Meeting Accessibility: This meeting is open to the public, limited... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Meeting of the Community Preventive Services Task Force AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC...

Task Force on Energy Systems for Forward/Remote Operating Bases

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-01

nuclear power energy systems ......................................................... 30 7.2.1 Radioisotope thermoelectric generators...issue, the Task Force found efforts to provide the most efficient methods for power production at the prime-contract level have been hampered by...management. Engineer Prime Power Operations21 describes theater level power infrastructure and inter-service responsibilities and, although dated from

National trachoma task forces: how can we work better?

OpenAIRE

Courtright P; Miri E

2010-01-01

Tackling trachoma is a complex challenge.In order to implement all four components of the SAFE strategy on a national level (surgery for trichiasis, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental change, such as clean water and latrines), there needs to be national coordination, supported by political commitment at the highest level. In each trachoma-endemic country, the body responsible for making this work is the national trachoma task force (NTTF).

ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law 10: surrogacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Shenfield, F; Pennings, G; Cohen, J; Devroey, P; de Wert, G; Tarlatzis, B

2005-10-01

This 10th statement of the Task Force on Ethics and Law considers ethical questions specific to varied surrogacy arrangements. Surrogacy is especially complex as the interests of the intended parents, the surrogate, and the future child may differ. It is concluded that surrogacy is an acceptable method of assisted reproductive technology of the last resort for specific medical indications, for which only reimbursement of reasonable expenses is allowed.

Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Cyber Deterrence

Science.gov (United States)

2017-02-01

Adversary-Specific Campaign Planning and Wargaming Findings: Because deterrence operates by affecting the calculations of specific decision -making...a strategic threat to U.S. critical infrastructure, or to be able to significantly affect the U.S. military’s ability to deploy and operate globally...bolster U.S. cyber deterrence and strengthen U.S. national security. The Task Force notes that the cyber threat to U.S. critical infrastructure is

The Oklahoma Attorney General's Task Force report on the State of End-of-Life Health Care, 2005.

Science.gov (United States)

Edmondson, W A Drew

2005-05-01

This article includes the recommendations submitted by the 15 members of the Oklahoma Attorney General's Task Force in their Report on the State of End-of-Life Health Care. The task force was created on April 21, 2004, and their report was accepted by Attorney General W.A. Drew Edmondson at a press conference April 11, 2005. It has been forwarded to members of the Oklahoma Legislature, relevant state agencies and organizations with an invitation to join with members of the task force to continue efforts to improve end-of-life care for Oklahomans. Copies of the report are available upon request to the Office of Attorney General.

Recommendations for a National High Blood Pressure Community Education Plan. Report of Task Force III--Community Education.

Science.gov (United States)

National Institutes of Health (DHEW), Bethesda, MD. High Blood Pressure Information Center.

Hypertensive disease being one of the most important medical problems now facing American medicine brought about the formation of the Federally sponsored National High Blood Pressure Education Program, which included four Task Forces. Task Force 3 reviews in this study information and experience useful for the development of guidelines for…

76 FR 63927 - Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (ITFAR): An Update on A Public Health Action...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-14

... Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (ITFAR): An Update on A Public Health Action Plan to Combat... outlined in A Public Health Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (Action Plan) and solicit... (AR) in recognition of the increasing importance of AR as a public health threat. The Task Force is co...

Legal status of minister's notices and technology standards of 'Korea institute of nuclear safety'(KINS) to regulate nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, S. K.; Jung, M. M.; Kim, S. W.; Jang, K. H.; Oh, B. J.

2003-01-01

Concerning nuclear safety or technology standards, each of 'notices' issued by minister of science and technology(MOST) empowered by law of its regulation is obviously forceful as a law, if not all. But the standards made by the chief of Korea institute of nuclear safety(KINS) to meet the tasks entrusted to KINS by MOST is only conditionally forceful as a law, that is, on the condition that law or regulation empowered the chief of KINS to make nuclear safety and/or technology standards

Status Report of the Inter-Laboratory Task Force on Remote Operation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phinney, Nan

2001-12-13

The next generation of particle accelerators will be major projects which may require a new mode of international and inter-laboratory collaboration. They are likely to be too costly to be funded by a single nation and too large to be built by a single laboratory. The tremendous technical challenge of a new facility requires a critical mass of highly qualified and experienced physicists and engineers. These experts are presently distributed among the major accelerator centers around the world and it is believed important to maintain and develop this broad base of expertise. The successful accelerator technology development of recent decades depended on extensive exchange of people with complementary technical skills. Therefore, it is desirable and probably necessary that several accelerator laboratories will participate in any future project. A consequence of a multi-laboratory project is that the accelerator will be located a considerable distance from most of the contributing institutions which design, build and operate it. These considerations led the International Committee for Future Accelerators to initiate a study on the general and technical implications of such a collaboration. Two task forces were formed in February 2000 to conduct this study and they were asked to prepare a report on a time scale of one year. The task force on Remote Operation included members from most of the major accelerator laboratories around the world with expertise on accelerator operation, controls software, communication technologies, hardware design and maintenance. The task force members gathered information from the experts at their own institutions and from available experience in other fields, particularly astronomy.

Does compliance to patient safety tasks improve and sustain when radiotherapy treatment processes are standardized?

Science.gov (United States)

Simons, Pascale A M; Houben, Ruud; Benders, Jos; Pijls-Johannesma, Madelon; Vandijck, Dominique; Marneffe, Wim; Backes, Huub; Groothuis, Siebren

2014-10-01

To realize safe radiotherapy treatment, processes must be stabilized. Standard operating procedures (SOP's) were expected to stabilize the treatment process and perceived task importance would increase sustainability in compliance. This paper presents the effects on compliance to safety related tasks of a process redesign based on lean principles. Compliance to patient safety tasks was measured by video recording of actual radiation treatment, before (T0), directly after (T1) and 1.5 years after (T2) a process redesign. Additionally, technologists were surveyed on perceived task importance and reported incidents were collected for three half-year periods between 2007 and 2009. Compliance to four out of eleven tasks increased at T1, of which improvements on three sustained (T2). Perceived importance of tasks strongly correlated (0.82) to compliance rates at T2. The two tasks, perceived as least important, presented low base-line compliance, improved (T1), but relapsed at T2. The reported near misses (patient-level not reached) on accelerators increased (P improvements sustained after 1.5 years, indicating increased stability. Perceived importance of tasks correlated positively to compliance and sustainability. Raising the perception of task importance is thus crucial to increase compliance. The redesign resulted in increased willingness to report incidents, creating opportunities for patient safety improvement in radiotherapy treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 52393 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-29

... provided by the Engineering and System Safety Task Forces, and a presentation on headwear will be provided... Safety Board, and the Federal Transit Administration. The diversity of the Committee ensures the...

Comparison of impact forces, accelerations and ankle range of motion in surfing-related landing tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundgren, Lina E; Tran, Tai T; Nimphius, Sophia; Raymond, Ellen; Secomb, Josh L; Farley, Oliver R L; Newton, Robert U; Sheppard, Jeremy M

2016-01-01

This study aimed to describe the impact forces, accelerations and ankle range of motion in five different landing tasks that are used in training and testing for competitive surfing athletes, to assist coaches in the prescription of landing task progression and monitoring training load. Eleven competitive surfing athletes aged 24 ± 7 years participated, and inertial motion sensors were fixed to the anterior aspect of the feet, mid-tibial shafts, sacrum and eighth thoracic vertebrae on these athletes. Three tasks were performed landing on force plates and two tasks in a modified gymnastics set-up used for land-based aerial training. Peak landing force, resultant peak acceleration and front and rear side ankle dorsiflexion ranges of motion during landing were determined. The peak acceleration was approximately 50% higher when performing aerial training using a mini-trampoline and landing on a soft-density foam board, compared to a similar landing off a 50 cm box. Furthermore, the ankle ranges of motion during the gymnastic type landings were significantly lower than the other landing types (P ≤ 0.05 and P ≤ 0.001), for front and rear sides, respectively. Conclusively, increased task complexity and specificity of the sport increased the tibial peak acceleration, indicating greater training load.

Drug and alcohol task force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordey, T.; Sunstrum, M.

2006-01-01

Worker absenteeism due to substance abuse costs the Alberta economy approximately $720 million a year. It is estimated that 20 per cent of all drivers in fatal crashes were using alcohol, and the use of cannabis and cocaine in Alberta has more than doubled over the last 15 years. In addition, 1 in 10 Alberta workers have reported using alcohol while at work and 4 per cent have reported using alcohol 4 hours prior to coming to work during the previous 12 months. In an effort to ensure appropriate health and safety for workers in the Canadian petroleum industry, 6 trade associations in the sector have joined together as the Enform Alcohol and Drug Initiative and are now working to develop a common approach to drug and alcohol guidelines and workplace rules. The task group will determine if existing policies and guidelines are sufficient to ensure a safe workplace and will consider standardizing the testing, application and rehabilitation of workers with respect to the use of drugs and alcohol. In the past, disciplinary actions have often been reversed because employers have not been consistent or did not follow established alcohol and drug policies or test to specific standards. Various work rules for inappropriate alcohol and drug use were reviewed, as well as education and communication strategies regarding policy content. Standards for testing criteria were discussed, as well as issues concerning duty-to-accommodate circumstances. An excerpt of concentration standards was presented. It was concluded that a matrix for companies to assess and determine safety sensitive positions is needed. refs., tabs., figs

Drug and alcohol task force

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gordey, T [ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corp., Calgary, AB (Canada); Sunstrum, M [Enform, Calgary, AB (Canada)

2006-07-01

Worker absenteeism due to substance abuse costs the Alberta economy approximately $720 million a year. It is estimated that 20 per cent of all drivers in fatal crashes were using alcohol, and the use of cannabis and cocaine in Alberta has more than doubled over the last 15 years. In addition, 1 in 10 Alberta workers have reported using alcohol while at work and 4 per cent have reported using alcohol 4 hours prior to coming to work during the previous 12 months. In an effort to ensure appropriate health and safety for workers in the Canadian petroleum industry, 6 trade associations in the sector have joined together as the Enform Alcohol and Drug Initiative and are now working to develop a common approach to drug and alcohol guidelines and workplace rules. The task group will determine if existing policies and guidelines are sufficient to ensure a safe workplace and will consider standardizing the testing, application and rehabilitation of workers with respect to the use of drugs and alcohol. In the past, disciplinary actions have often been reversed because employers have not been consistent or did not follow established alcohol and drug policies or test to specific standards. Various work rules for inappropriate alcohol and drug use were reviewed, as well as education and communication strategies regarding policy content. Standards for testing criteria were discussed, as well as issues concerning duty-to-accommodate circumstances. An excerpt of concentration standards was presented. It was concluded that a matrix for companies to assess and determine safety sensitive positions is needed. refs., tabs., figs.

L-038: EPR-First Responders: Forces / safety equipment. Action Guides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This conference is about the actions carry out by the forces and the safety equipment in a radiological emergency. The security area, the victims, the hospitals, the police vehicles area, the safety cordon, the evacuation, the contamination level and the risk of life are important aspects to be considered by the first responders.

Guidelines on routine cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Report from an EFNS task force

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deisenhammer, F; Bartos, A; Egg, R

2006-01-01

total protein, albumin, immunoglobulins, glucose, lactate, cell count, cytological staining, and investigation of infectious CSF. The methods included a Systematic Medline search for the above-mentioned variables and review of appropriate publications by one or more of the task force members. Grading...... of the CSF/serum glucose ratio or increased lactate concentration indicates bacterial or fungal meningitis or leptomeningeal metastases. Intrathecal immunoglobulin G synthesis is best demonstrated by isoelectric focusing followed by specific staining. Cellular morphology (cytological staining) should...... of evidence and recommendations was based on consensus by all task force members. It is recommended that CSF should be analysed immediately after collection. If storage is needed 12 ml of CSF should be partitioned into three to four sterile tubes. Albumin CSF/serum ratio (Qalb) should be preferred to total...

Real-time changes in corticospinal excitability related to motor imagery of a force control task.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatemoto, Tsuyoshi; Tsuchiya, Junko; Numata, Atsuki; Osawa, Ryuji; Yamaguchi, Tomofumi; Tanabe, Shigeo; Kondo, Kunitsugu; Otaka, Yohei; Sugawara, Kenichi

2017-09-29

To investigate real-time excitability changes in corticospinal pathways related to motor imagery in a changing force control task, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Ten healthy volunteers learnt to control the contractile force of isometric right wrist dorsiflexion in order to track an on-screen sine wave form. Participants performed the trained task 40 times with actual muscle contraction in order to construct the motor image. They were then instructed to execute the task without actual muscle contraction, but by imagining contraction of the right wrist in dorsiflexion. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs), induced by TMS in the right extensor carpi radialis muscle (ECR) and flexor carpi radialis muscle (FCR), were measured during motor imagery. MEPs were induced at five time points: prior to imagery, during the gradual generation of the imaged wrist dorsiflexion (Increasing phase), the peak value of the sine wave, during the gradual reduction (Decreasing phase), and after completion of the task. The MEP ratio, as the ratio of imaged MEPs to resting-state, was compared between pre- and post-training at each time point. In the ECR muscle, the MEP ratio significantly increased during the Increasing phase and at the peak force of dorsiflexion imagery after training. Moreover, the MEP ratio was significantly greater in the Increasing phase than in the Decreasing phase. In the FCR, there were no significant consistent changes. Corticospinal excitability during motor imagery in an isometric contraction task was modulated in relation to the phase of force control after image construction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ferrocyanide Safety Project Task 3 Ferrocyanide Aging Studies FY 1993 annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lilga, M.A.; Lumetta, M.R.; Schiefelbein, G.F.

1993-10-01

The Hanford Ferrocyanide Task Team is addressing issues involving ferrocyanide precipitates in single-shell waste storage tanks (SSTs), in particular the storage of waste in a safe manner. This Task Team, composed of researchers from Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC), Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), and outside consultants, was formed in response to the need for an updated analysis of safety questions about the Hanford ferrocyanide tanks. The Ferrocyanides Safety Project at PNL is part of the Waste Tank Safety Program led by WHC. The overall purpose of the WHC program, sponsored by the US Department of Energy's Tank Farm Project Office, is to (1) maintain the ferrocyanide tanks with minimal risk of an accident, (2) select one or more strategies to assure safe storage, and (3) close out the unreviewed safety question (USQ). This annual report gives the results of the work conducted by PNL in FY 1993 on Task 3, Ferrocyanides Aging Studies, which deals with the aging behavior of simulated ferrocyanide wastes. Aging processes include the dissolution and hydrolysis of nickel ferrocyanides in high pH aqueous solutions. Investigated were the effects of pH variation; ionic strength and sodium ion concentration; the presence of anions such as phosphate, carbonate, and nitrate; temperature; and gamma radiation on solubility of ferrocyanide materials including In-Farm-lA, Rev. 4 flowsheet-prepared Na 2 NiFe(CN) 6

National trachoma task forces: how can we work better?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Courtright P

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Tackling trachoma is a complex challenge.In order to implement all four components of the SAFE strategy on a national level (surgery for trichiasis, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental change, such as clean water and latrines, there needs to be national coordination, supported by political commitment at the highest level. In each trachoma-endemic country, the body responsible for making this work is the national trachoma task force (NTTF.

Securing the future through occupational safety. A managerial task; Zukunftssicherung durch Arbeitssicherheit. Eine Managementaufgabe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaertner, Dieter [RWE Power AG, Bergheim (Germany). Opencast Mines Div.; Groener, Harald [RWE Power AG, Essen (Germany). Arbeitssicherheit; Obermeyer, Bjoern [RWE Power AG, Koeln (Germany). PHS-B Operativer Arbeitsschutz

2010-05-15

The significance of occupational safety has increased over recent years so that this topic is now an integral task of management. To be able to meet the tighter requirements, occupational safety has to be dealt with in the same way as other topics. Therefore, RWE Power has introduced an occupational health and safety management system (AMS) whose organizational and operational structures are described in the following. The consistent implementation of occupational safety requires issue- and target group-related programmes of emphasis to be carried out in addition to the AMS. Two of these occupational safety programmes of RWE Power, which have contributed to a successful reduction in accident numbers, are presented along with the steps involved. Further examples from several plants and mines show how occupational safety has been further developed. In a company, occupational safety can only be successful if the managerial tasks are accepted and if superiors, occupational safety officers, industrial physicians, works council members, and partners ''pull together'' and if all employees are actively involved. (orig.)

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2016-09-01

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force (TF1) includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, and identification of fuel performance and system codes applicable to ATF evaluation. The Cladding and Core Materials (TF2) and Fuel Concepts (TF3) task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment task force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (Idaho National Laboratory [INL], U.S.), the Cladding Task Force is chaired by Marie Moatti (Electricite de France [EdF], France), and the Fuels Task Force is chaired by a Masaki Kurata (Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA], Japan). The original Expert Group mandate was established for June 2014 to June 2016. In April 2016 the Expert Group voted to extend the mandate one additional year to June 2017 in order to complete the task force deliverables; this request was subsequently approved by the Nuclear Science Committee. This

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle

2016-01-01

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force (TF1) includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, and identification of fuel performance and system codes applicable to ATF evaluation. The Cladding and Core Materials (TF2) and Fuel Concepts (TF3) task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment task force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (Idaho National Laboratory [INL], U.S.), the Cladding Task Force is chaired by Marie Moatti (Electricite de France [EdF], France), and the Fuels Task Force is chaired by a Masaki Kurata (Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA], Japan). The original Expert Group mandate was established for June 2014 to June 2016. In April 2016 the Expert Group voted to extend the mandate one additional year to June 2017 in order to complete the task force deliverables; this request was subsequently approved by the Nuclear Science Committee. This

Hybrid Force and Position Control Strategy of Robonaut Performing Object Transfer Task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen Gang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a coordinated hybrid force/position control strategy of robonaut performing object transfer operation. Firstly, the constraint relationships between robonaut and object are presented. Base on them, the unified dynamic model of the robonaut and object is established to design the hybrid force/position control method. The movement, the internal force and the external constraint force of the object are considered as the control targets of the control system. Finally, a MATLAB simulation of the robonaut performing object transfer task verifies the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that all the targets can be control accurately by using the method proposed in this paper. The presented control method can control both internal and external forces while maintaining control accuracy, which is a common control strategy.

An approach to evaluate task allocation between operators and automation with respect to safety of Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macwan, A.; Wei, Z.G.; Wieringa, P.A.

1994-01-01

Even though the use of automation is increasing in complex systems, its effect on safety cannot be systematically analyzed using current techniques. Of particular interest is task allocation between operators and automation. In evaluating its effect on safety, a quantitative definition of degree of automation (doA) is used. The definition of doA accounts for the effect of task on safety, irrespective of whether the task is carried out by operator or automation. Also included is the indirect effect due to the change in workload perceived by the operator. This workload is translated into stress which affects operator performance, expressed as human error probability, and subsequently, safety. The approach can be useful for evaluation of existing task allocation schemes as well as in making decisions about task allocation between operators and automation. (author). 13 refs, 1 fig

Transport Task Force workshop: basic experiments highlights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linford, R.K. (Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)); Luckhardt, S. (Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (USA)); Lyon, J.F. (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)); Navratil, G.A. (Columbia Univ., New York, NY (USA)); Schoenberg, K.F. (Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA))

1990-01-01

Selected topics are summarized from the Basic Experiments session of the Transport Task Force Workshop held August 21-24, 1989, in San Diego, California. This session included presentations on paradigm experiments, stellarators, reversed-field pinches, and advanced tokamaks. Recent advances in all of these areas illustrate the importance of these experiments in advancing our understanding of toroidal transport. Progress has been made in measuring the details of particle diffusion, isolating specific modes, measuring fluctuation variations with field geometry and beta, and comparing all these with theoretical predictions. The development of experimental tools for determining which fluctuations dominate transport are also reported. Continued significant advances are anticipated in a number of areas highlighted. (author).

Transport Task Force workshop: basic experiments highlights

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linford, R.K.; Luckhardt, S.; Lyon, J.F.; Navratil, G.A.; Schoenberg, K.F.

1990-01-01

Selected topics are summarized from the Basic Experiments session of the Transport Task Force Workshop held August 21-24, 1989, in San Diego, California. This session included presentations on paradigm experiments, stellarators, reversed-field pinches, and advanced tokamaks. Recent advances in all of these areas illustrate the importance of these experiments in advancing our understanding of toroidal transport. Progress has been made in measuring the details of particle diffusion, isolating specific modes, measuring fluctuation variations with field geometry and beta, and comparing all these with theoretical predictions. The development of experimental tools for determining which fluctuations dominate transport are also reported. Continued significant advances are anticipated in a number of areas highlighted. (author)

Report of Task Force for review of nuclear waste management. Draft

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-02-01

Some of the findings of the Task Force are: a majority of independent technical experts have concluded that high-level waste can be safely disposed in geological media, but validation of the specific technical choices will be an important element of the licensing process. Reprocessing is not required for the safe disposal of commercial spent fuel. Consideration should be given to an early demonstration of the geologic disposal of a limited number of spent fuel assemblies in the waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The Spent Fuel Policy announced by President Carter in October 1977 must be integrated with the Waste Management Policy. The Task Force report highlights the importance of away from reactor storage that occurs between on-site storage of spent fuel at utilities and ultimate disposal. The target for initial operation in 1985 os a National Waste Repository for the permanent disposal of commercial high-level waste as spent fuel may not be met; this does not affect the early 1980s schedule for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The responsibility for the ultimate disposal for all forms of nuclear waste should be with the Federal Government and long-term waste disposal facilities should be subject to NRC licensing. The NEPA process is an essential part of the nuclear waste management program and Department of Energy efforts in this regard must be strengthened. Policy and program management responsibility for Waste Management should be raised to a higher level in the Department of Energy. There are substantial budgetary impacts of the Task Force recommendations and legislation would be required to carry out many of the suggested changes

Answers to questions posed by the Michigan Governor's Nuclear Waste Disposal Task Force

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-09-30

A general presentation of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program was given on July 26, 1976, to the Michigan Environmental Review Board and the Michigan Governor's Nuclear Waste Disposal Task Force. Following the presentation, Dr. William G. Taylor, Chairman of the Task Force, provided ERDA with a listing of questions which pertained to the NWTS program and ERDA/OWI's interest in northeast Michigan. This document contains copies of the information which was provided to Dr. Taylor in response to his inquiry.

Screening for gestational diabetes mellitus : US preventive services task force recommendation statement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calonge, Ned; Petitti, Diana B.; DeWitt, Thomas G.; Gordis, Leon; Gregory, Kimberly D.; Harris, Russell; Isham, George; LeFevre, Michael L.; Loveland-Cherry, Carol; Marion, Lucy N.; Moyer, Virginia A.; Ockene, Judith K.; Sawaya, George F.; Siu, Albert L.; Teutsch, Steven M.; Yawn, Barbara P.

2008-01-01

Description: Update of 2003 U. S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation about screening for gestational diabetes. Methods: The USPSTF weighed the evidence on maternal and neonatal benefits (reduction in preeclampsia, mortality, brachial plexus injury, clavicular fractures, admission

Status Report on Activities of the Systems Assessment Task Force, OECD-NEA Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuels for LWRs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon Michelle [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2015-09-01

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development /Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) Nuclear Science Committee approved the formation of an Expert Group on Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) for LWRs (EGATFL) in 2014. Chaired by Kemal Pasamehmetoglu, INL Associate Laboratory Director for Nuclear Science and Technology, the mandate for the EGATFL defines work under three task forces: (1) Systems Assessment, (2) Cladding and Core Materials, and (3) Fuel Concepts. Scope for the Systems Assessment task force includes definition of evaluation metrics for ATF, technology readiness level definition, definition of illustrative scenarios for ATF evaluation, parametric studies, and selection of system codes. The Cladding and Core Materials and Fuel Concepts task forces will identify gaps and needs for modeling and experimental demonstration; define key properties of interest; identify the data necessary to perform concept evaluation under normal conditions and illustrative scenarios; identify available infrastructure (internationally) to support experimental needs; and make recommendations on priorities. Where possible, considering proprietary and other export restrictions (e.g., International Traffic in Arms Regulations), the Expert Group will facilitate the sharing of data and lessons learned across the international group membership. The Systems Assessment Task Force is chaired by Shannon Bragg-Sitton (INL), while the Cladding Task Force will be chaired by a representative from France (Marie Moatti, Electricite de France [EdF]) and the Fuels Task Force will be chaired by a representative from Japan (Masaki Kurata, Japan Atomic Energy Agency [JAEA]). This report provides an overview of the Systems Assessment Task Force charter and status of work accomplishment.

Psychophysical testing of visual prosthetic devices: a call to establish a multi-national joint task force

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzo, Joseph F., III; Ayton, Lauren N.

2014-04-01

Recent advances in the field of visual prostheses, as showcased in this special feature of Journal of Neural Engineering , have led to promising results from clinical trials of a number of devices. However, as noted by these groups there are many challenges involved in assessing vision of people with profound vision loss. As such, it is important that there is consistency in the methodology and reporting standards for clinical trials of visual prostheses and, indeed, the broader vision restoration research field. Two visual prosthesis research groups, the Boston Retinal Implant Project (BRIP) and Bionic Vision Australia (BVA), have agreed to work cooperatively to establish a multi-national Joint Task Force. The aim of this Task Force will be to develop a consensus statement to guide the methods used to conduct and report psychophysical and clinical results of humans who receive visual prosthetic devices. The overarching goal is to ensure maximum benefit to the implant recipients, not only in the outcomes of the visual prosthesis itself, but also in enabling them to obtain accurate information about this research with ease. The aspiration to develop a Joint Task Force was first promulgated at the inaugural 'The Eye and the Chip' meeting in September 2000. This meeting was established to promote the development of the visual prosthetic field by applying the principles of inclusiveness, openness, and collegiality among the growing body of researchers in this field. These same principles underlie the intent of this Joint Task Force to enhance the quality of psychophysical research within our community. Despite prior efforts, a critical mass of interested parties could not congeal. Renewed interest for developing joint guidelines has developed recently because of a growing awareness of the challenges of obtaining reliable measurements of visual function in patients who are severely visually impaired (in whom testing is inherently noisy), and of the importance of

Pharmacy faculty workplace issues: findings from the 2009-2010 COD-COF Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce.

Science.gov (United States)

Desselle, Shane P; Peirce, Gretchen L; Crabtree, Brian L; Acosta, Daniel; Early, Johnnie L; Kishi, Donald T; Nobles-Knight, Dolores; Webster, Andrew A

2011-05-10

Many factors contribute to the vitality of an individual faculty member, a department, and an entire academic organization. Some of the relationships among these factors are well understood, but many questions remain unanswered. The Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce examined the literature on faculty workforce issues, including the work of previous task forces charged by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). We identified and focused on 4 unique but interrelated concepts: organizational culture/climate, role of the department chair, faculty recruitment and retention, and mentoring. Among all 4 resides the need to consider issues of intergenerational, intercultural, and gender dynamics. This paper reports the findings of the task force and proffers specific recommendations to AACP and to colleges and schools of pharmacy.

Evaluation and review of the safety management system implementation in the Royal Thai Air Force

Science.gov (United States)

Chaiwan, Sakkarin

This study was designed to determine situation and effectiveness of the safety management system currently implemented in the Royal Thai Air Force. Reviewing the ICAO's SMS and the RTAF's SMS was conducted to identify similarities and differences between the two safety management systems. Later, the researcher acquired safety statistics from the RTAF Safety Center to investigate effectiveness of its safety system. The researcher also collected data to identify other factors affecting effectiveness of the safety system during conducting in-depth interviews. Findings and Conclusions: The study shows that the Royal Thai Air Force has never applied the International Civil Aviation Organization's Safety management System to its safety system. However, the RTAF's SMS and the ICAO's SMS have been developed based on the same concepts. These concepts are from Richard H. Woods's book, Aviation safety programs: A management handbook. However, the effectiveness of the Royal Thai Air Force's safety system is in good stance. An accident rate has been decreasing regularly but there are no known factors to describe the increasing rate, according to the participants' opinion. The participants have informed that there are many issues to be resolved to improve the RTAF's safety system. Those issues are cooperation among safety center's staffs, attitude toward safety of the RTAF senior commanders, and safety standards.

Altered visual strategies and attention are related to increased force fluctuations during a pinch grip task in older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Keenan, Kevin G; Huddleston, Wendy E; Ernest, Bradley E

2017-11-01

The purpose of the study was to determine the visual strategies used by older adults during a pinch grip task and to assess the relations between visual strategy, deficits in attention, and increased force fluctuations in older adults. Eye movements of 23 older adults (>65 yr) were monitored during a low-force pinch grip task while subjects viewed three common visual feedback displays. Performance on the Grooved Pegboard test and an attention task (which required no concurrent hand movements) was also measured. Visual strategies varied across subjects and depended on the type of visual feedback provided to the subjects. First, while viewing a high-gain compensatory feedback display (horizontal bar moving up and down with force), 9 of 23 older subjects adopted a strategy of performing saccades during the task, which resulted in 2.5 times greater force fluctuations in those that exhibited saccades compared with those who maintained fixation near the target line. Second, during pursuit feedback displays (force trace moving left to right across screen and up and down with force), all subjects exhibited multiple saccades, and increased force fluctuations were associated ( r s = 0.6; P = 0.002) with fewer saccades during the pursuit task. Also, decreased low-frequency (attention z scores. Comparison of these results with our previously published results in young subjects indicates that saccadic eye movements and attention are related to force control in older adults. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The significant contributions of the study are the addition of eye movement data and an attention task to explain differences in hand motor control across different visual displays in older adults. Older participants used different visual strategies across varying feedback displays, and saccadic eye movements were related with motor performance. In addition, those older individuals with deficits in attention had impaired motor performance on two different hand motor control tasks, including

Space station operations task force. Panel 4 report: Management integration

Science.gov (United States)

1987-01-01

The Management Integration Panel of the Space Station Operations Task Force was chartered to provide a structure and ground rules for integrating the efforts of the other three panels and to address a number of cross cutting issues that affect all areas of space station operations. Issues addressed include operations concept implementation, alternatives development and integration process, strategic policy issues and options, and program management emphasis areas.

75 FR 43943 - Defense Science Board; Task Force on Counter Insurgency (COIN) Intelligence, Surveillance and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-27

... and what emerging science and technology would have the greatest intelligence potential in this type... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Science Board; Task Force on Counter... Defense (DoD). ACTION: Notice of advisory committee meetings. SUMMARY: The Defense Science Board Task...

The specific tasks of RF TSO - FSUE VO 'Safety', related with Implementation of obligations under the Convention on Nuclear Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potapov, V.; Kuznetsov, M.; Kapralov, E.

2010-01-01

It was more than 20 years ago that IAEA discussed the issue pertaining to the need in scientific and engineering support to the regulatory body. The Convention on Nuclear Safety being the keystone in assurance of the global nuclear safety and security regime was adopted in 1994. It is pointed out that two independent organizations supervised by Rostechnadzor have been established within the Russian TSO system, FSUE VO 'Safety' being one of them. The tasks of the organization comprise obligatory certification of equipment as well as acceptance of equipment before its delivery to the NPP both in Russia and in the countries constructing the power units based on the Russian designs. The acceptance procedure has been set forth in the new Russian document at the level of the federal rules and regulations for nuclear safety assurance. As far as its implementation decision is concerned, a task for selection and training of personnel has been set and allocated on the Training and Methodological Center of Nuclear and Radiation Safety established with the support of FSUE VO 'Safety', which provides training programmes and specific lecture courses in the wide range of the relevant topics. (author)

Funds for the Future. Report of the Twentieth Century Fund Task Force on College and University Endowment Policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, J. Peter

The Task Force on College and University Endowment Policy examines endowment policy in a broad context. They feel that it is important to preserve private colleges and universities and develop a sense of mission about how best to pursue this objective. The Task Force reviews policy issues faced by managers of endowment funds for institutions of…

75 FR 62309 - Establishing a Task Force on Skills for America's Future

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-08

... reward excellent outcomes and true innovation that meets the needs of entrepreneurs and other employers... task force to develop skills for America's future by identifying, developing, and increasing the scale... credentials and degrees; (b) identification of opportunities to amplify, accelerate, or increase the scale of...

Summary of the 19th Joint EU-US Transport Task Force Workshop

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Angioni, C.; Mantica, P.; Naulin, Volker

2015-01-01

This conference report summarizes the contributions to, and discussions at, the 19th Joint EU-US Transport Task Force workshop, held in Culham, UK, during 8-11 September 2014. The workshop was organized under six topics: momentum transport, energetic particles, challenges in modelling transport i...

Responses to comments received on the draft final report of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Task Force on Radioactive Waste Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-10-01

The Task Force solicited comments on its Draft Final Report from a variety of sources. Letters were sent to over 400 individuals who had expressed interest in the interest in the Department`s radioactive waste, management programs, a notice was placed in the Federal Register, the morning session of the January 1993 meeting of the full Secretary of Energy Advisory Board was given over to discussion of the draft, and Task Force members and staff presented the effort at several professional meetings. Altogether 32 written comments were received. They are reproduced here, followed in each case by the Task Force`s response to specific suggestions made to improve the draft. (The panel did not respond to comments that simply reflected policy preferences or that praised the group`s effort.) With one exception, those specific suggestions are highlighted and given a letter designation from {open_quotes}A{close_quotes} to {open_quotes}Z{close_quotes}. The Task Force`s responses, written in the Fall 1993, are labeled in a like manner. For the one exception, a comments submitted by Judy Treichel, the Task Force`s response is printed on copies of her annotated pages.

Real-time changes in corticospinal excitability related to motor imagery of a force control task

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tatemoto, Tsuyoshi; Tsuchiya, Junko; Numata, Atsuki

2017-01-01

Objective To investigate real-time excitability changes in corticospinal pathways related to motor imagery in a changing force control task, using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Methods Ten healthy volunteers learnt to control the contractile force of isometric right wrist dorsiflexion...... in order to track an on-screen sine wave form. Participants performed the trained task 40 times with actual muscle contraction in order to construct the motor image. They were then instructed to execute the task without actual muscle contraction, but by imagining contraction of the right wrist...... in dorsiflexion. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs), induced by TMS in the right extensor carpi radialis muscle (ECR) and flexor carpi radialis muscle (FCR), were measured during motor imagery. MEPs were induced at five time points: prior to imagery, during the gradual generation of the imaged wrist dorsiflexion...

Report by the International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation (IMCE) Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

Young, A. Thomas; Kellogg, Yvonne (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force (IMCE) was chartered to conduct an independent external review and assessment of the ISS cost, budget, and management. In addition, the Task Force was asked to provide recommendations that could provide maximum benefit to the U.S. taxpayers and the International Partners within the President's budget request. The Task Force has made the following principal findings: (1) The ISS Program's technical achievements to date, as represented by on-orbit capability, are extraordinary; (2) The Existing ISS Program Plan for executing the FY 02-06 budget is not credible; (3) The existing deficiencies in management structure, institutional culture, cost estimating, and program control must be acknowledged and corrected for the Program to move forward in a credible fashion; (4) Additional budget flexibility, from within the Office of Space Flight (OSF) must be provided for a credible core complete program; (5) The research support program is proceeding assuming the budget that was in place before the FY02 budget runout reduction of $1B; (6) There are opportunities to maximize research on the core station program with modest cost impact; (7) The U.S. Core Complete configuration (three person crew) as an end-state will not achieve the unique research potential of the ISS; (8) The cost estimates for the U.S.-funded enhancement options (e.g., permanent seven person crew) are not sufficiently developed to assess credibility. After these findings, the Task Force has formulated several primary recommendations which are published here and include: (1) Major changes must be made in how the ISS program is managed; (2) Additional cost reductions are required within the baseline program; (3) Additional funds must be identified and applied from the Human Space Flight budget; (4) A clearly defined program with a credible end-state, agreed to by all stakeholders, must be developed and implemented.

Driving forces behind the Chinese public's demand for improved environmental safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Ting; Wang, Jigan; Ma, Zongwei; Bi, Jun

2017-12-15

Over the past decades, the public demand for improved environmental safety keeps increasing in China. This study aims to assess the driving forces behind the increasing public demand for improved environmental safety using a provincial and multi-year (1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2014) panel data and the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model. The potential driving forces investigated included population size, income levels, degrees of urbanization, and educational levels. Results show that population size and educational level are positively (Pdemand for improved environmental safety. No significant impact on demand was found due to the degree of urbanization. For the impact due to income level, an inverted U-shaped curve effect with the turning point of ~140,000 CNY GDP per capita is indicated. Since per capita GDP of 2015 in China was approximately 50,000 CNY and far from the turning point, the public demand for improved environmental safety will continue rising in the near future. To meet the increasing public demand for improved environmental safety, proactive and risk prevention based environmental management systems coupled with effective environmental risk communication should be established. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Natural Gas Deliverability Task Force report: A joint FERC/DOE project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-09-01

The purpose of the FERC/DOE Natural Gas Deliverability Task Force Report was threefold: (1) to review current deliverability data for utility, accuracy, and timeliness; (2) to identify mechanisms for closing significant gaps in information resulting from changing market structures; and (3) to ensure that technologies are available to meet the needs of the emerging, competitive natural gas industry

European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology task force report on 'dose-response relationship in allergen-specific immunotherapy'.

Science.gov (United States)

Calderón, M A; Larenas, D; Kleine-Tebbe, J; Jacobsen, L; Passalacqua, G; Eng, P A; Varga, E M; Valovirta, E; Moreno, C; Malling, H J; Alvarez-Cuesta, E; Durham, S; Demoly, P

2011-10-01

For a century, allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) has proven to be an effective treatment for allergic rhinitis, asthma, and insect sting allergy. However, as allergen doses are frequently adapted to the individual patient, there are few data on dose-response relationship in SIT. Allergen products for SIT are being increasingly required to conform to regulatory requirements for human medicines, which include the need to demonstrate dose-dependent effects. This report, produced by a Task Force of the EAACI Immunotherapy Interest Group, evaluates the currently available data on dose-response relationships in SIT and aims to provide recommendations for the design of future studies. Fifteen dose-ranging studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and twelve reported a dose-response relationship for clinical efficacy. Several studies also reported a dose-response relationship for immunological and safety endpoints. Due to the use of different reference materials and methodologies for the determination of allergen content, variations in study design, and choice of endpoints, no comparisons could be made between studies and, as a consequence, no general dosing recommendations can be made. Despite recently introduced guidelines on the standardization of allergen preparations and study design, the Task Force identified a need for universally accepted standards for the measurement of allergen content in SIT preparations, dosing protocols, and selection of clinical endpoints to enable dose-response effects to be compared across studies. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

The influence of catch trials on the consolidation of motor memory in force field adaptation tasks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anne eFocke

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In computational neuroscience it is generally accepted that human motor memory contains neural representations of the physics of the musculoskeletal system and the objects in the environment. These representations are called internal models. Force field studies, in which subjects have to adapt to dynamic perturbations induced by a robotic manipulandum, are an established tool to analyze the characteristics of such internal models. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether catch trials during force field learning could influence the consolidation of motor memory in more complex tasks. Thereby, the force field was more than double the force field of previous studies (35 Ns/m. Moreover, the arm of the subjects was not supported. A total of forty-six subjects participated in this study and performed center-out movements at a robotic manipulandum in two different force fields. Two control groups learned force field A on day 1 and were retested in the same force field on day 3 (AA. Two test groups additionally learned an interfering force field B (=-A on day 2 (ABA. The difference between the two test and control groups, respectively, was the absence (0% or presence (19% of catch trials, in which the force field was turned off suddenly. The results showed consolidation of force field A on day 3 for both control groups. Test groups showed no consolidation of force field A (19% catch trials and even poorer performance on day 3 (0% catch trials. In conclusion, it can be stated that catch trials seem to have a positive effect on the performance on day 3 but do not trigger a consolidation process as shown in previous studies that used a lower force field viscosity with supported arm. These findings indicate that the results of previous studies in which less complex tasks were analyzed, cannot be fully transferred to more complex tasks. Moreover, the effects of catch trials in these situations are insufficiently understood and further research

Proceedings of the Task 2 workshop Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, D.J.

1979-01-01

The reports from the workshop on waste form release rate analysis are presented. The workshop started with overview presentations on the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI), the Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP), WISAP Task 2 (Waste Form Release Rate Analysis), and WISAP Task 4 (Sorption/Desorption Analysis). Technical presentations followed in these areas: leaching studies on spent fuels, leaching studies on high-level waste glass, waste form surface science experiments, radiation effects, and leach modeling. Separate abstracts were prepared for each

Proceedings of the Task 2 workshop Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bradley, D.J.

1979-01-01

The reports from the workshop on waste form release rate analysis are presented. The workshop started with overview presentations on the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI), the Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP), WISAP Task 2 (Waste Form Release Rate Analysis), and WISAP Task 4 (Sorption/Desorption Analysis). Technical presentations followed in these areas: leaching studies on spent fuels, leaching studies on high-level waste glass, waste form surface science experiments, radiation effects, and leach modeling. Separate abstracts were prepared for each.

Health and safety plan for operations performed for the Environmental Restoration Program. Task, OU 1-03 and OU 4-10 Track 2 investigations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trippet, W.A. II [IT Corp., (United States); Reneau, M.; Morton, S.L. [EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

1992-04-01

This document constitutes the generic health and safety plan for the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). It addresses the health and safety requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.120 standard; and EG&G Idaho, Inc. This plan is a guide to individuals who must complete a health and safety plan for a task performed for the EPR. It contains a task specific addendum that, when completed, specifically addresses task specific health and safety issues. This health and safety plan reduces the time it takes to write a task specific health and safety plan by providing discussions of requirements, guidance on where specific information is located, and specific topics in the Addendum that must be discussed at a task level. This format encourages a complete task specific health and safety plan and a standard for all health and safety plans written for ERP.

The OMERACT ultrasound task force -- Advances and priorities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

D'Agostino, Maria-Antonietta; Conaghan, Philip G; Naredo, Esperanza

2009-01-01

This article reports the most recent work of the OMERACT Ultrasound Task Force (post OMERACT 8) and highlights of future research priorities discussed at the OMERACT 9 meeting, Kananaskis, Canada, May 2008. Results of 3 studies were presented: (1) assessing intermachine reliability; (2) applying...... system for the hand on other joints (including shoulder). Study conclusions were discussed and a future research agenda was generated, notably the further development of a Global OMERACT Sonography Scoring (GLOSS) system in RA, emphasizing the importance of testing feasibility and added value over...... standard clinical variables. Future disease areas of importance to develop include a scoring system for enthesitis and osteoarthritis....

Prioritization of tasks in the draft LWR safety technology program plan. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, E.Y.; Miller, W.J.; Parkinson, W.J.; Ritzman, R.L.; vonHerrmann, J.L.; Wood, P.J.

1980-05-01

The purpose of this report is to describe both the approach taken and the results produced in the SAI effort to prioritize the tasks in the Sandia draft LWR Safety Technology Program Plan. This work used the description of important safety issues developed in the Reactor Safety Study (2) to quantify the effect of safety improvements resulting from a research and development program on the risk from nuclear power plants. Costs of implementation of these safety improvements were also estimated to allow a presentation of the final results in a value (i.e., risk reduction) vs. impact (i.e., implementation costs) matrix

Florida Model Task Force on Diabetic Retinopathy: Development of an Interagency Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Groff, G.; And Others

1990-01-01

This article describes the development of a mechanism to organize a network in Florida for individuals who are at risk for diabetic retinopathy. The task force comprised representatives from governmental, academic, professional, and voluntary organizations. It worked to educate professionals, patients, and the public through brochures, resource…

Defense Science Board Task Force Report: Predicting Violent Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

Boeing • Coca Cola • Disney • Intel Corporation D E F E N S E S C I E N C E B O A R D | D E P A R T M E N T O F D E F E N S E DSB TASK FORCE...University of North Carolina Corporations:  Microsoft  Coca Cola  Boeing  Disney D E F E N S E S C I E N C E B O A R D | D E P A R T M E

Executive summary of European Task Force document on diagnostic tools in rhinology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hellings, P. W.; Scadding, G.; Alobid, I.; Bachert, C.; Fokkens, W. J.; Gerth van Wijk, R.; Gevaerts, P.; Guilemany, J.; Kalogjera, L.; Lund, V. J.; Mullol, J.; Passalacqua, G.; Toskala, E.; van Drunen, C. M.

2012-01-01

This Executive Summary of the EAACI Task Force document on Diagnostic Tools in Rhinology provides the readers with an over- view of the currently available tools for diagnosis of nasal and sino-nasal disease, published in full version in the first issue of Clini- cal and Translational Allergy. A

Task Group on Safety Margins Action Plan (SMAP). Safety Margins Action Plan - Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hrehor, Miroslav; Gavrilas, Mirela; Belac, Josef; Sairanen, Risto; Bruna, Giovanni; Reocreux, Michel; Touboul, Francoise; Krzykacz-Hausmann, B.; Park, Jong Seuk; Prosek, Andrej; Hortal, Javier; Sandervaag, Odbjoern; Zimmerman, Martin

2007-01-01

The international nuclear community has expressed concern that some changes in existing plants could challenge safety margins while fulfilling all the regulatory requirements. In 1998, NEA published a report by the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities on Future Nuclear Regulatory Challenges. The report recognized 'Safety margins during more exacting operating modes' as a technical issue with potential regulatory impact. Examples of plant changes that can cause such exacting operating modes include power up-rates, life extension or increased fuel burnup. In addition, the community recognized that the cumulative effects of simultaneous changes in a plant could be larger than the accumulation of the individual effects of each change. In response to these concerns, CSNI constituted the safety margins action plan (SMAP) task group with the following objectives: 'To agree on a framework for integrated assessments of the changes to the overall safety of the plant as a result of simultaneous changes in plant operation / condition; To develop a CSNI document which can be used by member countries to assess the effect of plant change on the overall safety of the plant; To share information and experience.' The two approaches to safety analysis, deterministic and probabilistic, use different methods and have been developed mostly independently of each other. This makes it difficult to assure consistency between them. As the trend to use information on risk (where the term risk means results of the PSA/PRA analysis) to support regulatory decisions is growing in many countries, it is necessary to develop a method of evaluating safety margin sufficiency that is applicable to both approaches and, whenever possible, integrated in a consistent way. Chapter 2 elaborates on the traditional view of safety margins and the means by which they are currently treated in deterministic analyses. This chapter also discusses the technical basis for safety limits as they are used today

Multisociety task force recommendations of competencies in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Buckley, John D; Addrizzo-Harris, Doreen J; Clay, Alison S; Curtis, J Randall; Kotloff, Robert M; Lorin, Scott M; Murin, Susan; Sessler, Curtis N; Rogers, Paul L; Rosen, Mark J; Spevetz, Antoinette; King, Talmadge E; Malhotra, Atul; Parsons, Polly E

2009-08-15

Numerous accrediting organizations are calling for competency-based medical education that would help define specific specialties and serve as a foundation for ongoing assessment throughout a practitioner's career. Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care Medicine are two distinct subspecialties, yet many individual physicians have expertise in both because of overlapping content. Establishing specific competencies for these subspecialties identifies educational goals for trainees and guides practitioners through their lifelong learning. To define specific competencies for graduates of fellowships in Pulmonary Medicine and Internal Medicine-based Critical Care. A Task Force composed of representatives from key stakeholder societies convened to identify and define specific competencies for both disciplines. Beginning with a detailed list of existing competencies from diverse sources, the Task Force categorized each item into one of six core competency headings. Each individual item was reviewed by committee members individually, in group meetings, and conference calls. Nominal group methods were used for most items to retain the views and opinions of the minority perspective. Controversial items underwent additional whole group discussions with iterative modified-Delphi techniques. Consensus was ultimately determined by a simple majority vote. The Task Force identified and defined 327 specific competencies for Internal Medicine-based Critical Care and 276 for Pulmonary Medicine, each with a designation as either: (1) relevant, but competency is not essential or (2) competency essential to the specialty. Specific competencies in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine can be identified and defined using a multisociety collaborative approach. These recommendations serve as a starting point and set the stage for future modification to facilitate maximum quality of care as the specialties evolve.

Strength training does not affect the accuracy of force gradation in an isometric force task in young men.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smits-Engelsman, B.C.M.; Smits, R.; Oomen, J.; Duysens, J.E.J.

2008-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate potential differences in fine motor control between strength trained (ST) and non-strength trained (NT) individuals. By use of an isometric force production task, two groups, 20 ST (mean age 25.6, SD 4.9) and 19 NT (mean age 24.1, SD 2.9) male individuals,

Integration of safety in management tasks in onshore transport SME´s

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Kirsten

2015-01-01

with animals and the risk of violence and robbery. To create a high level of safety in an enterprise is a difficult task that demands a great degree of management engagement. It is not only a question of having the right equipment, procedures and organization etc.; it is also necessary for everyone...... in the enterprise to have an understanding of safety and feel obligated to take responsibility for safety in all work at all times. Accident research shows that safety must be integrated in the whole enterprise and function on all levels of management, while it must also involve all employees in their daily work...... prevention. The result is a realistic strategy for integration safety, quality and environmental factors in an SME and procedures for how to go from strategy to action. Different tools were developed to fulfil the strategy ranging from risk identification, involvement of the employee and motivational...

Waste isolation safety assessment program. Task 4. Third contractor information meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-06-01

The Contractor Information Meeting (October 14 to 17, 1979) was part of the FY-1979 effort of Task 4 of the Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP): Sorption/Desorption Analysis. The objectives of this task are to: evaluate sorption/desorption measurement methods and develop a standardized measurement procedure; produce a generic data bank of nuclide-geologic interactions using a wide variety of geologic media and groundwaters; perform statistical analysis and synthesis of these data; perform validation studies to compare short-term laboratory studies to long-term in situ behavior; develop a fundamental understanding of sorption/desorption processes; produce x-ray and gamma-emitting isotopes suitable for the study of actinides at tracer concentrations; disseminate resulting information to the international technical community; and provide input data support for repository safety assessment. Conference participants included those subcontracted to WISAP Task 4, representatives and independent subcontractors to the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation, representatives from other waste disposal programs, and experts in the area of waste/geologic media interaction. Since the meeting, WISAP has been divided into two programs: Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems (AEGIS) (modeling efforts) and Waste/Rock Interactions Technology (WRIT) (experimental work). The WRIT program encompasses the work conducted under Task 4. This report contains the information presented at the Task 4, Third Contractor Information Meeting. Technical Reports from the subcontractors, as well as Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), are provided along with transcripts of the question-and-answer sessions. The agenda and abstracts of the presentations are also included. Appendix A is a list of the participants. Appendix B gives an overview of the WRIT program and details the WRIT work breakdown structure for 1980

Waste isolation safety assessment program. Task 4. Third contractor information meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-06-01

The Contractor Information Meeting (October 14 to 17, 1979) was part of the FY-1979 effort of Task 4 of the Waste Isolation Safety Assessment Program (WISAP): Sorption/Desorption Analysis. The objectives of this task are to: evaluate sorption/desorption measurement methods and develop a standardized measurement procedure; produce a generic data bank of nuclide-geologic interactions using a wide variety of geologic media and groundwaters; perform statistical analysis and synthesis of these data; perform validation studies to compare short-term laboratory studies to long-term in situ behavior; develop a fundamental understanding of sorption/desorption processes; produce x-ray and gamma-emitting isotopes suitable for the study of actinides at tracer concentrations; disseminate resulting information to the international technical community; and provide input data support for repository safety assessment. Conference participants included those subcontracted to WISAP Task 4, representatives and independent subcontractors to the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation, representatives from other waste disposal programs, and experts in the area of waste/geologic media interaction. Since the meeting, WISAP has been divided into two programs: Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems (AEGIS) (modeling efforts) and Waste/Rock Interactions Technology (WRIT) (experimental work). The WRIT program encompasses the work conducted under Task 4. This report contains the information presented at the Task 4, Third Contractor Information Meeting. Technical Reports from the subcontractors, as well as Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), are provided along with transcripts of the question-and-answer sessions. The agenda and abstracts of the presentations are also included. Appendix A is a list of the participants. Appendix B gives an overview of the WRIT program and details the WRIT work breakdown structure for 1980.

Changes in ipsilateral motor cortex activity during a unilateral isometric finger task are dependent on the muscle contraction force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibuya, Kenichi; Kuboyama, Naomi; Tanaka, Junya

2014-01-01

It is possible to examine bilateral primary motor cortex (M1) activation during a sustained motor task using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), in which it is assumed that increased oxygenation reflects cortical activation. The purpose of this study was to examine bilateral M1 activation in response to graded levels of force production during a unilateral finger task. Ten healthy right-handed male subjects participated in this study. NIRS probes were placed over the cortex to measure M1 activity while the subjects performed the finger task. The subjects performed a 10 s finger task at 20%, 40%, and 60% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Symmetrical activation was found over both M1 areas at all force levels investigated. In the contralateral M1, there were significant differences in oxygenation between 20% and 60% MVC, as well as between 40% and 60% MVC. In the ipsilateral M1, there were significant differences among all force levels. These results indicate the ipsilateral M1 takes part in muscle force control. (paper)

The Internet Engineering Task Force and The Future of Internet

OpenAIRE

Baccelli , Emmanuel; Clausen , Thomas Heide; Jacquet , Philippe

2009-01-01

International audience; If one wants to identify where ideas and initiatives regarding the Internet are being confronted, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is unavoidable. Created in 1986 by US government agencies (DoD, Department of Energy, NASA, NSF) to supervise the design and deployment of Internet protocols, it was initially open only for US government funded researchers. Early 1987 saw a dozen of industry representatives invited, and in a matter of months, the IETF was opened t...

High-heat tank safety issue resolution program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, O.S.

1993-12-01

The purpose of this program plan is to provide a guide for selecting corrective actions that will mitigate and/or remediate the high-heat waste tank safety issue for single-shell tank (SST) 241-C-106. This program plan also outlines the logic for selecting approaches and tasks to mitigate and resolve the high-heat safety issue. The identified safety issue for high-heat tank 241-C-106 involves the potential release of nuclear waste to the environment as the result of heat-induced structural damage to the tank's concrete, if forced cooling is interrupted for extended periods. Currently, forced ventilation with added water to promote thermal conductivity and evaporation cooling is used to cool the waste. At this time, the only viable solution identified to resolve this safety issue is the removal of heat generating waste in the tank. This solution is being aggressively pursued as the permanent solution to this safety issue and also to support the present waste retrieval plan. Tank 241-C-106 has been selected as the first SST for retrieval. The program plan has three parts. The first part establishes program objectives and defines safety issues, drivers, and resolution criteria and strategy. The second part evaluates the high-heat safety issue and its mitigation and remediation methods and alternatives according to resolution logic. The third part identifies major tasks and alternatives for mitigation and resolution of the safety issue. Selected tasks and best-estimate schedules are also summarized in the program plan

Aespoe Task Force on modelling of groundwater flow and transport of solutes. Review of Tasks 6b, 6b and 6b

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hodgkinson, David [Quintessa, Henley-on-Thames (United Kingdom); Black, John [In Situ Solutions, East Bridgford (United Kingdom)

2005-03-01

This report forms part of an independent review of the specifications, execution and results of Task 6 of the Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes, which is seeking to provide a bridge between site characterization and performance assessment approaches to solute transport in fractured rock. The present report is concerned solely with Tasks 6b, 6b and 6b which relate to the transport of tracers on a 5-metre scale in Feature A at the TRUE-1 site. The task objectives, specifications and individual modelling team results are summarised and reviewed, and an evaluation of the overall exercise is presented. The report concludes with assessments of what has been learnt, the implications for the Task 6 objectives, and some possible future directions.

Optimization of muscle activity for task-level goals predicts complex changes in limb forces across biomechanical contexts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Lucas McKay

Full Text Available Optimality principles have been proposed as a general framework for understanding motor control in animals and humans largely based on their ability to predict general features movement in idealized motor tasks. However, generalizing these concepts past proof-of-principle to understand the neuromechanical transformation from task-level control to detailed execution-level muscle activity and forces during behaviorally-relevant motor tasks has proved difficult. In an unrestrained balance task in cats, we demonstrate that achieving task-level constraints center of mass forces and moments while minimizing control effort predicts detailed patterns of muscle activity and ground reaction forces in an anatomically-realistic musculoskeletal model. Whereas optimization is typically used to resolve redundancy at a single level of the motor hierarchy, we simultaneously resolved redundancy across both muscles and limbs and directly compared predictions to experimental measures across multiple perturbation directions that elicit different intra- and interlimb coordination patterns. Further, although some candidate task-level variables and cost functions generated indistinguishable predictions in a single biomechanical context, we identified a common optimization framework that could predict up to 48 experimental conditions per animal (n = 3 across both perturbation directions and different biomechanical contexts created by altering animals' postural configuration. Predictions were further improved by imposing experimentally-derived muscle synergy constraints, suggesting additional task variables or costs that may be relevant to the neural control of balance. These results suggested that reduced-dimension neural control mechanisms such as muscle synergies can achieve similar kinetics to the optimal solution, but with increased control effort (≈2× compared to individual muscle control. Our results are consistent with the idea that hierarchical, task

Task force's viewpoint of the current BRH Program. Gonad shield, Part F

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolezal, A.

1975-01-01

A previous report on radiation protection during diagnostic exposure is reviewed. Some topics discussed are: Task Force regulations for the model by which routine use of patient shielding or gonad shielding would be required; shielding in relation to collimation, scatter radiation, and enforcement of regulations; and proposed regulations for reduction of unnecessary radiation

Developing a Community-Wide Initiative to Address Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress: A Case Study of The Philadelphia ACE Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Pachter, Lee M; Lieberman, Leslie; Bloom, Sandra L; Fein, Joel A

The Philadelphia ACE Task Force is a community based collaborative of health care providers, researchers, community-based organizations, funders, and public sector representatives. The mission of the task force is to provide a venue to address childhood adversity and its consequences in the Philadelphia metropolitan region. In this article we describe the origins and metamorphosis of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force, which initially was narrowly focused on screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in health care settings but expanded its focus to better represent a true community-based approach to sharing experiences with addressing childhood adversity in multiple sectors of the city and region. The task force has been successful in developing a research agenda and conducting research on ACEs in the urban context, and has identified foci of local activity in the areas of professional training and workforce development, community education, and local practical interventions around adversity, trauma, and resiliency. In this article we also address the lessons learned over the first 5 years of the task force's existence and offers recommendations for future efforts to build a local community-based ACEs collaborative. Copyright © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 11893 - Food and Drug Administration Transparency Task Force; Request for Comments

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-12

..., e-mail: [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Transparency promotes...) improving FDA's disclosure of information to the public; and (3) improving FDA's transparency to regulated... phase of the transparency initiative. II. Scope of the Meeting The Task Force is collecting information...

The President’s Identity Theft Task Force Report

Science.gov (United States)

2008-09-01

effeCtIve, RISk-BASed ReSPOnSeS tO dAtA BReACheS SUffeRed By fedeRAl AGenCIeS Issue Data Breach Guidance to Agencies Publish a “Routine Use...and developing a data breach response plan. The FTC will continue to seek opportunities to work with state and local officials and policymakers...of fiscal year 2008. ReCOMMendAtIOn 4: enSURe effeCtIve, RISk-BASed ReSPOnSeS tO dAtA BReACheS SUffeRed By fedeRAl AGenCIeS The Task Force

Contribution of the Cerebellum in Cue-Dependent Force Changes During an Isometric Precision Grip Task.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutz, Dieter F; Schmid, Barbara C; Meindl, Tobias; Timmann, Dagmar; Kolb, Florian P

2016-08-01

The "raspberry task" represents a precision grip task that requires continuous adjustment of grip forces and pull forces. During this task, subjects use a specialised grip rod and have to increase the pull force linearly while the rod is locked. The positions of the fingers are unrestrained and freely selectable. From the finger positions and the geometry of the grip rod, a physical lever was derived which is a comprehensive measurement of the subject's grip behaviour. In this study, the involvement of the cerebellum in establishing cued force changes (CFC) was examined. The auditory stimulus was associated with a motor behaviour that has to be readjusted during an ongoing movement that already started. Moreover, cerebellar involvement on grip behaviour was examined. The results show that patients presenting with degenerating cerebellar disease (CBL) were able to elicit CFC and were additionally able to optimise grip behaviour by minimising the lever. Comparison of the results of CBL with a control group of healthy subjects showed, however, that the CFC incidence was significantly lower and the reduction of the lever was less in CBL. Hence, the cerebellum is involved not only in the classical conditioning of reflexes but also in the association of sensory stimuli with complex changes in motor behaviour. Furthermore, the cerebellum is involved in the optimisation of grip behaviour during ongoing movements. Recent studies lead to the assumption that the cerebello-reticulo-spinal pathway might be important for the reduced optimisation of grip behaviour in CBL.

Treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis to target: recommendations of an international task force.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravelli, Angelo; Consolaro, Alessandro; Horneff, Gerd; Laxer, Ronald M; Lovell, Daniel J; Wulffraat, Nico M; Akikusa, Jonathan D; Al-Mayouf, Sulaiman M; Antón, Jordi; Avcin, Tadej; Berard, Roberta A; Beresford, Michael W; Burgos-Vargas, Ruben; Cimaz, Rolando; De Benedetti, Fabrizio; Demirkaya, Erkan; Foell, Dirk; Itoh, Yasuhiko; Lahdenne, Pekka; Morgan, Esi M; Quartier, Pierre; Ruperto, Nicolino; Russo, Ricardo; Saad-Magalhães, Claudia; Sawhney, Sujata; Scott, Christiaan; Shenoi, Susan; Swart, Joost F; Uziel, Yosef; Vastert, Sebastiaan J; Smolen, Josef S

2018-06-01

Recent therapeutic advances in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have made remission an achievable goal for most patients. Reaching this target leads to improved outcomes. The objective was to develop recommendations for treating JIA to target. A Steering Committee formulated a set of recommendations based on evidence derived from a systematic literature review. These were subsequently discussed, amended and voted on by an international Task Force of 30 paediatric rheumatologists in a consensus-based, Delphi-like procedure. Although the literature review did not reveal trials that compared a treat-to-target approach with another or no strategy, it provided indirect evidence regarding an optimised approach to therapy that facilitated development of recommendations. The group agreed on six overarching principles and eight recommendations. The main treatment target, which should be based on a shared decision with parents/patients, was defined as remission, with the alternative target of low disease activity. The frequency and timeline of follow-up evaluations to ensure achievement and maintenance of the target depend on JIA category and level of disease activity. Additional recommendations emphasise the importance of ensuring adequate growth and development and avoiding long-term systemic glucocorticoid administration to maintain the target. All items were agreed on by more than 80% of the members of the Task Force. A research agenda was formulated. The Task Force developed recommendations for treating JIA to target, being aware that the evidence is not strong and needs to be expanded by future research. These recommendations can inform various stakeholders about strategies to reach optimal outcomes for JIA. © 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.

The Nicest way to migrate your Windows computer ( The Windows 2000 Migration Task Force)

CERN Document Server

2001-01-01

With Windows 2000, CERN users will discover a more stable and reliable working environment and will have access to all the latest applications. The Windows 2000 Migration Task Force - a representative from each division.

Siting of a low-level radioactive waste management facility - environmental assessment experiences of the Canadian siting task force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorber, D.M.; Story, V.A.

1995-01-01

After public opposition to the plans for a low-level radioactive waste facility at one of two candidate areas at Port Hope, Canada the Environmental Assessment process was postponed, and an independent Siting Process Task Force was set-up to assess the most suitable technologies for LLRW disposal, the areas with the best potential in the province to use these technologies, and the most promising approaches to site selection. The Task Force recommended a five-phased siting process known as the 'Co-operative Siting Process', which was based on the voluntary participation of local communities and a collaborative, joint-planning style of decision making. An independent Siting Task Force was to be established to ensure that the principles of the recommended process was upheld. This siting process is still underway, and problems and successes that have been encountered are summarized in this contribution

Modeling good research practices--overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, J Jaime; Briggs, Andrew H; Siebert, Uwe; Kuntz, Karen M

2012-01-01

Models-mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions-have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR modeling task force reported in 2003 has led to a new task force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven papers presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state-transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; dealing with uncertainty; and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview introduces the work of the task force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these papers includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making.

Product Evaluation Task Force Phase Two report for BWR/PWR dissolver wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, A.J.

1990-01-01

It has been proposed that all Intermediate Level Wastes arising at Sellafield should be encapsulated prior to ultimate disposal. The Product Evaluation Task Force (PETF) was set up to investigate possible encapsulants and to produce an adequate data base to justify the preferred matrices. This report details the work carried out, under Phase 2 of the Product Evaluation Task Force programme, on BWR/PWR Dissolver Wastes. Three possible types of encapsulants for BWR/PWR Dissolver Wastes:- Inorganic cements, Polymer cements and Polymers are evaluated using the Kepner Tregoe decision analysis technique. This technique provides a methodology for scoring and ranking alternative options and evaluating any risks associated with an option. The analysis shows that for all four stages of waste management operations ie Storage, Transport, handling and emplacement, Disposal and Process, cement matrices are considerably superior to other potential matrices. A matrix, consisting of three parts Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) to one part Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), is recommended for Phase 3 studies on BWR/PWR Dissolver Wastes. (author)

Product Evaluation Task Force Phase Two report for MEB crud/filter aid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, A.J.

1991-01-01

It has been proposed that all Intermediate Level Wastes arising at Sellafield should be encapsulated prior to ultimate disposal. The Product Evaluation Task Force (PETF) was set up to investigate possible encapsulants and to produce an adequate data base to justify the preferred matrices. This report details the work carried out, under Phase 2 of the Product Evaluation Task Force programme, on MEB Crud/Filter Aid. Three possible types of encapsulants for MEB Crud/Filter Aid:- Inorganic cements, Polymer cements, and Polymers are evaluated using the Kepner Tregoe decision and analysis technique. This technique provides a methodology for scoring and ranking alternative options and evaluating any risks associated with an option. The analysis shows that for all four stages of waste management operations, ie Storage, Transport, handling and emplacement, Disposal and, Process, cement matrices are considerably superior to other potential matrices. A matrix, consisting of nine parts Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) to one part Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is recommended as the preferred matrix for Phase 3 studies on MEB/Filter Aid. (author)

Report of the Task Force on Low-Level Radioactive Waste. Position paper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The Radiation Policy Council formed a Task Force in May 1980 to consider the problems associated with low-level radioactive waste disposal. Two major objectives were developed by the Task Force: (1) To recommend Federal policy for improving coordination and implementation of Federal and non-Federal programs that have been established to obtain solutions to existing low-level waste disposal problems, and (2) to recommend Federal policy for disposal of low-level waste containing minimal activity for which alternative disposal methods to existing shallow land burial practices may be acceptable for protecting the public health. These wastes constitute a significant fraction of what is currently classified as low-level radioactive wastes. Included are most of the wastes currently destined for shallow land burial from medical and research institutions, as well as from other sources. Such wastes include liquid scintillation vials, dry solids, animal carcasses, and paper trash; there are many items included which are needlessly classified, on a purely arbitrary basis, as radioactive waste merely because they contain detectable radioactive materials. It is this waste which is of major concern

Review of nuclear regulatory activities associated with safety culture and the management of safety in the United Kingdom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodhouse, P.A.

1995-01-01

This paper describes some of the key regulatory activities which have taken place in the United Kingdom in recent years in the areas of safety culture and management of safety. It explains how the UK's nuclear licensing regime, regulated and enforced by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, (NII), provides the framework for a viable safety management system and identifies a management of safety model which a NII Task Force has developed. It finally identifies further work which is being undertaken by the NII. (author). 4 refs, 2 figs

Family pediatrics: report of the Task Force on the Family.

Science.gov (United States)

Schor, Edward L

2003-06-01

WHY A TASK FORCE ON THE FAMILY? The practice of pediatrics is unique among medical specialties in many ways, among which is the nearly certain presence of a parent when health care services are provided for the patient. Regardless of whether parents or other family members are physically present, their influence is pervasive. Families are the most central and enduring influence in children's lives. Parents are also central in pediatric care. The health and well-being of children are inextricably linked to their parents' physical, emotional and social health, social circumstances, and child-rearing practices. The rising incidence of behavior problems among children attests to some families' inability to cope with the increasing stresses they are experiencing and their need for assistance. When a family's distress finds its voice in a child's symptoms, pediatricians are often parents' first source for help. There is enormous diversity among families-diversity in the composition of families, in their ethnic and racial heritage, in their religious and spiritual orientation, in how they communicate, in the time they spend together, in their commitment to individual family members, in their connections to their community, in their experiences, and in their ability to adapt to stress. Within families, individuals are different from one another as well. Pediatricians are especially sensitive to differences among children-in their temperaments and personalities, in their innate and learned abilities, and in how they view themselves and respond to the world around them. It is remarkable and a testament to the effort of parents and to the resilience of children that most families function well and most children succeed in life. Family life in the United States has been subjected to extensive scrutiny and frequent commentary, yet even when those activities have been informed by research, they tend to be influenced by personal experience within families and by individual and

International veterinary epilepsy task force consensus proposal : diagnostic approach to epilepsy in dogs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Risio, Luisa; Bhatti, Sofie; Muñana, Karen; Penderis, Jacques; Stein, Veronika; Tipold, Andrea; Berendt, Mette; Farqhuar, Robyn; Fischer, Andrea; Long, Sam; Mandigers, Paul J J; Matiasek, Kaspar; Packer, Rowena M A; Pakozdy, Akos; Patterson, Ned; Platt, Simon; Podell, Michael; Potschka, Heidrun; Batlle, Martí Pumarola; Rusbridge, Clare; Volk, Holger A

2015-01-01

This article outlines the consensus proposal on diagnosis of epilepsy in dogs by the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force. The aim of this consensus proposal is to improve consistency in the diagnosis of epilepsy in the clinical and research settings. The diagnostic approach to the patient

The OMERACT ultrasound task force--status and perspectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naredo, Esperanza; Wakefield, Richard J; Iagnocco, Annamaria

2011-01-01

- and interobserver reliability exercise; and (5) Delphi definition exercise in hand osteoarthritis, and reliability exercises. Study conclusions were discussed, and a future research agenda was approved, notably further validation of an OMERACT ultrasound global synovitis score (GLOSS) in RA, emphasizing......This article reports the most recent work of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Ultrasound Task Force, and highlights the future research priorities discussed at the OMERACT 10 meeting. Results of the following studies were presented: (1) intra- and interobserver reliability...... of ultrasound detecting and scoring synovitis in different joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); (2) systematic review of previous ultrasound scoring systems of synovitis in RA; (3) enthesitis systematic review and Delphi definition exercise in spondyloarthritis enthesitis; (4) enthesitis intra...

NRC Fact-Finding Task Force report on the ATWS event at Salem Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1, on February 25, 1983

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-03-01

An NRC Region I Task Force was established on March 1, 1983 to conduct fact finding and data collection with regard to the circumstances which led to an anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) event at the Public Service Electric and Gas Company's Salem Generating Station, Unit 1 on February 25, 1983. The charter of the Task Force was to determine the factual information pertinent to management and administrative controls which should have ensured proper operation of the reactor trip breakers in the solid state protection system. This report documents the findings of the Task Force along with its conclusions

Ontario gas prices review task force report : fairness at the pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

Sudden gas price increases hit Ontario consumers in July 1999, and as a result, the Gas Busters Hotline operated by the provincial government received over 4,000 complaints concerning the price of gas. World crude oil prices increased to above 34 American dollars per barrel by March 2000, and there were discrepancies by as much as 10 cents a litre in the price of gas in Ontario, depending on the community where the purchase was made. The Gas Prices Review Task Force was established in November 1999 to assist in the identification of an adequate solution to the rising price of gas. Public participation was sought, as well as input from representatives of consumer groups and industry. The Task Force was also mandated to conduct policy options research to ensure fair prices at the pump, to examine the regulatory or legislative initiatives that would work best for the protection of the consumer, in accordance with the federal Competition Act. A report was submitted to the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations. A total of fourteen recommendations were made to the Minister. The recommendations touched topics as varied as tax collection legislation, price monitoring, segmented earnings reports, removal of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). refs., figs

Report of the NASA lunar energy enterprise case study task force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1989-01-01

The Lunar Energy Enterprise Cast Study Task Force was formed to determine the economic viability and commercial business potential of mining and extracting He-3 from the lunar soil for use in earth-based fusion reactors. In addition, the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) and the Lunar Power Station (LPS) were also evaluated because they involve the use of lunar materials and could provide energy for lunar-based activities. The Task Force considered: (1) the legal and liability aspects of the space energy projects; (2) the long-range terrestrial energy needs and options; (3) the technical maturity of the three space energy projects; and (4) their commercial potential. The use of electricity is expected to increase, but emerging environmental concerns and resource availability suggest changes for the national energy policy. All three options have the potential to provide a nearly inexhaustible, clean source of electricity for the U.S. and worldwide, without major adverse impacts on the Earth's environment. Assumption by industry of the total responsibility for these energy projects is not yet possible. Pursuit of these energy concepts requires the combined efforts of government and industry. The report identifies key steps necessary for the development of these concepts and an evolving industrial role

One digit interruption: the altered force patterns during functionally cylindrical grasping tasks in patients with trigger digits.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Po-Tsun Chen

Full Text Available Most trigger digit (TD patients complain that they have problems using their hand in daily or occupational tasks due to single or multiple digits being affected. Unfortunately, clinicians do not know much about how this disease affects the subtle force coordination among digits during manipulation. Thus, this study examined the differences in force patterns during cylindrical grasp between TD and healthy subjects. Forty-two TD patients with single digit involvement were included and sorted into four groups based on the involved digits, including thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. Twelve healthy subjects volunteered as healthy controls. Two testing tasks, holding and drinking, were performed by natural grasping with minimal forces. The relations between the force of the thumb and each finger were examined by Pearson correlation coefficients. The force amount and contribution of each digit were compared between healthy controls and each TD group by the independent t test. The results showed all TD groups demonstrated altered correlation patterns of the thumb relative to each finger. Larger forces and higher contributions of the index finger were found during holding by patients with index finger involved, and also during drinking by patients with affected thumb and with affected middle finger. Although no triggering symptom occurred during grasping, the patients showed altered force patterns which may be related to the role of the affected digit in natural grasping function. In conclusion, even if only one digit was affected, the subtle force coordination of all the digits was altered during simple tasks among the TD patients. This study provides the information for the future studies to further comprehend the possible injuries secondary to the altered finger coordination and also to adopt suitable treatment strategies.

One digit interruption: the altered force patterns during functionally cylindrical grasping tasks in patients with trigger digits.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Po-Tsun; Lin, Chien-Ju; Jou, I-Ming; Chieh, Hsiao-Feng; Su, Fong-Chin; Kuo, Li-Chieh

2013-01-01

Most trigger digit (TD) patients complain that they have problems using their hand in daily or occupational tasks due to single or multiple digits being affected. Unfortunately, clinicians do not know much about how this disease affects the subtle force coordination among digits during manipulation. Thus, this study examined the differences in force patterns during cylindrical grasp between TD and healthy subjects. Forty-two TD patients with single digit involvement were included and sorted into four groups based on the involved digits, including thumb, index, middle and ring fingers. Twelve healthy subjects volunteered as healthy controls. Two testing tasks, holding and drinking, were performed by natural grasping with minimal forces. The relations between the force of the thumb and each finger were examined by Pearson correlation coefficients. The force amount and contribution of each digit were compared between healthy controls and each TD group by the independent t test. The results showed all TD groups demonstrated altered correlation patterns of the thumb relative to each finger. Larger forces and higher contributions of the index finger were found during holding by patients with index finger involved, and also during drinking by patients with affected thumb and with affected middle finger. Although no triggering symptom occurred during grasping, the patients showed altered force patterns which may be related to the role of the affected digit in natural grasping function. In conclusion, even if only one digit was affected, the subtle force coordination of all the digits was altered during simple tasks among the TD patients. This study provides the information for the future studies to further comprehend the possible injuries secondary to the altered finger coordination and also to adopt suitable treatment strategies.

Aespoe Task Force on modelling of groundwater flow and transport of solutes. Review of Tasks 6A, 6B and 6B2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgkinson, David; Black, John

2005-03-01

This report forms part of an independent review of the specifications, execution and results of Task 6 of the Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes, which is seeking to provide a bridge between site characterization and performance assessment approaches to solute transport in fractured rock. The present report is concerned solely with Tasks 6b, 6b and 6b which relate to the transport of tracers on a 5-metre scale in Feature A at the TRUE-1 site. The task objectives, specifications and individual modelling team results are summarised and reviewed, and an evaluation of the overall exercise is presented. The report concludes with assessments of what has been learnt, the implications for the Task 6 objectives, and some possible future directions

Methodological recommendations for cognition trials in bipolar disorder by the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Targeting Cognition Task Force

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miskowiak, K W; Burdick, K E; Martinez-Aran, A

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To aid the development of treatment for cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder, the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) convened a task force to create a consensus-based guidance paper for the methodology and design of cognition trials in bipolar disorder. METHODS...... symptoms and concomitant medication. Task force recommendations are to: (i) enrich trials with objectively measured cognitively impaired patients; (ii) generally select a broad cognitive composite score as the primary outcome and a functional measure as a key secondary outcome; and (iii) include remitted...... of treatments to illness stage and using a multimodal approach. CONCLUSIONS: This ISBD task force guidance paper provides the first consensus-based recommendations for cognition trials in bipolar disorder. Adherence to these recommendations will likely improve the sensitivity in detecting treatment efficacy...

Utilizing data consortia to monitor safety and effectiveness of biosimilars and their innovator products.

Science.gov (United States)

Baldziki, Mike; Brown, Jeff; Chan, Hungching; Cheetham, T Craig; Conn, Thomas; Daniel, Gregory W; Hendrickson, Mark; Hilbrich, Lutz; Johnson, Ayanna; Miller, Steven B; Moore, Tom; Motheral, Brenda; Priddy, Sarah A; Raebel, Marsha A; Randhawa, Gurvaneet; Surratt, Penny; Walraven, Cheryl; White, T Jeff; Bruns, Kevin; Carden, Mary Jo; Dragovich, Charlie; Eichelberger, Bernadette; Rosato, Edith; Sega, Todd

2015-01-01

The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act, introduced as part of the Affordable Care Act, directed the FDA to create an approval pathway for biologic products shown to be biosimilar or interchangeable with an FDA-approved innovator drug. These biosimilars will not be chemically identical to the reference agent. Investigational studies conducted with biosimilar agents will likely provide limited real-world evidence of their effectiveness and safety. How do we best monitor effectiveness and safety of biosimilar products once approved by the FDA and used more extensively by patients? To determine the feasibility of developing a distributed research network that will use health insurance plan and health delivery system data to detect biosimilar safety and effectiveness signals early and be able to answer important managed care pharmacy questions from both the government and managed care organizations. Twenty-one members of the AMCP Task Force on Biosimilar Collective Intelligence Systems met November 12, 2013, to discuss issues involved in designing this consortium and to explore next steps. The task force concluded that a managed care biosimilars research consortium would be of significant value. Task force members agreed that it is best to use a distributed research network structurally similar to existing DARTNet, HMO Research Network, and Mini-Sentinel consortia. However, for some surveillance projects that it undertakes, the task force recognizes it may need supplemental data from managed care and other sources (i.e., a "hybrid" structure model). The task force believes that AMCP is well positioned to lead the biosimilar-monitoring effort and that the next step to developing a biosimilar-innovator collective intelligence system is to convene an advisory council to address organizational governance.

Quadriceps force and anterior tibial force occur obviously later than vertical ground reaction force: a simulation study

OpenAIRE

Ueno, Ryo; Ishida, Tomoya; Yamanaka, Masanori; Taniguchi, Shohei; Ikuta, Ryohei; Samukawa, Mina; Saito, Hiroshi; Tohyama, Harukazu

2017-01-01

Background: Although it is well known that quadriceps force generates anterior tibial force, it has been unclear whether quadriceps force causes great anterior tibial force during the early phase of a landing task. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the quadriceps force induced great anterior tibial force during the early phase of a landing task. Methods: Fourteen young, healthy, female subjects performed a single-leg landing task. Muscle force and anterior tibial force w...

Quality assurance task force, an interagency cooperative approach to assess quality of environmental data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albin, L.M.; Mooney, R.R.; Erickson, J.L.; Conklin, A.W.

1990-01-01

In 1985, the Washington State Legislature charged the Department of Social and Health Services' Office of Radiation Protection with reviewing, evaluating and improving environmental monitoring programs within the state. Special emphasis was placed on the Hanford Site in Richland. Government and private organizations involved in monitoring radiation effects on the environment were asked to advise and support the State of Washington. Together, these organizations formed the Environmental Radiation Quality Assurance Task Force for the Pacific Northwest. Data on radiation levels are collected by the various organizations and compared. If findings are not consistent, the Task Force investigates and makes recommendations for long-term solutions. Thus, a system of checks and balances is created, enhancing the credibility of the various monitoring programs. Efficiency in use of resources is increased because overlap and duplication by different monitoring agencies are minimized

Responses to comments received on the draft final report of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Task Force on Radioactive Waste Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The Task Force solicited comments on its Draft Final Report from a variety of sources. Letters were sent to over 400 individuals who had expressed interest in the interest in the Department's radioactive waste, management programs, a notice was placed in the Federal Register, the morning session of the January 1993 meeting of the full Secretary of Energy Advisory Board was given over to discussion of the draft, and Task Force members and staff presented the effort at several professional meetings. Altogether 32 written comments were received. They are reproduced here, followed in each case by the Task Force's response to specific suggestions made to improve the draft. (The panel did not respond to comments that simply reflected policy preferences or that praised the group's effort.) With one exception, those specific suggestions are highlighted and given a letter designation from open-quotes Aclose quotes to open-quotes Zclose quotes. The Task Force's responses, written in the Fall 1993, are labeled in a like manner. For the one exception, a comments submitted by Judy Treichel, the Task Force's response is printed on copies of her annotated pages

Implementation of a three degree of freedom, motor/brake hybrid force output device for virtual environment control tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Russo, Massimo; Tadros, Alfred; Flowers, Woodie; Zeltzer, David

1991-01-01

The advent of high resolution, physical model based computer graphics has left a gap in the design of input/output technology appropriate for interacting with such complex virtual world models. Since virtual worlds consist of physical models, it is appropriate to output the inherent force information necessary for the simulation to the user. The detailed design, construction, and control of a three degree freedom force output joystick will be presented. A novel kinematic design allows all three axes to be uncoupled, so that the system inertia matrix is diagonal. The two planar axes are actuated through an offset gimbal, and the third through a sleeved cable. To compensate for friction and inertia effects, this transmission is controlled by a force feedforward and a closed force feedback proportional loop. Workspace volume is a cone of 512 cubic inches, and the device bandwidth is maximized at 60 Hz for the two planar and 30 Hz for the third axis. Each axis is controlled by a motor/proportional magnetic particle brake combination fixed to the base. The innovative use of motors and brakes allows objects with high resistive torque requirements to be simulated without the stability and related safety issues involved with high torque, energy storing motors alone. Position, velocity, and applied endpoint force are sensed directly. Different control strategies are discussed and implemented, with an emphasis on how virtual environment force information, generated by the MIT Media Lab Computer Graphics and Animation Group BOLIO system, is transmitted to the device controller. The design constraints for a kinesthetic force feedback device can be summarized as: How can the symbiosis between the sense of presence in the virtual environment be maximized without compromising the interaction task under the constraints of the mechanical device limitations? Research in this field will yield insights to the optimal human sensory feedback mix for a wide spectrum of control and

The American Psychological Association Task Force assessment of violent video games: Science in the service of public interest.

Science.gov (United States)

Calvert, Sandra L; Appelbaum, Mark; Dodge, Kenneth A; Graham, Sandra; Nagayama Hall, Gordon C; Hamby, Sherry; Fasig-Caldwell, Lauren G; Citkowicz, Martyna; Galloway, Daniel P; Hedges, Larry V

2017-01-01

A task force of experts was convened by the American Psychological Association (APA) to update the knowledge and policy about the impact of violent video game use on potential adverse outcomes. This APA Task Force on Media Violence examined the existing literature, including the meta-analyses in the field, since the last APA report on media violence in 2005. Because the most recent meta-analyses were published in 2010 and reflected work through 2009, the task force conducted a search of the published studies from 2009-2013. These recently published articles were scored and assessed by a systematic evidentiary review, followed by a meta-analysis of the high utility studies, as documented in the evidentiary review. Consistent with the literature that we reviewed, we found that violent video game exposure was associated with: an increased composite aggression score; increased aggressive behavior; increased aggressive cognitions; increased aggressive affect, increased desensitization, and decreased empathy; and increased physiological arousal. The size of the effects was similar to that in prior meta-analyses, suggesting a stable result. Our task force concluded that violent video game use is a risk factor for adverse outcomes, but found insufficient studies to examine any potential link between violent video game use and delinquency or criminal behavior. Our technical report is the basis of this article. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Stress influences decisions to break a safety rule in a complex simulation task in females.

Science.gov (United States)

Starcke, Katrin; Brand, Matthias; Kluge, Annette

2016-07-01

The current study examines the effects of acutely induced laboratory stress on a complex decision-making task, the Waste Water Treatment Simulation. Participants are instructed to follow a certain decision rule according to safety guidelines. Violations of this rule are associated with potential high rewards (working faster and earning more money) but also with the risk of a catastrophe (an explosion). Stress was induced with the Trier Social Stress Test while control participants underwent a non-stress condition. In the simulation task, stressed females broke the safety rule more often than unstressed females: χ(2) (1, N=24)=10.36, pbreak the safety rule because stressed female participants focused on the potential high gains while they neglected the risk of potential negative consequences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Probabilistic information on object weight shapes force dynamics in a grip-lift task.

Science.gov (United States)

Trampenau, Leif; Kuhtz-Buschbeck, Johann P; van Eimeren, Thilo

2015-06-01

Advance information, such as object weight, size and texture, modifies predictive scaling of grip forces in a grip-lift task. Here, we examined the influence of probabilistic advance information about object weight. Fifteen healthy volunteers repeatedly grasped and lifted an object equipped with a force transducer between their thumb and index finger. Three clearly distinguishable object weights were used. Prior to each lift, the probabilities for the three object weights were given by a visual cue. We examined the effect of probabilistic pre-cues on grip and lift force dynamics. We expected predictive scaling of grip force parameters to follow predicted values calculated according to probabilistic contingencies of the cues. We observed that probabilistic cues systematically influenced peak grip and load force rates, as an index of predictive motor scaling. However, the effects of probabilistic cues on force rates were nonlinear, and anticipatory adaptations of the motor output generally seemed to overestimate high probabilities and underestimate low probabilities. These findings support the suggestion that anticipatory adaptations and force scaling of the motor system can integrate probabilistic information. However, probabilistic information seems to influence motor programs in a nonlinear fashion.

77 FR 71471 - Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development; Notice of Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-30

... contracting opportunities; (3) Increase the integrity of certifications of status as a small business; (4... SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration. ACTION: Notice of open Federal Interagency...

Radiological protection. Responsibility of the Safety Engineering Company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Netto, A.L.

1987-01-01

This subject takes care of the Safety Engineering at the Radiologic Protection area on the X and Gama Rays Services. It mainly emphasis the case of that companies that, due do not have proper X and Gama Rays Services utilize partime task force on this area, but answer themselves for the safety of their employees in case of any accident occurence. (author) [pt

Modeling good research practices--overview: a report of the ISPOR-SMDM Modeling Good Research Practices Task Force--1.

Science.gov (United States)

Caro, J Jaime; Briggs, Andrew H; Siebert, Uwe; Kuntz, Karen M

2012-01-01

Models--mathematical frameworks that facilitate estimation of the consequences of health care decisions--have become essential tools for health technology assessment. Evolution of the methods since the first ISPOR Modeling Task Force reported in 2003 has led to a new Task Force, jointly convened with the Society for Medical Decision Making, and this series of seven articles presents the updated recommendations for best practices in conceptualizing models; implementing state-transition approaches, discrete event simulations, or dynamic transmission models; and dealing with uncertainty and validating and reporting models transparently. This overview article introduces the work of the Task Force, provides all the recommendations, and discusses some quandaries that require further elucidation. The audience for these articles includes those who build models, stakeholders who utilize their results, and, indeed, anyone concerned with the use of models to support decision making. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

American Association for Emergency Psychiatry Task Force on Medical Clearance of Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eric L. Anderson

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In the United States, the number of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED for a mental health concern is significant and expected to grow. The breadth of the medical evaluation of these patients is controversial. Attempts have been made to establish a standard evaluation for these patients, but to date no nationally accepted standards exist. A task force of the American Association of Emergency Psychiatry, consisting of physicians from emergency medicine and psychiatry, and a psychologist was convened to form consensus recommendations on the medical evaluation of psychiatric patients presenting to EDs. Methods: The task force reviewed existing literature on the topic of medical evaluation of psychiatric patients in the ED (Part I and then combined this with expert consensus (Part II. Results: In Part I, we discuss terminological issues and existing evidence on medical exams and laboratory studies of psychiatric patients in the ED. Conclusion: Emergency physicians should work cooperatively with psychiatric receiving facilities to decrease unnecessary testing while increasing the quality of medical screening exams for psychiatric patients who present to EDs. [West J Emerg Med. 2017;18(2235-242.

Psychophysically determined forces of dynamic pushing for female industrial workers: Comparison of two apparatuses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciriello, Vincent M; Maikala, Rammohan V; Dempsey, Patrick G; O'Brien, Niall V

2010-01-01

Using psychophysics, the maximum acceptable forces for pushing have been previously developed using a magnetic particle brake (MPB) treadmill at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety. The objective of this study was to investigate the reproducibility of maximum acceptable initial and sustained forces while performing a pushing task at a frequency of 1min(-1) both on a MPB treadmill and on a high-inertia pushcart. This is important because our pushing guidelines are used extensively as a ergonomic redesign strategy and we would like the information to be as applicable as possible to cart pushing. On two separate days, nineteen female industrial workers performed a 40-min MPB treadmill pushing task and a 2-hr pushcart task, in the context of a larger experiment. During pushing, the subjects were asked to select a workload they could sustain for 8h without "straining themselves or without becoming unusually tired, weakened, overheated or out of breath." The results demonstrated that maximum acceptable initial and sustained forces of pushing determined on the high inertia pushcart were 0.8% and 2.5% lower than the MPB treadmill. The results also show that the maximum acceptable sustained force of the MPB treadmill task was 0.5% higher than the maximum acceptable sustained force of Snook and Ciriello (1991). Overall, the findings confirm that the existing pushing data developed by the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety still provides an accurate estimate of maximal acceptable forces for the selected combination of distance and frequency of push for female industrial workers.

Task Force on Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) and Non-criteria APS Manifestations (II): thrombocytopenia and skin manifestations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cervera, R; Tektonidou, M G; Espinosa, G; Cabral, A R; González, E B; Erkan, D; Vadya, S; Adrogué, H E; Solomon, M; Zandman-Goddard, G; Shoenfeld, Y

2011-02-01

The objectives of the 'Task Force on Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) and Non-criteria APS Manifestations' were to assess the clinical utility of the international consensus statement on classification criteria and treatment guidelines for the catastrophic APS, to identify and grade the studies that analyze the relationship between the antiphospholipid antibodies and the non-criteria APS manifestations, and to present the current evidence regarding the accuracy of these non-criteria APS manifestations for the detection of patients with APS. This article summarizes the studies analyzed on thrombocytopenia and skin manifestations, and presents the recommendations elaborated by the Task Force after this analysis.

Adapting Cognitive Task Analysis to Investigate Clinical Decision Making and Medication Safety Incidents.

Science.gov (United States)

Russ, Alissa L; Militello, Laura G; Glassman, Peter A; Arthur, Karen J; Zillich, Alan J; Weiner, Michael

2017-05-03

Cognitive task analysis (CTA) can yield valuable insights into healthcare professionals' cognition and inform system design to promote safe, quality care. Our objective was to adapt CTA-the critical decision method, specifically-to investigate patient safety incidents, overcome barriers to implementing this method, and facilitate more widespread use of cognitive task analysis in healthcare. We adapted CTA to facilitate recruitment of healthcare professionals and developed a data collection tool to capture incidents as they occurred. We also leveraged the electronic health record (EHR) to expand data capture and used EHR-stimulated recall to aid reconstruction of safety incidents. We investigated 3 categories of medication-related incidents: adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions, and drug-disease interactions. Healthcare professionals submitted incidents, and a subset of incidents was selected for CTA. We analyzed several outcomes to characterize incident capture and completed CTA interviews. We captured 101 incidents. Eighty incidents (79%) met eligibility criteria. We completed 60 CTA interviews, 20 for each incident category. Capturing incidents before interviews allowed us to shorten the interview duration and reduced reliance on healthcare professionals' recall. Incorporating the EHR into CTA enriched data collection. The adapted CTA technique was successful in capturing specific categories of safety incidents. Our approach may be especially useful for investigating safety incidents that healthcare professionals "fix and forget." Our innovations to CTA are expected to expand the application of this method in healthcare and inform a wide range of studies on clinical decision making and patient safety.

WAG 2 remedial investigation and site investigation site-specific work plan/health and safety checklist for the soil and sediment task

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holt, V.L.; Burgoa, B.B.

1993-12-01

This document is a site-specific work plan/health and safety checklist (WP/HSC) for a task of the Waste Area Grouping 2 Remedial Investigation and Site Investigation (WAG 2 RI ampersand SI). Title 29 CFR Part 1910.120 requires that a health and safety program plan that includes site- and task-specific information be completed to ensure conformance with health- and safety-related requirements. To meet this requirement, the health and safety program plan for each WAG 2 RI ampersand SI field task must include (1) the general health and safety program plan for all WAG 2 RI ampersand SI field activities and (2) a WP/HSC for that particular field task. These two components, along with all applicable referenced procedures, must be kept together at the work site and distributed to field personnel as required. The general health and safety program plan is the Health and Safety Plan for the Remedial Investigation and Site Investigation of Waste Area Grouping 2 at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ORNL/ER-169). The WP/HSCs are being issued as supplements to ORNL/ER-169

Investigation of force, contact area, and dwell time in finger-tapping tasks on membrane touch interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Na; Yu, Ruifeng

2018-06-01

This study aimed to determine the touch characteristics during tapping tasks on membrane touch interface and investigate the effects of posture and gender on touch characteristics variables. One hundred participants tapped digits displayed on a membrane touch interface on sitting and standing positions using all fingers of the dominant hand. Touch characteristics measures included average force, contact area, and dwell time. Across fingers and postures, males exerted larger force and contact area than females, but similar dwell time. Across genders and postures, thumb exerted the largest force and the force of the other four fingers showed no significant difference. The contact area of the thumb was the largest, whereas that of the little finger was the smallest; the dwell time of the thumb was the longest, whereas that of the middle finger was the shortest. Relationships among finger sizes, gender, posture and touch characteristics were proposed. The findings helped direct membrane touch interface design for digital and numerical control products from hardware and software perspectives. Practitioner Summary: This study measured force, contact area, and dwell time in tapping tasks on membrane touch interface and examined effects of gender and posture on force, contact area, and dwell time. The findings will direct membrane touch interface design for digital and numerical control products from hardware and software perspectives.

Two citizen task forces and the challenge of the evolving nuclear waste siting process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peelle, E.B.

1990-01-01

Siting any nuclear waste facility is problematic in today's climate of distrust toward nuclear agencies and fear of nuclear waste. This study compares and contrasts the siting and public participation processes as two citizen task forces dealt with their difficult responsibilities. 10 refs., 3 tabs

Robot task space analyzer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamel, W.R.; Osborn, J.

1997-01-01

Many nuclear projects such as environmental restoration and waste management challenges involve radiation or other hazards that will necessitate the use of remote operations that protect human workers from dangerous exposures. Remote work is far more costly to execute than what workers could accomplish directly with conventional tools and practices because task operations are slow and tedious due to difficulties of remote manipulation and viewing. Decades of experience within the nuclear remote operations community show that remote tasks may take hundreds of times longer than hands-on work; even with state-of-the-art force- reflecting manipulators and television viewing, remote task performance execution is five to ten times slower than equivalent direct contact work. Thus the requirement to work remotely is a major cost driver in many projects. Modest improvements in the work efficiency of remote systems can have high payoffs by reducing the completion time of projects. Additional benefits will accrue from improved work quality and enhanced safety

Summary of 21st joint EU-US transport task force workshop.

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mantica, P.; Bourdelle, C.; Camenen, Y.; Dejarnac, Renaud; Evans, T.; Görler, T.; Hillesheim, J.; Idomura, Y.; Jakubowski, M.; Ricci, P.; White, A.

2017-01-01

Roč. 57, č. 8 (2017), č. článku 087001. ISSN 0029-5515. [Joint EU-US Transport Task Force workshop/21./. Leysin, 05.09.2016-08.09.2016] EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 633053 - EUROfusion Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : transport * confinement * turbulence Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics OBOR OECD: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) Impact factor: 3.307, year: 2016 http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1741-4326/aa753f/meta

Final Report: ATLAS Phase-2 Tracker Upgrade Layout Task Force

CERN Document Server

Clark, A; The ATLAS collaboration; Hessey, N; Mättig, P; Styles, N; Wells, P; Burdin, S; Cornelissen, T; Todorov, T; Vankov, P; Watson, I; Wenig, S

2012-01-01

he mandate of the Upgrade Layout Task Force was to develop a benchmark layout proposal for the ATLAS Phase-2 Upgrade Letter of Intent (LOI), due in late 2012. The work described in this note has evolved from simulation and design studies made using an earlier "UTOPIA" upgrade tracker layout, and experience gained from the current ATLAS Inner Detector during the first years of data taking. The layout described in this document, called the LoI-layout, will be used as a benchmark layout for the LoI and will be used for simulation and engineering studies described in the LoI.

Operational safety improvement in OPR 1000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Y.-E.

2005-01-01

Nuclear power operating experience management might be an important factor for the operational safety improvement. KHNP's nuclear information management system, called KONIS receives, distributes and manages all nuclear information from domestic and foreign, especially operating experience. Ulchin 3 and 4, the first units of OPR 1000 series operates several organizations regarding management of operating experience e.g. specialist group program, various task forces, equipment specialist system for operator, etc. Peer review is another contribution for nuclear safety. (author)

DOD Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Afghanistan: Review of Selected Expenditures Highlights Serious Management and Oversight Problems

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-15

execute projects and programs, but rather to advise DOD entities on ways to improve contracting processes and procedures. The memorandum establishing the...Task Force stated, “The Task Force will not be responsible for contracting, but will advise existing DoD contracting offices on improved...including the fact that the AGS did not appear to screen the trainees it nominated , resulting in the majority of the trainees being functionally

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss) (EGPA) Consensus Task Force recommendations for evaluation and management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groh, Matthieu; Pagnoux, Christian; Baldini, Chiara; Bel, Elisabeth; Bottero, Paolo; Cottin, Vincent; Dalhoff, Klaus; Dunogué, Bertrand; Gross, Wolfgang; Holle, Julia; Humbert, Marc; Jayne, David; Jennette, J. Charles; Lazor, Romain; Mahr, Alfred; Merkel, Peter A.; Mouthon, Luc; Sinico, Renato Alberto; Specks, Ulrich; Vaglio, Augusto; Wechsler, Michael E.; Cordier, Jean-François; Guillevin, Loïc

2015-01-01

To develop disease-specific recommendations for the diagnosis and management of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss syndrome) (EGPA). The EGPA Consensus Task Force experts comprised 8 pulmonologists, 6 internists, 4 rheumatologists, 3 nephrologists, 1 pathologist and 1

Timing and extent of finger force enslaving during a dynamic force task cannot be explained by EMG activity patterns.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mojtaba Mirakhorlo

Full Text Available Finger enslaving is defined as the inability of the fingers to move or to produce force independently. Such finger enslaving has predominantly been investigated for isometric force tasks. The aim of this study was to assess whether the extent of force enslaving is dependent on relative finger movements. Ten right-handed subjects (22-30 years flexed the index finger while counteracting constant resistance forces (4, 6 and 8 N orthogonal to the fingertip. The other, non-instructed fingers were held in extension. EMG activities of the mm. flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS and extensor digitorum (ED in the regions corresponding to the index, middle and ring fingers were measured. Forces exerted by the non-instructed fingers increased substantially (by 0.2 to 1.4 N with flexion of the index finger, increasing the enslaving effect with respect to the static, pre-movement phase. Such changes in force were found 260-370 ms after the initiation of index flexion. The estimated MCP joint angle of the index finger at which forces exerted by the non-instructed fingers started to increase varied between 4° and 6°. In contrast to the finger forces, no significant changes in EMG activity of the FDS regions corresponding to the non-instructed fingers upon index finger flexion were found. This mismatch between forces and EMG of the non-instructed fingers, as well as the delay in force development are in agreement with connective tissue linkages being slack when the positions of the fingers are similar, but pulled taut when one finger moves relative to the others. Although neural factors cannot be excluded, our results suggest that mechanical connections between muscle-tendon structures were (at least partly responsible for the observed increase in force enslaving during index finger flexion.

Unresolved safety issues: where do we go from here

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aycock, M.B.

1980-01-01

Section 210 of the Energy reorganization Act of 1974, as amended requires the NRC to develop a program for resolving Unresolved Safety Issues related to nuclear power plants. Seventeen Unresolved Safety Issues were identified by the NRC in 1978 and by early 1979 the NRC Unresolved Safety Issues Program was quickly becoming a well defined and manageable effort. Although, the Three Mile Island accident caused the momentum developed in early 1979 to be lost, efforts on ongoing generic tasks were continued by a special NRC Task Force established in June 1979. The momentum that was lost must be regained, however, if the Congressional mandate in Section 210 is to be met. With increased industry involvement and the marriage of the Unresolved Safety Issues Program with the improved and broader safety program development, audit and evaluation activities of the new NRR Division of Safety Technology, this should be possible

Influence of Force and Torque Feedback on Operator Performance in a VR-Based Suturing Task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Santos-Carreras

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The introduction of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS has revolutionised surgical care, considerably improving the quality of many surgical procedures. Technological advances, particularly in robotic surgery systems, have reduced the complexity of such an approach, paving the way for even less invasive surgical trends. However, the fact that haptic feedback has been progressively lost through this transition is an issue that to date has not been solved. Whereas traditional open surgery provides full haptic feedback, the introduction of MIS has eliminated the possibility of direct palpation and tactile exploration. Nevertheless, these procedures still provide a certain amount of force feedback through the rigid laparoscopic tool. Many of the current telemanipulated robotic surgical systems in return do not provide full haptic feedback, which to a certain extent can be explained by the requirement of force sensors integrated into the tools of the slave robot and actuators in the surgeon’s master console. In view of the increased complexity and cost, the benefit of haptic feedback is open to dispute. Nevertheless, studies have shown the importance of haptic feedback, especially when visual feedback is unreliable or absent. In order to explore the importance of haptic feedback for the surgeon’s master console of a novel teleoperated robotic surgical system, we have identified a typical surgical task where performance could potentially be improved by haptic feedback, and investigate performance with and without this feedback. Two rounds of experiments are performed with 10 subjects, six of them with a medical background. Results show that feedback conditions, including force feedback, significantly improve task performance independently of the operator’s suturing experience. There is, however, no further significant improvement when torque feedback is added. Consequently, it is deduced that force feedback in translations improves subject�

Evaluation of reliability assurance approaches to operational nuclear safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, C.J.; Bezella, W.A.

1984-01-01

This report discusses the results of research to evaluate existing and/or recommended safety/reliability assurance activities among nuclear and other high technology industries for potential nuclear industry implementation. Since the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident, there has been increased interest in the use of reliability programs (RP) to assure the performance of nuclear safety systems throughout the plant's lifetime. Recently, several Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) task forces or safety issue review groups have recommended RPs for assuring the continuing safety of nuclear reactor plants. 18 references

Proposal for the establishment of an emergency radioactive waste task force in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tello, C.C.O.; Silva, E.M.P.; Prado, M.A.S.

1998-01-01

A radioactive waste task force set up specifically for emergency situations would act immediately following the report of a radiological accident in order to avoid or minimize the possible radioactive waste arising from these situations. The aims of this group of specialists would be to alleviate the environmental, economical, and social impacts imposed by these situations on present and future generations. (author)

Space station operations task force. Panel 3 report: User development and integration

Science.gov (United States)

1987-01-01

The User Development and Integration Panel of the Space Station Operations Task Force was chartered to develop concepts relating to the operations of the Space Station manned base and the platforms, user accommodation and integration activities. The needs of the user community are addressed in the context with the mature operations phase of the Space Station. Issues addressed include space station pricing options, marketing strategies, payload selection and resource allocation options, and manifesting techniques.

Methodological recommendations for cognition trials in bipolar disorder by the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Targeting Cognition Task Force

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miskowiak, K W; Burdick, K E; Martinez-Aran, A

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To aid the development of treatment for cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder, the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) convened a task force to create a consensus-based guidance paper for the methodology and design of cognition trials in bipolar disorder. METHODS...... of treatments to illness stage and using a multimodal approach. CONCLUSIONS: This ISBD task force guidance paper provides the first consensus-based recommendations for cognition trials in bipolar disorder. Adherence to these recommendations will likely improve the sensitivity in detecting treatment efficacy...

The OMERACT ultrasound task force -- Advances and priorities.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

D'Agostino, Maria-Antonietta

2009-08-01

This article reports the most recent work of the OMERACT Ultrasound Task Force (post OMERACT 8) and highlights of future research priorities discussed at the OMERACT 9 meeting, Kananaskis, Canada, May 2008. Results of 3 studies were presented: (1) assessing intermachine reliability; (2) applying the scoring system developed in the hand to other joints most commonly affected in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); and (3) assessing interobserver reliability on a deep target joint (shoulder). Results demonstrated good intermachine reliability between multiple examiners, and good applicability of the scoring system for the hand on other joints (including shoulder). Study conclusions were discussed and a future research agenda was generated, notably the further development of a Global OMERACT Sonography Scoring (GLOSS) system in RA, emphasizing the importance of testing feasibility and added value over standard clinical variables. Future disease areas of importance to develop include a scoring system for enthesitis and osteoarthritis.

A task management system for compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crump, J.J.; O'Gorman, T.P.

1992-01-01

Shell Western E and P Inc. (SWEPI) has developed a new computer system to help it comply with health, safety, and environmental (HS and E) regulations. It is a task management system that functions at the detailed inventory level. It schedules work, instructs operations, and records compliance status. This article discusses design and development of the system

Changes in ground reaction force during a rebound-jump task after hip strength training for single-sided ankle dorsiflexion restriction.

Science.gov (United States)

Kondo, Hitoshi; Someya, Fujiko

2016-01-01

[Purpose] Lateral ankle sprains are common injuries suffered while playing sports, and abnormal forward- and inward-directed ground reaction force occurs during a jumping task. However, the influence of hip muscle strength training on jumping performance after ankle injuries has not been fully examined. This study thus examined changes in ground reaction force during a rebound-jump task after training to strengthen hip muscles. [Subjects and Methods] Ten of 30 female high school basketball players were assigned as subjects who showed a difference of 7 or more degrees in dorsiflexion ranges between the bilateral ankles. The subjects underwent 12 weeks of training to strengthen hip abductors and external rotators. Comparisons between before and after training were made regarding ground reaction force components, hip and knee joint angles, percentage of maximum voluntary contraction in leg muscles, and muscle strength of hip muscles during the rebound-jump task. [Results] After training, the subjects showed increased strength of external rotator muscles, increased percentage of maximum voluntary contraction in the gluteus medius muscle, decreased inward ground reaction force, and increased flexion angles of the hip and knee joints. [Conclusion] This study suggests that training to strengthen hip muscles may ameliorate the inward ground reaction force in athletes with ankle dorsiflexion restriction.

Million Hearts 2022: Understanding the Links between Environmental Pollutant Exposure and Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events - Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

The webinar was requested by the Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force. From their website, “The task force was established in 1995 in North Carolina to provide statewide leadership for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. Meetings are...

Cold Lake-Beaver River water management study update: Report of the Cold Lake Regional Water Management Task Force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The Cold Lake Regional Water Management Task Force was formed in 1992, comprising representatives from local governments, aboriginal groups, the oil industry, and the public. The Task Force's mandate was to advise Alberta Environmental Protection on updating the Cold Lake-Beaver River Water Management Plan, taking into acocunt the views and concerns of the public, industry, and local governments. Industrial water use was found to be the key issue to be addressed in the plan update, so the Task Force focused on reviewing industrial water supply options and developing recommendations on the appropriate water supply to meet long-term requirements. A subcommittee was established to monitor groundwater use by the heavy oil industry. This committee took readings at Imperial Oil's water production and observation wells on a biweekly basis. Nine options for supplying industrial water requirements were examined and evaluated using criteria including supply reliability, economic factors, and impacts on other users and the environment. The Task Force found that the preferred source of water for industrial use is the North Saskatchewan River, to be accessed by a water pipeline. The second and less desirable source of water for industrial use would be a system of weirs on Cold or Primrose Lakes and Wolf Lake, supplemented by the use of brackish water to the maximum extent possible. In the interim, industry was recommended to maximize its use of brackish water and continue to use surface and ground water within existing license limits. Other recommendations were to form provincial or regional boards to oversee water use and issue water licenses, to treat water as a resource, and to establish a fee for industrial use of water. 3 figs., 5 tabs

Aespoe Task Force on modelling of groundwater flow and transport of solutes. Review of Task 6C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, John; Hodgkinson, David

2005-03-01

This report forms part of an independent review of the specifications, execution and results of Task 6 of the Aespoe Task Force on Modelling of Groundwater Flow and Transport of Solutes, which is seeking to provide a bridge between site characterization (SC) and performance assessment (PA) approaches to solute transport in fractured rock. The present report is concerned solely with Task 6C, which relates to the construction and parametrisation of a block-scale hydrostructural model of the TRUE Block Scale region of the Aespoe Hard Rock laboratory. The task objectives, specifications and outcome are summarised and reviewed. Also, consideration is given to how the hydrostructural model might affect the outcomes of Task 6D and 6E. The main conclusions of this review are summarised below: The Task 6C hydrostructural model is a more comprehensive approach to quantitatively describing a volume of fractured rock than has been achieved hitherto. The idea of including solute retention characteristics as indices attached to individual fractures is an efficient device resulting in a whole volume of fractured rock described by a few spreadsheets. The hydrostructural model is clearly defined and provides a useful test bed for Tasks 6D and 6E. It would have been beneficial if the specifications for Task 6C had been more clearly defined as a hierarchy of requirements, and performance measures had been defined and evaluated to allow comparison of alternative approaches. The device used to reduce connectivity, namely reducing the average size of background fractures, has the effect of producing a final model with an 'unnatural' gap in the overall distribution of fracture sizes. It appears that the exploratory boreholes could be important conductive structures within the region of the 200 m block even though they are segmented into shorter sections by packers. If correct, this implies that the boreholes should be included explicitly in the model if close replication of TRUE Block

Institutional Response to Ohio's Campus Safety Initiatives: A Post-Virginia Tech Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Natalie Jo

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine how institutions of higher education were responding to unprecedented state involvement in campus safety planning and policymaking in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Focused on Ohio, a state in which a state-level task force was convened and charged to promulgate campus safety recommendations…

2015 E-Truck Task Force: Key Barriers Affecting E-Truck Adoption, Industry and Policy Implications, and Recommendations to Move the Market Forward

OpenAIRE

Brotherton, Tom; Gilde, Alycia; Tomic, Jasna

2016-01-01

CALSTART’s E-Truck Task Force (ETTF) produced a report outlining the markets for electric drive trucks (E-Trucks), the prime barriers facing their success and provided key findings and recommendations to support expanding E-Truck adoption. Four key findings have been identified by the E-Truck Task Force as barriers currently affecting the growth and viability of E-Truck sales

Report of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2005-01-01

... Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004. Congress directed the Task Force to assess and make recommendations concerning how the Departments of the Army and the Navy may more effectively address sexual harassment and assault at the United...

International Society for Bipolar Disorders Task Force on Suicide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schaffer, Ayal; Isometsä, Erkki T; Tondo, Leonardo

2015-01-01

significantly associated with suicide attempts were: female gender, younger age at illness onset, depressive polarity of first illness episode, depressive polarity of current or most recent episode, comorbid anxiety disorder, any comorbid substance use disorder, alcohol use disorder, any illicit substance use......OBJECTIVES: Bipolar disorder is associated with a high risk of suicide attempts and suicide death. The main objective of the present study was to identify and quantify the demographic and clinical correlates of attempted and completed suicide in people with bipolar disorder. METHODS: Within...... the framework of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Task Force on Suicide, a systematic review of articles published since 1980, characterized by the key terms bipolar disorder and 'suicide attempts' or 'suicide', was conducted, and data extracted for analysis from all eligible articles...

The OMERACT ultrasound task force--status and perspectives.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Naredo, Esperanza

2011-09-01

This article reports the most recent work of the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Ultrasound Task Force, and highlights the future research priorities discussed at the OMERACT 10 meeting. Results of the following studies were presented: (1) intra- and interobserver reliability of ultrasound detecting and scoring synovitis in different joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); (2) systematic review of previous ultrasound scoring systems of synovitis in RA; (3) enthesitis systematic review and Delphi definition exercise in spondyloarthritis enthesitis; (4) enthesitis intra- and interobserver reliability exercise; and (5) Delphi definition exercise in hand osteoarthritis, and reliability exercises. Study conclusions were discussed, and a future research agenda was approved, notably further validation of an OMERACT ultrasound global synovitis score (GLOSS) in RA, emphasizing the importance of testing feasibility, predictive value, and added value over standard clinical variables. Future research areas will include validating scoring systems for enthesitis and osteoarthritis, and testing the metric qualities of ultrasound for evaluating tenosynovitis and structural damage in RA.

Report of the Task Force on the MRS/repository interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-02-01

In April 1985, the DOE established an MRS/repository interface task force to analyze the cost and schedule impacts of implementing an integrated waste-management system on the repository and the MRS facility. The intended end products of the study were preliminary conceptual designs of repository and MRS facilities, cost and schedule estimates, and other analyses that would advance the definition of the role and function of the MRS facility, support the preparation of the MRS proposal to Congress, and serve as a source of baseline data for further studies of the integrated waste-management system. From the general overall objectives, specific equations were developed to guide the task-force effort, e.g., What would the surface facilities at the repository look like and cost with an MRS facility in the system. In order to address these questions, five scenarios were defined and analyzed. (A number of other scenarios and associated issues were also explored to a lesser extent.) These five scenarios are as follows. Scenario 1: reference case (no MRS facility). Scenario 2: MRS facility with overpacking of both spent fuel and defense high-level waste. Scenario 3: MRS facility with overpacking of spent fuel only (defense-waste overpacking at the repository). Scenario 4: MRS facility with all overpacking at the repository. Scenario 5: MRS facility with all overpacking at the repository and western fuel shipped directly to the repository. It is apparent that, with such a limited set of scenarios, determination of the optimum system was not an objective of this study. Furthermore, time constraints limited the level of detail to which facility designs could be developed; this level can best be characterized as ''preconceptual.'' These limitations are, however, compatible with the intent of the study, which was to make general comparisons between the several systems on an internally consistent basis

Performance of repetitive tasks induces decreased grip strength and increased fibrogenic proteins in skeletal muscle: role of force and inflammation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samir M Abdelmagid

Full Text Available This study elucidates exposure-response relationships between performance of repetitive tasks, grip strength declines, and fibrogenic-related protein changes in muscles, and their link to inflammation. Specifically, we examined forearm flexor digitorum muscles for changes in connective tissue growth factor (CTGF; a matrix protein associated with fibrosis, collagen type I (Col1; a matrix component, and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFB1; an upstream modulator of CTGF and collagen, in rats performing one of two repetitive tasks, with or without anti-inflammatory drugs.To examine the roles of force versus repetition, rats performed either a high repetition negligible force food retrieval task (HRNF, or a high repetition high force handle-pulling task (HRHF, for up to 9 weeks, with results compared to trained only (TR-NF or TR-HF and normal control rats. Grip strength declined with both tasks, with the greatest declines in 9-week HRHF rats. Quantitative PCR (qPCR analyses of HRNF muscles showed increased expression of Col1 in weeks 3-9, and CTGF in weeks 6 and 9. Immunohistochemistry confirmed PCR results, and also showed greater increases of CTGF and collagen matrix in 9-week HRHF rats than 9-week HRNF rats. ELISA, and immunohistochemistry revealed greater increases of TGFB1 in TR-HF and 6-week HRHF, compared to 6-week HRNF rats. To examine the role of inflammation, results from 6-week HRHF rats were compared to rats receiving ibuprofen or anti-TNF-α treatment in HRHF weeks 4-6. Both treatments attenuated HRHF-induced increases in CTGF and fibrosis by 6 weeks of task performance. Ibuprofen attenuated TGFB1 increases and grip strength declines, matching our prior results with anti-TNFα.Performance of highly repetitive tasks was associated with force-dependent declines in grip strength and increased fibrogenic-related proteins in flexor digitorum muscles. These changes were attenuated, at least short-term, by anti-inflammatory treatments.

Technology-enhanced learning on campus: insights from EUNIS e-Learning Task Force

OpenAIRE

Ferrell, Gill; Alves, Paulo; Bubas, Goran; Engert, Steffi; Epelboin, Yves; Madey, Jan; Palma, José; Piteira, Martinha; Restivo, T.M.; Ribeiro, Ligia; Sidelmann Rossen, Dorte; Soares, Filomena; Uhomoibhi, James

2011-01-01

In 2010 the EUNIS e-Learning Task Force (ELTF) members collaborated on a review of tools and technologies in use across our member institutions. One of the key features of that paper was the use of technology to give off-campus learners, such as distance learners, those undertaking field studies and learners in the workplace a richly supported learning experience. Building on the success of that collaboration, the ELTF members have turned their attention this year to the use of technology on ...

Effects of age and content of augmented feedback on learning an isometric force-production task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dijk, Henk; Mulder, Theo; Hermens, Hermie J.

2007-01-01

This study addressed the interaction between age and the informational content of feedback on learning an isometric force-production task. Healthy men and women (30 young adults: 20 to 35 years; 30 older adults: 55 to 70 years) were randomly assigned to a certain type of feedback: knowledge of

Herself: Elle-Meme. Report of the Nova Scotia Task Force on the Status of Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Nova Scotia Task Force on the Status of Women, Halifax.

This report to the Canadian Government from the Nova Scotia Women's Task Force examines the social issues and problems pertaining to the women's movement in that province. Discussions are provided on the situations and attitudes toward homemakers, working women, marriage, divorce, child care, education, health, and political participation.…

The Androgen Excess and PCOS Society criteria for the polycystic ovary syndrome: the complete task force report.

Science.gov (United States)

Azziz, Ricardo; Carmina, Enrico; Dewailly, Didier; Diamanti-Kandarakis, Evanthia; Escobar-Morreale, Héctor F; Futterweit, Walter; Janssen, Onno E; Legro, Richard S; Norman, Robert J; Taylor, Ann E; Witchel, Selma F

2009-02-01

To review all available data and recommend a definition for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) based on published peer-reviewed data, whether already in use or not, to guide clinical diagnosis and future research. Literature review and expert consensus. Professional society. None. None. A systematic review of the published peer-reviewed medical literature, by querying MEDLINE databases, to identify studies evaluating the epidemiology or phenotypic aspects of PCOS. The Task Force drafted the initial report, following a consensus process via electronic communication, which was then reviewed and critiqued by the Androgen Excess and PCOS (AE-PCOS) Society AE-PCOS Board of Directors. No section was finalized until all members were satisfied with the contents, and minority opinions noted. Statements were not included that were not supported by peer-reviewed evidence. Based on the available data, it is the view of the AE-PCOS Society Task Force that PCOS should be defined by the presence of hyperandrogenism (clinical and/or biochemical), ovarian dysfunction (oligo-anovulation and/or polycystic ovaries), and the exclusion of related disorders. However, a minority considered the possibility that there may be forms of PCOS without overt evidence of hyperandrogenism, but recognized that more data are required before validating this supposition. Finally, the Task Force recognized and fully expects that the definition of this syndrome will evolve over time to incorporate new research findings.

Intensive care unit nurses' perceptions of safety after a highly specific safety intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Elder, N C; Brungs, S M; Nagy, M; Kudel, I; Render, M L

2008-02-01

It is unknown if successful changes in specific safety practices in the intensive care unit (ICU) generalize to broader concepts of patient safety by staff nurses. To explore perceptions of patient safety among nursing staff in ICUs following participation in a safety project that decreased hospital acquired infections. After implementation of practices that reduced catheter-related bloodstream infections in ICUs at four community hospitals, ICU nurses participated in focus groups to discuss patient safety. Audiotapes from the focus groups were transcribed, and two independent reviewers categorised the data which were triangulated with responses from selected questions of safety climate surveys and with the safety checklists used by management leadership on walk rounds. Thirty-three nurses attended eight focus groups; 92 nurses and managers completed safety climate surveys, and three separate leadership checklists were reviewed. In focus groups, nurses predominantly related patient safety to dangers in the physical environment (eg, bed rails, alarms, restraints, equipment, etc.) and to medication administration. These areas also represented 47% of checklist items from leadership walk rounds. Nurses most frequently mentioned self-initiated "double checking" as their main safety task. Focus-group participants and survey responses both noted inconsistency between management's verbal and written commitment compared with their day-to-day support of patient safety issues. ICU nurses who participated in a project to decrease hospital acquired infections did not generalize their experience to other aspects of patient safety or relate it to management's interest in patient safety. These findings are consistent with many adult learning theories, where self-initiated tasks, combined with immediate, but temporary problem-solving, are stronger learning forces than management-led activities with delayed feedback.

Overview of waste isoltaion safety assessment program and description of source term characterization task at PNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, D.

1977-01-01

A project is being conducted to develop and illustrate the methods and obtain the data necessary to assess the safety of long-term disposal of high-level radioactive waste in geologic formations. The methods and data will initially focus on generic geologic isolation systems but will ultimately be applied to the long-term safety assessment of specific candidate sites that are selected in the NWTS Program. The activities of waste isolation safety assessment (WISAP) are divided into six tasks: (1) Safety Assessment Concepts and Methods, (2) Disruptive Event Analysis, (3) Source Characterization, (4) Transport Modeling, (5) Transport Data and (6) Societal Acceptance

The health sciences librarian in medical education: a vital pathways project task force.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Diane G; Blobaum, Paul M; Shipman, Jean P; Markwell, Linda Garr; Marshall, Joanne Gard

2009-10-01

The Medical Education Task Force of the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians reviewed current and future roles of health sciences librarians in medical education at the graduate and undergraduate levels and worked with national organizations to integrate library services, education, and staff into the requirements for training medical students and residents. Standards for medical education accreditation programs were studied, and a literature search was conducted on the topic of the role of the health sciences librarian in medical education. Expectations for library and information services in current standards were documented, and a draft standard prepared. A comprehensive bibliography on the role of the health sciences librarian in medical education was completed, and an analysis of the services provided by health sciences librarians was created. An essential role and responsibility of the health sciences librarian will be to provide the health care professional with the skills needed to access, manage, and use library and information resources effectively. Validation and recognition of the health sciences librarian's contributions to medical education by accrediting agencies will be critical. The opportunity lies in health sciences librarians embracing the diverse roles that can be served in this vital activity, regardless of accrediting agency mandates.

Atypical subtrochanteric and diaphyseal femoral fractures: report of a task force of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shane, Elizabeth; Burr, David; Ebeling, Peter R

2010-01-01

Reports linking long-term use of bisphosphonates (BPs) with atypical fractures of the femur led the leadership of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) to appoint a task force to address key questions related to this problem. A multidisciplinary expert group reviewed pertinent...... published reports concerning atypical femur fractures, as well as preclinical studies that could provide insight into their pathogenesis. A case definition was developed so that subsequent studies report on the same condition. The task force defined major and minor features of complete and incomplete...

White paper from the ACR Task Force on Print Media in Radiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Duszak, Richard; Haines, G Rebecca; Van Duyn Wear, Vanessa; Lexa, Frank James; Bashir, Mustafa; D'Souza, Sharon; Carlos, Ruth; Chen, James Yen-Yu; King, Bernard F; Wald, Christoph

2011-10-01

The rapidly changing technological and business environment in which scientific journals are published will necessitate ongoing reassessment of operations, goals, and priorities. In this white paper, the ACR Task Force on Print Media in Radiology reviews the history and role of print media in radiology; discusses current and anticipated societal, technological, and financial challenges; and explores a variety of strategies to help ensure the relevance of professional society publishing in the future. Copyright © 2011 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recommendations of the wwPDB NMR Validation Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

Montelione, Gaetano T.; Nilges, Michael; Bax, Ad; Güntert, Peter; Herrmann, Torsten; Richardson, Jane S.; Schwieters, Charles; Vranken, Wim F.; Vuister, Geerten W.; Wishart, David S.; Berman, Helen M.; Kleywegt, Gerard J.; Markley, John L.

2013-01-01

As methods for analysis of biomolecular structure and dynamics using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) continue to advance, the resulting 3D structures, chemical shifts, and other NMR data are broadly impacting biology, chemistry, and medicine. Structure model assessment is a critical area of NMR methods development, and is an essential component of the process of making these structures accessible and useful to the wider scientific community. For these reasons, the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) has convened an NMR Validation Task Force (NMR-VTF) to work with the wwPDB partners in developing metrics and policies for biomolecular NMR data harvesting, structure representation, and structure quality assessment. This paper summarizes the recommendations of the NMR-VTF, and lays the groundwork for future work in developing standards and metrics for biomolecular NMR structure quality assessment. PMID:24010715

Health and Safety Plan for Operations Performed for the Environmental Restoration Program: Task, Characterization of Potential Waste Sources at Auxiliary Reactor Area-1 Operable Unit 5--07 site ARA-02

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pickett, S.L.; Morton, S.L.

1992-06-01

This document constitutes the generic health and safety plan for the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). It addresses the health and safety requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.120 standard; and EG ampersand G Idaho, Inc. This plan is a guide to individuals who must complete a health and safety plan for a task performed for the ERP. It contains a task specific addendum that, when completed, specifically addresses task specific health and safety issues. This health and safety plan reduces the time it takes to write a task specific health and safety plan by providing discussions of requirements, guidance on where specific information is located, and specific topics in the Addendum that must be discussed at a task level. This format encourages a complete task specific health and safety plan and a standard for all health and safety plans written for ERP

Health and Safety Plan for Operations Performed for the Environmental Restoration Program: Task, Characterization of Potential Waste Sources at Auxiliary Reactor Area-1 Operable Unit 5--07 site ARA-02

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pickett, S.L.; Morton, S.L.

1992-06-01

This document constitutes the generic health and safety plan for the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). It addresses the health and safety requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.120 standard; and EG G Idaho, Inc. This plan is a guide to individuals who must complete a health and safety plan for a task performed for the ERP. It contains a task specific addendum that, when completed, specifically addresses task specific health and safety issues. This health and safety plan reduces the time it takes to write a task specific health and safety plan by providing discussions of requirements, guidance on where specific information is located, and specific topics in the Addendum that must be discussed at a task level. This format encourages a complete task specific health and safety plan and a standard for all health and safety plans written for ERP.

Health and Safety Plan for Operations Performed for the Environmental Restoration Program: Task, Characterization of Potential Waste Sources at Auxiliary Reactor Area-1 Operable Unit 5--07 site ARA-02

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pickett, S.L.; Morton, S.L.

1992-06-01

This document constitutes the generic health and safety plan for the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). It addresses the health and safety requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.120 standard; and EG&G Idaho, Inc. This plan is a guide to individuals who must complete a health and safety plan for a task performed for the ERP. It contains a task specific addendum that, when completed, specifically addresses task specific health and safety issues. This health and safety plan reduces the time it takes to write a task specific health and safety plan by providing discussions of requirements, guidance on where specific information is located, and specific topics in the Addendum that must be discussed at a task level. This format encourages a complete task specific health and safety plan and a standard for all health and safety plans written for ERP.

Report of the Task Force on the Incident of 19th September 2008 at the LHC

CERN Document Server

Bajko, M; Catalan-Lasheras, N; Claudet, S; Cruikshank, P; Dahlerup-Petersen, K; Denz, R; Fessia, P; Garion, C; Jimenez, JM; Kirby, G; Lebrun, Ph; Le Naour, S; Mess, K-H; Modena, M; Montabonnet, V; Nunes, R; Parma, V; Perin, A; de Rijk, G; Rijllart, A; Rossi, L; Schmidt, R; Siemko, A; Strubin, P; Tavian, L; Thiesen, H; Tock, J; Todesco, E; Veness, R; Verweij, A; Walckiers, L; Van Weelderen, R; Wolf, R; Fehér, S; Flora, R; Koratzinos, M; Limon, P; Strait, J

2009-01-01

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of the AT department Task Force established to investigate the 19th September 2008 incident which occurred in sector 3-4 of the LHC. It includes a number of annexes where specific analyses are detailed.

Injury Reduction Effectiveness of Prescribing Running Shoes Based on Foot Shape in Air Force Basic Military Training

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Knapik, Joseph J; Brosch, Lorie C; Venuto, Margaret; Swedler, David I; Bullock, Steven H; Gaines, Lorraine S; Murphy, Ryan J; Canada, Sara E; Hoedebecke, Edward L; Tobler, Steven K

2008-01-01

In response to a request from the Military Training Task Force of the Defense Safety Oversight Council this study examined whether prescribing running shoes based on the shape of the plantar surface...

ESPR uroradiology task force and ESUR Paediatric Work Group--Imaging recommendations in paediatric uroradiology, part VI: childhood renal biopsy and imaging of neonatal and infant genital tract. Minutes from the task force session at the annual ESPR Meeting 2012 in Athens on childhood renal biopsy and imaging neonatal genitalia.

Science.gov (United States)

Riccabona, Michael; Lobo, Maria Luisa; Willi, Ulrich; Avni, Fred; Damasio, Beatrice; Ording-Mueller, Lil-Sofie; Blickman, Johan; Darge, Kassa; Papadopoulou, Frederika; Vivier, Pierre-Hugues

2014-04-01

The European Society of Paediatric Radiology Uroradiology Task Force and the ESUR Paediatric Work Group jointly publish guidelines for paediatric urogenital imaging. Two yet unaddressed topics involving patient safety and imaging load are addressed in this paper: renal biopsy in childhood and imaging of the neonatal genital tract, particularly in girls. Based on our thorough review of literature and variable practice in multiple centers, procedural recommendations are proposed on how to perform renal biopsy in children and how to approach the genital tract in (female) neonates. These are statements by consensus due to lack of sufficient evidence-based data. The procedural recommendation on renal biopsy in childhood aims at improving patient safety and reducing the number of unsuccessful passes and/or biopsy-related complications. The recommendation for an imaging algorithm in the assessment of the neonatal genital tract focuses on the potential of ultrasonography to reduce the need for more invasive or radiating imaging, however, with additional fluoroscopy or MRI to be used in selected cases. Adherence to these recommendations will allow comparable data and evidence to be generated for future adaptation of imaging strategies in paediatric uroradiology.

Optimal task mapping in safety-critical real-time parallel systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aussagues, Ch.

1998-01-01

This PhD thesis is dealing with the correct design of safety-critical real-time parallel systems. Such systems constitutes a fundamental part of high-performance systems for command and control that can be found in the nuclear domain or more generally in parallel embedded systems. The verification of their temporal correctness is the core of this thesis. our contribution is mainly in the following three points: the analysis and extension of a programming model for such real-time parallel systems; the proposal of an original method based on a new operator of synchronized product of state machines task-graphs; the validation of the approach by its implementation and evaluation. The work addresses particularly the main problem of optimal task mapping on a parallel architecture, such that the temporal constraints are globally guaranteed, i.e. the timeliness property is valid. The results incorporate also optimally criteria for the sizing and correct dimensioning of a parallel system, for instance in the number of processing elements. These criteria are connected with operational constraints of the application domain. Our approach is based on the off-line analysis of the feasibility of the deadline-driven dynamic scheduling that is used to schedule tasks inside one processor. This leads us to define the synchronized-product, a system of linear, constraints is automatically generated and then allows to calculate a maximum load of a group of tasks and then to verify their timeliness constraints. The communications, their timeliness verification and incorporation to the mapping problem is the second main contribution of this thesis. FInally, the global solving technique dealing with both task and communication aspects has been implemented and evaluated in the framework of the OASIS project in the LETI research center at the CEA/Saclay. (author)

Engineering task plan for the annual revision of the rotary mode core sampling system safety equipment list

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BOGER, R.M.

1999-01-01

This Engineering Task Plan addresses an effort to provide an update to the RMCS Systems 3 and 4 SEL and DCM in order to incorporate the changes to the authorization basis implemented by HNF-SD-WM-BIO-001, Rev. 0 (Draft), Addendum 5 , Safety Analysis for Rotary Mode Core Sampling. Responsibilities, task description, cost estimate, and schedule are presented

Folic Acid for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects : US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calonge, Ned; Petitti, Diana B.; DeWitt, Thomas G.; Dietrich, Allen J.; Gregory, Kimberly D.; Grossman, David; Isham, George; LeFevre, Michael L.; Leipzig, Rosanne M.; Marion, Lucy N.; Melnyk, Bernadette; Moyer, Virginia A.; Ockene, Judith K.; Sawaya, George F.; Schwartz, J. Sanford; Wilt, Timothy

2009-01-01

Description: In 1996, the U. S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that all women planning or capable of pregnancy take a multivitamin supplement containing folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects. This recommendation is an update of the 1996 USPSTF recommendation.

Report of the Material Control and Material Accounting Task Force: summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-03-01

A special review was made of the safeguards maintained by licensees possessing 5 kg or more of strategic special nuclear material (SSNM), i.e., plutonium, uranium-233, or uranium enriched in the uranium-235 isotope to 20 percent or more. A Task Force was formed to define the roles and objectives of material control and material accounting in the NRC safeguards program; recommend goals for material control and material accounting systems based on their roles and objectives; assess the extent to which the existing regulatory base meets or provides the capability to meet the recommended goals; and to provide direction for material control and material accounting development, including both near-term and long-term upgrades. Based on results of Task Force investigations it is recommended that licensee plans for measurement control programs be submitted in response to Section 70.57(c) of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Other recommendations include the review and upgrading, as necessary, of measurement error propagation models used by each licensee; revision of Nuclear Materials Management and Safeguards System (NMMSS) reporting entities for SSNM licensees to be consistent with the partitioning of facilities into plants or, if appropriate, accounting units; review of NMMSS reporting entities for SSNM licensees to assure that data for high enriched uranium operations are clearly separated from low enriched uranium operations; upgrading of the editing by NMMSS of reported licensee safeguards data for accuracy and consistency; and the acquisition of (a) a secure interactive computer capability for use in collecting, storing, sorting, and analyzing special nuclear material accounting data, and (b) associated flexible computer software that presents safeguards information in a succinct and comprehensive manner

Safety/security interface assessments at commercial nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byers, K.R.; Brown, P.J.; Norderhaug, L.R.

1985-01-01

The findings of the Haynes Task Force Committee (NUREG-0992) are used as the basis for defining safety/security assessment team activities at commercial nuclear power plants in NRC Region V. A safety/security interface assessment outline and the approach used for making the assessments are presented along with the composition of team members. As a result of observing simulated plant emergency conditions during scheduled emergency preparedness exercises, examining security and operational response procedures, and interviewing plant personnel, the team has identified instances where safety/security conflicts can occur

Safety/security interface assessments at commercial nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byers, K.R.; Brown, P.J.; Norderhaug, L.R.

1985-07-01

The findings of the Haynes Task Force Committee (NUREG-0992) are used as the basis for defining safety/security assessment team activities at commercial nuclear power plants in NRC Region V. A safety/security interface assessment outline and the approach used for making the assessments are presented along with the composition of team members. As a result of observing simulated plant emergency conditions during scheduled emergency preparedness exercises, examining security and operational response procedures, and interviewing plant personnel, the team has identified instances where safety/security conflicts can occur. 2 refs

Raising the Bar: Aligning and Elevating Teacher Preparation and the Teaching Profession. A Report of the American Federation of Teachers Teacher Preparation Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

American Federation of Teachers (NJ), 2012

2012-01-01

The American Federation of Teachers Teacher Preparation Task Force was established to examine the research on what works and what does not work in the field of teacher preparation as a basis for making policy recommendations. Just as important, the task force considered how best to implement such policy recommendations in a way that takes into…

Alternative methods for skin irritation testing: the current status : ECVAM skin irritation task force report 1

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Botham, P.A.; Earl, L.K.; Fentem, J.H.; Roguet, R.; Sandt, J.J.M.

1998-01-01

The ECVAM Skin Irritation Task Force was established in November 1996, primarily to prepare a report on the current status of the development and validation of alternative tests for skin irritation and corrosion and, in particular, to identify any appropriate non-animal tests for predicting human

Applying the Quebec Task Force criteria as a frame of reference for studies of whiplash injuries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Versteegen, GJ; van Es, FD; Kingma, J; Meijler, WJ; ten Duis, HJ

Research prior to 1995 showed a diversity of either inclusion or exclusion criteria (or both) for diagnosing whiplash injury. As a consequence, the Quebec Task Force (QTF) developed expert-based criteria, which may be considered as a the 'new' gold standard. Here, we examined the inclusion criteria

Report of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies

Science.gov (United States)

US Department of Defense, 2005

2005-01-01

In creating this report the Task Force gathered information by conducting site visits; communicating with numerous individuals, including victims; reviewing the Department of Defense survey data; reviewing Academy and Service policies, reports, and data; consulting with subject matter experts; and communicating with related committees and task…

Safety and efficacy of gas-forced infusion (air pump) in coaxial phacoemulsification.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaudhry, Prashaant; Prakash, Gaurav; Jacob, Soosan; Narasimhan, Smita; Agarwal, Sunita; Agarwal, Amar

2010-12-01

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of gas-forced infusion (air pump) in uncomplicated coaxial phacoemulsification. Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Chennai, India. Comparative case series. Specular microscopy and optical coherence tomography were used to analyze the endothelium, central macular thickness (CMT), and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness before and approximately 1, 7, 30, and 90 days after coaxial phacoemulsification with (infusion group) or without (control group) gas-forced infusion. Surgical time, surge, phaco energy, irrigation fluid volume, surgical ease, complications, and visual gain in the 2 groups were compared. The mean endothelial cell loss was lower in the infusion group than in the control group (6.98% ± 8.46% [SD] versus 10.54% ± 11.24%; P = .045) and the irrigation/aspiration time significantly shorter (54 ± 39 seconds versus 105 ± 84 seconds; P = .0001). The surgery was rated as easier with gas-forced infusion (scale 1 to 10: mean 8.3 ± 2.1 versus 6.6 ± 1.6; P = .00002). However, the amount of irrigating fluid volume was higher in the infusion group (117 ± 37 mL versus 94 ± 41 mL; P = .003). No surge occurred in the infusion group; it occurred a mean of 3.00 ± 4.16 times in the control group (PGas-forced infusion was safe and effective in controlling surge and increased the safety, ease, and speed of coaxial phacoemulsification. Copyright © 2010 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ITER safety task NID-5a: ITER tritium environmental source terms - safety analysis basis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Natalizio, A.; Kalyanam, K.M.

1994-09-01

The Canadian Fusion Fuels Technology Project's (CFFTP) is part of the contribution to ITER task NID-5a, Initial Tritium Source Term. This safety analysis basis constitutes the first part of the work for establishing tritium source terms and is intended to solicit comments and obtain agreement. The analysis objective is to provide an early estimate of tritium environmental source terms for the events to be analyzed. Events that would result in the loss of tritium are: a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA), a vacuum vessel boundary breach. a torus exhaust line failure, a fuelling machine process boundary failure, a fuel processing system process boundary failure, a water detritiation system process boundary failure and an isotope separation system process boundary failure. 9 figs

The Domestic Telecommunications Carrier Industry. Part I. President's Task Force on Communications Policy. Staff Paper Five.

Science.gov (United States)

Rostow, Eugene V.

A staff paper submitted to the President's Task Force on Communications Policy recommends that public policy ensure an integrated structure in the telecommunications industry, while fostering limited competition to keep the system responsive to new technology and to consumer demands. The present system of regulated monopoly for companies supplying…

Interagency task force on the health effects of ionizing radiation: report of the work group on public information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-06-01

The health effects of ionizing radiation recently have been the focus of increased public concern. In response to this concern, in a May 9, 1978, memorandum the White House requested the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to coordinate an interagency program that would, among other things, ensure public awareness and knowledge of the health effects of ionizing radiation. As a result, the Interagency Task Force on Ionizing Radiation was formed. The Information Work Group of the Task Force was asked to outline a public information program to meet the needs of the general public, the health and scientific community, workers, and other persons exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation in the past and at present or who may be exposed in the future. The Work Group is composed of 16 members, each representing an agency participating on the Interagency Task Force on Ionizing Radiation. The Work Group members used the draft Reports of the Science Work Group, the Radiation Exposure Reduction Work Group, the Care and Benefits Work Group, and the Privacy Work Group as a basis for developing the Information Report. In addition, the Information Work Group conducted a preliminary review of existing federal information programs. Meetings were held with representatives of environmental and trade groups, unions, and professional societies to help define the dimensions and priorities of a public information program

Review of studies on criticality safety evaluation and criticality experiment methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naito, Yoshitaka; Yamamoto, Toshihiro; Misawa, Tsuyoshi; Yamane, Yuichi

2013-01-01

Since the early 1960s, many studies on criticality safety evaluation have been conducted in Japan. Computer code systems were developed initially by employing finite difference methods, and more recently by using Monte Carlo methods. Criticality experiments have also been carried out in many laboratories in Japan as well as overseas. By effectively using these study results, the Japanese Criticality Safety Handbook was published in 1988, almost the intermediate point of the last 50 years. An increased interest has been shown in criticality safety studies, and a Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS) was set up by the Nuclear Science Committee of Organisation Economic Co-operation and Development in 1997. WPNCS has several task forces in charge of each of the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Program (ICSBEP), Subcritical Measurement, Experimental Needs, Burn-up Credit Studies and Minimum Critical Values. Criticality safety studies in Japan have been carried out in cooperation with WPNCS. This paper describes criticality safety study activities in Japan along with the contents of the Japanese Criticality Safety Handbook and the tasks of WPNCS. (author)

Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Mission Impact of Foreign Influence on DoD Software

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2007-01-01

The Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Mission Impact of Foreign Influence on DoD Software examined areas in software security, security architecture, and risk mitigation and received briefings from industry, academia...

Experimental facilities for gas-cooled reactor safety studies. Task group on Advanced Reactor Experimental Facilities (TAREF)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

In 2007, the NEA Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) completed a study on Nuclear Safety Research in OECD Countries: Support Facilities for Existing and Advanced Reactors (SFEAR) which focused on facilities suitable for current and advanced water reactor systems. In a subsequent collective opinion on the subject, the CSNI recommended to conduct a similar exercise for Generation IV reactor designs, aiming to develop a strategy for ' better preparing the CSNI to play a role in the planned extension of safety research beyond the needs set by current operating reactors'. In that context, the CSNI established the Task Group on Advanced Reactor Experimental Facilities (TAREF) in 2008 with the objective of providing an overview of facilities suitable for performing safety research relevant to gas-cooled reactors and sodium fast reactors. This report addresses gas-cooled reactors; a similar report covering sodium fast reactors is under preparation. The findings of the TAREF are expected to trigger internationally funded CSNI projects on relevant safety issues at the key facilities identified. Such CSNI-sponsored projects constitute a means for efficiently obtaining the necessary data through internationally co-ordinated research. This report provides an overview of experimental facilities that can be used to carry out nuclear safety research for gas-cooled reactors and identifies priorities for organizing international co-operative programmes at selected facilities. The information has been collected and analysed by a Task Group on Advanced Reactor Experimental Facilities (TAREF) as part of an ongoing initiative of the NEA Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) which aims to define and to implement a strategy for the efficient utilisation of facilities and resources for Generation IV reactor systems. (author)

The MRS [Monitored Retrievable Storage] task force: Economic and non-economic incentives for local public acceptance of a proposed nuclear waste packaging and storage facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peelle, E.

1987-03-01

A joint Oak Ridge - Roane County citizen task force (TF) evaluated the Department of Energy's (DOE) proposal to site a Monitored Retrievable Storage facility in Tennessee in terms of environmental, transportation, and socioeconomic impacts. The case study examines how the TF used mitigation, compensation and incentives (economic and non-economic) to address the problem of distrust of DOE and to change the net local impact balance from negative to positive. Intensive group interaction during their investigations and development of trust within the TF led to consensus decisions on safety and conditional acceptance. DOE accepted most of the TF conditions after informal negotiations. The siting process was stopped by extensive state-wide opposition resulting in legal challenge by the state and vetoes by the governor and state legislature

Compilation of reports prepared for the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Task Force on Radioactive Waste Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

This report contains reports prepared for the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Task Force on Radioactive Waste Management, from experts in the United States. The contents of the report focus mainly on public opinion, and government policies as perceived by the public

Compilation of reports prepared for the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Task Force on Radioactive Waste Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-11-01

This report contains reports prepared for the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Task Force on Radioactive Waste Management, from experts in the United States. The contents of the report focus mainly on public opinion, and government policies as perceived by the public.

Part-time careers in academic internal medicine: A report from the association of specialty professors part-time careers task force on behalf of the alliance for academic internal medicine

OpenAIRE

Linzer, M; Warde, C; Alexander, RW; DeMarco, DM; Haupt, A; Hicks, L; Kutner, J; Mangione, CM; Mechaber, H; Rentz, M; Riley, J; Schuster, B; Solomon, GD; Volberding, P; Ibrahim, T

2009-01-01

To establish guidelines for more effectively incorporating part-time faculty into departments of internal medicine, a task force was convened in early 2007 by the Association of Specialty Professors. The task force used informal surveys, current literature, and consensus building among members of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine to produce a consensus statement and a series of recommendations. The task force agreed that part-time faculty could enrich a department of medicine, enhan...

Comparisons of an open-ended vs. forced-choice 'mind reading' task: implications for measuring perspective-taking and emotion recognition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tracy G Cassels

Full Text Available Perspective-taking and emotion recognition are essential for successful social development and have been the focus of developmental research for many years. Although the two abilities often overlap, they are distinct and our understanding of these abilities critically rests upon the efficacy of existing measures. Lessons from the literature differentiating recall versus recognition memory tasks led us to hypothesize that an open-ended emotion recognition measure would be less reliant on compensatory strategies and hence a more specific measure of emotion recognition abilities than a forced-choice task. To this end, we compared an open-ended version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task with the original forced-choice version in two studies: 118 typically-developing 4- to 8-year-olds (Study 1 and 139 5- to 12-year-olds; 85 typically-developing and 54 with learning disorders (Study 2. We found that the open-ended version of the task was a better predictor of empathy and more reliably discriminated typically-developing children from those with learning disorders. As a whole, the results suggest that the open-ended version is a more sensitive measure of emotion recognition specifically.

DECOVALEX III PROJECT. Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical Coupled Processes in Safety Assessments. Report of Task 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Johan

2005-02-01

A part (Task 4) of the International DECOVALEX III project on coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (T-H-M) processes focuses on T-H-M modelling applications in safety and performance assessment of deep geological nuclear waste repositories. A previous phase, DECOVALEX II, saw a need to improve such modelling. In order to address this need Task 4 of DECOVALEX III has: Analysed two major T-H-M experiments (Task 1 and Task 2) and three different Bench Mark Tests (Task 3) set-up to explore the significance of T-H-M in some potentially important safety assessment applications. Compiled and evaluated the use of T-H-M modelling in safety assessments at the time of the year 2000. Organised a forum a forum of interchange between PA-analysts and THM modelers at each DECOVALEX III workshop. Based on this information the current report discusses the findings and strives for reaching recommendations as regards good practices in addressing coupled T-H-M issues in safety assessments. The full development of T-H-M modelling is still at an early stage and it is not evident whether current codes provide the information that is required. However, although the geosphere is a system of fully coupled processes, this does not directly imply that all existing coupled mechanisms must be represented numerically. Modelling is conducted for specific purposes and the required confidence level should be considered. It is necessary to match the confidence level with the modelling objective. Coupled THM modelling has to incorporate uncertainties. These uncertainties mainly concern uncertainties in the conceptual model and uncertainty in data. Assessing data uncertainty is important when judging the need to model coupled processes. Often data uncertainty is more significant than the coupled effects. The emphasis on the need for THM modelling differs among disciplines. For geological radioactive waste disposal in crystalline and other similar hard rock formations DECOVALEX III shows it is essential to

DECOVALEX III PROJECT. Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical Coupled Processes in Safety Assessments. Report of Task 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Johan [JA Streamflow AB, Aelvsjoe (Sweden)

2005-02-15

A part (Task 4) of the International DECOVALEX III project on coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (T-H-M) processes focuses on T-H-M modelling applications in safety and performance assessment of deep geological nuclear waste repositories. A previous phase, DECOVALEX II, saw a need to improve such modelling. In order to address this need Task 4 of DECOVALEX III has: Analysed two major T-H-M experiments (Task 1 and Task 2) and three different Bench Mark Tests (Task 3) set-up to explore the significance of T-H-M in some potentially important safety assessment applications. Compiled and evaluated the use of T-H-M modelling in safety assessments at the time of the year 2000. Organised a forum a forum of interchange between PA-analysts and THM modelers at each DECOVALEX III workshop. Based on this information the current report discusses the findings and strives for reaching recommendations as regards good practices in addressing coupled T-H-M issues in safety assessments. The full development of T-H-M modelling is still at an early stage and it is not evident whether current codes provide the information that is required. However, although the geosphere is a system of fully coupled processes, this does not directly imply that all existing coupled mechanisms must be represented numerically. Modelling is conducted for specific purposes and the required confidence level should be considered. It is necessary to match the confidence level with the modelling objective. Coupled THM modelling has to incorporate uncertainties. These uncertainties mainly concern uncertainties in the conceptual model and uncertainty in data. Assessing data uncertainty is important when judging the need to model coupled processes. Often data uncertainty is more significant than the coupled effects. The emphasis on the need for THM modelling differs among disciplines. For geological radioactive waste disposal in crystalline and other similar hard rock formations DECOVALEX III shows it is essential to

Network Centric Operations (NCO) Case Study: U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet Task Force 50 in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Garstka, John; Holloman, Kimberly; Balisle, Christine W; Adkins, Mark; Kruse, Jon

2006-01-01

.... The focus is on the background and creation of Task Force 50 (TF-50), and primarily on the evolution of the transformational capabilities that permitted TF-50 to succeed in the manner that it did...

Force and Directional Force Modulation Effects on Accuracy and Variability in Low-Level Pinch Force Tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sangsoo; Spirduso, Waneen; Eakin, Tim; Abraham, Lawrence

2018-01-01

The authors investigated how varying the required low-level forces and the direction of force change affect accuracy and variability of force production in a cyclic isometric pinch force tracking task. Eighteen healthy right-handed adult volunteers performed the tracking task over 3 different force ranges. Root mean square error and coefficient of variation were higher at lower force levels and during minimum reversals compared with maximum reversals. Overall, the thumb showed greater root mean square error and coefficient of variation scores than did the index finger during maximum reversals, but not during minimum reversals. The observed impaired performance during minimum reversals might originate from history-dependent mechanisms of force production and highly coupled 2-digit performance.

Sci—Fri PM: Topics — 03: The Global Task Force on Radiotherapy for Cancer Control: Core Investments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Dyk, J. [Western University, London, Ontario (Canada); Jaffray, D. A.; MacPherson, M. S. [Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2014-08-15

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) is a membership-based, non-governmental organization with a mandate to “…to unite the cancer community to reduce the global cancer burden, to promote greater equity, and to integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda.” COMP is an associate member of the UICC. It is well recognized by the UICC that there are major gaps between high, and low and middle income countries, in terms of access to cancer services including access to radiation therapy. In this context, the UICC has developed a Global Task Force on Radiotherapy for Cancer Control with a charge to answer a single question: “What does it cost to close the gap between what exists today and reasonable access to radiotherapy globally?” The Task Force consists of leaders internationally recognized for their radiation treatment related expertise (radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists) as well as those with global health and economics specialization. The Task Force has developed three working groups: (1) to look at the global burden of cancer; (2) to look at the infrastructure requirements (facilities, equipment, personnel); and (3) to consider outcomes in terms of numbers of lives saved and palliated patients. A report is due at the World Cancer Congress in December 2014. This presentation reviews the infrastructure considerations under analysis by the second work group. The infrastructure parameters being addressed include capital costs of buildings and equipment and operating costs, which include human resources, equipment servicing and quality control, and general overhead.

Preventing hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism: Improving patient safety with interdisciplinary teamwork, quality improvement analytics, and data transparency.

Science.gov (United States)

Schleyer, Anneliese M; Robinson, Ellen; Dumitru, Roxana; Taylor, Mark; Hayes, Kimberly; Pergamit, Ronald; Beingessner, Daphne M; Zaros, Mark C; Cuschieri, Joseph

2016-12-01

Hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE) is a potentially preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite high rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in accordance with an institutional guideline, VTE remains the most common hospital-acquired condition in our institution. To improve the safety of all hospitalized patients, examine current VTE prevention practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and decrease rates of HA-VTE. Pre/post assessment. Urban academic tertiary referral center, level 1 trauma center, safety net hospital; all patients. We formed a multidisciplinary VTE task force to review all HA-VTE events, assess prevention practices relative to evidence-based institutional guidelines, and identify improvement opportunities. The task force developed an electronic tool to facilitate efficient VTE event review and designed decision-support and reporting tools, now integrated into the electronic health record, to bring optimal VTE prevention practices to the point of care. Performance is shared transparently across the institution. Harborview benchmarks process and outcome performance, including patient safety indicators and core measures, against hospitals nationally using Hospital Compare and Vizient data. Our program has resulted in >90% guideline-adherent VTE prevention and zero preventable HA-VTEs. Initiatives have resulted in a 15% decrease in HA-VTE and a 21% reduction in postoperative VTE. Keys to success include the multidisciplinary approach, clinical roles of task force members, senior leadership support, and use of quality improvement analytics for retrospective review, prospective reporting, and performance transparency. Ongoing task force collaboration with frontline providers is critical to sustained improvements. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016;11:S38-S43. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Licensing of safety critical software for nuclear reactors. Common position of seven European nuclear regulators and authorised technical support organisations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

It is widely accepted that the assessment of software cannot be limited to verification and testing of the end product, i.e. the computer code. Other factors such as the quality of the processes and methods for specifying, designing and coding have an important impact on the implementation. Existing standards provide limited guidance on the regulatory and safety assessment of these factors. An undesirable consequence of this situation is that the licensing approaches taken by nuclear safety authorities and by technical support organisations are determined independently with only limited informal technical co-ordination and information exchange. It is notable that several software implementations of nuclear safety systems have been marred by costly delays caused by difficulties in co-ordinating the development and qualification process. It was thus felt necessary to compare the respective licensing approaches, to identify where a consensus already exists, and to see how greater consistency and more mutual acceptance could be introduced into current practices. This report is the result of the work of a group of regulator and safety authorities' experts. The 2007 version was completed at the invitation of the Western European Nuclear Regulators' Association (WENRA). The major result of the work is the identification of consensus and common technical positions on a set of important licensing issues raised by the design and operation of computer based systems used in nuclear power plants for the implementation of safety functions. The purpose is to introduce greater consistency and more mutual acceptance into current practices. To achieve these common positions, detailed consideration was paid to the licensing approaches followed in the different countries represented by the experts of the task force. The report is intended to be useful: - to coordinate regulators' and safety experts' technical viewpoints in the design of regulators' national policies and in revisions

Licensing of safety critical software for nuclear reactors. Common position of seven European nuclear regulators and authorised technical support organisations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-07-01

It is widely accepted that the assessment of software cannot be limited to verification and testing of the end product, i.e. the computer code. Other factors such as the quality of the processes and methods for specifying, designing and coding have an important impact on the implementation. Existing standards provide limited guidance on the regulatory and safety assessment of these factors. An undesirable consequence of this situation is that the licensing approaches taken by nuclear safety authorities and by technical support organisations are determined independently with only limited informal technical co-ordination and information exchange. It is notable that several software implementations of nuclear safety systems have been marred by costly delays caused by difficulties in co-ordinating the development and qualification process. It was thus felt necessary to compare the respective licensing approaches, to identify where a consensus already exists, and to see how greater consistency and more mutual acceptance could be introduced into current practices. This report is the result of the work of a group of regulator and safety authorities' experts. The 2007 version was completed at the invitation of the Western European Nuclear Regulators' Association (WENRA). The major result of the work is the identification of consensus and common technical positions on a set of important licensing issues raised by the design and operation of computer based systems used in nuclear power plants for the implementation of safety functions. The purpose is to introduce greater consistency and more mutual acceptance into current practices. To achieve these common positions, detailed consideration was paid to the licensing approaches followed in the different countries represented by the experts of the task force. The report is intended to be useful: - to coordinate regulators' and safety experts' technical viewpoints in the design of regulators' national

77 FR 58143 - Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (ITFAR): An Update of A Public Health Action...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-19

...-2012-0011] Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (ITFAR): An Update of A Public Health...), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments... Federal agencies in accomplishing activities outlined in ``A Public Health Action Plan to Combat...

Creating A Theater-Based Operational Link Between Strategic Mobility and Theater-Level Logistics For The Joint Task Force Commander

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Moncrief, Keith

2003-01-01

... required. Only the correct delivery of these commodities will help JFCs mitigate risk to U.S. (and coalition) forces, accomplish mission essential tasks, and safeguard precious human life during contingencies...

Sustainable energy for all. Technical report of task force 1 in support of the objective to achieve universal access to modern energy services by 2030

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Birol, Fatih [International Energy Agency, Paris (France); Brew-Hammond, Abeeku [University of Science and Technology (Ghana

2012-04-15

The UN Secretary General established the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in order to guide and support efforts to achieve universal access to modern energy, rapidly increase energy efficiency, and expand the use of renewable energies. Task forces were formed involving prominent energy leaders and experts from business, government, academia and civil society worldwide. The goal of the Task Forces is to inform the implementation of the initiative by identifying challenges and opportunities for achieving its objectives. This report contains the findings of Task Force One which is dedicated to the objective of achieving universal access to modern energy services by 2030. The report shows that universal energy access can be realized by 2030 with strong, focused actions set within a coordinated framework.

Influence of sports flooring and shoes on impact forces and performance during jump tasks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurent Malisoux

Full Text Available We aim to determine the influence of sports floorings and sports shoes on impact mechanics and performance during standardised jump tasks. Twenty-one male volunteers performed ankle jumps (four consecutive maximal bounds with very dynamic ankle movements and multi-jumps (two consecutive maximal counter-movement jumps on force plates using minimalist and cushioned shoes under 5 sports flooring (SF conditions. The shock absorption properties of the SF, defined as the proportion of peak impact force absorbed by the tested flooring when compared with a concrete hard surface, were: SF0 = 0% (no flooring, SF1 = 19%, SF2 = 26%, SF3 = 37% and SF4 = 45%. Shoe and flooring effects were compared using 2x5 repeated-measures ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni-corrected comparisons. A significant interaction between SF and shoe conditions was found for VILR only (p = 0.003. In minimalist shoes, SF influenced Vertical Instantaneous Loading Rate (VILR during ankle jumps (p = 0.006 and multi-jumps (p<0.001, in accordance with shock absorption properties. However, in cushioned shoes, SF influenced VILR during ankle jumps only (p<0.001. Contact Time was the only additional variable affected by SF, but only during multi-jumps in minimalist shoes (p = 0.037. Cushioned shoes induced lower VILR (p<0.001 and lower Contact Time (p≤0.002 during ankle jumps and multi-jumps compared to minimalist shoes. During ankle jumps, cushioned shoes induced greater Peak Vertical Ground Reaction Force (PVGRF, p = 0.002, greater Vertical Average Loading Rate (p<0.001, and lower eccentric (p = 0.008 and concentric (p = 0.004 work. During multi-jumps, PVGRF was lower (p<0.001 and jump height was higher (p<0.001 in cushioned compared to minimalist shoes. In conclusion, cushioning influenced impact forces during standardised jump tasks, whether it was provided by the shoes or the sports flooring. VILR is the variable that was the most affected.

Report of the Secretary of Defense Task Force on DoD Nuclear Weapons Management. Phase II: Review of the DoD Nuclear Mission

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Schlesinger, James R; Carns, Michael P; Crouch, II, J. D; Gansler, Jacques S; Giambastiani, Jr., Edmund P; Hamre, John J; Miller, Franklin C; Williams, Christopher A; Blackwell, Jr, James A

2008-01-01

Incidents related to the Air Force's mishandling of nuclear weapons and components led to the creation of the Task Force in June 2008 to provide advice on nuclear matters for the Secretary of Defense...

A report on older-age bipolar disorder from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Task Force

Science.gov (United States)

Sajatovic, Martha; Strejilevich, Sergio A; Gildengers, Ariel G; Dols, Annemiek; Al Jurdi, Rayan K; Forester, Brent P; Kessing, Lars Vedel; Beyer, John; Manes, Facundo; Rej, Soham; Rosa, Adriane R; Schouws, Sigfried NTM; Tsai, Shang-Ying; Young, Robert C; Shulman, Kenneth I

2015-01-01

Objectives In the coming generation, older adults with bipolar disorder (BD) will increase in absolute numbers as well as proportion of the general population. This is the first report of the International Society for Bipolar Disorder (ISBD) Task Force on Older-Age Bipolar Disorder (OABD). Methods This task force report addresses the unique aspects of OABD including epidemiology and clinical features, neuropathology and biomarkers, physical health, cognition, and care approaches. Results The report describes an expert consensus summary on OABD that is intended to advance the care of patients, and shed light on issues of relevance to BD research across the lifespan. Although there is still a dearth of research and health efforts focused on older adults with BD, emerging data has brought some answers, innovative questions, and novel perspectives related to the notion of late onset, medical comorbidity, and the vexing issue of cognitive impairment and decline. Conclusions Improving our understanding of the biological, clinical, and social underpinnings relevant to OABD is an indispensable step in building a complete map of BD across the lifespan. PMID:26384588

Stereo advantage for a peg-in-hole task using a force-feedback manipulator

Science.gov (United States)

Spain, Edward H.

1990-01-01

An improved assessment methodology has been implemented at NOSC and tested using an instrumented peg-in-hole (PiH) taskboard. Several aspects of the methodology are discussed in light of their implications for future studies of manipulator performance. Using a simple (but high-fidelity) force-feedback manipulator, a group of 9 trained operators showed a consistent advantage for stereoscopic TV viewing over monoscopic TV viewing when performing the PiH task. To introduce a controlled element of spatial uncertainty into the testing procedure, taskboard orientation relative to the manipulator and remote video camera head was changed in a randomized order on a trial-by-trial basis. The stereoscopic advantage demonstrated by this study can reasonably be expected to be even more pronounced as the quality of the stereo TV interface is improved and force-feedback provided through the manipulator system is diminished and/or distorted.

77 FR 22324 - Correction-Solicitation for Nominations for Members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-13

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Correction--Solicitation for Nominations for Members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) The original date of publication for this Federal Register notice was March 28, 2012, Volume 77, Number 60, pages 18823...

Guidelines for Cognitive Behavioral Training within Doctoral Psychology Programs in the United States: Report of the Inter-Organizational Task Force on Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology Doctoral Education

Science.gov (United States)

Klepac, Robert K.; Ronan, George F.; Andrasik, Frank; Arnold, Kevin D.; Belar, Cynthia D.; Berry, Sharon L.; Christofff, Karen A.; Craighead, Linda W.; Dougher, Michael J.; Dowd, E. Thomas; Herbert, James D.; McFarr, Lynn M.; Rizvi, Shireen L.; Sauer, Eric M.; Strauman, Timothy J.

2012-01-01

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies initiated an interorganizational task force to develop guidelines for integrated education and training in cognitive and behavioral psychology at the doctoral level in the United States. Fifteen task force members representing 16 professional associations participated in a yearlong series of…

Report of the Error and Emittance Task Force on the superconducting super collider: Part 1, Resistive machines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-10-01

A review of the design and specifications of the resistive accelerators in the SSC complex was conducted during the past year. This review was initiated in response to a request from the SSC Project Manager. The Error and Emittance Task Force was created October 30, 1992, and charged with reviewing issues associated with the specification of errors and tolerances throughout the injector chain and in the Collider, and to optimize the global error budget. Effects which directly impact the emittance budget were of prime importance. The Task Force responded to three charges: Examination of the resistive accelerators and their injection and extraction systems; examination of the connecting beamlines and the overall approach taken in their design; and global filling, timing, and synchronization issues. The High Energy Booster and the Collider were deemed to be sufficiently different from the resistive accelerators that it was decided to treat them as a separate group. They will be the subject of a second part to this report

Biomechanically determined hand force limits protecting the low back during occupational pushing and pulling tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Weston, Eric B; Aurand, Alexander; Dufour, Jonathan S; Knapik, Gregory G; Marras, William S

2018-06-01

Though biomechanically determined guidelines exist for lifting, existing recommendations for pushing and pulling were developed using a psychophysical approach. The current study aimed to establish objective hand force limits based on the results of a biomechanical assessment of the forces on the lumbar spine during occupational pushing and pulling activities. Sixty-two subjects performed pushing and pulling tasks in a laboratory setting. An electromyography-assisted biomechanical model estimated spinal loads, while hand force and turning torque were measured via hand transducers. Mixed modelling techniques correlated spinal load with hand force or torque throughout a wide range of exposures in order to develop biomechanically determined hand force and torque limits. Exertion type, exertion direction, handle height and their interactions significantly influenced dependent measures of spinal load, hand force and turning torque. The biomechanically determined guidelines presented herein are up to 30% lower than comparable psychophysically derived limits and particularly more protective for straight pushing. Practitioner Summary: This study utilises a biomechanical model to develop objective biomechanically determined push/pull risk limits assessed via hand forces and turning torque. These limits can be up to 30% lower than existing psychophysically determined pushing and pulling recommendations. Practitioners should consider implementing these guidelines in both risk assessment and workplace design moving forward.

Safety update regarding intranasal corticosteroids for the treatment of allergic rhinitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Blaiss, Michael S

2011-01-01

Intranasal corticosteroids (INSs) are the most efficacious medication for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. In 2006, the Joint Task Force of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, published a white paper on the potential over-the-counter switch of INS (Bielory L, Blaiss M, Fineman SM, et al. Concerns about intranasal corticosteroids for over-the-counter use: Position statement of the Joint Task Force for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 96:514-525, 2006). The concern of the paper was the safety of the use of these agents without oversight by a health care professional. The objective of this paper was to review published literature on the safety of INS since the publication of the task force white paper. Recent studies, which evaluated topical and systemic adverse events associated with ciclesonide (CIC), fluticasone furoate (FF), mometasone furoate (MF), triamcinolone acetonide, fluticasone propionate, budesonide, and beclomethasone dipropionate were summarized. In general, no significant topical or systemic complications were observed in these studies, although none were >1 year in duration. The newer formulations of topical corticosteroids for allergic rhinitis, such as CIC, FF, and MF, which have less systemic bioavailability, may be safer for long-term use. New studies continue to add to the reassurance of the safety of INSs in the treatment of allergic rhinitis but still do not answer the question if these agents are appropriate for long-term use without oversight by a health care professional.

Report of the Census Task Force on beamline control system requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barsotti, E.J.; Bartlett, J.F.; Bogert, V.D.; Borcherding, F.O.; Butler, J.; Czarapata, P.C.; Spalding, W.J.; Thomas, A.D.

1986-01-01

A special task force was appointed to study the experience with the present beamline control system at Fermilab and to make recommendations in this area. The charge of the committee and the list of its members are appended. In order to carry out its assignment, the committee conducted a series of meetings in which it discussed the controls situation in general and the best way to approach the user community. The various groups of users were identified, and a letter was written to representatives of these groups asking questions concerning the present system and future needs. The committee met with each group to discuss the response to these questions. Written summaries of the discussions are appended. Conclusions are drawn regarding current problems, systematic upgrades and specific recommendations

Patient Safety in Interventional Radiology: A CIRSE IR Checklist.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

2012-02-01

Interventional radiology (IR) is an invasive speciality with the potential for complications as with other invasive specialities. The World Health Organization (WHO) produced a surgical safety checklist to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with surgery. The Cardiovascular and Interventional Society of Europe (CIRSE) set up a task force to produce a checklist for IR. Use of the checklist will, we hope, reduce the incidence of complications after IR procedures. It has been modified from the WHO surgical safety checklist and the RAD PASS from Holland.

77 FR 42334 - Meeting of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence (Correction)

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-18

... Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence (Correction) AGENCY: Office of...) published a notice in the Federal Register on July 2, 2012, announcing a meeting of the Attorney General's..., but rather, will be conducting preparatory work related to developing a draft report to the Attorney...

NRC Task Force report on review of the Federal/State program for regulation of commercial low-level radioactive waste burial grounds. Analysis of public comments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-09-01

Correspondence after publication of NUREG-0217 in the Federal Register is listed by docket. A summary of the comments is given. Comments on the task force conclusions on federal/state roles, comprehensive regulator program, and need to study alternatives, provide adequate capacity, and avoid proliferation are analyzed. A breakdown of the comments of states, industry, and others on the task force conclusions and recommendations is tabulated

Gastrodia elata Bl. Attenuated learning deficits induced by forced-swimming stress in the inhibitory avoidance task and Morris water maze.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Pei-Ju; Liang, Keng-Chen; Lin, Hui-Chen; Hsieh, Ching-Liang; Su, Kuan-Pin; Hung, Mei-Chu; Sheen, Lee-Yan

2011-06-01

This study adopted the forced-swimming paradigm to induce depressive symptoms in rats and evaluated the effects on learning and memory processing. Furthermore, the effects of the water extract of Gastrodia elata Bl., a well-known Chinese traditional medicine, on amnesia in rats subjected to the forced-swimming procedure were studied. Rats were subjected to the forced-swimming procedure, and the inhibitory avoidance task and Morris water maze were used to assess learning and memory performance. The acquisition of the two tasks was mostly impaired after the 15-minute forced-swimming procedure. Administration of the water extract of G. elata Bl. for 21 consecutive days at a dosage of 0.5 or 1.0 g/kg of body weight significantly improved retention in the inhibitory avoidance test, and the lower dose showed a better effect than the higher one and the antidepressant fluoxetine (18 mg/kg of body weight). In the Morris water maze, the lower dose of the water extract of G. elata Bl. significantly improved retention by shortening escape latency in the first test session and increasing the time in searching the target zone during the probe test. These findings suggest that water extracts of G. elata Bl. ameliorate the learning and memory deficits induced by forced swimming.

Summary report on safety objectives in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The special Task Force on Safety Objectives of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) Working Group on the Safety of Light Water Reactors reported in May 1983 on its review of existing overall safety objectives in nuclear power plants. Since then much relevant worlwide activity has taken place. This report reviews those activities that have taken place since 1983 in European Community Member States, including more recent Members, as well as in Sweden and Finland. The report confines itself to issues related to probabilistic safety objectives, and concludes that significant progress has been made in many areas. Mutual understanding of safety objectives is leading to a convergence of views and approaches, but it is noted that much work remains to be completed

BILATERAL GROUND REACTION FORCES AND JOINT MOMENTS FOR LATERAL SIDESTEPPING AND CROSSOVER STEPPING TASKS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William I. Sellers

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Racquet sports have high levels of joint injuries suggesting the joint loads during play may be excessive. Sports such as badminton employ lateral sidestepping (SS and crossover stepping (XS movements which so far have not been described in terms of biomechanics. This study examined bilateral ground reaction forces and three dimensional joint kinetics for both these gaits in order to determine the demands of the movements on the leading and trailing limb and predict the contribution of these movements to the occurrence of overuse injury of the lower limbs. A force platform and motion-analysis system were used to record ground reaction forces and track marker trajectories of 9 experienced male badminton players performing lateral SS, XS and forward running tasks at a controlled speed of 3 m·s-1 using their normal technique. Ground reaction force and kinetic data for the hip, knee and ankle were analyzed, averaged across the group and the biomechanical variables compared. In all cases the ground reaction forces and joint moments were less than those experienced during moderate running suggesting that in normal play SS and XS gaits do not lead to high forces that could contribute to increased injury risk. Ground reaction forces during SS and XS do not appear to contribute to the development of overuse injury. The distinct roles of the leading and trailing limb, acting as a generator of vertical force and shock absorber respectively, during the SS and XS may however contribute to the development of muscular imbalances which may ultimately contribute to the development of overuse injury. However it is still possible that faulty use of these gaits might lead to high loads and this should be the subject of future work

Task-space separation principle: a force-field approach to motion planning for redundant manipulators.

Science.gov (United States)

Tommasino, Paolo; Campolo, Domenico

2017-02-03

In this work, we address human-like motor planning in redundant manipulators. Specifically, we want to capture postural synergies such as Donders' law, experimentally observed in humans during kinematically redundant tasks, and infer a minimal set of parameters to implement similar postural synergies in a kinematic model. For the model itself, although the focus of this paper is to solve redundancy by implementing postural strategies derived from experimental data, we also want to ensure that such postural control strategies do not interfere with other possible forms of motion control (in the task-space), i.e. solving the posture/movement problem. The redundancy problem is framed as a constrained optimization problem, traditionally solved via the method of Lagrange multipliers. The posture/movement problem can be tackled via the separation principle which, derived from experimental evidence, posits that the brain processes static torques (i.e. posture-dependent, such as gravitational torques) separately from dynamic torques (i.e. velocity-dependent). The separation principle has traditionally been applied at a joint torque level. Our main contribution is to apply the separation principle to Lagrange multipliers, which act as task-space force fields, leading to a task-space separation principle. In this way, we can separate postural control (implementing Donders' law) from various types of tasks-space movement planners. As an example, the proposed framework is applied to the (redundant) task of pointing with the human wrist. Nonlinear inverse optimization (NIO) is used to fit the model parameters and to capture motor strategies displayed by six human subjects during pointing tasks. The novelty of our NIO approach is that (i) the fitted motor strategy, rather than raw data, is used to filter and down-sample human behaviours; (ii) our framework is used to efficiently simulate model behaviour iteratively, until it converges towards the experimental human strategies.

The Chief Clinical Informatics Officer (CCIO): AMIA Task Force Report on CCIO Knowledge, Education, and Skillset Requirements.

Science.gov (United States)

Kannry, Joseph; Sengstack, Patricia; Thyvalikakath, Thankam Paul; Poikonen, John; Middleton, Blackford; Payne, Thomas; Lehmann, Christoph U

2016-01-01

The emerging operational role of the "Chief Clinical Informatics Officer" (CCIO) remains heterogeneous with individuals deriving from a variety of clinical settings and backgrounds. The CCIO is defined in title, responsibility, and scope of practice by local organizations. The term encompasses the more commonly used Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) and Chief Nursing Informatics Officer (CNIO) as well as the rarely used Chief Pharmacy Informatics Officer (CPIO) and Chief Dental Informatics Officer (CDIO). The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) identified a need to better delineate the knowledge, education, skillsets, and operational scope of the CCIO in an attempt to address the challenges surrounding the professional development and the hiring processes of CCIOs. An AMIA task force developed knowledge, education, and operational skillset recommendations for CCIOs focusing on the common core aspect and describing individual differences based on Clinical Informatics focus. The task force concluded that while the role of the CCIO currently is diverse, a growing body of Clinical Informatics and increasing certification efforts are resulting in increased homogeneity. The task force advised that 1.) To achieve a predictable and desirable skillset, the CCIO must complete clearly defined and specified Clinical Informatics education and training. 2.) Future education and training must reflect the changing body of knowledge and must be guided by changing day-to-day informatics challenges. A better defined and specified education and skillset for all CCIO positions will motivate the CCIO workforce and empower them to perform the job of a 21st century CCIO. Formally educated and trained CCIOs will provide a competitive advantage to their respective enterprise by fully utilizing the power of Informatics science.

Report of an ESC-EAPCI Task Force on the evaluation and use of bioresorbable scaffolds for percutaneous coronary intervention: executive summary.

Science.gov (United States)

Byrne, Robert A; Stefanini, Giulio G; Capodanno, Davide; Onuma, Yoshinobu; Baumbach, Andreas; Escaned, Javier; Haude, Michael; James, Stefan; Joner, Michael; Jüni, Peter; Kastrati, Adnan; Oktay, Semih; Wijns, William; Serruys, Patrick W; Windecker, Stephan

2018-05-07

A previous Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) provided a report on recommendations for the non-clinical and clinical evaluation of coronary stents. Following dialogue with the European Commission, the Task Force was asked to prepare an additional report on the class of devices known as bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS). Five BRS have CE-mark approval for use in Europe. Only one device-the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold-has published randomized clinical trial data and this data show inferior outcomes to conventional drug-eluting stents (DES) at 2-3 years. For this reason, at present BRS should not be preferred to conventional DES in clinical practice. The Task Force recommends that new BRS devices should undergo systematic non-clinical testing according to standardized criteria prior to evaluation in clinical studies. A clinical evaluation plan should include data from a medium sized, randomized trial against DES powered for a surrogate end point of clinical efficacy. Manufacturers of successful devices receive CE-mark approval for use and must have an approved plan for a large-scale randomized clinical trial with planned long-term follow-up.

The Use of Rapid Review Methods for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Patnode, Carrie D; Eder, Michelle L; Walsh, Emily S; Viswanathan, Meera; Lin, Jennifer S

2018-01-01

Rapid review products are intended to synthesize available evidence in a timely fashion while still meeting the needs of healthcare decision makers. Various methods and products have been applied for rapid evidence syntheses, but no single approach has been uniformly adopted. Methods to gain efficiency and compress the review time period include focusing on a narrow clinical topic and key questions; limiting the literature search; performing single (versus dual) screening of abstracts and full-text articles for relevance; and limiting the analysis and synthesis. In order to maintain the scientific integrity, including transparency, of rapid evidence syntheses, it is imperative that procedures used to streamline standard systematic review methods are prespecified, based on sound review principles and empiric evidence when possible, and provide the end user with an accurate and comprehensive synthesis. The collection of clinical preventive service recommendations maintained by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, along with its commitment to rigorous methods development, provide a unique opportunity to refine, implement, and evaluate rapid evidence synthesis methods and add to an emerging evidence base on rapid review methods. This paper summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's use of rapid review methodology, its criteria for selecting topics for rapid evidence syntheses, and proposed methods to streamline the review process. Copyright © 2018 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

The influence of individual and team cognitive ability on operators' task and safety performance: a multilevel field study in nuclear power plants.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingyu Zhang

Full Text Available While much research has investigated the predictors of operators' performance such as personality, attitudes and motivation in high-risk industries, its cognitive antecedents and boundary conditions have not been fully investigated. Based on a multilevel investigation of 312 nuclear power plant main control room operators from 50 shift teams, the present study investigated how general mental ability (GMA at both individual and team level can influence task and safety performance. At the individual level, operators' GMA was predictive of their task and safety performance and this trend became more significant as they accumulated more experience. At the team level, we found team GMA had positive influences on all three performance criteria. However, we also found a "big-fish-little-pond" effect insofar as team GMA had a relatively smaller effect and inhibited the contribution of individual GMA to workers' extra-role behaviors (safety participation compared to its clear beneficial influence on in-role behaviors (task performance and safety compliance. The possible mechanisms related to learning and social comparison processes are discussed.

The influence of individual and team cognitive ability on operators' task and safety performance: a multilevel field study in nuclear power plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jingyu; Li, Yongjuan; Wu, Changxu

2013-01-01

While much research has investigated the predictors of operators' performance such as personality, attitudes and motivation in high-risk industries, its cognitive antecedents and boundary conditions have not been fully investigated. Based on a multilevel investigation of 312 nuclear power plant main control room operators from 50 shift teams, the present study investigated how general mental ability (GMA) at both individual and team level can influence task and safety performance. At the individual level, operators' GMA was predictive of their task and safety performance and this trend became more significant as they accumulated more experience. At the team level, we found team GMA had positive influences on all three performance criteria. However, we also found a "big-fish-little-pond" effect insofar as team GMA had a relatively smaller effect and inhibited the contribution of individual GMA to workers' extra-role behaviors (safety participation) compared to its clear beneficial influence on in-role behaviors (task performance and safety compliance). The possible mechanisms related to learning and social comparison processes are discussed.

Attainment and retention of force moderation following laparoscopic resection training with visual force feedback.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Rafael; Onar-Thomas, Arzu; Travascio, Francesco; Asfour, Shihab

2017-11-01

Laparoscopic training with visual force feedback can lead to immediate improvements in force moderation. However, the long-term retention of this kind of learning and its potential decay are yet unclear. A laparoscopic resection task and force sensing apparatus were designed to assess the benefits of visual force feedback training. Twenty-two male university students with no previous experience in laparoscopy underwent relevant FLS proficiency training. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control or treatment group. Both groups trained on the task for 2 weeks as follows: initial baseline, sixteen training trials, and post-test immediately after. The treatment group had visual force feedback during training, whereas the control group did not. Participants then performed four weekly test trials to assess long-term retention of training. Outcomes recorded were maximum pulling and pushing forces, completion time, and rated task difficulty. Extreme maximum pulling force values were tapered throughout both the training and retention periods. Average maximum pushing forces were significantly lowered towards the end of training and during retention period. No significant decay of applied force learning was found during the 4-week retention period. Completion time and rated task difficulty were higher during training, but results indicate that the difference eventually fades during the retention period. Significant differences in aptitude across participants were found. Visual force feedback training improves on certain aspects of force moderation in a laparoscopic resection task. Results suggest that with enough training there is no significant decay of learning within the first month of the retention period. It is essential to account for differences in aptitude between individuals in this type of longitudinal research. This study shows how an inexpensive force measuring system can be used with an FLS Trainer System after some retrofitting. Surgical

EU-US transport task force workshop on transport in fusion plasmas: transport near operational limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connor, J W; Garbet, X; Giannone, L; Greenwald, M; Hidalgo, C; Loarte, A; Mantica, P

2003-01-01

This conference report summarizes the contributions to, and discussions at, the 9th EU-US transport task force workshop on 'transport in fusion plasmas: transport near operational limits', held in Cordoba, Spain, during 9-12 September 2002. The workshop was organized under three main headings: edge localized mode physics and confinement, profile dynamics and confinement and confinement near operational limits: density and beta limits; this report follows the same structure

Task Force on Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) and Non-criteria APS Manifestations (I): catastrophic APS, APS nephropathy and heart valve lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Cervera, R; Tektonidou, M G; Espinosa, G; Cabral, A R; González, E B; Erkan, D; Vadya, S; Adrogué, H E; Solomon, M; Zandman-Goddard, G; Shoenfeld, Y

2011-02-01

The objectives of the 'Task Force on Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) and Non-criteria APS Manifestations' were to assess the clinical utility of the international consensus statement on classification criteria and treatment guidelines for the catastrophic APS, to identify and grade the studies that analyse the relationship between the antiphospholipid antibodies and the non-criteria APS manifestations and to present the current evidence regarding the accuracy of these non-criteria APS manifestations for the detection of patients with APS. This article summarizes the studies analysed on the catastrophic APS, APS nephropathy and heart valve lesions, and presents the recommendations elaborated by the Task Force after this analysis.

The Challenge and the Promise: Strengthening the Force, Preventing Suicide and Saving Lives. Final Report of the Department of Defense Task Force on the Prevention of Suicide by Members of the Armed Forces

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-01

States Army, and Senior Marketing Executive for TRICARE Puget Sound. He also serves as the military Co-Chair of the Department of Defense Task Force on...References M-1 APPENDIX M. REFERENCES Apter, A., King, R.A., Bleich, A., Fluck, A., Kotler , M., & Kron, S. (2008). Fatal and non-fatal

Product Evaluation Task Force Phase Two report for centrifuge cake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, A.J.; Davies, A.

1990-01-01

It has been proposed that all Intermediate Level Wastes arising at Sellafield should be encapsulated prior to ultimate disposal. The Product Evaluation Task Force (PETF) was set up to investigate possible encapsulants and to produce and adequate data base to justify the preferred matrices. Three possible types of encapsulants for Centrifuge Cake;- Inorganic cements, Polymer cements, and Polymers, are evaluated using the Kepner Tregoe decision analysis technique. This technique provides a methodology for scoring and ranking alternative options and evaluating any risks associated with an option. The analysis shows that for all four stages of waste management operations ie. Storage Transport, handling and emplacement Disposal, and Process, cement matrices are considerably superior to other potential matrices. A matrix, consisting of nine parts Blast Furnace Slag (BFS) to one part Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is recommended as the preferred matrix for Phase 3 studies on Centrifuge Cake. (author)

Conjoint analysis applications in health--a checklist: a report of the ISPOR Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridges, John F P; Hauber, A Brett; Marshall, Deborah; Lloyd, Andrew; Prosser, Lisa A; Regier, Dean A; Johnson, F Reed; Mauskopf, Josephine

2011-06-01

The application of conjoint analysis (including discrete-choice experiments and other multiattribute stated-preference methods) in health has increased rapidly over the past decade. A wider acceptance of these methods is limited by an absence of consensus-based methodological standards. The International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Good Research Practices for Conjoint Analysis Task Force was established to identify good research practices for conjoint-analysis applications in health. The task force met regularly to identify the important steps in a conjoint analysis, to discuss good research practices for conjoint analysis, and to develop and refine the key criteria for identifying good research practices. ISPOR members contributed to this process through an extensive consultation process. A final consensus meeting was held to revise the article using these comments, and those of a number of international reviewers. Task force findings are presented as a 10-item checklist covering: 1) research question; 2) attributes and levels; 3) construction of tasks; 4) experimental design; 5) preference elicitation; 6) instrument design; 7) data-collection plan; 8) statistical analyses; 9) results and conclusions; and 10) study presentation. A primary question relating to each of the 10 items is posed, and three sub-questions examine finer issues within items. Although the checklist should not be interpreted as endorsing any specific methodological approach to conjoint analysis, it can facilitate future training activities and discussions of good research practices for the application of conjoint-analysis methods in health care studies. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

D1 and D2 Inhibitions of the Soleus H-Reflex Are Differentially Modulated during Plantarflexion Force and Position Tasks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Henrique Magalhães

Full Text Available Presynaptic inhibition (PSI has been shown to modulate several neuronal pathways of functional relevance by selectively gating the connections between sensory inputs and spinal motoneurons, thereby regulating the contribution of the stretch reflex circuitry to the ongoing motor activity. In this study, we investigated whether a differential regulation of Ia afferent inflow by PSI may be associated with the performance of two types of plantarflexion sensoriomotor tasks. The subjects (in a seated position controlled either: 1 the force level exerted by the foot against a rigid restraint (force task, FT; or 2 the angular position of the ankle when sustaining inertial loads (position task, PT that required the same level of muscle activation observed in FT. Subjects were instructed to maintain their force/position at target levels set at ~10% of maximum isometric voluntary contraction for FT and 90° for PT, while visual feedback of the corresponding force/position signals were provided. Unconditioned H-reflexes (i.e. control reflexes and H-reflexes conditioned by electrical pulses applied to the common peroneal nerve with conditioning-to-test intervals of 21 ms and 100 ms (corresponding to D1 and D2 inhibitions, respectively were evoked in a random fashion. A significant main effect for the type of the motor task (FT vs PT (p = 0.005, η2p = 0.603 indicated that PTs were undertaken with lower levels of Ia PSI converging onto the soleus motoneuron pool. Additionally, a significant interaction between the type of inhibition (D1 vs D2 and the type of motor task (FT vs PT (p = 0.038, η2p = 0.395 indicated that D1 inhibition was associated with a significant reduction in PSI levels from TF to TP (p = 0.001, η2p = 0.731, whereas no significant difference between the tasks was observed for D2 inhibition (p = 0.078, η2p = 0.305. These results suggest that D1 and D2 inhibitions of the soleus H-reflex are differentially modulated during the performance of

Comments to guidelines for the treatment of hypothyroidism prepared by the American thyroid association task force on thyroid hormone replacement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentin Viktorovich Fadeev

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The article is dedicated to the discussion about to guidelines for the treatment of hypothyroidism prepared by the American thyroid association task force on thyroid hormone replacement.

DOE Task Force meeting on Electrical Breakdown of Insulating Ceramics in a High Radiation Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, P.H.

1991-08-01

This volume contains the abstracts and presentation material from the Research Assistance Task Force Meeting ''Electrical Breakdown of Insulating Ceramics in a High-Radiation Field.'' The meeting was jointly sponsored by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the Office of Fusion Energy of the US Department of Energy in Vail, Colorado, May 28--June 1, 1991. The 26 participants represented expertise in fusion, radiation damage, electrical breakdown, ceramics, and semiconductor and electronic structures. These participants came from universities, industries, national laboratories, and government. The attendees represented eight nations. The Task Force meeting was organized in response to the recent discovery that a combination of temperature, electric field, and radiation for an extended period of time has an unexplained adverse effect in ceramics, termed radiation-enhanced electrical degradation (REED). REED occurs after an incubation period and continues to accelerate with irradiation until the ceramics can no longer be regarded as insulators. It appears that REED is irreversible and the ceramic insulators cannot be readily annealed or otherwise repaired for future services. This effect poses a serious threat for fusion reactors, which require electrical insulators in diagnostic devices, in radio frequency and neutral beam systems, and in magnetic assemblies. The problem of selecting suitable electrical insulating materials in thus far more serious than previously anticipated

0-6803 : technology task force.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-01

Texas 83rd Legislature charged the Texas Department : of Transportation (TxDOT) with examining and : evaluating innovative transportation technologies to : decrease costs, reduce traffic congestion, enhance : safety, and increase economic producti...

75 FR 43944 - Defense Science Board; Task Force on Trends and Implications of Climate Change for National and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-27

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Science Board; Task Force on Trends and Implications of Climate Change for National and International Security AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD... and Implications of Climate Change for National and International Security will meet in closed session...

75 FR 34438 - Defense Science Board Task Force on Trends and Implications of Climate Change for National and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-17

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Science Board Task Force on Trends and Implications of Climate Change for National and International Security AGENCY: Department of Defense (DoD... and Implications of Climate Change for National and International Security will meet in closed session...

Our Families, Our Children: The Lesbian and Gay Child Care Task Force Report on Quality Child Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Dispenza, Mary

The Lesbian and Gay Child Care Task Force documented anecdotal evidence of homophobia in child care and school age communities, including: (1) refusal to accept children from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families into child care; (2) biased attitudes expressed to children when they speak about their families; and (3) demonstrated…

Bilateral ground reaction forces and joint moments for lateral sidestepping and crossover stepping tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Kuntze, Gregor; Sellers, William I.; Mansfield, Neil

2009-01-01

Racquet sports have high levels of joint injuries suggesting the joint loads during play may be excessive. Sports such as badminton employ lateral sidestepping (SS) and crossover stepping (XS) movements which so far have not been described in terms of biomechanics. This study examined bilateral ground reaction forces and three dimensional joint kinetics for both these gaits in order to determine the demands of the movements on the leading and trailing limb and predict the contribution of these movements to the occurrence of overuse injury of the lower limbs. A force platform and motion-analysis system were used to record ground reaction forces and track marker trajectories of 9 experienced male badminton players performing lateral SS, XS and forward running tasks at a controlled speed of 3 m·s-1 using their normal technique. Ground reaction force and kinetic data for the hip, knee and ankle were analyzed, averaged across the group and the biomechanical variables compared. In all cases the ground reaction forces and joint moments were less than those experienced during moderate running suggesting that in normal play SS and XS gaits do not lead to high forces that could contribute to increased injury risk. Ground reaction forces during SS and XS do not appear to contribute to the development of overuse injury. The distinct roles of the leading and trailing limb, acting as a generator of vertical force and shock absorber respectively, during the SS and XS may however contribute to the development of muscular imbalances which may ultimately contribute to the development of overuse injury. However it is still possible that faulty use of these gaits might lead to high loads and this should be the subject of future work. Key pointsGround reaction forces and joint moments during lateral stepping are smaller in magnitude than those experienced during moderate running.Force exposure in SS and XS gaits in normal play does not appear to contribute to the development of

Analysis of the situation of the vacuum in FTU; Analisi della situazione del vuoto di FTU (Resoconto del lavoro svolto dalla task force)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alessandrini, C.; Angelini, B.; Apicella, M.L.; Mazzitelli, G.; Pirani, S.; Zanza, V. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Frascati, Rome (Italy). Dipt. Energia

1999-01-01

To analyze the situation of the vacuum in the FTU tokamak, on 22/5/96 was set up a task force to identify the problem(s) and to settle the operative and cleaning procedures. The main actions of the task force were: leak tests, automatic procedure to monitor on line the state of the machine vacuum and an exhaustive analysis of the work done before. The task force reviewed the outgassing measurements of the plastic materials inserted into the machine and was decided to repeat the test on the thermocouples. The results pointed out that the thermocouples are a practically infinite reservoir of water. The outcome of the task force was a set of new procedures and recommendations during both the operation of FTU and the shutdown periods. FTU is now operating at more acceptable plasma purity. [Italiano] Il 22/5/96 fu costituita una Task Force (TF) per analizzare le cause della `non pulizia` di FTU e per identificare le nuove procedure da seguire per la pulizia della camera da vuoto. Le azioni che la TF intraprese furono: leak tests, monitoraggio continuo dello stato del vuoto e revisione critica del lavoro fatto precedentemente. Vennero poi analizzate delle misure fatte a suo tempo sui materiali presenti nella camera da vuoto di FTU e, nel caso delle termocoppie, si decise di ripetere il test. Da questa seconda prova emerse che i cilindretti di queste termocoppie sono delle riserve inesauribili di acqua che vengono alimentate da ogni riapertura della macchina. Il lavoro della TF si concluse con una serie di procedure e raccomandazioni, da seguire prima di ogni riapertura della macchina e durante le campagne sperimentali a macchina fredda; tali procedure tengono conto del fatto che negli anni e` aumentata la quantita` di materiali plastici presenti nella camera da vuoto, soprattutto nei ports. FTU sta attualmente operando in condizioni piu` accettabili di pulizia della camera.

A report on older-age bipolar disorder from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Sajatovic, Martha; Strejilevich, Sergio A; Gildengers, Ariel G; Dols, Annemiek; Al Jurdi, Rayan K; Forester, Brent P; Kessing, Lars Vedel; Beyer, John; Manes, Facundo; Rej, Soham; Rosa, Adriane R; Schouws, Sigfried Ntm; Tsai, Shang-Ying; Young, Robert C; Shulman, Kenneth I

2015-11-01

In the coming generation, older adults with bipolar disorder (BD) will increase in absolute numbers as well as proportion of the general population. This is the first report of the International Society for Bipolar Disorder (ISBD) Task Force on Older-Age Bipolar Disorder (OABD). This task force report addresses the unique aspects of OABD including epidemiology and clinical features, neuropathology and biomarkers, physical health, cognition, and care approaches. The report describes an expert consensus summary on OABD that is intended to advance the care of patients, and shed light on issues of relevance to BD research across the lifespan. Although there is still a dearth of research and health efforts focused on older adults with BD, emerging data have brought some answers, innovative questions, and novel perspectives related to the notion of late onset, medical comorbidity, and the vexing issue of cognitive impairment and decline. Improving our understanding of the biological, clinical, and social underpinnings relevant to OABD is an indispensable step in building a complete map of BD across the lifespan. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Neural Correlates of Task Cost for Stance Control with an Additional Motor Task: Phase-Locked Electroencephalogram Responses

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Ing-Shiou; Huang, Cheng-Ya

2016-01-01

With appropriate reallocation of central resources, the ability to maintain an erect posture is not necessarily degraded by a concurrent motor task. This study investigated the neural control of a particular postural-suprapostural procedure involving brain mechanisms to solve crosstalk between posture and motor subtasks. Participants completed a single posture task and a dual-task while concurrently conducting force-matching and maintaining a tilted stabilometer stance at a target angle. Stabilometer movements and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The added force-matching task increased the irregularity of postural response rather than the size of postural response prior to force-matching. In addition, the added force-matching task during stabilometer stance led to marked topographic ERP modulation, with greater P2 positivity in the frontal and sensorimotor-parietal areas of the N1-P2 transitional phase and in the sensorimotor-parietal area of the late P2 phase. The time-frequency distribution of the ERP primary principal component revealed that the dual-task condition manifested more pronounced delta (1–4 Hz) and beta (13–35 Hz) synchronizations but suppressed theta activity (4–8 Hz) before force-matching. The dual-task condition also manifested coherent fronto-parietal delta activity in the P2 period. In addition to a decrease in postural regularity, this study reveals spatio-temporal and temporal-spectral reorganizations of ERPs in the fronto-sensorimotor-parietal network due to the added suprapostural motor task. For a particular set of postural-suprapostural task, the behavior and neural data suggest a facilitatory role of autonomous postural response and central resource expansion with increasing interregional interactions for task-shift and planning the motor-suprapostural task. PMID:27010634

Quality and Safety Assurance - Priority Task at Nuclear Power Projects Implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nenkova, B.; Manchev, B.; Tomov, E.

2010-01-01

Quality and safety assurance at implementation of nuclear power engineering projects is important and difficult task for realization. Many problems arise during this process, when many companies from different countries participate, with various kinds of activities and services provided. The scope of activities necessary for quality and safety assurance is therefore quite expanded and diverse. In order to increase the safety and reliability of Kozloduy NPP Plc (KNPP) Units 5 and 6, as well as to bring the units in conformity with the newest international requirements for quality and safety in the field of nuclear energy, a program for their modernization on the basis of different technical studies and assessments was implemented. The Units 5 and 6 Modernization Program of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant was composed of 212 modifications aimed to improve the safety, operability, and reliability of the Units. The Program was realized by stages during yearly planned outages since year 2002 to 2007, without additional outages. A major Program Objective was to extend the Units Life Time in at least 15 Years, under a continuous, safe, and reliable operation. The Modernization Program of Units 5 and 6 of the Bulgarian Nuclear Power Plant in Kozloduy was the first and for the time being the only one in the world, program in the field of nuclear power engineering, by which the full scope of recommendations for improvement of the Kozloduy NPP units was applied. The main goal of the National Electric Company, which is the Employer for the construction of new nuclear facility in Bulgaria, is after completion of all activities regarding construction of Belene NPP the plant to meet or exceed the requirements of the respective national and international quality and safety codes and standards, as well as the IAEA guidelines, as they are established. The objective of this report is to describe different aspects of the quality assurance according to the requirements of quality and

78 FR 10636 - Task Force on Research on Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women; Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-14

... Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, 810 7th Street NW., 3rd Floor Ballroom, Washington, DC 20531... the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, established the Task Force on March 31, 2008. A... Violence Against Women, United States Department of Justice, 145 N Street NE., Suite 10W.121, Washington...

A Survey of Telecommunications Technology. Part II. President's Task Force on Communications Policy. Staff Paper One, Part II.

Science.gov (United States)

Rostow, Eugene V.

The document contains the final four appendices to a staff paper submitted to the President's Task Force on Communications Policy. "The Digital Loop" describes changes in urban telecommunications which are predicted for 1970-80, considering three possible systems: paired wires with single analog signals (present telephones), coaxial…

Schizophrenia: from the brain to peripheral markers. A consensus paper of the WFSBP task force on biological markers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stober, Gerald; Ben-Shachar, Dorit; Cardon, M

2009-01-01

traits that are specific to particular conditions. An important aim of biomarker discovery is the detection of disease correlates that can be used as diagnostic tools. Method. A selective review of the WFSBP Task Force on Biological Markers in schizophrenia is provided from the central nervous system...

Effects of task and age on the magnitude and structure of force fluctuations: insights into underlying neuro-behavioral processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Vieluf, Solveig; Temprado, Jean-Jacques; Berton, Eric; Jirsa, Viktor K; Sleimen-Malkoun, Rita

2015-03-13

The present study aimed at characterizing the effects of increasing (relative) force level and aging on isometric force control. To achieve this objective and to infer changes in the underlying control mechanisms, measures of information transmission, as well as magnitude and time-frequency structure of behavioral variability were applied to force-time-series. Older adults were found to be weaker, more variable, and less efficient than young participants. As a function of force level, efficiency followed an inverted-U shape in both groups, suggesting a similar organization of the force control system. The time-frequency structure of force output fluctuations was only significantly affected by task conditions. Specifically, a narrower spectral distribution with more long-range correlations and an inverted-U pattern of complexity changes were observed with increasing force level. Although not significant older participants displayed on average a less complex behavior for low and intermediate force levels. The changes in force signal's regularity presented a strong dependence on time-scales, which significantly interacted with age and condition. An inverted-U profile was only observed for the time-scale relevant to the sensorimotor control process. However, in both groups the peak was not aligned with the optimum of efficiency. Our results support the view that behavioral variability, in terms of magnitude and structure, has a functional meaning and affords non-invasive markers of the adaptations of the sensorimotor control system to various constraints. The measures of efficiency and variability ought to be considered as complementary since they convey specific information on the organization of control processes. The reported weak age effect on variability and complexity measures suggests that the behavioral expression of the loss of complexity hypothesis is not as straightforward as conventionally admitted. However, group differences did not completely vanish

Influence of time pressure in a simple response task, a choice-by-location task, and the Simon task

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Lubbe, Robert Henricus Johannes; Jaśkowski, Piotr; Wauschkuhn, Bernd; Verleger, Rolf

2001-01-01

Examined the influence of strategy for a simple response task, a choice-by-location task, and the Simon task by varying time pressure in 11 Ss (mean age 28 yrs). Besides reaction time (RT) and accuracy, we measured response force and derived two measures from the event-related EEG potential to form

Government Applications Task Force ground truth study of WAG 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evers, T.K.; Smyre, J.L.; King, A.L.

1997-06-01

This report documents the Government Applications Task Force (GATF) Buried Waste Project. The project was initiated as a field investigation and verification of the 1994 Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program's (SERDP) Buried Waste Identification Project results. The GATF project team included staff from three US Department of Energy (DOE) Laboratories [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC)] and from the National Exploitation Laboratory. Similar studies were conducted at each of the three DOE laboratories to demonstrate the effective use of remote sensing technologies. The three locations were selected to assess differences in buried waste signatures under various environmental conditions (i.e., climate, terrain, precipitation, geology, etc.). After a brief background discussion of the SERDP Project, this report documents the field investigation (ground truth) results from the 1994--1995 GATF Buried Waste Study at ORNL's Waste Area Grouping (WAG) 4. Figures for this report are located in Appendix A

Final Report of the National Black Health Providers Task Force on High Blood Pressure Education and Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Public Health Service (DHHS), Rockville, MD.

This is the final report of National Black Health Providers Task Force (NBHPTF) on High Blood Pressure Education and Control. The first chapter of the report recounts the history of the NBHPTF and its objectives. In the second chapter epidemiological evidence is presented to demonstrate the need for a suggested 20 year plan aimed at controlling…

Magistrates' Survey. 1988 Follow-Up: Analysis of Results. Report to the Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence.

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, Sylvester; Relos, Ruth

In 1988, over one-third of all North Carolina magistrates, from 87 of 100 counties, responded to a survey from the Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence. Ninety-nine percent of respondents indicated that they had handled at least one case in which a woman had complained about physical violence or threats from her husband or boyfriend. The…

Development of a 6 DOF force-reflecting master input device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Ji Sup; Yoon, Ho Sik

1999-05-01

The teleoperator is a very effective tool for various tasks of nuclear application in that it can reduce the operators' exposure to the radiation. For the utmost performances of the teleoperator, the force reflection capability is essential. This capability represents a function of transmitting the contact force of teleoperator with the object to the human operator. With this function the human operator in the remote area can effectively guide the motion of the teleoperator so that it can follow a safety guaranteed path. In this research a fully force reflectible input device 96 axis) is developed. To develop the force reflecting device, the state of art is surveyed. Based on this survey, the 6 DOF manipulator which controls a power manipulator is fabricated and its performance is investigated. Also, various force reflection algorithms analyzed and the enhanced algorithm is proposed. (author). 18 refs., 4 tabs., 26 figs

Development of a 6 DOF force-reflecting master input device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Ji Sup; Yoon, Ho Sik

1999-05-01

The teleoperator is a very effective tool for various tasks of nuclear application in that it can reduce the operators' exposure to the radiation. For the utmost performances of the teleoperator, the force reflection capability is essential. This capability represents a function of transmitting the contact force of teleoperator with the object to the human operator. With this function the human operator in the remote area can effectively guide the motion of the teleoperator so that it can follow a safety guaranteed path. In this research a fully force reflectible input device 96 axis is developed. To develop the force reflecting device, the state of art is surveyed. Based on this survey, the 6 DOF manipulator which controls a power manipulator is fabricated and its performance is investigated. Also, various force reflection algorithms analyzed and the enhanced algorithm is proposed. (author). 18 refs., 4 tabs., 26 fi0008.

Development of a 6 DOF force-reflecting master input device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoon, Ji Sup; Yoon, Ho Sik

1999-05-01

The teleoperator is a very effective tool for various tasks of nuclear application in that it can reduce the operators' exposure to the radiation. For the utmost performances of the teleoperator, the force reflection capability is essential. This capability represents a function of transmitting the contact force of teleoperator with the object to the human operator. With this function the human operator in the remote area can effectively guide the motion of the teleoperator so that it can follow a safety guaranteed path. In this research a fully force reflectible input device 96 axis is developed. To develop the force reflecting device, the state of art is surveyed. Based on this survey, the 6 DOF manipulator which controls a power manipulator is fabricated and its performance is investigated. Also, various force reflection algorithms analyzed and the enhanced algorithm is proposed. (author). 18 refs., 4 tabs., 26 fi0008.

Proceedings of Task Force Meeting "Human Factors in Innovation Management". Helsinki, 9-14 October, 1983

OpenAIRE

Vasko, T.; Goncharov, V.

1984-01-01

These proceedings from the IIASA Task Force Meeting held in Helsinki from 9-14 October, 1983 reflect the wide spectrum of interests and experiences of the participants. The main topic -- Human Factors in Innovation Management -- was singled out as a potential focus early in the life of the Innovation Management Project. Preliminary meetings had already indicated how internally structured this topic could be. Intentionally, no attempts were made to limit the scope of the meeting, as the object...

Atypical subtrochanteric and diaphyseal femoral fractures: report of a task force of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shane, Elizabeth; Burr, David; Ebeling, Peter R

2010-01-01

Reports linking long-term use of bisphosphonates (BPs) with atypical fractures of the femur led the leadership of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) to appoint a task force to address key questions related to this problem. A multidisciplinary expert group reviewed pertinent...... to designate a femoral fracture as atypical. Minor features include their association with cortical thickening, a periosteal reaction of the lateral cortex, prodromal pain, bilaterality, delayed healing, comorbid conditions, and concomitant drug exposures, including BPs, other antiresorptive agents...... published reports concerning atypical femur fractures, as well as preclinical studies that could provide insight into their pathogenesis. A case definition was developed so that subsequent studies report on the same condition. The task force defined major and minor features of complete and incomplete...

(Environmental investigation of ground water contamination at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-10-01

This Health and Safety Plan (HSP) was developed for the Environmental Investigation of Ground-water Contamination Investigation at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, based on the projected scope of work for the Phase 1, Task 4 Field Investigation. The HSP describes hazards that may be encountered during the investigation, assesses the hazards, and indicates what type of personal protective equipment is to be used for each task performed. The HSP also addresses the medical monitoring program, decontamination procedures, air monitoring, training, site control, accident prevention, and emergency response.

A universal access layer for the Integrated Tokamak Modelling Task Force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manduchi, G.; Iannone, F.; Imbeaux, F.; Huysmans, G.; Lister, J.B.; Guillerminet, B.; Strand, P.; Eriksson, L.-G.; Romanelli, M.

2008-01-01

The Integrated Tokamak Modelling (ITM) Task Force aims at providing a suite of codes for preparing and analyzing future ITER discharges. In the framework of the ITM, the universal access layer (UAL) provides the capability of storing and retrieving data involved in simulation. The underlying data structure is hierarchical and the granularity in data access is given by the definition of a set of consistent physical objects (CPOs). To describe the data structure of the overall ITM database, the XML schema description (XSD) has been used. Originally intended to describe the structure of XML documents, XSD is used here to provide an unambiguous way of describing how data are structured, regardless of the actual implementation of the underlying database. The MDSplus-based UAL implementation is currently under test and other prototypes for investigating alternative data storage systems are foreseen

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries' legislative activities and the Joint Medical Library Association/Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries Legislative Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Zenan, Joan S

2003-04-01

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries' (AAHSL's) involvement in national legislative activities and other advocacy initiatives has evolved and matured over the last twenty-five years. Some activities conducted by the Medical Library Association's (MLA's) Legislative Committee from 1976 to 1984 are highlighted to show the evolution of MLA's and AAHSL's interests in collaborating on national legislative issues, which resulted in an agreement to form a joint legislative task force. The history, work, challenges, and accomplishments of the Joint MLA/AAHSL Legislative Task Force, formed in 1985, are discussed.

Outcome of the First wwPDB Hybrid/Integrative Methods Task Force Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Sali, Andrej; Berman, Helen M.; Schwede, Torsten; Trewhella, Jill; Kleywegt, Gerard; Burley, Stephen K.; Markley, John; Nakamura, Haruki; Adams, Paul; Bonvin, Alexandre M.J.J.; Chiu, Wah; Dal Peraro, Matteo; Di Maio, Frank; Ferrin, Thomas E.; Grünewald, Kay; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Henderson, Richard; Hummer, Gerhard; Iwasaki, Kenji; Johnson, Graham; Lawson, Catherine L.; Meiler, Jens; Marti-Renom, Marc A.; Montelione, Gaetano T.; Nilges, Michael; Nussinov, Ruth; Patwardhan, Ardan; Rappsilber, Juri; Read, Randy J.; Saibil, Helen; Schröder, Gunnar F.; Schwieters, Charles D.; Seidel, Claus A. M.; Svergun, Dmitri; Topf, Maya; Ulrich, Eldon L.; Velankar, Sameer; Westbrook, John D.

2016-01-01

Summary Structures of biomolecular systems are increasingly computed by integrative modeling that relies on varied types of experimental data and theoretical information. We describe here the proceedings and conclusions from the first wwPDB Hybrid/Integrative Methods Task Force Workshop held at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton, UK, October 6 and 7, 2014. At the workshop, experts in various experimental fields of structural biology, experts in integrative modeling and visualization, and experts in data archiving addressed a series of questions central to the future of structural biology. How should integrative models be represented? How should the data and integrative models be validated? What data should be archived? How should the data and models be archived? What information should accompany the publication of integrative models? PMID:26095030

Electric versus hydraulic hospital beds: differences in use during basic nursing tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Capodaglio, Edda Maria

2013-01-01

Biomechanical, postural and ergonomic aspects during real patient-assisting tasks performed by nurses using an electric versus a hydraulic hospital bed were observed. While there were no differences in the flexed postures the nurses adopted, longer performance times were recorded when electric beds were used. Subjective effort, force exertion and lumbar shear forces exceeding safety limits proved electric beds were superior. Patients' dependency level seemed to influence the type of nurses' intervention (duration and force actions), irrespective of the bed used. The nurses greatly appreciated the electric bed. Its use seemed to reduce the level of effort perceived during care giving and the postural load during critical subtasks. Ergonomics and organizational problems related to adopting electric beds in hospital wards should be addressed further to make their use more efficient.

Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS)--explanation and elaboration: a report of the ISPOR Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Good Reporting Practices Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Husereau, Don; Drummond, Michael; Petrou, Stavros; Carswell, Chris; Moher, David; Greenberg, Dan; Augustovski, Federico; Briggs, Andrew H; Mauskopf, Josephine; Loder, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Economic evaluations of health interventions pose a particular challenge for reporting because substantial information must be conveyed to allow scrutiny of study findings. Despite a growth in published reports, existing reporting guidelines are not widely adopted. There is also a need to consolidate and update existing guidelines and promote their use in a user-friendly manner. A checklist is one way to help authors, editors, and peer reviewers use guidelines to improve reporting. The task force's overall goal was to provide recommendations to optimize the reporting of health economic evaluations. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement is an attempt to consolidate and update previous health economic evaluation guidelines into one current, useful reporting guidance. The CHEERS Elaboration and Explanation Report of the ISPOR Health Economic Evaluation Publication Guidelines Good Reporting Practices Task Force facilitates the use of the CHEERS statement by providing examples and explanations for each recommendation. The primary audiences for the CHEERS statement are researchers reporting economic evaluations and the editors and peer reviewers assessing them for publication. The need for new reporting guidance was identified by a survey of medical editors. Previously published checklists or guidance documents related to reporting economic evaluations were identified from a systematic review and subsequent survey of task force members. A list of possible items from these efforts was created. A two-round, modified Delphi Panel with representatives from academia, clinical practice, industry, and government, as well as the editorial community, was used to identify a minimum set of items important for reporting from the larger list. Out of 44 candidate items, 24 items and accompanying recommendations were developed, with some specific recommendations for single study-based and model-based economic evaluations. The final

NASA Engineering Safety Center NASA Aerospace Flight Battery Systems Working Group 2007 Proactive Task Status

Science.gov (United States)

Manzo, Michelle A.

2007-01-01

In 2007, the NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) chartered the NASA Aerospace Flight Battery Systems Working Group to bring forth and address critical battery-related performance/manufacturing issues for NASA and the aerospace community. A suite of tasks identifying and addressing issues related to Ni-H2 and Li-ion battery chemistries was submitted and selected for implementation. The current NESC funded are: (1) Wet Life of Ni-H2 Batteries (2) Binding Procurement (3) NASA Lithium-Ion Battery Guidelines (3a) Li-Ion Performance Assessment (3b) Li-Ion Guidelines Document (3b-i) Assessment of Applicability of Pouch Cells for Aerospace Missions (3b-ii) High Voltage Risk Assessment (3b-iii) Safe Charge Rates for Li-Ion Cells (4) Availability of Source Material for Li-Ion Cells (5) NASA Aerospace Battery Workshop This presentation provides a brief overview of the tasks in the 2007 plan and serves as an introduction to more detailed discussions on each of the specific tasks.

EFNS Task Force on Teaching of Neuroimaging in Neurology Curricula in Europe : present status and recommendations for the future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pantano, P; Chollet, F; Paulson, O; von Kummer, R; Laihinen, A; Leenders, K; Yancheva, S

A Task Force on 'Teaching of Neuroimaging in Neurology Curricula in Europe' was appointed in September 1998 by the education committee of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) in order to: (1) examine the present status of teaching of neuroimaging in the training of neurology in

EFNS Task Force on Teaching of Neuroimaging in Neurology Curricula in Europe : present status and recommendations for the future

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pantano, P; Chollet, F; Paulson, O; von Kummer, R; Laihinen, A; Leenders, K; Yancheva, S

2001-01-01

A Task Force on 'Teaching of Neuroimaging in Neurology Curricula in Europe' was appointed in September 1998 by the education committee of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) in order to: (1) examine the present status of teaching of neuroimaging in the training of neurology in

Report of the NIH Task Force on Research Standards for Chronic Low Back Pain†