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Sample records for sample handling protocol

  1. Advanced Curation Protocols for Mars Returned Sample Handling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, M.; Mickelson, E.; Lindstrom, D.; Allton, J.

    Introduction: Johnson Space Center has over 30 years experience handling precious samples which include Lunar rocks and Antarctic meteorites. However, we recognize that future curation of samples from such missions as Genesis, Stardust, and Mars S mple Return, will require a high degree of biosafety combined witha extremely low levels of inorganic, organic, and biological contamination. To satisfy these requirements, research in the JSC Advanced Curation Lab is currently focused toward two major areas: preliminary examination techniques and cleaning and verification techniques . Preliminary Examination Techniques : In order to minimize the number of paths for contamination we are exploring the synergy between human &robotic sample handling in a controlled environment to help determine the limits of clean curation. Within the Advanced Curation Laboratory is a prototype, next-generation glovebox, which contains a robotic micromanipulator. The remotely operated manipulator has six degrees-of- freedom and can be programmed to perform repetitive sample handling tasks. Protocols are being tested and developed to perform curation tasks such as rock splitting, weighing, imaging, and storing. Techniques for sample transfer enabling more detailed remote examination without compromising the integrity of sample science are also being developed . The glovebox is equipped with a rapid transfer port through which samples can be passed without exposure. The transfer is accomplished by using a unique seal and engagement system which allows passage between containers while maintaining a first seal to the outside environment and a second seal to prevent the outside of the container cover and port door from becoming contaminated by the material being transferred. Cleaning and Verification Techniques: As part of the contamination control effort, innovative cleaning techniques are being identified and evaluated in conjunction with sensitive cleanliness verification methods. Towards this

  2. The UK Biobank sample handling and storage protocol for the collection, processing and archiving of human blood and urine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, Paul; Peakman, Tim C

    2008-04-01

    UK Biobank is a large prospective study in the UK to investigate the role of genetic factors, environmental exposures and lifestyle in the causes of major diseases of late and middle age. Extensive data and biological samples are being collected from 500,000 participants aged between 40 and 69 years. The biological samples that are collected and how they are processed and stored will have a major impact on the future scientific usefulness of the UK Biobank resource. The aim of the UK Biobank sample handling and storage protocol is to specify methods for the collection and storage of participant samples that give maximum scientific return within the available budget. Processing or storage methods that, as far as can be predicted, will preclude current or future assays have been avoided. The protocol was developed through a review of the literature on sample handling and processing, wide consultation within the academic community and peer review. Protocol development addressed which samples should be collected, how and when they should be processed and how the processed samples should be stored to ensure their long-term integrity. The recommended protocol was extensively tested in a series of validation studies. UK Biobank collects about 45 ml blood and 9 ml of urine with minimal local processing from each participant using the vacutainer system. A variety of preservatives, anti-coagulants and clot accelerators is used appropriate to the expected end use of the samples. Collection of other material (hair, nails, saliva and faeces) was also considered but rejected for the full cohort. Blood and urine samples from participants are transported overnight by commercial courier to a central laboratory where they are processed and aliquots of urine, plasma, serum, white cells and red cells stored in ultra-low temperature archives. Aliquots of whole blood are also stored for potential future production of immortalized cell lines. A standard panel of haematology assays is

  3. Sample handling for kinetics and molecular assembly in flow cytometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sklar, L.A. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). National Flow Cytometry Resource]|[Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). School of Medicine; Seamer, L.C.; Kuckuck, F.; Prossnitz, E.; Edwards, B. [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). School of Medicine; Posner, G. [Northern Arizona Univ., Flagstaff, AZ (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

    1998-07-01

    Flow cytometry discriminates particle associated fluorescence from the fluorescence of the surrounding medium. It permits assemblies of macromolecular complexes on beads or cells to be detected in real-time with precision and specificity. The authors have investigated two types of robust sample handling systems which provide sub-second resolution and high throughput: (1) mixers which use stepper-motor driven syringes to initiate chemical reactions in msec time frames; and (2) flow injection controllers with valves and automated syringes used in chemical process control. In the former system, the authors used fast valves to overcome the disparity between mixing 100 {micro}ls of sample in 100 msecs and delivering sample to a flow cytometer at 1 {micro}l/sec. Particles were detected within 100 msec after mixing, but turbulence was created which lasted for 1 sec after injection of the sample into the flow cytometer. They used optical criteria to discriminate particles which were out of alignment due to the turbulent flow. Complex sample handling protocols involving multiple mixing steps and sample dilution have also been achieved. With the latter system they were able to automate sample handling and delivery with intervals of a few seconds. The authors used a fluidic approach to defeat turbulence caused by sample introduction. By controlling both sheath and sample with individual syringes, the period of turbulence was reduced to {approximately} 200 msecs. Automated sample handling and sub-second resolution should permit broad analytical and diagnostic applications of flow cytometry.

  4. The UK Biobank sample handling and storage validation studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peakman, Tim C; Elliott, Paul

    2008-04-01

    and aims UK Biobank is a large prospective study in the United Kingdom to investigate the role of genetic factors, environmental exposures and lifestyle in the causes of major diseases of late and middle age. It involves the collection of blood and urine from 500 000 individuals aged between 40 and 69 years. How the samples are collected, processed and stored will have a major impact on the future scientific usefulness of the UK Biobank resource. A series of validation studies was recommended to test the robustness of the draft sample handling and storage protocol. Samples of blood and urine were collected from 40 healthy volunteers and either processed immediately according to the protocol or maintained at specified temperatures (4 degrees C for all tubes with the exception of vacutainers containing acid citrate dextrose that were maintained at 18 degrees C) for 12, 24 or 36 h prior to processing. A further sample was maintained for 24 h at 4 degrees C, processed and the aliquots frozen at -80 degrees C for 20 days and then thawed under controlled conditions. The stability of the samples was compared for the different times in a wide variety of assays. The samples maintained at 4 degrees C were stable for at least 24 h after collection for a wide range of assays. Small but significant changes were observed in metabonomic studies in samples maintained at 4 degrees C for 36 h. There was no degradation of the samples for a range of biochemical assays after short-term freezing and thawing under controlled conditions. Whole blood maintained at 18 degrees C for 24 h in vacutainers containing acid citrate dextrose is suitable for viral immortalization techniques. The validation studies reported in this supplement provide justification for the sample handling and storage procedures adopted in the UK Biobank project.

  5. Automated Planning Enables Complex Protocols on Liquid-Handling Robots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitehead, Ellis; Rudolf, Fabian; Kaltenbach, Hans-Michael; Stelling, Jörg

    2018-03-16

    Robotic automation in synthetic biology is especially relevant for liquid handling to facilitate complex experiments. However, research tasks that are not highly standardized are still rarely automated in practice. Two main reasons for this are the substantial investments required to translate molecular biological protocols into robot programs, and the fact that the resulting programs are often too specific to be easily reused and shared. Recent developments of standardized protocols and dedicated programming languages for liquid-handling operations addressed some aspects of ease-of-use and portability of protocols. However, either they focus on simplicity, at the expense of enabling complex protocols, or they entail detailed programming, with corresponding skills and efforts required from the users. To reconcile these trade-offs, we developed Roboliq, a software system that uses artificial intelligence (AI) methods to integrate (i) generic formal, yet intuitive, protocol descriptions, (ii) complete, but usually hidden, programming capabilities, and (iii) user-system interactions to automatically generate executable, optimized robot programs. Roboliq also enables high-level specifications of complex tasks with conditional execution. To demonstrate the system's benefits for experiments that are difficult to perform manually because of their complexity, duration, or time-critical nature, we present three proof-of-principle applications for the reproducible, quantitative characterization of GFP variants.

  6. Mars Sample Handling Functionality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, M. A.; Mattingly, R. L.

    2018-04-01

    The final leg of a Mars Sample Return campaign would be an entity that we have referred to as Mars Returned Sample Handling (MRSH.) This talk will address our current view of the functional requirements on MRSH, focused on the Sample Receiving Facility (SRF).

  7. Sample handling for mass spectrometric proteomic investigations of human urine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petri, Anette Lykke; Høgdall, Claus; Christensen, Ib Jarle; Simonsen, Anja Hviid; T'jampens, Davy; Hellmann, Marja-Leena; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger; Fung, Eric T; Høgdall, Estrid

    2008-09-01

    Because of its non-invasive sample collection method, human urine is an attractive biological material both for discovering biomarkers and for use in future screening trials for different diseases. Before urine can be used for these applications, standardized protocols for sample handling that optimize protein stability are required. In this explorative study, we examine the influence of different urine collection methods, storage temperatures, storage times, and repetitive freeze-thaw procedures on the protein profiles obtained by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). Prospectively collected urine samples from 11 women were collected as either morning or midday specimens. The effects of storage temperature, time to freezing, and freeze-thaw cycles were assessed by calculating the number, intensity, and reproducibility of peaks visualized by SELDI-TOF-MS. On the CM10 array, 122 peaks were detected and 28 peaks were found to be significantly different between urine types, storage temperature and time to freezing. On the IMAC-Cu array, 65 peaks were detected and 1 peak was found to be significantly different according to time to freezing. No significant differences were demonstrated for freeze-thaw cycles. Optimal handling and storage conditions are necessary in clinical urine proteomic investigations. Collection of urine with a single and consistently performed protocol is needed to reduce analytical bias. Collecting only one urine type, which is stored for a limited period at 4°C until freezing at -80°C prior to analysis will provide the most stable profiles. Copyright © 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Test sample handling apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-01-01

    A test sample handling apparatus using automatic scintillation counting for gamma detection, for use in such fields as radioimmunoassay, is described. The apparatus automatically and continuously counts large numbers of samples rapidly and efficiently by the simultaneous counting of two samples. By means of sequential ordering of non-sequential counting data, it is possible to obtain precisely ordered data while utilizing sample carrier holders having a minimum length. (U.K.)

  9. Novel Sample-handling Approach for XRD Analysis with Minimal Sample Preparation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarrazin, P.; Chipera, S.; Bish, D.; Blake, D.; Feldman, S.; Vaniman, D.; Bryson, C.

    2004-01-01

    Sample preparation and sample handling are among the most critical operations associated with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. These operations require attention in a laboratory environment, but they become a major constraint in the deployment of XRD instruments for robotic planetary exploration. We are developing a novel sample handling system that dramatically relaxes the constraints on sample preparation by allowing characterization of coarse-grained material that would normally be impossible to analyze with conventional powder-XRD techniques.

  10. Discrepancies in sample size calculations and data analyses reported in randomised trials: comparison of publications with protocols

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chan, A.W.; Hrobjartsson, A.; Jorgensen, K.J.

    2008-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how often sample size calculations and methods of statistical analysis are pre-specified or changed in randomised trials. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. Data source Protocols and journal publications of published randomised parallel group trials initially approved...... in 1994-5 by the scientific-ethics committees for Copenhagen and Frederiksberg, Denmark (n=70). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Proportion of protocols and publications that did not provide key information about sample size calculations and statistical methods; proportion of trials with discrepancies between...... of handling missing data was described in 16 protocols and 49 publications. 39/49 protocols and 42/43 publications reported the statistical test used to analyse primary outcome measures. Unacknowledged discrepancies between protocols and publications were found for sample size calculations (18/34 trials...

  11. Samples and Sampling Protocols for Scientific Investigations | Joel ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... from sampling, through sample preparation, calibration to final measurement and reporting. This paper, therefore offers useful information on practical guidance on sampling protocols in line with best practice and international standards. Keywords: Sampling, sampling protocols, chain of custody, analysis, documentation ...

  12. A review of blood sample handling and pre-processing for metabolomics studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandes, Vinicius Veri; Barbas, Coral; Dudzik, Danuta

    2017-09-01

    Metabolomics has been found to be applicable to a wide range of clinical studies, bringing a new era for improving clinical diagnostics, early disease detection, therapy prediction and treatment efficiency monitoring. A major challenge in metabolomics, particularly untargeted studies, is the extremely diverse and complex nature of biological specimens. Despite great advances in the field there still exist fundamental needs for considering pre-analytical variability that can introduce bias to the subsequent analytical process and decrease the reliability of the results and moreover confound final research outcomes. Many researchers are mainly focused on the instrumental aspects of the biomarker discovery process, and sample related variables sometimes seem to be overlooked. To bridge the gap, critical information and standardized protocols regarding experimental design and sample handling and pre-processing are highly desired. Characterization of a range variation among sample collection methods is necessary to prevent results misinterpretation and to ensure that observed differences are not due to an experimental bias caused by inconsistencies in sample processing. Herein, a systematic discussion of pre-analytical variables affecting metabolomics studies based on blood derived samples is performed. Furthermore, we provide a set of recommendations concerning experimental design, collection, pre-processing procedures and storage conditions as a practical review that can guide and serve for the standardization of protocols and reduction of undesirable variation. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Aerobot Sampling and Handling System, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Honeybee Robotics proposes to: ?Derive and document the functional and technical requirements for Aerobot surface sampling and sample handling across a range of...

  14. Sample handling of clinical specimens for ultratrace element analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cornelis, R.

    1987-01-01

    Some simple logistics to an improved sample handling of clinical specimens are presented. This comprises clean room conditions, clean laboratory ware, ultra-pure reagents and good analytical practice. Sample handling procedures for blood, urine, soft tissues and pharmaceuticals are briefly discussed. (author) 26 refs

  15. ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING USING LOCATION SPECIFIC AIR MONITORING IN BULK HANDLING FACILITIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sexton, L.; Hanks, D.; Degange, J.; Brant, H.; Hall, G.; Cable-Dunlap, P.; Anderson, B.

    2011-06-07

    Since the introduction of safeguards strengthening measures approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors (1992-1997), international nuclear safeguards inspectors have been able to utilize environmental sampling (ES) (e.g. deposited particulates, air, water, vegetation, sediments, soil and biota) in their safeguarding approaches at bulk uranium/plutonium handling facilities. Enhancements of environmental sampling techniques used by the IAEA in drawing conclusions concerning the absence of undeclared nuclear materials or activities will soon be able to take advantage of a recent step change improvement in the gathering and analysis of air samples at these facilities. Location specific air monitoring feasibility tests have been performed with excellent results in determining attribute and isotopic composition of chemical elements present in an actual test-bed sample. Isotopic analysis of collected particles from an Aerosol Contaminant Extractor (ACE) collection, was performed with the standard bulk sampling protocol used throughout the IAEA network of analytical laboratories (NWAL). The results yielded bulk isotopic values expected for the operations. Advanced designs of air monitoring instruments such as the ACE may be used in gas centrifuge enrichment plants (GCEP) to detect the production of highly enriched uranium (HEU) or enrichments not declared by a State. Researchers at Savannah River National Laboratory in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory are developing the next generation of ES equipment for air grab and constant samples that could become an important addition to the international nuclear safeguards inspector's toolkit. Location specific air monitoring to be used to establish a baseline environmental signature of a particular facility employed for comparison of consistencies in declared operations will be described in this paper. Implementation of air monitoring will be contrasted against the use of smear

  16. TECHNIQUES WITH POTENTIAL FOR HANDLING ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES IN CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    An assessment of the methods for handling environmental samples prior to capillary electrophoresis (CE) is presented for both aqueous and solid matrices. Sample handling in environmental analyses is the subject of ongoing research at the Environmental Protection Agency's National...

  17. Emergency Handling for MAC Protocol in Human Body Communication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kwon Youngmi

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The human body communication (HBC is a technology that enables short range data communication using the human body as a medium, like an electrical wire. Thus it removes the need for a traditional antenna. HBC may be used as a type of data communication in body area network (BAN, while the devices are being in contact with body. One of important issues in BAN is an emergency alarm because it may be closely related to human life. For emergency data communication, the most critical factor is the time constraint. IEEE 802.15.6 specifies that the emergency alarm for the BAN must be notified in less than 1 sec and must provide prioritization mechanisms for emergency traffic and notification. As one type of BAN, the HBC must follow this recommendation, too. Existing emergency handling methods in BAN are based on the carrier sensing capability on radio frequencies to detect the status of channels. However, PHY protocol in HBC does not provide the carrier sensing. So the previous methods are not well suitable for HBC directly. Additionally, in the environment that the emergency rate is very low, the allocation of dedicated slot(s for emergency in each superframe is very wasteful. In this work, we proposed specific emergency handling operation for human body communication's medium access control (HBC-MAC protocol to meet the emergency requirements for BAN. We also showed the optimal number of emergency slots for the various combinations of beacon intervals and emergency rates.

  18. Soil Gas Sample Handling: Evaluation of Water Removal and Sample Ganging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fritz, Brad G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Abrecht, David G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Hayes, James C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Mendoza, Donaldo P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

    2016-10-31

    Soil gas sampling is currently conducted in support of Nuclear Test Ban treaty verification. Soil gas samples are collected and analyzed for isotopes of interest. Some issues that can impact sampling and analysis of these samples are excess moisture and sample processing time. Here we discuss three potential improvements to the current sampling protocol; a desiccant for water removal, use of molecular sieve to remove CO2 from the sample during collection, and a ganging manifold to allow composite analysis of multiple samples.

  19. Effects of blood sample handling procedures on measurable inflammatory markers in plasma, serum and dried blood spot samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skogstrand, K.; Thorsen, P.; Vogel, I.

    2008-01-01

    of whole blood samples at low temperatures and rapid isolation of plasma and serum. Effects of different handling procedures for all markers studied are given. DBSS proved to be a robust and convenient way to handle samples for immunoassay analysis of inflammatory markers in whole blood Udgivelsesdato......The interests in monitoring inflammation by immunoassay determination of blood inflammatory markers call for information on the stability of these markers in relation to the handling of blood samples. The increasing use of stored biobank samples for such ventures that may have been collected...... and stored for other purposes, justifies the study hereof. Blood samples were stored for 0, 4, 24, and 48 h at 4 degrees C, room temperature (RT), and at 35 degrees C, respectively, before they were separated into serum or plasma and frozen. Dried blood spot samples (DBSS) were stored for 0, 1, 2, 3, 7...

  20. 7 CFR 27.20 - Drawing and handling of samples of cotton; inspection of bales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Drawing and handling of samples of cotton; inspection... Regulations Inspection and Samples § 27.20 Drawing and handling of samples of cotton; inspection of bales. One sample shall be drawn from the top side of each bale and one from the bottom side. Each such sample shall...

  1. Trends and applications of integrated automated ultra-trace sample handling and analysis (T9)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kingston, H.M.S.; Ye Han; Stewart, L.; Link, D.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Automated analysis, sub-ppt detection limits, and the trend toward speciated analysis (rather than just elemental analysis) force the innovation of sophisticated and integrated sample preparation and analysis techniques. Traditionally, the ability to handle samples at ppt and sub-ppt levels has been limited to clean laboratories and special sample handling techniques and equipment. The world of sample handling has passed a threshold where older or 'old fashioned' traditional techniques no longer provide the ability to see the sample due to the influence of the analytical blank and the fragile nature of the analyte. When samples require decomposition, extraction, separation and manipulation, application of newer more sophisticated sample handling systems are emerging that enable ultra-trace analysis and species manipulation. In addition, new instrumentation has emerged which integrate sample preparation and analysis to enable on-line near real-time analysis. Examples of those newer sample-handling methods will be discussed and current examples provided as alternatives to traditional sample handling. Two new techniques applying ultra-trace microwave energy enhanced sample handling have been developed that permit sample separation and refinement while performing species manipulation during decomposition. A demonstration, that applies to semiconductor materials, will be presented. Next, a new approach to the old problem of sample evaporation without losses will be demonstrated that is capable of retaining all elements and species tested. Both of those methods require microwave energy manipulation in specialized systems and are not accessible through convection, conduction, or other traditional energy applications. A new automated integrated method for handling samples for ultra-trace analysis has been developed. An on-line near real-time measurement system will be described that enables many new automated sample handling and measurement capabilities. This

  2. Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovač Viršek, Manca; Palatinus, Andreja; Koren, Špela; Peterlin, Monika; Horvat, Petra; Kržan, Andrej

    2016-01-01

    Microplastic pollution in the marine environment is a scientific topic that has received increasing attention over the last decade. The majority of scientific publications address microplastic pollution of the sea surface. The protocol below describes the methodology for sampling, sample preparation, separation and chemical identification of microplastic particles. A manta net fixed on an »A frame« attached to the side of the vessel was used for sampling. Microplastic particles caught in the cod end of the net were separated from samples by visual identification and use of stereomicroscopes. Particles were analyzed for their size using an image analysis program and for their chemical structure using ATR-FTIR and micro FTIR spectroscopy. The described protocol is in line with recommendations for microplastics monitoring published by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Technical Subgroup on Marine Litter. This written protocol with video guide will support the work of researchers that deal with microplastics monitoring all over the world. PMID:28060297

  3. The Sample Handling System for the Mars Icebreaker Life Mission: from Dirt to Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dave, Arwen; Thompson, Sarah J.; McKay, Christopher P.; Stoker, Carol R.; Zacny, Kris; Paulsen, Gale; Mellerowicz, Bolek; Glass, Brian J.; Wilson, David; Bonaccorsi, Rosalba; hide

    2013-01-01

    The Mars icebreaker life mission will search for subsurface life on mars. It consists of three payload elements: a drill to retrieve soil samples from approx. 1 meter below the surface, a robotic sample handling system to deliver the sample from the drill to the instruments, and the instruments themselves. This paper will discuss the robotic sample handling system.

  4. An optimized protocol for handling and processing fragile acini cultured with the hanging drop technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyman, Celia; Elliott, Edith

    2011-12-15

    The hanging drop three-dimensional culture technique allows cultivation of functional three-dimensional mammary constructs without exogenous extracellular matrix. The fragile acini are, however, difficult to preserve during processing steps for advanced microscopic investigation. We describe adaptations to the protocol for handling of hanging drop cultures to include investigation using confocal, scanning, and electron microscopy, with minimal loss of cell culture components. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Laboratory Activity on Sample Handling and Maintaining a Laboratory Notebook through Simple pH Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erdmann, Mitzy A.; March, Joe L.

    2016-01-01

    Sample handling and laboratory notebook maintenance are necessary skills but can seem abstract if not presented to students in context. An introductory exercise focusing on proper sample handling, data collection and laboratory notebook keeping for the general chemistry laboratory was developed to emphasize the importance of keeping an accurate…

  6. A core handling device for the Mars Sample Return Mission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gwynne, Owen

    1989-01-01

    A core handling device for use on Mars is being designed. To provide a context for the design study, it was assumed that a Mars Rover/Sample Return (MRSR) Mission would have the following characteristics: a year or more in length; visits by the rover to 50 or more sites; 100 or more meter-long cores being drilled by the rover; and the capability of returning about 5 kg of Mars regolith to Earth. These characteristics lead to the belief that in order to bring back a variegated set of samples that can address the range of scientific objetives for a MRSR mission to Mars there needs to be considerable analysis done on board the rover. Furthermore, the discrepancy between the amount of sample gathered and the amount to be returned suggests that there needs to be some method of choosing the optimal set of samples. This type of analysis will require pristine material-unaltered by the drilling process. Since the core drill thermally and mechanically alters the outer diameter (about 10 pct) of the core sample, this outer area cannot be used. The primary function of the core handling device is to extract subsamples from the core and to position these subsamples, and the core itself if needed, with respect to the various analytical instruments that can be used to perform these analyses.

  7. Micro and Nano Techniques for the Handling of Biological Samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Micro and Nano Techniques for the Handling of Biological Samples reviews the different techniques available to manipulate and integrate biological materials in a controlled manner, either by sliding them along a surface (2-D manipulation), or by gripping and moving them to a new position (3-D...

  8. 21 CFR 203.32 - Drug sample storage and handling requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Drug sample storage and handling requirements. 203.32 Section 203.32 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... contamination, deterioration, and adulteration. (b) Compliance with compendial and labeling requirements...

  9. Radiological safety aspects during handling of adjuster rod (cobalt-60) samples at Cirus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yadav, R.K.B.; Prasad, S.K.; Khuspe, R.R.; Babu, K.S.; Kamble, M.K.; Deshpande, S.B.; Srivastava, Alok; Ramesh, N.; Sharma, R.C.

    2008-01-01

    Cobalt -60 produced from the irradiation of the 59 Co capsules in adjuster rod of Cirus is used in many medical and industrial applications such as radiation therapy, sterilization of agricultural products, sterilization of medical equipment, industrial gamma exposure devices, nucleonic gauging sources etc. Two adjuster rods used for adjusting small reactivity loads (3.5 mk at 40 MW) in reactor contain thirty 59 Co slugs each. The 59 Co slugs are in the form of small capsules. These slugs were irradiated for nearly 3 years of full power operation. Since the amount of activity handled in the adjuster rod is very high (35 - 40 kCi), adequate radiological safety coverage is to be provided during the transfer of adjuster rod from the reactor pile to Tray Rod Facility (TRF) and during remote handling and loading of adjuster rod samples in shipping flask at TRF. Radiation fields observed are 0.4 - 3.0 Gy/h. In Cirus, falling of Adjuster rod from vertical flask at top of pile could result in declaration of evacuation emergency due to potential hazards associated with the high radiation field (∼26 Gy/h at 1m) of 60 Co slugs. Entire process of remote handling is viewed through lead glass and movement of samples is carried out with the help of a pair of master slave manipulator (MSM) arms. TRF with full samples give a radiation background of 0.2 - 20 mGy/h, requiring control of movement of personnel in the area. This paper explains in detail about the health physics aspects during handling of adjuster rod from reactor pile to TRF and back to pile, unloading and loading of radioisotope samples, operational radiation protection experience gained and collective dose consumed for the above transfer and loading job. The collective dose consumed in the handling of two adjuster rods is 8.7 per-mSv. (author)

  10. Experimental skin deposition of chromium on the hands following handling of samples of leather and metal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bregnbak, David; Thyssen, Jacob P.; Jellesen, Morten Stendahl

    2016-01-01

    Background: Chromium is an important skin sensitizer. Exposure to it has been regulated in cement, and recently in leather. Studies on the deposition of chromium ions on the skin as a result of handling different chromium-containing materials are sparse, but could improve the risk assessment...... of contact sensitization and allergic contact dermatitis caused by chromium. Objectives: To determine whether the handling of chromium-containing samples of leather and metal results in the deposition of chromium onto the skin. Methods: Five healthy volunteers participated. For 30 min, they handled samples...... of leather and metal known to contain and release chromium. Skin deposition of chromium was assessed with the acid wipe sampling technique. Results: Acid wipe sampling of the participants' fingers showed chromium deposition on the skin in all participants who had been exposed to leather (range 0.01–0.20 µg...

  11. Development of bull trout sampling protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    R. F. Thurow; J. T. Peterson; J. W. Guzevich

    2001-01-01

    This report describes results of research conducted in Washington in 2000 through Interagency Agreement #134100H002 between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS). The purpose of this agreement is to develop a bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) sampling protocol by integrating...

  12. Use of fission track analysis technique for the determination of MicroBequerel level of {sup 239}Pu in urine samples from radiation workers handling MOX fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yadav, J.R., E-mail: yadav_jogendra@rediffmail.co [Health Physics Laboratory, Health Physics Division, BARC, Tarapur 401502 (India); Rao, D.D.; Kumar, Ranjeet [Health Physics Laboratory, Health Physics Division, BARC, Tarapur 401502 (India); Aggarwal, S.K. [Fuel chemistry Division, BARC, Trombay, Mumbai 400085 (India)

    2011-07-15

    Fission track analysis (FTA) technique for the determination of {sup 239}Pu excreted through urine has been standardized using blank samples, tracer and {sup 239}Pu spikes. Double stage anion exchange separation protocol has been applied and an average radiochemical recovery of {sup 239}Pu of 18% was obtained. An average track registration efficiency of 11 tracks per {mu}Bq of {sup 239}Pu, irradiated to 0.35x10{sup 17} neutron fluence was established. Reagent blank urine samples from 11 controlled subjects were analyzed by FTA and an average of 149{+-}14 tracks was obtained. Minimum detectable activity of 34 {mu}Bq L{sup -1} of urine sample was obtained and will be useful for monitoring chronic exposure cases handling MOX fuel.

  13. Integration of GC-MSD and ER-Calux® assay into a single protocol for determining steroid estrogens in environmental samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avberšek, Miha; Žegura, Bojana; Filipič, Metka; Heath, Ester

    2011-11-01

    There are many published studies that use either chemical or biological methods to investigate steroid estrogens in the aquatic environment, but rarer are those that combine both. In this study, gas chromatography with mass selective detection (GC-MSD) and the ER-Calux(®) estrogenicity assay were integrated into a single protocol for simultaneous determination of natural (estrone--E1, 17β-estradiol--E2, estriol--E3) and synthetic (17α-ethinylestradiol--EE2) steroid estrogens concentrations and the total estrogenic potential of environmental samples. For integration purposes, several solvents were investigated and the commonly used dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) in the ER-Calux(®) assay was replaced by ethyl acetate, which is more compatible with gas chromatography and enables the same sample to be analysed by both GC-MSD and the ER-Calux(®) assay. The integrated protocol was initially tested using a standard mixture of estrogens. The results for pure standards showed that the estrogenicity calculated on the basis of GC-MSD and the ER-Calux(®) assay exhibited good correlation (r(2)=0.96; α=0.94). The result remained the same when spiked waste water extracts were tested (r(2)=0.92, α=1.02). When applied to real waste water influent and effluent samples the results proved (r(2)=0.93; α=0.99) the applicability of the protocol. The main advantages of this newly developed protocol are simple sample handling for both methods, and reduced material consumption and labour. In addition, it can be applied as either a complete or sequential analysis where the ER-Calux(®) assay is used as a pre-screening method prior to the chemical analysis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Automated blood-sample handling in the clinical laboratory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godolphin, W; Bodtker, K; Uyeno, D; Goh, L O

    1990-09-01

    The only significant advances in blood-taking in 25 years have been the disposable needle and evacuated blood-drawing tube. With the exception of a few isolated barcode experiments, most sample-tracking is performed through handwritten or computer-printed labels. Attempts to reduce the hazards of centrifugation have resulted in air-tight lids or chambers, the use of which is time-consuming and cumbersome. Most commonly used clinical analyzers require serum or plasma, distributed into specialized containers, unique to that analyzer. Aliquots for different tests are prepared by handpouring or pipetting. Moderate to large clinical laboratories perform so many different tests that even multi-analyzers performing multiple analyses on a single sample may account for only a portion of all tests ordered for a patient. Thus several aliquots of each specimen are usually required. We have developed a proprietary serial centrifuge and blood-collection tube suitable for incorporation into an automated or robotic sample-handling system. The system we propose is (a) safe--avoids or prevents biological danger to the many "handlers" of blood; (b) small--minimizes the amount of sample taken and space required to adapt to the needs of satellite and mobile testing, and direct interfacing with analyzers; (c) serial--permits each sample to be treated according to its own "merits," optimizes throughput, and facilitates flexible automation; and (d) smart--ensures quality results through monitoring and intelligent control of patient identification, sample characteristics, and separation process.

  15. Evaluation of storage and filtration protocols for alpine/subalpine lake water quality samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    John L. Korfmacher; Robert C. Musselman

    2007-01-01

    Many government agencies and other organizations sample natural alpine and subalpine surface waters using varying protocols for sample storage and filtration. Simplification of protocols would be beneficial if it could be shown that sample quality is unaffected. In this study, samples collected from low ionic strength waters in alpine and subalpine lake inlets...

  16. The sample handling system for the Mars Icebreaker Life mission: from dirt to data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davé, Arwen; Thompson, Sarah J; McKay, Christopher P; Stoker, Carol R; Zacny, Kris; Paulsen, Gale; Mellerowicz, Bolek; Glass, Brian J; Willson, David; Bonaccorsi, Rosalba; Rask, Jon

    2013-04-01

    The Mars Icebreaker Life mission will search for subsurface life on Mars. It consists of three payload elements: a drill to retrieve soil samples from approximately 1 m below the surface, a robotic sample handling system to deliver the sample from the drill to the instruments, and the instruments themselves. This paper will discuss the robotic sample handling system. Collecting samples from ice-rich soils on Mars in search of life presents two challenges: protection of that icy soil--considered a "special region" with respect to planetary protection--from contamination from Earth, and delivery of the icy, sticky soil to spacecraft instruments. We present a sampling device that meets these challenges. We built a prototype system and tested it at martian pressure, drilling into ice-cemented soil, collecting cuttings, and transferring them to the inlet port of the SOLID2 life-detection instrument. The tests successfully demonstrated that the Icebreaker drill, sample handling system, and life-detection instrument can collectively operate in these conditions and produce science data that can be delivered via telemetry--from dirt to data. Our results also demonstrate the feasibility of using an air gap to prevent forward contamination. We define a set of six analog soils for testing over a range of soil cohesion, from loose sand to basalt soil, with angles of repose of 27° and 39°, respectively. Particle size is a key determinant of jamming of mechanical parts by soil particles. Jamming occurs when the clearance between moving parts is equal in size to the most common particle size or equal to three of these particles together. Three particles acting together tend to form bridges and lead to clogging. Our experiments show that rotary-hammer action of the Icebreaker drill influences the particle size, typically reducing particle size by ≈ 100 μm.

  17. A new handling tool for irradiated samples at the LENA plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alloni, L.; Venturelli, A.

    1988-01-01

    The handling of neutron irradiated samples at the LENA plant has been so far carried out manually, thus exposing reactor and health physics operators and reactor users to radiation doses. It was then decided to develop an automatic system operated from the reactor console. The system was divided in two sections: one taking care of sample insertion and extraction and the other of the storage of irradiated samples. This paper describes the design and the installation of the storage section. It allows a fast removal of the irradiated samples from the reactor top and their storage in lead pits at the ground level. The extraction of irradiated samples comes out to be quite simplified and radiation doses to operators and users are strongly reduced. All work from design to construction has been carried out by the personnel of the electronic group of the LENA plant

  18. Flexible automated approach for quantitative liquid handling of complex biological samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palandra, Joe; Weller, David; Hudson, Gary; Li, Jeff; Osgood, Sarah; Hudson, Emily; Zhong, Min; Buchholz, Lisa; Cohen, Lucinda H

    2007-11-01

    A fully automated protein precipitation technique for biological sample preparation has been developed for the quantitation of drugs in various biological matrixes. All liquid handling during sample preparation was automated using a Hamilton MicroLab Star Robotic workstation, which included the preparation of standards and controls from a Watson laboratory information management system generated work list, shaking of 96-well plates, and vacuum application. Processing time is less than 30 s per sample or approximately 45 min per 96-well plate, which is then immediately ready for injection onto an LC-MS/MS system. An overview of the process workflow is discussed, including the software development. Validation data are also provided, including specific liquid class data as well as comparative data of automated vs manual preparation using both quality controls and actual sample data. The efficiencies gained from this automated approach are described.

  19. Dual Source Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometer and Sample Handling System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinckerhoff, W.; Mahaffy, P.; Cornish, T.; Cheng, A.; Gorevan, S.; Niemann, H.; Harpold, D.; Rafeek, S.; Yucht, D.

    We present details of an instrument under development for potential NASA missions to planets and small bodies. The instrument comprises a dual ionization source (laser and electron impact) time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF-MS) and a carousel sam- ple handling system for in situ analysis of solid materials acquired by, e.g., a coring drill. This DSTOF instrument could be deployed on a fixed lander or a rover, and has an open design that would accommodate measurements by additional instruments. The sample handling system (SHS) is based on a multi-well carousel, originally de- signed for Champollion/DS4. Solid samples, in the form of drill cores or as loose chips or fines, are inserted through an access port, sealed in vacuum, and transported around the carousel to a pyrolysis cell and/or directly to the TOF-MS inlet. Samples at the TOF-MS inlet are xy-addressable for laser or optical microprobe. Cups may be ejected from their holders for analyzing multiple samples or caching them for return. Samples are analyzed with laser desorption and evolved-gas/electron-impact sources. The dual ion source permits studies of elemental, isotopic, and molecular composition of unprepared samples with a single mass spectrometer. Pulsed laser desorption per- mits the measurement of abundance and isotope ratios of refractory elements, as well as the detection of high-mass organic molecules in solid samples. Evolved gas analysis permits similar measurements of the more volatile species in solids and aerosols. The TOF-MS is based on previous miniature prototypes at JHU/APL that feature high sensitivity and a wide mass range. The laser mode, in which the sample cup is directly below the TOF-MS inlet, permits both ablation and desorption measurements, to cover elemental and molecular species, respectively. In the evolved gas mode, sample cups are raised into a small pyrolysis cell and heated, producing a neutral gas that is elec- tron ionized and pulsed into the TOF-MS. (Any imaging

  20. A multigear protocol for sampling crayfish assemblages in Gulf of Mexico coastal streams

    Science.gov (United States)

    William R. Budnick; William E. Kelso; Susan B. Adams; Michael D. Kaller

    2018-01-01

    Identifying an effective protocol for sampling crayfish in streams that vary in habitat and physical/chemical characteristics has proven problematic. We evaluated an active, combined-gear (backpack electrofishing and dipnetting) sampling protocol in 20 Coastal Plain streams in Louisiana. Using generalized linear models and rarefaction curves, we evaluated environmental...

  1. The perils of straying from protocol: sampling bias and interviewer effects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carrie J Ngongo

    Full Text Available Fidelity to research protocol is critical. In a contingent valuation study in an informal urban settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, participants responded differently to the three trained interviewers. Interviewer effects were present during the survey pilot, then magnified at the start of the main survey after a seemingly slight adaptation of the survey sampling protocol allowed interviewers to speak with the "closest neighbor" in the event that no one was home at a selected household. This slight degree of interviewer choice led to inferred sampling bias. Multinomial logistic regression and post-estimation tests revealed that the three interviewers' samples differed significantly from one another according to six demographic characteristics. The two female interviewers were 2.8 and 7.7 times less likely to talk with respondents of low socio-economic status than the male interviewer. Systematic error renders it impossible to determine which of the survey responses might be "correct." This experience demonstrates why researchers must take care to strictly follow sampling protocols, consistently train interviewers, and monitor responses by interview to ensure similarity between interviewers' groups and produce unbiased estimates of the parameters of interest.

  2. Lead Sampling Protocols: Why So Many and What Do They Tell You?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sampling protocols can be broadly categorized based on their intended purpose of 1) Pb regulatory compliance/corrosion control efficacy, 2) Pb plumbing source determination or Pb type identification, and 3) Pb exposure assessment. Choosing the appropriate protocol is crucial to p...

  3. The Gas Sampling Interval Effect on V˙O2peak Is Independent of Exercise Protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheadler, Cory M; Garver, Matthew J; Hanson, Nicholas J

    2017-09-01

    There is a plethora of gas sampling intervals available during cardiopulmonary exercise testing to measure peak oxygen consumption (V˙O2peak). Different intervals can lead to altered V˙O2peak. Whether differences are affected by the exercise protocol or subject sample is not clear. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether V˙O2peak differed because of the manipulation of sampling intervals and whether differences were independent of the protocol and subject sample. The first subject sample (24 ± 3 yr; V˙O2peak via 15-breath moving averages: 56.2 ± 6.8 mL·kg·min) completed the Bruce and the self-paced V˙O2max protocols. The second subject sample (21.9 ± 2.7 yr; V˙O2peak via 15-breath moving averages: 54.2 ± 8.0 mL·kg·min) completed the Bruce and the modified Astrand protocols. V˙O2peak was identified using five sampling intervals: 15-s block averages, 30-s block averages, 15-breath block averages, 15-breath moving averages, and 30-s block averages aligned to the end of exercise. Differences in V˙O2peak between intervals were determined using repeated-measures ANOVAs. The influence of subject sample on the sampling effect was determined using independent t-tests. There was a significant main effect of sampling interval on V˙O2peak (first sample Bruce and self-paced V˙O2max P sample Bruce and modified Astrand P sampling intervals followed a similar pattern for each protocol and subject sample, with 15-breath moving average presenting the highest V˙O2peak. The effect of manipulating gas sampling intervals on V˙O2peak appears to be protocol and sample independent. These findings highlight our recommendation that the clinical and scientific community request and report the sampling interval whenever metabolic data are presented. The standardization of reporting would assist in the comparison of V˙O2peak.

  4. Probabilistic Round Trip Contamination Analysis of a Mars Sample Acquisition and Handling Process Using Markovian Decompositions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudson, Nicolas; Lin, Ying; Barengoltz, Jack

    2010-01-01

    A method for evaluating the probability of a Viable Earth Microorganism (VEM) contaminating a sample during the sample acquisition and handling (SAH) process of a potential future Mars Sample Return mission is developed. A scenario where multiple core samples would be acquired using a rotary percussive coring tool, deployed from an arm on a MER class rover is analyzed. The analysis is conducted in a structured way by decomposing sample acquisition and handling process into a series of discrete time steps, and breaking the physical system into a set of relevant components. At each discrete time step, two key functions are defined: The probability of a VEM being released from each component, and the transport matrix, which represents the probability of VEM transport from one component to another. By defining the expected the number of VEMs on each component at the start of the sampling process, these decompositions allow the expected number of VEMs on each component at each sampling step to be represented as a Markov chain. This formalism provides a rigorous mathematical framework in which to analyze the probability of a VEM entering the sample chain, as well as making the analysis tractable by breaking the process down into small analyzable steps.

  5. A modified FASP protocol for high-throughput preparation of protein samples for mass spectrometry.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeremy Potriquet

    Full Text Available To facilitate high-throughput proteomic analyses we have developed a modified FASP protocol which improves the rate at which protein samples can be processed prior to mass spectrometry. Adapting the original FASP protocol to a 96-well format necessitates extended spin times for buffer exchange due to the low centrifugation speeds tolerated by these devices. However, by using 96-well plates with a more robust polyethersulfone molecular weight cutoff membrane, instead of the cellulose membranes typically used in these devices, we could use isopropanol as a wetting agent, decreasing spin times required for buffer exchange from an hour to 30 minutes. In a typical work flow used in our laboratory this equates to a reduction of 3 hours per plate, providing processing times similar to FASP for the processing of up to 96 samples per plate. To test whether our modified protocol produced similar results to FASP and other FASP-like protocols we compared the performance of our modified protocol to the original FASP and the more recently described eFASP and MStern-blot. We show that all FASP-like methods, including our modified protocol, display similar performance in terms of proteins identified and reproducibility. Our results show that our modified FASP protocol is an efficient method for the high-throughput processing of protein samples for mass spectral analysis.

  6. Sample handling in surface sensitive chemical and biological sensing: a practical review of basic fluidics and analyte transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orgovan, Norbert; Patko, Daniel; Hos, Csaba; Kurunczi, Sándor; Szabó, Bálint; Ramsden, Jeremy J; Horvath, Robert

    2014-09-01

    This paper gives an overview of the advantages and associated caveats of the most common sample handling methods in surface-sensitive chemical and biological sensing. We summarize the basic theoretical and practical considerations one faces when designing and assembling the fluidic part of the sensor devices. The influence of analyte size, the use of closed and flow-through cuvettes, the importance of flow rate, tubing length and diameter, bubble traps, pressure-driven pumping, cuvette dead volumes, and sample injection systems are all discussed. Typical application areas of particular arrangements are also highlighted, such as the monitoring of cellular adhesion, biomolecule adsorption-desorption and ligand-receptor affinity binding. Our work is a practical review in the sense that for every sample handling arrangement considered we present our own experimental data and critically review our experience with the given arrangement. In the experimental part we focus on sample handling in optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) measurements, but the present study is equally applicable for other biosensing technologies in which an analyte in solution is captured at a surface and its presence is monitored. Explicit attention is given to features that are expected to play an increasingly decisive role in determining the reliability of (bio)chemical sensing measurements, such as analyte transport to the sensor surface; the distorting influence of dead volumes in the fluidic system; and the appropriate sample handling of cell suspensions (e.g. their quasi-simultaneous deposition). At the appropriate places, biological aspects closely related to fluidics (e.g. cellular mechanotransduction, competitive adsorption, blood flow in veins) are also discussed, particularly with regard to their models used in biosensing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. A Robust PCR Protocol for HIV Drug Resistance Testing on Low-Level Viremia Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shivani Gupta

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The prevalence of drug resistance (DR mutations in people with HIV-1 infection, particularly those with low-level viremia (LLV, supports the need to improve the sensitivity of amplification methods for HIV DR genotyping in order to optimize antiretroviral regimen and facilitate HIV-1 DR surveillance and relevant research. Here we report on a fully validated PCR-based protocol that achieves consistent amplification of the protease (PR and reverse transcriptase (RT regions of HIV-1 pol gene across many HIV-1 subtypes from LLV plasma samples. HIV-spiked plasma samples from the External Quality Assurance Program Oversight Laboratory (EQAPOL, covering various HIV-1 subtypes, as well as clinical specimens were used to optimize and validate the protocol. Our results demonstrate that this protocol has a broad HIV-1 subtype coverage and viral load span with high sensitivity and reproducibility. Moreover, the protocol is robust even when plasma sample volumes are limited, the HIV viral load is unknown, and/or the HIV subtype is undetermined. Thus, the protocol is applicable for the initial amplification of the HIV-1 PR and RT genes required for subsequent genotypic DR assays.

  8. A simplified field protocol for genetic sampling of birds using buccal swabs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilstrup, Julia T.; Mullins, Thomas D.; Miller, Mark P.; McDearman, Will; Walters, Jeffrey R.; Haig, Susan M.

    2018-01-01

    DNA sampling is an essential prerequisite for conducting population genetic studies. For many years, blood sampling has been the preferred method for obtaining DNA in birds because of their nucleated red blood cells. Nonetheless, use of buccal swabs has been gaining favor because they are less invasive yet still yield adequate amounts of DNA for amplifying mitochondrial and nuclear markers; however, buccal swab protocols often include steps (e.g., extended air-drying and storage under frozen conditions) not easily adapted to field settings. Furthermore, commercial extraction kits and swabs for buccal sampling can be expensive for large population studies. We therefore developed an efficient, cost-effective, and field-friendly protocol for sampling wild birds after comparing DNA yield among 3 inexpensive buccal swab types (2 with foam tips and 1 with a cotton tip). Extraction and amplification success was high (100% and 97.2% respectively) using inexpensive generic swabs. We found foam-tipped swabs provided higher DNA yields than cotton-tipped swabs. We further determined that omitting a drying step and storing swabs in Longmire buffer increased efficiency in the field while still yielding sufficient amounts of DNA for detailed population genetic studies using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. This new field protocol allows time- and cost-effective DNA sampling of juveniles or small-bodied birds for which drawing blood may cause excessive stress to birds and technicians alike.

  9. Sample handling and chemical procedures for efficacious trace analysis of urine by neutron activation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blotcky, A.J.; Rack, E.P.; Roman, F.R.

    1988-01-01

    Important for the determination of trace elements, ions, or compounds in urine by chemical neutron activation analysis is the optimization of sample handling, preirradiation chemistry, and radioassay procedures necessary for viable analysis. Each element, because of its natural abundance in the earth's crust and, hence, its potential for reagent and environmental contamination, requires specific procedures for storage, handling, and preirradiation chemistry. Radioassay techniques for radionuclides vary depending on their half-lives and decay characteristics. Described in this paper are optimized procedures for aluminum and selenium. While 28 Al (T 1/2 = 2.24 min) and 77m Se(T 1/2 = 17.4s) have short half-lives, their gamma-ray spectra are quite different. Aluminum-28 decays by a 1779-keV gamma and 77m Se by a 162-keV gamma. Unlike selenium, aluminum is a ubiquitous element in the environment requiring special handling to minimize contamination in all phases of its analytical determination

  10. Sampling and sample handling procedures for priority pollutants in surface coal mining wastewaters. [Detailed list to be analyzed for

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hayden, R. S.; Johnson, D. O.; Henricks, J. D.

    1979-03-01

    The report describes the procedures used by Argonne National Laboratory to sample surface coal mine effluents in order to obtain field and laboratory data on 110 organic compounds or classes of compounds and 14 metals and minerals that are known as priority pollutants, plus 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD/sub 5/), total organic carbon (TOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total suspended solids (TSS). Included are directions for preparation of sampling containers and equipment, methods of sampling and sample preservation, and field and laboratory protocols, including chain-of-custody procedures. Actual analytical procedures are not described, but their sources are referenced.

  11. TMI-2 [Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Station] fuel canister and core sample handling equipment used in INEL hot cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McConnell, J.W. Jr.; Shurtliff, W.T.; Lynch, R.J.; Croft, K.M.; Whitmill, L.J.; Allen, S.M.

    1987-01-01

    This paper describes the specialized remote handling equipment developed and used at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) to handle samples obtained from the core of the damaged Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Station (TM-2). Samples of the core were removed, placed in TMI-2 fuel canisters, and transported to the INEL. Those samples will be examined as part of the analysis of the TMI-2 accident. The equipment described herein was designed for removing sample materials from the fuel canisters, assisting with initial examination, and processing samples in preparation for detailed examinations. The more complex equipment used microprocessor remote controls with electric motor drives providing the required force and motion capabilities. The remaining components were unpowered and manipulator assisted

  12. Handling and storage of human body fluids for analysis of extracellular vesicles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yuana, Yuana; Böing, Anita N.; Grootemaat, Anita E.; van der Pol, Edwin; Hau, Chi M.; Cizmar, Petr; Buhr, Egbert; Sturk, Auguste; Nieuwland, Rienk

    2015-01-01

    Because procedures of handling and storage of body fluids affect numbers and composition of extracellular vesicles (EVs), standardization is important to ensure reliable and comparable measurements of EVs in a clinical environment. We aimed to develop standard protocols for handling and storage of

  13. Evolution of the Lunar Receiving Laboratory to the Astromaterial Sample Curation Facility: Technical Tensions Between Containment and Cleanliness, Between Particulate and Organic Cleanliness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allton, J. H.; Zeigler, R. A.; Calaway, M. J.

    2016-01-01

    The Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) was planned and constructed in the 1960s to support the Apollo program in the context of landing on the Moon and safely returning humans. The enduring science return from that effort is a result of careful curation of planetary materials. Technical decisions for the first facility included sample handling environment (vacuum vs inert gas), and instruments for making basic sample assessment, but the most difficult decision, and most visible, was stringent biosafety vs ultra-clean sample handling. Biosafety required handling of samples in negative pressure gloveboxes and rooms for containment and use of sterilizing protocols and animal/plant models for hazard assessment. Ultra-clean sample handling worked best in positive pressure nitrogen environment gloveboxes in positive pressure rooms, using cleanable tools of tightly controlled composition. The requirements for these two objectives were so different, that the solution was to design and build a new facility for specific purpose of preserving the scientific integrity of the samples. The resulting Lunar Curatorial Facility was designed and constructed, from 1972-1979, with advice and oversight by a very active committee comprised of lunar sample scientists. The high precision analyses required for planetary science are enabled by stringent contamination control of trace elements in the materials and protocols of construction (e.g., trace element screening for paint and flooring materials) and the equipment used in sample handling and storage. As other astromaterials, especially small particles and atoms, were added to the collections curated, the technical tension between particulate cleanliness and organic cleanliness was addressed in more detail. Techniques for minimizing particulate contamination in sample handling environments use high efficiency air filtering techniques typically requiring organic sealants which offgas. Protocols for reducing adventitious carbon on sample

  14. Sample Handling and Chemical Kinetics in an Acoustically Levitated Drop Microreactor

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    Accurate measurement of enzyme kinetics is an essential part of understanding the mechanisms of biochemical reactions. The typical means of studying such systems use stirred cuvettes, stopped-flow apparatus, microfluidic systems, or other small sample containers. These methods may prove to be problematic if reactants or products adsorb to or react with the container’s surface. As an alternative approach, we have developed an acoustically-levitated drop reactor eventually intended to study enzyme-catalyzed reaction kinetics related to free radical and oxidative stress chemistry. Microliter-scale droplet generation, reactant introduction, maintenance, and fluid removal are all important aspects in conducting reactions in a levitated drop. A three capillary bundle system has been developed to address these needs. We report kinetic measurements for both luminol chemiluminescence and the reaction of pyruvate with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, catalyzed by lactate dehydrogenase, to demonstrate the feasibility of using a levitated drop in conjunction with the developed capillary sample handling system as a microreactor. PMID:19769373

  15. Pilot studies for the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project - Site selection, sampling protocols, analytical methods, and quality control protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, D.B.; Woodruff, L.G.; O'Leary, R. M.; Cannon, W.F.; Garrett, R.G.; Kilburn, J.E.; Goldhaber, M.B.

    2009-01-01

    In 2004, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the Geological Survey of Canada sampled and chemically analyzed soils along two transects across Canada and the USA in preparation for a planned soil geochemical survey of North America. This effort was a pilot study to test and refine sampling protocols, analytical methods, quality control protocols, and field logistics for the continental survey. A total of 220 sample sites were selected at approximately 40-km intervals along the two transects. The ideal sampling protocol at each site called for a sample from a depth of 0-5 cm and a composite of each of the O, A, and C horizons. The Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, S, Ti, Ag, As, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Ga, In, La, Li, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sc, Sn, Sr, Te, Th, Tl, U, V, W, Y, and Zn by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry following a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Separate methods were used for Hg, Se, total C, and carbonate-C on this same size fraction. Only Ag, In, and Te had a large percentage of concentrations below the detection limit. Quality control (QC) of the analyses was monitored at three levels: the laboratory performing the analysis, the USGS QC officer, and the principal investigator for the study. This level of review resulted in an average of one QC sample for every 20 field samples, which proved to be minimally adequate for such a large-scale survey. Additional QC samples should be added to monitor within-batch quality to the extent that no more than 10 samples are analyzed between a QC sample. Only Cr (77%), Y (82%), and Sb (80%) fell outside the acceptable limits of accuracy (% recovery between 85 and 115%) because of likely residence in mineral phases resistant to the acid digestion. A separate sample of 0-5-cm material was collected at each site for determination of organic compounds. A subset of 73 of these samples was analyzed for a suite of

  16. Robowell: An automated process for monitoring ground water quality using established sampling protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granato, G.E.; Smith, K.P.

    1999-01-01

    Robowell is an automated process for monitoring selected ground water quality properties and constituents by pumping a well or multilevel sampler. Robowell was developed and tested to provide a cost-effective monitoring system that meets protocols expected for manual sampling. The process uses commercially available electronics, instrumentation, and hardware, so it can be configured to monitor ground water quality using the equipment, purge protocol, and monitoring well design most appropriate for the monitoring site and the contaminants of interest. A Robowell prototype was installed on a sewage treatment plant infiltration bed that overlies a well-studied unconfined sand and gravel aquifer at the Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, during a time when two distinct plumes of constituents were released. The prototype was operated from May 10 to November 13, 1996, and quality-assurance/quality-control measurements demonstrated that the data obtained by the automated method was equivalent to data obtained by manual sampling methods using the same sampling protocols. Water level, specific conductance, pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and dissolved ammonium were monitored by the prototype as the wells were purged according to U.S Geological Survey (USGS) ground water sampling protocols. Remote access to the data record, via phone modem communications, indicated the arrival of each plume over a few days and the subsequent geochemical reactions over the following weeks. Real-time availability of the monitoring record provided the information needed to initiate manual sampling efforts in response to changes in measured ground water quality, which proved the method and characterized the screened portion of the plume in detail through time. The methods and the case study described are presented to document the process for future use.

  17. Reducing the sampling periods required in protocols for establishing ammonia emissions from pig fattening buildings using measurements and modelling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mosquera Losada, J.; Ogink, N.W.M.

    2011-01-01

    Ammonia (NH(3)) emission factors for animal housing systems in the Netherlands are based on measurements using standardised measurement protocols. Both the original Green Label (GL) protocol and the newly developed multi-site sampling protocol are based on year-round sampling periods. The objective

  18. A rapid and efficient DNA extraction protocol from fresh and frozen human blood samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guha, Pokhraj; Das, Avishek; Dutta, Somit; Chaudhuri, Tapas Kumar

    2018-01-01

    Different methods available for extraction of human genomic DNA suffer from one or more drawbacks including low yield, compromised quality, cost, time consumption, use of toxic organic solvents, and many more. Herein, we aimed to develop a method to extract DNA from 500 μL of fresh or frozen human blood. Five hundred microliters of fresh and frozen human blood samples were used for standardization of the extraction procedure. Absorbance at 260 and 280 nm, respectively, (A 260 /A 280 ) were estimated to check the quality and quantity of the extracted DNA sample. Qualitative assessment of the extracted DNA was checked by Polymerase Chain reaction and double digestion of the DNA sample. Our protocol resulted in average yield of 22±2.97 μg and 20.5±3.97 μg from 500 μL of fresh and frozen blood, respectively, which were comparable to many reference protocols and kits. Besides yielding bulk amount of DNA, our protocol is rapid, economical, and avoids toxic organic solvents such as Phenol. Due to unaffected quality, the DNA is suitable for downstream applications. The protocol may also be useful for pursuing basic molecular researches in laboratories having limited funds. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. A new and standardized method to sample and analyse vitreous samples by the Cellient automated cell block system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Ginderdeuren, Rita; Van Calster, Joachim; Stalmans, Peter; Van den Oord, Joost

    2014-08-01

    In this prospective study, a universal protocol for sampling and analysing vitreous material was investigated. Vitreous biopsies are difficult to handle because of the paucity of cells and the gelatinous structure of the vitreous. Histopathological analysis of the vitreous is useful in difficult uveitis cases to differentiate uveitis from lymphoma or infection and to define the type of cellular reaction. Hundred consecutive vitreous samples were analysed with the Cellient tissue processor (Hologic). This machine is a fully automated processor starting from a specified container with PreservCyt (fixative fluid) with cells to paraffin. Cytology was compared with fixatives Cytolyt (contains a mucolyticum) and PreservCyt. Routine histochemical and immunostainings were evaluated. In 92% of the cases, sufficient material was found for diagnosis. In 14%, a Cytolyt wash was necessary to prevent clotting of the tubes in the Cellient due to the viscosity of the sample. In 23%, the diagnosis was an acute inflammation (presence of granulocytes); in 33%, chronic active inflammation (presence of T lymphocytes); in 33%, low-grade inflammation (presence of CD68 cells, without T lymphocytes); and in 3%, a malignant process. A standardized protocol for sampling and handling vitreous biopsies, fixing in PreservCyt and processing by the Cellient gives a satisfactory result in morphology, number of cells and possibility of immuno-histochemical stainings. The diagnosis can be established or confirmed in more than 90% of cases. © 2014 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Development of a protocol for sampling and analysis of ballast water in Jamaica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Achsah A Mitchell

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The transfer of ballast by the international shipping industry has negatively impacted the environment. To design such a protocol for the area, the ballast water tanks of seven bulk cargo vessels entering a Jamaican port were sampled between January 28, 2010 and August 17, 2010. Vessels originated from five ports and used three main routes, some of which conducted ballast water exchange. Twenty-six preserved and 22 live replicate zooplankton samples were obtained. Abundance and richness were higher than at temperate ports. Exchange did not alter the biotic composition but reduced the abundance. Two of the live sample replicates, containing 31.67 and 16.75 viable individuals m-3, were non-compliant with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. Approximately 12% of the species identified in the ballast water were present in the waters nearest the port in 1995 and 11% were present in the entire bay in 2005. The protocol designed from this study can be used to aid the establishment of a ballast water management system in the Caribbean or used as a foundation for the development of further protocols.

  1. Evaluation of sample preparation protocols for spider venom profiling by MALDI-TOF MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bočánek, Ondřej; Šedo, Ondrej; Pekár, Stano; Zdráhal, Zbyněk

    2017-07-01

    Spider venoms are highly complex mixtures containing biologically active substances with potential for use in biotechnology or pharmacology. Fingerprinting of venoms by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization - Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a thriving technology, enabling the rapid detection of peptide/protein components that can provide comparative information. In this study, we evaluated the effects of sample preparation procedures on MALDI-TOF mass spectral quality to establish a protocol providing the most reliable analytical outputs. We adopted initial sample preparation conditions from studies already published in this field. Three different MALDI matrixes, three matrix solvents, two sample deposition methods, and different acid concentrations were tested. As a model sample, venom from Brachypelma albopilosa was used. The mass spectra were evaluated on the basis of absolute and relative signal intensities, and signal resolution. By conducting three series of analyses at three weekly intervals, the reproducibility of the mass spectra were assessed as a crucial factor in the selection for optimum conditions. A sample preparation protocol based on the use of an HCCA matrix dissolved in 50% acetonitrile with 2.5% TFA deposited onto the target by the dried-droplet method was found to provide the best results in terms of information yield and repeatability. We propose that this protocol should be followed as a standard procedure, enabling the comparative assessment of MALDI-TOF MS spider venom fingerprints. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Appropriate Handling, Processing and Analysis of Blood Samples Is Essential to Avoid Oxidation of Vitamin C to Dehydroascorbic Acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pullar, Juliet M; Bayer, Simone; Carr, Anitra C

    2018-02-11

    Vitamin C (ascorbate) is the major water-soluble antioxidant in plasma and its oxidation to dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) has been proposed as a marker of oxidative stress in vivo. However, controversy exists in the literature around the amount of DHA detected in blood samples collected from various patient cohorts. In this study, we report on DHA concentrations in a selection of different clinical cohorts (diabetes, pneumonia, cancer, and critically ill). All clinical samples were collected into EDTA anticoagulant tubes and processed at 4 °C prior to storage at -80 °C for subsequent analysis by HPLC with electrochemical detection. We also investigated the effects of different handling and processing conditions on short-term and long-term ascorbate and DHA stability in vitro and in whole blood and plasma samples. These conditions included metal chelation, anticoagulants (EDTA and heparin), and processing temperatures (ice, 4 °C and room temperature). Analysis of our clinical cohorts indicated very low to negligible DHA concentrations. Samples exhibiting haemolysis contained significantly higher concentrations of DHA. Metal chelation inhibited oxidation of vitamin C in vitro, confirming the involvement of contaminating metal ions. Although EDTA is an effective metal chelator, complexes with transition metal ions are still redox active, thus its use as an anticoagulant can facilitate metal ion-dependent oxidation of vitamin C in whole blood and plasma. Handling and processing blood samples on ice (or at 4 °C) delayed oxidation of vitamin C by a number of hours. A review of the literature regarding DHA concentrations in clinical cohorts highlighted the fact that studies using colourimetric or fluorometric assays reported significantly higher concentrations of DHA compared to those using HPLC with electrochemical detection. In conclusion, careful handling and processing of samples, combined with appropriate analysis, is crucial for accurate determination of ascorbate

  3. Robotic Irradiated Sample Handling Concept Design in Reactor TRIGA PUSPATI using Simulation Software

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Khairulezwan Abdul Manan; Mohd Sabri Minhat; Ridzuan Abdul Mutalib; Zareen Khan Abdul Jalil Khan; Nurfarhana Ayuni Joha

    2015-01-01

    This paper introduces the concept design of an Robotic Irradiated Sample Handling Machine using graphical software application, designed as a general, flexible and open platform to work on robotics. Webots has proven to be a useful tool in many fields of robotics, such as manipulator programming, mobile robots control (wheeled, sub-aquatic and walking robots), distance computation, sensor simulation, collision detection, motion planning and so on. Webots is used as the common interface for all the applications. Some practical cases and application for this concept design are illustrated on the paper to present the possibilities of this simulation software. (author)

  4. FISHprep: A Novel Integrated Device for Metaphase FISH Sample Preparation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shah, Pranjul Jaykumar; Vedarethinam, Indumathi; Kwasny, Dorota

    2011-01-01

    We present a novel integrated device for preparing metaphase chromosomes spread slides (FISHprep). The quality of cytogenetic analysis from patient samples greatly relies on the efficiency of sample pre-treatment and/or slide preparation. In cytogenetic slide preparation, cell cultures...... are routinely used to process samples (for culture, arrest and fixation of cells) and/or to expand limited amount of samples (in case of prenatal diagnostics). Arguably, this expansion and other sample pretreatments form the longest part of the entire diagnostic protocols spanning over 3–4 days. We present here...... with minimal handling for metaphase FISH slide preparation....

  5. How the Monte Carlo production of a wide variety of different samples is centrally handled in the LHCb experiment

    CERN Document Server

    Corti, G; Clemencic, M; Closier, J; Couturier, B; Kreps, M; Mathe, Z; O'Hanlon, D; Robbe, P; Romanovsky, V; Stagni, F; Zhelezov, A

    2015-01-01

    In the LHCb experiment a wide variety of Monte Carlo simulated samples needs to be produced for the experiment's physics program. Monte Carlo productions are handled centrally similarly to all massive processing of data in the experiment. In order to cope with the large set of different types of simulation samples, necessary procedures based on common infrastructures have been set up with a numerical event type identification code used throughout. The various elements in the procedure, from writing a configuration for an event type to deploying them on the production environment, from submitting and processing a request to retrieving the sample produced as well as the conventions established to allow their interplay will be described. The choices made have allowed a high level of automation of Monte Carlo productions that are handled centrally in a transparent way with experts concentrating on their specific tasks. As a result the massive Monte Carlo production of the experiment is efficiently processed on a ...

  6. Design and Simulation of a High Performance Emergency Data Delivery Protocol

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Swartz, Kevin; Wang, Di

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this project was to design a high performance data delivery protocol, capable of delivering data as quickly as possible to a base station or target node. This protocol was designed particularly for wireless network topologies, but could also be applied towards a wired system....... An emergency is defined as any event with high priority that needs to be handled immediately. It is assumed that this emergency event is important enough that energy efficiency is not a factor in our protocol. The desired effect is for fast as possible delivery to the base station for rapid event handling....

  7. Optimization of a sample processing protocol for recovery of Bacillus anthracis spores from soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silvestri, Erin E.; Feldhake, David; Griffin, Dale; Lisle, John T.; Nichols, Tonya L.; Shah, Sanjiv; Pemberton, A; Schaefer III, Frank W

    2016-01-01

    Following a release of Bacillus anthracis spores into the environment, there is a potential for lasting environmental contamination in soils. There is a need for detection protocols for B. anthracis in environmental matrices. However, identification of B. anthracis within a soil is a difficult task. Processing soil samples helps to remove debris, chemical components, and biological impurities that can interfere with microbiological detection. This study aimed to optimize a previously used indirect processing protocol, which included a series of washing and centrifugation steps. Optimization of the protocol included: identifying an ideal extraction diluent, variation in the number of wash steps, variation in the initial centrifugation speed, sonication and shaking mechanisms. The optimized protocol was demonstrated at two laboratories in order to evaluate the recovery of spores from loamy and sandy soils. The new protocol demonstrated an improved limit of detection for loamy and sandy soils over the non-optimized protocol with an approximate matrix limit of detection at 14 spores/g of soil. There were no significant differences overall between the two laboratories for either soil type, suggesting that the processing protocol will be robust enough to use at multiple laboratories while achieving comparable recoveries.

  8. Minimal sampling protocol for accurate estimation of urea production: a study with oral [13C]urea in fed and fasted piglets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oosterveld, Michiel J. S.; Gemke, Reinoud J. B. J.; Dainty, Jack R.; Kulik, Willem; Jakobs, Cornelis; de Meer, Kees

    2005-01-01

    An oral [13C]urea protocol may provide a simple method for measurement of urea production. The validity of single pool calculations in relation to a reduced sampling protocol was assessed. In eight fed and five fasted piglets, plasma urea enrichments from a 10 h sampling protocol were measured

  9. Zoonoses action plan Salmonella monitoring programme: an investigation of the sampling protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snary, E L; Munday, D K; Arnold, M E; Cook, A J C

    2010-03-01

    The Zoonoses Action Plan (ZAP) Salmonella Programme was established by the British Pig Executive to monitor Salmonella prevalence in quality-assured British pigs at slaughter by testing a sample of pigs with a meat juice enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibodies against group B and C(1) Salmonella. Farms were assigned a ZAP level (1 to 3) depending on the monitored prevalence, and ZAP 2 or 3 farms were required to act to reduce the prevalence. The ultimate goal was to reduce the risk of human salmonellosis attributable to British pork. A mathematical model has been developed to describe the ZAP sampling protocol. Results show that the probability of assigning a farm the correct ZAP level was high, except for farms that had a seroprevalence close to the cutoff points between different ZAP levels. Sensitivity analyses identified that the probability of assigning a farm to the correct ZAP level was dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of the test, the number of batches taken to slaughter each quarter, and the number of samples taken per batch. The variability of the predicted seroprevalence was reduced as the number of batches or samples increased and, away from the cutoff points, the probability of being assigned the correct ZAP level increased as the number of batches or samples increased. In summary, the model described here provided invaluable insight into the ZAP sampling protocol. Further work is required to understand the impact of the program for Salmonella infection in British pig farms and therefore on human health.

  10. Influence of Freezing and Storage Procedure on Human Urine Samples in NMR-Based Metabolomics

    OpenAIRE

    Rist, Manuela; Muhle-Goll, Claudia; Görling, Benjamin; Bub, Achim; Heissler, Stefan; Watzl, Bernhard; Luy, Burkhard

    2013-01-01

    It is consensus in the metabolomics community that standardized protocols should be followed for sample handling, storage and analysis, as it is of utmost importance to maintain constant measurement conditions to identify subtle biological differences. The aim of this work, therefore, was to systematically investigate the influence of freezing procedures and storage temperatures and their effect on NMR spectra as a potentially disturbing aspect for NMR-based metabolomics studies. Urine sample...

  11. Development of a Real-Time PCR Protocol Requiring Minimal Handling for Detection of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci with the Fully Automated BD Max System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalpke, Alexander H; Hofko, Marjeta; Zimmermann, Stefan

    2016-09-01

    Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are an important cause of health care-associated infections, resulting in significant mortality and a significant economic burden in hospitals. Active surveillance for at-risk populations contributes to the prevention of infections with VRE. The availability of a combination of automation and molecular detection procedures for rapid screening would be beneficial. Here, we report on the development of a laboratory-developed PCR for detection of VRE which runs on the fully automated Becton Dickinson (BD) Max platform, which combines DNA extraction, PCR setup, and real-time PCR amplification. We evaluated two protocols: one using a liquid master mix and the other employing commercially ordered dry-down reagents. The BD Max VRE PCR was evaluated in two rounds with 86 and 61 rectal elution swab (eSwab) samples, and the results were compared to the culture results. The sensitivities of the different PCR formats were 84 to 100% for vanA and 83.7 to 100% for vanB; specificities were 96.8 to 100% for vanA and 81.8 to 97% for vanB The use of dry-down reagents and the ExK DNA-2 kit for extraction showed that the samples were less inhibited (3.3%) than they were by the use of the liquid master mix (14.8%). Adoption of a cutoff threshold cycle of 35 for discrimination of vanB-positive samples allowed an increase of specificity to 87.9%. The performance of the BD Max VRE assay equaled that of the BD GeneOhm VanR assay, which was run in parallel. The use of dry-down reagents simplifies the assay and omits any need to handle liquid PCR reagents. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  12. PGDP [Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant]-UF6 handling, sampling, analysis and associated QC/QA and safety related procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, R.L.

    1987-01-01

    This document is a compilation of Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant procedures on UF 6 handling, sampling, and analysis, along with associated QC/QA and safety related procedures. It was assembled for transmission by the US Department of Energy to the Korean Advanced Energy Institute as a part of the US-Korea technical exchange program

  13. Using Ovsynch protocol versus Cosynch protocol in dairy cows

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ion Valeriu Caraba

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available As a research on the reproductive physiology and endocrinology surrounding the estrous cycle in dairy cattle has been compiled, several estrous synchronization programs have been developed for use with dairy cows. These include several programs that facilitate the mass breeding of all animals at a predetermined time (timed-AI rather than the detection of estrus. We studied on 15 dary cows which were synchronized by Ovsynch and Cosynch programs. The estrus response for cows in Ovsynch protocol was of 63%. Pregnancy per insemination at 60 days was of 25%. Estrus response for cow in Cosynch protocol was of 57%. Pregnancy per insemination at 60 days was of 57%. Synchronization of ovulation using Ovsynch protocols can provide an effective way to manage reproduction in lactating dairy cows by eliminating the need for estrus detection. These are really efficient management programs for TAI of dairy cows that are able to reduce both the labour costs and the extra handling to daily estrus detection and AI.

  14. Protocols for the analytical characterization of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. II - Enzymatic and chemical sample preparation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bobaly, Balazs; D'Atri, Valentina; Goyon, Alexandre; Colas, Olivier; Beck, Alain; Fekete, Szabolcs; Guillarme, Davy

    2017-08-15

    The analytical characterization of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and related proteins usually incorporates various sample preparation methodologies. Indeed, quantitative and qualitative information can be enhanced by simplifying the sample, thanks to the removal of sources of heterogeneity (e.g. N-glycans) and/or by decreasing the molecular size of the tested protein by enzymatic or chemical fragmentation. These approaches make the sample more suitable for chromatographic and mass spectrometric analysis. Structural elucidation and quality control (QC) analysis of biopharmaceutics are usually performed at intact, subunit and peptide levels. In this paper, general sample preparation approaches used to attain peptide, subunit and glycan level analysis are overviewed. Protocols are described to perform tryptic proteolysis, IdeS and papain digestion, reduction as well as deglycosylation by PNGase F and EndoS2 enzymes. Both historical and modern sample preparation methods were compared and evaluated using rituximab and trastuzumab, two reference therapeutic mAb products approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). The described protocols may help analysts to develop sample preparation methods in the field of therapeutic protein analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Good quality Vitis RNA obtained from an adapted DNA isolation protocol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabel Baiges

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available Grapevine is a woody plant, whose high carbohydrate and phenolic compound contents usually interferes with nucleic acid isolation. After we tried several protocols for isolating RNA from the Vitis rootstock Richter- 110 (R-110 with little or no success, we adapted a method reported to be satisfactory for grapevine DNA isolation, to extract RNA. With slight protocol modifications, we succeeded to obtain polysaccharide- and phenolic-free RNA preparations from all vegetative tissues, without excessive sample handling. RNA isolated by the reported method permitted to obtain highly pure mRNA (messenger RNA to construct a cDNA (complementary DNA library and allowed gene transcription analysis by reverse Northern, which guarantees RNA integrity. This method may also be suitable for other plant species with high polysaccharide or phenolic contents.

  16. Protocol for sampling and analysis of bone specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aras, N.K.

    2000-01-01

    The iliac crest of hip bone was chosen as the most suitable sampling site for several reasons: Local variation in the elemental concentration along the iliac crest is minimal; Iliac crest biopsies are commonly taken clinically on patients; The cortical part of the sample is small (∼2 mm) and can be separated easily from the trabecular bone; The use of the trabecular part of the iliac crest for trace element analysis has the advantage of reflecting rapidly changes in the composition of bone due to external parameters, including medication. Biopsy studies, although in some ways more difficult than autopsy studies, because of the need to obtain the informed consents of the subjects, are potentially more useful than autopsy studies. Thereby many problems of postmortem migration of elements can be avoided and reliable dietary and other data can be collected simultaneously. Select the subjects among the patients undergoing orthopedic surgery due to any reason other than osteoporosis. Follow an established protocol to obtain bone biopsies. Patients undergoing synergy should fill in the 'Osteoporosis Project Questionnaire Form' including information on lifestyle variables, dietary intakes, the reason for surgery etc. If possible, measure the bone mineral density (BMD) prior to removal of the biopsy sample. However it may not possible to have BMD results on all the subjects because of difficulty of DEXA measurement after an accident

  17. Tethered particle analysis of supercoiled circular DNA using peptide nucleic acid handles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Norregaard, Kamilla; Andersson, Magnus; Nielsen, Peter Eigil

    2014-01-01

    This protocol describes how to monitor individual naturally supercoiled circular DNA plasmids bound via peptide nucleic acid (PNA) handles between a bead and a surface. The protocol was developed for single-molecule investigation of the dynamics of supercoiled DNA, and it allows the investigation...... of both the dynamics of the molecule itself and of its interactions with a regulatory protein. Two bis-PNA clamps designed to bind with extremely high affinity to predetermined homopurine sequence sites in supercoiled DNA are prepared: one conjugated with digoxigenin for attachment to an anti......-digoxigenin-coated glass cover slide, and one conjugated with biotin for attachment to a submicron-sized streptavidin-coated polystyrene bead. Plasmids are constructed, purified and incubated with the PNA handles. The dynamics of the construct is analyzed by tracking the tethered bead using video microscopy: less...

  18. A False-name-Proof Double Auction Protocol for Arbitrary Evaluation Values

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakurai, Yuko; Yokoo, Makoto

    We develop a new false-name-proof double auction protocol called the Generalized Threshold Price Double auction (GTPD) protocol. False-name-proofness generalizes strategy-proofness by incorporating the possibility of false-name bids, e.g., bids submitted using multiple e-mail addresses. An existing protocol called TPD protocol is false-name-proof but can handle only the cases where marginal utilities of each agent always decrease, while our new GTPD protocol can handle arbitrary evaluation values. When marginal utilities can increase, some bids cannot be divided into a single unit (e.g., an all-or-nothing bid). Due to the existence of such indivisible bids, meeting supply/demand becomes difficult. Furthermore, a seller/buyer can submit a false-name-bid by pretending to be a potential buyer/seller to manipulate allocations and payments. In the GTPD protocol, the auctioneer is required to absorb the supply-demand imbalance up to a given upper-bound. Also, the GTPD incorporate a new false-name-proof one-sided auction protocol that is guaranteed to sell/buy a certain number of units. Simulation results show that when the threshold price is set appropriately, this protocol can obtain a good social surplus, and the number of absorbed units is much smaller than the given upper-bound.

  19. Evaluation of Sample Handling Effects on Serum Vitamin E and Cholesterol Concentrations in Alpacas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea S. Lear

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Clinical cases of vitamin E deficiencies have been diagnosed in camelids and may indicate that these species are more sensitive to inadequate vitamin E in hay-based diets compared to other ruminant and equine species. In bovine, cholesterol has been reported to affect vitamin E concentrations. In order to evaluate vitamin E deficiencies in camelids, the effects of collection and storage of the blood samples prior to processing were necessary. Reports vary as to factors affecting vitamin E and cholesterol in blood samples, and diagnostic laboratories vary in instructions regarding sample handling. Blood was collected from healthy alpacas and processed under conditions including exposure to fluorescent light, serum and red blood cell contact, tube stopper contact, temperature, and hemolysis. Serum vitamin E and cholesterol concentrations were then measured. Statistical analyses found that the vitamin E concentrations decreased with prolonged contact with the tube stopper and with increasing hemolysis. Vitamin E concentration variations were seen with other factors but were not significant. Time prior to serum separation and individual animal variation was found to alter cholesterol concentrations within the sample, yet this finding was clinically unremarkable. No correlation was seen between vitamin E and cholesterol concentration, possibly due to lack of variation of cholesterol.

  20. Overview of the InterGroup protocols

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berket, Karlo [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Agarwal, Deborah A. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Melliar-Smith, P. Michael [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Moser, Louise E. [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)

    2001-03-01

    Existing reliable ordered group communication protocols have been developed for local-area networks and do not, in general, scale well to large numbers of nodes and wide-area networks. The InterGroup suite of protocols is a scalable group communication system that introduces a novel approach to handling group membership, and supports a receiver-oriented selection of service. The protocols are intended for a wide-area network, with a large number of nodes, that has highly variable delays and a high message loss rate, such as the Internet. The levels of the message delivery service range from unreliable unordered to reliable group timestamp ordered.

  1. Single-molecule mechanics of protein-labelled DNA handles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vivek S. Jadhav

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available DNA handles are often used as spacers and linkers in single-molecule experiments to isolate and tether RNAs, proteins, enzymes and ribozymes, amongst other biomolecules, between surface-modified beads for nanomechanical investigations. Custom DNA handles with varying lengths and chemical end-modifications are readily and reliably synthesized en masse, enabling force spectroscopic measurements with well-defined and long-lasting mechanical characteristics under physiological conditions over a large range of applied forces. Although these chemically tagged DNA handles are widely used, their further individual modification with protein receptors is less common and would allow for additional flexibility in grabbing biomolecules for mechanical measurements. In-depth information on reliable protocols for the synthesis of these DNA–protein hybrids and on their mechanical characteristics under varying physiological conditions are lacking in literature. Here, optical tweezers are used to investigate different protein-labelled DNA handles in a microfluidic environment under different physiological conditions. Digoxigenin (DIG-dsDNA-biotin handles of varying sizes (1000, 3034 and 4056 bp were conjugated with streptavidin or neutravidin proteins. The DIG-modified ends of these hybrids were bound to surface-modified polystyrene (anti-DIG beads. Using different physiological buffers, optical force measurements showed consistent mechanical characteristics with long dissociation times. These protein-modified DNA hybrids were also interconnected in situ with other tethered biotinylated DNA molecules. Electron-multiplying CCD (EMCCD imaging control experiments revealed that quantum dot–streptavidin conjugates at the end of DNA handles remain freely accessible. The experiments presented here demonstrate that handles produced with our protein–DNA labelling procedure are excellent candidates for grasping single molecules exposing tags suitable for molecular

  2. Experience of Data Handling with IPPM Payload

    Science.gov (United States)

    Errico, Walter; Tosi, Pietro; Ilstad, Jorgen; Jameux, David; Viviani, Riccardo; Collantoni, Daniele

    2010-08-01

    A simplified On-Board Data Handling system has been developed by CAEN AURELIA SPACE and ABSTRAQT as PUS-over-SpaceWire demonstration platform for the Onboard Payload Data Processing laboratory at ESTEC. The system is composed of three Leon2-based IPPM (Integrated Payload Processing Module) computers that play the roles of Instrument, Payload Data Handling Unit and Satellite Management Unit. Two PCs complete the test set-up simulating an external Memory Management Unit and the Ground Control Unit. Communication among units take place primarily through SpaceWire links; RMAP[2] protocol is used for configuration and housekeeping. A limited implementation of ECSS-E-70-41B Packet Utilisation Standard (PUS)[1] over CANbus and MIL-STD-1553B has been also realized. The Open Source RTEMS is running on the IPPM AT697E CPU as real-time operating system.

  3. Comparison of Different Sample Preparation Protocols Reveals Lysis Buffer-Specific Extraction Biases in Gram-Negative Bacteria and Human Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glatter, Timo; Ahrné, Erik; Schmidt, Alexander

    2015-11-06

    We evaluated different in-solution and FASP-based sample preparation strategies for absolute protein quantification. Label-free quantification (LFQ) was employed to compare different sample preparation strategies in the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and human embryonic kidney cells (HEK), and organismal-specific differences in general performance and enrichment of specific protein classes were noted. The original FASP protocol globally enriched for most proteins in the bacterial sample, whereas the sodium deoxycholate in-solution strategy was more efficient with HEK cells. Although detergents were found to be highly suited for global proteome analysis, higher intensities were obtained for high-abundant nucleic acid-associated protein complexes, like the ribosome and histone proteins, using guanidine hydrochloride. Importantly, we show for the first time that the observable total proteome mass of a sample strongly depends on the sample preparation protocol, with some protocols resulting in a significant underestimation of protein mass due to incomplete protein extraction of biased protein groups. Furthermore, we demonstrate that some of the observed abundance biases can be overcome by incorporating a nuclease treatment step or, alternatively, a correction factor for complementary sample preparation approaches.

  4. MPLEx: a Robust and Universal Protocol for Single-Sample Integrative Proteomic, Metabolomic, and Lipidomic Analyses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakayasu, Ernesto S.; Nicora, Carrie D.; Sims, Amy C.; Burnum-Johnson, Kristin E.; Kim, Young-Mo; Kyle, Jennifer E.; Matzke, Melissa M.; Shukla, Anil K.; Chu, Rosalie K.; Schepmoes, Athena A.; Jacobs, Jon M.; Baric, Ralph S.; Webb-Robertson, Bobbie-Jo; Smith, Richard D.; Metz, Thomas O.; Chia, Nicholas

    2016-05-03

    ABSTRACT

    Integrative multi-omics analyses can empower more effective investigation and complete understanding of complex biological systems. Despite recent advances in a range of omics analyses, multi-omic measurements of the same sample are still challenging and current methods have not been well evaluated in terms of reproducibility and broad applicability. Here we adapted a solvent-based method, widely applied for extracting lipids and metabolites, to add proteomics to mass spectrometry-based multi-omics measurements. Themetabolite,protein, andlipidextraction (MPLEx) protocol proved to be robust and applicable to a diverse set of sample types, including cell cultures, microbial communities, and tissues. To illustrate the utility of this protocol, an integrative multi-omics analysis was performed using a lung epithelial cell line infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, which showed the impact of this virus on the host glycolytic pathway and also suggested a role for lipids during infection. The MPLEx method is a simple, fast, and robust protocol that can be applied for integrative multi-omic measurements from diverse sample types (e.g., environmental,in vitro, and clinical).

    IMPORTANCEIn systems biology studies, the integration of multiple omics measurements (i.e., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics) has been shown to provide a more complete and informative view of biological pathways. Thus, the prospect of extracting different types of molecules (e.g., DNAs, RNAs, proteins, and metabolites) and performing multiple omics measurements on single samples is very attractive, but such studies are challenging due to the fact that the extraction conditions differ according to the molecule type. Here, we adapted an organic solvent-based extraction method that demonstrated

  5. One Sample, One Shot - Evaluation of sample preparation protocols for the mass spectrometric proteome analysis of human bile fluid without extensive fractionation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Megger, Dominik A; Padden, Juliet; Rosowski, Kristin; Uszkoreit, Julian; Bracht, Thilo; Eisenacher, Martin; Gerges, Christian; Neuhaus, Horst; Schumacher, Brigitte; Schlaak, Jörg F; Sitek, Barbara

    2017-02-10

    The proteome analysis of bile fluid represents a promising strategy to identify biomarker candidates for various diseases of the hepatobiliary system. However, to obtain substantive results in biomarker discovery studies large patient cohorts necessarily need to be analyzed. Consequently, this would lead to an unmanageable number of samples to be analyzed if sample preparation protocols with extensive fractionation methods are applied. Hence, the performance of simple workflows allowing for "one sample, one shot" experiments have been evaluated in this study. In detail, sixteen different protocols implying modifications at the stages of desalting, delipidation, deglycosylation and tryptic digestion have been examined. Each method has been individually evaluated regarding various performance criteria and comparative analyses have been conducted to uncover possible complementarities. Here, the best performance in terms of proteome coverage has been assessed for a combination of acetone precipitation with in-gel digestion. Finally, a mapping of all obtained protein identifications with putative biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC) revealed several proteins easily detectable in bile fluid. These results can build the basis for future studies with large and well-defined patient cohorts in a more disease-related context. Human bile fluid is a proximal body fluid and supposed to be a potential source of disease markers. However, due to its biochemical composition, the proteome analysis of bile fluid still represents a challenging task and is therefore mostly conducted using extensive fractionation procedures. This in turn leads to a high number of mass spectrometric measurements for one biological sample. Considering the fact that in order to overcome the biological variability a high number of biological samples needs to be analyzed in biomarker discovery studies, this leads to the dilemma of an unmanageable number of

  6. Robot training of upper limb in multiple sclerosis: comparing protocols with or without manipulative task components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carpinella, Ilaria; Cattaneo, Davide; Bertoni, Rita; Ferrarin, Maurizio

    2012-05-01

    In this pilot study, we compared two protocols for robot-based rehabilitation of upper limb in multiple sclerosis (MS): a protocol involving reaching tasks (RT) requiring arm transport only and a protocol requiring both objects' reaching and manipulation (RMT). Twenty-two MS subjects were assigned to RT or RMT group. Both protocols consisted of eight sessions. During RT training, subjects moved the handle of a planar robotic manipulandum toward circular targets displayed on a screen. RMT protocol required patients to reach and manipulate real objects, by moving the robotic arm equipped with a handle which left the hand free for distal tasks. In both trainings, the robot generated resistive and perturbing forces. Subjects were evaluated with clinical and instrumental tests. The results confirmed that MS patients maintained the ability to adapt to the robot-generated forces and that the rate of motor learning increased across sessions. Robot-therapy significantly reduced arm tremor and improved arm kinematics and functional ability. Compared to RT, RMT protocol induced a significantly larger improvement in movements involving grasp (improvement in Grasp ARAT sub-score: RMT 77.4%, RT 29.5%, p=0.035) but not precision grip. Future studies are needed to evaluate if longer trainings and the use of robotic handles would significantly improve also fine manipulation.

  7. Finite-key analysis for quantum key distribution with weak coherent pulses based on Bernoulli sampling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawakami, Shun; Sasaki, Toshihiko; Koashi, Masato

    2017-07-01

    An essential step in quantum key distribution is the estimation of parameters related to the leaked amount of information, which is usually done by sampling of the communication data. When the data size is finite, the final key rate depends on how the estimation process handles statistical fluctuations. Many of the present security analyses are based on the method with simple random sampling, where hypergeometric distribution or its known bounds are used for the estimation. Here we propose a concise method based on Bernoulli sampling, which is related to binomial distribution. Our method is suitable for the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) protocol with weak coherent pulses [C. H. Bennett and G. Brassard, Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Computers, Systems and Signal Processing (IEEE, New York, 1984), Vol. 175], reducing the number of estimated parameters to achieve a higher key generation rate compared to the method with simple random sampling. We also apply the method to prove the security of the differential-quadrature-phase-shift (DQPS) protocol in the finite-key regime. The result indicates that the advantage of the DQPS protocol over the phase-encoding BB84 protocol in terms of the key rate, which was previously confirmed in the asymptotic regime, persists in the finite-key regime.

  8. Resolving issues on terrestrial biospheric sinks in the Kyoto Protocol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nabuurs, G.J.; Verkaik, E.; Mohren, G.M.J. [DLO Institute for Forestry and Nature Research IBN-DLO, Wageningen (Netherlands); Dolman, A.J.; Kabat, P. [DLO Winand Staring Centre SC-DLO, Wageningen (Netherlands); Whitmore, A.P.; Oenema, O. [DLO Institute for Agrobiology AB-DLO, Wageningen (Netherlands); Daamen, W.P. [Consulatancy Daamen, Schoonderwoerd and De Klein, Kesteren (Netherlands)

    1999-08-01

    In the Kyoto Protocol, all Annex I countries have agreed to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions with a certain percentage in 2008-2012 compared to 1990. To achieve that target, some direct human induced activities initiated in the Land-use Change and Forestry sector since 1990, may be used. However, the wording in the Protocol has caused confusion on what is exactly meant in the Protocol, which activities may be included, whether soils should be included and whether any additional measures may be included in the future. Also, the way of monitoring, verification and reporting is unclear. In this NRP project the implications of a choice for a certain definition, additional compartments of the C cycle, and feasibility of monitoring are assessed for a limited number of countries. This is done by applying those definitions and additional measures to the countries` C budget on the latest data. The forest related matters are handled by the Institute for Forestry and Nature Research (IBN-DLO), the soil related matters are handled by the Research Institute for Agrobiology and Soil fertility (AB-DLO), the monitoring and verification matters are handled by the Winand Staring Centre for Integrated Land, Soil and Water Research (SC-DLO). 120 refs.

  9. A critical analysis of the X.400 model of message handling systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Sinderen, Marten J.; Dorregeest, Evert

    1988-01-01

    The CCITT X.400 model of store and forward Message Handling Systems (MHS) serves as a common basis for the definition of electronic mail services and protocols both within CCITT and ISO. This paper presents an analysis of this model and its related recommendations from two perspectives. First the

  10. Tethered particle analysis of supercoiled circular DNA using peptide nucleic acid handles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norregaard, Kamilla; Andersson, Magnus; Nielsen, Peter Eigil; Brown, Stanley; Oddershede, Lene B

    2014-09-01

    This protocol describes how to monitor individual naturally supercoiled circular DNA plasmids bound via peptide nucleic acid (PNA) handles between a bead and a surface. The protocol was developed for single-molecule investigation of the dynamics of supercoiled DNA, and it allows the investigation of both the dynamics of the molecule itself and of its interactions with a regulatory protein. Two bis-PNA clamps designed to bind with extremely high affinity to predetermined homopurine sequence sites in supercoiled DNA are prepared: one conjugated with digoxigenin for attachment to an anti-digoxigenin-coated glass cover slide, and one conjugated with biotin for attachment to a submicron-sized streptavidin-coated polystyrene bead. Plasmids are constructed, purified and incubated with the PNA handles. The dynamics of the construct is analyzed by tracking the tethered bead using video microscopy: less supercoiling results in more movement, and more supercoiling results in less movement. In contrast to other single-molecule methodologies, the current methodology allows for studying DNA in its naturally supercoiled state with constant linking number and constant writhe. The protocol has potential for use in studying the influence of supercoils on the dynamics of DNA and its associated proteins, e.g., topoisomerase. The procedure takes ~4 weeks.

  11. Use of CTX-I and PINP as bone turnover markers: National Bone Health Alliance recommendations to standardize sample handling and patient preparation to reduce pre-analytical variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szulc, P; Naylor, K; Hoyle, N R; Eastell, R; Leary, E T

    2017-09-01

    The National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA) recommends standardized sample handling and patient preparation for C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) and N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) measurements to reduce pre-analytical variability. Controllable and uncontrollable patient-related factors are reviewed to facilitate interpretation and minimize pre-analytical variability. The IOF and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) Bone Marker Standards Working Group have identified PINP and CTX-I in blood to be the reference markers of bone turnover for the fracture risk prediction and monitoring of osteoporosis treatment. Although used in clinical research for many years, bone turnover markers (BTM) have not been widely adopted in clinical practice primarily due to their poor within-subject and between-lab reproducibility. The NBHA Bone Turnover Marker Project team aim to reduce pre-analytical variability of CTX-I and PINP measurements through standardized sample handling and patient preparation. Recommendations for sample handling and patient preparations were made based on review of available publications and pragmatic considerations to reduce pre-analytical variability. Controllable and un-controllable patient-related factors were reviewed to facilitate interpretation and sample collection. Samples for CTX-I must be collected consistently in the morning hours in the fasted state. EDTA plasma is preferred for CTX-I for its greater sample stability. Sample collection conditions for PINP are less critical as PINP has minimal circadian variability and is not affected by food intake. Sample stability limits should be observed. The uncontrollable aspects (age, sex, pregnancy, immobility, recent fracture, co-morbidities, anti-osteoporotic drugs, other medications) should be considered in BTM interpretation. Adopting standardized sample handling and patient preparation procedures will significantly reduce controllable pre

  12. Application of remote handling compatibility on ITER plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanders, S.; Rolfe, A.; Mills, S.F.; Tesini, A.

    2011-01-01

    The ITER plant will require fully remote maintenance during its operational life. For this to be effective, safe and efficient the plant will have to be developed in accordance with remote handling (RH) compatibility requirements. A system for ensuring RH compatibility on plant designed for Tokamaks was successfully developed and applied, inter alia, by the authors when working at the JET project. The experience gained in assuring RH compatibility of plant at JET is now being applied to RH relevant ITER plant. The methodologies required to ensure RH compatibility of plant include the standardization of common plant items, standardization of RH features, availability of common guidance on RH best practice and a protocol for design and interface review and approval. The protocol in use at ITER is covered by the ITER Remote Maintenance Management System (IRMMS) defines the processes and utilization of management controls including Plant Definition Forms (PDF), Task Definition Forms (TDFs) and RH Compatibility Assessment Forms (RHCA) and the ITER RH Code of Practice. This paper will describe specific examples where the authors have applied the methodology proven at JET to ensure remote handling compatibility on ITER plant. Examples studied are: ·ELM coils (to be installed in-vessel behind the Blanket Modules) - handling both in-vessel, in Casks and at the Hot Cell as well as fully remote installation and connection (mechanical and electrical) in-vessel. ·Neutral beam systems (in-vessel and in the NB Cell) - beam sources, cesium oven, beam line components (accessed in the NB Cell) and Duct Liner (remotely replaced from in-vessel). ·Divertor (in-vessel) - cooling pipe work and remotely operated electrical connector. The RH compatibility process can significantly affect plant design. This paper should therefore be of interest to all parties who develop ITER plant designs.

  13. The Development of Korea Additional Protocol System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shim, Hye Won; Yeo, Jin Kyun

    2008-01-01

    The Agreement between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the IAEA for the Application of Safeguards in Connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (the Safeguards Agreement) entered into force on 14 November 1975. The Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement (the Additional Protocol) was signed on 21 June 1999 and entered into force on 19 February 2004. ROK has been submitting annual updated reports of initial declaration on every May 15th since August 2004. Additional protocol reports were submitted through Protocol Reporter provided by IAEA. Annual declarations were simply uploaded and stored in the Accounting Information Treatment System of KINAC, which did not provide data analysis and management function. There have been demands for improvement to handle ever-increasing information. KAPS (Korea Additional Protocol System) has been developed to assist and administrate the additional protocol related works effectively. The new system enables integrated management including composition of additional protocol report and version control, periodical update of related information, results of IAEA complementary access to each facility

  14. MALDI MS peptide mapping performance by in-gel digestion on a probe with prestructured sample supports

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klenø, Tina Guldberg; Andreasen, Christian Maaløv; Kjeldal, Helle Ørsted

    2004-01-01

    Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (tandem) mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) is widely used in protein chemistry and proteomics research for the identification and characterization of proteins isolated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In an effort to minimize sample handling and increa......-probe digestion protocol combined with MALDI tandem mass spectrometry provides a robust platform for proteomics research, including protein identification and determination of posttranslational modifications....

  15. Protocols development for security and privacy of radio frequency identification systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabbagha, Fatin

    There are benefits to adopting radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, although there are methods of attack that can compromise the system. This research determined how that may happen and what possible solutions can keep that from happening. Protocols were developed to implement better security. In addition, new topologies were developed to handle the problems of the key management. Previously proposed protocols focused on providing mutual authentication and privacy between readers and tags. However, those protocols are still vulnerable to be attacked. These protocols were analyzed and the disadvantages shown for each one. Previous works assumed that the channels between readers and the servers were secure. In the proposed protocols, a compromised reader is considered along with how to prevent tags from being read by that reader. The new protocols provide mutual authentication between readers and tags and, at the same time, remove the compromised reader from the system. Three protocols are proposed. In the first protocol, a mutual authentication is achieved and a compromised reader is not allowed in the network. In the second protocol, the number of times a reader contacts the server is reduced. The third protocol provides authentication and privacy between tags and readers using a trusted third party. The developed topology is implemented using python language and simulates work to check the efficiency regarding the processing time. The three protocols are implemented by writing codes in C language and then compiling them in MSP430. IAR Embedded workbench is used, which is an integrated development environment with the C/C++ compiler to generate a faster code and to debug the microcontroller. In summary, the goal of this research is to find solutions for the problems on previously proposed protocols, handle a compromised reader, and solve key management problems.

  16. An On-Target Desalting and Concentration Sample Preparation Protocol for MALDI-MS and MS/MS Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xumin; Wang, Quanhui; Lou, Xiaomin

    2012-01-01

    2DE coupled with MALDI-MS is one of the most widely used and powerful analytic technologies in proteomics study. The MALDI sample preparation method has been developed and optimized towards the combination of simplicity, sample-cleaning, and sample concentration since its introduction. Here we...... present a protocol of the so-called Sample loading, Matrix loading, and on-target Wash (SMW) method which fulfills the three criteria by taking advantage of the AnchorChip™ targets. Our method is extremely simple and no pre-desalting or concentration is needed when dealing with samples prepared from 2DE...

  17. [Sampling and measurement methods of the protocol design of the China Nine-Province Survey for blindness, visual impairment and cataract surgery].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jia-liang; Wang, Yu; Gao, Xue-cheng; Ellwein, Leon B; Liu, Hu

    2011-09-01

    To design the protocol of the China nine-province survey for blindness, visual impairment and cataract surgery to evaluate the prevalence and main causes of blindness and visual impairment, and the prevalence and outcomes of the cataract surgery. The protocol design was began after accepting the task for the national survey for blindness, visual impairment and cataract surgery from the Department of Medicine, Ministry of Health, China, in November, 2005. The protocol in Beijing Shunyi Eye Study in 1996 and Guangdong Doumen County Eye Study in 1997, both supported by World Health Organization, was taken as the basis for the protocol design. The relative experts were invited to discuss and prove the draft protocol. An international advisor committee was established to examine and approve the draft protocol. Finally, the survey protocol was checked and approved by the Department of Medicine, Ministry of Health, China and Prevention Program of Blindness and Deafness, WHO. The survey protocol was designed according to the characteristics and the scale of the survey. The contents of the protocol included determination of target population and survey sites, calculation of the sample size, design of the random sampling, composition and organization of the survey teams, determination of the examinee, the flowchart of the field work, survey items and methods, diagnostic criteria of blindness and moderate and sever visual impairment, the measures of the quality control, the methods of the data management. The designed protocol became the standard and practical protocol for the survey to evaluate the prevalence and main causes of blindness and visual impairment, and the prevalence and outcomes of the cataract surgery.

  18. Standardized Method for Measuring Collection Efficiency from Wipe-sampling of Trace Explosives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verkouteren, Jennifer R; Lawrence, Jeffrey A; Staymates, Matthew E; Sisco, Edward

    2017-04-10

    One of the limiting steps to detecting traces of explosives at screening venues is effective collection of the sample. Wipe-sampling is the most common procedure for collecting traces of explosives, and standardized measurements of collection efficiency are needed to evaluate and optimize sampling protocols. The approach described here is designed to provide this measurement infrastructure, and controls most of the factors known to be relevant to wipe-sampling. Three critical factors (the applied force, travel distance, and travel speed) are controlled using an automated device. Test surfaces are chosen based on similarity to the screening environment, and the wipes can be made from any material considered for use in wipe-sampling. Particle samples of the explosive 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) are applied in a fixed location on the surface using a dry-transfer technique. The particle samples, recently developed to simulate residues made after handling explosives, are produced by inkjet printing of RDX solutions onto polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) substrates. Collection efficiency is measured by extracting collected explosive from the wipe, and then related to critical sampling factors and the selection of wipe material and test surface. These measurements are meant to guide the development of sampling protocols at screening venues, where speed and throughput are primary considerations.

  19. The Japanese Society of Pathology Guidelines on the handling of pathological tissue samples for genomic research: Standard operating procedures based on empirical analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanai, Yae; Nishihara, Hiroshi; Miyagi, Yohei; Tsuruyama, Tatsuhiro; Taguchi, Kenichi; Katoh, Hiroto; Takeuchi, Tomoyo; Gotoh, Masahiro; Kuramoto, Junko; Arai, Eri; Ojima, Hidenori; Shibuya, Ayako; Yoshida, Teruhiko; Akahane, Toshiaki; Kasajima, Rika; Morita, Kei-Ichi; Inazawa, Johji; Sasaki, Takeshi; Fukayama, Masashi; Oda, Yoshinao

    2018-02-01

    Genome research using appropriately collected pathological tissue samples is expected to yield breakthroughs in the development of biomarkers and identification of therapeutic targets for diseases such as cancers. In this connection, the Japanese Society of Pathology (JSP) has developed "The JSP Guidelines on the Handling of Pathological Tissue Samples for Genomic Research" based on an abundance of data from empirical analyses of tissue samples collected and stored under various conditions. Tissue samples should be collected from appropriate sites within surgically resected specimens, without disturbing the features on which pathological diagnosis is based, while avoiding bleeding or necrotic foci. They should be collected as soon as possible after resection: at the latest within about 3 h of storage at 4°C. Preferably, snap-frozen samples should be stored in liquid nitrogen (about -180°C) until use. When intending to use genomic DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, 10% neutral buffered formalin should be used. Insufficient fixation and overfixation must both be avoided. We hope that pathologists, clinicians, clinical laboratory technicians and biobank operators will come to master the handling of pathological tissue samples based on the standard operating procedures in these Guidelines to yield results that will assist in the realization of genomic medicine. © 2018 The Authors. Pathology International published by Japanese Society of Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  20. Quality assurance in the pre-analytical phase of human urine samples by (1)H NMR spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Budde, Kathrin; Gök, Ömer-Necmi; Pietzner, Maik; Meisinger, Christine; Leitzmann, Michael; Nauck, Matthias; Köttgen, Anna; Friedrich, Nele

    2016-01-01

    Metabolomic approaches investigate changes in metabolite profiles, which may reflect changes in metabolic pathways and provide information correlated with a specific biological process or pathophysiology. High-resolution (1)H NMR spectroscopy is used to identify metabolites in biofluids and tissue samples qualitatively and quantitatively. This pre-analytical study evaluated the effects of storage time and temperature on (1)H NMR spectra from human urine in two settings. Firstly, to evaluate short time effects probably due to acute delay in sample handling and secondly, the effect of prolonged storage up to one month to find markers of sample miss-handling. A number of statistical procedures were used to assess the differences between samples stored under different conditions, including Projection to Latent Structure Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), non-parametric testing as well as mixed effect linear regression analysis. The results indicate that human urine samples can be stored at 10 °C for 24 h or at -80 °C for 1 month, as no relevant changes in (1)H NMR fingerprints were observed during these time periods and temperature conditions. However, some metabolites most likely of microbial origin showed alterations during prolonged storage but without facilitating classification. In conclusion, the presented protocol for urine sample handling and semi-automatic metabolite quantification is suitable for large-scale epidemiological studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Validation of low-volume enrichment protocols for detection of Escherichia coli O157 in raw ground beef components, using commercial kits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Imtiaz; Hughes, Denise; Jenson, Ian; Karalis, Tass

    2009-03-01

    Testing of beef destined for use in ground beef products for the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 has become an important cornerstone of control and verification activities within many meat supply chains. Validation of the ability of methods to detect low levels of E. coli O157:H7 is critical to confidence in test systems. Many rapid methods have been validated against standard cultural methods for 25-g samples. In this study, a number of previously validated enrichment broths and commercially available test kits were validated for the detection of low numbers of E. coli O157:H7 in 375-g samples of raw ground beef component matrices using 1 liter of enrichment broth (large-sample:low-volume enrichment protocol). Standard AOAC International methods for 25-g samples in 225 ml of enrichment broth, using the same media, incubation conditions, and test kits, were used as reference methods. No significant differences were detected in the ability of any of the tests to detect low levels of E. coli O157:H7 in samples of raw ground beef components when enriched according to standard or large-sample:low-volume enrichment protocols. The use of large-sample:low-volume enrichment protocols provides cost savings for media and logistical benefits when handling and incubating large numbers of samples.

  2. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF INTEGRATED MACRO AND MICRO MOBILITY PROTOCOLS FOR WIDE AREA WIRELESS NETWORKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R.Gunasundari

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The success of next generation wireless networks will rely much on advanced mechanisms for seamless mobility support among emerging heterogeneous technologies. Currently, Mobile IP is the most promising solution for mobility management in the Internet. Several IP micro mobility approaches have been proposed to enhance the performance of Mobile IP which supports quality of service, minimum packet loss, limited handoff delay and scalability and power conservation but they are not scalable for macro mobility. A practical solution would therefore require integration of Mobile IP and Micro mobility protocols where Mobile IP handles macro mobility and micro mobility protocols handles micro mobility. In this paper an integrated mobility management protocol for IP based wireless networks is proposed and analyzed. Simulation results presented in this paper are based on ns 2.

  3. Establishment of a protocol for the gene expression analysis of laser microdissected rat kidney samples with affymetrix genechips

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stemmer, Kerstin; Ellinger-Ziegelbauer, Heidrun; Lotz, Kerstin; Ahr, Hans-J.; Dietrich, Daniel R.

    2006-01-01

    Laser microdissection in conjunction with microarray technology allows selective isolation and analysis of specific cell populations, e.g., preneoplastic renal lesions. To date, only limited information is available on sample preparation and preservation techniques that result in both optimal histomorphological preservation of sections and high-quality RNA for microarray analysis. Furthermore, amplification of minute amounts of RNA from microdissected renal samples allowing analysis with genechips has only scantily been addressed to date. The objective of this study was therefore to establish a reliable and reproducible protocol for laser microdissection in conjunction with microarray technology using kidney tissue from Eker rats p.o. treated for 7 days and 6 months with 10 and 1 mg Aristolochic acid/kg bw, respectively. Kidney tissues were preserved in RNAlater or snap frozen. Cryosections were cut and stained with either H and E or cresyl violet for subsequent morphological and RNA quality assessment and laser microdissection. RNA quality was comparable in snap frozen and RNAlater-preserved samples, however, the histomorphological preservation of renal sections was much better following cryopreservation. Moreover, the different staining techniques in combination with sample processing time at room temperature can have an influence on RNA quality. Different RNA amplification protocols were shown to have an impact on gene expression profiles as demonstrated with Affymetrix Rat Genome 230 2 .0 arrays. Considering all the parameters analyzed in this study, a protocol for RNA isolation from laser microdissected samples with subsequent Affymetrix chip hybridization was established that was also successfully applied to preneoplastic lesions laser microdissected from Aristolochic acid-treated rats

  4. Thermodynamic processes associated with frostbite in the handling of liquid nitrogen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, W. L.; Cook, C. R.

    2014-01-01

    It is often taught that exposure to liquid nitrogen will cause frostbite or more severe damage to exposed skin tissue. However, it is also demonstrated that a full hand can be briefly immersed in liquid nitrogen without damage. To better understand and possibly visualize the effects of human tissue exposure to liquid nitrogen, a series of tests were conducted using simulated hands and arms composed of molded gelatin forms. The simulated hands and arms were immersed, sprayed, or splashed with liquid nitrogen both with and without state of the art personal protective equipment. Thermocouples were located within the test articles to allow for thermal mapping during the freezing process. The study is aimed to help understand frostbite hazards and the time constants involved with the handling of liquid nitrogen to improve future safety protocols for the safe handling of cryogenic fluids. Results of the testing also show the limits to handling liquid nitrogen while using various means of protection.

  5. Thermodynamic processes associated with frostbite in the handling of liquid nitrogen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, W. L. [Cryogenics Test Laboratory, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, FL, 32899 (United States); Cook, C. R. [Dept. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611 (United States)

    2014-01-29

    It is often taught that exposure to liquid nitrogen will cause frostbite or more severe damage to exposed skin tissue. However, it is also demonstrated that a full hand can be briefly immersed in liquid nitrogen without damage. To better understand and possibly visualize the effects of human tissue exposure to liquid nitrogen, a series of tests were conducted using simulated hands and arms composed of molded gelatin forms. The simulated hands and arms were immersed, sprayed, or splashed with liquid nitrogen both with and without state of the art personal protective equipment. Thermocouples were located within the test articles to allow for thermal mapping during the freezing process. The study is aimed to help understand frostbite hazards and the time constants involved with the handling of liquid nitrogen to improve future safety protocols for the safe handling of cryogenic fluids. Results of the testing also show the limits to handling liquid nitrogen while using various means of protection.

  6. Thermodynamic processes associated with frostbite in the handling of liquid nitrogen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, W. L.; Cook, C. R.

    2014-01-01

    It is often taught that exposure to liquid nitrogen will cause frostbite or more severe damage to exposed skin tissue. However, it is also demonstrated that a full hand can be briefly immersed in liquid nitrogen without damage. To better understand and possibly visualize the effects of human tissue exposure to liquid nitrogen, a series of tests were conducted using simulated hands and arms composed of molded gelatin forms. The simulated hands and arms were immersed, sprayed, or splashed with liquid nitrogen both with and without state of the art personal protective equipment. Thermocouples were located within the test articles to allow for thermal mapping during the freezing process. The study is aimed to help understand frostbite hazards and the time constants involved with the handling of liquid nitrogen to improve future safety protocols for the safe handling of cryogenic fluids. Results of the testing also show the limits to handling liquid nitrogen while using various means of protection

  7. Automated processing of forensic casework samples using robotic workstations equipped with nondisposable tips: contamination prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frégeau, Chantal J; Lett, C Marc; Elliott, Jim; Yensen, Craig; Fourney, Ron M

    2008-05-01

    An automated process has been developed for the analysis of forensic casework samples using TECAN Genesis RSP 150/8 or Freedom EVO liquid handling workstations equipped exclusively with nondisposable tips. Robot tip cleaning routines have been incorporated strategically within the DNA extraction process as well as at the end of each session. Alternative options were examined for cleaning the tips and different strategies were employed to verify cross-contamination. A 2% sodium hypochlorite wash (1/5th dilution of the 10.8% commercial bleach stock) proved to be the best overall approach for preventing cross-contamination of samples processed using our automated protocol. The bleach wash steps do not adversely impact the short tandem repeat (STR) profiles developed from DNA extracted robotically and allow for major cost savings through the implementation of fixed tips. We have demonstrated that robotic workstations equipped with fixed pipette tips can be used with confidence with properly designed tip washing routines to process casework samples using an adapted magnetic bead extraction protocol.

  8. Comparative analysis of five DNA isolation protocols and three drying methods for leaves samples of Nectandra megapotamica (Spreng. Mez

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leonardo Severo da Costa

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to establish a DNA isolation protocol Nectandra megapotamica (Spreng. Mez., able to obtain samples of high yield and quality for use in genomic analysis. A commercial kit and four classical methods of DNA extraction were tested, including three cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB-based and one sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS-based methods. Three drying methods for leaves samples were also evaluated including drying at room temperature (RT, in an oven at 40ºC (S40, and in a microwave oven (FMO. The DNA solutions obtained from different types of leaves samples using the five protocols were assessed in terms of cost, execution time, and quality and yield of extracted DNA. The commercial kit did not extract DNA with sufficient quantity or quality for successful PCR reactions. Among the classic methods, only the protocols of Dellaporta and of Khanuja yielded DNA extractions for all three types of foliar samples that resulted in successful PCR reactions and subsequent enzyme restriction assays. Based on the evaluated variables, the most appropriate DNA extraction method for Nectandra megapotamica (Spreng. Mez. was that of Dellaporta, regardless of the method used to dry the samples. The selected method has a relatively low cost and total execution time. Moreover, the quality and quantity of DNA extracted using this method was sufficient for DNA sequence amplification using PCR reactions and to get restriction fragments.

  9. Handling missing data in ranked set sampling

    CERN Document Server

    Bouza-Herrera, Carlos N

    2013-01-01

    The existence of missing observations is a very important aspect to be considered in the application of survey sampling, for example. In human populations they may be caused by a refusal of some interviewees to give the true value for the variable of interest. Traditionally, simple random sampling is used to select samples. Most statistical models are supported by the use of samples selected by means of this design. In recent decades, an alternative design has started being used, which, in many cases, shows an improvement in terms of accuracy compared with traditional sampling. It is called R

  10. Uranium hexafluoride: A manual of good handling practices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-10-01

    For many years, the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies have shared with the nuclear industry their experience in the area of uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) shipping containers and handling procedures. The information contained in this manual updates information contained in earlier issues. It covers the essential aspects of UF 6 handling, cylinder filling and emptying, general principles of weighing and sampling, shipping, and the use of protective overpacks. The physical and chemical properties of UF 6 are also described and tabulated. The nuclear industry is responsible for furnishing its own shipping cylinders and suitable protective overpacks. A substantial effort has been made by the industry to standardize UF 6 cylinders, samples, and overpacks. The quality of feed materials is important to the safe and efficient operation of the enriching facilities, and the UF 6 product purity from the enriching facilities is equally important to the fuel fabricator, the utilities, the operators of research reactors, and other users. The requirements have been the impetus for an aggressive effort by DOE and its contractors to develop accurate techniques for sampling and for chemical and isotopic analysis. A quality control program is maintained within the DOE enriching facilities to ensure that the proper degree of accuracy and precision are obtained for all the required measurements. The procedures and systems described for safe handling of UF 6 presented in this document have been developed and evaluated in DOE facilities during more than 40 years of handling vast quantities of UF 6 . With proper consideration for its nuclear properties, UF 6 may be safely handled in essentially the same manner as any other corrosive and/or toxic chemical

  11. IFSA: a microfluidic chip-platform for frit-based immunoassay protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hlawatsch, Nadine; Bangert, Michael; Miethe, Peter; Becker, Holger; Gärtner, Claudia

    2013-03-01

    Point-of-care diagnostics (POC) is one of the key application fields for lab-on-a-chip devices. While in recent years much of the work has concentrated on integrating complex molecular diagnostic assays onto a microfluidic device, there is a need to also put comparatively simple immunoassay-type protocols on a microfluidic platform. In this paper, we present the development of a microfluidic cartridge using an immunofiltration approach. In this method, the sandwich immunoassay takes place in a porous frit on which the antibodies have immobilized. The device is designed to be able to handle three samples in parallel and up to four analytical targets per sample. In order to meet the critical cost targets for the diagnostic market, the microfluidic chip has been designed and manufactured using high-volume manufacturing technologies in mind. Validation experiments show comparable sensitivities in comparison with conventional immunofiltration kits.

  12. Development of a new protocol for rapid bacterial identification and susceptibility testing directly from urine samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zboromyrska, Y; Rubio, E; Alejo, I; Vergara, A; Mons, A; Campo, I; Bosch, J; Marco, F; Vila, J

    2016-06-01

    The current gold standard method for the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTI) is urine culture that requires 18-48 h for the identification of the causative microorganisms and an additional 24 h until the results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) are available. The aim of this study was to shorten the time of urine sample processing by a combination of flow cytometry for screening and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) for bacterial identification followed by AST directly from urine. The study was divided into two parts. During the first part, 675 urine samples were processed by a flow cytometry device and a cut-off value of bacterial count was determined to select samples for direct identification by MALDI-TOF-MS at ≥5 × 10(6) bacteria/mL. During the second part, 163 of 1029 processed samples reached the cut-off value. The sample preparation protocol for direct identification included two centrifugation and two washing steps. Direct AST was performed by the disc diffusion method if a reliable direct identification was obtained. Direct MALDI-TOF-MS identification was performed in 140 urine samples; 125 of the samples were positive by urine culture, 12 were contaminated and 3 were negative. Reliable direct identification was obtained in 108 (86.4%) of the 125 positive samples. AST was performed in 102 identified samples, and the results were fully concordant with the routine method among 83 monomicrobial infections. In conclusion, the turnaround time of the protocol described to diagnose UTI was about 1 h for microbial identification and 18-24 h for AST. Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Finding error handling bugs in OpenSSL using Coccinelle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lawall, Julia; Laurie, Ben; Hansen, René Rydhof

    2010-01-01

    OpenSSL is a library providing various functionalities relating to secure network communication.  Detecting and fixing bugs in OpenSSL code is thus essential, particularly when such bugs can lead to malicious attacks.  In previous work, we have proposed a methodology for finding API usage protocols...... in Linux kernel code using the program matching and transformation engine Coccinelle.  In this work, we report on our experience in applying this methodology to OpenSSL, focusing on API usage protocols related to error handling.  We have detected over 30 bugs in a recent OpenSSL snapshot, and in many cases...... it was possible to correct the bugs automatically.  Our patches correcting these bugs have been accepted by the OpenSSL developers.  This work furthermore confirms the applicability of our methodology to user-level code....

  14. Fast filtration sampling protocol for mammalian suspension cells tailored for phosphometabolome profiling by capillary ion chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kvitvang, Hans F N; Bruheim, Per

    2015-08-15

    Capillary ion chromatography (capIC) is the premium separation technology for low molecular phosphometabolites and nucleotides in biological extracts. Removal of excessive amounts of salt during sample preparation stages is a prerequisite to enable high quality capIC separation in combination with reproducible and sensitive MS detection. Existing sampling protocols for mammalian cells used for GC-MS and LC-MS metabolic profiling can therefore not be directly applied to capIC separations. Here, the development of a fast filtration sampling protocol for mammalian suspension cells tailored for quantitative profiling of the phosphometabolome on capIC-MS/MS is presented. The whole procedure from sampling the culture to transfer of filter to quenching and extraction solution takes less than 10s. To prevent leakage it is critical that a low vacuum pressure is applied, and satisfactorily reproducibility was only obtained by usage of a vacuum pressure controlling device. A vacuum of 60mbar was optimal for filtration of multiple myeloma Jjn-3 cell cultures through 5μm polyvinylidene (PVDF) filters. A quick deionized water (DI-water) rinse step prior to extraction was tested, and significantly higher metabolite yields were obtained during capIC-MS/MS analyses in this extract compared to extracts prepared by saline and reduced saline (25%) washing steps only. In addition, chromatographic performance was dramatically improved. Thus, it was verified that a quick DI-water rinse is tolerated by the cells and can be included as the final stage during filtration. Over 30 metabolites were quantitated in JJN-3 cell extracts by using the optimized sampling protocol with subsequent capIC-MS/MS analysis, and up to 2 million cells can be used in a single filtration step for the chosen filter and vacuum pressure. The technical set-up is also highly advantageous for microbial metabolome filtration protocols after optimization of vacuum pressure and washing solutions, and the reduced salt

  15. Does more favourable handling of the cerebrospinal fluid increase the diagnostic sensitivity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato-specific PCR in Lyme neuroborreliosis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forselv, Kristine J N; Lorentzen, Åslaug R; Ljøstad, Unn; Mygland, Åse; Eikeland, Randi; Kjelland, Vivian; Noraas, Sølvi; Quarsten, Hanne

    2018-04-01

    Tests for direct detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bb) in Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) are needed. Detection of Bb DNA using PCR is promising, but clinical utility is hampered by low diagnostic sensitivity. We aimed to examine whether diagnostic sensitivity can be improved by the use of larger cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes and faster handling of samples. Patients who underwent CSF examination for LNB were included. We collected two millilitres of CSF for PCR analysis, extracted DNA from the pellets within 24 h and analysed the eluate by two real-time PCR protocols (16S rRNA and OspA). Patients who fulfilled diagnostic criteria for LNB were classified as LNB cases and the rest as controls. Bb DNA in CSF was detected by PCR in seven of 28 adults with LNB. Two were Bb antibody negative. No Bb DNA was detected in CSF from 137 controls. Diagnostic sensitivity was 25% and specificity 100%. There was a non-significant trend towards larger CSF sample volume, faster handling of the sample, shorter duration of symptoms, and higher CSF cell count in the PCR-positive cases. We did not find that optimized handling of CSF increased diagnostic sensitivity of PCR in adults with LNB. However, our case series is small and we hypothesize that the importance of these factors will be clarified in further studies with larger case series and altered study design. PCR for diagnosis of LNB may be useful in cases without Bb antibodies due to short duration of symptoms.

  16. New logistics protocols for distributed interactive simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Darrin; Morrison, John; Katz, Warren; Felton, Erik; Herman, Deborah A.

    1995-06-01

    In today's environment, the transportation and maintenance of military forces is nearly as important as combat operations. Rapid deployment to regions of low-intensity conflict will become a very common training scenario for the U.S. military. Thus it is desirable to apply distributed simulation technology to train logistics personnel in their combat support roles. Currently, distributed interactive simulation (DIS) only contains rudimentary logistics protocols. This paper introduces new protocols designed to handle the logistics problem. The Newtonian protocol takes a physics-based approach to modeling interactions on the simulation network. This protocol consists of a family of protocol data units (PDUs) which are used to communicate forces in different circumstances. The protocol implements a small set of physical relations. This represents a flexible and general mechanism to describe battlefield interactions between network entities. The migratory object protocol (MOP) family addresses the transfer of control. General mechanisms provide the means to simulate resupply, repair, and maintenance of entities at any level of abstraction (individual soldier to division). It can also increase the fidelity of mine laying, enable handover of weapons for terminal guidance, allow for the distribution of aggregate-level simulation entities, provide capabilities for the simulation of personnel, etc.

  17. Advanced fluidic handling and use of two-phase flow for high throughput structural investigation of proteins on a microfluidic sample preparation platform

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lafleur, Josiane P.; Snakenborg, Detlef; Møller, M.

    2010-01-01

    Research on the structure of proteins can bring forth a wealth of information about biological function and can be used to better understand the processes in living cells. This paper reports a new microfluidic sample preparation system for the structural investigation of proteins by Small Angle X......-ray Scattering (SAXS). The system includes hardware and software features for precise fluidic control, synchrotron beamline control, UV absorbance measurements and automated data analysis. The precise fluidic handling capabilities are used to transport and precisely position samples as small as 500 n...

  18. Fuel handling machine and auxiliary systems for a fuel handling cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suikki, M.

    2013-10-01

    This working report is an update for as well as a supplement to an earlier fuel handling machine design (Kukkola and Roennqvist 2006). A focus in the earlier design proposal was primarily on the selection of a mechanical structure and operating principle for the fuel handling machine. This report introduces not only a fuel handling machine design but also auxiliary fuel handling cell equipment and its operation. An objective of the design work was to verify the operating principles of and space allocations for fuel handling cell equipment. The fuel handling machine is a remote controlled apparatus capable of handling intensely radiating fuel assemblies in the fuel handling cell of an encapsulation plant. The fuel handling cell is air tight space radiation-shielded with massive concrete walls. The fuel handling machine is based on a bridge crane capable of traveling in the handling cell along wall tracks. The bridge crane has its carriage provided with a carousel type turntable having mounted thereon both fixed and telescopic masts. The fixed mast has a gripper movable on linear guides for the transfer of fuel assemblies. The telescopic mast has a manipulator arm capable of maneuvering equipment present in the fuel handling cell, as well as conducting necessary maintenance and cleaning operations or rectifying possible fault conditions. The auxiliary fuel handling cell systems consist of several subsystems. The subsystems include a service manipulator, a tool carrier for manipulators, a material hatch, assisting winches, a vacuum cleaner, as well as a hose reel. With the exception of the vacuum cleaner, the devices included in the fuel handling cell's auxiliary system are only used when the actual encapsulation process is not ongoing. The malfunctions of mechanisms or actuators responsible for the motion actions of a fuel handling machine preclude in a worst case scenario the bringing of the fuel handling cell and related systems to a condition appropriate for

  19. Fuel handling machine and auxiliary systems for a fuel handling cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suikki, M. [Optimik Oy, Turku (Finland)

    2013-10-15

    This working report is an update for as well as a supplement to an earlier fuel handling machine design (Kukkola and Roennqvist 2006). A focus in the earlier design proposal was primarily on the selection of a mechanical structure and operating principle for the fuel handling machine. This report introduces not only a fuel handling machine design but also auxiliary fuel handling cell equipment and its operation. An objective of the design work was to verify the operating principles of and space allocations for fuel handling cell equipment. The fuel handling machine is a remote controlled apparatus capable of handling intensely radiating fuel assemblies in the fuel handling cell of an encapsulation plant. The fuel handling cell is air tight space radiation-shielded with massive concrete walls. The fuel handling machine is based on a bridge crane capable of traveling in the handling cell along wall tracks. The bridge crane has its carriage provided with a carousel type turntable having mounted thereon both fixed and telescopic masts. The fixed mast has a gripper movable on linear guides for the transfer of fuel assemblies. The telescopic mast has a manipulator arm capable of maneuvering equipment present in the fuel handling cell, as well as conducting necessary maintenance and cleaning operations or rectifying possible fault conditions. The auxiliary fuel handling cell systems consist of several subsystems. The subsystems include a service manipulator, a tool carrier for manipulators, a material hatch, assisting winches, a vacuum cleaner, as well as a hose reel. With the exception of the vacuum cleaner, the devices included in the fuel handling cell's auxiliary system are only used when the actual encapsulation process is not ongoing. The malfunctions of mechanisms or actuators responsible for the motion actions of a fuel handling machine preclude in a worst case scenario the bringing of the fuel handling cell and related systems to a condition appropriate for

  20. Mockup of an automated material transport system for remote handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, M.L.

    1992-01-01

    An Automated Material Transport System (AMTS) was identified for transport of samples within a Material and Process Control Laboratory (MPCL). The MPCL was designed with a dry sample handling laboratory and a wet chemistry analysis laboratory. Each laboratory contained several processing gloveboxes. The function of the AMTS was to automate the handling of materials, multiple process samples, and bulky items between process stations with a minimum of operator intervention and with minimum o[ waiting periods and nonproductive activities. This paper discusses the system design features, capabilities and results of initial testing. The overall performance of the AMTS is very good. No major problems or concerns were identified. System commands are simple and logical making the system user friendly. Operating principle and design of individual components is simple. With the addition of various track modules, the system can be configured in most any configuration. The AMTS lends itself very well for integration with other automated systems or products. The AMTS is suited for applications involving light payloads which require multiple sample and material handling, lot tracking, and system integration with other products

  1. On TCP-based Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Server Overload Control

    OpenAIRE

    Shen, Charles; Schulzrinne, Henning

    2010-01-01

    The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server overload management has attracted interest since SIP is being widely deployed in the Next Generation Networks (NGN) as a core signaling protocol. Yet all existing SIP overload control work is focused on SIP-over-UDP, despite the fact that TCP is increasingly seen as the more viable choice of SIP transport. This paper answers the following questions: is the existing TCP flow control capable of handling the SIP overload problem? If not, why and how c...

  2. A Secure Cluster-Based Multipath Routing Protocol for WMSNs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamal N. Al-Karaki

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The new characteristics of Wireless Multimedia Sensor Network (WMSN and its design issues brought by handling different traffic classes of multimedia content (video streams, audio, and still images as well as scalar data over the network, make the proposed routing protocols for typical WSNs not directly applicable for WMSNs. Handling real-time multimedia data requires both energy efficiency and QoS assurance in order to ensure efficient utility of different capabilities of sensor resources and correct delivery of collected information. In this paper, we propose a Secure Cluster-based Multipath Routing protocol for WMSNs, SCMR, to satisfy the requirements of delivering different data types and support high data rate multimedia traffic. SCMR exploits the hierarchical structure of powerful cluster heads and the optimized multiple paths to support timeliness and reliable high data rate multimedia communication with minimum energy dissipation. Also, we present a light-weight distributed security mechanism of key management in order to secure the communication between sensor nodes and protect the network against different types of attacks. Performance evaluation from simulation results demonstrates a significant performance improvement comparing with existing protocols (which do not even provide any kind of security feature in terms of average end-to-end delay, network throughput, packet delivery ratio, and energy consumption.

  3. Comparative of three sampling protocols for water quality assessment using macro invertebrates; Comparacion de tres protocolos de muestreo de macroinvertebrados para determinar la calidad del agua

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Puertolas Domenech, L.; Rieradevall Sant, M.; Prat Fornells, N.

    2007-07-01

    The implementation of the Water Framework directive (WFD, Directive 2000/60/CE) requires the establishment of standardized sampling protocols for the assessment of benthic fauna. In this paper, a comparative study of several sampling protocols that are used currently in Spain and Europe (AQEM, EPA and Guadalmed) has been carried out. Evaluating the three protocols with a list of 12 criteria, Guadalmed fits better to the most of them. therefore it appears as an efficient tool in the determination of Ecological Status. (Author)

  4. Bellman Ford algorithm - in Routing Information Protocol (RIP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krianto Sulaiman, Oris; Mahmud Siregar, Amir; Nasution, Khairuddin; Haramaini, Tasliyah

    2018-04-01

    In a large scale network need a routing that can handle a lot number of users, one of the solutions to cope with large scale network is by using a routing protocol, There are 2 types of routing protocol that is static and dynamic, Static routing is manually route input based on network admin, while dynamic routing is automatically route input formed based on existing network. Dynamic routing is efficient used to network extensively because of the input of route automatic formed, Routing Information Protocol (RIP) is one of dynamic routing that uses the bellman-ford algorithm where this algorithm will search for the best path that traversed the network by leveraging the value of each link, so with the bellman-ford algorithm owned by RIP can optimize existing networks.

  5. Flexible Electrostatic Technologies for Capture and Handling, Phase 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryan, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Fundamental to many of NASA's in-space transportation missions is the capture and handling of various objects and vehicles in various orbits for servicing, debris disposal, sample retrieval, and assembly without the benefit of sufficient grapple fixtures and docking ports. To perform similar material handling tasks on Earth, pincher grippers, suction grippers, or magnetic chucks are used, but are unable to reliably grip aluminum and composite spacecraft, insulation, radiators, solar arrays, or extra-terrestrial objects in the vacuum of outer space without dedicated handles in the right places. The electronic Flexible Electrostatic Technologies for space Capture and Handling (FETCH) will enable reliable and compliant gripping (soft dock) of practically any object in various orbits or surfaces without dedicated mechanical features, very low impact capture, and built-in proximity sensing without any conventional actuators. Originally developed to handle semiconductor and glass wafers during vacuum chamber processing without contamination, the normal rigid wafer handling chucks are replaced with thin metal foil segments laminated in flexible insulation driven by commercial off-the-shelf solid state, high-voltage power supplies. Preliminary testing in NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) Flat Floor Robotics Lab demonstrated compliant alignment and gripping with a full-sized, 150-lb microsat mockup and translation before a clean release with a flip of a switch. The flexible electrostatic gripper pads can be adapted to various space applications with different sizes, shapes, and foil electrode layouts even with openings through the gripper pads for addition of guidance sensors or injection of permanent adhesives. With gripping forces estimated between 0.5 and 2.5 lb/in2 or 70-300 lb/ft2 of surface contact, the FETCH can turn on and off rapidly and repeatedly to enable sample handling, soft docking, in-space assembly, precision relocation, and surface translation

  6. Taxonomy and Analysis of IP Micro-Mobility Protocols in Single and Simultaneous Movements Scenarios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. De Marco

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The micro-mobility is an important aspect in mobile communications, where the applications are anywhere and used anytime. One of the problems of micro-mobility is the hand-off latency. In this paper, we analyse two solutions for IP micro-mobility by means of a general taxonomy. The first one is based on the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP, which allows the dynamic address configuration of an association. The second one is based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP, which is the most popular protocol for multimedia communications over IP networks. We show that for the SCTP solution, there is room for further optimisations of the hand-off latency by adding slight changes to the protocol. However, as full end-to-end solution, SCTP is not able to handle simultaneous movement of hosts, whose probability in general cannot be neglected. On the other hand, the SIP can handle both single and simultaneous movements cases, although the hand-off latency can increase with respect to the SCTP solution. We show that for a correct and fast hand-off, the SIP server should be statefull.

  7. Toxoplasma gondii and pre-treatment protocols for polymerase chain reaction analysis of milk samples: a field trial in sheep from Southern Italy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alice Vismarra

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Ingestion of raw milk has been suggested as a risk for transmission to humans. Here the authors evaluated pre-treatment protocols for DNA extraction on T. gondii tachyzoite-spiked sheep milk with the aim of identifying the method that resulted in the most rapid and reliable polymerase chain reaction (PCR positivity. This protocol was then used to analyse milk samples from sheep of three different farms in Southern Italy, including real time PCR for DNA quantification and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism for genotyping. The pre-treatment protocol using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and Tris-HCl to remove casein gave the best results in the least amount of time compared to the others on spiked milk samples. One sample of 21 collected from sheep farms was positive on one-step PCR, real time PCR and resulted in a Type I genotype at one locus (SAG3. Milk usually contains a low number of tachyzoites and this could be a limiting factor for molecular identification. Our preliminary data has evaluated a rapid, cost-effective and sensitive protocol to treat milk before DNA extraction. The results of the present study also confirm the possibility of T. gondii transmission through consumption of raw milk and its unpasteurised derivatives.

  8. Personal ways of handling everyday life

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Lasse Meinert

    at variations in everyday life pursuits:  How does a person's pursuit of goals and concerns lead him/her to experience and handle breaks, interruptions, and variation in everyday activities?  The research project so far holds quantitative data.  A convenient sample of 217 persons were administered...

  9. Service-Oriented Synthesis of Distributed and Concurrent Protocol Specifications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jehad Al Dallal

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Several methods have been proposed for synthesizing computer communication protocol specifications from service specifications. Some protocol synthesis methods based on the finite state machine (FSM model assume that primitives in the service specifications cannot be executed simultaneously. Others either handle only controlled primitive concurrency or have tight restrictions on the applicable FSM topologies. As a result, these synthesis methods are not applicable to an interesting variety of inherently concurrent applications, such as the Internet and mobile communication systems. This paper proposes a concurrent-based protocol synthesis method that eliminates the restrictions imposed by the earlier methods. The proposed method uses a synthesis method to obtain a sequential protocol specification (P-SPEC from a given service specification (S-SPEC. The resulting P-SPEC is then remodeled to consider the concurrency behavior specified in the S-SPEC, while guaranteeing that P-SPEC provides the specified service.

  10. Early handling and repeated cross-fostering have opposite effect on mouse emotionality.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra eLuchetti

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Early life events have a crucial role in programming the individual phenotype and exposure to traumatic experiences during infancy can increase later risk for a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions, including mood and anxiety disorders. Animal models of postnatal stress have been developed in rodents to explore molecular mechanisms responsible for the observed short and long lasting neurobiological effects of such manipulations. The main aim of this study was to compare the behavioral and hormonal phenotype of young and adult animals exposed to different postnatal treatments. Outbred mice were exposed to i the classical Handling protocol (H: 15 min-day of separation from the mother from day 1 to 14 of life or to ii a Repeated Cross-Fostering protocol (RCF: adoption of litters from day 1 to 4 of life by different dams. Handled mice received more maternal care in infancy and showed the already described reduced emotionality at adulthood. Repeated cross fostered animals did not differ for maternal care received, but showed enhanced sensitivity to separation from the mother in infancy and altered respiratory response to 6%CO2 in breathing air in comparison with controls. Abnormal respiratory responses to hypercapnia are commonly found among humans with panic disorders, and point to RCF-induced instability of the early environment as a valid developmental model for panic disorder. The comparisons between short- and long-term effects of postnatal handling vs. RCF indicate that different types of early adversities are associated with different behavioral profiles, and evoke psychopathologies that can be distinguished according to the neurobiological systems disrupted by early-life manipulations.

  11. The Influence Of Customer Handling On Brand Image In Building Customer Loyalty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryan Kurniawan

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Complaint handling influences brand image which will influence customer loyalty in the future. This research is aimed to find out how the complaint handling is capable to influence against the brand image in building the customer loyalty of Indomaret Minimarket with the study case of Indomaret Minimarket. This research also aims to find out how the complaint handling is conducted by Indomaret Minimarket the brand image of service on Indomaret Minimarket as well as the customer loyalty of Indomaret Minimarket. This research using questionnaire as an instrument in collecting the data. The analysis type of this research is descriptive analysis and causal. The sample used as many as a 165 respondents with purposive sampling techniques. This research uses 33 indicators that will be counted with analysis technique SEM Structural Equation Modelling. The result of this research is that the complaint handling conducted by Indomaret Minimarket has been good but the aspect of speed in complaint handling is considered as not good. Besides the brand image and loyalty have been good enough. The customer loyalty is influenced by the complaint handling and the brand image by 32.7. The complaint handling has a significant influence against the customer satisfaction but the complaint handling does not influence against the customer loyalty. The brand image significantly influences against the customer loyalty. Then complaint handling influential not directly to customers trough loyalty of customer satisfaction. In addition the necessary integrated system standardization compensation and to rejuvenate issue at regular intervals to improve complaint handling that can give the effect to customer loyalty through brand image.

  12. Robust Multi-unit Auction Protocol against False-name Bids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokoo, Makoto; Sakurai, Yuko; Matsubara, Shigeo

    This paper presents a new multi-unit auction protocol (IR protocol) that is robust against false-name bids. Internet auctions have become an integral part of Electronic Commerce and a promising field for applying agent and Artificial Intelligence technologies. Although the Internet provides an excellent infrastructure for executing auctions, the possibility of a new type of cheating called false-name bids has been pointed out. A false-name bid is a bid submitted under a fictitious name. A protocol called LDS has been developed for combinatorial auctions of multiple different items and has proven to be robust against false-name bids. Although we can modify the LDS protocol to handle multi-unit auctions, in which multiple units of an identical item are auctioned, the protocol is complicated and requires the auctioneer to carefully pre-determine the combination of bundles to obtain a high social surplus or revenue. For the auctioneer, our newly developed IR protocol is easier to use than the LDS, since the combination of bundles is automatically determined in a flexible manner according to the declared evaluation values of agents. The evaluation results show that the IR protocol can obtain a better social surplus than that obtained by the LDS protocol.

  13. Towards a compact and precise sample holder for macromolecular crystallography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papp, Gergely; Rossi, Christopher; Janocha, Robert; Sorez, Clement; Lopez-Marrero, Marcos; Astruc, Anthony; McCarthy, Andrew; Belrhali, Hassan; Bowler, Matthew W; Cipriani, Florent

    2017-10-01

    Most of the sample holders currently used in macromolecular crystallography offer limited storage density and poor initial crystal-positioning precision upon mounting on a goniometer. This has now become a limiting factor at high-throughput beamlines, where data collection can be performed in a matter of seconds. Furthermore, this lack of precision limits the potential benefits emerging from automated harvesting systems that could provide crystal-position information which would further enhance alignment at beamlines. This situation provided the motivation for the development of a compact and precise sample holder with corresponding pucks, handling tools and robotic transfer protocols. The development process included four main phases: design, prototype manufacture, testing with a robotic sample changer and validation under real conditions on a beamline. Two sample-holder designs are proposed: NewPin and miniSPINE. They share the same robot gripper and allow the storage of 36 sample holders in uni-puck footprint-style pucks, which represents 252 samples in a dry-shipping dewar commonly used in the field. The pucks are identified with human- and machine-readable codes, as well as with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. NewPin offers a crystal-repositioning precision of up to 10 µm but requires a specific goniometer socket. The storage density could reach 64 samples using a special puck designed for fully robotic handling. miniSPINE is less precise but uses a goniometer mount compatible with the current SPINE standard. miniSPINE is proposed for the first implementation of the new standard, since it is easier to integrate at beamlines. An upgraded version of the SPINE sample holder with a corresponding puck named SPINEplus is also proposed in order to offer a homogenous and interoperable system. The project involved several European synchrotrons and industrial companies in the fields of consumables and sample-changer robotics. Manual handling of mini

  14. Alternating-Offers Protocol for Multi-issue Bilateral Negotiation in Semantic-Enabled Marketplaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ragone, Azzurra; di Noia, Tommaso; di Sciascio, Eugenio; Donini, Francesco M.

    We present a semantic-based approach to multi-issue bilateral negotiation for e-commerce. We use Description Logics to model advertisements, and relations among issues as axioms in a TBox. We then introduce a logic-based alternating-offers protocol, able to handle conflicting information, that merges non-standard reasoning services in Description Logics with utility thoery to find the most suitable agreements. We illustrate and motivate the theoretical framework, the logical language, and the negotiation protocol.

  15. Shy and bold great tits (Parus major): body temperature and breath rate in response to handling stress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carere, C.; Van Oers, K.

    2004-01-01

    A standard handling protocol was used to test the hypothesis that boldness predicts stress responsiveness in body temperature and breath rate. Great tit (Parus major) nestlings were taken from the field, hand reared until independence, and their response to a novel object was assessed. At the age of

  16. Shy and bold great tits (Parus major) : body temperature and breath rate in response to handling stress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carere, C; van Oers, K

    2004-01-01

    A standard handling protocol was used to test the hypothesis that boldness predicts stress responsiveness in body temperature and breath rate. Great tit (Parus major) nestlings were taken from the field, hand reared until independence, and their response to a novel object was assessed. At the age of

  17. Sample Handling Considerations for a Europa Sample Return Mission: An Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fries, M. D.; Calaway, M. L.; Evans, C. A.; McCubbin, F. M.

    2015-01-01

    The intent of this abstract is to provide a basic overview of mission requirements for a generic Europan plume sample return mission, based on NASA Curation experience in NASA sample return missions ranging from Apollo to OSIRIS-REx. This should be useful for mission conception and early stage planning. We will break the mission down into Outbound and Return legs and discuss them separately.

  18. Handling of multiassembly sealed baskets between reactor storage and a remote handling facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massey, J.V.; Kessler, J.H.; McSherry, A.J.

    1989-06-01

    The storage of multiple fuel assemblies in sealed (welded) dry storage baskets is gaining increasing use to augment at-reactor fuel storage capacity. Since this increasing use will place a significant number of such baskets on reactor sites, some initial downstream planning for their future handling scenarios for retrieving multi-assembly sealed baskets (MSBs) from onsite storage and transferring and shipping the fuel (and/or the baskets) to a federally operated remote handling facility (RHF). Numerous options or at-reactor and away-from-reactor handling were investigated. Materials handling flowsheets were developed along with conceptual designs for the equipment and tools required to handle and open the MSBs. The handling options were evaluated and compared to a reference case, fuel handling sequence (i.e., fuel assemblies are taken from the fuel pool, shipped to a receiving and handling facility and placed into interim storage). The main parameters analyzed are throughout, radiation dose burden and cost. In addition to evaluating the handling of MSBs, this work also evaluated handling consolidated fuel canisters (CFCs). In summary, the handling of MSBs and CFCs in the store, ship and bury fuel cycle was found to be feasible and, under some conditions, to offer significant benefits in terms of throughput, cost and safety. 14 refs., 20 figs., 24 tabs

  19. Urine sample collection protocols for bioassay samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MacLellan, J.A.; McFadden, K.M.

    1992-11-01

    In vitro radiobioassay analyses are used to measure the amount of radioactive material excreted by personnel exposed to the potential intake of radioactive material. The analytical results are then used with various metabolic models to estimate the amount of radioactive material in the subject`s body and the original intake of radioactive material. Proper application of these metabolic models requires knowledge of the excretion period. It is normal practice to design the bioassay program based on a 24-hour excretion sample. The Hanford bioassay program simulates a total 24-hour urine excretion sample with urine collection periods lasting from one-half hour before retiring to one-half hour after rising on two consecutive days. Urine passed during the specified periods is collected in three 1-L bottles. Because the daily excretion volume given in Publication 23 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP 1975, p. 354) for Reference Man is 1.4 L, it was proposed to use only two 1-L bottles as a cost-saving measure. This raised the broader question of what should be the design capacity of a 24-hour urine sample kit.

  20. Urine sample collection protocols for bioassay samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MacLellan, J.A.; McFadden, K.M.

    1992-11-01

    In vitro radiobioassay analyses are used to measure the amount of radioactive material excreted by personnel exposed to the potential intake of radioactive material. The analytical results are then used with various metabolic models to estimate the amount of radioactive material in the subject's body and the original intake of radioactive material. Proper application of these metabolic models requires knowledge of the excretion period. It is normal practice to design the bioassay program based on a 24-hour excretion sample. The Hanford bioassay program simulates a total 24-hour urine excretion sample with urine collection periods lasting from one-half hour before retiring to one-half hour after rising on two consecutive days. Urine passed during the specified periods is collected in three 1-L bottles. Because the daily excretion volume given in Publication 23 of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP 1975, p. 354) for Reference Man is 1.4 L, it was proposed to use only two 1-L bottles as a cost-saving measure. This raised the broader question of what should be the design capacity of a 24-hour urine sample kit.

  1. Nuclear fuel handling apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrea, C.; Dupen, C.F.G.; Noyes, R.C.

    1977-01-01

    A fuel handling machine for a liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor in which a retractable handling tube and gripper are lowered into the reactor to withdraw a spent fuel assembly into the handling tube. The handling tube containing the fuel assembly immersed in liquid sodium is then withdrawn completely from the reactor into the outer barrel of the handling machine. The machine is then used to transport the spent fuel assembly directly to a remotely located decay tank. The fuel handling machine includes a decay heat removal system which continuously removes heat from the interior of the handling tube and which is capable of operating at its full cooling capacity at all times. The handling tube is supported in the machine from an articulated joint which enables it to readily align itself with the correct position in the core. An emergency sodium supply is carried directly by the machine to provide make up in the event of a loss of sodium from the handling tube during transport to the decay tank. 5 claims, 32 drawing figures

  2. Uranium hexafluoride: A manual of good handling practices. Revision 7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-01-01

    The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) is continuing the policy of the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies in sharing with the nuclear industry their experience in the area of uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) shipping containers and handling procedures. The USEC has reviewed Revision 6 or ORO-651 and is issuing this new edition to assure that the document includes the most recent information on UF 6 handling procedures and reflects the policies of the USEC. This manual updates the material contained in earlier issues. It covers the essential aspects of UF 6 handling, cylinder filling and emptying, general principles of weighing and sampling, shipping, and the use of protective overpacks. The physical and chemical properties of UF 6 are also described. The procedures and systems described for safe handling of UF 6 presented in this document have been developed and evaluated during more than 40 years of handling vast quantities of UF 6 . With proper consideration for its nuclear properties, UF 6 may be safely handled in essentially the same manner as any other corrosive and/or toxic chemical

  3. Alert: An Adaptive Low-Latency Event-Driven MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinod Namboodiri

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Collection of rare but delay-critical messages from a group of sensor nodes is a key process in many wireless sensor network applications. This is particularly important for security-related applications like intrusion detection and fire alarm systems. An event sensed by multiple sensor nodes in the network can trigger many messages to be sent simultaneously. We present Alert, a MAC protocol for collecting event-triggered urgent messages from a group of sensor nodes with minimum latency and without requiring any cooperation or prescheduling among the senders or between senders and receiver during protocol execution. Alert is designed to handle multiple simultaneous messages from different nodes efficiently and reliably, minimizing the overall delay to collect all messages along with the delay to get the first message. Moreover, the ability of the network to handle a large number of simultaneous messages does not come at the cost of excessive delays when only a few messages need to be handled. We analyze Alert and evaluate its feasibility and performance with an implementation on commodity hardware. We further compare Alert with existing approaches through simulations and show the performance improvement possible through Alert.

  4. Safe Handling of Cytotoxic Drugs and Risks of Occupational Exposure to Nursing Staffs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Somayeh Hanafi

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Inherent toxicity of cytotoxic drugs is the basis for their potential adverse risks from occupational exposure to the nursing staff. In Iran, chemotherapy regimens are prescribed and administered according to the world updated protocols. But little is done regarding the protective standards in this field.Methods: An observational cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses who work in three tertiary care teaching hospitals in Tehran, Iran in 2012. All participants worked in one of the hospital wards handling cytotoxic drugs (preparation and administration. A questionnaire was used for interviewing all subjects, and observing them preparing and administering the drugs. We examined all adverse effects associated with handling of antineoplastic drugs.Results: Totally 270 adverse reactions were reported. The most frequently reported adverse effects included headache and vertigo (40 cases, hair loss (36 cases, skin rashes and itching (31 cases, and burning sensation in eyes (31 cases. In all hospital wards, the standards were met in not more than 50% of the items.Conclusion: Monitoring the personnel who are directly involved in handling of cytotoxic drugs is of great importance. Furthermore, educating the personnel in the field of standards of cytotoxic drugs handling could increase the nursing staff’s knowledge regarding these drugs’ adverse reactions.

  5. BioBlocks: Programming Protocols in Biology Made Easier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Vishal; Irimia, Jesús; Pau, Iván; Rodríguez-Patón, Alfonso

    2017-07-21

    The methods to execute biological experiments are evolving. Affordable fluid handling robots and on-demand biology enterprises are making automating entire experiments a reality. Automation offers the benefit of high-throughput experimentation, rapid prototyping, and improved reproducibility of results. However, learning to automate and codify experiments is a difficult task as it requires programming expertise. Here, we present a web-based visual development environment called BioBlocks for describing experimental protocols in biology. It is based on Google's Blockly and Scratch, and requires little or no experience in computer programming to automate the execution of experiments. The experiments can be specified, saved, modified, and shared between multiple users in an easy manner. BioBlocks is open-source and can be customized to execute protocols on local robotic platforms or remotely, that is, in the cloud. It aims to serve as a de facto open standard for programming protocols in Biology.

  6. Influence of Freezing and Storage Procedure on Human Urine Samples in NMR-Based Metabolomics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burkhard Luy

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available It is consensus in the metabolomics community that standardized protocols should be followed for sample handling, storage and analysis, as it is of utmost importance to maintain constant measurement conditions to identify subtle biological differences. The aim of this work, therefore, was to systematically investigate the influence of freezing procedures and storage temperatures and their effect on NMR spectra as a potentially disturbing aspect for NMR-based metabolomics studies. Urine samples were collected from two healthy volunteers, centrifuged and divided into aliquots. Urine aliquots were frozen either at −20 °C, on dry ice, at −80 °C or in liquid nitrogen and then stored at −20 °C, −80 °C or in liquid nitrogen vapor phase for 1–5 weeks before NMR analysis. Results show spectral changes depending on the freezing procedure, with samples frozen on dry ice showing the largest deviations. The effect was found to be based on pH differences, which were caused by variations in CO2 concentrations introduced by the freezing procedure. Thus, we recommend that urine samples should be frozen at −20 °C and transferred to lower storage temperatures within one week and that freezing procedures should be part of the publication protocol.

  7. Influence of Freezing and Storage Procedure on Human Urine Samples in NMR-Based Metabolomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rist, Manuela J; Muhle-Goll, Claudia; Görling, Benjamin; Bub, Achim; Heissler, Stefan; Watzl, Bernhard; Luy, Burkhard

    2013-04-09

    It is consensus in the metabolomics community that standardized protocols should be followed for sample handling, storage and analysis, as it is of utmost importance to maintain constant measurement conditions to identify subtle biological differences. The aim of this work, therefore, was to systematically investigate the influence of freezing procedures and storage temperatures and their effect on NMR spectra as a potentially disturbing aspect for NMR-based metabolomics studies. Urine samples were collected from two healthy volunteers, centrifuged and divided into aliquots. Urine aliquots were frozen either at -20 °C, on dry ice, at -80 °C or in liquid nitrogen and then stored at -20 °C, -80 °C or in liquid nitrogen vapor phase for 1-5 weeks before NMR analysis. Results show spectral changes depending on the freezing procedure, with samples frozen on dry ice showing the largest deviations. The effect was found to be based on pH differences, which were caused by variations in CO2 concentrations introduced by the freezing procedure. Thus, we recommend that urine samples should be frozen at -20 °C and transferred to lower storage temperatures within one week and that freezing procedures should be part of the publication protocol.

  8. Capillary Electrophoresis Analysis of Organic Amines and Amino Acids in Saline and Acidic Samples Using the Mars Organic Analyzer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stockton, Amanda M.; Chiesl, Thomas N.; Lowenstein, Tim K.; Amashukeli, Xenia; Grunthaner, Frank; Mathies, Richard A.

    2009-11-01

    The Mars Organic Analyzer (MOA) has enabled the sensitive detection of amino acid and amine biomarkers in laboratory standards and in a variety of field sample tests. However, the MOA is challenged when samples are extremely acidic and saline or contain polyvalent cations. Here, we have optimized the MOA analysis, sample labeling, and sample dilution buffers to handle such challenging samples more robustly. Higher ionic strength buffer systems with pKa values near pH 9 were developed to provide better buffering capacity and salt tolerance. The addition of ethylaminediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) ameliorates the negative effects of multivalent cations. The optimized protocol utilizes a 75 mM borate buffer (pH 9.5) for Pacific Blue labeling of amines and amino acids. After labeling, 50 mM (final concentration) EDTA is added to samples containing divalent cations to ameliorate their effects. This optimized protocol was used to successfully analyze amino acids in a saturated brine sample from Saline Valley, California, and a subcritical water extract of a highly acidic sample from the Río Tinto, Spain. This work expands the analytical capabilities of the MOA and increases its sensitivity and robustness for samples from extraterrestrial environments that may exhibit pH and salt extremes as well as metal ions.

  9. Bioinspired Security Analysis of Wireless Protocols

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petrocchi, Marinella; Spognardi, Angelo; Santi, Paolo

    2016-01-01

    work, this paper investigates feasibility of adopting fraglets as model for specifying security protocols and analysing their properties. In particular, we give concrete sample analyses over a secure RFID protocol, showing evolution of the protocol run as chemical dynamics and simulating an adversary...

  10. Influence of Conflict Resolution Training on Conflict Handling Styles of College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waithaka, Abel Gitimu; Moore-Austin, Shante'; Gitimu, Priscilla N.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of conflict resolution skills training on conflict handling styles, and conflict orientation of college students. Conflict handling styles was measured by the Thomas-Kilmann MODE instrument, while Conflict orientation was measured by conflict orientation survey instrument. A sample of 135…

  11. Improved protocol and data analysis for accelerated shelf-life estimation of solid dosage forms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waterman, Kenneth C; Carella, Anthony J; Gumkowski, Michael J; Lukulay, Patrick; MacDonald, Bruce C; Roy, Michael C; Shamblin, Sheri L

    2007-04-01

    To propose and test a new accelerated aging protocol for solid-state, small molecule pharmaceuticals which provides faster predictions for drug substance and drug product shelf-life. The concept of an isoconversion paradigm, where times in different temperature and humidity-controlled stability chambers are set to provide a critical degradant level, is introduced for solid-state pharmaceuticals. Reliable estimates for temperature and relative humidity effects are handled using a humidity-corrected Arrhenius equation, where temperature and relative humidity are assumed to be orthogonal. Imprecision is incorporated into a Monte-Carlo simulation to propagate the variations inherent in the experiment. In early development phases, greater imprecision in predictions is tolerated to allow faster screening with reduced sampling. Early development data are then used to design appropriate test conditions for more reliable later stability estimations. Examples are reported showing that predicted shelf-life values for lower temperatures and different relative humidities are consistent with the measured shelf-life values at those conditions. The new protocols and analyses provide accurate and precise shelf-life estimations in a reduced time from current state of the art.

  12. Uranium hexafluoride: A manual of good handling practices. Revision 7

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-01-01

    The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) is continuing the policy of the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies in sharing with the nuclear industry their experience in the area of uranium hexafluoride (UF{sub 6}) shipping containers and handling procedures. The USEC has reviewed Revision 6 or ORO-651 and is issuing this new edition to assure that the document includes the most recent information on UF{sub 6} handling procedures and reflects the policies of the USEC. This manual updates the material contained in earlier issues. It covers the essential aspects of UF{sub 6} handling, cylinder filling and emptying, general principles of weighing and sampling, shipping, and the use of protective overpacks. The physical and chemical properties of UF{sub 6} are also described. The procedures and systems described for safe handling of UF{sub 6} presented in this document have been developed and evaluated during more than 40 years of handling vast quantities of UF{sub 6}. With proper consideration for its nuclear properties, UF{sub 6} may be safely handled in essentially the same manner as any other corrosive and/or toxic chemical.

  13. Formal description of the jumpstart just-in-time signaling protocol using EFSM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaim, A. H.; Baldine, Ilia; Cassada, Mark; Rouskas, George N.; Perros, Harry G.; Stevenson, Daniel S.

    2002-07-01

    We present a formal protocol description for a Just-In-Time (JIT) signaling scheme running over a core dWDM network which utilizes Optical Burst Switches (OBS). We apply an eight-tuple extended finite state machine (EFSM) model to formally specify the protocol. Using the EFSM model, we define the communication between a source client node and a destination client node through an ingress and one or multiple intermediate switches. We worked on single burst connections that means setting up the connection just before sending a single burst and then closing the connection as soon as the burst is sent. The communication between the EFSMs is handled through message transfer between protocol entities.

  14. An efficient three-party password-based key agreement protocol using extended chaotic maps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shu Jian

    2015-01-01

    Three-party password-based key agreement protocols allow two users to authenticate each other via a public channel and establish a session key with the aid of a trusted server. Recently, Farash et al. [Farash M S, Attari M A 2014 “An efficient and provably secure three-party password-based authenticated key exchange protocol based on Chebyshev chaotic maps”, Nonlinear Dynamics 77(7): 399–411] proposed a three-party key agreement protocol by using the extended chaotic maps. They claimed that their protocol could achieve strong security. In the present paper, we analyze Farash et al.’s protocol and point out that this protocol is vulnerable to off-line password guessing attack and suffers communication burden. To handle the issue, we propose an efficient three-party password-based key agreement protocol using extended chaotic maps, which uses neither symmetric cryptosystems nor the server’s public key. Compared with the relevant schemes, our protocol provides better performance in terms of computation and communication. Therefore, it is suitable for practical applications. (paper)

  15. Evaluation of a lateral flow-based technology card for blood typing using a simplified protocol in a model of extreme blood sampling conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clavier, Benoît; Pouget, Thomas; Sailliol, Anne

    2018-02-01

    Life-threatening situations requiring blood transfusion under extreme conditions or in remote and austere locations, such as the battlefield or in traffic accidents, would benefit from reliable blood typing practices that are easily understood by a nonscientist or nonlaboratory technician and provide quick results. A simplified protocol was developed for the lateral flow-based device MDmulticard ABO-D-Rh subgroups-K. Its performance was compared to a reference method (PK7300, Beckman Coulter) in native blood samples from donors. The method was tested on blood samples stressed in vitro as a model of hemorrhage cases (through hemodilution using physiologic serum) and dehydration (through hemoconcentration by removing an aliquot of plasma after centrifugation), respectively. A total of 146 tests were performed on 52 samples; 126 in the hemodilution group (42 for each native, diluted 1/2, and diluted 1/4 samples) and 20 in the hemoconcentration group (10 for each native and 10% concentrated samples). Hematocrit in the tested samples ranged from 9.8% to 57.6% while hemoglobin levels ranged from 3.2 to 20.1 g/dL. The phenotype profile detected with the MDmulticard using the simplified protocol resulted in 22 A, seven B, 20 O, and three AB, of which nine were D- and five were Kell positive. No discrepancies were found with respect to the results obtained with the reference method. The simplified protocol for MDmulticard use could be considered a reliable method for blood typing in extreme environment or emergency situations, worsened by red blood cell dilution or concentration. © 2017 AABB.

  16. SMITH: a LIMS for handling next-generation sequencing workflows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venco, Francesco; Vaskin, Yuriy; Ceol, Arnaud; Muller, Heiko

    2014-01-01

    Life-science laboratories make increasing use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) for studying bio-macromolecules and their interactions. Array-based methods for measuring gene expression or protein-DNA interactions are being replaced by RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq. Sequencing is generally performed by specialized facilities that have to keep track of sequencing requests, trace samples, ensure quality and make data available according to predefined privileges. An integrated tool helps to troubleshoot problems, to maintain a high quality standard, to reduce time and costs. Commercial and non-commercial tools called LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) are available for this purpose. However, they often come at prohibitive cost and/or lack the flexibility and scalability needed to adjust seamlessly to the frequently changing protocols employed. In order to manage the flow of sequencing data produced at the Genomic Unit of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), we developed SMITH (Sequencing Machine Information Tracking and Handling). SMITH is a web application with a MySQL server at the backend. Wet-lab scientists of the Centre for Genomic Science and database experts from the Politecnico of Milan in the context of a Genomic Data Model Project developed SMITH. The data base schema stores all the information of an NGS experiment, including the descriptions of all protocols and algorithms used in the process. Notably, an attribute-value table allows associating an unconstrained textual description to each sample and all the data produced afterwards. This method permits the creation of metadata that can be used to search the database for specific files as well as for statistical analyses. SMITH runs automatically and limits direct human interaction mainly to administrative tasks. SMITH data-delivery procedures were standardized making it easier for biologists and analysts to navigate the data. Automation also helps saving time. The workflows are available

  17. SMITH: a LIMS for handling next-generation sequencing workflows

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Life-science laboratories make increasing use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) for studying bio-macromolecules and their interactions. Array-based methods for measuring gene expression or protein-DNA interactions are being replaced by RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq. Sequencing is generally performed by specialized facilities that have to keep track of sequencing requests, trace samples, ensure quality and make data available according to predefined privileges. An integrated tool helps to troubleshoot problems, to maintain a high quality standard, to reduce time and costs. Commercial and non-commercial tools called LIMS (Laboratory Information Management Systems) are available for this purpose. However, they often come at prohibitive cost and/or lack the flexibility and scalability needed to adjust seamlessly to the frequently changing protocols employed. In order to manage the flow of sequencing data produced at the Genomic Unit of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), we developed SMITH (Sequencing Machine Information Tracking and Handling). Methods SMITH is a web application with a MySQL server at the backend. Wet-lab scientists of the Centre for Genomic Science and database experts from the Politecnico of Milan in the context of a Genomic Data Model Project developed SMITH. The data base schema stores all the information of an NGS experiment, including the descriptions of all protocols and algorithms used in the process. Notably, an attribute-value table allows associating an unconstrained textual description to each sample and all the data produced afterwards. This method permits the creation of metadata that can be used to search the database for specific files as well as for statistical analyses. Results SMITH runs automatically and limits direct human interaction mainly to administrative tasks. SMITH data-delivery procedures were standardized making it easier for biologists and analysts to navigate the data. Automation also helps saving time. The

  18. [Protocols for the health surveillance of fisherman].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soleo, Leonardo; Cannizzaro, Emanuele; Lovreglio, Piero; Basso, Antonella; D'Errico, Maria Nicolà; Pira, Enrico

    2013-01-01

    To define protocols for health surveillance of workers in the marine fishing sector for specific occupational risk factors, considering the latest and most advanced scientific knowledge. The specific literature was analyzed to identify the occupational risk factors to which fishermen are exposed. Then, for each risk factor a protocol for the relative health checkups and their time schedule was defined. The risk factors to which fishermen are exposed are essentially noise, vibrations, solar and ultraviolet radiation, climatic agents (heat, cold, wind, rain, damp), chemical agents, shifts, work rate, night work, physical strain, stress, manual handling of loads, upper limb repetitive tasks, incongruous postures. The health protocols stipulate the health screening investigations to be carried out in all workers of a homogeneous group, and in-depth diagnostic investigations to be carried out in symptomatic workers. Complementary health investigations must be focused on a functional exploration of the organs specifically exposed to the risk factor. For hearing impairments due to noise exposure, the medico-legal measures with which the occupational health physician must comply, in cases of occupational disease, are indicated.

  19. Preparation of hospitals for handling victims of radiation accidents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vince, M.A.

    1985-01-01

    This chapter is devoted to a generalized discussion of the inter-and intraorganizational structure of hospitals for handling radiation emergencies of the kind suggested above as well as the isolated remote minor accident involving radiation. The general elements of hospital planning for radiation accidents have been discussed and a detailed protocol for handling the radioactive patient is presented. Minor additions and emphasis to parts of these earlier works are summarized, reflecting experiences gained in receiving simulated radioactively contaminated victims in drills at St. Luke's Hospital of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Two accidents were simulated involving mock radioactive materials over a two year period. One such ''accident'' was staged at A-B-E Airport, Lehigh County, in 1981 and the other in the Saucon Valley in 1983. It should be mentioned that in neither case was the release of radioactive material possible, in reality, as portrayed. In planning mock radiation accident drills for emergency care units and support staff, one is best-advised not to pay too much attention to the logic of how the release occurred but rather that there are victims who must be treated, decontaminated and evaluated for the necessity of continued medical care

  20. Milk postharvest handling practices across the supply chain in Eastern Ethiopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tadele Amentie

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This study was conducted to assess hygienic cow milk handling practices of milk producers, traders (informal collectors, transporters and vendors and consumers across the milk supply chain in the Eastern Ethiopia. Materials and methods: A total of 160 milk producers in Babile district were selected using multistage stratified sampling technique. Moreover, a total of 54 milk collectors and transporters (5, 40, 9 from Jigjiga, Harar and Dire Dawa town, respectively, 152 vendors (40 from Bable, Harar and Dire Dawa town and 32 from Jigjiga town and 160 consumers (40 from each town were selected using snowball sampling technique. Data from the selected actors were collected using focus group discussion, questionnaire survey and observations. Results: The study revealed that the majority of milk handling operations in the study area is carried out by females. The majority of respondent milk producers (87.5-92.5%, collectors and transporters (88.9-100%, vendors (77.5-90.7% and some consumers (37.5-47.5% performing milk handling operations were illiterate. Most of the observed actors in the study area perform malpractices (such as failure to stop milk handling while showing disease symptoms, improper hand washing and handling of risk factors while working with milk. Majority of respondent milk producers (87.5-97.5%, all traders and some consumers (12.5-32.5% use plastic containers for milk handling. Milk handling equipments were commonly washed using warm water, detergent and sand; however, in most case they were not properly protected from risk factors after washing. Majority of respondent milk producers (55-65%, collectors and transporters (60-66.7%, and some vendors (0-50% and consumers (0-55% use water from non-tap sources for hygienic practices. Conclusion: In general; the findings indicated that milk handling practices performed across the supply chain in the study area were unhygienic and therefore suggested the need for improving

  1. Recommendations for cask features for robotic handling from the Advanced Handling Technology Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drotning, W.

    1991-02-01

    This report describes the current status and recent progress in the Advanced Handling Technology Project (AHTP) initiated to explore the use of advanced robotic systems and handling technologies to perform automated cask handling operations at radioactive waste handling facilities, and to provide guidance to cask designers on the impact of robotic handling on cask design. Current AHTP tasks have developed system mock-ups to investigate robotic manipulation of impact limiters and cask tiedowns. In addition, cask uprighting and transport, using computer control of a bridge crane and robot, were performed to demonstrate the high speed cask transport operation possible under computer control. All of the current AHTP tasks involving manipulation of impact limiters and tiedowns require robotic operations using a torque wrench. To perform these operations, a pneumatic torque wrench and control system were integrated into the tool suite and control architecture of the gantry robot. The use of captured fasteners is briefly discussed as an area where alternative cask design preferences have resulted from the influence of guidance for robotic handling vs traditional operations experience. Specific robotic handling experiences with these system mock-ups highlight a number of continually recurring design principles: (1) robotic handling feasibility is improved by mechanical designs which emphasize operation with limited dexterity in constrained workspaces; (2) clearances, tolerances, and chamfers must allow for operations under actual conditions with consideration for misalignment and imprecise fixturing; (3) successful robotic handling is enhanced by including design detail in representations for model-based control; (4) robotic handling and overall quality assurance are improved by designs which eliminate the use of loose, disassembled parts. 8 refs., 15 figs

  2. Flexible Electrostatic Technology for Capture and Handling Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keys, Andrew; Bryan, Tom; Horwitz, Chris; Rakoczy, John; Waggoner, Jason

    2015-01-01

    To NASA unfunded & planned missions: This new capability to sense proximity, flexibly align to, and attractively grip and capture practically any object in space without any pre-designed physical features or added sensors or actuators will enable or enhance many of MSFC's strategic emphasis areas in space transportation, and space systems such as: 1. A Flexible Electrostatic gripper can enable the capture, gripping and releasing of an extraterrestrial sample of different minerals or a sample canister (metallic or composite) without requiring a handle or grapple fixture.(B) 2. Flexible self-aligning in-space capture/soft docking or berthing of ISS resupply vehicles, pressurized modules, or nodes for in-space assembly and shielding, radiator, and solar Array deployment for space habitats (C) 3. The flexible electrostatic gripper when combined with a simple steerable extendible boom can grip, position, and release objects of various shapes and materials with low mass and power without any prior handles or physical accommodations or surface contamination for ISS experiment experiments and in-situ repair.(F)(G) 4. The Dexterous Docking concept previously proposed to allow simple commercial resupply ships to station-keep and capture either ISS or an Exploration vehicle for supply or fluid transfer lacked a self-sensing, compliant, soft capture gripper like FETCH that could retract and attach to a CBM. (I) 5. To enable a soft capture and de-orbit of a piece of orbital debris will require self-aligning gripping and holding an object wherever possible (thermal coverings or shields of various materials, radiators, solar arrays, antenna dishes) with little or no residual power while adding either drag or active low level thrust.(K) 6. With the scalability of the FETCH technology, small satellites can be captured and handled or can incorporate FETCH gripper to dock to and handle other small vehicles and larger objects for de-orbiting or mitigating Orbital debris (L) 7. Many of

  3. A physical workload index to evaluate a safe resident handling program for nursing home personnel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurowski, Alicia; Buchholz, Bryan; Punnett, Laura

    2014-06-01

    The aim of this study was to obtain a comprehensive analysis of the physical workload of clinical staff in long-term care facilities, before and after a safe resident handling program (SRHP). Ergonomic exposures of health care workers include manual handling of patients and many non-neutral postures. A comprehensive assessment requires the integration of loads from these varied exposures into a single metric. The Postures, Activities, Tools, and Handling observational protocol, customized for health care, was used for direct observations of ergonomic exposures in clinical jobs at 12 nursing homes before the SRHP and 3, 12, 24, and 36 months afterward. Average compressive forces on the spine were estimated for observed combinations of body postures and manual handling and then weighted by frequencies of observed time for the combination. These values were summed to obtain a biomechanical index for nursing assistants and nurses across observation periods. The physical workload index (PWI) was much higher for nursing assistants than for nurses and decreased more after 3 years (-24% versus -2.5%). Specifically during resident handling, the PWI for nursing assistants decreased by 41% of baseline value. Spinal loading was higher for nursing assistants than for nurses in long-term care centers. Both job groups experienced reductions in physical loading from the SRHP, especially the nursing assistants and especially while resident handling. The PWI facilitates a comprehensive investigation of physical loading from both manual handling and non-neutral postures. It can be used in any work setting to identify high-risk tasks and determine whether reductions in one exposure are offset by increases in another.

  4. Pierre Gy's sampling theory and sampling practice heterogeneity, sampling correctness, and statistical process control

    CERN Document Server

    Pitard, Francis F

    1993-01-01

    Pierre Gy's Sampling Theory and Sampling Practice, Second Edition is a concise, step-by-step guide for process variability management and methods. Updated and expanded, this new edition provides a comprehensive study of heterogeneity, covering the basic principles of sampling theory and its various applications. It presents many practical examples to allow readers to select appropriate sampling protocols and assess the validity of sampling protocols from others. The variability of dynamic process streams using variography is discussed to help bridge sampling theory with statistical process control. Many descriptions of good sampling devices, as well as descriptions of poor ones, are featured to educate readers on what to look for when purchasing sampling systems. The book uses its accessible, tutorial style to focus on professional selection and use of methods. The book will be a valuable guide for mineral processing engineers; metallurgists; geologists; miners; chemists; environmental scientists; and practit...

  5. Investigations of the post-IR IRSL protocol applied to single K-feldspar grains from fluvial sediment samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nian, Xiaomei; Bailey, Richard M.; Zhou, Liping

    2012-01-01

    The post-IR IRSL protocol with single K-feldspar grains was applied to three samples taken from a fluvial sedimentary sequence at the archaeological site of the Dali Man, Shaanxi Province, China. K-feldspar coarse grains were extracted for measurement. Approximately 30–40% of the grains were sufficiently bright to measure, and after application of rejection criteria based on signal strength, recuperation, recycling ratio and saturation dose, ∼10–15% of the grains were used for D e calculation. The relationship of signal decay rate and form of D e (t) with the recovery dose were investigated. The dose recovery ratios of the samples after initial bleaching with the four different light sources were within uncertainties of unity. No anomalous fading was observed. The over-dispersion of the recovered dose and D e values were similar, suggesting neither incomplete resetting of the post-IR IRSL signals nor spatially heterogeneous dose rates significantly affected the natural dose estimates. The values of D e obtained with the single K-feldspar grain post-IR IRSL protocol were in the range ∼400–490 Gy. Combining all of the measured single-grain signals for each of the individual samples (into a ‘synthetic single aliquot’) increased the D e estimates to the range ∼700–900 Gy, suggesting that the grains screened-out by the rejection criteria may have the potential to cause palaeodose over-estimation, although this finding requires a more extensive investigation. Thermally transferred signals were found in the single K-feldspar grains post-IR IRSL protocol, and the proportion of thermally transferred signal to test-dose OSL signal (stimulation at 290 °C) from the natural dose was higher than from regenerative doses, and the proportion was grain- and dose-dependent. As such, TT-post-IR IRSL signals at 290 °C have the potential to cause dose underestimation, although this may be reduced by using larger test-dose irradiations. Our study demonstrates

  6. An Optimized Small Tissue Handling System for Immunohistochemistry and In Situ Hybridization.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanni Anthony

    Full Text Available Recent development in 3D printing technology has opened an exciting possibility for manufacturing 3D devices on one's desktop. We used 3D modeling programs to design 3D models of a tissue-handling system and these models were "printed" in a stereolithography (SLA 3D printer to create precision histology devices that are particularly useful to handle multiple samples with small dimensions in parallel. Our system has been successfully tested for in situ hybridization of zebrafish embryos. Some of the notable features include: (1 A conveniently transferrable chamber with 6 mesh-bottomed wells, each of which can hold dozens of zebrafish embryos. This design allows up to 6 different samples to be treated per chamber. (2 Each chamber sits in a well of a standard 6-well tissue culture plate. Thus, up to 36 different samples can be processed in tandem using a single 6 well plate. (3 Precisely fitting lids prevent solution evaporation and condensation, even at high temperatures for an extended period of time: i.e., overnight riboprobe hybridization. (4 Flat bottom mesh maximizes the consistent treatment of individual tissue samples. (5 A magnet-based lifter was created to handle up to 6 chambers (= 36 samples in unison. (6 The largely transparent resin aids in convenient visual inspection both with eyes and using a stereomicroscope. (7 Surface engraved labeling enables an accurate tracking of different samples. (8 The dimension of wells and chambers minimizes the required amount of precious reagents. (9 Flexible parametric modeling enables an easy redesign of the 3D models to handle larger or more numerous samples. Precise dimensions of 3D models and demonstration of how we use our devices in whole mount in situ hybridization are presented. We also provide detailed information on the modeling software, 3D printing tips, as well as 3D files that can be used with any 3D printer.

  7. A lightweight and secure two factor anonymous authentication protocol for Global Mobility Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    Global Mobility Networks(GLOMONETs) in wireless communication permits the global roaming services that enable a user to leverage the mobile services in any foreign country. Technological growth in wireless communication is also accompanied by new security threats and challenges. A threat-proof authentication protocol in wireless communication may overcome the security flaws by allowing only legitimate users to access a particular service. Recently, Lee et al. found Mun et al. scheme vulnerable to different attacks and proposed an advanced secure scheme to overcome the security flaws. However, this article points out that Lee et al. scheme lacks user anonymity, inefficient user authentication, vulnerable to replay and DoS attacks and Lack of local password verification. Furthermore, this article presents a more robust anonymous authentication scheme to handle the threats and challenges found in Lee et al.’s protocol. The proposed protocol is formally verified with an automated tool(ProVerif). The proposed protocol has superior efficiency in comparison to the existing protocols. PMID:29702675

  8. Remote automated material handling of radioactive waste containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greager, T.M.

    1994-09-01

    To enhance personnel safety, improve productivity, and reduce costs, the design team incorporated a remote, automated stacker/retriever, automatic inspection, and automated guidance vehicle for material handling at the Enhanced Radioactive and Mixed Waste Storage Facility - Phase V (Phase V Storage Facility) on the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. The Phase V Storage Facility, scheduled to begin operation in mid-1997, is the first low-cost facility of its kind to use this technology for handling drums. Since 1970, the Hanford Site's suspect transuranic (TRU) wastes and, more recently, mixed wastes (both low-level and TRU) have been accumulating in storage awaiting treatment and disposal. Currently, the Hanford Site is only capable of onsite disposal of radioactive low-level waste (LLW). Nonradioactive hazardous wastes must be shipped off site for treatment. The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) facilities will provide the primary treatment capability for solid-waste storage at the Hanford Site. The Phase V Storage Facility, which accommodates 27,000 drum equivalents of contact-handled waste, will provide the following critical functions for the efficient operation of the WRAP facilities: (1) Shipping/Receiving; (2) Head Space Gas Sampling; (3) Inventory Control; (4) Storage; (5) Automated/Manual Material Handling

  9. Network protocols and sockets

    OpenAIRE

    BALEJ, Marek

    2010-01-01

    My work will deal with network protocols and sockets and their use in programming language C#. It will therefore deal programming network applications on the platform .NET from Microsoft and instruments, which C# provides to us. There will describe the tools and methods for programming network applications, and shows a description and sample applications that work with sockets and application protocols.

  10. Mockup of an automated material transport system for remote handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, M.L.

    1992-01-01

    The automated material transport system (AMTS) was conceived for the transport of samples within the material and process control laboratory (MPCL), located in the plutonium processing building of the special isotope separation (SIS) facility. The MPCL was designed with a dry sample handling laboratory and a wet chemistry analysis laboratory. Each laboratory contained several processing glove boxes. The function of the AMTS was to automate the handling of materials, multiple process samples, and bulky items between process stations with a minimum of operator intervention and with a minimum of waiting periods and nonproductive activities. The AMTS design requirements, design verification mockup plan, and AMTS mockup procurement specification were established prior to cancellation of the SIS project. Due to the AMTS's flexibility, the need for technology development, and applicability to other US Department of Energy facilities, mockup of the AMTS continued. This paper discusses the system design features, capabilities, and results of initial testing

  11. Rescue and Preservation of Sample Data from the Apollo Missions to the Moon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todd, Nancy S.; Zeigler, Ryan A.; Evans, Cindy A.; Lehnert, Kerstin

    2016-01-01

    Six Apollo missions landed on the Moon from 1969-72, returning to Earth 382 kg of lunar rock, soil, and core samples. These samples are among the best documented and preserved samples on Earth that have supported a robust research program for 45 years. From mission planning through sample collection, preliminary examination, and subsequent research, strict protocols and procedures are followed for handling and allocating Apollo subsamples, resulting in the production of vast amounts of documentation. Even today, hundreds of samples are allocated for research each year, building on the science foundation laid down by the early Apollo sample studies and combining new data from today's instrumentation, lunar remote sensing missions and lunar meteorites. Much sample information is available to researchers at curator.jsc.nasa.gov. Decades of analyses on lunar samples are published in LPSC proceedings volumes and other peer-reviewed journals, and tabulated in lunar sample compendia entries. However, for much of the 1969-1995 period, the processing documentation, individual and consortia analyses, and unpublished results exist only in analog forms or primitive digital formats that are either inaccessible or at risk of being lost forever because critical data from early investigators remain unpublished.

  12. Full scale tests on remote handled FFTF fuel assembly waste handling and packaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allen, C.R.; Cash, R.J.; Dawson, S.A.; Strode, J.N.

    1986-01-01

    Handling and packaging of remote handled, high activity solid waste fuel assembly hardware components from spent FFTF reactor fuel assemblies have been evaluated using full scale components. The demonstration was performed using FFTF fuel assembly components and simulated components which were handled remotely using electromechanical manipulators, shielding walls, master slave manipulators, specially designed grapples, and remote TV viewing. The testing and evaluation included handling, packaging for current and conceptual shipping containers, and the effects of volume reduction on packing efficiency and shielding requirements. Effects of waste segregation into transuranic (TRU) and non-transuranic fractions also are discussed

  13. Evaluation protocol for amusia: Portuguese sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peixoto, Maria Conceição; Martins, Jorge; Teixeira, Pedro; Alves, Marisa; Bastos, José; Ribeiro, Carlos

    2012-12-01

    Amusia is a disorder that affects the processing of music. Part of this processing happens in the primary auditory cortex. The study of this condition allows us to evaluate the central auditory pathways. To explore the diagnostic evaluation tests of amusia. The authors propose an evaluation protocol for patients with suspected amusia (after brain injury or complaints of poor musical perception), in parallel with the assessment of central auditory processing, already implemented in the department. The Montreal Evaluation of Battery of amusia was the basis for the selection of the tests. From this comprehensive battery of tests we selected some of the musical examples to evaluate different musical aspects, including memory and perception of music, ability concerning musical recognition and discrimination. In terms of memory there is a test for assessing delayed memory, adapted to the Portuguese culture. Prospective study. Although still experimental, with the possibility of adjustments in the assessment, we believe that this assessment, combined with the study of central auditory processing, will allow us to understand some central lesions, congenital or acquired hearing perception limitations.

  14. Advanced pressure tube sampling tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wittich, K.C.; King, J.M.

    2002-01-01

    Deuterium concentration is an important parameter that must be assessed to evaluate the Fitness for service of CANDU pressure tubes. In-reactor pressure tube sampling allows accurate deuterium concentration assessment to be made without the expenses associated with fuel channel removal. This technology, which AECL has developed over the past fifteen years, has become the standard method for deuterium concentration assessment. AECL is developing a multi-head tool that would reduce in-reactor handling overhead by allowing one tool to sequentially sample at all four axial pressure tube locations before removal from the reactor. Four sets of independent cutting heads, like those on the existing sampling tools, facilitate this incorporating proven technology demonstrated in over 1400 in-reactor samples taken to date. The multi-head tool is delivered by AECL's Advanced Delivery Machine or other similar delivery machines. Further, AECL has developed an automated sample handling system that receives and processes the tool once out of the reactor. This system retrieves samples from the tool, dries, weighs and places them in labelled vials which are then directed into shielded shipping flasks. The multi-head wet sampling tool and the automated sample handling system are based on proven technology and offer continued savings and dose reduction to utilities in a competitive electricity market. (author)

  15. A two-hypothesis approach to establishing a life detection/biohazard protocol for planetary samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conley, Catharine; Steele, Andrew

    2016-07-01

    The COSPAR policy on performing a biohazard assessment on samples brought from Mars to Earth is framed in the context of a concern for false-positive results. However, as noted during the 2012 Workshop for Life Detection in Samples from Mars (ref. Kminek et al., 2014), a more significant concern for planetary samples brought to Earth is false-negative results, because an undetected biohazard could increase risk to the Earth. This is the reason that stringent contamination control must be a high priority for all Category V Restricted Earth Return missions. A useful conceptual framework for addressing these concerns involves two complementary 'null' hypotheses: testing both of them, together, would allow statistical and community confidence to be developed regarding one or the other conclusion. As noted above, false negatives are of primary concern for safety of the Earth, so the 'Earth Safety null hypothesis' -- that must be disproved to assure low risk to the Earth from samples introduced by Category V Restricted Earth Return missions -- is 'There is native life in these samples.' False positives are of primary concern for Astrobiology, so the 'Astrobiology null hypothesis' -- that must be disproved in order to demonstrate the existence of extraterrestrial life is 'There is no life in these samples.' The presence of Earth contamination would render both of these hypotheses more difficult to disprove. Both these hypotheses can be tested following a strict science protocol; analyse, interprete, test the hypotheses and repeat. The science measurements undertaken are then done in an iterative fashion that responds to discovery with both hypotheses testable from interpretation of the scientific data. This is a robust, community involved activity that ensures maximum science return with minimal sample use.

  16. Application of advanced handling techniques to transportation cask design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bennett, P.C.

    1992-01-01

    Sandia National Laboratories supports the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) applying technology to the safe transport of nuclear waste. Part of that development effort includes investigation of advanced handling technologies for automation of cask operations at nuclear waste receiving facilities. Although low radiation levels are expected near transport cask surfaces, cumulative occupational exposure at a receiving facility can be significant. Remote automated cask handling has the potential to reduce both the occupational exposure and the time necessary to process a cask. Thus, automated handling is consistent with DOE efforts to reduce the lifecycle costs of the waste disposal system and to maintain public and occupational radiological risks as low as reasonably achievable. This paper describes the development of advanced handling laboratory mock-ups and demonstrations for spent fuel casks. Utilizing the control enhancements described below, demonstrations have been carried out including cask location and identification, contact and non-contact surveys, impact limiter removal, tiedown release, uprighting, swing-free movement, gas sampling, and lid removal operations. Manually controlled movement around a cask under off-normal conditions has also been demonstrated

  17. Robotic liquid handling and automation in epigenetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaisford, Wendy

    2012-10-01

    Automated liquid-handling robots and high-throughput screening (HTS) are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the screening of large compound libraries, small molecules for activity against disease-relevant target pathways, or proteins. HTS robots capable of low-volume dispensing reduce assay setup times and provide highly accurate and reproducible dispensing, minimizing variation between sample replicates and eliminating the potential for manual error. Low-volume automated nanoliter dispensers ensure accuracy of pipetting within volume ranges that are difficult to achieve manually. In addition, they have the ability to potentially expand the range of screening conditions from often limited amounts of valuable sample, as well as reduce the usage of expensive reagents. The ability to accurately dispense lower volumes provides the potential to achieve a greater amount of information than could be otherwise achieved using manual dispensing technology. With the emergence of the field of epigenetics, an increasing number of drug discovery companies are beginning to screen compound libraries against a range of epigenetic targets. This review discusses the potential for the use of low-volume liquid handling robots, for molecular biological applications such as quantitative PCR and epigenetics.

  18. MANU. Handling of bentonite prior buffer block manufacturing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laaksonen, R.

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this study is to describe the entire bentonite handling process starting from freight from harbour to storage facility and ending up to the manufacturing filling process of the bentonite block moulds. This work describes the bentonite handling prior to the process in which bentonite blocks are manufactured in great quantities. This work included a study of relevant Nordic and international well documented cases of storage, processing and techniques involving bentonite material. Information about storage and handling processes from producers or re-sellers of bentonite was collected while keeping in mind the requirements coming from the Posiva side. Also a limited experiment was made for humidification of different material types. This work includes a detailed description of methods and equipment needed for bentonite storage and processing. Posiva Oy used Jauhetekniikka Oy as a consultant to prepare handling process flow charts for bentonite. Jauhetekniikka Oy also evaluated the content of this report. The handling of bentonite was based on the assumption that bentonite process work is done in one factory for 11 months of work time while the weekly volume is around 41-45 tons. Storage space needed in this case is about 300 tons of bentonite which equals about seven weeks of raw material consumption. This work concluded several things to be carefully considered: sampling at various phases of the process, the air quality at the production/storage facilities (humidity and temperature), the level of automation/process control of the manufacturing process and the means of producing/saving data from different phases of the process. (orig.)

  19. Pseudohyperglycemia: Effects of Unwashed Hand after Fruit Peeling or Handling on Fingertips Blood Glucose Monitoring Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olamoyegun, M A; Oloyede, T; Adewoye, O G; Abdulkarim, S O; Adeleke, A A

    2016-01-01

    Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is an important component of management for diabetes mellitus (DM), especially in T1DM and T2DM patients who are on insulin therapy. Adequate blood glucose monitoring and prompt intervention are necessary to prevent blood glucose (BG) fluctuation and delay long-term diabetes complications. People with DM are advised to clean their hands before SMBG to remove any dirt or food residue that might affect the reading. The study tested the hypothesis that falsely elevated BG levels from fingertip occur after peeling or handling fruits in an unwashed hand. Fifty apparently healthy nondiabetes volunteers were enrolled. Capillary BG samples were collected from the fingertips after peeling or handling apple, orange, banana, watermelon, and pawpaw, followed by no hand washing for 1 h, cleaning the fingertip with alcohol swab once, five times, and washing hand thoroughly with tap water and drying. These samples were then analyzed with two different glucose meters. The mean BG values, measured from fingertip blood samples after peeling, and handling any of the fruits followed by no hand washing were significantly high, even after cleaning fingertip with a swab of alcohol once. However, there were no significant difference in BG levels measured after peeling and handling fruits followed by hand washing and the level of BG before peeling and handling fruits. Handling of peeled fruits with no hand washing with tap water is associated with overestimation of capillary BG (Pseudohyperglycemia) monitored with glucose meters.

  20. Advanced Curation: Solving Current and Future Sample Return Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fries, M.; Calaway, M.; Evans, C.; McCubbin, F.

    2015-01-01

    Advanced Curation is a wide-ranging and comprehensive research and development effort at NASA Johnson Space Center that identifies and remediates sample related issues. For current collections, Advanced Curation investigates new cleaning, verification, and analytical techniques to assess their suitability for improving curation processes. Specific needs are also assessed for future sample return missions. For each need, a written plan is drawn up to achieve the requirement. The plan draws while upon current Curation practices, input from Curators, the analytical expertise of the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) team, and suitable standards maintained by ISO, IEST, NIST and other institutions. Additionally, new technologies are adopted on the bases of need and availability. Implementation plans are tested using customized trial programs with statistically robust courses of measurement, and are iterated if necessary until an implementable protocol is established. Upcoming and potential NASA missions such as OSIRIS-REx, the Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM), sample return missions in the New Frontiers program, and Mars sample return (MSR) all feature new difficulties and specialized sample handling requirements. The Mars 2020 mission in particular poses a suite of challenges since the mission will cache martian samples for possible return to Earth. In anticipation of future MSR, the following problems are among those under investigation: What is the most efficient means to achieve the less than 1.0 ng/sq cm total organic carbon (TOC) cleanliness required for all sample handling hardware? How do we maintain and verify cleanliness at this level? The Mars 2020 Organic Contamination Panel (OCP) predicts that organic carbon, if present, will be present at the "one to tens" of ppb level in martian near-surface samples. The same samples will likely contain wt% perchlorate salts, or approximately 1,000,000x as much perchlorate oxidizer as organic carbon

  1. Automatic liquid handling for life science: a critical review of the current state of the art.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Fanwei; Yuan, Liang; Zheng, Yuan F; Chen, Weidong

    2012-06-01

    Liquid handling plays a pivotal role in life science laboratories. In experiments such as gene sequencing, protein crystallization, antibody testing, and drug screening, liquid biosamples frequently must be transferred between containers of varying sizes and/or dispensed onto substrates of varying types. The sample volumes are usually small, at the micro- or nanoliter level, and the number of transferred samples can be huge when investigating large-scope combinatorial conditions. Under these conditions, liquid handling by hand is tedious, time-consuming, and impractical. Consequently, there is a strong demand for automated liquid-handling methods such as sensor-integrated robotic systems. In this article, we survey the current state of the art in automatic liquid handling, including technologies developed by both industry and research institutions. We focus on methods for dealing with small volumes at high throughput and point out challenges for future advancements.

  2. Ergonomic material-handling device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barsnick, Lance E.; Zalk, David M.; Perry, Catherine M.; Biggs, Terry; Tageson, Robert E.

    2004-08-24

    A hand-held ergonomic material-handling device capable of moving heavy objects, such as large waste containers and other large objects requiring mechanical assistance. The ergonomic material-handling device can be used with neutral postures of the back, shoulders, wrists and knees, thereby reducing potential injury to the user. The device involves two key features: 1) gives the user the ability to adjust the height of the handles of the device to ergonomically fit the needs of the user's back, wrists and shoulders; and 2) has a rounded handlebar shape, as well as the size and configuration of the handles which keep the user's wrists in a neutral posture during manipulation of the device.

  3. Redactions in protocols for drug trials: what industry sponsors concealed.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marquardsen, Mikkel; Ogden, Michelle; Gøtzsche, Peter C

    2018-04-01

    Objective To describe the redactions in contemporary protocols for industry-sponsored randomised drug trials with patient relevant outcomes and to evaluate whether there was a legitimate rationale for the redactions. Design Cohort study. Under the Freedom of Information Act, we requested access to trial protocols approved by a research ethics committee in Denmark from October 2012 to March 2013. We received 17 consecutive protocols, which had been redacted before we got them, and nine protocols without redactions. In five additional cases, the companies refused to let the committees give us access, and in three other cases, documents were missing. Participants Not applicable. Setting Not applicable. Main outcome measure Amount and nature of redactions in 22 predefined key protocol variables. Results The redactions were most widespread in those sections of the protocol where there is empirical evidence of substantial problems with the trustworthiness of published drug trials: data analysis, handling of missing data, detection and analysis of adverse events, definition of the outcomes, interim analyses and premature termination of the study, sponsor's access to incoming data while the study is running, ownership to the data and investigators' publication rights. The parts of the text that were redacted differed widely, both between companies and within the same company. Conclusions We could not identify any legitimate rationale for the redactions. The current mistrust in industry-sponsored drug trials can only change if the industry offers unconditional access to its trial protocols and other relevant documents and data.

  4. A Concurrent Multiple Negotiation Protocol Based on Colored Petri Nets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Lei; Ren, Fenghui; Zhang, Minjie; Bai, Quan

    2017-11-01

    Concurrent multiple negotiation (CMN) provides a mechanism for an agent to simultaneously conduct more than one negotiation. There may exist different interdependency relationships among these negotiations and these interdependency relationships can impact the outcomes of these negotiations. The outcomes of these concurrent negotiations contribute together for the agent to achieve an overall negotiation goal. Handling a CMN while considering interdependency relationships among multiple negotiations is a challenging research problem. This paper: 1) comprehensively highlights research problems of negotiations at concurrent negotiation level; 2) provides a graph-based CMN model with consideration of the interdependency relationships; and 3) proposes a colored Petri net-based negotiation protocol for conducting CMNs. With the proposed protocol, a CMN can be efficiently and concurrently processed and negotiation agreements can be efficiently achieved. Experimental results indicate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed protocol in terms of the negotiation success rate, the negotiation time and the negotiation outcome.

  5. Sampling and examination methods used for TMI-2 samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marley, A.W.; Akers, D.W.; McIsaac, C.V.

    1988-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to summarize the sampling and examination techniques that were used in the collection and analysis of TMI-2 samples. Samples ranging from auxiliary building air to core debris were collected and analyzed. Handling of the larger samples and many of the smaller samples had to be done remotely and many standard laboratory analytical techniques were modified to accommodate the extremely high radiation fields associated with these samples. The TMI-2 samples presented unique problems with sampling and the laboratory analysis of prior molten fuel debris. 14 refs., 8 figs

  6. Security analysis of standards-driven communication protocols for healthcare scenarios.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masi, Massimiliano; Pugliese, Rosario; Tiezzi, Francesco

    2012-12-01

    The importance of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), that stores all healthcare-related data belonging to a patient, has been recognised in recent years by governments, institutions and industry. Initiatives like the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) have been developed for the definition of standard methodologies for secure and interoperable EHR exchanges among clinics and hospitals. Using the requisites specified by these initiatives, many large scale projects have been set up for enabling healthcare professionals to handle patients' EHRs. The success of applications developed in these contexts crucially depends on ensuring such security properties as confidentiality, authentication, and authorization. In this paper, we first propose a communication protocol, based on the IHE specifications, for authenticating healthcare professionals and assuring patients' safety. By means of a formal analysis carried out by using the specification language COWS and the model checker CMC, we reveal a security flaw in the protocol thus demonstrating that to simply adopt the international standards does not guarantee the absence of such type of flaws. We then propose how to emend the IHE specifications and modify the protocol accordingly. Finally, we show how to tailor our protocol for application to more critical scenarios with no assumptions on the communication channels. To demonstrate feasibility and effectiveness of our protocols we have fully implemented them.

  7. Specialty dentistry for the hemophiliac: Is there a protocol in place?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naveen Kumar J

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Restorative dental care for the hemophiliac patient is of paramount importance for the fact that advanced dental conditions and subsequent treatments prove to be more complicated and risky. Quite often, dental health is neglected by hemophiliacs for fear of bleeding during procedures. Surprisingly, even dental specialists avoid these candidates and contribute to the conversion of a simple dental patient to an oral surgical patient. The complexities involved in diagnosing a bleeding disorder and the rarity of a standardized protocol to handle such patients contribute to this problem. This article prescribes a simple protocol to diagnose bleeding disorders and a modified scheme for endodontic and periodontal therapy in a hemophiliac patient.

  8. Immunosuppressant therapeutic drug monitoring by LC-MS/MS: workflow optimization through automated processing of whole blood samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marinova, Mariela; Artusi, Carlo; Brugnolo, Laura; Antonelli, Giorgia; Zaninotto, Martina; Plebani, Mario

    2013-11-01

    Although, due to its high specificity and sensitivity, LC-MS/MS is an efficient technique for the routine determination of immunosuppressants in whole blood, it involves time-consuming manual sample preparation. The aim of the present study was therefore to develop an automated sample-preparation protocol for the quantification of sirolimus, everolimus and tacrolimus by LC-MS/MS using a liquid handling platform. Six-level commercially available blood calibrators were used for assay development, while four quality control materials and three blood samples from patients under immunosuppressant treatment were employed for the evaluation of imprecision. Barcode reading, sample re-suspension, transfer of whole blood samples into 96-well plates, addition of internal standard solution, mixing, and protein precipitation were performed with a liquid handling platform. After plate filtration, the deproteinised supernatants were submitted for SPE on-line. The only manual steps in the entire process were de-capping of the tubes, and transfer of the well plates to the HPLC autosampler. Calibration curves were linear throughout the selected ranges. The imprecision and accuracy data for all analytes were highly satisfactory. The agreement between the results obtained with manual and those obtained with automated sample preparation was optimal (n=390, r=0.96). In daily routine (100 patient samples) the typical overall total turnaround time was less than 6h. Our findings indicate that the proposed analytical system is suitable for routine analysis, since it is straightforward and precise. Furthermore, it incurs less manual workload and less risk of error in the quantification of whole blood immunosuppressant concentrations than conventional methods. © 2013.

  9. 30o inclination in handles of plastic boxes can reduce postural and muscular workload during handling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luciana C. C. B. Silva

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The handling of materials, which occurs in the industrial sector, is associated with lesions on the lumbar spine and in the upper limbs. Inserting handles in industrial boxes is a way to reduce work-related risks. Although the position and angle of the handles are significant factors in comfort and safety during handling, these factors have rarely been studied objectively. OBJECTIVE: To compare the handling of a commercial box and prototypes with handles and to evaluate the effects on upper limb posture, muscle electrical activity, and perceived acceptability using different grips while handling materials from different heights. METHOD: Thirty-seven healthy volunteers evaluated the handles of prototypes that allowed for changes in position (top and bottom and angle (0°, 15°, and 30°. Wrist, elbow, and shoulder movements were evaluated using electrogoniometry and inclinometry. The muscle electrical activity in the wrist extensors, biceps brachii, and the upper portion of the trapezius was measured using a portable electromyographer. The recorded data on muscle movements and electrical activity were synchronized. Subjective evaluations of acceptability were evaluated using a visual analog scale. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The prototypes with handles at a 30° angle produced the highest acceptability ratings, more neutral wrist positions, lower levels of electromyographic activity for the upper trapezius, and lower elevation angles for the arms. The different measurement methods were complementary in evaluating the upper limbs during handling.

  10. New transport and handling contract

    CERN Multimedia

    SC Department

    2008-01-01

    A new transport and handling contract entered into force on 1.10.2008. As with the previous contract, the user interface is the internal transport/handling request form on EDH: https://edh.cern.ch/Document/TransportRequest/ To ensure that you receive the best possible service, we invite you to complete the various fields as accurately as possible and to include a mobile telephone number on which we can reach you. You can follow the progress of your request (schedule, completion) in the EDH request routing information. We remind you that the following deadlines apply: 48 hours for the transport of heavy goods (up to 8 tonnes) or simple handling operations 5 working days for crane operations, transport of extra-heavy goods, complex handling operations and combined transport and handling operations in the tunnel. For all enquiries, the number to contact remains unchanged: 72202. Heavy Handling Section TS-HE-HH 72672 - 160319

  11. Centrifugation protocols: tests to determine optimal lithium heparin and citrate plasma sample quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dimeski, Goce; Solano, Connie; Petroff, Mark K; Hynd, Matthew

    2011-05-01

    Currently, no clear guidelines exist for the most appropriate tests to determine sample quality from centrifugation protocols for plasma sample types with both lithium heparin in gel barrier tubes for biochemistry testing and citrate tubes for coagulation testing. Blood was collected from 14 participants in four lithium heparin and one serum tube with gel barrier. The plasma tubes were centrifuged at four different centrifuge settings and analysed for potassium (K(+)), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), glucose and phosphorus (Pi) at zero time, poststorage at six hours at 21 °C and six days at 2-8°C. At the same time, three citrate tubes were collected and centrifuged at three different centrifuge settings and analysed immediately for prothrombin time/international normalized ratio, activated partial thromboplastin time, derived fibrinogen and surface-activated clotting time (SACT). The biochemistry analytes indicate plasma is less stable than serum. Plasma sample quality is higher with longer centrifugation time, and much higher g force. Blood cells present in the plasma lyse with time or are damaged when transferred in the reaction vessels, causing an increase in the K(+), LD and Pi above outlined limits. The cells remain active and consume glucose even in cold storage. The SACT is the only coagulation parameter that was affected by platelets >10 × 10(9)/L in the citrate plasma. In addition to the platelet count, a limited but sensitive number of assays (K(+), LD, glucose and Pi for biochemistry, and SACT for coagulation) can be used to determine appropriate centrifuge settings to consistently obtain the highest quality lithium heparin and citrate plasma samples. The findings will aid laboratories to balance the need to provide the most accurate results in the best turnaround time.

  12. Radon in large buildings: The development of a protocol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, D.L.; Dudney, C.S.; Gammage, R.B.

    1993-01-01

    Over the past several years, considerable research has been devoted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and others to develop radon sampling protocols for single family residences and schools. However, very little research has been performed on measuring radon in the work place. To evaluate possible sampling protocols, 833 buildings throughout the United States were selected for extensive radon testing. The buildings tested (warehouses, production plants and office buildings) were representative of commercial buildings across the country both in design, size and use. Based on the results, preliminary radon sampling protocols for the work place have been developed

  13. Active SAmpling Protocol (ASAP) to Optimize Individual Neurocognitive Hypothesis Testing: A BCI-Inspired Dynamic Experimental Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Gaëtan; Lecaignard, Françoise; Otman, Anatole; Maby, Emmanuel; Mattout, Jérémie

    2016-01-01

    The relatively young field of Brain-Computer Interfaces has promoted the use of electrophysiology and neuroimaging in real-time. In the meantime, cognitive neuroscience studies, which make extensive use of functional exploration techniques, have evolved toward model-based experiments and fine hypothesis testing protocols. Although these two developments are mostly unrelated, we argue that, brought together, they may trigger an important shift in the way experimental paradigms are being designed, which should prove fruitful to both endeavors. This change simply consists in using real-time neuroimaging in order to optimize advanced neurocognitive hypothesis testing. We refer to this new approach as the instantiation of an Active SAmpling Protocol (ASAP). As opposed to classical (static) experimental protocols, ASAP implements online model comparison, enabling the optimization of design parameters (e.g., stimuli) during the course of data acquisition. This follows the well-known principle of sequential hypothesis testing. What is radically new, however, is our ability to perform online processing of the huge amount of complex data that brain imaging techniques provide. This is all the more relevant at a time when physiological and psychological processes are beginning to be approached using more realistic, generative models which may be difficult to tease apart empirically. Based upon Bayesian inference, ASAP proposes a generic and principled way to optimize experimental design adaptively. In this perspective paper, we summarize the main steps in ASAP. Using synthetic data we illustrate its superiority in selecting the right perceptual model compared to a classical design. Finally, we briefly discuss its future potential for basic and clinical neuroscience as well as some remaining challenges.

  14. Trends in Modern Exception Handling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcin Kuta

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Exception handling is nowadays a necessary component of error proof information systems. The paper presents overview of techniques and models of exception handling, problems connected with them and potential solutions. The aspects of implementation of propagation mechanisms and exception handling, their effect on semantics and general program efficiency are also taken into account. Presented mechanisms were adopted to modern programming languages. Considering design area, formal methods and formal verification of program properties we can notice exception handling mechanisms are weakly present what makes a field for future research.

  15. Remote handling machines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Shinri

    1985-01-01

    In nuclear power facilities, the management of radioactive wastes is made with its technology plus the automatic techniques. Under the radiation field, the maintenance or aid of such systems is important. To cope with this situation, MF-2 system, MF-3 system and a manipulator system as remote handling machines are described. MF-2 system consists of an MF-2 carrier truck, a control unit and a command trailer. It is capable of handling heavy-weight objects. The system is not by hydraulic but by electrical means. MF-3 system consists of a four-crawler truck and a manipulator. The truck is versatile in its posture by means of the four independent crawlers. The manipulator system is bilateral in operation, so that the delicate handling is made possible. (Mori, K.)

  16. Tissue Sampling Guides for Porcine Biomedical Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albl, Barbara; Haesner, Serena; Braun-Reichhart, Christina; Streckel, Elisabeth; Renner, Simone; Seeliger, Frank; Wolf, Eckhard; Wanke, Rüdiger; Blutke, Andreas

    2016-04-01

    This article provides guidelines for organ and tissue sampling adapted to porcine animal models in translational medical research. Detailed protocols for the determination of sampling locations and numbers as well as recommendations on the orientation, size, and trimming direction of samples from ∼50 different porcine organs and tissues are provided in the Supplementary Material. The proposed sampling protocols include the generation of samples suitable for subsequent qualitative and quantitative analyses, including cryohistology, paraffin, and plastic histology; immunohistochemistry;in situhybridization; electron microscopy; and quantitative stereology as well as molecular analyses of DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and electrolytes. With regard to the planned extent of sampling efforts, time, and personnel expenses, and dependent upon the scheduled analyses, different protocols are provided. These protocols are adjusted for (I) routine screenings, as used in general toxicity studies or in analyses of gene expression patterns or histopathological organ alterations, (II) advanced analyses of single organs/tissues, and (III) large-scale sampling procedures to be applied in biobank projects. Providing a robust reference for studies of porcine models, the described protocols will ensure the efficiency of sampling, the systematic recovery of high-quality samples representing the entire organ or tissue as well as the intra-/interstudy comparability and reproducibility of results. © The Author(s) 2016.

  17. The impact of fecal sample processing on prevalence estimates for antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omulo, Sylvia; Lofgren, Eric T; Mugoh, Maina; Alando, Moshe; Obiya, Joshua; Kipyegon, Korir; Kikwai, Gilbert; Gumbi, Wilson; Kariuki, Samuel; Call, Douglas R

    2017-05-01

    Investigators often rely on studies of Escherichia coli to characterize the burden of antibiotic resistance in a clinical or community setting. To determine if prevalence estimates for antibiotic resistance are sensitive to sample handling and interpretive criteria, we collected presumptive E. coli isolates (24 or 95 per stool sample) from a community in an urban informal settlement in Kenya. Isolates were tested for susceptibility to nine antibiotics using agar breakpoint assays and results were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. We observed a 0.1). Prevalence estimates did not differ for five distinct E. coli colony morphologies on MacConkey agar plates (P>0.2). Successive re-plating of samples for up to five consecutive days had little to no impact on prevalence estimates. Finally, culturing E. coli under different conditions (with 5% CO 2 or micro-aerobic) did not affect estimates of prevalence. For the conditions tested in these experiments, minor modifications in sample processing protocols are unlikely to bias estimates of the prevalence of antibiotic-resistance for fecal E. coli. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Design aspects of automation system for initial processing of fecal samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawant, Pramilla D.; Prabhu, Supreetha P.; Suja, A.; Wankhede, Sonal; Chaudhary, Seema; Rao, D.D.; Pradeepkumar, K.S.; Das, A.P.; Badodkar, B.D.

    2014-01-01

    The procedure for initial handling of the fecal samples at Bioassay Lab., Trombay is as follows: overnight fecal samples are collected from the worker in a kit consisting of a polythene bag placed in a wide mouth polythene container closed with an inner lid and a screw cap. Occupational worker collects the sample in the polythene bag. On receiving the sample, the polythene container along with the sample is weighed, polythene bag containing fecal sample is lifted out of the container using a pair of tongs placed inside a crucible and ashed inside a muffle furnace at 450℃. After complete ashing, the crucible containing white ash is taken-up for further radiochemical processing. This paper describes the various steps in developing a prototype automated system for initial handling of fecal samples. The proposed system for handling and processing of fecal samples is proposed to automate the above. The system once developed will help eliminate manual intervention till the ashing stage and reduce the biological hazard involved in handling such samples mentioned procedure

  19. Preliminary definition of the remote handling system for the current IFMIF Test Facilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Queral, V., E-mail: vicentemanuel.queral@ciemat.es [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion, EURATOM-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Urbon, J. [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion, EURATOM-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Instituto de Fusion Nuclear, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Garcia, A.; Cuarental, I.; Mota, F. [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion, EURATOM-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Micciche, G. [CR ENEA Brasimone, I-40035 Camugnano (BO) (Italy); Ibarra, A. [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion, EURATOM-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Rapisarda, D. [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion, EURATOM-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Instituto de Fusion Nuclear, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Casal, N. [Laboratorio Nacional de Fusion, EURATOM-CIEMAT, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

    2011-10-15

    A coherent design of the remote handling system with the design of the components to be manipulated is vital for reliable, safe and fast maintenance, having a decisive impact on availability, occupational exposures and operational cost of the facility. Highly activated components in the IFMIF facility are found at the Test Cell, a shielded pit where the samples are accurately located. The remote handling system for the Test Cell reference design was outlined in some past IFMIF studies. Currently a new preliminary design of the Test Cell in the IFMIF facility is being developed, introducing important modifications with respect to the reference one. This recent design separates the previous Vertical Test Assemblies in three functional components: Test Modules, shielding plugs and conduits. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt the previous design of the remote handling system to the new maintenance procedures and requirements. This paper summarises such modifications of the remote handling system, in particular the assessment of the feasibility of a modified commercial multirope crane for the handling of the weighty shielding plugs for the new Test Cell and a quasi-commercial grapple for the handling of the new Test Modules.

  20. Preliminary definition of the remote handling system for the current IFMIF Test Facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Queral, V.; Urbon, J.; Garcia, A.; Cuarental, I.; Mota, F.; Micciche, G.; Ibarra, A.; Rapisarda, D.; Casal, N.

    2011-01-01

    A coherent design of the remote handling system with the design of the components to be manipulated is vital for reliable, safe and fast maintenance, having a decisive impact on availability, occupational exposures and operational cost of the facility. Highly activated components in the IFMIF facility are found at the Test Cell, a shielded pit where the samples are accurately located. The remote handling system for the Test Cell reference design was outlined in some past IFMIF studies. Currently a new preliminary design of the Test Cell in the IFMIF facility is being developed, introducing important modifications with respect to the reference one. This recent design separates the previous Vertical Test Assemblies in three functional components: Test Modules, shielding plugs and conduits. Therefore, it is necessary to adapt the previous design of the remote handling system to the new maintenance procedures and requirements. This paper summarises such modifications of the remote handling system, in particular the assessment of the feasibility of a modified commercial multirope crane for the handling of the weighty shielding plugs for the new Test Cell and a quasi-commercial grapple for the handling of the new Test Modules.

  1. Microbiological quality and safe handling of enteral diets in a hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinto, Raquel Oliveira Medrado; Correia, Eliznara Fernades; Pereira, Keyla Carvalho; Costa Sobrinho, Paulo de Souza; da Silva, Daniele Ferreira

    2015-06-01

    Contamination of enteral diets represents a high risk of compromising the patient's medical condition. To assess the microbiological quality and aseptic conditions in the preparation and administration of handmade and industrialized enteral diets offered in a hospital in the Valley of Jequitinhonha, MG, Brazil, we performed a microbiological analysis of 50 samples of diets and 27 samples of surfaces, utensils, and water used in the preparation of the diets. In addition, we assessed the good handling practices of enteral diets according to the requirements specified by the Brazilian legislation. Both kinds of enteral diets showed contamination by coliforms and Pseudomonas spp. No sample was positive for Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. On the other hand, Listeria spp. was detected in only one sample of handmade diets. Contamination was significantly higher in the handmade preparations (p Nonconformities were detected with respect to good handling practices, which may compromise the diet safety. The results indicate that the sanitary quality of the enteral diets is unsatisfactory, especially handmade diets. Contamination by Pseudomonas spp. is significant because it is often involved in infection episodes. With regard to aseptic practices, it was observed the need of implementing new procedures for handling enteral diets.

  2. Wellness protocol for smart homes an integrated framework for ambient assisted living

    CERN Document Server

    Ghayvat, Hemant

    2017-01-01

    This book focuses on the development of wellness protocols for smart home monitoring, aiming to forecast the wellness of individuals living in ambient assisted living (AAL) environments. It describes in detail the design and implementation of heterogeneous wireless sensors and networks as applied to data mining and machine learning, which the protocols are based on. Further, it shows how these sensor and actuator nodes are deployed in the home environment, generating real-time data on object usage and other movements inside the home, and therefore demonstrates that the protocols have proven to offer a reliable, efficient, flexible, and economical solution for smart home systems. Documenting the approach from sensor to decision making and information generation, the book addresses various issues concerning interference mitigation, errors, security and large data handling. As such, it offers a valuable resource for researchers, students and practitioners interested in interdisciplinary studies at the intersecti...

  3. The minimum information required for a glycomics experiment (MIRAGE) project: sample preparation guidelines for reliable reporting of glycomics datasets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Struwe, Weston B; Agravat, Sanjay; Aoki-Kinoshita, Kiyoko F; Campbell, Matthew P; Costello, Catherine E; Dell, Anne; Ten Feizi; Haslam, Stuart M; Karlsson, Niclas G; Khoo, Kay-Hooi; Kolarich, Daniel; Liu, Yan; McBride, Ryan; Novotny, Milos V; Packer, Nicolle H; Paulson, James C; Rapp, Erdmann; Ranzinger, Rene; Rudd, Pauline M; Smith, David F; Tiemeyer, Michael; Wells, Lance; York, William S; Zaia, Joseph; Kettner, Carsten

    2016-09-01

    The minimum information required for a glycomics experiment (MIRAGE) project was established in 2011 to provide guidelines to aid in data reporting from all types of experiments in glycomics research including mass spectrometry (MS), liquid chromatography, glycan arrays, data handling and sample preparation. MIRAGE is a concerted effort of the wider glycomics community that considers the adaptation of reporting guidelines as an important step towards critical evaluation and dissemination of datasets as well as broadening of experimental techniques worldwide. The MIRAGE Commission published reporting guidelines for MS data and here we outline guidelines for sample preparation. The sample preparation guidelines include all aspects of sample generation, purification and modification from biological and/or synthetic carbohydrate material. The application of MIRAGE sample preparation guidelines will lead to improved recording of experimental protocols and reporting of understandable and reproducible glycomics datasets. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. Safety of Cargo Aircraft Handling Procedure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Hlavatý

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to get acquainted with the ways how to improve the safety management system during cargo aircraft handling. The first chapter is dedicated to general information about air cargo transportation. This includes the history or types of cargo aircraft handling, but also the means of handling. The second part is focused on detailed description of cargo aircraft handling, including a description of activities that are performed before and after handling. The following part of this paper covers a theoretical interpretation of safety, safety indicators and legislative provisions related to the safety of cargo aircraft handling. The fourth part of this paper analyzes the fault trees of events which might occur during handling. The factors found by this analysis are compared with safety reports of FedEx. Based on the comparison, there is a proposal on how to improve the safety management in this transportation company.

  5. Body temperature responses to handling stress in wintering Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewden, Agnès; Nord, Andreas; Petit, Magali; Vézina, François

    2017-10-01

    Body temperature variation in response to acute stress is typically characterized by peripheral vasoconstriction and a concomitant increase in core body temperature (stress-induced hyperthermia). It is poorly understood how this response differs between species and within individuals of the same species, and how it is affected by the environment. We therefore investigated stress-induced body temperature changes in a non-model species, the Black-capped Chickadee, in two environmental conditions: outdoors in low ambient temperature (mean: -6.6°C), and indoors, in milder ambient temperature close to thermoneutrality (mean: 18.7°C). Our results show that the change in body temperature in response to the same handling stressor differs in these conditions. In cold environments, we noted a significant decrease in core body temperature (-2.9°C), whereas the response in mild indoor conditions was weak and non-significant (-0.6°C). Heat loss in outdoor birds was exacerbated when birds were handled for longer time. This may highlight the role of behavioral thermoregulation and heat substitution from activity to body temperature maintenance in harsh condition. Importantly, our work also indicates that changes in the physical properties of the bird during handling (conductive cooling from cold hands, decreased insulation from compression of plumage and prevention of ptiloerection) may have large consequences for thermoregulation. This might explain why females, the smaller sex, lost more heat than males in the experiment. Because physiological and physical changes during handling may carry over to affect predation risk and maintenance of energy balance during short winter days, we advice caution when designing experimental protocols entailing prolonged handling of small birds in cold conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Physiological response of wild dugongs (Dugong dugon) to out-of-water sampling for health assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanyon, Janet M.; Sneath, Helen L.; Long, Trevor; Bonde, Robert K.

    2010-01-01

    The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a vulnerable marine mammal with large populations living in urban Queensland waters. A mark-recapture program for wild dugongs has been ongoing in southern Queensland since 2001. This program has involved capture and in-water sampling of more than 700 dugongs where animals have been held at the water surface for 5 min to be gene-tagged, measured, and biopsied. In 2008, this program expanded to examine more comprehensively body condition, reproductive status, and the health of wild dugongs in Moreton Bay. Using Sea World's research vessel, captured dugongs were lifted onto a boat and sampled out-of-water to obtain accurate body weights and morphometrics, collect blood and urine samples for baseline health parameters and hormone profiles, and ultrasound females for pregnancy status. In all, 30 dugongs, including two pregnant females, were sampled over 10 d and restrained on deck for up to 55 min each while biological data were collected. Each of the dugongs had their basic temperature-heart rate-respiration (THR) monitored throughout their period of handling, following protocols developed for the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). This paper reports on the physiological response of captured dugongs during this out-of-water operation as indicated by their vital signs and the suitability of the manatee monitoring protocols to this related sirenian species. A recommendation is made that the range of vital signs of these wild dugongs be used as benchmark criteria of normal parameters for other studies that intend to sample dugongs out-of-water.

  7. Biomedical health assessments of the Florida manatee in Crystal River - providing opportunities for training during the capture, handling, and processing of this endangered aquatic mammal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonde, Robert K.; Garrett, Andrew; Belanger, Michael; Askin, Nesime; Tan, Luke; Wittnich, Carin

    2012-01-01

    Federal and state researchers have been involved in manatee (Trichechus manatus) biomedical health assessment programs for a couple of decades. These benchmark studies have provided a foundation for the development of consistent capture, handling, and processing techniques and protocols. Biologists have implemented training and encouraged multi-agency participation whenever possible to ensure reliable data acquisition, recording, sample collection, publication integrity, and meeting rigorous archival standards. Under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wildlife research permit granted to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Sirenia Project, federal biologists and collaborators are allowed to conduct research studies on wild and captive manatees detailing various aspects of their biology. Therefore, researchers with the project have been collaborating on numerous studies over the last several years. One extensive study, initiated in 2006 has focused on health and fitness of the winter manatee population located in Crystal River, Florida. During those health assessments, capture, handling, and work-up training has been afforded to many of the participants. That study has successfully captured and handled 123 manatees. The data gathered have provided baseline information on manatee health, reproductive status, and nutritional condition. This research initiative addresses concerns and priorities outlined in the Florida Manatee Recovery Plan. The assessment teams strive to continue this collaborative effort to help advance our understanding of health-related issues confronting manatees throughout their range and interlacing these findings with surrogate species concepts.

  8. Pre-analytical sample quality: metabolite ratios as an intrinsic marker for prolonged room temperature exposure of serum samples.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriele Anton

    Full Text Available Advances in the "omics" field bring about the need for a high number of good quality samples. Many omics studies take advantage of biobanked samples to meet this need. Most of the laboratory errors occur in the pre-analytical phase. Therefore evidence-based standard operating procedures for the pre-analytical phase as well as markers to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' quality samples taking into account the desired downstream analysis are urgently needed. We studied concentration changes of metabolites in serum samples due to pre-storage handling conditions as well as due to repeated freeze-thaw cycles. We collected fasting serum samples and subjected aliquots to up to four freeze-thaw cycles and to pre-storage handling delays of 12, 24 and 36 hours at room temperature (RT and on wet and dry ice. For each treated aliquot, we quantified 127 metabolites through a targeted metabolomics approach. We found a clear signature of degradation in samples kept at RT. Storage on wet ice led to less pronounced concentration changes. 24 metabolites showed significant concentration changes at RT. In 22 of these, changes were already visible after only 12 hours of storage delay. Especially pronounced were increases in lysophosphatidylcholines and decreases in phosphatidylcholines. We showed that the ratio between the concentrations of these molecule classes could serve as a measure to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' quality samples in our study. In contrast, we found quite stable metabolite concentrations during up to four freeze-thaw cycles. We concluded that pre-analytical RT handling of serum samples should be strictly avoided and serum samples should always be handled on wet ice or in cooling devices after centrifugation. Moreover, serum samples should be frozen at or below -80°C as soon as possible after centrifugation.

  9. Ergonomics and patient handling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoskey, Kelsey L

    2007-11-01

    This study aimed to describe patient-handling demands in inpatient units during a 24-hour period at a military health care facility. A 1-day total population survey described the diverse nature and impact of patient-handling tasks relative to a variety of nursing care units, patient characteristics, and transfer equipment. Productivity baselines were established based on patient dependency, physical exertion, type of transfer, and time spent performing the transfer. Descriptions of the physiological effect of transfers on staff based on patient, transfer, and staff characteristics were developed. Nursing staff response to surveys demonstrated how patient-handling demands are impacted by the staff's physical exertion and level of patient dependency. The findings of this study describe the types of transfers occurring in these inpatient units and the physical exertion and time requirements for these transfers. This description may guide selection of the most appropriate and cost-effective patient-handling equipment required for specific units and patients.

  10. Equipment for the handling of thorium materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heisler, S.W. Jr.; Mihalovich, G.S.

    1988-01-01

    The Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC) is the United States Department of Energy's storage facility for thorium. FMPC thorium handling and overpacking projects ensure the continued safe handling and storage of the thorium inventory until final disposition of the materials is determined and implemented. The handling and overpacking of the thorium materials requires the design of a system that utilizes remote handling and overpacking equipment not currently utilized at the FMPC in the handling of uranium materials. The use of remote equipment significantly reduces radiation exposure to personnel during the handling and overpacking efforts. The design system combines existing technologies from the nuclear industry, the materials processing and handling industry and the mining industry. The designed system consists of a modified fork lift truck for the transport of thorium containers, automated equipment for material identification and inventory control, and remote handling and overpacking equipment for material identification and inventory control, and remote handling and overpacking equipment for repackaging of the thorium materials

  11. RCRA groundwater data analysis protocol for the Hanford Site, Washington

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chou, C.J.; Jackson, R.L.

    1992-04-01

    The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) groundwater monitoring program currently involves site-specific monitoring of 20 facilities on the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. The RCRA groundwater monitoring program has collected abundant data on groundwater quality. These data are used to assess the impact of a facility on groundwater quality or whether remediation efforts under RCRA corrective action programs are effective. Both evaluations rely on statistical analysis of groundwater monitoring data. The need for information on groundwater quality by regulators and environmental managers makes statistical analysis of monitoring data an important part of RCRA groundwater monitoring programs. The complexity of groundwater monitoring programs and variabilities (spatial, temporal, and analytical) exhibited in groundwater quality variables indicate the need for a data analysis protocol to guide statistical analysis. A data analysis protocol was developed from the perspective of addressing regulatory requirements, data quality, and management information needs. This data analysis protocol contains four elements: data handling methods; graphical evaluation techniques; statistical tests for trend, central tendency, and excursion analysis; and reporting procedures for presenting results to users

  12. How to Handle Abuse

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Handle Abuse KidsHealth / For Kids / How to Handle Abuse What's in this article? Tell Right Away How Do You Know Something Is Abuse? ... babysitter, teacher, coach, or a bigger kid. Child abuse can happen anywhere — at ... building. Tell Right Away A kid who is being seriously hurt ...

  13. Experimental protocol for packaging and encrypting multiple data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barrera, John Fredy; Trejos, Sorayda; Tebaldi, Myrian; Torroba, Roberto

    2013-01-01

    We present a novel single optical packaging and encryption (SOPE) procedure for multiple inputs. This procedure is based on a merging of a 2f scheme with a digital holographic technique to achieve efficient handling of multiple data. Through the 2f system with a random phase mask attached in its input plane, and the holographic technique, we obtain each processed input. A posteriori filtering and repositioning protocol on each hologram followed by an addition of all processed data, allows storing these data to form a single package. The final package is digitally multiplied by a second random phase mask acting as an encryption mask. In this way, the final user receives only one encrypted information unit and a single key, instead of a conventional multiple-image collecting method and several keys. Processing of individual images is cast into an optimization problem. The proposed optimization aims to simplify the handling and recovery of images while packing all of them into a single unit. The decoding process does not have the usual cross-talk or noise problems involved in other methods, as filtering and repositioning precedes the encryption step. All data are recovered in just one step at the same time by applying a simple Fourier transform operation and the decoding key. The proposed protocol takes advantage of optical processing and the versatility of the digital format. Experiments have been conducted using a Mach–Zehnder interferometer. An application is subsequently demonstrated to illustrate the feasibility of the SOPE procedure. (paper)

  14. Waste Handling Building Conceptual Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    G.W. Rowe

    2000-01-01

    The objective of the ''Waste Handling Building Conceptual Study'' is to develop proposed design requirements for the repository Waste Handling System in sufficient detail to allow the surface facility design to proceed to the License Application effort if the proposed requirements are approved by DOE. Proposed requirements were developed to further refine waste handling facility performance characteristics and design constraints with an emphasis on supporting modular construction, minimizing fuel inventory, and optimizing facility maintainability and dry handling operations. To meet this objective, this study attempts to provide an alternative design to the Site Recommendation design that is flexible, simple, reliable, and can be constructed in phases. The design concept will be input to the ''Modular Design/Construction and Operation Options Report'', which will address the overall program objectives and direction, including options and issues associated with transportation, the subsurface facility, and Total System Life Cycle Cost. This study (herein) is limited to the Waste Handling System and associated fuel staging system

  15. Practices of Handling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ræbild, Ulla

    to touch, pick up, carry, or feel with the hands. Figuratively it is to manage, deal with, direct, train, or control. Additionally, as a noun, a handle is something by which we grasp or open up something. Lastly, handle also has a Nordic root, here meaning to trade, bargain or deal. Together all four...... meanings seem to merge in the fashion design process, thus opening up for an embodied engagement with matter that entails direction giving, organizational management and negotiation. By seeing processes of handling as a key fashion methodological practice, it is possible to divert the discourse away from...... introduces four ways whereby fashion designers apply their own bodies as tools for design; a) re-activating past garment-design experiences, b) testing present garment-design experiences c) probing for new garment-design experiences and d) design of future garment experiences by body proxy. The paper...

  16. Designing protocols for the human teeth biobank of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lina Constanza Gonzáles-Pita

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Protocols in a Tooth Bank are essential in order to assure smooth operation, reproducibility and standardization that minimize cross contamination, maintain original characteristics and physicochemical properties of teeth, fulll ethical and legal regulations and a proper disposal of residues. Objective: to propose the disinfection, storing and transportation protocols for the UNTB. Methods: A literature search was conducted using the words “teeth, human, tooth bank, disinfection, sterilization, storage, organization, biosecurity, biobank, protocol, prevention” in the Pubmed, Science Direct and Scielo databases. 37 papers ranging from 1988 up to 2014 were selected. International and Colombian ethical and legal regulations for organ donation, handling and investigation were taken into account as well as laboratory observations and chemical basic principles gained through several undergraduate and graduate thesis. All this input was carefully studied, analysed and critically modied for setting the recommended processes for the conversion of donated teeth into organs suitable for research. Results: Collection, transportation, cleaning/disinfection and storing protocols were planned and elaborated. Conclusions: Based on scientic literature, national and international regulations and experimental experience, several protocols for the UNTB were presented.

  17. Viability of Existing INL Facilities for Dry Storage Cask Handling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bohachek, Randy; Wallace, Bruce; Winston, Phil; Marschman, Steve

    2013-04-30

    This report evaluates existing capabilities at the INL to determine if a practical and cost effective method could be developed for opening and handling full-sized dry storage casks. The Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) CPP-603, Irradiated Spent Fuel Storage Facility, provides the infrastructure to support handling and examining casks and their contents. Based on a reasonable set of assumptions, it is possible to receive, open, inspect, remove samples, close, and reseal large bolted-lid dry storage casks at the INL. The capability can also be used to open and inspect casks that were last examined at the TAN Hot Shop over ten years ago. The Castor V/21 and REA-2023 casks can provide additional confirmatory information regarding the extended performance of low-burnup (<45 GWD/MTU) used nuclear fuel. Once a dry storage cask is opened inside CPP-603, used fuel retrieved from the cask can be packaged in a shipping cask, and sent to a laboratory for testing. Testing at the INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) can occur starting with shipment of samples from CPP-603 over an on-site road, avoiding the need to use public highways. This reduces cost and reduces the risk to the public. The full suite of characterization methods needed to establish the condition of the fuel exists and MFC. Many other testing capabilities also exist at MFC, but when those capabilities are not adequate, samples can be prepared and shipped to other laboratories for testing. This report discusses how the casks would be handled, what work needs to be done to ready the facilities/capabilities, and what the work will cost.

  18. Viability of Existing INL Facilities for Dry Storage Cask Handling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Randy Bohachek; Charles Park; Bruce Wallace; Phil Winston; Steve Marschman

    2013-04-01

    This report evaluates existing capabilities at the INL to determine if a practical and cost effective method could be developed for opening and handling full-sized dry storage casks. The Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) CPP-603, Irradiated Spent Fuel Storage Facility, provides the infrastructure to support handling and examining casks and their contents. Based on a reasonable set of assumptions, it is possible to receive, open, inspect, remove samples, close, and reseal large bolted-lid dry storage casks at the INL. The capability can also be used to open and inspect casks that were last examined at the TAN Hot Shop over ten years ago. The Castor V/21 and REA-2023 casks can provide additional confirmatory information regarding the extended performance of low-burnup (<45 GWD/MTU) used nuclear fuel. Once a dry storage cask is opened inside CPP-603, used fuel retrieved from the cask can be packaged in a shipping cask, and sent to a laboratory for testing. Testing at the INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) can occur starting with shipment of samples from CPP-603 over an on-site road, avoiding the need to use public highways. This reduces cost and reduces the risk to the public. The full suite of characterization methods needed to establish the condition of the fuel exists and MFC. Many other testing capabilities also exist at MFC, but when those capabilities are not adequate, samples can be prepared and shipped to other laboratories for testing. This report discusses how the casks would be handled, what work needs to be done to ready the facilities/capabilities, and what the work will cost.

  19. Habituating to handling: factors affecting preorbital gland opening in red deer calves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ceacero, F; Landete-Castillejos, T; Bartošová, J; García, A J; Bartoš, L; Komárková, M; Gallego, L

    2014-09-01

    The preorbital gland plays not only an olfactory role in cervids but also a visual one. Opening this gland is an easy way for the calf to communicate with the mother, indicating hunger/satiety, stress, pain, fear, or excitement. This information can be also useful for farm operators to assess how fast the calves habituate to handling routines and to detect those calves that do not habituate and may suffer chronic stress in the future. Thirty-one calves were subjected to 2 consecutive experiments to clarify if observing preorbital gland opening is related to habituation to handling in red deer calves (Cervus elaphus). Calves were born in 3 different paddocks, handled as newborns (Exp. 1), and then subjected to the same routine handling but with different periodicity: every 1, 2, or 3 wk (Exp. 2). In Exp. 1, preorbital gland opening was recorded in newborns during an initial handling (including weighing, ear tagging, and sex determination). Preorbital gland opening occurred in 93% of calves during this procedure and was not affected by sex, time since birth, or birth weight. Experiment 2 consisted of measuring preorbital opening during the same routine handling (weighing, blood sampling, and rump touching to assess body condition) when calves were 1, 3, and 5 mo old. Binary logistic regression showed that gland opening was associated with habituation to handling, since at 1 and 3 mo the probability of opening the gland decreased with the number of handlings that a calf experienced before (P = 0.008 and P = 0.028, respectively). However, there were no further changes in preorbital gland opening rate in the 5-mo-old calves (P = 0.182). The significant influence of the number of previous handlings on the probability of opening the preorbital gland was confirmed through generalized linear model with repeated measures (P = 0.007). Preorbital gland opening decreased along the phases of the study. Nevertheless, we found a significant trend in individuals to keep similar

  20. High-throughput transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using liquid handling robots.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangbo Liu

    Full Text Available Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast is a powerful eukaryotic model organism ideally suited to high-throughput genetic analyses, which time and again has yielded insights that further our understanding of cell biology processes conserved in humans. Lithium Acetate (LiAc transformation of yeast with DNA for the purposes of exogenous protein expression (e.g., plasmids or genome mutation (e.g., gene mutation, deletion, epitope tagging is a useful and long established method. However, a reliable and optimized high throughput transformation protocol that runs almost no risk of human error has not been described in the literature. Here, we describe such a method that is broadly transferable to most liquid handling high-throughput robotic platforms, which are now commonplace in academic and industry settings. Using our optimized method, we are able to comfortably transform approximately 1200 individual strains per day, allowing complete transformation of typical genomic yeast libraries within 6 days. In addition, use of our protocol for gene knockout purposes also provides a potentially quicker, easier and more cost-effective approach to generating collections of double mutants than the popular and elegant synthetic genetic array methodology. In summary, our methodology will be of significant use to anyone interested in high throughput molecular and/or genetic analysis of yeast.

  1. SRV-automatic handling device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Koji

    1987-01-01

    Automatic handling device for the steam relief valves (SRV's) is developed in order to achieve a decrease in exposure of workers, increase in availability factor, improvement in reliability, improvement in safety of operation, and labor saving. A survey is made during a periodical inspection to examine the actual SVR handling operation. An SRV automatic handling device consists of four components: conveyor, armed conveyor, lifting machine, and control/monitoring system. The conveyor is so designed that the existing I-rail installed in the containment vessel can be used without any modification. This is employed for conveying an SRV along the rail. The armed conveyor, designed for a box rail, is used for an SRV installed away from the rail. By using the lifting machine, an SRV installed away from the I-rail is brought to a spot just below the rail so that the SRV can be transferred by the conveyor. The control/monitoring system consists of a control computer, operation panel, TV monitor and annunciator. The SRV handling device is operated by remote control from a control room. A trial equipment is constructed and performance/function testing is carried out using actual SRV's. As a result, is it shown that the SRV handling device requires only two operators to serve satisfactorily. The required time for removal and replacement of one SRV is about 10 minutes. (Nogami, K.)

  2. Grain Handling and Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Troy G.; Minor, John

    This text for a secondary- or postecondary-level course in grain handling and storage contains ten chapters. Chapter titles are (1) Introduction to Grain Handling and Storage, (2) Elevator Safety, (3) Grain Grading and Seed Identification, (4) Moisture Control, (5) Insect and Rodent Control, (6) Grain Inventory Control, (7) Elevator Maintenance,…

  3. Network architectures and protocols for the integration of ACTS and ISDN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chitre, D. M.; Lowry, P. A.

    1992-01-01

    A close integration of satellite networks and the integrated services digital network (ISDN) is essential for satellite networks to carry ISDN traffic effectively. This also shows how a given (pre-ISDN) satellite network architecture can be enhanced to handle ISDN signaling and provide ISDN services. It also describes the functional architecture and high-level protocols that could be implemented in the NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) low burst rate communications system to provide ISDN services.

  4. Strong Authentication Protocol based on Java Crypto Chip as a Secure Element

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Mumtaz

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Smart electronic devices and gadgets and their applications are becoming more and more popular. Most of those devices and their applications handle personal, financial, medical and other sensitive data that require security and privacy protection. In this paper we describe one aspect of such protection – user authentication protocol based on the use of X.509 certificates. The system uses Public Key Infrastructure (PKI, challenge/response protocol, mobile proxy servers, and Java cards with crypto capabilities used as a Secure Element. Innovative design of the protocol, its implementation, and evaluation results are described. In addition to end-user authentication, the described solution also supports the use of X.509 certificates for additional security services – confidentiality, integrity, and non-repudiation of transactions and data in an open network environment. The system uses Application Programming Interfaces (APIs to access Java cards functions and credentials that can be used as add-ons to enhance any mobile application with security features and services.

  5. Strategies for achieving high sequencing accuracy for low diversity samples and avoiding sample bleeding using illumina platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitra, Abhishek; Skrzypczak, Magdalena; Ginalski, Krzysztof; Rowicka, Maga

    2015-01-01

    Sequencing microRNA, reduced representation sequencing, Hi-C technology and any method requiring the use of in-house barcodes result in sequencing libraries with low initial sequence diversity. Sequencing such data on the Illumina platform typically produces low quality data due to the limitations of the Illumina cluster calling algorithm. Moreover, even in the case of diverse samples, these limitations are causing substantial inaccuracies in multiplexed sample assignment (sample bleeding). Such inaccuracies are unacceptable in clinical applications, and in some other fields (e.g. detection of rare variants). Here, we discuss how both problems with quality of low-diversity samples and sample bleeding are caused by incorrect detection of clusters on the flowcell during initial sequencing cycles. We propose simple software modifications (Long Template Protocol) that overcome this problem. We present experimental results showing that our Long Template Protocol remarkably increases data quality for low diversity samples, as compared with the standard analysis protocol; it also substantially reduces sample bleeding for all samples. For comprehensiveness, we also discuss and compare experimental results from alternative approaches to sequencing low diversity samples. First, we discuss how the low diversity problem, if caused by barcodes, can be avoided altogether at the barcode design stage. Second and third, we present modified guidelines, which are more stringent than the manufacturer's, for mixing low diversity samples with diverse samples and lowering cluster density, which in our experience consistently produces high quality data from low diversity samples. Fourth and fifth, we present rescue strategies that can be applied when sequencing results in low quality data and when there is no more biological material available. In such cases, we propose that the flowcell be re-hybridized and sequenced again using our Long Template Protocol. Alternatively, we discuss how

  6. Strategies for achieving high sequencing accuracy for low diversity samples and avoiding sample bleeding using illumina platform.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abhishek Mitra

    Full Text Available Sequencing microRNA, reduced representation sequencing, Hi-C technology and any method requiring the use of in-house barcodes result in sequencing libraries with low initial sequence diversity. Sequencing such data on the Illumina platform typically produces low quality data due to the limitations of the Illumina cluster calling algorithm. Moreover, even in the case of diverse samples, these limitations are causing substantial inaccuracies in multiplexed sample assignment (sample bleeding. Such inaccuracies are unacceptable in clinical applications, and in some other fields (e.g. detection of rare variants. Here, we discuss how both problems with quality of low-diversity samples and sample bleeding are caused by incorrect detection of clusters on the flowcell during initial sequencing cycles. We propose simple software modifications (Long Template Protocol that overcome this problem. We present experimental results showing that our Long Template Protocol remarkably increases data quality for low diversity samples, as compared with the standard analysis protocol; it also substantially reduces sample bleeding for all samples. For comprehensiveness, we also discuss and compare experimental results from alternative approaches to sequencing low diversity samples. First, we discuss how the low diversity problem, if caused by barcodes, can be avoided altogether at the barcode design stage. Second and third, we present modified guidelines, which are more stringent than the manufacturer's, for mixing low diversity samples with diverse samples and lowering cluster density, which in our experience consistently produces high quality data from low diversity samples. Fourth and fifth, we present rescue strategies that can be applied when sequencing results in low quality data and when there is no more biological material available. In such cases, we propose that the flowcell be re-hybridized and sequenced again using our Long Template Protocol. Alternatively

  7. Effect of variable rates of daily sampling of fly larvae on decomposition and carrion insect community assembly: implications for forensic entomology field study protocols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaud, Jean-Philippe; Moreau, Gaétan

    2013-07-01

    Experimental protocols in forensic entomology successional field studies generally involve daily sampling of insects to document temporal changes in species composition on animal carcasses. One challenge with that method has been to adjust the sampling intensity to obtain the best representation of the community present without affecting the said community. To this date, little is known about how such investigator perturbations affect decomposition-related processes. Here, we investigated how different levels of daily sampling of fly eggs and fly larvae affected, over time, carcass decomposition rate and the carrion insect community. Results indicated that a daily sampling of forensic entomology successional field studies.

  8. TRANSPORT/HANDLING REQUESTS

    CERN Multimedia

    Groupe ST/HM

    2002-01-01

    A new EDH document entitled 'Transport/Handling Request' will be in operation as of Monday, 11th February 2002, when the corresponding icon will be accessible from the EDH desktop, together with the application instructions. This EDH form will replace the paper-format transport/handling request form for all activities involving the transport of equipment and materials. However, the paper form will still be used for all vehicle-hire requests. The introduction of the EDH transport/handling request form is accompanied by the establishment of the following time limits for the various services concerned: 24 hours for the removal of office items, 48 hours for the transport of heavy items (of up to 6 metric tons and of standard road width), 5 working days for a crane operation, extra-heavy transport operation or complete removal, 5 working days for all transport operations relating to LHC installation. ST/HM Group, Logistics Section Tel: 72672 - 72202

  9. Evaluation of FASP, SP3, and iST Protocols for Proteomic Sample Preparation in the Low Microgram Range.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sielaff, Malte; Kuharev, Jörg; Bohn, Toszka; Hahlbrock, Jennifer; Bopp, Tobias; Tenzer, Stefan; Distler, Ute

    2017-11-03

    Efficient and reproducible sample preparation is a prerequisite for any robust and sensitive quantitative bottom-up proteomics workflow. Here, we performed an independent comparison between single-pot solid-phase-enhanced sample preparation (SP3), filter-aided sample preparation (FASP), and a commercial kit based on the in-StageTip (iST) method. We assessed their performance for the processing of proteomic samples in the low μg range using varying amounts of HeLa cell lysate (1-20 μg of total protein). All three workflows showed similar performances for 20 μg of starting material. When handling sample sizes below 10 μg, the number of identified proteins and peptides as well as the quantitative reproducibility and precision drastically dropped in case of FASP. In contrast, SP3 and iST provided high proteome coverage even in the low μg range. Even when digesting 1 μg of starting material, both methods still enabled the identification of over 3000 proteins and between 25 000 and 30 000 peptides. On average, the quantitative reproducibility between experimental replicates was slightly higher in case of SP3 (R 2 = 0.97 (SP3); R 2 = 0.93 (iST)). Applying SP3 toward the characterization of the proteome of FACS-sorted tumor-associated macrophages in the B16 tumor model enabled the quantification of 2965 proteins and revealed a "mixed" M1/M2 phenotype.

  10. Microbiological quality and safe handling of enteral diets in a hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Oliveira Medrado Pinto

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Contamination of enteral diets represents a high risk of compromising the patient's medical condition. To assess the microbiological quality and aseptic conditions in the preparation and administration of handmade and industrialized enteral diets offered in a hospital in the Valley of Jequitinhonha, MG, Brazil, we performed a microbiological analysis of 50 samples of diets and 27 samples of surfaces, utensils, and water used in the preparation of the diets. In addition, we assessed the good handling practices of enteral diets according to the requirements specified by the Brazilian legislation. Both kinds of enteral diets showed contamination by coliforms and Pseudomonas spp. No sample was positive for Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. On the other hand, Listeria spp. was detected in only one sample of handmade diets. Contamination was significantly higher in the handmade preparations (p < 0.05. Nonconformities were detected with respect to good handling practices, which may compromise the diet safety. The results indicate that the sanitary quality of the enteral diets is unsatisfactory, especially handmade diets. Contamination by Pseudomonas spp. is significant because it is often involved in infection episodes. With regard to aseptic practices, it was observed the need of implementing new procedures for handling enteral diets.

  11. BTP: a Block Transfer Protocol for Delay Tolerant Wireless Sensor Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Morten Tranberg; Biagioni, Edoardo S.

    2010-01-01

    Wireless sensor networks that are energy-constrained must transmit and receive data as efficiently as possible.  If the transmission is delay tolerant, transferring blocks of accumulated data can be more efficient than transferring each sensed measurement as soon as it is available.  This paper...... proposes a Block Transfer Protocol (BTP) designed for efficient and reliable transmission in wireless sensor networks.  BTP reduces the time it takes to reliably transfer a block of packets compared to conventional link layer protocols, by piggybacking in data packets information about the transfer......, minimizing the number of acknowledgements needed for reliable transmission, and reducing the need for timeouts, which can substantially slow down communication when transmission is unreliable.  In addition, BTP improves reliability by handling false positive acknowledgements and by letting the receivers...

  12. Cask system design guidance for robotic handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griesmeyer, J.M.; Drotning, W.D.; Morimoto, A.K.; Bennett, P.C.

    1990-10-01

    Remote automated cask handling has the potential to reduce both the occupational exposure and the time required to process a nuclear waste transport cask at a handling facility. The ongoing Advanced Handling Technologies Project (AHTP) at Sandia National Laboratories is described. AHTP was initiated to explore the use of advanced robotic systems to perform cask handling operations at handling facilities for radioactive waste, and to provide guidance to cask designers regarding the impact of robotic handling on cask design. The proof-of-concept robotic systems developed in AHTP are intended to extrapolate from currently available commercial systems to the systems that will be available by the time that a repository would be open for operation. The project investigates those cask handling operations that would be performed at a nuclear waste repository facility during cask receiving and handling. The ongoing AHTP indicates that design guidance, rather than design specification, is appropriate, since the requirements for robotic handling do not place severe restrictions on cask design but rather focus on attention to detail and design for limited dexterity. The cask system design features that facilitate robotic handling operations are discussed, and results obtained from AHTP design and operation experience are summarized. The application of these design considerations is illustrated by discussion of the robot systems and their operation on cask feature mock-ups used in the AHTP project. 11 refs., 11 figs

  13. Production management of window handles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuela Ingaldi

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In the chapter a company involved in the production of aluminum window and door handles was presented. The main customers of the company are primarily companies which produce PCV joinery and wholesalers supplying these companies. One chosen product from the research company - a single-arm pin-lift window handle - was described and its production process depicted technologically. The chapter also includes SWOT analysis conducted in the research company and the value stream of the single-arm pin-lift window handle.

  14. Sample Handling and Processing on Mars for Future Astrobiology Missions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beegle, Luther; Kirby, James P.; Fisher, Anita; Hodyss, Robert; Saltzman, Alison; Soto, Juancarlos; Lasnik, James; Roark, Shane

    2011-01-01

    In most analytical investigations, there is a need to process complex field samples for the unique detection of analytes especially when detecting low concentration organic molecules that may identify extraterrestrial life. Sample processing for analytical instruments is time, resource and manpower consuming in terrestrial laboratories. Every step in this laborious process will have to be automated for in situ life detection. We have developed, and are currently demonstrating, an automated wet chemistry preparation system that can operate autonomously on Earth and is designed to operate under Martian ambient conditions. This will enable a complete wet chemistry laboratory as part of future missions. Our system, namely the Automated Sample Processing System (ASPS) receives fines, extracts organics through solvent extraction, processes the extract by removing non-organic soluble species and delivers sample to multiple instruments for analysis (including for non-organic soluble species).

  15. Dysphonia risk screening protocol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemr, Katia; Simões-Zenari, Marcia; da Trindade Duarte, João Marcos; Lobrigate, Karen Elena; Bagatini, Flavia Alves

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To propose and test the applicability of a dysphonia risk screening protocol with score calculation in individuals with and without dysphonia. METHOD: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 365 individuals (41 children, 142 adult women, 91 adult men and 91 seniors) divided into a dysphonic group and a non-dysphonic group. The protocol consisted of 18 questions and a score was calculated using a 10-cm visual analog scale. The measured value on the visual analog scale was added to the overall score, along with other partial scores. Speech samples allowed for analysis/assessment of the overall degree of vocal deviation and initial definition of the respective groups and after six months, the separation of the groups was confirmed using an acoustic analysis. RESULTS: The mean total scores were different between the groups in all samples. Values ranged between 37.0 and 57.85 in the dysphonic group and between 12.95 and 19.28 in the non-dysphonic group, with overall means of 46.09 and 15.55, respectively. High sensitivity and specificity were demonstrated when discriminating between the groups with the following cut-off points: 22.50 (children), 29.25 (adult women), 22.75 (adult men), and 27.10 (seniors). CONCLUSION: The protocol demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in differentiating groups of individuals with and without dysphonia in different sample groups and is thus an effective instrument for use in voice clinics. PMID:27074171

  16. Dysphonia risk screening protocol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katia Nemr

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To propose and test the applicability of a dysphonia risk screening protocol with score calculation in individuals with and without dysphonia. METHOD: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 365 individuals (41 children, 142 adult women, 91 adult men and 91 seniors divided into a dysphonic group and a non-dysphonic group. The protocol consisted of 18 questions and a score was calculated using a 10-cm visual analog scale. The measured value on the visual analog scale was added to the overall score, along with other partial scores. Speech samples allowed for analysis/assessment of the overall degree of vocal deviation and initial definition of the respective groups and after six months, the separation of the groups was confirmed using an acoustic analysis. RESULTS: The mean total scores were different between the groups in all samples. Values ranged between 37.0 and 57.85 in the dysphonic group and between 12.95 and 19.28 in the non-dysphonic group, with overall means of 46.09 and 15.55, respectively. High sensitivity and specificity were demonstrated when discriminating between the groups with the following cut-off points: 22.50 (children, 29.25 (adult women, 22.75 (adult men, and 27.10 (seniors. CONCLUSION: The protocol demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in differentiating groups of individuals with and without dysphonia in different sample groups and is thus an effective instrument for use in voice clinics.

  17. 7 CFR 58.443 - Whey handling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Whey handling. 58.443 Section 58.443 Agriculture... Procedures § 58.443 Whey handling. (a) Adequate sanitary facilities shall be provided for the handling of whey. If outside, necessary precautions shall be taken to minimize flies, insects and development of...

  18. Sample handling and transport for the Secure Automated Fabrication line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sherrell, D.L.; Jensen, J.D.; Genoway, G.G.; Togesen, H.J.

    1983-06-01

    A totally automated system is described which packages, transports, receives, and unpackages sintered plutonium/uranium oxide fuel pellet samples to support automated chemical analysis equipment for the Secure Automated Fabrication (SAF) line. Samples are transferred 100 meters from the fuel production line to a different floor of the facility where automatic determinations are made for purposes of process control and fuel quality certification. The system automatically records identification numbers, net weights sent and received, and all other pertinent information such as fuel lot number, sample point, date, and time of day

  19. Effective sample labeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rieger, J.T.; Bryce, R.W.

    1990-01-01

    Ground-water samples collected for hazardous-waste and radiological monitoring have come under strict regulatory and quality assurance requirements as a result of laws such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. To comply with these laws, the labeling system used to identify environmental samples had to be upgraded to ensure proper handling and to protect collection personnel from exposure to sample contaminants and sample preservatives. The sample label now used as the Pacific Northwest Laboratory is a complete sample document. In the event other paperwork on a labeled sample were lost, the necessary information could be found on the label

  20. 21 CFR 660.6 - Samples; protocols; official release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... product iodinated with 125I means a sample from each lot of diagnostic test kits in a finished package... manufacturer has satisfactorily completed all tests on the samples: (i) One sample until written notification... of this section, a sample of product not iodinated with 125I means a sample from each filling of each...

  1. Development of commercial robots for radwaste handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colborn, K.A.

    1988-01-01

    The cost and dose burden associated with low level radwaste handling activities is a matter of increasing concern to the commercial nuclear power industry. This concern is evidenced by the fact that many utilities have begun to revaluate waste generation, handling, and disposal activities at their plants in an effort to improve their overall radwaste handling operations. This paper reports on the project Robots for Radwaste Handling, to identify the potential of robots to improve radwaste handling operations. The project has focussed on the potential of remote or automated technology to improve well defined, recognizable radwaste operations. The project focussed on repetitive, low skill level radwaste handling and decontamination tasks which involve significant radiation exposure

  2. Preoperational checkout of the remote-handled transuranic waste handling at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-09-01

    This plan describes the preoperational checkout for handling Remote-Handled Transuranic (RH-TRU) Wastes from their receipt at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to their emplacement underground. This plan identifies the handling operations to be performed, personnel groups responsible for executing these operations, and required equipment items. In addition, this plan describes the quality assurance that will be exercised throughout the checkout, and finally, it establishes criteria by which to measure the success of the checkout. 7 refs., 5 figs

  3. Individual Information-Centered Approach for Handling Physical Activity Missing Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Minsoo; Rowe, David A.; Barreira, Tiago V.; Robinson, Terrance S.; Mahar, Matthew T.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to validate individual information (II)-centered methods for handling missing data, using data samples of 118 middle-aged adults and 91 older adults equipped with Yamax SW-200 pedometers and Actigraph accelerometers for 7 days. We used a semisimulation approach to create six data sets: three physical activity outcome…

  4. Preference Handling for Artificial Intelligence

    OpenAIRE

    Goldsmith, Judy; University of Kentucky; Junker, Ulrich; ILOG

    2009-01-01

    This article explains the benefits of preferences for AI systems and draws a picture of current AI research on preference handling. It thus provides an introduction to the topics covered by this special issue on preference handling.

  5. Religious Serpent Handling and Community Relations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williamson, W Paul; Hood, Ralph W

    2015-01-01

    Christian serpent handling sects of Appalachia comprise a community that has long been mischaracterized and marginalized by the larger communities surrounding them. To explore this dynamic, this article traces the emergence of serpent handling in Appalachia and the emergence of anti-serpent-handling state laws, which eventually failed to curb the practice, as local communities gave serpent handling groups support. We present two studies to consider for improving community relations with serpent handling sects. In study 1, we present data relating the incidence of reported serpent-bite deaths with the rise of anti-serpent-handling laws and their eventual abatement, based on increasing acceptance of serpent handlers by the larger community. Study 2 presents interview data on serpent bites and death that provide explanations for these events from the cultural and religious perspective. We conclude that first-hand knowledge about serpent handlers, and other marginalized groups, helps to lessen suspicion and allows them to be seen as not much different, which are tendencies that are important for promoting inter-community harmony.

  6. Multiple surveys employing a new sample-processing protocol reveal the genetic diversity of placozoans in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyazawa, Hideyuki; Nakano, Hiroaki

    2018-03-01

    Placozoans, flat free-living marine invertebrates, possess an extremely simple bauplan lacking neurons and muscle cells and represent one of the earliest-branching metazoan phyla. They are widely distributed from temperate to tropical oceans. Based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences, 19 haplotypes forming seven distinct clades have been reported in placozoans to date. In Japan, placozoans have been found at nine locations, but 16S genotyping has been performed at only two of these locations. Here, we propose a new processing protocol, "ethanol-treated substrate sampling," for collecting placozoans from natural environments. We also report the collection of placozoans from three new locations, the islands of Shikine-jima, Chichi-jima, and Haha-jima, and we present the distribution of the 16S haplotypes of placozoans in Japan. Multiple surveys conducted at multiple locations yielded five haplotypes that were not reported previously, revealing high genetic diversity in Japan, especially at Shimoda and Shikine-jima Island. The observed geographic distribution patterns were different among haplotypes; some were widely distributed, while others were sampled only from a single location. However, samplings conducted on different dates at the same sites yielded different haplotypes, suggesting that placozoans of a given haplotype do not inhabit the same site constantly throughout the year. Continued sampling efforts conducted during all seasons at multiple locations worldwide and the development of molecular markers within the haplotypes are needed to reveal the geographic distribution pattern and dispersal history of placozoans in greater detail.

  7. Bayesian adaptive survey protocols for resource management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halstead, Brian J.; Wylie, Glenn D.; Coates, Peter S.; Casazza, Michael L.

    2011-01-01

    Transparency in resource management decisions requires a proper accounting of uncertainty at multiple stages of the decision-making process. As information becomes available, periodic review and updating of resource management protocols reduces uncertainty and improves management decisions. One of the most basic steps to mitigating anthropogenic effects on populations is determining if a population of a species occurs in an area that will be affected by human activity. Species are rarely detected with certainty, however, and falsely declaring a species absent can cause improper conservation decisions or even extirpation of populations. We propose a method to design survey protocols for imperfectly detected species that accounts for multiple sources of uncertainty in the detection process, is capable of quantitatively incorporating expert opinion into the decision-making process, allows periodic updates to the protocol, and permits resource managers to weigh the severity of consequences if the species is falsely declared absent. We developed our method using the giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas), a threatened species precinctive to the Central Valley of California, as a case study. Survey date was negatively related to the probability of detecting the giant gartersnake, and water temperature was positively related to the probability of detecting the giant gartersnake at a sampled location. Reporting sampling effort, timing and duration of surveys, and water temperatures would allow resource managers to evaluate the probability that the giant gartersnake occurs at sampled sites where it is not detected. This information would also allow periodic updates and quantitative evaluation of changes to the giant gartersnake survey protocol. Because it naturally allows multiple sources of information and is predicated upon the idea of updating information, Bayesian analysis is well-suited to solving the problem of developing efficient sampling protocols for species of

  8. Orthogonal identification of gunshot residue with complementary detection principles of voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy: sample, screen, and confirm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Mahony, Aoife M; Samek, Izabela A; Sattayasamitsathit, Sirilak; Wang, Joseph

    2014-08-19

    Field-deployable voltammetric screening coupled with complementary laboratory-based analysis to confirm the presence of gunshot residue (GSR) from the hands of a subject who has handled, loaded, or discharged a firearm is described. This protocol implements the orthogonal identification of the presence of GSR utilizing square-wave stripping voltammetry (SWSV) as a rapid screening tool along with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to confirm the presence of the characteristic morphology and metal composition of GSR particles. This is achieved through the judicious modification of the working electrode of a carbon screen-printed electrode (CSPE) with carbon tape (used in SEM analysis) to fix and retain a sample. A comparison between a subject who has handled and loaded a firearm and a subject who has had no contact with GSR shows the significant variations in voltammetric signals and the presence or absence of GSR-consistent particles and constituent metals. This initial electrochemical screening has no effect on the integrity of the metallic particles, and SEM/EDX analysis conducted prior to and postvoltammetry show no differences in analytical output. The carbon tape is instrumental in retaining the GSR sample after electrochemical analysis, supported by comparison with orthogonal detection at a bare CSPE. This protocol shows great promise as a two-tier detection system for the presence of GSR from the hands of a subject, whereby initial screening can be conducted rapidly onsite by minimally trained operators; confirmation can follow at the same substrate to substantiate the voltammetric results.

  9. Safe handling of tritium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-01-01

    The main objective of this publication is to provide practical guidance and recommendations on operational radiation protection aspects related to the safe handling of tritium in laboratories, industrial-scale nuclear facilities such as heavy-water reactors, tritium removal plants and fission fuel reprocessing plants, and facilities for manufacturing commercial tritium-containing devices and radiochemicals. The requirements of nuclear fusion reactors are not addressed specifically, since there is as yet no tritium handling experience with them. However, much of the material covered is expected to be relevant to them as well. Annex III briefly addresses problems in the comparatively small-scale use of tritium at universities, medical research centres and similar establishments. However, the main subject of this publication is the handling of larger quantities of tritium. Operational aspects include designing for tritium safety, safe handling practice, the selection of tritium-compatible materials and equipment, exposure assessment, monitoring, contamination control and the design and use of personal protective equipment. This publication does not address the technologies involved in tritium control and cleanup of effluents, tritium removal, or immobilization and disposal of tritium wastes, nor does it address the environmental behaviour of tritium. Refs, figs and tabs

  10. How Retailers Handle Complaint Management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Torben; Wilke, Ricky; Zaichkowsky, Judy

    2009-01-01

    This article fills a gap in the literature by providing insight about the handling of complaint management (CM) across a large cross section of retailers in the grocery, furniture, electronic and auto sectors. Determinants of retailers’ CM handling are investigated and insight is gained as to the......This article fills a gap in the literature by providing insight about the handling of complaint management (CM) across a large cross section of retailers in the grocery, furniture, electronic and auto sectors. Determinants of retailers’ CM handling are investigated and insight is gained...... as to the links between CM and redress of consumers’ complaints. The results suggest that retailers who attach large negative consequences to consumer dissatisfaction are more likely than other retailers to develop a positive strategic view on customer complaining, but at the same time an increase in perceived...

  11. Analysis of fingerprint samples, testing various conditions, for forensic DNA identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ostojic, Lana; Wurmbach, Elisa

    2017-01-01

    Fingerprints can be of tremendous value for forensic biology, since they can be collected from a wide variety of evident types, such as handles of weapons, tools collected in criminal cases, and objects with no apparent staining. DNA obtained from fingerprints varies greatly in quality and quantity, which ultimately affects the quality of the resulting STR profiles. Additional difficulties can arise when fingerprint samples show mixed STR profiles due to the handling of multiple persons. After applying a tested protocol for sample collection (swabbing with 5% Triton X-100), DNA extraction (using an enzyme that works at elevated temperatures), and PCR amplification (AmpFlSTR® Identifiler® using 31cycles) extensive analysis was performed to better understand the challenges inherent to fingerprint samples, with the ultimate goal of developing valuable profiles (≥50% complete). The impact of time on deposited fingerprints was investigated, revealing that while the quality of profiles deteriorated, full STR profiles could still be obtained from samples after 40days of storage at room temperature. By comparing the STR profiles from fingerprints of the dominant versus the non-dominant hand, we found a slightly better quality from the non-dominant hand, which was not always significant. Substrates seem to have greater effects on fingerprints. Tests on glass, plastic, paper and metal (US Quarter dollar, made of Cu and Ni), common substrates in offices and homes, showed best results for glass, followed by plastic and paper, while almost no profiles were obtained from a Quarter dollar. Important for forensic casework, we also assessed three-person mixtures of touched fingerprint samples. Unlike routinely used approaches for sampling evidence, the surface of an object (bottle) was sectioned into six equal parts and separate samples were taken from each section. The samples were processed separately for DNA extraction and STR amplification. The results included a few single

  12. 7 CFR 926.9 - Handle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE DATA COLLECTION, REPORTING AND RECORDKEEPING REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO CRANBERRIES NOT SUBJECT TO THE CRANBERRY MARKETING ORDER § 926.9 Handle. Handle...

  13. Minor corral changes and adoption of good handling practices can improve the behavior and reduce cortisol release in Nellore cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima, Maria Lúcia Pereira; Negrão, João Alberto; de Paz, Claudia Cristina Paro; Grandin, Temple

    2018-03-01

    Inadequate corral facilities and improper handling are major causes of stress in beef cattle. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of minor changes in the corral and adoption of good handling practices on the behavior, cortisol release, and time spent taking blood samples in Nellore cows. Minor corral changes included obstructing the cow's vision when the handler walked deep into the animal's flight zone and the elimination of bright objects, color contrasts, puddles, shadows, and darkness in the corral. Handling was improved by eliminating dogs, electric goads (prods), and yelling, as well as adopting a calm behavior. A total of 141 Nellore cows from two typical extensive livestock farms were studied. The cows were evaluated individually before and after the corral changes. Blood samples were collected in the restraint device for cortisol measurement. The minor corral changes and the adoption of good handling practices result in better results for all variables studied. The results showed differences in the interactions between treatment and ranch for chute score (P = 0.0091) and exit score (P good handling practices were effective in improving cow behavior in the chute and in reducing exit velocity, cortisol released, and the time spent taking blood samples.

  14. Experimental Protocol to Determine the Chloride Threshold Value for Corrosion in Samples Taken from Reinforced Concrete Structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angst, Ueli M; Boschmann, Carolina; Wagner, Matthias; Elsener, Bernhard

    2017-08-31

    The aging of reinforced concrete infrastructure in developed countries imposes an urgent need for methods to reliably assess the condition of these structures. Corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel is the most frequent cause for degradation. While it is well known that the ability of a structure to withstand corrosion depends strongly on factors such as the materials used or the age, it is common practice to rely on threshold values stipulated in standards or textbooks. These threshold values for corrosion initiation (Ccrit) are independent of the actual properties of a certain structure, which clearly limits the accuracy of condition assessments and service life predictions. The practice of using tabulated values can be traced to the lack of reliable methods to determine Ccrit on-site and in the laboratory. Here, an experimental protocol to determine Ccrit for individual engineering structures or structural members is presented. A number of reinforced concrete samples are taken from structures and laboratory corrosion testing is performed. The main advantage of this method is that it ensures real conditions concerning parameters that are well known to greatly influence Ccrit, such as the steel-concrete interface, which cannot be representatively mimicked in laboratory-produced samples. At the same time, the accelerated corrosion test in the laboratory permits the reliable determination of Ccrit prior to corrosion initiation on the tested structure; this is a major advantage over all common condition assessment methods that only permit estimating the conditions for corrosion after initiation, i.e., when the structure is already damaged. The protocol yields the statistical distribution of Ccrit for the tested structure. This serves as a basis for probabilistic prediction models for the remaining time to corrosion, which is needed for maintenance planning. This method can potentially be used in material testing of civil infrastructures, similar to established

  15. A Rule-Based Data Transfer Protocol for On-Demand Data Exchange in Vehicular Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liao Hsien-Chou

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of Intelligent Transport System (ITS is mainly to increase the driving safety and efficiency. Data exchange is an important way to achieve the purpose. An on-demand data exchange is especially useful to assist a driver avoiding some emergent events. In order to handle the data exchange under dynamic situations, a rule-based data transfer protocol is proposed in this paper. A set of rules is designed according to the principle of request-forward-reply (RFR. That is, they are used to determine the timing of data broadcasting, forwarding, and replying automatically. Two typical situations are used to demonstrate the operation of rules. One is the front view of a driver occluded by other vehicles. The other is the traffic jam. The proposed protocol is flexible and extensible for unforeseen situations. Three simulation tools were also implemented to demonstrate the feasibility of the protocol and measure the network transmission under high density of vehicles. The simulation results show that the rule-based protocol is efficient on data exchange to increase the driving safety.

  16. Remote handling at LAMPF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grisham, D.L.; Lambert, J.E.

    1983-01-01

    Experimental area A at the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) encompasses a large area. Presently there are four experimental target cells along the main proton beam line that have become highly radioactive, thus dictating that all maintenance be performed remotely. The Monitor remote handling system was developed to perform in situ maintenance at any location within area A. Due to the complexity of experimental systems and confined space, conventional remote handling methods based upon hot cell and/or hot bay concepts are not workable. Contrary to conventional remote handling which require special tooling for each specifically planned operation, the Monitor concept is aimed at providing a totally flexible system capable of remotely performing general mechanical and electrical maintenance operations using standard tools. The Monitor system is described

  17. Using semantics for representing experimental protocols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giraldo, Olga; García, Alexander; López, Federico; Corcho, Oscar

    2017-11-13

    An experimental protocol is a sequence of tasks and operations executed to perform experimental research in biological and biomedical areas, e.g. biology, genetics, immunology, neurosciences, virology. Protocols often include references to equipment, reagents, descriptions of critical steps, troubleshooting and tips, as well as any other information that researchers deem important for facilitating the reusability of the protocol. Although experimental protocols are central to reproducibility, the descriptions are often cursory. There is the need for a unified framework with respect to the syntactic structure and the semantics for representing experimental protocols. In this paper we present "SMART Protocols ontology", an ontology for representing experimental protocols. Our ontology represents the protocol as a workflow with domain specific knowledge embedded within a document. We also present the S ample I nstrument R eagent O bjective (SIRO) model, which represents the minimal common information shared across experimental protocols. SIRO was conceived in the same realm as the Patient Intervention Comparison Outcome (PICO) model that supports search, retrieval and classification purposes in evidence based medicine. We evaluate our approach against a set of competency questions modeled as SPARQL queries and processed against a set of published and unpublished protocols modeled with the SP Ontology and the SIRO model. Our approach makes it possible to answer queries such as Which protocols use tumor tissue as a sample. Improving reporting structures for experimental protocols requires collective efforts from authors, peer reviewers, editors and funding bodies. The SP Ontology is a contribution towards this goal. We build upon previous experiences and bringing together the view of researchers managing protocols in their laboratory work. Website: https://smartprotocols.github.io/ .

  18. A smartphone controlled handheld microfluidic liquid handling system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Baichen; Li, Lin; Guan, Allan; Dong, Quan; Ruan, Kangcheng; Hu, Ronggui; Li, Zhenyu

    2014-10-21

    Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies have made it possible to manipulate small volume liquids with unprecedented resolution, automation and integration. However, most current microfluidic systems still rely on bulky off-chip infrastructures such as compressed pressure sources, syringe pumps and computers to achieve complex liquid manipulation functions. Here, we present a handheld automated microfluidic liquid handling system controlled by a smartphone, which is enabled by combining elastomeric on-chip valves and a compact pneumatic system. As a demonstration, we show that the system can automatically perform all the liquid handling steps of a bead-based HIV1 p24 sandwich immunoassay on a multi-layer PDMS chip without any human intervention. The footprint of the system is 6 × 10.5 × 16.5 cm, and the total weight is 829 g including battery. Powered by a 12.8 V 1500 mAh Li battery, the system consumed 2.2 W on average during the immunoassay and lasted for 8.7 h. This handheld microfluidic liquid handling platform is generally applicable to many biochemical and cell-based assays requiring complex liquid manipulation and sample preparation steps such as FISH, PCR, flow cytometry and nucleic acid sequencing. In particular, the integration of this technology with read-out biosensors may help enable the realization of the long-sought Tricorder-like handheld in vitro diagnostic (IVD) systems.

  19. MAC Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks Using a Genetic Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elizarraras, Omar; Panduro, Marco; Méndez, Aldo L.

    2014-01-01

    The problem of obtaining the transmission rate in an ad hoc network consists in adjusting the power of each node to ensure the signal to interference ratio (SIR) and the energy required to transmit from one node to another is obtained at the same time. Therefore, an optimal transmission rate for each node in a medium access control (MAC) protocol based on CSMA-CDMA (carrier sense multiple access-code division multiple access) for ad hoc networks can be obtained using evolutionary optimization. This work proposes a genetic algorithm for the transmission rate election considering a perfect power control, and our proposition achieves improvement of 10% compared with the scheme that handles the handshaking phase to adjust the transmission rate. Furthermore, this paper proposes a genetic algorithm that solves the problem of power combining, interference, data rate, and energy ensuring the signal to interference ratio in an ad hoc network. The result of the proposed genetic algorithm has a better performance (15%) compared to the CSMA-CDMA protocol without optimizing. Therefore, we show by simulation the effectiveness of the proposed protocol in terms of the throughput. PMID:25140339

  20. MAC Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks Using a Genetic Algorithm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omar Elizarraras

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The problem of obtaining the transmission rate in an ad hoc network consists in adjusting the power of each node to ensure the signal to interference ratio (SIR and the energy required to transmit from one node to another is obtained at the same time. Therefore, an optimal transmission rate for each node in a medium access control (MAC protocol based on CSMA-CDMA (carrier sense multiple access-code division multiple access for ad hoc networks can be obtained using evolutionary optimization. This work proposes a genetic algorithm for the transmission rate election considering a perfect power control, and our proposition achieves improvement of 10% compared with the scheme that handles the handshaking phase to adjust the transmission rate. Furthermore, this paper proposes a genetic algorithm that solves the problem of power combining, interference, data rate, and energy ensuring the signal to interference ratio in an ad hoc network. The result of the proposed genetic algorithm has a better performance (15% compared to the CSMA-CDMA protocol without optimizing. Therefore, we show by simulation the effectiveness of the proposed protocol in terms of the throughput.

  1. MRI of meniscal bucket-handle tears

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magee, T.H.; Hinson, G.W. [Menorah Medical Center, Overland Park, KS (United States). Dept. of Radiology

    1998-09-01

    A meniscal bucket-handle tear is a tear with an attached fragment displaced from the meniscus of the knee joint. Low sensitivity of MRI for detection of bucket-handle tears (64% as compared with arthroscopy) has been reported previously. We report increased sensitivity for detecting bucket-handle tears with the use of coronal short tau inversion recovery (STIR) images. Results. By using four criteria for diagnosis of meniscal bucket-handle tears, our overall sensitivity compared with arthroscopy was 93% (28 of 30 meniscal bucket-handle tears seen at arthroscopy were detected by MRI). The meniscal fragment was well visualized in all 28 cases on coronal STIR images. The double posterior cruciate ligament sign was seen in 8 of 30 cases, the flipped meniscus was seen in 10 of 30 cases and a fragment in the intercondylar notch was seen in 18 of 30 cases. (orig.)

  2. 32P-postlabeling assay for carcinogen-DNA adducts: description of beta shielding apparatus and semi-automatic spotting and washing devices that facilitate the handling of multiple samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reddy, M.V.; Blackburn, G.R.

    1990-01-01

    The utilization of the 32 P-postlabeling assay in combination with TLC for the sensitive detection and estimation of aromatic DNA adducts has been increasing. The procedure consists of 32 P-labeling of carcinogen-adducted 3'-nucleotides in the DNA digests using γ- 32 P ATP and polynucleotide kinase, separation of 32 P-labeled adducts by TLC, and their detection by autoradiography. During both 32 P-labeling and initial phases of TLC, a relatively high amount of γ- 32 P ATP is handled when 30 samples are processed simultaneously. We describe the design of acrylic shielding apparatus, semi-automatic TLC spotting devices, and devices for development and washing of multiple TLC plates, which not only provide substantial protection from exposure to 32 P beta radiation, but also allow quick and easy handling of a large number of samples. Specifically, the equipment includes: (i) a multi-tube carousel rack having 15 wells to hold capless Eppendorf tubes and a rotatable lid with an aperture to access individual tubes; (ii) a pipette shielder; (iii) two semi-automatic spotting devices to apply radioactive solutions to TLC plates; (iv) a multi-plate holder for TLC plates; and (v) a mechanical device for washing multiple TLC plates. Item (i) is small enough to be held in one-hand, vortexed, and centrifuged to mix the solutions in each tube while beta radiation is shielded. Items (iii) to (iv) aid in the automation of the assay. (author)

  3. [Sampling, storage and transport of biological materials collected from living and deceased subjects for determination of concentration levels of ethyl alcohol and similarly acting substances. A proposal of updating the blood and urine sampling protocol].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiergowski, Marek; Reguła, Krystyna; Pieśniak, Dorota; Galer-Tatarowicz, Katarzyna; Szpiech, Beata; Jankowski, Zbigniew

    2007-01-01

    The present paper emphasizes the most common mistakes committed at the beginning of an analytical procedure. To shorten the time and decrease the cost of determinations of substances with similar to alcohol activity, it is postulated to introduce mass-scale screening analysis of saliva collected from a living subject at the site of the event, with all positive results confirmed in blood or urine samples. If no saliva sample is collected for toxicology, a urine sample, allowing for a stat fast screening analysis, and a blood sample, to confirm the result, should be ensured. Inappropriate storage of a blood sample in the tube without a preservative can cause sample spilling and its irretrievable loss. The authors propose updating the "Blood/urine sampling protocol", with the updated version to be introduced into practice following consultations and revisions.

  4. Sophisticated fuel handling system evolved

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ross, D.A.

    1988-01-01

    The control systems at Sellafield fuel handling plant are described. The requirements called for built-in diagnostic features as well as the ability to handle a large sequencing application. Speed was also important; responses better than 50ms were required. The control systems are used to automate operations within each of the three main process caves - two Magnox fuel decanners and an advanced gas-cooled reactor fuel dismantler. The fuel route within the fuel handling plant is illustrated and described. ASPIC (Automated Sequence Package for Industrial Control) which was developed as a controller for the plant processes is described. (U.K.)

  5. DDCMP protocol on a DMA serial-line board

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hunt, D.N.; Kessler, G.C.

    1982-01-01

    The Nuclear Chemistry Division of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is in the midst of an upgrade to their radiation counting facility. The result of this upgrade wil be a computer-based data acquisition network, the Nuclear Chemistry Counting Facility Network (NCCF-NET). This network will consist of forty dedicated LSI-11/2 based controllers, ten interactive LSI-11/23 based workstations and a VAX-11/750 central node for data reduction and storage. One of the data acquisition instruments used in this network is a Nuclear Data pulse-height analyzer, the ND66L. This analyzer communicates to a host system over a 9600-baud serial line, using the DDCMP link level protocol. In order to relieve the host computer from the overhead of handling the DDCMP protocol, an in-house designed DMA serial line board was implemented to communicate with the ND66L. The hardware used and its environment will be duscussed along with the design and implementation of the firmware, which implements the serial DDCMP link

  6. The natural angle between the hand and handle and the effect of handle orientation on wrist radial/ulnar deviation during maximal push exertions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Justin G; Lin, Jia-Hua; Chang, Chien-Chi; McGorry, Raymond W

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this experiment was to quantify the natural angle between the hand and a handle, and to investigate three design factors: handle rotation, handle tilt and between-handle width on the natural angle as well as resultant wrist radial/ulnar deviation ('RUD') for pushing tasks. Photographs taken of the right upper limb of 31 participants (14 women and 17 men) performing maximal seated push exertions on different handles were analysed. Natural hand/handle angle and RUD were assessed. It was found that all of the three design factors significantly affected natural handle angle and wrist RUD, but participant gender did not. The natural angle between the hand and the cylindrical handle was 65 ± 7°. Wrist deviation was reduced for handles that were rotated 0° (horizontal) and at the narrow width (31 cm). Handles that were tilted forward 15° reduced radial deviation consistently (12-13°) across handle conditions. Manual materials handling (MMH) tasks involving pushing have been related to increased risk of musculoskeletal injury. This study shows that handle orientation influences hand and wrist posture during pushing, and suggests that the design of push handles on carts and other MMH aids can be improved by adjusting their orientation to fit the natural interface between the hand and handle.

  7. Verbal protocols as methodological resources: research evidence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Baldo

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This article aims at reflecting on the use of verbal protocols as a methodological resource in qualitative research, more specifically on the aspect regarded as the main limitation of a study about lexical inferencing in L2 (BALDO; VELASQUES, 2010: its subjective trait. The article begins with a brief literature review on protocols, followed by a description of the study in which they were employed as methodological resources. Based on that, protocol subjectivity is illustrated through samples of unparalleled data classification, carried out independently by two researchers. In the final section, the path followed to minimize the problem is presented, intending to contribute to improve efficiency in the use of verbal protocols in future research.

  8. 9 CFR 3.118 - Handling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Handling. 3.118 Section 3.118 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS Specifications for the Humane Handling, Care, Treatment, and Transportation of Marine...

  9. Safety measuring for sodium handling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeong, Ji Young; Jeong, K C; Kim, T J; Kim, B H; Choi, J H

    2001-09-01

    This is the report for the safety measures of sodium handling. These contents are prerequisites for the development of sodium technology and thus the workers participate in sodium handling and experiments have to know them perfectly. As an appendix, the relating parts of the laws are presented.

  10. A Perspective on Remote Handling Operations and Human Machine Interface for Remote Handling in Fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haist, B.; Hamilton, D.; Sanders, St.

    2006-01-01

    A large-scale fusion device presents many challenges to the remote handling operations team. This paper is based on unique operational experience at JET and gives a perspective on remote handling task development, logistics and resource management, as well as command, control and human-machine interface systems. Remote operations require an accurate perception of a dynamic environment, ideally providing the operators with the same unrestricted knowledge of the task scene as would be available if they were actually at the remote work location. Traditional camera based systems suffer from a limited number of viewpoints and also degrade quickly when exposed to high radiation. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality software offer great assistance. The remote handling system required to maintain a tokamak requires a large number of different and complex pieces of equipment coordinating to perform a large array of tasks. The demands on the operator's skill in performing the tasks can escalate to a point where the efficiency and safety of operations are compromised. An operations guidance system designed to facilitate the planning, development, validation and execution of remote handling procedures is essential. Automatic planning of motion trajectories of remote handling equipment and the remote transfer of heavy loads will be routine and need to be reliable. This paper discusses the solutions developed at JET in these areas and also the trends in management and presentation of operational data as well as command, control and HMI technology development offering the potential to greatly assist remote handling in future fusion machines. (author)

  11. Soil handling methods should be selected based on research questions and goals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gundale, Michael J.; Wardle, David A.; Kardol, Paul; Putten, Van Der Wim H.; Lucas, Richard W.

    2017-01-01

    A response to Reinhart & Rinella (2016) and Rinella & Reinhart (2017) ‘A common soil handling technique can generate incorrect estimates of soil biota effects on plants’ and ‘Mixing soil samples across experi- mental units ignores uncertainty and generates incorrect estimates of soil biota

  12. Technical Note: Comparison of storage strategies of sea surface microlayer samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Schneider-Zapp

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The sea surface microlayer (SML is an important biogeochemical system whose physico-chemical analysis often necessitates some degree of sample storage. However, many SML components degrade with time so the development of optimal storage protocols is paramount. We here briefly review some commonly used treatment and storage protocols. Using freshwater and saline SML samples from a river estuary, we investigated temporal changes in surfactant activity (SA and the absorbance and fluorescence of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM over four weeks, following selected sample treatment and storage protocols. Some variability in the effectiveness of individual protocols most likely reflects sample provenance. None of the various protocols examined performed any better than dark storage at 4 °C without pre-treatment. We therefore recommend storing samples refrigerated in the dark.

  13. Sample preparation guidelines for two-dimensional electrophoresis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Posch, Anton

    2014-12-01

    Sample preparation is one of the key technologies for successful two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE). Due to the great diversity of protein sample types and sources, no single sample preparation method works with all proteins; for any sample the optimum procedure must be determined empirically. This review is meant to provide a broad overview of the most important principles in sample preparation in order to avoid a multitude of possible pitfalls. Sample preparation protocols from the expert in the field were screened and evaluated. On the basis of these protocols and my own comprehensive practical experience important guidelines are given in this review. The presented guidelines will facilitate straightforward protocol development for researchers new to gel-based proteomics. In addition the available choices are rationalized in order to successfully prepare a protein sample for 2DE separations. The strategies described here are not limited to 2DE and can also be applied to other protein separation techniques.

  14. Ground Handling Business at Non-European Biggest World Airports as a Problem of Market Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Tomová

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available In the paper we analyse the market structures of ground handling at the biggest non-European passenger and cargo airports in accordance with the ACI list of the most important world airports in 2014. Using the IATA IGHC database as of spring 2015, our analysis revealed that out of Europe double digit numbers of providers are rare what contrasts with situation in Europe where ground handling markets were deregulated by the Council Directive 96/67/EC. The analysis also brought that the monopolistic structures of ground handling markets were more specific for the regions of Asia and the Middle East. Airports as ground handling providers were not found within the analysed sample in North America, Latin America, Africa and Australia and Oceania, while this arrangement was to a larger extent present at the analysed Asian airports. Asia and the Middle East biggest airports are identified by us as candidates for further deregulation of ground handling arguing by forecasted demand for air services in the regions, although expected deregulation may be curbed by national regulators.

  15. Automated, Ultra-Sterile Solid Sample Handling and Analysis on a Chip

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mora, Maria F.; Stockton, Amanda M.; Willis, Peter A.

    2013-01-01

    There are no existing ultra-sterile lab-on-a-chip systems that can accept solid samples and perform complete chemical analyses without human intervention. The proposed solution is to demonstrate completely automated lab-on-a-chip manipulation of powdered solid samples, followed by on-chip liquid extraction and chemical analysis. This technology utilizes a newly invented glass micro-device for solid manipulation, which mates with existing lab-on-a-chip instrumentation. Devices are fabricated in a Class 10 cleanroom at the JPL MicroDevices Lab, and are plasma-cleaned before and after assembly. Solid samples enter the device through a drilled hole in the top. Existing micro-pumping technology is used to transfer milligrams of powdered sample into an extraction chamber where it is mixed with liquids to extract organic material. Subsequent chemical analysis is performed using portable microchip capillary electrophoresis systems (CE). These instruments have been used for ultra-highly sensitive (parts-per-trillion, pptr) analysis of organic compounds including amines, amino acids, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, and thiols. Fully autonomous amino acid analyses in liquids were demonstrated; however, to date there have been no reports of completely automated analysis of solid samples on chip. This approach utilizes an existing portable instrument that houses optics, high-voltage power supplies, and solenoids for fully autonomous microfluidic sample processing and CE analysis with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. Furthermore, the entire system can be sterilized and placed in a cleanroom environment for analyzing samples returned from extraterrestrial targets, if desired. This is an entirely new capability never demonstrated before. The ability to manipulate solid samples, coupled with lab-on-a-chip analysis technology, will enable ultraclean and ultrasensitive end-to-end analysis of samples that is orders of magnitude more sensitive than the ppb goal given

  16. Asthma, guides for diagnostic and handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgado, Carlos E; Caballero A, Andres S; Garcia G, Elizabeth

    1999-01-01

    The paper defines the asthma, includes topics as diagnostic, handling of the asthma, special situations as asthma and pregnancy, handling of the asthmatic patient's perioperatory and occupational asthma

  17. Protocol voor meting van lachgasemissie uit huisvestingssystemen in de veehouderij 2010 = Measurement protocol for nitrous oxide emission from housing systems in livestock production 2010

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mosquera Losada, J.; Groenestein, C.M.; Ogink, N.W.M.

    2011-01-01

    This report describes a measurement protocol for nitrous oxide emissions from animal housing systems. The protocol is based on sampling periods of 24 hours spread over one year and can be applied in specified animal categories.

  18. Remote-handled transuranic system assessment appendices. Volume 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-11-01

    Volume 2 of this report contains six appendices to the report: Inventory and generation of remote-handled transuranic waste; Remote-handled transuranic waste site storage; Characterization of remote-handled transuranic waste; RH-TRU waste treatment alternatives system analysis; Packaging and transportation study; and Remote-handled transuranic waste disposal alternatives.

  19. Remote-handled transuranic system assessment appendices. Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-11-01

    Volume 2 of this report contains six appendices to the report: Inventory and generation of remote-handled transuranic waste; Remote-handled transuranic waste site storage; Characterization of remote-handled transuranic waste; RH-TRU waste treatment alternatives system analysis; Packaging and transportation study; and Remote-handled transuranic waste disposal alternatives

  20. DockBench: An Integrated Informatic Platform Bridging the Gap between the Robust Validation of Docking Protocols and Virtual Screening Simulations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto Cuzzolin

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Virtual screening (VS is a computational methodology that streamlines the drug discovery process by reducing costs and required resources through the in silico identification of potential drug candidates. Structure-based VS (SBVS exploits knowledge about the three-dimensional (3D structure of protein targets and uses the docking methodology as search engine for novel hits. The success of a SBVS campaign strongly depends upon the accuracy of the docking protocol used to select the candidates from large chemical libraries. The identification of suitable protocols is therefore a crucial step in the setup of SBVS experiments. Carrying out extensive benchmark studies, however, is usually a tangled task that requires users’ proficiency in handling different file formats and philosophies at the basis of the plethora of existing software packages. We present here DockBench 1.0, a platform available free of charge that eases the pipeline by automating the entire procedure, from docking benchmark to VS setups. In its current implementation, DockBench 1.0 handles seven docking software packages and offers the possibility to test up to seventeen different protocols. The main features of our platform are presented here and the results of the benchmark study of human Checkpoint kinase 1 (hChk1 are discussed as validation test.

  1. Stream Control Transmission Protocol as a Transport for SIP: a case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giuseppe De Marco

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available The dominant signalling protocol both in future wireless and wired networks will be the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP, as pointed out in the 3G IP-based mobile networks specifications, entailing a fully Internet integrated network. The use of SIP in the IP Multimedia Subsytem (IMS of Release 5 involves the development of servers capable to handle a large number of call requests. The signaling traffic associated to such requests could explode, if an intelligent congestion control were not introduced. Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP was born to support transport of SS7 signaling messages. However, many of the SCTP features are also useful for transport of SIP messages, as: congestion control mechanism, good separation among independent messages, multihoming. Indeed, adoption of SCTP as transport of SIP signaling might prove useful in some situations where usual transport protocols, like TCP and UDP, suffer performance degradation. In this paper, we analyse the general framework wherein SIP operates and we discuss the benefits of using SCTP as a transport for SIP, toward fair sharing of network resources. This study is carried on in the context of the implementation of an high-performance SIP Proxy Server. We also present some preliminar results of an implementation of SIP over SCTP/UDP in a real LAN environment.

  2. Cluster chain based energy efficient routing protocol for moblie WSN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    WU Ziyu

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available With the ubiquitous smart devices acting as mobile sensor nodes in the wireless sensor networks(WSNs to sense and transmit physical information,routing protocols should be designed to accommodate the mobility issues,in addition to conventional considerations on energy efficiency.However,due to frequent topology change,traditional routing schemes cannot perform well.Moreover,existence of mobile nodes poses new challenges on energy dissipation and packet loss.In this paper,a novel routing scheme called cluster chain based routing protocol(CCBRP is proposed,which employs a combination of cluster and chain structure to accomplish data collection and transmission and thereafter selects qualified cluster heads as chain leaders to transmit data to the sink.Furthermore,node mobility is handled based on periodical membership update of mobile nodes.Simulation results demonstrate that CCBRP has a good performance in terms of network lifetime and packet delivery,also strikes a better balance between successful packet reception and energy consumption.

  3. DDOS ATTACK DETECTION SIMULATION AND HANDLING MECHANISM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Sanmorino

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available In this study we discuss how to handle DDoS attack that coming from the attacker by using detection method and handling mechanism. Detection perform by comparing number of packets and number of flow. Whereas handling mechanism perform by limiting or drop the packets that detected as a DDoS attack. The study begins with simulation on real network, which aims to get the real traffic data. Then, dump traffic data obtained from the simulation used for detection method on our prototype system called DASHM (DDoS Attack Simulation and Handling Mechanism. From the result of experiment that has been conducted, the proposed method successfully detect DDoS attack and handle the incoming packet sent by attacker.

  4. Validation of Autoclave Protocols for Successful Decontamination of Category A Medical Waste Generated from Care of Patients with Serious Communicable Diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garibaldi, Brian T; Reimers, Mallory; Ernst, Neysa; Bova, Gregory; Nowakowski, Elaine; Bukowski, James; Ellis, Brandon C; Smith, Chris; Sauer, Lauren; Dionne, Kim; Carroll, Karen C; Maragakis, Lisa L; Parrish, Nicole M

    2017-02-01

    In response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, many hospitals designated specific areas to care for patients with Ebola and other highly infectious diseases. The safe handling of category A infectious substances is a unique challenge in this environment. One solution is on-site waste treatment with a steam sterilizer or autoclave. The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) installed two pass-through autoclaves in its biocontainment unit (BCU). The JHH BCU and The Johns Hopkins biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) clinical microbiology laboratory designed and validated waste-handling protocols with simulated patient trash to ensure adequate sterilization. The results of the validation process revealed that autoclave factory default settings are potentially ineffective for certain types of medical waste and highlighted the critical role of waste packaging in successful sterilization. The lessons learned from the JHH validation process can inform the design of waste management protocols to ensure effective treatment of highly infectious medical waste. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  5. Airborne nanoparticle exposures associated with the manual handling of nanoalumina and nanosilver in fume hoods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsai, Su-Jung; Ada, Earl; Isaacs, Jacqueline A.; Ellenbecker, Michael J.

    2009-01-01

    Manual handling of nanoparticles is a fundamental task of most nanomaterial research; such handling may expose workers to ultrafine or nanoparticles. Recent studies confirm that exposures to ultrafine or nanoparticles produce adverse inflammatory responses in rodent lungs and such particles may translocate to other areas of the body, including the brain. An important method for protecting workers handling nanoparticles from exposure to airborne nanoparticles is the laboratory fume hood. Such hoods rely on the proper face velocity for optimum performance. In addition, several other hood design and operating factors can affect worker exposure. Handling experiments were performed to measure airborne particle concentration while handling nanoparticles in three fume hoods located in different buildings under a range of operating conditions. Nanoalumina and nanosilver were selected to perform handling experiments in the fume hoods. Air samples were also collected on polycarbonate membrane filters and particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Handling tasks included transferring particles from beaker to beaker by spatula and by pouring. Measurement locations were the room background, the researcher's breathing zone and upstream and downstream from the handling location. Variable factors studied included hood design, transfer method, face velocity/sash location and material types. Airborne particle concentrations measured at breathing zone locations were analyzed to characterize exposure level. Statistics were used to test the correlation between data. The test results found that the handling of dry powders consisting of nano-sized particles inside laboratory fume hoods can result in a significant release of airborne nanoparticles from the fume hood into the laboratory environment and the researcher's breathing zone. Many variables were found to affect the extent of particle release including hood design, hood operation (sash height, face velocity

  6. Airborne nanoparticle exposures associated with the manual handling of nanoalumina and nanosilver in fume hoods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsai, Su-Jung, E-mail: candace.umass@gmail.com; Ada, Earl [University of Massachusetts Lowell, NSF Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) (United States); Isaacs, Jacqueline A. [Northeastern University, NSF Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) (United States); Ellenbecker, Michael J. [University of Massachusetts Lowell, NSF Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) (United States)

    2009-01-15

    Manual handling of nanoparticles is a fundamental task of most nanomaterial research; such handling may expose workers to ultrafine or nanoparticles. Recent studies confirm that exposures to ultrafine or nanoparticles produce adverse inflammatory responses in rodent lungs and such particles may translocate to other areas of the body, including the brain. An important method for protecting workers handling nanoparticles from exposure to airborne nanoparticles is the laboratory fume hood. Such hoods rely on the proper face velocity for optimum performance. In addition, several other hood design and operating factors can affect worker exposure. Handling experiments were performed to measure airborne particle concentration while handling nanoparticles in three fume hoods located in different buildings under a range of operating conditions. Nanoalumina and nanosilver were selected to perform handling experiments in the fume hoods. Air samples were also collected on polycarbonate membrane filters and particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Handling tasks included transferring particles from beaker to beaker by spatula and by pouring. Measurement locations were the room background, the researcher's breathing zone and upstream and downstream from the handling location. Variable factors studied included hood design, transfer method, face velocity/sash location and material types. Airborne particle concentrations measured at breathing zone locations were analyzed to characterize exposure level. Statistics were used to test the correlation between data. The test results found that the handling of dry powders consisting of nano-sized particles inside laboratory fume hoods can result in a significant release of airborne nanoparticles from the fume hood into the laboratory environment and the researcher's breathing zone. Many variables were found to affect the extent of particle release including hood design, hood operation (sash height, face

  7. Sampling stored product insect pests: a comparison of four statistical sampling models for probability of pest detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Statistically robust sampling strategies form an integral component of grain storage and handling activities throughout the world. Developing sampling strategies to target biological pests such as insects in stored grain is inherently difficult due to species biology and behavioral characteristics. ...

  8. Continuous sampling from distributed streams

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Graham, Cormode; Muthukrishnan, S.; Yi, Ke

    2012-01-01

    A fundamental problem in data management is to draw and maintain a sample of a large data set, for approximate query answering, selectivity estimation, and query planning. With large, streaming data sets, this problem becomes particularly difficult when the data is shared across multiple distribu......A fundamental problem in data management is to draw and maintain a sample of a large data set, for approximate query answering, selectivity estimation, and query planning. With large, streaming data sets, this problem becomes particularly difficult when the data is shared across multiple...... distributed sites. The main challenge is to ensure that a sample is drawn uniformly across the union of the data while minimizing the communication needed to run the protocol on the evolving data. At the same time, it is also necessary to make the protocol lightweight, by keeping the space and time costs low...... for each participant. In this article, we present communication-efficient protocols for continuously maintaining a sample (both with and without replacement) from k distributed streams. These apply to the case when we want a sample from the full streams, and to the sliding window cases of only the W most...

  9. Ergonomics of disposable handles for minimally invasive surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Büchel, D; Mårvik, R; Hallabrin, B; Matern, U

    2010-05-01

    The ergonomic deficiencies of currently available minimally invasive surgery (MIS) instrument handles have been addressed in many studies. In this study, a new ergonomic pistol handle concept, realized as a prototype, and two disposable ring handles were investigated according to ergonomic properties set by new European standards. In this study, 25 volunteers performed four practical tasks to evaluate the ergonomics of the handles used in standard operating procedures (e.g., measuring a suture and cutting to length, precise maneuvering and targeting, and dissection of a gallbladder). Moreover, 20 participants underwent electromyography (EMG) tests to measure the muscle strain they experienced while carrying out the basic functions (grasp, rotate, and maneuver) in the x, y, and z axes. The data measured included the number of errors, the time required for task completion, perception of pressure areas, and EMG data. The values for usability in the test were effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction. Surveys relating to the subjective rating were completed after each task for each of the three handles tested. Each handle except the new prototype caused pressure areas and pain. Extreme differences in muscle strain could not be observed for any of the three handles. Experienced surgeons worked more quickly with the prototype when measuring and cutting a suture (approximately 20%) and during precise maneuvering and targeting (approximately 20%). On the other hand, they completed the dissection task faster with the handle manufactured by Ethicon. Fewer errors were made with the prototype in dissection of the gallbladder. In contrast to the handles available on the market, the prototype was always rated as positive by the volunteers in the subjective surveys. None of the handles could fulfil all of the requirements with top scores. Each handle had its advantages and disadvantages. In contrast to the ring handles, the volunteers could fulfil most of the tasks more

  10. Release protocol to address DOE moratorium on shipments of waste generated in radiologically controlled areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rathbun, L.A.; Boothe, G.F.

    1992-10-01

    On May 17, 1991 the US DOE Office of Waste Operations issued a moratorium on the shipment of hazardous waste from radiologically contaminated or potentially contaminated areas on DOE sites to offsite facilities not licensed for radiological material. This document describes a release protocol generated by Westinghouse Hanford submitted for US DOE approval. Topics considered include designating Radiological Materials Management Areas (RMMAs), classification of wastes, handling of mixed wastes, detection limits

  11. Radiological safety aspects of handling plutonium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sundararajan, A.R.

    2016-01-01

    Department of Atomic Energy in its scheme of harnessing the nuclear energy for electrical power generation and strategic applications has given a huge role to utilization of plutonium. In the power production programme, fast reactors with plutonium as fuel are expected to play a major role. This would require establishing fuel reprocessing plants to handle both thermal and fast reactor fuels. So in the nuclear fuel cycle facilities variety of chemical, metallurgical, mechanical operations have to be carried out involving significant inventories of "2"3"9 Pu and associated radionuclides. Plutonium is the most radiotoxic radionuclide and therefore any facility handling it has to be designed and operated with utmost care. Two problems of major concern in the protection of persons working in plutonium handling facilities are the internal exposure to the operating personnel from uptake of plutonium and transplutonic nuclides as they are highly radiotoxic and the radiation exposure of hands and eye lens during fuel fabrication operations especially while handling recycled high burn up plutonium. In view of the fact that annual limit for intake is very small for "2"3"9Pu and its radiation emission characteristics are such that it is a huge challenge for the health physicists to detect Pu in air and in workers. This paper discusses the principles and practices followed in providing radiological surveillance to workers in plutonium handling areas. The challenges in protecting the workers from receiving exposures to hands and eye lens in handling high burn up plutonium are also discussed. The sites having Pu fuel cycle facilities should have trained medical staff to handle cases involving excessive intake of plutonium. (author)

  12. Enclosure for handling high activity materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jimeno de Osso, F.

    1977-01-01

    One of the most important problems that are met at the laboratories producing and handling radioisotopes is that of designing, building and operating enclosures suitable for the safe handling of active substances. With this purpose in mind, an enclosure has been designed and built for handling moderately high activities under a shielding made of 150 mm thick lead. In this report a description is given of those aspects that may be of interest to people working in this field. (Author)

  13. Enclosure for handling high activity materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jimeno de Osso, F

    1977-07-01

    One of the most important problems that are met at the laboratories producing and handling radioisotopes is that of designing, building and operating enclosures suitable for the safe handling of active substances. With this purpose in mind, an enclosure has been designed and built for handling moderately high activities under a shielding made of 150 mm thick lead. In this report a description is given of those aspects that may be of interest to people working in this field. (Author)

  14. Closed-system drug-transfer devices plus safe handling of hazardous drugs versus safe handling alone for reducing exposure to infusional hazardous drugs in healthcare staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurusamy, Kurinchi Selvan; Best, Lawrence Mj; Tanguay, Cynthia; Lennan, Elaine; Korva, Mika; Bussières, Jean-François

    2018-03-27

    Occupational exposure to hazardous drugs can decrease fertility and result in miscarriages, stillbirths, and cancers in healthcare staff. Several recommended practices aim to reduce this exposure, including protective clothing, gloves, and biological safety cabinets ('safe handling'). There is significant uncertainty as to whether using closed-system drug-transfer devices (CSTD) in addition to safe handling decreases the contamination and risk of staff exposure to infusional hazardous drugs compared to safe handling alone. To assess the effects of closed-system drug-transfer of infusional hazardous drugs plus safe handling versus safe handling alone for reducing staff exposure to infusional hazardous drugs and risk of staff contamination. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, OSH-UPDATE, CINAHL, Science Citation Index Expanded, economic evaluation databases, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and ClinicalTrials.gov to October 2017. We included comparative studies of any study design (irrespective of language, blinding, or publication status) that compared CSTD plus safe handling versus safe handling alone for infusional hazardous drugs. Two review authors independently identified trials and extracted data. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using both fixed-effect and random-effects models. We assessed risk of bias according to the risk of bias in non-randomised studies of interventions (ROBINS-I) tool, used an intracluster correlation coefficient of 0.10, and we assessed the quality of the evidence using GRADE. We included 23 observational cluster studies (358 hospitals) in this review. We did not find any randomised controlled trials or formal economic evaluations. In 21 studies, the people who used the intervention (CSTD plus safe handling) and control (safe handling alone) were pharmacists or pharmacy

  15. A distance limited method for sampling downed coarse woody debris

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeffrey H. Gove; Mark J. Ducey; Harry T. Valentine; Michael S. Williams

    2012-01-01

    A new sampling method for down coarse woody debris is proposed based on limiting the perpendicular distance from individual pieces to a randomly chosen sample point. Two approaches are presented that allow different protocols to be used to determine field measurements; estimators for each protocol are also developed. Both protocols are compared via simulation against...

  16. Specialization and Flexibility in Port Cargo Handling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hakkı KİŞİ

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Cargo handling appears to be the fundamental function of ports. In this context, the question of type of equipment and capacity rate need to be tackled with respect to cargo handling principles. The purpose of this study is to discuss the types of equipment to be used in ports, relating the matter to costs and capacity. The question is studied with a basic economic theoretical approach. Various conditions like port location, size, resources, cargo traffic, ships, etc. are given parameters to dictate the type and specification of the cargo handling equipment. Besides, a simple approach in the context of cost capacity relation can be useful in deciding whether to use specialized or flexible equipment. Port equipment is sometimes expected to be flexible to handle various types of cargo as many as possible and sometimes to be specialized to handle one specific type of cargo. The cases that might be suitable for those alternatives are discussed from an economic point of view in this article. Consequently, effectiveness and efficiency criteria play important roles in determining the handling equipment in ports.

  17. Microbiological Safety and Food Handling Practices of Seed Sprout Products in the Australian State of Victoria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Symes, Sally; Goldsmith, Paul; Haines, Heather

    2015-07-01

    Seed sprouts have been implicated as vehicles for numerous foodborne outbreaks worldwide. Seed sprouts pose a unique food safety concern because of the ease of microbiological seed contamination, the inherent ability of the sprouting process to support microbial growth, and their consumption either raw or lightly cooked. To examine seed sprout safety in the Australian state of Victoria, a survey was conducted to detect specific microbes in seed sprout samples and to investigate food handling practices relating to seed sprouts. A total of 298 seed sprout samples were collected from across 33 local council areas. Escherichia coli was detected in 14.8%, Listeria spp. in 12.3%, and Listeria monocytogenes in 1.3% of samples analyzed. Salmonella spp. were not detected in any of the samples. A range of seed sprout handling practices were identified as potential food safety issues in some food businesses, including temperature control, washing practices, length of storage, and storage in proximity to unpackaged ready-to-eat potentially hazardous foods.

  18. HMSRP Hawaiian Monk Seal Handling Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains records for all handling and measurement of Hawaiian monk seals since 1981. Live seals are handled and measured during a variety of events...

  19. Management of transport and handling contracts

    CERN Document Server

    Rühl, I

    2004-01-01

    This paper shall outline the content, application and management strategies for the various contracts related to transport and handling activities. In total, the two sections Logistics and Handling Maintenance are in charge of 27 (!) contracts ranging from small supply contracts to big industrial support contracts. The activities as well as the contracts can generally be divided into four main topics "Vehicle Fleet Management"; "Supply, Installation and Commissioning of Lifting and Hoisting Equipment"; "Equipment Maintenance" and "Industrial Support for Transport and Handling". Each activity and contract requires different approaches and permanent adaptation to the often changing CERN's requirements. In particular, the management and the difficulties experienced with the contracts E072 "Maintenance of lifting and hoisting equipment", F420 "Supply of seven overhead traveling cranes for LHC" and S090/S103 "Industrial support for transport and handling" will be explained in detail.

  20. ISS protocol for EPR tooth dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onori, S.; Aragno, D.; Fattibene, P.; Petetti, E.; Pressello, M.C.

    2000-01-01

    The accuracy in Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) dose reconstruction with tooth enamel is affected by sample preparation, dosimetric signal amplitude evaluation and unknown dose estimate. Worldwide efforts in the field of EPR dose reconstruction with tooth enamel are focused on the optimization of the three mentioned steps in dose assessment. In the present work, the protocol implemented at ISS in the framework of the European Community Nuclear Fission Safety project 'Dose Reconstruction' is presented. A combined mechanical-chemical procedure for ground enamel sample preparation is used. The signal intensity evaluation is carried out with powder spectra simulation program. Finally, the unknown dose is evaluated individually for each sample with the additive dose method. The unknown dose is obtained by subtracting a mean native dose from the back-extrapolated dose. As an example of the capability of the ISS protocol in unknown dose evaluation, the results obtained in the framework of the 2nd International Intercomparison on EPR tooth enamel dosimetry are reported

  1. Ergonomics: safe patient handling and mobility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallmark, Beth; Mechan, Patricia; Shores, Lynne

    2015-03-01

    This article reviews and investigates the issues surrounding ergonomics, with a specific focus on safe patient handling and mobility. The health care worker of today faces many challenges, one of which is related to the safety of patients. Safe patient handling and mobility is on the forefront of the movement to improve patient safety. This article reviews the risks associated with patient handling and mobility, and informs the reader of current evidence-based practice relevant to this area of care. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Energy-Efficient Boarder Node Medium Access Control Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razaque, Abdul; Elleithy, Khaled M.

    2014-01-01

    This paper introduces the design, implementation, and performance analysis of the scalable and mobility-aware hybrid protocol named boarder node medium access control (BN-MAC) for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which leverages the characteristics of scheduled and contention-based MAC protocols. Like contention-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC achieves high channel utilization, network adaptability under heavy traffic and mobility, and low latency and overhead. Like schedule-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC reduces idle listening time, emissions, and collision handling at low cost at one-hop neighbor nodes and achieves high channel utilization under heavy network loads. BN-MAC is particularly designed for region-wise WSNs. Each region is controlled by a boarder node (BN), which is of paramount importance. The BN coordinates with the remaining nodes within and beyond the region. Unlike other hybrid MAC protocols, BN-MAC incorporates three promising models that further reduce the energy consumption, idle listening time, overhearing, and congestion to improve the throughput and reduce the latency. One of the models used with BN-MAC is automatic active and sleep (AAS), which reduces the ideal listening time. When nodes finish their monitoring process, AAS lets them automatically go into the sleep state to avoid the idle listening state. Another model used in BN-MAC is the intelligent decision-making (IDM) model, which helps the nodes sense the nature of the environment. Based on the nature of the environment, the nodes decide whether to use the active or passive mode. This decision power of the nodes further reduces energy consumption because the nodes turn off the radio of the transceiver in the passive mode. The third model is the least-distance smart neighboring search (LDSNS), which determines the shortest efficient path to the one-hop neighbor and also provides cross-layering support to handle the mobility of the nodes. The BN-MAC also incorporates a semi

  3. Energy-efficient boarder node medium access control protocol for wireless sensor networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razaque, Abdul; Elleithy, Khaled M

    2014-03-12

    This paper introduces the design, implementation, and performance analysis of the scalable and mobility-aware hybrid protocol named boarder node medium access control (BN-MAC) for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which leverages the characteristics of scheduled and contention-based MAC protocols. Like contention-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC achieves high channel utilization, network adaptability under heavy traffic and mobility, and low latency and overhead. Like schedule-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC reduces idle listening time, emissions, and collision handling at low cost at one-hop neighbor nodes and achieves high channel utilization under heavy network loads. BN-MAC is particularly designed for region-wise WSNs. Each region is controlled by a boarder node (BN), which is of paramount importance. The BN coordinates with the remaining nodes within and beyond the region. Unlike other hybrid MAC protocols, BN-MAC incorporates three promising models that further reduce the energy consumption, idle listening time, overhearing, and congestion to improve the throughput and reduce the latency. One of the models used with BN-MAC is automatic active and sleep (AAS), which reduces the ideal listening time. When nodes finish their monitoring process, AAS lets them automatically go into the sleep state to avoid the idle listening state. Another model used in BN-MAC is the intelligent decision-making (IDM) model, which helps the nodes sense the nature of the environment. Based on the nature of the environment, the nodes decide whether to use the active or passive mode. This decision power of the nodes further reduces energy consumption because the nodes turn off the radio of the transceiver in the passive mode. The third model is the least-distance smart neighboring search (LDSNS), which determines the shortest efficient path to the one-hop neighbor and also provides cross-layering support to handle the mobility of the nodes. The BN-MAC also incorporates a semi

  4. Energy-Efficient Boarder Node Medium Access Control Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdul Razaque

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces the design, implementation, and performance analysis of the scalable and mobility-aware hybrid protocol named boarder node medium access control (BN-MAC for wireless sensor networks (WSNs, which leverages the characteristics of scheduled and contention-based MAC protocols. Like contention-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC achieves high channel utilization, network adaptability under heavy traffic and mobility, and low latency and overhead. Like schedule-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC reduces idle listening time, emissions, and collision handling at low cost at one-hop neighbor nodes and achieves high channel utilization under heavy network loads. BN-MAC is particularly designed for region-wise WSNs. Each region is controlled by a boarder node (BN, which is of paramount importance. The BN coordinates with the remaining nodes within and beyond the region. Unlike other hybrid MAC protocols, BN-MAC incorporates three promising models that further reduce the energy consumption, idle listening time, overhearing, and congestion to improve the throughput and reduce the latency. One of the models used with BN-MAC is automatic active and sleep (AAS, which reduces the ideal listening time. When nodes finish their monitoring process, AAS lets them automatically go into the sleep state to avoid the idle listening state. Another model used in BN-MAC is the intelligent decision-making (IDM model, which helps the nodes sense the nature of the environment. Based on the nature of the environment, the nodes decide whether to use the active or passive mode. This decision power of the nodes further reduces energy consumption because the nodes turn off the radio of the transceiver in the passive mode. The third model is the least-distance smart neighboring search (LDSNS, which determines the shortest efficient path to the one-hop neighbor and also provides cross-layering support to handle the mobility of the nodes. The BN-MAC also incorporates a semi

  5. Remote handling equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clement, G.

    1984-01-01

    After a definition of intervention, problems encountered for working in an adverse environment are briefly analyzed for development of various remote handling equipments. Some examples of existing equipments are given [fr

  6. Protocol for Measuring the Thermal Properties of a Supercooled Synthetic Sand-water-gas-methane Hydrate Sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muraoka, Michihiro; Susuki, Naoko; Yamaguchi, Hiroko; Tsuji, Tomoya; Yamamoto, Yoshitaka

    2016-03-21

    Methane hydrates (MHs) are present in large amounts in the ocean floor and permafrost regions. Methane and hydrogen hydrates are being studied as future energy resources and energy storage media. To develop a method for gas production from natural MH-bearing sediments and hydrate-based technologies, it is imperative to understand the thermal properties of gas hydrates. The thermal properties' measurements of samples comprising sand, water, methane, and MH are difficult because the melting heat of MH may affect the measurements. To solve this problem, we performed thermal properties' measurements at supercooled conditions during MH formation. The measurement protocol, calculation method of the saturation change, and tips for thermal constants' analysis of the sample using transient plane source techniques are described here. The effect of the formation heat of MH on measurement is very small because the gas hydrate formation rate is very slow. This measurement method can be applied to the thermal properties of the gas hydrate-water-guest gas system, which contains hydrogen, CO2, and ozone hydrates, because the characteristic low formation rate of gas hydrate is not unique to MH. The key point of this method is the low rate of phase transition of the target material. Hence, this method may be applied to other materials having low phase-transition rates.

  7. Welding method by remote handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashinokuchi, Minoru.

    1994-01-01

    Water is charged into a pit (or a water reservoir) and an article to be welded is placed on a support in the pit by remote handling. A steel plate is disposed so as to cover the article to be welded by remote handling. The welding device is positioned to the portion to be welded and fixed in a state where the article to be welded is shielded from radiation by water and the steel plate. Water in the pit is drained till the portion to be welded is exposed to the atmosphere. Then, welding is conducted. After completion of the welding, water is charged again to the pit and the welding device and fixing jigs are decomposed in a state where the article to be welded is shielded again from radiation by water and the steel plate. Subsequently, the steel plate is removed by remote handling. Then, the article to be welded is returned from the pit to a temporary placing pool by remote handling. This can reduce operator's exposure. Further, since the amount of the shielding materials can be minimized, the amount of radioactive wastes can be decreased. (I.N.)

  8. Comparison of methods for the quantification of the different carbon fractions in atmospheric aerosol samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nunes, Teresa; Mirante, Fátima; Almeida, Elza; Pio, Casimiro

    2010-05-01

    future the EUSAAR-2 protocol will be adopted the past measurement of carbonaceous fractions can be used for trend analysis. However this study demonstrates that the temperature control during post-sampling handling is a critical point in total OC and TC quantification that must be assigned in the new European protocol. References: Cavali et al., 2009, AMTD 2, 2321-2345, 2009 Chow et al., 2001, Aerosol. Sci. Technol., 34, 23-34, 2001. Pio et al., 1994, Proceedings of the Sixth European Symposium on Physico-Chemical Behavior of Atmospheric Pollutants. Report EUR 15609/2 EN, pp. 706-711. Pio et al, 2007, J. Geophys. Res. 112, D23S02 Acknowledgement: This work was funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation through the projects POCI/AMB/60267/2004 and PTDC/AMB/65706/2006 (BIOEMI). F. Mirante acknowledges the PhD grant SFRH/BD/45473/2008.

  9. Progress in standardization for ITER Remote Handling control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamilton, David Thomas; Tesini, Alessandro; Ranz, Roberto; Kozaka, Hiroshi

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Standard parts specified for ITER Remote Handling (RH) control system. • Standard approach for VR modeling of structural deformations in real-time. • RH Core System produced as standard platform for RH controller applications. • Synthetic Viewing investigated and demonstrated. • Structured language defined for RH operation procedures and motion sequences. - Abstract: An integrated control system architecture has been defined for the ITER Remote Handling (RH) equipment systems, and work has been continuing to develop and validate standards for this architecture. Evaluations of standard parts and a standard control room work-cell have contributed to an update of the RH Control System Design Handbook, while R and D activities have been carried out to validate concepts for standard solutions to ITER RH problems: the use of a standard master arm with different slave arms, the achievement of high accuracy tracking of RH operations within virtual reality, and condition monitoring of RH equipment systems. The standardization efforts have been consolidated through the development of a freely distributable software platform to support the adoption of the ITER RH standards. The RH Core System installs on top of the CODAC Core System and provides the basic platform for the development of ITER RH equipment controller applications. The standardization work has continued in the areas of RH viewing, network communication protocols, and a structured language for programming ITER RH operations. Prototyping has been done on high-level control system applications, and R and D has been carried out in the area of synthetic viewing for ITER RH. These developments will be reflected in a new version of the RH Core System to be produced during 2013

  10. Progress in standardization for ITER Remote Handling control system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamilton, David Thomas, E-mail: david.hamilton@iter.org [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon, 13115 St. Paul-lez-Durance (France); Tesini, Alessandro [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon, 13115 St. Paul-lez-Durance (France); Ranz, Roberto [Fusion for Energy, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, Josep Pla 2, 08019 Barcelona (Spain); Kozaka, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fusion Research and Development Directorate, Naka, Ibaraki-ken 311-0193 (Japan)

    2014-10-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Standard parts specified for ITER Remote Handling (RH) control system. • Standard approach for VR modeling of structural deformations in real-time. • RH Core System produced as standard platform for RH controller applications. • Synthetic Viewing investigated and demonstrated. • Structured language defined for RH operation procedures and motion sequences. - Abstract: An integrated control system architecture has been defined for the ITER Remote Handling (RH) equipment systems, and work has been continuing to develop and validate standards for this architecture. Evaluations of standard parts and a standard control room work-cell have contributed to an update of the RH Control System Design Handbook, while R and D activities have been carried out to validate concepts for standard solutions to ITER RH problems: the use of a standard master arm with different slave arms, the achievement of high accuracy tracking of RH operations within virtual reality, and condition monitoring of RH equipment systems. The standardization efforts have been consolidated through the development of a freely distributable software platform to support the adoption of the ITER RH standards. The RH Core System installs on top of the CODAC Core System and provides the basic platform for the development of ITER RH equipment controller applications. The standardization work has continued in the areas of RH viewing, network communication protocols, and a structured language for programming ITER RH operations. Prototyping has been done on high-level control system applications, and R and D has been carried out in the area of synthetic viewing for ITER RH. These developments will be reflected in a new version of the RH Core System to be produced during 2013.

  11. Automated handling for SAF batch furnace and chemistry analysis operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowen, W.W.; Sherrell, D.L.; Wiemers, M.J.

    1981-01-01

    The Secure Automated Fabrication Program is developing a remotely operated breeder reactor fuel pin fabrication line. The equipment will be installed in the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility being constructed at Hanford, Washington. Production is scheduled to start in mid-1986. The application of small pneumatically operated industrial robots for loading and unloading product into and out of batch furnaces and for distribution and handling of chemistry samples is described

  12. Civilsamfundets ABC: H for Handling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund, Anker Brink; Meyer, Gitte

    2015-01-01

    Hvad er civilsamfundet? Anker Brink Lund og Gitte Meyer fra CBS Center for Civil Society Studies gennemgår civilsamfundet bogstav for bogstav. Vi er nået til H for Handling.......Hvad er civilsamfundet? Anker Brink Lund og Gitte Meyer fra CBS Center for Civil Society Studies gennemgår civilsamfundet bogstav for bogstav. Vi er nået til H for Handling....

  13. The technique on handling radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-11-01

    This book describes measurement of radiation and handling radiation. The first part deals with measurement of radiation. The contents of this part are characteristic on measurement technique of radiation, radiation detector, measurement of energy spectrum, measurement of radioactivity, measurement for a level of radiation and county's statistics on radiation. The second parts explains handling radiation with treating of sealed radioisotope, treating unsealed source and radiation shield.

  14. Uranium hexafluoride handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-01-01

    The United States Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Field Office, and Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., are co-sponsoring this Second International Conference on Uranium Hexafluoride Handling. The conference is offered as a forum for the exchange of information and concepts regarding the technical and regulatory issues and the safety aspects which relate to the handling of uranium hexafluoride. Through the papers presented here, we attempt not only to share technological advances and lessons learned, but also to demonstrate that we are concerned about the health and safety of our workers and the public, and are good stewards of the environment in which we all work and live. These proceedings are a compilation of the work of many experts in that phase of world-wide industry which comprises the nuclear fuel cycle. Their experience spans the entire range over which uranium hexafluoride is involved in the fuel cycle, from the production of UF 6 from the naturally-occurring oxide to its re-conversion to oxide for reactor fuels. The papers furnish insights into the chemical, physical, and nuclear properties of uranium hexafluoride as they influence its transport, storage, and the design and operation of plant-scale facilities for production, processing, and conversion to oxide. The papers demonstrate, in an industry often cited for its excellent safety record, continuing efforts to further improve safety in all areas of handling uranium hexafluoride

  15. The SHIP: A SIP to HTTP Interaction Protocol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeiß, Joachim; Gabner, Rene; Bessler, Sandford; Happenhofer, Marco

    IMS is capable of providing a wide range of services. As a result, terminal software becomes more and more complex to deliver network intelligence to user applications. Currently mobile terminal software needs to be permanently updated so that the latest network services and functionality can be delivered to the user. In the Internet, browser based user interfaces assure that an interface is made available to the user which offers the latest services in the net immediately. Our approach combines the benefits of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and those of the HTTP protocol to bring the same type of user interfacing to IMS. SIP (IMS) realizes authentication, session management, charging and Quality of Service (QoS), HTTP provides access to Internet services and allows the user interface of an application to run on a mobile terminal while processing and orchestration is done on the server. A SHIP enabled IMS client only needs to handle data transport and session management via SIP, HTTP and RTP and render streaming media, HTML and Javascript. SHIP allows new kinds of applications, which combine audio, video and data within a single multimedia session.

  16. Handling missing values in the MDS-UPDRS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goetz, Christopher G; Luo, Sheng; Wang, Lu; Tilley, Barbara C; LaPelle, Nancy R; Stebbins, Glenn T

    2015-10-01

    This study was undertaken to define the number of missing values permissible to render valid total scores for each Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) part. To handle missing values, imputation strategies serve as guidelines to reject an incomplete rating or create a surrogate score. We tested a rigorous, scale-specific, data-based approach to handling missing values for the MDS-UPDRS. From two large MDS-UPDRS datasets, we sequentially deleted item scores, either consistently (same items) or randomly (different items) across all subjects. Lin's Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) compared scores calculated without missing values with prorated scores based on sequentially increasing missing values. The maximal number of missing values retaining a CCC greater than 0.95 determined the threshold for rendering a valid prorated score. A second confirmatory sample was selected from the MDS-UPDRS international translation program. To provide valid part scores applicable across all Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stages when the same items are consistently missing, one missing item from Part I, one from Part II, three from Part III, but none from Part IV can be allowed. To provide valid part scores applicable across all H&Y stages when random item entries are missing, one missing item from Part I, two from Part II, seven from Part III, but none from Part IV can be allowed. All cutoff values were confirmed in the validation sample. These analyses are useful for constructing valid surrogate part scores for MDS-UPDRS when missing items fall within the identified threshold and give scientific justification for rejecting partially completed ratings that fall below the threshold. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  17. Generalized sampling in Julia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, Christian Robert Dahl; Nielsen, Morten; Rasmussen, Morten Grud

    2017-01-01

    Generalized sampling is a numerically stable framework for obtaining reconstructions of signals in different bases and frames from their samples. For example, one can use wavelet bases for reconstruction given frequency measurements. In this paper, we will introduce a carefully documented toolbox...... for performing generalized sampling in Julia. Julia is a new language for technical computing with focus on performance, which is ideally suited to handle the large size problems often encountered in generalized sampling. The toolbox provides specialized solutions for the setup of Fourier bases and wavelets....... The performance of the toolbox is compared to existing implementations of generalized sampling in MATLAB....

  18. Determination of hydrazine in drinking water: Development and multivariate optimization of a rapid and simple solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gionfriddo, Emanuela; Naccarato, Attilio; Sindona, Giovanni; Tagarelli, Antonio

    2014-07-04

    In this work, the capabilities of solid phase microextraction were exploited in a fully optimized SPME-GC-QqQ-MS analytical approach for hydrazine assay. A rapid and easy method was obtained by a simple derivatization reaction with propyl chloroformate and pyridine carried out directly in water samples, followed by automated SPME analysis in the same vial without further sample handling. The affinity of the different derivatized compounds obtained towards five commercially available SPME coatings was evaluated, in order to achieve the best extraction efficiency. GC analyses were carried out using a GC-QqQ-MS instrument in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) acquisition mode which has allowed the achievement of high specificity by selecting appropriate precursor-product ion couples improving the capability in analyte identification. The multivariate approach of experimental design was crucial in order to optimize derivatization reaction, SPME process and tandem mass spectrometry parameters. Accuracy of the proposed protocol, tested at 60, 200 and 800 ng L(-1), provided satisfactory values (114.2%, 83.6% and 98.6%, respectively), whereas precision (RSD%) at the same concentration levels were of 10.9%, 7.9% and 7.7% respectively. Limit of detection and quantification of 4.4 and 8.3 ng L(-1) were obtained. The reliable application of the proposed protocol to real drinking water samples confirmed its capability to be used as analytical tool for routine analyses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. EMS Adherence to a Pre-hospital Cervical Spine Clearance Protocol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johnson, David

    2001-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To determine the degree of adherence to a cervical spine (c-spine clearance protocol by pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS personnel by both self-assessment and receiving hospital assessment, to describe deviations from the protocol, and to determine if the rate of compliance by paramedic self-assessment differed from receiving hospital assessment. Methods: A retrospective sample of pre-hospital (consecutive series and receiving hospital (convenience sample assessments of the compliance with and appropriateness of c-spine immobilization. The c-spine clearance protocol was implemented for Orange County EMS just prior to the April-November 1999 data collection period. Results: We collected 396 pre-hospital and 162 receiving hospital data forms. From the pre-hospital data sheet. the percentage deviation from the protocol was 4.096 (16/396. Only one out of 16 cases that did not comply with the protocol was due to over immobilization (0.2%. The remaining 15 cases were under immobilized, according to protocol. Nine of the under immobilized cases (66% that should have been placed in c-spine precautions met physical assessment criteria in the protocol, while the other five cases met mechanism of injury criteria. The rate of deviations from protocol did not differ over time. The receiving hospital identified 8.0% (13/162; 6/16 over immobilized, 7/16 under immobilized of patients with deviations from the protocol; none was determined to have actual c-spine injury. Conclusion: The implementation of a pre-hospital c-spine clearance protocol in Orange County was associated with a moderate overall adherence rate (96% from the pre-hospital perspective, and 92% from the hospital perspective, p=.08 for the two evaluation methods. Most patients who deviated from protocol were under immobilized, but no c-spine injuries were missed. The rate of over immobilization was better than previously reported, implying a saving of resources.

  20. An optimised protocol for molecular identification of Eimeria from chickens☆

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Saroj; Garg, Rajat; Moftah, Abdalgader; Clark, Emily L.; Macdonald, Sarah E.; Chaudhry, Abdul S.; Sparagano, Olivier; Banerjee, Partha S.; Kundu, Krishnendu; Tomley, Fiona M.; Blake, Damer P.

    2014-01-01

    Molecular approaches supporting identification of Eimeria parasites infecting chickens have been available for more than 20 years, although they have largely failed to replace traditional measures such as microscopy and pathology. Limitations of microscopy-led diagnostics, including a requirement for specialist parasitological expertise and low sample throughput, are yet to be outweighed by the difficulties associated with accessing genomic DNA from environmental Eimeria samples. A key step towards the use of Eimeria species-specific PCR as a sensitive and reproducible discriminatory tool for use in the field is the production of a standardised protocol that includes sample collection and DNA template preparation, as well as primer selection from the numerous PCR assays now published. Such a protocol will facilitate development of valuable epidemiological datasets which may be easily compared between studies and laboratories. The outcome of an optimisation process undertaken in laboratories in India and the UK is described here, identifying four steps. First, samples were collected into a 2% (w/v) potassium dichromate solution. Second, oocysts were enriched by flotation in saturated saline. Third, genomic DNA was extracted using a QIAamp DNA Stool mini kit protocol including a mechanical homogenisation step. Finally, nested PCR was carried out using previously published primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS-1). Alternative methods tested included sample processing in the presence of faecal material, DNA extraction using a traditional phenol/chloroform protocol, the use of SCAR multiplex PCR (one tube and two tube versions) and speciation using the morphometric tool COCCIMORPH for the first time with field samples. PMID:24138724

  1. Handling Pyrophoric Reagents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alnajjar, Mikhail S.; Haynie, Todd O.

    2009-08-14

    Pyrophoric reagents are extremely hazardous. Special handling techniques are required to prevent contact with air and the resulting fire. This document provides several methods for working with pyrophoric reagents outside of an inert atmosphere.

  2. Developing protocols for geochemical baseline studies: An example from the Coles Hill uranium deposit, Virginia, USA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levitan, Denise M.; Schreiber, Madeline E.; Seal, Robert R.; Bodnar, Robert J.; Aylor, Joseph G.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We outline protocols for baseline geochemical surveys of stream sediments and water. • Regression on order statistics was used to handle non-detect data. • U concentrations in stream water near this unmined ore were below regulatory standards. • Concentrations of major and trace elements were correlated with stream discharge. • Methods can be applied to other extraction activities, including hydraulic fracturing. - Abstract: In this study, we determined baseline geochemical conditions in stream sediments and surface waters surrounding an undeveloped uranium deposit. Emphasis was placed on study design, including site selection to encompass geological variability and temporal sampling to encompass hydrological and climatic variability, in addition to statistical methods for baseline data analysis. The concentrations of most elements in stream sediments were above analytical detection limits, making them amenable to standard statistical analysis. In contrast, some trace elements in surface water had concentrations that were below the respective detection limits, making statistical analysis more challenging. We describe and compare statistical methods appropriate for concentrations that are below detection limits (non-detect data) and conclude that regression on order statistics provided the most rigorous analysis of our results, particularly for trace elements. Elevated concentrations of U and deposit-associated elements (e.g. Ba, Pb, and V) were observed in stream sediments and surface waters downstream of the deposit, but concentrations were below regulatory guidelines for the protection of aquatic ecosystems and for drinking water. Analysis of temporal trends indicated that concentrations of major and trace elements were most strongly related to stream discharge. These findings highlight the need for sampling protocols that will identify and evaluate the temporal and spatial variations in a thorough baseline study

  3. Management of Energy Consumption on Cluster Based Routing Protocol for MANET

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosseini-Seno, Seyed-Amin; Wan, Tat-Chee; Budiarto, Rahmat; Yamada, Masashi

    The usage of light-weight mobile devices is increasing rapidly, leading to demand for more telecommunication services. Consequently, mobile ad hoc networks and their applications have become feasible with the proliferation of light-weight mobile devices. Many protocols have been developed to handle service discovery and routing in ad hoc networks. However, the majority of them did not consider one critical aspect of this type of network, which is the limited of available energy in each node. Cluster Based Routing Protocol (CBRP) is a robust/scalable routing protocol for Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) and superior to existing protocols such as Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) in terms of throughput and overhead. Therefore, based on this strength, methods to increase the efficiency of energy usage are incorporated into CBRP in this work. In order to increase the stability (in term of life-time) of the network and to decrease the energy consumption of inter-cluster gateway nodes, an Enhanced Gateway Cluster Based Routing Protocol (EGCBRP) is proposed. Three methods have been introduced by EGCBRP as enhancements to the CBRP: improving the election of cluster Heads (CHs) in CBRP which is based on the maximum available energy level, implementing load balancing for inter-cluster traffic using multiple gateways, and implementing sleep state for gateway nodes to further save the energy. Furthermore, we propose an Energy Efficient Cluster Based Routing Protocol (EECBRP) which extends the EGCBRP sleep state concept into all idle member nodes, excluding the active nodes in all clusters. The experiment results show that the EGCBRP decreases the overall energy consumption of the gateway nodes up to 10% and the EECBRP reduces the energy consumption of the member nodes up to 60%, both of which in turn contribute to stabilizing the network.

  4. Wet gas sampling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Welker, T.F.

    1997-07-01

    The quality of gas has changed drastically in the past few years. Most gas is wet with hydrocarbons, water, and heavier contaminants that tend to condense if not handled properly. If a gas stream is contaminated with condensables, the sampling of that stream must be done in a manner that will ensure all of the components in the stream are introduced into the sample container as the composite. The sampling and handling of wet gas is extremely difficult under ideal conditions. There are no ideal conditions in the real world. The problems related to offshore operations and other wet gas systems, as well as the transportation of the sample, are additional problems that must be overcome if the analysis is to mean anything to the producer and gatherer. The sampling of wet gas systems is decidedly more difficult than sampling conventional dry gas systems. Wet gas systems were generally going to result in the measurement of one heating value at the inlet of the pipe and a drastic reduction in the heating value of the gas at the outlet end of the system. This is caused by the fallout or accumulation of the heavier products that, at the inlet, may be in the vapor state in the pipeline; hence, the high gravity and high BTU. But, in fact, because of pressure and temperature variances, these liquids condense and form a liquid that is actually running down the pipe as a stream or is accumulated in drips to be blown from the system. (author)

  5. Ad-Hoc vs. Standardized and Optimized Arthropod Diversity Sampling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Cardoso

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available The use of standardized and optimized protocols has been recently advocated for different arthropod taxa instead of ad-hoc sampling or sampling with protocols defined on a case-by-case basis. We present a comparison of both sampling approaches applied for spiders in a natural area of Portugal. Tests were made to their efficiency, over-collection of common species, singletons proportions, species abundance distributions, average specimen size, average taxonomic distinctness and behavior of richness estimators. The standardized protocol revealed three main advantages: (1 higher efficiency; (2 more reliable estimations of true richness; and (3 meaningful comparisons between undersampled areas.

  6. ATA diagnostic data handling system: an overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chambers, F.W.; Kallman, J.; McDonald, J.; Slominski, M.

    1984-01-01

    The functions to be performed by the ATA diagnostic data handling system are discussed. The capabilities of the present data acquisition system (System 0) are presented. The goals for the next generation acquisition system (System 1), currently under design, are discussed. Facilities on the Octopus system for data handling are reviewed. Finally, we discuss what has been learned about diagnostics and computer based data handling during the past year

  7. Automation of 3D micro object handling process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gegeckaite, Asta; Hansen, Hans Nørgaard

    2007-01-01

    Most of the micro objects in industrial production are handled with manual labour or in semiautomatic stations. Manual labour usually makes handling and assembly operations highly flexible, but slow, relatively imprecise and expensive. Handling of 3D micro objects poses special challenges due to ...

  8. Scheduling of outbound luggage handling at airports

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barth, Torben C.; Pisinger, David

    2012-01-01

    This article considers the outbound luggage handling problem at airports. The problem is to assign handling facilities to outbound flights and decide about the handling start time. This dynamic, near real-time assignment problem is part of the daily airport operations. Quality, efficiency......). Another solution method is a decomposition approach. The problem is divided into different subproblems and solved in iterative steps. The different solution approaches are tested on real world data from Frankfurt Airport....

  9. Sequence trajectory generation for garment handling systems

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Honghai; Lin, Hua

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents a novel generic approach to the planning strategy of garment handling systems. An assumption is proposed to separate the components of such systems into a component for intelligent gripper techniques and a component for handling planning strategies. Researchers can concentrate on one of the two components first, then merge the two problems together. An algorithm is addressed to generate the trajectory position and a clothes handling sequence of clothes partitions, which ar...

  10. Enhanced wood fuel handling: market and design studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Landen, R.; Rippengal, R.; Redman, A.N.

    1997-09-01

    This report examines the potential for the manufacture and sale of novel wood fuel handling systems as a means of addressing users' concerns regarding current capital costs and potential high labour costs of non-automated systems. The report considers fuel handling technology that is basically appropriate for wood-fired heating systems of between c.100kW and c.1MW maximum continuous rating. This report details work done by the project collaborators in order to: (1) assess the current status of wood fuel handling technology; (2) evaluate the market appetite for improved wood fuel handling technology; (3) derive capital costs which are acceptable to customers; (4) review design options; and (5) select one or more design options worthy of further development. The current status of wood fuel handling technology is determined, and some basic modelling to give guidance on acceptable capital costs of 100-1000kW wood fuel handling systems is undertaken. (author)

  11. Cleaning and Cleanliness Verification Techniques for Mars Returned Sample Handling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mickelson, E. T.; Lindstrom, D. J.; Allton, J. H.; Hittle, J. D.

    2002-01-01

    Precision cleaning and cleanliness verification techniques are examined as a subset of a comprehensive contamination control strategy for a Mars sample return mission. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

  12. Isolation of cancer cells by "in situ" microfluidic biofunctionalization protocols

    KAUST Repository

    De Vitis, Stefania; Matarise, Giuseppina; Pardeo, Francesca; Catalano, Rossella; Malara, Natalia Maria; Trunzo, Valentina; Tallerico, Rossana; Gentile, Francesco T.; Candeloro, Patrizio; Coluccio, Maria Laura; Massaro, Alessandro S.; Viglietto, Giuseppe; Carbone, Ennio; Kutter, Jö rg Peter; Perozziello, Gerardo; Di Fabrizio, Enzo M.

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this work is the development of a microfluidic immunosensor for the immobilization of cancer cells and their separation from healthy cells by using "in situ" microfluidic biofunctionalization protocols. These protocols allow to link antibodies on microfluidic device surfaces and can be used to study the interaction between cell membrane and biomolecules. Moreover they allow to perform analysis with high processing speed, small quantity of reagents and samples, short reaction times and low production costs. In this work the developed protocols were used in microfluidic devices for the isolation of cancer cells in heterogeneous blood samples by exploiting the binding of specific antibody to an adhesion protein (EpCAM), overexpressed on the tumor cell membranes. The presented biofunctionalization protocols can be performed right before running the experiment: this allows to have a flexible platform where biomolecules of interest can be linked on the device surface according to the user's needs. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Isolation of cancer cells by "in situ" microfluidic biofunctionalization protocols

    KAUST Repository

    De Vitis, Stefania

    2014-07-01

    The aim of this work is the development of a microfluidic immunosensor for the immobilization of cancer cells and their separation from healthy cells by using "in situ" microfluidic biofunctionalization protocols. These protocols allow to link antibodies on microfluidic device surfaces and can be used to study the interaction between cell membrane and biomolecules. Moreover they allow to perform analysis with high processing speed, small quantity of reagents and samples, short reaction times and low production costs. In this work the developed protocols were used in microfluidic devices for the isolation of cancer cells in heterogeneous blood samples by exploiting the binding of specific antibody to an adhesion protein (EpCAM), overexpressed on the tumor cell membranes. The presented biofunctionalization protocols can be performed right before running the experiment: this allows to have a flexible platform where biomolecules of interest can be linked on the device surface according to the user\\'s needs. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. TH-E-209-00: Radiation Dose Monitoring and Protocol Management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-01-01

    Radiation dose monitoring solutions have opened up new opportunities for medical physicists to be more involved in modern clinical radiology practices. In particular, with the help of comprehensive radiation dose data, data-driven protocol management and informed case follow up are now feasible. Significant challenges remain however and the problems faced by medical physicists are highly heterogeneous. Imaging systems from multiple vendors and a wide range of vintages co-exist in the same department and employ data communication protocols that are not fully standardized or implemented making harmonization complex. Many different solutions for radiation dose monitoring have been implemented by imaging facilities over the past few years. Such systems are based on commercial software, home-grown IT solutions, manual PACS data dumping, etc., and diverse pathways can be used to bring the data to impact clinical practice. The speakers will share their experiences with creating or tailoring radiation dose monitoring/management systems and procedures over the past few years, which vary significantly in design and scope. Topics to cover: (1) fluoroscopic dose monitoring and high radiation event handling from a large academic hospital; (2) dose monitoring and protocol optimization in pediatric radiology; and (3) development of a home-grown IT solution and dose data analysis framework. Learning Objectives: Describe the scope and range of radiation dose monitoring and protocol management in a modern radiology practice Review examples of data available from a variety of systems and how it managed and conveyed. Reflect on the role of the physicist in radiation dose awareness.

  15. TH-E-209-00: Radiation Dose Monitoring and Protocol Management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2016-06-15

    Radiation dose monitoring solutions have opened up new opportunities for medical physicists to be more involved in modern clinical radiology practices. In particular, with the help of comprehensive radiation dose data, data-driven protocol management and informed case follow up are now feasible. Significant challenges remain however and the problems faced by medical physicists are highly heterogeneous. Imaging systems from multiple vendors and a wide range of vintages co-exist in the same department and employ data communication protocols that are not fully standardized or implemented making harmonization complex. Many different solutions for radiation dose monitoring have been implemented by imaging facilities over the past few years. Such systems are based on commercial software, home-grown IT solutions, manual PACS data dumping, etc., and diverse pathways can be used to bring the data to impact clinical practice. The speakers will share their experiences with creating or tailoring radiation dose monitoring/management systems and procedures over the past few years, which vary significantly in design and scope. Topics to cover: (1) fluoroscopic dose monitoring and high radiation event handling from a large academic hospital; (2) dose monitoring and protocol optimization in pediatric radiology; and (3) development of a home-grown IT solution and dose data analysis framework. Learning Objectives: Describe the scope and range of radiation dose monitoring and protocol management in a modern radiology practice Review examples of data available from a variety of systems and how it managed and conveyed. Reflect on the role of the physicist in radiation dose awareness.

  16. Publication trends of study protocols in rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jesus, Tiago S; Colquhoun, Heather L

    2017-09-04

    Growing evidence points for the need to publish study protocols in the health field. To observe whether the growing interest in publishing study protocols in the broader health field has been translated into increased publications of rehabilitation study protocols. Observational study using publication data and its indexation in PubMed. Not applicable. Not applicable. PubMed was searched with appropriate combinations of Medical Subject Headings up to December 2014. The effective presence of study protocols was manually screened. Regression models analyzed the yearly growth of publications. Two-sample Z-tests analyzed whether the proportion of Systematic Reviews (SRs) and Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) among study protocols differed from that of the same designs for the broader rehabilitation research. Up to December 2014, 746 publications of rehabilitation study protocols were identified, with an exponential growth since 2005 (r2=0.981; p<0.001). RCT protocols were the most common among rehabilitation study protocols (83%), while RCTs were significantly more prevalent among study protocols than among the broader rehabilitation research (83% vs. 35.8%; p<0.001). For SRs, the picture was reversed: significantly less common among study protocols (2.8% vs. 9.3%; p<0.001). Funding was more often reported by rehabilitation study protocols than the broader rehabilitation research (90% vs. 53.1%; p<0.001). Rehabilitation journals published a significantly lower share of rehabilitation study protocols than they did for the broader rehabilitation research (1.8% vs.16.7%; p<0.001). Identifying the reasons for these discrepancies and reverting unwarranted disparities (e.g. low rate of publication for rehabilitation SR protocols) are likely new avenues for rehabilitation research and its publication. SRs, particularly those aggregating RCT results, are considered the best standard of evidence to guide rehabilitation clinical practice; however, that standard can be improved

  17. Psychosocial Determinants of Conflict-Handling Behaviour of Workers in Oil Sector in Nigeria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bankole, Akanji Rafiu

    2011-01-01

    The study examined the joint and relative influence of three psychosocial factors: Emotional intelligence, communication skill and interpersonal skill on conflict-handling behaviour of oil workers in Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted and a sample of 610 workers was randomly selected from oil companies across the country. Data were…

  18. Initial Characterization of Optical Communications with Disruption-Tolerant Network Protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoolcraft, Joshua; Wilson, Keith

    2011-01-01

    Disruption-tolerant networks (DTNs) are groups of network assets connected with a suite of communication protocol technologies designed to mitigate the effects of link delay and disruption. Application of DTN protocols to diverse groups of network resources in multiple sub-networks results in an overlay network-of-networks with autonomous data routing capability. In space environments where delay or disruption is expected, performance of this type of architecture (such as an interplanetary internet) can increase with the inclusion of new communications mediums and techniques. Space-based optical communication links are therefore an excellent building block of space DTN architectures. When compared to traditional radio frequency (RF) communications, optical systems can provide extremely power-efficient and high bandwidth links bridging sub-networks. Because optical links are more susceptible to link disruption and experience the same light-speed delays as RF, optical-enabled DTN architectures can lessen potential drawbacks and maintain the benefits of autonomous optical communications over deep space distances. These environment-driven expectations - link delay and interruption, along with asymmetric data rates - are the purpose of the proof-of-concept experiment outlined herein. In recognizing the potential of these two technologies, we report an initial experiment and characterization of the performance of a DTN-enabled space optical link. The experiment design employs a point-to-point free-space optical link configured to have asymmetric bandwidth. This link connects two networked systems running a DTN protocol implementation designed and written at JPL for use on spacecraft, and further configured for higher bandwidth performance. Comparing baseline data transmission metrics with and without periodic optical link interruptions, the experiment confirmed the DTN protocols' ability to handle real-world unexpected link outages while maintaining capability of

  19. Remote handling for an ISIS target change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broome, T.A.; Holding, M.

    1989-01-01

    During 1987 two ISIS targets were changed. This document describes the main features of the remote handling aspects of the work. All the work has to be carried out using remote handling techniques. The radiation level measured on the surface of the reflector when the second target had been removed was about 800 mGy/h demonstrating that hands on operations on any part of the target reflector moderator assembly is not practical. The target changes were the first large scale operations in the Target Station Remote Handling Cell and a great deal was learned about both equipment and working practices. Some general principles emerged which are applicable to other active handling tasks on facilities like ISIS and these are discussed below. 8 figs

  20. An exploration of undergraduate nursing and physiotherapy students' views regarding education for patient handling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneafsey, Rosie; Ramsay, Jill; Edwards, Helen; Callaghan, Helen

    2012-12-01

    To ascertain the views of undergraduate student nurses and physiotherapists regarding their education in patient handling. Musculo-skeletal injuries are an important cause of staff sickness absence and attrition from the nursing profession and are a recognised problem within the physiotherapy profession. Nurses and physiotherapists are at risk of musculo-skeletal injuries as a result of their role in assisting patients with movement. A questionnaire survey was undertaken of undergraduate nursing and physiotherapy students (n = 371) at one university. Most students agreed that university teaching about moving and handling prepared them for clinical practice (64%). Over a third reported that they had never undertaken a written moving and handling risk assessment in clinical practice (38%). Almost half of the sample (40%) admitted undertaking unsafe moving and handling activities. Half (50%) also stated that they would rather 'fit' into the team than challenge unsafe practice. Almost a third (29%) stated that they had begun to experience pain since becoming a student. There were significant differences between nursing and physiotherapy students. Physiotherapy students were more likely to report being supervised when moving and handling and reported being more assertive about adhering to safe practice. The well-being of both nursing and physiotherapy undergraduate students is threatened when students undertake work placements in clinical settings. University-based education in safe patient handling, though important, can be undermined by workplace settings where unsafe practices occur. Collaboration is needed between university educators, managers and practice-based mentors to support students to maintain safe approaches to moving and handling patients. A third of students reported developing pain since becoming a healthcare student. Students entering their professions already injured may leave the workforce owing to poor physical well-being. It is vital that the

  1. Materials Handling. Module SH-01. Safety and Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Center for Occupational Research and Development, Inc., Waco, TX.

    This student module on materials handling is one of 50 modules concerned with job safety and health. It presents the procedures for safe materials handling. Discussed are manual handling methods (lifting and carrying by hand) and mechanical lifting (lifting by powered trucks, cranes or conveyors). Following the introduction, 15 objectives (each…

  2. Incorporating Handling Qualities Analysis into Rotorcraft Conceptual Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, Ben

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the initial development of a framework to incorporate handling qualities analyses into a rotorcraft conceptual design process. In particular, the paper describes how rotorcraft conceptual design level data can be used to generate flight dynamics models for handling qualities analyses. Also, methods are described that couple a basic stability augmentation system to the rotorcraft flight dynamics model to extend analysis to beyond that of the bare airframe. A methodology for calculating the handling qualities characteristics of the flight dynamics models and for comparing the results to ADS-33E criteria is described. Preliminary results from the application of the handling qualities analysis for variations in key rotorcraft design parameters of main rotor radius, blade chord, hub stiffness and flap moment of inertia are shown. Varying relationships, with counteracting trends for different handling qualities criteria and different flight speeds are exhibited, with the action of the control system playing a complex part in the outcomes. Overall, the paper demonstrates how a broad array of technical issues across flight dynamics stability and control, simulation and modeling, control law design and handling qualities testing and evaluation had to be confronted to implement even a moderately comprehensive handling qualities analysis of relatively low fidelity models. A key outstanding issue is to how to 'close the loop' with an overall design process, and options for the exploration of how to feedback handling qualities results to a conceptual design process are proposed for future work.

  3. Enclosure for handling high activity materials abstract

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jimeno de Osso, F.; Dominguez Rodriguez, G.; Cruz Castillo, F. de la; Rodriguez Esteban, A.

    1977-01-01

    One of the most important problems that are met at the laboratories producing and handling radioisotopes is that of designing, building and operating enclosures suitable for the safe handling of active substances. With that purpose in mind, an enclosure has been designed and built for handling moderately high activities under a shielding made of 150 mm thick lead. A description is given of those aspects that may be of interest to people working in this field. (author) [es

  4. Development of tritium-handling technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohmura, Hiroshi; Hosaka, Akio; Okamoto, Takahumi

    1988-01-01

    The overview of developing activities for tritium-handling techniques in IHI are presented. To establish a fusion power plant, tritium handling is one of the key technologies. Recently in JAERI, conceptual design of FER (Fusion Experimental Reactor) has been carried out, and the FER system requires a processing system for a large amount of tritium. IHI concentrate on investigation of fuel gas purification, isotope separation and storage systems under contract with Toshiba Corporation. Design results of the systems and each components are reviewed. IHI has been developing fundamental handling techniques which are the ZrNi bed for hydrogen isotope storage and isotope separation by laser. The ZrNi bed with a tritium storage capacity of 1000 Ci has been constructed and recovery capability of the hydrogen isotope until 10 -4 Torr {0.013 Pa} was confirmed. In laser isotope separation, the optimum laser wave length has been determined. (author)

  5. Handling of waste in ports

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olson, P.H.

    1994-01-01

    The regulations governing the handling of port-generated waste are often national and/or local legislation, whereas the handling of ship-generated waste is governed by the MARPOL Convention in most parts of the world. The handling of waste consists of two main phases -collection and treatment. Waste has to be collected in every port and on board every ship, whereas generally only some wastes are treated and to a certain degree in ports and on board ships. This paper considers the different kinds of waste generated in both ports and on board ships, where and how it is generated, how it could be collected and treated. The two sources are treated together to show how some ship-generated waste may be treated in port installations primarily constructed for the treatment of the port-generated waste, making integrated use of the available treatment facilities. (author)

  6. Magnetic resonance imaging of meniscal bucket-handle tears

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dfouni, N.; Garcia, J.; Kindynis, Ph.; Bosson, D.

    1997-01-01

    To define MR signs of meniscal bucket-handle tears and evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of this technique. Retrospective study of 30 patients with a meniscal bucket-handle tear and 30 with a different type of tear, all proven by arthroscopy. The following MR signs of a bucket-handle tear were evaluated: 'separate meniscal fragment, 'double posterior cruciate ligament', 'snake sign' and 'double anterior horn'. A correct diagnosis of a bucket-handle tear was only made in 18/30 of patients. Several of the MR signs were seen in the same patient in 17 cases. A double posterior cruciate ligament was present only in cases of medial meniscus tears. The 12 menisci without these signs, and therefore not diagnosed as bucket-handle tears, were all classified as meniscal tears on the basis of signal extending to the meniscal surface. Nine of these were not displaced into the inter-condylar notch at arthroscopy. The interobserver agreement was excellent: kappa 0.88. The diagnosis of a bucket-handle meniscal tear, if it is displaced, can be made when one or more of the four MR evaluated signs are present. Other forms of meniscal tears are only exceptionally diagnosed as bucket-handle tears. (authors)

  7. How to Handle Impasses in Bargaining.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durrant, Robert E.

    Guidelines in an outline format are presented to school board members and administrators on how to handle impasses in bargaining. The following two rules are given: there sometimes may be strikes, but there always will be settlements; and on the way to settlements, there always will be impasses. Suggestions for handling impasses are listed under…

  8. Protocol for Cohesionless Sample Preparation for Physical Experimentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-05-01

    Standard test method for consolidated drained triaxial compression test for soils . In Annual book of ASTM standards. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM...derived wherein uncertainties and laboratory scatter associated with soil fabric-behavior variance during sample preparation are mitigated. Samples of...wherein comparable analysis between different laboratory tests’ results can be made by ensuring a comparable soil fabric prior to laboratory testing

  9. Key handling in wireless sensor networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Y; Newe, T

    2007-01-01

    With the rapid growth of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), many advanced application areas have received significant attention. However, security will be an important factor for their full adoption. Wireless sensor nodes pose unique challenges and as such traditional security protocols, used in traditional networks cannot be applied directly. Some new protocols have been published recently with the goal of providing both privacy of data and authentication of sensor nodes for WSNs. Such protocols can employ private-key and/or public key cryptographic algorithms. Public key algorithms hold the promise of simplifying the network infrastructure required to provide security services such as: privacy, authentication and non-repudiation, while symmetric algorithms require less processing power on the lower power wireless node. In this paper a selection of key establishment/agreement protocols are reviewed and they are broadly divided into two categories: group key agreement protocols and pair-wise key establishment protocols. A summary of the capabilities and security related services provided by each protocol is provided

  10. Key handling in wireless sensor networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Y; Newe, T [Optical Fibre Sensors Research Centre, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Limerick, Limerick (Ireland)

    2007-07-15

    With the rapid growth of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), many advanced application areas have received significant attention. However, security will be an important factor for their full adoption. Wireless sensor nodes pose unique challenges and as such traditional security protocols, used in traditional networks cannot be applied directly. Some new protocols have been published recently with the goal of providing both privacy of data and authentication of sensor nodes for WSNs. Such protocols can employ private-key and/or public key cryptographic algorithms. Public key algorithms hold the promise of simplifying the network infrastructure required to provide security services such as: privacy, authentication and non-repudiation, while symmetric algorithms require less processing power on the lower power wireless node. In this paper a selection of key establishment/agreement protocols are reviewed and they are broadly divided into two categories: group key agreement protocols and pair-wise key establishment protocols. A summary of the capabilities and security related services provided by each protocol is provided.

  11. WASTE HANDLING BUILDING FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    J. D. Bigbee

    2000-06-21

    The Waste Handling Building Fire Protection System provides the capability to detect, control, and extinguish fires and/or mitigate explosions throughout the Waste Handling Building (WHB). Fire protection includes appropriate water-based and non-water-based suppression, as appropriate, and includes the distribution and delivery systems for the fire suppression agents. The Waste Handling Building Fire Protection System includes fire or explosion detection panel(s) controlling various detectors, system actuation, annunciators, equipment controls, and signal outputs. The system interfaces with the Waste Handling Building System for mounting of fire protection equipment and components, location of fire suppression equipment, suppression agent runoff, and locating fire rated barriers. The system interfaces with the Waste Handling Building System for adequate drainage and removal capabilities of liquid runoff resulting from fire protection discharges. The system interfaces with the Waste Handling Building Electrical Distribution System for power to operate, and with the Site Fire Protection System for fire protection water supply to automatic sprinklers, standpipes, and hose stations. The system interfaces with the Site Fire Protection System for fire signal transmission outside the WHB as needed to respond to a fire emergency, and with the Waste Handling Building Ventilation System to detect smoke and fire in specific areas, to protect building high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, and to control portions of the Waste Handling Building Ventilation System for smoke management and manual override capability. The system interfaces with the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) Operations Monitoring and Control System for annunciation, and condition status.

  12. WASTE HANDLING BUILDING FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    J. D. Bigbee

    2000-01-01

    The Waste Handling Building Fire Protection System provides the capability to detect, control, and extinguish fires and/or mitigate explosions throughout the Waste Handling Building (WHB). Fire protection includes appropriate water-based and non-water-based suppression, as appropriate, and includes the distribution and delivery systems for the fire suppression agents. The Waste Handling Building Fire Protection System includes fire or explosion detection panel(s) controlling various detectors, system actuation, annunciators, equipment controls, and signal outputs. The system interfaces with the Waste Handling Building System for mounting of fire protection equipment and components, location of fire suppression equipment, suppression agent runoff, and locating fire rated barriers. The system interfaces with the Waste Handling Building System for adequate drainage and removal capabilities of liquid runoff resulting from fire protection discharges. The system interfaces with the Waste Handling Building Electrical Distribution System for power to operate, and with the Site Fire Protection System for fire protection water supply to automatic sprinklers, standpipes, and hose stations. The system interfaces with the Site Fire Protection System for fire signal transmission outside the WHB as needed to respond to a fire emergency, and with the Waste Handling Building Ventilation System to detect smoke and fire in specific areas, to protect building high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, and to control portions of the Waste Handling Building Ventilation System for smoke management and manual override capability. The system interfaces with the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) Operations Monitoring and Control System for annunciation, and condition status

  13. Quinone-induced protein handling changes: Implications for major protein handling systems in quinone-mediated toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong, Rui; Siegel, David; Ross, David

    2014-01-01

    Para-quinones such as 1,4-Benzoquinone (BQ) and menadione (MD) and ortho-quinones including the oxidation products of catecholamines, are derived from xenobiotics as well as endogenous molecules. The effects of quinones on major protein handling systems in cells; the 20/26S proteasome, the ER stress response, autophagy, chaperone proteins and aggresome formation, have not been investigated in a systematic manner. Both BQ and aminochrome (AC) inhibited proteasomal activity and activated the ER stress response and autophagy in rat dopaminergic N27 cells. AC also induced aggresome formation while MD had little effect on any protein handling systems in N27 cells. The effect of NQO1 on quinone induced protein handling changes and toxicity was examined using N27 cells stably transfected with NQO1 to generate an isogenic NQO1-overexpressing line. NQO1 protected against BQ–induced apoptosis but led to a potentiation of AC- and MD-induced apoptosis. Modulation of quinone-induced apoptosis in N27 and NQO1-overexpressing cells correlated only with changes in the ER stress response and not with changes in other protein handling systems. These data suggested that NQO1 modulated the ER stress response to potentiate toxicity of AC and MD, but protected against BQ toxicity. We further demonstrated that NQO1 mediated reduction to unstable hydroquinones and subsequent redox cycling was important for the activation of the ER stress response and toxicity for both AC and MD. In summary, our data demonstrate that quinone-specific changes in protein handling are evident in N27 cells and the induction of the ER stress response is associated with quinone-mediated toxicity. - Highlights: • Unstable hydroquinones contributed to quinone-induced ER stress and toxicity

  14. Quinone-induced protein handling changes: Implications for major protein handling systems in quinone-mediated toxicity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiong, Rui; Siegel, David; Ross, David, E-mail: david.ross@ucdenver.edu

    2014-10-15

    Para-quinones such as 1,4-Benzoquinone (BQ) and menadione (MD) and ortho-quinones including the oxidation products of catecholamines, are derived from xenobiotics as well as endogenous molecules. The effects of quinones on major protein handling systems in cells; the 20/26S proteasome, the ER stress response, autophagy, chaperone proteins and aggresome formation, have not been investigated in a systematic manner. Both BQ and aminochrome (AC) inhibited proteasomal activity and activated the ER stress response and autophagy in rat dopaminergic N27 cells. AC also induced aggresome formation while MD had little effect on any protein handling systems in N27 cells. The effect of NQO1 on quinone induced protein handling changes and toxicity was examined using N27 cells stably transfected with NQO1 to generate an isogenic NQO1-overexpressing line. NQO1 protected against BQ–induced apoptosis but led to a potentiation of AC- and MD-induced apoptosis. Modulation of quinone-induced apoptosis in N27 and NQO1-overexpressing cells correlated only with changes in the ER stress response and not with changes in other protein handling systems. These data suggested that NQO1 modulated the ER stress response to potentiate toxicity of AC and MD, but protected against BQ toxicity. We further demonstrated that NQO1 mediated reduction to unstable hydroquinones and subsequent redox cycling was important for the activation of the ER stress response and toxicity for both AC and MD. In summary, our data demonstrate that quinone-specific changes in protein handling are evident in N27 cells and the induction of the ER stress response is associated with quinone-mediated toxicity. - Highlights: • Unstable hydroquinones contributed to quinone-induced ER stress and toxicity.

  15. Handling Kids in Crisis with Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bushinski, Cari

    2018-01-01

    The Handle with Care program helps schools help students who experience trauma. While at the scene of an event like a domestic violence call, drug raid, or car accident, law enforcement personnel determine the names and school of any children present. They notify that child's school to "handle ___ with care" the next day, and the school…

  16. Survey of tritiated oil sources and handling practices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, J.M.

    1994-08-01

    Tritium interactions with oil sources (primarily associated with pumps) in tritium-handling facilities can lead to the incorporation of tritium in the oil and the production of tritiated hydrocarbons. This results in a source of radiological hazard and the need for special handling considerations during maintenance, decontamination, decommissioning and waste packaging and storage. The results of a general survey of tritiated-oil sources and their associated characteristics, handling practices, analysis techniques and waste treatment/storage methods are summarized here. Information was obtained from various tritium-handling laboratories, fusion devices, and CANDU plants. 38 refs., 1 fig

  17. Effects of handling on fear reactions in young Icelandic horses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marsbøll, Anna Feldberg; Christensen, Janne Winther

    2015-01-01

    To investigate the effect of a short-term standardised handling procedure on reactions of young horses in 2 types of fear tests (including and excluding human handling). Study design An experimental study with 3-year-old Icelandic horses (n = 24). Methods Handled horses (n = 12) were trained according...... to a standardised handling procedure whereas controls (n = 12) remained untrained. Behavioural and heart rate responses in a novel object test and 2 handling fear tests (HFTs) were measured. The HFTs were conducted with both an unknown (HFT-unknown) and a known handler (HFT-known). Results There was no effect...... correlated significantly between tests. Conclusions Previous handling may affect the behavioural fear response of horses when handled by their usual handler, whereas this effect did not apply to an unknown handler. Heart rates appeared unaffected by handling and may be a more reliable indicator...

  18. Identification of a research protocol to study orthodontic tooth movement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annalisa Dichicco

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The orthodontic movement is associated with a process of tissue remodeling together with the release of several chemical mediators in periodontal tissues. Each mediator is a potential marker of tooth movement and expresses biological processes as: tissue inflammation and bone remodeling. Different amounts of every mediator are present in several tissues and fluids of the oral cavity. Therefore, there are different methods that allow sampling with several degrees of invasiveness. Chemical mediators are also substances of different molecular nature, and multiple kind of analysis methods allow detection. The purpose of this study was to draft the best research protocol for an optimal study on orthodontic movement efficiency. Methods: An analysis of the international literature have been made, to identify the gold standard of each aspect of the protocol: type of mediator, source and method of sampling and analysis method. Results: From the analysis of the international literature was created an original research protocol for the study and the assessment of the orthodontic movement, by using the biomarkers of the tooth movement. Conclusions: The protocol created is based on the choice of the gold standard of every aspect already analyzed in the literature and in existing protocols for the monitoring of orthodontic tooth movement through the markers of tooth movement. Clinical trials re required for the evaluation and validation of the protocol created.

  19. Obesity Resistance Promotes Mild Contractile Dysfunction Associated with Intracellular Ca2+ Handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sá, Felipe Gonçalves dos Santos de; Lima-Leopoldo, Ana Paula; Jacobsen, Bruno Barcellos; Ferron, Artur Junio Togneri; Estevam, Wagner Muller; Campos, Dijon Henrique Salomé; Castardeli, Edson; Cunha, Márcia Regina Holanda da; Cicogna, Antonio Carlos; Leopoldo, André Soares

    2015-01-01

    Diet-induced obesity is frequently used to demonstrate cardiac dysfunction. However, some rats, like humans, are susceptible to developing an obesity phenotype, whereas others are resistant to that. To evaluate the association between obesity resistance and cardiac function, and the impact of obesity resistance on calcium handling. Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats were distributed into two groups, each with 54 animals: control (C; standard diet) and obese (four palatable high-fat diets) for 15 weeks. After the experimental protocol, rats consuming the high-fat diets were classified according to the adiposity index and subdivided into obesity-prone (OP) and obesity-resistant (OR). Nutritional profile, comorbidities, and cardiac remodeling were evaluated. Cardiac function was assessed by papillary muscle evaluation at baseline and after inotropic maneuvers. The high-fat diets promoted increase in body fat and adiposity index in OP rats compared with C and OR rats. Glucose, lipid, and blood pressure profiles remained unchanged in OR rats. In addition, the total heart weight and the weight of the left and right ventricles in OR rats were lower than those in OP rats, but similar to those in C rats. Baseline cardiac muscle data were similar in all rats, but myocardial responsiveness to a post-rest contraction stimulus was compromised in OP and OR rats compared with C rats. Obesity resistance promoted specific changes in the contraction phase without changes in the relaxation phase. This mild abnormality may be related to intracellular Ca2+ handling

  20. Setting-up of a direct reading emission spectrometer and its adaptation for plutonium handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Page, A.G.; Godbole, S.V.; Kulkarni, M.J.; Porwal, N.K.; Thulasidas, S.K.; Sastry, M.D.; Srinivasan, P.S.

    1986-01-01

    A Jarrell-Ash 750 AtomComp 1100 series direct reading emission spectrometer was set up and its performance features were checked with regard to analysis of uranium-based samples using d.c. arc/inductively coupled argon plasma excitation techniques. The instrument has been subsequently modified to enable handling of plutonium-based samples. The modifications include building up of a specially designed glove-box around the excitation sources and consequent changes in the electro-mechanical controls associated with them. The modified system was extensively used for the trace metal assay of FBTR fuel sample. (author)

  1. Handling wood shavings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1974-09-18

    Details of bulk handling equipment suitable for collection and compressing wood waste from commercial joinery works are discussed. The Redler Bin Discharger ensures free flow of chips from storage silo discharge prior to compression into briquettes for use as fuel or processing into chipboard.

  2. Transboundary Movements of Genetically Modified Organisms and the Cartagena Protocol: Key Issues and Concerns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Odile J Lim Tung

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Biotechnology or the engineering of the genetic material of species can give way to avenues of possibilities for the benefit of people, fauna and flora but also has the potential of posing untold and undiscovered threats to human beings and other living organisms. One of the first attempts to legislate on international rules on biotechnology can be traced back to article 19 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD in 1992. The CBD is indeed the first international legal instrument apart from the then European Community’s relevant directives to suggest that biotechnology is a matter of concern for the international community while providing a basis upon which more detailed procedures would be elaborated in the field of biosafety. While the CBD includes international rules on access to genetic resources, access to and the transfer of technology, the handling of biotechnology and the distribution of its benefits, it does not include a detailed regulation on genetically modified organisms (GMOs and their possible adverse effects on the environment, human and animal health. It was only with the coming into existence of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (Cartagena Protocol to the CBD in 2000 that the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs such as genetically engineered plants, animals, and microbes were at last being catered for, albeit leaving aside the broader categories of GMOs. Due to the need for the negotiators of this protocol to make compromises, there were still key issues on the international biosafety framework pertaining mainly to the scope of the GMOs to be covered by this protocol and by the Advanced Informed Agreement procedure; identification and traceability issues; and liability and redress issues. Nine years after the entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol the transboundary movements of GMOs have clearly increased with new categories of GMOs and genetically modified products to regulate. The

  3. A Review of Vehicle to Vehicle Communication Protocols for VANETs in the Urban Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irshad Ahmed Abbasi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs have been gaining significant attention from the research community due to their increasing importance for building an intelligent transportation system. The characteristics of VANETs, such as high mobility, network partitioning, intermittent connectivity and obstacles in city environments, make routing a challenging task. Due to these characteristics of VANETs, the performance of a routing protocol is degraded. The position-based routing is considered to be the most significant approach in VANETs. In this paper, we present a brief review of most significant position based unicast routing protocols designed for vehicle to vehicle communications in the urban environment. We provide them with their working features for exchanging information between vehicular nodes. We describe their pros and cons. This study also provides a comparison of the vehicle to vehicle communication based routing protocols. The comparative study is based on some significant factors such as mobility, traffic density, forwarding techniques and method of junction selection mechanism, and strategy used to handle a local optimum situation. It also provides the simulation based study of existing dynamic junction selection routing protocols and a static junction selection routing protocol. It provides a profound insight into the routing techniques suggested in this area and the most valuable solutions to advance VANETs. More importantly, it can be used as a source of references to other researchers in finding literature that is relevant to routing in VANETs.

  4. Toward Synthesis, Analysis, and Certification of Security Protocols

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schumann, Johann

    2004-01-01

    Implemented security protocols are basically pieces of software which are used to (a) authenticate the other communication partners, (b) establish a secure communication channel between them (using insecure communication media), and (c) transfer data between the communication partners in such a way that these data only available to the desired receiver, but not to anyone else. Such an implementation usually consists of the following components: the protocol-engine, which controls in which sequence the messages of the protocol are sent over the network, and which controls the assembly/disassembly and processing (e.g., decryption) of the data. the cryptographic routines to actually encrypt or decrypt the data (using given keys), and t,he interface to the operating system and to the application. For a correct working of such a security protocol, all of these components must work flawlessly. Many formal-methods based techniques for the analysis of a security protocols have been developed. They range from using specific logics (e.g.: BAN-logic [4], or higher order logics [12] to model checking [2] approaches. In each approach, the analysis tries to prove that no (or at least not a modeled intruder) can get access to secret data. Otherwise, a scenario illustrating the &tack may be produced. Despite the seeming simplicity of security protocols ("only" a few messages are sent between the protocol partners in order to ensure a secure communication), many flaws have been detected. Unfortunately, even a perfect protocol engine does not guarantee flawless working of a security protocol, as incidents show. Many break-ins and security vulnerabilities are caused by exploiting errors in the implementation of the protocol engine or the underlying operating system. Attacks using buffer-overflows are a very common class of such attacks. Errors in the implementation of exception or error handling can open up additional vulnerabilities. For example, on a website with a log-in screen

  5. Detection and identification of Leishmania spp.: application of two hsp70-based PCR-RFLP protocols to clinical samples from the New World.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montalvo, Ana M; Fraga, Jorge; Tirado, Dídier; Blandón, Gustavo; Alba, Annia; Van der Auwera, Gert; Vélez, Iván Darío; Muskus, Carlos

    2017-07-01

    Leishmaniasis is highly prevalent in New World countries, where several methods are available for detection and identification of Leishmania spp. Two hsp70-based PCR protocols (PCR-N and PCR-F) and their corresponding restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) were applied for detection and identification of Leishmania spp. in clinical samples recruited in Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras. A total of 93 cases were studied. The samples were classified into positive or suspected of leishmaniasis according to parasitological criteria. Molecular amplification of two different hsp70 gene fragments and further RFLP analysis for identification of Leishmania species was done. The detection in parasitologically positive samples was higher using PCR-N than PCR-F. In the total of samples studied, the main species identified were Leishmania panamensis, Leishmania braziliensis, and Leishmania infantum (chagasi). Although RFLP-N was more efficient for the identification, RFLP-F is necessary for discrimination between L. panamensis and Leishmania guyanesis, of great importance in Colombia. Unexpectedly, one sample from this country revealed an RFLP pattern corresponding to Leishmania naiffi. Both molecular variants are applicable for the study of clinical samples originated in Colombia, Honduras, and Guatemala. Choosing the better tool for each setting depends on the species circulating. More studies are needed to confirm the presence of L. naiffi in Colombian territory.

  6. Handling of bulk solids theory and practice

    CERN Document Server

    Shamlou, P A

    1990-01-01

    Handling of Bulk Solids provides a comprehensive discussion of the field of solids flow and handling in the process industries. Presentation of the subject follows classical lines of separate discussions for each topic, so each chapter is self-contained and can be read on its own. Topics discussed include bulk solids flow and handling properties; pressure profiles in bulk solids storage vessels; the design of storage silos for reliable discharge of bulk materials; gravity flow of particulate materials from storage vessels; pneumatic transportation of bulk solids; and the hazards of solid-mater

  7. Torus sector handling system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grisham, D.L.

    1981-01-01

    A remote handling system is proposed for moving a torus sector of the accelerator from under the cryostat to a point where it can be handled by a crane and for the reverse process for a new sector. Equipment recommendations are presented, as well as possible alignment schemes. Some general comments about future remote-handling methods and the present capabilities of existing systems will also be included. The specific task to be addressed is the removal and replacement of a 425 to 450 ton torus sector. This requires a horizontal movement of approx. 10 m from a normal operating position to a point where its further transport can be accomplished by more conventional means (crane or floor transporter). The same horizontal movement is required for reinstallation, but a positional tolerance of 2 cm is required to allow reasonable fit-up for the vacuum seal from the radial frames to the torus sector. Since the sectors are not only heavy but rather tall and narrow, the transport system must provide a safe, stable, and repeatable method fo sector movement. This limited study indicates that the LAMPF-based method of transporting torus sectors offers a proven method of moving heavy items. In addition, the present state of the art in remote equipment is adequate for FED maintenance

  8. Extracting histones for the specific purpose of label-free MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Govaert, Elisabeth; Van Steendam, Katleen; Scheerlinck, Ellen; Vossaert, Liesbeth; Meert, Paulien; Stella, Martina; Willems, Sander; De Clerck, Laura; Dhaenens, Maarten; Deforce, Dieter

    2016-12-01

    Extracting histones from cells is the first step in studies that aim to characterize histones and their post-translational modifications (hPTMs) with MS. In the last decade, label-free quantification is more frequently being used for MS-based histone characterization. However, many histone extraction protocols were not specifically designed for label-free MS. While label-free quantification has its advantages, it is also very susceptible to technical variation. Here, we adjust an established histone extraction protocol according to general label-free MS guidelines with a specific focus on minimizing sample handling. These protocols are first evaluated using SDS-PAGE. Hereafter, a selection of extraction protocols was used in a complete histone workflow for label-free MS. All protocols display nearly identical relative quantification of hPTMs. We thus show that, depending on the cell type under investigation and at the cost of some additional contaminating proteins, minimizing sample handling can be done during histone isolation. This allows analyzing bigger sample batches, leads to reduced technical variation and minimizes the chance of in vitro alterations to the hPTM snapshot. Overall, these results allow researchers to determine the best protocol depending on the resources and goal of their specific study. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002885. © 2016 The Authors. Proteomics Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. BIPAP protocol usage in patients admitted to the Internal Medicine unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Óscar Bautista Villaécija

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The use of noninvasive mechanical ventilation equipment becomes more common in internal medicine units. Due to its indications, such as severe respiratory failure, or hypoxemic respiratory failure, it means a great help in these units. Within the multidisciplinary team, the medical staff is responsible for the prescription and programming of the device parameters, and the nursing staff handles such equipment and provides care to the patients requiring noninvasive mechanical ventilation.The objective of this protocol is to show in a clear and simple way, the noninvasive mechanical ventilation system, as well as its advantages and complications, and the nursing diagnoses that should be considered.

  10. Getting to grips with remote handling and robotics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mosey, D [Ontario Hydro, Toronto (Canada)

    1984-12-01

    A report on the Canadian Nuclear Society Conference on robotics and remote handling in the nuclear industry, September 1984. Remote handling in reactor operations, particularly in the Candu reactors is discussed, and the costs and benefits of use of remote handling equipment are considered. Steam generator inspection and repair is an area in which practical application of robotic technology has made a major advance.

  11. Remote sampling of process fluids in radiochemical plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sengar, P.B.; Bhattacharya, R.; Ozarde, P. D.; Rana, D.S.

    1990-01-01

    Sampling of process fluids, continuous or periodic, is an essential requirement in any chemical process plant, so as to keep a control on process variables. In a radiochemical plant the task of taking and conveying the samples is a very tricky affair. This is due to the fact that neither the vessels/equipment containing radioactive effluents can be approached for manual sampling nor sampled fluids can be handled directly. The problems become more accute with higher levels of radioactivity. As such, inovative systems have to be devised to obtain and handle the raioactive samples employing remote operations. The remote sampling system developed in this Division has some of the unique features such as taking only requisite amount of samples in microlitre range, practically maintenance free design, avoidence of excess radioactive fluids coming out of process systems, etc. The paper describes in detail the design of remote sampling system and compares the same with existing systems. The design efforts are towards simplicity in operation, obtaining homogenised representative samples and highly economical on man-rem expenditure. The performance of a prototype system has also been evaluated. (author). 3 refs

  12. Handling knowledge on osteoporosis - a qualitative study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Dorthe; Huniche, Lotte; Brixen, Kim

    2013-01-01

    Scand J Caring Sci; 2012 Handling knowledge on osteoporosis - a qualitative study The aim of this qualitative study was to increase understanding of the importance of osteoporosis information and knowledge for patients' ways of handling osteoporosis in their everyday lives. Interviews were...

  13. Redefining NHS complaint handling--the real challenge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seelos, L; Adamson, C

    1994-01-01

    More and more organizations find that a constructive and open dialogue with their customers can be an effective strategy for building long-term customer relations. In this context, it has been recognized that effective complaint-contact handling can make a significant contribution to organizations' attempts to maximize customer satisfaction and loyalty. Within the NHS, an intellectual awareness exists that effective complaint/contact handling can contribute to making services more efficient and cost-effective by developing customer-oriented improvement initiatives. Recent efforts have focused on redefining NHS complaint-handling procedures to make them more user-friendly and effective for both NHS employees and customers. Discusses the challenges associated with opening up the NHS to customer feedback. Highlights potential weaknesses in the current approach and argues that the real challenge is for NHS managers to facilitate a culture change that moves the NHS away from a long-established defensive complaint handling practice.

  14. A protocol for analysing thermal stress in insects using infrared thermography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallego, Belén; Verdú, José R; Carrascal, Luis M; Lobo, Jorge M

    2016-02-01

    The study of insect responses to thermal stress has involved a variety of protocols and methodologies that hamper the ability to compare results between studies. For that reason, the development of a protocol to standardize thermal assays is necessary. In this sense, infrared thermography solves some of the problems allowing us to take continuous temperature measurements without handling the individuals, an important fact in cold-blooded organisms like insects. Here, we present a working protocol based on infrared thermography to estimate both cold and heat thermal stress in insects. We analyse both the change in the body temperature of individuals and their behavioural response. In addition, we used partial least squares regression for the statistical analysis of our data, a technique that solves the problem of having a large number of variables and few individuals, allowing us to work with rare or endemic species. To test our protocol, we chose two species of congeneric, narrowly distributed dung beetles that are endemic to the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. With our protocol we have obtained five variables in the response to cold and twelve in the response to heat. With this methodology we discriminate between the two flightless species of Jekelius through their thermal response. In response to cold, Jekelius hernandezi showed a higher rate of cooling and reached higher temperatures of stupor and haemolymph freezing than Jekelius punctatolineatus. Both species displayed similar thermoregulation ranges before reaching lethal body temperature with heat stress. Overall, we have demonstrated that infrared thermography is a suitable method to assess insect thermal responses with a high degree of sensitivity, allowing for the discrimination between closely related species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. MHSS: a material handling system simulator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pomernacki, L.; Hollstien, R.B.

    1976-04-07

    A Material Handling System Simulator (MHSS) program is described that provides specialized functional blocks for modeling and simulation of nuclear material handling systems. Models of nuclear fuel fabrication plants may be built using functional blocks that simulate material receiving, storage, transport, inventory, processing, and shipping operations as well as the control and reporting tasks of operators or on-line computers. Blocks are also provided that allow the user to observe and gather statistical information on the dynamic behavior of simulated plants over single or replicated runs. Although it is currently being developed for the nuclear materials handling application, MHSS can be adapted to other industries in which material accountability is important. In this paper, emphasis is on the simulation methodology of the MHSS program with application to the nuclear material safeguards problem. (auth)

  16. Development of Safe Food Handling Guidelines for Korean Consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Hee-Jin; Lee, Min-Woo; Hwang, In-Kyeong; Kim, Jeong-Weon

    2015-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines for Korean consumers with regard to safe food handling practices at home by identifying current food handling issues. Korean consumers' behaviors regarding their safe food handling were identified via survey questionnaires that included items on individual hygiene practices, prepreparation steps when cooking, the cooking process, and the storage of leftover foods. The subjects were 417 Korean parents with elementary school children living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in the central area of Korea. The survey results revealed gaps between the knowledge or practices of Korean consumers and scientific evidence pertaining to safe food handling practices. Based on these findings, a leaflet on safe food handling guidelines was developed in accordance with Korean food culture. These guidelines suggest personal hygiene practices as well as fundamental principles and procedures for safe food handling from the stage of food purchase to that of keeping leftover dishes. A pilot application study with 50 consumers revealed that the guidelines effectively improved Korean consumers' safe food handling practices, suggesting that they can serve as practical educational material suitable for Korean consumers.

  17. Lichen elements as pollution indicators: evaluation of methods for large monitoring programmes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susan Will-Wolf; Sarah Jovan; Michael C. Amacher

    2017-01-01

    Lichen element content is a reliable indicator for relative air pollution load in research and monitoring programmes requiring both efficiency and representation of many sites. We tested the value of costly rigorous field and handling protocols for sample element analysis using five lichen species. No relaxation of rigour was supported; four relaxed protocols generated...

  18. The impact of milk handling procedures on Ostertagia ostertagi antibody ELISA test results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderstichel, Raphaël; Dohoo, Ian; Stryhn, Henrik

    2010-04-19

    The impact of various milk handling stressors were analyzed using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test measuring Ostertagia ostertagi antibodies in milk from dairy cattle (Svanovir). An indirect ELISA has the ability to determine the amount of milk production losses related to intestinal parasitism. The ELISA test recommends fresh defatted milk, however, milk collected from Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) programs in North America undergo many stressors, including, heating, freezing and are not defatted. Normalized optical density ratios (ODRs) were compared between fresh defatted milk and milk subjected to one or more stressors with a linear mixed model accounting for differences in variation between the fresh and the frozen samples. Concordance correlation coefficients were also analyzed for comparisons to other similar studies. After accounting for random cow and container effects, the treatment factors interacted with each other (p<0.001). Biologically interesting contrasts were created to explain the interaction. The estimated difference in ODR between the milk samples handled according to recommendations of the manufacturers of Svanovir and the whole milk samples that were subjected to the most extreme treatment (heated, frozen, thawed, and re-frozen for 4 weeks) was 0.062 (p<0.001). This difference represented less than 5% of the range, and was thus considered biologically negligible. Frozen whole milk processed by DHI programs, the most likely method of collecting on-farm samples in North America, will likely yield reliable results for the indirect ELISA tests, particularly, Svanovir.

  19. Robotic system for process sampling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dyches, G.M.

    1985-01-01

    A three-axis cartesian geometry robot for process sampling was developed at the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) and implemented in one of the site radioisotope separations facilities. Use of the robot reduces personnel radiation exposure and contamination potential by routinely handling sample containers under operator control in a low-level radiation area. This robot represents the initial phase of a longer term development program to use robotics for further sample automation. Preliminary design of a second generation robot with additional capabilities is also described. 8 figs

  20. On-farm comparisons of different cleaning protocols in broiler houses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luyckx, K Y; Van Weyenberg, S; Dewulf, J; Herman, L; Zoons, J; Vervaet, E; Heyndrickx, M; De Reu, K

    2015-08-01

    The present study evaluated the effectiveness of 4 cleaning protocols designed to reduce the bacteriological infection pressure on broiler farms and prevent food-borne zoonoses. Additionally, difficult to clean locations and possible sources of infection were identified. Cleaning and disinfection rounds were evaluated in 12 broiler houses on 5 farms through microbiological analyses and adenosine triphosphate hygiene monitoring. Samples were taken at 3 different times: before cleaning, after cleaning, and after disinfection. At each sampling time, swabs were taken from various locations for enumeration of the total aerobic flora and Enterococcus species pluralis ( SPP:). In addition, before cleaning and after disinfection, testing for Escherichia coli and Salmonella was carried out. Finally, adenosine triphosphate swabs and agar contact plates for total aerobic flora counts were taken after cleaning and disinfection, respectively. Total aerobic flora and Enterococcus spp. counts on the swab samples showed that cleaning protocols which were preceded by an overnight soaking with water caused a higher bacterial reduction compared to protocols without a preceding soaking step. Moreover, soaking of broiler houses leads to less water consumption and reduced working time during high pressure cleaning. No differences were found between protocols using cold or warm water during cleaning. Drinking cups, drain holes, and floor cracks were identified as critical locations for cleaning and disinfection in broiler houses. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  1. Environmental and safety aspects. The best of 'powder handling and processing' 1989 - 1997. 'Bulk solids handling' 1992 - 1997 (H/2000)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woehlbier, R.H. (ed.)

    2000-07-01

    The book contains articles published either during 1992-1997 in ''bulk solids handling'' or during 1989-1997 in ''powder handling and processing''. Main topics are aspects of safety and environmental protection in bulk solids handling: dusts, hazardous powders, prevention and mitigation of dust explosions, powdered coal handling, dedusting, filters, electrostatic precipitation, materials recovery, occupational safety.(uke)

  2. 7 CFR 959.126 - Handling of culls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Handling of culls. 959.126 Section 959.126 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements...) Handled for canning or freezing. (b) As a safeguard against culls entering fresh market channels each...

  3. Survey of postharvest handling, preservation and processing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Survey of postharvest handling, preservation and processing practices along the camel milk chain in Isiolo district, Kenya. ... Despite the important contribution of camel milk to food security for pastoralists in Kenya, little is known about the postharvest handling, preservation and processing practices. In this study, existing ...

  4. Handling uncertainty through adaptiveness in planning approaches

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zandvoort, M.; Vlist, van der M.J.; Brink, van den A.

    2018-01-01

    Planners and water managers seek to be adaptive to handle uncertainty through the use of planning approaches. In this paper, we study what type of adaptiveness is proposed and how this may be operationalized in planning approaches to adequately handle different uncertainties. We took a

  5. The Protocol of Choice for Treatment of Snake Bite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afshin Mohammad Alizadeh

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the current study is to compare three different methods of treatment of snake bite to determine the most efficient one. To unify the protocol of snake bite treatment in our center, we retrospectively reviewed files of the snake-bitten patients who had been referred to us between 2010 and 2014. They were contacted for follow-up using phone calls. Demographic and on-arrival characteristics, protocol used for treatment (WHO/Haddad/GF, and outcome/complications were evaluated. Patients were entered into one of the protocol groups and compared. Of a total of 63 patients, 56 (89% were males. Five, 19, and 28 patients were managed by Haddad, WHO, or GF protocols, respectively. Eleven patients had fallen into both GF and WHO protocols and were excluded. Serum sickness was significantly more common when WHO protocol was used while 100% of the compartment syndromes and 71% of deformities had been reported after GF protocol. The most important complications were considered to be deformity, compartment syndrome, and amputation and were more frequent after the use of WHO and GF protocols (23.1% versus 76.9%; none in Haddad; P = NS. Haddad protocol seems to be the best for treatment of snake-bitten patients in our region. However, this cannot be strictly concluded because of the limited sample size and nonsignificant P values.

  6. PREPD O and VE remote handling system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Theil, T.N.

    1985-01-01

    The Process Experimental Pilot Plant (PREPP) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory is designed for volume reduction and packaging of transuranic (TRU) waste. The PREPP opening and verification enclosure (O and VE) remote handling system, within that facility, is designed to provide examination of the contents of various TRU waste storage containers. This remote handling system will provide the means of performing a hazardous operation that is currently performed manually. The TeleRobot to be used in this system is a concept that will incorporate and develop man in the loop operation (manual mode), standardized automatic sequencing of end effector tools, increased payload and reach over currently available computer-controlled robots, and remote handling of a hazardous waste operation. The system is designed within limited space constraints and an operation that was originally planned, and is currently being manually performed at other plants. The PREPP O and VE remote handling system design incorporates advancing technology to improve the working environment in the nuclear field

  7. Harvesting and handling agricultural residues for energy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jenkins, B.M.; Summer, H.R.

    1986-05-01

    Significant progress in understanding the needs for design of agricultural residue collection and handling systems has been made but additional research is required. Recommendations are made for research to (a) integrate residue collection and handling systems into general agricultural practices through the development of multi-use equipment and total harvest systems; (b) improve methods for routine evaluation of agricultural residue resources, possibly through remote sensing and image processing; (c) analyze biomass properties to obtain detailed data relevant to engineering design and analysis; (d) evaluate long-term environmental, social, and agronomic impacts of residue collection; (e) develop improved equipment with higher capacities to reduce residue collection and handling costs, with emphasis on optimal design of complete systems including collection, transportation, processing, storage, and utilization; and (f) produce standard forms of biomass fuels or products to enhance material handling and expand biomass markets through improved reliability and automatic control of biomass conversion and other utilization systems. 118 references.

  8. 30 CFR 75.817 - Cable handling and support systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... High-Voltage Longwalls § 75.817 Cable handling and support systems. Longwall mining equipment must be provided with cable-handling and support systems that are constructed, installed and maintained to minimize... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Cable handling and support systems. 75.817...

  9. Cooper-Harper Experience Report for Spacecraft Handling Qualities Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, Randall E.; Jackson, E. Bruce; Bilimoria, Karl D.; Mueller, Eric R.; Frost, Chad R.; Alderete, Thomas S.

    2009-01-01

    A synopsis of experience from the fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft communities in handling qualities development and the use of the Cooper-Harper pilot rating scale is presented as background for spacecraft handling qualities research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). In addition, handling qualities experiences and lessons-learned from previous United States (US) spacecraft developments are reviewed. This report is intended to provide a central location for references, best practices, and lessons-learned to guide current and future spacecraft handling qualities RDT&E.

  10. Cellular Manufacturing System with Dynamic Lot Size Material Handling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khannan, M. S. A.; Maruf, A.; Wangsaputra, R.; Sutrisno, S.; Wibawa, T.

    2016-02-01

    Material Handling take as important role in Cellular Manufacturing System (CMS) design. In several study at CMS design material handling was assumed per pieces or with constant lot size. In real industrial practice, lot size may change during rolling period to cope with demand changes. This study develops CMS Model with Dynamic Lot Size Material Handling. Integer Linear Programming is used to solve the problem. Objective function of this model is minimizing total expected cost consisting machinery depreciation cost, operating costs, inter-cell material handling cost, intra-cell material handling cost, machine relocation costs, setup costs, and production planning cost. This model determines optimum cell formation and optimum lot size. Numerical examples are elaborated in the paper to ilustrate the characterictic of the model.

  11. Handling of Solid Residues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medina Bermudez, Clara Ines

    1999-01-01

    The topic of solid residues is specifically of great interest and concern for the authorities, institutions and community that identify in them a true threat against the human health and the atmosphere in the related with the aesthetic deterioration of the urban centers and of the natural landscape; in the proliferation of vectorial transmitters of illnesses and the effect on the biodiversity. Inside the wide spectrum of topics that they keep relationship with the environmental protection, the inadequate handling of solid residues and residues dangerous squatter an important line in the definition of political and practical environmentally sustainable. The industrial development and the population's growth have originated a continuous increase in the production of solid residues; of equal it forms, their composition day after day is more heterogeneous. The base for the good handling includes the appropriate intervention of the different stages of an integral administration of residues, which include the separation in the source, the gathering, the handling, the use, treatment, final disposition and the institutional organization of the administration. The topic of the dangerous residues generates more expectation. These residues understand from those of pathogen type that are generated in the establishments of health that of hospital attention, until those of combustible, inflammable type, explosive, radio-active, volatile, corrosive, reagent or toxic, associated to numerous industrial processes, common in our countries in development

  12. Effect of pre-analytical handling on haematological variables in minipigs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, A K; Bladbjerg, E-M; Jensen, A L

    2001-01-01

    Pre-analytical handling may be an important determinant of haematological variables, if analysis is delayed. We investigated the effect of anticoagulants, i.e. tripotassium ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and citric acid, theophylline, adenosine, dipyridamole (CTAD), storage time (0.5, 1......, the samples must be stored in a refrigerator until analysis. Our studies underline that time delay before analysis of haematological variables can cause increased variation, and should therefore be limited as far as possible in order to reduce the number of animals needed to make reliable conclusions...

  13. Protein blotting protocol for beginners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrasovits, Lars A

    2014-01-01

    The transfer and immobilization of biological macromolecules onto solid nitrocellulose or nylon (polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF)) membranes subsequently followed by specific detection is referred to as blotting. DNA blots are called Southerns after the inventor of the technique, Edwin Southern. By analogy, RNA blots are referred to as northerns and protein blots as westerns (Burnette, Anal Biochem 112:195-203, 1981). With few exceptions, western blotting involves five steps, namely, sample collection, preparation, separation, immobilization, and detection. In this chapter, protocols for the entire process from sample collection to detection are described.

  14. Simulating quantum correlations as a distributed sampling problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Degorre, Julien; Laplante, Sophie; Roland, Jeremie

    2005-01-01

    It is known that quantum correlations exhibited by a maximally entangled qubit pair can be simulated with the help of shared randomness, supplemented with additional resources, such as communication, postselection or nonlocal boxes. For instance, in the case of projective measurements, it is possible to solve this problem with protocols using one bit of communication or making one use of a nonlocal box. We show that this problem reduces to a distributed sampling problem. We give a new method to obtain samples from a biased distribution, starting with shared random variables following a uniform distribution, and use it to build distributed sampling protocols. This approach allows us to derive, in a simpler and unified way, many existing protocols for projective measurements, and extend them to positive operator value measurements. Moreover, this approach naturally leads to a local hidden variable model for Werner states

  15. Repository waste-handling operations, 1998

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cottam, A.E.; Connell, L.

    1986-04-01

    The Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program Mission Plan and the Generic Requirements for a Mined Geologic Disposal System state that beginning in 1998, commercial spent fuel not exceeding 70,000 metric tons of heavy metal, or a quantity of solidified high-level radioactive waste resulting from the reprocessing of such a quantity of spent fuel, will be shipped to a deep geologic repository for permanent storage. The development of a waste-handling system that can process 3000 metric tons of heavy metal annually will require the adoption of a fully automated approach. The safety and minimum exposure of personnel will be the prime goals of the repository waste handling system. A man-out-of-the-loop approach will be used in all operations including the receipt of spent fuel in shipping casks, the inspection and unloading of the spent fuel into automated hot-cell facilities, the disassembly of spent fuel assemblies, the consolidation of fuel rods, and the packaging of fuel rods into heavy-walled site-specific containers. These containers are designed to contain the radionuclides for up to 1000 years. The ability of a repository to handle more than 6000 pressurized water reactor spent-fuel rods per day on a production basis for approximately a 23-year period will require that a systems approach be adopted that combines space-age technology, robotics, and sophisticated automated computerized equipment. New advanced inspection techniques, maintenance by robots, and safety will be key factors in the design, construction, and licensing of a repository waste-handling facility for 1998

  16. Development of constrained motion control for robot handling of hazardous waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Starr, G.P.

    1993-01-01

    Handling and archiving of hazardous waste is an area where automation and robotics can be of significant benefit, by removing the human operator from the workplace and its associated hazards. For reasons of safety, throughput, and reduced setup time, force-controlled robots are well-suited for hazardous materials handling. The focus of this investigation is the development of advanced force control techniques for commercial industrial robots in the surface sampling of hazardous waste containers. Two particular control strategies are considered, (1) preview control, and (2) adaptive control. Preview control uses a sensor which can ''look ahead'' and thereby reduce the effect of surface irregularity on contact force control. Adaptive control allows the robot controller to compensate for changes in the robot characteristics as it changes position, and likewise improves performance. The resulting control algorithms will be applied to a two-dimensional contour-following task using a PUMA robot at the Robotics Research Laboratory at The University of New Mexico. (author) 9 figs., 13 refs

  17. An electronic specimen collection protocol schema (eSCPS). Document architecture for specimen management and the exchange of specimen collection protocols between biobanking information systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eminaga, O; Semjonow, A; Oezguer, E; Herden, J; Akbarov, I; Tok, A; Engelmann, U; Wille, S

    2014-01-01

    The integrity of collection protocols in biobanking is essential for a high-quality sample preparation process. However, there is not currently a well-defined universal method for integrating collection protocols in the biobanking information system (BIMS). Therefore, an electronic schema of the collection protocol that is based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) is required to maintain the integrity and enable the exchange of collection protocols. The development and implementation of an electronic specimen collection protocol schema (eSCPS) was performed at two institutions (Muenster and Cologne) in three stages. First, we analyzed the infrastructure that was already established at both the biorepository and the hospital information systems of these institutions and determined the requirements for the sufficient preparation of specimens and documentation. Second, we designed an eSCPS according to these requirements. Finally, a prospective study was conducted to implement and evaluate the novel schema in the current BIMS. We designed an eSCPS that provides all of the relevant information about collection protocols. Ten electronic collection protocols were generated using the supplementary Protocol Editor tool, and these protocols were successfully implemented in the existing BIMS. Moreover, an electronic list of collection protocols for the current studies being performed at each institution was included, new collection protocols were added, and the existing protocols were redesigned to be modifiable. The documentation time was significantly reduced after implementing the eSCPS (5 ± 2 min vs. 7 ± 3 min; p = 0.0002). The eSCPS improves the integrity and facilitates the exchange of specimen collection protocols in the existing open-source BIMS.

  18. 20 CFR 658.421 - Handling of JS-related complaints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Handling of JS-related complaints. 658.421... ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS GOVERNING THE JOB SERVICE SYSTEM Job Service Complaint System Federal Js Complaint System § 658.421 Handling of JS-related complaints. (a) No JS-related complaint shall be handled at the...

  19. Fuel handling grapple for nuclear reactor plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rousar, D.L.

    1992-01-01

    This patent describes a fuel handling system for nuclear reactor plants. It comprises: a reactor vessel having an openable top and removable cover and containing therein, submerged in water substantially filling the reactor vessel, a fuel core including a multiplicity of fuel bundles formed of groups of sealed tube elements enclosing fissionable fuel assembled into units, the fuel handling system consisting essentially of the combination of: a fuel bundle handling platform movable over the open top of the reactor vessel; a fuel bundle handling mast extendable downward from the platform with a lower end projecting into the open top reactor vessel to the fuel core submerged in water; a grapple head mounted on the lower end of the mast provided with grapple means comprising complementary hooks which pivot inward toward each other to securely grasp a bail handle of a nuclear reactor fuel bundle and pivot backward away from each other to release a bail handle; the grapple means having a hollow cylindrical support shaft fixed within the grapple head with hollow cylindrical sleeves rotatably mounted and fixed in longitudinal axial position on the support shaft and each sleeve having complementary hooks secured thereto whereby each hook pivots with the rotation of the sleeve secured thereto; and the hollow cylindrical support shaft being provided with complementary orifices on opposite sides of its hollow cylindrical and intermediate to the sleeves mounted thereon whereby the orifices on both sides of the hollow cylindrical support shaft are vertically aligned providing a direct in-line optical viewing path downward there-through and a remote operator positioned above the grapple means can observe from overhead the area immediately below the grapple hooks

  20. Fault recovery in the reliable multicast protocol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callahan, John R.; Montgomery, Todd L.; Whetten, Brian

    1995-01-01

    The Reliable Multicast Protocol (RMP) provides a unique, group-based model for distributed programs that need to handle reconfiguration events at the application layer. This model, called membership views, provides an abstraction in which events such as site failures, network partitions, and normal join-leave events are viewed as group reformations. RMP provides access to this model through an application programming interface (API) that notifies an application when a group is reformed as the result of a some event. RMP provides applications with reliable delivery of messages using an underlying IP Multicast (12, 5) media to other group members in a distributed environment even in the case of reformations. A distributed application can use various Quality of Service (QoS) levels provided by RMP to tolerate group reformations. This paper explores the implementation details of the mechanisms in RMP that provide distributed applications with membership view information and fault recovery capabilities.

  1. Mac protocols for wireless sensor network (wsn): a comparative study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arshad, J.; Akram, Q.; Saleem, Y.

    2014-01-01

    Data communication between nodes is carried out under Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol which is defined at data link layer. The MAC protocols are responsible to communicate and coordinate between nodes according to the defined standards in WSN (Wireless Sensor Networks). The design of a MAC protocol should also address the issues of energy efficiency and transmission efficiency. There are number of MAC protocols that exist in the literature proposed for WSN. In this paper, nine MAC protocols which includes S-MAC, T-MAC, Wise-MAC, Mu-MAC, Z-MAC, A-MAC, D-MAC, B-MAC and B-MAC+ for WSN have been explored, studied and analyzed. These nine protocols are classified in contention based and hybrid (combination of contention and schedule based) MAC protocols. The goal of this comparative study is to provide a basis for MAC protocols and to highlight different mechanisms used with respect to parameters for the evaluation of energy and transmission efficiency in WSN. This study also aims to give reader a better understanding of the concepts, processes and flow of information used in these MAC protocols for WSN. A comparison with respect to energy reservation scheme, idle listening avoidance, latency, fairness, data synchronization, and throughput maximization has been presented. It was analyzed that contention based MAC protocols are less energy efficient as compared to hybrid MAC protocols. From the analysis of contention based MAC protocols in term of energy consumption, it was being observed that protocols based on preamble sampling consume lesser energy than protocols based on static or dynamic sleep schedule. (author)

  2. Possibilities for automating coal sampling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Helekal, J; Vankova, J

    1987-11-01

    Outlines sampling equipment in use (AVR-, AVP-, AVN- and AVK-series samplers and RDK- and RDH-series separators produced by the Coal Research Institute, Ostrava; extractors, crushers and separators produced by ORGREZ). The Ostrava equipment covers bituminous coal needs while ORGREZ provides equipment for energy coal requirements. This equipment is designed to handle coal up to 200 mm in size at a throughput of up to 1200 t/h. Automation of sampling equipment is foreseen.

  3. Money handling influences BMI: a survey of cashiers

    OpenAIRE

    Shraddha Karve; Ketaki Shurpali; Neelesh Dahanukar; Maithili Jog; Milind Watve

    2008-01-01

    Money is a recent phenomenon in the evolutionary history of man and therefore no separate brain centre to handle money is likely to have evolved. The brain areas activated by food reward and money reward are extensively overlapping. In an experimental set-up, hunger was demonstrated to influence money related decisions and money related thoughts to influence hunger. This suggests that the brain areas evolved for handling food related emotions are exapted to handle money and therefore there co...

  4. A case study on determining air monitoring requirements in a radioactive materials handling area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Newton, G.J.; Bechtold, W.E.; Hoover, M.D.; Ghanbari, F.; Herring, P.S.; Jow, Hong-Nian

    1993-01-01

    A technical, defensible basis for the number and placement of air sampling instruments in a radioactive materials handling facility was developed. Historical air sampling data, process and physicochemical knowledge, qualitative smoke dispersion studies with video documentation, and quantitative trace gas dispersion studies were used to develop a strategy for number and placement of air samplers. These approaches can be used in other facilities to provide a basis for operational decisions. The requirements for retrospective sampling, personal sampling, and real-time monitoring are included. Other relevant operational decisions include selecting the numbers, placement, and appropriate sampling rates for instruments, identifying areas of stagnation or recirculation, and determining the adequacy and efficiency of any sampling transport lines. Justification is presented for using a graded approach to characterizing the workplace and determining air sampling and monitoring needs

  5. Advanced handling-systems with enhanced performance flexibility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-04-01

    This report describes the results of a project related to future applications and requirements for advanced handling systems. This report consists of six chapters. Following the description of the aims the tools for setting up the requirements for the handling systems including the experience during the data acquisition process is described. Furthermore some information is given about the current state of the art of robotics and manipulators. Of paramount importance are the descriptions of applications and related concepts in the following chapters leading to specific categories of advanced handling units. The paper closes with the description of the first concepts for realization. (orig./HP) [de

  6. How the NWC handles software as product

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vinson, D.

    1997-11-01

    This tutorial provides a hands-on view of how the Nuclear Weapons Complex project should be handling (or planning to handle) software as a product in response to Engineering Procedure 401099. The SQAS has published the document SQAS96-002, Guidelines for NWC Processes for Handling Software Product, that will be the basis for the tutorial. The primary scope of the tutorial is on software products that result from weapons and weapons-related projects, although the information presented is applicable to many software projects. Processes that involve the exchange, review, or evaluation of software product between or among NWC sites, DOE, and external customers will be described.

  7. Two mini-preparation protocols to DNA extraction from plants with ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    AJB SERVER

    2006-10-16

    Oct 16, 2006 ... samples to process and it is also a non expensive protocol. This method also ... because many of those chemicals inhibit PCR reactions. (Pandey et al., 1996) ... Spin at 15,000 rpm for 15 min and wash the DNA pellet with 1.2 ml ... Protocol: To 200 mg frozen and ground tissue plant material, add 900 µl of.

  8. Conceptual design of CFETR divertor remote handling compatible structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, Huaichu; Yao, Damao; Cao, Lei; Zhou, Zibo; Li, Lei

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Conceptual design for the CFETR divertor have been proposed, especially the divertor remote handling compatible structure. • The degrees of freedom of the divertor are analyzed in order to validate the design the divertor supports structure. • Besides the ITER-like scheme, a new scheme for the divertor remote handling compatible supports is proposed, that is the rack and pinion mechanism. • The installation/removel process is verified through simulation in Delmia in order to check design quality for remote handling requirements. - Abstract: Divertor is one of key components of tokamak fusion reactor. The CFETR is China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor. Its divertor will expose to tritium environment and neutron radiation. Materials of the divertor will be radioactived, and cannot be handled by personnel directly. To develop structure which compatible with robots handle for installation, maintenance and removing is required. This paper introduces a conceptual design of CFETR divertor module which compatible with remote handling end-effectors. The divertor module is confined by inner and outer support. The inner support is only confined divertor module radial, toroidal and vertical moving freedom degrees, but not confined rotating freedom degrees. The outer support is the structure that can confine rotating freedom degrees and should also be compatible with remote handling end-effectors.

  9. Conceptual design of CFETR divertor remote handling compatible structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dai, Huaichu, E-mail: yaodm@ipp.ac.cn [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Yao, Damao; Cao, Lei; Zhou, Zibo; Li, Lei [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China)

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • Conceptual design for the CFETR divertor have been proposed, especially the divertor remote handling compatible structure. • The degrees of freedom of the divertor are analyzed in order to validate the design the divertor supports structure. • Besides the ITER-like scheme, a new scheme for the divertor remote handling compatible supports is proposed, that is the rack and pinion mechanism. • The installation/removel process is verified through simulation in Delmia in order to check design quality for remote handling requirements. - Abstract: Divertor is one of key components of tokamak fusion reactor. The CFETR is China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor. Its divertor will expose to tritium environment and neutron radiation. Materials of the divertor will be radioactived, and cannot be handled by personnel directly. To develop structure which compatible with robots handle for installation, maintenance and removing is required. This paper introduces a conceptual design of CFETR divertor module which compatible with remote handling end-effectors. The divertor module is confined by inner and outer support. The inner support is only confined divertor module radial, toroidal and vertical moving freedom degrees, but not confined rotating freedom degrees. The outer support is the structure that can confine rotating freedom degrees and should also be compatible with remote handling end-effectors.

  10. 21 CFR 58.107 - Test and control article handling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Test and control article handling. 58.107 Section... GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICE FOR NONCLINICAL LABORATORY STUDIES Test and Control Articles § 58.107 Test and control article handling. Procedures shall be established for a system for the handling of the test and...

  11. 9 CFR 2.131 - Handling of animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Handling of animals. 2.131 Section 2.131 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANIMAL WELFARE REGULATIONS Miscellaneous § 2.131 Handling of animals. (a) All licensees who maintain wild...

  12. Obesity Resistance Promotes Mild Contractile Dysfunction Associated with Intracellular Ca{sup 2+} Handling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sá, Felipe Gonçalves dos Santos de; Lima-Leopoldo, Ana Paula; Jacobsen, Bruno Barcellos; Ferron, Artur Junio Togneri; Estevam, Wagner Muller [Centro de Educação Física e Desportos - Departamento de Desportos - Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES (Brazil); Campos, Dijon Henrique Salomé [Departamento de Clínica Médica - Faculdade de Medicina - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo (Brazil); Castardeli, Edson; Cunha, Márcia Regina Holanda da [Centro de Educação Física e Desportos - Departamento de Desportos - Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES (Brazil); Cicogna, Antonio Carlos [Departamento de Clínica Médica - Faculdade de Medicina - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo (Brazil); Leopoldo, André Soares, E-mail: andresoaresleopoldo@gmail.com [Centro de Educação Física e Desportos - Departamento de Desportos - Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES (Brazil)

    2015-12-15

    Diet-induced obesity is frequently used to demonstrate cardiac dysfunction. However, some rats, like humans, are susceptible to developing an obesity phenotype, whereas others are resistant to that. To evaluate the association between obesity resistance and cardiac function, and the impact of obesity resistance on calcium handling. Thirty-day-old male Wistar rats were distributed into two groups, each with 54 animals: control (C; standard diet) and obese (four palatable high-fat diets) for 15 weeks. After the experimental protocol, rats consuming the high-fat diets were classified according to the adiposity index and subdivided into obesity-prone (OP) and obesity-resistant (OR). Nutritional profile, comorbidities, and cardiac remodeling were evaluated. Cardiac function was assessed by papillary muscle evaluation at baseline and after inotropic maneuvers. The high-fat diets promoted increase in body fat and adiposity index in OP rats compared with C and OR rats. Glucose, lipid, and blood pressure profiles remained unchanged in OR rats. In addition, the total heart weight and the weight of the left and right ventricles in OR rats were lower than those in OP rats, but similar to those in C rats. Baseline cardiac muscle data were similar in all rats, but myocardial responsiveness to a post-rest contraction stimulus was compromised in OP and OR rats compared with C rats. Obesity resistance promoted specific changes in the contraction phase without changes in the relaxation phase. This mild abnormality may be related to intracellular Ca2+ handling.

  13. Chemotherapy drug handling in first opinion small animal veterinary practices in the United Kingdom: results of a questionnaire survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edery, E G

    2017-05-27

    To investigate how first opinion small animal veterinary surgeons in the UK handled chemotherapeutic agents, a questionnaire was distributed at the 2014 British Small Animal Veterinary Association congress and by internet. Chemotherapy was regularly offered by 70.4 per cent of the respondents. Gold standards defined according to available guidelines for safe handling of antineoplastic drugs were poorly followed by general practitioners with only 2 per cent of respondents complying with all of them. Dedicated facilities for preparation and administration of cytotoxic drugs were variably available among participants. The level of training of staff indirectly involved in handling chemotherapy was appropriate in less than 50 per cent of practices. No association was found between demographic characteristics of the sampled population and the decision to perform chemotherapy. The results of this study raise concerns about the safety of the veterinary staff in first opinion practices involved in handling chemotherapy. British Veterinary Association.

  14. Optimized hardware design for the divertor remote handling control system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saarinen, Hannu [Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 6, 33720 Tampere (Finland)], E-mail: hannu.saarinen@tut.fi; Tiitinen, Juha; Aha, Liisa; Muhammad, Ali; Mattila, Jouni; Siuko, Mikko; Vilenius, Matti [Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 6, 33720 Tampere (Finland); Jaervenpaeae, Jorma [VTT Systems Engineering, Tekniikankatu 1, 33720 Tampere (Finland); Irving, Mike; Damiani, Carlo; Semeraro, Luigi [Fusion for Energy, Josep Pla 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral B3, 08019 Barcelona (Spain)

    2009-06-15

    A key ITER maintenance activity is the exchange of the divertor cassettes. One of the major focuses of the EU Remote Handling (RH) programme has been the study and development of the remote handling equipment necessary for divertor exchange. The current major step in this programme involves the construction of a full scale physical test facility, namely DTP2 (Divertor Test Platform 2), in which to demonstrate and refine the RH equipment designs for ITER using prototypes. The major objective of the DTP2 project is the proof of concept studies of various RH devices, but is also important to define principles for standardizing control hardware and methods around the ITER maintenance equipment. This paper focuses on describing the control system hardware design optimization that is taking place at DTP2. Here there will be two RH movers, namely the Cassette Multifuctional Mover (CMM), Cassette Toroidal Mover (CTM) and assisting water hydraulic force feedback manipulators (WHMAN) located aboard each Mover. The idea here is to use common Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS), measurement and control IO-cards etc. for all maintenance devices and to standardize sensors and control components as much as possible. In this paper, new optimized DTP2 control system hardware design and some initial experimentation with the new DTP2 RH control system platform are presented. The proposed new approach is able to fulfil the functional requirements for both Mover and Manipulator control systems. Since the new control system hardware design has reduced architecture there are a number of benefits compared to the old approach. The simplified hardware solution enables the use of a single software development environment and a single communication protocol. This will result in easier maintainability of the software and hardware, less dependence on trained personnel, easier training of operators and hence reduced the development costs of ITER RH.

  15. ITER L 6 equatorial maintenance duct remote handling study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Millard, J.

    1996-09-01

    The status and conclusions of a preliminary study of equatorial maintenance duct remote handling is reported. Due to issues with the original duct design a significant portion of the study had to be refocused on equatorial duct layout studies. The study gives an overview of some of the options for design of these ducts and the impact of the design on the equipment to work in the duct. To develop a remote handling concept for creating access through the ducts the following design tasks should be performed: define the operations sequences for equatorial maintenance duct opening and closing; review the remote handling requirements for equatorial maintenance duct opening and closing; design concept for door and pipe handling equipment and to propose preliminary procedures for material handling outsides the duct. 35 figs

  16. Food handling in the household environment as a vulnerability factor to foodborne diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carla Rosane Paz Arruda Teo

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: the concept of food security and nutrition is based on the regular and sufficient access to food of adequate quality and it implies food safety as one of its dimensions. Objective: to analyze the sanitary and hygienic conditions of food handling in households in Chapecó (SC, Brazil. Materials and Methods: descriptive study with 138 households selected by systematic sampling to a 5% significance level and a 4% acceptable error. We applied a questionnaire to the person who was the responsible for food handling in each household. We used descriptive and inferential statistics and we interpreted the data according to health vulnerability framework. Results: we highlight that 50.7% (n=70 reported to just wash vegetables with water, 71% (n=98 reported to wash cutting boards with detergent and cold water, 33, 3% (n=46 reported the use of raw eggs. There was no association between the source of water supply and sanitary failures observed. Conclusions: safe food handling procedures are not adopted in a reasonable proportion of households, which may explain the vulnerability to foodborne diseases in these environments.

  17. Ergonomic design and evaluation of the handle for an endoscopic dissector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimomura, Yoshihiro; Minowa, Keita; Kawahira, Hiroshi; Katsuura, Tetsuo

    2016-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to design an endoscopic dissector handle and objectively assess its usability. The handles were designed with increased contact area between the fingers and thumb and the eye rings, and the eye rings were modified to have a more perpendicular insertion angle to the finger midline. Four different handle models were compared, including a conventional product. Subjects performed dissection, exclusion, grasping, precision manipulation and precision handling tasks. Electromyography and subjective evaluations were measured. Compared to conventional handles, the designated handle reduced the muscle load in the extensor and flexor muscles of the forearm and increased subjective stability. The activity of the first dorsal interosseous muscle was sometimes influenced by the shape of the other parts. The ergonomically designed endoscopic dissector handle used in this study achieved high usability. Medical instrument designs based on ergonomic concepts should be assessed with objective indices. Practitioner Summary: The endoscopic dissector handles were designed with increased contact area and more suitable insertion angle between the fingers and thumb and the eye rings. Compared to conventional handles, the designated handle reduced the muscle load in the extensor and flexor muscles of the forearm and increased subjective stability.

  18. 45 CFR 650.19 - Electronic invention handling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Report or a Final Invention Statement and Certification. (b) Questions on use of iEdison and requests for... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Electronic invention handling. 650.19 Section 650... PATENTS § 650.19 Electronic invention handling. (a) Grantees must use the iEdison Invention Information...

  19. Experimental aspect of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance studies of biomaterials such as bones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Chandan; Rai, Ratan Kumar; Sinha, Neeraj

    2013-01-01

    Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectroscopy is increasingly becoming a popular technique to probe micro-structural details of biomaterial such as bone with pico-meter resolution. Due to high-resolution structural details probed by SSNMR methods, handling of bone samples and experimental protocol are very crucial aspects of study. We present here first report of the effect of various experimental protocols and handling methods of bone samples on measured SSNMR parameters. Various popular SSNMR experiments were performed on intact cortical bone sample collected from fresh animal, immediately after removal from animal systems, and results were compared with bone samples preserved in different conditions. We find that the best experimental conditions for SSNMR parameters of bones correspond to preservation at -20 °C and in 70% ethanol solution. Various other SSNMR parameters were compared corresponding to different experimental conditions. Our study has helped in finding best experimental protocol for SSNMR studies of bone. This study will be of further help in the application of SSNMR studies on large bone disease related animal model systems for statistically significant results. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. PROTOCOL FOR EXAMINATION OF THE INNER CAN CLOSURE WELD REGION FOR 3013 DE CONTAINERS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mickalonis, J.

    2014-09-16

    The protocol for the examination of the inner can closure weld region (ICCWR) for 3013 DE containers is presented within this report. The protocol includes sectioning of the inner can lid section, documenting the surface condition, measuring corrosion parameters, and storing of samples. This protocol may change as the investigation develops since findings may necessitate additional steps be taken. Details of the previous analyses, which formed the basis for this protocol, are also presented.

  1. Regulatory process for material handling equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajendran, S.; Agarwal, Kailash

    2017-01-01

    Atomic Energy (Factories) Rules (AEFR) 1996, Rule 35 states, 'Thorough inspection and load testing of a Crane shall be done by a Competent Person at least once every 12 months'. To adhere to this rule, BARC Safety Council constituted 'Material Handling Equipment Committee (MHEC)' under the aegis of Conventional Fire and Safety Review Committee (CFSRC) to carry out periodical inspection and certification of Material Handling Equipment (MHE), tools and tackles used in BARC Facilities at Trombay, Tarapur and Kalpakkam

  2. Testing of FFTF fuel handling equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coleman, D.W.; Grazzini, E.D.; Hill, L.F.

    1977-07-01

    The Fast Flux Test Facility has several manual/computer controlled fuel handling machines which are exposed to severe environments during plant operation but still must operate reliably when called upon for reactor refueling. The test programs for two such machines--the Closed Loop Ex-Vessel Machine and the In-Vessel Handling Machine--are described. The discussion centers on those areas where design corrections or equipment repairs substantiated the benefits of a test program prior to plant operation

  3. PND fuel handling decontamination: facilities and techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, R.Y.

    1996-01-01

    The use of various decontamination techniques and equipment has become a critical part of Fuel Handling maintenance work at Ontario Hydro's Pickering Nuclear Division. This paper presents an overview of the set up and techniques used for decontamination in the PND Fuel Handling Maintenance Facility and the effectiveness of each. (author). 1 tab., 9 figs

  4. TH-E-209-02: Dose Monitoring and Protocol Optimization: The Pediatric Perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacDougall, R.

    2016-01-01

    Radiation dose monitoring solutions have opened up new opportunities for medical physicists to be more involved in modern clinical radiology practices. In particular, with the help of comprehensive radiation dose data, data-driven protocol management and informed case follow up are now feasible. Significant challenges remain however and the problems faced by medical physicists are highly heterogeneous. Imaging systems from multiple vendors and a wide range of vintages co-exist in the same department and employ data communication protocols that are not fully standardized or implemented making harmonization complex. Many different solutions for radiation dose monitoring have been implemented by imaging facilities over the past few years. Such systems are based on commercial software, home-grown IT solutions, manual PACS data dumping, etc., and diverse pathways can be used to bring the data to impact clinical practice. The speakers will share their experiences with creating or tailoring radiation dose monitoring/management systems and procedures over the past few years, which vary significantly in design and scope. Topics to cover: (1) fluoroscopic dose monitoring and high radiation event handling from a large academic hospital; (2) dose monitoring and protocol optimization in pediatric radiology; and (3) development of a home-grown IT solution and dose data analysis framework. Learning Objectives: Describe the scope and range of radiation dose monitoring and protocol management in a modern radiology practice Review examples of data available from a variety of systems and how it managed and conveyed. Reflect on the role of the physicist in radiation dose awareness.

  5. TH-E-209-02: Dose Monitoring and Protocol Optimization: The Pediatric Perspective

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    MacDougall, R. [Boston Children’s Hospital (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Radiation dose monitoring solutions have opened up new opportunities for medical physicists to be more involved in modern clinical radiology practices. In particular, with the help of comprehensive radiation dose data, data-driven protocol management and informed case follow up are now feasible. Significant challenges remain however and the problems faced by medical physicists are highly heterogeneous. Imaging systems from multiple vendors and a wide range of vintages co-exist in the same department and employ data communication protocols that are not fully standardized or implemented making harmonization complex. Many different solutions for radiation dose monitoring have been implemented by imaging facilities over the past few years. Such systems are based on commercial software, home-grown IT solutions, manual PACS data dumping, etc., and diverse pathways can be used to bring the data to impact clinical practice. The speakers will share their experiences with creating or tailoring radiation dose monitoring/management systems and procedures over the past few years, which vary significantly in design and scope. Topics to cover: (1) fluoroscopic dose monitoring and high radiation event handling from a large academic hospital; (2) dose monitoring and protocol optimization in pediatric radiology; and (3) development of a home-grown IT solution and dose data analysis framework. Learning Objectives: Describe the scope and range of radiation dose monitoring and protocol management in a modern radiology practice Review examples of data available from a variety of systems and how it managed and conveyed. Reflect on the role of the physicist in radiation dose awareness.

  6. Sample selection, preparation methods, and the apparent tensile properties of silkworm (B. mori) cocoon silk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Emily J; Bianchini, Lindsay L; Viney, Christopher

    2012-06-01

    Reported literature values of the tensile properties of natural silk cover a wide range. While much of this inconsistency is the result of variability that is intrinsic to silk, some is also a consequence of differences in the way that silk is prepared for tensile tests. Here we explore how measured mechanical properties of Bombyx mori cocoon silk are affected by two intrinsic factors (the location from which the silk is collected within the cocoon, and the color of the silk), and two extrinsic factors (the storage conditions prior to testing, and different styles of reeling the fiber). We find that extrinsic and therefore controllable factors can affect the properties more than the intrinsic ones studied. Our results suggest that enhanced inter-laboratory collaborations, that lead to standardized sample collection, handling, and storage protocols prior to mechanical testing, would help to decrease unnecessary (and complicating) variation in reported tensile properties. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Uranium hexafluoride handling. Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1991-12-31

    The United States Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Field Office, and Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., are co-sponsoring this Second International Conference on Uranium Hexafluoride Handling. The conference is offered as a forum for the exchange of information and concepts regarding the technical and regulatory issues and the safety aspects which relate to the handling of uranium hexafluoride. Through the papers presented here, we attempt not only to share technological advances and lessons learned, but also to demonstrate that we are concerned about the health and safety of our workers and the public, and are good stewards of the environment in which we all work and live. These proceedings are a compilation of the work of many experts in that phase of world-wide industry which comprises the nuclear fuel cycle. Their experience spans the entire range over which uranium hexafluoride is involved in the fuel cycle, from the production of UF{sub 6} from the naturally-occurring oxide to its re-conversion to oxide for reactor fuels. The papers furnish insights into the chemical, physical, and nuclear properties of uranium hexafluoride as they influence its transport, storage, and the design and operation of plant-scale facilities for production, processing, and conversion to oxide. The papers demonstrate, in an industry often cited for its excellent safety record, continuing efforts to further improve safety in all areas of handling uranium hexafluoride. Selected papers were processed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

  8. Automation of dimethylation after guanidination labeling chemistry and its compatibility with common buffers and surfactants for mass spectrometry-based shotgun quantitative proteome analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lo, Andy; Tang, Yanan; Chen, Lu; Li, Liang, E-mail: Liang.Li@ualberta.ca

    2013-07-25

    Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Dimethylation after guanidination (2MEGA) uses inexpensive reagents for isotopic labeling of peptides. •2MEGA can be optimized and automated for labeling peptides with high efficiency. •2MEGA is compatible with several commonly used cell lysis and protein solubilization reagents. •The automated 2MEGA labeling method can be used to handle a variety of protein samples for relative proteome quantification. -- Abstract: Isotope labeling liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) is a major analytical platform for quantitative proteome analysis. Incorporation of isotopes used to distinguish samples plays a critical role in the success of this strategy. In this work, we optimized and automated a chemical derivatization protocol (dimethylation after guanidination, 2MEGA) to increase the labeling reproducibility and reduce human intervention. We also evaluated the reagent compatibility of this protocol to handle biological samples in different types of buffers and surfactants. A commercially available liquid handler was used for reagent dispensation to minimize analyst intervention and at least twenty protein digest samples could be prepared in a single run. Different front-end sample preparation methods for protein solubilization (SDS, urea, Rapigest™, and ProteaseMAX™) and two commercially available cell lysis buffers were evaluated for compatibility with the automated protocol. It was found that better than 94% desired labeling could be obtained in all conditions studied except urea, where the rate was reduced to about 92% due to carbamylation on the peptide amines. This work illustrates the automated 2MEGA labeling process can be used to handle a wide range of protein samples containing various reagents that are often encountered in protein sample preparation for quantitative proteome analysis.

  9. Should Indonesia Accede to The 1951 Refugee Convention and Its 1967 Protocol?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dita Liliansa

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Being a non-party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (“1951 Refugee Convention” and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (“1967 Protocol”, Indonesia does not have legal obligations to provide permanent resettlement for asylum seeker and/or refugee. However, as a transit country for those seeking shelter in Australia, Indonesia undergoes a myriad of issues resulting from illegal entrance by asylum seeker and/or refugee. Besides having neither legal framework nor domestic mechanism to handle asylum seekers and/or refugee, Indonesia’s immigration law identifies every foreigner including asylum seeker and refugee who unlawfully enter Indonesia’s territory into the same box as illegal migrant. It then leads to the arrest of asylum seeker and/or refugee to be put in an over-capacity detention center or other places. This paper will analyze various issues related to asylum seeker and refugee in Indonesia and to weigh whether it is indispensable for Indonesia to accede to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

  10. National protocol framework for the inventory and monitoring of bees

    Science.gov (United States)

    Droege, Sam; Engler, Joseph D.; Sellers, Elizabeth A.; Lee O'Brien,

    2016-01-01

    This national protocol framework is a standardized tool for the inventory and monitoring of the approximately 4,200 species of native and non-native bee species that may be found within the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). However, this protocol framework may also be used by other organizations and individuals to monitor bees in any given habitat or location. Our goal is to provide USFWS stations within the NWRS (NWRS stations are land units managed by the USFWS such as national wildlife refuges, national fish hatcheries, wetland management districts, conservation areas, leased lands, etc.) with techniques for developing an initial baseline inventory of what bee species are present on their lands and to provide an inexpensive, simple technique for monitoring bees continuously and for monitoring and evaluating long-term population trends and management impacts. The latter long-term monitoring technique requires a minimal time burden for the individual station, yet can provide a good statistical sample of changing populations that can be investigated at the station, regional, and national levels within the USFWS’ jurisdiction, and compared to other sites within the United States and Canada. This protocol framework was developed in cooperation with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the USFWS, and a worldwide network of bee researchers who have investigated the techniques and methods for capturing bees and tracking population changes. The protocol framework evolved from field and lab-based investigations at the USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland starting in 2002 and was refined by a large number of USFWS, academic, and state groups. It includes a Protocol Introduction and a set of 8 Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs and adheres to national standards of protocol content and organization. The Protocol Narrative

  11. A multi-component patient-handling intervention improves attitudes and behaviors for safe patient handling and reduces aggression experienced by nursing staff

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Risør, Bettina Wulff; Casper, Sven Dalgas; Andersen, Lars L.

    2017-01-01

    This study evaluated an intervention for patient-handling equipment aimed to improve nursing staffs' use of patient handling equipment and improve their general health, reduce musculoskeletal problems, aggressive episodes, days of absence and work-related accidents. As a controlled before......-after study, questionnaire data were collected at baseline and 12-month follow-up among nursing staff at intervention and control wards at two hospitals. At 12-month follow-up, the intervention group had more positive attitudes towards patient-handling equipment and increased use of specific patient......-handling equipment. In addition, a lower proportion of nursing staff in the intervention group had experienced physically aggressive episodes. No significant change was observed in general health status, musculoskeletal problems, days of absence or work-related accidents. The intervention resulted in more positive...

  12. PND fuel handling decontamination: facilities and techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pan, R Y [Ontario Hydro, Toronto, ON (Canada)

    1997-12-31

    The use of various decontamination techniques and equipment has become a critical part of Fuel Handling maintenance work at Ontario Hydro`s Pickering Nuclear Division. This paper presents an overview of the set up and techniques used for decontamination in the PND Fuel Handling Maintenance Facility and the effectiveness of each. (author). 1 tab., 9 figs.

  13. The determination of radionuclides in grass ecosystem samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    LaBrecque, J.J.; Schelenz, R.; Perkins, R.W.

    1987-07-01

    The radioactive debris cloud from the Chernobyl reactor accident resulted in some deposition over essentially all of the Northern Hemisphere. Shortly after the accident invitations were sent out by the IAEA to Member States to collect grass samples according to specific instructions so that the ratio of the various radionuclides in the fallout debris could be established over a wide area of Europe. In response to this request, 20 grass samples were provided by Member States. To establish a protocol for analysis of these valuable samples and to recommend a protocol for future sample collection, a Consultants Meeting was called by the IAEA for 23-25 September 1986. This document contains the considerations and recommendations of the consultants

  14. A combined constraint handling framework: an empirical study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Si, Chengyong; Hu, Junjie; Lan, Tian

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a new combined constraint handling framework (CCHF) for solving constrained optimization problems (COPs). The framework combines promising aspects of different constraint handling techniques (CHTs) in different situations with consideration of problem characteristics. In order...

  15. Experience of safety and performance improvement for fuel handling equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gyoon Chang, Sang; Hee Lee, Dae

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to provide experience of safety and performance improvement of fuel handling equipment for nuclear power plants in Korea. The fuel handling equipment, which is used as an important part of critical processes during the refueling outage, has been improved to enhance safety and to optimize fuel handling procedures. Results of data measured during the fuel reloading are incorporated into design changes. The safety and performance improvement for fuel handling equipment could be achieved by simply modifying the components and improving the interlock system. The experience provided in this study can be useful lessons for further improvement of the fuel handling equipment. (authors)

  16. Medium-term cryopreservation of rabies virus samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tereza D'avila de Freitas Aguiar

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction The cryopreservation of rabies virus has been described in detail in the literature. To date, little information is available on the use of cryoprotective agents for cold preservation of this virus, and the available data focus only on short-term virus preservation. In this study, we investigated the medium-term cryopreservation of samples of rabies virus using different cryopreservation protocols. Methods The cryopreservation protocols for the rabies virus samples were performed at -20°C and were divided according to the variables of time and cryoprotectant type used. The laboratory tests (intracerebral inoculation of mice, viral titration and direct immunofluorescence were performed at regular intervals (360 and 720 days to assess the viability of the viral samples according to the different preservation techniques used. Results After 1 year of cryopreservation, the fluorescence intensity of intracellular corpuscles of the rabies virus and the median survival time of the mice differed between the positive controls and the treatments with the cryoprotectants. After 2 years, most of the samples subjected to the cryopreservation protocols (including the controls did not produce fluorescence. However, the virus samples exposed to the cryoprotectant sucrose (68% solution responded positively in the direct immunofluorescence assay and in the intracerebral inoculation of the mice. Conclusions Medium-term cryopreservation of the rabies virus inactivates the viral sample. However, the cryoprotectant agent sucrose (68% produces a preservative effect in cryopreserved rabies virus samples.

  17. From protocol to published report

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berendt, Louise; Callréus, Torbjörn; Petersen, Lene Grejs

    2016-01-01

    and published reports of academic clinical drug trials. METHODS: A comparison was made between study protocols and their corresponding published reports. We assessed the overall consistency, which was defined as the absence of discrepancy regarding study type (categorized as either exploratory or confirmatory...... in 1999, 2001, and 2003, 95 of which fulfilled the eligibility criteria and had at least one corresponding published report reporting data on trial subjects. Overall consistency was observed in 39% of the trials (95% CI: 29 to 49%). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) constituted 72% (95% CI: 63 to 81......%) of the sample, and 87% (95% CI: 80 to 94%) of the trials were hospital based. CONCLUSIONS: Overall consistency between protocols and their corresponding published reports was low. Motivators for the inconsistencies are unknown but do not seem restricted to economic incentives....

  18. Protocol Implementation Generator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carvalho Quaresma, Jose Nuno; Probst, Christian W.

    2010-01-01

    Users expect communication systems to guarantee, amongst others, privacy and integrity of their data. These can be ensured by using well-established protocols; the best protocol, however, is useless if not all parties involved in a communication have a correct implementation of the protocol and a...... Generator framework based on the LySatool and a translator from the LySa language into C or Java....... necessary tools. In this paper, we present the Protocol Implementation Generator (PiG), a framework that can be used to add protocol generation to protocol negotiation, or to easily share and implement new protocols throughout a network. PiG enables the sharing, verification, and translation...

  19. Neonatal handling induces anovulatory estrous cycles in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gomes C.M.

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available Since previous work has shown that stimulation early in life decreases sexual receptiveness as measured by the female lordosis quotient, we suggested that neonatal handling could affect the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. The effects of neonatal handling on the estrous cycle and ovulation were analyzed in adult rats. Two groups of animals were studied: intact (no manipulation, N = 10 and handled (N = 11. Pups were either handled daily for 1 min during the first 10 days of life or left undisturbed. At the age of 90 days, a vaginal smear was collected daily at 9:00 a.m. and analyzed for 29 days; at 9:00 a.m. on the day of estrus, animals were anesthetized with thiopental (40 mg/kg, ip, the ovaries were removed and the oviduct was dissected and squashed between 2 glass slides. The number of oocytes of both oviductal ampullae was counted under the microscope. The average numbers for each phase of the cycle (diestrus I, diestrus II, proestrus and estrus during the period analyzed were compared between the two groups. There were no significant differences between intact and handled females during any of the phases. However, the number of handled females that showed anovulatory cycles (8 out of 11 was significantly higher than in the intact group (none out of 10. Neonatal stimulation may affect not only the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, as previously demonstrated, but also the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis in female rats.

  20. Effective Teaching Practices in Handling Non Readers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacklyn S. Dacalos

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The study determined the effective teaching practices in handling nonreaders. This seeks to answer the following objectives: describe the adjustments, effective strategies, and scaffolds utilized by teachers in handling nonreaders; differentiate the teachers’ reading adjustments, strategies and scaffolds in teaching nonreaders; analyze the teaching reading efficiency of nonreaders using effective teaching reading strategies; and find significant correlation of nonreaders’ grades and reading teachers’ reading adjustments, strategies and scaffolds. This study utilized mixed methods of research. Case studies of five public schools teachers were selected as primary subjects, who were interviewed in handling nonreaders in the areas of adjustments, strategies, and reading scaffolds. Actual teaching observation was conducted according to the five subjects’ most convenient time. In ascertaining the nonreaders’ academic performance, the students’ grades in English subject was analyzed using T-Test within subject design. Handling nonreaders in order to read and understand better in the lesson is an arduous act, yet; once done with effectiveness and passion, it yielded a great amount of learning success. Effective teaching practices in handling nonreaders comprised the use of teachers’ adjustments, strategies, and scaffolds to establish reading mastery, exposing them to letter sounds, short stories, and the use of follow-up. WH questions enhanced their reading performance significantly. Variations of reading teachers’ nature as: an enabler, a facilitator, a humanist, a behaviorist, and an expert, as regards to their teaching practices, were proven significant to students’ reading effectiveness.

  1. The training for nuclear fuel handling at EDF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marion, J.P.

    1999-01-01

    The handling of fuel assemblies in a nuclear power plant presents 3 types of work: the taking delivery of fresh fuel, the refueling and the disposal of spent fuel. These operations are realized by teams made up of 3 handling operators and a supervisor. The refueling is made by 3*8-hour teams. These handling operations are important for the nuclear safety, a mishandling can damage the fuel cladding which is the first containment barrier, so a training center (CETIC) has been created. This center was founded in 1986 by EDF and Framatome, the purpose was to validate maintenance procedures, to test handling equipment and to train the teams which work on site. Various training programmes have been set up and a system of qualification degrees has been organized. The CETIC is fitted up with equipment that are full-sized mockups of real installations. Fuel assemblies don't react in a similar way to the different mechanical and neutronic stresses they undergo while they are in the core, they get deformed and the handling operations become more delicate. The mockup fuel assemblies are quite deformed to train the teams and prepare them to face any real situation. (A.C.)

  2. Human factors issues in fuel handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beattie, J.D.; Iwasa-Madge, K.M.; Tucker, D.A.

    1994-01-01

    The staff of the Atomic Energy Control Board wish to further their understanding of human factors issues of potential concern associated with fuel handling in CANDU nuclear power stations. This study contributes to that objective by analysing the role of human performance in the overall fuel handling process at Ontario Hydro's Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, and reporting findings in several areas. A number of issues are identified in the areas of design, operating and maintenance practices, and the organizational and management environment

  3. Multiple-specimen absolute paleointensity determination with the MSP-DSC protocol: Advantages and drawbacks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camps, P.; Fanjat, G.; Poidras, T.; Carvallo, C.; Nicol, P.

    2012-04-01

    The MSP-DSC protocol (Dekkers & Bohnel, 2006, EPSL; Fabian & Leonhardt, 2010, EPSL) is a recent development in the methodology for documenting the intensity of the ancient Earth magnetic field. Applicable both on rocks or archaeological artifacts it allows us to use samples that until now were not measured because their magnetic properties do not meet selection criteria required by conventional methods. However, this new experimental protocol requires that samples be heated and cooled under a field parallel to its natural remanent magnetization (NRM). Currently, standard paleointensity furnaces do not match precisely this constraint. Yet, such new measurement protocol seems very promising since it would possibly double the number of available data. We are developing in Montpellier (France), a very fast-heating oven with infrared dedicated to this protocol. Two key points determine its characteristics. The first is to heat uniformly a rock sample of a 10-cc-standard volume as fast as possible. The second is to apply to the sample during the heating (and the cooling) a precise magnetic induction field, perfectly controlled in 3D. We tested and calibrated a preliminary version of this oven along with the MSP-DSC protocol with 3 historical lava flows, 2 from Reunion Island (erupted in 2002 and 2007) and one from Etna (erupted in 1983). These lava flows were selected because they have different magnetic behaviors. Reunion 2002 is rather SD-PSD-like, while Reunion 2007 is PSD-MD-like, and Etna 1983 is MD-like. The paleointensity determinations obtained with the original protocol of Dekkers and Bohnel (2006, EPSL) are within +- 1 μT of the known field for the three lava flows. The same precision is obtained when we applied the fraction correction (MSP-FC protocol). However, we systematically observed a loss in the linearity of the MSP-FC plots. In addition, like Muxworthy and Taylor (2011, GJI), we found that the Domain State Correction is difficult to apply since alpha

  4. Preston and Park-Sanders protocols adapted for semi-quantitative isolation of thermotolerant Campylobacter from chicken rinse

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Josefsen, Mathilde Hartmann; Lübeck, Peter Stephensen; Aalbaek, B.

    2003-01-01

    Human campylobacteriosis has become the major cause of foodborne gastrointestinal diseases in several European countries. In order to implement effective control measures in the primary production, and as a tool in risk assessment studies, it is necessary to have sensitive and quantitative...... detection methods. Thus, semi-quantitative detection of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in 20 naturally contaminated chicken rinse samples was carried out using the two most common standard protocols: Preston and Park-Sanders, as proposed by Nordic Committee on Food Analysis (NMKL) and International...... Standard Organization (ISO), respectively. For both protocols, the chicken rinse samples were prepared in 500 ml buffered peptone water, as recommended in the ISO protocol no. 6887-2. The results indicated that the Preston protocol was superior to the Park-Sanders protocol in supporting growth...

  5. Development of high intensity beam handling system, 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamanoi, Yutaka; Tanaka, Kazuhiro; Minakawa, Michifumi

    1992-01-01

    We have constructed the new counter experimental hall at the KEK 12 GeV Proton Synchrotron (KEK-PS) in order to handle high intensity primary proton beams of up to 1x10 3 pps (protons per second), which is one order of magnitude greater than the present beam intensity of the KEK-PS, 1x10 12 pps. New technologies for handling high-intensity beams have, then, been developed and employed in the construction of the new hall. A part of our R/D work on handling high intensity beams will be reported. (author)

  6. Dynamic Anthropometry – Deffning Protocols for Automatic Body Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Slavenka Petrak

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the research on possibilities of protocol development for automatic computer-based determination of measurements on a 3D body model in defined dynamic positions. Initially, two dynamic body positions were defined for the research on dimensional changes of targeted body lengths and surface segments during body movement from basic static position into a selected dynamic body position. The assumption was that during body movement, specifi c length and surface dimensions would change significantly from the aspect of clothing construction and functionality of a garment model. 3D body scanning of a female test sample was performed in basic static and two defined dynamic positions. 3D body models were processed and measurement points were defined as a starting point for the determination of characteristic body measurements. The protocol for automatic computer measurement was defined for every dynamic body position by the systematic set of activities based on determined measurement points. The verification of developed protocols was performed by automatic determination of defined measurements on the test sample and by comparing the results with the conventional manual measurement.

  7. Protocol converter for serial communication between digital rectifier controllers and a power plant SCADA system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vukić Vladimir Đ.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes the protocol converter INT-485-MBRTU, developed for serial communication between the thyristor rectifier (based on the proprietary protocol "INT-CPD-05", according to standard RS-485 and the SCADA system (based on protocol "Modbus RTU", of the same standard in the thermal power plant "Nikola Tesla B1". Elementary data on industrial communication protocols and communication gateways were provided. The basic technical characteristics of the "Omron" programmable logic controller CJ series were described, as well as the developed device INT-485-MBRTU. Protocol converters with two versions of communication software were tested, differing only in one control word, intended for a forced successive change of communication sequences, in opposite to automatic sequence relieve. The device iNT-485-MBRTU, with the program for forced successive change of communication sequences, demonstrated the reliability of data transfer of 100 %, in a sample of approximately 480 messages. For nearly the same sample, the same protocol converter, with a version of the program without any type of message identifiers, transferred less than 60 % of the foreseen data. During multiple sixty-hour tests, the reliability of data transfer of at least 99.9979% was recorded, in 100% of the analysed cases, and for a sample of nearly 96,000 pairs of the send and receive messages. We analysed the results and estimated the additional possibilities for application of the INT-485-MBRTU protocol converter.

  8. Development and evaluation of a multifaceted ergonomics program to prevent injuries associated with patient handling tasks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Audrey; Matz, Mary; Chen, Fangfei; Siddharthan, Kris; Lloyd, John; Fragala, Guy

    2006-08-01

    Nurses have one of the highest rates of work-related musculoskeletal injury of any profession. Over the past 30 years, efforts to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders in nurses have been largely unsuccessful. The primary goal of this program was to create safer working environments for nursing staff who provide direct patient care. Our first objective was to design and implement a multifaceted program that successfully integrated evidence-based practice, technology, and safety improvement. The second objective was to evaluate the impact of the program on injury rate, lost and modified work days, job satisfaction, self-reported unsafe patient handling acts, level of support for program, staff and patient acceptance, program effectiveness, costs, and return on investment. The intervention included six program elements: (1) Ergonomic Assessment Protocol, (2) Patient Handling Assessment Criteria and Decision Algorithms, (3) Peer Leader role, "Back Injury Resource Nurses", (4) State-of-the-art Equipment, (5) After Action Reviews, and (6) No Lift Policy. A pre-/post design without a control group was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a patient care ergonomics program on 23 high risk units (19 nursing home care units and 4 spinal cord injury units) in 7 facilities. Injury rates, lost work days, modified work days, job satisfaction, staff , and patient acceptance, program effectiveness, and program costs/savings were compared over two nine month periods: pre-intervention (May 2001-January 2002) and post-intervention (March 2002-November 2002). Data were collected prospectively through surveys, weekly process logs, injury logs, and cost logs. The program elements resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the rate of musculoskeletal injuries as well as the number of modified duty days taken per injury. While the total number of lost workdays decreased by 18% post-intervention, this difference was not statistically significant. There were statistically

  9. Hanford analytical sample projections FY 1998 - FY 2002

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joyce, S.M.

    1997-01-01

    Sample projections are compiled for the Hanford site based on inputs from the major programs for the years 1998 through 2002. Sample projections are categorized by radiation level, protocol, sample matrix and Program. Analyses requirements are also presented

  10. Vertical Protocol Composition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Groß, Thomas; Mödersheim, Sebastian Alexander

    2011-01-01

    The security of key exchange and secure channel protocols, such as TLS, has been studied intensively. However, only few works have considered what happens when the established keys are actually used—to run some protocol securely over the established “channel”. We call this a vertical protocol.......e., that the combination cannot introduce attacks that the individual protocols in isolation do not have. In this work, we prove a composability result in the symbolic model that allows for arbitrary vertical composition (including self-composition). It holds for protocols from any suite of channel and application...

  11. Execution Constraint Verification of Exception Handling on UML Sequence Diagrams

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ciraci, S.; Sözer, Hasan; Aksit, Mehmet; Havinga, W.K.

    2011-01-01

    Exception handling alters the control flow of the program. As such, errors introduced in exception handling code may influence the overall program in undesired ways. To detect such errors early and thereby decrease the programming costs, it is worthwhile to consider exception handling at design

  12. 7 CFR 1924.259 - Handling dwelling construction complaints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 12 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Handling dwelling construction complaints. 1924.259 Section 1924.259 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) RURAL HOUSING... Construction Defects § 1924.259 Handling dwelling construction complaints. This section describes the procedure...

  13. CANDU-9/480-SEU fuel handling system assessment document

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Jeong Ki; Jo, C. H.; Kim, H. M.; Morikawa, D. T.

    1996-11-01

    This report summarize the rationale for the CANDU 9 fuel handling system, and the design choices recommended for components of the system. Some of the design requirements applicable to the CANDU 9 480-SEU fuel handling design choices are described. These requirements imposed by the CANDU 9 project. And the design features for the key components of fuel handling system, such as the fuelling machine, the carriage, the new fuel transfer system and the irradiated fuel transfer system, are described. The carriage seismic load evaluations relevant to the design are contained in the appendices. The majority of the carriage components are acceptable, or will likely be acceptable with some redesign. The concept for the CANDU 9 fuel handling system is based on proven CANDU designs, or on improved CANDU technology. Although some development work must be done, the fuel handling concept is judged to be feasible for the CANDU 9 480-SEU reactor. (author). 2 refs

  14. SPIDIA-RNA: second external quality assessment for the pre-analytical phase of blood samples used for RNA based analyses.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesca Malentacchi

    Full Text Available One purpose of the EC funded project, SPIDIA, is to develop evidence-based quality guidelines for the pre-analytical handling of blood samples for RNA molecular testing. To this end, two pan-European External Quality Assessments (EQAs were implemented. Here we report the results of the second SPIDIA-RNA EQA. This second study included modifications in the protocol related to the blood collection process, the shipping conditions and pre-analytical specimen handling for participants. Participating laboratories received two identical proficiency blood specimens collected in tubes with or without an RNA stabilizer. For pre-defined specimen storage times and temperatures, laboratories were asked to perform RNA extraction from whole blood according to their usual procedure and to return extracted RNA to the SPIDIA facility for further analysis. These RNA samples were evaluated for purity, yield, integrity, stability, presence of interfering substances, and gene expression levels for the validated markers of RNA stability: FOS, IL1B, IL8, GAPDH, FOSB and TNFRSF10c. Analysis of the gene expression results of FOS, IL8, FOSB, and TNFRSF10c, however, indicated that the levels of these transcripts were significantly affected by blood collection tube type and storage temperature. These results demonstrated that only blood collection tubes containing a cellular RNA stabilizer allowed reliable gene expression analysis within 48 h from blood collection for all the genes investigated. The results of these two EQAs have been proposed for use in the development of a Technical Specification by the European Committee for Standardization.

  15. Player-Specific Conflict Handling Ontology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charline Hondrou

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an ontology that leads the player of a serious game - regarding conflict handling - to the educative experience from which they will benefit the most. It provides a clearly defined tree of axioms that maps the player’s visually manifested affective cues and emotional stimuli from the serious game to conflict handling styles and proposes interventions. The importance of this ontology lies in the fact that it promotes natural interaction (non-invasive methods and at the same time makes the game as player-specific as it can be for its educational goal. It is an ontology that can be adapted to different educational theories and serve various educational purposes.

  16. Advanced CUBIC protocols for whole-brain and whole-body clearing and imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Susaki, Etsuo A; Tainaka, Kazuki; Perrin, Dimitri; Yukinaga, Hiroko; Kuno, Akihiro; Ueda, Hiroki R

    2015-11-01

    Here we describe a protocol for advanced CUBIC (Clear, Unobstructed Brain/Body Imaging Cocktails and Computational analysis). The CUBIC protocol enables simple and efficient organ clearing, rapid imaging by light-sheet microscopy and quantitative imaging analysis of multiple samples. The organ or body is cleared by immersion for 1-14 d, with the exact time required dependent on the sample type and the experimental purposes. A single imaging set can be completed in 30-60 min. Image processing and analysis can take whole-brain neural activities at single-cell resolution using Arc-dVenus transgenic (Tg) mice. CUBIC informatics calculated the Venus signal subtraction, comparing different brains at a whole-organ scale. These protocols provide a platform for organism-level systems biology by comprehensively detecting cells in a whole organ or body.

  17. Flow cytometry protocol to evaluate ionizing radiation effects on P-glycoprotein activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Neyliane Goncalves dos; Amaral, Ademir; Cavalcanti, Mariana Brayner . E-mail; Neves, Maria Amelia Batista; Machado, Cintia Gonsalves de Faria

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this work was to establish a protocol to evaluate ionizing radiation effects on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activity. For this, human peripheral blood samples were irradiated in vitro with different doses and P-gp activity was analyzed for CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes through rhodamine123-efflux assay by flow cytometry. By simultaneous employment of percentage and mean fluorescence index parameters, subject-by-subject analysis pointed out changes in P-gp activity for some individuals and irradiated samples. Based on this work, the proposed protocol was considered adequate for evaluating P-gp activity on cells after radioactive stress. Besides, this research suggests that P-gp activity could be an important factor to define patient-specific protocols in combined chemo- and radiotherapy, particularly when radiation exposure precedes chemical treatment. (author)

  18. Flow cytometry protocol to evaluate ionizing radiation effects on P-glycoprotein activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santos, Neyliane Goncalves dos; Amaral, Ademir; Cavalcanti, Mariana Brayner [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil). Dept. de Energia Nuclear]. E-mail; neylisantos@yahoo.com.br; Neves, Maria Amelia Batista; Machado, Cintia Gonsalves de Faria [Fundacao de Hematologia e Hemoterapia de Pernambuco, Recife, PE (Brazil). Unidade de Laboratorios Especializados. Lab. de Imunofenotipagem

    2008-12-15

    The aim of this work was to establish a protocol to evaluate ionizing radiation effects on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activity. For this, human peripheral blood samples were irradiated in vitro with different doses and P-gp activity was analyzed for CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes through rhodamine123-efflux assay by flow cytometry. By simultaneous employment of percentage and mean fluorescence index parameters, subject-by-subject analysis pointed out changes in P-gp activity for some individuals and irradiated samples. Based on this work, the proposed protocol was considered adequate for evaluating P-gp activity on cells after radioactive stress. Besides, this research suggests that P-gp activity could be an important factor to define patient-specific protocols in combined chemo- and radiotherapy, particularly when radiation exposure precedes chemical treatment. (author)

  19. 340 Waste Handling Facility interim safety basis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bendixsen, R.B.

    1995-01-01

    This document establishes the interim safety basis (ISB) for the 340 Waste Handling Facility (340 Facility). An ISB is a documented safety basis that provides a justification for the continued operation of the facility until an upgraded final safety analysis report is prepared that complies with US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports. The ISB for the 340 Facility documents the current design and operation of the facility. The 340 Facility ISB (ISB-003) is based on a facility walkdown and review of the design and operation of the facility, as described in the existing safety documentation. The safety documents reviewed, to develop ISB-003, include the following: OSD-SW-153-0001, Operating Specification Document for the 340 Waste Handling Facility (WHC 1990); OSR-SW-152-00003, Operating Limits for the 340 Waste Handling Facility (WHC 1989); SD-RE-SAP-013, Safety Analysis Report for Packaging, Railroad Liquid Waste Tank Cars (Mercado 1993); SD-WM-TM-001, Safety Assessment Document for the 340 Waste Handling Facility (Berneski 1994a); SD-WM-SEL-016, 340 Facility Safety Equipment List (Berneski 1992); and 340 Complex Fire Hazard Analysis, Draft (Hughes Assoc. Inc. 1994)

  20. Impact of Cesium decontamination on performances of high activity sample analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maillard, Christophe; Boyer-Deslys, Valerie; Dautheribes, Jean L.; Esbelin, Eric; Beres, Andre; Jan, Steve; Baghdadi, Sarah; Rivier, Cedric [CEA, Nuclear Energy Division, Bagnols sur Ceze (France). RadioChemistry and Processes Dept.

    2017-09-01

    Experiments in the ATALANTE facility can lead to high activity samples (for example the dissolution of hulls and spent fuels), essentially coming from the presence of {sup 137}Cs. Usually, these samples are handled in a shielded cell. The removal of this radionuclide from the sample would make it possible to handle it in glove boxes without having to perform an important dilution in the shielded cells beforehand. It would allow to analyze samples using techniques usually implemented in glove boxes (such as ICP, α spectrometry..) and to reach lower detection and quantification limits. To do so, a separation by extraction chromatography using a Triskem AMP-PAN column was developed. A cesium decontamination factor higher than 5 x 10{sup 4} and detection limits improvement up to a factor 100 were obtained.

  1. Remote sampling and analysis of highly radioactive samples in shielded boxes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirpikov, D.A.; Miroshnichenko, I.V.; Pykhteev, O.Yu.

    2010-01-01

    The sampling procedure used for highly radioactive coolant water is associated with high risk of personnel irradiation and uncontrolled radioactive contamination. Remote sample manipulation with provision for proper radiation shielding is intended for safety enhancement of the sampling procedure. The sampling lines are located in an isolated compartment, a shielded box. Various equipment which enables remote or automatic sample manipulation is used for this purpose. The main issues of development of the shielded box equipment intended for a wider ranger of remote chemical analyses and manipulation techniques for highly radioactive water samples are considered in the paper. There were three principal directions of work: Transfer of chemical analysis performed in the laboratory inside the shielded box; Prevalence of computer-aided and remote techniques of highly radioactive sample manipulation inside the shielded box; and, Increase in control over sampling and determination of thermal-hydraulic parameters of the coolant water in the sampling lines. The developed equipment and solutions enable remote chemical analysis in the restricted volume of the shielded box by using ion-chromatographic, amperometrical, fluorimetric, flow injection, phototurbidimetric, conductometric and potentiometric methods. Extent of control performed in the shielded box is determined taking into account the requirements of the regulatory documents as well as feasibility and cost of the technical adaptation of various methods to the shielded box conditions. The work resulted in highly precise determination of more than 15 indexes of the coolant water quality performed in on-line mode in the shielded box. It averages to 80% of the total extent of control performed at the prototype reactor plants. The novel solutions for highly radioactive sample handling are implemented in the shielded box (for example, packaging, sample transportation to the laboratory, volume measurement). The shielded box is

  2. Space Network Time Distribution and Synchronization Protocol Development for Mars Proximity Link

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, Simon S.; Gao, Jay L.; Mills, David

    2010-01-01

    Time distribution and synchronization in deep space network are challenging due to long propagation delays, spacecraft movements, and relativistic effects. Further, the Network Time Protocol (NTP) designed for terrestrial networks may not work properly in space. In this work, we consider the time distribution protocol based on time message exchanges similar to Network Time Protocol (NTP). We present the Proximity-1 Space Link Interleaved Time Synchronization (PITS) algorithm that can work with the CCSDS Proximity-1 Space Data Link Protocol. The PITS algorithm provides faster time synchronization via two-way time transfer over proximity links, improves scalability as the number of spacecraft increase, lowers storage space requirement for collecting time samples, and is robust against packet loss and duplication which underlying protocol mechanisms provide.

  3. FUZZY ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING AND CHARACTERISTIC CURVES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ebru Turano?lu

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Acceptance sampling is primarily used for the inspection of incoming or outgoing lots. Acceptance sampling refers to the application of specific sampling plans to a designated lot or sequence of lots. The parameters of acceptance sampling plans are sample sizes and acceptance numbers. In some cases, it may not be possible to define acceptance sampling parameters as crisp values. These parameters can be expressed by linguistic variables. The fuzzy set theory can be successfully used to cope with the vagueness in these linguistic expressions for acceptance sampling. In this paper, the main distributions of acceptance sampling plans are handled with fuzzy parameters and their acceptance probability functions are derived. Then the characteristic curves of acceptance sampling are examined under fuzziness. Illustrative examples are given.

  4. Remote handling technology for nuclear fuel cycle facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakai, Akira; Maekawa, Hiromichi; Ohmura, Yutaka

    1997-01-01

    Design and R and D on nuclear fuel cycle facilities has intended development of remote handling and maintenance technology since 1977. IHI has completed the design and construction of several facilities with remote handling systems for Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC), Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), and Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. (JNFL). Based on the above experiences, IHI is now undertaking integration of specific technology and remote handling technology for application to new fields such as fusion reactor facilities, decommissioning of nuclear reactors, accelerator testing facilities, and robot simulator-aided remote operation systems in the future. (author)

  5. Solid waste handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parazin, R.J.

    1995-01-01

    This study presents estimates of the solid radioactive waste quantities that will be generated in the Separations, Low-Level Waste Vitrification and High-Level Waste Vitrification facilities, collectively called the Tank Waste Remediation System Treatment Complex, over the life of these facilities. This study then considers previous estimates from other 200 Area generators and compares alternative methods of handling (segregation, packaging, assaying, shipping, etc.)

  6. Remote handling demonstration of ITER blanket module replacement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakudate, S.; Nakahira, M.; Oka, K.; Taguchi, K.; Obara, K.; Tada, E.; Shibanuma, K.; Tesini, A.; Haange, R.; Maisonnier, D.

    2001-01-01

    In ITER, the in-vessel components such as blanket are to be maintained or replaced remotely since they will be activated by 14 MeV neutrons, and a complete exchange of shielding blanket with breeding blanket is foreseen after the Basic Performance Phase. The blanket is segmented into about seven hundred modules to facilitate remote maintainability and allow individual module replacement. For this, the remote handing equipment for blanket maintenance is required to handle a module with a dead weight of about 4 tonne within a positioning accuracy of a few mm under intense gamma radiation. According to the ITER R and D program, a rail-mounted vehicle manipulator system was developed and the basic feasibility of this system was verified through prototype testing. Following this, development of full-scale remote handling equipment has been conducted as one of the ITER Seven R and D Projects aiming at a remote handling demonstration of the ITER blanket. As a result, the Blanket Test Platform (BTP) composed of the full-scale remote handling equipment has been completed and the first integrated performance test in March 1998 has shown that the fabricate remote handling equipment satisfies the main requirements of ITER blanket maintenance. (author)

  7. Efficient sample preparation from complex biological samples using a sliding lid for immobilized droplet extractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casavant, Benjamin P; Guckenberger, David J; Beebe, David J; Berry, Scott M

    2014-07-01

    Sample preparation is a major bottleneck in many biological processes. Paramagnetic particles (PMPs) are a ubiquitous method for isolating analytes of interest from biological samples and are used for their ability to thoroughly sample a solution and be easily collected with a magnet. There are three main methods by which PMPs are used for sample preparation: (1) removal of fluid from the analyte-bound PMPs, (2) removal of analyte-bound PMPs from the solution, and (3) removal of the substrate (with immobilized analyte-bound PMPs). In this paper, we explore the third and least studied method for PMP-based sample preparation using a platform termed Sliding Lid for Immobilized Droplet Extractions (SLIDE). SLIDE leverages principles of surface tension and patterned hydrophobicity to create a simple-to-operate platform for sample isolation (cells, DNA, RNA, protein) and preparation (cell staining) without the need for time-intensive wash steps, use of immiscible fluids, or precise pinning geometries. Compared to other standard isolation protocols using PMPs, SLIDE is able to perform rapid sample preparation with low (0.6%) carryover of contaminants from the original sample. The natural recirculation occurring within the pinned droplets of SLIDE make possible the performance of multistep cell staining protocols within the SLIDE by simply resting the lid over the various sample droplets. SLIDE demonstrates a simple easy to use platform for sample preparation on a range of complex biological samples.

  8. Is the Kyoto Protocol an adequate environmental agreement to resolve the climate change problem?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arcas, R.L.

    2001-01-01

    The lack of understanding on how to handle the issue of global warming, which is embodied by the Kyoto Protocol, among the various nations of the world reached a point where environmental policy-makers saw a number of possible scenarios to global warming before the last meeting on Climate Change in July 2001 in Bonn: Amendments to the Kyoto Protocol, by changing the current targets and timetable into a long-term view of the global warming issue. The U.S. does not agree with the Kyoto Protocol Therefore, it will not do anything about it in terms of its ratification. A middle ground between the two previous options. The idea is the creation of a new mechanism where nations meet in international environmental for a voluntarily exchange of views with no legal commitments. In order to move forward, we should stop thinking of the global warming issue only in a cost-benefit analysis and instead take more into account public health and safety requirements. Since the U.S. and EU representatives may well find themselves deadlocked again when they meet at the end of October 2001 in Morocco for the next climate change convention, the author would like to make some recommendations at the end of this article. (author)

  9. Inter-comparison of NIOSH and IMPROVE protocols for OC and EC determination: implications for inter-protocol data conversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Cheng; Huang, X. H. Hilda; Ng, Wai Man; Griffith, Stephen M.; Zhen Yu, Jian

    2016-09-01

    Organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) are operationally defined by analytical methods. As a result, OC and EC measurements are protocol dependent, leading to uncertainties in their quantification. In this study, more than 1300 Hong Kong samples were analyzed using both National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) thermal optical transmittance (TOT) and Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environment (IMPROVE) thermal optical reflectance (TOR) protocols to explore the cause of EC disagreement between the two protocols. EC discrepancy mainly (83 %) arises from a difference in peak inert mode temperature, which determines the allocation of OC4NSH, while the rest (17 %) is attributed to a difference in the optical method (transmittance vs. reflectance) applied for the charring correction. Evidence shows that the magnitude of the EC discrepancy is positively correlated with the intensity of the biomass burning signal, whereby biomass burning increases the fraction of OC4NSH and widens the disagreement in the inter-protocol EC determination. It is also found that the EC discrepancy is positively correlated with the abundance of metal oxide in the samples. Two approaches (M1 and M2) that translate NIOSH TOT OC and EC data into IMPROVE TOR OC and EC data are proposed. M1 uses direct relationship between ECNSH_TOT and ECIMP_TOR for reconstruction: M1 : ECIMP_TOR = a × ECNSH_TOT + b; while M2 deconstructs ECIMP_TOR into several terms based on analysis principles and applies regression only on the unknown terms: M2 : ECIMP_TOR = AECNSH + OC4NSH - (a × PCNSH_TOR + b), where AECNSH, apparent EC by the NIOSH protocol, is the carbon that evolves in the He-O2 analysis stage, OC4NSH is the carbon that evolves at the fourth temperature step of the pure helium analysis stage of NIOSH, and PCNSH_TOR is the pyrolyzed carbon as determined by the NIOSH protocol. The implementation of M1 to all urban site data (without considering seasonal specificity

  10. Aldefluor protocol to sort keratinocytes stem cells from skin

    OpenAIRE

    Noronha, Samuel Marcos Ribeiro; Gragnani, Alfredo; Pereira, Thiago Antônio Calado; Correa, Silvana Aparecida Alves; Bonucci, Jessica; Ferreira, Lydia Masako

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Purpose: To investigate the use Aldefluor® and N, N - Dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB) to design a protocol to sort keratinocyte stem cells from cultured keratinocytes from burned patients. Methods: Activated Aldefluor® aliquots were prepared and maintained at temperature between 2 to 8°C, or stored at -20°C. Next, the cells were collected following the standard protocol of sample preparation. Results: Best results were obtained with Aldefluor® 1.5µl and DEAB 15 µl for 1 x 106 c...

  11. Improving blood sample logistics using simulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Pelle Morten Thomas; Jacobsen, Peter

    2012-01-01

    Using simulation as an approach to display and improve internal logistics and handling at hospitals has great potential. This research will show how a simulation model can be used to evaluate changes made to two different cases of transportation of blood samples at a hospital, by evaluating...

  12. Human factors issues in fuel handling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beattie, J D; Iwasa-Madge, K M; Tucker, D A [Humansystems Inc., Milton, ON (Canada)

    1994-12-31

    The staff of the Atomic Energy Control Board wish to further their understanding of human factors issues of potential concern associated with fuel handling in CANDU nuclear power stations. This study contributes to that objective by analysing the role of human performance in the overall fuel handling process at Ontario Hydro`s Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, and reporting findings in several areas. A number of issues are identified in the areas of design, operating and maintenance practices, and the organizational and management environment. 1 fig., 4 tabs., 19 refs.

  13. [The risk of manual handling loads in the hotel sector].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muraca, G; Martino, L Barbaro; Abbate, A; De Pasquale, D; Barbuzza, O; Brecciaroli, R

    2007-01-01

    The aim of our study is to evaluate the manual handling risk and the incidence of muscle-skeletal pathologies in the hotel compartment. Our study is conducted on 264 workers of the hotel compartment. The sample is divided on the base of the working turn in the following groups: porter (both to the plans and in the kitchen); waiters to the plans; services (gardeners and workers). The duties have been valued according to the method NIOSH. The presence of muscle-skeletal pathologies has been verified on the base to the accused symptomology, and on the presence of clinical objectivity and to the reports of checks. The data has been compared to a control group. The application of the NIOSH method has showed for each working profile an elevated synthetic index, > 3, and for porter the index is 5. The clinical data has shown an elevated incidence of pathologies of the spine, especially lumbar spine, with a high prevalence in the group of male porters. In conclusion we believe that the manual handling represents a particularly remarkable risk for the workers in the hotel compartment.

  14. Composite sampling of a Bacillus anthracis surrogate with cellulose sponge surface samplers from a nonporous surface.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenia A M Tufts

    Full Text Available A series of experiments was conducted to explore the utility of composite-based collection of surface samples for the detection of a Bacillus anthracis surrogate using cellulose sponge samplers on a nonporous stainless steel surface. Two composite-based collection approaches were evaluated over a surface area of 3716 cm2 (four separate 929 cm2 areas, larger than the 645 cm2 prescribed by the standard Centers for Disease Control (CDC and Prevention cellulose sponge sampling protocol for use on nonporous surfaces. The CDC method was also compared to a modified protocol where only one surface of the sponge sampler was used for each of the four areas composited. Differences in collection efficiency compared to positive controls and the potential for contaminant transfer for each protocol were assessed. The impact of the loss of wetting buffer from the sponge sampler onto additional surface areas sampled was evaluated. Statistical tests of the results using ANOVA indicate that the collection of composite samples using the modified sampling protocol is comparable to the collection of composite samples using the standard CDC protocol (p  =  0.261. Most of the surface-bound spores are collected on the first sampling pass, suggesting that multiple passes with the sponge sampler over the same surface may be unnecessary. The effect of moisture loss from the sponge sampler on collection efficiency was not significant (p  =  0.720 for both methods. Contaminant transfer occurs with both sampling protocols, but the magnitude of transfer is significantly greater when using the standard protocol than when the modified protocol is used (p<0.001. The results of this study suggest that composite surface sampling, by either method presented here, could successfully be used to increase the surface area sampled per sponge sampler, resulting in reduced sampling times in the field and decreased laboratory processing cost and turn-around times.

  15. Blanket handling concepts for future fusion power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bogusch, E.; Gottfried, R.; Maisonnier, D.

    2003-01-01

    In the frame of the power plant conceptual studies (PPCS) launched by the European Commission, two main blanket handling concepts have been investigated with respect to engineering feasibility and the impact on the plant availability and on cost: the large module handling concept (LMHC) and the large sector handling concept (LSHC). The LMHC has been considered as the reference handling concept while the LSHC has been considered as an attractive alternative to the LMHC due to its potential of smaller replacement times and hence increasing the plant availability. Although no principle feasibility issue has been identified, a number of engineering issues have been highlighted for the LSHC that would require considerable efforts for their resolution. Since its availability of about 77% based on a replacement time for all the internals of about 4.2 months is slightly lower than for the LMHC, the LMHC remains the reference blanket replacement concept for a conceptual reactor

  16. Ethical Infrastructure and Successful Handling of Workplace Bullying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kari Einarsen

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Antecedents and consequences of workplace bullying are well documented. However, the mea- sures taken against workplace bullying, and the effectiveness of such measures, have received less attention. This study addresses this knowledge gap by exploring the role of ethical infrastructure in perceived successful handling of reported workplace bullying. Ethical infrastructure refers to formal and informal systems that enable ethical behavior and disable unethical behavior in organizations. A survey was sent to HR managers and elected head safety representatives (HSRs in all Norwegian municipality organizations. Overall, 216 organizations responded (response rate = 50.2 percent. The ethical infrastructure accounted for 39.4% of the variance in perceived suc- cessful handling of workplace bullying. Formal sanctions were the only unique and signi cant contributor to the perceived successful handling of workplace bullying. The results substantiate the argument that organizations’ ethical infrastructure relate to the HR managers and HSRs’ percep- tions regarding their organizations’ handling of workplace bullying.

  17. The WAIS Melt Monitor: An automated ice core melting system for meltwater sample handling and the collection of high resolution microparticle size distribution data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breton, D. J.; Koffman, B. G.; Kreutz, K. J.; Hamilton, G. S.

    2010-12-01

    Paleoclimate data are often extracted from ice cores by careful geochemical analysis of meltwater samples. The analysis of the microparticles found in ice cores can also yield unique clues about atmospheric dust loading and transport, dust provenance and past environmental conditions. Determination of microparticle concentration, size distribution and chemical makeup as a function of depth is especially difficult because the particle size measurement either consumes or contaminates the meltwater, preventing further geochemical analysis. Here we describe a microcontroller-based ice core melting system which allows the collection of separate microparticle and chemistry samples from the same depth intervals in the ice core, while logging and accurately depth-tagging real-time electrical conductivity and particle size distribution data. This system was designed specifically to support microparticle analysis of the WAIS Divide WDC06A deep ice core, but many of the subsystems are applicable to more general ice core melting operations. Major system components include: a rotary encoder to measure ice core melt displacement with 0.1 millimeter accuracy, a meltwater tracking system to assign core depths to conductivity, particle and sample vial data, an optical debubbler level control system to protect the Abakus laser particle counter from damage due to air bubbles, a Rabbit 3700 microcontroller which communicates with a host PC, collects encoder and optical sensor data and autonomously operates Gilson peristaltic pumps and fraction collectors to provide automatic sample handling, melt monitor control software operating on a standard PC allowing the user to control and view the status of the system, data logging software operating on the same PC to collect data from the melting, electrical conductivity and microparticle measurement systems. Because microparticle samples can easily be contaminated, we use optical air bubble sensors and high resolution ice core density

  18. Exact Sampling and Decoding in High-Order Hidden Markov Models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carter, S.; Dymetman, M.; Bouchard, G.

    2012-01-01

    We present a method for exact optimization and sampling from high order Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), which are generally handled by approximation techniques. Motivated by adaptive rejection sampling and heuristic search, we propose a strategy based on sequentially refining a lower-order language

  19. Paraffin scintillator for radioassay of solid support samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, Haruo; Takiue, Makoto

    1989-01-01

    A new paraffin scintillator used for solid support sample counting has been proposed, and its composition and various characteristics are described. The solid support sample treated with this scintillator can be easily handled because of rigid sample conditions. This technique provides great advantages such as the elimination of a large volume of scintillator and little radioactive waste material by using an economical polyethylene bag instead of the conventional counting vial. (author)

  20. Treatment of Nuclear Data Covariance Information in Sample Generation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Swiler, Laura Painton [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Adams, Brian M. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Wieselquist, William [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division

    2017-10-01

    This report summarizes a NEAMS (Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation) project focused on developing a sampling capability that can handle the challenges of generating samples from nuclear cross-section data. The covariance information between energy groups tends to be very ill-conditioned and thus poses a problem using traditional methods for generated correlated samples. This report outlines a method that addresses the sample generation from cross-section matrices.

  1. Treatment of Nuclear Data Covariance Information in Sample Generation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swiler, Laura Painton; Adams, Brian M.; Wieselquist, William

    2017-01-01

    This report summarizes a NEAMS (Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation) project focused on developing a sampling capability that can handle the challenges of generating samples from nuclear cross-section data. The covariance information between energy groups tends to be very ill-conditioned and thus poses a problem using traditional methods for generated correlated samples. This report outlines a method that addresses the sample generation from cross-section matrices.

  2. Hoisting appliances and fuel handling equipment at nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-01-01

    The guide is followed by the Finnish Centre for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (STUK) in regulating hoisting and handling equipment Class 3 at nuclear facilities. The guide is applied e.g. to the following equipment: reactor building overhead cranes, hoisting appliances at nuclear fuel storages, fuel handling machines, other hoisting appliances, which because of nuclear safety aspects are classified in Safety Class 3, and load-bearing devices connected with the above equipment, such as replaceable hoisting tools and auxiliary lifting devices. The regulating of hoisting and handling equipment comprises the following stages: handling of preliminary and final safety analysis reports, inspection of the construction plan, supervision of fabrication and construction inspection, and supervision of initial start-up and commissioning inspection

  3. 46 CFR 151.25-2 - Cargo handling space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cargo handling space. 151.25-2 Section 151.25-2 Shipping... BULK LIQUID HAZARDOUS MATERIAL CARGOES Environmental Control § 151.25-2 Cargo handling space. Pump rooms, compressor rooms, refrigeration rooms, heating rooms, instrument rooms or other closed spaces...

  4. Safe handling of radiation sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abd Nasir Ibrahim; Azali Muhammad; Ab Razak Hamzah; Abd Aziz Mohamed; Mohammad Pauzi Ismail

    2004-01-01

    This chapter discussed the subjects related to the safe handling of radiation sources: type of radiation sources, method of use: transport within premises, transport outside premises; Disposal of Gamma Sources

  5. A study of airborne chrysotile concentrations associated with handling, unpacking, and repacking boxes of automobile clutch discs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, George C T; Madl, Amy K; Ingmundson, Kelsey J; Murbach, Dana M; Fehling, Kurt A; Paustenbach, Dennis J; Finley, Brent L

    2008-06-01

    Although automotive friction products (brakes and manual clutches) historically contained chrysotile asbestos, industrial hygiene surveys and epidemiologic studies of auto mechanics have consistently shown that these workers are not at an increased risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. Airborne asbestos levels during brake repair and brake parts handling have been well-characterized, but the potential exposure to airborne asbestos fibers during the handling of clutch parts has not been examined. In this study, breathing zone samples on the lapel of a volunteer worker (n=100) and area samples at bystander (n=50), remote area (n=25), and ambient (n=9) locations collected during the stacking, unpacking, and repacking of boxes of asbestos-containing clutches, and the subsequent cleanup and clothes handling, were analyzed by phase contrast microscopy (PCM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In addition, fiber morphology and size distribution was evaluated using X-ray diffraction, polarized light microscopy, and ISO analytical methods. It was observed that the (1) airborne asbestos concentrations increased with the number of boxes unpacked and repacked, (2) repetitive stacking of unopened boxes of clutches resulted in higher asbestos concentrations than unpacking and repacking the boxes of clutches, (3) cleanup and clothes handling tasks yielded very low asbestos concentrations. Fiber size and morphology analyses showed that amphibole fibers were not detected in the clutches and that the vast majority (>95%) of the airborne chrysotile fibers were less than 20 microm in length. Applying the ratio of asbestos fibers:total fibers (including non-asbestos) as determined by TEM to the PCM results, it was found that 30-min average airborne chrysotile concentrations (PCM adjusted) were 0.026+/-0.004 f/cc or 0.100+/-0.017 f/cc for a worker unpacking and repacking 1 or 2 boxes of clutches, respectively. The 30-min PCM adjusted average airborne asbestos

  6. 49 CFR 172.317 - KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT handling mark.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT handling mark. 172.317 Section... REQUIREMENTS, AND SECURITY PLANS Marking § 172.317 KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT handling mark. (a) General. For... of Division 5.2 must be marked with the KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT handling mark specified in this section...

  7. A Perspective on Equipment Design for Fusion Remote Handling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mills, S.; Haist, B.; Hamilton, D.

    2006-01-01

    For 8 years, JET remote operations have become more capable and confident. Many tasks have been successfully completed, even those never intended to be remote maintenance activities. The general approach to the provision of remote handling equipment at JET has been the preferred use of commercially-off-the-shelf equipment. In the areas of electrical, electronic, software and control this approach has been generally achievable. However, in the area of mechanical equipment it has been more difficult. In particular the RH tooling has been almost entirely bespoke as its requirements are highly sensitive to the design of the JET component being handled and there are many design variations. Hence, JET has required the design and manufacture of over 700 types of bespoke RH equipment. This paper will discuss the experience of introducing and developing remote handling mechanical equipment for JET. The paper will cover the relationship between the remote handling equipment and the JET component design and the potential for improving the design function. A major lesson from the introduction of remote handling to JET has been demonstration of the very close interdependency of the design of JET components with design of remote handling tooling. The JET remote handling manual was originally introduced as the vehicle to ensure remote handling compatibility by the introduction of standards. Experience has shown that in general the remote handling manual approach has been insufficient. Future fusion machines will be much more complex than JET and will demand even greater remote handling compatibility. This paper will discuss possible methods for improving this process. Equipment operating in a high radiation environment must be dependable It may spend part of its time in areas that would be extremely difficult to recover from in the case of failure. The equipment may also have a high duty cycle to minimise shutdown times and probably cannot be manually inspected on a frequent

  8. Analysis of Handling Processes of Record Versions in NoSQL Databases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu. A. Grigorev

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This article investigates the handling processes versions of a record in NoSQL databases. The goal of this work is to develop a model, which enables users both to handle record versions and work with a record simultaneously. This model allows us to estimate both a time distribution for users to handle record versions and a distribution of the count of record versions. With eventual consistency (W=R=1 there is a possibility for several users to update any record simultaneously. In this case, several versions of records with the same key will be stored in database. When reading, the user obtains all versions, handles them, and saves a new version, while older versions are deleted. According to the model, the user’s time for handling the record versions consists of two parts: random handling time of each version and random deliberation time for handling a result. Record saving time and records deleting time are much less than handling time, so, they are ignored in the model. The paper offers two model variants. According to the first variant, client's handling time of one record version is calculated as the sum of random handling times of one version based on the count of record versions. This variant ignores explicitly the fact that handling time of record versions may depend on the update count, performed by the other users between the sequential updates of the record by the current client. So there is the second variant, which takes this feature into consideration. The developed models were implemented in the GPSS environment. The model experiments with different counts of clients and different ratio between one record handling time and results deliberation time were conducted. The analysis showed that despite the resemblance of model variants, a difference in change nature between average values of record versions count and handling time is significant. In the second variant dependences of the average count of record versions in database and

  9. A protocol for measuring spatial variables in soft-sediment tide pools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina R. Brenha-Nunes

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT We present a protocol for measuring spatial variables in large (>50 m2 soft-sediment tide pool. Secondarily, we present the fish capture efficiency of a sampling protocol that based on such spatial variables to calculate relative abundances. The area of the pool is estimated by summing areas of basic geometric forms; the depth, by taken representative measurements of the depth variability of each pool's sector, previously determined according to its perimeter; and the volume, by considering the pool as a prism. These procedures were a trade-off between the acquisition of reliable estimates and the minimization of both the cost of operating and the time spent in field. The fish sampling protocol is based on two con secutive stages: 1 two people search for fishes under structures (e.g., rocks and litters on the pool and capture them with hand seines; 2 these structures are removed and then a beach-seine is hauled over the whole pool. Our method is cheaper than others and fast to operate considering the time in low tides. The method to sample fish is quite efficient resulting in a capture efficiency of 89%.

  10. Optimal event handling by multiple unmanned aerial vehicles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Roo, Martijn; Frasca, Paolo; Carloni, Raffaella

    This paper proposes a control architecture for a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles that is responsible for handling the events that take place in a given area. The architecture guarantees that each event is handled by the required number of vehicles in the shortest time, while the rest of the fleet

  11. An improved ATAC-seq protocol reduces background and enables interrogation of frozen tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corces, M Ryan; Trevino, Alexandro E; Hamilton, Emily G; Greenside, Peyton G; Sinnott-Armstrong, Nicholas A; Vesuna, Sam; Satpathy, Ansuman T; Rubin, Adam J; Montine, Kathleen S; Wu, Beijing; Kathiria, Arwa; Cho, Seung Woo; Mumbach, Maxwell R; Carter, Ava C; Kasowski, Maya; Orloff, Lisa A; Risca, Viviana I; Kundaje, Anshul; Khavari, Paul A; Montine, Thomas J; Greenleaf, William J; Chang, Howard Y

    2017-10-01

    We present Omni-ATAC, an improved ATAC-seq protocol for chromatin accessibility profiling that works across multiple applications with substantial improvement of signal-to-background ratio and information content. The Omni-ATAC protocol generates chromatin accessibility profiles from archival frozen tissue samples and 50-μm sections, revealing the activities of disease-associated DNA elements in distinct human brain structures. The Omni-ATAC protocol enables the interrogation of personal regulomes in tissue context and translational studies.

  12. Remote technologies for handling spent fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramakumar, M.S.

    1999-01-01

    The nuclear programme in India involves building and operating power and research reactors, production and use of isotopes, fabrication of reactor fuel, reprocessing of irradiated fuel, recovery of plutonium and uranium-233, fabrication of fuel containing plutonium-239, uranium-233, post-irradiation examination of fuel and hardware and handling solid and liquid radioactive wastes. Fuel that could be termed 'spent' in thermal reactors is a source for second generation fuel (plutonium and uranium-233). Therefore, it is only logical to extend remote techniques beyond handling fuel from thermal reactors to fuel from fast reactors, post-irradiation examination etc. Fabrication of fuel containing plutonium and uranium-233 poses challenges in view of restriction on human exposure to radiation. Hence, automation will serve as a step towards remotisation. Automated systems, both rigid and flexible (using robots) need to be developed and implemented. Accounting of fissile material handled by robots in local area networks with appropriate access codes will be possible. While dealing with all these activities, it is essential to pay attention to maintenance and repair of the facilities. Remote techniques are essential here. There are a number of commonalities in these requirements and so development of modularized subsystems, and integration of different configurations should receive attention. On a long-term basis, activities like decontamination, decommissioning of facilities and handling of waste generated have to be addressed. While robotized remote systems have to be designed for existing facilities, future designs of facilities should take into account total operation with robotic remote systems. (author)

  13. DOE handbook: Tritium handling and safe storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-03-01

    The DOE Handbook was developed as an educational supplement and reference for operations and maintenance personnel. Most of the tritium publications are written from a radiological protection perspective. This handbook provides more extensive guidance and advice on the null range of tritium operations. This handbook can be used by personnel involved in the full range of tritium handling from receipt to ultimate disposal. Compliance issues are addressed at each stage of handling. This handbook can also be used as a reference for those individuals involved in real time determination of bounding doses resulting from inadvertent tritium releases. This handbook provides useful information for establishing processes and procedures for the receipt, storage, assay, handling, packaging, and shipping of tritium and tritiated wastes. It includes discussions and advice on compliance-based issues and adds insight to those areas that currently possess unclear DOE guidance.

  14. DOE handbook: Tritium handling and safe storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-03-01

    The DOE Handbook was developed as an educational supplement and reference for operations and maintenance personnel. Most of the tritium publications are written from a radiological protection perspective. This handbook provides more extensive guidance and advice on the null range of tritium operations. This handbook can be used by personnel involved in the full range of tritium handling from receipt to ultimate disposal. Compliance issues are addressed at each stage of handling. This handbook can also be used as a reference for those individuals involved in real time determination of bounding doses resulting from inadvertent tritium releases. This handbook provides useful information for establishing processes and procedures for the receipt, storage, assay, handling, packaging, and shipping of tritium and tritiated wastes. It includes discussions and advice on compliance-based issues and adds insight to those areas that currently possess unclear DOE guidance

  15. Automated system for handling tritiated mixed waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dennison, D.K.; Merrill, R.D.; Reitz, T.C.

    1995-03-01

    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is developing a semi system for handling, characterizing, processing, sorting, and repackaging hazardous wastes containing tritium. The system combines an IBM-developed gantry robot with a special glove box enclosure designed to protect operators and minimize the potential release of tritium to the atmosphere. All hazardous waste handling and processing will be performed remotely, using the robot in a teleoperational mode for one-of-a-kind functions and in an autonomous mode for repetitive operations. Initially, this system will be used in conjunction with a portable gas system designed to capture any gaseous-phase tritium released into the glove box. This paper presents the objectives of this development program, provides background related to LLNL's robotics and waste handling program, describes the major system components, outlines system operation, and discusses current status and plans

  16. Shielded scanning electron microscope for radioactive samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crouse, R.S.; Parsley, W.B.

    1977-01-01

    A small commercial SEM had been successfully shielded for examining radioactive materials transferred directly from a remote handling facility. Relatively minor mechanical modifications were required to achieve excellent operation. Two inches of steel provide adequate shielding for most samples encountered. However, samples reading 75 rad/hr γ have been examined by adding extra shielding in the form of tungsten sample holders and external lead shadow shields. Some degradation of secondary electron imaging was seen but was adequately compensated for by changing operating conditions

  17. Stud bolt handling equipment for reactor vessel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bunyan, T.W.

    1989-01-01

    Reactor vessel stud bolt handling equipment includes means for transferring a stud bolt to a carrier from a parking station, or vice versa. Preferably a number of stud bolts are handled simultaneously. The transfer means may include cross arms rotatable about extendable columns, and the equipment is mounted on a mobile base for movement into and out of position. Each carrier comprises a tubular socket and an expandable sleeve to grip a stud bolt. (author)

  18. About brachytherapy for the handling of cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campos, Tarcisio P.R.; Silva, Nilton O.; Damaso, Renato S.; Costa, Helder R.; Borges, Paulo H.R.; Mendes, Bruno M.

    2000-01-01

    The technique of brachytherapy is argued in this article. The 'hardware' and 'necessary software' for the handling are summarily presented. Being the macro-dosimetry an important stage in the radiation therapy procedure, a simplified method of doses evaluation in conventional brachytherapy is presented. In an illustrative form, isodoses of a three-dimensional distribution of linear sources are drawn on a digitalized X-ray picture, exemplifying the handling of breast brachytherapy by sources of iridium

  19. Apparatus for handling control rod drives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akimoto, A.; Watanabe, M.; Yoshida, T.; Sugaya, Z.; Saito, T.; Ishii, Y.

    1979-01-01

    An apparatus for handling control rod drives (CRD's) attached by detachable fixing means to housings mounted in a reactor pressure vessel and each coupled to one of control rods inserted in the reactor pressure vessel is described. The apparatus for handling the CRD's comprise cylindrical housing means, uncoupling means mounted in the housing means for uncoupling each of the control rods from the respective CRD, means mounted on the housing means for effecting attaching and detaching of the fixing means, means for supporting the housing means, and means for moving the support means longitudinally of the CRD

  20. Complying with US and European complaint handling requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donawa, M E

    1997-09-01

    The importance of customer complaints for providing valuable information on the use of medical devices is clearly reflected in United States (US) and European quality system requirements for handling complaints. However, there are significant differences in US and European complaint handling requirements. This article will discuss those differences and methods for ensuring compliance.