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Sample records for significant systematic errors

  1. Random and Systematic Errors Share in Total Error of Probes for CNC Machine Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Wozniak

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Probes for CNC machine tools, as every measurement device, have accuracy limited by random errors and by systematic errors. Random errors of these probes are described by a parameter called unidirectional repeatability. Manufacturers of probes for CNC machine tools usually specify only this parameter, while parameters describing systematic errors of the probes, such as pre-travel variation or triggering radius variation, are used rarely. Systematic errors of the probes, linked to the differences in pre-travel values for different measurement directions, can be corrected or compensated, but it is not a widely used procedure. In this paper, the share of systematic errors and random errors in total error of exemplary probes are determined. In the case of simple, kinematic probes, systematic errors are much greater than random errors, so compensation would significantly reduce the probing error. Moreover, it shows that in the case of kinematic probes commonly specified unidirectional repeatability is significantly better than 2D performance. However, in the case of more precise strain-gauge probe systematic errors are of the same order as random errors, which means that errors correction or compensation, in this case, would not yield any significant benefits.

  2. Statistical errors in Monte Carlo estimates of systematic errors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roe, Byron P. [Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)]. E-mail: byronroe@umich.edu

    2007-01-01

    For estimating the effects of a number of systematic errors on a data sample, one can generate Monte Carlo (MC) runs with systematic parameters varied and examine the change in the desired observed result. Two methods are often used. In the unisim method, the systematic parameters are varied one at a time by one standard deviation, each parameter corresponding to a MC run. In the multisim method (see ), each MC run has all of the parameters varied; the amount of variation is chosen from the expected distribution of each systematic parameter, usually assumed to be a normal distribution. The variance of the overall systematic error determination is derived for each of the two methods and comparisons are made between them. If one focuses not on the error in the prediction of an individual systematic error, but on the overall error due to all systematic errors in the error matrix element in data bin m, the number of events needed is strongly reduced because of the averaging effect over all of the errors. For simple models presented here the multisim model was far better if the statistical error in the MC samples was larger than an individual systematic error, while for the reverse case, the unisim model was better. Exact formulas and formulas for the simple toy models are presented so that realistic calculations can be made. The calculations in the present note are valid if the errors are in a linear region. If that region extends sufficiently far, one can have the unisims or multisims correspond to k standard deviations instead of one. This reduces the number of events required by a factor of k{sup 2}.

  3. Statistical errors in Monte Carlo estimates of systematic errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roe, Byron P.

    2007-01-01

    For estimating the effects of a number of systematic errors on a data sample, one can generate Monte Carlo (MC) runs with systematic parameters varied and examine the change in the desired observed result. Two methods are often used. In the unisim method, the systematic parameters are varied one at a time by one standard deviation, each parameter corresponding to a MC run. In the multisim method (see ), each MC run has all of the parameters varied; the amount of variation is chosen from the expected distribution of each systematic parameter, usually assumed to be a normal distribution. The variance of the overall systematic error determination is derived for each of the two methods and comparisons are made between them. If one focuses not on the error in the prediction of an individual systematic error, but on the overall error due to all systematic errors in the error matrix element in data bin m, the number of events needed is strongly reduced because of the averaging effect over all of the errors. For simple models presented here the multisim model was far better if the statistical error in the MC samples was larger than an individual systematic error, while for the reverse case, the unisim model was better. Exact formulas and formulas for the simple toy models are presented so that realistic calculations can be made. The calculations in the present note are valid if the errors are in a linear region. If that region extends sufficiently far, one can have the unisims or multisims correspond to k standard deviations instead of one. This reduces the number of events required by a factor of k 2

  4. Statistical errors in Monte Carlo estimates of systematic errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roe, Byron P.

    2007-01-01

    For estimating the effects of a number of systematic errors on a data sample, one can generate Monte Carlo (MC) runs with systematic parameters varied and examine the change in the desired observed result. Two methods are often used. In the unisim method, the systematic parameters are varied one at a time by one standard deviation, each parameter corresponding to a MC run. In the multisim method (see ), each MC run has all of the parameters varied; the amount of variation is chosen from the expected distribution of each systematic parameter, usually assumed to be a normal distribution. The variance of the overall systematic error determination is derived for each of the two methods and comparisons are made between them. If one focuses not on the error in the prediction of an individual systematic error, but on the overall error due to all systematic errors in the error matrix element in data bin m, the number of events needed is strongly reduced because of the averaging effect over all of the errors. For simple models presented here the multisim model was far better if the statistical error in the MC samples was larger than an individual systematic error, while for the reverse case, the unisim model was better. Exact formulas and formulas for the simple toy models are presented so that realistic calculations can be made. The calculations in the present note are valid if the errors are in a linear region. If that region extends sufficiently far, one can have the unisims or multisims correspond to k standard deviations instead of one. This reduces the number of events required by a factor of k2. The specific terms unisim and multisim were coined by Peter Meyers and Steve Brice, respectively, for the MiniBooNE experiment. However, the concepts have been developed over time and have been in general use for some time.

  5. A procedure for the significance testing of unmodeled errors in GNSS observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Bofeng; Zhang, Zhetao; Shen, Yunzhong; Yang, Ling

    2018-01-01

    It is a crucial task to establish a precise mathematical model for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observations in precise positioning. Due to the spatiotemporal complexity of, and limited knowledge on, systematic errors in GNSS observations, some residual systematic errors would inevitably remain even after corrected with empirical model and parameterization. These residual systematic errors are referred to as unmodeled errors. However, most of the existing studies mainly focus on handling the systematic errors that can be properly modeled and then simply ignore the unmodeled errors that may actually exist. To further improve the accuracy and reliability of GNSS applications, such unmodeled errors must be handled especially when they are significant. Therefore, a very first question is how to statistically validate the significance of unmodeled errors. In this research, we will propose a procedure to examine the significance of these unmodeled errors by the combined use of the hypothesis tests. With this testing procedure, three components of unmodeled errors, i.e., the nonstationary signal, stationary signal and white noise, are identified. The procedure is tested by using simulated data and real BeiDou datasets with varying error sources. The results show that the unmodeled errors can be discriminated by our procedure with approximately 90% confidence. The efficiency of the proposed procedure is further reassured by applying the time-domain Allan variance analysis and frequency-domain fast Fourier transform. In summary, the spatiotemporally correlated unmodeled errors are commonly existent in GNSS observations and mainly governed by the residual atmospheric biases and multipath. Their patterns may also be impacted by the receiver.

  6. Systematic errors in VLF direction-finding of whistler ducts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strangeways, H.J.; Rycroft, M.J.

    1980-01-01

    In the previous paper it was shown that the systematic error in the azimuthal bearing due to multipath propagation and incident wave polarisation (when this also constitutes an error) was given by only three different forms for all VLF direction-finders currently used to investigate the position of whistler ducts. In this paper the magnitude of this error is investigated for different ionospheric and ground parameters for these three different systematic error types. By incorporating an ionosphere for which the refractive index is given by the full Appleton-Hartree formula, the variation of the systematic error with ionospheric electron density and latitude and direction of propagation is investigated in addition to the variation with wave frequency, ground conductivity and dielectric constant and distance of propagation. The systematic bearing error is also investigated for the three methods when the azimuthal bearing is averaged over a 2 kHz bandwidth. This is found to lead to a significantly smaller bearing error which, for the crossed-loops goniometer, approximates the bearing error calculated when phase-dependent terms in the receiver response are ignored. (author)

  7. Errors in causal inference: an organizational schema for systematic error and random error.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Etsuji; Tsuda, Toshihide; Mitsuhashi, Toshiharu; Mansournia, Mohammad Ali; Yamamoto, Eiji

    2016-11-01

    To provide an organizational schema for systematic error and random error in estimating causal measures, aimed at clarifying the concept of errors from the perspective of causal inference. We propose to divide systematic error into structural error and analytic error. With regard to random error, our schema shows its four major sources: nondeterministic counterfactuals, sampling variability, a mechanism that generates exposure events and measurement variability. Structural error is defined from the perspective of counterfactual reasoning and divided into nonexchangeability bias (which comprises confounding bias and selection bias) and measurement bias. Directed acyclic graphs are useful to illustrate this kind of error. Nonexchangeability bias implies a lack of "exchangeability" between the selected exposed and unexposed groups. A lack of exchangeability is not a primary concern of measurement bias, justifying its separation from confounding bias and selection bias. Many forms of analytic errors result from the small-sample properties of the estimator used and vanish asymptotically. Analytic error also results from wrong (misspecified) statistical models and inappropriate statistical methods. Our organizational schema is helpful for understanding the relationship between systematic error and random error from a previously less investigated aspect, enabling us to better understand the relationship between accuracy, validity, and precision. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Evaluation of Data with Systematic Errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Froehner, F. H.

    2003-01-01

    Application-oriented evaluated nuclear data libraries such as ENDF and JEFF contain not only recommended values but also uncertainty information in the form of 'covariance' or 'error files'. These can neither be constructed nor utilized properly without a thorough understanding of uncertainties and correlations. It is shown how incomplete information about errors is described by multivariate probability distributions or, more summarily, by covariance matrices, and how correlations are caused by incompletely known common errors. Parameter estimation for the practically most important case of the Gaussian distribution with common errors is developed in close analogy to the more familiar case without. The formalism shows that, contrary to widespread belief, common ('systematic') and uncorrelated ('random' or 'statistical') errors are to be added in quadrature. It also shows explicitly that repetition of a measurement reduces mainly the statistical uncertainties but not the systematic ones. While statistical uncertainties are readily estimated from the scatter of repeatedly measured data, systematic uncertainties can only be inferred from prior information about common errors and their propagation. The optimal way to handle error-affected auxiliary quantities ('nuisance parameters') in data fitting and parameter estimation is to adjust them on the same footing as the parameters of interest and to integrate (marginalize) them out of the joint posterior distribution afterward

  9. Systematic sampling with errors in sample locations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ziegel, Johanna; Baddeley, Adrian; Dorph-Petersen, Karl-Anton

    2010-01-01

    analysis using point process methods. We then analyze three different models for the error process, calculate exact expressions for the variances, and derive asymptotic variances. Errors in the placement of sample points can lead to substantial inflation of the variance, dampening of zitterbewegung......Systematic sampling of points in continuous space is widely used in microscopy and spatial surveys. Classical theory provides asymptotic expressions for the variance of estimators based on systematic sampling as the grid spacing decreases. However, the classical theory assumes that the sample grid...... is exactly periodic; real physical sampling procedures may introduce errors in the placement of the sample points. This paper studies the effect of errors in sample positioning on the variance of estimators in the case of one-dimensional systematic sampling. First we sketch a general approach to variance...

  10. Tropical systematic and random error energetics based on NCEP ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

    Systematic error growth rate peak is observed at wavenumber 2 up to 4-day forecast then .... the influence of summer systematic error and ran- ... total exchange. When the error energy budgets are examined in spectral domain, one may ask ques- tions on the error growth at a certain wavenum- ber from its interaction with ...

  11. Reducing systematic errors in measurements made by a SQUID magnetometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiss, L.F.; Kaptás, D.; Balogh, J.

    2014-01-01

    A simple method is described which reduces those systematic errors of a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer that arise from possible radial displacements of the sample in the second-order gradiometer superconducting pickup coil. By rotating the sample rod (and hence the sample) around its axis into a position where the best fit is obtained to the output voltage of the SQUID as the sample is moved through the pickup coil, the accuracy of measuring magnetic moments can be increased significantly. In the cases of an examined Co 1.9 Fe 1.1 Si Heusler alloy, pure iron and nickel samples, the accuracy could be increased over the value given in the specification of the device. The suggested method is only meaningful if the measurement uncertainty is dominated by systematic errors – radial displacement in particular – and not by instrumental or environmental noise. - Highlights: • A simple method is described which reduces systematic errors of a SQUID. • The errors arise from a radial displacement of the sample in the gradiometer coil. • The procedure is to rotate the sample rod (with the sample) around its axis. • The best fit to the SQUID voltage has to be attained moving the sample through the coil. • The accuracy of measuring magnetic moment can be increased significantly

  12. Numerical study of the systematic error in Monte Carlo schemes for semiconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muscato, Orazio [Univ. degli Studi di Catania (Italy). Dipt. di Matematica e Informatica; Di Stefano, Vincenza [Univ. degli Studi di Messina (Italy). Dipt. di Matematica; Wagner, Wolfgang [Weierstrass-Institut fuer Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik (WIAS) im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (Germany)

    2008-07-01

    The paper studies the convergence behavior of Monte Carlo schemes for semiconductors. A detailed analysis of the systematic error with respect to numerical parameters is performed. Different sources of systematic error are pointed out and illustrated in a spatially one-dimensional test case. The error with respect to the number of simulation particles occurs during the calculation of the internal electric field. The time step error, which is related to the splitting of transport and electric field calculations, vanishes sufficiently fast. The error due to the approximation of the trajectories of particles depends on the ODE solver used in the algorithm. It is negligible compared to the other sources of time step error, when a second order Runge-Kutta solver is used. The error related to the approximate scattering mechanism is the most significant source of error with respect to the time step. (orig.)

  13. SYSTEMATIC ERROR REDUCTION: NON-TILTED REFERENCE BEAM METHOD FOR LONG TRACE PROFILER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    QIAN, S.; QIAN, K.; HONG, Y.; SENG, L.; HO, T.; TAKACS, P.

    2007-01-01

    Systematic error in the Long Trace Profiler (LTP) has become the major error source as measurement accuracy enters the nanoradian and nanometer regime. Great efforts have been made to reduce the systematic error at a number of synchrotron radiation laboratories around the world. Generally, the LTP reference beam has to be tilted away from the optical axis in order to avoid fringe overlap between the sample and reference beams. However, a tilted reference beam will result in considerable systematic error due to optical system imperfections, which is difficult to correct. Six methods of implementing a non-tilted reference beam in the LTP are introduced: (1) application of an external precision angle device to measure and remove slide pitch error without a reference beam, (2) independent slide pitch test by use of not tilted reference beam, (3) non-tilted reference test combined with tilted sample, (4) penta-prism scanning mode without a reference beam correction, (5) non-tilted reference using a second optical head, and (6) alternate switching of data acquisition between the sample and reference beams. With a non-tilted reference method, the measurement accuracy can be improved significantly. Some measurement results are presented. Systematic error in the sample beam arm is not addressed in this paper and should be treated separately

  14. Investigation of systematic errors of metastable "atomic pair" number

    CERN Document Server

    Yazkov, V

    2015-01-01

    Sources of systematic errors in analysis of data, collected in 2012, are analysed. Esti- mations of systematic errors in a number of “atomic pairs” fr om metastable π + π − atoms are presented.

  15. Systematic Error Study for ALICE charged-jet v2 Measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heinz, M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Soltz, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2017-07-18

    We study the treatment of systematic errors in the determination of v2 for charged jets in √ sNN = 2:76 TeV Pb-Pb collisions by the ALICE Collaboration. Working with the reported values and errors for the 0-5% centrality data we evaluate the Χ2 according to the formulas given for the statistical and systematic errors, where the latter are separated into correlated and shape contributions. We reproduce both the Χ2 and p-values relative to a null (zero) result. We then re-cast the systematic errors into an equivalent co-variance matrix and obtain identical results, demonstrating that the two methods are equivalent.

  16. Assessment of the uncertainty associated with systematic errors in digital instruments: an experimental study on offset errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Attivissimo, F; Giaquinto, N; Savino, M; Cataldo, A

    2012-01-01

    This paper deals with the assessment of the uncertainty due to systematic errors, particularly in A/D conversion-based instruments. The problem of defining and assessing systematic errors is briefly discussed, and the conceptual scheme of gauge repeatability and reproducibility is adopted. A practical example regarding the evaluation of the uncertainty caused by the systematic offset error is presented. The experimental results, obtained under various ambient conditions, show that modelling the variability of systematic errors is more problematic than suggested by the ISO 5725 norm. Additionally, the paper demonstrates the substantial difference between the type B uncertainty evaluation, obtained via the maximum entropy principle applied to manufacturer's specifications, and the type A (experimental) uncertainty evaluation, which reflects actually observable reality. Although it is reasonable to assume a uniform distribution of the offset error, experiments demonstrate that the distribution is not centred and that a correction must be applied. In such a context, this work motivates a more pragmatic and experimental approach to uncertainty, with respect to the directions of supplement 1 of GUM. (paper)

  17. Multi-isocenter stereotactic radiotherapy: implications for target dose distributions of systematic and random localization errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebert, M.A.; Zavgorodni, S.F.; Kendrick, L.A.; Weston, S.; Harper, C.S.

    2001-01-01

    Purpose: This investigation examined the effect of alignment and localization errors on dose distributions in stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) with arced circular fields. In particular, it was desired to determine the effect of systematic and random localization errors on multi-isocenter treatments. Methods and Materials: A research version of the FastPlan system from Surgical Navigation Technologies was used to generate a series of SRT plans of varying complexity. These plans were used to examine the influence of random setup errors by recalculating dose distributions with successive setup errors convolved into the off-axis ratio data tables used in the dose calculation. The influence of systematic errors was investigated by displacing isocenters from their planned positions. Results: For single-isocenter plans, it is found that the influences of setup error are strongly dependent on the size of the target volume, with minimum doses decreasing most significantly with increasing random and systematic alignment error. For multi-isocenter plans, similar variations in target dose are encountered, with this result benefiting from the conventional method of prescribing to a lower isodose value for multi-isocenter treatments relative to single-isocenter treatments. Conclusions: It is recommended that the systematic errors associated with target localization in SRT be tracked via a thorough quality assurance program, and that random setup errors be minimized by use of a sufficiently robust relocation system. These errors should also be accounted for by incorporating corrections into the treatment planning algorithm or, alternatively, by inclusion of sufficient margins in target definition

  18. Random and systematic beam modulator errors in dynamic intensity modulated radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parsai, Homayon; Cho, Paul S; Phillips, Mark H; Giansiracusa, Robert S; Axen, David

    2003-01-01

    This paper reports on the dosimetric effects of random and systematic modulator errors in delivery of dynamic intensity modulated beams. A sliding-widow type delivery that utilizes a combination of multileaf collimators (MLCs) and backup diaphragms was examined. Gaussian functions with standard deviations ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 mm were used to simulate random positioning errors. A clinical example involving a clival meningioma was chosen with optic chiasm and brain stem as limiting critical structures in the vicinity of the tumour. Dose calculations for different modulator fluctuations were performed, and a quantitative analysis was carried out based on cumulative and differential dose volume histograms for the gross target volume and surrounding critical structures. The study indicated that random modulator errors have a strong tendency to reduce minimum target dose and homogeneity. Furthermore, it was shown that random perturbation of both MLCs and backup diaphragms in the order of σ = 1 mm can lead to 5% errors in prescribed dose. In comparison, when MLCs or backup diaphragms alone was perturbed, the system was more robust and modulator errors of at least σ = 1.5 mm were required to cause dose discrepancies greater than 5%. For systematic perturbation, even errors in the order of ±0.5 mm were shown to result in significant dosimetric deviations

  19. Study of systematic errors in the luminosity measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arima, Tatsumi

    1993-01-01

    The experimental systematic error in the barrel region was estimated to be 0.44 %. This value is derived considering the systematic uncertainties from the dominant sources but does not include uncertainties which are being studied. In the end cap region, the study of shower behavior and clustering effect is under way in order to determine the angular resolution at the low angle edge of the Liquid Argon Calorimeter. We also expect that the systematic error in this region will be less than 1 %. The technical precision of theoretical uncertainty is better than 0.1 % comparing the Tobimatsu-Shimizu program and BABAMC modified by ALEPH. To estimate the physical uncertainty we will use the ALIBABA [9] which includes O(α 2 ) QED correction in leading-log approximation. (J.P.N.)

  20. Study of systematic errors in the luminosity measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arima, Tatsumi [Tsukuba Univ., Ibaraki (Japan). Inst. of Applied Physics

    1993-04-01

    The experimental systematic error in the barrel region was estimated to be 0.44 %. This value is derived considering the systematic uncertainties from the dominant sources but does not include uncertainties which are being studied. In the end cap region, the study of shower behavior and clustering effect is under way in order to determine the angular resolution at the low angle edge of the Liquid Argon Calorimeter. We also expect that the systematic error in this region will be less than 1 %. The technical precision of theoretical uncertainty is better than 0.1 % comparing the Tobimatsu-Shimizu program and BABAMC modified by ALEPH. To estimate the physical uncertainty we will use the ALIBABA [9] which includes O({alpha}{sup 2}) QED correction in leading-log approximation. (J.P.N.).

  1. Error evaluation method for material accountancy measurement. Evaluation of random and systematic errors based on material accountancy data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nidaira, Kazuo

    2008-01-01

    International Target Values (ITV) shows random and systematic measurement uncertainty components as a reference for routinely achievable measurement quality in the accountancy measurement. The measurement uncertainty, called error henceforth, needs to be periodically evaluated and checked against ITV for consistency as the error varies according to measurement methods, instruments, operators, certified reference samples, frequency of calibration, and so on. In the paper an error evaluation method was developed with focuses on (1) Specifying clearly error calculation model, (2) Getting always positive random and systematic error variances, (3) Obtaining probability density distribution of an error variance and (4) Confirming the evaluation method by simulation. In addition the method was demonstrated by applying real data. (author)

  2. Systematic Errors in Dimensional X-ray Computed Tomography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    that it is possible to compensate them. In dimensional X-ray computed tomography (CT), many physical quantities influence the final result. However, it is important to know which factors in CT measurements potentially lead to systematic errors. In this talk, typical error sources in dimensional X-ray CT are discussed...

  3. Systematic errors of EIT systems determined by easily-scalable resistive phantoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hahn, G; Just, A; Dittmar, J; Hellige, G

    2008-06-01

    We present a simple method to determine systematic errors that will occur in the measurements by EIT systems. The approach is based on very simple scalable resistive phantoms for EIT systems using a 16 electrode adjacent drive pattern. The output voltage of the phantoms is constant for all combinations of current injection and voltage measurements and the trans-impedance of each phantom is determined by only one component. It can be chosen independently from the input and output impedance, which can be set in order to simulate measurements on the human thorax. Additional serial adapters allow investigation of the influence of the contact impedance at the electrodes on resulting errors. Since real errors depend on the dynamic properties of an EIT system, the following parameters are accessible: crosstalk, the absolute error of each driving/sensing channel and the signal to noise ratio in each channel. Measurements were performed on a Goe-MF II EIT system under four different simulated operational conditions. We found that systematic measurement errors always exceeded the error level of stochastic noise since the Goe-MF II system had been optimized for a sufficient signal to noise ratio but not for accuracy. In time difference imaging and functional EIT (f-EIT) systematic errors are reduced to a minimum by dividing the raw data by reference data. This is not the case in absolute EIT (a-EIT) where the resistivity of the examined object is determined on an absolute scale. We conclude that a reduction of systematic errors has to be one major goal in future system design.

  4. Systematic errors of EIT systems determined by easily-scalable resistive phantoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hahn, G; Just, A; Dittmar, J; Hellige, G

    2008-01-01

    We present a simple method to determine systematic errors that will occur in the measurements by EIT systems. The approach is based on very simple scalable resistive phantoms for EIT systems using a 16 electrode adjacent drive pattern. The output voltage of the phantoms is constant for all combinations of current injection and voltage measurements and the trans-impedance of each phantom is determined by only one component. It can be chosen independently from the input and output impedance, which can be set in order to simulate measurements on the human thorax. Additional serial adapters allow investigation of the influence of the contact impedance at the electrodes on resulting errors. Since real errors depend on the dynamic properties of an EIT system, the following parameters are accessible: crosstalk, the absolute error of each driving/sensing channel and the signal to noise ratio in each channel. Measurements were performed on a Goe-MF II EIT system under four different simulated operational conditions. We found that systematic measurement errors always exceeded the error level of stochastic noise since the Goe-MF II system had been optimized for a sufficient signal to noise ratio but not for accuracy. In time difference imaging and functional EIT (f-EIT) systematic errors are reduced to a minimum by dividing the raw data by reference data. This is not the case in absolute EIT (a-EIT) where the resistivity of the examined object is determined on an absolute scale. We conclude that a reduction of systematic errors has to be one major goal in future system design

  5. Sources of variability and systematic error in mouse timing behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallistel, C R; King, Adam; McDonald, Robert

    2004-01-01

    In the peak procedure, starts and stops in responding bracket the target time at which food is expected. The variability in start and stop times is proportional to the target time (scalar variability), as is the systematic error in the mean center (scalar error). The authors investigated the source of the error and the variability, using head poking in the mouse, with target intervals of 5 s, 15 s, and 45 s, in the standard procedure, and in a variant with 3 different target intervals at 3 different locations in a single trial. The authors conclude that the systematic error is due to the asymmetric location of start and stop decision criteria, and the scalar variability derives primarily from sources other than memory.

  6. SHERPA: A systematic human error reduction and prediction approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Embrey, D.E.

    1986-01-01

    This paper describes a Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA) which is intended to provide guidelines for human error reduction and quantification in a wide range of human-machine systems. The approach utilizes as its basic current cognitive models of human performance. The first module in SHERPA performs task and human error analyses, which identify likely error modes, together with guidelines for the reduction of these errors by training, procedures and equipment redesign. The second module uses a SARAH approach to quantify the probability of occurrence of the errors identified earlier, and provides cost benefit analyses to assist in choosing the appropriate error reduction approaches in the third module

  7. The quality of systematic reviews about interventions for refractive error can be improved: a review of systematic reviews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayo-Wilson, Evan; Ng, Sueko Matsumura; Chuck, Roy S; Li, Tianjing

    2017-09-05

    Systematic reviews should inform American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Preferred Practice Pattern® (PPP) guidelines. The quality of systematic reviews related to the forthcoming Preferred Practice Pattern® guideline (PPP) Refractive Errors & Refractive Surgery is unknown. We sought to identify reliable systematic reviews to assist the AAO Refractive Errors & Refractive Surgery PPP. Systematic reviews were eligible if they evaluated the effectiveness or safety of interventions included in the 2012 PPP Refractive Errors & Refractive Surgery. To identify potentially eligible systematic reviews, we searched the Cochrane Eyes and Vision United States Satellite database of systematic reviews. Two authors identified eligible reviews and abstracted information about the characteristics and quality of the reviews independently using the Systematic Review Data Repository. We classified systematic reviews as "reliable" when they (1) defined criteria for the selection of studies, (2) conducted comprehensive literature searches for eligible studies, (3) assessed the methodological quality (risk of bias) of the included studies, (4) used appropriate methods for meta-analyses (which we assessed only when meta-analyses were reported), (5) presented conclusions that were supported by the evidence provided in the review. We identified 124 systematic reviews related to refractive error; 39 met our eligibility criteria, of which we classified 11 to be reliable. Systematic reviews classified as unreliable did not define the criteria for selecting studies (5; 13%), did not assess methodological rigor (10; 26%), did not conduct comprehensive searches (17; 44%), or used inappropriate quantitative methods (3; 8%). The 11 reliable reviews were published between 2002 and 2016. They included 0 to 23 studies (median = 9) and analyzed 0 to 4696 participants (median = 666). Seven reliable reviews (64%) assessed surgical interventions. Most systematic reviews of interventions for

  8. Correcting systematic errors in high-sensitivity deuteron polarization measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brantjes, N. P. M.; Dzordzhadze, V.; Gebel, R.; Gonnella, F.; Gray, F. E.; van der Hoek, D. J.; Imig, A.; Kruithof, W. L.; Lazarus, D. M.; Lehrach, A.; Lorentz, B.; Messi, R.; Moricciani, D.; Morse, W. M.; Noid, G. A.; Onderwater, C. J. G.; Özben, C. S.; Prasuhn, D.; Levi Sandri, P.; Semertzidis, Y. K.; da Silva e Silva, M.; Stephenson, E. J.; Stockhorst, H.; Venanzoni, G.; Versolato, O. O.

    2012-02-01

    This paper reports deuteron vector and tensor beam polarization measurements taken to investigate the systematic variations due to geometric beam misalignments and high data rates. The experiments used the In-Beam Polarimeter at the KVI-Groningen and the EDDA detector at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY at Jülich. By measuring with very high statistical precision, the contributions that are second-order in the systematic errors become apparent. By calibrating the sensitivity of the polarimeter to such errors, it becomes possible to obtain information from the raw count rate values on the size of the errors and to use this information to correct the polarization measurements. During the experiment, it was possible to demonstrate that corrections were satisfactory at the level of 10 -5 for deliberately large errors. This may facilitate the real time observation of vector polarization changes smaller than 10 -6 in a search for an electric dipole moment using a storage ring.

  9. Correcting systematic errors in high-sensitivity deuteron polarization measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brantjes, N.P.M. [Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut, University of Groningen, NL-9747AA Groningen (Netherlands); Dzordzhadze, V. [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Gebel, R. [Institut fuer Kernphysik, Juelich Center for Hadron Physics, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Gonnella, F. [Physica Department of ' Tor Vergata' University, Rome (Italy); INFN-Sez. ' Roma tor Vergata,' Rome (Italy); Gray, F.E. [Regis University, Denver, CO 80221 (United States); Hoek, D.J. van der [Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut, University of Groningen, NL-9747AA Groningen (Netherlands); Imig, A. [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Kruithof, W.L. [Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut, University of Groningen, NL-9747AA Groningen (Netherlands); Lazarus, D.M. [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Lehrach, A.; Lorentz, B. [Institut fuer Kernphysik, Juelich Center for Hadron Physics, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425 Juelich (Germany); Messi, R. [Physica Department of ' Tor Vergata' University, Rome (Italy); INFN-Sez. ' Roma tor Vergata,' Rome (Italy); Moricciani, D. [INFN-Sez. ' Roma tor Vergata,' Rome (Italy); Morse, W.M. [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Noid, G.A. [Indiana University Cyclotron Facility, Bloomington, IN 47408 (United States); and others

    2012-02-01

    This paper reports deuteron vector and tensor beam polarization measurements taken to investigate the systematic variations due to geometric beam misalignments and high data rates. The experiments used the In-Beam Polarimeter at the KVI-Groningen and the EDDA detector at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY at Juelich. By measuring with very high statistical precision, the contributions that are second-order in the systematic errors become apparent. By calibrating the sensitivity of the polarimeter to such errors, it becomes possible to obtain information from the raw count rate values on the size of the errors and to use this information to correct the polarization measurements. During the experiment, it was possible to demonstrate that corrections were satisfactory at the level of 10{sup -5} for deliberately large errors. This may facilitate the real time observation of vector polarization changes smaller than 10{sup -6} in a search for an electric dipole moment using a storage ring.

  10. Seeing your error alters my pointing: observing systematic pointing errors induces sensori-motor after-effects.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberta Ronchi

    Full Text Available During the procedure of prism adaptation, subjects execute pointing movements to visual targets under a lateral optical displacement: as consequence of the discrepancy between visual and proprioceptive inputs, their visuo-motor activity is characterized by pointing errors. The perception of such final errors triggers error-correction processes that eventually result into sensori-motor compensation, opposite to the prismatic displacement (i.e., after-effects. Here we tested whether the mere observation of erroneous pointing movements, similar to those executed during prism adaptation, is sufficient to produce adaptation-like after-effects. Neurotypical participants observed, from a first-person perspective, the examiner's arm making incorrect pointing movements that systematically overshot visual targets location to the right, thus simulating a rightward optical deviation. Three classical after-effect measures (proprioceptive, visual and visual-proprioceptive shift were recorded before and after first-person's perspective observation of pointing errors. Results showed that mere visual exposure to an arm that systematically points on the right-side of a target (i.e., without error correction produces a leftward after-effect, which mostly affects the observer's proprioceptive estimation of her body midline. In addition, being exposed to such a constant visual error induced in the observer the illusion "to feel" the seen movement. These findings indicate that it is possible to elicit sensori-motor after-effects by mere observation of movement errors.

  11. Saccades to remembered target locations: an analysis of systematic and variable errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, J M; Sparks, D L; Stanford, T R

    1994-01-01

    We studied the effects of varying delay interval on the accuracy and velocity of saccades to the remembered locations of visual targets. Remembered saccades were less accurate than control saccades. Both systematic and variable errors contributed to the loss of accuracy. Systematic errors were similar in size for delay intervals ranging from 400 msec to 5.6 sec, but variable errors increased monotonically as delay intervals were lengthened. Compared to control saccades, remembered saccades were slower and the peak velocities were more variable. However, neither peak velocity nor variability in peak velocity was related to the duration of the delay interval. Our findings indicate that a memory-related process is not the major source of the systematic errors observed on memory trials.

  12. Auto-calibration of Systematic Odometry Errors in Mobile Robots

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bak, Martin; Larsen, Thomas Dall; Andersen, Nils Axel

    1999-01-01

    This paper describes the phenomenon of systematic errors in odometry models in mobile robots and looks at various ways of avoiding it by means of auto-calibration. The systematic errors considered are incorrect knowledge of the wheel base and the gains from encoder readings to wheel displacement....... By auto-calibration we mean a standardized procedure which estimates the uncertainties using only on-board equipment such as encoders, an absolute measurement system and filters; no intervention by operator or off-line data processing is necessary. Results are illustrated by a number of simulations...... and experiments on a mobile robot....

  13. RHIC susceptibility to variations in systematic magnetic harmonic errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dell, G.F.; Peggs, S.; Pilat, F.; Satogata, T.; Tepikian, S.; Trbojevic, D.; Wei, J.

    1994-01-01

    Results of a study to determine the sensitivity of tune to uncertainties of the systematic magnetic harmonic errors in the 8 cm dipoles of RHIC are reported. Tolerances specified to the manufacturer for tooling and fabrication can result in systematic harmonics different from the expected values. Limits on the range of systematic harmonics have been established from magnet calculations, and the impact on tune from such harmonics has been established

  14. Medication errors in the Middle East countries: a systematic review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsulami, Zayed; Conroy, Sharon; Choonara, Imti

    2013-04-01

    Medication errors are a significant global concern and can cause serious medical consequences for patients. Little is known about medication errors in Middle Eastern countries. The objectives of this systematic review were to review studies of the incidence and types of medication errors in Middle Eastern countries and to identify the main contributory factors involved. A systematic review of the literature related to medication errors in Middle Eastern countries was conducted in October 2011 using the following databases: Embase, Medline, Pubmed, the British Nursing Index and the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature. The search strategy included all ages and languages. Inclusion criteria were that the studies assessed or discussed the incidence of medication errors and contributory factors to medication errors during the medication treatment process in adults or in children. Forty-five studies from 10 of the 15 Middle Eastern countries met the inclusion criteria. Nine (20 %) studies focused on medication errors in paediatric patients. Twenty-one focused on prescribing errors, 11 measured administration errors, 12 were interventional studies and one assessed transcribing errors. Dispensing and documentation errors were inadequately evaluated. Error rates varied from 7.1 % to 90.5 % for prescribing and from 9.4 % to 80 % for administration. The most common types of prescribing errors reported were incorrect dose (with an incidence rate from 0.15 % to 34.8 % of prescriptions), wrong frequency and wrong strength. Computerised physician rder entry and clinical pharmacist input were the main interventions evaluated. Poor knowledge of medicines was identified as a contributory factor for errors by both doctors (prescribers) and nurses (when administering drugs). Most studies did not assess the clinical severity of the medication errors. Studies related to medication errors in the Middle Eastern countries were relatively few in number and of poor quality

  15. Systematic Review of Errors in Inhaler Use

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sanchis, Joaquin; Gich, Ignasi; Pedersen, Søren

    2016-01-01

    in these outcomes over these 40 years and when partitioned into years 1 to 20 and years 21 to 40. Analyses were conducted in accordance with recommendations from Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology. Results Data...... A systematic search for articles reporting direct observation of inhaler technique by trained personnel covered the period from 1975 to 2014. Outcomes were the nature and frequencies of the three most common errors; the percentage of patients demonstrating correct, acceptable, or poor technique; and variations...

  16. On the effect of systematic errors in near real time accountancy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avenhaus, R.

    1987-01-01

    Systematic measurement errors have a decisive impact on nuclear materials accountancy. This has been demonstrated at various occasions for a fixed number of inventory periods, i.e. for situations where the overall probability of detection is taken as the measure of effectiveness. In the framework of Near Real Time Accountancy (NRTA), however, such analyses have not yet been performed. In this paper sequential test procedures are considered which are based on the so-called MUF-Residuals. It is shown that, if the decision maker does not know the systematic error variance, the average run lengths tend towards infinity if this variance is equal or longer than that of the random error. Furthermore, if the decision maker knows this invariance, the average run length for constant loss or diversion is not shorter than that without loss or diversion. These results cast some doubt on the present practice of data evaluation where systematic errors are tacitly assumed to persist for an infinite time. In fact, information about the time dependence of the variances of these errors has to be gathered in order that the efficiency of NRTA evaluation methods can be estimated realistically

  17. On the effects of systematic errors in analysis of nuclear scattering data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bennett, M.T.; Steward, C.; Amos, K.; Allen, L.J.

    1995-01-01

    The effects of systematic errors on elastic scattering differential cross-section data upon the assessment of quality fits to that data have been studied. Three cases are studied, namely the differential cross-section data sets from elastic scattering of 200 MeV protons from 12 C, of 350 MeV 16 O- 16 O scattering and of 288.6 MeV 12 C- 12 C scattering. First, to estimate the probability of any unknown systematic errors, select sets of data have been processed using the method of generalized cross validation; a method based upon the premise that any data set should satisfy an optimal smoothness criterion. In another case, the S function that provided a statistically significant fit to data, upon allowance for angle variation, became overdetermined. A far simpler S function form could then be found to describe the scattering process. The S functions so obtained have been used in a fixed energy inverse scattering study to specify effective, local, Schroedinger potentials for the collisions. An error analysis has been performed on the results to specify confidence levels for those interactions. 19 refs., 6 tabs., 15 figs

  18. The systematic and random errors determination using realtime 3D surface tracking system in breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanphet, J; Suriyapee, S; Sanghangthum, T; Kumkhwao, J; Wisetrintong, M; Dumrongkijudom, N

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study to determine the patient setup uncertainties in deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) radiation therapy for left breast cancer patients using real-time 3D surface tracking system. The six breast cancer patients treated by 6 MV photon beams from TrueBeam linear accelerator were selected. The patient setup errors and motion during treatment were observed and calculated for interfraction and intrafraction motions. The systematic and random errors were calculated in vertical, longitudinal and lateral directions. From 180 images tracking before and during treatment, the maximum systematic error of interfraction and intrafraction motions were 0.56 mm and 0.23 mm, the maximum random error of interfraction and intrafraction motions were 1.18 mm and 0.53 mm, respectively. The interfraction was more pronounce than the intrafraction, while the systematic error was less impact than random error. In conclusion the intrafraction motion error from patient setup uncertainty is about half of interfraction motion error, which is less impact due to the stability in organ movement from DIBH. The systematic reproducibility is also half of random error because of the high efficiency of modern linac machine that can reduce the systematic uncertainty effectively, while the random errors is uncontrollable. (paper)

  19. 'When measurements mean action' decision models for portal image review to eliminate systematic set-up errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wratten, C.R.; Denham, J.W.; O; Brien, P.; Hamilton, C.S.; Kron, T.; London Regional Cancer Centre, London, Ontario

    2004-01-01

    The aim of the present paper is to evaluate how the use of decision models in the review of portal images can eliminate systematic set-up errors during conformal therapy. Sixteen patients undergoing four-field irradiation of prostate cancer have had daily portal images obtained during the first two treatment weeks and weekly thereafter. The magnitude of random and systematic variations has been calculated by comparison of the portal image with the reference simulator images using the two-dimensional decision model embodied in the Hotelling's evaluation process (HEP). Random day-to-day set-up variation was small in this group of patients. Systematic errors were, however, common. In 15 of 16 patients, one or more errors of >2 mm were diagnosed at some stage during treatment. Sixteen of the 23 errors were between 2 and 4 mm. Although there were examples of oversensitivity of the HEP in three cases, and one instance of undersensitivity, the HEP proved highly sensitive to the small (2-4 mm) systematic errors that must be eliminated during high precision radiotherapy. The HEP has proven valuable in diagnosing very small ( 4 mm) systematic errors using one-dimensional decision models, HEP can eliminate the majority of systematic errors during the first 2 treatment weeks. Copyright (2004) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

  20. Preventing statistical errors in scientific journals.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nuijten, M.B.

    2016-01-01

    There is evidence for a high prevalence of statistical reporting errors in psychology and other scientific fields. These errors display a systematic preference for statistically significant results, distorting the scientific literature. There are several possible causes for this systematic error

  1. Medication Errors in the Southeast Asian Countries: A Systematic Review.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahrzad Salmasi

    Full Text Available Medication error (ME is a worldwide issue, but most studies on ME have been undertaken in developed countries and very little is known about ME in Southeast Asian countries. This study aimed systematically to identify and review research done on ME in Southeast Asian countries in order to identify common types of ME and estimate its prevalence in this region.The literature relating to MEs in Southeast Asian countries was systematically reviewed in December 2014 by using; Embase, Medline, Pubmed, ProQuest Central and the CINAHL. Inclusion criteria were studies (in any languages that investigated the incidence and the contributing factors of ME in patients of all ages.The 17 included studies reported data from six of the eleven Southeast Asian countries: five studies in Singapore, four in Malaysia, three in Thailand, three in Vietnam, one in the Philippines and one in Indonesia. There was no data on MEs in Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor. Of the seventeen included studies, eleven measured administration errors, four focused on prescribing errors, three were done on preparation errors, three on dispensing errors and two on transcribing errors. There was only one study of reconciliation error. Three studies were interventional.The most frequently reported types of administration error were incorrect time, omission error and incorrect dose. Staff shortages, and hence heavy workload for nurses, doctor/nurse distraction, and misinterpretation of the prescription/medication chart, were identified as contributing factors of ME. There is a serious lack of studies on this topic in this region which needs to be addressed if the issue of ME is to be fully understood and addressed.

  2. Tackling systematic errors in quantum logic gates with composite rotations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cummins, Holly K.; Llewellyn, Gavin; Jones, Jonathan A.

    2003-01-01

    We describe the use of composite rotations to combat systematic errors in single-qubit quantum logic gates and discuss three families of composite rotations which can be used to correct off-resonance and pulse length errors. Although developed and described within the context of nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computing, these sequences should be applicable to any implementation of quantum computation

  3. Sampling of systematic errors to estimate likelihood weights in nuclear data uncertainty propagation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Helgesson, P.; Sjöstrand, H.; Koning, A.J.; Rydén, J.; Rochman, D.; Alhassan, E.; Pomp, S.

    2016-01-01

    In methodologies for nuclear data (ND) uncertainty assessment and propagation based on random sampling, likelihood weights can be used to infer experimental information into the distributions for the ND. As the included number of correlated experimental points grows large, the computational time for the matrix inversion involved in obtaining the likelihood can become a practical problem. There are also other problems related to the conventional computation of the likelihood, e.g., the assumption that all experimental uncertainties are Gaussian. In this study, a way to estimate the likelihood which avoids matrix inversion is investigated; instead, the experimental correlations are included by sampling of systematic errors. It is shown that the model underlying the sampling methodology (using univariate normal distributions for random and systematic errors) implies a multivariate Gaussian for the experimental points (i.e., the conventional model). It is also shown that the likelihood estimates obtained through sampling of systematic errors approach the likelihood obtained with matrix inversion as the sample size for the systematic errors grows large. In studied practical cases, it is seen that the estimates for the likelihood weights converge impractically slowly with the sample size, compared to matrix inversion. The computational time is estimated to be greater than for matrix inversion in cases with more experimental points, too. Hence, the sampling of systematic errors has little potential to compete with matrix inversion in cases where the latter is applicable. Nevertheless, the underlying model and the likelihood estimates can be easier to intuitively interpret than the conventional model and the likelihood function involving the inverted covariance matrix. Therefore, this work can both have pedagogical value and be used to help motivating the conventional assumption of a multivariate Gaussian for experimental data. The sampling of systematic errors could also

  4. Strategies to reduce the systematic error due to tumor and rectum motion in radiotherapy of prostate cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoogeman, Mischa S.; Herk, Marcel van; Bois, Josien de; Lebesque, Joos V.

    2005-01-01

    Background and purpose: The goal of this work is to develop and evaluate strategies to reduce the uncertainty in the prostate position and rectum shape that arises in the preparation stage of the radiation treatment of prostate cancer. Patients and methods: Nineteen prostate cancer patients, who were treated with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, received each a planning CT scan and 8-13 repeat CT scans during the treatment period. We quantified prostate motion relative to the pelvic bone by first matching the repeat CT scans on the planning CT scan using the bony anatomy. Subsequently, each contoured prostate, including seminal vesicles, was matched on the prostate in the planning CT scan to obtain the translations and rotations. The variation in prostate position was determined in terms of the systematic, random and group mean error. We tested the performance of two correction strategies to reduce the systematic error due to prostate motion. The first strategy, the pre-treatment strategy, used only the initial rectum volume in the planning CT scan to adjust the angle of the prostate with respect to the left-right (LR) axis and the shape and position of the rectum. The second strategy, the adaptive strategy, used the data of repeat CT scans to improve the estimate of the prostate position and rectum shape during the treatment. Results: The largest component of prostate motion was a rotation around the LR axis. The systematic error (1 SD) was 5.1 deg and the random error was 3.6 deg (1 SD). The average LR-axis rotation between the planning and the repeat CT scans correlated significantly with the rectum volume in the planning CT scan (r=0.86, P<0.0001). Correction of the rotational position on the basis of the planning rectum volume alone reduced the systematic error by 28%. A correction, based on the data of the planning CT scan and 4 repeat CT scans reduced the systematic error over the complete treatment period by a factor of 2. When the correction was

  5. Effects of averaging over motion and the resulting systematic errors in radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, Philip M; Coolens, Catherine; Nioutsikou, Elena

    2006-01-01

    The potential for systematic errors in radiotherapy of a breathing patient is considered using the statistical model of Bortfeld et al (2002 Phys. Med. Biol. 47 2203-20). It is shown that although averaging over 30 fractions does result in a narrow Gaussian distribution of errors, as predicted by the central limit theorem, the fact that one or a few samples of the breathing patient's motion distribution are used for treatment planning (in contrast to the many treatment fractions that are likely to be delivered) may result in a much larger error with a systematic component. The error distribution may be particularly large if a scan at breath-hold is used for planning. (note)

  6. Complete Systematic Error Model of SSR for Sensor Registration in ATC Surveillance Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarama, Ángel J; López-Araquistain, Jaime; Miguel, Gonzalo de; Besada, Juan A

    2017-09-21

    In this paper, a complete and rigorous mathematical model for secondary surveillance radar systematic errors (biases) is developed. The model takes into account the physical effects systematically affecting the measurement processes. The azimuth biases are calculated from the physical error of the antenna calibration and the errors of the angle determination dispositive. Distance bias is calculated from the delay of the signal produced by the refractivity index of the atmosphere, and from clock errors, while the altitude bias is calculated taking into account the atmosphere conditions (pressure and temperature). It will be shown, using simulated and real data, that adapting a classical bias estimation process to use the complete parametrized model results in improved accuracy in the bias estimation.

  7. Complete Systematic Error Model of SSR for Sensor Registration in ATC Surveillance Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ángel J. Jarama

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a complete and rigorous mathematical model for secondary surveillance radar systematic errors (biases is developed. The model takes into account the physical effects systematically affecting the measurement processes. The azimuth biases are calculated from the physical error of the antenna calibration and the errors of the angle determination dispositive. Distance bias is calculated from the delay of the signal produced by the refractivity index of the atmosphere, and from clock errors, while the altitude bias is calculated taking into account the atmosphere conditions (pressure and temperature. It will be shown, using simulated and real data, that adapting a classical bias estimation process to use the complete parametrized model results in improved accuracy in the bias estimation.

  8. On systematic and statistic errors in radionuclide mass activity estimation procedure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smelcerovic, M.; Djuric, G.; Popovic, D.

    1989-01-01

    One of the most important requirements during nuclear accidents is the fast estimation of the mass activity of the radionuclides that suddenly and without control reach the environment. The paper points to systematic errors in the procedures of sampling, sample preparation and measurement itself, that in high degree contribute to total mass activity evaluation error. Statistic errors in gamma spectrometry as well as in total mass alpha and beta activity evaluation are also discussed. Beside, some of the possible sources of errors in the partial mass activity evaluation for some of the radionuclides are presented. The contribution of the errors in the total mass activity evaluation error is estimated and procedures that could possibly reduce it are discussed (author)

  9. ANALYSIS AND CORRECTION OF SYSTEMATIC HEIGHT MODEL ERRORS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Jacobsen

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The geometry of digital height models (DHM determined with optical satellite stereo combinations depends upon the image orientation, influenced by the satellite camera, the system calibration and attitude registration. As standard these days the image orientation is available in form of rational polynomial coefficients (RPC. Usually a bias correction of the RPC based on ground control points is required. In most cases the bias correction requires affine transformation, sometimes only shifts, in image or object space. For some satellites and some cases, as caused by small base length, such an image orientation does not lead to the possible accuracy of height models. As reported e.g. by Yong-hua et al. 2015 and Zhang et al. 2015, especially the Chinese stereo satellite ZiYuan-3 (ZY-3 has a limited calibration accuracy and just an attitude recording of 4 Hz which may not be satisfying. Zhang et al. 2015 tried to improve the attitude based on the color sensor bands of ZY-3, but the color images are not always available as also detailed satellite orientation information. There is a tendency of systematic deformation at a Pléiades tri-stereo combination with small base length. The small base length enlarges small systematic errors to object space. But also in some other satellite stereo combinations systematic height model errors have been detected. The largest influence is the not satisfying leveling of height models, but also low frequency height deformations can be seen. A tilt of the DHM by theory can be eliminated by ground control points (GCP, but often the GCP accuracy and distribution is not optimal, not allowing a correct leveling of the height model. In addition a model deformation at GCP locations may lead to not optimal DHM leveling. Supported by reference height models better accuracy has been reached. As reference height model the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM digital surface model (DSM or the new AW3D30 DSM, based on ALOS

  10. ac driving amplitude dependent systematic error in scanning Kelvin probe microscope measurements: Detection and correction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Yan; Shannon, Mark A.

    2006-01-01

    The dependence of the contact potential difference (CPD) reading on the ac driving amplitude in scanning Kelvin probe microscope (SKPM) hinders researchers from quantifying true material properties. We show theoretically and demonstrate experimentally that an ac driving amplitude dependence in the SKPM measurement can come from a systematic error, and it is common for all tip sample systems as long as there is a nonzero tracking error in the feedback control loop of the instrument. We further propose a methodology to detect and to correct the ac driving amplitude dependent systematic error in SKPM measurements. The true contact potential difference can be found by applying a linear regression to the measured CPD versus one over ac driving amplitude data. Two scenarios are studied: (a) when the surface being scanned by SKPM is not semiconducting and there is an ac driving amplitude dependent systematic error; (b) when a semiconductor surface is probed and asymmetric band bending occurs when the systematic error is present. Experiments are conducted using a commercial SKPM and CPD measurement results of two systems: platinum-iridium/gap/gold and platinum-iridium/gap/thermal oxide/silicon are discussed

  11. Assessment of Systematic Chromatic Errors that Impact Sub-1% Photometric Precision in Large-Area Sky Surveys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, T. S. [et al.

    2016-05-27

    Meeting the science goals for many current and future ground-based optical large-area sky surveys requires that the calibrated broadband photometry is stable in time and uniform over the sky to 1% precision or better. Past surveys have achieved photometric precision of 1-2% by calibrating the survey's stellar photometry with repeated measurements of a large number of stars observed in multiple epochs. The calibration techniques employed by these surveys only consider the relative frame-by-frame photometric zeropoint offset and the focal plane position-dependent illumination corrections, which are independent of the source color. However, variations in the wavelength dependence of the atmospheric transmission and the instrumental throughput induce source color-dependent systematic errors. These systematic errors must also be considered to achieve the most precise photometric measurements. In this paper, we examine such systematic chromatic errors using photometry from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) as an example. We define a natural magnitude system for DES and calculate the systematic errors on stellar magnitudes, when the atmospheric transmission and instrumental throughput deviate from the natural system. We conclude that the systematic chromatic errors caused by the change of airmass in each exposure, the change of the precipitable water vapor and aerosol in the atmosphere over time, and the non-uniformity of instrumental throughput over the focal plane, can be up to 2% in some bandpasses. We compare the calculated systematic chromatic errors with the observed DES data. For the test sample data, we correct these errors using measurements of the atmospheric transmission and instrumental throughput. The residual after correction is less than 0.3%. We also find that the errors for non-stellar objects are redshift-dependent and can be larger than those for stars at certain redshifts.

  12. Systematic investigation of SLC final focus tolerances to errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Napoly, O.

    1996-10-01

    In this paper we review the tolerances of the SLC final focus system. To calculate these tolerances we used the error analysis routine of the program FFADA which has been written to aid the design and the analysis of final focus systems for the future linear colliders. This routine, complete by S. Fartoukh, systematically reviews the errors generated by the geometric 6-d Euclidean displacements of each magnet as well as by the field errors (normal and skew) up to the sextipolar order. It calculates their effects on the orbit and the transfer matrix at the second order in the errors, thus including cross-talk between errors originating from two different magnets. It also translates these effects in terms of tolerance derived from spot size growth and luminosity loss. We have run the routine for the following set of beam IP parameters: σ * x = 2.1 μm; σ * x' = 300 μrd; σ * x = 1 mm; σ * y = 0.55 μm; σ * y' = 200 μrd; σ * b = 2 x 10 -3 . The resulting errors and tolerances are displayed in a series of histograms which are reproduced in this paper. (author)

  13. Impact of systematic errors on DVH parameters of different OAR and target volumes in Intracavitary Brachytherapy (ICBT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mourya, Ankur; Singh, Gaganpreet; Kumar, Vivek; Oinam, Arun S.

    2016-01-01

    Aim of this study is to analyze the impact of systematic errors on DVH parameters of different OAR and Target volumes in intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT). To quantify the changes in dose-volume histogram parameters due to systematic errors in applicator reconstruction of brachytherapy planning, known errors in catheter reconstructions have to be introduced in applicator coordinate system

  14. Electronic portal image assisted reduction of systematic set-up errors in head and neck irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boer, Hans C.J. de; Soernsen de Koste, John R. van; Creutzberg, Carien L.; Visser, Andries G.; Levendag, Peter C.; Heijmen, Ben J.M.

    2001-01-01

    Purpose: To quantify systematic and random patient set-up errors in head and neck irradiation and to investigate the impact of an off-line correction protocol on the systematic errors. Material and methods: Electronic portal images were obtained for 31 patients treated for primary supra-glottic larynx carcinoma who were immobilised using a polyvinyl chloride cast. The observed patient set-up errors were input to the shrinking action level (SAL) off-line decision protocol and appropriate set-up corrections were applied. To assess the impact of the protocol, the positioning accuracy without application of set-up corrections was reconstructed. Results: The set-up errors obtained without set-up corrections (1 standard deviation (SD)=1.5-2 mm for random and systematic errors) were comparable to those reported in other studies on similar fixation devices. On an average, six fractions per patient were imaged and the set-up of half the patients was changed due to the decision protocol. Most changes were detected during weekly check measurements, not during the first days of treatment. The application of the SAL protocol reduced the width of the distribution of systematic errors to 1 mm (1 SD), as expected from simulations. A retrospective analysis showed that this accuracy should be attainable with only two measurements per patient using a different off-line correction protocol, which does not apply action levels. Conclusions: Off-line verification protocols can be particularly effective in head and neck patients due to the smallness of the random set-up errors. The excellent set-up reproducibility that can be achieved with such protocols enables accurate dose delivery in conformal treatments

  15. Characterization of electromagnetic fields in the αSPECTspectrometer and reduction of systematic errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayala Guardia, Fidel

    2011-10-01

    The aSPECT spectrometer has been designed to measure, with high precision, the recoil proton spectrum of the free neutron decay. From this spectrum, the electron antineutrino angular correlation coefficient a can be extracted with high accuracy. The goal of the experiment is to determine the coefficient a with a total relative error smaller than 0.3%, well below the current literature value of 5%. First measurements with the aSPECT spectrometer were performed in the Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz in Munich. However, time-dependent background instabilities prevented us from reporting a new value of a. The contents of this thesis are based on the latest measurements performed with the aSPECT spectrometer at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France. In these measurements, background instabilities were considerably reduced. Furthermore, diverse modifications intended to minimize systematic errors and to achieve a more reliable setup were successfully performed. Unfortunately, saturation effects of the detector electronics turned out to be too high to determine a meaningful result. However, this and other systematics were identified and decreased, or even eliminated, for future aSPECT beamtimes. The central part of this work is focused on the analysis and improvement of systematic errors related to the aSPECT electromagnetic fields. This work yielded in many improvements, particularly in the reduction of the systematic effects due to electric fields. The systematics related to the aSPECT magnetic field were also minimized and determined down to a level which permits to improve the present literature value of a. Furthermore, a custom NMR-magnetometer was developed and improved during this thesis, which will lead to reduction of magnetic field-related uncertainties down to a negligible level to determine a with a total relative error of at least 0.3%.

  16. On the Source of the Systematic Errors in the Quatum Mechanical Calculation of the Superheavy Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khazan A.

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available It is shown that only the hyperbolic law of the Periodic Table of Elements allows the exact calculation for the atomic masses. The reference data of Periods 8 and 9 manifest a systematic error in the computer software applied to such a calculation (this systematic error increases with the number of the elements in the Table.

  17. On the Source of the Systematic Errors in the Quantum Mechanical Calculation of the Superheavy Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khazan A.

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available It is shown that only the hyperbolic law of the Periodic Table of Elements allows the exact calculation for the atomic masses. The reference data of Periods 8 and 9 manifest a systematic error in the computer software applied to such a calculation (this systematic error increases with the number of the elements in the Table.

  18. The sensitivity of patient specific IMRT QC to systematic MLC leaf bank offset errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rangel, Alejandra; Palte, Gesa; Dunscombe, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Patient specific IMRT QC is performed routinely in many clinics as a safeguard against errors and inaccuracies which may be introduced during the complex planning, data transfer, and delivery phases of this type of treatment. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of detecting systematic errors in MLC leaf bank position with patient specific checks. Methods: 9 head and neck (H and N) and 14 prostate IMRT beams were delivered using MLC files containing systematic offsets (±1 mm in two banks, ±0.5 mm in two banks, and 1 mm in one bank of leaves). The beams were measured using both MAPCHECK (Sun Nuclear Corp., Melbourne, FL) and the aS1000 electronic portal imaging device (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). Comparisons with calculated fields, without offsets, were made using commonly adopted criteria including absolute dose (AD) difference, relative dose difference, distance to agreement (DTA), and the gamma index. Results: The criteria most sensitive to systematic leaf bank offsets were the 3% AD, 3 mm DTA for MAPCHECK and the gamma index with 2% AD and 2 mm DTA for the EPID. The criterion based on the relative dose measurements was the least sensitive to MLC offsets. More highly modulated fields, i.e., H and N, showed greater changes in the percentage of passing points due to systematic MLC inaccuracy than prostate fields. Conclusions: None of the techniques or criteria tested is sufficiently sensitive, with the population of IMRT fields, to detect a systematic MLC offset at a clinically significant level on an individual field. Patient specific QC cannot, therefore, substitute for routine QC of the MLC itself.

  19. The sensitivity of patient specific IMRT QC to systematic MLC leaf bank offset errors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rangel, Alejandra; Palte, Gesa; Dunscombe, Peter [Department of Medical Physics, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331-29 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2, Canada and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive North West, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331-29 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331-29 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2 (Canada); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 (Canada) and Department of Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331-29 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2 (Canada)

    2010-07-15

    Purpose: Patient specific IMRT QC is performed routinely in many clinics as a safeguard against errors and inaccuracies which may be introduced during the complex planning, data transfer, and delivery phases of this type of treatment. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of detecting systematic errors in MLC leaf bank position with patient specific checks. Methods: 9 head and neck (H and N) and 14 prostate IMRT beams were delivered using MLC files containing systematic offsets ({+-}1 mm in two banks, {+-}0.5 mm in two banks, and 1 mm in one bank of leaves). The beams were measured using both MAPCHECK (Sun Nuclear Corp., Melbourne, FL) and the aS1000 electronic portal imaging device (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). Comparisons with calculated fields, without offsets, were made using commonly adopted criteria including absolute dose (AD) difference, relative dose difference, distance to agreement (DTA), and the gamma index. Results: The criteria most sensitive to systematic leaf bank offsets were the 3% AD, 3 mm DTA for MAPCHECK and the gamma index with 2% AD and 2 mm DTA for the EPID. The criterion based on the relative dose measurements was the least sensitive to MLC offsets. More highly modulated fields, i.e., H and N, showed greater changes in the percentage of passing points due to systematic MLC inaccuracy than prostate fields. Conclusions: None of the techniques or criteria tested is sufficiently sensitive, with the population of IMRT fields, to detect a systematic MLC offset at a clinically significant level on an individual field. Patient specific QC cannot, therefore, substitute for routine QC of the MLC itself.

  20. ERESYE - a expert system for the evaluation of uncertainties related to systematic experimental errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinelli, T.; Panini, G.C.; Amoroso, A.

    1989-11-01

    Information about systematic errors are not given In EXFOR, the data base of nuclear experimental measurements: their assessment is committed to the ability of the evaluator. A tool Is needed which performs this task in a fully automatic way or, at least, gives a valuable aid. The expert system ERESYE has been implemented for investigating the feasibility of an automatic evaluation of the systematic errors in the experiments. The features of the project which led to the implementation of the system are presented. (author)

  1. Effects of systematic phase errors on optimized quantum random-walk search algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yu-Chao; Bao Wan-Su; Wang Xiang; Fu Xiang-Qun

    2015-01-01

    This study investigates the effects of systematic errors in phase inversions on the success rate and number of iterations in the optimized quantum random-walk search algorithm. Using the geometric description of this algorithm, a model of the algorithm with phase errors is established, and the relationship between the success rate of the algorithm, the database size, the number of iterations, and the phase error is determined. For a given database size, we obtain both the maximum success rate of the algorithm and the required number of iterations when phase errors are present in the algorithm. Analyses and numerical simulations show that the optimized quantum random-walk search algorithm is more robust against phase errors than Grover’s algorithm. (paper)

  2. Performance monitoring and error significance in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endrass, Tanja; Schuermann, Beate; Kaufmann, Christan; Spielberg, Rüdiger; Kniesche, Rainer; Kathmann, Norbert

    2010-05-01

    Performance monitoring has been consistently found to be overactive in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The present study examines whether performance monitoring in OCD is adjusted with error significance. Therefore, errors in a flanker task were followed by neutral (standard condition) or punishment feedbacks (punishment condition). In the standard condition patients had significantly larger error-related negativity (ERN) and correct-related negativity (CRN) ampliudes than controls. But, in the punishment condition groups did not differ in ERN and CRN amplitudes. While healthy controls showed an amplitude enhancement between standard and punishment condition, OCD patients showed no variation. In contrast, group differences were not found for the error positivity (Pe): both groups had larger Pe amplitudes in the punishment condition. Results confirm earlier findings of overactive error monitoring in OCD. The absence of a variation with error significance might indicate that OCD patients are unable to down-regulate their monitoring activity according to external requirements. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Physical predictions from lattice QCD. Reducing systematic errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pittori, C.

    1994-01-01

    Some recent developments in the theoretical understanding of lattice quantum chromodynamics and of its possible sources of systematic errors are reported, and a review of some of the latest Monte Carlo results for light quarks phenomenology is presented. A very general introduction on a quantum field theory on a discrete spacetime lattice is given, and the Monte Carlo methods which allow to compute many interesting physical quantities in the non-perturbative domain of strong interactions, is illustrated. (author). 17 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

  4. Characterization of electromagnetic fields in the aSPECT spectrometer and reduction of systematic errors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ayala Guardia, Fidel

    2011-10-15

    The aSPECT spectrometer has been designed to measure, with high precision, the recoil proton spectrum of the free neutron decay. From this spectrum, the electron antineutrino angular correlation coefficient a can be extracted with high accuracy. The goal of the experiment is to determine the coefficient a with a total relative error smaller than 0.3%, well below the current literature value of 5%. First measurements with the aSPECT spectrometer were performed in the Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz in Munich. However, time-dependent background instabilities prevented us from reporting a new value of a. The contents of this thesis are based on the latest measurements performed with the aSPECT spectrometer at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France. In these measurements, background instabilities were considerably reduced. Furthermore, diverse modifications intended to minimize systematic errors and to achieve a more reliable setup were successfully performed. Unfortunately, saturation effects of the detector electronics turned out to be too high to determine a meaningful result. However, this and other systematics were identified and decreased, or even eliminated, for future aSPECT beamtimes. The central part of this work is focused on the analysis and improvement of systematic errors related to the aSPECT electromagnetic fields. This work yielded in many improvements, particularly in the reduction of the systematic effects due to electric fields. The systematics related to the aSPECT magnetic field were also minimized and determined down to a level which permits to improve the present literature value of a. Furthermore, a custom NMR-magnetometer was developed and improved during this thesis, which will lead to reduction of magnetic field-related uncertainties down to a negligible level to determine a with a total relative error of at least 0.3%.

  5. Systematic errors due to linear congruential random-number generators with the Swendsen-Wang algorithm: a warning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ossola, Giovanni; Sokal, Alan D

    2004-08-01

    We show that linear congruential pseudo-random-number generators can cause systematic errors in Monte Carlo simulations using the Swendsen-Wang algorithm, if the lattice size is a multiple of a very large power of 2 and one random number is used per bond. These systematic errors arise from correlations within a single bond-update half-sweep. The errors can be eliminated (or at least radically reduced) by updating the bonds in a random order or in an aperiodic manner. It also helps to use a generator of large modulus (e.g., 60 or more bits).

  6. Error Mitigation in Computational Design of Sustainable Energy Materials

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Rune

    by individual C=O bonds. Energy corrections applied to C=O bonds significantly reduce systematic errors and can be extended to adsorbates. A similar study is performed for intermediates in the oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions. An identified systematic error on peroxide bonds is found to also...... be present in the OOH* adsorbate. However, the systematic error will almost be canceled by inclusion of van der Waals energy. The energy difference between key adsorbates is thus similar to that previously found. Finally, a method is developed for error estimation in computationally inexpensive neural...

  7. Using Analysis Increments (AI) to Estimate and Correct Systematic Errors in the Global Forecast System (GFS) Online

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhargava, K.; Kalnay, E.; Carton, J.; Yang, F.

    2017-12-01

    Systematic forecast errors, arising from model deficiencies, form a significant portion of the total forecast error in weather prediction models like the Global Forecast System (GFS). While much effort has been expended to improve models, substantial model error remains. The aim here is to (i) estimate the model deficiencies in the GFS that lead to systematic forecast errors, (ii) implement an online correction (i.e., within the model) scheme to correct GFS following the methodology of Danforth et al. [2007] and Danforth and Kalnay [2008, GRL]. Analysis Increments represent the corrections that new observations make on, in this case, the 6-hr forecast in the analysis cycle. Model bias corrections are estimated from the time average of the analysis increments divided by 6-hr, assuming that initial model errors grow linearly and first ignoring the impact of observation bias. During 2012-2016, seasonal means of the 6-hr model bias are generally robust despite changes in model resolution and data assimilation systems, and their broad continental scales explain their insensitivity to model resolution. The daily bias dominates the sub-monthly analysis increments and consists primarily of diurnal and semidiurnal components, also requiring a low dimensional correction. Analysis increments in 2015 and 2016 are reduced over oceans, which is attributed to improvements in the specification of the SSTs. These results encourage application of online correction, as suggested by Danforth and Kalnay, for mean, seasonal and diurnal and semidiurnal model biases in GFS to reduce both systematic and random errors. As the error growth in the short-term is still linear, estimated model bias corrections can be added as a forcing term in the model tendency equation to correct online. Preliminary experiments with GFS, correcting temperature and specific humidity online show reduction in model bias in 6-hr forecast. This approach can then be used to guide and optimize the design of sub

  8. Progressive significance map and its application to error-resilient image transmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Yang; Pearlman, William A; Li, Xin

    2012-07-01

    Set partition coding (SPC) has shown tremendous success in image compression. Despite its popularity, the lack of error resilience remains a significant challenge to the transmission of images in error-prone environments. In this paper, we propose a novel data representation called the progressive significance map (prog-sig-map) for error-resilient SPC. It structures the significance map (sig-map) into two parts: a high-level summation sig-map and a low-level complementary sig-map (comp-sig-map). Such a structured representation of the sig-map allows us to improve its error-resilient property at the price of only a slight sacrifice in compression efficiency. For example, we have found that a fixed-length coding of the comp-sig-map in the prog-sig-map renders 64% of the coded bitstream insensitive to bit errors, compared with 40% with that of the conventional sig-map. Simulation results have shown that the prog-sig-map can achieve highly competitive rate-distortion performance for binary symmetric channels while maintaining low computational complexity. Moreover, we note that prog-sig-map is complementary to existing independent packetization and channel-coding-based error-resilient approaches and readily lends itself to other source coding applications such as distributed video coding.

  9. Design of roundness measurement model with multi-systematic error for cylindrical components with large radius.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Chuanzhi; Wang, Lei; Tan, Jiubin; Zhao, Bo; Tang, Yangchao

    2016-02-01

    The paper designs a roundness measurement model with multi-systematic error, which takes eccentricity, probe offset, radius of tip head of probe, and tilt error into account for roundness measurement of cylindrical components. The effects of the systematic errors and radius of components are analysed in the roundness measurement. The proposed method is built on the instrument with a high precision rotating spindle. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by experiment with the standard cylindrical component, which is measured on a roundness measuring machine. Compared to the traditional limacon measurement model, the accuracy of roundness measurement can be increased by about 2.2 μm using the proposed roundness measurement model for the object with a large radius of around 37 mm. The proposed method can improve the accuracy of roundness measurement and can be used for error separation, calibration, and comparison, especially for cylindrical components with a large radius.

  10. ASSESSMENT OF SYSTEMATIC CHROMATIC ERRORS THAT IMPACT SUB-1% PHOTOMETRIC PRECISION IN LARGE-AREA SKY SURVEYS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, T. S.; DePoy, D. L.; Marshall, J. L.; Boada, S.; Mondrik, N.; Nagasawa, D. [George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843 (United States); Tucker, D.; Annis, J.; Finley, D. A.; Kent, S.; Lin, H.; Marriner, J.; Wester, W. [Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, P.O. Box 500, Batavia, IL 60510 (United States); Kessler, R.; Scolnic, D. [Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Bernstein, G. M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Burke, D. L.; Rykoff, E. S. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); James, D. J.; Walker, A. R. [Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Casilla 603, La Serena (Chile); Collaboration: DES Collaboration; and others

    2016-06-01

    Meeting the science goals for many current and future ground-based optical large-area sky surveys requires that the calibrated broadband photometry is both stable in time and uniform over the sky to 1% precision or better. Past and current surveys have achieved photometric precision of 1%–2% by calibrating the survey’s stellar photometry with repeated measurements of a large number of stars observed in multiple epochs. The calibration techniques employed by these surveys only consider the relative frame-by-frame photometric zeropoint offset and the focal plane position-dependent illumination corrections, which are independent of the source color. However, variations in the wavelength dependence of the atmospheric transmission and the instrumental throughput induce source color-dependent systematic errors. These systematic errors must also be considered to achieve the most precise photometric measurements. In this paper, we examine such systematic chromatic errors (SCEs) using photometry from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) as an example. We first define a natural magnitude system for DES and calculate the systematic errors on stellar magnitudes when the atmospheric transmission and instrumental throughput deviate from the natural system. We conclude that the SCEs caused by the change of airmass in each exposure, the change of the precipitable water vapor and aerosol in the atmosphere over time, and the non-uniformity of instrumental throughput over the focal plane can be up to 2% in some bandpasses. We then compare the calculated SCEs with the observed DES data. For the test sample data, we correct these errors using measurements of the atmospheric transmission and instrumental throughput from auxiliary calibration systems. The residual after correction is less than 0.3%. Moreover, we calculate such SCEs for Type Ia supernovae and elliptical galaxies and find that the chromatic errors for non-stellar objects are redshift-dependent and can be larger than those for

  11. The Thirty Gigahertz Instrument Receiver for the QUIJOTE Experiment: Preliminary Polarization Measurements and Systematic-Error Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco J. Casas

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents preliminary polarization measurements and systematic-error characterization of the Thirty Gigahertz Instrument receiver developed for the QUIJOTE experiment. The instrument has been designed to measure the polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background radiation from the sky, obtaining the Q, U, and I Stokes parameters of the incoming signal simultaneously. Two kinds of linearly polarized input signals have been used as excitations in the polarimeter measurement tests in the laboratory; these show consistent results in terms of the Stokes parameters obtained. A measurement-based systematic-error characterization technique has been used in order to determine the possible sources of instrumental errors and to assist in the polarimeter calibration process.

  12. Effects of Systematic and Random Errors on the Retrieval of Particle Microphysical Properties from Multiwavelength Lidar Measurements Using Inversion with Regularization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, Daniel Perez; Whiteman, David N.; Veselovskii, Igor; Kolgotin, Alexei; Korenskiy, Michael; Alados-Arboledas, Lucas

    2013-01-01

    In this work we study the effects of systematic and random errors on the inversion of multiwavelength (MW) lidar data using the well-known regularization technique to obtain vertically resolved aerosol microphysical properties. The software implementation used here was developed at the Physics Instrumentation Center (PIC) in Troitsk (Russia) in conjunction with the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. Its applicability to Raman lidar systems based on backscattering measurements at three wavelengths (355, 532 and 1064 nm) and extinction measurements at two wavelengths (355 and 532 nm) has been demonstrated widely. The systematic error sensitivity is quantified by first determining the retrieved parameters for a given set of optical input data consistent with three different sets of aerosol physical parameters. Then each optical input is perturbed by varying amounts and the inversion is repeated. Using bimodal aerosol size distributions, we find a generally linear dependence of the retrieved errors in the microphysical properties on the induced systematic errors in the optical data. For the retrievals of effective radius, number/surface/volume concentrations and fine-mode radius and volume, we find that these results are not significantly affected by the range of the constraints used in inversions. But significant sensitivity was found to the allowed range of the imaginary part of the particle refractive index. Our results also indicate that there exists an additive property for the deviations induced by the biases present in the individual optical data. This property permits the results here to be used to predict deviations in retrieved parameters when multiple input optical data are biased simultaneously as well as to study the influence of random errors on the retrievals. The above results are applied to questions regarding lidar design, in particular for the spaceborne multiwavelength lidar under consideration for the upcoming ACE mission.

  13. Modeling coherent errors in quantum error correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenbaum, Daniel; Dutton, Zachary

    2018-01-01

    Analysis of quantum error correcting codes is typically done using a stochastic, Pauli channel error model for describing the noise on physical qubits. However, it was recently found that coherent errors (systematic rotations) on physical data qubits result in both physical and logical error rates that differ significantly from those predicted by a Pauli model. Here we examine the accuracy of the Pauli approximation for noise containing coherent errors (characterized by a rotation angle ɛ) under the repetition code. We derive an analytic expression for the logical error channel as a function of arbitrary code distance d and concatenation level n, in the small error limit. We find that coherent physical errors result in logical errors that are partially coherent and therefore non-Pauli. However, the coherent part of the logical error is negligible at fewer than {ε }-({dn-1)} error correction cycles when the decoder is optimized for independent Pauli errors, thus providing a regime of validity for the Pauli approximation. Above this number of correction cycles, the persistent coherent logical error will cause logical failure more quickly than the Pauli model would predict, and this may need to be combated with coherent suppression methods at the physical level or larger codes.

  14. Investigating Systematic Errors of the Interstellar Flow Longitude Derived from the Pickup Ion Cutoff

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taut, A.; Berger, L.; Drews, C.; Bower, J.; Keilbach, D.; Lee, M. A.; Moebius, E.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.

    2017-12-01

    Complementary to the direct neutral particle measurements performed by e.g. IBEX, the measurement of PickUp Ions (PUIs) constitutes a diagnostic tool to investigate the local interstellar medium. PUIs are former neutral particles that have been ionized in the inner heliosphere. Subsequently, they are picked up by the solar wind and its frozen-in magnetic field. Due to this process, a characteristic Velocity Distribution Function (VDF) with a sharp cutoff evolves, which carries information about the PUI's injection speed and thus the former neutral particle velocity. The symmetry of the injection speed about the interstellar flow vector is used to derive the interstellar flow longitude from PUI measurements. Using He PUI data obtained by the PLASTIC sensor on STEREO A, we investigate how this concept may be affected by systematic errors. The PUI VDF strongly depends on the orientation of the local interplanetary magnetic field. Recently injected PUIs with speeds just below the cutoff speed typically form a highly anisotropic torus distribution in velocity space, which leads to a longitudinal transport for certain magnetic field orientation. Therefore, we investigate how the selection of magnetic field configurations in the data affects the result for the interstellar flow longitude that we derive from the PUI cutoff. Indeed, we find that the results follow a systematic trend with the filtered magnetic field angles that can lead to a shift of the result up to 5°. In turn, this means that every value for the interstellar flow longitude derived from the PUI cutoff is affected by a systematic error depending on the utilized magnetic field orientations. Here, we present our observations, discuss possible reasons for the systematic trend we discovered, and indicate selections that may minimize the systematic errors.

  15. Unaccounted source of systematic errors in measurements of the Newtonian gravitational constant G

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeSalvo, Riccardo

    2015-06-01

    Many precision measurements of G have produced a spread of results incompatible with measurement errors. Clearly an unknown source of systematic errors is at work. It is proposed here that most of the discrepancies derive from subtle deviations from Hooke's law, caused by avalanches of entangled dislocations. The idea is supported by deviations from linearity reported by experimenters measuring G, similarly to what is observed, on a larger scale, in low-frequency spring oscillators. Some mitigating experimental apparatus modifications are suggested.

  16. Modeling systematic errors: polychromatic sources of Beer-Lambert deviations in HPLC/UV and nonchromatographic spectrophotometric assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galli, C

    2001-07-01

    It is well established that the use of polychromatic radiation in spectrophotometric assays leads to excursions from the Beer-Lambert limit. This Note models the resulting systematic error as a function of assay spectral width, slope of molecular extinction coefficient, and analyte concentration. The theoretical calculations are compared with recent experimental results; a parameter is introduced which can be used to estimate the magnitude of the systematic error in both chromatographic and nonchromatographic spectrophotometric assays. It is important to realize that the polychromatic radiation employed in common laboratory equipment can yield assay errors up to approximately 4%, even at absorption levels generally considered 'safe' (i.e. absorption <1). Thus careful consideration of instrumental spectral width, analyte concentration, and slope of molecular extinction coefficient is required to ensure robust analytical methods.

  17. End-point construction and systematic titration error in linear titration curves-complexation reactions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Coenegracht, P.M.J.; Duisenberg, A.J.M.

    The systematic titration error which is introduced by the intersection of tangents to hyperbolic titration curves is discussed. The effects of the apparent (conditional) formation constant, of the concentration of the unknown component and of the ranges used for the end-point construction are

  18. Analysis of human error and organizational deficiency in events considering risk significance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yong Suk; Kim, Yoonik; Kim, Say Hyung; Kim, Chansoo; Chung, Chang Hyun; Jung, Won Dea

    2004-01-01

    In this study, we analyzed human and organizational deficiencies in the trip events of Korean nuclear power plants. K-HPES items were used in human error analysis, and the organizational factors by Jacobs and Haber were used for organizational deficiency analysis. We proposed the use of CCDP as a risk measure to consider risk information in prioritizing K-HPES items and organizational factors. Until now, the risk significance of events has not been considered in human error and organizational deficiency analysis. Considering the risk significance of events in the process of analysis is necessary for effective enhancement of nuclear power plant safety by focusing on causes of human error and organizational deficiencies that are associated with significant risk

  19. The systematic error of temperature noise correlation measurement method and self-calibration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian Hong; Tong Yunxian

    1993-04-01

    The turbulent transport behavior of fluid noise and the nature of noise affect on the velocity measurement system have been studied. The systematic error of velocity measurement system is analyzed. A theoretical calibration method is proposed, which makes the velocity measurement of time-correlation as an absolute measurement method. The theoretical results are in good agreement with experiments

  20. A correction method for systematic error in (1)H-NMR time-course data validated through stochastic cell culture simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sokolenko, Stanislav; Aucoin, Marc G

    2015-09-04

    The growing ubiquity of metabolomic techniques has facilitated high frequency time-course data collection for an increasing number of applications. While the concentration trends of individual metabolites can be modeled with common curve fitting techniques, a more accurate representation of the data needs to consider effects that act on more than one metabolite in a given sample. To this end, we present a simple algorithm that uses nonparametric smoothing carried out on all observed metabolites at once to identify and correct systematic error from dilution effects. In addition, we develop a simulation of metabolite concentration time-course trends to supplement available data and explore algorithm performance. Although we focus on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis in the context of cell culture, a number of possible extensions are discussed. Realistic metabolic data was successfully simulated using a 4-step process. Starting with a set of metabolite concentration time-courses from a metabolomic experiment, each time-course was classified as either increasing, decreasing, concave, or approximately constant. Trend shapes were simulated from generic functions corresponding to each classification. The resulting shapes were then scaled to simulated compound concentrations. Finally, the scaled trends were perturbed using a combination of random and systematic errors. To detect systematic errors, a nonparametric fit was applied to each trend and percent deviations calculated at every timepoint. Systematic errors could be identified at time-points where the median percent deviation exceeded a threshold value, determined by the choice of smoothing model and the number of observed trends. Regardless of model, increasing the number of observations over a time-course resulted in more accurate error estimates, although the improvement was not particularly large between 10 and 20 samples per trend. The presented algorithm was able to identify systematic errors as small

  1. Coping with medical error: a systematic review of papers to assess the effects of involvement in medical errors on healthcare professionals' psychological well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirriyeh, Reema; Lawton, Rebecca; Gardner, Peter; Armitage, Gerry

    2010-12-01

    Previous research has established health professionals as secondary victims of medical error, with the identification of a range of emotional and psychological repercussions that may occur as a result of involvement in error.2 3 Due to the vast range of emotional and psychological outcomes, research to date has been inconsistent in the variables measured and tools used. Therefore, differing conclusions have been drawn as to the nature of the impact of error on professionals and the subsequent repercussions for their team, patients and healthcare institution. A systematic review was conducted. Data sources were identified using database searches, with additional reference and hand searching. Eligibility criteria were applied to all studies identified, resulting in a total of 24 included studies. Quality assessment was conducted with the included studies using a tool that was developed as part of this research, but due to the limited number and diverse nature of studies, no exclusions were made on this basis. Review findings suggest that there is consistent evidence for the widespread impact of medical error on health professionals. Psychological repercussions may include negative states such as shame, self-doubt, anxiety and guilt. Despite much attention devoted to the assessment of negative outcomes, the potential for positive outcomes resulting from error also became apparent, with increased assertiveness, confidence and improved colleague relationships reported. It is evident that involvement in a medical error can elicit a significant psychological response from the health professional involved. However, a lack of literature around coping and support, coupled with inconsistencies and weaknesses in methodology, may need be addressed in future work.

  2. Generalized Gaussian Error Calculus

    CERN Document Server

    Grabe, Michael

    2010-01-01

    For the first time in 200 years Generalized Gaussian Error Calculus addresses a rigorous, complete and self-consistent revision of the Gaussian error calculus. Since experimentalists realized that measurements in general are burdened by unknown systematic errors, the classical, widespread used evaluation procedures scrutinizing the consequences of random errors alone turned out to be obsolete. As a matter of course, the error calculus to-be, treating random and unknown systematic errors side by side, should ensure the consistency and traceability of physical units, physical constants and physical quantities at large. The generalized Gaussian error calculus considers unknown systematic errors to spawn biased estimators. Beyond, random errors are asked to conform to the idea of what the author calls well-defined measuring conditions. The approach features the properties of a building kit: any overall uncertainty turns out to be the sum of a contribution due to random errors, to be taken from a confidence inter...

  3. Systematic Procedural Error

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Byrne, Michael D

    2006-01-01

    .... This problem has received surprisingly little attention from cognitive psychologists. The research summarized here examines such errors in some detail both empirically and through computational cognitive modeling...

  4. Variation across mitochondrial gene trees provides evidence for systematic error: How much gene tree variation is biological?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, Emilie J; Brown, Jeremy M; Barley, Anthony J; Chong, Rebecca A; Thomson, Robert C

    2018-02-19

    The use of large genomic datasets in phylogenetics has highlighted extensive topological variation across genes. Much of this discordance is assumed to result from biological processes. However, variation among gene trees can also be a consequence of systematic error driven by poor model fit, and the relative importance of biological versus methodological factors in explaining gene tree variation is a major unresolved question. Using mitochondrial genomes to control for biological causes of gene tree variation, we estimate the extent of gene tree discordance driven by systematic error and employ posterior prediction to highlight the role of model fit in producing this discordance. We find that the amount of discordance among mitochondrial gene trees is similar to the amount of discordance found in other studies that assume only biological causes of variation. This similarity suggests that the role of systematic error in generating gene tree variation is underappreciated and critical evaluation of fit between assumed models and the data used for inference is important for the resolution of unresolved phylogenetic questions.

  5. Combined influence of CT random noise and HU-RSP calibration curve nonlinearities on proton range systematic errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brousmiche, S.; Souris, K.; Orban de Xivry, J.; Lee, J. A.; Macq, B.; Seco, J.

    2017-11-01

    Proton range random and systematic uncertainties are the major factors undermining the advantages of proton therapy, namely, a sharp dose falloff and a better dose conformality for lower doses in normal tissues. The influence of CT artifacts such as beam hardening or scatter can easily be understood and estimated due to their large-scale effects on the CT image, like cupping and streaks. In comparison, the effects of weakly-correlated stochastic noise are more insidious and less attention is drawn on them partly due to the common belief that they only contribute to proton range uncertainties and not to systematic errors thanks to some averaging effects. A new source of systematic errors on the range and relative stopping powers (RSP) has been highlighted and proved not to be negligible compared to the 3.5% uncertainty reference value used for safety margin design. Hence, we demonstrate that the angular points in the HU-to-RSP calibration curve are an intrinsic source of proton range systematic error for typical levels of zero-mean stochastic CT noise. Systematic errors on RSP of up to 1% have been computed for these levels. We also show that the range uncertainty does not generally vary linearly with the noise standard deviation. We define a noise-dependent effective calibration curve that better describes, for a given material, the RSP value that is actually used. The statistics of the RSP and the range continuous slowing down approximation (CSDA) have been analytically derived for the general case of a calibration curve obtained by the stoichiometric calibration procedure. These models have been validated against actual CSDA simulations for homogeneous and heterogeneous synthetical objects as well as on actual patient CTs for prostate and head-and-neck treatment planning situations.

  6. Economic impact of medication error: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Elaine K; Hansen, Christina Raae; Sahm, Laura J; Kearney, Patricia M; Doherty, Edel; Bradley, Colin P

    2017-05-01

    Medication error is a significant source of morbidity and mortality among patients. Clinical and cost-effectiveness evidence are required for the implementation of quality of care interventions. Reduction of error-related cost is a key potential benefit of interventions addressing medication error. The aim of this review was to describe and quantify the economic burden associated with medication error. PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL, EconLit, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Complete were searched. Studies published 2004-2016 assessing the economic impact of medication error were included. Cost values were expressed in Euro 2015. A narrative synthesis was performed. A total of 4572 articles were identified from database searching, and 16 were included in the review. One study met all applicable quality criteria. Fifteen studies expressed economic impact in monetary terms. Mean cost per error per study ranged from €2.58 to €111 727.08. Healthcare costs were used to measure economic impact in 15 of the included studies with one study measuring litigation costs. Four studies included costs incurred in primary care with the remaining 12 measuring hospital costs. Five studies looked at general medication error in a general population with 11 studies reporting the economic impact of an individual type of medication error or error within a specific patient population. Considerable variability existed between studies in terms of financial cost, patients, settings and errors included. Many were of poor quality. Assessment of economic impact was conducted predominantly in the hospital setting with little assessment of primary care impact. Limited parameters were used to establish economic impact. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Comparison between calorimeter and HLNC errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldman, A.S.; De Ridder, P.; Laszlo, G.

    1991-01-01

    This paper summarizes an error analysis that compares systematic and random errors of total plutonium mass estimated for high-level neutron coincidence counter (HLNC) and calorimeter measurements. This task was part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) study on the comparison of the two instruments to determine if HLNC measurement errors met IAEA standards and if the calorimeter gave ''significantly'' better precision. Our analysis was based on propagation of error models that contained all known sources of errors including uncertainties associated with plutonium isotopic measurements. 5 refs., 2 tabs

  8. Mapping the absolute magnetic field and evaluating the quadratic Zeeman-effect-induced systematic error in an atom interferometer gravimeter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Qing-Qing; Freier, Christian; Leykauf, Bastian; Schkolnik, Vladimir; Yang, Jun; Krutzik, Markus; Peters, Achim

    2017-09-01

    Precisely evaluating the systematic error induced by the quadratic Zeeman effect is important for developing atom interferometer gravimeters aiming at an accuracy in the μ Gal regime (1 μ Gal =10-8m /s2 ≈10-9g ). This paper reports on the experimental investigation of Raman spectroscopy-based magnetic field measurements and the evaluation of the systematic error in the gravimetric atom interferometer (GAIN) due to quadratic Zeeman effect. We discuss Raman duration and frequency step-size-dependent magnetic field measurement uncertainty, present vector light shift and tensor light shift induced magnetic field measurement offset, and map the absolute magnetic field inside the interferometer chamber of GAIN with an uncertainty of 0.72 nT and a spatial resolution of 12.8 mm. We evaluate the quadratic Zeeman-effect-induced gravity measurement error in GAIN as 2.04 μ Gal . The methods shown in this paper are important for precisely mapping the absolute magnetic field in vacuum and reducing the quadratic Zeeman-effect-induced systematic error in Raman transition-based precision measurements, such as atomic interferometer gravimeters.

  9. Learning from Errors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MA. Lendita Kryeziu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available “Errare humanum est”, a well known and widespread Latin proverb which states that: to err is human, and that people make mistakes all the time. However, what counts is that people must learn from mistakes. On these grounds Steve Jobs stated: “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.” Similarly, in learning new language, learners make mistakes, thus it is important to accept them, learn from them, discover the reason why they make them, improve and move on. The significance of studying errors is described by Corder as: “There have always been two justifications proposed for the study of learners' errors: the pedagogical justification, namely that a good understanding of the nature of error is necessary before a systematic means of eradicating them could be found, and the theoretical justification, which claims that a study of learners' errors is part of the systematic study of the learners' language which is itself necessary to an understanding of the process of second language acquisition” (Corder, 1982; 1. Thus the importance and the aim of this paper is analyzing errors in the process of second language acquisition and the way we teachers can benefit from mistakes to help students improve themselves while giving the proper feedback.

  10. Insights on the impact of systematic model errors on data assimilation performance in changing catchments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pathiraja, S.; Anghileri, D.; Burlando, P.; Sharma, A.; Marshall, L.; Moradkhani, H.

    2018-03-01

    The global prevalence of rapid and extensive land use change necessitates hydrologic modelling methodologies capable of handling non-stationarity. This is particularly true in the context of Hydrologic Forecasting using Data Assimilation. Data Assimilation has been shown to dramatically improve forecast skill in hydrologic and meteorological applications, although such improvements are conditional on using bias-free observations and model simulations. A hydrologic model calibrated to a particular set of land cover conditions has the potential to produce biased simulations when the catchment is disturbed. This paper sheds new light on the impacts of bias or systematic errors in hydrologic data assimilation, in the context of forecasting in catchments with changing land surface conditions and a model calibrated to pre-change conditions. We posit that in such cases, the impact of systematic model errors on assimilation or forecast quality is dependent on the inherent prediction uncertainty that persists even in pre-change conditions. Through experiments on a range of catchments, we develop a conceptual relationship between total prediction uncertainty and the impacts of land cover changes on the hydrologic regime to demonstrate how forecast quality is affected when using state estimation Data Assimilation with no modifications to account for land cover changes. This work shows that systematic model errors as a result of changing or changed catchment conditions do not always necessitate adjustments to the modelling or assimilation methodology, for instance through re-calibration of the hydrologic model, time varying model parameters or revised offline/online bias estimation.

  11. The statistical significance of error probability as determined from decoding simulations for long codes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massey, J. L.

    1976-01-01

    The very low error probability obtained with long error-correcting codes results in a very small number of observed errors in simulation studies of practical size and renders the usual confidence interval techniques inapplicable to the observed error probability. A natural extension of the notion of a 'confidence interval' is made and applied to such determinations of error probability by simulation. An example is included to show the surprisingly great significance of as few as two decoding errors in a very large number of decoding trials.

  12. Pencil kernel correction and residual error estimation for quality-index-based dose calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nyholm, Tufve; Olofsson, Joergen; Ahnesjoe, Anders; Georg, Dietmar; Karlsson, Mikael

    2006-01-01

    Experimental data from 593 photon beams were used to quantify the errors in dose calculations using a previously published pencil kernel model. A correction of the kernel was derived in order to remove the observed systematic errors. The remaining residual error for individual beams was modelled through uncertainty associated with the kernel model. The methods were tested against an independent set of measurements. No significant systematic error was observed in the calculations using the derived correction of the kernel and the remaining random errors were found to be adequately predicted by the proposed method

  13. A permutation test to analyse systematic bias and random measurement errors of medical devices via boosting location and scale models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayr, Andreas; Schmid, Matthias; Pfahlberg, Annette; Uter, Wolfgang; Gefeller, Olaf

    2017-06-01

    Measurement errors of medico-technical devices can be separated into systematic bias and random error. We propose a new method to address both simultaneously via generalized additive models for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS) in combination with permutation tests. More precisely, we extend a recently proposed boosting algorithm for GAMLSS to provide a test procedure to analyse potential device effects on the measurements. We carried out a large-scale simulation study to provide empirical evidence that our method is able to identify possible sources of systematic bias as well as random error under different conditions. Finally, we apply our approach to compare measurements of skin pigmentation from two different devices in an epidemiological study.

  14. Reliability and Measurement Error of Tensiomyography to Assess Mechanical Muscle Function: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín-Rodríguez, Saúl; Loturco, Irineu; Hunter, Angus M; Rodríguez-Ruiz, David; Munguia-Izquierdo, Diego

    2017-12-01

    Martín-Rodríguez, S, Loturco, I, Hunter, AM, Rodríguez-Ruiz, D, and Munguia-Izquierdo, D. Reliability and measurement error of tensiomyography to assess mechanical muscle function: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res 31(12): 3524-3536, 2017-Interest in studying mechanical skeletal muscle function through tensiomyography (TMG) has increased in recent years. This systematic review aimed to (a) report the reliability and measurement error of all TMG parameters (i.e., maximum radial displacement of the muscle belly [Dm], contraction time [Tc], delay time [Td], half-relaxation time [½ Tr], and sustained contraction time [Ts]) and (b) to provide critical reflection on how to perform accurate and appropriate measurements for informing clinicians, exercise professionals, and researchers. A comprehensive literature search was performed of the Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Cochrane databases up to July 2017. Eight studies were included in this systematic review. Meta-analysis could not be performed because of the low quality of the evidence of some studies evaluated. Overall, the review of the 9 studies involving 158 participants revealed high relative reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]) for Dm (0.91-0.99); moderate-to-high ICC for Ts (0.80-0.96), Tc (0.70-0.98), and ½ Tr (0.77-0.93); and low-to-high ICC for Td (0.60-0.98), independently of the evaluated muscles. In addition, absolute reliability (coefficient of variation [CV]) was low for all TMG parameters except for ½ Tr (CV = >20%), whereas measurement error indexes were high for this parameter. In conclusion, this study indicates that 3 of the TMG parameters (Dm, Td, and Tc) are highly reliable, whereas ½ Tr demonstrate insufficient reliability, and thus should not be used in future studies.

  15. SU-D-BRD-07: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Statistical Process Control Methods to Detect Systematic Errors For Routine Electron Energy Verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parker, S

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the ability of statistical process control methods to detect systematic errors when using a two dimensional (2D) detector array for routine electron beam energy verification. Methods: Electron beam energy constancy was measured using an aluminum wedge and a 2D diode array on four linear accelerators. Process control limits were established. Measurements were recorded in control charts and compared with both calculated process control limits and TG-142 recommended specification limits. The data was tested for normality, process capability and process acceptability. Additional measurements were recorded while systematic errors were intentionally introduced. Systematic errors included shifts in the alignment of the wedge, incorrect orientation of the wedge, and incorrect array calibration. Results: Control limits calculated for each beam were smaller than the recommended specification limits. Process capability and process acceptability ratios were greater than one in all cases. All data was normally distributed. Shifts in the alignment of the wedge were most apparent for low energies. The smallest shift (0.5 mm) was detectable using process control limits in some cases, while the largest shift (2 mm) was detectable using specification limits in only one case. The wedge orientation tested did not affect the measurements as this did not affect the thickness of aluminum over the detectors of interest. Array calibration dependence varied with energy and selected array calibration. 6 MeV was the least sensitive to array calibration selection while 16 MeV was the most sensitive. Conclusion: Statistical process control methods demonstrated that the data distribution was normally distributed, the process was capable of meeting specifications, and that the process was centered within the specification limits. Though not all systematic errors were distinguishable from random errors, process control limits increased the ability to detect systematic errors

  16. Does the GPM mission improve the systematic error component in satellite rainfall estimates over TRMM? An evaluation at a pan-India scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beria, Harsh; Nanda, Trushnamayee; Singh Bisht, Deepak; Chatterjee, Chandranath

    2017-12-01

    The last couple of decades have seen the outburst of a number of satellite-based precipitation products with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) as the most widely used for hydrologic applications. Transition of TRMM into the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) promises enhanced spatio-temporal resolution along with upgrades to sensors and rainfall estimation techniques. The dependence of systematic error components in rainfall estimates of the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), and their variation with climatology and topography, was evaluated over 86 basins in India for year 2014 and compared with the corresponding (2014) and retrospective (1998-2013) TRMM estimates. IMERG outperformed TRMM for all rainfall intensities across a majority of Indian basins, with significant improvement in low rainfall estimates showing smaller negative biases in 75 out of 86 basins. Low rainfall estimates in TRMM showed a systematic dependence on basin climatology, with significant overprediction in semi-arid basins, which gradually improved in the higher rainfall basins. Medium and high rainfall estimates of TRMM exhibited a strong dependence on basin topography, with declining skill in higher elevation basins. The systematic dependence of error components on basin climatology and topography was reduced in IMERG, especially in terms of topography. Rainfall-runoff modeling using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model over two flood-prone basins (Mahanadi and Wainganga) revealed that improvement in rainfall estimates in IMERG did not translate into improvement in runoff simulations. More studies are required over basins in different hydroclimatic zones to evaluate the hydrologic significance of IMERG.

  17. Does the GPM mission improve the systematic error component in satellite rainfall estimates over TRMM? An evaluation at a pan-India scale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Beria

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The last couple of decades have seen the outburst of a number of satellite-based precipitation products with Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM as the most widely used for hydrologic applications. Transition of TRMM into the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM promises enhanced spatio-temporal resolution along with upgrades to sensors and rainfall estimation techniques. The dependence of systematic error components in rainfall estimates of the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG, and their variation with climatology and topography, was evaluated over 86 basins in India for year 2014 and compared with the corresponding (2014 and retrospective (1998–2013 TRMM estimates. IMERG outperformed TRMM for all rainfall intensities across a majority of Indian basins, with significant improvement in low rainfall estimates showing smaller negative biases in 75 out of 86 basins. Low rainfall estimates in TRMM showed a systematic dependence on basin climatology, with significant overprediction in semi-arid basins, which gradually improved in the higher rainfall basins. Medium and high rainfall estimates of TRMM exhibited a strong dependence on basin topography, with declining skill in higher elevation basins. The systematic dependence of error components on basin climatology and topography was reduced in IMERG, especially in terms of topography. Rainfall-runoff modeling using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC model over two flood-prone basins (Mahanadi and Wainganga revealed that improvement in rainfall estimates in IMERG did not translate into improvement in runoff simulations. More studies are required over basins in different hydroclimatic zones to evaluate the hydrologic significance of IMERG.

  18. Design of a real-time spectroscopic rotating compensator ellipsometer without systematic errors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Broch, Laurent, E-mail: laurent.broch@univ-lorraine.fr [Laboratoire de Chimie Physique-Approche Multi-echelle des Milieux Complexes (LCP-A2MC, EA 4632), Universite de Lorraine, 1 boulevard Arago CP 87811, F-57078 Metz Cedex 3 (France); Stein, Nicolas [Institut Jean Lamour, Universite de Lorraine, UMR 7198 CNRS, 1 boulevard Arago CP 87811, F-57078 Metz Cedex 3 (France); Zimmer, Alexandre [Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Carnot de Bourgogne, UMR 6303 CNRS, Universite de Bourgogne, 9 avenue Alain Savary BP 47870, F-21078 Dijon Cedex (France); Battie, Yann; Naciri, Aotmane En [Laboratoire de Chimie Physique-Approche Multi-echelle des Milieux Complexes (LCP-A2MC, EA 4632), Universite de Lorraine, 1 boulevard Arago CP 87811, F-57078 Metz Cedex 3 (France)

    2014-11-28

    We describe a spectroscopic ellipsometer in the visible domain (400–800 nm) based on a rotating compensator technology using two detectors. The classical analyzer is replaced by a fixed Rochon birefringent beamsplitter which splits the incidence light wave into two perpendicularly polarized waves, one oriented at + 45° and the other one at − 45° according to the plane of incidence. Both emergent optical signals are analyzed by two identical CCD detectors which are synchronized by an optical encoder fixed on the shaft of the step-by-step motor of the compensator. The final spectrum is the result of the two averaged Ψ and Δ spectra acquired by both detectors. We show that Ψ and Δ spectra are acquired without systematic errors on a spectral range fixed from 400 to 800 nm. The acquisition time can be adjusted down to 25 ms. The setup was validated by monitoring the first steps of bismuth telluride film electrocrystallization. The results exhibit that induced experimental growth parameters, such as film thickness and volumic fraction of deposited material can be extracted with a better trueness. - Highlights: • High-speed rotating compensator ellipsometer equipped with 2 detectors. • Ellipsometric angles without systematic errors • In-situ monitoring of electrocrystallization of bismuth telluride thin layer • High-accuracy of fitted physical parameters.

  19. Galaxy Cluster Shapes and Systematic Errors in H_0 as Determined by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sulkanen, Martin E.; Patel, Sandeep K.

    1998-01-01

    Imaging of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect in galaxy clusters combined with cluster plasma x-ray diagnostics promises to measure the cosmic distance scale to high accuracy. However, projecting the inverse-Compton scattering and x-ray emission along the cluster line-of-sight will introduce systematic error's in the Hubble constant, H_0, because the true shape of the cluster is not known. In this paper we present a study of the systematic errors in the value of H_0, as determined by the x-ray and SZ properties of theoretical samples of triaxial isothermal "beta-model" clusters, caused by projection effects and observer orientation relative to the model clusters' principal axes. We calculate three estimates for H_0 for each cluster, based on their large and small apparent angular core radii, and their arithmetic mean. We average the estimates for H_0 for a sample of 25 clusters and find that the estimates have limited systematic error: the 99.7% confidence intervals for the mean estimated H_0 analyzing the clusters using either their large or mean angular core r;dius are within 14% of the "true" (assumed) value of H_0 (and enclose it), for a triaxial beta model cluster sample possessing a distribution of apparent x-ray cluster ellipticities consistent with that of observed x-ray clusters.

  20. Adverse Drug Events and Medication Errors in African Hospitals: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mekonnen, Alemayehu B; Alhawassi, Tariq M; McLachlan, Andrew J; Brien, Jo-Anne E

    2018-03-01

    Medication errors and adverse drug events are universal problems contributing to patient harm but the magnitude of these problems in Africa remains unclear. The objective of this study was to systematically investigate the literature on the extent of medication errors and adverse drug events, and the factors contributing to medication errors in African hospitals. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Global Health databases from inception to 31 August, 2017 and hand searched the reference lists of included studies. Original research studies of any design published in English that investigated adverse drug events and/or medication errors in any patient population in the hospital setting in Africa were included. Descriptive statistics including median and interquartile range were presented. Fifty-one studies were included; of these, 33 focused on medication errors, 15 on adverse drug events, and three studies focused on medication errors and adverse drug events. These studies were conducted in nine (of the 54) African countries. In any patient population, the median (interquartile range) percentage of patients reported to have experienced any suspected adverse drug event at hospital admission was 8.4% (4.5-20.1%), while adverse drug events causing admission were reported in 2.8% (0.7-6.4%) of patients but it was reported that a median of 43.5% (20.0-47.0%) of the adverse drug events were deemed preventable. Similarly, the median mortality rate attributed to adverse drug events was reported to be 0.1% (interquartile range 0.0-0.3%). The most commonly reported types of medication errors were prescribing errors, occurring in a median of 57.4% (interquartile range 22.8-72.8%) of all prescriptions and a median of 15.5% (interquartile range 7.5-50.6%) of the prescriptions evaluated had dosing problems. Major contributing factors for medication errors reported in these studies were individual practitioner factors (e.g. fatigue and inadequate knowledge

  1. Average beta-beating from random errors

    CERN Document Server

    Tomas Garcia, Rogelio; Langner, Andy Sven; Malina, Lukas; Franchi, Andrea; CERN. Geneva. ATS Department

    2018-01-01

    The impact of random errors on average β-beating is studied via analytical derivations and simulations. A systematic positive β-beating is expected from random errors quadratic with the sources or, equivalently, with the rms β-beating. However, random errors do not have a systematic effect on the tune.

  2. Carers' Medication Administration Errors in the Domiciliary Setting: A Systematic Review.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anam Parand

    Full Text Available Medications are mostly taken in patients' own homes, increasingly administered by carers, yet studies of medication safety have been largely conducted in the hospital setting. We aimed to review studies of how carers cause and/or prevent medication administration errors (MAEs within the patient's home; to identify types, prevalence and causes of these MAEs and any interventions to prevent them.A narrative systematic review of literature published between 1 Jan 1946 and 23 Sep 2013 was carried out across the databases EMBASE, MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, COCHRANE and CINAHL. Empirical studies were included where carers were responsible for preventing/causing MAEs in the home and standardised tools used for data extraction and quality assessment.Thirty-six papers met the criteria for narrative review, 33 of which included parents caring for children, two predominantly comprised adult children and spouses caring for older parents/partners, and one focused on paid carers mostly looking after older adults. The carer administration error rate ranged from 1.9 to 33% of medications administered and from 12 to 92.7% of carers administering medication. These included dosage errors, omitted administration, wrong medication and wrong time or route of administration. Contributory factors included individual carer factors (e.g. carer age, environmental factors (e.g. storage, medication factors (e.g. number of medicines, prescription communication factors (e.g. comprehensibility of instructions, psychosocial factors (e.g. carer-to-carer communication, and care-recipient factors (e.g. recipient age. The few interventions effective in preventing MAEs involved carer training and tailored equipment.This review shows that home medication administration errors made by carers are a potentially serious patient safety issue. Carers made similar errors to those made by professionals in other contexts and a wide variety of contributory factors were identified. The home care

  3. Evaluating IMRT and VMAT dose accuracy: Practical examples of failure to detect systematic errors when applying a commonly used metric and action levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nelms, Benjamin E. [Canis Lupus LLC, Merrimac, Wisconsin 53561 (United States); Chan, Maria F. [Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920 (United States); Jarry, Geneviève; Lemire, Matthieu [Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4 (Canada); Lowden, John [Indiana University Health - Goshen Hospital, Goshen, Indiana 46526 (United States); Hampton, Carnell [Levine Cancer Institute/Carolinas Medical Center, Concord, North Carolina 28025 (United States); Feygelman, Vladimir [Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida 33612 (United States)

    2013-11-15

    Purpose: This study (1) examines a variety of real-world cases where systematic errors were not detected by widely accepted methods for IMRT/VMAT dosimetric accuracy evaluation, and (2) drills-down to identify failure modes and their corresponding means for detection, diagnosis, and mitigation. The primary goal of detailing these case studies is to explore different, more sensitive methods and metrics that could be used more effectively for evaluating accuracy of dose algorithms, delivery systems, and QA devices.Methods: The authors present seven real-world case studies representing a variety of combinations of the treatment planning system (TPS), linac, delivery modality, and systematic error type. These case studies are typical to what might be used as part of an IMRT or VMAT commissioning test suite, varying in complexity. Each case study is analyzed according to TG-119 instructions for gamma passing rates and action levels for per-beam and/or composite plan dosimetric QA. Then, each case study is analyzed in-depth with advanced diagnostic methods (dose profile examination, EPID-based measurements, dose difference pattern analysis, 3D measurement-guided dose reconstruction, and dose grid inspection) and more sensitive metrics (2% local normalization/2 mm DTA and estimated DVH comparisons).Results: For these case studies, the conventional 3%/3 mm gamma passing rates exceeded 99% for IMRT per-beam analyses and ranged from 93.9% to 100% for composite plan dose analysis, well above the TG-119 action levels of 90% and 88%, respectively. However, all cases had systematic errors that were detected only by using advanced diagnostic techniques and more sensitive metrics. The systematic errors caused variable but noteworthy impact, including estimated target dose coverage loss of up to 5.5% and local dose deviations up to 31.5%. Types of errors included TPS model settings, algorithm limitations, and modeling and alignment of QA phantoms in the TPS. Most of the errors were

  4. Dosimetric impact of systematic MLC positional errors on step and shoot IMRT for prostate cancer: a planning study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ung, N.M.; Wee, L.; Harper, C.S.

    2010-01-01

    Full text: The positional accuracy of multi leaf collimators (MLC) is crucial in ensuring precise delivery of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The aim of this planning study was to investigate the dosimetric impact of systematic MLC errors on step and shoot IMRT of prostate cancer. Twelve MLC leaf banks perturbations were introduced to six prostate IMRT treatment plans to simulate MLC systematic errors. Dose volume histograms (OYHs) were generated for the extraction of dose endpoint parameters. Plans were evaluated in terms of changes to the defined endpoint dose parameters, conformity index (CI) and healthy tissue avoidance (HTA) to planning target volume (PTY), rectum and bladder. Negative perturbations of MLC had been found to produce greater changes to endpoint dose parameters than positive perturbations of MLC (p < 0.05). Negative and positive synchronized MLC perturbations of I mm resulted in median changes of -2.32 and 1.78%, respectively to 095% of PTY whereas asynchronized MLC perturbations of the same direction and magnitude resulted in median changes of 1.18 and 0.90%, respectively. Doses to rectum were generally more sensitive to systematic MLC errors compared to bladder. Synchronized MLC perturbations of I mm resulted in median changes of endpoint dose parameters to both rectum and bladder from about I to 3%. Maximum reduction of -4.44 and -7.29% were recorded for CI and HTA, respectively, due to synchronized MLC perturbation of I mm. In summary, MLC errors resulted in measurable amount of dose changes to PTY and surrounding critical structures in prostate LMRT. (author)

  5. Clinical significance of multi-leaf collimator calibration errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norvill, Craig; Jenetsky, Guy

    2016-01-01

    This planning study investigates the clinical impact of multi-leaf collimator (MLC) calibration errors on three common treatment sites; head and neck (H&N), prostate and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung. All plans used using either volumetric modulated adaptive therapy or dynamic MLC techniques. Five patient plans were retrospectively selected from each treatment site, and MLC errors intentionally introduced. MLC errors of 0.7, 0.4 and 0.2 mm were sufficient to cause major violations in the PTV planning criteria for the H&N, prostate and SBRT lung plans. Mean PTV dose followed a linear trend with MLC error, increasing at rates of 3.2–5.9 % per millimeter depending on treatment site. The results indicate that an MLC quality assurance program that provides sub-millimeter accuracy is an important component of intensity modulated radiotherapy delivery techniques.

  6. Methods, analysis, and the treatment of systematic errors for the electron electric dipole moment search in thorium monoxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron, J.; Campbell, W. C.; DeMille, D.; Doyle, J. M.; Gabrielse, G.; Gurevich, Y. V.; Hess, P. W.; Hutzler, N. R.; Kirilov, E.; Kozyryev, I.; O'Leary, B. R.; Panda, C. D.; Parsons, M. F.; Spaun, B.; Vutha, A. C.; West, A. D.; West, E. P.; ACME Collaboration

    2017-07-01

    We recently set a new limit on the electric dipole moment of the electron (eEDM) (J Baron et al and ACME collaboration 2014 Science 343 269-272), which represented an order-of-magnitude improvement on the previous limit and placed more stringent constraints on many charge-parity-violating extensions to the standard model. In this paper we discuss the measurement in detail. The experimental method and associated apparatus are described, together with the techniques used to isolate the eEDM signal. In particular, we detail the way experimental switches were used to suppress effects that can mimic the signal of interest. The methods used to search for systematic errors, and models explaining observed systematic errors, are also described. We briefly discuss possible improvements to the experiment.

  7. Global CO2 flux inversions from remote-sensing data with systematic errors using hierarchical statistical models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zammit-Mangion, Andrew; Stavert, Ann; Rigby, Matthew; Ganesan, Anita; Rayner, Peter; Cressie, Noel

    2017-04-01

    The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite was launched on 2 July 2014, and it has been a source of atmospheric CO2 data since September 2014. The OCO-2 dataset contains a number of variables, but the one of most interest for flux inversion has been the column-averaged dry-air mole fraction (in units of ppm). These global level-2 data offer the possibility of inferring CO2 fluxes at Earth's surface and tracking those fluxes over time. However, as well as having a component of random error, the OCO-2 data have a component of systematic error that is dependent on the instrument's mode, namely land nadir, land glint, and ocean glint. Our statistical approach to CO2-flux inversion starts with constructing a statistical model for the random and systematic errors with parameters that can be estimated from the OCO-2 data and possibly in situ sources from flasks, towers, and the Total Column Carbon Observing Network (TCCON). Dimension reduction of the flux field is achieved through the use of physical basis functions, while temporal evolution of the flux is captured by modelling the basis-function coefficients as a vector autoregressive process. For computational efficiency, flux inversion uses only three months of sensitivities of mole fraction to changes in flux, computed using MOZART; any residual variation is captured through the modelling of a stochastic process that varies smoothly as a function of latitude. The second stage of our statistical approach is to simulate from the posterior distribution of the basis-function coefficients and all unknown parameters given the data using a fully Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. Estimates and posterior variances of the flux field can then be obtained straightforwardly from this distribution. Our statistical approach is different than others, as it simultaneously makes inference (and quantifies uncertainty) on both the error components' parameters and the CO2 fluxes. We compare it to more classical

  8. Joint position sense error in people with neck pain: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vries, J; Ischebeck, B K; Voogt, L P; van der Geest, J N; Janssen, M; Frens, M A; Kleinrensink, G J

    2015-12-01

    Several studies in recent decades have examined the relationship between proprioceptive deficits and neck pain. However, there is no uniform conclusion on the relationship between the two. Clinically, proprioception is evaluated using the Joint Position Sense Error (JPSE), which reflects a person's ability to accurately return his head to a predefined target after a cervical movement. We focused to differentiate between JPSE in people with neck pain compared to healthy controls. Systematic review according to the PRISMA guidelines. Our data sources were Embase, Medline OvidSP, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, CINAHL and Pubmed Publisher. To be included, studies had to compare JPSE of the neck (O) in people with neck pain (P) with JPSE of the neck in healthy controls (C). Fourteen studies were included. Four studies reported that participants with traumatic neck pain had a significantly higher JPSE than healthy controls. Of the eight studies involving people with non-traumatic neck pain, four reported significant differences between the groups. The JPSE did not vary between neck-pain groups. Current literature shows the JPSE to be a relevant measure when it is used correctly. All studies which calculated the JPSE over at least six trials showed a significantly increased JPSE in the neck pain group. This strongly suggests that 'number of repetitions' is a major element in correctly performing the JPSE test. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Assessing systematic errors in GOSAT CO2 retrievals by comparing assimilated fields to independent CO2 data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, D. F.; Oda, T.; O'Dell, C.; Wunch, D.; Jacobson, A. R.; Yoshida, Y.; Partners, T.

    2012-12-01

    Measurements of column CO2 concentration from space are now being taken at a spatial and temporal density that permits regional CO2 sources and sinks to be estimated. Systematic errors in the satellite retrievals must be minimized for these estimates to be useful, however. CO2 retrievals from the TANSO instrument aboard the GOSAT satellite are compared to similar column retrievals from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) as the primary method of validation; while this is a powerful approach, it can only be done for overflights of 10-20 locations and has not, for example, permitted validation of GOSAT data over the oceans or deserts. Here we present a complementary approach that uses a global atmospheric transport model and flux inversion method to compare different types of CO2 measurements (GOSAT, TCCON, surface in situ, and aircraft) at different locations, at the cost of added transport error. The measurements from any single type of data are used in a variational carbon data assimilation method to optimize surface CO2 fluxes (with a CarbonTracker prior), then the corresponding optimized CO2 concentration fields are compared to those data types not inverted, using the appropriate vertical weighting. With this approach, we find that GOSAT column CO2 retrievals from the ACOS project (version 2.9 and 2.10) contain systematic errors that make the modeled fit to the independent data worse. However, we find that the differences between the GOSAT data and our prior model are correlated with certain physical variables (aerosol amount, surface albedo, correction to total column mass) that are likely driving errors in the retrievals, independent of CO2 concentration. If we correct the GOSAT data using a fit to these variables, then we find the GOSAT data to improve the fit to independent CO2 data, which suggests that the useful information in the measurements outweighs the negative impact of the remaining systematic errors. With this assurance, we compare

  10. Detecting errors in micro and trace analysis by using statistics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heydorn, K.

    1993-01-01

    By assigning a standard deviation to each step in an analytical method it is possible to predict the standard deviation of each analytical result obtained by this method. If the actual variability of replicate analytical results agrees with the expected, the analytical method is said...... to be in statistical control. Significant deviations between analytical results from different laboratories reveal the presence of systematic errors, and agreement between different laboratories indicate the absence of systematic errors. This statistical approach, referred to as the analysis of precision, was applied...

  11. An Examination of the Spatial Distribution of Carbon Dioxide and Systematic Errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coffey, Brennan; Gunson, Mike; Frankenberg, Christian; Osterman, Greg

    2011-01-01

    The industrial period and modern age is characterized by combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas for primary energy and transportation leading to rising levels of atmospheric of CO2. This increase, which is being carefully measured, has ramifications throughout the biological world. Through remote sensing, it is possible to measure how many molecules of CO2 lie in a defined column of air. However, other gases and particles are present in the atmosphere, such as aerosols and water, which make such measurements more complicated1. Understanding the detailed geometry and path length of the observation is vital to computing the concentration of CO2. Comparing these satellite readings with ground-truth data (TCCON) the systematic errors arising from these sources can be assessed. Once the error is understood, it can be scaled for in the retrieval algorithms to create a set of data, which is closer to the TCCON measurements1. Using this process, the algorithms are being developed to reduce bias, within.1% worldwide of the true value. At this stage, the accuracy is within 1%, but through correcting small errors contained in the algorithms, such as accounting for the scattering of sunlight, the desired accuracy can be achieved.

  12. Unaccounted source of systematic errors in measurements of the Newtonian gravitational constant G

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DeSalvo, Riccardo

    2015-01-01

    Many precision measurements of G have produced a spread of results incompatible with measurement errors. Clearly an unknown source of systematic errors is at work. It is proposed here that most of the discrepancies derive from subtle deviations from Hooke's law, caused by avalanches of entangled dislocations. The idea is supported by deviations from linearity reported by experimenters measuring G, similarly to what is observed, on a larger scale, in low-frequency spring oscillators. Some mitigating experimental apparatus modifications are suggested. - Highlights: • Source of discrepancies on universal gravitational constant G measurements. • Collective motion of dislocations results in breakdown of Hook's law. • Self-organized criticality produce non-predictive shifts of equilibrium point. • New dissipation mechanism different from loss angle and viscous models is necessary. • Mitigation measures proposed may bring coherence to the measurements of G

  13. Error management process for power stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirotsu, Yuko; Takeda, Daisuke; Fujimoto, Junzo; Nagasaka, Akihiko

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to establish 'error management process for power stations' for systematizing activities for human error prevention and for festering continuous improvement of these activities. The following are proposed by deriving concepts concerning error management process from existing knowledge and realizing them through application and evaluation of their effectiveness at a power station: an entire picture of error management process that facilitate four functions requisite for maraging human error prevention effectively (1. systematizing human error prevention tools, 2. identifying problems based on incident reports and taking corrective actions, 3. identifying good practices and potential problems for taking proactive measures, 4. prioritizeng human error prevention tools based on identified problems); detail steps for each activity (i.e. developing an annual plan for human error prevention, reporting and analyzing incidents and near misses) based on a model of human error causation; procedures and example of items for identifying gaps between current and desired levels of executions and outputs of each activity; stages for introducing and establishing the above proposed error management process into a power station. By giving shape to above proposals at a power station, systematization and continuous improvement of activities for human error prevention in line with the actual situation of the power station can be expected. (author)

  14. Comparison of two stochastic techniques for reliable urban runoff prediction by modeling systematic errors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Del Giudice, Dario; Löwe, Roland; Madsen, Henrik

    2015-01-01

    from different fields and have not yet been compared in environmental modeling. To compare the two approaches, we develop a unifying terminology, evaluate them theoretically, and apply them to conceptual rainfall-runoff modeling in the same drainage system. Our results show that both approaches can......In urban rainfall-runoff, commonly applied statistical techniques for uncertainty quantification mostly ignore systematic output errors originating from simplified models and erroneous inputs. Consequently, the resulting predictive uncertainty is often unreliable. Our objective is to present two...... approaches which use stochastic processes to describe systematic deviations and to discuss their advantages and drawbacks for urban drainage modeling. The two methodologies are an external bias description (EBD) and an internal noise description (IND, also known as stochastic gray-box modeling). They emerge...

  15. Avoiding a Systematic Error in Assessing Fat Graft Survival in the Breast with Repeated Magnetic Resonance Imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glovinski, Peter Viktor; Herly, Mikkel; Müller, Felix C

    2016-01-01

    Several techniques for measuring breast volume (BV) are based on examining the breast on magnetic resonance imaging. However, when techniques designed to measure total BV are used to quantify BV changes, for example, after fat grafting, a systematic error is introduced because BV changes lead to ...

  16. Causes of medication administration errors in hospitals: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keers, Richard N; Williams, Steven D; Cooke, Jonathan; Ashcroft, Darren M

    2013-11-01

    Underlying systems factors have been seen to be crucial contributors to the occurrence of medication errors. By understanding the causes of these errors, the most appropriate interventions can be designed and implemented to minimise their occurrence. This study aimed to systematically review and appraise empirical evidence relating to the causes of medication administration errors (MAEs) in hospital settings. Nine electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, ASSIA, PsycINFO, British Nursing Index, CINAHL, Health Management Information Consortium and Social Science Citations Index) were searched between 1985 and May 2013. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to identify eligible publications through title analysis followed by abstract and then full text examination. English language publications reporting empirical data on causes of MAEs were included. Reference lists of included articles and relevant review papers were hand searched for additional studies. Studies were excluded if they did not report data on specific MAEs, used accounts from individuals not directly involved in the MAE concerned or were presented as conference abstracts with insufficient detail. A total of 54 unique studies were included. Causes of MAEs were categorised according to Reason's model of accident causation. Studies were assessed to determine relevance to the research question and how likely the results were to reflect the potential underlying causes of MAEs based on the method(s) used. Slips and lapses were the most commonly reported unsafe acts, followed by knowledge-based mistakes and deliberate violations. Error-provoking conditions influencing administration errors included inadequate written communication (prescriptions, documentation, transcription), problems with medicines supply and storage (pharmacy dispensing errors and ward stock management), high perceived workload, problems with ward-based equipment (access, functionality

  17. Increased errors and decreased performance at night: A systematic review of the evidence concerning shift work and quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Cordova, Pamela B; Bradford, Michelle A; Stone, Patricia W

    2016-02-15

    Shift workers have worse health outcomes than employees who work standard business hours. However, it is unclear how this poorer health shift may be related to employee work productivity. The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the relationship between shift work and errors and performance. Searches of MEDLINE/PubMed, EBSCOhost, and CINAHL were conducted to identify articles that examined the relationship between shift work, errors, quality, productivity, and performance. All articles were assessed for study quality. A total of 435 abstracts were screened with 13 meeting inclusion criteria. Eight studies were rated to be of strong, methodological quality. Nine studies demonstrated a positive relationship that night shift workers committed more errors and had decreased performance. Night shift workers have worse health that may contribute to errors and decreased performance in the workplace.

  18. On the Correspondence between Mean Forecast Errors and Climate Errors in CMIP5 Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, H. -Y.; Xie, S.; Klein, S. A.; Williams, K. D.; Boyle, J. S.; Bony, S.; Douville, H.; Fermepin, S.; Medeiros, B.; Tyteca, S.; Watanabe, M.; Williamson, D.

    2014-02-01

    The present study examines the correspondence between short- and long-term systematic errors in five atmospheric models by comparing the 16 five-day hindcast ensembles from the Transpose Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project II (Transpose-AMIP II) for July–August 2009 (short term) to the climate simulations from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) and AMIP for the June–August mean conditions of the years of 1979–2008 (long term). Because the short-term hindcasts were conducted with identical climate models used in the CMIP5/AMIP simulations, one can diagnose over what time scale systematic errors in these climate simulations develop, thus yielding insights into their origin through a seamless modeling approach. The analysis suggests that most systematic errors of precipitation, clouds, and radiation processes in the long-term climate runs are present by day 5 in ensemble average hindcasts in all models. Errors typically saturate after few days of hindcasts with amplitudes comparable to the climate errors, and the impacts of initial conditions on the simulated ensemble mean errors are relatively small. This robust bias correspondence suggests that these systematic errors across different models likely are initiated by model parameterizations since the atmospheric large-scale states remain close to observations in the first 2–3 days. However, biases associated with model physics can have impacts on the large-scale states by day 5, such as zonal winds, 2-m temperature, and sea level pressure, and the analysis further indicates a good correspondence between short- and long-term biases for these large-scale states. Therefore, improving individual model parameterizations in the hindcast mode could lead to the improvement of most climate models in simulating their climate mean state and potentially their future projections.

  19. Dosimetric impact of systematic MLC positional errors on step and shoot IMRT for prostate cancer: a planning study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ung, N.M.; Harper, C.S.; Wee, L.

    2011-01-01

    Full text: The positional accuracy of multileaf collimators (MLC) is crucial in ensuring precise delivery of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The aim of this planning study was to investigate the dosimetric impact of systematic MLC positional errors on step and shoot IMRT of prostate cancer. A total of 12 perturbations of MLC leaf banks were introduced to six prostate IMRT treatment plans to simulate MLC systematic positional errors. Dose volume histograms (DVHs) were generated for the extraction of dose endpoint parameters. Plans were evaluated in terms of changes to the defined endpoint dose parameters, conformity index (CI) and healthy tissue avoidance (HTA) to planning target volume (PTV), rectum and bladder. Negative perturbations of MLC had been found to produce greater changes to endpoint dose parameters than positive perturbations of MLC (p 9 5 of -1.2 and 0.9% respectively. Negative and positive synchronised MLC perturbations of I mm in one direction resulted in median changes in D 9 5 of -2.3 and 1.8% respectively. Doses to rectum were generally more sensitive to systematic MLC en-ors compared to bladder (p < 0.01). Negative and positive synchronised MLC perturbations of I mm in one direction resulted in median changes in endpoint dose parameters of rectum and bladder from 1.0 to 2.5%. Maximum reduction of -4.4 and -7.3% were recorded for conformity index (CI) and healthy tissue avoidance (HT A) respectively due to synchronised MLC perturbation of 1 mm. MLC errors resulted in dosimetric changes in IMRT plans for prostate. (author)

  20. Nature versus nurture: A systematic approach to elucidate gene-environment interactions in the development of myopic refractive errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miraldi Utz, Virginia

    2017-01-01

    Myopia is the most common eye disorder and major cause of visual impairment worldwide. As the incidence of myopia continues to rise, the need to further understand the complex roles of molecular and environmental factors controlling variation in refractive error is of increasing importance. Tkatchenko and colleagues applied a systematic approach using a combination of gene set enrichment analysis, genome-wide association studies, and functional analysis of a murine model to identify a myopia susceptibility gene, APLP2. Differential expression of refractive error was associated with time spent reading for those with low frequency variants in this gene. This provides support for the longstanding hypothesis of gene-environment interactions in refractive error development.

  1. Systematic literature review of hospital medication administration errors in children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ameer A

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Ahmed Ameer,1 Soraya Dhillon,1 Mark J Peters,2 Maisoon Ghaleb11Department of Pharmacy, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK; 2Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK Objective: Medication administration is the last step in the medication process. It can act as a safety net to prevent unintended harm to patients if detected. However, medication administration errors (MAEs during this process have been documented and thought to be preventable. In pediatric medicine, doses are usually administered based on the child's weight or body surface area. This in turn increases the risk of drug miscalculations and therefore MAEs. The aim of this review is to report MAEs occurring in pediatric inpatients. Methods: Twelve bibliographic databases were searched for studies published between January 2000 and February 2015 using “medication administration errors”, “hospital”, and “children” related terminologies. Handsearching of relevant publications was also carried out. A second reviewer screened articles for eligibility and quality in accordance with the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Key findings: A total of 44 studies were systematically reviewed. MAEs were generally defined as a deviation of dose given from that prescribed; this included omitted doses and administration at the wrong time. Hospital MAEs in children accounted for a mean of 50% of all reported medication error reports (n=12,588. It was also identified in a mean of 29% of doses observed (n=8,894. The most prevalent type of MAEs related to preparation, infusion rate, dose, and time. This review has identified five types of interventions to reduce hospital MAEs in children: barcode medicine administration, electronic prescribing, education, use of smart pumps, and standard concentration. Conclusion: This review has identified a wide variation in the prevalence of hospital MAEs in children. This is attributed to

  2. Identifying systematic DFT errors in catalytic reactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Rune; Hansen, Heine Anton; Vegge, Tejs

    2015-01-01

    Using CO2 reduction reactions as examples, we present a widely applicable method for identifying the main source of errors in density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The method has broad applications for error correction in DFT calculations in general, as it relies on the dependence...... of the applied exchange–correlation functional on the reaction energies rather than on errors versus the experimental data. As a result, improved energy corrections can now be determined for both gas phase and adsorbed reaction species, particularly interesting within heterogeneous catalysis. We show...... that for the CO2 reduction reactions, the main source of error is associated with the C[double bond, length as m-dash]O bonds and not the typically energy corrected OCO backbone....

  3. Systematic reviews of anesthesiologic interventions reported as statistically significant

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Imberger, Georgina; Gluud, Christian; Boylan, John

    2015-01-01

    statistically significant meta-analyses of anesthesiologic interventions, we used TSA to estimate power and imprecision in the context of sparse data and repeated updates. METHODS: We conducted a search to identify all systematic reviews with meta-analyses that investigated an intervention that may......: From 11,870 titles, we found 682 systematic reviews that investigated anesthesiologic interventions. In the 50 sampled meta-analyses, the median number of trials included was 8 (interquartile range [IQR], 5-14), the median number of participants was 964 (IQR, 523-1736), and the median number...

  4. Measurement Error in Education and Growth Regressions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Portela, M.; Teulings, C.N.; Alessie, R.

    The perpetual inventory method used for the construction of education data per country leads to systematic measurement error. This paper analyses the effect of this measurement error on GDP regressions. There is a systematic difference in the education level between census data and observations

  5. Measurement error in education and growth regressions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Portela, Miguel; Teulings, Coen; Alessie, R.

    2004-01-01

    The perpetual inventory method used for the construction of education data per country leads to systematic measurement error. This paper analyses the effect of this measurement error on GDP regressions. There is a systematic difference in the education level between census data and observations

  6. IceCube systematic errors investigation: Simulation of the ice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Resconi, Elisa; Wolf, Martin [Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg (Germany); Schukraft, Anne [RWTH, Aachen University (Germany)

    2010-07-01

    IceCube is a neutrino observatory for astroparticle and astronomy research at the South Pole. It uses one cubic kilometer of Antartica's deepest ice (1500 m-2500 m in depth) to detect Cherenkov light, generated by charged particles traveling through the ice, with an array of phototubes encapsulated in glass pressure spheres. The arrival time as well as the charge deposited of the detected photons represent the base measurements that are used for track and energy reconstruction of those charged particles. The optical properties of the deep antarctic ice vary from layer to layer. Measurements of the ice properties and their correct modeling in Monte Carlo simulation is then of primary importance for the correct understanding of the IceCube telescope behavior. After a short summary about the different methods to investigate the ice properties and to calibrate the detector, we show how the simulation obtained by using this information compares to the measured data and how systematic errors due to uncertain ice properties are determined in IceCube.

  7. [Errors in Peruvian medical journals references].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huamaní, Charles; Pacheco-Romero, José

    2009-01-01

    References are fundamental in our studies; an adequate selection is asimportant as an adequate description. To determine the number of errors in a sample of references found in Peruvian medical journals. We reviewed 515 scientific papers references selected by systematic randomized sampling and corroborated reference information with the original document or its citation in Pubmed, LILACS or SciELO-Peru. We found errors in 47,6% (245) of the references, identifying 372 types of errors; the most frequent were errors in presentation style (120), authorship (100) and title (100), mainly due to spelling mistakes (91). References error percentage was high, varied and multiple. We suggest systematic revision of references in the editorial process as well as to extend the discussion on this theme. references, periodicals, research, bibliometrics.

  8. Uncertainty quantification and error analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Higdon, Dave M [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Anderson, Mark C [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Habib, Salman [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Klein, Richard [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Berliner, Mark [OHIO STATE UNIV.; Covey, Curt [LLNL; Ghattas, Omar [UNIV OF TEXAS; Graziani, Carlo [UNIV OF CHICAGO; Seager, Mark [LLNL; Sefcik, Joseph [LLNL; Stark, Philip [UC/BERKELEY; Stewart, James [SNL

    2010-01-01

    UQ studies all sources of error and uncertainty, including: systematic and stochastic measurement error; ignorance; limitations of theoretical models; limitations of numerical representations of those models; limitations on the accuracy and reliability of computations, approximations, and algorithms; and human error. A more precise definition for UQ is suggested below.

  9. ILRS Activities in Monitoring Systematic Errors in SLR Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavlis, E. C.; Luceri, V.; Kuzmicz-Cieslak, M.; Bianco, G.

    2017-12-01

    The International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) contributes to ITRF development unique information that only Satellite Laser Ranging—SLR is sensitive to: the definition of the origin, and in equal parts with VLBI, the scale of the model. For the development of ITRF2014, the ILRS analysts adopted a revision of the internal standards and procedures in generating our contribution from the eight ILRS Analysis Centers. The improved results for the ILRS components were reflected in the resulting new time series of the ITRF origin and scale, showing insignificant trends and tighter scatter. This effort was further extended after the release of ITRF2014, with the execution of a Pilot Project (PP) in the 2016-2017 timeframe that demonstrated the robust estimation of persistent systematic errors at the millimeter level. ILRS ASC is now turning this into an operational tool to monitor station performance and to generate a history of systematics at each station, to be used with each re-analysis for future ITRF model developments. This is part of a broader ILRS effort to improve the quality control of the data collection process as well as that of our products. To this end, the ILRS has established a "Quality Control Board—QCB" that comprises of members from the analysis and engineering groups, the Central Bureau, and even user groups with special interests. The QCB meets by telecon monthly and oversees the various ongoing projects, develops ideas for new tools and future products. This presentation will focus on the main topic with an update on the results so far, the schedule for the near future and its operational implementation, along with a brief description of upcoming new ILRS products.

  10. Managing Systematic Errors in a Polarimeter for the Storage Ring EDM Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephenson, Edward J.; Storage Ring EDM Collaboration

    2011-05-01

    The EDDA plastic scintillator detector system at the Cooler Synchrotron (COSY) has been used to demonstrate that it is possible using a thick target at the edge of the circulating beam to meet the requirements for a polarimeter to be used in the search for an electric dipole moment on the proton or deuteron. Emphasizing elastic and low Q-value reactions leads to large analyzing powers and, along with thick targets, to efficiencies near 1%. Using only information obtained comparing count rates for oppositely vector-polarized beam states and a calibration of the sensitivity of the polarimeter to rate and geometric changes, the contribution of systematic errors can be suppressed below the level of one part per million.

  11. Edge profile analysis of Joint European Torus (JET) Thomson scattering data: Quantifying the systematic error due to edge localised mode synchronisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leyland, M J; Beurskens, M N A; Flanagan, J C; Frassinetti, L; Gibson, K J; Kempenaars, M; Maslov, M; Scannell, R

    2016-01-01

    The Joint European Torus (JET) high resolution Thomson scattering (HRTS) system measures radial electron temperature and density profiles. One of the key capabilities of this diagnostic is measuring the steep pressure gradient, termed the pedestal, at the edge of JET plasmas. The pedestal is susceptible to limiting instabilities, such as Edge Localised Modes (ELMs), characterised by a periodic collapse of the steep gradient region. A common method to extract the pedestal width, gradient, and height, used on numerous machines, is by performing a modified hyperbolic tangent (mtanh) fit to overlaid profiles selected from the same region of the ELM cycle. This process of overlaying profiles, termed ELM synchronisation, maximises the number of data points defining the pedestal region for a given phase of the ELM cycle. When fitting to HRTS profiles, it is necessary to incorporate the diagnostic radial instrument function, particularly important when considering the pedestal width. A deconvolved fit is determined by a forward convolution method requiring knowledge of only the instrument function and profiles. The systematic error due to the deconvolution technique incorporated into the JET pedestal fitting tool has been documented by Frassinetti et al. [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 83, 013506 (2012)]. This paper seeks to understand and quantify the systematic error introduced to the pedestal width due to ELM synchronisation. Synthetic profiles, generated with error bars and point-to-point variation characteristic of real HRTS profiles, are used to evaluate the deviation from the underlying pedestal width. We find on JET that the ELM synchronisation systematic error is negligible in comparison to the statistical error when assuming ten overlaid profiles (typical for a pre-ELM fit to HRTS profiles). This confirms that fitting a mtanh to ELM synchronised profiles is a robust and practical technique for extracting the pedestal structure.

  12. Error budget calculations in laboratory medicine: linking the concepts of biological variation and allowable medical errors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stroobants, A. K.; Goldschmidt, H. M. J.; Plebani, M.

    2003-01-01

    Background: Random, systematic and sporadic errors, which unfortunately are not uncommon in laboratory medicine, can have a considerable impact on the well being of patients. Although somewhat difficult to attain, our main goal should be to prevent all possible errors. A good insight on error-prone

  13. Heuristics and Cognitive Error in Medical Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Itri, Jason N; Patel, Sohil H

    2018-05-01

    The field of cognitive science has provided important insights into mental processes underlying the interpretation of imaging examinations. Despite these insights, diagnostic error remains a major obstacle in the goal to improve quality in radiology. In this article, we describe several types of cognitive bias that lead to diagnostic errors in imaging and discuss approaches to mitigate cognitive biases and diagnostic error. Radiologists rely on heuristic principles to reduce complex tasks of assessing probabilities and predicting values into simpler judgmental operations. These mental shortcuts allow rapid problem solving based on assumptions and past experiences. Heuristics used in the interpretation of imaging studies are generally helpful but can sometimes result in cognitive biases that lead to significant errors. An understanding of the causes of cognitive biases can lead to the development of educational content and systematic improvements that mitigate errors and improve the quality of care provided by radiologists.

  14. Human-simulation-based learning to prevent medication error: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarfati, Laura; Ranchon, Florence; Vantard, Nicolas; Schwiertz, Vérane; Larbre, Virginie; Parat, Stéphanie; Faudel, Amélie; Rioufol, Catherine

    2018-01-31

    In the past 2 decades, there has been an increasing interest in simulation-based learning programs to prevent medication error (ME). To improve knowledge, skills, and attitudes in prescribers, nurses, and pharmaceutical staff, these methods enable training without directly involving patients. However, best practices for simulation for healthcare providers are as yet undefined. By analysing the current state of experience in the field, the present review aims to assess whether human simulation in healthcare helps to reduce ME. A systematic review was conducted on Medline from 2000 to June 2015, associating the terms "Patient Simulation," "Medication Errors," and "Simulation Healthcare." Reports of technology-based simulation were excluded, to focus exclusively on human simulation in nontechnical skills learning. Twenty-one studies assessing simulation-based learning programs were selected, focusing on pharmacy, medicine or nursing students, or concerning programs aimed at reducing administration or preparation errors, managing crises, or learning communication skills for healthcare professionals. The studies varied in design, methodology, and assessment criteria. Few demonstrated that simulation was more effective than didactic learning in reducing ME. This review highlights a lack of long-term assessment and real-life extrapolation, with limited scenarios and participant samples. These various experiences, however, help in identifying the key elements required for an effective human simulation-based learning program for ME prevention: ie, scenario design, debriefing, and perception assessment. The performance of these programs depends on their ability to reflect reality and on professional guidance. Properly regulated simulation is a good way to train staff in events that happen only exceptionally, as well as in standard daily activities. By integrating human factors, simulation seems to be effective in preventing iatrogenic risk related to ME, if the program is

  15. Simulating systematic errors in X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments: Sample and beam effects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Curis, Emmanuel [Laboratoire de Biomathematiques, Faculte de Pharmacie, Universite Rene, Descartes (Paris V)-4, Avenue de l' Observatoire, 75006 Paris (France)]. E-mail: emmanuel.curis@univ-paris5.fr; Osan, Janos [KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute (AEKI)-P.O. Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary); Falkenberg, Gerald [Hamburger Synchrotronstrahlungslabor (HASYLAB), Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)-Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg (Germany); Benazeth, Simone [Laboratoire de Biomathematiques, Faculte de Pharmacie, Universite Rene, Descartes (Paris V)-4, Avenue de l' Observatoire, 75006 Paris (France); Laboratoire d' Utilisation du Rayonnement Electromagnetique (LURE)-Ba-hat timent 209D, Campus d' Orsay, 91406 Orsay (France); Toeroek, Szabina [KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute (AEKI)-P.O. Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary)

    2005-07-15

    The article presents an analytical model to simulate experimental imperfections in the realization of an X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiment, performed in transmission or fluorescence mode. Distinction is made between sources of systematic errors on a time-scale basis, to select the more appropriate model for their handling. For short time-scale, statistical models are the most suited. For large time-scale, the model is developed for sample and beam imperfections: mainly sample inhomogeneity, sample self-absorption, beam achromaticity. The ability of this model to reproduce the effects of these imperfections is exemplified, and the model is validated on real samples. Various potential application fields of the model are then presented.

  16. Simulating systematic errors in X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments: Sample and beam effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Curis, Emmanuel; Osan, Janos; Falkenberg, Gerald; Benazeth, Simone; Toeroek, Szabina

    2005-01-01

    The article presents an analytical model to simulate experimental imperfections in the realization of an X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiment, performed in transmission or fluorescence mode. Distinction is made between sources of systematic errors on a time-scale basis, to select the more appropriate model for their handling. For short time-scale, statistical models are the most suited. For large time-scale, the model is developed for sample and beam imperfections: mainly sample inhomogeneity, sample self-absorption, beam achromaticity. The ability of this model to reproduce the effects of these imperfections is exemplified, and the model is validated on real samples. Various potential application fields of the model are then presented

  17. Prevalence and reporting of recruitment, randomisation and treatment errors in clinical trials: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yelland, Lisa N; Kahan, Brennan C; Dent, Elsa; Lee, Katherine J; Voysey, Merryn; Forbes, Andrew B; Cook, Jonathan A

    2018-06-01

    Background/aims In clinical trials, it is not unusual for errors to occur during the process of recruiting, randomising and providing treatment to participants. For example, an ineligible participant may inadvertently be randomised, a participant may be randomised in the incorrect stratum, a participant may be randomised multiple times when only a single randomisation is permitted or the incorrect treatment may inadvertently be issued to a participant at randomisation. Such errors have the potential to introduce bias into treatment effect estimates and affect the validity of the trial, yet there is little motivation for researchers to report these errors and it is unclear how often they occur. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of recruitment, randomisation and treatment errors and review current approaches for reporting these errors in trials published in leading medical journals. Methods We conducted a systematic review of individually randomised, phase III, randomised controlled trials published in New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine and British Medical Journal from January to March 2015. The number and type of recruitment, randomisation and treatment errors that were reported and how they were handled were recorded. The corresponding authors were contacted for a random sample of trials included in the review and asked to provide details on unreported errors that occurred during their trial. Results We identified 241 potentially eligible articles, of which 82 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. These trials involved a median of 24 centres and 650 participants, and 87% involved two treatment arms. Recruitment, randomisation or treatment errors were reported in 32 in 82 trials (39%) that had a median of eight errors. The most commonly reported error was ineligible participants inadvertently being randomised. No mention of recruitment, randomisation

  18. Error Analysis of Satellite Precipitation-Driven Modeling of Flood Events in Complex Alpine Terrain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiwen Mei

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The error in satellite precipitation-driven complex terrain flood simulations is characterized in this study for eight different global satellite products and 128 flood events over the Eastern Italian Alps. The flood events are grouped according to two flood types: rain floods and flash floods. The satellite precipitation products and runoff simulations are evaluated based on systematic and random error metrics applied on the matched event pairs and basin-scale event properties (i.e., rainfall and runoff cumulative depth and time series shape. Overall, error characteristics exhibit dependency on the flood type. Generally, timing of the event precipitation mass center and dispersion of the time series derived from satellite precipitation exhibits good agreement with the reference; the cumulative depth is mostly underestimated. The study shows a dampening effect in both systematic and random error components of the satellite-driven hydrograph relative to the satellite-retrieved hyetograph. The systematic error in shape of the time series shows a significant dampening effect. The random error dampening effect is less pronounced for the flash flood events and the rain flood events with a high runoff coefficient. This event-based analysis of the satellite precipitation error propagation in flood modeling sheds light on the application of satellite precipitation in mountain flood hydrology.

  19. Galaxy Cluster Shapes and Systematic Errors in the Hubble Constant as Determined by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sulkanen, Martin E.; Joy, M. K.; Patel, S. K.

    1998-01-01

    Imaging of the Sunyaev-Zei'dovich (S-Z) effect in galaxy clusters combined with the cluster plasma x-ray diagnostics can measure the cosmic distance scale to high accuracy. However, projecting the inverse-Compton scattering and x-ray emission along the cluster line-of-sight will introduce systematic errors in the Hubble constant, H$-O$, because the true shape of the cluster is not known. This effect remains present for clusters that are otherwise chosen to avoid complications for the S-Z and x-ray analysis, such as plasma temperature variations, cluster substructure, or cluster dynamical evolution. In this paper we present a study of the systematic errors in the value of H$-0$, as determined by the x-ray and S-Z properties of a theoretical sample of triaxial isothermal 'beta-model' clusters, caused by projection effects and observer orientation relative to the model clusters' principal axes. The model clusters are not generated as ellipsoids of rotation, but have three independent 'core radii', as well as a random orientation to the plane of the sky.

  20. Impact of MLC leaf position errors on simple and complex IMRT plans for head and neck cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mu, G; Ludlum, E; Xia, P

    2008-01-01

    The dosimetric impact of random and systematic multi-leaf collimator (MLC) leaf position errors is relatively unknown for head and neck intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) patients. In this report we studied 17 head and neck IMRT patients, including 12 treated with simple plans ( 100 segments). Random errors (-2 to +2 mm) and systematic errors (±0.5 mm and ±1 mm) in MLC leaf positions were introduced into the clinical plans and the resultant dose distributions were analyzed based on defined endpoint doses. The dosimetric effect was insignificant for random MLC leaf position errors up to 2 mm for both simple and complex plans. However, for systematic MLC leaf position errors, we found significant dosimetric differences between the simple and complex IMRT plans. For 1 mm systematic error, the average changes in D 95% were 4% in simple plans versus 8% in complex plans. The average changes in D 0.1cc of the spinal cord and brain stem were 4% in simple plans versus 12% in complex plans. The average changes in parotid glands were 9% in simple plans versus 13% for the complex plans. Overall, simple IMRT plans are less sensitive to leaf position errors than complex IMRT plans

  1. Understanding errors in EIA projections of energy demand

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fischer, Carolyn; Herrnstadt, Evan; Morgenstern, Richard [Resources for the Future, 1616 P St. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (United States)

    2009-08-15

    This paper investigates the potential for systematic errors in the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) widely used Annual Energy Outlook, focusing on the near- to mid-term projections of energy demand. Based on analysis of the EIA's 22-year projection record, we find a fairly modest but persistent tendency to underestimate total energy demand by an average of 2 percent per year after controlling for projection errors in gross domestic product, oil prices, and heating/cooling degree days. For 14 individual fuels/consuming sectors routinely reported by the EIA, we observe a great deal of directional consistency in the errors over time, ranging up to 7 percent per year. Electric utility renewables, electric utility natural gas, transportation distillate, and residential electricity show significant biases on average. Projections for certain other sectors have significant unexplained errors for selected time horizons. Such independent evaluation can be useful for validating analytic efforts and for prioritizing future model revisions. (author)

  2. Systematic error in the precision measurement of the mean wavelength of a nearly monochromatic neutron beam due to geometric errors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coakley, K.J., E-mail: kevin.coakley@nist.go [National Institute of Standards and Technology, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305 (United States); Dewey, M.S. [National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Yue, A.T. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Laptev, A.B. [Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (United States)

    2009-12-11

    Many experiments at neutron scattering facilities require nearly monochromatic neutron beams. In such experiments, one must accurately measure the mean wavelength of the beam. We seek to reduce the systematic uncertainty of this measurement to approximately 0.1%. This work is motivated mainly by an effort to improve the measurement of the neutron lifetime determined from data collected in a 2003 in-beam experiment performed at NIST. More specifically, we seek to reduce systematic uncertainty by calibrating the neutron detector used in this lifetime experiment. This calibration requires simultaneous measurement of the responses of both the neutron detector used in the lifetime experiment and an absolute black neutron detector to a highly collimated nearly monochromatic beam of cold neutrons, as well as a separate measurement of the mean wavelength of the neutron beam. The calibration uncertainty will depend on the uncertainty of the measured efficiency of the black neutron detector and the uncertainty of the measured mean wavelength. The mean wavelength of the beam is measured by Bragg diffracting the beam from a nearly perfect silicon analyzer crystal. Given the rocking curve data and knowledge of the directions of the rocking axis and the normal to the scattering planes in the silicon crystal, one determines the mean wavelength of the beam. In practice, the direction of the rocking axis and the normal to the silicon scattering planes are not known exactly. Based on Monte Carlo simulation studies, we quantify systematic uncertainties in the mean wavelength measurement due to these geometric errors. Both theoretical and empirical results are presented and compared.

  3. Image pre-filtering for measurement error reduction in digital image correlation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yihao; Sun, Chen; Song, Yuntao; Chen, Jubing

    2015-02-01

    In digital image correlation, the sub-pixel intensity interpolation causes a systematic error in the measured displacements. The error increases toward high-frequency component of the speckle pattern. In practice, a captured image is usually corrupted by additive white noise. The noise introduces additional energy in the high frequencies and therefore raises the systematic error. Meanwhile, the noise also elevates the random error which increases with the noise power. In order to reduce the systematic error and the random error of the measurements, we apply a pre-filtering to the images prior to the correlation so that the high-frequency contents are suppressed. Two spatial-domain filters (binomial and Gaussian) and two frequency-domain filters (Butterworth and Wiener) are tested on speckle images undergoing both simulated and real-world translations. By evaluating the errors of the various combinations of speckle patterns, interpolators, noise levels, and filter configurations, we come to the following conclusions. All the four filters are able to reduce the systematic error. Meanwhile, the random error can also be reduced if the signal power is mainly distributed around DC. For high-frequency speckle patterns, the low-pass filters (binomial, Gaussian and Butterworth) slightly increase the random error and Butterworth filter produces the lowest random error among them. By using Wiener filter with over-estimated noise power, the random error can be reduced but the resultant systematic error is higher than that of low-pass filters. In general, Butterworth filter is recommended for error reduction due to its flexibility of passband selection and maximal preservation of the allowed frequencies. Binomial filter enables efficient implementation and thus becomes a good option if computational cost is a critical issue. While used together with pre-filtering, B-spline interpolator produces lower systematic error than bicubic interpolator and similar level of the random

  4. Systematic errors in the readings of track etch neutron dosemeters caused by the energy dependence of response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanner, R.J.; Thomas, D.J.; Bartlett, D.T.; Horwood, N.

    1999-01-01

    A study has been performed to assess the extent to which variations in the energy dependence of response of neutron personal dosemeters can cause systematic errors in readings obtained in workplace fields. This involved a detailed determination of the response functions of personal dosemeters used in the UK. These response functions were folded with workplace spectra to ascertain the under- or over-response in workplace fields

  5. Systematic errors in the readings of track etch neutron dosemeters caused by the energy dependence of response

    CERN Document Server

    Tanner, R J; Bartlett, D T; Horwood, N

    1999-01-01

    A study has been performed to assess the extent to which variations in the energy dependence of response of neutron personal dosemeters can cause systematic errors in readings obtained in workplace fields. This involved a detailed determination of the response functions of personal dosemeters used in the UK. These response functions were folded with workplace spectra to ascertain the under- or over-response in workplace fields.

  6. Technical Note: Introduction of variance component analysis to setup error analysis in radiotherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matsuo, Yukinori, E-mail: ymatsuo@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro; Mizowaki, Takashi; Hiraoka, Masahiro [Department of Radiation Oncology and Image-applied Therapy, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoin-Kawaharacho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8507 (Japan)

    2016-09-15

    Purpose: The purpose of this technical note is to introduce variance component analysis to the estimation of systematic and random components in setup error of radiotherapy. Methods: Balanced data according to the one-factor random effect model were assumed. Results: Analysis-of-variance (ANOVA)-based computation was applied to estimate the values and their confidence intervals (CIs) for systematic and random errors and the population mean of setup errors. The conventional method overestimates systematic error, especially in hypofractionated settings. The CI for systematic error becomes much wider than that for random error. The ANOVA-based estimation can be extended to a multifactor model considering multiple causes of setup errors (e.g., interpatient, interfraction, and intrafraction). Conclusions: Variance component analysis may lead to novel applications to setup error analysis in radiotherapy.

  7. Technical Note: Introduction of variance component analysis to setup error analysis in radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuo, Yukinori; Nakamura, Mitsuhiro; Mizowaki, Takashi; Hiraoka, Masahiro

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this technical note is to introduce variance component analysis to the estimation of systematic and random components in setup error of radiotherapy. Methods: Balanced data according to the one-factor random effect model were assumed. Results: Analysis-of-variance (ANOVA)-based computation was applied to estimate the values and their confidence intervals (CIs) for systematic and random errors and the population mean of setup errors. The conventional method overestimates systematic error, especially in hypofractionated settings. The CI for systematic error becomes much wider than that for random error. The ANOVA-based estimation can be extended to a multifactor model considering multiple causes of setup errors (e.g., interpatient, interfraction, and intrafraction). Conclusions: Variance component analysis may lead to novel applications to setup error analysis in radiotherapy.

  8. Noncontact thermometry via laser pumped, thermographic phosphors: Characterization of systematic errors and industrial applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gillies, G.T.; Dowell, L.J.; Lutz, W.N.; Allison, S.W.; Cates, M.R.; Noel, B.W.; Franks, L.A.; Borella, H.M.

    1987-10-01

    There are a growing number of industrial measurement situations that call for a high precision, noncontact method of thermometry. Our collaboration has been successful in developing one such method based on the laser-induced fluorescence of rare-earth-doped ceramic phosphors like Y 2 O 3 :Eu. In this paper, we summarize the results of characterization studies aimed at identifying the sources of systematic error in a laboratory-grade version of the method. We then go on to present data from measurements made in the afterburner plume of a jet turbine and inside an operating permanent magnet motor. 12 refs., 6 figs

  9. Towards eliminating systematic errors caused by the experimental conditions in Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Strömberg, Sten, E-mail: sten.stromberg@biotek.lu.se [Department of Biotechnology, Lund University, Getingevägen 60, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Nistor, Mihaela, E-mail: mn@bioprocesscontrol.com [Bioprocess Control, Scheelevägen 22, 223 63 Lund (Sweden); Liu, Jing, E-mail: jing.liu@biotek.lu.se [Department of Biotechnology, Lund University, Getingevägen 60, 221 00 Lund (Sweden); Bioprocess Control, Scheelevägen 22, 223 63 Lund (Sweden)

    2014-11-15

    Highlights: • The evaluated factors introduce significant systematic errors (10–38%) in BMP tests. • Ambient temperature (T) has the most substantial impact (∼10%) at low altitude. • Ambient pressure (p) has the most substantial impact (∼68%) at high altitude. • Continuous monitoring of T and p is not necessary for kinetic calculations. - Abstract: The Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) test is increasingly recognised as a tool for selecting and pricing biomass material for production of biogas. However, the results for the same substrate often differ between laboratories and much work to standardise such tests is still needed. In the current study, the effects from four environmental factors (i.e. ambient temperature and pressure, water vapour content and initial gas composition of the reactor headspace) on the degradation kinetics and the determined methane potential were evaluated with a 2{sup 4} full factorial design. Four substrates, with different biodegradation profiles, were investigated and the ambient temperature was found to be the most significant contributor to errors in the methane potential. Concerning the kinetics of the process, the environmental factors’ impact on the calculated rate constants was negligible. The impact of the environmental factors on the kinetic parameters and methane potential from performing a BMP test at different geographical locations around the world was simulated by adjusting the data according to the ambient temperature and pressure of some chosen model sites. The largest effect on the methane potential was registered from tests performed at high altitudes due to a low ambient pressure. The results from this study illustrate the importance of considering the environmental factors’ influence on volumetric gas measurement in BMP tests. This is essential to achieve trustworthy and standardised results that can be used by researchers and end users from all over the world.

  10. Towards eliminating systematic errors caused by the experimental conditions in Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strömberg, Sten; Nistor, Mihaela; Liu, Jing

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The evaluated factors introduce significant systematic errors (10–38%) in BMP tests. • Ambient temperature (T) has the most substantial impact (∼10%) at low altitude. • Ambient pressure (p) has the most substantial impact (∼68%) at high altitude. • Continuous monitoring of T and p is not necessary for kinetic calculations. - Abstract: The Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) test is increasingly recognised as a tool for selecting and pricing biomass material for production of biogas. However, the results for the same substrate often differ between laboratories and much work to standardise such tests is still needed. In the current study, the effects from four environmental factors (i.e. ambient temperature and pressure, water vapour content and initial gas composition of the reactor headspace) on the degradation kinetics and the determined methane potential were evaluated with a 2 4 full factorial design. Four substrates, with different biodegradation profiles, were investigated and the ambient temperature was found to be the most significant contributor to errors in the methane potential. Concerning the kinetics of the process, the environmental factors’ impact on the calculated rate constants was negligible. The impact of the environmental factors on the kinetic parameters and methane potential from performing a BMP test at different geographical locations around the world was simulated by adjusting the data according to the ambient temperature and pressure of some chosen model sites. The largest effect on the methane potential was registered from tests performed at high altitudes due to a low ambient pressure. The results from this study illustrate the importance of considering the environmental factors’ influence on volumetric gas measurement in BMP tests. This is essential to achieve trustworthy and standardised results that can be used by researchers and end users from all over the world

  11. Benefits and risks of using smart pumps to reduce medication error rates: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohashi, Kumiko; Dalleur, Olivia; Dykes, Patricia C; Bates, David W

    2014-12-01

    Smart infusion pumps have been introduced to prevent medication errors and have been widely adopted nationally in the USA, though they are not always used in Europe or other regions. Despite widespread usage of smart pumps, intravenous medication errors have not been fully eliminated. Through a systematic review of recent studies and reports regarding smart pump implementation and use, we aimed to identify the impact of smart pumps on error reduction and on the complex process of medication administration, and strategies to maximize the benefits of smart pumps. The medical literature related to the effects of smart pumps for improving patient safety was searched in PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (2000-2014) and relevant papers were selected by two researchers. After the literature search, 231 papers were identified and the full texts of 138 articles were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 22 were included after removal of papers that did not meet the inclusion criteria. We assessed both the benefits and negative effects of smart pumps from these studies. One of the benefits of using smart pumps was intercepting errors such as the wrong rate, wrong dose, and pump setting errors. Other benefits include reduction of adverse drug event rates, practice improvements, and cost effectiveness. Meanwhile, the current issues or negative effects related to using smart pumps were lower compliance rates of using smart pumps, the overriding of soft alerts, non-intercepted errors, or the possibility of using the wrong drug library. The literature suggests that smart pumps reduce but do not eliminate programming errors. Although the hard limits of a drug library play a main role in intercepting medication errors, soft limits were still not as effective as hard limits because of high override rates. Compliance in using smart pumps is key towards effectively preventing errors. Opportunities for improvement include upgrading drug

  12. Barriers to reporting medication errors and near misses among nurses: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vrbnjak, Dominika; Denieffe, Suzanne; O'Gorman, Claire; Pajnkihar, Majda

    2016-11-01

    To explore barriers to nurses' reporting of medication errors and near misses in hospital settings. Systematic review. Medline, CINAHL, PubMed and Cochrane Library in addition to Google and Google Scholar and reference lists of relevant studies published in English between January 1981 and April 2015 were searched for relevant qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods empirical studies or unpublished PhD theses. Papers with a primary focus on barriers to reporting medication errors and near misses in nursing were included. The titles and abstracts of the search results were assessed for eligibility and relevance by one of the authors. After retrieval of the full texts, two of the authors independently made decisions concerning the final inclusion and these were validated by the third reviewer. Three authors independently assessed methodological quality of studies. Relevant data were extracted and findings were synthesised using thematic synthesis. From 4038 identified records, 38 studies were included in the synthesis. Findings suggest that organizational barriers such as culture, the reporting system and management behaviour in addition to personal and professional barriers such as fear, accountability and characteristics of nurses are barriers to reporting medication errors. To overcome reported barriers it is necessary to develop a non-blaming, non-punitive and non-fearful learning culture at unit and organizational level. Anonymous, effective, uncomplicated and efficient reporting systems and supportive management behaviour that provides open feedback to nurses is needed. Nurses are accountable for patients' safety, so they need to be educated and skilled in error management. Lack of research into barriers to reporting of near misses' and low awareness of reporting suggests the need for further research and development of educational and management approaches to overcome these barriers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. SU-D-BRA-03: Analysis of Systematic Errors with 2D/3D Image Registration for Target Localization and Treatment Delivery in Stereotactic Radiosurgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, H; Chetty, I; Wen, N

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Determine systematic deviations between 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registrations with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) for various imaging modalities and registration algorithms on the Varian Edge Linac. Methods: The 6DOF systematic errors were assessed by comparing automated 2D/3D (kV/MV vs. CT) with 3D/3D (CBCT vs. CT) image registrations from different imaging pairs, CT slice thicknesses, couch angles, similarity measures, etc., using a Rando head and a pelvic phantom. The 2D/3D image registration accuracy was evaluated at different treatment sites (intra-cranial and extra-cranial) by statistically analyzing 2D/3D pre-treatment verification against 3D/3D localization of 192 Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy treatment fractions for 88 patients. Results: The systematic errors of 2D/3D image registration using kV-kV, MV-kV and MV-MV image pairs using 0.8 mm slice thickness CT images were within 0.3 mm and 0.3° for translations and rotations with a 95% confidence interval (CI). No significant difference between 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registrations (P>0.05) was observed for target localization at various CT slice thicknesses ranging from 0.8 to 3 mm. Couch angles (30, 45, 60 degree) did not impact the accuracy of 2D/3D image registration. Using pattern intensity with content image filtering was recommended for 2D/3D image registration to achieve the best accuracy. For the patient study, translational error was within 2 mm and rotational error was within 0.6 degrees in terms of 95% CI for 2D/3D image registration. For intra-cranial sites, means and std. deviations of translational errors were −0.2±0.7, 0.04±0.5, 0.1±0.4 mm for LNG, LAT, VRT directions, respectively. For extra-cranial sites, means and std. deviations of translational errors were - 0.04±1, 0.2±1, 0.1±1 mm for LNG, LAT, VRT directions, respectively. 2D/3D image registration uncertainties for intra-cranial and extra-cranial sites were comparable. Conclusion: The Varian

  14. SU-D-BRA-03: Analysis of Systematic Errors with 2D/3D Image Registration for Target Localization and Treatment Delivery in Stereotactic Radiosurgery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, H [Wayne State University, Detroit, MI (United States); Chetty, I; Wen, N [Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Determine systematic deviations between 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registrations with six degrees of freedom (6DOF) for various imaging modalities and registration algorithms on the Varian Edge Linac. Methods: The 6DOF systematic errors were assessed by comparing automated 2D/3D (kV/MV vs. CT) with 3D/3D (CBCT vs. CT) image registrations from different imaging pairs, CT slice thicknesses, couch angles, similarity measures, etc., using a Rando head and a pelvic phantom. The 2D/3D image registration accuracy was evaluated at different treatment sites (intra-cranial and extra-cranial) by statistically analyzing 2D/3D pre-treatment verification against 3D/3D localization of 192 Stereotactic Radiosurgery/Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy treatment fractions for 88 patients. Results: The systematic errors of 2D/3D image registration using kV-kV, MV-kV and MV-MV image pairs using 0.8 mm slice thickness CT images were within 0.3 mm and 0.3° for translations and rotations with a 95% confidence interval (CI). No significant difference between 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registrations (P>0.05) was observed for target localization at various CT slice thicknesses ranging from 0.8 to 3 mm. Couch angles (30, 45, 60 degree) did not impact the accuracy of 2D/3D image registration. Using pattern intensity with content image filtering was recommended for 2D/3D image registration to achieve the best accuracy. For the patient study, translational error was within 2 mm and rotational error was within 0.6 degrees in terms of 95% CI for 2D/3D image registration. For intra-cranial sites, means and std. deviations of translational errors were −0.2±0.7, 0.04±0.5, 0.1±0.4 mm for LNG, LAT, VRT directions, respectively. For extra-cranial sites, means and std. deviations of translational errors were - 0.04±1, 0.2±1, 0.1±1 mm for LNG, LAT, VRT directions, respectively. 2D/3D image registration uncertainties for intra-cranial and extra-cranial sites were comparable. Conclusion: The Varian

  15. Systematic Error of Acoustic Particle Image Velocimetry and Its Correction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mickiewicz Witold

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Particle Image Velocimetry is getting more and more often the method of choice not only for visualization of turbulent mass flows in fluid mechanics, but also in linear and non-linear acoustics for non-intrusive visualization of acoustic particle velocity. Particle Image Velocimetry with low sampling rate (about 15Hz can be applied to visualize the acoustic field using the acquisition synchronized to the excitation signal. Such phase-locked PIV technique is described and used in experiments presented in the paper. The main goal of research was to propose a model of PIV systematic error due to non-zero time interval between acquisitions of two images of the examined sound field seeded with tracer particles, what affects the measurement of complex acoustic signals. Usefulness of the presented model is confirmed experimentally. The correction procedure, based on the proposed model, applied to measurement data increases the accuracy of acoustic particle velocity field visualization and creates new possibilities in observation of sound fields excited with multi-tonal or band-limited noise signals.

  16. Local blur analysis and phase error correction method for fringe projection profilometry systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Li; Da, Feipeng

    2018-05-20

    We introduce a flexible error correction method for fringe projection profilometry (FPP) systems in the presence of local blur phenomenon. Local blur caused by global light transport such as camera defocus, projector defocus, and subsurface scattering will cause significant systematic errors in FPP systems. Previous methods, which adopt high-frequency patterns to separate the direct and global components, fail when the global light phenomenon occurs locally. In this paper, the influence of local blur on phase quality is thoroughly analyzed, and a concise error correction method is proposed to compensate the phase errors. For defocus phenomenon, this method can be directly applied. With the aid of spatially varying point spread functions and local frontal plane assumption, experiments show that the proposed method can effectively alleviate the system errors and improve the final reconstruction accuracy in various scenes. For a subsurface scattering scenario, if the translucent object is dominated by multiple scattering, the proposed method can also be applied to correct systematic errors once the bidirectional scattering-surface reflectance distribution function of the object material is measured.

  17. Constituent quarks and systematic errors in mid-rapidity charged multiplicity dNch/dη distributions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tannenbaum, M. J.

    2018-01-01

    Centrality definition in A + A collisions at colliders such as RHIC and LHC suffers from a correlated systematic uncertainty caused by the efficiency of detecting a p + p collision (50 ± 5% for PHENIX at RHIC). In A + A collisions where centrality is measured by the number of nucleon collisions, Ncoll, or the number of nucleon participants, Npart, or the number of constituent quark participants, Nqp, the error in the efficiency of the primary interaction trigger (Beam-Beam Counters) for a p + p collision leads to a correlated systematic uncertainty in Npart, Ncoll or Nqp which reduces binomially as the A + A collisions become more central. If this is not correctly accounted for in projections of A + A to p + p collisions, then mistaken conclusions can result. A recent example is presented in whether the mid-rapidity charged multiplicity per constituent quark participant (dNch/dη)/Nqp in Au + Au at RHIC was the same as the value in p + p collisions.

  18. Thresholds for statistical and clinical significance in systematic reviews with meta-analytic methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jakobsen, Janus Christian; Wetterslev, Jorn; Winkel, Per

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Thresholds for statistical significance when assessing meta-analysis results are being insufficiently demonstrated by traditional 95% confidence intervals and P-values. Assessment of intervention effects in systematic reviews with meta-analysis deserves greater rigour. METHODS......: Methodologies for assessing statistical and clinical significance of intervention effects in systematic reviews were considered. Balancing simplicity and comprehensiveness, an operational procedure was developed, based mainly on The Cochrane Collaboration methodology and the Grading of Recommendations...... Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines. RESULTS: We propose an eight-step procedure for better validation of meta-analytic results in systematic reviews (1) Obtain the 95% confidence intervals and the P-values from both fixed-effect and random-effects meta-analyses and report the most...

  19. Human errors and mistakes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wahlstroem, B.

    1993-01-01

    Human errors have a major contribution to the risks for industrial accidents. Accidents have provided important lesson making it possible to build safer systems. In avoiding human errors it is necessary to adapt the systems to their operators. The complexity of modern industrial systems is however increasing the danger of system accidents. Models of the human operator have been proposed, but the models are not able to give accurate predictions of human performance. Human errors can never be eliminated, but their frequency can be decreased by systematic efforts. The paper gives a brief summary of research in human error and it concludes with suggestions for further work. (orig.)

  20. Error estimation and global fitting in transverse-relaxation dispersion experiments to determine chemical-exchange parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishima, Rieko; Torchia, Dennis A.

    2005-01-01

    Off-resonance effects can introduce significant systematic errors in R 2 measurements in constant-time Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) transverse relaxation dispersion experiments. For an off-resonance chemical shift of 500 Hz, 15 N relaxation dispersion profiles obtained from experiment and computer simulation indicated a systematic error of ca. 3%. This error is three- to five-fold larger than the random error in R 2 caused by noise. Good estimates of total R 2 uncertainty are critical in order to obtain accurate estimates in optimized chemical exchange parameters and their uncertainties derived from χ 2 minimization of a target function. Here, we present a simple empirical approach that provides a good estimate of the total error (systematic + random) in 15 N R 2 values measured for the HIV protease. The advantage of this empirical error estimate is that it is applicable even when some of the factors that contribute to the off-resonance error are not known. These errors are incorporated into a χ 2 minimization protocol, in which the Carver-Richards equation is used fit the observed R 2 dispersion profiles, that yields optimized chemical exchange parameters and their confidence limits. Optimized parameters are also derived, using the same protein sample and data-fitting protocol, from 1 H R 2 measurements in which systematic errors are negligible. Although 1 H and 15 N relaxation profiles of individual residues were well fit, the optimized exchange parameters had large uncertainties (confidence limits). In contrast, when a single pair of exchange parameters (the exchange lifetime, τ ex , and the fractional population, p a ), were constrained to globally fit all R 2 profiles for residues in the dimer interface of the protein, confidence limits were less than 8% for all optimized exchange parameters. In addition, F-tests showed that quality of the fits obtained using τ ex , p a as global parameters were not improved when these parameters were free to fit the R

  1. Orbit error characteristic and distribution of TLE using CHAMP orbit data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xiao-li; Xiong, Yong-qing

    2018-02-01

    Space object orbital covariance data is required for collision risk assessments, but publicly accessible two line element (TLE) data does not provide orbital error information. This paper compared historical TLE data and GPS precision ephemerides of CHAMP to assess TLE orbit accuracy from 2002 to 2008, inclusive. TLE error spatial variations with longitude and latitude were calculated to analyze error characteristics and distribution. The results indicate that TLE orbit data are systematically biased from the limited SGP4 model. The biases can reach the level of kilometers, and the sign and magnitude are correlate significantly with longitude.

  2. ERESYE - a expert system for the evaluation of uncertainties related to systematic experimental errors; ERESYE - un sistema esperto per la valutazione di incertezze correlate ad errori sperimentali sistematici

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martinelli, T; Panini, G C [ENEA - Dipartimento Tecnologie Intersettoriali di Base, Centro Ricerche Energia, Casaccia (Italy); Amoroso, A [Ricercatore Ospite (Italy)

    1989-11-15

    Information about systematic errors are not given In EXFOR, the data base of nuclear experimental measurements: their assessment is committed to the ability of the evaluator. A tool Is needed which performs this task in a fully automatic way or, at least, gives a valuable aid. The expert system ERESYE has been implemented for investigating the feasibility of an automatic evaluation of the systematic errors in the experiments. The features of the project which led to the implementation of the system are presented. (author)

  3. Improving Type Error Messages in OCaml

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arthur Charguéraud

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Cryptic type error messages are a major obstacle to learning OCaml or other ML-based languages. In many cases, error messages cannot be interpreted without a sufficiently-precise model of the type inference algorithm. The problem of improving type error messages in ML has received quite a bit of attention over the past two decades, and many different strategies have been considered. The challenge is not only to produce error messages that are both sufficiently concise and systematically useful to the programmer, but also to handle a full-blown programming language and to cope with large-sized programs efficiently. In this work, we present a modification to the traditional ML type inference algorithm implemented in OCaml that, by significantly reducing the left-to-right bias, allows us to report error messages that are more helpful to the programmer. Our algorithm remains fully predictable and continues to produce fairly concise error messages that always help making some progress towards fixing the code. We implemented our approach as a patch to the OCaml compiler in just a few hundred lines of code. We believe that this patch should benefit not just to beginners, but also to experienced programs developing large-scale OCaml programs.

  4. Experiences of and support for nurses as second victims of adverse nursing errors: a qualitative systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabilan, C J; Kynoch, Kathryn

    2017-09-01

    Second victims are clinicians who have made adverse errors and feel traumatized by the experience. The current published literature on second victims is mainly representative of doctors, hence nurses' experiences are not fully depicted. This systematic review was necessary to understand the second victim experience for nurses, explore the support provided, and recommend appropriate support systems for nurses. To synthesize the best available evidence on nurses' experiences as second victims, and explore their experiences of the support they receive and the support they need. Participants were registered nurses who made adverse errors. The review included studies that described nurses' experiences as second victims and/or the support they received after making adverse errors. All studies conducted in any health care settings worldwide. The qualitative studies included were grounded theory, discourse analysis and phenomenology. A structured search strategy was used to locate all unpublished and published qualitative studies, but was limited to the English language, and published between 1980 and February 2017. The references of studies selected for eligibility screening were hand-searched for additional literature. Eligible studies were assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological quality using a standardized critical appraisal instrument from the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI QARI). Themes and narrative statements were extracted from papers included in the review using the standardized data extraction tool from JBI QARI. Data synthesis was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute meta-aggregation approach. There were nine qualitative studies included in the review. The narratives of 284 nurses generated a total of 43 findings, which formed 15 categories based on similarity of meaning. Four synthesized findings were generated from the categories: (i) The error brings a considerable emotional burden to the

  5. Systematic instrumental errors between oxygen saturation analysers in fetal blood during deep hypoxemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porath, M; Sinha, P; Dudenhausen, J W; Luttkus, A K

    2001-05-01

    During a study of artificially produced deep hypoxemia in fetal cord blood, systematic errors of three different oxygen saturation analysers were evaluated against a reference CO oximeter. The oxygen tensions (PO2) of 83 pre-heparinized fetal blood samples from umbilical veins were reduced by tonometry to 1.3 kPa (10 mm Hg) and 2.7 kPa (20 mm Hg). The oxygen saturation (SO2) was determined (n=1328) on a reference CO oximeter (ABL625, Radiometer Copenhagen) and on three tested instruments (two CO oximeters: Chiron865, Bayer Diagnostics; ABL700, Radiometer Copenhagen, and a portable blood gas analyser, i-STAT, Abbott). The CO oximeters measure the oxyhemoglobin and the reduced hemoglobin fractions by absorption spectrophotometry. The i-STAT system calculates the oxygen saturation from the measured pH, PO2, and PCO2. The measurements were performed in duplicate. Statistical evaluation focused on the differences between duplicate measurements and on systematic instrumental errors in oxygen saturation analysis compared to the reference CO oximeter. After tonometry, the median saturation dropped to 32.9% at a PO2=2.7 kPa (20 mm Hg), defined as saturation range 1, and to 10% SO2 at a PO2=1.3 kPa (10 mm Hg), defined as range 2. With decreasing SO2, all devices showed an increased difference between duplicate measurements. ABL625 and ABL700 showed the closest agreement between instruments (0.25% SO2 bias at saturation range 1 and -0.33% SO2 bias at saturation range 2). Chiron865 indicated higher saturation values than ABL 625 (3.07% SO2 bias at saturation range 1 and 2.28% SO2 bias at saturation range 2). Calculated saturation values (i-STAT) were more than 30% lower than the measured values of ABL625. The disagreement among CO oximeters was small but increasing under deep hypoxemia. Calculation found unacceptably low saturation.

  6. Random error in cardiovascular meta-analyses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albalawi, Zaina; McAlister, Finlay A; Thorlund, Kristian

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Cochrane reviews are viewed as the gold standard in meta-analyses given their efforts to identify and limit systematic error which could cause spurious conclusions. The potential for random error to cause spurious conclusions in meta-analyses is less well appreciated. METHODS: We exam...

  7. Error calculations statistics in radioactive measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verdera, Silvia

    1994-01-01

    Basic approach and procedures frequently used in the practice of radioactive measurements.Statistical principles applied are part of Good radiopharmaceutical Practices and quality assurance.Concept of error, classification as systematic and random errors.Statistic fundamentals,probability theories, populations distributions, Bernoulli, Poisson,Gauss, t-test distribution,Ξ2 test, error propagation based on analysis of variance.Bibliography.z table,t-test table, Poisson index ,Ξ2 test

  8. Aliasing errors in measurements of beam position and ellipticity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ekdahl, Carl

    2005-01-01

    Beam position monitors (BPMs) are used in accelerators and ion experiments to measure currents, position, and azimuthal asymmetry. These usually consist of discrete arrays of electromagnetic field detectors, with detectors located at several equally spaced azimuthal positions at the beam tube wall. The discrete nature of these arrays introduces systematic errors into the data, independent of uncertainties resulting from signal noise, lack of recording dynamic range, etc. Computer simulations were used to understand and quantify these aliasing errors. If required, aliasing errors can be significantly reduced by employing more than the usual four detectors in the BPMs. These simulations show that the error in measurements of the centroid position of a large beam is indistinguishable from the error in the position of a filament. The simulations also show that aliasing errors in the measurement of beam ellipticity are very large unless the beam is accurately centered. The simulations were used to quantify the aliasing errors in beam parameter measurements during early experiments on the DARHT-II accelerator, demonstrating that they affected the measurements only slightly, if at all

  9. Aliasing errors in measurements of beam position and ellipticity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekdahl, Carl

    2005-09-01

    Beam position monitors (BPMs) are used in accelerators and ion experiments to measure currents, position, and azimuthal asymmetry. These usually consist of discrete arrays of electromagnetic field detectors, with detectors located at several equally spaced azimuthal positions at the beam tube wall. The discrete nature of these arrays introduces systematic errors into the data, independent of uncertainties resulting from signal noise, lack of recording dynamic range, etc. Computer simulations were used to understand and quantify these aliasing errors. If required, aliasing errors can be significantly reduced by employing more than the usual four detectors in the BPMs. These simulations show that the error in measurements of the centroid position of a large beam is indistinguishable from the error in the position of a filament. The simulations also show that aliasing errors in the measurement of beam ellipticity are very large unless the beam is accurately centered. The simulations were used to quantify the aliasing errors in beam parameter measurements during early experiments on the DARHT-II accelerator, demonstrating that they affected the measurements only slightly, if at all.

  10. Computer input devices: neutral party or source of significant error in manual lesion segmentation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, James Y; Seagull, F Jacob; Nagy, Paul; Lakhani, Paras; Melhem, Elias R; Siegel, Eliot L; Safdar, Nabile M

    2011-02-01

    Lesion segmentation involves outlining the contour of an abnormality on an image to distinguish boundaries between normal and abnormal tissue and is essential to track malignant and benign disease in medical imaging for clinical, research, and treatment purposes. A laser optical mouse and a graphics tablet were used by radiologists to segment 12 simulated reference lesions per subject in two groups (one group comprised three lesion morphologies in two sizes, one for each input device for each device two sets of six, composed of three morphologies in two sizes each). Time for segmentation was recorded. Subjects completed an opinion survey following segmentation. Error in contour segmentation was calculated using root mean square error. Error in area of segmentation was calculated compared to the reference lesion. 11 radiologists segmented a total of 132 simulated lesions. Overall error in contour segmentation was less with the graphics tablet than with the mouse (P Error in area of segmentation was not significantly different between the tablet and the mouse (P = 0.62). Time for segmentation was less with the tablet than the mouse (P = 0.011). All subjects preferred the graphics tablet for future segmentation (P = 0.011) and felt subjectively that the tablet was faster, easier, and more accurate (P = 0.0005). For purposes in which accuracy in contour of lesion segmentation is of the greater importance, the graphics tablet is superior to the mouse in accuracy with a small speed benefit. For purposes in which accuracy of area of lesion segmentation is of greater importance, the graphics tablet and mouse are equally accurate.

  11. Quantification and handling of sampling errors in instrumental measurements: a case study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Charlotte Møller; Bro, R.

    2004-01-01

    in certain situations, the effect of systematic errors is also considerable. The relevant errors contributing to the prediction error are: error in instrumental measurements (x-error), error in reference measurements (y-error), error in the estimated calibration model (regression coefficient error) and model...

  12. Measurement of Systematic Error Effects for a Sensitive Storage Ring EDM Polarimeter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imig, Astrid; Stephenson, Edward

    2009-10-01

    The Storage Ring EDM Collaboration was using the Cooler Synchrotron (COSY) and the EDDA detector at the Forschungszentrum J"ulich to explore systematic errors in very sensitive storage-ring polarization measurements. Polarized deuterons of 235 MeV were used. The analyzer target was a block of 17 mm thick carbon placed close to the beam so that white noise applied to upstream electrostatic plates increases the vertical phase space of the beam, allowing deuterons to strike the front face of the block. For a detector acceptance that covers laboratory angles larger than 9 ^o, the efficiency for particles to scatter into the polarimeter detectors was about 0.1% (all directions) and the vector analyzing power was about 0.2. Measurements were made of the sensitivity of the polarization measurement to beam position and angle. Both vector and tensor asymmetries were measured using beams with both vector and tensor polarization. Effects were seen that depend upon both the beam geometry and the data rate in the detectors.

  13. The use of adaptive radiation therapy to reduce setup error: a prospective clinical study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Di; Wong, John; Vicini, Frank; Robertson, John; Horwitz, Eric; Brabbins, Donald; Cook, Carla; Gustafson, Gary; Stromberg, Jannifer; Martinez, Alvaro

    1996-01-01

    , eight patients had completed the study. Their mean systematic setup error was 4 mm with a range of 2 mm to 6 mm before adjustment; and was reduced to 0.8 mm with a range of 0.2 mm to 1.8 mm after adjustments. There was no significant difference in their random setup errors before and after adjustment. Analysis of the block overlap distributions shows that the fractions of the prescribed field areas covered by the daily treatment increased after setup adjustment. The block overlap distributions also show that the magnitude of random setup errors at different field edges were different; 50% of which were small enough to allow the treatment margin to be reduced to 4 mm or less. Results from the on-going treatments of the remaining 12 patients show similar trends and magnitudes, and are not expected to be different. Conclusion: Our prospective study demonstrates that the ART process provides an effective and reliable approach to compensate for the systematic setup error of the individual patient. Adjusting the MLC field allows accurate setup adjustment as small as 2 mm, minimizes the possibility of 'unsettling' the patient and reduces the work load of the therapists. The ART process can be extended to correct for random setup errors by further modification of the MLC field shape and prescribed dose. Most importantly, ART integrates the use of advanced technologies to maximize treatment benefits, and can be important in the implementation of dose escalated conformal therapy

  14. Systematic errors in the determination of the spectroscopic g-factor in broadband ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy: A proposed solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Fuentes, C.; Dumas, R. K.; García, C.

    2018-01-01

    A theoretical and experimental study of the influence of small offsets of the magnetic field (δH) on the measurement accuracy of the spectroscopic g-factor (g) and saturation magnetization (Ms) obtained by broadband ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements is presented. The random nature of δH generates systematic and opposite sign deviations of the values of g and Ms with respect to their true values. A δH on the order of a few Oe leads to a ˜10% error of g and Ms for a typical range of frequencies employed in broadband FMR experiments. We propose a simple experimental methodology to significantly minimize the effect of δH on the fitted values of g and Ms, eliminating their apparent dependence in the range of frequencies employed. Our method was successfully tested using broadband FMR measurements on a 5 nm thick Ni80Fe20 film for frequencies ranging between 3 and 17 GHz.

  15. Positioning errors assessed with kV cone-beam CT for image-guided prostate radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jiongyan; Guo Xiaomao; Yao Weiqiang; Wang Yanyang; Ma Jinli; Chen Jiayi; Zhang Zhen; Feng Yan

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To assess set-up errors measured with kilovoltage cone-beam CT (KV-CBCT), and the impact of online corrections on margins required to account for set-up variability during IMRT for patients with prostate cancer. Methods: Seven patients with prostate cancer undergoing IMRT were enrolled onto the study. The KV-CBCT scans were acquired at least twice weekly. After initial set-up using the skin marks, a CBCT scan was acquired and registered with the planning CT to determine the setup errors using an auto grey-scale registration software. Corrections would be made by moving the table if the setup errors were considered clinically significant (i. e. , > 2 mm). A second CBCT scan was acquired immediately after the corrections to evaluate the residual error. PTV margins were derived to account for the measured set-up errors and residual errors determined for this group of patients. Results: 197 KV-CBCT images in total were acquired. The random and systematic positioning errors and calculated PTV margins without correction in mm were : a) Lateral 3.1, 2.1, 9.3; b) Longitudinal 1.5, 1.8, 5.1;c) Vertical 4.2, 3.7, 13.0. The random and systematic positioning errors and calculated PTV margin with correction in mm were : a) Lateral 1.1, 0.9, 3.4; b) Longitudinal 0.7, 1.1, 2.5; c) Vertical 1.1, 1.3, 3.7. Conclusions: With the guidance of online KV-CBCT, set-up errors could be reduced significantly for patients with prostate cancer receiving IMRT. The margin required after online CBCT correction for the patients enrolled in the study would be appoximatively 3-4 mm. (authors)

  16. Effect of patient setup errors on simultaneously integrated boost head and neck IMRT treatment plans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siebers, Jeffrey V.; Keall, Paul J.; Wu Qiuwen; Williamson, Jeffrey F.; Schmidt-Ullrich, Rupert K.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine dose delivery errors that could result from random and systematic setup errors for head-and-neck patients treated using the simultaneous integrated boost (SIB)-intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique. Methods and Materials: Twenty-four patients who participated in an intramural Phase I/II parotid-sparing IMRT dose-escalation protocol using the SIB treatment technique had their dose distributions reevaluated to assess the impact of random and systematic setup errors. The dosimetric effect of random setup error was simulated by convolving the two-dimensional fluence distribution of each beam with the random setup error probability density distribution. Random setup errors of σ = 1, 3, and 5 mm were simulated. Systematic setup errors were simulated by randomly shifting the patient isocenter along each of the three Cartesian axes, with each shift selected from a normal distribution. Systematic setup error distributions with Σ = 1.5 and 3.0 mm along each axis were simulated. Combined systematic and random setup errors were simulated for σ = Σ = 1.5 and 3.0 mm along each axis. For each dose calculation, the gross tumor volume (GTV) received by 98% of the volume (D 98 ), clinical target volume (CTV) D 90 , nodes D 90 , cord D 2 , and parotid D 50 and parotid mean dose were evaluated with respect to the plan used for treatment for the structure dose and for an effective planning target volume (PTV) with a 3-mm margin. Results: Simultaneous integrated boost-IMRT head-and-neck treatment plans were found to be less sensitive to random setup errors than to systematic setup errors. For random-only errors, errors exceeded 3% only when the random setup error σ exceeded 3 mm. Simulated systematic setup errors with Σ = 1.5 mm resulted in approximately 10% of plan having more than a 3% dose error, whereas a Σ = 3.0 mm resulted in half of the plans having more than a 3% dose error and 28% with a 5% dose error

  17. Measurement Error in Education and Growth Regressions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Portela, Miguel; Alessie, Rob; Teulings, Coen

    2010-01-01

    The use of the perpetual inventory method for the construction of education data per country leads to systematic measurement error. This paper analyzes its effect on growth regressions. We suggest a methodology for correcting this error. The standard attenuation bias suggests that using these

  18. Error tracking in a clinical biochemistry laboratory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Szecsi, Pal Bela; Ødum, Lars

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND: We report our results for the systematic recording of all errors in a standard clinical laboratory over a 1-year period. METHODS: Recording was performed using a commercial database program. All individuals in the laboratory were allowed to report errors. The testing processes were cl...

  19. The influence of random and systematic errors on a general definition of minimum detectable amount (MDA) applicable to all radiobioassay measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brodsky, A.

    1985-01-01

    An approach to defining minimum detectable amount (MDA) of radioactivity in a sample will be discussed, with the aim of obtaining comments helpful in developing a formulation of MDA that will be broadly applicable to all kinds of radiobioassay measurements, and acceptable to the scientists who make these measurements. Also, the influence of random and systematic errors on the defined MDA are examined

  20. Black hole spectroscopy: Systematic errors and ringdown energy estimates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baibhav, Vishal; Berti, Emanuele; Cardoso, Vitor; Khanna, Gaurav

    2018-02-01

    The relaxation of a distorted black hole to its final state provides important tests of general relativity within the reach of current and upcoming gravitational wave facilities. In black hole perturbation theory, this phase consists of a simple linear superposition of exponentially damped sinusoids (the quasinormal modes) and of a power-law tail. How many quasinormal modes are necessary to describe waveforms with a prescribed precision? What error do we incur by only including quasinormal modes, and not tails? What other systematic effects are present in current state-of-the-art numerical waveforms? These issues, which are basic to testing fundamental physics with distorted black holes, have hardly been addressed in the literature. We use numerical relativity waveforms and accurate evolutions within black hole perturbation theory to provide some answers. We show that (i) a determination of the fundamental l =m =2 quasinormal frequencies and damping times to within 1% or better requires the inclusion of at least the first overtone, and preferably of the first two or three overtones; (ii) a determination of the black hole mass and spin with precision better than 1% requires the inclusion of at least two quasinormal modes for any given angular harmonic mode (ℓ , m ). We also improve on previous estimates and fits for the ringdown energy radiated in the various multipoles. These results are important to quantify theoretical (as opposed to instrumental) limits in parameter estimation accuracy and tests of general relativity allowed by ringdown measurements with high signal-to-noise ratio gravitational wave detectors.

  1. On low-frequency errors of uniformly modulated filtered white-noise models for ground motions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safak, Erdal; Boore, David M.

    1988-01-01

    Low-frequency errors of a commonly used non-stationary stochastic model (uniformly modulated filtered white-noise model) for earthquake ground motions are investigated. It is shown both analytically and by numerical simulation that uniformly modulated filter white-noise-type models systematically overestimate the spectral response for periods longer than the effective duration of the earthquake, because of the built-in low-frequency errors in the model. The errors, which are significant for low-magnitude short-duration earthquakes, can be eliminated by using the filtered shot-noise-type models (i. e. white noise, modulated by the envelope first, and then filtered).

  2. The VTTVIS line imaging spectrometer - principles, error sources, and calibration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, R.N.

    2002-01-01

    work describing the basic principles, potential error sources, and/or adjustment and calibration procedures. This report fulfils the need for such documentationwith special focus on the system at KVL. The PGP based system has several severe error sources, which should be removed prior any analysis......Hyperspectral imaging with a spatial resolution of a few mm2 has proved to have a great potential within crop and weed classification and also within nutrient diagnostics. A commonly used hyperspectral imaging system is based on the Prism-Grating-Prism(PGP) principles produced by Specim Ltd...... in off-axis transmission efficiencies, diffractionefficiencies, and image distortion have a significant impact on the instrument performance. Procedures removing or minimising these systematic error sources are developed and described for the system build at KVL but can be generalised to other PGP...

  3. Consequences of leaf calibration errors on IMRT delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sastre-Padro, M; Welleweerd, J; Malinen, E; Eilertsen, K; Olsen, D R; Heide, U A van der

    2007-01-01

    IMRT treatments using multi-leaf collimators may involve a large number of segments in order to spare the organs at risk. When a large proportion of these segments are small, leaf positioning errors may become relevant and have therapeutic consequences. The performance of four head and neck IMRT treatments under eight different cases of leaf positioning errors has been studied. Systematic leaf pair offset errors in the range of ±2.0 mm were introduced, thus modifying the segment sizes of the original IMRT plans. Thirty-six films were irradiated with the original and modified segments. The dose difference and the gamma index (with 2%/2 mm criteria) were used for evaluating the discrepancies between the irradiated films. The median dose differences were linearly related to the simulated leaf pair errors. In the worst case, a 2.0 mm error generated a median dose difference of 1.5%. Following the gamma analysis, two out of the 32 modified plans were not acceptable. In conclusion, small systematic leaf bank positioning errors have a measurable impact on the delivered dose and may have consequences for the therapeutic outcome of IMRT

  4. The application of SHERPA (Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach) in the development of compensatory cognitive rehabilitation strategies for stroke patients with left and right brain damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Charmayne M L; Baber, Chris; Bienkiewicz, Marta; Worthington, Andrew; Hazell, Alexa; Hermsdörfer, Joachim

    2015-01-01

    Approximately 33% of stroke patients have difficulty performing activities of daily living, often committing errors during the planning and execution of such activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of the human error identification (HEI) technique SHERPA (Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach) to predict errors during the performance of daily activities in stroke patients with left and right hemisphere lesions. Using SHERPA we successfully predicted 36 of the 38 observed errors, with analysis indicating that the proportion of predicted and observed errors was similar for all sub-tasks and severity levels. HEI results were used to develop compensatory cognitive strategies that clinicians could employ to reduce or prevent errors from occurring. This study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of SHERPA in the design of cognitive rehabilitation strategies in stroke populations.

  5. Prognostic significance of neurological signs in high-risk infants : a systematic review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hamer, Elisa G.; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

    The aim of this paper was to systematically review the literature on the significance of specific neurological signs in infancy, in particular in infants at risk for developmental problems such as cerebral palsy (CP). A literature search was performed using the databases PubMed, Embase, Web of

  6. Prognostic significance of neurological signs in high-risk infants - a systematic review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hamer, E.G.; Hadders-Algra, M.

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this paper was to systematically review the literature on the significance of specific neurological signs in infancy, in particular in infants at risk for developmental problems such as cerebral palsy (CP). A literature search was performed using the databases PubMed, Embase, Web of

  7. Understanding human management of automation errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    McBride, Sara E.; Rogers, Wendy A.; Fisk, Arthur D.

    2013-01-01

    Automation has the potential to aid humans with a diverse set of tasks and support overall system performance. Automated systems are not always reliable, and when automation errs, humans must engage in error management, which is the process of detecting, understanding, and correcting errors. However, this process of error management in the context of human-automation interaction is not well understood. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the variables that contribute to error management. We examined relevant research in human-automation interaction and human error to identify critical automation, person, task, and emergent variables. We propose a framework for management of automation errors to incorporate and build upon previous models. Further, our analysis highlights variables that may be addressed through design and training to positively influence error management. Additional efforts to understand the error management process will contribute to automation designed and implemented to support safe and effective system performance. PMID:25383042

  8. Applying lessons learned to enhance human performance and reduce human error for ISS operations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nelson, W.R.

    1998-09-01

    A major component of reliability, safety, and mission success for space missions is ensuring that the humans involved (flight crew, ground crew, mission control, etc.) perform their tasks and functions as required. This includes compliance with training and procedures during normal conditions, and successful compensation when malfunctions or unexpected conditions occur. A very significant issue that affects human performance in space flight is human error. Human errors can invalidate carefully designed equipment and procedures. If certain errors combine with equipment failures or design flaws, mission failure or loss of life can occur. The control of human error during operation of the International Space Station (ISS) will be critical to the overall success of the program. As experience from Mir operations has shown, human performance plays a vital role in the success or failure of long duration space missions. The Department of Energy`s Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) is developed a systematic approach to enhance human performance and reduce human errors for ISS operations. This approach is based on the systematic identification and evaluation of lessons learned from past space missions such as Mir to enhance the design and operation of ISS. This paper describes previous INEEL research on human error sponsored by NASA and how it can be applied to enhance human reliability for ISS.

  9. Hospital medication errors in a pharmacovigilance system in Colombia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Enrique Machado-Alba

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Objective: this study analyzes the medication errors reported to a pharmacovigilance system by 26 hospitals for patients in the healthcare system of Colombia. Methods: this retrospective study analyzed the medication errors reported to a systematized database between 1 January 2008 and 12 September 2013. The medication is dispensed by the company Audifarma S.A. to hospitals and clinics around Colombia. Data were classified according to the taxonomy of the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP. The data analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 for Windows, considering p-values < 0.05 significant. Results: there were 9 062 medication errors in 45 hospital pharmacies. Real errors accounted for 51.9% (n = 4 707, of which 12.0% (n = 567 reached the patient (Categories C to I and caused harm (Categories E to I to 17 subjects (0.36%. The main process involved in errors that occurred (categories B to I was prescription (n = 1 758, 37.3%, followed by dispensation (n = 1 737, 36.9%, transcription (n = 970, 20.6% and administration (n = 242, 5.1%. The errors in the administration process were 45.2 times more likely to reach the patient (CI 95%: 20.2–100.9. Conclusions: medication error reporting systems and prevention strategies should be widespread in hospital settings, prioritizing efforts to address the administration process.

  10. Force Reproduction Error Depends on Force Level, whereas the Position Reproduction Error Does Not

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Onneweer, B.; Mugge, W.; Schouten, Alfred Christiaan

    2016-01-01

    When reproducing a previously perceived force or position humans make systematic errors. This study determined the effect of force level on force and position reproduction, when both target and reproduction force are self-generated with the same hand. Subjects performed force reproduction tasks at

  11. Determination of fission products and actinides by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry using isotope dilution analysis. A study of random and systematic errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ignacio Garcia Alonso, Jose

    1995-01-01

    The theory of the propagation of errors (random and systematic) for isotope dilution analysis (IDA) has been applied to the analysis of fission products and actinide elements by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Systematic errors in ID-ICP-MS arising from mass-discrimination (mass bias), detector non-linearity and isobaric interferences in the measured isotopes have to be corrected for in order to achieve accurate results. The mass bias factor and the detector dead-time can be determined by using natural elements with well-defined isotope abundances. A combined method for the simultaneous determination of both factors is proposed. On the other hand, isobaric interferences for some fission products and actinides cannot be eliminated using mathematical corrections (due to the unknown isotope abundances in the sample) and a chemical separation is necessary. The theory for random error propagation in IDA has been applied to the determination of non-natural elements by ICP-MS taking into account all possible sources of uncertainty with pulse counting detection. For the analysis of fission products, the selection of the right spike isotope composition and spike to sample ratio can be performed by applying conventional random propagation theory. However, it has been observed that, in the experimental determination of the isotope abundances of the fission product elements to be determined, the correction for mass-discrimination and the correction for detector dead-time losses contribute to the total random uncertainty. For the instrument used in the experimental part of this study, it was found that the random uncertainty on the measured isotope ratios followed Poisson statistics for low counting rates whereas, for high counting rates, source instability was the main source of error

  12. Interactive analysis of human error factors in NPP operation events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Li; Zou Yanhua; Huang Weigang

    2010-01-01

    Interactive of human error factors in NPP operation events were introduced, and 645 WANO operation event reports from 1999 to 2008 were analyzed, among which 432 were found relative to human errors. After classifying these errors with the Root Causes or Causal Factors, and then applying SPSS for correlation analysis,we concluded: (1) Personnel work practices are restricted by many factors. Forming a good personnel work practices is a systematic work which need supports in many aspects. (2)Verbal communications,personnel work practices, man-machine interface and written procedures and documents play great roles. They are four interaction factors which often come in bundle. If some improvements need to be made on one of them,synchronous measures are also necessary for the others.(3) Management direction and decision process, which are related to management,have a significant interaction with personnel factors. (authors)

  13. Error begat error: design error analysis and prevention in social infrastructure projects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Love, Peter E D; Lopez, Robert; Edwards, David J; Goh, Yang M

    2012-09-01

    Design errors contribute significantly to cost and schedule growth in social infrastructure projects and to engineering failures, which can result in accidents and loss of life. Despite considerable research that has addressed their error causation in construction projects they still remain prevalent. This paper identifies the underlying conditions that contribute to design errors in social infrastructure projects (e.g. hospitals, education, law and order type buildings). A systemic model of error causation is propagated and subsequently used to develop a learning framework for design error prevention. The research suggests that a multitude of strategies should be adopted in congruence to prevent design errors from occurring and so ensure that safety and project performance are ameliorated. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Sequential Ensembles Tolerant to Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR Soil Moisture Retrieval Errors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ju Hyoung Lee

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Due to complicated and undefined systematic errors in satellite observation, data assimilation integrating model states with satellite observations is more complicated than field measurements-based data assimilation at a local scale. In the case of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR soil moisture, the systematic errors arising from uncertainties in roughness conditions are significant and unavoidable, but current satellite bias correction methods do not resolve the problems very well. Thus, apart from the bias correction process of satellite observation, it is important to assess the inherent capability of satellite data assimilation in such sub-optimal but more realistic observational error conditions. To this end, time-evolving sequential ensembles of the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF is compared with stationary ensemble of the Ensemble Optimal Interpolation (EnOI scheme that does not evolve the ensembles over time. As the sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the surface roughness is more sensitive to the SAR retrievals than measurement errors, it is a scope of this study to monitor how data assimilation alters the effects of roughness on SAR soil moisture retrievals. In results, two data assimilation schemes all provided intermediate values between SAR overestimation, and model underestimation. However, under the same SAR observational error conditions, the sequential ensembles approached a calibrated model showing the lowest Root Mean Square Error (RMSE, while the stationary ensemble converged towards the SAR observations exhibiting the highest RMSE. As compared to stationary ensembles, sequential ensembles have a better tolerance to SAR retrieval errors. Such inherent nature of EnKF suggests an operational merit as a satellite data assimilation system, due to the limitation of bias correction methods currently available.

  15. Analysis of field errors in existing undulators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kincaid, B.M.

    1990-01-01

    The Advanced Light Source (ALS) and other third generation synchrotron light sources have been designed for optimum performance with undulator insertion devices. The performance requirements for these new undulators are explored, with emphasis on the effects of errors on source spectral brightness. Analysis of magnetic field data for several existing hybrid undulators is presented, decomposing errors into systematic and random components. An attempts is made to identify the sources of these errors, and recommendations are made for designing future insertion devices. 12 refs., 16 figs

  16. In-Situ Systematic Error Correction for Digital Volume Correlation Using a Reference Sample

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, B.

    2017-11-27

    The self-heating effect of a laboratory X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner causes slight change in its imaging geometry, which induces translation and dilatation (i.e., artificial displacement and strain) in reconstructed volume images recorded at different times. To realize high-accuracy internal full-field deformation measurements using digital volume correlation (DVC), these artificial displacements and strains associated with unstable CT imaging must be eliminated. In this work, an effective and easily implemented reference sample compensation (RSC) method is proposed for in-situ systematic error correction in DVC. The proposed method utilizes a stationary reference sample, which is placed beside the test sample to record the artificial displacement fields caused by the self-heating effect of CT scanners. The detected displacement fields are then fitted by a parametric polynomial model, which is used to remove the unwanted artificial deformations in the test sample. Rescan tests of a stationary sample and real uniaxial compression tests performed on copper foam specimens demonstrate the accuracy, efficacy, and practicality of the presented RSC method.

  17. In-Situ Systematic Error Correction for Digital Volume Correlation Using a Reference Sample

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, B.; Pan, B.; Lubineau, Gilles

    2017-01-01

    The self-heating effect of a laboratory X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner causes slight change in its imaging geometry, which induces translation and dilatation (i.e., artificial displacement and strain) in reconstructed volume images recorded at different times. To realize high-accuracy internal full-field deformation measurements using digital volume correlation (DVC), these artificial displacements and strains associated with unstable CT imaging must be eliminated. In this work, an effective and easily implemented reference sample compensation (RSC) method is proposed for in-situ systematic error correction in DVC. The proposed method utilizes a stationary reference sample, which is placed beside the test sample to record the artificial displacement fields caused by the self-heating effect of CT scanners. The detected displacement fields are then fitted by a parametric polynomial model, which is used to remove the unwanted artificial deformations in the test sample. Rescan tests of a stationary sample and real uniaxial compression tests performed on copper foam specimens demonstrate the accuracy, efficacy, and practicality of the presented RSC method.

  18. Avoiding Systematic Errors in Isometric Squat-Related Studies without Pre-Familiarization by Using Sufficient Numbers of Trials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pekünlü Ekim

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available There is no scientific evidence in the literature indicating that maximal isometric strength measures can be assessed within 3 trials. We questioned whether the results of isometric squat-related studies in which maximal isometric squat strength (MISS testing was performed using limited numbers of trials without pre-familiarization might have included systematic errors, especially those resulting from acute learning effects. Forty resistance-trained male participants performed 8 isometric squat trials without pre-familiarization. The highest measures in the first “n” trials (3 ≤ n ≤ 8 of these 8 squats were regarded as MISS obtained using 6 different MISS test methods featuring different numbers of trials (The Best of n Trials Method [BnT]. When B3T and B8T were paired with other methods, high reliability was found between the paired methods in terms of intraclass correlation coefficients (0.93-0.98 and coefficients of variation (3.4-7.0%. The Wilcoxon’s signed rank test indicated that MISS obtained using B3T and B8T were lower (p < 0.001 and higher (p < 0.001, respectively, than those obtained using other methods. The Bland- Altman method revealed a lack of agreement between any of the paired methods. Simulation studies illustrated that increasing the number of trials to 9-10 using a relatively large sample size (i.e., ≥ 24 could be an effective means of obtaining the actual MISS values of the participants. The common use of a limited number of trials in MISS tests without pre-familiarization appears to have no solid scientific base. Our findings suggest that the number of trials should be increased in commonly used MISS tests to avoid learning effect-related systematic errors

  19. THE DISKMASS SURVEY. II. ERROR BUDGET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bershady, Matthew A.; Westfall, Kyle B.; Verheijen, Marc A. W.; Martinsson, Thomas; Andersen, David R.; Swaters, Rob A.

    2010-01-01

    We present a performance analysis of the DiskMass Survey. The survey uses collisionless tracers in the form of disk stars to measure the surface density of spiral disks, to provide an absolute calibration of the stellar mass-to-light ratio (Υ * ), and to yield robust estimates of the dark-matter halo density profile in the inner regions of galaxies. We find that a disk inclination range of 25 0 -35 0 is optimal for our measurements, consistent with our survey design to select nearly face-on galaxies. Uncertainties in disk scale heights are significant, but can be estimated from radial scale lengths to 25% now, and more precisely in the future. We detail the spectroscopic analysis used to derive line-of-sight velocity dispersions, precise at low surface-brightness, and accurate in the presence of composite stellar populations. Our methods take full advantage of large-grasp integral-field spectroscopy and an extensive library of observed stars. We show that the baryon-to-total mass fraction (F bar ) is not a well-defined observational quantity because it is coupled to the halo mass model. This remains true even when the disk mass is known and spatially extended rotation curves are available. In contrast, the fraction of the rotation speed supplied by the disk at 2.2 scale lengths (disk maximality) is a robust observational indicator of the baryonic disk contribution to the potential. We construct the error budget for the key quantities: dynamical disk mass surface density (Σ dyn ), disk stellar mass-to-light ratio (Υ disk * ), and disk maximality (F *,max disk ≡V disk *,max / V c ). Random and systematic errors in these quantities for individual galaxies will be ∼25%, while survey precision for sample quartiles are reduced to 10%, largely devoid of systematic errors outside of distance uncertainties.

  20. Standard error propagation in R-matrix model fitting for light elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Zhenpeng; Zhang Rui; Sun Yeying; Liu Tingjin

    2003-01-01

    The error propagation features with R-matrix model fitting 7 Li, 11 B and 17 O systems were researched systematically. Some laws of error propagation were revealed, an empirical formula P j = U j c / U j d = K j · S-bar · √m / √N for describing standard error propagation was established, the most likely error ranges for standard cross sections of 6 Li(n,t), 10 B(n,α0) and 10 B(n,α1) were estimated. The problem that the standard error of light nuclei standard cross sections may be too small results mainly from the R-matrix model fitting, which is not perfect. Yet R-matrix model fitting is the most reliable evaluation method for such data. The error propagation features of R-matrix model fitting for compound nucleus system of 7 Li, 11 B and 17 O has been studied systematically, some laws of error propagation are revealed, and these findings are important in solving the problem mentioned above. Furthermore, these conclusions are suitable for similar model fitting in other scientific fields. (author)

  1. Error analysis of the microradiographical determination of mineral content in mineralised tissue slices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jong, E. de J. de; Bosch, J.J. ten

    1985-01-01

    The microradiographic method, used to measure the mineral content in slices of mineralised tissues as a function of position, is analysed. The total error in the measured mineral content is split into systematic errors per microradiogram and random noise errors. These errors are measured quantitatively. Predominant contributions to systematic errors appear to be x-ray beam inhomogeneity, the determination of the step wedge thickness and stray light in the densitometer microscope, while noise errors are under the influence of the choice of film, the value of the optical film transmission of the microradiographic image and the area of the densitometer window. Optimisation criteria are given. The authors used these criteria, together with the requirement that the method be fast and easy to build an optimised microradiographic system. (author)

  2. Toward a Framework for Systematic Error Modeling of NASA Spaceborne Radar with NOAA/NSSL Ground Radar-Based National Mosaic QPE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirstettier, Pierre-Emmanual; Honh, Y.; Gourley, J. J.; Chen, S.; Flamig, Z.; Zhang, J.; Howard, K.; Schwaller, M.; Petersen, W.; Amitai, E.

    2011-01-01

    Characterization of the error associated to satellite rainfall estimates is a necessary component of deterministic and probabilistic frameworks involving space-born passive and active microwave measurement") for applications ranging from water budget studies to forecasting natural hazards related to extreme rainfall events. We focus here on the error structure of NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) at ground. The problem is addressed by comparison of PR QPEs with reference values derived from ground-based measurements using NOAA/NSSL ground radar-based National Mosaic and QPE system (NMQ/Q2). A preliminary investigation of this subject has been carried out at the PR estimation scale (instantaneous and 5 km) using a three-month data sample in the southern part of US. The primary contribution of this study is the presentation of the detailed steps required to derive trustworthy reference rainfall dataset from Q2 at the PR pixel resolution. It relics on a bias correction and a radar quality index, both of which provide a basis to filter out the less trustworthy Q2 values. Several aspects of PR errors arc revealed and quantified including sensitivity to the processing steps with the reference rainfall, comparisons of rainfall detectability and rainfall rate distributions, spatial representativeness of error, and separation of systematic biases and random errors. The methodology and framework developed herein applies more generally to rainfall rate estimates from other sensors onboard low-earth orbiting satellites such as microwave imagers and dual-wavelength radars such as with the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission.

  3. Learning time-dependent noise to reduce logical errors: real time error rate estimation in quantum error correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huo, Ming-Xia; Li, Ying

    2017-12-01

    Quantum error correction is important to quantum information processing, which allows us to reliably process information encoded in quantum error correction codes. Efficient quantum error correction benefits from the knowledge of error rates. We propose a protocol for monitoring error rates in real time without interrupting the quantum error correction. Any adaptation of the quantum error correction code or its implementation circuit is not required. The protocol can be directly applied to the most advanced quantum error correction techniques, e.g. surface code. A Gaussian processes algorithm is used to estimate and predict error rates based on error correction data in the past. We find that using these estimated error rates, the probability of error correction failures can be significantly reduced by a factor increasing with the code distance.

  4. Systematic analysis of dependent human errors from the maintenance history at finnish NPPs - A status report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laakso, K. [VTT Industrial Systems (Finland)

    2002-12-01

    Operating experience has shown missed detection events, where faults have passed inspections and functional tests to operating periods after the maintenance activities during the outage. The causes of these failures have often been complex event sequences, involving human and organisational factors. Especially common cause and other dependent failures of safety systems may significantly contribute to the reactor core damage risk. The topic has been addressed in the Finnish studies of human common cause failures, where experiences on latent human errors have been searched and analysed in detail from the maintenance history. The review of the bulk of the analysis results of the Olkiluoto and Loviisa plant sites shows that the instrumentation and control and electrical equipment is more prone to human error caused failure events than the other maintenance and that plant modifications and also predetermined preventive maintenance are significant sources of common cause failures. Most errors stem from the refuelling and maintenance outage period at the both sites, and less than half of the dependent errors were identified during the same outage. The dependent human errors originating from modifications could be reduced by a more tailored specification and coverage of their start-up testing programs. Improvements could also be achieved by a more case specific planning of the installation inspection and functional testing of complicated maintenance works or work objects of higher plant safety and availability importance. A better use and analysis of condition monitoring information for maintenance steering could also help. The feedback from discussions of the analysis results with plant experts and professionals is still crucial in developing the final conclusions and recommendations that meet the specific development needs at the plants. (au)

  5. SIMULATION OF INERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM ERRORS AT AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FROM UAV

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Shults

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The problem of accuracy determination of the UAV position using INS at aerial photography can be resolved in two different ways: modelling of measurement errors or in-field calibration for INS. The paper presents the results of INS errors research by mathematical modelling. In paper were considered the following steps: developing of INS computer model; carrying out INS simulation; using reference data without errors, estimation of errors and their influence on maps creation accuracy by UAV data. It must be remembered that the values of orientation angles and the coordinates of the projection centre may change abruptly due to the influence of the atmosphere (different air density, wind, etc.. Therefore, the mathematical model of the INS was constructed taking into account the use of different models of wind gusts. For simulation were used typical characteristics of micro electromechanical (MEMS INS and parameters of standard atmosphere. According to the simulation established domination of INS systematic errors that accumulate during the execution of photographing and require compensation mechanism, especially for orientation angles. MEMS INS have a high level of noise at the system input. Thanks to the developed model, we are able to investigate separately the impact of noise in the absence of systematic errors. According to the research was found that on the interval of observations in 5 seconds the impact of random and systematic component is almost the same. The developed model of INS errors studies was implemented in Matlab software environment and without problems can be improved and enhanced with new blocks.

  6. Component Analysis of Errors on PERSIANN Precipitation Estimates over Urmia Lake Basin, IRAN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghajarnia, N.; Daneshkar Arasteh, P.; Liaghat, A. M.; Araghinejad, S.

    2016-12-01

    In this study, PERSIANN daily dataset is evaluated from 2000 to 2011 in 69 pixels over Urmia Lake basin in northwest of Iran. Different analytical approaches and indexes are used to examine PERSIANN precision in detection and estimation of rainfall rate. The residuals are decomposed into Hit, Miss and FA estimation biases while continues decomposition of systematic and random error components are also analyzed seasonally and categorically. New interpretation of estimation accuracy named "reliability on PERSIANN estimations" is introduced while the changing manners of existing categorical/statistical measures and error components are also seasonally analyzed over different rainfall rate categories. This study yields new insights into the nature of PERSIANN errors over Urmia lake basin as a semi-arid region in the middle-east, including the followings: - The analyzed contingency table indexes indicate better detection precision during spring and fall. - A relatively constant level of error is generally observed among different categories. The range of precipitation estimates at different rainfall rate categories is nearly invariant as a sign for the existence of systematic error. - Low level of reliability is observed on PERSIANN estimations at different categories which are mostly associated with high level of FA error. However, it is observed that as the rate of precipitation increase, the ability and precision of PERSIANN in rainfall detection also increases. - The systematic and random error decomposition in this area shows that PERSIANN has more difficulty in modeling the system and pattern of rainfall rather than to have bias due to rainfall uncertainties. The level of systematic error also considerably increases in heavier rainfalls. It is also important to note that PERSIANN error characteristics at each season varies due to the condition and rainfall patterns of that season which shows the necessity of seasonally different approach for the calibration of

  7. Notes on human error analysis and prediction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasmussen, J.

    1978-11-01

    The notes comprise an introductory discussion of the role of human error analysis and prediction in industrial risk analysis. Following this introduction, different classes of human errors and role in industrial systems are mentioned. Problems related to the prediction of human behaviour in reliability and safety analysis are formulated and ''criteria for analyzability'' which must be met by industrial systems so that a systematic analysis can be performed are suggested. The appendices contain illustrative case stories and a review of human error reports for the task of equipment calibration and testing as found in the US Licensee Event Reports. (author)

  8. Three-dimensional patient setup errors at different treatment sites measured by the Tomotherapy megavoltage CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hui, S.K.; Lusczek, E.; Dusenbery, K. [Univ. of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Dept. of Therapeutic Radiology - Radiation Oncology; DeFor, T. [Univ. of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Biostatistics and Informatics Core; Levitt, S. [Univ. of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Dept. of Therapeutic Radiology - Radiation Oncology; Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden). Dept. of Onkol-Patol

    2012-04-15

    Reduction of interfraction setup uncertainty is vital for assuring the accuracy of conformal radiotherapy. We report a systematic study of setup error to assess patients' three-dimensional (3D) localization at various treatment sites. Tomotherapy megavoltage CT (MVCT) images were scanned daily in 259 patients from 2005-2008. We analyzed 6,465 MVCT images to measure setup error for head and neck (H and N), chest/thorax, abdomen, prostate, legs, and total marrow irradiation (TMI). Statistical comparisons of the absolute displacements across sites and time were performed in rotation (R), lateral (x), craniocaudal (y), and vertical (z) directions. The global systematic errors were measured to be less than 3 mm in each direction with increasing order of errors for different sites: H and N, prostate, chest, pelvis, spine, legs, and TMI. The differences in displacements in the x, y, and z directions, and 3D average displacement between treatment sites were significant (p < 0.01). Overall improvement in patient localization with time (after 3-4 treatment fractions) was observed. Large displacement (> 5 mm) was observed in the 75{sup th} percentile of the patient groups for chest, pelvis, legs, and spine in the x and y direction in the second week of the treatment. MVCT imaging is essential for determining 3D setup error and to reduce uncertainty in localization at all anatomical locations. Setup error evaluation should be performed daily for all treatment regions, preferably for all treatment fractions. (orig.)

  9. Theory of Test Translation Error

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solano-Flores, Guillermo; Backhoff, Eduardo; Contreras-Nino, Luis Angel

    2009-01-01

    In this article, we present a theory of test translation whose intent is to provide the conceptual foundation for effective, systematic work in the process of test translation and test translation review. According to the theory, translation error is multidimensional; it is not simply the consequence of defective translation but an inevitable fact…

  10. Evaluation of measurement precision errors at different bone density values

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, M.; Wong, J.; Bartlett, M.; Lee, N.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: The precision error commonly used in serial monitoring of BMD values using Dual Energy X Ray Absorptometry (DEXA) is 0.01-0.015g/cm - for both the L2 L4 lumbar spine and total femur. However, this limit is based on normal individuals with bone densities similar to the population mean. The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate precision errors over the range of bone density values encountered in clinical practice. In 96 patients a BMD scan of the spine and femur was immediately repeated by the same technologist with the patient taken off the bed and repositioned between scans. Nine technologists participated. Values were obtained for the total femur and spine. Each value was classified as low range (0.75-1.05 g/cm ) and medium range (1.05- 1.35g/cm ) for the spine, low range (0.55 0. 85 g/cm ) and medium range (0.85-1.15 g/cm ) for the total femur. Results show that the precision error was significantly lower in the medium range for total femur results with the medium range value at 0.015 g/cm - and the low range at 0.025 g/cm - (p<0.01). No significant difference was found for the spine results. We also analysed precision errors between three technologists and found a significant difference (p=0.05) occurred between only two technologists and this was seen in the spine data only. We conclude that there is some evidence that the precision error increases at the outer limits of the normal bone density range. Also, the results show that having multiple trained operators does not greatly increase the BMD precision error. Copyright (2002) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc

  11. Drought Persistence Errors in Global Climate Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, H.; Gudmundsson, L.; Seneviratne, S. I.

    2018-04-01

    The persistence of drought events largely determines the severity of socioeconomic and ecological impacts, but the capability of current global climate models (GCMs) to simulate such events is subject to large uncertainties. In this study, the representation of drought persistence in GCMs is assessed by comparing state-of-the-art GCM model simulations to observation-based data sets. For doing so, we consider dry-to-dry transition probabilities at monthly and annual scales as estimates for drought persistence, where a dry status is defined as negative precipitation anomaly. Though there is a substantial spread in the drought persistence bias, most of the simulations show systematic underestimation of drought persistence at global scale. Subsequently, we analyzed to which degree (i) inaccurate observations, (ii) differences among models, (iii) internal climate variability, and (iv) uncertainty of the employed statistical methods contribute to the spread in drought persistence errors using an analysis of variance approach. The results show that at monthly scale, model uncertainty and observational uncertainty dominate, while the contribution from internal variability is small in most cases. At annual scale, the spread of the drought persistence error is dominated by the statistical estimation error of drought persistence, indicating that the partitioning of the error is impaired by the limited number of considered time steps. These findings reveal systematic errors in the representation of drought persistence in current GCMs and suggest directions for further model improvement.

  12. Towards a systematic assessment of errors in diffusion Monte Carlo calculations of semiconductors: Case study of zinc selenide and zinc oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Jaehyung [Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, 1206 W Green Street, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Wagner, Lucas K. [Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Ertekin, Elif, E-mail: ertekin@illinois.edu [Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, 1206 W Green Street, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research - WPI-I" 2CNER, Kyushu University, 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 (Japan)

    2015-12-14

    The fixed node diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) method has attracted interest in recent years as a way to calculate properties of solid materials with high accuracy. However, the framework for the calculation of properties such as total energies, atomization energies, and excited state energies is not yet fully established. Several outstanding questions remain as to the effect of pseudopotentials, the magnitude of the fixed node error, and the size of supercell finite size effects. Here, we consider in detail the semiconductors ZnSe and ZnO and carry out systematic studies to assess the magnitude of the energy differences arising from controlled and uncontrolled approximations in DMC. The former include time step errors and supercell finite size effects for ground and optically excited states, and the latter include pseudopotentials, the pseudopotential localization approximation, and the fixed node approximation. We find that for these compounds, the errors can be controlled to good precision using modern computational resources and that quantum Monte Carlo calculations using Dirac-Fock pseudopotentials can offer good estimates of both cohesive energy and the gap of these systems. We do however observe differences in calculated optical gaps that arise when different pseudopotentials are used.

  13. Analysis of errors in forensic science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingxiao Du

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Reliability of expert testimony is one of the foundations of judicial justice. Both expert bias and scientific errors affect the reliability of expert opinion, which in turn affects the trustworthiness of the findings of fact in legal proceedings. Expert bias can be eliminated by replacing experts; however, it may be more difficult to eliminate scientific errors. From the perspective of statistics, errors in operation of forensic science include systematic errors, random errors, and gross errors. In general, process repetition and abiding by the standard ISO/IEC:17025: 2005, general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, during operation are common measures used to reduce errors that originate from experts and equipment, respectively. For example, to reduce gross errors, the laboratory can ensure that a test is repeated several times by different experts. In applying for forensic principles and methods, the Federal Rules of Evidence 702 mandate that judges consider factors such as peer review, to ensure the reliability of the expert testimony. As the scientific principles and methods may not undergo professional review by specialists in a certain field, peer review serves as an exclusive standard. This study also examines two types of statistical errors. As false-positive errors involve a higher possibility of an unfair decision-making, they should receive more attention than false-negative errors.

  14. Effect of MLC leaf position, collimator rotation angle, and gantry rotation angle errors on intensity-modulated radiotherapy plans for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bai, Sen; Li, Guangjun; Wang, Maojie; Jiang, Qinfeng; Zhang, Yingjie [State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan (China); Wei, Yuquan, E-mail: yuquawei@vip.sina.com [State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan (China)

    2013-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf position, collimator rotation angle, and accelerator gantry rotation angle errors on intensity-modulated radiotherapy plans for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. To compare dosimetric differences between the simulating plans and the clinical plans with evaluation parameters, 6 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were selected for simulation of systematic and random MLC leaf position errors, collimator rotation angle errors, and accelerator gantry rotation angle errors. There was a high sensitivity to dose distribution for systematic MLC leaf position errors in response to field size. When the systematic MLC position errors were 0.5, 1, and 2 mm, respectively, the maximum values of the mean dose deviation, observed in parotid glands, were 4.63%, 8.69%, and 18.32%, respectively. The dosimetric effect was comparatively small for systematic MLC shift errors. For random MLC errors up to 2 mm and collimator and gantry rotation angle errors up to 0.5°, the dosimetric effect was negligible. We suggest that quality control be regularly conducted for MLC leaves, so as to ensure that systematic MLC leaf position errors are within 0.5 mm. Because the dosimetric effect of 0.5° collimator and gantry rotation angle errors is negligible, it can be concluded that setting a proper threshold for allowed errors of collimator and gantry rotation angle may increase treatment efficacy and reduce treatment time.

  15. Error-finding and error-correcting methods for the start-up of the SLC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, M.J.; Clearwater, S.H.; Kleban, S.D.; Selig, L.J.

    1987-02-01

    During the commissioning of an accelerator, storage ring, or beam transfer line, one of the important tasks of an accelertor physicist is to check the first-order optics of the beam line and to look for errors in the system. Conceptually, it is important to distinguish between techniques for finding the machine errors that are the cause of the problem and techniques for correcting the beam errors that are the result of the machine errors. In this paper we will limit our presentation to certain applications of these two methods for finding or correcting beam-focus errors and beam-kick errors that affect the profile and trajectory of the beam respectively. Many of these methods have been used successfully in the commissioning of SLC systems. In order not to waste expensive beam time we have developed and used a beam-line simulator to test the ideas that have not been tested experimentally. To save valuable physicist's time we have further automated the beam-kick error-finding procedures by adopting methods from the field of artificial intelligence to develop a prototype expert system. Our experience with this prototype has demonstrated the usefulness of expert systems in solving accelerator control problems. The expert system is able to find the same solutions as an expert physicist but in a more systematic fashion. The methods used in these procedures and some of the recent applications will be described in this paper

  16. Technical Note: Interference errors in infrared remote sounding of the atmosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Sussmann

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Classical error analysis in remote sounding distinguishes between four classes: "smoothing errors," "model parameter errors," "forward model errors," and "retrieval noise errors". For infrared sounding "interference errors", which, in general, cannot be described by these four terms, can be significant. Interference errors originate from spectral residuals due to "interfering species" whose spectral features overlap with the signatures of the target species. A general method for quantification of interference errors is presented, which covers all possible algorithmic implementations, i.e., fine-grid retrievals of the interfering species or coarse-grid retrievals, and cases where the interfering species are not retrieved. In classical retrieval setups interference errors can exceed smoothing errors and can vary by orders of magnitude due to state dependency. An optimum strategy is suggested which practically eliminates interference errors by systematically minimizing the regularization strength applied to joint profile retrieval of the interfering species. This leads to an interfering-species selective deweighting of the retrieval. Details of microwindow selection are no longer critical for this optimum retrieval and widened microwindows even lead to reduced overall (smoothing and interference errors. Since computational power will increase, more and more operational algorithms will be able to utilize this optimum strategy in the future. The findings of this paper can be applied to soundings of all infrared-active atmospheric species, which include more than two dozen different gases relevant to climate and ozone. This holds for all kinds of infrared remote sounding systems, i.e., retrievals from ground-based, balloon-borne, airborne, or satellite spectroradiometers.

  17. The DiskMass Survey. II. Error Budget

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bershady, Matthew A.; Verheijen, Marc A. W.; Westfall, Kyle B.; Andersen, David R.; Swaters, Rob A.; Martinsson, Thomas

    2010-06-01

    We present a performance analysis of the DiskMass Survey. The survey uses collisionless tracers in the form of disk stars to measure the surface density of spiral disks, to provide an absolute calibration of the stellar mass-to-light ratio (Υ_{*}), and to yield robust estimates of the dark-matter halo density profile in the inner regions of galaxies. We find that a disk inclination range of 25°-35° is optimal for our measurements, consistent with our survey design to select nearly face-on galaxies. Uncertainties in disk scale heights are significant, but can be estimated from radial scale lengths to 25% now, and more precisely in the future. We detail the spectroscopic analysis used to derive line-of-sight velocity dispersions, precise at low surface-brightness, and accurate in the presence of composite stellar populations. Our methods take full advantage of large-grasp integral-field spectroscopy and an extensive library of observed stars. We show that the baryon-to-total mass fraction ({F}_bar) is not a well-defined observational quantity because it is coupled to the halo mass model. This remains true even when the disk mass is known and spatially extended rotation curves are available. In contrast, the fraction of the rotation speed supplied by the disk at 2.2 scale lengths (disk maximality) is a robust observational indicator of the baryonic disk contribution to the potential. We construct the error budget for the key quantities: dynamical disk mass surface density (Σdyn), disk stellar mass-to-light ratio (Υ^disk_{*}), and disk maximality ({F}_{*,max}^disk≡ V^disk_{*,max}/ V_c). Random and systematic errors in these quantities for individual galaxies will be ~25%, while survey precision for sample quartiles are reduced to 10%, largely devoid of systematic errors outside of distance uncertainties.

  18. The Acquisition of Subject-Verb Agreement in Written French: From Novices to Experts' Errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fayol, Michel; Largy, Pierre; Hupet, Michel

    1999-01-01

    Aims at demonstrating the gradual automatization of subject-verb agreement operation in young writers by examining developmental changes in the occurrence of agreement errors. Finds that subjects' performance moved from systematic errors to attraction errors through an intermediate phase. Concludes that attraction errors are a byproduct of the…

  19. Phase Error Modeling and Its Impact on Precise Orbit Determination of GRACE Satellites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jia Tu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Limiting factors for the precise orbit determination (POD of low-earth orbit (LEO satellite using dual-frequency GPS are nowadays mainly encountered with the in-flight phase error modeling. The phase error is modeled as a systematic and a random component each depending on the direction of GPS signal reception. The systematic part and standard deviation of random part in phase error model are, respectively, estimated by bin-wise mean and standard deviation values of phase postfit residuals computed by orbit determination. By removing the systematic component and adjusting the weight of phase observation data according to standard deviation of random component, the orbit can be further improved by POD approach. The GRACE data of 1–31 January 2006 are processed, and three types of orbit solutions, POD without phase error model correction, POD with mean value correction of phase error model, and POD with phase error model correction, are obtained. The three-dimensional (3D orbit improvements derived from phase error model correction are 0.0153 m for GRACE A and 0.0131 m for GRACE B, and the 3D influences arisen from random part of phase error model are 0.0068 m and 0.0075 m for GRACE A and GRACE B, respectively. Thus the random part of phase error model cannot be neglected for POD. It is also demonstrated by phase postfit residual analysis, orbit comparison with JPL precise science orbit, and orbit validation with KBR data that the results derived from POD with phase error model correction are better than another two types of orbit solutions generated in this paper.

  20. Implication of spot position error on plan quality and patient safety in pencil-beam-scanning proton therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Juan; Beltran, Chris J., E-mail: beltran.chris@mayo.edu; Herman, Michael G. [Division of Medical Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905 (United States)

    2014-08-15

    Purpose: To quantitatively and systematically assess dosimetric effects induced by spot positioning error as a function of spot spacing (SS) on intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) plan quality and to facilitate evaluation of safety tolerance limits on spot position. Methods: Spot position errors (PE) ranging from 1 to 2 mm were simulated. Simple plans were created on a water phantom, and IMPT plans were calculated on two pediatric patients with a brain tumor of 28 and 3 cc, respectively, using a commercial planning system. For the phantom, a uniform dose was delivered to targets located at different depths from 10 to 20 cm with various field sizes from 2{sup 2} to 15{sup 2} cm{sup 2}. Two nominal spot sizes, 4.0 and 6.6 mm of 1 σ in water at isocenter, were used for treatment planning. The SS ranged from 0.5 σ to 1.5 σ, which is 2–6 mm for the small spot size and 3.3–9.9 mm for the large spot size. Various perturbation scenarios of a single spot error and systematic and random multiple spot errors were studied. To quantify the dosimetric effects, percent dose error (PDE) depth profiles and the value of percent dose error at the maximum dose difference (PDE [ΔDmax]) were used for evaluation. Results: A pair of hot and cold spots was created per spot shift. PDE[ΔDmax] is found to be a complex function of PE, SS, spot size, depth, and global spot distribution that can be well defined in simple models. For volumetric targets, the PDE [ΔDmax] is not noticeably affected by the change of field size or target volume within the studied ranges. In general, reducing SS decreased the dose error. For the facility studied, given a single spot error with a PE of 1.2 mm and for both spot sizes, a SS of 1σ resulted in a 2% maximum dose error; a SS larger than 1.25 σ substantially increased the dose error and its sensitivity to PE. A similar trend was observed in multiple spot errors (both systematic and random errors). Systematic PE can lead to noticeable hot

  1. The Relationships Among Perceived Patients' Safety Culture, Intention to Report Errors, and Leader Coaching Behavior of Nurses in Korea: A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, YuKyung; Yu, Soyoung

    2017-09-01

    This study was undertaken to explore the correlations among nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture, their intention to report errors, and leader coaching behaviors. The participants (N = 289) were nurses from 5 Korean hospitals with approximately 300 to 500 beds each. Sociodemographic variables, patient safety culture, intention to report errors, and coaching behavior were measured using self-report instruments. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, the t test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Nurses' perceptions of patient safety culture and their intention to report errors showed significant differences between groups of nurses who rated their leaders as high-performing or low-performing coaches. Perceived coaching behavior showed a significant, positive correlation with patient safety culture and intention to report errors, i.e., as nurses' perceptions of coaching behaviors increased, so did their ratings of patient safety culture and error reporting. There is a need in health care settings for coaching by nurse managers to provide quality nursing care and thus improve patient safety. Programs that are systematically developed and implemented to enhance the coaching behaviors of nurse managers are crucial to the improvement of patient safety and nursing care. Moreover, a systematic analysis of the causes of malpractice, as opposed to a focus on the punitive consequences of errors, could increase error reporting and therefore promote a culture in which a higher level of patient safety can thrive.

  2. Error Analysis of Indirect Broadband Monitoring of Multilayer Optical Coatings using Computer Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Semenov, Z. V.; Labusov, V. A.

    2017-11-01

    Results of studying the errors of indirect monitoring by means of computer simulations are reported. The monitoring method is based on measuring spectra of reflection from additional monitoring substrates in a wide spectral range. Special software (Deposition Control Simulator) is developed, which allows one to estimate the influence of the monitoring system parameters (noise of the photodetector array, operating spectral range of the spectrometer and errors of its calibration in terms of wavelengths, drift of the radiation source intensity, and errors in the refractive index of deposited materials) on the random and systematic errors of deposited layer thickness measurements. The direct and inverse problems of multilayer coatings are solved using the OptiReOpt library. Curves of the random and systematic errors of measurements of the deposited layer thickness as functions of the layer thickness are presented for various values of the system parameters. Recommendations are given on using the indirect monitoring method for the purpose of reducing the layer thickness measurement error.

  3. Random and systematic errors in case–control studies calculating the injury risk of driving under the influence of psychoactive substances

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Houwing, Sjoerd; Hagenzieker, Marjan; Mathijssen, René P.M.

    2013-01-01

    Between 2006 and 2010, six population based case-control studies were conducted as part of the European research-project DRUID (DRiving Under the Influence of Drugs, alcohol and medicines). The aim of these case-control studies was to calculate odds ratios indicating the relative risk of serious....... The list of indicators that was identified in this study is useful both as guidance for systematic reviews and meta-analyses and for future epidemiological studies in the field of driving under the influence to minimize sources of errors already at the start of the study. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd....

  4. Prognostic significance of detection of microscopic peritoneal disease in colorectal cancer: a systematic review.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Mohan, Helen M

    2013-06-01

    Free intraperitoneal tumour cells are an independent indicator of poor prognosis, and are encorporated in current staging systems in upper gastrointestinal cancers, but not colorectal cancer. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the role and prognostic significance of positive peritoneal lavage in colorectal cancer.

  5. Local systematic differences in 2MASS positions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bustos Fierro, I. H.; Calderón, J. H.

    2018-01-01

    We have found that positions in the 2MASS All-sky Catalog of Point Sources show local systematic differences with characteristic length-scales of ˜ 5 to ˜ 8 arcminutes when compared with several catalogs. We have observed that when 2MASS positions are used in the computation of proper motions, the mentioned systematic differences cause systematic errors in the resulting proper motions. We have developed a method to locally rectify 2MASS with respect to UCAC4 in order to diminish the systematic differences between these catalogs. The rectified 2MASS catalog with the proposed method can be regarded as an extension of UCAC4 for astrometry with accuracy ˜ 90 mas in its positions, with negligible systematic errors. Also we show that the use of these rectified positions removes the observed systematic pattern in proper motions derived from original 2MASS positions.

  6. A new calibration model for pointing a radio telescope that considers nonlinear errors in the azimuth axis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kong De-Qing; Wang Song-Gen; Zhang Hong-Bo; Wang Jin-Qing; Wang Min

    2014-01-01

    A new calibration model of a radio telescope that includes pointing error is presented, which considers nonlinear errors in the azimuth axis. For a large radio telescope, in particular for a telescope with a turntable, it is difficult to correct pointing errors using a traditional linear calibration model, because errors produced by the wheel-on-rail or center bearing structures are generally nonlinear. Fourier expansion is made for the oblique error and parameters describing the inclination direction along the azimuth axis based on the linear calibration model, and a new calibration model for pointing is derived. The new pointing model is applied to the 40m radio telescope administered by Yunnan Observatories, which is a telescope that uses a turntable. The results show that this model can significantly reduce the residual systematic errors due to nonlinearity in the azimuth axis compared with the linear model

  7. Systematic and random erros in lattice parameter determinations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nascimento, E.M.

    1980-01-01

    A new method is proposed for evaluation of diffraction data used in precise determination of lattice parameters. The method is based on separation and systematic erros on the diffraction angles level, where the randon part of erros is independent on the 0 angle. The separation is enable by assumption that the systematic part of erros depends on the 0 angle linearly. In that situation the high precision in lattice parameters determination is related more to reducing the randon errors content that to the presence of unremoved systematic errors. (Author) [pt

  8. Trial Sequential Analysis in systematic reviews with meta-analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jørn Wetterslev

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Most meta-analyses in systematic reviews, including Cochrane ones, do not have sufficient statistical power to detect or refute even large intervention effects. This is why a meta-analysis ought to be regarded as an interim analysis on its way towards a required information size. The results of the meta-analyses should relate the total number of randomised participants to the estimated required meta-analytic information size accounting for statistical diversity. When the number of participants and the corresponding number of trials in a meta-analysis are insufficient, the use of the traditional 95% confidence interval or the 5% statistical significance threshold will lead to too many false positive conclusions (type I errors and too many false negative conclusions (type II errors. Methods We developed a methodology for interpreting meta-analysis results, using generally accepted, valid evidence on how to adjust thresholds for significance in randomised clinical trials when the required sample size has not been reached. Results The Lan-DeMets trial sequential monitoring boundaries in Trial Sequential Analysis offer adjusted confidence intervals and restricted thresholds for statistical significance when the diversity-adjusted required information size and the corresponding number of required trials for the meta-analysis have not been reached. Trial Sequential Analysis provides a frequentistic approach to control both type I and type II errors. We define the required information size and the corresponding number of required trials in a meta-analysis and the diversity (D2 measure of heterogeneity. We explain the reasons for using Trial Sequential Analysis of meta-analysis when the actual information size fails to reach the required information size. We present examples drawn from traditional meta-analyses using unadjusted naïve 95% confidence intervals and 5% thresholds for statistical significance. Spurious conclusions in

  9. Error correction and degeneracy in surface codes suffering loss

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stace, Thomas M.; Barrett, Sean D.

    2010-01-01

    Many proposals for quantum information processing are subject to detectable loss errors. In this paper, we give a detailed account of recent results in which we showed that topological quantum memories can simultaneously tolerate both loss errors and computational errors, with a graceful tradeoff between the threshold for each. We further discuss a number of subtleties that arise when implementing error correction on topological memories. We particularly focus on the role played by degeneracy in the matching algorithms and present a systematic study of its effects on thresholds. We also discuss some of the implications of degeneracy for estimating phase transition temperatures in the random bond Ising model.

  10. Improvement of the physically-based groundwater model simulations through complementary correction of its errors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Mauricio Reyes Alcalde

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Physically-Based groundwater Models (PBM, such MODFLOW, are used as groundwater resources evaluation tools supposing that the produced differences (residuals or errors are white noise. However, in the facts these numerical simulations usually show not only random errors but also systematic errors. For this work it has been developed a numerical procedure to deal with PBM systematic errors, studying its structure in order to model its behavior and correct the results by external and complementary means, trough a framework called Complementary Correction Model (CCM. The application of CCM to PBM shows a decrease in local biases, better distribution of errors and reductions in its temporal and spatial correlations, with 73% of reduction in global RMSN over an original PBM. This methodology seems an interesting chance to update a PBM avoiding the work and costs of interfere its internal structure.

  11. Errors in Viking Lander Atmospheric Profiles Discovered Using MOLA Topography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Withers, Paul; Lorenz, R. D.; Neumann, G. A.

    2002-01-01

    Each Viking lander measured a topographic profile during entry. Comparing to MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter), we find a vertical error of 1-2 km in the Viking trajectory. This introduces a systematic error of 10-20% in the Viking densities and pressures at a given altitude. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

  12. Systematic errors in the tables of theoretical total internal conversion coefficients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dragoun, O.; Rysavy, M.

    1992-01-01

    Some of the total internal conversion coefficients presented in widely used tables of Rosel et al (1978 Atom. Data Nucl. Data Tables 21, 291) were found to be erroneous. The errors appear for some low transition energies, all multipolarities, and probably for all elements. The origin of the errors is explained. The subshell conversion coefficients of Rosel et al, where available, agree with our calculations. to within a few percent. (author)

  13. Volumetric error modeling, identification and compensation based on screw theory for a large multi-axis propeller-measuring machine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Xuemin; Liu, Hongqi; Mao, Xinyong; Li, Bin; He, Songping; Peng, Fangyu

    2018-05-01

    Large multi-axis propeller-measuring machines have two types of geometric error, position-independent geometric errors (PIGEs) and position-dependent geometric errors (PDGEs), which both have significant effects on the volumetric error of the measuring tool relative to the worktable. This paper focuses on modeling, identifying and compensating for the volumetric error of the measuring machine. A volumetric error model in the base coordinate system is established based on screw theory considering all the geometric errors. In order to fully identify all the geometric error parameters, a new method for systematic measurement and identification is proposed. All the PIGEs of adjacent axes and the six PDGEs of the linear axes are identified with a laser tracker using the proposed model. Finally, a volumetric error compensation strategy is presented and an inverse kinematic solution for compensation is proposed. The final measuring and compensation experiments have further verified the efficiency and effectiveness of the measuring and identification method, indicating that the method can be used in volumetric error compensation for large machine tools.

  14. Analysis and reduction of 3D systematic and random setup errors during the simulation and treatment of lung cancer patients with CT-based external beam radiotherapy dose planning.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boer, H.D. de; Sornsen de Koste, J.R. van; Senan, S.; Visser, A.G.; Heijmen, B.J.M.

    2001-01-01

    PURPOSE: To determine the magnitude of the errors made in (a) the setup of patients with lung cancer on the simulator relative to their intended setup with respect to the planned treatment beams and (b) in the setup of these patients on the treatment unit. To investigate how the systematic component

  15. Radon measurements-discussion of error estimates for selected methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhukovsky, Michael; Onischenko, Alexandra; Bastrikov, Vladislav

    2010-01-01

    The main sources of uncertainties for grab sampling, short-term (charcoal canisters) and long term (track detectors) measurements are: systematic bias of reference equipment; random Poisson and non-Poisson errors during calibration; random Poisson and non-Poisson errors during measurements. The origins of non-Poisson random errors during calibration are different for different kinds of instrumental measurements. The main sources of uncertainties for retrospective measurements conducted by surface traps techniques can be divided in two groups: errors of surface 210 Pb ( 210 Po) activity measurements and uncertainties of transfer from 210 Pb surface activity in glass objects to average radon concentration during this object exposure. It's shown that total measurement error of surface trap retrospective technique can be decreased to 35%.

  16. Analysis of error patterns in clinical radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Macklis, Roger; Meier, Tim; Barrett, Patricia; Weinhous, Martin

    1996-01-01

    Purpose: Until very recently, prescription errors and adverse treatment events have rarely been studied or reported systematically in oncology. We wished to understand the spectrum and severity of radiotherapy errors that take place on a day-to-day basis in a high-volume academic practice and to understand the resource needs and quality assurance challenges placed on a department by rapid upswings in contract-based clinical volumes requiring additional operating hours, procedures, and personnel. The goal was to define clinical benchmarks for operating safety and to detect error-prone treatment processes that might function as 'early warning' signs. Methods: A multi-tiered prospective and retrospective system for clinical error detection and classification was developed, with formal analysis of the antecedents and consequences of all deviations from prescribed treatment delivery, no matter how trivial. A department-wide record-and-verify system was operational during this period and was used as one method of treatment verification and error detection. Brachytherapy discrepancies were analyzed separately. Results: During the analysis year, over 2000 patients were treated with over 93,000 individual fields. A total of 59 errors affecting a total of 170 individual treated fields were reported or detected during this period. After review, all of these errors were classified as Level 1 (minor discrepancy with essentially no potential for negative clinical implications). This total treatment delivery error rate (170/93, 332 or 0.18%) is significantly better than corresponding error rates reported for other hospital and oncology treatment services, perhaps reflecting the relatively sophisticated error avoidance and detection procedures used in modern clinical radiation oncology. Error rates were independent of linac model and manufacturer, time of day (normal operating hours versus late evening or early morning) or clinical machine volumes. There was some relationship to

  17. Systematic significance of anatomical characterization in some euphorbiaceous species

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zahra, N.B.; Shinwari, Z.K.

    2014-01-01

    The study was aimed to explore the systematic potential of anatomical characters for identification and delimitation among Euphorbia species. Eight species of leafy spurges of genus Euphorbia L. (Euphorbiaceae) were evaluated for variations in micro morphological characters of foliar epidermal anatomy. While anatomical observations are of importance in the assessments and appraisals, use of these characters as an effective tool in interpreting phyletic evaluations and systematic delineations has its limitations too. The epidermal cell wall in majority of species was wavy to undulate on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces. The observations made in this study indicate that there is not a single type of stomata which appears as characteristic of the genus Euphorbia. Also their distribution whether epistomatic or hypostomatic is not a genus-characteristic. The trichomes found were simple, unicellular or multicellular, uniseriate. Present investigation revealed the utility of both qualitative and quantitative characters in systematic studies; also the potential influence in the delimitation of species cannot be ignored. Our results show that the micro-morphology of anatomical characters play an important role in definition of taxa at species and sectional levels. (author)

  18. Measuring nuclear-spin-dependent parity violation with molecules: Experimental methods and analysis of systematic errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altuntaş, Emine; Ammon, Jeffrey; Cahn, Sidney B.; DeMille, David

    2018-04-01

    Nuclear-spin-dependent parity violation (NSD-PV) effects in atoms and molecules arise from Z0 boson exchange between electrons and the nucleus and from the magnetic interaction between electrons and the parity-violating nuclear anapole moment. It has been proposed to study NSD-PV effects using an enhancement of the observable effect in diatomic molecules [D. DeMille et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 023003 (2008), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.023003]. Here we demonstrate highly sensitive measurements of this type, using the test system 138Ba19F. We show that systematic errors associated with our technique can be suppressed to at least the level of the present statistical sensitivity. With ˜170 h of data, we measure the matrix element W of the NSD-PV interaction with uncertainty δ W /(2 π )<0.7 Hz for each of two configurations where W must have different signs. This sensitivity would be sufficient to measure NSD-PV effects of the size anticipated across a wide range of nuclei.

  19. SU-E-T-377: Inaccurate Positioning Might Introduce Significant MapCheck Calibration Error in Flatten Filter Free Beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, S; Chao, C; Chang, J

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: This study investigates the calibration error of detector sensitivity for MapCheck due to inaccurate positioning of the device, which is not taken into account by the current commercial iterative calibration algorithm. We hypothesize the calibration is more vulnerable to the positioning error for the flatten filter free (FFF) beams than the conventional flatten filter flattened beams. Methods: MapCheck2 was calibrated with 10MV conventional and FFF beams, with careful alignment and with 1cm positioning error during calibration, respectively. Open fields of 37cmx37cm were delivered to gauge the impact of resultant calibration errors. The local calibration error was modeled as a detector independent multiplication factor, with which propagation error was estimated with positioning error from 1mm to 1cm. The calibrated sensitivities, without positioning error, were compared between the conventional and FFF beams to evaluate the dependence on the beam type. Results: The 1cm positioning error leads to 0.39% and 5.24% local calibration error in the conventional and FFF beams respectively. After propagating to the edges of MapCheck, the calibration errors become 6.5% and 57.7%, respectively. The propagation error increases almost linearly with respect to the positioning error. The difference of sensitivities between the conventional and FFF beams was small (0.11 ± 0.49%). Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the positioning error is not handled by the current commercial calibration algorithm of MapCheck. Particularly, the calibration errors for the FFF beams are ~9 times greater than those for the conventional beams with identical positioning error, and a small 1mm positioning error might lead to up to 8% calibration error. Since the sensitivities are only slightly dependent of the beam type and the conventional beam is less affected by the positioning error, it is advisable to cross-check the sensitivities between the conventional and FFF beams to detect

  20. Optical System Error Analysis and Calibration Method of High-Accuracy Star Trackers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zheng You

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available The star tracker is a high-accuracy attitude measurement device widely used in spacecraft. Its performance depends largely on the precision of the optical system parameters. Therefore, the analysis of the optical system parameter errors and a precise calibration model are crucial to the accuracy of the star tracker. Research in this field is relatively lacking a systematic and universal analysis up to now. This paper proposes in detail an approach for the synthetic error analysis of the star tracker, without the complicated theoretical derivation. This approach can determine the error propagation relationship of the star tracker, and can build intuitively and systematically an error model. The analysis results can be used as a foundation and a guide for the optical design, calibration, and compensation of the star tracker. A calibration experiment is designed and conducted. Excellent calibration results are achieved based on the calibration model. To summarize, the error analysis approach and the calibration method are proved to be adequate and precise, and could provide an important guarantee for the design, manufacture, and measurement of high-accuracy star trackers.

  1. Optical system error analysis and calibration method of high-accuracy star trackers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Ting; Xing, Fei; You, Zheng

    2013-04-08

    The star tracker is a high-accuracy attitude measurement device widely used in spacecraft. Its performance depends largely on the precision of the optical system parameters. Therefore, the analysis of the optical system parameter errors and a precise calibration model are crucial to the accuracy of the star tracker. Research in this field is relatively lacking a systematic and universal analysis up to now. This paper proposes in detail an approach for the synthetic error analysis of the star tracker, without the complicated theoretical derivation. This approach can determine the error propagation relationship of the star tracker, and can build intuitively and systematically an error model. The analysis results can be used as a foundation and a guide for the optical design, calibration, and compensation of the star tracker. A calibration experiment is designed and conducted. Excellent calibration results are achieved based on the calibration model. To summarize, the error analysis approach and the calibration method are proved to be adequate and precise, and could provide an important guarantee for the design, manufacture, and measurement of high-accuracy star trackers.

  2. Comparing Absolute Error with Squared Error for Evaluating Empirical Models of Continuous Variables: Compositions, Implications, and Consequences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, J.

    2014-12-01

    Reducing modeling error is often a major concern of empirical geophysical models. However, modeling errors can be defined in different ways: When the response variable is continuous, the most commonly used metrics are squared (SQ) and absolute (ABS) errors. For most applications, ABS error is the more natural, but SQ error is mathematically more tractable, so is often used as a substitute with little scientific justification. Existing literature has not thoroughly investigated the implications of using SQ error in place of ABS error, especially not geospatially. This study compares the two metrics through the lens of bias-variance decomposition (BVD). BVD breaks down the expected modeling error of each model evaluation point into bias (systematic error), variance (model sensitivity), and noise (observation instability). It offers a way to probe the composition of various error metrics. I analytically derived the BVD of ABS error and compared it with the well-known SQ error BVD, and found that not only the two metrics measure the characteristics of the probability distributions of modeling errors differently, but also the effects of these characteristics on the overall expected error are different. Most notably, under SQ error all bias, variance, and noise increase expected error, while under ABS error certain parts of the error components reduce expected error. Since manipulating these subtractive terms is a legitimate way to reduce expected modeling error, SQ error can never capture the complete story embedded in ABS error. I then empirically compared the two metrics with a supervised remote sensing model for mapping surface imperviousness. Pair-wise spatially-explicit comparison for each error component showed that SQ error overstates all error components in comparison to ABS error, especially variance-related terms. Hence, substituting ABS error with SQ error makes model performance appear worse than it actually is, and the analyst would more likely accept a

  3. Writing errors by adults and by children

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nes, van F.L.

    1984-01-01

    Writing errors are defined as occasional deviations from a person' s normal handwriting; thus they are different from spelling mistakes. The deviations are systematic in nature to a certain degree and can therefore be quantitatively classified in accordance with (1) type and (2) location in a word.

  4. How are medication errors defined? A systematic literature review of definitions and characteristics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lisby, Marianne; Nielsen, L P; Brock, Birgitte

    2010-01-01

    Multiplicity in terminology has been suggested as a possible explanation for the variation in the prevalence of medication errors. So far, few empirical studies have challenged this assertion. The objective of this review was, therefore, to describe the extent and characteristics of medication er...... error definitions in hospitals and to consider the consequences for measuring the prevalence of medication errors....

  5. Dosimetric Implications of Residual Tracking Errors During Robotic SBRT of Liver Metastases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chan, Mark [Department for Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel (Germany); Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong (China); Grehn, Melanie [Department for Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck (Germany); Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems, University of Lübeck, Lübeck (Germany); Cremers, Florian [Department for Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck (Germany); Siebert, Frank-Andre [Department for Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel (Germany); Wurster, Stefan [Saphir Radiosurgery Center Northern Germany, Güstrow (Germany); Department for Radiation Oncology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald (Germany); Huttenlocher, Stefan [Saphir Radiosurgery Center Northern Germany, Güstrow (Germany); Dunst, Jürgen [Department for Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel (Germany); Department for Radiation Oncology, University Clinic Copenhagen, Copenhagen (Denmark); Hildebrandt, Guido [Department for Radiation Oncology, University Medicine Rostock, Rostock (Germany); Schweikard, Achim [Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems, University of Lübeck, Lübeck (Germany); Rades, Dirk [Department for Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck (Germany); Ernst, Floris [Institute for Robotics and Cognitive Systems, University of Lübeck, Lübeck (Germany); and others

    2017-03-15

    Purpose: Although the metric precision of robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy in the presence of breathing motion is widely known, we investigated the dosimetric implications of breathing phase–related residual tracking errors. Methods and Materials: In 24 patients (28 liver metastases) treated with the CyberKnife, we recorded the residual correlation, prediction, and rotational tracking errors from 90 fractions and binned them into 10 breathing phases. The average breathing phase errors were used to shift and rotate the clinical tumor volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) for each phase to calculate a pseudo 4-dimensional error dose distribution for comparison with the original planned dose distribution. Results: The median systematic directional correlation, prediction, and absolute aggregate rotation errors were 0.3 mm (range, 0.1-1.3 mm), 0.01 mm (range, 0.00-0.05 mm), and 1.5° (range, 0.4°-2.7°), respectively. Dosimetrically, 44%, 81%, and 92% of all voxels differed by less than 1%, 3%, and 5% of the planned local dose, respectively. The median coverage reduction for the PTV was 1.1% (range in coverage difference, −7.8% to +0.8%), significantly depending on correlation (P=.026) and rotational (P=.005) error. With a 3-mm PTV margin, the median coverage change for the CTV was 0.0% (range, −1.0% to +5.4%), not significantly depending on any investigated parameter. In 42% of patients, the 3-mm margin did not fully compensate for the residual tracking errors, resulting in a CTV coverage reduction of 0.1% to 1.0%. Conclusions: For liver tumors treated with robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy, a safety margin of 3 mm is not always sufficient to cover all residual tracking errors. Dosimetrically, this translates into only small CTV coverage reductions.

  6. Dosimetric Implications of Residual Tracking Errors During Robotic SBRT of Liver Metastases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chan, Mark; Grehn, Melanie; Cremers, Florian; Siebert, Frank-Andre; Wurster, Stefan; Huttenlocher, Stefan; Dunst, Jürgen; Hildebrandt, Guido; Schweikard, Achim; Rades, Dirk; Ernst, Floris

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Although the metric precision of robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy in the presence of breathing motion is widely known, we investigated the dosimetric implications of breathing phase–related residual tracking errors. Methods and Materials: In 24 patients (28 liver metastases) treated with the CyberKnife, we recorded the residual correlation, prediction, and rotational tracking errors from 90 fractions and binned them into 10 breathing phases. The average breathing phase errors were used to shift and rotate the clinical tumor volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) for each phase to calculate a pseudo 4-dimensional error dose distribution for comparison with the original planned dose distribution. Results: The median systematic directional correlation, prediction, and absolute aggregate rotation errors were 0.3 mm (range, 0.1-1.3 mm), 0.01 mm (range, 0.00-0.05 mm), and 1.5° (range, 0.4°-2.7°), respectively. Dosimetrically, 44%, 81%, and 92% of all voxels differed by less than 1%, 3%, and 5% of the planned local dose, respectively. The median coverage reduction for the PTV was 1.1% (range in coverage difference, −7.8% to +0.8%), significantly depending on correlation (P=.026) and rotational (P=.005) error. With a 3-mm PTV margin, the median coverage change for the CTV was 0.0% (range, −1.0% to +5.4%), not significantly depending on any investigated parameter. In 42% of patients, the 3-mm margin did not fully compensate for the residual tracking errors, resulting in a CTV coverage reduction of 0.1% to 1.0%. Conclusions: For liver tumors treated with robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy, a safety margin of 3 mm is not always sufficient to cover all residual tracking errors. Dosimetrically, this translates into only small CTV coverage reductions.

  7. NLO error propagation exercise: statistical results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pack, D.J.; Downing, D.J.

    1985-09-01

    Error propagation is the extrapolation and cumulation of uncertainty (variance) above total amounts of special nuclear material, for example, uranium or 235 U, that are present in a defined location at a given time. The uncertainty results from the inevitable inexactness of individual measurements of weight, uranium concentration, 235 U enrichment, etc. The extrapolated and cumulated uncertainty leads directly to quantified limits of error on inventory differences (LEIDs) for such material. The NLO error propagation exercise was planned as a field demonstration of the utilization of statistical error propagation methodology at the Feed Materials Production Center in Fernald, Ohio from April 1 to July 1, 1983 in a single material balance area formed specially for the exercise. Major elements of the error propagation methodology were: variance approximation by Taylor Series expansion; variance cumulation by uncorrelated primary error sources as suggested by Jaech; random effects ANOVA model estimation of variance effects (systematic error); provision for inclusion of process variance in addition to measurement variance; and exclusion of static material. The methodology was applied to material balance area transactions from the indicated time period through a FORTRAN computer code developed specifically for this purpose on the NLO HP-3000 computer. This paper contains a complete description of the error propagation methodology and a full summary of the numerical results of applying the methodlogy in the field demonstration. The error propagation LEIDs did encompass the actual uranium and 235 U inventory differences. Further, one can see that error propagation actually provides guidance for reducing inventory differences and LEIDs in future time periods

  8. Evaluation of positioning errors of the patient using cone beam CT megavoltage; Evaluacion de errores de posicionamiento del paciente mediante Cone Beam CT de megavoltaje

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia Ruiz-Zorrilla, J.; Fernandez Leton, J. P.; Zucca Aparicio, D.; Perez Moreno, J. M.; Minambres Moro, A.

    2013-07-01

    Image-guided radiation therapy allows you to assess and fix the positioning of the patient in the treatment unit, thus reducing the uncertainties due to the positioning of the patient. This work assesses errors systematic and errors of randomness from the corrections made to a series of patients of different diseases through a protocol off line of cone beam CT (CBCT) megavoltage. (Author)

  9. Error-related anterior cingulate cortex activity and the prediction of conscious error awareness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine eOrr

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Research examining the neural mechanisms associated with error awareness has consistently identified dorsal anterior cingulate activity (ACC as necessary but not predictive of conscious error detection. Two recent studies (Steinhauser and Yeung, 2010; Wessel et al. 2011 have found a contrary pattern of greater dorsal ACC activity (in the form of the error-related negativity during detected errors, but suggested that the greater activity may instead reflect task influences (e.g., response conflict, error probability and or individual variability (e.g., statistical power. We re-analyzed fMRI BOLD data from 56 healthy participants who had previously been administered the Error Awareness Task, a motor Go/No-go response inhibition task in which subjects make errors of commission of which they are aware (Aware errors, or unaware (Unaware errors. Consistent with previous data, the activity in a number of cortical regions was predictive of error awareness, including bilateral inferior parietal and insula cortices, however in contrast to previous studies, including our own smaller sample studies using the same task, error-related dorsal ACC activity was significantly greater during aware errors when compared to unaware errors. While the significantly faster RT for aware errors (compared to unaware was consistent with the hypothesis of higher response conflict increasing ACC activity, we could find no relationship between dorsal ACC activity and the error RT difference. The data suggests that individual variability in error awareness is associated with error-related dorsal ACC activity, and therefore this region may be important to conscious error detection, but it remains unclear what task and individual factors influence error awareness.

  10. An assessment of the risk significance of human errors in selected PSAs and operating events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palla, R.L. Jr.; El-Bassioni, A.

    1991-01-01

    Sensitivity studies based on Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs) for a pressurized water reactor and a boiling water reactor are described. In each case human errors modeled in the PSAs were categorized according to such factors as error type, location, timing, and plant personnel involved. Sensitivity studies were then conducted by varying the error rates in each category and evaluating the corresponding change in total core damage frequency and accident sequence frequency. Insights obtained are discussed and reasons for differences in risk sensitivity between plants are explored. A separate investigation into the role of human error in risk-important operating events is also described. This investigation involved the analysis of data from the USNRC Accident Sequence Precursor program to determine the effect of operator-initiated events on accident precursor trends, and to determine whether improved training can be correlated to current trends. The findings of this study are also presented. 5 refs., 15 figs., 1 tab

  11. Global Warming Estimation from MSU: Correction for Drift and Calibration Errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabhakara, C.; Iacovazzi, R., Jr.; Yoo, J.-M.; Einaudi, Franco (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) radiometer observations in Ch 2 (53.74 GHz), made in the nadir direction from sequential, sun-synchronous, polar-orbiting NOAA morning satellites (NOAA 6, 10 and 12 that have about 7am/7pm orbital geometry) and afternoon satellites (NOAA 7, 9, 11 and 14 that have about 2am/2pm orbital geometry) are analyzed in this study to derive global temperature trend from 1980 to 1998. In order to remove the discontinuities between the data of the successive satellites and to get a continuous time series, first we have used shortest possible time record of each satellite. In this way we get a preliminary estimate of the global temperature trend of 0.21 K/decade. However, this estimate is affected by systematic time-dependent errors. One such error is the instrument calibration error. This error can be inferred whenever there are overlapping measurements made by two satellites over an extended period of time. From the available successive satellite data we have taken the longest possible time record of each satellite to form the time series during the period 1980 to 1998 to this error. We find we can decrease the global temperature trend by about 0.07 K/decade. In addition there are systematic time dependent errors present in the data that are introduced by the drift in the satellite orbital geometry arises from the diurnal cycle in temperature which is the drift related change in the calibration of the MSU. In order to analyze the nature of these drift related errors the multi-satellite Ch 2 data set is partitioned into am and pm subsets to create two independent time series. The error can be assessed in the am and pm data of Ch 2 on land and can be eliminated. Observations made in the MSU Ch 1 (50.3 GHz) support this approach. The error is obvious only in the difference between the pm and am observations of Ch 2 over the ocean. We have followed two different paths to assess the impact of the errors on the global temperature trend. In one path the

  12. Correcting systematic errors in high-sensitivity deuteron polarization measurements

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brantjes, N. P. M.; Dzordzhadze, V.; Gebel, R.; Gonnella, F.; Gray, F. E.; van der Hoek, D. J.; Imig, A.; Kruithof, W. L.; Lazarus, D. M.; Lehrach, A.; Lorentz, B.; Messi, R.; Moricciani, D.; Morse, W. M.; Noid, G. A.; Onderwater, C. J. G.; Ozben, C. S.; Prasuhn, D.; Sandri, P. Levi; Semertzidis, Y. K.; da Silva e Silva, M.; Stephenson, E. J.; Stockhorst, H.; Venanzoni, G.; Versolato, O. O.

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports deuteron vector and tensor beam polarization measurements taken to investigate the systematic variations due to geometric beam misalignments and high data rates. The experiments used the In-Beam Polarimeter at the KVI-Groningen and the EDDA detector at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY

  13. Filtering Methods for Error Reduction in Spacecraft Attitude Estimation Using Quaternion Star Trackers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calhoun, Philip C.; Sedlak, Joseph E.; Superfin, Emil

    2011-01-01

    Precision attitude determination for recent and planned space missions typically includes quaternion star trackers (ST) and a three-axis inertial reference unit (IRU). Sensor selection is based on estimates of knowledge accuracy attainable from a Kalman filter (KF), which provides the optimal solution for the case of linear dynamics with measurement and process errors characterized by random Gaussian noise with white spectrum. Non-Gaussian systematic errors in quaternion STs are often quite large and have an unpredictable time-varying nature, particularly when used in non-inertial pointing applications. Two filtering methods are proposed to reduce the attitude estimation error resulting from ST systematic errors, 1) extended Kalman filter (EKF) augmented with Markov states, 2) Unscented Kalman filter (UKF) with a periodic measurement model. Realistic assessments of the attitude estimation performance gains are demonstrated with both simulation and flight telemetry data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

  14. Exploring cosmic origins with CORE: Mitigation of systematic effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Natoli, P.; Ashdown, M.; Banerji, R.; Borrill, J.; Buzzelli, A.; de Gasperis, G.; Delabrouille, J.; Hivon, E.; Molinari, D.; Patanchon, G.; Polastri, L.; Tomasi, M.; Bouchet, F. R.; Henrot-Versillé, S.; Hoang, D. T.; Keskitalo, R.; Kiiveri, K.; Kisner, T.; Lindholm, V.; McCarthy, D.; Piacentini, F.; Perdereau, O.; Polenta, G.; Tristram, M.; Achucarro, A.; Ade, P.; Allison, R.; Baccigalupi, C.; Ballardini, M.; Banday, A. J.; Bartlett, J.; Bartolo, N.; Basak, S.; Baumann, D.; Bersanelli, M.; Bonaldi, A.; Bonato, M.; Boulanger, F.; Brinckmann, T.; Bucher, M.; Burigana, C.; Cai, Z.-Y.; Calvo, M.; Carvalho, C.-S.; Castellano, M. G.; Challinor, A.; Chluba, J.; Clesse, S.; Colantoni, I.; Coppolecchia, A.; Crook, M.; D'Alessandro, G.; de Bernardis, P.; De Zotti, G.; Di Valentino, E.; Diego, J.-M.; Errard, J.; Feeney, S.; Fernandez-Cobos, R.; Finelli, F.; Forastieri, F.; Galli, S.; Genova-Santos, R.; Gerbino, M.; González-Nuevo, J.; Grandis, S.; Greenslade, J.; Gruppuso, A.; Hagstotz, S.; Hanany, S.; Handley, W.; Hernandez-Monteagudo, C.; Hervías-Caimapo, C.; Hills, M.; Keihänen, E.; Kitching, T.; Kunz, M.; Kurki-Suonio, H.; Lamagna, L.; Lasenby, A.; Lattanzi, M.; Lesgourgues, J.; Lewis, A.; Liguori, M.; López-Caniego, M.; Luzzi, G.; Maffei, B.; Mandolesi, N.; Martinez-González, E.; Martins, C. J. A. P.; Masi, S.; Matarrese, S.; Melchiorri, A.; Melin, J.-B.; Migliaccio, M.; Monfardini, A.; Negrello, M.; Notari, A.; Pagano, L.; Paiella, A.; Paoletti, D.; Piat, M.; Pisano, G.; Pollo, A.; Poulin, V.; Quartin, M.; Remazeilles, M.; Roman, M.; Rossi, G.; Rubino-Martin, J.-A.; Salvati, L.; Signorelli, G.; Tartari, A.; Tramonte, D.; Trappe, N.; Trombetti, T.; Tucker, C.; Valiviita, J.; Van de Weijgaert, R.; van Tent, B.; Vennin, V.; Vielva, P.; Vittorio, N.; Wallis, C.; Young, K.; Zannoni, M.

    2018-04-01

    We present an analysis of the main systematic effects that could impact the measurement of CMB polarization with the proposed CORE space mission. We employ timeline-to-map simulations to verify that the CORE instrumental set-up and scanning strategy allow us to measure sky polarization to a level of accuracy adequate to the mission science goals. We also show how the CORE observations can be processed to mitigate the level of contamination by potentially worrying systematics, including intensity-to-polarization leakage due to bandpass mismatch, asymmetric main beams, pointing errors and correlated noise. We use analysis techniques that are well validated on data from current missions such as Planck to demonstrate how the residual contamination of the measurements by these effects can be brought to a level low enough not to hamper the scientific capability of the mission, nor significantly increase the overall error budget. We also present a prototype of the CORE photometric calibration pipeline, based on that used for Planck, and discuss its robustness to systematics, showing how CORE can achieve its calibration requirements. While a fine-grained assessment of the impact of systematics requires a level of knowledge of the system that can only be achieved in a future study phase, the analysis presented here strongly suggests that the main areas of concern for the CORE mission can be addressed using existing knowledge, techniques and algorithms.

  15. Large-scale simulations of error-prone quantum computation devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trieu, Doan Binh

    2009-01-01

    The theoretical concepts of quantum computation in the idealized and undisturbed case are well understood. However, in practice, all quantum computation devices do suffer from decoherence effects as well as from operational imprecisions. This work assesses the power of error-prone quantum computation devices using large-scale numerical simulations on parallel supercomputers. We present the Juelich Massively Parallel Ideal Quantum Computer Simulator (JUMPIQCS), that simulates a generic quantum computer on gate level. It comprises an error model for decoherence and operational errors. The robustness of various algorithms in the presence of noise has been analyzed. The simulation results show that for large system sizes and long computations it is imperative to actively correct errors by means of quantum error correction. We implemented the 5-, 7-, and 9-qubit quantum error correction codes. Our simulations confirm that using error-prone correction circuits with non-fault-tolerant quantum error correction will always fail, because more errors are introduced than being corrected. Fault-tolerant methods can overcome this problem, provided that the single qubit error rate is below a certain threshold. We incorporated fault-tolerant quantum error correction techniques into JUMPIQCS using Steane's 7-qubit code and determined this threshold numerically. Using the depolarizing channel as the source of decoherence, we find a threshold error rate of (5.2±0.2) x 10 -6 . For Gaussian distributed operational over-rotations the threshold lies at a standard deviation of 0.0431±0.0002. We can conclude that quantum error correction is especially well suited for the correction of operational imprecisions and systematic over-rotations. For realistic simulations of specific quantum computation devices we need to extend the generic model to dynamic simulations, i.e. time-dependent Hamiltonian simulations of realistic hardware models. We focus on today's most advanced technology, i

  16. THE SYSTEMATICS OF STRONG LENS MODELING QUANTIFIED: THE EFFECTS OF CONSTRAINT SELECTION AND REDSHIFT INFORMATION ON MAGNIFICATION, MASS, AND MULTIPLE IMAGE PREDICTABILITY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, Traci L.; Sharon, Keren, E-mail: tljohn@umich.edu [University of Michigan, Department of Astronomy, 1085 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107 (United States)

    2016-11-20

    Until now, systematic errors in strong gravitational lens modeling have been acknowledged but have never been fully quantified. Here, we launch an investigation into the systematics induced by constraint selection. We model the simulated cluster Ares 362 times using random selections of image systems with and without spectroscopic redshifts and quantify the systematics using several diagnostics: image predictability, accuracy of model-predicted redshifts, enclosed mass, and magnification. We find that for models with >15 image systems, the image plane rms does not decrease significantly when more systems are added; however, the rms values quoted in the literature may be misleading as to the ability of a model to predict new multiple images. The mass is well constrained near the Einstein radius in all cases, and systematic error drops to <2% for models using >10 image systems. Magnification errors are smallest along the straight portions of the critical curve, and the value of the magnification is systematically lower near curved portions. For >15 systems, the systematic error on magnification is ∼2%. We report no trend in magnification error with the fraction of spectroscopic image systems when selecting constraints at random; however, when using the same selection of constraints, increasing this fraction up to ∼0.5 will increase model accuracy. The results suggest that the selection of constraints, rather than quantity alone, determines the accuracy of the magnification. We note that spectroscopic follow-up of at least a few image systems is crucial because models without any spectroscopic redshifts are inaccurate across all of our diagnostics.

  17. SU-E-T-114: Analysis of MLC Errors On Gamma Pass Rates for Patient-Specific and Conventional Phantoms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sterling, D; Ehler, E [University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: To evaluate whether a 3D patient-specific phantom is better able to detect known MLC errors in a clinically delivered treatment plan than conventional phantoms. 3D printing may make fabrication of such phantoms feasible. Methods: Two types of MLC errors were introduced into a clinically delivered, non-coplanar IMRT, partial brain treatment plan. First, uniformly distributed random errors of up to 3mm, 2mm, and 1mm were introduced into the MLC positions for each field. Second, systematic MLC-bank position errors of 5mm, 3.5mm, and 2mm due to simulated effects of gantry and MLC sag were introduced. The original plan was recalculated with these errors on the original CT dataset as well as cylindrical and planar IMRT QA phantoms. The original dataset was considered to be a perfect 3D patient-specific phantom. The phantoms were considered to be ideal 3D dosimetry systems with no resolution limitations. Results: Passing rates for Gamma Index (3%/3mm and no dose threshold) were calculated on the 3D phantom, cylindrical phantom, and both on a composite and field-by-field basis for the planar phantom. Pass rates for 5mm systematic and 3mm random error were 86.0%, 89.6%, 98% and 98.3% respectively. For 3.5mm systematic and 2mm random error the pass rates were 94.7%, 96.2%, 99.2% and 99.2% respectively. For 2mm systematic error with 1mm random error the pass rates were 99.9%, 100%, 100% and 100% respectively. Conclusion: A 3D phantom with the patient anatomy is able to discern errors, both severe and subtle, that are not seen using conventional phantoms. Therefore, 3D phantoms may be beneficial for commissioning new treatment machines and modalities, patient-specific QA and end-to-end testing.

  18. SU-E-T-114: Analysis of MLC Errors On Gamma Pass Rates for Patient-Specific and Conventional Phantoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sterling, D; Ehler, E

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate whether a 3D patient-specific phantom is better able to detect known MLC errors in a clinically delivered treatment plan than conventional phantoms. 3D printing may make fabrication of such phantoms feasible. Methods: Two types of MLC errors were introduced into a clinically delivered, non-coplanar IMRT, partial brain treatment plan. First, uniformly distributed random errors of up to 3mm, 2mm, and 1mm were introduced into the MLC positions for each field. Second, systematic MLC-bank position errors of 5mm, 3.5mm, and 2mm due to simulated effects of gantry and MLC sag were introduced. The original plan was recalculated with these errors on the original CT dataset as well as cylindrical and planar IMRT QA phantoms. The original dataset was considered to be a perfect 3D patient-specific phantom. The phantoms were considered to be ideal 3D dosimetry systems with no resolution limitations. Results: Passing rates for Gamma Index (3%/3mm and no dose threshold) were calculated on the 3D phantom, cylindrical phantom, and both on a composite and field-by-field basis for the planar phantom. Pass rates for 5mm systematic and 3mm random error were 86.0%, 89.6%, 98% and 98.3% respectively. For 3.5mm systematic and 2mm random error the pass rates were 94.7%, 96.2%, 99.2% and 99.2% respectively. For 2mm systematic error with 1mm random error the pass rates were 99.9%, 100%, 100% and 100% respectively. Conclusion: A 3D phantom with the patient anatomy is able to discern errors, both severe and subtle, that are not seen using conventional phantoms. Therefore, 3D phantoms may be beneficial for commissioning new treatment machines and modalities, patient-specific QA and end-to-end testing

  19. Tolerable systematic errors in Really Large Hadron Collider dipoles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peggs, S.; Dell, F.

    1996-01-01

    Maximum allowable systematic harmonics for arc dipoles in a Really Large Hadron Collider are derived. The possibility of half cell lengths much greater than 100 meters is justified. A convenient analytical model evaluating horizontal tune shifts is developed, and tested against a sample high field collider

  20. Haplotype reconstruction error as a classical misclassification problem: introducing sensitivity and specificity as error measures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia Lamina

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Statistically reconstructing haplotypes from single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP genotypes, can lead to falsely classified haplotypes. This can be an issue when interpreting haplotype association results or when selecting subjects with certain haplotypes for subsequent functional studies. It was our aim to quantify haplotype reconstruction error and to provide tools for it. METHODS AND RESULTS: By numerous simulation scenarios, we systematically investigated several error measures, including discrepancy, error rate, and R(2, and introduced the sensitivity and specificity to this context. We exemplified several measures in the KORA study, a large population-based study from Southern Germany. We find that the specificity is slightly reduced only for common haplotypes, while the sensitivity was decreased for some, but not all rare haplotypes. The overall error rate was generally increasing with increasing number of loci, increasing minor allele frequency of SNPs, decreasing correlation between the alleles and increasing ambiguity. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, with the analytical approach presented here, haplotype-specific error measures can be computed to gain insight into the haplotype uncertainty. This method provides the information, if a specific risk haplotype can be expected to be reconstructed with rather no or high misclassification and thus on the magnitude of expected bias in association estimates. We also illustrate that sensitivity and specificity separate two dimensions of the haplotype reconstruction error, which completely describe the misclassification matrix and thus provide the prerequisite for methods accounting for misclassification.

  1. Evaluation of errors for mass-spectrometric analysis with surface-ionization type mass-spectrometer (statistical evaluation of mass-discrimination effect)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wada, Y.

    1981-01-01

    The surface-ionization type mass-spectrometer is widely used as an apparatus for quality assurance, accountability and safeguarding of nuclear materials, and for this analysis it has become an important factor to statistically evaluate an analytical error which consists of a random error and a systematic error. The major factor of this systematic error was the mass-discrimination effect. In this paper, various assays for evaluating the factor of variation on the mass-discrimination effect were studied and the data obtained were statistically evaluated. As a result of these analyses, it was proved that the factor of variation on the mass-discrimination effect was not attributed to the acid concentration of sample, sample size on the filament and supplied voltage for a multiplier, but mainly to the filament temperature during the mass-spectrometric analysis. The mass-discrimination effect values β which were usually calculated from the measured data of uranium, plutonium or boron isotopic standard sample were not so significant dependently of the difference of U-235, Pu-239 or B-10 isotopic abundance. Furthermore, in the case of U and Pu, measurement conditions and the mass range of these isotopes were almost similar, and these values β were not statistically significant between U and Pu. On the other hand, the value β for boron was about a third of the value β for U or Pu, but compared with the coefficient of the correction on the mass-discrimination effect for the difference of mass-number, ΔM, these coefficient values were almost the same among U, Pu, and B.As for the isotopic analysis error of U, Pu, Nd and B, it was proved that the isotopic abundance of these elements and the isotopic analysis error were in a relationship of quadratic curves on a logarithmic-logarithmic scale

  2. Analysis of possible systematic errors in the Oslo method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larsen, A. C.; Guttormsen, M.; Buerger, A.; Goergen, A.; Nyhus, H. T.; Rekstad, J.; Siem, S.; Toft, H. K.; Tveten, G. M.; Wikan, K.; Krticka, M.; Betak, E.; Schiller, A.; Voinov, A. V.

    2011-01-01

    In this work, we have reviewed the Oslo method, which enables the simultaneous extraction of the level density and γ-ray transmission coefficient from a set of particle-γ coincidence data. Possible errors and uncertainties have been investigated. Typical data sets from various mass regions as well as simulated data have been tested against the assumptions behind the data analysis.

  3. Neutron-induced soft errors in CMOS circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hazucha, P.

    1999-01-01

    The subject of this thesis is a systematic study of soft errors occurring in CMOS integrated circuits when being exposed to radiation. The vast majority of commercial circuits operate in the natural environment ranging from the sea level to aircraft flight altitudes (less than 20 km), where the errors are caused mainly by interaction of atmospheric neutrons with silicon. Initially, the soft error rate (SER) of a static memory was measured for supply voltages from 2V to 5V when irradiated by 14 MeV and 100 MeV neutrons. Increased error rate due to the decreased supply voltage has been identified as a potential hazard for operation of future low-voltage circuits. A novel methodology was proposed for accurate SER characterization of a manufacturing process and it was validated by measurements on a 0.6 μm process and 100 MeV neutrons. The methodology can be applied to the prediction of SER in the natural environment

  4. Convolution method and CTV-to-PTV margins for finite fractions and small systematic errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gordon, J J; Siebers, J V

    2007-01-01

    The van Herk margin formula (VHMF) relies on the accuracy of the convolution method (CM) to determine clinical target volume (CTV) to planning target volume (PTV) margins. This work (1) evaluates the accuracy of the CM and VHMF as a function of the number of fractions N and other parameters, and (2) proposes an alternative margin algorithm which ensures target coverage for a wider range of parameter values. Dose coverage was evaluated for a spherical target with uniform margin, using the same simplified dose model and CTV coverage criterion as were used in development of the VHMF. Systematic and random setup errors were assumed to be normally distributed with standard deviations Σ and σ. For clinically relevant combinations of σ, Σ and N, margins were determined by requiring that 90% of treatment course simulations have a CTV minimum dose greater than or equal to the static PTV minimum dose. Simulation results were compared with the VHMF and the alternative margin algorithm. The CM and VHMF were found to be accurate for parameter values satisfying the approximate criterion: σ[1 - γN/25] 0.2, because they failed to account for the non-negligible dose variability associated with random setup errors. These criteria are applicable when σ ∼> σ P , where σ P = 0.32 cm is the standard deviation of the normal dose penumbra. (Qualitative behaviour of the CM and VHMF will remain the same, though the criteria might vary if σ P takes values other than 0.32 cm.) When σ P , dose variability due to random setup errors becomes negligible, and the CM and VHMF are valid regardless of the values of Σ and N. When σ ∼> σ P , consistent with the above criteria, it was found that the VHMF can underestimate margins for large σ, small Σ and small N. A potential consequence of this underestimate is that the CTV minimum dose can fall below its planned value in more than the prescribed 10% of treatments. The proposed alternative margin algorithm provides better margin

  5. ERF/ERFC, Calculation of Error Function, Complementary Error Function, Probability Integrals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vogel, J.E.

    1983-01-01

    1 - Description of problem or function: ERF and ERFC are used to compute values of the error function and complementary error function for any real number. They may be used to compute other related functions such as the normal probability integrals. 4. Method of solution: The error function and complementary error function are approximated by rational functions. Three such rational approximations are used depending on whether - x .GE.4.0. In the first region the error function is computed directly and the complementary error function is computed via the identity erfc(x)=1.0-erf(x). In the other two regions the complementary error function is computed directly and the error function is computed from the identity erf(x)=1.0-erfc(x). The error function and complementary error function are real-valued functions of any real argument. The range of the error function is (-1,1). The range of the complementary error function is (0,2). 5. Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The user is cautioned against using ERF to compute the complementary error function by using the identity erfc(x)=1.0-erf(x). This subtraction may cause partial or total loss of significance for certain values of x

  6. Slotted rotatable target assembly and systematic error analysis for a search for long range spin dependent interactions from exotic vector boson exchange using neutron spin rotation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haddock, C.; Crawford, B.; Fox, W.; Francis, I.; Holley, A.; Magers, S.; Sarsour, M.; Snow, W. M.; Vanderwerp, J.

    2018-03-01

    We discuss the design and construction of a novel target array of nonmagnetic test masses used in a neutron polarimetry measurement made in search for new possible exotic spin dependent neutron-atominteractions of Nature at sub-mm length scales. This target was designed to accept and efficiently transmit a transversely polarized slow neutron beam through a series of long open parallel slots bounded by flat rectangular plates. These openings possessed equal atom density gradients normal to the slots from the flat test masses with dimensions optimized to achieve maximum sensitivity to an exotic spin-dependent interaction from vector boson exchanges with ranges in the mm - μm regime. The parallel slots were oriented differently in four quadrants that can be rotated about the neutron beam axis in discrete 90°increments using a Geneva drive. The spin rotation signals from the 4 quadrants were measured using a segmented neutron ion chamber to suppress possible systematic errors from stray magnetic fields in the target region. We discuss the per-neutron sensitivity of the target to the exotic interaction, the design constraints, the potential sources of systematic errors which could be present in this design, and our estimate of the achievable sensitivity using this method.

  7. GREAT3 results - I. Systematic errors in shear estimation and the impact of real galaxy morphology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mandelbaum, R.; Rowe, B.; Armstrong, R.; Bard, D.; Bertin, E.; Bosch, J.; Boutigny, D.; Courbin, F.; Dawson, W. A.; Donnarumma, A.; Fenech Conti, I.; Gavazzi, R.; Gentile, M.; Gill, M. S. S.; Hogg, D. W.; Huff, E. M.; Jee, M. J.; Kacprzak, T.; Kilbinger, M.; Kuntzer, T.; Lang, D.; Luo, W.; March, M. C.; Marshall, P. J.; Meyers, J. E.; Miller, L.; Miyatake, H.; Nakajima, R.; Ngole Mboula, F. M.; Nurbaeva, G.; Okura, Y.; Paulin-Henriksson, S.; Rhodes, J.; Schneider, M. D.; Shan, H.; Sheldon, E. S.; Simet, M.; Starck, J. -L.; Sureau, F.; Tewes, M.; Zarb Adami, K.; Zhang, J.; Zuntz, J.

    2015-05-01

    We present first results from the third GRavitational lEnsing Accuracy Testing (GREAT3) challenge, the third in a sequence of challenges for testing methods of inferring weak gravitational lensing shear distortions from simulated galaxy images. GREAT3 was divided into experiments to test three specific questions, and included simulated space- and ground-based data with constant or cosmologically varying shear fields. The simplest (control) experiment included parametric galaxies with a realistic distribution of signal-to-noise, size, and ellipticity, and a complex point spread function (PSF). The other experiments tested the additional impact of realistic galaxy morphology, multiple exposure imaging, and the uncertainty about a spatially varying PSF; the last two questions will be explored in Paper II. The 24 participating teams competed to estimate lensing shears to within systematic error tolerances for upcoming Stage-IV dark energy surveys, making 1525 submissions overall. GREAT3 saw considerable variety and innovation in the types of methods applied. Several teams now meet or exceed the targets in many of the tests conducted (to within the statistical errors). We conclude that the presence of realistic galaxy morphology in simulations changes shear calibration biases by ~1 per cent for a wide range of methods. Other effects such as truncation biases due to finite galaxy postage stamps, and the impact of galaxy type as measured by the Sérsic index, are quantified for the first time. Our results generalize previous studies regarding sensitivities to galaxy size and signal-to-noise, and to PSF properties such as seeing and defocus. Almost all methods’ results support the simple model in which additive shear biases depend linearly on PSF ellipticity.

  8. State estimation bias induced by optimization under uncertainty and error cost asymmetry is likely reflected in perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimansky, Y P

    2011-05-01

    It is well known from numerous studies that perception can be significantly affected by intended action in many everyday situations, indicating that perception and related decision-making is not a simple, one-way sequence, but a complex iterative cognitive process. However, the underlying functional mechanisms are yet unclear. Based on an optimality approach, a quantitative computational model of one such mechanism has been developed in this study. It is assumed in the model that significant uncertainty about task-related parameters of the environment results in parameter estimation errors and an optimal control system should minimize the cost of such errors in terms of the optimality criterion. It is demonstrated that, if the cost of a parameter estimation error is significantly asymmetrical with respect to error direction, the tendency to minimize error cost creates a systematic deviation of the optimal parameter estimate from its maximum likelihood value. Consequently, optimization of parameter estimate and optimization of control action cannot be performed separately from each other under parameter uncertainty combined with asymmetry of estimation error cost, thus making the certainty equivalence principle non-applicable under those conditions. A hypothesis that not only the action, but also perception itself is biased by the above deviation of parameter estimate is supported by ample experimental evidence. The results provide important insights into the cognitive mechanisms of interaction between sensory perception and planning an action under realistic conditions. Implications for understanding related functional mechanisms of optimal control in the CNS are discussed.

  9. Can the Bruckner test be used as a rapid screening test to detect significant refractive errors in children?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kothari Mihir

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To assess the suitability of Brückner test as a screening test to detect significant refractive errors in children. Materials and Methods: A pediatric ophthalmologist prospectively observed the size and location of pupillary crescent on Brückner test as hyperopic, myopic or astigmatic. This was compared with the cycloplegic refraction. Detailed ophthalmic examination was done for all. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Brückner test were determined for the defined cutoff levels of ametropia. Results: Ninety-six subjects were examined. Mean age was 8.6 years (range 1 to 16 years. Brückner test could be completed for all; the time taken to complete this test was 10 seconds per subject. The ophthalmologist identified 131 eyes as ametropic, 61 as emmetropic. The Brückner test had sensitivity 91%, specificity 72.8%, positive predictive value 85.5% and negative predictive value 83.6%. Of 10 false negatives four had compound hypermetropic astigmatism and three had myopia. Conclusions: Brückner test can be used to rapidly screen the children for significant refractive errors. The potential benefits from such use may be maximized if programs use the test with lower crescent measurement cutoffs, a crescent measurement ruler and a distance fixation target.

  10. Learner Corpora without Error Tagging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rastelli, Stefano

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The article explores the possibility of adopting a form-to-function perspective when annotating learner corpora in order to get deeper insights about systematic features of interlanguage. A split between forms and functions (or categories is desirable in order to avoid the "comparative fallacy" and because – especially in basic varieties – forms may precede functions (e.g., what resembles to a "noun" might have a different function or a function may show up in unexpected forms. In the computer-aided error analysis tradition, all items produced by learners are traced to a grid of error tags which is based on the categories of the target language. Differently, we believe it is possible to record and make retrievable both words and sequence of characters independently from their functional-grammatical label in the target language. For this purpose at the University of Pavia we adapted a probabilistic POS tagger designed for L1 on L2 data. Despite the criticism that this operation can raise, we found that it is better to work with "virtual categories" rather than with errors. The article outlines the theoretical background of the project and shows some examples in which some potential of SLA-oriented (non error-based tagging will be possibly made clearer.

  11. Impact of residual and intrafractional errors on strategy of correction for image-guided accelerated partial breast irradiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guo Xiao-Mao

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The cone beam CT (CBCT guided radiation can reduce the systematic and random setup errors as compared to the skin-mark setup. However, the residual and intrafractional (RAIF errors are still unknown. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the magnitude of RAIF errors and correction action levels needed in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT guided accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI. Methods Ten patients were enrolled in the prospective study of CBCT guided APBI. The postoperative tumor bed was irradiated with 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions over 5 days. Two cone-beam CT data sets were obtained with one before and one after the treatment delivery. The CBCT images were registered online to the planning CT images using the automatic algorithm followed by a fine manual adjustment. An action level of 3 mm, meaning that corrections were performed for translations exceeding 3 mm, was implemented in clinical treatments. Based on the acquired data, different correction action levels were simulated, and random RAIF errors, systematic RAIF errors and related margins before and after the treatments were determined for varying correction action levels. Results A total of 75 pairs of CBCT data sets were analyzed. The systematic and random setup errors based on skin-mark setup prior to treatment delivery were 2.1 mm and 1.8 mm in the lateral (LR, 3.1 mm and 2.3 mm in the superior-inferior (SI, and 2.3 mm and 2.0 mm in the anterior-posterior (AP directions. With the 3 mm correction action level, the systematic and random RAIF errors were 2.5 mm and 2.3 mm in the LR direction, 2.3 mm and 2.3 mm in the SI direction, and 2.3 mm and 2.2 mm in the AP direction after treatments delivery. Accordingly, the margins for correction action levels of 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and no correction were 7.9 mm, 8.0 mm, 8.0 mm, 7.9 mm and 8.0 mm in the LR direction; 6.4 mm, 7.1 mm, 7.9 mm, 9.2 mm and 10.5 mm in the SI direction; 7.6 mm, 7.9 mm, 9.4 mm, 10

  12. Impact of residual and intrafractional errors on strategy of correction for image-guided accelerated partial breast irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cai, Gang; Hu, Wei-Gang; Chen, Jia-Yi; Yu, Xiao-Li; Pan, Zi-Qiang; Yang, Zhao-Zhi; Guo, Xiao-Mao; Shao, Zhi-Min; Jiang, Guo-Liang

    2010-01-01

    The cone beam CT (CBCT) guided radiation can reduce the systematic and random setup errors as compared to the skin-mark setup. However, the residual and intrafractional (RAIF) errors are still unknown. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the magnitude of RAIF errors and correction action levels needed in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) guided accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Ten patients were enrolled in the prospective study of CBCT guided APBI. The postoperative tumor bed was irradiated with 38.5 Gy in 10 fractions over 5 days. Two cone-beam CT data sets were obtained with one before and one after the treatment delivery. The CBCT images were registered online to the planning CT images using the automatic algorithm followed by a fine manual adjustment. An action level of 3 mm, meaning that corrections were performed for translations exceeding 3 mm, was implemented in clinical treatments. Based on the acquired data, different correction action levels were simulated, and random RAIF errors, systematic RAIF errors and related margins before and after the treatments were determined for varying correction action levels. A total of 75 pairs of CBCT data sets were analyzed. The systematic and random setup errors based on skin-mark setup prior to treatment delivery were 2.1 mm and 1.8 mm in the lateral (LR), 3.1 mm and 2.3 mm in the superior-inferior (SI), and 2.3 mm and 2.0 mm in the anterior-posterior (AP) directions. With the 3 mm correction action level, the systematic and random RAIF errors were 2.5 mm and 2.3 mm in the LR direction, 2.3 mm and 2.3 mm in the SI direction, and 2.3 mm and 2.2 mm in the AP direction after treatments delivery. Accordingly, the margins for correction action levels of 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and no correction were 7.9 mm, 8.0 mm, 8.0 mm, 7.9 mm and 8.0 mm in the LR direction; 6.4 mm, 7.1 mm, 7.9 mm, 9.2 mm and 10.5 mm in the SI direction; 7.6 mm, 7.9 mm, 9.4 mm, 10.1 mm and 12.7 mm in the AP direction

  13. Applying Intelligent Algorithms to Automate the Identification of Error Factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Haizhe; Qu, Qingxing; Munechika, Masahiko; Sano, Masataka; Kajihara, Chisato; Duffy, Vincent G; Chen, Han

    2018-05-03

    Medical errors are the manifestation of the defects occurring in medical processes. Extracting and identifying defects as medical error factors from these processes are an effective approach to prevent medical errors. However, it is a difficult and time-consuming task and requires an analyst with a professional medical background. The issues of identifying a method to extract medical error factors and reduce the extraction difficulty need to be resolved. In this research, a systematic methodology to extract and identify error factors in the medical administration process was proposed. The design of the error report, extraction of the error factors, and identification of the error factors were analyzed. Based on 624 medical error cases across four medical institutes in both Japan and China, 19 error-related items and their levels were extracted. After which, they were closely related to 12 error factors. The relational model between the error-related items and error factors was established based on a genetic algorithm (GA)-back-propagation neural network (BPNN) model. Additionally, compared to GA-BPNN, BPNN, partial least squares regression and support vector regression, GA-BPNN exhibited a higher overall prediction accuracy, being able to promptly identify the error factors from the error-related items. The combination of "error-related items, their different levels, and the GA-BPNN model" was proposed as an error-factor identification technology, which could automatically identify medical error factors.

  14. Benchmark test cases for evaluation of computer-based methods for detection of setup errors: realistic digitally reconstructed electronic portal images with known setup errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fritsch, Daniel S.; Raghavan, Suraj; Boxwala, Aziz; Earnhart, Jon; Tracton, Gregg; Cullip, Timothy; Chaney, Edward L.

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to develop methods and software for computing realistic digitally reconstructed electronic portal images with known setup errors for use as benchmark test cases for evaluation and intercomparison of computer-based methods for image matching and detecting setup errors in electronic portal images. Methods and Materials: An existing software tool for computing digitally reconstructed radiographs was modified to compute simulated megavoltage images. An interface was added to allow the user to specify which setup parameter(s) will contain computer-induced random and systematic errors in a reference beam created during virtual simulation. Other software features include options for adding random and structured noise, Gaussian blurring to simulate geometric unsharpness, histogram matching with a 'typical' electronic portal image, specifying individual preferences for the appearance of the 'gold standard' image, and specifying the number of images generated. The visible male computed tomography data set from the National Library of Medicine was used as the planning image. Results: Digitally reconstructed electronic portal images with known setup errors have been generated and used to evaluate our methods for automatic image matching and error detection. Any number of different sets of test cases can be generated to investigate setup errors involving selected setup parameters and anatomic volumes. This approach has proved to be invaluable for determination of error detection sensitivity under ideal (rigid body) conditions and for guiding further development of image matching and error detection methods. Example images have been successfully exported for similar use at other sites. Conclusions: Because absolute truth is known, digitally reconstructed electronic portal images with known setup errors are well suited for evaluation of computer-aided image matching and error detection methods. High-quality planning images, such as

  15. A new systematic calibration method of ring laser gyroscope inertial navigation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Guo; Gao, Chunfeng; Wang, Qi; Wang, Qun; Xiong, Zhenyu; Long, Xingwu

    2016-10-01

    Inertial navigation system has been the core component of both military and civil navigation systems. Before the INS is put into application, it is supposed to be calibrated in the laboratory in order to compensate repeatability error caused by manufacturing. Discrete calibration method cannot fulfill requirements of high-accurate calibration of the mechanically dithered ring laser gyroscope navigation system with shock absorbers. This paper has analyzed theories of error inspiration and separation in detail and presented a new systematic calibration method for ring laser gyroscope inertial navigation system. Error models and equations of calibrated Inertial Measurement Unit are given. Then proper rotation arrangement orders are depicted in order to establish the linear relationships between the change of velocity errors and calibrated parameter errors. Experiments have been set up to compare the systematic errors calculated by filtering calibration result with those obtained by discrete calibration result. The largest position error and velocity error of filtering calibration result are only 0.18 miles and 0.26m/s compared with 2 miles and 1.46m/s of discrete calibration result. These results have validated the new systematic calibration method and proved its importance for optimal design and accuracy improvement of calibration of mechanically dithered ring laser gyroscope inertial navigation system.

  16. Accuracy Improvement of Multi-Axis Systems Based on Laser Correction of Volumetric Geometric Errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teleshevsky, V. I.; Sokolov, V. A.; Pimushkin, Ya I.

    2018-04-01

    The article describes a volumetric geometric errors correction method for CNC- controlled multi-axis systems (machine-tools, CMMs etc.). The Kalman’s concept of “Control and Observation” is used. A versatile multi-function laser interferometer is used as Observer in order to measure machine’s error functions. A systematic error map of machine’s workspace is produced based on error functions measurements. The error map results into error correction strategy. The article proposes a new method of error correction strategy forming. The method is based on error distribution within machine’s workspace and a CNC-program postprocessor. The postprocessor provides minimal error values within maximal workspace zone. The results are confirmed by error correction of precision CNC machine-tools.

  17. Large-scale simulations of error-prone quantum computation devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trieu, Doan Binh

    2009-07-01

    The theoretical concepts of quantum computation in the idealized and undisturbed case are well understood. However, in practice, all quantum computation devices do suffer from decoherence effects as well as from operational imprecisions. This work assesses the power of error-prone quantum computation devices using large-scale numerical simulations on parallel supercomputers. We present the Juelich Massively Parallel Ideal Quantum Computer Simulator (JUMPIQCS), that simulates a generic quantum computer on gate level. It comprises an error model for decoherence and operational errors. The robustness of various algorithms in the presence of noise has been analyzed. The simulation results show that for large system sizes and long computations it is imperative to actively correct errors by means of quantum error correction. We implemented the 5-, 7-, and 9-qubit quantum error correction codes. Our simulations confirm that using error-prone correction circuits with non-fault-tolerant quantum error correction will always fail, because more errors are introduced than being corrected. Fault-tolerant methods can overcome this problem, provided that the single qubit error rate is below a certain threshold. We incorporated fault-tolerant quantum error correction techniques into JUMPIQCS using Steane's 7-qubit code and determined this threshold numerically. Using the depolarizing channel as the source of decoherence, we find a threshold error rate of (5.2{+-}0.2) x 10{sup -6}. For Gaussian distributed operational over-rotations the threshold lies at a standard deviation of 0.0431{+-}0.0002. We can conclude that quantum error correction is especially well suited for the correction of operational imprecisions and systematic over-rotations. For realistic simulations of specific quantum computation devices we need to extend the generic model to dynamic simulations, i.e. time-dependent Hamiltonian simulations of realistic hardware models. We focus on today's most advanced

  18. Instrumental systematics and weak gravitational lensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mandelbaum, R.

    2015-01-01

    We present a pedagogical review of the weak gravitational lensing measurement process and its connection to major scientific questions such as dark matter and dark energy. Then we describe common ways of parametrizing systematic errors and understanding how they affect weak lensing measurements. Finally, we discuss several instrumental systematics and how they fit into this context, and conclude with some future perspective on how progress can be made in understanding the impact of instrumental systematics on weak lensing measurements

  19. Magnetic Nanoparticle Thermometer: An Investigation of Minimum Error Transmission Path and AC Bias Error

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongzhou Du

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The signal transmission module of a magnetic nanoparticle thermometer (MNPT was established in this study to analyze the error sources introduced during the signal flow in the hardware system. The underlying error sources that significantly affected the precision of the MNPT were determined through mathematical modeling and simulation. A transfer module path with the minimum error in the hardware system was then proposed through the analysis of the variations of the system error caused by the significant error sources when the signal flew through the signal transmission module. In addition, a system parameter, named the signal-to-AC bias ratio (i.e., the ratio between the signal and AC bias, was identified as a direct determinant of the precision of the measured temperature. The temperature error was below 0.1 K when the signal-to-AC bias ratio was higher than 80 dB, and other system errors were not considered. The temperature error was below 0.1 K in the experiments with a commercial magnetic fluid (Sample SOR-10, Ocean Nanotechnology, Springdale, AR, USA when the hardware system of the MNPT was designed with the aforementioned method.

  20. Accounting for measurement error: a critical but often overlooked process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Edward F; Smith, Richard N

    2009-12-01

    Due to instrument imprecision and human inconsistencies, measurements are not free of error. Technical error of measurement (TEM) is the variability encountered between dimensions when the same specimens are measured at multiple sessions. A goal of a data collection regimen is to minimise TEM. The few studies that actually quantify TEM, regardless of discipline, report that it is substantial and can affect results and inferences. This paper reviews some statistical approaches for identifying and controlling TEM. Statistically, TEM is part of the residual ('unexplained') variance in a statistical test, so accounting for TEM, which requires repeated measurements, enhances the chances of finding a statistically significant difference if one exists. The aim of this paper was to review and discuss common statistical designs relating to types of error and statistical approaches to error accountability. This paper addresses issues of landmark location, validity, technical and systematic error, analysis of variance, scaled measures and correlation coefficients in order to guide the reader towards correct identification of true experimental differences. Researchers commonly infer characteristics about populations from comparatively restricted study samples. Most inferences are statistical and, aside from concerns about adequate accounting for known sources of variation with the research design, an important source of variability is measurement error. Variability in locating landmarks that define variables is obvious in odontometrics, cephalometrics and anthropometry, but the same concerns about measurement accuracy and precision extend to all disciplines. With increasing accessibility to computer-assisted methods of data collection, the ease of incorporating repeated measures into statistical designs has improved. Accounting for this technical source of variation increases the chance of finding biologically true differences when they exist.

  1. Undesirable effects of covariance matrix techniques for error analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seibert, D.

    1994-01-01

    Regression with χ 2 constructed from covariance matrices should not be used for some combinations of covariance matrices and fitting functions. Using the technique for unsuitable combinations can amplify systematic errors. This amplification is uncontrolled, and can produce arbitrarily inaccurate results that might not be ruled out by a χ 2 test. In addition, this technique can give incorrect (artificially small) errors for fit parameters. I give a test for this instability and a more robust (but computationally more intensive) method for fitting correlated data

  2. Evaluation of positioning errors of the patient using cone beam CT megavoltage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia Ruiz-Zorrilla, J.; Fernandez Leton, J. P.; Zucca Aparicio, D.; Perez Moreno, J. M.; Minambres Moro, A.

    2013-01-01

    Image-guided radiation therapy allows you to assess and fix the positioning of the patient in the treatment unit, thus reducing the uncertainties due to the positioning of the patient. This work assesses errors systematic and errors of randomness from the corrections made to a series of patients of different diseases through a protocol off line of cone beam CT (CBCT) megavoltage. (Author)

  3. On the errors on Omega(0): Monte Carlo simulations of the EMSS cluster sample

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oukbir, J.; Arnaud, M.

    2001-01-01

    We perform Monte Carlo simulations of synthetic EMSS cluster samples, to quantify the systematic errors and the statistical uncertainties on the estimate of Omega (0) derived from fits to the cluster number density evolution and to the X-ray temperature distribution up to z=0.83. We identify...... the scatter around the relation between cluster X-ray luminosity and temperature to be a source of systematic error, of the order of Delta (syst)Omega (0) = 0.09, if not properly taken into account in the modelling. After correcting for this bias, our best Omega (0) is 0.66. The uncertainties on the shape...

  4. Error reduction and parameter optimization of the TAPIR method for fast T1 mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaitsev, M; Steinhoff, S; Shah, N J

    2003-06-01

    A methodology is presented for the reduction of both systematic and random errors in T(1) determination using TAPIR, a Look-Locker-based fast T(1) mapping technique. The relations between various sequence parameters were carefully investigated in order to develop recipes for choosing optimal sequence parameters. Theoretical predictions for the optimal flip angle were verified experimentally. Inversion pulse imperfections were identified as the main source of systematic errors in T(1) determination with TAPIR. An effective remedy is demonstrated which includes extension of the measurement protocol to include a special sequence for mapping the inversion efficiency itself. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  5. Errors in clinical laboratories or errors in laboratory medicine?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plebani, Mario

    2006-01-01

    Laboratory testing is a highly complex process and, although laboratory services are relatively safe, they are not as safe as they could or should be. Clinical laboratories have long focused their attention on quality control methods and quality assessment programs dealing with analytical aspects of testing. However, a growing body of evidence accumulated in recent decades demonstrates that quality in clinical laboratories cannot be assured by merely focusing on purely analytical aspects. The more recent surveys on errors in laboratory medicine conclude that in the delivery of laboratory testing, mistakes occur more frequently before (pre-analytical) and after (post-analytical) the test has been performed. Most errors are due to pre-analytical factors (46-68.2% of total errors), while a high error rate (18.5-47% of total errors) has also been found in the post-analytical phase. Errors due to analytical problems have been significantly reduced over time, but there is evidence that, particularly for immunoassays, interference may have a serious impact on patients. A description of the most frequent and risky pre-, intra- and post-analytical errors and advice on practical steps for measuring and reducing the risk of errors is therefore given in the present paper. Many mistakes in the Total Testing Process are called "laboratory errors", although these may be due to poor communication, action taken by others involved in the testing process (e.g., physicians, nurses and phlebotomists), or poorly designed processes, all of which are beyond the laboratory's control. Likewise, there is evidence that laboratory information is only partially utilized. A recent document from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recommends a new, broader definition of the term "laboratory error" and a classification of errors according to different criteria. In a modern approach to total quality, centered on patients' needs and satisfaction, the risk of errors and mistakes

  6. Modeling the North American vertical datum of 1988 errors in the conterminous United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, X.

    2018-02-01

    A large systematic difference (ranging from -20 cm to +130 cm) was found between NAVD 88 (North AmericanVertical Datum of 1988) and the pure gravimetric geoid models. This difference not only makes it very difficult to augment the local geoid model by directly using the vast NAVD 88 network with state-of-the-art technologies recently developed in geodesy, but also limits the ability of researchers to effectively demonstrate the geoid model improvements on the NAVD 88 network. Here, both conventional regression analyses based on various predefined basis functions such as polynomials, B-splines, and Legendre functions and the Latent Variable Analysis (LVA) such as the Factor Analysis (FA) are used to analyze the systematic difference. Besides giving a mathematical model, the regression results do not reveal a great deal about the physical reasons that caused the large differences in NAVD 88, which may be of interest to various researchers. Furthermore, there is still a significant amount of no-Gaussian signals left in the residuals of the conventional regression models. On the other side, the FA method not only provides a better not of the data, but also offers possible explanations of the error sources. Without requiring extra hypothesis tests on the model coefficients, the results from FA are more efficient in terms of capturing the systematic difference. Furthermore, without using a covariance model, a novel interpolating method based on the relationship between the loading matrix and the factor scores is developed for predictive purposes. The prediction error analysis shows that about 3-7 cm precision is expected in NAVD 88 after removing the systematic difference.

  7. Modeling the North American vertical datum of 1988 errors in the conterminous United States

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li X.

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available A large systematic difference (ranging from −20 cm to +130 cm was found between NAVD 88 (North AmericanVertical Datum of 1988 and the pure gravimetric geoid models. This difference not only makes it very difficult to augment the local geoid model by directly using the vast NAVD 88 network with state-of-the-art technologies recently developed in geodesy, but also limits the ability of researchers to effectively demonstrate the geoid model improvements on the NAVD 88 network. Here, both conventional regression analyses based on various predefined basis functions such as polynomials, B-splines, and Legendre functions and the Latent Variable Analysis (LVA such as the Factor Analysis (FA are used to analyze the systematic difference. Besides giving a mathematical model, the regression results do not reveal a great deal about the physical reasons that caused the large differences in NAVD 88, which may be of interest to various researchers. Furthermore, there is still a significant amount of no-Gaussian signals left in the residuals of the conventional regression models. On the other side, the FA method not only provides a better not of the data, but also offers possible explanations of the error sources. Without requiring extra hypothesis tests on the model coefficients, the results from FA are more efficient in terms of capturing the systematic difference. Furthermore, without using a covariance model, a novel interpolating method based on the relationship between the loading matrix and the factor scores is developed for predictive purposes. The prediction error analysis shows that about 3-7 cm precision is expected in NAVD 88 after removing the systematic difference.

  8. Irregular analytical errors in diagnostic testing - a novel concept.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogeser, Michael; Seger, Christoph

    2018-02-23

    In laboratory medicine, routine periodic analyses for internal and external quality control measurements interpreted by statistical methods are mandatory for batch clearance. Data analysis of these process-oriented measurements allows for insight into random analytical variation and systematic calibration bias over time. However, in such a setting, any individual sample is not under individual quality control. The quality control measurements act only at the batch level. Quantitative or qualitative data derived for many effects and interferences associated with an individual diagnostic sample can compromise any analyte. It is obvious that a process for a quality-control-sample-based approach of quality assurance is not sensitive to such errors. To address the potential causes and nature of such analytical interference in individual samples more systematically, we suggest the introduction of a new term called the irregular (individual) analytical error. Practically, this term can be applied in any analytical assay that is traceable to a reference measurement system. For an individual sample an irregular analytical error is defined as an inaccuracy (which is the deviation from a reference measurement procedure result) of a test result that is so high it cannot be explained by measurement uncertainty of the utilized routine assay operating within the accepted limitations of the associated process quality control measurements. The deviation can be defined as the linear combination of the process measurement uncertainty and the method bias for the reference measurement system. Such errors should be coined irregular analytical errors of the individual sample. The measurement result is compromised either by an irregular effect associated with the individual composition (matrix) of the sample or an individual single sample associated processing error in the analytical process. Currently, the availability of reference measurement procedures is still highly limited, but LC

  9. Test models for improving filtering with model errors through stochastic parameter estimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gershgorin, B.; Harlim, J.; Majda, A.J.

    2010-01-01

    The filtering skill for turbulent signals from nature is often limited by model errors created by utilizing an imperfect model for filtering. Updating the parameters in the imperfect model through stochastic parameter estimation is one way to increase filtering skill and model performance. Here a suite of stringent test models for filtering with stochastic parameter estimation is developed based on the Stochastic Parameterization Extended Kalman Filter (SPEKF). These new SPEKF-algorithms systematically correct both multiplicative and additive biases and involve exact formulas for propagating the mean and covariance including the parameters in the test model. A comprehensive study is presented of robust parameter regimes for increasing filtering skill through stochastic parameter estimation for turbulent signals as the observation time and observation noise are varied and even when the forcing is incorrectly specified. The results here provide useful guidelines for filtering turbulent signals in more complex systems with significant model errors.

  10. Outcomes of a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis for medication errors in pediatric anesthesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Lizabeth D; Grigg, Eliot B; Verma, Shilpa; Latham, Gregory J; Rampersad, Sally E; Martin, Lynn D

    2017-06-01

    The Institute of Medicine has called for development of strategies to prevent medication errors, which are one important cause of preventable harm. Although the field of anesthesiology is considered a leader in patient safety, recent data suggest high medication error rates in anesthesia practice. Unfortunately, few error prevention strategies for anesthesia providers have been implemented. Using Toyota Production System quality improvement methodology, a multidisciplinary team observed 133 h of medication practice in the operating room at a tertiary care freestanding children's hospital. A failure mode and effects analysis was conducted to systematically deconstruct and evaluate each medication handling process step and score possible failure modes to quantify areas of risk. A bundle of five targeted countermeasures were identified and implemented over 12 months. Improvements in syringe labeling (73 to 96%), standardization of medication organization in the anesthesia workspace (0 to 100%), and two-provider infusion checks (23 to 59%) were observed. Medication error reporting improved during the project and was subsequently maintained. After intervention, the median medication error rate decreased from 1.56 to 0.95 per 1000 anesthetics. The frequency of medication error harm events reaching the patient also decreased. Systematic evaluation and standardization of medication handling processes by anesthesia providers in the operating room can decrease medication errors and improve patient safety. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Scale interactions on diurnal toseasonal timescales and their relevanceto model systematic errors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Yang

    2003-06-01

    Full Text Available Examples of current research into systematic errors in climate models are used to demonstrate the importance of scale interactions on diurnal,intraseasonal and seasonal timescales for the mean and variability of the tropical climate system. It has enabled some conclusions to be drawn about possible processes that may need to be represented, and some recommendations to be made regarding model improvements. It has been shown that the Maritime Continent heat source is a major driver of the global circulation but yet is poorly represented in GCMs. A new climatology of the diurnal cycle has been used to provide compelling evidence of important land-sea breeze and gravity wave effects, which may play a crucial role in the heat and moisture budget of this key region for the tropical and global circulation. The role of the diurnal cycle has also been emphasized for intraseasonal variability associated with the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO. It is suggested that the diurnal cycle in Sea Surface Temperature (SST during the suppressed phase of the MJO leads to a triggering of cumulus congestus clouds, which serve to moisten the free troposphere and hence precondition the atmosphere for the next active phase. It has been further shown that coupling between the ocean and atmosphere on intraseasonal timescales leads to a more realistic simulation of the MJO. These results stress the need for models to be able to simulate firstly, the observed tri-modal distribution of convection, and secondly, the coupling between the ocean and atmosphere on diurnal to intraseasonal timescales. It is argued, however, that the current representation of the ocean mixed layer in coupled models is not adequate to represent the complex structure of the observed mixed layer, in particular the formation of salinity barrier layers which can potentially provide much stronger local coupling between the atmosphere and ocean on diurnal to intraseasonal timescales.

  12. Demonstration Integrated Knowledge-Based System for Estimating Human Error Probabilities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Auflick, Jack L.

    1999-04-21

    Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) is currently comprised of at least 40 different methods that are used to analyze, predict, and evaluate human performance in probabilistic terms. Systematic HRAs allow analysts to examine human-machine relationships, identify error-likely situations, and provide estimates of relative frequencies for human errors on critical tasks, highlighting the most beneficial areas for system improvements. Unfortunately, each of HRA's methods has a different philosophical approach, thereby producing estimates of human error probabilities (HEPs) that area better or worse match to the error likely situation of interest. Poor selection of methodology, or the improper application of techniques can produce invalid HEP estimates, where that erroneous estimation of potential human failure could have potentially severe consequences in terms of the estimated occurrence of injury, death, and/or property damage.

  13. Optics measurement algorithms and error analysis for the proton energy frontier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Langner

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Optics measurement algorithms have been improved in preparation for the commissioning of the LHC at higher energy, i.e., with an increased damage potential. Due to machine protection considerations the higher energy sets tighter limits in the maximum excitation amplitude and the total beam charge, reducing the signal to noise ratio of optics measurements. Furthermore the precision in 2012 (4 TeV was insufficient to understand beam size measurements and determine interaction point (IP β-functions (β^{*}. A new, more sophisticated algorithm has been developed which takes into account both the statistical and systematic errors involved in this measurement. This makes it possible to combine more beam position monitor measurements for deriving the optical parameters and demonstrates to significantly improve the accuracy and precision. Measurements from the 2012 run have been reanalyzed which, due to the improved algorithms, result in a significantly higher precision of the derived optical parameters and decreased the average error bars by a factor of three to four. This allowed the calculation of β^{*} values and demonstrated to be fundamental in the understanding of emittance evolution during the energy ramp.

  14. Optics measurement algorithms and error analysis for the proton energy frontier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langner, A.; Tomás, R.

    2015-03-01

    Optics measurement algorithms have been improved in preparation for the commissioning of the LHC at higher energy, i.e., with an increased damage potential. Due to machine protection considerations the higher energy sets tighter limits in the maximum excitation amplitude and the total beam charge, reducing the signal to noise ratio of optics measurements. Furthermore the precision in 2012 (4 TeV) was insufficient to understand beam size measurements and determine interaction point (IP) β -functions (β*). A new, more sophisticated algorithm has been developed which takes into account both the statistical and systematic errors involved in this measurement. This makes it possible to combine more beam position monitor measurements for deriving the optical parameters and demonstrates to significantly improve the accuracy and precision. Measurements from the 2012 run have been reanalyzed which, due to the improved algorithms, result in a significantly higher precision of the derived optical parameters and decreased the average error bars by a factor of three to four. This allowed the calculation of β* values and demonstrated to be fundamental in the understanding of emittance evolution during the energy ramp.

  15. Human Error and the International Space Station: Challenges and Triumphs in Science Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Samantha S.; Simpson, Beau C.

    2016-01-01

    Any system with a human component is inherently risky. Studies in human factors and psychology have repeatedly shown that human operators will inevitably make errors, regardless of how well they are trained. Onboard the International Space Station (ISS) where crew time is arguably the most valuable resource, errors by the crew or ground operators can be costly to critical science objectives. Operations experts at the ISS Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC), located at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have learned that from payload concept development through execution, there are countless opportunities to introduce errors that can potentially result in costly losses of crew time and science. To effectively address this challenge, we must approach the design, testing, and operation processes with two specific goals in mind. First, a systematic approach to error and human centered design methodology should be implemented to minimize opportunities for user error. Second, we must assume that human errors will be made and enable rapid identification and recoverability when they occur. While a systematic approach and human centered development process can go a long way toward eliminating error, the complete exclusion of operator error is not a reasonable expectation. The ISS environment in particular poses challenging conditions, especially for flight controllers and astronauts. Operating a scientific laboratory 250 miles above the Earth is a complicated and dangerous task with high stakes and a steep learning curve. While human error is a reality that may never be fully eliminated, smart implementation of carefully chosen tools and techniques can go a long way toward minimizing risk and increasing the efficiency of NASA's space science operations.

  16. Human error in strabismus surgery: Quantification with a sensitivity analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    S. Schutte (Sander); J.R. Polling (Jan Roelof); F.C.T. van der Helm (Frans); H.J. Simonsz (Huib)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Reoperations are frequently necessary in strabismus surgery. The goal of this study was to analyze human-error related factors that introduce variability in the results of strabismus surgery in a systematic fashion. Methods: We identified the primary factors that influence

  17. A Preliminary Study on the Measures to Assess the Organizational Safety: The Cultural Impact on Human Error Potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yong Hee; Lee, Yong Hee

    2011-01-01

    The Fukushima I nuclear accident following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 occurred after twelve years had passed since the JCO accident which was caused as a result of an error made by JCO employees. These accidents, along with the Chernobyl accident, associated with characteristic problems of various organizations caused severe social and economic disruptions and have had significant environmental and health impact. The cultural problems with human errors occur for various reasons, and different actions are needed to prevent different errors. Unfortunately, much of the research on organization and human error has shown widely various or different results which call for different approaches. In other words, we have to find more practical solutions from various researches for nuclear safety and lead a systematic approach to organizational deficiency causing human error. This paper reviews Hofstede's criteria, IAEA safety culture, safety areas of periodic safety review (PSR), teamwork and performance, and an evaluation of HANARO safety culture to verify the measures used to assess the organizational safety

  18. A Preliminary Study on the Measures to Assess the Organizational Safety: The Cultural Impact on Human Error Potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Yong Hee; Lee, Yong Hee [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-10-15

    The Fukushima I nuclear accident following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 occurred after twelve years had passed since the JCO accident which was caused as a result of an error made by JCO employees. These accidents, along with the Chernobyl accident, associated with characteristic problems of various organizations caused severe social and economic disruptions and have had significant environmental and health impact. The cultural problems with human errors occur for various reasons, and different actions are needed to prevent different errors. Unfortunately, much of the research on organization and human error has shown widely various or different results which call for different approaches. In other words, we have to find more practical solutions from various researches for nuclear safety and lead a systematic approach to organizational deficiency causing human error. This paper reviews Hofstede's criteria, IAEA safety culture, safety areas of periodic safety review (PSR), teamwork and performance, and an evaluation of HANARO safety culture to verify the measures used to assess the organizational safety

  19. A systematic review on screening for Fabry disease: prevalence of individuals with genetic variants of unknown significance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Tol, L.; Smid, B. E.; Poorthuis, B. J. H. M.; Biegstraaten, M.; Deprez, R. H. Lekanne; Linthorst, G. E.; Hollak, C. E. M.

    2014-01-01

    Screening for Fabry disease (FD) reveals a high prevalence of individuals with α-galactosidase A (GLA) genetic variants of unknown significance (GVUS). These individuals often do not express characteristic features of FD. A systematic review on FD screening studies was performed to interpret the

  20. Errors and Correction of Precipitation Measurements in China

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    REN Zhihua; LI Mingqin

    2007-01-01

    In order to discover the range of various errors in Chinese precipitation measurements and seek a correction method, 30 precipitation evaluation stations were set up countrywide before 1993. All the stations are reference stations in China. To seek a correction method for wind-induced error, a precipitation correction instrument called the "horizontal precipitation gauge" was devised beforehand. Field intercomparison observations regarding 29,000 precipitation events have been conducted using one pit gauge, two elevated operational gauges and one horizontal gauge at the above 30 stations. The range of precipitation measurement errors in China is obtained by analysis of intercomparison measurement results. The distribution of random errors and systematic errors in precipitation measurements are studied in this paper.A correction method, especially for wind-induced errors, is developed. The results prove that a correlation of power function exists between the precipitation amount caught by the horizontal gauge and the absolute difference of observations implemented by the operational gauge and pit gauge. The correlation coefficient is 0.99. For operational observations, precipitation correction can be carried out only by parallel observation with a horizontal precipitation gauge. The precipitation accuracy after correction approaches that of the pit gauge. The correction method developed is simple and feasible.

  1. Conclusive meta-analyses on antenatal magnesium may be inconclusive! Are we underestimating the risk of random error?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brok, Jesper; Huusom, Lene D; Thorlund, Kristian

    2012-01-01

    Results from meta-analyses significantly influence clinical practice. Both simulation and empirical studies have demonstrated that the risk of random error (i.e. spurious chance findings) in meta-analyses is much higher than previously anticipated. Hence, authors and users of systematic reviews a...... about the investigated intervention effect(s). We outline the rationale for conducting trial sequential analysis including some examples of the meta-analysis on antenatal magnesium for women at risk of preterm birth....

  2. Influence of calculation error of total field anomaly in strongly magnetic environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Xiaoyu; Yao, Changli; Zheng, Yuanman; Li, Zelin

    2016-04-01

    An assumption made in many magnetic interpretation techniques is that ΔTact (total field anomaly - the measurement given by total field magnetometers, after we remove the main geomagnetic field, T0) can be approximated mathematically by ΔTpro (the projection of anomalous field vector in the direction of the earth's normal field). In order to meet the demand for high-precision processing of magnetic prospecting, the approximate error E between ΔTact and ΔTpro is studied in this research. Generally speaking, the error E is extremely small when anomalies not greater than about 0.2T0. However, the errorE may be large in highly magnetic environments. This leads to significant effects on subsequent quantitative inference. Therefore, we investigate the error E through numerical experiments of high-susceptibility bodies. A systematic error analysis was made by using a 2-D elliptic cylinder model. Error analysis show that the magnitude of ΔTact is usually larger than that of ΔTpro. This imply that a theoretical anomaly computed without accounting for the error E overestimate the anomaly associated with the body. It is demonstrated through numerical experiments that the error E is obvious and should not be ignored. It is also shown that the curves of ΔTpro and the error E had a certain symmetry when the directions of magnetization and geomagnetic field changed. To be more specific, the Emax (the maximum of the error E) appeared above the center of the magnetic body when the magnetic parameters are determined. Some other characteristics about the error Eare discovered. For instance, the curve of Emax with respect to the latitude was symmetrical on both sides of magnetic equator, and the extremum of the Emax can always be found in the mid-latitudes, and so on. It is also demonstrated that the error Ehas great influence on magnetic processing transformation and inversion results. It is conclude that when the bodies have highly magnetic susceptibilities, the error E can

  3. Controlling qubit drift by recycling error correction syndromes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blume-Kohout, Robin

    2015-03-01

    Physical qubits are susceptible to systematic drift, above and beyond the stochastic Markovian noise that motivates quantum error correction. This parameter drift must be compensated - if it is ignored, error rates will rise to intolerable levels - but compensation requires knowing the parameters' current value, which appears to require halting experimental work to recalibrate (e.g. via quantum tomography). Fortunately, this is untrue. I show how to perform on-the-fly recalibration on the physical qubits in an error correcting code, using only information from the error correction syndromes. The algorithm for detecting and compensating drift is very simple - yet, remarkably, when used to compensate Brownian drift in the qubit Hamiltonian, it achieves a stabilized error rate very close to the theoretical lower bound. Against 1/f noise, it is less effective only because 1/f noise is (like white noise) dominated by high-frequency fluctuations that are uncompensatable. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE

  4. Bayesian analysis of data and model error in rainfall-runoff hydrological models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavetski, D.; Franks, S. W.; Kuczera, G.

    2004-12-01

    A major unresolved issue in the identification and use of conceptual hydrologic models is realistic description of uncertainty in the data and model structure. In particular, hydrologic parameters often cannot be measured directly and must be inferred (calibrated) from observed forcing/response data (typically, rainfall and runoff). However, rainfall varies significantly in space and time, yet is often estimated from sparse gauge networks. Recent work showed that current calibration methods (e.g., standard least squares, multi-objective calibration, generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation) ignore forcing uncertainty and assume that the rainfall is known exactly. Consequently, they can yield strongly biased and misleading parameter estimates. This deficiency confounds attempts to reliably test model hypotheses, to generalize results across catchments (the regionalization problem) and to quantify predictive uncertainty when the hydrologic model is extrapolated. This paper continues the development of a Bayesian total error analysis (BATEA) methodology for the calibration and identification of hydrologic models, which explicitly incorporates the uncertainty in both the forcing and response data, and allows systematic model comparison based on residual model errors and formal Bayesian hypothesis testing (e.g., using Bayes factors). BATEA is based on explicit stochastic models for both forcing and response uncertainty, whereas current techniques focus solely on response errors. Hence, unlike existing methods, the BATEA parameter equations directly reflect the modeler's confidence in all the data. We compare several approaches to approximating the parameter distributions: a) full Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods and b) simplified approaches based on linear approximations. Studies using synthetic and real data from the US and Australia show that BATEA systematically reduces the parameter bias, leads to more meaningful model fits and allows model comparison taking

  5. The probability and the management of human error

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dufey, R.B.; Saull, J.W.

    2004-01-01

    Embedded within modern technological systems, human error is the largest, and indeed dominant contributor to accident cause. The consequences dominate the risk profiles for nuclear power and for many other technologies. We need to quantify the probability of human error for the system as an integral contribution within the overall system failure, as it is generally not separable or predictable for actual events. We also need to provide a means to manage and effectively reduce the failure (error) rate. The fact that humans learn from their mistakes allows a new determination of the dynamic probability and human failure (error) rate in technological systems. The result is consistent with and derived from the available world data for modern technological systems. Comparisons are made to actual data from large technological systems and recent catastrophes. Best estimate values and relationships can be derived for both the human error rate, and for the probability. We describe the potential for new approaches to the management of human error and safety indicators, based on the principles of error state exclusion and of the systematic effect of learning. A new equation is given for the probability of human error (λ) that combines the influences of early inexperience, learning from experience (ε) and stochastic occurrences with having a finite minimum rate, this equation is λ 5.10 -5 + ((1/ε) - 5.10 -5 ) exp(-3*ε). The future failure rate is entirely determined by the experience: thus the past defines the future

  6. A study of respiration-correlated cone-beam CT scans to correct target positioning errors in radiotherapy of thoracic cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santoro, J. P.; McNamara, J.; Yorke, E.; Pham, H.; Rimner, A.; Rosenzweig, K. E.; Mageras, G. S. [Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065 (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065 (United States); Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065 (United States)

    2012-10-15

    , seven required a single correction, one required two corrections, and one required three corrections. Mean residual GTV deviation (3D distance) following GTV-based systematic correction (mean {+-} 1 standard deviation 4.8 {+-} 1.5 mm) is significantly lower than for systematic skeletal-based (6.5 {+-} 2.9 mm, p= 0.015), and weekly skeletal-based correction (7.2 {+-} 3.0 mm, p= 0.001), but is not significantly lower than daily skeletal-based correction (5.4 {+-} 2.6 mm, p= 0.34). In two cases, first-day CBCT images reveal tumor changes-one showing tumor growth, the other showing large tumor displacement-that are not readily observed in radiographs. Differences in computed GTV deviations between respiration-correlated and respiration-averaged images are 0.2 {+-} 1.8 mm in the superior-inferior direction and are of similar magnitude in the other directions. Conclusions: An off-line protocol to correct GTV-based systematic error in locally advanced lung tumor cases can be effective at reducing tumor deviations, although the findings need confirmation with larger patient statistics. In some cases, a single cone-beam CT can be useful for assessing tumor changes early in treatment, if more than a few days elapse between simulation and the start of treatment. Tumor deviations measured with respiration-averaged CT and CBCT images are consistent with those measured with respiration-correlated images; the respiration-averaged method is more easily implemented in the clinic.

  7. A study of respiration-correlated cone-beam CT scans to correct target positioning errors in radiotherapy of thoracic cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santoro, J. P.; McNamara, J.; Yorke, E.; Pham, H.; Rimner, A.; Rosenzweig, K. E.; Mageras, G. S.

    2012-01-01

    , seven required a single correction, one required two corrections, and one required three corrections. Mean residual GTV deviation (3D distance) following GTV-based systematic correction (mean ± 1 standard deviation 4.8 ± 1.5 mm) is significantly lower than for systematic skeletal-based (6.5 ± 2.9 mm, p= 0.015), and weekly skeletal-based correction (7.2 ± 3.0 mm, p= 0.001), but is not significantly lower than daily skeletal-based correction (5.4 ± 2.6 mm, p= 0.34). In two cases, first-day CBCT images reveal tumor changes—one showing tumor growth, the other showing large tumor displacement—that are not readily observed in radiographs. Differences in computed GTV deviations between respiration-correlated and respiration-averaged images are 0.2 ± 1.8 mm in the superior-inferior direction and are of similar magnitude in the other directions. Conclusions: An off-line protocol to correct GTV-based systematic error in locally advanced lung tumor cases can be effective at reducing tumor deviations, although the findings need confirmation with larger patient statistics. In some cases, a single cone-beam CT can be useful for assessing tumor changes early in treatment, if more than a few days elapse between simulation and the start of treatment. Tumor deviations measured with respiration-averaged CT and CBCT images are consistent with those measured with respiration-correlated images; the respiration-averaged method is more easily implemented in the clinic.

  8. Nuclear power plant personnel errors in decision-making as an object of probabilistic risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reer, B.

    1993-09-01

    The integration of human error - also called man-machine system analysis (MMSA) - is an essential part of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). A new method is presented which allows for a systematic and comprehensive PRA inclusions of decision-based errors due to conflicts or similarities. For the error identification procedure, new question techniques are developed. These errors are shown to be identified by looking at retroactions caused by subordinate goals as components of the overall safety relevant goal. New quantification methods for estimating situation-specific probabilities are developed. The factors conflict and similarity are operationalized in a way that allows their quantification based on informations which are usually available in PRA. The quantification procedure uses extrapolations and interpolations based on a poor set of data related to decision-based errors. Moreover, for passive errors in decision-making a completely new approach is presented where errors are quantified via a delay initiating the required action rather than via error probabilities. The practicability of this dynamic approach is demonstrated by a probabilistic analysis of the actions required during the total loss of feedwater event at the Davis-Besse plant 1985. The extensions of the ''classical'' PRA method developed in this work are applied to a MMSA of the decay heat removal (DHR) of the ''HTR-500''. Errors in decision-making - as potential roots of extraneous acts - are taken into account in a comprehensive and systematic manner. Five additional errors are identified. However, the probabilistic quantification results a nonsignificant increase of the DHR failure probability. (orig.) [de

  9. Human error in strabismus surgery : Quantification with a sensitivity analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schutte, S.; Polling, J.R.; Van der Helm, F.C.T.; Simonsz, H.J.

    2008-01-01

    Background- Reoperations are frequently necessary in strabismus surgery. The goal of this study was to analyze human-error related factors that introduce variability in the results of strabismus surgery in a systematic fashion. Methods- We identified the primary factors that influence the outcome of

  10. Nature of the Refractive Errors in Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with Experimentally Induced Ametropias

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao-Grider, Ying; Hung, Li-Fang; Kee, Chea-su; Ramamirtham, Ramkumar; Smith, Earl L.

    2010-01-01

    We analyzed the contribution of individual ocular components to vision-induced ametropias in 210 rhesus monkeys. The primary contribution to refractive-error development came from vitreous chamber depth; a minor contribution from corneal power was also detected. However, there was no systematic relationship between refractive error and anterior chamber depth or between refractive error and any crystalline lens parameter. Our results are in good agreement with previous studies in humans, suggesting that the refractive errors commonly observed in humans are created by vision-dependent mechanisms that are similar to those operating in monkeys. This concordance emphasizes the applicability of rhesus monkeys in refractive-error studies. PMID:20600237

  11. Advancing the research agenda for diagnostic error reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zwaan, Laura; Schiff, Gordon D; Singh, Hardeep

    2013-10-01

    Diagnostic errors remain an underemphasised and understudied area of patient safety research. We briefly summarise the methods that have been used to conduct research on epidemiology, contributing factors and interventions related to diagnostic error and outline directions for future research. Research methods that have studied epidemiology of diagnostic error provide some estimate on diagnostic error rates. However, there appears to be a large variability in the reported rates due to the heterogeneity of definitions and study methods used. Thus, future methods should focus on obtaining more precise estimates in different settings of care. This would lay the foundation for measuring error rates over time to evaluate improvements. Research methods have studied contributing factors for diagnostic error in both naturalistic and experimental settings. Both approaches have revealed important and complementary information. Newer conceptual models from outside healthcare are needed to advance the depth and rigour of analysis of systems and cognitive insights of causes of error. While the literature has suggested many potentially fruitful interventions for reducing diagnostic errors, most have not been systematically evaluated and/or widely implemented in practice. Research is needed to study promising intervention areas such as enhanced patient involvement in diagnosis, improving diagnosis through the use of electronic tools and identification and reduction of specific diagnostic process 'pitfalls' (eg, failure to conduct appropriate diagnostic evaluation of a breast lump after a 'normal' mammogram). The last decade of research on diagnostic error has made promising steps and laid a foundation for more rigorous methods to advance the field.

  12. Potential Errors and Test Assessment in Software Product Line Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hartmut Lackner

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Software product lines (SPL are a method for the development of variant-rich software systems. Compared to non-variable systems, testing SPLs is extensive due to an increasingly amount of possible products. Different approaches exist for testing SPLs, but there is less research for assessing the quality of these tests by means of error detection capability. Such test assessment is based on error injection into correct version of the system under test. However to our knowledge, potential errors in SPL engineering have never been systematically identified before. This article presents an overview over existing paradigms for specifying software product lines and the errors that can occur during the respective specification processes. For assessment of test quality, we leverage mutation testing techniques to SPL engineering and implement the identified errors as mutation operators. This allows us to run existing tests against defective products for the purpose of test assessment. From the results, we draw conclusions about the error-proneness of the surveyed SPL design paradigms and how quality of SPL tests can be improved.

  13. Random measurement error: Why worry? An example of cardiovascular risk factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brakenhoff, Timo B; van Smeden, Maarten; Visseren, Frank L J; Groenwold, Rolf H H

    2018-01-01

    With the increased use of data not originally recorded for research, such as routine care data (or 'big data'), measurement error is bound to become an increasingly relevant problem in medical research. A common view among medical researchers on the influence of random measurement error (i.e. classical measurement error) is that its presence leads to some degree of systematic underestimation of studied exposure-outcome relations (i.e. attenuation of the effect estimate). For the common situation where the analysis involves at least one exposure and one confounder, we demonstrate that the direction of effect of random measurement error on the estimated exposure-outcome relations can be difficult to anticipate. Using three example studies on cardiovascular risk factors, we illustrate that random measurement error in the exposure and/or confounder can lead to underestimation as well as overestimation of exposure-outcome relations. We therefore advise medical researchers to refrain from making claims about the direction of effect of measurement error in their manuscripts, unless the appropriate inferential tools are used to study or alleviate the impact of measurement error from the analysis.

  14. Error-related brain activity and error awareness in an error classification paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Gregorio, Francesco; Steinhauser, Marco; Maier, Martin E

    2016-10-01

    Error-related brain activity has been linked to error detection enabling adaptive behavioral adjustments. However, it is still unclear which role error awareness plays in this process. Here, we show that the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN), an event-related potential reflecting early error monitoring, is dissociable from the degree of error awareness. Participants responded to a target while ignoring two different incongruent distractors. After responding, they indicated whether they had committed an error, and if so, whether they had responded to one or to the other distractor. This error classification paradigm allowed distinguishing partially aware errors, (i.e., errors that were noticed but misclassified) and fully aware errors (i.e., errors that were correctly classified). The Ne/ERN was larger for partially aware errors than for fully aware errors. Whereas this speaks against the idea that the Ne/ERN foreshadows the degree of error awareness, it confirms the prediction of a computational model, which relates the Ne/ERN to post-response conflict. This model predicts that stronger distractor processing - a prerequisite of error classification in our paradigm - leads to lower post-response conflict and thus a smaller Ne/ERN. This implies that the relationship between Ne/ERN and error awareness depends on how error awareness is related to response conflict in a specific task. Our results further indicate that the Ne/ERN but not the degree of error awareness determines adaptive performance adjustments. Taken together, we conclude that the Ne/ERN is dissociable from error awareness and foreshadows adaptive performance adjustments. Our results suggest that the relationship between the Ne/ERN and error awareness is correlative and mediated by response conflict. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Taylor-series and Monte-Carlo-method uncertainty estimation of the width of a probability distribution based on varying bias and random error

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, Brandon M; Smith, Barton L

    2013-01-01

    Uncertainties are typically assumed to be constant or a linear function of the measured value; however, this is generally not true. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is one example of a measurement technique that has highly nonlinear, time varying local uncertainties. Traditional uncertainty methods are not adequate for the estimation of the uncertainty of measurement statistics (mean and variance) in the presence of nonlinear, time varying errors. Propagation of instantaneous uncertainty estimates into measured statistics is performed allowing accurate uncertainty quantification of time-mean and statistics of measurements such as PIV. It is shown that random errors will always elevate the measured variance, and thus turbulent statistics such as u'u'-bar. Within this paper, nonlinear, time varying errors are propagated from instantaneous measurements into the measured mean and variance using the Taylor-series method. With these results and knowledge of the systematic and random uncertainty of each measurement, the uncertainty of the time-mean, the variance and covariance can be found. Applicability of the Taylor-series uncertainty equations to time varying systematic and random errors and asymmetric error distributions are demonstrated with Monte-Carlo simulations. The Taylor-series uncertainty estimates are always accurate for uncertainties on the mean quantity. The Taylor-series variance uncertainty is similar to the Monte-Carlo results for cases in which asymmetric random errors exist or the magnitude of the instantaneous variations in the random and systematic errors is near the ‘true’ variance. However, the Taylor-series method overpredicts the uncertainty in the variance as the instantaneous variations of systematic errors are large or are on the same order of magnitude as the ‘true’ variance. (paper)

  16. Comparison of MLC error sensitivity of various commercial devices for VMAT pre-treatment quality assurance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Masahide; Sano, Naoki; Shibata, Yuki; Kuriyama, Kengo; Komiyama, Takafumi; Marino, Kan; Aoki, Shinichi; Ashizawa, Kazunari; Yoshizawa, Kazuya; Onishi, Hiroshi

    2018-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the MLC error sensitivity of various measurement devices for VMAT pre-treatment quality assurance (QA). This study used four QA devices (Scandidos Delta4, PTW 2D-array, iRT systems IQM, and PTW Farmer chamber). Nine retrospective VMAT plans were used and nine MLC error plans were generated for all nine original VMAT plans. The IQM and Farmer chamber were evaluated using the cumulative signal difference between the baseline and error-induced measurements. In addition, to investigate the sensitivity of the Delta4 device and the 2D-array, global gamma analysis (1%/1, 2%/2, and 3%/3 mm), dose difference (1%, 2%, and 3%) were used between the baseline and error-induced measurements. Some deviations of the MLC error sensitivity for the evaluation metrics and MLC error ranges were observed. For the two ionization devices, the sensitivity of the IQM was significantly better than that of the Farmer chamber (P < 0.01) while both devices had good linearly correlation between the cumulative signal difference and the magnitude of MLC errors. The pass rates decreased as the magnitude of the MLC error increased for both Delta4 and 2D-array. However, the small MLC error for small aperture sizes, such as for lung SBRT, could not be detected using the loosest gamma criteria (3%/3 mm). Our results indicate that DD could be more useful than gamma analysis for daily MLC QA, and that a large-area ionization chamber has a greater advantage for detecting systematic MLC error because of the large sensitive volume, while the other devices could not detect this error for some cases with a small range of MLC error. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  17. Modeling Systematic Error Effects for a Sensitive Storage Ring EDM Polarimeter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephenson, Edward; Imig, Astrid

    2009-10-01

    The Storage Ring EDM Collaboration has obtained a set of measurements detailing the sensitivity of a storage ring polarimeter for deuterons to small geometrical and rate changes. Various schemes, such as the calculation of the cross ratio [1], can cancel effects due to detector acceptance differences and luminosity differences for states of opposite polarization. Such schemes fail at second-order in the errors, becoming sensitive to geometrical changes, polarization magnitude differences between opposite polarization states, and changes to the detector response with changing data rates. An expansion of the polarimeter response in a Taylor series based on small errors about the polarimeter operating point can parametrize such effects, primarily in terms of the logarithmic derivatives of the cross section and analyzing power. A comparison will be made to measurements obtained with the EDDA detector at COSY-J"ulich. [4pt] [1] G.G. Ohlsen and P.W. Keaton, Jr., NIM 109, 41 (1973).

  18. Analysis of systematic error deviation of water temperature measurement at the fuel channel outlet of the reactor Maria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bykowski, W.

    2000-01-01

    The reactor Maria has two primary cooling circuits; fuel channels cooling circuit and reactor pool cooling circuit. Fuel elements are placed inside the fuel channels which are parallely linked in parallel, between the collectors. In the course of reactor operation the following measurements are performed: continuous measurement of water temperature at the fuel channels inlet, continuous measurement of water temperature at the outlet of each fuel channel and continuous measurement of water flow rate through each fuel channel. Based on those thermal-hydraulic parameters the instantaneous thermal power generated in each fuel channel is determined and by use of that value the thermal balance and the degree of fuel burnup is assessed. The work contains an analysis concerning estimate of the systematic error of temperature measurement at outlet of each fuel channel and so the erroneous assessment of thermal power extracted in each fuel channel and the burnup degree for the individual fuel element. The results of measurements of separate factors of deviations for the fuel channels are enclosed. (author)

  19. Using Fault Trees to Advance Understanding of Diagnostic Errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogith, Deevakar; Iyengar, M Sriram; Singh, Hardeep

    2017-11-01

    Diagnostic errors annually affect at least 5% of adults in the outpatient setting in the United States. Formal analytic techniques are only infrequently used to understand them, in part because of the complexity of diagnostic processes and clinical work flows involved. In this article, diagnostic errors were modeled using fault tree analysis (FTA), a form of root cause analysis that has been successfully used in other high-complexity, high-risk contexts. How factors contributing to diagnostic errors can be systematically modeled by FTA to inform error understanding and error prevention is demonstrated. A team of three experts reviewed 10 published cases of diagnostic error and constructed fault trees. The fault trees were modeled according to currently available conceptual frameworks characterizing diagnostic error. The 10 trees were then synthesized into a single fault tree to identify common contributing factors and pathways leading to diagnostic error. FTA is a visual, structured, deductive approach that depicts the temporal sequence of events and their interactions in a formal logical hierarchy. The visual FTA enables easier understanding of causative processes and cognitive and system factors, as well as rapid identification of common pathways and interactions in a unified fashion. In addition, it enables calculation of empirical estimates for causative pathways. Thus, fault trees might provide a useful framework for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of diagnostic errors. Future directions include establishing validity and reliability by modeling a wider range of error cases, conducting quantitative evaluations, and undertaking deeper exploration of other FTA capabilities. Copyright © 2017 The Joint Commission. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Coping with human errors through system design: Implications for ecological interface design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Jens; Vicente, Kim J.

    1989-01-01

    Research during recent years has revealed that human errors are not stochastic events which can be removed through improved training programs or optimal interface design. Rather, errors tend to reflect either systematic interference between various models, rules, and schemata, or the effects...... of the adaptive mechanisms involved in learning. In terms of design implications, these findings suggest that reliable human-system interaction will be achieved by designing interfaces which tend to minimize the potential for control interference and support recovery from errors. In other words, the focus should...... be on control of the effects of errors rather than on the elimination of errors per se. In this paper, we propose a theoretical framework for interface design that attempts to satisfy these objectives. The goal of our framework, called ecological interface design, is to develop a meaningful representation...

  1. Error analysis of isotope dilution mass spectrometry method with internal standard

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rizhinskii, M.W.; Vitinskii, M.Y.

    1989-02-01

    The computation algorithms of the normalized isotopic ratios and element concentration by isotope dilution mass spectrometry with internal standard are presented. A procedure based on the Monte-Carlo calculation is proposed for predicting the magnitude of the errors to be expected. The estimation of systematic and random errors is carried out in the case of the certification of uranium and plutonium reference materials as well as for the use of those reference materials in the analysis of irradiated nuclear fuels. 4 refs, 11 figs, 2 tabs

  2. Abnormal error monitoring in math-anxious individuals: evidence from error-related brain potentials.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Macarena Suárez-Pellicioni

    Full Text Available This study used event-related brain potentials to investigate whether math anxiety is related to abnormal error monitoring processing. Seventeen high math-anxious (HMA and seventeen low math-anxious (LMA individuals were presented with a numerical and a classical Stroop task. Groups did not differ in terms of trait or state anxiety. We found enhanced error-related negativity (ERN in the HMA group when subjects committed an error on the numerical Stroop task, but not on the classical Stroop task. Groups did not differ in terms of the correct-related negativity component (CRN, the error positivity component (Pe, classical behavioral measures or post-error measures. The amplitude of the ERN was negatively related to participants' math anxiety scores, showing a more negative amplitude as the score increased. Moreover, using standardized low resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA we found greater activation of the insula in errors on a numerical task as compared to errors in a non-numerical task only for the HMA group. The results were interpreted according to the motivational significance theory of the ERN.

  3. Applications of human error analysis to aviation and space operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, W.R.

    1998-01-01

    For the past several years at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) we have been working to apply methods of human error analysis to the design of complex systems. We have focused on adapting human reliability analysis (HRA) methods that were developed for Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) for application to system design. We are developing methods so that human errors can be systematically identified during system design, the potential consequences of each error can be assessed, and potential corrective actions (e.g. changes to system design or procedures) can be identified. These applications lead to different requirements when compared with HR.As performed as part of a PSA. For example, because the analysis will begin early during the design stage, the methods must be usable when only partial design information is available. In addition, the ability to perform numerous ''what if'' analyses to identify and compare multiple design alternatives is essential. Finally, since the goals of such human error analyses focus on proactive design changes rather than the estimate of failure probabilities for PRA, there is more emphasis on qualitative evaluations of error relationships and causal factors than on quantitative estimates of error frequency. The primary vehicle we have used to develop and apply these methods has been a series of prqjects sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to apply human error analysis to aviation operations. The first NASA-sponsored project had the goal to evaluate human errors caused by advanced cockpit automation. Our next aviation project focused on the development of methods and tools to apply human error analysis to the design of commercial aircraft. This project was performed by a consortium comprised of INEEL, NASA, and Boeing Commercial Airplane Group. The focus of the project was aircraft design and procedures that could lead to human errors during airplane maintenance

  4. The role of human error in risk analysis: Application to pre- and post-maintenance procedures of process facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noroozi, Alireza; Khakzad, Nima; Khan, Faisal; MacKinnon, Scott; Abbassi, Rouzbeh

    2013-01-01

    Human factors play an important role in the safe operation of a facility. Human factors include the systematic application of information about human characteristics and behavior to increase the safety of a process system. A significant proportion of human errors occur during the maintenance phase. However, the quantification of human error probabilities in the maintenance phase has not been given the amount of attention it deserves. This paper focuses on a human factors analysis in pre-and post- pump maintenance operations. The procedures for removing process equipment from service (pre-maintenance) and returning the equipment to service (post-maintenance) are considered for possible failure scenarios. For each scenario, human error probability is calculated for each activity using the Success Likelihood Index Method (SLIM). Consequences are also assessed in this methodology. The risk assessment is conducted for each component and the overall risk is estimated by adding individual risks. The present study is aimed at highlighting the importance of considering human error in quantitative risk analyses. The developed methodology has been applied to a case study of an offshore process facility

  5. Systematic shifts of evaluated charge centroid for the cathode read-out multiwire proportional chamber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Endo, I.; Kawamoto, T.; Mizuno, Y.; Ohsugi, T.; Taniguchi, T.; Takeshita, T.

    1981-01-01

    We have investigated the systematic error associtated with the charge centroid evaluation for the cathode read-out multiwire proportional chamber. Correction curves for the systematic error according to six centroid finding algorithms have been obtained by using the charge distribution calculated in a simple electrostatic mode. They have been experimentally examined and proved to be essential for the accurate determination of the irradiated position. (orig.)

  6. Addressing the Problem of Negative Lexical Transfer Errors in Chilean University Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul Anthony Dissington

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Studies of second language learning have revealed a connection between first language transfer and errors in second language production. This paper describes an action research study carried out among Chilean university students studying English as part of their degree programmes. The study focuses on common lexical errors made by Chilean Spanish-speakers due to negative first language transfer and aims to analyse the effects of systematic instruction and practice of this problematic lexis. It is suggested that raising awareness of lexical transfer through focused attention on common transfer errors is valued by students and seems essential for learners to achieve productive mastery.

  7. Nonlinear mechanism for the suppression of error field magnetic islands by plasma flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parker, R.D.

    1992-01-01

    Non-axisymmetric magnetic field perturbations generated, for example, by errors in the alignment of the field coils are known to lead to reduced confinement in a tokamak. By inducing the formation of small, stationary, magnetic islands on all rational surfaces they can enhance radial transport and under certain circumstances interact with MHD instabilities to trigger the onset of locked modes leading, in some cases, to disruption of the plasma discharge. Given the stationary nature of the error field islands it is natural to consider whether they can be reduced significantly by the viscous drag of a sheared flow resulting from a bulk rotation of the plasma. In this paper, we examine this interaction by modelling the nonlinear growth and saturation of force-reconnected magnetic islands driven by a corrugated boundary in a slab plasma with an initially uniform flow. A systematic parameter study is made of the time asymptotic steady state. (author) 3 figs., 5 refs

  8. Diagnostic errors in pediatric radiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, George A.; Voss, Stephan D.; Melvin, Patrice R.; Graham, Dionne A.

    2011-01-01

    Little information is known about the frequency, types and causes of diagnostic errors in imaging children. Our goals were to describe the patterns and potential etiologies of diagnostic error in our subspecialty. We reviewed 265 cases with clinically significant diagnostic errors identified during a 10-year period. Errors were defined as a diagnosis that was delayed, wrong or missed; they were classified as perceptual, cognitive, system-related or unavoidable; and they were evaluated by imaging modality and level of training of the physician involved. We identified 484 specific errors in the 265 cases reviewed (mean:1.8 errors/case). Most discrepancies involved staff (45.5%). Two hundred fifty-eight individual cognitive errors were identified in 151 cases (mean = 1.7 errors/case). Of these, 83 cases (55%) had additional perceptual or system-related errors. One hundred sixty-five perceptual errors were identified in 165 cases. Of these, 68 cases (41%) also had cognitive or system-related errors. Fifty-four system-related errors were identified in 46 cases (mean = 1.2 errors/case) of which all were multi-factorial. Seven cases were unavoidable. Our study defines a taxonomy of diagnostic errors in a large academic pediatric radiology practice and suggests that most are multi-factorial in etiology. Further study is needed to define effective strategies for improvement. (orig.)

  9. Systematic Biases in Parameter Estimation of Binary Black-Hole Mergers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Littenberg, Tyson B.; Baker, John G.; Buonanno, Alessandra; Kelly, Bernard J.

    2012-01-01

    Parameter estimation of binary-black-hole merger events in gravitational-wave data relies on matched filtering techniques, which, in turn, depend on accurate model waveforms. Here we characterize the systematic biases introduced in measuring astrophysical parameters of binary black holes by applying the currently most accurate effective-one-body templates to simulated data containing non-spinning numerical-relativity waveforms. For advanced ground-based detectors, we find that the systematic biases are well within the statistical error for realistic signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). These biases grow to be comparable to the statistical errors at high signal-to-noise ratios for ground-based instruments (SNR approximately 50) but never dominate the error budget. At the much larger signal-to-noise ratios expected for space-based detectors, these biases will become large compared to the statistical errors but are small enough (at most a few percent in the black-hole masses) that we expect they should not affect broad astrophysical conclusions that may be drawn from the data.

  10. EMG Versus Torque Control of Human-Machine Systems: Equalizing Control Signal Variability Does not Equalize Error or Uncertainty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Reva E; Kording, Konrad P; Hargrove, Levi J; Sensinger, Jonathon W

    2017-06-01

    In this paper we asked the question: if we artificially raise the variability of torque control signals to match that of EMG, do subjects make similar errors and have similar uncertainty about their movements? We answered this question using two experiments in which subjects used three different control signals: torque, torque+noise, and EMG. First, we measured error on a simple target-hitting task in which subjects received visual feedback only at the end of their movements. We found that even when the signal-to-noise ratio was equal across EMG and torque+noise control signals, EMG resulted in larger errors. Second, we quantified uncertainty by measuring the just-noticeable difference of a visual perturbation. We found that for equal errors, EMG resulted in higher movement uncertainty than both torque and torque+noise. The differences suggest that performance and confidence are influenced by more than just the noisiness of the control signal, and suggest that other factors, such as the user's ability to incorporate feedback and develop accurate internal models, also have significant impacts on the performance and confidence of a person's actions. We theorize that users have difficulty distinguishing between random and systematic errors for EMG control, and future work should examine in more detail the types of errors made with EMG control.

  11. Residual rotational set-up errors after daily cone-beam CT image guided radiotherapy of locally advanced cervical cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laursen, Louise Vagner; Elstrøm, Ulrik Vindelev; Vestergaard, Anne; Muren, Ludvig P.; Petersen, Jørgen Baltzer; Lindegaard, Jacob Christian; Grau, Cai; Tanderup, Kari

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Due to the often quite extended treatment fields in cervical cancer radiotherapy, uncorrected rotational set-up errors result in a potential risk of target miss. This study reports on the residual rotational set-up error after using daily cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) to position cervical cancer patients for radiotherapy treatment. Methods and materials: Twenty-five patients with locally advanced cervical cancer had daily CBCT scans (650 CBCTs in total) prior to treatment delivery. We retrospectively analyzed the translational shifts made in the clinic prior to each treatment fraction as well as the residual rotational errors remaining after translational correction. Results: The CBCT-guided couch movement resulted in a mean translational 3D vector correction of 7.4 mm. Residual rotational error resulted in a target shift exceeding 5 mm in 57 of the 650 treatment fractions. Three patients alone accounted for 30 of these fractions. Nine patients had no shifts exceeding 5 mm and 13 patients had 5 or less treatment fractions with such shifts. Conclusion: Twenty-two of the 25 patients have none or few treatment fractions with target shifts larger than 5 mm due to residual rotational error. However, three patients display a significant number of shifts suggesting a more systematic set-up error.

  12. Lower vs. higher fluid volumes in sepsis-protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meyhoff, T S; Møller, M H; Hjortrup, P B

    2017-01-01

    sequential analysis of randomised clinical trials comparing different strategies to obtain separation in fluid volumes or balances during resuscitation of adult patients with sepsis. We will systematically search the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, BIOSIS and Epistemonikos...... for relevant literature. We will follow the recommendations by the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The risk of systematic errors (bias) and random errors will be assessed, and the overall quality of evidence will be evaluated...

  13. Three-dimensional laparoscopy vs 2-dimensional laparoscopy with high-definition technology for abdominal surgery: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fergo, Charlotte; Burcharth, Jakob; Pommergaard, Hans-Christian; Kildebro, Niels; Rosenberg, Jacob

    2017-01-01

    This systematic review investigates newer generation 3-dimensional (3D) laparoscopy vs 2-dimensional (2D) laparoscopy in terms of error rating, performance time, and subjective assessment as early comparisons have shown contradictory results due to technological shortcomings. This systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing newer generation 3D-laparoscopy with 2D-laparoscopy were included through searches in Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials database. Of 643 articles, 13 RCTs were included, of which 2 were clinical trials. Nine of 13 trials (69%) and 10 of 13 trials (77%) found a significant reduction in performance time and error, respectively, with the use of 3D-laparoscopy. Overall, 3D-laparoscopy was found to be superior or equal to 2D-laparoscopy. All trials featuring subjective evaluation found a superiority of 3D-laparoscopy. More clinical RCTs are still awaited for the convincing results to be reproduced. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Random measurement error: Why worry? An example of cardiovascular risk factors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timo B Brakenhoff

    Full Text Available With the increased use of data not originally recorded for research, such as routine care data (or 'big data', measurement error is bound to become an increasingly relevant problem in medical research. A common view among medical researchers on the influence of random measurement error (i.e. classical measurement error is that its presence leads to some degree of systematic underestimation of studied exposure-outcome relations (i.e. attenuation of the effect estimate. For the common situation where the analysis involves at least one exposure and one confounder, we demonstrate that the direction of effect of random measurement error on the estimated exposure-outcome relations can be difficult to anticipate. Using three example studies on cardiovascular risk factors, we illustrate that random measurement error in the exposure and/or confounder can lead to underestimation as well as overestimation of exposure-outcome relations. We therefore advise medical researchers to refrain from making claims about the direction of effect of measurement error in their manuscripts, unless the appropriate inferential tools are used to study or alleviate the impact of measurement error from the analysis.

  15. IPTV multicast with peer-assisted lossy error control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhi; Zhu, Xiaoqing; Begen, Ali C.; Girod, Bernd

    2010-07-01

    Emerging IPTV technology uses source-specific IP multicast to deliver television programs to end-users. To provide reliable IPTV services over the error-prone DSL access networks, a combination of multicast forward error correction (FEC) and unicast retransmissions is employed to mitigate the impulse noises in DSL links. In existing systems, the retransmission function is provided by the Retransmission Servers sitting at the edge of the core network. In this work, we propose an alternative distributed solution where the burden of packet loss repair is partially shifted to the peer IP set-top boxes. Through Peer-Assisted Repair (PAR) protocol, we demonstrate how the packet repairs can be delivered in a timely, reliable and decentralized manner using the combination of server-peer coordination and redundancy of repairs. We also show that this distributed protocol can be seamlessly integrated with an application-layer source-aware error protection mechanism called forward and retransmitted Systematic Lossy Error Protection (SLEP/SLEPr). Simulations show that this joint PARSLEP/ SLEPr framework not only effectively mitigates the bottleneck experienced by the Retransmission Servers, thus greatly enhancing the scalability of the system, but also efficiently improves the resistance to the impulse noise.

  16. Effects of systematic sampling on satellite estimates of deforestation rates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steininger, M K; Godoy, F; Harper, G

    2009-01-01

    Options for satellite monitoring of deforestation rates over large areas include the use of sampling. Sampling may reduce the cost of monitoring but is also a source of error in estimates of areas and rates. A common sampling approach is systematic sampling, in which sample units of a constant size are distributed in some regular manner, such as a grid. The proposed approach for the 2010 Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a systematic sample of 10 km wide squares at every 1 deg. intersection of latitude and longitude. We assessed the outcome of this and other systematic samples for estimating deforestation at national, sub-national and continental levels. The study is based on digital data on deforestation patterns for the five Amazonian countries outside Brazil plus the Brazilian Amazon. We tested these schemes by varying sample-unit size and frequency. We calculated two estimates of sampling error. First we calculated the standard errors, based on the size, variance and covariance of the samples, and from this calculated the 95% confidence intervals (CI). Second, we calculated the actual errors, based on the difference between the sample-based estimates and the estimates from the full-coverage maps. At the continental level, the 1 deg., 10 km scheme had a CI of 21% and an actual error of 8%. At the national level, this scheme had CIs of 126% for Ecuador and up to 67% for other countries. At this level, increasing sampling density to every 0.25 deg. produced a CI of 32% for Ecuador and CIs of up to 25% for other countries, with only Brazil having a CI of less than 10%. Actual errors were within the limits of the CIs in all but two of the 56 cases. Actual errors were half or less of the CIs in all but eight of these cases. These results indicate that the FRA 2010 should have CIs of smaller than or close to 10% at the continental level. However, systematic sampling at the national level yields large CIs unless the

  17. Thermal error analysis and compensation for digital image/volume correlation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Bing

    2018-02-01

    Digital image/volume correlation (DIC/DVC) rely on the digital images acquired by digital cameras and x-ray CT scanners to extract the motion and deformation of test samples. Regrettably, these imaging devices are unstable optical systems, whose imaging geometry may undergo unavoidable slight and continual changes due to self-heating effect or ambient temperature variations. Changes in imaging geometry lead to both shift and expansion in the recorded 2D or 3D images, and finally manifest as systematic displacement and strain errors in DIC/DVC measurements. Since measurement accuracy is always the most important requirement in various experimental mechanics applications, these thermal-induced errors (referred to as thermal errors) should be given serious consideration in order to achieve high accuracy, reproducible DIC/DVC measurements. In this work, theoretical analyses are first given to understand the origin of thermal errors. Then real experiments are conducted to quantify thermal errors. Three solutions are suggested to mitigate or correct thermal errors. Among these solutions, a reference sample compensation approach is highly recommended because of its easy implementation, high accuracy and in-situ error correction capability. Most of the work has appeared in our previously published papers, thus its originality is not claimed. Instead, this paper aims to give a comprehensive overview and more insights of our work on thermal error analysis and compensation for DIC/DVC measurements.

  18. Monte-Carlo error analysis in x-ray spectral deconvolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shirk, D.G.; Hoffman, N.M.

    1985-01-01

    The deconvolution of spectral information from sparse x-ray data is a widely encountered problem in data analysis. An often-neglected aspect of this problem is the propagation of random error in the deconvolution process. We have developed a Monte-Carlo approach that enables us to attach error bars to unfolded x-ray spectra. Our Monte-Carlo error analysis has been incorporated into two specific deconvolution techniques: the first is an iterative convergent weight method; the second is a singular-value-decomposition (SVD) method. These two methods were applied to an x-ray spectral deconvolution problem having m channels of observations with n points in energy space. When m is less than n, this problem has no unique solution. We discuss the systematics of nonunique solutions and energy-dependent error bars for both methods. The Monte-Carlo approach has a particular benefit in relation to the SVD method: It allows us to apply the constraint of spectral nonnegativity after the SVD deconvolution rather than before. Consequently, we can identify inconsistencies between different detector channels

  19. Errors generated with the use of rectangular collimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parks, E.T.

    1991-01-01

    This study was designed to determine whether various techniques for achieving rectangular collimation generate different numbers and types of errors and remakes and to determine whether operator skill level influences errors and remakes. Eighteen students exposed full-mouth series of radiographs on manikins with the use of six techniques. The students were grouped according to skill level. The radiographs were evaluated for errors and remakes resulting from errors in the following categories: cone cutting, vertical angulation, and film placement. Significant differences were found among the techniques in cone cutting errors and remakes, vertical angulation errors and remakes, and total errors and remakes. Operator skill did not appear to influence the number or types of errors or remakes generated. Rectangular collimation techniques produced more errors than did the round collimation techniques. However, only one rectangular collimation technique generated significantly more remakes than the other techniques

  20. Action errors, error management, and learning in organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frese, Michael; Keith, Nina

    2015-01-03

    Every organization is confronted with errors. Most errors are corrected easily, but some may lead to negative consequences. Organizations often focus on error prevention as a single strategy for dealing with errors. Our review suggests that error prevention needs to be supplemented by error management--an approach directed at effectively dealing with errors after they have occurred, with the goal of minimizing negative and maximizing positive error consequences (examples of the latter are learning and innovations). After defining errors and related concepts, we review research on error-related processes affected by error management (error detection, damage control). Empirical evidence on positive effects of error management in individuals and organizations is then discussed, along with emotional, motivational, cognitive, and behavioral pathways of these effects. Learning from errors is central, but like other positive consequences, learning occurs under certain circumstances--one being the development of a mind-set of acceptance of human error.

  1. Forecast errors in IEA-countries' energy consumption

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Linderoth, Hans

    2002-01-01

    Every year Policy of IEA Countries includes a forecast of the energy consumption in the member countries. Forecasts concerning the years 1985,1990 and 1995 can now be compared to actual values. The second oil crisis resulted in big positive forecast errors. The oil price drop in 1986 did not have...... the small value is often the sum of large positive and negative errors. Almost no significant correlation is found between forecast errors in the 3 years. Correspondingly, no significant correlation coefficient is found between forecasts errors in the 3 main energy sectors. Therefore, a relatively small...

  2. Evidence Report: Risk of Performance Errors Due to Training Deficiencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barshi, Immanuel; Dempsey, Donna L.

    2016-01-01

    Substantial evidence supports the claim that inadequate training leads to performance errors. Barshi and Loukopoulos (2012) demonstrate that even a task as carefully developed and refined over many years as operating an aircraft can be significantly improved by a systematic analysis, followed by improved procedures and improved training (see also Loukopoulos, Dismukes, & Barshi, 2009a). Unfortunately, such a systematic analysis of training needs rarely occurs during the preliminary design phase, when modifications are most feasible. Training is often seen as a way to compensate for deficiencies in task and system design, which in turn increases the training load. As a result, task performance often suffers, and with it, the operators suffer and so does the mission. On the other hand, effective training can indeed compensate for such design deficiencies, and can even go beyond to compensate for failures of our imagination to anticipate all that might be needed when we send our crew members to go where no one else has gone before. Much of the research literature on training is motivated by current training practices aimed at current training needs. Although there is some experience with operations in extreme environments on Earth, there is no experience with long-duration space missions where crews must practice semi-autonomous operations, where ground support must accommodate significant communication delays, and where so little is known about the environment. Thus, we must develop robust methodologies and tools to prepare our crews for the unknown. The research necessary to support such an endeavor does not currently exist, but existing research does reveal general challenges that are relevant to long-duration, high-autonomy missions. The evidence presented here describes issues related to the risk of performance errors due to training deficiencies. Contributing factors regarding training deficiencies may pertain to organizational process and training programs for

  3. Predicting areas of sustainable error growth in quasigeostrophic flows using perturbation alignment properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivière, G.; Hua, B. L.

    2004-10-01

    A new perturbation initialization method is used to quantify error growth due to inaccuracies of the forecast model initial conditions in a quasigeostrophic box ocean model describing a wind-driven double gyre circulation. This method is based on recent analytical results on Lagrangian alignment dynamics of the perturbation velocity vector in quasigeostrophic flows. More specifically, it consists in initializing a unique perturbation from the sole knowledge of the control flow properties at the initial time of the forecast and whose velocity vector orientation satisfies a Lagrangian equilibrium criterion. This Alignment-based Initialization method is hereafter denoted as the AI method.In terms of spatial distribution of the errors, we have compared favorably the AI error forecast with the mean error obtained with a Monte-Carlo ensemble prediction. It is shown that the AI forecast is on average as efficient as the error forecast initialized with the leading singular vector for the palenstrophy norm, and significantly more efficient than that for total energy and enstrophy norms. Furthermore, a more precise examination shows that the AI forecast is systematically relevant for all control flows whereas the palenstrophy singular vector forecast leads sometimes to very good scores and sometimes to very bad ones.A principal component analysis at the final time of the forecast shows that the AI mode spatial structure is comparable to that of the first eigenvector of the error covariance matrix for a "bred mode" ensemble. Furthermore, the kinetic energy of the AI mode grows at the same constant rate as that of the "bred modes" from the initial time to the final time of the forecast and is therefore characterized by a sustained phase of error growth. In this sense, the AI mode based on Lagrangian dynamics of the perturbation velocity orientation provides a rationale of the "bred mode" behavior.

  4. The impact of androgen deprivation therapy on setup errors during external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Onal, Cem; Dolek, Yemliha; Ozdemir, Yurday [Baskent University, Faculty of Medicine, Adana Dr. Turgut Noyan Research and Treatment Centre, Department of Radiation Oncology, Adana (Turkey)

    2017-06-15

    To determine whether setup errors during external beam radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer are influenced by the combination of androgen deprivation treatment (ADT) and RT. Data from 175 patients treated for prostate cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Treatment was as follows: concurrent ADT plus RT, 33 patients (19%); neoadjuvant and concurrent ADT plus RT, 91 patients (52%); RT only, 51 patients (29%). Required couch shifts without rotations were recorded for each megavoltage (MV) cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan, and corresponding alignment shifts were recorded as left-right (x), superior-inferior (y), and anterior-posterior (z). The nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used to compare shifts by group. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to measure the correlation of couch shifts between groups. Mean prostate shifts and standard deviations (SD) were calculated and pooled to obtain mean or group systematic error (M), SD of systematic error (Σ), and SD of random error (σ). No significant differences were observed in prostate shifts in any direction between the groups. Shifts on CBCT were all less than setup margins. A significant positive correlation was observed between prostate volume and the z-direction prostate shift (r = 0.19, p = 0.04), regardless of ADT group, but not between volume and x- or y-direction shifts (r = 0.04, p = 0.7; r = 0.03, p = 0.7). Random and systematic errors for all patient cohorts and ADT groups were similar. Hormone therapy given concurrently with RT was not found to significantly impact setup errors. Prostate volume was significantly correlated with shifts in the anterior-posterior direction only. (orig.) [German] Ziel war zu untersuchen, ob Konfigurationsfehler bei der externen Radiotherapie (RT) des Prostatakarzinoms durch die Kombination aus Androgendeprivationstherapie (ADT) und RT beeinflusst werden. Retrospektiv wurden die Daten von 175 wegen eines Prostatakarzinoms behandelten Patienten

  5. Learning (from) the errors of a systems biology model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engelhardt, Benjamin; Frőhlich, Holger; Kschischo, Maik

    2016-02-11

    Mathematical modelling is a labour intensive process involving several iterations of testing on real data and manual model modifications. In biology, the domain knowledge guiding model development is in many cases itself incomplete and uncertain. A major problem in this context is that biological systems are open. Missed or unknown external influences as well as erroneous interactions in the model could thus lead to severely misleading results. Here we introduce the dynamic elastic-net, a data driven mathematical method which automatically detects such model errors in ordinary differential equation (ODE) models. We demonstrate for real and simulated data, how the dynamic elastic-net approach can be used to automatically (i) reconstruct the error signal, (ii) identify the target variables of model error, and (iii) reconstruct the true system state even for incomplete or preliminary models. Our work provides a systematic computational method facilitating modelling of open biological systems under uncertain knowledge.

  6. A systematic review of patient medication error on self-administering medication at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mira, José Joaquín; Lorenzo, Susana; Guilabert, Mercedes; Navarro, Isabel; Pérez-Jover, Virtudes

    2015-06-01

    Medication errors have been analyzed as a health professionals' responsibility (due to mistakes in prescription, preparation or dispensing). However, sometimes, patients themselves (or their caregivers) make mistakes in the administration of the medication. The epidemiology of patient medication errors (PEs) has been scarcely reviewed in spite of its impact on people, on therapeutic effectiveness and on incremental cost for the health systems. This study reviews and describes the methodological approaches and results of published studies on the frequency, causes and consequences of medication errors committed by patients at home. A review of research articles published between 1990 and 2014 was carried out using MEDLINE, Web-of-Knowledge, Scopus, Tripdatabase and Index Medicus. The frequency of PE was situated between 19 and 59%. The elderly and the preschooler population constituted a higher number of mistakes than others. The most common were: incorrect dosage, forgetting, mixing up medications, failing to recall indications and taking out-of-date or inappropriately stored drugs. The majority of these mistakes have no negative consequences. Health literacy, information and communication and complexity of use of dispensing devices were identified as causes of PEs. Apps and other new technologies offer several opportunities for improving drug safety.

  7. CALIBRATION ERRORS IN THE CAVITY BEAM POSITION MONITOR SYSTEM AT THE ATF2

    CERN Document Server

    Cullinan, F; Joshi, N; Lyapin, A

    2011-01-01

    It has been shown at the Accelerator Test Facility at KEK, that it is possible to run a system of 37 cavity beam position monitors (BPMs) and achieve high working resolution. However, stability of the calibration constants (position scale and radio frequency (RF) phase) over a three/four week running period is yet to be demonstrated. During the calibration procedure, random beam jitter gives rise to a statistical error in the position scale and slow orbit drift in position and tilt causes systematic errors in both the position scale and RF phase. These errors are dominant and have been evaluated for each BPM. The results are compared with the errors expected after a tested method of beam jitter subtraction has been applied.

  8. Probabilistic performance estimators for computational chemistry methods: The empirical cumulative distribution function of absolute errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pernot, Pascal; Savin, Andreas

    2018-06-01

    Benchmarking studies in computational chemistry use reference datasets to assess the accuracy of a method through error statistics. The commonly used error statistics, such as the mean signed and mean unsigned errors, do not inform end-users on the expected amplitude of prediction errors attached to these methods. We show that, the distributions of model errors being neither normal nor zero-centered, these error statistics cannot be used to infer prediction error probabilities. To overcome this limitation, we advocate for the use of more informative statistics, based on the empirical cumulative distribution function of unsigned errors, namely, (1) the probability for a new calculation to have an absolute error below a chosen threshold and (2) the maximal amplitude of errors one can expect with a chosen high confidence level. Those statistics are also shown to be well suited for benchmarking and ranking studies. Moreover, the standard error on all benchmarking statistics depends on the size of the reference dataset. Systematic publication of these standard errors would be very helpful to assess the statistical reliability of benchmarking conclusions.

  9. Double checking medicines: defence against error or contributory factor?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armitage, Gerry

    2008-08-01

    The double checking of medicines in health care is a contestable procedure. It occupies an obvious position in health care practice and is understood to be an effective defence against medication error but the process is variable and the outcomes have not been exposed to testing. This paper presents an appraisal of the process using data from part of a larger study on the contributory factors in medication errors and their reporting. Previous research studies are reviewed; data are analysed from a review of 991 drug error reports and a subsequent series of 40 in-depth interviews with health professionals in an acute hospital in northern England. The incident reports showed that errors occurred despite double checking but that action taken did not appear to investigate the checking process. Most interview participants (34) talked extensively about double checking but believed the process to be inconsistent. Four key categories were apparent: deference to authority, reduction of responsibility, automatic processing and lack of time. Solutions to the problems were also offered, which are discussed with several recommendations. Double checking medicines should be a selective and systematic procedure informed by key principles and encompassing certain behaviours. Psychological research may be instructive in reducing checking errors but the aviation industry may also have a part to play in increasing error wisdom and reducing risk.

  10. Model parameter-related optimal perturbations and their contributions to El Niño prediction errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Ling-Jiang; Gao, Chuan; Zhang, Rong-Hua

    2018-04-01

    Errors in initial conditions and model parameters (MPs) are the main sources that limit the accuracy of ENSO predictions. In addition to exploring the initial error-induced prediction errors, model errors are equally important in determining prediction performance. In this paper, the MP-related optimal errors that can cause prominent error growth in ENSO predictions are investigated using an intermediate coupled model (ICM) and a conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation (CNOP) approach. Two MPs related to the Bjerknes feedback are considered in the CNOP analysis: one involves the SST-surface wind coupling ({α _τ } ), and the other involves the thermocline effect on the SST ({α _{Te}} ). The MP-related optimal perturbations (denoted as CNOP-P) are found uniformly positive and restrained in a small region: the {α _τ } component is mainly concentrated in the central equatorial Pacific, and the {α _{Te}} component is mainly located in the eastern cold tongue region. This kind of CNOP-P enhances the strength of the Bjerknes feedback and induces an El Niño- or La Niña-like error evolution, resulting in an El Niño-like systematic bias in this model. The CNOP-P is also found to play a role in the spring predictability barrier (SPB) for ENSO predictions. Evidently, such error growth is primarily attributed to MP errors in small areas based on the localized distribution of CNOP-P. Further sensitivity experiments firmly indicate that ENSO simulations are sensitive to the representation of SST-surface wind coupling in the central Pacific and to the thermocline effect in the eastern Pacific in the ICM. These results provide guidance and theoretical support for the future improvement in numerical models to reduce the systematic bias and SPB phenomenon in ENSO predictions.

  11. Errors prevention in manufacturing process through integration of Poka Yoke and TRIZ

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helmi, Syed Ahmad; Nordin, Nur Nashwa; Hisjam, Muhammad

    2017-11-01

    Integration of Poka Yoke and TRIZ is a method of solving problems by using a different approach. Poka Yoke is a trial and error method while TRIZ is using a systematic approach. The main purpose of this technique is to get rid of product defects by preventing or correcting errors as soon as possible. Blame the workers for their mistakes is not the best way, but the work process should be reviewed so that every workers behavior or movement may not cause errors. This study is to demonstrate the importance of using both of these methods in which everyone in the industry needs to improve quality, increase productivity and at the same time reducing production cost.

  12. Optics measurement algorithms and error analysis for the proton energy frontier

    CERN Document Server

    Langner, A

    2015-01-01

    Optics measurement algorithms have been improved in preparation for the commissioning of the LHC at higher energy, i.e., with an increased damage potential. Due to machine protection considerations the higher energy sets tighter limits in the maximum excitation amplitude and the total beam charge, reducing the signal to noise ratio of optics measurements. Furthermore the precision in 2012 (4 TeV) was insufficient to understand beam size measurements and determine interaction point (IP) β-functions (β). A new, more sophisticated algorithm has been developed which takes into account both the statistical and systematic errors involved in this measurement. This makes it possible to combine more beam position monitor measurements for deriving the optical parameters and demonstrates to significantly improve the accuracy and precision. Measurements from the 2012 run have been reanalyzed which, due to the improved algorithms, result in a significantly higher precision of the derived optical parameters and decreased...

  13. SYSTEMATIC UNCERTAINTIES IN BLACK HOLE MASSES DETERMINED FROM SINGLE-EPOCH SPECTRA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denney, Kelly D.; Peterson, Bradley M.; Dietrich, Matthias; Bentz, Misty C.; Vestergaard, Marianne

    2009-01-01

    We explore the nature of systematic errors that can arise in measurement of black hole masses from single-epoch (SE) spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by utilizing the many epochs available for NGC 5548 and PG1229+204 from reverberation mapping (RM) databases. In particular, we examine systematics due to AGN variability, contamination due to constant spectral components (i.e., narrow lines and host galaxy flux), data quality (i.e., signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)), and blending of spectral features. We investigate the effect that each of these systematics has on the precision and accuracy of SE masses calculated from two commonly used line width measures by comparing these results to recent RM studies. We calculate masses by characterizing the broad Hβ emission line by both the full width at half maximum and the line dispersion, and demonstrate the importance of removing narrow emission-line components and host starlight. We find that the reliability of line width measurements rapidly decreases for S/N lower than ∼ 10-20 (per pixel), and that fitting the line profiles instead of direct measurement of the data does not mitigate this problem but can, in fact, introduce systematic errors. We also conclude that a full spectral decomposition to deblend the AGN and galaxy spectral features is unnecessary, except to judge the contribution of the host galaxy to the luminosity and to deblend any emission lines that may inhibit accurate line width measurements. Finally, we present an error budget which summarizes the minimum observable uncertainties as well as the amount of additional scatter and/or systematic offset that can be expected from the individual sources of error investigated. In particular, we find that the minimum observable uncertainty in SE mass estimates due to variability is ∼ 20 pixel -1 ) spectra.

  14. The commission errors search and assessment (CESA) method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reer, B.; Dang, V. N

    2007-05-15

    Errors of Commission (EOCs) refer to the performance of inappropriate actions that aggravate a situation. In Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) terms, they are human failure events that result from the performance of an action. This report presents the Commission Errors Search and Assessment (CESA) method and describes the method in the form of user guidance. The purpose of the method is to identify risk-significant situations with a potential for EOCs in a predictive analysis. The main idea underlying the CESA method is to catalog the key actions that are required in the procedural response to plant events and to identify specific scenarios in which these candidate actions could erroneously appear to be required. The catalog of required actions provides a basis for a systematic search of context-action combinations. To focus the search towards risk-significant scenarios, the actions that are examined in the CESA search are prioritized according to the importance of the systems and functions that are affected by these actions. The existing PSA provides this importance information; the Risk Achievement Worth or Risk Increase Factor values indicate the systems/functions for which an EOC contribution would be more significant. In addition, the contexts, i.e. PSA scenarios, for which the EOC opportunities are reviewed are also prioritized according to their importance (top sequences or cut sets). The search through these context-action combinations results in a set of EOC situations to be examined in detail. CESA has been applied in a plant-specific pilot study, which showed the method to be feasible and effective in identifying plausible EOC opportunities. This experience, as well as the experience with other EOC analyses, showed that the quantification of EOCs remains an issue. The quantification difficulties and the outlook for their resolution conclude the report. (author)

  15. The commission errors search and assessment (CESA) method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reer, B.; Dang, V. N.

    2007-05-01

    Errors of Commission (EOCs) refer to the performance of inappropriate actions that aggravate a situation. In Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) terms, they are human failure events that result from the performance of an action. This report presents the Commission Errors Search and Assessment (CESA) method and describes the method in the form of user guidance. The purpose of the method is to identify risk-significant situations with a potential for EOCs in a predictive analysis. The main idea underlying the CESA method is to catalog the key actions that are required in the procedural response to plant events and to identify specific scenarios in which these candidate actions could erroneously appear to be required. The catalog of required actions provides a basis for a systematic search of context-action combinations. To focus the search towards risk-significant scenarios, the actions that are examined in the CESA search are prioritized according to the importance of the systems and functions that are affected by these actions. The existing PSA provides this importance information; the Risk Achievement Worth or Risk Increase Factor values indicate the systems/functions for which an EOC contribution would be more significant. In addition, the contexts, i.e. PSA scenarios, for which the EOC opportunities are reviewed are also prioritized according to their importance (top sequences or cut sets). The search through these context-action combinations results in a set of EOC situations to be examined in detail. CESA has been applied in a plant-specific pilot study, which showed the method to be feasible and effective in identifying plausible EOC opportunities. This experience, as well as the experience with other EOC analyses, showed that the quantification of EOCs remains an issue. The quantification difficulties and the outlook for their resolution conclude the report. (author)

  16. Impact of exposure measurement error in air pollution epidemiology: effect of error type in time-series studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldman, Gretchen T; Mulholland, James A; Russell, Armistead G; Strickland, Matthew J; Klein, Mitchel; Waller, Lance A; Tolbert, Paige E

    2011-06-22

    Two distinctly different types of measurement error are Berkson and classical. Impacts of measurement error in epidemiologic studies of ambient air pollution are expected to depend on error type. We characterize measurement error due to instrument imprecision and spatial variability as multiplicative (i.e. additive on the log scale) and model it over a range of error types to assess impacts on risk ratio estimates both on a per measurement unit basis and on a per interquartile range (IQR) basis in a time-series study in Atlanta. Daily measures of twelve ambient air pollutants were analyzed: NO2, NOx, O3, SO2, CO, PM10 mass, PM2.5 mass, and PM2.5 components sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, elemental carbon and organic carbon. Semivariogram analysis was applied to assess spatial variability. Error due to this spatial variability was added to a reference pollutant time-series on the log scale using Monte Carlo simulations. Each of these time-series was exponentiated and introduced to a Poisson generalized linear model of cardiovascular disease emergency department visits. Measurement error resulted in reduced statistical significance for the risk ratio estimates for all amounts (corresponding to different pollutants) and types of error. When modelled as classical-type error, risk ratios were attenuated, particularly for primary air pollutants, with average attenuation in risk ratios on a per unit of measurement basis ranging from 18% to 92% and on an IQR basis ranging from 18% to 86%. When modelled as Berkson-type error, risk ratios per unit of measurement were biased away from the null hypothesis by 2% to 31%, whereas risk ratios per IQR were attenuated (i.e. biased toward the null) by 5% to 34%. For CO modelled error amount, a range of error types were simulated and effects on risk ratio bias and significance were observed. For multiplicative error, both the amount and type of measurement error impact health effect estimates in air pollution epidemiology. By modelling

  17. Error sensitivity analysis in 10-30-day extended range forecasting by using a nonlinear cross-prediction error model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Zhiye; Xu, Lisheng; Chen, Hongbin; Wang, Yongqian; Liu, Jinbao; Feng, Wenlan

    2017-06-01

    Extended range forecasting of 10-30 days, which lies between medium-term and climate prediction in terms of timescale, plays a significant role in decision-making processes for the prevention and mitigation of disastrous meteorological events. The sensitivity of initial error, model parameter error, and random error in a nonlinear crossprediction error (NCPE) model, and their stability in the prediction validity period in 10-30-day extended range forecasting, are analyzed quantitatively. The associated sensitivity of precipitable water, temperature, and geopotential height during cases of heavy rain and hurricane is also discussed. The results are summarized as follows. First, the initial error and random error interact. When the ratio of random error to initial error is small (10-6-10-2), minor variation in random error cannot significantly change the dynamic features of a chaotic system, and therefore random error has minimal effect on the prediction. When the ratio is in the range of 10-1-2 (i.e., random error dominates), attention should be paid to the random error instead of only the initial error. When the ratio is around 10-2-10-1, both influences must be considered. Their mutual effects may bring considerable uncertainty to extended range forecasting, and de-noising is therefore necessary. Second, in terms of model parameter error, the embedding dimension m should be determined by the factual nonlinear time series. The dynamic features of a chaotic system cannot be depicted because of the incomplete structure of the attractor when m is small. When m is large, prediction indicators can vanish because of the scarcity of phase points in phase space. A method for overcoming the cut-off effect ( m > 4) is proposed. Third, for heavy rains, precipitable water is more sensitive to the prediction validity period than temperature or geopotential height; however, for hurricanes, geopotential height is most sensitive, followed by precipitable water.

  18. A Comprehensive Radial Velocity Error Budget for Next Generation Doppler Spectrometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halverson, Samuel; Ryan, Terrien; Mahadevan, Suvrath; Roy, Arpita; Bender, Chad; Stefansson, Guomundur Kari; Monson, Andrew; Levi, Eric; Hearty, Fred; Blake, Cullen; hide

    2016-01-01

    We describe a detailed radial velocity error budget for the NASA-NSF Extreme Precision Doppler Spectrometer instrument concept NEID (NN-explore Exoplanet Investigations with Doppler spectroscopy). Such an instrument performance budget is a necessity for both identifying the variety of noise sources currently limiting Doppler measurements, and estimating the achievable performance of next generation exoplanet hunting Doppler spectrometers. For these instruments, no single source of instrumental error is expected to set the overall measurement floor. Rather, the overall instrumental measurement precision is set by the contribution of many individual error sources. We use a combination of numerical simulations, educated estimates based on published materials, extrapolations of physical models, results from laboratory measurements of spectroscopic subsystems, and informed upper limits for a variety of error sources to identify likely sources of systematic error and construct our global instrument performance error budget. While natively focused on the performance of the NEID instrument, this modular performance budget is immediately adaptable to a number of current and future instruments. Such an approach is an important step in charting a path towards improving Doppler measurement precisions to the levels necessary for discovering Earth-like planets.

  19. On the errors in measurements of Ohio 5 radio sources in the light of the GB survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machalski, J.

    1975-01-01

    Positions and flux densities of 405 OSU 5 radio sources surveyed at 1415 MHz down to 0.18 f.u. (Brundage et al. 1971) have been examined in the light of data from the GB survey made at 1400 MHz (Maslowski 1972). An identification analysis has shown that about 56% of OSU sources reveal themselves as single, 18% - as confused, 20% - as unresolved and 6% - having no counterparts in the GB survey down to 0.09 f.u. - seem to be spurious. The single OSU sources are strongly affected by the underestimation of their flux densities due to base-line procedure in their vicinity. The average value of about 0.03 f.u. has been found for the systematic underestimation. The second systematic error is due to the presence of a significant number of confused sources with strong overestimation of their flux densities. The confusion effect gives a characteristic non-Gaussian tail in the difference distribution between observed and real flux densities. The confusion effect has a strong influence on source counts from the OSU 5 survey. Differential number-counts relatively to that from the GB survey shows that the counts agree between themselves within the statistical uncertainty up to about 0.40 f.u., which is approximately 4 delta (delta - average rms flux density error in the OSU 5 survey). Below 0.40 f.u. the number of sources missing due to the confusion effect is significantly greater than the number-overestimation due to the noise error. Thus, this part of the OSU 5 source counts cannot be treated seriously, even in the statistical sense. An analysis of the approximate reliability and completeness of the OSU 5 survey shows that, although the total reliability estimated by the authors of the survey is good, the completeness is significantly lower due to the underestimation of the confusion effect magnitude. In fact, the OSU 5 completeness is 67% at 0.18 f.u. and 79% at 0.25 f.u. (author)

  20. Identification and Assessment of Human Errors in Postgraduate Endodontic Students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences by Using the SHERPA Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saman Dastaran

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Human errors are the cause of many accidents, including industrial and medical, therefore finding out an approach for identifying and reducing them is very important. Since no study has been done about human errors in the dental field, this study aimed to identify and assess human errors in postgraduate endodontic students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences by using the SHERPA Method. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed during year 2014. Data was collected using task observation and interviewing postgraduate endodontic students. Overall, 10 critical tasks, which were most likely to cause harm to patients were determined. Next, Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA was conducted and human errors in each task were identified by the Systematic Human Error Reduction Prediction Approach (SHERPA technique worksheets. Results: After analyzing the SHERPA worksheets, 90 human errors were identified including (67.7% action errors, (13.3% checking errors, (8.8% selection errors, (5.5% retrieval errors and (4.4% communication errors. As a result, most of them were action errors and less of them were communication errors. Conclusions: The results of the study showed that the highest percentage of errors and the highest level of risk were associated with action errors, therefore, to reduce the occurrence of such errors and limit their consequences, control measures including periodical training of work procedures, providing work check-lists, development of guidelines and establishment of a systematic and standardized reporting system, should be put in place. Regarding the results of this study, the control of recovery errors with the highest percentage of undesirable risk and action errors with the highest frequency of errors should be in the priority of control

  1. Medication errors : the impact of prescribing and transcribing errors on preventable harm in hospitalised patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Doormaal, J.E.; van der Bemt, P.M.L.A.; Mol, P.G.M.; Egberts, A.C.G.; Haaijer-Ruskamp, F.M.; Kosterink, J.G.W.; Zaal, Rianne J.

    Background: Medication errors (MEs) affect patient safety to a significant extent. Because these errors can lead to preventable adverse drug events (pADEs), it is important to know what type of ME is the most prevalent cause of these pADEs. This study determined the impact of the various types of

  2. Human errors in NPP operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheng Jufang

    1993-01-01

    Based on the operational experiences of nuclear power plants (NPPs), the importance of studying human performance problems is described. Statistical analysis on the significance or frequency of various root-causes and error-modes from a large number of human-error-related events demonstrate that the defects in operation/maintenance procedures, working place factors, communication and training practices are primary root-causes, while omission, transposition, quantitative mistake are the most frequent among the error-modes. Recommendations about domestic research on human performance problem in NPPs are suggested

  3. An outline of the systematic-dialectical method: scientific and political significance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reuten, G.; Moseley, F.; Smith, T.

    2014-01-01

    The method of systematic-dialectics (SD) is reconstructed with a focus on what institutions and processes are necessary - rather than contingent - for the capitalist system. This allows for the detection of strengths and weaknesses in the actual structure of the system. Weaknesses should be

  4. Systematic Uncertainties in Black Hole Masses Determined from Single Epoch Spectra

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Denney, Kelly D.; Peterson, Bradley M.; Dietrich, Matthias

    2008-01-01

    We explore the nature of systematic errors that can arise in measurement of black hole masses from single-epoch spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) by utilizing the many epochs available for NGC 5548 and PG1229+204 from reverberation mapping databases. In particular, we examine systematics due...

  5. Limit of detection in the presence of instrumental and non-instrumental errors: study of the possible sources of error and application to the analysis of 41 elements at trace levels by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badocco, Denis; Lavagnini, Irma; Mondin, Andrea; Tapparo, Andrea; Pastore, Paolo

    2015-01-01

    In this paper the detection limit was estimated when signals were affected by two error contributions, namely instrumental errors and operational-non-instrumental errors. The detection limit was theoretically obtained following the hypothesis testing schema implemented with the calibration curve methodology. The experimental calibration design was based on J standards measured I times with non-instrumental errors affecting each standard systematically but randomly among the J levels. A two-component variance regression was performed to determine the calibration curve and to define the detection limit in these conditions. The detection limit values obtained from the calibration at trace levels of 41 elements by ICP-MS resulted larger than those obtainable from a one component variance regression. The role of the reagent impurities on the instrumental errors was ascertained and taken into account. Environmental pollution was studied as source of non-instrumental errors. The environmental pollution role was evaluated by Principal Component Analysis technique (PCA) applied to a series of nine calibrations performed in fourteen months. The influence of the seasonality of the environmental pollution on the detection limit was evidenced for many elements usually present in the urban air particulate. The obtained results clearly indicated the need of using the two-component variance regression approach for the calibration of all the elements usually present in the environment at significant concentration levels. - Highlights: • Limit of detection was obtained considering a two variance component regression. • Calibration data may be affected by instrumental and operational conditions errors. • Calibration model was applied to determine 41 elements at trace level by ICP-MS. • Non instrumental errors were evidenced by PCA analysis

  6. TU-G-BRD-08: In-Vivo EPID Dosimetry: Quantifying the Detectability of Four Classes of Errors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ford, E; Phillips, M; Bojechko, C [University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: EPID dosimetry is an emerging method for treatment verification and QA. Given that the in-vivo EPID technique is in clinical use at some centers, we investigate the sensitivity and specificity for detecting different classes of errors. We assess the impact of these errors using dose volume histogram endpoints. Though data exist for EPID dosimetry performed pre-treatment, this is the first study quantifying its effectiveness when used during patient treatment (in-vivo). Methods: We analyzed 17 patients; EPID images of the exit dose were acquired and used to reconstruct the planar dose at isocenter. This dose was compared to the TPS dose using a 3%/3mm gamma criteria. To simulate errors, modifications were made to treatment plans using four possible classes of error: 1) patient misalignment, 2) changes in patient body habitus, 3) machine output changes and 4) MLC misalignments. Each error was applied with varying magnitudes. To assess the detectability of the error, the area under a ROC curve (AUC) was analyzed. The AUC was compared to changes in D99 of the PTV introduced by the simulated error. Results: For systematic changes in the MLC leaves, changes in the machine output and patient habitus, the AUC varied from 0.78–0.97 scaling with the magnitude of the error. The optimal gamma threshold as determined by the ROC curve varied between 84–92%. There was little diagnostic power in detecting random MLC leaf errors and patient shifts (AUC 0.52–0.74). Some errors with weak detectability had large changes in D99. Conclusion: These data demonstrate the ability of EPID-based in-vivo dosimetry in detecting variations in patient habitus and errors related to machine parameters such as systematic MLC misalignments and machine output changes. There was no correlation found between the detectability of the error using the gamma pass rate, ROC analysis and the impact on the dose volume histogram. Funded by grant R18HS022244 from AHRQ.

  7. Seismic Station Installation Orientation Errors at ANSS and IRIS/USGS Stations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ringler, Adam T.; Hutt, Charles R.; Persfield, K.; Gee, Lind S.

    2013-01-01

    Many seismological studies depend on the published orientations of sensitive axes of seismic instruments relative to north (e.g., Li et al., 2011). For example, studies of the anisotropic structure of the Earth’s mantle through SKS‐splitting measurements (Long et al., 2009), constraints on core–mantle electromagnetic coupling from torsional normal‐mode measurements (Dumberry and Mound, 2008), and models of three‐dimensional (3D) velocity variations from surface waves (Ekström et al., 1997) rely on accurate sensor orientation. Unfortunately, numerous results indicate that this critical parameter is often subject to significant error (Laske, 1995; Laske and Masters, 1996; Yoshizawa et al., 1999; Schulte‐Pelkum et al., 2001; Larson and Ekström, 2002). For the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS; ANSS Technical Integration Committee, 2002), the Global Seismographic Network (GSN; Butler et al., 2004), and many other networks, sensor orientation is typically determined by a field engineer during installation. Successful emplacement of a seismic instrument requires identifying true north, transferring a reference line, and measuring the orientation of the instrument relative to the reference line. Such an exercise is simple in theory, but there are many complications in practice. There are four commonly used methods for determining true north at the ANSS and GSN stations operated by the USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory (ASL), including gyroscopic, astronomical, Global Positioning System (GPS), and magnetic field techniques. A particular method is selected based on site conditions (above ground, below ground, availability of astronomical observations, and so on) and in the case of gyroscopic methods, export restrictions. Once a north line has been determined, it must be translated to the sensor location. For installations in mines or deep vaults, this step can include tracking angles through the one or more turns in the access tunnel leading to

  8. Using total quality management approach to improve patient safety by preventing medication error incidences*.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousef, Nadin; Yousef, Farah

    2017-09-04

    Whereas one of the predominant causes of medication errors is a drug administration error, a previous study related to our investigations and reviews estimated that the incidences of medication errors constituted 6.7 out of 100 administrated medication doses. Therefore, we aimed by using six sigma approach to propose a way that reduces these errors to become less than 1 out of 100 administrated medication doses by improving healthcare professional education and clearer handwritten prescriptions. The study was held in a General Government Hospital. First, we systematically studied the current medication use process. Second, we used six sigma approach by utilizing the five-step DMAIC process (Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement, Control) to find out the real reasons behind such errors. This was to figure out a useful solution to avoid medication error incidences in daily healthcare professional practice. Data sheet was used in Data tool and Pareto diagrams were used in Analyzing tool. In our investigation, we reached out the real cause behind administrated medication errors. As Pareto diagrams used in our study showed that the fault percentage in administrated phase was 24.8%, while the percentage of errors related to prescribing phase was 42.8%, 1.7 folds. This means that the mistakes in prescribing phase, especially because of the poor handwritten prescriptions whose percentage in this phase was 17.6%, are responsible for the consequent) mistakes in this treatment process later on. Therefore, we proposed in this study an effective low cost strategy based on the behavior of healthcare workers as Guideline Recommendations to be followed by the physicians. This method can be a prior caution to decrease errors in prescribing phase which may lead to decrease the administrated medication error incidences to less than 1%. This improvement way of behavior can be efficient to improve hand written prescriptions and decrease the consequent errors related to administrated

  9. Volcanic ash modeling with the NMMB-MONARCH-ASH model: quantification of offline modeling errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marti, Alejandro; Folch, Arnau

    2018-03-01

    Volcanic ash modeling systems are used to simulate the atmospheric dispersion of volcanic ash and to generate forecasts that quantify the impacts from volcanic eruptions on infrastructures, air quality, aviation, and climate. The efficiency of response and mitigation actions is directly associated with the accuracy of the volcanic ash cloud detection and modeling systems. Operational forecasts build on offline coupled modeling systems in which meteorological variables are updated at the specified coupling intervals. Despite the concerns from other communities regarding the accuracy of this strategy, the quantification of the systematic errors and shortcomings associated with the offline modeling systems has received no attention. This paper employs the NMMB-MONARCH-ASH model to quantify these errors by employing different quantitative and categorical evaluation scores. The skills of the offline coupling strategy are compared against those from an online forecast considered to be the best estimate of the true outcome. Case studies are considered for a synthetic eruption with constant eruption source parameters and for two historical events, which suitably illustrate the severe aviation disruptive effects of European (2010 Eyjafjallajökull) and South American (2011 Cordón Caulle) volcanic eruptions. Evaluation scores indicate that systematic errors due to the offline modeling are of the same order of magnitude as those associated with the source term uncertainties. In particular, traditional offline forecasts employed in operational model setups can result in significant uncertainties, failing to reproduce, in the worst cases, up to 45-70 % of the ash cloud of an online forecast. These inconsistencies are anticipated to be even more relevant in scenarios in which the meteorological conditions change rapidly in time. The outcome of this paper encourages operational groups responsible for real-time advisories for aviation to consider employing computationally

  10. Total error shift patterns for daily CT on rails image-guided radiotherapy to the prostate bed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mota Helvecio C

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background To evaluate the daily total error shift patterns on post-prostatectomy patients undergoing image guided radiotherapy (IGRT with a diagnostic quality computer tomography (CT on rails system. Methods A total of 17 consecutive post-prostatectomy patients receiving adjuvant or salvage IMRT using CT-on-rails IGRT were analyzed. The prostate bed's daily total error shifts were evaluated for a total of 661 CT scans. Results In the right-left, cranial-caudal, and posterior-anterior directions, 11.5%, 9.2%, and 6.5% of the 661 scans required no position adjustments; 75.3%, 66.1%, and 56.8% required a shift of 1 - 5 mm; 11.5%, 20.9%, and 31.2% required a shift of 6 - 10 mm; and 1.7%, 3.8%, and 5.5% required a shift of more than 10 mm, respectively. There was evidence of correlation between the x and y, x and z, and y and z axes in 3, 3, and 3 of 17 patients, respectively. Univariate (ANOVA analysis showed that the total error pattern was random in the x, y, and z axis for 10, 5, and 2 of 17 patients, respectively, and systematic for the rest. Multivariate (MANOVA analysis showed that the (x,y, (x,z, (y,z, and (x, y, z total error pattern was random in 5, 1, 1, and 1 of 17 patients, respectively, and systematic for the rest. Conclusions The overall daily total error shift pattern for these 17 patients simulated with an empty bladder, and treated with CT on rails IGRT was predominantly systematic. Despite this, the temporal vector trends showed complex behaviors and unpredictable changes in magnitude and direction. These findings highlight the importance of using daily IGRT in post-prostatectomy patients.

  11. Optimizer convergence and local minima errors and their clinical importance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeraj, Robert; Wu, Chuan; Mackie, Thomas R

    2003-01-01

    Two of the errors common in the inverse treatment planning optimization have been investigated. The first error is the optimizer convergence error, which appears because of non-perfect convergence to the global or local solution, usually caused by a non-zero stopping criterion. The second error is the local minima error, which occurs when the objective function is not convex and/or the feasible solution space is not convex. The magnitude of the errors, their relative importance in comparison to other errors as well as their clinical significance in terms of tumour control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) were investigated. Two inherently different optimizers, a stochastic simulated annealing and deterministic gradient method were compared on a clinical example. It was found that for typical optimization the optimizer convergence errors are rather small, especially compared to other convergence errors, e.g., convergence errors due to inaccuracy of the current dose calculation algorithms. This indicates that stopping criteria could often be relaxed leading into optimization speed-ups. The local minima errors were also found to be relatively small and typically in the range of the dose calculation convergence errors. Even for the cases where significantly higher objective function scores were obtained the local minima errors were not significantly higher. Clinical evaluation of the optimizer convergence error showed good correlation between the convergence of the clinical TCP or NTCP measures and convergence of the physical dose distribution. On the other hand, the local minima errors resulted in significantly different TCP or NTCP values (up to a factor of 2) indicating clinical importance of the local minima produced by physical optimization

  12. Laboratory errors and patient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miligy, Dawlat A

    2015-01-01

    Laboratory data are extensively used in medical practice; consequently, laboratory errors have a tremendous impact on patient safety. Therefore, programs designed to identify and reduce laboratory errors, as well as, setting specific strategies are required to minimize these errors and improve patient safety. The purpose of this paper is to identify part of the commonly encountered laboratory errors throughout our practice in laboratory work, their hazards on patient health care and some measures and recommendations to minimize or to eliminate these errors. Recording the encountered laboratory errors during May 2008 and their statistical evaluation (using simple percent distribution) have been done in the department of laboratory of one of the private hospitals in Egypt. Errors have been classified according to the laboratory phases and according to their implication on patient health. Data obtained out of 1,600 testing procedure revealed that the total number of encountered errors is 14 tests (0.87 percent of total testing procedures). Most of the encountered errors lay in the pre- and post-analytic phases of testing cycle (representing 35.7 and 50 percent, respectively, of total errors). While the number of test errors encountered in the analytic phase represented only 14.3 percent of total errors. About 85.7 percent of total errors were of non-significant implication on patients health being detected before test reports have been submitted to the patients. On the other hand, the number of test errors that have been already submitted to patients and reach the physician represented 14.3 percent of total errors. Only 7.1 percent of the errors could have an impact on patient diagnosis. The findings of this study were concomitant with those published from the USA and other countries. This proves that laboratory problems are universal and need general standardization and bench marking measures. Original being the first data published from Arabic countries that

  13. Considering the role of time budgets on copy-error rates in material culture traditions: an experimental assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schillinger, Kerstin; Mesoudi, Alex; Lycett, Stephen J

    2014-01-01

    Ethnographic research highlights that there are constraints placed on the time available to produce cultural artefacts in differing circumstances. Given that copying error, or cultural 'mutation', can have important implications for the evolutionary processes involved in material culture change, it is essential to explore empirically how such 'time constraints' affect patterns of artefactual variation. Here, we report an experiment that systematically tests whether, and how, varying time constraints affect shape copying error rates. A total of 90 participants copied the shape of a 3D 'target handaxe form' using a standardized foam block and a plastic knife. Three distinct 'time conditions' were examined, whereupon participants had either 20, 15, or 10 minutes to complete the task. One aim of this study was to determine whether reducing production time produced a proportional increase in copy error rates across all conditions, or whether the concept of a task specific 'threshold' might be a more appropriate manner to model the effect of time budgets on copy-error rates. We found that mean levels of shape copying error increased when production time was reduced. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the 20 minute and 15 minute conditions. Significant differences were only obtained between conditions when production time was reduced to 10 minutes. Hence, our results more strongly support the hypothesis that the effects of time constraints on copying error are best modelled according to a 'threshold' effect, below which mutation rates increase more markedly. Our results also suggest that 'time budgets' available in the past will have generated varying patterns of shape variation, potentially affecting spatial and temporal trends seen in the archaeological record. Hence, 'time-budgeting' factors need to be given greater consideration in evolutionary models of material culture change.

  14. The role of errors in the measurements performed at the reprocessing plant head-end for material accountancy purposes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foggi, C.; Liebetrau, A.M.; Petraglia, E.

    1999-01-01

    One of the most common procedures used in determining the amount of nuclear material contained in solutions consists of first measuring the volume and the density of the solution, and then determining the concentrations of this material. This presentation will focus on errors generated at the process lime in the measurement of volume and density. These errors and their associated uncertainties can be grouped into distinct categories depending on their origin: those attributable to measuring instruments; those attributable to operational procedures; variability in measurement conditions; errors in the analysis and interpretation of results. Possible errors sources, their relative magnitudes, and an error propagation rationale are discussed, with emphasis placed on bases and errors of the last three types called systematic errors [ru

  15. A systematic approach to assessing measurement uncertainty for CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wagner, Claas; Esbensen, Kim

    2011-01-01

    An augmented measurement uncertainty approach for CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants with a focus on the often forgotten contributions from sampling errors occurring over the entire fuel-to-emission pathway is presented. Current methods for CO2 emission determination are evaluated in detail......, from which a general matrix scheme is developed that includes all factors and stages needed for total CO2 determination, which is applied to the monitoring plan of a representative medium-sized coal-fired power plant. In particular sampling involved significant potential errors, as identified...... of these three materials were also given full attention. A systematic error (bias) is present in the current sampling approach, which increases the present uncertainty estimate unnecessarily. For both primary sampling and analytical sample extraction steps, random variations, which hitherto only have been...

  16. High energy hadron-induced errors in memory chips

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peterson, R.J. [University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)

    2001-09-01

    We have measured probabilities for proton, neutron and pion beams from accelerators to induce temporary or soft errors in a wide range of modern 16 Mb and 64 Mb dRAM memory chips, typical of those used in aircraft electronics. Relations among the cross sections for these particles are deduced, and failure rates for aircraft avionics due to cosmic rays are evaluated. Measurement of alpha pha particle yields from pions on aluminum, as a surrogate for silicon, indicate that these reaction products are the proximate cause of the charge deposition resulting in errors. Heavy ions can cause damage to solar panels and other components in satellites above the atmosphere, by the heavy ionization trails they leave. However, at the earth's surface or at aircraft altitude it is known that cosmic rays, other than heavy ions, can cause soft errors in memory circuit components. Soft errors are those confusions between ones and zeroes that cause wrong contents to be stored in the memory, but without causing permanent damage to the circuit. As modern aircraft rely increasingly upon computerized and automated systems, these soft errors are important threats to safety. Protons, neutrons and pions resulting from high energy cosmic ray bombardment of the atmosphere pervade our environment. These particles do not induce damage directly by their ionization loss, but rather by reactions in the materials of the microcircuits. We have measured many cross sections for soft error upsets (SEU) in a broad range of commercial 16 Mb and 64 Mb dRAMs with accelerator beams. Here we define {sigma} SEU = induced errors/number of sample bits x particles/cm{sup 2}. We compare {sigma} SEU to find relations among results for these beams, and relations to reaction cross sections in order to systematize effects. We have modelled cosmic ray effects upon the components we have studied. (Author)

  17. High energy hadron-induced errors in memory chips

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterson, R.J.

    2001-01-01

    We have measured probabilities for proton, neutron and pion beams from accelerators to induce temporary or soft errors in a wide range of modern 16 Mb and 64 Mb dRAM memory chips, typical of those used in aircraft electronics. Relations among the cross sections for these particles are deduced, and failure rates for aircraft avionics due to cosmic rays are evaluated. Measurement of alpha pha particle yields from pions on aluminum, as a surrogate for silicon, indicate that these reaction products are the proximate cause of the charge deposition resulting in errors. Heavy ions can cause damage to solar panels and other components in satellites above the atmosphere, by the heavy ionization trails they leave. However, at the earth's surface or at aircraft altitude it is known that cosmic rays, other than heavy ions, can cause soft errors in memory circuit components. Soft errors are those confusions between ones and zeroes that cause wrong contents to be stored in the memory, but without causing permanent damage to the circuit. As modern aircraft rely increasingly upon computerized and automated systems, these soft errors are important threats to safety. Protons, neutrons and pions resulting from high energy cosmic ray bombardment of the atmosphere pervade our environment. These particles do not induce damage directly by their ionization loss, but rather by reactions in the materials of the microcircuits. We have measured many cross sections for soft error upsets (SEU) in a broad range of commercial 16 Mb and 64 Mb dRAMs with accelerator beams. Here we define σ SEU = induced errors/number of sample bits x particles/cm 2 . We compare σ SEU to find relations among results for these beams, and relations to reaction cross sections in order to systematize effects. We have modelled cosmic ray effects upon the components we have studied. (Author)

  18. Large errors and severe conditions

    CERN Document Server

    Smith, D L; Van Wormer, L A

    2002-01-01

    Physical parameters that can assume real-number values over a continuous range are generally represented by inherently positive random variables. However, if the uncertainties in these parameters are significant (large errors), conventional means of representing and manipulating the associated variables can lead to erroneous results. Instead, all analyses involving them must be conducted in a probabilistic framework. Several issues must be considered: First, non-linear functional relations between primary and derived variables may lead to significant 'error amplification' (severe conditions). Second, the commonly used normal (Gaussian) probability distribution must be replaced by a more appropriate function that avoids the occurrence of negative sampling results. Third, both primary random variables and those derived through well-defined functions must be dealt with entirely in terms of their probability distributions. Parameter 'values' and 'errors' should be interpreted as specific moments of these probabil...

  19. (How) do we learn from errors? A prospective study of the link between the ward's learning practices and medication administration errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drach-Zahavy, A; Somech, A; Admi, H; Peterfreund, I; Peker, H; Priente, O

    2014-03-01

    Attention in the ward should shift from preventing medication administration errors to managing them. Nevertheless, little is known in regard with the practices nursing wards apply to learn from medication administration errors as a means of limiting them. To test the effectiveness of four types of learning practices, namely, non-integrated, integrated, supervisory and patchy learning practices in limiting medication administration errors. Data were collected from a convenient sample of 4 hospitals in Israel by multiple methods (observations and self-report questionnaires) at two time points. The sample included 76 wards (360 nurses). Medication administration error was defined as any deviation from prescribed medication processes and measured by a validated structured observation sheet. Wards' use of medication administration technologies, location of the medication station, and workload were observed; learning practices and demographics were measured by validated questionnaires. Results of the mixed linear model analysis indicated that the use of technology and quiet location of the medication cabinet were significantly associated with reduced medication administration errors (estimate=.03, perrors (estimate=.04, plearning practices, supervisory learning was the only practice significantly linked to reduced medication administration errors (estimate=-.04, plearning were significantly linked to higher levels of medication administration errors (estimate=-.03, plearning was not associated with it (p>.05). How wards manage errors might have implications for medication administration errors beyond the effects of typical individual, organizational and technology risk factors. Head nurse can facilitate learning from errors by "management by walking around" and monitoring nurses' medication administration behaviors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Systematic comparative and sensitivity analyses of additive and outranking techniques for supporting impact significance assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cloquell-Ballester, Vicente-Agustin; Monterde-Diaz, Rafael; Cloquell-Ballester, Victor-Andres; Santamarina-Siurana, Maria-Cristina

    2007-01-01

    Assessing the significance of environmental impacts is one of the most important and all together difficult processes of Environmental Impact Assessment. This is largely due to the multicriteria nature of the problem. To date, decision techniques used in the process suffer from two drawbacks, namely the problem of compensation and the problem of identification of the 'exact boundary' between sub-ranges. This article discusses these issues and proposes a methodology for determining the significance of environmental impacts based on comparative and sensitivity analyses using the Electre TRI technique. An application of the methodology for the environmental assessment of a Power Plant project within the Valencian Region (Spain) is presented, and its performance evaluated. It is concluded that contrary to other techniques, Electre TRI automatically identifies those cases where allocation of significance categories is most difficult and, when combined with sensitivity analysis, offers greatest robustness in the face of variation in weights of the significance attributes. Likewise, this research demonstrates the efficacy of systematic comparison between Electre TRI and sum-based techniques, in the solution of assignment problems. The proposed methodology can therefore be regarded as a successful aid to the decision-maker, who will ultimately take the final decision

  1. Errors, error detection, error correction and hippocampal-region damage: data and theories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKay, Donald G; Johnson, Laura W

    2013-11-01

    This review and perspective article outlines 15 observational constraints on theories of errors, error detection, and error correction, and their relation to hippocampal-region (HR) damage. The core observations come from 10 studies with H.M., an amnesic with cerebellar and HR damage but virtually no neocortical damage. Three studies examined the detection of errors planted in visual scenes (e.g., a bird flying in a fish bowl in a school classroom) and sentences (e.g., I helped themselves to the birthday cake). In all three experiments, H.M. detected reliably fewer errors than carefully matched memory-normal controls. Other studies examined the detection and correction of self-produced errors, with controls for comprehension of the instructions, impaired visual acuity, temporal factors, motoric slowing, forgetting, excessive memory load, lack of motivation, and deficits in visual scanning or attention. In these studies, H.M. corrected reliably fewer errors than memory-normal and cerebellar controls, and his uncorrected errors in speech, object naming, and reading aloud exhibited two consistent features: omission and anomaly. For example, in sentence production tasks, H.M. omitted one or more words in uncorrected encoding errors that rendered his sentences anomalous (incoherent, incomplete, or ungrammatical) reliably more often than controls. Besides explaining these core findings, the theoretical principles discussed here explain H.M.'s retrograde amnesia for once familiar episodic and semantic information; his anterograde amnesia for novel information; his deficits in visual cognition, sentence comprehension, sentence production, sentence reading, and object naming; and effects of aging on his ability to read isolated low frequency words aloud. These theoretical principles also explain a wide range of other data on error detection and correction and generate new predictions for future test. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Error and uncertainty in scientific practice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boumans, M.; Hon, G.; Petersen, A.C.

    2014-01-01

    Assessment of error and uncertainty is a vital component of both natural and social science. Empirical research involves dealing with all kinds of errors and uncertainties, yet there is significant variance in how such results are dealt with. Contributors to this volume present case studies of

  3. Error-related potentials during continuous feedback: using EEG to detect errors of different type and severity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spüler, Martin; Niethammer, Christian

    2015-01-01

    When a person recognizes an error during a task, an error-related potential (ErrP) can be measured as response. It has been shown that ErrPs can be automatically detected in tasks with time-discrete feedback, which is widely applied in the field of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) for error correction or adaptation. However, there are only a few studies that concentrate on ErrPs during continuous feedback. With this study, we wanted to answer three different questions: (i) Can ErrPs be measured in electroencephalography (EEG) recordings during a task with continuous cursor control? (ii) Can ErrPs be classified using machine learning methods and is it possible to discriminate errors of different origins? (iii) Can we use EEG to detect the severity of an error? To answer these questions, we recorded EEG data from 10 subjects during a video game task and investigated two different types of error (execution error, due to inaccurate feedback; outcome error, due to not achieving the goal of an action). We analyzed the recorded data to show that during the same task, different kinds of error produce different ErrP waveforms and have a different spectral response. This allows us to detect and discriminate errors of different origin in an event-locked manner. By utilizing the error-related spectral response, we show that also a continuous, asynchronous detection of errors is possible. Although the detection of error severity based on EEG was one goal of this study, we did not find any significant influence of the severity on the EEG. PMID:25859204

  4. Error-related potentials during continuous feedback: using EEG to detect errors of different type and severity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin eSpüler

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available When a person recognizes an error during a task, an error-related potential (ErrP can be measured as response. It has been shown that ErrPs can be automatically detected in tasks with time-discrete feedback, which is widely applied in the field of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs for error correction or adaptation. However, there are only a few studies that concentrate on ErrPs during continuous feedback.With this study, we wanted to answer three different questions: (i Can ErrPs be measured in electroencephalography (EEG recordings during a task with continuous cursor control? (ii Can ErrPs be classified using machine learning methods and is it possible to discriminate errors of different origins? (iii Can we use EEG to detect the severity of an error? To answer these questions, we recorded EEG data from 10 subjects during a video game task and investigated two different types of error (execution error, due to inaccurate feedback; outcome error, due to not achieving the goal of an action. We analyzed the recorded data to show that during the same task, different kinds of error produce different ErrP waveforms and have a different spectral response. This allows us to detect and discriminate errors of different origin in an event-locked manner. By utilizing the error-related spectral response, we show that also a continuous, asynchronous detection of errors is possible.Although the detection of error severity based on EEG was one goal of this study, we did not find any significant influence of the severity on the EEG.

  5. Human error in remote Afterloading Brachytherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quinn, M.L.; Callan, J.; Schoenfeld, I.; Serig, D.

    1994-01-01

    Remote Afterloading Brachytherapy (RAB) is a medical process used in the treatment of cancer. RAB uses a computer-controlled device to remotely insert and remove radioactive sources close to a target (or tumor) in the body. Some RAB problems affecting the radiation dose to the patient have been reported and attributed to human error. To determine the root cause of human error in the RAB system, a human factors team visited 23 RAB treatment sites in the US. The team observed RAB treatment planning and delivery, interviewed RAB personnel, and performed walk-throughs, during which staff demonstrated the procedures and practices used in performing RAB tasks. Factors leading to human error in the RAB system were identified. The impact of those factors on the performance of RAB was then evaluated and prioritized in terms of safety significance. Finally, the project identified and evaluated alternative approaches for resolving the safety significant problems related to human error

  6. Study of systematic errors in the determination of total Hg levels in the range -5% in inorganic and organic matrices with two reliable spectrometrical determination procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaiser, G.; Goetz, D.; Toelg, G.; Max-Planck-Institut fuer Metallforschung, Stuttgart; Knapp, G.; Maichin, B.; Spitzy, H.

    1978-01-01

    In the determiniation of Hg at ng/g and pg/g levels systematic errors are due to faults in the analytical methods such as intake, preparation and decomposition of a sample. The sources of these errors have been studied both with 203 Hg-radiotracer techniques and two multi-stage procedures developed for the determiniation of trace levels. The emission spectrometrie (OES-MIP) procedure includes incineration of the sample in a microwave induced oxygen plasma (MIP), the isolation and enrichment on a gold absorbent and its excitation in an argon plasma (MIP). The emitted Hg-radiation (253,7 nm) is evaluated photometrically with a semiconductor element. The detection limit of the OES-MIP procedure was found to be 0,01 ng, the coefficient of variation 5% for 1 ng Hg. The second procedure combines a semi-automated wet digestion method (HCLO 3 /HNO 3 ) with a reduction-aeration (ascorbic acid/SnCl 2 ), and the flameless atomic absorption technique (253,7 nm). The detection limit of this procedure was found to be 0,5 ng, the coefficient of variation 5% for 5 ng Hg. (orig.) [de

  7. Dissociable genetic contributions to error processing: a multimodal neuroimaging study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yigal Agam

    Full Text Available Neuroimaging studies reliably identify two markers of error commission: the error-related negativity (ERN, an event-related potential, and functional MRI activation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC. While theorized to reflect the same neural process, recent evidence suggests that the ERN arises from the posterior cingulate cortex not the dACC. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these two error markers also have different genetic mediation.We measured both error markers in a sample of 92 comprised of healthy individuals and those with diagnoses of schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder or autism spectrum disorder. Participants performed the same task during functional MRI and simultaneously acquired magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography. We examined the mediation of the error markers by two single nucleotide polymorphisms: dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4 C-521T (rs1800955, which has been associated with the ERN and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR C677T (rs1801133, which has been associated with error-related dACC activation. We then compared the effects of each polymorphism on the two error markers modeled as a bivariate response.We replicated our previous report of a posterior cingulate source of the ERN in healthy participants in the schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder groups. The effect of genotype on error markers did not differ significantly by diagnostic group. DRD4 C-521T allele load had a significant linear effect on ERN amplitude, but not on dACC activation, and this difference was significant. MTHFR C677T allele load had a significant linear effect on dACC activation but not ERN amplitude, but the difference in effects on the two error markers was not significant.DRD4 C-521T, but not MTHFR C677T, had a significant differential effect on two canonical error markers. Together with the anatomical dissociation between the ERN and error-related dACC activation, these findings suggest that

  8. Errorful and errorless learning: The impact of cue-target constraint in learning from errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bridger, Emma K; Mecklinger, Axel

    2014-08-01

    The benefits of testing on learning are well described, and attention has recently turned to what happens when errors are elicited during learning: Is testing nonetheless beneficial, or can errors hinder learning? Whilst recent findings have indicated that tests boost learning even if errors are made on every trial, other reports, emphasizing the benefits of errorless learning, have indicated that errors lead to poorer later memory performance. The possibility that this discrepancy is a function of the materials that must be learned-in particular, the relationship between the cues and targets-was addressed here. Cued recall after either a study-only errorless condition or an errorful learning condition was contrasted across cue-target associations, for which the extent to which the target was constrained by the cue was either high or low. Experiment 1 showed that whereas errorful learning led to greater recall for low-constraint stimuli, it led to a significant decrease in recall for high-constraint stimuli. This interaction is thought to reflect the extent to which retrieval is constrained by the cue-target association, as well as by the presence of preexisting semantic associations. The advantage of errorful retrieval for low-constraint stimuli was replicated in Experiment 2, and the interaction with stimulus type was replicated in Experiment 3, even when guesses were randomly designated as being either correct or incorrect. This pattern provides support for inferences derived from reports in which participants made errors on all learning trials, whilst highlighting the impact of material characteristics on the benefits and disadvantages that accrue from errorful learning in episodic memory.

  9. Prognostic Significance of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Colorectal Liver Metastasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Haowen; Li, Bingmin; Zhang, Aiqun; Lu, Wenping; Xiang, Canhong; Dong, Jiahong

    2016-01-01

    Inflammation is deemed to play critical roles in tumor progression and metastasis, and an increased neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been reported to correlate with poor survivals in various malignancies. However, association between NLR elevation and survival outcome in patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of elevated NLR in CRLM. The meta-analysis was conducted in adherence to the MOOSE guidelines. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and the Chinese SinoMed were systematically searched to identify eligible studies from the initiation of the databases to May, 2016. Overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) were pooled by using hazard ratio (HR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Correlation between NLR values and clinicopathological features was synthesized by using odds ratio (OR) with corresponding 95% CI. A total of 1685 patients from 8 studies (9 cohorts) were analyzed, consisting 347 (20.59%) in high pretreatment NLR value group and 1338 (79.41%) in low pretreatment NLR value one. The results demonstrated that elevated pretreatment NLR was significantly related to poor OS (HR 2.17, 95% CI 1.82-2.58) and RFS (HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.64-2.35) in patients with CRLM. The result of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that an elevated pretreatment NLR was closely correlated with poor long-term survival (OS and RFS) in CRLM patients. NLR can be routinely monitored and serve as a useful and cost-effective marker with strong prognostic significance in patients with CRLM.

  10. Incorporation of systematic uncertainties in statistical decision rules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wichers, V.A.

    1994-02-01

    The influence of systematic uncertainties on statistical hypothesis testing is an underexposed subject. Systematic uncertainties cannot be incorporated in hypothesis tests, but they deteriorate the performance of these tests. A wrong treatment of systematic uncertainties in verification applications in safeguards leads to false assessment of the strength of the safeguards measure, and thus undermines the safeguards system. The effects of systematic uncertainties on decision errors in hypothesis testing are analyzed quantitatively for an example from the safeguards practice. (LEU-HEU verification of UF 6 enrichment in centrifuge enrichment plants). It is found that the only proper way to tackle systematic uncertainties is reduction to sufficiently low levels; criteria for these are proposed. Although conclusions were obtained from study of a single practical application, it is believed that they hold generally: for all sources of systematic uncertainties, all statistical decision rules, and all applications. (orig./HP)

  11. Systematic identification and robust control design for uncertain time delay processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huusom, Jakob Kjøbsted; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad; Jørgensen, Sten Bay

    2011-01-01

    A systematic procedure is proposed to handle the standard process control problem. The considered standard problem involves infrequent step disturbances to processes with large delays and measurement noise. The process is modeled as an ARX model and extended with a suitable noise model in order...... to reject unmeasured step disturbances and unavoidable model errors. This controller is illustrated to perform well for both set point tracking and a disturbance rejection for a SISO process example of a furnace which has a time delay which is significantly longer than the dominating time constant....

  12. LOWER BOUNDS ON PHOTOMETRIC REDSHIFT ERRORS FROM TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA TEMPLATES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asztalos, S.; Nikolaev, S.; De Vries, W.; Olivier, S.; Cook, K.; Wang, L.

    2010-01-01

    Cosmology with Type Ia supernova heretofore has required extensive spectroscopic follow-up to establish an accurate redshift. Though this resource-intensive approach is tolerable at the present discovery rate, the next generation of ground-based all-sky survey instruments will render it unsustainable. Photometry-based redshift determination may be a viable alternative, though the technique introduces non-negligible errors that ultimately degrade the ability to discriminate between competing cosmologies. We present a strictly template-based photometric redshift estimator and compute redshift reconstruction errors in the presence of statistical errors. Under highly degraded photometric conditions corresponding to a statistical error σ of 0.5, the residual redshift error is found to be 0.236 when assuming a nightly observing cadence and a single Large Synoptic Science Telescope (LSST) u-band filter. Utilizing all six LSST bandpass filters reduces the residual redshift error to 9.1 x 10 -3 . Assuming a more optimistic statistical error σ of 0.05, we derive residual redshift errors of 4.2 x 10 -4 , 5.2 x 10 -4 , 9.2 x 10 -4 , and 1.8 x 10 -3 for observations occuring nightly, every 5th, 20th and 45th night, respectively, in each of the six LSST bandpass filters. Adopting an observing cadence in which photometry is acquired with all six filters every 5th night and a realistic supernova distribution, binned redshift errors are combined with photometric errors with a σ of 0.17 and systematic errors with a σ∼ 0.003 to derive joint errors (σ w , σ w ' ) of (0.012, 0.066), respectively, in (w,w') with 68% confidence using Fisher matrix formalism. Though highly idealized in the present context, the methodology is nonetheless quite relevant for the next generation of ground-based all-sky surveys.

  13. Hardware-efficient bosonic quantum error-correcting codes based on symmetry operators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Murphy Yuezhen; Chuang, Isaac L.; Shapiro, Jeffrey H.

    2018-03-01

    We establish a symmetry-operator framework for designing quantum error-correcting (QEC) codes based on fundamental properties of the underlying system dynamics. Based on this framework, we propose three hardware-efficient bosonic QEC codes that are suitable for χ(2 )-interaction based quantum computation in multimode Fock bases: the χ(2 ) parity-check code, the χ(2 ) embedded error-correcting code, and the χ(2 ) binomial code. All of these QEC codes detect photon-loss or photon-gain errors by means of photon-number parity measurements, and then correct them via χ(2 ) Hamiltonian evolutions and linear-optics transformations. Our symmetry-operator framework provides a systematic procedure for finding QEC codes that are not stabilizer codes, and it enables convenient extension of a given encoding to higher-dimensional qudit bases. The χ(2 ) binomial code is of special interest because, with m ≤N identified from channel monitoring, it can correct m -photon-loss errors, or m -photon-gain errors, or (m -1 )th -order dephasing errors using logical qudits that are encoded in O (N ) photons. In comparison, other bosonic QEC codes require O (N2) photons to correct the same degree of bosonic errors. Such improved photon efficiency underscores the additional error-correction power that can be provided by channel monitoring. We develop quantum Hamming bounds for photon-loss errors in the code subspaces associated with the χ(2 ) parity-check code and the χ(2 ) embedded error-correcting code, and we prove that these codes saturate their respective bounds. Our χ(2 ) QEC codes exhibit hardware efficiency in that they address the principal error mechanisms and exploit the available physical interactions of the underlying hardware, thus reducing the physical resources required for implementing their encoding, decoding, and error-correction operations, and their universal encoded-basis gate sets.

  14. Distance error correction for time-of-flight cameras

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuersattel, Peter; Schaller, Christian; Maier, Andreas; Riess, Christian

    2017-06-01

    The measurement accuracy of time-of-flight cameras is limited due to properties of the scene and systematic errors. These errors can accumulate to multiple centimeters which may limit the applicability of these range sensors. In the past, different approaches have been proposed for improving the accuracy of these cameras. In this work, we propose a new method that improves two important aspects of the range calibration. First, we propose a new checkerboard which is augmented by a gray-level gradient. With this addition it becomes possible to capture the calibration features for intrinsic and distance calibration at the same time. The gradient strip allows to acquire a large amount of distance measurements for different surface reflectivities, which results in more meaningful training data. Second, we present multiple new features which are used as input to a random forest regressor. By using random regression forests, we circumvent the problem of finding an accurate model for the measurement error. During application, a correction value for each individual pixel is estimated with the trained forest based on a specifically tailored feature vector. With our approach the measurement error can be reduced by more than 40% for the Mesa SR4000 and by more than 30% for the Microsoft Kinect V2. In our evaluation we also investigate the impact of the individual forest parameters and illustrate the importance of the individual features.

  15. TH-B-BRC-01: How to Identify and Resolve Potential Clinical Errors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Das, I. [NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Radiation treatment consists of a chain of events influenced by the quality of machine operation, beam data commissioning, machine calibration, patient specific data, simulation, treatment planning, imaging and treatment delivery. There is always a chance that the clinical medical physicist may make or fail to detect an error in one of the events that may impact on the patient’s treatment. In the clinical scenario, errors may be systematic and, without peer review, may have a low detectability because they are not part of routine QA procedures. During treatment, there might be errors on machine that needs attention. External reviews of some of the treatment delivery components by independent reviewers, like IROC, can detect errors, but may not be timely. The goal of this session is to help junior clinical physicists identify potential errors as well as the approach of quality assurance to perform a root cause analysis to find and eliminate an error and to continually monitor for errors. A compilation of potential errors will be presented by examples of the thought process required to spot the error and determine the root cause. Examples may include unusual machine operation, erratic electrometer reading, consistent lower electron output, variation in photon output, body parts inadvertently left in beam, unusual treatment plan, poor normalization, hot spots etc. Awareness of the possibility and detection of error in any link of the treatment process chain will help improve the safe and accurate delivery of radiation to patients. Four experts will discuss how to identify errors in four areas of clinical treatment. D. Followill, NIH grant CA 180803.

  16. TH-B-BRC-01: How to Identify and Resolve Potential Clinical Errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, I.

    2016-01-01

    Radiation treatment consists of a chain of events influenced by the quality of machine operation, beam data commissioning, machine calibration, patient specific data, simulation, treatment planning, imaging and treatment delivery. There is always a chance that the clinical medical physicist may make or fail to detect an error in one of the events that may impact on the patient’s treatment. In the clinical scenario, errors may be systematic and, without peer review, may have a low detectability because they are not part of routine QA procedures. During treatment, there might be errors on machine that needs attention. External reviews of some of the treatment delivery components by independent reviewers, like IROC, can detect errors, but may not be timely. The goal of this session is to help junior clinical physicists identify potential errors as well as the approach of quality assurance to perform a root cause analysis to find and eliminate an error and to continually monitor for errors. A compilation of potential errors will be presented by examples of the thought process required to spot the error and determine the root cause. Examples may include unusual machine operation, erratic electrometer reading, consistent lower electron output, variation in photon output, body parts inadvertently left in beam, unusual treatment plan, poor normalization, hot spots etc. Awareness of the possibility and detection of error in any link of the treatment process chain will help improve the safe and accurate delivery of radiation to patients. Four experts will discuss how to identify errors in four areas of clinical treatment. D. Followill, NIH grant CA 180803

  17. Errors in the estimation method for the rejection of vibrations in adaptive optics systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kania, Dariusz

    2017-06-01

    In recent years the problem of the mechanical vibrations impact in adaptive optics (AO) systems has been renewed. These signals are damped sinusoidal signals and have deleterious effect on the system. One of software solutions to reject the vibrations is an adaptive method called AVC (Adaptive Vibration Cancellation) where the procedure has three steps: estimation of perturbation parameters, estimation of the frequency response of the plant, update the reference signal to reject/minimalize the vibration. In the first step a very important problem is the estimation method. A very accurate and fast (below 10 ms) estimation method of these three parameters has been presented in several publications in recent years. The method is based on using the spectrum interpolation and MSD time windows and it can be used to estimate multifrequency signals. In this paper the estimation method is used in the AVC method to increase the system performance. There are several parameters that affect the accuracy of obtained results, e.g. CiR - number of signal periods in a measurement window, N - number of samples in the FFT procedure, H - time window order, SNR, b - number of ADC bits, γ - damping ratio of the tested signal. Systematic errors increase when N, CiR, H decrease and when γ increases. The value for systematic error is approximately 10^-10 Hz/Hz for N = 2048 and CiR = 0.1. This paper presents equations that can used to estimate maximum systematic errors for given values of H, CiR and N before the start of the estimation process.

  18. SU-E-I-83: Error Analysis of Multi-Modality Image-Based Volumes of Rodent Solid Tumors Using a Preclinical Multi-Modality QA Phantom

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Y [University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, KS (United States); Fullerton, G; Goins, B [University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: In our previous study a preclinical multi-modality quality assurance (QA) phantom that contains five tumor-simulating test objects with 2, 4, 7, 10 and 14 mm diameters was developed for accurate tumor size measurement by researchers during cancer drug development and testing. This study analyzed the errors during tumor volume measurement from preclinical magnetic resonance (MR), micro-computed tomography (micro- CT) and ultrasound (US) images acquired in a rodent tumor model using the preclinical multi-modality QA phantom. Methods: Using preclinical 7-Tesla MR, US and micro-CT scanners, images were acquired of subcutaneous SCC4 tumor xenografts in nude rats (3–4 rats per group; 5 groups) along with the QA phantom using the same imaging protocols. After tumors were excised, in-air micro-CT imaging was performed to determine reference tumor volume. Volumes measured for the rat tumors and phantom test objects were calculated using formula V = (π/6)*a*b*c where a, b and c are the maximum diameters in three perpendicular dimensions determined by the three imaging modalities. Then linear regression analysis was performed to compare image-based tumor volumes with the reference tumor volume and known test object volume for the rats and the phantom respectively. Results: The slopes of regression lines for in-vivo tumor volumes measured by three imaging modalities were 1.021, 1.101 and 0.862 for MRI, micro-CT and US respectively. For phantom, the slopes were 0.9485, 0.9971 and 0.9734 for MRI, micro-CT and US respectively. Conclusion: For both animal and phantom studies, random and systematic errors were observed. Random errors were observer-dependent and systematic errors were mainly due to selected imaging protocols and/or measurement method. In the animal study, there were additional systematic errors attributed to ellipsoidal assumption for tumor shape. The systematic errors measured using the QA phantom need to be taken into account to reduce measurement

  19. Hadronization systematics and top mass reconstruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corcella Gennaro

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available I discuss a few issues related to the systematic error on the top mass mea- surement at hadron colliders, due to hadronization effects. Special care is taken about the impact of bottom-quark fragmentation in top decays, especially on the reconstruction relying on final states with leptons and J/Ψ in the dilepton channel. I also debate the relation between the measured mass and its theoretical definition, and report on work in progress, based on the Monte Carlo simulation of fictitious top-flavoured hadrons, which may shed light on this issue and on the hadronization systematics.

  20. Effects of waveform model systematics on the interpretation of GW150914

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T.; Addesso, P.; Adhikari, R. X.; Adya, V. B.; Affeldt, C.; Agathos, M.; Agatsuma, K.; Aggarwal, N.; Aguiar, O. D.; Aiello, L.; Ain, A.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allocca, A.; Altin, P. A.; Ananyeva, A.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G.; Appert, S.; Arai, K.; Araya, M. C.; Areeda, J. S.; Arnaud, N.; Arun, K. G.; Ascenzi, S.; Ashton, G.; Ast, M.; Aston, S. M.; Astone, P.; Aufmuth, P.; Aulbert, C.; Avila-Alvarez, A.; Babak, S.; Bacon, P.; Bader, M. K. M.; Baker, P. T.; Baldaccini, F.; Ballardin, G.; Ballmer, S. W.; Barayoga, J. C.; E Barclay, S.; Barish, B. C.; Barker, D.; Barone, F.; Barr, B.; Barsotti, L.; Barsuglia, M.; Barta, D.; Bartlett, J.; Bartos, I.; Bassiri, R.; Basti, A.; Batch, J. C.; Baune, C.; Bavigadda, V.; Bazzan, M.; Beer, C.; Bejger, M.; Belahcene, I.; Belgin, M.; Bell, A. S.; Berger, B. K.; Bergmann, G.; Berry, C. P. L.; Bersanetti, D.; Bertolini, A.; Betzwieser, J.; Bhagwat, S.; Bhandare, R.; Bilenko, I. A.; Billingsley, G.; Billman, C. R.; Birch, J.; Birney, R.; Birnholtz, O.; Biscans, S.; Bisht, A.; Bitossi, M.; Biwer, C.; Bizouard, M. A.; Blackburn, J. K.; Blackman, J.; Blair, C. D.; Blair, D. G.; Blair, R. M.; Bloemen, S.; Bock, O.; Boer, M.; Bogaert, G.; Bohe, A.; Bondu, F.; Bonnand, R.; Boom, B. A.; Bork, R.; Boschi, V.; Bose, S.; Bouffanais, Y.; Bozzi, A.; Bradaschia, C.; Brady, P. R.; Braginsky, V. B.; Branchesi, M.; E Brau, J.; Briant, T.; Brillet, A.; Brinkmann, M.; Brisson, V.; Brockill, P.; E Broida, J.; Brooks, A. F.; Brown, D. A.; Brown, D. D.; Brown, N. M.; Brunett, S.; Buchanan, C. C.; Buikema, A.; Bulik, T.; Bulten, H. J.; Buonanno, A.; Buskulic, D.; Buy, C.; Byer, R. L.; Cabero, M.; Cadonati, L.; Cagnoli, G.; Cahillane, C.; Calderón Bustillo, J.; Callister, T. A.; Calloni, E.; Camp, J. B.; Cannon, K. C.; Cao, H.; Cao, J.; Capano, C. D.; Capocasa, E.; Carbognani, F.; Caride, S.; Casanueva Diaz, J.; Casentini, C.; Caudill, S.; Cavaglià, M.; Cavalier, F.; Cavalieri, R.; Cella, G.; Cepeda, C. B.; Cerboni Baiardi, L.; Cerretani, G.; Cesarini, E.; Chamberlin, S. J.; Chan, M.; Chao, S.; Charlton, P.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Cheeseboro, B. D.; Chen, H. Y.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H.-P.; Chincarini, A.; Chiummo, A.; Chmiel, T.; Cho, H. S.; Cho, M.; Chow, J. H.; Christensen, N.; Chu, Q.; Chua, A. J. K.; Chua, S.; Chung, S.; Ciani, G.; Clara, F.; Clark, J. A.; Cleva, F.; Cocchieri, C.; Coccia, E.; Cohadon, P.-F.; Colla, A.; Collette, C. G.; Cominsky, L.; Constancio, M., Jr.; Conti, L.; Cooper, S. J.; Corbitt, T. R.; Cornish, N.; Corsi, A.; Cortese, S.; Costa, C. A.; Coughlin, M. W.; Coughlin, S. B.; Coulon, J.-P.; Countryman, S. T.; Couvares, P.; Covas, P. B.; E Cowan, E.; Coward, D. M.; Cowart, M. J.; Coyne, D. C.; Coyne, R.; E Creighton, J. D.; Creighton, T. D.; Cripe, J.; Crowder, S. G.; Cullen, T. J.; Cumming, A.; Cunningham, L.; Cuoco, E.; Dal Canton, T.; Danilishin, S. L.; D'Antonio, S.; Danzmann, K.; Dasgupta, A.; Da Silva Costa, C. F.; Dattilo, V.; Dave, I.; Davier, M.; Davies, G. S.; Davis, D.; Daw, E. J.; Day, B.; Day, R.; De, S.; DeBra, D.; Debreczeni, G.; Degallaix, J.; De Laurentis, M.; Deléglise, S.; Del Pozzo, W.; Denker, T.; Dent, T.; Dergachev, V.; De Rosa, R.; DeRosa, R. T.; DeSalvo, R.; Devenson, J.; Devine, R. C.; Dhurandhar, S.; Díaz, M. C.; Di Fiore, L.; Di Giovanni, M.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Lieto, A.; Di Pace, S.; Di Palma, I.; Di Virgilio, A.; Doctor, Z.; Dolique, V.; Donovan, F.; Dooley, K. L.; Doravari, S.; Dorrington, I.; Douglas, R.; Dovale Álvarez, M.; Downes, T. P.; Drago, M.; Drever, R. W. P.; Driggers, J. C.; Du, Z.; Ducrot, M.; E Dwyer, S.; Edo, T. B.; Edwards, M. C.; Effler, A.; Eggenstein, H.-B.; Ehrens, P.; Eichholz, J.; Eikenberry, S. S.; Eisenstein, R. A.; Essick, R. C.; Etienne, Z.; Etzel, T.; Evans, M.; Evans, T. M.; Everett, R.; Factourovich, M.; Fafone, V.; Fair, H.; Fairhurst, S.; Fan, X.; Farinon, S.; Farr, B.; Farr, W. M.; Fauchon-Jones, E. J.; Favata, M.; Fays, M.; Fehrmann, H.; Fejer, M. M.; Fernández Galiana, A.; Ferrante, I.; Ferreira, E. C.; Ferrini, F.; Fidecaro, F.; Fiori, I.; Fiorucci, D.; Fisher, R. P.; Flaminio, R.; Fletcher, M.; Fong, H.; Forsyth, S. S.; Fournier, J.-D.; Frasca, S.; Frasconi, F.; Frei, Z.; Freise, A.; Frey, R.; Frey, V.; Fries, E. M.; Fritschel, P.; Frolov, V. V.; Fulda, P.; Fyffe, M.; Gabbard, H.; Gadre, B. U.; Gaebel, S. M.; Gair, J. R.; Gammaitoni, L.; Gaonkar, S. G.; Garufi, F.; Gaur, G.; Gayathri, V.; Gehrels, N.; Gemme, G.; Genin, E.; Gennai, A.; George, J.; Gergely, L.; Germain, V.; Ghonge, S.; Ghosh, Abhirup; Ghosh, Archisman; Ghosh, S.; Giaime, J. A.; Giardina, K. D.; Giazotto, A.; Gill, K.; Glaefke, A.; Goetz, E.; Goetz, R.; Gondan, L.; González, G.; Gonzalez Castro, J. M.; Gopakumar, A.; Gorodetsky, M. L.; E Gossan, S.; Gosselin, M.; Gouaty, R.; Grado, A.; Graef, C.; Granata, M.; Grant, A.; Gras, S.; Gray, C.; Greco, G.; Green, A. C.; Groot, P.; Grote, H.; Grunewald, S.; Guidi, G. M.; Guo, X.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, M. K.; E Gushwa, K.; Gustafson, E. K.; Gustafson, R.; Hacker, J. J.; Hall, B. R.; Hall, E. D.; Hammond, G.; Haney, M.; Hanke, M. M.; Hanks, J.; Hanna, C.; Hannam, M. D.; Hanson, J.; Hardwick, T.; Harms, J.; Harry, G. M.; Harry, I. W.; Hart, M. J.; Hartman, M. T.; Haster, C.-J.; Haughian, K.; Healy, J.; Heidmann, A.; Heintze, M. C.; Heitmann, H.; Hello, P.; Hemming, G.; Hendry, M.; Heng, I. S.; Hennig, J.; Henry, J.; Heptonstall, A. W.; Heurs, M.; Hild, S.; Hoak, D.; Hofman, D.; Holt, K.; E Holz, D.; Hopkins, P.; Hough, J.; Houston, E. A.; Howell, E. J.; Hu, Y. M.; Huerta, E. A.; Huet, D.; Hughey, B.; Husa, S.; Huttner, S. H.; Huynh-Dinh, T.; Indik, N.; Ingram, D. R.; Inta, R.; Isa, H. N.; Isac, J.-M.; Isi, M.; Isogai, T.; Iyer, B. R.; Izumi, K.; Jacqmin, T.; Jani, K.; Jaranowski, P.; Jawahar, S.; Jiménez-Forteza, F.; Johnson, W. W.; Jones, D. I.; Jones, R.; Jonker, R. J. G.; Ju, L.; Junker, J.; Kalaghatgi, C. V.; Kalogera, V.; Kandhasamy, S.; Kang, G.; Kanner, J. B.; Karki, S.; Karvinen, K. S.; Kasprzack, M.; Katsavounidis, E.; Katzman, W.; Kaufer, S.; Kaur, T.; Kawabe, K.; Kéfélian, F.; Keitel, D.; Kelley, D. B.; Kennedy, R.; Key, J. S.; Khalili, F. Y.; Khan, I.; Khan, S.; Khan, Z.; Khazanov, E. A.; Kijbunchoo, N.; Kim, Chunglee; Kim, J. C.; Kim, Whansun; Kim, W.; Kim, Y.-M.; Kimbrell, S. J.; King, E. J.; King, P. J.; Kirchhoff, R.; Kissel, J. S.; Klein, B.; Kleybolte, L.; Klimenko, S.; Koch, P.; Koehlenbeck, S. M.; Koley, S.; Kondrashov, V.; Kontos, A.; Korobko, M.; Korth, W. Z.; Kowalska, I.; Kozak, D. B.; Krämer, C.; Kringel, V.; Krishnan, B.; Królak, A.; Kuehn, G.; Kumar, P.; Kumar, R.; Kuo, L.; Kutynia, A.; Lackey, B. D.; Landry, M.; Lang, R. N.; Lange, J.; Lantz, B.; Lanza, R. K.; Lartaux-Vollard, A.; Lasky, P. D.; Laxen, M.; Lazzarini, A.; Lazzaro, C.; Leaci, P.; Leavey, S.; Lebigot, E. O.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, H. K.; Lee, H. M.; Lee, K.; Lehmann, J.; Lenon, A.; Leonardi, M.; Leong, J. R.; Leroy, N.; Letendre, N.; Levin, Y.; Li, T. G. F.; Libson, A.; Littenberg, T. B.; Liu, J.; Lockerbie, N. A.; Lombardi, A. L.; London, L. T.; E Lord, J.; Lorenzini, M.; Loriette, V.; Lormand, M.; Losurdo, G.; Lough, J. D.; Lovelace, G.; Lück, H.; Lundgren, A. P.; Lynch, R.; Ma, Y.; Macfoy, S.; Machenschalk, B.; MacInnis, M.; Macleod, D. M.; Magaña-Sandoval, F.; Majorana, E.; Maksimovic, I.; Malvezzi, V.; Man, N.; Mandic, V.; Mangano, V.; Mansell, G. L.; Manske, M.; Mantovani, M.; Marchesoni, F.; Marion, F.; Márka, S.; Márka, Z.; Markosyan, A. S.; Maros, E.; Martelli, F.; Martellini, L.; Martin, I. W.; Martynov, D. V.; Mason, K.; Masserot, A.; Massinger, T. J.; Masso-Reid, M.; Mastrogiovanni, S.; Matichard, F.; Matone, L.; Mavalvala, N.; Mazumder, N.; McCarthy, R.; E McClelland, D.; McCormick, S.; McGrath, C.; McGuire, S. C.; McIntyre, G.; McIver, J.; McManus, D. J.; McRae, T.; McWilliams, S. T.; Meacher, D.; Meadors, G. D.; Meidam, J.; Melatos, A.; Mendell, G.; Mendoza-Gandara, D.; Mercer, R. A.; Merilh, E. L.; Merzougui, M.; Meshkov, S.; Messenger, C.; Messick, C.; Metzdorff, R.; Meyers, P. M.; Mezzani, F.; Miao, H.; Michel, C.; Middleton, H.; E Mikhailov, E.; Milano, L.; Miller, A. L.; Miller, A.; Miller, B. B.; Miller, J.; Millhouse, M.; Minenkov, Y.; Ming, J.; Mirshekari, S.; Mishra, C.; Mitra, S.; Mitrofanov, V. P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Mittleman, R.; Moggi, A.; Mohan, M.; Mohapatra, S. R. P.; Montani, M.; Moore, B. C.; Moore, C. J.; Moraru, D.; Moreno, G.; Morriss, S. R.; Mours, B.; Mow-Lowry, C. M.; Mueller, G.; Muir, A. W.; Mukherjee, Arunava; Mukherjee, D.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukund, N.; Mullavey, A.; Munch, J.; Muniz, E. A. M.; Murray, P. G.; Mytidis, A.; Napier, K.; Nardecchia, I.; Naticchioni, L.; Nelemans, G.; Nelson, T. J. N.; Neri, M.; Nery, M.; Neunzert, A.; Newport, J. M.; Newton, G.; Nguyen, T. T.; Nielsen, A. B.; Nissanke, S.; Nitz, A.; Noack, A.; Nocera, F.; Nolting, D.; Normandin, M. E. N.; Nuttall, L. K.; Oberling, J.; Ochsner, E.; Oelker, E.; Ogin, G. H.; Oh, J. J.; Oh, S. H.; Ohme, F.; Oliver, M.; Oppermann, P.; Oram, Richard J.; O'Reilly, B.; O'Shaughnessy, R.; Ottaway, D. J.; Overmier, H.; Owen, B. J.; E Pace, A.; Page, J.; Pai, A.; Pai, S. A.; Palamos, J. R.; Palashov, O.; Palomba, C.; Pal-Singh, A.; Pan, H.; Pankow, C.; Pannarale, F.; Pant, B. C.; Paoletti, F.; Paoli, A.; Papa, M. A.; Paris, H. R.; Parker, W.; Pascucci, D.; Pasqualetti, A.; Passaquieti, R.; Passuello, D.; Patricelli, B.; Pearlstone, B. L.; Pedraza, M.; Pedurand, R.; Pekowsky, L.; Pele, A.; Penn, S.; Perez, C. J.; Perreca, A.; Perri, L. M.; Pfeiffer, H. P.; Phelps, M.; Piccinni, O. J.; Pichot, M.; Piergiovanni, F.; Pierro, V.; Pillant, G.; Pinard, L.; Pinto, I. M.; Pitkin, M.; Poe, M.; Poggiani, R.; Popolizio, P.; Post, A.; Powell, J.; Prasad, J.; Pratt, J. W. W.; Predoi, V.; Prestegard, T.; Prijatelj, M.; Principe, M.; Privitera, S.; Prodi, G. A.; Prokhorov, L. G.; Puncken, O.; Punturo, M.; Puppo, P.; Pürrer, M.; Qi, H.; Qin, J.; Qiu, S.; Quetschke, V.; Quintero, E. A.; Quitzow-James, R.; Raab, F. J.; Rabeling, D. S.; Radkins, H.; Raffai, P.; Raja, S.; Rajan, C.; Rakhmanov, M.; Rapagnani, P.; Raymond, V.; Razzano, M.; Re, V.; Read, J.; Regimbau, T.; Rei, L.; Reid, S.; Reitze, D. H.; Rew, H.; Reyes, S. D.; Rhoades, E.; Ricci, F.; Riles, K.; Rizzo, M.; Robertson, N. A.; Robie, R.; Robinet, F.; Rocchi, A.; Rolland, L.; Rollins, J. G.; Roma, V. J.; Romano, J. D.; Romano, R.; Romie, J. H.; Rosińska, D.; Rowan, S.; Rüdiger, A.; Ruggi, P.; Ryan, K.; Sachdev, S.; Sadecki, T.; Sadeghian, L.; Sakellariadou, M.; Salconi, L.; Saleem, M.; Salemi, F.; Samajdar, A.; Sammut, L.; Sampson, L. M.; Sanchez, E. J.; Sandberg, V.; Sanders, J. R.; Sassolas, B.; Sathyaprakash, B. S.; Saulson, P. R.; Sauter, O.; Savage, R. L.; Sawadsky, A.; Schale, P.; Scheuer, J.; Schmidt, E.; Schmidt, J.; Schmidt, P.; Schnabel, R.; Schofield, R. M. S.; Schönbeck, A.; Schreiber, E.; Schuette, D.; Schutz, B. F.; Schwalbe, S. G.; Scott, J.; Scott, S. M.; Sellers, D.; Sengupta, A. S.; Sentenac, D.; Sequino, V.; Sergeev, A.; Setyawati, Y.; Shaddock, D. A.; Shaffer, T. J.; Shahriar, M. S.; Shapiro, B.; Shawhan, P.; Sheperd, A.; Shoemaker, D. H.; Shoemaker, D. M.; Siellez, K.; Siemens, X.; Sieniawska, M.; Sigg, D.; Silva, A. D.; Singer, A.; Singer, L. P.; Singh, A.; Singh, R.; Singhal, A.; Sintes, A. M.; Slagmolen, B. J. J.; Smith, B.; Smith, J. R.; E Smith, R. J.; Son, E. J.; Sorazu, B.; Sorrentino, F.; Souradeep, T.; Spencer, A. P.; Srivastava, A. K.; Staley, A.; Steinke, M.; Steinlechner, J.; Steinlechner, S.; Steinmeyer, D.; Stephens, B. C.; Stevenson, S. P.; Stone, R.; Strain, K. A.; Straniero, N.; Stratta, G.; E Strigin, S.; Sturani, R.; Stuver, A. L.; Summerscales, T. Z.; Sun, L.; Sunil, S.; Sutton, P. J.; Swinkels, B. L.; Szczepańczyk, M. J.; Tacca, M.; Talukder, D.; Tanner, D. B.; Tápai, M.; Taracchini, A.; Taylor, R.; Theeg, T.; Thomas, E. G.; Thomas, M.; Thomas, P.; Thorne, K. A.; Thrane, E.; Tippens, T.; Tiwari, S.; Tiwari, V.; Tokmakov, K. V.; Toland, K.; Tomlinson, C.; Tonelli, M.; Tornasi, Z.; Torrie, C. I.; Töyrä, D.; Travasso, F.; Traylor, G.; Trifirò, D.; Trinastic, J.; Tringali, M. C.; Trozzo, L.; Tse, M.; Tso, R.; Turconi, M.; Tuyenbayev, D.; Ugolini, D.; Unnikrishnan, C. S.; Urban, A. L.; Usman, S. A.; Vahlbruch, H.; Vajente, G.; Valdes, G.; van Bakel, N.; van Beuzekom, M.; van den Brand, J. F. J.; Van Den Broeck, C.; Vander-Hyde, D. C.; van der Schaaf, L.; van Heijningen, J. V.; van Veggel, A. A.; Vardaro, M.; Varma, V.; Vass, S.; Vasúth, M.; Vecchio, A.; Vedovato, G.; Veitch, J.; Veitch, P. J.; Venkateswara, K.; Venugopalan, G.; Verkindt, D.; Vetrano, F.; Viceré, A.; Viets, A. D.; Vinciguerra, S.; Vine, D. J.; Vinet, J.-Y.; Vitale, S.; Vo, T.; Vocca, H.; Vorvick, C.; Voss, D. V.; Vousden, W. D.; Vyatchanin, S. P.; Wade, A. R.; E Wade, L.; Wade, M.; Walker, M.; Wallace, L.; Walsh, S.; Wang, G.; Wang, H.; Wang, M.; Wang, Y.; Ward, R. L.; Warner, J.; Was, M.; Watchi, J.; Weaver, B.; Wei, L.-W.; Weinert, M.; Weinstein, A. J.; Weiss, R.; Wen, L.; Weßels, P.; Westphal, T.; Wette, K.; Whelan, J. T.; Whiting, B. F.; Whittle, C.; Williams, D.; Williams, R. D.; Williamson, A. R.; Willis, J. L.; Willke, B.; Wimmer, M. H.; Winkler, W.; Wipf, C. C.; Wittel, H.; Woan, G.; Woehler, J.; Worden, J.; Wright, J. L.; Wu, D. S.; Wu, G.; Yam, W.; Yamamoto, H.; Yancey, C. C.; Yap, M. J.; Yu, Hang; Yu, Haocun; Yvert, M.; Zadrożny, A.; Zangrando, L.; Zanolin, M.; Zendri, J.-P.; Zevin, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, Y.; Zhao, C.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, Z.; Zhu, S. J.; Zhu, X. J.; E Zucker, M.; Zweizig, J.; LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Virgo Collaboration; Boyle, M.; Chu, T.; Hemberger, D.; Hinder, I.; E Kidder, L.; Ossokine, S.; Scheel, M.; Szilagyi, B.; Teukolsky, S.; Vano Vinuales, A.

    2017-05-01

    Parameter estimates of GW150914 were obtained using Bayesian inference, based on three semi-analytic waveform models for binary black hole coalescences. These waveform models differ from each other in their treatment of black hole spins, and all three models make some simplifying assumptions, notably to neglect sub-dominant waveform harmonic modes and orbital eccentricity. Furthermore, while the models are calibrated to agree with waveforms obtained by full numerical solutions of Einstein’s equations, any such calibration is accurate only to some non-zero tolerance and is limited by the accuracy of the underlying phenomenology, availability, quality, and parameter-space coverage of numerical simulations. This paper complements the original analyses of GW150914 with an investigation of the effects of possible systematic errors in the waveform models on estimates of its source parameters. To test for systematic errors we repeat the original Bayesian analysis on mock signals from numerical simulations of a series of binary configurations with parameters similar to those found for GW150914. Overall, we find no evidence for a systematic bias relative to the statistical error of the original parameter recovery of GW150914 due to modeling approximations or modeling inaccuracies. However, parameter biases are found to occur for some configurations disfavored by the data of GW150914: for binaries inclined edge-on to the detector over a small range of choices of polarization angles, and also for eccentricities greater than  ˜0.05. For signals with higher signal-to-noise ratio than GW150914, or in other regions of the binary parameter space (lower masses, larger mass ratios, or higher spins), we expect that systematic errors in current waveform models may impact gravitational-wave measurements, making more accurate models desirable for future observations.

  1. Error and objectivity: cognitive illusions and qualitative research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paley, John

    2005-07-01

    Psychological research has shown that cognitive illusions, of which visual illusions are just a special case, are systematic and pervasive, raising epistemological questions about how error in all forms of research can be identified and eliminated. The quantitative sciences make use of statistical techniques for this purpose, but it is not clear what the qualitative equivalent is, particularly in view of widespread scepticism about validity and objectivity. I argue that, in the light of cognitive psychology, the 'error question' cannot be dismissed as a positivist obsession, and that the concepts of truth and objectivity are unavoidable. However, they constitute only a 'minimal realism', which does not necessarily bring a commitment to 'absolute' truth, certainty, correspondence, causation, reductionism, or universal laws in its wake. The assumption that it does reflects a misreading of positivism and, ironically, precipitates a 'crisis of legitimation and representation', as described by constructivist authors.

  2. Density-functional errors in ionization potential with increasing system size

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Whittleton, Sarah R.; Sosa Vazquez, Xochitl A.; Isborn, Christine M., E-mail: cisborn@ucmerced.edu [Chemistry and Chemical Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343 (United States); Johnson, Erin R., E-mail: erin.johnson@dal.ca [Chemistry and Chemical Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, California 95343 (United States); Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, 6274 Coburg Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2 (Canada)

    2015-05-14

    This work investigates the effects of molecular size on the accuracy of density-functional ionization potentials for a set of 28 hydrocarbons, including series of alkanes, alkenes, and oligoacenes. As the system size increases, delocalization error introduces a systematic underestimation of the ionization potential, which is rationalized by considering the fractional-charge behavior of the electronic energies. The computation of the ionization potential with many density-functional approximations is not size-extensive due to excessive delocalization of the incipient positive charge. While inclusion of exact exchange reduces the observed errors, system-specific tuning of long-range corrected functionals does not generally improve accuracy. These results emphasize that good performance of a functional for small molecules is not necessarily transferable to larger systems.

  3. Medication errors: prescribing faults and prescription errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velo, Giampaolo P; Minuz, Pietro

    2009-06-01

    1. Medication errors are common in general practice and in hospitals. Both errors in the act of writing (prescription errors) and prescribing faults due to erroneous medical decisions can result in harm to patients. 2. Any step in the prescribing process can generate errors. Slips, lapses, or mistakes are sources of errors, as in unintended omissions in the transcription of drugs. Faults in dose selection, omitted transcription, and poor handwriting are common. 3. Inadequate knowledge or competence and incomplete information about clinical characteristics and previous treatment of individual patients can result in prescribing faults, including the use of potentially inappropriate medications. 4. An unsafe working environment, complex or undefined procedures, and inadequate communication among health-care personnel, particularly between doctors and nurses, have been identified as important underlying factors that contribute to prescription errors and prescribing faults. 5. Active interventions aimed at reducing prescription errors and prescribing faults are strongly recommended. These should be focused on the education and training of prescribers and the use of on-line aids. The complexity of the prescribing procedure should be reduced by introducing automated systems or uniform prescribing charts, in order to avoid transcription and omission errors. Feedback control systems and immediate review of prescriptions, which can be performed with the assistance of a hospital pharmacist, are also helpful. Audits should be performed periodically.

  4. Pocket book {sup E}xpectations of operating personnel action and card criteria, previous meeting and precursor of error; Libro de bolsillo expectativas de actuacion del personal de operacion y tarjeta criterios reunion previa y precursores de error

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodrigo Gonzalez, M.

    2012-07-01

    We have developed a pocket manual of performance expectations of operating personnel. Additionally, it has created a card pocket systematizing the application of previous meetings (pre-job) depending on the existence of error precursors and following the commission of an error. This manual serves to communicate expectations and performance expected to the Operation Staff. The results show a positive change in a short period of time working practices, both in training (simulator) and control room.

  5. The Curious Anomaly of Skewed Judgment Distributions and Systematic Error in the Wisdom of Crowds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nash, Ulrik William

    2014-01-01

    about true values, when neurons categorize cues better than chance, and when the particular true value is extreme compared to what is typical and anchored upon, then populations of judges form skewed judgment distributions with high probability. Moreover, the collective error made by these people can...... positively with collective error, thereby challenging what is commonly believed about how diversity and collective intelligence relate. Data from 3053 judgment surveys about US macroeconomic variables obtained from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the Wall Street Journal provide strong support...

  6. Markov chain beam randomization: a study of the impact of PLANCK beam measurement errors on cosmological parameter estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rocha, G.; Pagano, L.; Górski, K. M.; Huffenberger, K. M.; Lawrence, C. R.; Lange, A. E.

    2010-04-01

    We introduce a new method to propagate uncertainties in the beam shapes used to measure the cosmic microwave background to cosmological parameters determined from those measurements. The method, called markov chain beam randomization (MCBR), randomly samples from a set of templates or functions that describe the beam uncertainties. The method is much faster than direct numerical integration over systematic “nuisance” parameters, and is not restricted to simple, idealized cases as is analytic marginalization. It does not assume the data are normally distributed, and does not require Gaussian priors on the specific systematic uncertainties. We show that MCBR properly accounts for and provides the marginalized errors of the parameters. The method can be generalized and used to propagate any systematic uncertainties for which a set of templates is available. We apply the method to the Planck satellite, and consider future experiments. Beam measurement errors should have a small effect on cosmological parameters as long as the beam fitting is performed after removal of 1/f noise.

  7. SNP discovery in nonmodel organisms: strand bias and base-substitution errors reduce conversion rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves da Silva, Anders; Barendse, William; Kijas, James W; Barris, Wes C; McWilliam, Sean; Bunch, Rowan J; McCullough, Russell; Harrison, Blair; Hoelzel, A Rus; England, Phillip R

    2015-07-01

    Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have become the marker of choice for genetic studies in organisms of conservation, commercial or biological interest. Most SNP discovery projects in nonmodel organisms apply a strategy for identifying putative SNPs based on filtering rules that account for random sequencing errors. Here, we analyse data used to develop 4723 novel SNPs for the commercially important deep-sea fish, orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), to assess the impact of not accounting for systematic sequencing errors when filtering identified polymorphisms when discovering SNPs. We used SAMtools to identify polymorphisms in a velvet assembly of genomic DNA sequence data from seven individuals. The resulting set of polymorphisms were filtered to minimize 'bycatch'-polymorphisms caused by sequencing or assembly error. An Illumina Infinium SNP chip was used to genotype a final set of 7714 polymorphisms across 1734 individuals. Five predictors were examined for their effect on the probability of obtaining an assayable SNP: depth of coverage, number of reads that support a variant, polymorphism type (e.g. A/C), strand-bias and Illumina SNP probe design score. Our results indicate that filtering out systematic sequencing errors could substantially improve the efficiency of SNP discovery. We show that BLASTX can be used as an efficient tool to identify single-copy genomic regions in the absence of a reference genome. The results have implications for research aiming to identify assayable SNPs and build SNP genotyping assays for nonmodel organisms. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Structural damage detection robust against time synchronization errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Guirong; Dyke, Shirley J

    2010-01-01

    Structural damage detection based on wireless sensor networks can be affected significantly by time synchronization errors among sensors. Precise time synchronization of sensor nodes has been viewed as crucial for addressing this issue. However, precise time synchronization over a long period of time is often impractical in large wireless sensor networks due to two inherent challenges. First, time synchronization needs to be performed periodically, requiring frequent wireless communication among sensors at significant energy cost. Second, significant time synchronization errors may result from node failures which are likely to occur during long-term deployment over civil infrastructures. In this paper, a damage detection approach is proposed that is robust against time synchronization errors in wireless sensor networks. The paper first examines the ways in which time synchronization errors distort identified mode shapes, and then proposes a strategy for reducing distortion in the identified mode shapes. Modified values for these identified mode shapes are then used in conjunction with flexibility-based damage detection methods to localize damage. This alternative approach relaxes the need for frequent sensor synchronization and can tolerate significant time synchronization errors caused by node failures. The proposed approach is successfully demonstrated through numerical simulations and experimental tests in a lab

  9. Evaluation of Stability of Complexes of Inner Transition Metal Ions with 2-Oxo-1-pyrrolidine Acetamide and Role of Systematic Errors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sangita Sharma

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available BEST FIT models were used to study the complexation of inner transition metal ions like Y(III, La(III, Ce(III, Pr(III, Nd(III, Sm(III, Gd(III, Dy(III and Th(IV with 2-oxo-1-pyrrolidine acetamide at 30 °C in 10%, 20, 30, 40, 50% and 60% v/v dioxane-water mixture at 0.2 M ionic strength. Irving Rossotti titration method was used to get titration data. Calculations were carried out with PKAS and BEST Fortran IV computer programs. The expected species like L, LH+, ML, ML2 and ML(OH3, were obtained with SPEPLOT. Stability of complexes has increased with increasing the dioxane content. The observed change in stability can be explained on the basis of electrostatic effects, non electrostatic effects, solvating power of solvent mixture, interaction between ions and interaction of ions with solvents. Effect of systematic errors like effect of dissolved carbon dioxide, concentration of alkali, concentration of acid, concentration of ligand and concentration of metal have also been explained here.

  10. Automatic error compensation in dc amplifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Longden, L.L.

    1976-01-01

    When operational amplifiers are exposed to high levels of neutron fluence or total ionizing dose, significant changes may be observed in input voltages and currents. These changes may produce large errors at the output of direct-coupled amplifier stages. Therefore, the need exists for automatic compensation techniques. However, previously introduced techniques compensate only for errors in the main amplifier and neglect the errors induced by the compensating circuitry. In this paper, the techniques introduced compensate not only for errors in the main operational amplifier, but also for errors induced by the compensation circuitry. Included in the paper is a theoretical analysis of each compensation technique, along with advantages and disadvantages of each. Important design criteria and information necessary for proper selection of semiconductor switches will also be included. Introduced in this paper will be compensation circuitry for both resistive and capacitive feedback networks

  11. Resolution and systematic limitations in beam based alignment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tenenbaum, P.G.

    2000-03-15

    Beam based alignment of quadrupoles by variation of quadrupole strength is a widely-used technique in accelerators today. The authors describe the dominant systematic limitation of this technique, which arises from the change in the center position of the quadrupole as the strength is varied, and derive expressions for the resulting error. In addition, the authors derive an expression for the statistical resolution of such techniques in a periodic transport line, given knowledge of the line's transport matrices, the resolution of the beam position monitor system, and the details of the strength variation procedure. These results are applied to the Next Linear Collider main linear accelerator, an 11 kilometer accelerator containing 750 quadrupoles and 5,000 accelerator structures. The authors find that in principle a statistical resolution of 1 micron is easily achievable but the systematic error due to variation of the magnetic centers could be several times larger.

  12. The error analysis of field size variation in pelvis region by using immobilization device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ki Hwan; Kang, No Hyun; Kim, Dong Wuk; Kim, Jun Sang; Jang, Ji Young; Kim, Jae Sung; Kim, Yong Eun; Cho, Moon June

    2000-01-01

    In radiotherapy, it may happen to radiate surrounding normal tissue because of inconsistent field size by changing patient position during treatment. We are going to analyze errors reduced by using immobilization device with Electronic Portal Imaging Device(EPID) in this study. We had treated the twenty-one patients in pelvic region with 10 MV X-ray from Aug. 1998 to Aug. 1999 at chungnam National University Hospital. All patients were treated at supine position during treatment. They were separated to two groups, 11 patients without device and 10 patients with immobilization device. We used styrofoam for immobilization device and measured the error of anterior direction for x, y axis and lateral direction for z, y axis from simulation film to EPID image using matching technique. For no immobilization device group, the mean deviation values of x axis and y axis are 0.19 mm. 0.48 mm, respectively and the standard deviations of systematic deviation are 2.38 mm, 2.19 mm, respectively and of random deviation for x axis and y axis are 1.92 mm. 1.29 mm, respectively. The mean deviation values of z axis and y axis are -3.61 mm. 2.07 mm, respectively and the standard deviations of systematic deviation are 3.20 mm, 2.29 mm, respectively and of random deviation for z axis and y axis are 2.73 mm. 1.62 mm, respectively. For immobilization device group, the mean deviation values of x axis and y axis are 0.71 mm. -1.07 mm, respectively and the standard deviations of systematic deviation are 1.80 mm, 2.26 mm, respectively and the standard deviations of systematic deviation are 1.80 mm, 2.26 mm, respectively of random deviation for x axis and y axis are 1.56 mm. 1.27 mm, respectively. The mean deviation values of z axis and y axis are -1.76 mm. 1.08 mm, respectively and the standard deviations of systematic deviation are 1.87 mm, 2.83 mm, respectively and of random deviation for x axis and y axis are 1.68 mm, 1.65 mm, respectively. Because of reducing random and systematic error

  13. Measurements of stem diameter: implications for individual- and stand-level errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Keryn I; Larmour, John S; Roxburgh, Stephen H; England, Jacqueline R; Davies, Micah J; Luck, Hamish D

    2017-08-01

    Stem diameter is one of the most common measurements made to assess the growth of woody vegetation, and the commercial and environmental benefits that it provides (e.g. wood or biomass products, carbon sequestration, landscape remediation). Yet inconsistency in its measurement is a continuing source of error in estimates of stand-scale measures such as basal area, biomass, and volume. Here we assessed errors in stem diameter measurement through repeated measurements of individual trees and shrubs of varying size and form (i.e. single- and multi-stemmed) across a range of contrasting stands, from complex mixed-species plantings to commercial single-species plantations. We compared a standard diameter tape with a Stepped Diameter Gauge (SDG) for time efficiency and measurement error. Measurement errors in diameter were slightly (but significantly) influenced by size and form of the tree or shrub, and stem height at which the measurement was made. Compared to standard tape measurement, the mean systematic error with SDG measurement was only -0.17 cm, but varied between -0.10 and -0.52 cm. Similarly, random error was relatively large, with standard deviations (and percentage coefficients of variation) averaging only 0.36 cm (and 3.8%), but varying between 0.14 and 0.61 cm (and 1.9 and 7.1%). However, at the stand scale, sampling errors (i.e. how well individual trees or shrubs selected for measurement of diameter represented the true stand population in terms of the average and distribution of diameter) generally had at least a tenfold greater influence on random errors in basal area estimates than errors in diameter measurements. This supports the use of diameter measurement tools that have high efficiency, such as the SDG. Use of the SDG almost halved the time required for measurements compared to the diameter tape. Based on these findings, recommendations include the following: (i) use of a tape to maximise accuracy when developing allometric models, or when

  14. Comparison of orthogonal kilovolt X-ray images and cone-beam CT matching results in setup error assessment and correction for EB-PBI during free breathing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Wei; Li Jianbin; Hu Hongguang; Ma Zhifang; Xu Min; Fan Tingyong; Shao Qian; Ding Yun

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To compare the differences in setup error (SE) assessment and correction between the orthogonal kilovolt X-ray images and CBCT in EB-PBI patients during free breathing. Methods: Nineteen patients after breast conserving surgery EB-PBI were recruited. Interfraction SE was acquired using orthogonal kilovolt X-ray setup images and CBCT, after on-line setup correction,calculate the residual error and compare the SE, residual error and setup margin (SM) quantified for orthogonal kilovolt X-ray images and CBCT. Wilcoxon sign-rank test was used to evaluate the differences. Results: The CBCT based SE (systematic error, ∑) was smaller than the orthogonal kilovolt X-ray images based ∑ in AP direction (-1.2 mm vs 2.00 mm; P=0.005), and there was no statistically significant differences for three dimensional directions in random error (σ) (P=0.948, 0.376, 0.314). After on-line setup correction,CBCT decreases setup residual error than the orthogonal kilovolt X-ray images in AP direction (Σ: -0.20 mm vs 0.50 mm, P=0.008; σ: 0.45 mm vs 1.34 mm, P=0.002). And also the CBCT based SM was smaller than orthogonal kilovolt X-ray images based SM in AP direction (Σ: -1.39 mm vs 5.57 mm, P=0.003; σ: 0.00 mm vs 3.2 mm, P=0.003). Conclusions: Compared with kilovolt X-ray images, CBCT underestimate the setup error in the AP direction, but decreases setup residual error significantly.An image-guided radiotherapy and setup error assessment using kilovolt X-ray images for EB-PBI plans was feasible. (authors)

  15. Analysis of Medication Errors in Simulated Pediatric Resuscitation by Residents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evelyn Porter

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The objective of our study was to estimate the incidence of prescribing medication errors specifically made by a trainee and identify factors associated with these errors during the simulated resuscitation of a critically ill child. Methods: The results of the simulated resuscitation are described. We analyzed data from the simulated resuscitation for the occurrence of a prescribing medication error. We compared univariate analysis of each variable to medication error rate and performed a separate multiple logistic regression analysis on the significant univariate variables to assess the association between the selected variables. Results: We reviewed 49 simulated resuscitations . The final medication error rate for the simulation was 26.5% (95% CI 13.7% - 39.3%. On univariate analysis, statistically significant findings for decreased prescribing medication error rates included senior residents in charge, presence of a pharmacist, sleeping greater than 8 hours prior to the simulation, and a visual analog scale score showing more confidence in caring for critically ill children. Multiple logistic regression analysis using the above significant variables showed only the presence of a pharmacist to remain significantly associated with decreased medication error, odds ratio of 0.09 (95% CI 0.01 - 0.64. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the presence of a clinical pharmacist during the resuscitation of a critically ill child reduces the medication errors made by resident physician trainees.

  16. Students’ Written Production Error Analysis in the EFL Classroom Teaching: A Study of Adult English Learners Errors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ranauli Sihombing

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Errors analysis has become one of the most interesting issues in the study of Second Language Acquisition. It can not be denied that some teachers do not know a lot about error analysis and related theories of how L1, L2 or foreign language acquired. In addition, the students often feel upset since they find a gap between themselves and the teachers for the errors the students make and the teachers’ understanding about the error correction. The present research aims to investigate what errors adult English learners make in written production of English. The significances of the study is to know what errors students make in writing that the teachers can find solution to the errors the students make for a better English language teaching and learning especially in teaching English for adults. The study employed qualitative method. The research was undertaken at an airline education center in Bandung. The result showed that syntax errors are more frequently found than morphology errors, especially in terms of verb phrase errors. It is recommended that it is important for teacher to know the theory of second language acquisition in order to know how the students learn and produce theirlanguage. In addition, it will be advantages for teachers if they know what errors students frequently make in their learning, so that the teachers can give solution to the students for a better English language learning achievement.   DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2015.180205

  17. Utilizing measure-based feedback in control-mastery theory: A clinical error.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, John; Aafjes-van Doorn, Katie

    2016-09-01

    Clinical errors and ruptures are an inevitable part of clinical practice. Often times, therapists are unaware that a clinical error or rupture has occurred, leaving no space for repair, and potentially leading to patient dropout and/or less effective treatment. One way to overcome our blind spots is by frequently and systematically collecting measure-based feedback from the patient. Patient feedback measures that focus on the process of psychotherapy such as the Patient's Experience of Attunement and Responsiveness scale (PEAR) can be used in conjunction with treatment outcome measures such as the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (OQ-45.2) to monitor the patient's therapeutic experience and progress. The regular use of these types of measures can aid clinicians in the identification of clinical errors and the associated patient deterioration that might otherwise go unnoticed and unaddressed. The current case study describes an instance of clinical error that occurred during the 2-year treatment of a highly traumatized young woman. The clinical error was identified using measure-based feedback and subsequently understood and addressed from the theoretical standpoint of the control-mastery theory of psychotherapy. An alternative hypothetical response is also presented and explained using control-mastery theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  18. Systematic errors in digital volume correlation due to the self-heating effect of a laboratory x-ray CT scanner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, B; Pan, B; Tao, R; Lubineau, G

    2017-01-01

    The use of digital volume correlation (DVC) in combination with a laboratory x-ray computed tomography (CT) for full-field internal 3D deformation measurement of opaque materials has flourished in recent years. During x-ray tomographic imaging, the heat generated by the x-ray tube changes the imaging geometry of x-ray scanner, and further introduces noticeable errors in DVC measurements. In this work, to provide practical guidance high-accuracy DVC measurement, the errors in displacements and strains measured by DVC due to the self-heating for effect of a commercially available x-ray scanner were experimentally investigated. The errors were characterized by performing simple rescan tests with different scan durations. The results indicate that the maximum strain errors associated with the self-heating of the x-ray scanner exceed 400 µε . Possible approaches for minimizing or correcting these displacement and strain errors are discussed. Finally, a series of translation and uniaxial compression tests were performed, in which strain errors were detected and then removed using pre-established artificial dilatational strain-time curve. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of the proposed strain error correction approach. (paper)

  19. Systematic errors in digital volume correlation due to the self-heating effect of a laboratory x-ray CT scanner

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, B

    2017-02-15

    The use of digital volume correlation (DVC) in combination with a laboratory x-ray computed tomography (CT) for full-field internal 3D deformation measurement of opaque materials has flourished in recent years. During x-ray tomographic imaging, the heat generated by the x-ray tube changes the imaging geometry of x-ray scanner, and further introduces noticeable errors in DVC measurements. In this work, to provide practical guidance high-accuracy DVC measurement, the errors in displacements and strains measured by DVC due to the self-heating for effect of a commercially available x-ray scanner were experimentally investigated. The errors were characterized by performing simple rescan tests with different scan durations. The results indicate that the maximum strain errors associated with the self-heating of the x-ray scanner exceed 400 µε. Possible approaches for minimizing or correcting these displacement and strain errors are discussed. Finally, a series of translation and uniaxial compression tests were performed, in which strain errors were detected and then removed using pre-established artificial dilatational strain-time curve. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of the proposed strain error correction approach.

  20. Analytical modeling for thermal errors of motorized spindle unit

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Teng; Gao, Weiguo; Zhang, Dawei; Zhang, Yifan; Chang, Wenfen; Liang, Cunman; Tian, Yanling

    2017-01-01

    Modeling method investigation about spindle thermal errors is significant for spindle thermal optimization in design phase. To accurately analyze the thermal errors of motorized spindle unit, this paper assumes approximately that 1) spindle linear thermal error on axial direction is ascribed to shaft thermal elongation for its heat transfer from bearings, and 2) spindle linear thermal errors on radial directions and angular thermal errors are attributed to thermal variations of bearing relati...

  1. The Nature of Error in Adolescent Student Writing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilcox, Kristen Campbell; Yagelski, Robert; Yu, Fang

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the nature and frequency of error in high school native English speaker (L1) and English learner (L2) writing. Four main research questions were addressed: Are there significant differences in students' error rates in English language arts (ELA) and social studies? Do the most common errors made by students differ in ELA…

  2. Neurochemical enhancement of conscious error awareness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hester, Robert; Nandam, L Sanjay; O'Connell, Redmond G; Wagner, Joe; Strudwick, Mark; Nathan, Pradeep J; Mattingley, Jason B; Bellgrove, Mark A

    2012-02-22

    How the brain monitors ongoing behavior for performance errors is a central question of cognitive neuroscience. Diminished awareness of performance errors limits the extent to which humans engage in corrective behavior and has been linked to loss of insight in a number of psychiatric syndromes (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, drug addiction). These conditions share alterations in monoamine signaling that may influence the neural mechanisms underlying error processing, but our understanding of the neurochemical drivers of these processes is limited. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design of the influence of methylphenidate, atomoxetine, and citalopram on error awareness in 27 healthy participants. The error awareness task, a go/no-go response inhibition paradigm, was administered to assess the influence of monoaminergic agents on performance errors during fMRI data acquisition. A single dose of methylphenidate, but not atomoxetine or citalopram, significantly improved the ability of healthy volunteers to consciously detect performance errors. Furthermore, this behavioral effect was associated with a strengthening of activation differences in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and inferior parietal lobe during the methylphenidate condition for errors made with versus without awareness. Our results have implications for the understanding of the neurochemical underpinnings of performance monitoring and for the pharmacological treatment of a range of disparate clinical conditions that are marked by poor awareness of errors.

  3. SU-E-P-36: Evaluation of MLC Positioning Errors in Dynamic IMRT Treatments by Analyzing Dynalog Files

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olasolo, J; Pellejero, S; Gracia, M; Gallardo, N; Martin, M; Lozares, S; Maneru, F; Bragado, L; Miquelez, S; Rubio, A

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the accuracy of MLC positioning in Varian linear accelerator, in dynamic IMRT technique, from the analysis of dynalog files generated by the MLC controller. Methods: In Clinac accelerators (pre-TrueBeam technology), control system has an approximately 50ms delay (one control cycle time). Then, the system compares the measured position to the planned position corresponding to the next control cycle. As it has been confirmed by Varian technical support, this effect causes that measured positions appear in dynalogs one cycle out of phase with respect to the planned positions. Around 9000 dynalogs have been analyzed, coming from the three linear accelerators of our center (one Trilogy and two Clinac 21EX) equipped with a Millennium 120 MLC. In order to compare our results to recent publications, leaf positioning errors (RMS and 95th percentile) are calculated with and without delay effect. Dynalogs have been analyzed using a in-house Matlab software. Results: The RMS errors were 0.341, 0.339 and 0.348mm for each Linac; being the average error 0.343 mm. The 95th percentiles of the error were 0.617, 0.607 and 0.625; with an average of 0.617mm. A recent multi-institution study carried out by Kerns et al. found a mean leaf RMS error of 0.32mm and a 95th percentile error value of 0.64mm.Without delay effect, mean leaf RMS errors obtained were 0.040, 0.042 and 0.038mm for each treatment machine; being the average 0.040mm. The 95th percentile error values obtained were 0.057, 0.058 and 0.054 mm, with an average of 0.056mm. Conclusion: Results obtained for the mean leaf RMS error and the mean 95th percentile were consistent with the multi-institution study. Calculated error statistics with delay effect are significantly larger due to the speed proportional and systematic leaf offset. Consequently it is proposed to correct this effect in dynalogs analysis to determine the MLC performance

  4. Estimating Climatological Bias Errors for the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adler, Robert; Gu, Guojun; Huffman, George

    2012-01-01

    A procedure is described to estimate bias errors for mean precipitation by using multiple estimates from different algorithms, satellite sources, and merged products. The Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) monthly product is used as a base precipitation estimate, with other input products included when they are within +/- 50% of the GPCP estimates on a zonal-mean basis (ocean and land separately). The standard deviation s of the included products is then taken to be the estimated systematic, or bias, error. The results allow one to examine monthly climatologies and the annual climatology, producing maps of estimated bias errors, zonal-mean errors, and estimated errors over large areas such as ocean and land for both the tropics and the globe. For ocean areas, where there is the largest question as to absolute magnitude of precipitation, the analysis shows spatial variations in the estimated bias errors, indicating areas where one should have more or less confidence in the mean precipitation estimates. In the tropics, relative bias error estimates (s/m, where m is the mean precipitation) over the eastern Pacific Ocean are as large as 20%, as compared with 10%-15% in the western Pacific part of the ITCZ. An examination of latitudinal differences over ocean clearly shows an increase in estimated bias error at higher latitudes, reaching up to 50%. Over land, the error estimates also locate regions of potential problems in the tropics and larger cold-season errors at high latitudes that are due to snow. An empirical technique to area average the gridded errors (s) is described that allows one to make error estimates for arbitrary areas and for the tropics and the globe (land and ocean separately, and combined). Over the tropics this calculation leads to a relative error estimate for tropical land and ocean combined of 7%, which is considered to be an upper bound because of the lack of sign-of-the-error canceling when integrating over different areas with a

  5. A Systems Modeling Approach for Risk Management of Command File Errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meshkat, Leila

    2012-01-01

    The main cause of commanding errors is often (but not always) due to procedures. Either lack of maturity in the processes, incompleteness of requirements or lack of compliance to these procedures. Other causes of commanding errors include lack of understanding of system states, inadequate communication, and making hasty changes in standard procedures in response to an unexpected event. In general, it's important to look at the big picture prior to making corrective actions. In the case of errors traced back to procedures, considering the reliability of the process as a metric during its' design may help to reduce risk. This metric is obtained by using data from Nuclear Industry regarding human reliability. A structured method for the collection of anomaly data will help the operator think systematically about the anomaly and facilitate risk management. Formal models can be used for risk based design and risk management. A generic set of models can be customized for a broad range of missions.

  6. Quality of medication use in primary care - mapping the problem, working to a solution: a systematic review of the literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Willson Alan

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The UK, USA and the World Health Organization have identified improved patient safety in healthcare as a priority. Medication error has been identified as one of the most frequent forms of medical error and is associated with significant medical harm. Errors are the result of the systems that produce them. In industrial settings, a range of systematic techniques have been designed to reduce error and waste. The first stage of these processes is to map out the whole system and its reliability at each stage. However, to date, studies of medication error and solutions have concentrated on individual parts of the whole system. In this paper we wished to conduct a systematic review of the literature, in order to map out the medication system with its associated errors and failures in quality, to assess the strength of the evidence and to use approaches from quality management to identify ways in which the system could be made safer. Methods We mapped out the medicines management system in primary care in the UK. We conducted a systematic literature review in order to refine our map of the system and to establish the quality of the research and reliability of the system. Results The map demonstrated that the proportion of errors in the management system for medicines in primary care is very high. Several stages of the process had error rates of 50% or more: repeat prescribing reviews, interface prescribing and communication and patient adherence. When including the efficacy of the medicine in the system, the available evidence suggested that only between 4% and 21% of patients achieved the optimum benefit from their medication. Whilst there were some limitations in the evidence base, including the error rate measurement and the sampling strategies employed, there was sufficient information to indicate the ways in which the system could be improved, using management approaches. The first step to improving the overall quality would

  7. Error Control in Distributed Node Self-Localization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ying Zhang

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Location information of nodes in an ad hoc sensor network is essential to many tasks such as routing, cooperative sensing, and service delivery. Distributed node self-localization is lightweight and requires little communication overhead, but often suffers from the adverse effects of error propagation. Unlike other localization papers which focus on designing elaborate localization algorithms, this paper takes a different perspective, focusing on the error propagation problem, addressing questions such as where localization error comes from and how it propagates from node to node. To prevent error from propagating and accumulating, we develop an error-control mechanism based on characterization of node uncertainties and discrimination between neighboring nodes. The error-control mechanism uses only local knowledge and is fully decentralized. Simulation results have shown that the active selection strategy significantly mitigates the effect of error propagation for both range and directional sensors. It greatly improves localization accuracy and robustness.

  8. Human errors related to maintenance and modifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laakso, K.; Pyy, P.; Reiman, L.

    1998-01-01

    The focus in human reliability analysis (HRA) relating to nuclear power plants has traditionally been on human performance in disturbance conditions. On the other hand, some studies and incidents have shown that also maintenance errors, which have taken place earlier in plant history, may have an impact on the severity of a disturbance, e.g. if they disable safety related equipment. Especially common cause and other dependent failures of safety systems may significantly contribute to the core damage risk. The first aim of the study was to identify and give examples of multiple human errors which have penetrated the various error detection and inspection processes of plant safety barriers. Another objective was to generate numerical safety indicators to describe and forecast the effectiveness of maintenance. A more general objective was to identify needs for further development of maintenance quality and planning. In the first phase of this operational experience feedback analysis, human errors recognisable in connection with maintenance were looked for by reviewing about 4400 failure and repair reports and some special reports which cover two nuclear power plant units on the same site during 1992-94. A special effort was made to study dependent human errors since they are generally the most serious ones. An in-depth root cause analysis was made for 14 dependent errors by interviewing plant maintenance foremen and by thoroughly analysing the errors. A more simple treatment was given to maintenance-related single errors. The results were shown as a distribution of errors among operating states i.a. as regards the following matters: in what operational state the errors were committed and detected; in what operational and working condition the errors were detected, and what component and error type they were related to. These results were presented separately for single and dependent maintenance-related errors. As regards dependent errors, observations were also made

  9. Volterra Filtering for ADC Error Correction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Saliga

    2001-09-01

    Full Text Available Dynamic non-linearity of analog-to-digital converters (ADCcontributes significantly to the distortion of digitized signals. Thispaper introduces a new effective method for compensation such adistortion based on application of Volterra filtering. Considering ana-priori error model of ADC allows finding an efficient inverseVolterra model for error correction. Efficiency of proposed method isdemonstrated on experimental results.

  10. Setup accuracy of stereoscopic X-ray positioning with automated correction for rotational errors in patients treated with conformal arc radiotherapy for prostate cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soete, Guy; Verellen, Dirk; Tournel, Koen; Storme, Guy

    2006-01-01

    We evaluated setup accuracy of NovalisBody stereoscopic X-ray positioning with automated correction for rotational errors with the Robotics Tilt Module in patients treated with conformal arc radiotherapy for prostate cancer. The correction of rotational errors was shown to reduce random and systematic errors in all directions. (NovalisBody TM and Robotics Tilt Module TM are products of BrainLAB A.G., Heimstetten, Germany)

  11. Challenge and Error: Critical Events and Attention-Related Errors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheyne, James Allan; Carriere, Jonathan S. A.; Solman, Grayden J. F.; Smilek, Daniel

    2011-01-01

    Attention lapses resulting from reactivity to task challenges and their consequences constitute a pervasive factor affecting everyday performance errors and accidents. A bidirectional model of attention lapses (error [image omitted] attention-lapse: Cheyne, Solman, Carriere, & Smilek, 2009) argues that errors beget errors by generating attention…

  12. Prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion in radical cystectomy on patients with bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hwanik Kim

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: The objective of the present study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature to appraise the prognostic value of lymphovascular invasion (LVI in radical cystectomy specimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following the PRISMA statement, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and SCOPUS database were searched from the respective dates of inception until June 2013. RESULTS: A total of 21 articles met the eligibility criteria for this systematic review, which included a total of 12,527 patients ranging from 57 to 4,257 per study. LVI was detected in 34.6% in radical cystectomy specimens. LVI was associated with higher pathological T stage and tumor grade, as well as lymph node metastasis. The pooled hazard ratio (HR was statistically significant for recurrence-free survival (pooled HR, 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-2.06, cancer-specific survival (pooled HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.38-2.01, and overall survival (pooled HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.38-2.01, despite the heterogeneity among included studies. On sensitivity analysis, the pooled HRs and 95% CIs were not significantly altered when any one study was omitted. The funnel plot for overall survival demonstrated a certain degree of asymmetry, which showed slight publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicates that LVI is significantly associated with poor outcome in patients with bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy. Adequately designed prospective studies are required to provide the precise prognostic significance of LVI in bladder cancer.

  13. Design, performance, and calculated error of a Faraday cup for absolute beam current measurements of 600-MeV protons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beck, S.M.

    1975-04-01

    A mobile self-contained Faraday cup system for beam current measurments of nominal 600-MeV protons was designed, constructed, and used at the NASA Space Radiation Effects Laboratory. The cup is of reentrant design with a length of 106.7 cm and an outside diameter of 20.32 cm. The inner diameter is 15.24 cm and the base thickness is 30.48 cm. The primary absorber is commercially available lead hermetically sealed in a 0.32-cm-thick copper jacket. Several possible systematic errors in using the cup are evaluated. The largest source of error arises from high-energy electrons which are ejected from the entrance window and enter the cup. A total systematic error of -0.83 percent is calculated to be the decrease from the true current value. From data obtained in calibrating helium-filled ion chambers with the Faraday cup, the mean energy required to produce one ion pair in helium is found to be 30.76 +- 0.95 eV for nominal 600-MeV protons. This value agrees well, within experimental error, with reported values of 29.9 eV and 30.2 eV

  14. Design, performance, and calculated error of a Faraday cup for absolute beam current measurements of 600-MeV protons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beck, S.M.

    1975-04-01

    A mobile self-contained Faraday cup system for beam current measurements of nominal 600 MeV protons was designed, constructed, and used at the NASA Space Radiation Effects Laboratory. The cup is of reentrant design with a length of 106.7 cm and an outside diameter of 20.32 cm. The inner diameter is 15.24 cm and the base thickness is 30.48 cm. The primary absorber is commercially available lead hermetically sealed in a 0.32-cm-thick copper jacket. Several possible systematic errors in using the cup are evaluated. The largest source of error arises from high-energy electrons which are ejected from the entrance window and enter the cup. A total systematic error of -0.83 percent is calculated to be the decrease from the true current value. From data obtained in calibrating helium-filled ion chambers with the Faraday cup, the mean energy required to produce one ion pair in helium is found to be 30.76 +- 0.95 eV for nominal 600 MeV protons. This value agrees well, within experimental error, with reported values of 29.9 eV and 30.2 eV. (auth)

  15. Error forecasting schemes of error correction at receiver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhunia, C.T.

    2007-08-01

    To combat error in computer communication networks, ARQ (Automatic Repeat Request) techniques are used. Recently Chakraborty has proposed a simple technique called the packet combining scheme in which error is corrected at the receiver from the erroneous copies. Packet Combining (PC) scheme fails: (i) when bit error locations in erroneous copies are the same and (ii) when multiple bit errors occur. Both these have been addressed recently by two schemes known as Packet Reversed Packet Combining (PRPC) Scheme, and Modified Packet Combining (MPC) Scheme respectively. In the letter, two error forecasting correction schemes are reported, which in combination with PRPC offer higher throughput. (author)

  16. Errors in practical measurement in surveying, engineering, and technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barry, B.A.; Morris, M.D.

    1991-01-01

    This book discusses statistical measurement, error theory, and statistical error analysis. The topics of the book include an introduction to measurement, measurement errors, the reliability of measurements, probability theory of errors, measures of reliability, reliability of repeated measurements, propagation of errors in computing, errors and weights, practical application of the theory of errors in measurement, two-dimensional errors and includes a bibliography. Appendices are included which address significant figures in measurement, basic concepts of probability and the normal probability curve, writing a sample specification for a procedure, classification, standards of accuracy, and general specifications of geodetic control surveys, the geoid, the frequency distribution curve and the computer and calculator solution of problems

  17. Possible systematics in the VLBI catalogs as seen from Gaia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, N.; Zhu, Z.; Liu, J.-C.

    2018-01-01

    Aims: In order to investigate the systematic errors in the very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) positions of extragalactic sources (quasars) and the global differences between Gaia and VLBI catalogs, we use the first data release of Gaia (Gaia DR1) quasar positions as the reference and study the positional offsets of the second realization of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF2) and the Goddard VLBI solution 2016a (gsf2016a) catalogs. Methods: We select a sample of 1032 common sources among three catalogs and adopt two methods to represent the systematics: considering the differential orientation (offset) and declination bias; analyzing with the vector spherical harmonics (VSH) functions. Results: Between two VLBI catalogs and Gaia DR1, we find that: i) the estimated orientation is consistent with the alignment accuracy of Gaia DR1 to ICRF, of 0.1 mas, but the southern and northern hemispheres show opposite orientations; ii) the declination bias in the southern hemisphere between Gaia DR1 and ICRF2 is estimated to be +152 μas, much larger than that between Gaia DR1 and gsf2016a which is +34 μas. Between two VLBI catalogs, we find that: i) the rotation component shows that ICRF2 and gsf2016a are generally consistent within 30 μas; ii) the glide component and quadrupole component report two declination-dependent offsets: dipolar deformation of +50 μas along the Z-axis, and quadrupolar deformation of -50 μas that would induce a pattern of sin2δ. Conclusions: The significant declination bias between Gaia DR1 and ICRF2 catalogs reported in previous studies is possibly attributed to the systematic errors of ICRF2 in the southern hemisphere. The global differences between ICRF2 and gsf2016a catalogs imply that possible, mainly declination-dependent systematics exit in the VLBI positions and need further investigations in the future Gaia data release and the next generation of ICRF.

  18. Internal Error Propagation in Explicit Runge--Kutta Methods

    KAUST Repository

    Ketcheson, David I.

    2014-09-11

    In practical computation with Runge--Kutta methods, the stage equations are not satisfied exactly, due to roundoff errors, algebraic solver errors, and so forth. We show by example that propagation of such errors within a single step can have catastrophic effects for otherwise practical and well-known methods. We perform a general analysis of internal error propagation, emphasizing that it depends significantly on how the method is implemented. We show that for a fixed method, essentially any set of internal stability polynomials can be obtained by modifying the implementation details. We provide bounds on the internal error amplification constants for some classes of methods with many stages, including strong stability preserving methods and extrapolation methods. These results are used to prove error bounds in the presence of roundoff or other internal errors.

  19. Operator errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knuefer; Lindauer

    1980-01-01

    Besides that at spectacular events a combination of component failure and human error is often found. Especially the Rasmussen-Report and the German Risk Assessment Study show for pressurised water reactors that human error must not be underestimated. Although operator errors as a form of human error can never be eliminated entirely, they can be minimized and their effects kept within acceptable limits if a thorough training of personnel is combined with an adequate design of the plant against accidents. Contrary to the investigation of engineering errors, the investigation of human errors has so far been carried out with relatively small budgets. Intensified investigations in this field appear to be a worthwhile effort. (orig.)

  20. Improving the Comprehension of Students with Significant Developmental Disabilities: Systematic Instruction on the Steps for Completing and Using a Graphic Organizer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Britt, Alexander P.

    2015-01-01

    A single-subject, multiple-baseline across participants design was used to examine the functional relation between systematic instruction and the ability to complete a graphic organizer and recall facts about informational texts by students with significant development disabilities. Four high school students enrolled in an adapted academic program…

  1. Quantification and Assessment of Interfraction Setup Errors Based on Cone Beam CT and Determination of Safety Margins for Radiotherapy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Macarena Cubillos Mesías

    Full Text Available To quantify interfraction patient setup-errors for radiotherapy based on cone-beam computed tomography and suggest safety margins accordingly.Positioning vectors of pre-treatment cone-beam computed tomography for different treatment sites were collected (n = 9504. For each patient group the total average and standard deviation were calculated and the overall mean, systematic and random errors as well as safety margins were determined.The systematic (and random errors in the superior-inferior, left-right and anterior-posterior directions were: for prostate, 2.5(3.0, 2.6(3.9 and 2.9(3.9mm; for prostate bed, 1.7(2.0, 2.2(3.6 and 2.6(3.1mm; for cervix, 2.8(3.4, 2.3(4.6 and 3.2(3.9mm; for rectum, 1.6(3.1, 2.1(2.9 and 2.5(3.8mm; for anal, 1.7(3.7, 2.1(5.1 and 2.5(4.8mm; for head and neck, 1.9(2.3, 1.4(2.0 and 1.7(2.2mm; for brain, 1.0(1.5, 1.1(1.4 and 1.0(1.1mm; and for mediastinum, 3.3(4.6, 2.6(3.7 and 3.5(4.0mm. The CTV-to-PTV margins had the smallest value for brain (3.6, 3.7 and 3.3mm and the largest for mediastinum (11.5, 9.1 and 11.6mm. For pelvic treatments the means (and standard deviations were 7.3 (1.6, 8.5 (0.8 and 9.6 (0.8mm.Systematic and random setup-errors were smaller than 5mm. The largest errors were found for organs with higher motion probability. The suggested safety margins were comparable to published values in previous but often smaller studies.

  2. How Do Simulated Error Experiences Impact Attitudes Related to Error Prevention?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breitkreuz, Karen R; Dougal, Renae L; Wright, Melanie C

    2016-10-01

    The objective of this project was to determine whether simulated exposure to error situations changes attitudes in a way that may have a positive impact on error prevention behaviors. Using a stratified quasi-randomized experiment design, we compared risk perception attitudes of a control group of nursing students who received standard error education (reviewed medication error content and watched movies about error experiences) to an experimental group of students who reviewed medication error content and participated in simulated error experiences. Dependent measures included perceived memorability of the educational experience, perceived frequency of errors, and perceived caution with respect to preventing errors. Experienced nursing students perceived the simulated error experiences to be more memorable than movies. Less experienced students perceived both simulated error experiences and movies to be highly memorable. After the intervention, compared with movie participants, simulation participants believed errors occurred more frequently. Both types of education increased the participants' intentions to be more cautious and reported caution remained higher than baseline for medication errors 6 months after the intervention. This study provides limited evidence of an advantage of simulation over watching movies describing actual errors with respect to manipulating attitudes related to error prevention. Both interventions resulted in long-term impacts on perceived caution in medication administration. Simulated error experiences made participants more aware of how easily errors can occur, and the movie education made participants more aware of the devastating consequences of errors.

  3. Estimation of heading gyrocompass error using a GPS 3DF system: Impact on ADCP measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simón Ruiz

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Traditionally the horizontal orientation in a ship (heading has been obtained from a gyrocompass. This instrument is still used on research vessels but has an estimated error of about 2-3 degrees, inducing a systematic error in the cross-track velocity measured by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP. The three-dimensional positioning system (GPS 3DF provides an independent heading measurement with accuracy better than 0.1 degree. The Spanish research vessel BIO Hespérides has been operating with this new system since 1996. For the first time on this vessel, the data from this new instrument are used to estimate gyrocompass error. The methodology we use follows the scheme developed by Griffiths (1994, which compares data from the gyrocompass and the GPS system in order to obtain an interpolated error function. In the present work we apply this methodology on mesoscale surveys performed during the observational phase of the OMEGA project, in the Alboran Sea. The heading-dependent gyrocompass error dominated. Errors in gyrocompass heading of 1.4-3.4 degrees have been found, which give a maximum error in measured cross-track ADCP velocity of 24 cm s-1.

  4. Investigating the effects of noise-estimation errors in simulated cochlear implant speech intelligibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kressner, Abigail Anne; May, Tobias; Malik Thaarup Høegh, Rasmus

    2017-01-01

    A recent study suggested that the most important factor for obtaining high speech intelligibility in noise with cochlear implant recipients is to preserve the low-frequency amplitude modulations of speech across time and frequency by, for example, minimizing the amount of noise in speech gaps....... In contrast, other studies have argued that the transients provide the most information. Thus, the present study investigates the relative impact of these two factors in the framework of noise reduction by systematically correcting noise-estimation errors within speech segments, speech gaps......, and the transitions between them. Speech intelligibility in noise was measured using a cochlear implant simulation tested on normal-hearing listeners. The results suggest that minimizing noise in the speech gaps can substantially improve intelligibility, especially in modulated noise. However, significantly larger...

  5. Fixturing error measurement and analysis using CMMs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Y; Chen, X; Gindy, N

    2005-01-01

    Influence of fixture on the errors of a machined surface can be very significant. The machined surface errors generated during machining can be measured by using a coordinate measurement machine (CMM) through the displacements of three coordinate systems on a fixture-workpiece pair in relation to the deviation of the machined surface. The surface errors consist of the component movement, component twist, deviation between actual machined surface and defined tool path. A turbine blade fixture for grinding operation is used for case study

  6. Group representations, error bases and quantum codes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knill, E

    1996-01-01

    This report continues the discussion of unitary error bases and quantum codes. Nice error bases are characterized in terms of the existence of certain characters in a group. A general construction for error bases which are non-abelian over the center is given. The method for obtaining codes due to Calderbank et al. is generalized and expressed purely in representation theoretic terms. The significance of the inertia subgroup both for constructing codes and obtaining the set of transversally implementable operations is demonstrated.

  7. Error identification in a high-volume clinical chemistry laboratory: Five-year experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jafri, Lena; Khan, Aysha Habib; Ghani, Farooq; Shakeel, Shahid; Raheem, Ahmed; Siddiqui, Imran

    2015-07-01

    Quality indicators for assessing the performance of a laboratory require a systematic and continuous approach in collecting and analyzing data. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of errors utilizing the quality indicators in a clinical chemistry laboratory and to convert errors to the Sigma scale. Five-year quality indicator data of a clinical chemistry laboratory was evaluated to describe the frequency of errors. An 'error' was defined as a defect during the entire testing process from the time requisition was raised and phlebotomy was done until the result dispatch. An indicator with a Sigma value of 4 was considered good but a process for which the Sigma value was 5 (i.e. 99.977% error-free) was considered well controlled. In the five-year period, a total of 6,792,020 specimens were received in the laboratory. Among a total of 17,631,834 analyses, 15.5% were from within hospital. Total error rate was 0.45% and of all the quality indicators used in this study the average Sigma level was 5.2. Three indicators - visible hemolysis, failure of proficiency testing and delay in stat tests - were below 5 on the Sigma scale and highlight the need to rigorously monitor these processes. Using Six Sigma metrics quality in a clinical laboratory can be monitored more effectively and it can set benchmarks for improving efficiency.

  8. Intrinsic errors in transporting a single-spin qubit through a double quantum dot

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiao; Barnes, Edwin; Kestner, J. P.; Das Sarma, S.

    2017-07-01

    Coherent spatial transport or shuttling of a single electron spin through semiconductor nanostructures is an important ingredient in many spintronic and quantum computing applications. In this work we analyze the possible errors in solid-state quantum computation due to leakage in transporting a single-spin qubit through a semiconductor double quantum dot. In particular, we consider three possible sources of leakage errors associated with such transport: finite ramping times, spin-dependent tunneling rates between quantum dots induced by finite spin-orbit couplings, and the presence of multiple valley states. In each case we present quantitative estimates of the leakage errors, and discuss how they can be minimized. The emphasis of this work is on how to deal with the errors intrinsic to the ideal semiconductor structure, such as leakage due to spin-orbit couplings, rather than on errors due to defects or noise sources. In particular, we show that in order to minimize leakage errors induced by spin-dependent tunnelings, it is necessary to apply pulses to perform certain carefully designed spin rotations. We further develop a formalism that allows one to systematically derive constraints on the pulse shapes and present a few examples to highlight the advantage of such an approach.

  9. Set-up errors analyses in IMRT treatments for nasopharyngeal carcinoma to evaluate time trends, PTV and PRV margins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mongioj, Valeria (Dept. of Medical Physics, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan (Italy)), e-mail: valeria.mongioj@istitutotumori.mi.it; Orlandi, Ester (Dept. of Radiotherapy, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan (Italy)); Palazzi, Mauro (Dept. of Radiotherapy, A.O. Niguarda Ca' Granda, Milan (Italy)) (and others)

    2011-01-15

    Introduction. The aims of this study were to analyze the systematic and random interfractional set-up errors during Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) in 20 consecutive nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients by means of Electronic Portal Images Device (EPID), to define appropriate Planning Target Volume (PTV) and Planning Risk Volume (PRV) margins, as well as to investigate set-up displacement trend as a function of time during fractionated RT course. Material and methods. Before EPID clinical implementation, an anthropomorphic phantom was shifted intentionally 5 mm to all directions and the EPIs were compared with the digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) to test the system's capability to recognize displacements observed in clinical studies. Then, 578 clinical images were analyzed with a mean of 29 images for each patient. Results. Phantom data showed that the system was able to correct shifts with an accuracy of 1 mm. As regards clinical data, the estimated population systematic errors were 1.3 mm for left-right (L-R), 1 mm for superior-inferior (S-I) and 1.1 mm for anterior-posterior (A-P) directions, respectively. Population random errors were 1.3 mm, 1.5 mm and 1.3 mm for L-R, S-I and A-P directions, respectively. PTV margin was at least 3.4, 3 and 3.2 mm for L-R, S-I and A-P direction, respectively. PRV margins for brainstem and spinal cord were 2.3, 2 and 2.1 mm and 3.8, 3.5 and 3.2 mm for L-R, A-P and S-I directions, respectively. Set-up error displacements showed no significant changes as the therapy progressed (p>0.05), although displacements >3 mm were found more frequently when severe weight loss or tumor nodal shrinkage occurred. Discussion. These results enable us to choose margins that guarantee with sufficient accuracy the coverage of PTVs and organs at risk sparing. Collected data confirmed the need for a strict check of patient position reproducibility in case of anatomical changes

  10. Errors, lies and misunderstandings: Systematic review on behavioural decision making in projects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stingl, Verena; Geraldi, Joana

    2017-01-01

    limitations—errors), pluralist (on political behaviour—lies), and contextualist (on social and organizational sensemaking—misunderstandings). Our review suggests avenues for future research with a wider coverage of theories in cognitive and social psychology and critical and mindful integration of findings...... in projects and beyond. However, the literature is fragmented and draws only on a fraction of the recent, insightful, and relevant developments on behavioural decision making. This paper organizes current research in a conceptual framework rooted in three schools of thinking—reductionist (on cognitive...

  11. Nano-metrology: The art of measuring X-ray mirrors with slope errors <100 nrad

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alcock, Simon G., E-mail: simon.alcock@diamond.ac.uk; Nistea, Ioana; Sawhney, Kawal [Diamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE (United Kingdom)

    2016-05-15

    We present a comprehensive investigation of the systematic and random errors of the nano-metrology instruments used to characterize synchrotron X-ray optics at Diamond Light Source. With experimental skill and careful analysis, we show that these instruments used in combination are capable of measuring state-of-the-art X-ray mirrors. Examples are provided of how Diamond metrology data have helped to achieve slope errors of <100 nrad for optical systems installed on synchrotron beamlines, including: iterative correction of substrates using ion beam figuring and optimal clamping of monochromator grating blanks in their holders. Simulations demonstrate how random noise from the Diamond-NOM’s autocollimator adds into the overall measured value of the mirror’s slope error, and thus predict how many averaged scans are required to accurately characterize different grades of mirror.

  12. Nano-metrology: The art of measuring X-ray mirrors with slope errors <100 nrad

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alcock, Simon G.; Nistea, Ioana; Sawhney, Kawal

    2016-01-01

    We present a comprehensive investigation of the systematic and random errors of the nano-metrology instruments used to characterize synchrotron X-ray optics at Diamond Light Source. With experimental skill and careful analysis, we show that these instruments used in combination are capable of measuring state-of-the-art X-ray mirrors. Examples are provided of how Diamond metrology data have helped to achieve slope errors of <100 nrad for optical systems installed on synchrotron beamlines, including: iterative correction of substrates using ion beam figuring and optimal clamping of monochromator grating blanks in their holders. Simulations demonstrate how random noise from the Diamond-NOM’s autocollimator adds into the overall measured value of the mirror’s slope error, and thus predict how many averaged scans are required to accurately characterize different grades of mirror.

  13. Nano-metrology: The art of measuring X-ray mirrors with slope errors <100 nrad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcock, Simon G; Nistea, Ioana; Sawhney, Kawal

    2016-05-01

    We present a comprehensive investigation of the systematic and random errors of the nano-metrology instruments used to characterize synchrotron X-ray optics at Diamond Light Source. With experimental skill and careful analysis, we show that these instruments used in combination are capable of measuring state-of-the-art X-ray mirrors. Examples are provided of how Diamond metrology data have helped to achieve slope errors of <100 nrad for optical systems installed on synchrotron beamlines, including: iterative correction of substrates using ion beam figuring and optimal clamping of monochromator grating blanks in their holders. Simulations demonstrate how random noise from the Diamond-NOM's autocollimator adds into the overall measured value of the mirror's slope error, and thus predict how many averaged scans are required to accurately characterize different grades of mirror.

  14. Death Certification Errors and the Effect on Mortality Statistics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGivern, Lauri; Shulman, Leanne; Carney, Jan K; Shapiro, Steven; Bundock, Elizabeth

    Errors in cause and manner of death on death certificates are common and affect families, mortality statistics, and public health research. The primary objective of this study was to characterize errors in the cause and manner of death on death certificates completed by non-Medical Examiners. A secondary objective was to determine the effects of errors on national mortality statistics. We retrospectively compared 601 death certificates completed between July 1, 2015, and January 31, 2016, from the Vermont Electronic Death Registration System with clinical summaries from medical records. Medical Examiners, blinded to original certificates, reviewed summaries, generated mock certificates, and compared mock certificates with original certificates. They then graded errors using a scale from 1 to 4 (higher numbers indicated increased impact on interpretation of the cause) to determine the prevalence of minor and major errors. They also compared International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes on original certificates with those on mock certificates. Of 601 original death certificates, 319 (53%) had errors; 305 (51%) had major errors; and 59 (10%) had minor errors. We found no significant differences by certifier type (physician vs nonphysician). We did find significant differences in major errors in place of death ( P statistics. Surveillance and certifier education must expand beyond local and state efforts. Simplifying and standardizing underlying literal text for cause of death may improve accuracy, decrease coding errors, and improve national mortality statistics.

  15. Interpretations of systematic errors in the NCEP Climate Forecast System at lead times of 2, 4, 8, ..., 256 days

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siwon Song

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The climatology of mean bias errors (relative to 1-day forecasts was examined in a 20-year hindcast set from version 1 of the Climate Forecast System (CFS, for forecast lead times of 2, 4, 8, 16, ... 256 days, verifying in different seasons. Results mostly confirm the simple expectation that atmospheric model biases should be evident at short lead (2–4 days, while soil moisture errors develop over days-weeks and ocean errors emerge over months. A further simplification is also evident: surface temperature bias patterns have nearly fixed geographical structure, growing with different time scales over land and ocean. The geographical pattern has mostly warm and dry biases over land and cool bias over the oceans, with two main exceptions: (1 deficient stratocumulus clouds cause warm biases in eastern subtropical oceans, and (2 high latitude land is too cold in boreal winter. Further study of the east Pacific cold tongue-Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ complex shows a possible interaction between a rapidly-expressed atmospheric model bias (poleward shift of deep convection beginning at day 2 and slow ocean dynamics (erroneously cold upwelling along the equator in leads > 1 month. Further study of the high latitude land cold bias shows that it is a thermal wind balance aspect of the deep polar vortex, not just a near-surface temperature error under the wintertime inversion, suggesting that its development time scale of weeks to months may involve long timescale processes in the atmosphere, not necessarily in the land model. Winter zonal wind errors are small in magnitude, but a refractive index map shows that this can cause modest errors in Rossby wave ducting. Finally, as a counterpoint to our initial expectations about error growth, a case of non-monotonic error growth is shown: velocity potential bias grows with lead on a time scale of weeks, then decays over months. It is hypothesized that compensations between land and ocean errors may

  16. Technological Advancements and Error Rates in Radiation Therapy Delivery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Margalit, Danielle N., E-mail: dmargalit@partners.org [Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston, MA (United States); Harvard Cancer Consortium and Brigham and Women' s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA (United States); Chen, Yu-Hui; Catalano, Paul J.; Heckman, Kenneth; Vivenzio, Todd; Nissen, Kristopher; Wolfsberger, Luciant D.; Cormack, Robert A.; Mauch, Peter; Ng, Andrea K. [Harvard Cancer Consortium and Brigham and Women' s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA (United States)

    2011-11-15

    Purpose: Technological advances in radiation therapy (RT) delivery have the potential to reduce errors via increased automation and built-in quality assurance (QA) safeguards, yet may also introduce new types of errors. Intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) is an increasingly used technology that is more technically complex than three-dimensional (3D)-conformal RT and conventional RT. We determined the rate of reported errors in RT delivery among IMRT and 3D/conventional RT treatments and characterized the errors associated with the respective techniques to improve existing QA processes. Methods and Materials: All errors in external beam RT delivery were prospectively recorded via a nonpunitive error-reporting system at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Errors are defined as any unplanned deviation from the intended RT treatment and are reviewed during monthly departmental quality improvement meetings. We analyzed all reported errors since the routine use of IMRT in our department, from January 2004 to July 2009. Fisher's exact test was used to determine the association between treatment technique (IMRT vs. 3D/conventional) and specific error types. Effect estimates were computed using logistic regression. Results: There were 155 errors in RT delivery among 241,546 fractions (0.06%), and none were clinically significant. IMRT was commonly associated with errors in machine parameters (nine of 19 errors) and data entry and interpretation (six of 19 errors). IMRT was associated with a lower rate of reported errors compared with 3D/conventional RT (0.03% vs. 0.07%, p = 0.001) and specifically fewer accessory errors (odds ratio, 0.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.01-0.78) and setup errors (odds ratio, 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.79). Conclusions: The rate of errors in RT delivery is low. The types of errors differ significantly between IMRT and 3D/conventional RT, suggesting that QA processes must be uniquely adapted for each technique

  17. Technological Advancements and Error Rates in Radiation Therapy Delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Margalit, Danielle N.; Chen, Yu-Hui; Catalano, Paul J.; Heckman, Kenneth; Vivenzio, Todd; Nissen, Kristopher; Wolfsberger, Luciant D.; Cormack, Robert A.; Mauch, Peter; Ng, Andrea K.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Technological advances in radiation therapy (RT) delivery have the potential to reduce errors via increased automation and built-in quality assurance (QA) safeguards, yet may also introduce new types of errors. Intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) is an increasingly used technology that is more technically complex than three-dimensional (3D)–conformal RT and conventional RT. We determined the rate of reported errors in RT delivery among IMRT and 3D/conventional RT treatments and characterized the errors associated with the respective techniques to improve existing QA processes. Methods and Materials: All errors in external beam RT delivery were prospectively recorded via a nonpunitive error-reporting system at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Errors are defined as any unplanned deviation from the intended RT treatment and are reviewed during monthly departmental quality improvement meetings. We analyzed all reported errors since the routine use of IMRT in our department, from January 2004 to July 2009. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine the association between treatment technique (IMRT vs. 3D/conventional) and specific error types. Effect estimates were computed using logistic regression. Results: There were 155 errors in RT delivery among 241,546 fractions (0.06%), and none were clinically significant. IMRT was commonly associated with errors in machine parameters (nine of 19 errors) and data entry and interpretation (six of 19 errors). IMRT was associated with a lower rate of reported errors compared with 3D/conventional RT (0.03% vs. 0.07%, p = 0.001) and specifically fewer accessory errors (odds ratio, 0.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.01–0.78) and setup errors (odds ratio, 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.08–0.79). Conclusions: The rate of errors in RT delivery is low. The types of errors differ significantly between IMRT and 3D/conventional RT, suggesting that QA processes must be uniquely adapted for each technique

  18. [Analysis of intrusion errors in free recall].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diesfeldt, H F A

    2017-06-01

    Extra-list intrusion errors during five trials of the eight-word list-learning task of the Amsterdam Dementia Screening Test (ADST) were investigated in 823 consecutive psychogeriatric patients (87.1% suffering from major neurocognitive disorder). Almost half of the participants (45.9%) produced one or more intrusion errors on the verbal recall test. Correct responses were lower when subjects made intrusion errors, but learning slopes did not differ between subjects who committed intrusion errors and those who did not so. Bivariate regression analyses revealed that participants who committed intrusion errors were more deficient on measures of eight-word recognition memory, delayed visual recognition and tests of executive control (the Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale and the ADST-Graphical Sequences as measures of response inhibition). Using hierarchical multiple regression, only free recall and delayed visual recognition retained an independent effect in the association with intrusion errors, such that deficient scores on tests of episodic memory were sufficient to explain the occurrence of intrusion errors. Measures of inhibitory control did not add significantly to the explanation of intrusion errors in free recall, which makes insufficient strength of memory traces rather than a primary deficit in inhibition the preferred account for intrusion errors in free recall.

  19. Burnout, engagement and resident physicians' self-reported errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prins, J T; van der Heijden, F M M A; Hoekstra-Weebers, J E H M; Bakker, A B; van de Wiel, H B M; Jacobs, B; Gazendam-Donofrio, S M

    2009-12-01

    Burnout is a work-related syndrome that may negatively affect more than just the resident physician. On the other hand, engagement has been shown to protect employees; it may also positively affect the patient care that the residents provide. Little is known about the relationship between residents' self-reported errors and burnout and engagement. In our national study that included all residents and physicians in The Netherlands, 2115 questionnaires were returned (response rate 41.1%). The residents reported on burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory-Health and Social Services), engagement (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) and self-assessed patient care practices (six items, two factors: errors in action/judgment, errors due to lack of time). Ninety-four percent of the residents reported making one or more mistake without negative consequences for the patient during their training. Seventy-one percent reported performing procedures for which they did not feel properly trained. More than half (56%) of the residents stated they had made a mistake with a negative consequence. Seventy-six percent felt they had fallen short in the quality of care they provided on at least one occasion. Men reported more errors in action/judgment than women. Significant effects of specialty and clinical setting were found on both types of errors. Residents with burnout reported significantly more errors (p engaged residents reported fewer errors (p burnout and to keep residents engaged in their work.

  20. An Investigation into Soft Error Detection Efficiency at Operating System Level

    OpenAIRE

    Asghari, Seyyed Amir; Kaynak, Okyay; Taheri, Hassan

    2014-01-01

    Electronic equipment operating in harsh environments such as space is subjected to a range of threats. The most important of these is radiation that gives rise to permanent and transient errors on microelectronic components. The occurrence rate of transient errors is significantly more than permanent errors. The transient errors, or soft errors, emerge in two formats: control flow errors (CFEs) and data errors. Valuable research results have already appeared in literature at hardware and soft...

  1. Trend analysis of human error events and assessment of their proactive prevention measure at Rokkasho reprocessing plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamazaki, Satoru; Tanaka, Izumi; Wakabayashi, Toshio

    2012-01-01

    A trend analysis of human error events is important for preventing the recurrence of human error events. We propose a new method for identifying the common characteristics from results of trend analysis, such as the latent weakness of organization, and a management process for strategic error prevention. In this paper, we describe a trend analysis method for human error events that have been accumulated in the organization and the utilization of the results of trend analysis to prevent accidents proactively. Although the systematic analysis of human error events, the monitoring of their overall trend, and the utilization of the analyzed results have been examined for the plant operation, such information has never been utilized completely. Sharing information on human error events and analyzing their causes lead to the clarification of problems in the management and human factors. This new method was applied to the human error events that occurred in the Rokkasho reprocessing plant from 2010 October. Results revealed that the output of this method is effective in judging the error prevention plan and that the number of human error events is reduced to about 50% those observed in 2009 and 2010. (author)

  2. Error Control for Network-on-Chip Links

    CERN Document Server

    Fu, Bo

    2012-01-01

    As technology scales into nanoscale regime, it is impossible to guarantee the perfect hardware design. Moreover, if the requirement of 100% correctness in hardware can be relaxed, the cost of manufacturing, verification, and testing will be significantly reduced. Many approaches have been proposed to address the reliability problem of on-chip communications. This book focuses on the use of error control codes (ECCs) to improve on-chip interconnect reliability. Coverage includes detailed description of key issues in NOC error control faced by circuit and system designers, as well as practical error control techniques to minimize the impact of these errors on system performance. Provides a detailed background on the state of error control methods for on-chip interconnects; Describes the use of more complex concatenated codes such as Hamming Product Codes with Type-II HARQ, while emphasizing integration techniques for on-chip interconnect links; Examines energy-efficient techniques for integrating multiple error...

  3. Field error lottery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elliott, C.J.; McVey, B. (Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)); Quimby, D.C. (Spectra Technology, Inc., Bellevue, WA (USA))

    1990-01-01

    The level of field errors in an FEL is an important determinant of its performance. We have computed 3D performance of a large laser subsystem subjected to field errors of various types. These calculations have been guided by simple models such as SWOOP. The technique of choice is utilization of the FELEX free electron laser code that now possesses extensive engineering capabilities. Modeling includes the ability to establish tolerances of various types: fast and slow scale field bowing, field error level, beam position monitor error level, gap errors, defocusing errors, energy slew, displacement and pointing errors. Many effects of these errors on relative gain and relative power extraction are displayed and are the essential elements of determining an error budget. The random errors also depend on the particular random number seed used in the calculation. The simultaneous display of the performance versus error level of cases with multiple seeds illustrates the variations attributable to stochasticity of this model. All these errors are evaluated numerically for comprehensive engineering of the system. In particular, gap errors are found to place requirements beyond mechanical tolerances of {plus minus}25{mu}m, and amelioration of these may occur by a procedure utilizing direct measurement of the magnetic fields at assembly time. 4 refs., 12 figs.

  4. SU-G-BRB-11: On the Sensitivity of An EPID-Based 3D Dose Verification System to Detect Delivery Errors in VMAT Treatments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzalez, P; Olaciregui-Ruiz, I; Mijnheer, B; Mans, A; Rozendaal, R [Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland (Netherlands)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To investigate the sensitivity of an EPID-based 3D dose verification system to detect delivery errors in VMAT treatments. Methods: For this study 41 EPID-reconstructed 3D in vivo dose distributions of 15 different VMAT plans (H&N, lung, prostate and rectum) were selected. To simulate the effect of delivery errors, their TPS plans were modified by: 1) scaling of the monitor units by ±3% and ±6% and 2) systematic shifting of leaf bank positions by ±1mm, ±2mm and ±5mm. The 3D in vivo dose distributions where then compared to the unmodified and modified treatment plans. To determine the detectability of the various delivery errors, we made use of a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) methodology. True positive and false positive rates were calculated as a function of the γ-parameters γmean, γ1% (near-maximum γ) and the PTV dose parameter ΔD{sub 50} (i.e. D{sub 50}(EPID)-D{sub 50}(TPS)). The ROC curve is constructed by plotting the true positive rate vs. the false positive rate. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) then serves as a measure of the performance of the EPID dosimetry system in detecting a particular error; an ideal system has AUC=1. Results: The AUC ranges for the machine output errors and systematic leaf position errors were [0.64 – 0.93] and [0.48 – 0.92] respectively using γmean, [0.57 – 0.79] and [0.46 – 0.85] using γ1% and [0.61 – 0.77] and [ 0.48 – 0.62] using ΔD{sub 50}. Conclusion: For the verification of VMAT deliveries, the parameter γmean is the best discriminator for the detection of systematic leaf position errors and monitor unit scaling errors. Compared to γmean and γ1%, the parameter ΔD{sub 50} performs worse as a discriminator in all cases.

  5. Open quantum systems and error correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shabani Barzegar, Alireza

    Quantum effects can be harnessed to manipulate information in a desired way. Quantum systems which are designed for this purpose are suffering from harming interaction with their surrounding environment or inaccuracy in control forces. Engineering different methods to combat errors in quantum devices are highly demanding. In this thesis, I focus on realistic formulations of quantum error correction methods. A realistic formulation is the one that incorporates experimental challenges. This thesis is presented in two sections of open quantum system and quantum error correction. Chapters 2 and 3 cover the material on open quantum system theory. It is essential to first study a noise process then to contemplate methods to cancel its effect. In the second chapter, I present the non-completely positive formulation of quantum maps. Most of these results are published in [Shabani and Lidar, 2009b,a], except a subsection on geometric characterization of positivity domain of a quantum map. The real-time formulation of the dynamics is the topic of the third chapter. After introducing the concept of Markovian regime, A new post-Markovian quantum master equation is derived, published in [Shabani and Lidar, 2005a]. The section of quantum error correction is presented in three chapters of 4, 5, 6 and 7. In chapter 4, we introduce a generalized theory of decoherence-free subspaces and subsystems (DFSs), which do not require accurate initialization (published in [Shabani and Lidar, 2005b]). In Chapter 5, we present a semidefinite program optimization approach to quantum error correction that yields codes and recovery procedures that are robust against significant variations in the noise channel. Our approach allows us to optimize the encoding, recovery, or both, and is amenable to approximations that significantly improve computational cost while retaining fidelity (see [Kosut et al., 2008] for a published version). Chapter 6 is devoted to a theory of quantum error correction (QEC

  6. False Discovery Rates in PET and CT Studies with Texture Features: A Systematic Review.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anastasia Chalkidou

    Full Text Available A number of recent publications have proposed that a family of image-derived indices, called texture features, can predict clinical outcome in patients with cancer. However, the investigation of multiple indices on a single data set can lead to significant inflation of type-I errors. We report a systematic review of the type-I error inflation in such studies and review the evidence regarding associations between patient outcome and texture features derived from positron emission tomography (PET or computed tomography (CT images.For study identification PubMed and Scopus were searched (1/2000-9/2013 using combinations of the keywords texture, prognostic, predictive and cancer. Studies were divided into three categories according to the sources of the type-I error inflation and the use or not of an independent validation dataset. For each study, the true type-I error probability and the adjusted level of significance were estimated using the optimum cut-off approach correction, and the Benjamini-Hochberg method. To demonstrate explicitly the variable selection bias in these studies, we re-analyzed data from one of the published studies, but using 100 random variables substituted for the original image-derived indices. The significance of the random variables as potential predictors of outcome was examined using the analysis methods used in the identified studies.Fifteen studies were identified. After applying appropriate statistical corrections, an average type-I error probability of 76% (range: 34-99% was estimated with the majority of published results not reaching statistical significance. Only 3/15 studies used a validation dataset. For the 100 random variables examined, 10% proved to be significant predictors of survival when subjected to ROC and multiple hypothesis testing analysis.We found insufficient evidence to support a relationship between PET or CT texture features and patient survival. Further fit for purpose validation of these

  7. False Discovery Rates in PET and CT Studies with Texture Features: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chalkidou, Anastasia; O'Doherty, Michael J; Marsden, Paul K

    2015-01-01

    A number of recent publications have proposed that a family of image-derived indices, called texture features, can predict clinical outcome in patients with cancer. However, the investigation of multiple indices on a single data set can lead to significant inflation of type-I errors. We report a systematic review of the type-I error inflation in such studies and review the evidence regarding associations between patient outcome and texture features derived from positron emission tomography (PET) or computed tomography (CT) images. For study identification PubMed and Scopus were searched (1/2000-9/2013) using combinations of the keywords texture, prognostic, predictive and cancer. Studies were divided into three categories according to the sources of the type-I error inflation and the use or not of an independent validation dataset. For each study, the true type-I error probability and the adjusted level of significance were estimated using the optimum cut-off approach correction, and the Benjamini-Hochberg method. To demonstrate explicitly the variable selection bias in these studies, we re-analyzed data from one of the published studies, but using 100 random variables substituted for the original image-derived indices. The significance of the random variables as potential predictors of outcome was examined using the analysis methods used in the identified studies. Fifteen studies were identified. After applying appropriate statistical corrections, an average type-I error probability of 76% (range: 34-99%) was estimated with the majority of published results not reaching statistical significance. Only 3/15 studies used a validation dataset. For the 100 random variables examined, 10% proved to be significant predictors of survival when subjected to ROC and multiple hypothesis testing analysis. We found insufficient evidence to support a relationship between PET or CT texture features and patient survival. Further fit for purpose validation of these image

  8. IMRT QA: Selecting gamma criteria based on error detection sensitivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steers, Jennifer M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90048 and Physics and Biology in Medicine IDP, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095 (United States); Fraass, Benedick A., E-mail: benedick.fraass@cshs.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90048 (United States)

    2016-04-15

    Purpose: The gamma comparison is widely used to evaluate the agreement between measurements and treatment planning system calculations in patient-specific intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA). However, recent publications have raised concerns about the lack of sensitivity when employing commonly used gamma criteria. Understanding the actual sensitivity of a wide range of different gamma criteria may allow the definition of more meaningful gamma criteria and tolerance limits in IMRT QA. We present a method that allows the quantitative determination of gamma criteria sensitivity to induced errors which can be applied to any unique combination of device, delivery technique, and software utilized in a specific clinic. Methods: A total of 21 DMLC IMRT QA measurements (ArcCHECK®, Sun Nuclear) were compared to QA plan calculations with induced errors. Three scenarios were studied: MU errors, multi-leaf collimator (MLC) errors, and the sensitivity of the gamma comparison to changes in penumbra width. Gamma comparisons were performed between measurements and error-induced calculations using a wide range of gamma criteria, resulting in a total of over 20 000 gamma comparisons. Gamma passing rates for each error class and case were graphed against error magnitude to create error curves in order to represent the range of missed errors in routine IMRT QA using 36 different gamma criteria. Results: This study demonstrates that systematic errors and case-specific errors can be detected by the error curve analysis. Depending on the location of the error curve peak (e.g., not centered about zero), 3%/3 mm threshold = 10% at 90% pixels passing may miss errors as large as 15% MU errors and ±1 cm random MLC errors for some cases. As the dose threshold parameter was increased for a given %Diff/distance-to-agreement (DTA) setting, error sensitivity was increased by up to a factor of two for select cases. This increased sensitivity with increasing dose

  9. Medication administration errors in Eastern Saudi Arabia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mir Sadat-Ali

    2010-01-01

    To assess the prevalence and characteristics of medication errors (ME) in patients admitted to King Fahd University Hospital, Alkhobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Medication errors are documented by the nurses and physicians standard reporting forms (Hospital Based Incident Report). The study was carried out in King Fahd University Hospital, Alkhobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all the incident reports were collected during the period from January 2008 to December 2009. The incident reports were analyzed for age, gender, nationality, nursing unit, and time where ME was reported. The data were analyzed and the statistical significance differences between groups were determined by Student's t-test, and p-values of <0.05 using confidence interval of 95% were considered significant. There were 38 ME reported for the study period. The youngest patient was 5 days and the oldest 70 years. There were 31 Saudis, and 7 non-Saudi patients involved. The most common error was missed medication, which was seen in 15 (39.5%) patients. Over 15 (39.5%) of errors occurred in 2 units (pediatric medicine, and obstetrics and gynecology). Nineteen (50%) of the errors occurred during the 3-11 pm shift. Our study shows that the prevalence of ME in our institution is low, in comparison with the world literature. This could be due to under reporting of the errors, and we believe that ME reporting should be made less punitive so that ME can be studied and preventive measures implemented (Author).

  10. Measuring galaxy cluster masses with CMB lensing using a Maximum Likelihood estimator: statistical and systematic error budgets for future experiments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raghunathan, Srinivasan; Patil, Sanjaykumar; Bianchini, Federico; Reichardt, Christian L. [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, 313 David Caro building, Swanston St and Tin Alley, Parkville VIC 3010 (Australia); Baxter, Eric J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, 209 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (United States); Bleem, Lindsey E. [Argonne National Laboratory, High-Energy Physics Division, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Crawford, Thomas M. [Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Holder, Gilbert P. [Department of Astronomy and Department of Physics, University of Illinois, 1002 West Green St., Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Manzotti, Alessandro, E-mail: srinivasan.raghunathan@unimelb.edu.au, E-mail: s.patil2@student.unimelb.edu.au, E-mail: ebax@sas.upenn.edu, E-mail: federico.bianchini@unimelb.edu.au, E-mail: bleeml@uchicago.edu, E-mail: tcrawfor@kicp.uchicago.edu, E-mail: gholder@illinois.edu, E-mail: manzotti@uchicago.edu, E-mail: christian.reichardt@unimelb.edu.au [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

    2017-08-01

    We develop a Maximum Likelihood estimator (MLE) to measure the masses of galaxy clusters through the impact of gravitational lensing on the temperature and polarization anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We show that, at low noise levels in temperature, this optimal estimator outperforms the standard quadratic estimator by a factor of two. For polarization, we show that the Stokes Q/U maps can be used instead of the traditional E- and B-mode maps without losing information. We test and quantify the bias in the recovered lensing mass for a comprehensive list of potential systematic errors. Using realistic simulations, we examine the cluster mass uncertainties from CMB-cluster lensing as a function of an experiment's beam size and noise level. We predict the cluster mass uncertainties will be 3 - 6% for SPT-3G, AdvACT, and Simons Array experiments with 10,000 clusters and less than 1% for the CMB-S4 experiment with a sample containing 100,000 clusters. The mass constraints from CMB polarization are very sensitive to the experimental beam size and map noise level: for a factor of three reduction in either the beam size or noise level, the lensing signal-to-noise improves by roughly a factor of two.

  11. Eliminating US hospital medical errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Sameer; Steinebach, Marc

    2008-01-01

    Healthcare costs in the USA have continued to rise steadily since the 1980s. Medical errors are one of the major causes of deaths and injuries of thousands of patients every year, contributing to soaring healthcare costs. The purpose of this study is to examine what has been done to deal with the medical-error problem in the last two decades and present a closed-loop mistake-proof operation system for surgery processes that would likely eliminate preventable medical errors. The design method used is a combination of creating a service blueprint, implementing the six sigma DMAIC cycle, developing cause-and-effect diagrams as well as devising poka-yokes in order to develop a robust surgery operation process for a typical US hospital. In the improve phase of the six sigma DMAIC cycle, a number of poka-yoke techniques are introduced to prevent typical medical errors (identified through cause-and-effect diagrams) that may occur in surgery operation processes in US hospitals. It is the authors' assertion that implementing the new service blueprint along with the poka-yokes, will likely result in the current medical error rate to significantly improve to the six-sigma level. Additionally, designing as many redundancies as possible in the delivery of care will help reduce medical errors. Primary healthcare providers should strongly consider investing in adequate doctor and nurse staffing, and improving their education related to the quality of service delivery to minimize clinical errors. This will lead to an increase in higher fixed costs, especially in the shorter time frame. This paper focuses additional attention needed to make a sound technical and business case for implementing six sigma tools to eliminate medical errors that will enable hospital managers to increase their hospital's profitability in the long run and also ensure patient safety.

  12. Errors in the determination of the total filtration of diagnostic x-ray tubes by the HVL method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilmore, B.J.; Cranley, K.

    1990-01-01

    Optimal technique and an analysis of errors are essential for interpreting whether the total filtration of a diagnostic x-ray tube is acceptable. The study discusses this problem from a theoretical viewpoint utilising recent theoretical HVL-total-filtration data relating to 10 0 and 16 0 tungsten target angles and 0-30% kilovoltage ripples. The theory indicates the typical accuracy to which each appropriate parameter must be determined to maintain acceptable errors in total filtration. A quantitative approach is taken to evaluate systematic errors in a technique for interpolation of HVL from raw attenuation curve data. A theoretical derivation is presented to enable random errors in HVL due to x-ray set inconsistency to be estimated for particular experimental techniques and data analysis procedures. Further formulae are presented to enable errors in the total filtration estimate to be readily determined from those in the individual parameters. (author)

  13. Model structural uncertainty quantification and hydrologic parameter and prediction error analysis using airborne electromagnetic data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Minsley, B. J.; Christensen, Nikolaj Kruse; Christensen, Steen

    Model structure, or the spatial arrangement of subsurface lithological units, is fundamental to the hydrological behavior of Earth systems. Knowledge of geological model structure is critically important in order to make informed hydrological predictions and management decisions. Model structure...... is never perfectly known, however, and incorrect assumptions can be a significant source of error when making model predictions. We describe a systematic approach for quantifying model structural uncertainty that is based on the integration of sparse borehole observations and large-scale airborne...... electromagnetic (AEM) data. Our estimates of model structural uncertainty follow a Bayesian framework that accounts for both the uncertainties in geophysical parameter estimates given AEM data, and the uncertainties in the relationship between lithology and geophysical parameters. Using geostatistical sequential...

  14. Medical Errors in Cyprus: The 2005 Eurobarometer Survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Pavlakis

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Medical errors have been highlighted in recent years by different agencies, scientific bodies and research teams alike. We sought to explore the issue of medical errors in Cyprus using data from the Eurobarometer survey.Methods: Data from the special Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2005 across all European Union countries (EU-25 and the acceding countries were obtained from the corresponding EU office. Statisticalanalyses including logistic regression models were performed using SPSS.Results: A total of 502 individuals participated in the Cyprus survey. About 90% reported that they had often or sometimes heard about medical errors, while 22% reported that a family member or they had suffered a serious medical error in a local hospital. In addition, 9.4% reported a serious problem from a prescribed medicine. We also found statistically significant differences across different ages and gender and in rural versus urban residents. Finally, using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, wefound that residents in rural areas were more likely to have suffered a serious medical error in a local hospital or from a prescribed medicine.Conclusion: Our study shows that the vast majority of residents in Cyprus in parallel with the other Europeans worry about medical errors and a significant percentage report having suffered a serious medical error at a local hospital or from a prescribed medicine. The results of our study could help the medical community in Cyprus and the society at large to enhance its vigilance with respect to medical errors in order to improve medical care.

  15. Bandwagon effects and error bars in particle physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeng, Monwhea

    2007-02-01

    We study historical records of experiments on particle masses, lifetimes, and widths, both for signs of expectation bias, and to compare actual errors with reported error bars. We show that significant numbers of particle properties exhibit "bandwagon effects": reported values show trends and clustering as a function of the year of publication, rather than random scatter about the mean. While the total amount of clustering is significant, it is also fairly small; most individual particle properties do not display obvious clustering. When differences between experiments are compared with the reported error bars, the deviations do not follow a normal distribution, but instead follow an exponential distribution for up to ten standard deviations.

  16. Bandwagon effects and error bars in particle physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeng, Monwhea

    2007-01-01

    We study historical records of experiments on particle masses, lifetimes, and widths, both for signs of expectation bias, and to compare actual errors with reported error bars. We show that significant numbers of particle properties exhibit 'bandwagon effects': reported values show trends and clustering as a function of the year of publication, rather than random scatter about the mean. While the total amount of clustering is significant, it is also fairly small; most individual particle properties do not display obvious clustering. When differences between experiments are compared with the reported error bars, the deviations do not follow a normal distribution, but instead follow an exponential distribution for up to ten standard deviations

  17. A methodology for translating positional error into measures of attribute error, and combining the two error sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yohay Carmel; Curtis Flather; Denis Dean

    2006-01-01

    This paper summarizes our efforts to investigate the nature, behavior, and implications of positional error and attribute error in spatiotemporal datasets. Estimating the combined influence of these errors on map analysis has been hindered by the fact that these two error types are traditionally expressed in different units (distance units, and categorical units,...

  18. An Investigation of effective factors on nurses\\' speech errors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Tafaroji yeganeh

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Background : Speech errors are a branch of psycholinguistic science. Speech error or slip of tongue is a natural process that happens to everyone. The importance of this research is because of sensitivity and importance of nursing in which the speech errors may be interfere in the treatment of patients, but unfortunately no research has been done yet in this field.This research has been done to study the factors (personality, stress, fatigue and insomnia which cause speech errors happen to nurses of Ilam province. Materials and Methods: The sample of this correlation-descriptive research consists of 50 nurses working in Mustafa Khomeini Hospital of Ilam province who were selected randomly. Our data were collected using The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, NEO-Five Factor Inventory and Expanded Nursing Stress Scale, and were analyzed using SPSS version 20, descriptive, inferential and multivariate linear regression or two-variable statistical methods (with significant level: p≤0. 05. Results: 30 (60% of nurses participating in the study were female and 19 (38% were male. In this study, all three factors (type of personality, stress and fatigue have significant effects on nurses' speech errors Conclusion: 30 (60% of nurses participating in the study were female and 19 (38% were male. In this study, all three factors (type of personality, stress and fatigue have significant effects on nurses' speech errors.

  19. CORRECTING ACCOUNTING ERRORS AND ACKNOWLEDGING THEM IN THE EARNINGS TO THE PERIOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BUSUIOCEANU STELIANA

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The accounting information is reliable when it does not contain significant errors, is not biasedand accurately represents the transactions and events. In the light of the regulations complying with Europeandirectives, the information is significant if its omission or wrong presentation may influence the decisions users makebased on annual financial statements. Given that the professional practice sees errors in registering or interpretinginformation, as well as omissions and wrong calculations, the Romanian accounting regulations stipulate treatmentsfor correcting errors in compliance with international references. Thus, the correction of the errors corresponding tothe current period is accomplished based on the retained earnings in the case of significant errors or on the currentearnings when the errors are insignificant. The different situations in the professional practice triggered by errorsrequire both knowledge of regulations and professional rationale to be addressed.

  20. Systematic Analysis of Video Data from Different Human-Robot Interaction Studies: A Categorisation of Social Signals During Error Situations

    OpenAIRE

    Manuel eGiuliani; Nicole eMirnig; Gerald eStollnberger; Susanne eStadler; Roland eBuchner; Manfred eTscheligi

    2015-01-01

    Human?robot interactions are often affected by error situations that are caused by either the robot or the human. Therefore, robots would profit from the ability to recognize when error situations occur. We investigated the verbal and non-verbal social signals that humans show when error situations occur in human?robot interaction experiments. For that, we analyzed 201 videos of five human?robot interaction user studies with varying tasks from four independent projects. The analysis shows tha...

  1. Performance Analysis of CRC Codes for Systematic and Nonsystematic Polar Codes with List Decoding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takumi Murata

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Successive cancellation list (SCL decoding of polar codes is an effective approach that can significantly outperform the original successive cancellation (SC decoding, provided that proper cyclic redundancy-check (CRC codes are employed at the stage of candidate selection. Previous studies on CRC-assisted polar codes mostly focus on improvement of the decoding algorithms as well as their implementation, and little attention has been paid to the CRC code structure itself. For the CRC-concatenated polar codes with CRC code as their outer code, the use of longer CRC code leads to reduction of information rate, whereas the use of shorter CRC code may reduce the error detection probability, thus degrading the frame error rate (FER performance. Therefore, CRC codes of proper length should be employed in order to optimize the FER performance for a given signal-to-noise ratio (SNR per information bit. In this paper, we investigate the effect of CRC codes on the FER performance of polar codes with list decoding in terms of the CRC code length as well as its generator polynomials. Both the original nonsystematic and systematic polar codes are considered, and we also demonstrate that different behaviors of CRC codes should be observed depending on whether the inner polar code is systematic or not.

  2. [Sources of error in the European Pharmacopoeia assay of halide salts of organic bases by titration with alkali].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kószeginé, S H; Ráfliné, R Z; Paál, T; Török, I

    2000-01-01

    A short overview has been given by the authors on the titrimetric assay methods of halide salts of organic bases in the pharmacopoeias of greatest importance. The alternative procedures introduced by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission some years ago to replace the non-aqueous titration with perchloric acid in the presence of mercuric acetate have also been presented and evaluated. The authors investigated the limits of applicability and the sources of systematic errors (bias) of the strongly preferred titration with sodium hydroxide in an alcoholic medium. To assess the bias due to the differences between the results calculated from the two inflexion points of the titration curves and the two real endpoints corresponding to the strong and weak acids, respectively, the mathematical analysis of the titration curve function was carried out. This bias, generally negligible when the pH change near the endpoint of the titration is more than 1 unit, is the function of the concentration, the apparent pK of the analyte and the ionic product of water (ethanol) in the alcohol-water mixtures. Using the validation data gained for the method with the titration of ephedrine hydrochloride the authors analysed the impact of carbon dioxide in the titration medium on the additive and proportional systematic errors of the method. The newly introduced standardisation procedure of the European Pharmacopoeia for the sodium hydroxide titrant to decrease the systematic errors caused by carbon dioxide has also been evaluated.

  3. The surveillance error grid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klonoff, David C; Lias, Courtney; Vigersky, Robert; Clarke, William; Parkes, Joan Lee; Sacks, David B; Kirkman, M Sue; Kovatchev, Boris

    2014-07-01

    Currently used error grids for assessing clinical accuracy of blood glucose monitors are based on out-of-date medical practices. Error grids have not been widely embraced by regulatory agencies for clearance of monitors, but this type of tool could be useful for surveillance of the performance of cleared products. Diabetes Technology Society together with representatives from the Food and Drug Administration, the American Diabetes Association, the Endocrine Society, and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, and representatives of academia, industry, and government, have developed a new error grid, called the surveillance error grid (SEG) as a tool to assess the degree of clinical risk from inaccurate blood glucose (BG) monitors. A total of 206 diabetes clinicians were surveyed about the clinical risk of errors of measured BG levels by a monitor. The impact of such errors on 4 patient scenarios was surveyed. Each monitor/reference data pair was scored and color-coded on a graph per its average risk rating. Using modeled data representative of the accuracy of contemporary meters, the relationships between clinical risk and monitor error were calculated for the Clarke error grid (CEG), Parkes error grid (PEG), and SEG. SEG action boundaries were consistent across scenarios, regardless of whether the patient was type 1 or type 2 or using insulin or not. No significant differences were noted between responses of adult/pediatric or 4 types of clinicians. Although small specific differences in risk boundaries between US and non-US clinicians were noted, the panel felt they did not justify separate grids for these 2 types of clinicians. The data points of the SEG were classified in 15 zones according to their assigned level of risk, which allowed for comparisons with the classic CEG and PEG. Modeled glucose monitor data with realistic self-monitoring of blood glucose errors derived from meter testing experiments plotted on the SEG when compared to

  4. Analysis of Human Errors in Japanese Nuclear Power Plants using JHPES/JAESS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kojima, Mitsuhiro; Mimura, Masahiro; Yamaguchi, Osamu

    1998-01-01

    CRIEPI (Central Research Institute for Electric Power Industries) / HFC (Human Factors research Center) developed J-HPES (Japanese version of Human Performance Enhancement System) based on the HPES which was originally developed by INPO to analyze events resulted from human errors. J-HPES was systematized into a computer program named JAESS (J-HPES Analysis and Evaluation Support System) and both systems were distributed to all Japanese electric power companies to analyze events by themselves. CRIEPI / HFC also analyzed the incidents in Japanese nuclear power plants (NPPs) which were officially reported and identified as human error related with J-HPES / JAESS. These incidents have numbered up to 188 cases over the last 30 years. An outline of this analysis is given, and some preliminary findings are shown. (authors)

  5. OpWise: Operons aid the identification of differentially expressed genes in bacterial microarray experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arkin Adam P

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Differentially expressed genes are typically identified by analyzing the variation between replicate measurements. These procedures implicitly assume that there are no systematic errors in the data even though several sources of systematic error are known. Results OpWise estimates the amount of systematic error in bacterial microarray data by assuming that genes in the same operon have matching expression patterns. OpWise then performs a Bayesian analysis of a linear model to estimate significance. In simulations, OpWise corrects for systematic error and is robust to deviations from its assumptions. In several bacterial data sets, significant amounts of systematic error are present, and replicate-based approaches overstate the confidence of the changers dramatically, while OpWise does not. Finally, OpWise can identify additional changers by assigning genes higher confidence if they are consistent with other genes in the same operon. Conclusion Although microarray data can contain large amounts of systematic error, operons provide an external standard and allow for reasonable estimates of significance. OpWise is available at http://microbesonline.org/OpWise.

  6. Measurement error and timing of predictor values for multivariable risk prediction models are poorly reported.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whittle, Rebecca; Peat, George; Belcher, John; Collins, Gary S; Riley, Richard D

    2018-05-18

    Measurement error in predictor variables may threaten the validity of clinical prediction models. We sought to evaluate the possible extent of the problem. A secondary objective was to examine whether predictors are measured at the intended moment of model use. A systematic search of Medline was used to identify a sample of articles reporting the development of a clinical prediction model published in 2015. After screening according to a predefined inclusion criteria, information on predictors, strategies to control for measurement error and intended moment of model use were extracted. Susceptibility to measurement error for each predictor was classified into low and high risk. Thirty-three studies were reviewed, including 151 different predictors in the final prediction models. Fifty-one (33.7%) predictors were categorised as high risk of error, however this was not accounted for in the model development. Only 8 (24.2%) studies explicitly stated the intended moment of model use and when the predictors were measured. Reporting of measurement error and intended moment of model use is poor in prediction model studies. There is a need to identify circumstances where ignoring measurement error in prediction models is consequential and whether accounting for the error will improve the predictions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  7. Is valve choice a significant determinant of paravalular leak post-transcatheter aortic valve implantation? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Sullivan, Katie E

    2013-11-01

    Paravalvular regurgitation (PVR) following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is associated with poor survival. The two main valve delivery systems used to date differ significantly in both structure and deployment technique. The primary objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies identifying PVR in patients post-TAVI using Medtronic CoreValve (MCV) and Edward Sapien (ES) valves in order to identify whether a significant difference exists between valve types. The secondary objective was to identify additional factors predisposing to PVR to provide an overview of the other associated considerations.

  8. A review of setup error in supine breast radiotherapy using cone-beam computed tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Batumalai, Vikneswary, E-mail: Vikneswary.batumalai@sswahs.nsw.gov.au [South Western Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres, New South Wales (Australia); Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Holloway, Lois [South Western Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres, New South Wales (Australia); Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales (Australia); Institute of Medical Physics, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Delaney, Geoff P. [South Western Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centres, New South Wales (Australia); Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia)

    2016-10-01

    Setup error in breast radiotherapy (RT) measured with 3-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is becoming more common. The purpose of this study is to review the literature relating to the magnitude of setup error in breast RT measured with CBCT. The different methods of image registration between CBCT and planning computed tomography (CT) scan were also explored. A literature search, not limited by date, was conducted using Medline and Google Scholar with the following key words: breast cancer, RT, setup error, and CBCT. This review includes studies that reported on systematic and random errors, and the methods used when registering CBCT scans with planning CT scan. A total of 11 relevant studies were identified for inclusion in this review. The average magnitude of error is generally less than 5 mm across a number of studies reviewed. The common registration methods used when registering CBCT scans with planning CT scan are based on bony anatomy, soft tissue, and surgical clips. No clear relationships between the setup errors detected and methods of registration were observed from this review. Further studies are needed to assess the benefit of CBCT over electronic portal image, as CBCT remains unproven to be of wide benefit in breast RT.

  9. A review of setup error in supine breast radiotherapy using cone-beam computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batumalai, Vikneswary; Holloway, Lois; Delaney, Geoff P.

    2016-01-01

    Setup error in breast radiotherapy (RT) measured with 3-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is becoming more common. The purpose of this study is to review the literature relating to the magnitude of setup error in breast RT measured with CBCT. The different methods of image registration between CBCT and planning computed tomography (CT) scan were also explored. A literature search, not limited by date, was conducted using Medline and Google Scholar with the following key words: breast cancer, RT, setup error, and CBCT. This review includes studies that reported on systematic and random errors, and the methods used when registering CBCT scans with planning CT scan. A total of 11 relevant studies were identified for inclusion in this review. The average magnitude of error is generally less than 5 mm across a number of studies reviewed. The common registration methods used when registering CBCT scans with planning CT scan are based on bony anatomy, soft tissue, and surgical clips. No clear relationships between the setup errors detected and methods of registration were observed from this review. Further studies are needed to assess the benefit of CBCT over electronic portal image, as CBCT remains unproven to be of wide benefit in breast RT.

  10. Residents' numeric inputting error in computerized physician order entry prescription.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xue; Wu, Changxu; Zhang, Kan; Wei, Dong

    2016-04-01

    Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system with embedded clinical decision support (CDS) can significantly reduce certain types of prescription error. However, prescription errors still occur. Various factors such as the numeric inputting methods in human computer interaction (HCI) produce different error rates and types, but has received relatively little attention. This study aimed to examine the effects of numeric inputting methods and urgency levels on numeric inputting errors of prescription, as well as categorize the types of errors. Thirty residents participated in four prescribing tasks in which two factors were manipulated: numeric inputting methods (numeric row in the main keyboard vs. numeric keypad) and urgency levels (urgent situation vs. non-urgent situation). Multiple aspects of participants' prescribing behavior were measured in sober prescribing situations. The results revealed that in urgent situations, participants were prone to make mistakes when using the numeric row in the main keyboard. With control of performance in the sober prescribing situation, the effects of the input methods disappeared, and urgency was found to play a significant role in the generalized linear model. Most errors were either omission or substitution types, but the proportion of transposition and intrusion error types were significantly higher than that of the previous research. Among numbers 3, 8, and 9, which were the less common digits used in prescription, the error rate was higher, which was a great risk to patient safety. Urgency played a more important role in CPOE numeric typing error-making than typing skills and typing habits. It was recommended that inputting with the numeric keypad had lower error rates in urgent situation. An alternative design could consider increasing the sensitivity of the keys with lower frequency of occurrence and decimals. To improve the usability of CPOE, numeric keyboard design and error detection could benefit from spatial

  11. Redundant measurements for controlling errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ehinger, M.H.; Crawford, J.M.; Madeen, M.L.

    1979-07-01

    Current federal regulations for nuclear materials control require consideration of operating data as part of the quality control program and limits of error propagation. Recent work at the BNFP has revealed that operating data are subject to a number of measurement problems which are very difficult to detect and even more difficult to correct in a timely manner. Thus error estimates based on operational data reflect those problems. During the FY 1978 and FY 1979 R and D demonstration runs at the BNFP, redundant measurement techniques were shown to be effective in detecting these problems to allow corrective action. The net effect is a reduction in measurement errors and a significant increase in measurement sensitivity. Results show that normal operation process control measurements, in conjunction with routine accountability measurements, are sensitive problem indicators when incorporated in a redundant measurement program

  12. Why do adult dogs (Canis familiaris) commit the A-not-B search error?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sümegi, Zsófia; Kis, Anna; Miklósi, Ádám; Topál, József

    2014-02-01

    It has been recently reported that adult domestic dogs, like human infants, tend to commit perseverative search errors; that is, they select the previously rewarded empty location in Piagetian A-not-B search task because of the experimenter's ostensive communicative cues. There is, however, an ongoing debate over whether these findings reveal that dogs can use the human ostensive referential communication as a source of information or the phenomenon can be accounted for by "more simple" explanations like insufficient attention and learning based on local enhancement. In 2 experiments the authors systematically manipulated the type of human cueing (communicative or noncommunicative) adjacent to the A hiding place during both the A and B trials. Results highlight 3 important aspects of the dogs' A-not-B error: (a) search errors are influenced to a certain extent by dogs' motivation to retrieve the toy object; (b) human communicative and noncommunicative signals have different error-inducing effects; and (3) communicative signals presented at the A hiding place during the B trials but not during the A trials play a crucial role in inducing the A-not-B error and it can be induced even without demonstrating repeated hiding events at location A. These findings further confirm the notion that perseverative search error, at least partially, reflects a "ready-to-obey" attitude in the dog rather than insufficient attention and/or working memory.

  13. Dynamic Modeling Accuracy Dependence on Errors in Sensor Measurements, Mass Properties, and Aircraft Geometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grauer, Jared A.; Morelli, Eugene A.

    2013-01-01

    A nonlinear simulation of the NASA Generic Transport Model was used to investigate the effects of errors in sensor measurements, mass properties, and aircraft geometry on the accuracy of dynamic models identified from flight data. Measurements from a typical system identification maneuver were systematically and progressively deteriorated and then used to estimate stability and control derivatives within a Monte Carlo analysis. Based on the results, recommendations were provided for maximum allowable errors in sensor measurements, mass properties, and aircraft geometry to achieve desired levels of dynamic modeling accuracy. Results using other flight conditions, parameter estimation methods, and a full-scale F-16 nonlinear aircraft simulation were compared with these recommendations.

  14. A Systematic Approach for Identifying Level-1 Error Covariance Structures in Latent Growth Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Cherng G.; Jane, Ten-Der; Wu, Chiu-Hui; Lin, Hang-Rung; Shen, Chih-Kang

    2017-01-01

    It has been pointed out in the literature that misspecification of the level-1 error covariance structure in latent growth modeling (LGM) has detrimental impacts on the inferences about growth parameters. Since correct covariance structure is difficult to specify by theory, the identification needs to rely on a specification search, which,…

  15. Evaluation and comparison of the processing methods of airborne gravimetry concerning the errors effects on downward continuation results: Case studies in Louisiana (USA) and the Tibetan Plateau (China)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhao, Qilong; Strykowski, Gabriel; Li, Jiancheng

    2017-01-01

    and the most extreme area of the world for this type of survey is the Tibetan Plateau. Since there are no high-accuracy surface gravity data available for this area, the above error minimization method involving the external gravity data cannot be used. We propose a semi-parametric downward continuation method...... in combination with regularization to suppress the systematic error effect and the random error effect in the Tibetan Plateau; i.e., without the use of the external high-accuracy gravity data. We use a Louisiana airborne gravity dataset from the USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA......) to demonstrate that the new method works effectively. Furthermore, and for the Tibetan Plateau we show that the numerical experiment is also successfully conducted using the synthetic Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM08)-derived gravity data contaminated with the synthetic errors. The estimated systematic...

  16. Evaluation and Comparison of the Processing Methods of Airborne Gravimetry Concerning the Errors Effects on Downward Continuation Results: Case Studies in Louisiana (USA) and the Tibetan Plateau (China).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Qilong; Strykowski, Gabriel; Li, Jiancheng; Pan, Xiong; Xu, Xinyu

    2017-05-25

    Gravity data gaps in mountainous areas are nowadays often filled in with the data from airborne gravity surveys. Because of the errors caused by the airborne gravimeter sensors, and because of rough flight conditions, such errors cannot be completely eliminated. The precision of the gravity disturbances generated by the airborne gravimetry is around 3-5 mgal. A major obstacle in using airborne gravimetry are the errors caused by the downward continuation. In order to improve the results the external high-accuracy gravity information e.g., from the surface data can be used for high frequency correction, while satellite information can be applying for low frequency correction. Surface data may be used to reduce the systematic errors, while regularization methods can reduce the random errors in downward continuation. Airborne gravity surveys are sometimes conducted in mountainous areas and the most extreme area of the world for this type of survey is the Tibetan Plateau. Since there are no high-accuracy surface gravity data available for this area, the above error minimization method involving the external gravity data cannot be used. We propose a semi-parametric downward continuation method in combination with regularization to suppress the systematic error effect and the random error effect in the Tibetan Plateau; i.e., without the use of the external high-accuracy gravity data. We use a Louisiana airborne gravity dataset from the USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to demonstrate that the new method works effectively. Furthermore, and for the Tibetan Plateau we show that the numerical experiment is also successfully conducted using the synthetic Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM08)-derived gravity data contaminated with the synthetic errors. The estimated systematic errors generated by the method are close to the simulated values. In addition, we study the relationship between the downward continuation altitudes and the error effect. The

  17. Evaluation and Comparison of the Processing Methods of Airborne Gravimetry Concerning the Errors Effects on Downward Continuation Results: Case Studies in Louisiana (USA) and the Tibetan Plateau (China)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Q.

    2017-12-01

    Gravity data gaps in mountainous areas are nowadays often filled in with the data from airborne gravity surveys. Because of the errors caused by the airborne gravimeter sensors, and because of rough flight conditions, such errors cannot be completely eliminated. The precision of the gravity disturbances generated by the airborne gravimetry is around 3-5 mgal. A major obstacle in using airborne gravimetry are the errors caused by the downward continuation. In order to improve the results the external high-accuracy gravity information e.g., from the surface data can be used for high frequency correction, while satellite information can be applying for low frequency correction. Surface data may be used to reduce the systematic errors, while regularization methods can reduce the random errors in downward continuation. Airborne gravity surveys are sometimes conducted in mountainous areas and the most extreme area of the world for this type of survey is the Tibetan Plateau. Since there are no high-accuracy surface gravity data available for this area, the above error minimization method involving the external gravity data cannot be used. We propose a semi-parametric downward continuation method in combination with regularization to suppress the systematic error effect and the random error effect in the Tibetan Plateau; i.e., without the use of the external high-accuracy gravity data. We use a Louisiana airborne gravity dataset from the USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to demonstrate that the new method works effectively. Furthermore, and for the Tibetan Plateau we show that the numerical experiment is also successfully conducted using the synthetic Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM08)-derived gravity data contaminated with the synthetic errors. The estimated systematic errors generated by the method are close to the simulated values. In addition, we study the relationship between the downward continuation altitudes and the error effect. The

  18. Medication Errors - A Review

    OpenAIRE

    Vinay BC; Nikhitha MK; Patel Sunil B

    2015-01-01

    In this present review article, regarding medication errors its definition, medication error problem, types of medication errors, common causes of medication errors, monitoring medication errors, consequences of medication errors, prevention of medication error and managing medication errors have been explained neatly and legibly with proper tables which is easy to understand.

  19. Analysis and mitigation of systematic errors in spectral shearing interferometry of pulses approaching the single-cycle limit [Invited

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Birge, Jonathan R.; Kaertner, Franz X.

    2008-01-01

    We derive an analytical approximation for the measured pulse width error in spectral shearing methods, such as spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER), caused by an anomalous delay between the two sheared pulse components. This analysis suggests that, as pulses approach the single-cycle limit, the resulting requirements on the calibration and stability of this delay become significant, requiring precision orders of magnitude higher than the scale of a wavelength. This is demonstrated by numerical simulations of SPIDER pulse reconstruction using actual data from a sub-two-cycle laser. We briefly propose methods to minimize the effects of this sensitivity in SPIDER and review variants of spectral shearing that attempt to avoid this difficulty

  20. Error Patterns

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoede, C.; Li, Z.

    2001-01-01

    In coding theory the problem of decoding focuses on error vectors. In the simplest situation code words are $(0,1)$-vectors, as are the received messages and the error vectors. Comparison of a received word with the code words yields a set of error vectors. In deciding on the original code word,