Particle Filter with Integrated Voice Activity Detection for Acoustic Source Tracking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anders M. Johansson

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In noisy and reverberant environments, the problem of acoustic source localisation and tracking (ASLT using an array of microphones presents a number of challenging difficulties. One of the main issues when considering real-world situations involving human speakers is the temporally discontinuous nature of speech signals: the presence of silence gaps in the speech can easily misguide the tracking algorithm, even in practical environments with low to moderate noise and reverberation levels. A natural extension of currently available sound source tracking algorithms is the integration of a voice activity detection (VAD scheme. We describe a new ASLT algorithm based on a particle filtering (PF approach, where VAD measurements are fused within the statistical framework of the PF implementation. Tracking accuracy results for the proposed method is presented on the basis of synthetic audio samples generated with the image method, whereas performance results obtained with a real-time implementation of the algorithm, and using real audio data recorded in a reverberant room, are published elsewhere. Compared to a previously proposed PF algorithm, the experimental results demonstrate the improved robustness of the method described in this work when tracking sources emitting real-world speech signals, which typically involve significant silence gaps between utterances.

Tool position tracking control of a nonlinear uncertain flexible robot ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Robot manipulators have become progressively important in the field of flexible ... this research, tracking of tool position and minimization of motor torque are ...... and Menhaj M B 2013a Position and current control of a permanent-magnet syn-.

A Tracking Analyst for large 3D spatiotemporal data from multiple sources (case study: Tracking volcanic eruptions in the atmosphere)

Science.gov (United States)

Gad, Mohamed A.; Elshehaly, Mai H.; Gračanin, Denis; Elmongui, Hicham G.

2018-02-01

This research presents a novel Trajectory-based Tracking Analyst (TTA) that can track and link spatiotemporally variable data from multiple sources. The proposed technique uses trajectory information to determine the positions of time-enabled and spatially variable scatter data at any given time through a combination of along trajectory adjustment and spatial interpolation. The TTA is applied in this research to track large spatiotemporal data of volcanic eruptions (acquired using multi-sensors) in the unsteady flow field of the atmosphere. The TTA enables tracking injections into the atmospheric flow field, the reconstruction of the spatiotemporally variable data at any desired time, and the spatiotemporal join of attribute data from multiple sources. In addition, we were able to create a smooth animation of the volcanic ash plume at interactive rates. The initial results indicate that the TTA can be applied to a wide range of multiple-source data.

A computational tool to characterize particle tracking measurements in optical tweezers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, Michael A; Bowen, Warwick P

2013-01-01

Here, we present a computational tool for optical tweezers which calculates the particle tracking signal measured with a quadrant detector and the shot-noise limit to position resolution. The tool is a piece of Matlab code which functions within the freely available Optical Tweezers Toolbox. It allows the measurements performed in most optical tweezer experiments to be theoretically characterized in a fast and easy manner. The code supports particles with arbitrary size, any optical fields and any combination of objective and condenser, and performs a full vector calculation of the relevant fields. Example calculations are presented which show the tracking signals for different particles, and the shot-noise limit to position sensitivity as a function of the effective condenser NA. (paper)

Intrusion Detection using Open Source Tools

OpenAIRE

Jack TIMOFTE

2008-01-01

We have witnessed in the recent years that open source tools have gained popularity among all types of users, from individuals or small businesses to large organizations and enterprises. In this paper we will present three open source IDS tools: OSSEC, Prelude and SNORT.

A novel library-independent approach based on high-throughput cultivation in Bioscreen and fingerprinting by FTIR spectroscopy for microbial source tracking in food industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Shapaval, V; Møretrø, T; Wold Åsli, A; Suso, H P; Schmitt, J; Lillehaug, D; Kohler, A

2017-05-01

Microbiological source tracking (MST) for food industry is a rapid growing area of research and technology development. In this paper, a new library-independent approach for MST is presented. It is based on a high-throughput liquid microcultivation and FTIR spectroscopy. In this approach, FTIR spectra obtained from micro-organisms isolated along the production line and a product are compared to each other. We tested and evaluated the new source tracking approach by simulating a source tracking situation. In this simulation study, a selection of 20 spoilage mould strains from a total of six genera (Alternaria, Aspergillus, Mucor, Paecilomyces, Peyronellaea and Phoma) was used. The simulation of the source tracking situation showed that 80-100% of the sources could be correctly identified with respect to genus/species level. When performing source tracking simulations, the FTIR identification diverged for Phoma glomerata strain in the reference collection. When reidentifying the strain by sequencing, it turned out that the strain was a Peyronellaea arachidicola. The obtained results demonstrated that the proposed approach is a versatile tool for identifying sources of microbial contamination. Thus, it has a high potential for routine control in the food industry due to low costs and analysis time. The source tracking of fungal contamination in the food industry is an important aspect of food safety. Currently, all available methods are time consuming and require the use of a reference library that may limit the accuracy of the identification. In this study, we report for the first time, a library-independent FTIR spectroscopic approach for MST of fungal contamination along the food production line. It combines high-throughput microcultivation and FTIR spectroscopy and is specific on the genus and species level. Therefore, such an approach possesses great importance for food safety control in food industry. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

The EnzymeTracker: an open-source laboratory information management system for sample tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Triplet, Thomas; Butler, Gregory

2012-01-26

In many laboratories, researchers store experimental data on their own workstation using spreadsheets. However, this approach poses a number of problems, ranging from sharing issues to inefficient data-mining. Standard spreadsheets are also error-prone, as data do not undergo any validation process. To overcome spreadsheets inherent limitations, a number of proprietary systems have been developed, which laboratories need to pay expensive license fees for. Those costs are usually prohibitive for most laboratories and prevent scientists from benefiting from more sophisticated data management systems. In this paper, we propose the EnzymeTracker, a web-based laboratory information management system for sample tracking, as an open-source and flexible alternative that aims at facilitating entry, mining and sharing of experimental biological data. The EnzymeTracker features online spreadsheets and tools for monitoring numerous experiments conducted by several collaborators to identify and characterize samples. It also provides libraries of shared data such as protocols, and administration tools for data access control using OpenID and user/team management. Our system relies on a database management system for efficient data indexing and management and a user-friendly AJAX interface that can be accessed over the Internet. The EnzymeTracker facilitates data entry by dynamically suggesting entries and providing smart data-mining tools to effectively retrieve data. Our system features a number of tools to visualize and annotate experimental data, and export highly customizable reports. It also supports QR matrix barcoding to facilitate sample tracking. The EnzymeTracker was designed to be easy to use and offers many benefits over spreadsheets, thus presenting the characteristics required to facilitate acceptance by the scientific community. It has been successfully used for 20 months on a daily basis by over 50 scientists. The EnzymeTracker is freely available online at http

EpiTools: An Open-Source Image Analysis Toolkit for Quantifying Epithelial Growth Dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Heller, Davide; Hoppe, Andreas; Restrepo, Simon; Gatti, Lorenzo; Tournier, Alexander L; Tapon, Nicolas; Basler, Konrad; Mao, Yanlan

2016-01-11

Epithelia grow and undergo extensive rearrangements to achieve their final size and shape. Imaging the dynamics of tissue growth and morphogenesis is now possible with advances in time-lapse microscopy, but a true understanding of their complexities is limited by automated image analysis tools to extract quantitative data. To overcome such limitations, we have designed a new open-source image analysis toolkit called EpiTools. It provides user-friendly graphical user interfaces for accurately segmenting and tracking the contours of cell membrane signals obtained from 4D confocal imaging. It is designed for a broad audience, especially biologists with no computer-science background. Quantitative data extraction is integrated into a larger bioimaging platform, Icy, to increase the visibility and usability of our tools. We demonstrate the usefulness of EpiTools by analyzing Drosophila wing imaginal disc growth, revealing previously overlooked properties of this dynamic tissue, such as the patterns of cellular rearrangements. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

visPIG--a web tool for producing multi-region, multi-track, multi-scale plots of genetic data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Scales

Full Text Available We present VISual Plotting Interface for Genetics (visPIG; http://vispig.icr.ac.uk, a web application to produce multi-track, multi-scale, multi-region plots of genetic data. visPIG has been designed to allow users not well versed with mathematical software packages and/or programming languages such as R, Matlab®, Python, etc., to integrate data from multiple sources for interpretation and to easily create publication-ready figures. While web tools such as the UCSC Genome Browser or the WashU Epigenome Browser allow custom data uploads, such tools are primarily designed for data exploration. This is also true for the desktop-run Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV. Other locally run data visualisation software such as Circos require significant computer skills of the user. The visPIG web application is a menu-based interface that allows users to upload custom data tracks and set track-specific parameters. Figures can be downloaded as PDF or PNG files. For sensitive data, the underlying R code can also be downloaded and run locally. visPIG is multi-track: it can display many different data types (e.g association, functional annotation, intensity, interaction, heat map data,…. It also allows annotation of genes and other custom features in the plotted region(s. Data tracks can be plotted individually or on a single figure. visPIG is multi-region: it supports plotting multiple regions, be they kilo- or megabases apart or even on different chromosomes. Finally, visPIG is multi-scale: a sub-region of particular interest can be 'zoomed' in. We describe the various features of visPIG and illustrate its utility with examples. visPIG is freely available through http://vispig.icr.ac.uk under a GNU General Public License (GPLv3.

Mousetrap: An integrated, open-source mouse-tracking package.

Science.gov (United States)

Kieslich, Pascal J; Henninger, Felix

2017-10-01

Mouse-tracking - the analysis of mouse movements in computerized experiments - is becoming increasingly popular in the cognitive sciences. Mouse movements are taken as an indicator of commitment to or conflict between choice options during the decision process. Using mouse-tracking, researchers have gained insight into the temporal development of cognitive processes across a growing number of psychological domains. In the current article, we present software that offers easy and convenient means of recording and analyzing mouse movements in computerized laboratory experiments. In particular, we introduce and demonstrate the mousetrap plugin that adds mouse-tracking to OpenSesame, a popular general-purpose graphical experiment builder. By integrating with this existing experimental software, mousetrap allows for the creation of mouse-tracking studies through a graphical interface, without requiring programming skills. Thus, researchers can benefit from the core features of a validated software package and the many extensions available for it (e.g., the integration with auxiliary hardware such as eye-tracking, or the support of interactive experiments). In addition, the recorded data can be imported directly into the statistical programming language R using the mousetrap package, which greatly facilitates analysis. Mousetrap is cross-platform, open-source and available free of charge from https://github.com/pascalkieslich/mousetrap-os .

Grants Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS)

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The Grants Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS) is the primary tool for management and oversight of EPA's Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Control Program. GRTS pulls...

Multiple approaches to microbial source tracking in tropical northern Australia

KAUST Repository

Neave, Matthew

2014-09-16

Microbial source tracking is an area of research in which multiple approaches are used to identify the sources of elevated bacterial concentrations in recreational lakes and beaches. At our study location in Darwin, northern Australia, water quality in the harbor is generally good, however dry-season beach closures due to elevated Escherichia coli and enterococci counts are a cause for concern. The sources of these high bacteria counts are currently unknown. To address this, we sampled sewage outfalls, other potential inputs, such as urban rivers and drains, and surrounding beaches, and used genetic fingerprints from E. coli and enterococci communities, fecal markers and 454 pyrosequencing to track contamination sources. A sewage effluent outfall (Larrakeyah discharge) was a source of bacteria, including fecal bacteria that impacted nearby beaches. Two other treated effluent discharges did not appear to influence sites other than those directly adjacent. Several beaches contained fecal indicator bacteria that likely originated from urban rivers and creeks within the catchment. Generally, connectivity between the sites was observed within distinct geographical locations and it appeared that most of the bacterial contamination on Darwin beaches was confined to local sources.

Atrioventricular junction (AVJ) motion tracking: a software tool with ITK/VTK/Qt.

Science.gov (United States)

Pengdong Xiao; Shuang Leng; Xiaodan Zhao; Hua Zou; Ru San Tan; Wong, Philip; Liang Zhong

2016-08-01

The quantitative measurement of the Atrioventricular Junction (AVJ) motion is an important index for ventricular functions of one cardiac cycle including systole and diastole. In this paper, a software tool that can conduct AVJ motion tracking from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images is presented by using Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit (ITK), The Visualization Toolkit (VTK) and Qt. The software tool is written in C++ by using Visual Studio Community 2013 integrated development environment (IDE) containing both an editor and a Microsoft complier. The software package has been successfully implemented. From the software engineering practice, it is concluded that ITK, VTK, and Qt are very handy software systems to implement automatic image analysis functions for CMR images such as quantitative measure of motion by visual tracking.

Fast and Accurate Rat Head Motion Tracking With Point Sources for Awake Brain PET.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Alan; Staelens, Steven; Stroobants, Sigrid; Verhaeghe, Jeroen

2017-07-01

To avoid the confounding effects of anesthesia and immobilization stress in rat brain positron emission tomography (PET), motion tracking-based unrestrained awake rat brain imaging is being developed. In this paper, we propose a fast and accurate rat headmotion tracking method based on small PET point sources. PET point sources (3-4) attached to the rat's head are tracked in image space using 15-32-ms time frames. Our point source tracking (PST) method was validated using a manually moved microDerenzo phantom that was simultaneously tracked with an optical tracker (OT) for comparison. The PST method was further validated in three awake [ 18 F]FDG rat brain scans. Compared with the OT, the PST-based correction at the same frame rate (31.2 Hz) reduced the reconstructed FWHM by 0.39-0.66 mm for the different tested rod sizes of the microDerenzo phantom. The FWHM could be further reduced by another 0.07-0.13 mm when increasing the PST frame rate (66.7 Hz). Regional brain [ 18 F]FDG uptake in the motion corrected scan was strongly correlated ( ) with that of the anesthetized reference scan for all three cases ( ). The proposed PST method allowed excellent and reproducible motion correction in awake in vivo experiments. In addition, there is no need of specialized tracking equipment or additional calibrations to be performed, the point sources are practically imperceptible to the rat, and PST is ideally suitable for small bore scanners, where optical tracking might be challenging.

Application of fission track detectors to californium-252 neutron dosimetry in tissue near the radiation source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oswald, R.A.; Lanzl, L.H.; Rozenfeld, M.

1981-01-01

Fission track detectors were applied to a unique problem in neutron dosimetry. Measurements of neutron doses were required at locations within a tumor of 1 cm diameter implanted on the back of a mouse and surrounded by a square array of four 252 Cf medical sources. Measurements made in a tissue-equivalent mouse phantom showed that the neutron dose rate to the center of the tumor was 2.18 rads mg -1 h -1 +- 8.4%. The spatial variation of neutron dose to the tumor ranged from 1.88 to 2.55 rads mg -1 h -1 . These measurements agree with calculated values of neutron dose to those locations in the phantom. Fission track detectors have been found to be a reliable tool for neutron dosimetry for geometries in which one wishes to know neutron dose values which may vary considerably over distances of 1 cm or less

Application of fission track detectors to californium-252 neutron dosimetry in tissue near the radiation source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oswald, R.A.; Lanzl, L.H.; Rozenfeld, M.

1981-01-01

Fission track detectors were applied to a unique problem in neutron dosimetry. Measurements of neutron doses were required at locations within a tumor of 1 cm diameter implanted on the back of a mouse and surrounded by a square array of four 252 Cf medical sources. Measurements made in a tissue-equivalent mouse phantom showed that the neutron dose rate to the center of the tumor was 2.18 rads micrograms-1 h-1 +/- 8.4%. The spatial variation of neutron dose to the tumor ranged from 1.88 to 2.55 rads micrograms-1 h-1. These measurements agree with calculated values of neutron dose to those locations in the phantom. Fission track detectors have been found to be a reliable tool for neutron dosimetry for geometries in which one wishes to know neutron dose values which may vary considerably over distances of 1 cm or less

The EnzymeTracker: an open-source laboratory information management system for sample tracking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Triplet Thomas

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In many laboratories, researchers store experimental data on their own workstation using spreadsheets. However, this approach poses a number of problems, ranging from sharing issues to inefficient data-mining. Standard spreadsheets are also error-prone, as data do not undergo any validation process. To overcome spreadsheets inherent limitations, a number of proprietary systems have been developed, which laboratories need to pay expensive license fees for. Those costs are usually prohibitive for most laboratories and prevent scientists from benefiting from more sophisticated data management systems. Results In this paper, we propose the EnzymeTracker, a web-based laboratory information management system for sample tracking, as an open-source and flexible alternative that aims at facilitating entry, mining and sharing of experimental biological data. The EnzymeTracker features online spreadsheets and tools for monitoring numerous experiments conducted by several collaborators to identify and characterize samples. It also provides libraries of shared data such as protocols, and administration tools for data access control using OpenID and user/team management. Our system relies on a database management system for efficient data indexing and management and a user-friendly AJAX interface that can be accessed over the Internet. The EnzymeTracker facilitates data entry by dynamically suggesting entries and providing smart data-mining tools to effectively retrieve data. Our system features a number of tools to visualize and annotate experimental data, and export highly customizable reports. It also supports QR matrix barcoding to facilitate sample tracking. Conclusions The EnzymeTracker was designed to be easy to use and offers many benefits over spreadsheets, thus presenting the characteristics required to facilitate acceptance by the scientific community. It has been successfully used for 20 months on a daily basis by over 50

Tracking single dynamic MEG dipole sources using the projected Extended Kalman Filter.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Yuchen; Swindlehurst, A Lee

2011-01-01

This paper presents two new algorithms based on the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) for tracking the parameters of single dynamic magnetoencephalography (MEG) dipole sources. We assume a dynamic MEG dipole source with possibly both time-varying location and dipole orientation. The standard EKF-based tracking algorithm performs well under the assumption that the dipole source components vary in time as a Gauss-Markov process, provided that the background noise is temporally stationary. We propose a Projected-EKF algorithm that is adapted to a more forgiving condition where the background noise is temporally nonstationary, as well as a Projected-GLS-EKF algorithm that works even more universally, when the dipole components vary arbitrarily from one sample to the next.

Large Data Visualization with Open-Source Tools

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2015-01-01

Visualization and post-processing of large data have become increasingly challenging and require more and more tools to support the diversity of data to process. In this seminar, we will present a suite of open-source tools supported and developed by Kitware to perform large-scale data visualization and analysis. In particular, we will present ParaView, an open-source tool for parallel visualization of massive datasets, the Visualization Toolkit (VTK), an open-source toolkit for scientific visualization, and Tangelohub, a suite of tools for large data analytics. About the speaker Julien Jomier is directing Kitware's European subsidiary in Lyon, France, where he focuses on European business development. Julien works on a variety of projects in the areas of parallel and distributed computing, mobile computing, image processing, and visualization. He is one of the developers of the Insight Toolkit (ITK), the Visualization Toolkit (VTK), and ParaView. Julien is also leading the CDash project, an open-source co...

Multiple approaches to microbial source tracking in tropical northern Australia

KAUST Repository

Neave, Matthew; Luter, Heidi; Padovan, Anna; Townsend, Simon; Schobben, Xavier; Gibb, Karen

2014-01-01

, other potential inputs, such as urban rivers and drains, and surrounding beaches, and used genetic fingerprints from E. coli and enterococci communities, fecal markers and 454 pyrosequencing to track contamination sources. A sewage effluent outfall

Open source tracking and analysis of adult Drosophila locomotion in Buridan's paradigm with and without visual targets.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julien Colomb

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Insects have been among the most widely used model systems for studying the control of locomotion by nervous systems. In Drosophila, we implemented a simple test for locomotion: in Buridan's paradigm, flies walk back and forth between two inaccessible visual targets [1]. Until today, the lack of easily accessible tools for tracking the fly position and analyzing its trajectory has probably contributed to the slow acceptance of Buridan's paradigm. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We present here a package of open source software designed to track a single animal walking in a homogenous environment (Buritrack and to analyze its trajectory. The Centroid Trajectory Analysis (CeTrAn software is coded in the open source statistics project R. It extracts eleven metrics and includes correlation analyses and a Principal Components Analysis (PCA. It was designed to be easily customized to personal requirements. In combination with inexpensive hardware, these tools can readily be used for teaching and research purposes. We demonstrate the capabilities of our package by measuring the locomotor behavior of adult Drosophila melanogaster (whose wings were clipped, either in the presence or in the absence of visual targets, and comparing the latter to different computer-generated data. The analysis of the trajectories confirms that flies are centrophobic and shows that inaccessible visual targets can alter the orientation of the flies without changing their overall patterns of activity. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Using computer generated data, the analysis software was tested, and chance values for some metrics (as well as chance value for their correlation were set. Our results prompt the hypothesis that fixation behavior is observed only if negative phototaxis can overcome the propensity of the flies to avoid the center of the platform. Together with our companion paper, we provide new tools to promote Open Science as well as the collection and

Open Source and Proprietary Project Management Tools for SMEs.

OpenAIRE

Veronika Abramova; Francisco Pires; Jorge Bernardino

2017-01-01

The dimensional growth and increasing difficulty in project management promoted the development of different tools that serve to facilitate project management and track project schedule, resources and overall progress. These tools offer a variety of features, from task and time management, up to integrated CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) modules. Currently, a large number of project management software is available, to assist project team during t...

RadSTraM: Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring, Phase II Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warren, Tracy A [ORNL; Walker, Randy M [ORNL; Hill, David E [ORNL; Gross, Ian G [ORNL; Smith, Cyrus M [ORNL; Abercrombie, Robert K [ORNL

2008-12-01

This report focuses on the technical information gained from the Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring (RadSTraM) Phase II investigation and its implications. The intent of the RadSTraM project was to determine the feasibility of tracking radioactive materials in commerce, particularly International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Category 3 and 4 materials. Specifically, Phase II of the project addressed tracking radiological medical isotopes in commerce. These categories of materials are susceptible to loss or theft but the problem is not being addressed by other agencies.

RadSTraM: Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring, Phase II Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, Tracy A.; Walker, Randy M.; Hill, David E.; Gross, Ian G.; Smith, Cyrus M.; Abercrombie, Robert K.

2008-01-01

This report focuses on the technical information gained from the Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring (RadSTraM) Phase II investigation and its implications. The intent of the RadSTraM project was to determine the feasibility of tracking radioactive materials in commerce, particularly International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Category 3 and 4 materials. Specifically, Phase II of the project addressed tracking radiological medical isotopes in commerce. These categories of materials are susceptible to loss or theft but the problem is not being addressed by other agencies

Open source tools for fluorescent imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Nicholas A

2012-01-01

As microscopy becomes increasingly automated and imaging expands in the spatial and time dimensions, quantitative analysis tools for fluorescent imaging are becoming critical to remove both bottlenecks in throughput as well as fully extract and exploit the information contained in the imaging. In recent years there has been a flurry of activity in the development of bio-image analysis tools and methods with the result that there are now many high-quality, well-documented, and well-supported open source bio-image analysis projects with large user bases that cover essentially every aspect from image capture to publication. These open source solutions are now providing a viable alternative to commercial solutions. More importantly, they are forming an interoperable and interconnected network of tools that allow data and analysis methods to be shared between many of the major projects. Just as researchers build on, transmit, and verify knowledge through publication, open source analysis methods and software are creating a foundation that can be built upon, transmitted, and verified. Here we describe many of the major projects, their capabilities, and features. We also give an overview of the current state of open source software for fluorescent microscopy analysis and the many reasons to use and develop open source methods. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Open source Modeling and optimization tools for Planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peles, S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2017-02-10

Open source modeling and optimization tools for planning The existing tools and software used for planning and analysis in California are either expensive, difficult to use, or not generally accessible to a large number of participants. These limitations restrict the availability of participants for larger scale energy and grid studies in the state. The proposed initiative would build upon federal and state investments in open source software, and create and improve open source tools for use in the state planning and analysis activities. Computational analysis and simulation frameworks in development at national labs and universities can be brought forward to complement existing tools. An open source platform would provide a path for novel techniques and strategies to be brought into the larger community and reviewed by a broad set of stakeholders.

Tracking brachytherapy sources using emission imaging with one flat panel detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Haijun; Bowsher, James; Das, Shiva; Yin Fangfang

2009-01-01

This work proposes to use the radiation from brachytherapy sources to track their dwell positions in three-dimensional (3D) space. The prototype device uses a single flat panel detector and a BB tray. The BBs are arranged in a defined pattern. The shadow of the BBs on the flat panel is analyzed to derive the 3D coordinates of the illumination source, i.e., the dwell position of the brachytherapy source. A kilovoltage x-ray source located 3.3 m away was used to align the center BB with the center pixel on the flat panel detector. For a test plan of 11 dwell positions, with an Ir-192 high dose rate unit, one projection was taken for each dwell point, and locations of the BB shadows were manually identified on the projection images. The 3D coordinates for the 11 dwell positions were reconstructed based on two BBs. The distances between dwell points were compared with the expected values. The average difference was 0.07 cm with a standard deviation of 0.15 cm. With automated BB shadow recognition in the future, this technique possesses the potential of tracking the 3D trajectory and the dwell times of a brachytherapy source in real time, enabling real time source position verification.

Imaging of fast-neutron sources using solid-state track-recorder pinhole radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruddy, F.H.; Gold, R.; Roberts, J.H.; Kaiser, B.J.; Preston, C.C.

1983-08-01

Pinhole imaging methods are being developed and tested for potential future use in imaging the intense neutron source of the Fusion Materials Irradiation Test (FMIT) Facility. Previously reported, extensive calibration measurements of the proton, neutron, and alpha particle response characteristics of CR-39 polymer solid state track recorders (SSTRs) are being used to interpret the results of imaging experiments using both charged particle and neutron pinhole collimators. High resolution, neutron pinhole images of a 252 Cf source have been obtained in the form of neutron induced proton recoil tracks in CR-39 polymer SSTR. These imaging experiments are described as well as their potential future applications to FMIT

A survey of open source tools for business intelligence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Christian; Pedersen, Torben Bach

2005-01-01

The industrial use of open source Business Intelligence (BI) tools is not yet common. It is therefore of interest to explore which possibilities are available for open source BI and compare the tools. In this survey paper, we consider the capabilities of a number of open source tools for BI....... In the paper, we consider three Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) tools, three On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) servers, two OLAP clients, and four database management systems (DBMSs). Further, we describe the licenses that the products are released under. It is argued that the ETL tools are still not very...

The Integrated Waste Tracking Systems (IWTS) - A Comprehensive Waste Management Tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robert S. Anderson

2005-01-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site located near Idaho Falls, ID USA, has developed a comprehensive waste management and tracking tool that integrates multiple operational activities with characterization data from waste declaration through final waste disposition. The Integrated Waste Tracking System (IWTS) provides information necessary to help facility personnel properly manage their waste and demonstrate a wide range of legal and regulatory compliance. As a client?server database system, the IWTS is a proven tracking, characterization, compliance, and reporting tool that meets the needs of both operations and management while providing a high level of flexibility. This paper describes some of the history involved with the development and current use of IWTS as a comprehensive waste management tool as well as a discussion of IWTS deployments performed by the INL for outside clients. Waste management spans a wide range of activities including: work group interactions, regulatory compliance management, reporting, procedure management, and similar activities. The IWTS documents these activities and performs tasks in a computer-automated environment. Waste characterization data, container characterization data, shipments, waste processing, disposals, reporting, and limit compliance checks are just a few of the items that IWTS documents and performs to help waste management personnel perform their jobs. Throughout most hazardous and radioactive waste generating, storage and disposal sites, waste management is performed by many different groups of people in many facilities. Several organizations administer their areas of waste management using their own procedures and documentation independent of other organizations. Files are kept, some of which are treated as quality records, others not as stringent. Quality records maintain a history of: changes performed after approval, the reason for the change(s), and a record of whom and when

The fission-track analysis: An alternative technique for provenance studies of prehistoric obsidian artefacts

CERN Document Server

Bellot-Gurlet, L; Dorighel, O; Oddone, M; Poupeau, G; Yegingil, Z

1999-01-01

Comparison of fission-track parameters - age and track densities - is an alternative tool for correlating obsidian artefacts with their potential natural sources. This method was applied by different fission-track groups in various regions and results were compared with those obtained using the more popular provenance identification techniques based on chemical composition studies. Hundreds of analyses prove that fission-track dating is a complementary technique which turns out to be very useful, specially when the chemical composition does not fully discriminate different sources. Archaeologically significant results were obtained applying the fission-track analysis in various regions of earth.

The fission-track analysis: An alternative technique for provenance studies of prehistoric obsidian artefacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bellot-Gurlet, L.; Bigazzi, G.; Dorighel, O.; Oddone, M.; Poupeau, G.; Yegingil, Z.

1999-01-01

Comparison of fission-track parameters - age and track densities - is an alternative tool for correlating obsidian artefacts with their potential natural sources. This method was applied by different fission-track groups in various regions and results were compared with those obtained using the more popular provenance identification techniques based on chemical composition studies. Hundreds of analyses prove that fission-track dating is a complementary technique which turns out to be very useful, specially when the chemical composition does not fully discriminate different sources. Archaeologically significant results were obtained applying the fission-track analysis in various regions of earth

Microbial source tracking and transfer hydrodynamics in rural catchments.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Sinead; Bhreathnach, Niamh; O'Flaherty, Vincent; Jordan, Philip; Wuertz, Stefan

2013-04-01

In Ireland, bacterial pathogens from continual point source pollution and intermittent pollution from diffuse sources can impact both drinking water supplies and recreational waters. This poses a serious public health threat. Observing and establishing the source of faecal pollution is imperative for the protection of water quality and human health. Traditional culture methods to detect such pollution via faecal indicator bacteria have been widely utilised but do not decipher the source of pollution. To combat this, microbial source tracking, an important emerging molecular tool, is applied to detect host-specific markers in faecally contaminated waters. The aim of this study is to target ruminant and human-specific faecal Bacteroidales and Bacteroides 16S rRNA genes within rural river catchments in Ireland and investigate hydrological transfer dependencies. During storm events and non-storm periods, 1L untreated water samples, taken every 2 hours over a 48-hour time period at the spring (Cregduff) or outlet (Dunleer), and large (5-20L) untreated water samples were collected from two catchment sites. Cregduff is a spring emergence under a grassland karst landscape in Co. Mayo (west coast of Ireland) and Dunleer is a mixed landuse over till soils in Co. Louth (east coast). From a risk assessment point of view, the catchments are very different. Samples were filtered through 0.2µm nitrocellulose filters to concentrate bacterial cells which then underwent chemical extraction of total nucleic acids. Animal and human stool samples were also collected from the catchments to determine assay sensitivity and specificity following nucleic acid extraction. Aquifer response to seasonal events was assessed by monitoring coliforms and E. coli occurrence using the IDEXX Colisure® Quanti Tray®/2000 system in conjunction with chemical and hydrological parameters. Autoanalysers deployed at each catchment monitor multiple water parameters every 10 min such as phosphorus, nitrogen

Data Fusion for a Vision-Radiological System for Source Tracking and Discovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Enqvist, Andreas; Koppal, Sanjeev [University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32606 (United States)

2015-07-01

A multidisciplinary approach to allow the tracking of the movement of radioactive sources by fusing data from multiple radiological and visual sensors is under development. The goal is to improve the ability to detect, locate, track and identify nuclear/radiological threats. The key concept is that such widely available visual and depth sensors can impact radiological detection, since the intensity fall-off in the count rate can be correlated to movement in three dimensions. To enable this, we pose an important question; what is the right combination of sensing modalities and vision algorithms that can best compliment a radiological sensor, for the purpose of detection and tracking of radioactive material? Similarly what is the best radiation detection methods and unfolding algorithms suited for data fusion with tracking data? Data fusion of multi-sensor data for radiation detection have seen some interesting developments lately. Significant examples include intelligent radiation sensor systems (IRSS), which are based on larger numbers of distributed similar or identical radiation sensors coupled with position data for network capable to detect and locate radiation source. Other developments are gamma-ray imaging systems based on Compton scatter in segmented detector arrays. Similar developments using coded apertures or scatter cameras for neutrons have recently occurred. The main limitation of such systems is not so much in their capability but rather in their complexity and cost which is prohibitive for large scale deployment. Presented here is a fusion system based on simple, low-cost computer vision and radiological sensors for tracking of multiple objects and identifying potential radiological materials being transported or shipped. The main focus of this work is the development on two separate calibration algorithms for characterizing the fused sensor system. The deviation from a simple inverse square-root fall-off of radiation intensity is explored and

Data Fusion for a Vision-Radiological System for Source Tracking and Discovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enqvist, Andreas; Koppal, Sanjeev

2015-01-01

A multidisciplinary approach to allow the tracking of the movement of radioactive sources by fusing data from multiple radiological and visual sensors is under development. The goal is to improve the ability to detect, locate, track and identify nuclear/radiological threats. The key concept is that such widely available visual and depth sensors can impact radiological detection, since the intensity fall-off in the count rate can be correlated to movement in three dimensions. To enable this, we pose an important question; what is the right combination of sensing modalities and vision algorithms that can best compliment a radiological sensor, for the purpose of detection and tracking of radioactive material? Similarly what is the best radiation detection methods and unfolding algorithms suited for data fusion with tracking data? Data fusion of multi-sensor data for radiation detection have seen some interesting developments lately. Significant examples include intelligent radiation sensor systems (IRSS), which are based on larger numbers of distributed similar or identical radiation sensors coupled with position data for network capable to detect and locate radiation source. Other developments are gamma-ray imaging systems based on Compton scatter in segmented detector arrays. Similar developments using coded apertures or scatter cameras for neutrons have recently occurred. The main limitation of such systems is not so much in their capability but rather in their complexity and cost which is prohibitive for large scale deployment. Presented here is a fusion system based on simple, low-cost computer vision and radiological sensors for tracking of multiple objects and identifying potential radiological materials being transported or shipped. The main focus of this work is the development on two separate calibration algorithms for characterizing the fused sensor system. The deviation from a simple inverse square-root fall-off of radiation intensity is explored and

Clinical decision-making tools for exam selection, reporting and dose tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brink, James A.

2014-01-01

Although many efforts have been made to reduce the radiation dose associated with individual medical imaging examinations to ''as low as reasonably achievable,'' efforts to ensure such examinations are performed only when medically indicated and appropriate are equally if not more important. Variations in the use of ionizing radiation for medical imaging are concerning, regardless of whether they occur on a local, regional or national basis. Such variations among practices can be reduced with the use of decision support tools at the time of order entry. These tools help reduce radiation exposure among practices through the appropriate use of medical imaging. Similarly, adoption of best practices among imaging facilities can be promoted through tracking the radiation exposure among imaging patients. Practices can benchmark their aggregate radiation exposures for medical imaging through the use of dose index registries. However several variables must be considered when contemplating individual patient dose tracking. The specific dose measures and the variation among them introduced by variations in body habitus must be understood. Moreover the uncertainties in risk estimation from dose metrics related to age, gender and life expectancy must also be taken into account. (orig.)

Clinical decision-making tools for exam selection, reporting and dose tracking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brink, James A. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Radiology, Boston, MA (United States)

2014-10-15

Although many efforts have been made to reduce the radiation dose associated with individual medical imaging examinations to ''as low as reasonably achievable,'' efforts to ensure such examinations are performed only when medically indicated and appropriate are equally if not more important. Variations in the use of ionizing radiation for medical imaging are concerning, regardless of whether they occur on a local, regional or national basis. Such variations among practices can be reduced with the use of decision support tools at the time of order entry. These tools help reduce radiation exposure among practices through the appropriate use of medical imaging. Similarly, adoption of best practices among imaging facilities can be promoted through tracking the radiation exposure among imaging patients. Practices can benchmark their aggregate radiation exposures for medical imaging through the use of dose index registries. However several variables must be considered when contemplating individual patient dose tracking. The specific dose measures and the variation among them introduced by variations in body habitus must be understood. Moreover the uncertainties in risk estimation from dose metrics related to age, gender and life expectancy must also be taken into account. (orig.)

Anser EMT: the first open-source electromagnetic tracking platform for image-guided interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaeger, Herman Alexander; Franz, Alfred Michael; O'Donoghue, Kilian; Seitel, Alexander; Trauzettel, Fabian; Maier-Hein, Lena; Cantillon-Murphy, Pádraig

2017-06-01

Electromagnetic tracking is the gold standard for instrument tracking and navigation in the clinical setting without line of sight. Whilst clinical platforms exist for interventional bronchoscopy and neurosurgical navigation, the limited flexibility and high costs of electromagnetic tracking (EMT) systems for research investigations mitigate against a better understanding of the technology's characterisation and limitations. The Anser project provides an open-source implementation for EMT with particular application to image-guided interventions. This work provides implementation schematics for our previously reported EMT system which relies on low-cost acquisition and demodulation techniques using both National Instruments and Arduino hardware alongside MATLAB support code. The system performance is objectively compared to other commercial tracking platforms using the Hummel assessment protocol. Positional accuracy of 1.14 mm and angular rotation accuracy of [Formula: see text] are reported. Like other EMT platforms, Anser is susceptible to tracking errors due to eddy current and ferromagnetic distortion. The system is compatible with commercially available EMT sensors as well as the Open Network Interface for image-guided therapy (OpenIGTLink) for easy communication with visualisation and medical imaging toolkits such as MITK and 3D Slicer. By providing an open-source platform for research investigations, we believe that novel and collaborative approaches can overcome the limitations of current EMT technology.

Footprints: A Visual Search Tool that Supports Discovery and Coverage Tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Isaacs, Ellen; Domico, Kelly; Ahern, Shane; Bart, Eugene; Singhal, Mudita

2014-12-01

Searching a large document collection to learn about a broad subject involves the iterative process of figuring out what to ask, filtering the results, identifying useful documents, and deciding when one has covered enough material to stop searching. We are calling this activity "discoverage," discovery of relevant material and tracking coverage of that material. We built a visual analytic tool called Footprints that uses multiple coordinated visualizations to help users navigate through the discoverage process. To support discovery, Footprints displays topics extracted from documents that provide an overview of the search space and are used to construct searches visuospatially. Footprints allows users to triage their search results by assigning a status to each document (To Read, Read, Useful), and those status markings are shown on interactive histograms depicting the user's coverage through the documents across dates, sources, and topics. Coverage histograms help users notice biases in their search and fill any gaps in their analytic process. To create Footprints, we used a highly iterative, user-centered approach in which we conducted many evaluations during both the design and implementation stages and continually modified the design in response to feedback.

FECAL SOURCE TRACKING BY ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE ANALYSIS ON A WATERSHED EXHIBITING LOW RESISTANCE

Science.gov (United States)

The ongoing development of microbial source tracking has made it possible to identify contamination sources with varying accuracy, depending on the method used. The purpose of this study was done to test the efficiency of the antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA) method under low ...

The Integrated Waste Tracking Systems (IWTS) - A Comprehensive Waste Management Tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert S. Anderson

2005-09-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site located near Idaho Falls, ID USA, has developed a comprehensive waste management and tracking tool that integrates multiple operational activities with characterization data from waste declaration through final waste disposition. The Integrated Waste Tracking System (IWTS) provides information necessary to help facility personnel properly manage their waste and demonstrate a wide range of legal and regulatory compliance. As a client?server database system, the IWTS is a proven tracking, characterization, compliance, and reporting tool that meets the needs of both operations and management while providing a high level of flexibility. This paper describes some of the history involved with the development and current use of IWTS as a comprehensive waste management tool as well as a discussion of IWTS deployments performed by the INL for outside clients. Waste management spans a wide range of activities including: work group interactions, regulatory compliance management, reporting, procedure management, and similar activities. The IWTS documents these activities and performs tasks in a computer-automated environment. Waste characterization data, container characterization data, shipments, waste processing, disposals, reporting, and limit compliance checks are just a few of the items that IWTS documents and performs to help waste management personnel perform their jobs. Throughout most hazardous and radioactive waste generating, storage and disposal sites, waste management is performed by many different groups of people in many facilities. Several organizations administer their areas of waste management using their own procedures and documentation independent of other organizations. Files are kept, some of which are treated as quality records, others not as stringent. Quality records maintain a history of: changes performed after approval, the reason for the change(s), and a record of whom and when

Stat-tracks and mediotypes: powerful tools for modern ichnology based on 3D models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matteo Belvedere

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Vertebrate tracks are subject to a wide distribution of morphological types. A single trackmaker may be associated with a range of tracks reflecting individual pedal anatomy and behavioural kinematics mediated through substrate properties which may vary both in space and time. Accordingly, the same trackmaker can leave substantially different morphotypes something which must be considered in creating ichnotaxa. In modern practice this is often captured by the collection of a series of 3D track models. We introduce two concepts to help integrate these 3D models into ichnological analysis procedures. The mediotype is based on the idea of using statistically-generated three-dimensional track models (median or mean of the type specimens to create a composite track to support formal recognition of a ichno type. A representative track (mean and/or median is created from a set of individual reference tracks or from multiple examples from one or more trackways. In contrast, stat-tracks refer to other digitally generated tracks which may explore variance. For example, they are useful in: understanding the preservation variability of a given track sample; identifying characteristics or unusual track features; or simply as a quantitative comparison tool. Both concepts assist in making ichnotaxonomical interpretations and we argue that they should become part of the standard procedure when instituting new ichnotaxa. As three-dimensional models start to become a standard in publications on vertebrate ichnology, the mediotype and stat-track concepts have the potential to help guiding a revolution in the study of vertebrate ichnology and ichnotaxonomy.

IceCube point source searches using through-going muon tracks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coenders, Stefan [TU Muenchen, Physik-Department, Excellence Cluster Universe, Boltzmannstr. 2, 85748 Garching (Germany); Collaboration: IceCube-Collaboration

2015-07-01

The IceCube neutrino observatory located at the South Pole is the current largest neutrino telescope. Using through-going muon tracks, IceCube records approximately 130,000 events per year with reconstruction accuracy as low as 0.7 deg for energies of 10 TeV. Having analysed an integrated time-scale of 4 years, no sources of neutrinos have yet been observed. This talk deals with the current progress in point-source searches, adding another two years of data recorded in the years 2012 and 2013. In a combined search with starting events, sources of hard and soft spectra with- and with-out cut-offs are characterised.

Human Capital Tracking Tool -

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — AVS is now required to collect, track, and report on data from the following Flight, Business and Workforce Plan. The Human Resource Management’s Performance Target...

Plasma sources for EUV lithography exposure tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banine, Vadim; Moors, Roel

2004-01-01

The source is an integral part of an extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) tool. Such a source, as well as the EUVL tool, has to fulfil extremely high demands both technical and cost oriented. The EUVL tool operates at a wavelength in the range 13-14 nm, which requires a major re-thinking of state-of-the-art lithography systems operating in the DUV range. The light production mechanism changes from conventional lamps and lasers to relatively high temperature emitting plasmas. The light transport, mainly refractive for DUV, should become reflective for EUV. The source specifications are derived from the customer requirements for the complete tool, which are: throughput, cost of ownership (CoO) and imaging quality. The EUVL system is considered as a follow up of the existing DUV based lithography technology and, while improving the feature resolution, it has to maintain high wafer throughput performance, which is driven by the overall CoO picture. This in turn puts quite high requirements on the collectable in-band power produced by an EUV source. Increased, due to improved feature resolution, critical dimension (CD) control requirements, together with reflective optics restrictions, necessitate pulse-to-pulse repeatability, spatial stability control and repetition rates, which are substantially better than those of current optical systems. All together the following aspects of the source specification will be addressed: the operating wavelength, the EUV power, the hot spot size, the collectable angle, the repetition rate, the pulse-to-pulse repeatability and the debris induced lifetime of components

Tracking and Interception of Ground-Based RF Sources Using Autonomous Guided Munitions with Passive Bearings-Only Sensors and Tracking Algorithms

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ezal, Kenan; Agate, Craig

2006-01-01

This paper considers the problem of tracking and intercepting a potentially moving ground-based RF source with an autonomous guided munition that has a passive bearings-only sensor located on its nose...

tkLayout: a Design Tool for Innovative Silicon Tracking Detectors

CERN Document Server

Bianchi, Giovanni

2014-01-01

A new CMS tracker is scheduled to become operational for the LHC Phase 2 upgrade in the early 2020's. tkLayout is a software package developed to create 3d models for the design of the CMS tracker and to evaluate its fundamental performance figures. The new tracker will have to cope with much higher luminosity conditions, resulting in increased track density, harsher radiation exposure and, especially, much higher data acquisition bandwidth, such that equipping the tracker with triggering capabilities is envisaged. The design of an innovative detector involves deciding on an architecture offering the best trade-off among many figures of merit, such as tracking resolution, power dissipation, bandwidth, cost and so on. Quantitatively evaluating these figures of merit as early as possible in the design phase is of capital importance and it is best done with the aid of software models. tkLayout is a flexible modeling tool: new performance estimates and support for different detector geometries can be quickly ad...

Open source tools for ATR development and performance evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, James M.; Dilsavor, Ronald L.; Stubbles, James; Mossing, John C.

2002-07-01

Early in almost every engineering project, a decision must be made about tools; should I buy off-the-shelf tools or should I develop my own. Either choice can involve significant cost and risk. Off-the-shelf tools may be readily available, but they can be expensive to purchase and to maintain licenses, and may not be flexible enough to satisfy all project requirements. On the other hand, developing new tools permits great flexibility, but it can be time- (and budget-) consuming, and the end product still may not work as intended. Open source software has the advantages of both approaches without many of the pitfalls. This paper examines the concept of open source software, including its history, unique culture, and informal yet closely followed conventions. These characteristics influence the quality and quantity of software available, and ultimately its suitability for serious ATR development work. We give an example where Python, an open source scripting language, and OpenEV, a viewing and analysis tool for geospatial data, have been incorporated into ATR performance evaluation projects. While this case highlights the successful use of open source tools, we also offer important insight into risks associated with this approach.

Open-source tools for data mining.

Science.gov (United States)

Zupan, Blaz; Demsar, Janez

2008-03-01

With a growing volume of biomedical databases and repositories, the need to develop a set of tools to address their analysis and support knowledge discovery is becoming acute. The data mining community has developed a substantial set of techniques for computational treatment of these data. In this article, we discuss the evolution of open-source toolboxes that data mining researchers and enthusiasts have developed over the span of a few decades and review several currently available open-source data mining suites. The approaches we review are diverse in data mining methods and user interfaces and also demonstrate that the field and its tools are ready to be fully exploited in biomedical research.

EUV source development for high-volume chip manufacturing tools

Science.gov (United States)

Stamm, Uwe; Yoshioka, Masaki; Kleinschmidt, Jürgen; Ziener, Christian; Schriever, Guido; Schürmann, Max C.; Hergenhan, Guido; Borisov, Vladimir M.

2007-03-01

Xenon-fueled gas discharge produced plasma (DPP) sources were integrated into Micro Exposure Tools already in 2004. Operation of these tools in a research environment gave early learning for the development of EUV sources for Alpha and Beta-Tools. Further experiments with these sources were performed for basic understanding on EUV source technology and limits, especially the achievable power and reliability. The intermediate focus power of Alpha-Tool sources under development is measured to values above 10 W. Debris mitigation schemes were successfully integrated into the sources leading to reasonable collector mirror lifetimes with target of 10 billion pulses due to the effective debris flux reduction. Source collector mirrors, which withstand the radiation and temperature load of Xenon-fueled sources, have been developed in cooperation with MediaLario Technologies to support intermediate focus power well above 10 W. To fulfill the requirements for High Volume chip Manufacturing (HVM) applications, a new concept for HVM EUV sources with higher efficiency has been developed at XTREME technologies. The discharge produced plasma (DPP) source concept combines the use of rotating disk electrodes (RDE) with laser exited droplet targets. The source concept is called laser assisted droplet RDE source. The fuel of these sources has been selected to be Tin. The conversion efficiency achieved with the laser assisted droplet RDE source is 2-3x higher compared to Xenon. Very high pulse energies well above 200 mJ / 2π sr have been measured with first prototypes of the laser assisted droplet RDE source. If it is possible to maintain these high pulse energies at higher repetition rates a 10 kHz EUV source could deliver 2000 W / 2π sr. According to the first experimental data the new concept is expected to be scalable to an intermediate focus power on the 300 W level.

An open source framework for tracking and state estimation ('Stone Soup')

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Paul A.; Barr, Jordi; Balaji, Bhashyam; White, Kruger

2017-05-01

The ability to detect and unambiguously follow all moving entities in a state-space is important in multiple domains both in defence (e.g. air surveillance, maritime situational awareness, ground moving target indication) and the civil sphere (e.g. astronomy, biology, epidemiology, dispersion modelling). However, tracking and state estimation researchers and practitioners have difficulties recreating state-of-the-art algorithms in order to benchmark their own work. Furthermore, system developers need to assess which algorithms meet operational requirements objectively and exhaustively rather than intuitively or driven by personal favourites. We have therefore commenced the development of a collaborative initiative to create an open source framework for production, demonstration and evaluation of Tracking and State Estimation algorithms. The initiative will develop a (MIT-licensed) software platform for researchers and practitioners to test, verify and benchmark a variety of multi-sensor and multi-object state estimation algorithms. The initiative is supported by four defence laboratories, who will contribute to the development effort for the framework. The tracking and state estimation community will derive significant benefits from this work, including: access to repositories of verified and validated tracking and state estimation algorithms, a framework for the evaluation of multiple algorithms, standardisation of interfaces and access to challenging data sets. Keywords: Tracking,

tkLayout: a design tool for innovative silicon tracking detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Bianchi, G.

2014-03-01

A new CMS tracker is scheduled to become operational for the LHC Phase 2 upgrade in the early 2020's. tkLayout is a software package developed to create 3d models for the design of the CMS tracker and to evaluate its fundamental performance figures. The new tracker will have to cope with much higher luminosity conditions, resulting in increased track density, harsher radiation exposure and, especially, much higher data acquisition bandwidth, such that equipping the tracker with triggering capabilities is envisaged. The design of an innovative detector involves deciding on an architecture offering the best trade-off among many figures of merit, such as tracking resolution, power dissipation, bandwidth, cost and so on. Quantitatively evaluating these figures of merit as early as possible in the design phase is of capital importance and it is best done with the aid of software models. tkLayout is a flexible modeling tool: new performance estimates and support for different detector geometries can be quickly added, thanks to its modular structure. Besides, the software executes very quickly (about two minutes), so that many possible architectural variations can be rapidly modeled and compared, to help in the choice of a viable detector layout and then to optimize it. A tracker geometry is generated from simple configuration files, defining the module types, layout and materials. Support structures are automatically added and services routed to provide a realistic tracker description. The tracker geometries thus generated can be exported to the standard CMS simulation framework (CMSSW) for full Monte Carlo studies. tkLayout has proven essential in giving guidance to CMS in studying different detector layouts and exploring the feasibility of innovative solutions for tracking detectors, in terms of design, performance and projected costs. This tool has been one of the keys to making important design decisions for over five years now and has also enabled project engineers

A Survey of Open Source Tools for Business Intelligence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Christian; Pedersen, Torben Bach

2009-01-01

The industrial use of open source Business Intelligence (BI) tools is becoming more common, but is still not as widespread as for other types of software. It is therefore of interest to explore which possibilities are available for open source BI and compare the tools. In this survey paper, we co...

Radiological source tracking in oil/gas, medical and other industries: requirements and specifications for passive RFID technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dowla, Farid U. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-01-01

Subsurface sensors that employ radioisotopes, such 241Am-Be and 137Cs, for reservoir characterization must be tracked for safety and security reasons. Other radiological sources are also widely used in medicine. The radiological source containers, in both applications, are small, mobile and used widely worldwide. The nuclear sources pose radiological dispersal device (RDD) security risks. Security concerns with the industrial use of radionuclide sources is in fact quite high as it is estimated that each year hundreds of sealed sources go missing, either lost or stolen. Risk mitigation efforts include enhanced regulations, source-use guidelines, research and development on electronic tracking of sources. This report summarizes the major elements of the requirements and operational concepts of nuclear sources with the goal of developing automated electronic tagging and locating systems.

The Exercise: An Exercise Generator Tool for the SOURCe Project

Science.gov (United States)

Kakoyianni-Doa, Fryni; Tziafa, Eleni; Naskos, Athanasios

2016-01-01

The Exercise, an Exercise generator in the SOURCe project, is a tool that complements the properties and functionalities of the SOURCe project, which includes the search engine for the Searchable Online French-Greek parallel corpus for the UniveRsity of Cyprus (SOURCe) (Kakoyianni-Doa & Tziafa, 2013), the PENCIL (an alignment tool)…

Framework to parameterize and validate APEX to support deployment of the nutrient tracking tool

Science.gov (United States)

Guidelines have been developed to parameterize and validate the Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) to support the Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT). This follow-up paper presents 1) a case study to illustrate how the developed guidelines are applied in a headwater watershed located in cent...

Time-Of-Travel Tool Protects Drinking Water

Science.gov (United States)

The Lower Susquehanna Source Water Protection (SWP) Partnership utilizes the Incident Command Tool for Drinking Water Protection (ICWater) to support the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) with real-time spill tracking information.

A Microsoft Project-Based Planning, Tracking, and Management Tool for the National Transonic Facility's Model Changeover Process

Science.gov (United States)

Vairo, Daniel M.

1998-01-01

The removal and installation of sting-mounted wind tunnel models in the National Transonic Facility (NTF) is a multi-task process having a large impact on the annual throughput of the facility. Approximately ten model removal and installation cycles occur annually at the NTF with each cycle requiring slightly over five days to complete. The various tasks of the model changeover process were modeled in Microsoft Project as a template to provide a planning, tracking, and management tool. The template can also be used as a tool to evaluate improvements to this process. This document describes the development of the template and provides step-by-step instructions on its use and as a planning and tracking tool. A secondary role of this document is to provide an overview of the model changeover process and briefly describe the tasks associated with it.

COMPARISON OF RECURSIVE ESTIMATION TECHNIQUES FOR POSITION TRACKING RADIOACTIVE SOURCES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muske, K.; Howse, J.

2000-01-01

This paper compares the performance of recursive state estimation techniques for tracking the physical location of a radioactive source within a room based on radiation measurements obtained from a series of detectors at fixed locations. Specifically, the extended Kalman filter, algebraic observer, and nonlinear least squares techniques are investigated. The results of this study indicate that recursive least squares estimation significantly outperforms the other techniques due to the severe model nonlinearity

Development and Validation of a Standardized Tool for Prioritization of Information Sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Akwar, Holy; Kloeze, Harold; Mukhi, Shamir

2016-01-01

To validate the utility and effectiveness of a standardized tool for prioritization of information sources for early detection of diseases. The tool was developed with input from diverse public health experts garnered through survey. Ten raters used the tool to evaluate ten information sources and reliability among raters was computed. The Proc mixed procedure with random effect statement and SAS Macros were used to compute multiple raters' Fleiss Kappa agreement and Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance. Ten disparate information sources evaluated obtained the following composite scores: ProMed 91%; WAHID 90%; Eurosurv 87%; MediSys 85%; SciDaily 84%; EurekAl 83%; CSHB 78%; GermTrax 75%; Google 74%; and CBC 70%. A Fleiss Kappa agreement of 50.7% was obtained for ten information sources and 72.5% for a sub-set of five sources rated, which is substantial agreement validating the utility and effectiveness of the tool. This study validated the utility and effectiveness of a standardized criteria tool developed to prioritize information sources. The new tool was used to identify five information sources suited for use by the KIWI system in the CEZD-IIR project to improve surveillance of infectious diseases. The tool can be generalized to situations when prioritization of numerous information sources is necessary.

Solid state nuclear track detection: a useful geological/geophysical tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, H.A.; Qureshi, A.A.

1994-01-01

Solid State Nuclear Track Detection (SSNTD) is a relatively new nuclear particle detection technique. Since its inception, it has found useful application in almost every branch of science. This paper gives a very brief review of the role it has played in solving some geological/geophysical problems. Since the technique has been found useful in a wide spectrum of geological/geophysical applications, it was simply not possible to discuss all of these in this paper due to severe space restrictions. However, an attempt has been made to discuss the salient features of some of the most prominent applications in the geological and geophysical sciences. The paper has been divided into two parts. Firstly, applications based on radon measurements by SSNTDs have been described. These include: Uranium/thorium and mineral exploration, search for geothermal energy sources, study of volcanic processes, location of geological faults and earthquake prediction, for example. Secondly, applications based on the study of spontaneous fission tracks in geological samples have been described briefly. The second group of applications includes: fission track dating (FTD) of geological samples, FTD in the study of emplacement times, provenance studies, and thermal histories of minerals. Necessary references have been provided for detailed studies of (a) the applications cited in this paper, and (b) other important geological/geophysical applications, which unfortunately could not be covered in the present paper. (author)

A Survey of Open Source Tools for Business Intelligence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Christian; Pedersen, Torben Bach

The industrial use of open source Business Intelligence (BI) tools is becoming more common, but is still not as widespread as for other types of software.  It is therefore of interest to explore which possibilities are available for open source BI and compare the tools. In this survey paper, we c......The industrial use of open source Business Intelligence (BI) tools is becoming more common, but is still not as widespread as for other types of software.  It is therefore of interest to explore which possibilities...... are available for open source BI and compare the tools. In this survey paper, we consider the capabilities of a number of open source tools for BI. In the paper, we consider a number of Extract‐Transform‐Load (ETL) tools, database management systems (DBMSs), On‐Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) servers, and OLAP clients. We find that, unlike the situation a few years ago, there now...

Validation of a screening tool for attention and executive functions (EpiTrack Junior) in children and adolescents with absence epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kadish, Navah Ester; Baumann, Matthias; Pietz, Joachim; Schubert-Bast, Susanne; Reuner, Gitta

2013-10-01

Our prospective study aimed at the validation of EpiTrack Junior, a neuropsychological screening tool for attention and executive functions in children with epilepsy. Twenty-two children with absence epilepsy aged 8-17 years underwent comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation including EpiTrack Junior and measures of intelligence, verbal and nonverbal memory, word fluency and visuoconstructive organization. Concurrent and discriminant validity of EpiTrack Junior subtests and total score as well as sensitivity and specificity of the total score were analyzed. EpiTrack Junior total score was impaired in 59% of participants. Concurrent validity was demonstrated in 4/6 subtests and for the total score. Discriminant validity was shown with respect to verbal and nonverbal long-term memory. Sensitivity was higher than specificity and highest for the "working memory index". EpiTrack Junior is recommended as a sensitive and time-efficient screening tool for attention and executive functions in children with epilepsy. Impaired results should be followed up with detailed evaluation including information from the parents and school as well as counseling where indicated. © 2013.

Text mining and visualization case studies using open-source tools

CERN Document Server

Chisholm, Andrew

2016-01-01

Text Mining and Visualization: Case Studies Using Open-Source Tools provides an introduction to text mining using some of the most popular and powerful open-source tools: KNIME, RapidMiner, Weka, R, and Python. The contributors-all highly experienced with text mining and open-source software-explain how text data are gathered and processed from a wide variety of sources, including books, server access logs, websites, social media sites, and message boards. Each chapter presents a case study that you can follow as part of a step-by-step, reproducible example. You can also easily apply and extend the techniques to other problems. All the examples are available on a supplementary website. The book shows you how to exploit your text data, offering successful application examples and blueprints for you to tackle your text mining tasks and benefit from open and freely available tools. It gets you up to date on the latest and most powerful tools, the data mining process, and specific text mining activities.

A Single Phase Doubly Grounded Semi-Z-Source Inverter for Photovoltaic (PV Systems with Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tofael Ahmed

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a single phase doubly grounded semi-Z-source inverter with maximum power point tracking (MPPT is proposed for photovoltaic (PV systems. This proposed system utilizes a single-ended primary inductor (SEPIC converter as DC-DC converter to implement the MPPT algorithm for tracking the maximum power from a PV array and a single phase semi-Z-source inverter for integrating the PV with AC power utilities. The MPPT controller utilizes a fast-converging algorithm to track the maximum power point (MPP and the semi-Z-source inverter utilizes a nonlinear SPWM to produce sinusoidal voltage at the output. The proposed system is able to track the MPP of PV arrays and produce an AC voltage at its output by utilizing only three switches. Experimental results show that the fast-converging MPPT algorithm has fast tracking response with appreciable MPP efficiency. In addition, the inverter shows the minimization of common mode leakage current with its ground sharing feature and reduction of the THD as well as DC current components at the output during DC-AC conversion.

Intraoperative visualization and assessment of electromagnetic tracking error

Science.gov (United States)

Harish, Vinyas; Ungi, Tamas; Lasso, Andras; MacDonald, Andrew; Nanji, Sulaiman; Fichtinger, Gabor

2015-03-01

Electromagnetic tracking allows for increased flexibility in designing image-guided interventions, however it is well understood that electromagnetic tracking is prone to error. Visualization and assessment of the tracking error should take place in the operating room with minimal interference with the clinical procedure. The goal was to achieve this ideal in an open-source software implementation in a plug and play manner, without requiring programming from the user. We use optical tracking as a ground truth. An electromagnetic sensor and optical markers are mounted onto a stylus device, pivot calibrated for both trackers. Electromagnetic tracking error is defined as difference of tool tip position between electromagnetic and optical readings. Multiple measurements are interpolated into the thin-plate B-spline transform visualized in real time using 3D Slicer. All tracked devices are used in a plug and play manner through the open-source SlicerIGT and PLUS extensions of the 3D Slicer platform. Tracking error was measured multiple times to assess reproducibility of the method, both with and without placing ferromagnetic objects in the workspace. Results from exhaustive grid sampling and freehand sampling were similar, indicating that a quick freehand sampling is sufficient to detect unexpected or excessive field distortion in the operating room. The software is available as a plug-in for the 3D Slicer platforms. Results demonstrate potential for visualizing electromagnetic tracking error in real time for intraoperative environments in feasibility clinical trials in image-guided interventions.

NucliTrack: an integrated nuclei tracking application.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Sam; Barr, Alexis R; Glen, Robert; Bakal, Chris

2017-10-15

Live imaging studies give unparalleled insight into dynamic single cell behaviours and fate decisions. However, the challenge of reliably tracking single cells over long periods of time limits both the throughput and ease with which such studies can be performed. Here, we present NucliTrack, a cross platform solution for automatically segmenting, tracking and extracting features from fluorescently labelled nuclei. NucliTrack performs similarly to other state-of-the-art cell tracking algorithms, but NucliTrack's interactive, graphical interface makes it significantly more user friendly. NucliTrack is available as a free, cross platform application and open source Python package. Installation details and documentation are at: http://nuclitrack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ A video guide can be viewed online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6e0D9F-qSU Source code is available through Github: https://github.com/samocooper/nuclitrack. A Matlab toolbox is also available at: https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/61479-samocooper-nuclitrack-matlab. sam@socooper.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Data-Fusion for a Vision-Aided Radiological Detection System: Sensor dependence and Source Tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Stadnikia, Kelsey; Martin, Allan; Henderson, Kristofer; Koppal, Sanjeev; Enqvist, Andreas

2018-01-01

The University of Florida is taking a multidisciplinary approach to fuse the data between 3D vision sensors and radiological sensors in hopes of creating a system capable of not only detecting the presence of a radiological threat, but also tracking it. The key to developing such a vision-aided radiological detection system, lies in the count rate being inversely dependent on the square of the distance. Presented in this paper are the results of the calibration algorithm used to predict the location of the radiological detectors based on 3D distance from the source to the detector (vision data) and the detectors count rate (radiological data). Also presented are the results of two correlation methods used to explore source tracking.

Global Radiological Source Sorting, Tracking, and Monitoring Project: Phase I Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, Randy M.; Hill, David E.; Gorman, Bryan L.

2010-01-01

As a proof of concept tested in an operational context, the Global Radiological Source Sorting, Tracking, and Monitoring (GRadSSTraM) Project successfully demonstrated that radio frequency identification (RFID) and Web 2.0* technologies can be deployed to track controlled shipments between the United States and the European Union. Between November 2009 and May 2010, a total of 19 shipments were successfully shipped from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and tracked to their delivery at England's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) by the United Kingdom Royal Mail. However, the project can only be viewed as a qualified success as notable shortcomings were observed. Although the origin and terminus of all RFID-enabled shipments were recorded and no shipments were lost, not all the waypoints between ORNL and NPL were incorporated into the pilot. Given limited resources, the project team was able to install RFID listeners/actuators at three waypoints between the two endpoints. Although it is likely that all shipments followed the same route between ORNL and NPL, it cannot be determined beyond question that all 19 shipments were routed on identical itineraries past the same three waypoints. The pilot also raises the distinct possibility that unattended RFID tracking alone, without positive confirmation that a tagged item has been properly recorded by an RFID reader, does not meet a rigorous standard for shipping controlled items. Indeed, the proof of concept test strongly suggests that a multifaceted approach to tracking may be called for, including tracking methods that are capable of reading and accepting multiple inputs for individual items (e.g., carrier-provided tracking numbers, Universal Product Codes (UPCs), and RFID tags). For controlled items, another apparent requirement is a confirmation feature, human or otherwise, which can certify that an item's RFID tag, UPC, or tracking number has been recorded.

Herodotos: A Tool to Expose Bugs' Lives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Palix, Nicolas; Lawall, Julia L.; Muller, Gilles

and practices that aid in defect finding, tracking and prevention. In this paper, we propose a methodology and associated tool, Herodotos, to study defects over time. Herodotos semi-automatically tracks defects over multiple versions of a software project, independent of other changes in the source files....... It builds a graphical history of each defect and gives some statistics based on the results. We have evaluated this approach on the history of a representative range of open source projects over the last three years. For each project, we explore several kinds of defects that have been found by static code......Software is continually evolving, to improve performance, correct errors, and add new features. Code modifications, however, inevitably lead to the introduction of defects. To prevent the introduction of defects, one has to understand why they occur. Thus, it is important to develop tools...

Open Source for Knowledge and Learning Management: Strategies beyond Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Lytras, Miltiadis, Ed.; Naeve, Ambjorn, Ed.

2007-01-01

In the last years, knowledge and learning management have made a significant impact on the IT research community. "Open Source for Knowledge and Learning Management: Strategies Beyond Tools" presents learning and knowledge management from a point of view where the basic tools and applications are provided by open source technologies.…

StimTrack: An open-source software for manual transcranial magnetic stimulation coil positioning.

Science.gov (United States)

Ambrosini, Emilia; Ferrante, Simona; van de Ruit, Mark; Biguzzi, Stefano; Colombo, Vera; Monticone, Marco; Ferriero, Giorgio; Pedrocchi, Alessandra; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Grey, Michael J

2018-01-01

During Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) experiments researchers often use a neuronavigation system to precisely and accurately maintain coil position and orientation. This study aimed to develop and validate an open-source software for TMS coil navigation. StimTrack uses an optical tracker and an intuitive user interface to facilitate the maintenance of position and orientation of any type of coil within and between sessions. Additionally, online access to navigation data is provided, hereby adding e.g. the ability to start or stop the magnetic stimulator depending on the distance to target or the variation of the orientation angles. StimTrack allows repeatable repositioning of the coil within 0.7mm for translation and 0.9) was obtained on all parameters computed on SR curves acquired using StimTrack. StimTrack showed a target accuracy similar to that of a commercial neuronavigation system (BrainSight, Rogue Research Inc.). Indeed, small differences both in position (∼0.2mm) and orientation (TMS. StimTrack allows researchers to tailor its functionality to their specific needs, providing added value that benefits experimental procedures and improves data quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

STUDYING STUDENT BEHAVIOR AND CHEMISTRY SKILL USING BROWSER-BASED TOOLS AND EYE-TRACKING HARDWARE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norbert J. Pienta

Full Text Available Browser-based tools were created to collect quantitative data about university student problem-solving skills. Three of these tools have been described: a word question tool that creates ideal gas law and stoichiometry questions using a set of complexity factors; a Lewis structure drawing tool that enables the user to draw a solution to an ion or molecule assigned to them; and a "spheres" tool that uses spheres to represent atoms and molecules to denote the particulate nature of matter. Results from these studies show that relatively simple questions can be made very complex by the addition of many complexity factors that challenge the cognitive skills. The drawing tools can be used for instruction or to collect data about student understanding; the outcomes suggest that students with more instruction in chemistry are more successful but even the performance of students after four semesters is somewhat disappointing. Eye-tracking hardware enabled the study of the student use of the visual interface of the other tools and to study molecular representation or interpret spectral data.

STAR reconstruction improvements for tracking with the heavy flavor tracker

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, Jason C.; Lauret, Jérôme; Perevotchikov, Victor; Smirnov, Dmitri; Van Buren, Gene

2017-10-01

The reconstruction and identification of charmed hadron decays provides an important tool for the study of heavy quark behavior in the Quark Gluon Plasma. Such measurements require high resolution to topologically identify decay daughters at vertices displaced demands on track reconstruction software. To enable these measurements at RHIC, the STAR experiment has designed and employed the Heavy Flavor Tracker (HFT). It is composed of silicon-based tracking detectors, providing four layers of high-precision position measurements which are used in combination with hits from the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) to reconstruct track candidates. The STAR integrated tracking software (Sti) has delivered a decade of world-class physics. It was designed to leverage the discrete azimuthal symmetry of the detector and its simple radial ordering of components, permitting a flat representation of the detector geometry in terms of concentric cylinders and planes, and an approximate track propagation code. These design choices reflected a careful balancing of competing priorities, trading precision for speed in track reconstruction. To simplify the task of integrating new detectors, tools were developed to automatically generate the Sti geometry model, tying both reconstruction and simulation to the single source AgML geometry model. The increased precision and complexity of the HFT detector required a careful reassessment of this single geometry path and implementation choices. In this paper we will discuss the test suite and regression tools developed to improve reconstruction with the HFT, our lessons learned in tracking with high precision detectors and the tradeoffs between precision, speed and ease of use which were required.

Methods and apparatus for safely handling radioactive sources in measuring-while-drilling tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wraight, P.D.

1989-01-01

This patent describes a method for removing a chemical radioactive source from a MWD tool which is coupled in a drill string supported by a drilling rig while a borehole is drilled and includes logging means for measuring formation characteristics in response to irradiation of the adjacent formations by the radioactive source during the drilling operation. The steps of the method are: halting the drilling operation and then removing the drill string from the borehole for moving the MWD tool to a work station at the surface where the source is at a safe working distance from the drilling rig and will be accessible by way of one end of the MWD tool; positioning a radiation shield at a location adjacent to the one end of the MWD tool where the shield is ready for receiving the source as it is moved away from the other end of the MWD tool and then moving the source away from the other end of the MWD tool for enclosing the source within the shield; and once the source is enclosed within the shield; removing the shield together with the enclosed source from the MWD tool for transferring the enclosed source to another work station

Origin of fecal contamination in waters from contrasted areas: stanols as Microbial Source Tracking markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Derrien, M; Jardé, E; Gruau, G; Pourcher, A M; Gourmelon, M; Jadas-Hécart, A; Pierson Wickmann, A C

2012-09-01

Improving the microbiological quality of coastal and river waters relies on the development of reliable markers that are capable of determining sources of fecal pollution. Recently, a principal component analysis (PCA) method based on six stanol compounds (i.e. 5β-cholestan-3β-ol (coprostanol), 5β-cholestan-3α-ol (epicoprostanol), 24-methyl-5α-cholestan-3β-ol (campestanol), 24-ethyl-5α-cholestan-3β-ol (sitostanol), 24-ethyl-5β-cholestan-3β-ol (24-ethylcoprostanol) and 24-ethyl-5β-cholestan-3α-ol (24-ethylepicoprostanol)) was shown to be suitable for distinguishing between porcine and bovine feces. In this study, we tested if this PCA method, using the above six stanols, could be used as a tool in "Microbial Source Tracking (MST)" methods in water from areas of intensive agriculture where diffuse fecal contamination is often marked by the co-existence of human and animal sources. In particular, well-defined and stable clusters were found in PCA score plots clustering samples of "pure" human, bovine and porcine feces along with runoff and diluted waters in which the source of contamination is known. A good consistency was also observed between the source assignments made by the 6-stanol-based PCA method and the microbial markers for river waters contaminated by fecal matter of unknown origin. More generally, the tests conducted in this study argue for the addition of the PCA method based on six stanols in the MST toolbox to help identify fecal contamination sources. The data presented in this study show that this addition would improve the determination of fecal contamination sources when the contamination levels are low to moderate. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

BAT: An open-source, web-based audio events annotation tool

OpenAIRE

Blai Meléndez-Catalan, Emilio Molina, Emilia Gómez

2017-01-01

In this paper we present BAT (BMAT Annotation Tool), an open-source, web-based tool for the manual annotation of events in audio recordings developed at BMAT (Barcelona Music and Audio Technologies). The main feature of the tool is that it provides an easy way to annotate the salience of simultaneous sound sources. Additionally, it allows to define multiple ontologies to adapt to multiple tasks and offers the possibility to cross-annotate audio data. Moreover, it is easy to install and deploy...

[Speckle tracking--a new ultrasound tool for the assessment of fetal myocardial function].

Science.gov (United States)

Willruth, A; Geipel, A; Merz, W; Gembruch, U

2012-06-01

Speckle tracking is a new ultrasound tool to assess 2D ventricular global and segmental myocardial velocity and deformation (strain, strain rate). Multiple factors such as fetal motion, high heart rates, low blood pressure, small size of the heart, physiological cardiac translation, filling and maturational changes of myocardium, polyhydramnion, maternal obesity and aortic pulsation can degrade the image quality and result in artifacts and measurement errors which may have an impact on the final analysis. Therefore deformation indices such as strain and strain rate offer a quantitative technique for the estimation of global and segmental myocardial function and contractility. At present longitudinal peak systolic strain is the most commonly applied deformation parameter used to analyse segmental and global myocardial contractility in adults. When obtained using Doppler methods, these measurements are angle dependent, whereas speckle tracking techniques overcome the limitations of Doppler echocardiography which is a particular advantage in foetal echocardiography. Nevertheless, the time and training necessary to acquire high-quality video clips limit the implementation of speckle tracking into clinical routine. It is not yet clear whether this new technique will identify subclinical myocardial impairment earlier than with current techniques or allow for better discrimination between healthy fetuses and fetuses with congenital heart disease. The clinical use of speckle tracking will have to be demonstrated in larger groups of complicated pregnancies. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Building Eclectic Personal Learning Landscapes with Open Source Tools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kalz, Marco

2008-01-01

Kalz, M. (2005). Building Eclectic Personal Learning Landscapes with Open Source Tools. In F. de Vries, G. Attwell, R. Elferink & A. Tödt (Eds.), Open Source for Education in Europe. Research & Practice (= Proceedings of the Open Source for Education in Europe Conference) (pp. 163-168). 2005,

Nuclear track detector kit for use in teaching

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Medveczky, L.; Somogyi, G.; Nagy, M.

1986-01-01

By the use of solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) one may carry out several useful and impressive educational experiments and demonstrations to illustrate different phenomena when teaching of nuclear physics. Realizing this situation the authors have published, since 1970, reports on several experiments for teaching demonstrations. Based on the authors instructions, a factory in Hungary (TANFRT, National Manufacturers and Suppliers of School Equipment, Budapest) constructed a kit for the use of nuclear track detectors in teaching. The portable kit contains the following items: alpha-emitting weak sources, solid state nuclear track detectors (unirradiated, irradiated, unetched and etched sheets), simple tools for carrying out experiments (facilities for irradiation and etching, etc.), slides showing photos of typical etch-tracks of light and heavy nuclei, user manual. By the help of the kit both pupils and teachers can perform various useful experiments and/or demonstrations.

Resolution of habitat-associated ecogenomic signatures in bacteriophage genomes and application to microbial source tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogilvie, Lesley A; Nzakizwanayo, Jonathan; Guppy, Fergus M; Dedi, Cinzia; Diston, David; Taylor, Huw; Ebdon, James; Jones, Brian V

2018-04-01

Just as the expansion in genome sequencing has revealed and permitted the exploitation of phylogenetic signals embedded in bacterial genomes, the application of metagenomics has begun to provide similar insights at the ecosystem level for microbial communities. However, little is known regarding this aspect of bacteriophage associated with microbial ecosystems, and if phage encode discernible habitat-associated signals diagnostic of underlying microbiomes. Here we demonstrate that individual phage can encode clear habitat-related 'ecogenomic signatures', based on relative representation of phage-encoded gene homologues in metagenomic data sets. Furthermore, we show the ecogenomic signature encoded by the gut-associated ɸB124-14 can be used to segregate metagenomes according to environmental origin, and distinguish 'contaminated' environmental metagenomes (subject to simulated in silico human faecal pollution) from uncontaminated data sets. This indicates phage-encoded ecological signals likely possess sufficient discriminatory power for use in biotechnological applications, such as development of microbial source tracking tools for monitoring water quality.

Decay of Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Cattle Feces

Science.gov (United States)

The survival of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and microbial source tracking (MST) markers in water microcosms and manure amended soils has been well documented; however, little is known about the survival of MST markers in bovine feces deposited on pastures. We conducted a study...

Building Eclectic Personal Learning Landscapes with Open Source Tools

OpenAIRE

Kalz, Marco

2008-01-01

Kalz, M. (2005). Building Eclectic Personal Learning Landscapes with Open Source Tools. In F. de Vries, G. Attwell, R. Elferink & A. Tödt (Eds.), Open Source for Education in Europe. Research & Practice (= Proceedings of the Open Source for Education in Europe Conference) (pp. 163-168). 2005, Heerlen, The Netherlands.

Airborne system for mapping and tracking extended gamma ray sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stuart, T.P.; Hendricks, T.J.; Wallace, G.G.; Cleland, J.R.

1976-01-01

An airborne system was developed for mapping and tracking extended sources of airborne or terrestrially distributed γ-ray emitters. The system records 300 channel γ-ray spectral data every three seconds on magnetic tape. Computer programs have been written to isolate the contribution from the particular radionuclide of interest. Aircraft position as sensed by a microwave ranging system is recorded every second on magnetic tape. Measurements of airborne stack releases of 41 A concentrations versus time or aircraft position agree well with computer code predictions

AAVSO Target Tool: A Web-Based Service for Tracking Variable Star Observations (Abstract)

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, D.; Stassun, K. G.; Barnes, C.; Kafka, S.; Beck, S.; Li, K.

2018-06-01

(Abstract only) The AAVSO Target Tool is a web-based interface for bringing stars in need of observation to the attention of AAVSOís network of amateur and professional astronomers. The site currently tracks over 700 targets of interest, collecting data from them on a regular basis from AAVSOís servers and sorting them based on priority. While the target tool does not require a login, users can obtain visibility times for each target by signing up and entering a telescope location. Other key features of the site include filtering by AAVSO observing section, sorting by different variable types, formatting the data for printing, and exporting the data to a CSV file. The AAVSO Target Tool builds upon seven years of experience developing web applications for astronomical data analysis, most notably on Filtergraph (Burger, D., et al. 2013, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XXII, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Francisco, 399), and is built using the web2py web framework based on the python programming language. The target tool is available at http://filtergraph.com/aavso.

Introducing Product Lines through Open Source Tools

OpenAIRE

Haugen, Øystein

2008-01-01

We present an approach to introducing product lines to companies that lower their initial risk by applying open source tools and a smooth learning curve into the use and creation of domain specific modeling combined with standardized variability modeling.

Temperature and composition profile during double-track laser cladding of H13 tool steel

Science.gov (United States)

He, X.; Yu, G.; Mazumder, J.

2010-01-01

Multi-track laser cladding is now applied commercially in a range of industries such as automotive, mining and aerospace due to its diversified potential for material processing. The knowledge of temperature, velocity and composition distribution history is essential for a better understanding of the process and subsequent microstructure evolution and properties. Numerical simulation not only helps to understand the complex physical phenomena and underlying principles involved in this process, but it can also be used in the process prediction and system control. The double-track coaxial laser cladding with H13 tool steel powder injection is simulated using a comprehensive three-dimensional model, based on the mass, momentum, energy conservation and solute transport equation. Some important physical phenomena, such as heat transfer, phase changes, mass addition and fluid flow, are taken into account in the calculation. The physical properties for a mixture of solid and liquid phase are defined by treating it as a continuum media. The velocity of the laser beam during the transition between two tracks is considered. The evolution of temperature and composition of different monitoring locations is simulated.

Nuclear track detector kit for use in teaching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medveczky, L.; Somogyi, G.

1986-01-01

By the use of solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) one may carry out several useful and impressive educational experiments and demonstrations to illustrate different phenomena when teaching of nuclear physics. Realizing this situation the authors have published, since 1970, reports on several experiments for teaching demonstrations. Based on the authors instructions, a factory in Hungary (TANFRT, National Manufacturers and Suppliers of School Equipment, Budapest) constructed a kit for the use of nuclear track detectors in teaching. The portable kit contains the following items: alpha-emitting weak sources, solid state nuclear track detectors (unirradiated, irradiated, unetched and etched sheets), simple tools for carrying out experiments (facilities for irradiation and etching, etc.), slides showing photos of typical etch-tracks of light and heavy nuclei, user manual. By the help of the kit both pupils and teachers can perform various useful experiments and/or demonstrations. (author)

Adding tools to the open source toolbox: The Internet

Science.gov (United States)

Porth, Tricia

1994-01-01

The Internet offers researchers additional sources of information not easily available from traditional sources such as print volumes or commercial data bases. Internet tools such as e-mail and file transfer protocol (ftp) speed up the way researchers communicate and transmit data. Mosaic, one of the newest additions to the Internet toolbox, allows users to combine tools such as ftp, gopher, wide area information server, and the world wide web with multimedia capabilities. Mosaic has quickly become a popular means of making information available on the Internet because it is versatile and easily customizable.

Molecular characterization of bacteriophages for microbial source tracking in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jung Eun; Lim, Mi Young; Kim, Sei Yoon; Lee, Sunghee; Lee, Heetae; Oh, Hyun-Myung; Hur, Hor-Gil; Ko, Gwangpyo

2009-11-01

We investigated coliphages from various fecal sources, including humans and animals, for microbial source tracking in South Korea. Both somatic and F+-specific coliphages were isolated from 43 fecal samples from farms, wild animal habitats, and human wastewater plants. Somatic coliphages were more prevalent and abundant than F+ coliphages in all of the tested fecal samples. We further characterized 311 F+ coliphage isolates using RNase sensitivity assays, PCR and reverse transcription-PCR, and nucleic acid sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses were performed based on the partial nucleic acid sequences of 311 F+ coliphages from various sources. F+ RNA coliphages were most prevalent among geese (95%) and were least prevalent in cows (5%). Among the genogroups of F+ RNA coliphages, most F+ coliphages isolated from animal fecal sources belonged to either group I or group IV, and most from human wastewater sources were in group II or III. Some of the group I coliphages were present in both human and animal source samples. F+ RNA coliphages isolated from various sources were divided into two main clusters. All F+ RNA coliphages isolated from human wastewater were grouped with Qbeta-like phages, while phages isolated from most animal sources were grouped with MS2-like phages. UniFrac significance statistical analyses revealed significant differences between human and animal bacteriophages. In the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), F+ RNA coliphages isolated from human waste were distinctively separate from those isolated from other animal sources. However, F+ DNA coliphages were not significantly different or separate in the PCoA. These results demonstrate that proper analysis of F+ RNA coliphages can effectively distinguish fecal sources.

A GIS tool for two-dimensional glacier-terminus change tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Urbanski, Jacek Andrzej

2018-02-01

This paper presents a Glacier Termini Tracking (GTT) toolbox for the two-dimensional analysis of glacier-terminus position changes. The input consists of a vector layer with several termini lines relating to the same glacier at different times. The output layers allow analyses to be conducted of glacier-terminus retreats, changes in retreats over time and along the ice face, and glacier-terminus fluctuations over time. The application of three tools from the toolbox is demonstrated via the analysis of eight glacier-terminus retreats and fluctuations at the Hornsund fjord in south Svalbard. It is proposed that this toolbox may also be useful in the study of other line features that change over time, like coastlines and rivers. The toolbox has been coded in Python and runs via ArcGIS.

Energy Tracking Software Platform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryan Davis; Nathan Bird; Rebecca Birx; Hal Knowles

2011-04-04

Acceleration has created an interactive energy tracking and visualization platform that supports decreasing electric, water, and gas usage. Homeowners have access to tools that allow them to gauge their use and track progress toward a smaller energy footprint. Real estate agents have access to consumption data, allowing for sharing a comparison with potential home buyers. Home builders have the opportunity to compare their neighborhood's energy efficiency with competitors. Home energy raters have a tool for gauging the progress of their clients after efficiency changes. And, social groups are able to help encourage members to reduce their energy bills and help their environment. EnergyIT.com is the business umbrella for all energy tracking solutions and is designed to provide information about our energy tracking software and promote sales. CompareAndConserve.com (Gainesville-Green.com) helps homeowners conserve energy through education and competition. ToolsForTenants.com helps renters factor energy usage into their housing decisions.

Application of the monazite radiation source to the petri dish-type cloud chamber and the influence of several factors on occurrence of tracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayakawa, Issei; Sago, Yutaka; Mori, Chizuo

2012-01-01

Monazite radiation source (2.5 mmΦ) proved to be useful as a radiation source of cloud chamber without the dispersion of powder or its adhesion because of a sintered body. After the track appeared within one minute after having put the petri dish on the dry ice, the number increased rapidly followed by the tendency to decrease gradually after that. The tracks can be observed for about 20 minutes after cooled with dry ice. The size of dry ice should be chosen to enter the inside of the bottom edge of the petri dish. The same number of tracks as using conventional mantle radiation source was obtained by utilizing 3 pieces of monazite sintered body separated mutually by about 7.5 mm. Hence the petri dish-type cloud chamber with the monazite sintered body as radiation source revealed to make the observation of track easy and prompt. (author)

A computer program TRACK_P for studying proton tracks in PADC detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Nikezic

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A computer program for studying proton tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors was developed and described in this paper. The program was written in Fortran 90, with an additional tool for visualizing the track appearance as seen under the optical microscope in the transmission mode, which was written in the Python programming language. Measurable track parameters were determined and displayed in the application window and written in a data file. Three-dimensional representation of tracks was enabled. Examples of calculated tracks were also given in the present paper.

Maximum-likelihood-based extended-source spatial acquisition and tracking for planetary optical communications

Science.gov (United States)

Tsou, Haiping; Yan, Tsun-Yee

1999-04-01

This paper describes an extended-source spatial acquisition and tracking scheme for planetary optical communications. This scheme uses the Sun-lit Earth image as the beacon signal, which can be computed according to the current Sun-Earth-Probe angle from a pre-stored Earth image or a received snapshot taken by other Earth-orbiting satellite. Onboard the spacecraft, the reference image is correlated in the transform domain with the received image obtained from a detector array, which is assumed to have each of its pixels corrupted by an independent additive white Gaussian noise. The coordinate of the ground station is acquired and tracked, respectively, by an open-loop acquisition algorithm and a closed-loop tracking algorithm derived from the maximum likelihood criterion. As shown in the paper, the optimal spatial acquisition requires solving two nonlinear equations, or iteratively solving their linearized variants, to estimate the coordinate when translation in the relative positions of onboard and ground transceivers is considered. Similar assumption of linearization leads to the closed-loop spatial tracking algorithm in which the loop feedback signals can be derived from the weighted transform-domain correlation. Numerical results using a sample Sun-lit Earth image demonstrate that sub-pixel resolutions can be achieved by this scheme in a high disturbance environment.

System level modelling with open source tools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Mikkel Koefoed; Madsen, Jan; Niaki, Seyed Hosein Attarzadeh

, called ForSyDe. ForSyDe is available under the open Source approach, which allows small and medium enterprises (SME) to get easy access to advanced modeling capabilities and tools. We give an introduction to the design methodology through the system level modeling of a simple industrial use case, and we...

Case and Administrative Support Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Case and Administrative Support Tools (CAST) is the secure portion of the Office of General Counsel (OGC) Dashboard business process automation tool used to help reduce office administrative labor costs while increasing employee effectiveness. CAST supports business functions which rely on and store Privacy Act sensitive data (PII). Specific business processes included in CAST (and respective PII) are: -Civil Rights Cast Tracking (name, partial medical history, summary of case, and case correspondance). -Employment Law Case Tracking (name, summary of case). -Federal Tort Claims Act Incident Tracking (name, summary of incidents). -Ethics Program Support Tools and Tracking (name, partial financial history). -Summer Honors Application Tracking (name, home address, telephone number, employment history). -Workforce Flexibility Initiative Support Tools (name, alternative workplace phone number). -Resource and Personnel Management Support Tools (name, partial employment and financial history).

Source tracking Mycobacterium ulcerans infections in the Ashanti region, Ghana.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles A Narh

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Although several studies have associated Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU infection, Buruli ulcer (BU, with slow moving water bodies, there is still no definite mode of transmission. Ecological and transmission studies suggest Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR typing as a useful tool to differentiate MU strains from other Mycolactone Producing Mycobacteria (MPM. Deciphering the genetic relatedness of clinical and environmental isolates is seminal to determining reservoirs, vectors and transmission routes. In this study, we attempted to source-track MU infections to specific water bodies by matching VNTR profiles of MU in human samples to those in the environment. Environmental samples were collected from 10 water bodies in four BU endemic communities in the Ashanti region, Ghana. Four VNTR loci in MU Agy99 genome, were used to genotype environmental MU ecovars, and those from 14 confirmed BU patients within the same study area. Length polymorphism was confirmed with sequencing. MU was present in the 3 different types of water bodies, but significantly higher in biofilm samples. Four MU genotypes, designated W, X, Y and Z, were typed in both human and environmental samples. Other reported genotypes were only found in water bodies. Animal trapping identified 1 mouse with lesion characteristic of BU, which was confirmed as MU infection. Our findings suggest that patients may have been infected from community associated water bodies. Further, we present evidence that small mammals within endemic communities could be susceptible to MU infections. M. ulcerans transmission could involve several routes where humans have contact with risk environments, which may be further compounded by water bodies acting as vehicles for disseminating strains.

Development and validation of an open source quantification tool for DSC-MRI studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordaliza, P M; Mateos-Pérez, J M; Montesinos, P; Guzmán-de-Villoria, J A; Desco, M; Vaquero, J J

2015-03-01

This work presents the development of an open source tool for the quantification of dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast-enhanced (DSC) perfusion studies. The development of this tool is motivated by the lack of open source tools implemented on open platforms to allow external developers to implement their own quantification methods easily and without the need of paying for a development license. This quantification tool was developed as a plugin for the ImageJ image analysis platform using the Java programming language. A modular approach was used in the implementation of the components, in such a way that the addition of new methods can be done without breaking any of the existing functionalities. For the validation process, images from seven patients with brain tumors were acquired and quantified with the presented tool and with a widely used clinical software package. The resulting perfusion parameters were then compared. Perfusion parameters and the corresponding parametric images were obtained. When no gamma-fitting is used, an excellent agreement with the tool used as a gold-standard was obtained (R(2)>0.8 and values are within 95% CI limits in Bland-Altman plots). An open source tool that performs quantification of perfusion studies using magnetic resonance imaging has been developed and validated using a clinical software package. It works as an ImageJ plugin and the source code has been published with an open source license. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FIMTrack: An open source tracking and locomotion analysis software for small animals.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin Risse

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Imaging and analyzing the locomotion behavior of small animals such as Drosophila larvae or C. elegans worms has become an integral subject of biological research. In the past we have introduced FIM, a novel imaging system feasible to extract high contrast images. This system in combination with the associated tracking software FIMTrack is already used by many groups all over the world. However, so far there has not been an in-depth discussion of the technical aspects. Here we elaborate on the implementation details of FIMTrack and give an in-depth explanation of the used algorithms. Among others, the software offers several tracking strategies to cover a wide range of different model organisms, locomotion types, and camera properties. Furthermore, the software facilitates stimuli-based analysis in combination with built-in manual tracking and correction functionalities. All features are integrated in an easy-to-use graphical user interface. To demonstrate the potential of FIMTrack we provide an evaluation of its accuracy using manually labeled data. The source code is available under the GNU GPLv3 at https://github.com/i-git/FIMTrack and pre-compiled binaries for Windows and Mac are available at http://fim.uni-muenster.de.

E-Sourcing platforms as reasonable marketing tools for suppliers

OpenAIRE

Göbl, Martin; Greiter, Thomas

2014-01-01

Research questions: E-sourcing platforms offer purchasing organisations often easy access to a high number of relevant suppliers, their goods and services and the accord-ing prices. For the suppliers, e-sourcing platforms are a good and easy pos-sibility to present their products and services to the relevant buyers and to get in contact with potential customers. Subject of this research will be the question, whether e-sourcing platforms are also a reasonable marketing tool for suppliers in or...

A common source of attention for auditory and visual tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Fougnie, Daryl; Cockhren, Jurnell; Marois, René

2018-05-01

Tasks that require tracking visual information reveal the severe limitations of our capacity to attend to multiple objects that vary in time and space. Although these limitations have been extensively characterized in the visual domain, very little is known about tracking information in other sensory domains. Does tracking auditory information exhibit characteristics similar to those of tracking visual information, and to what extent do these two tracking tasks draw on the same attention resources? We addressed these questions by asking participants to perform either single or dual tracking tasks from the same (visual-visual) or different (visual-auditory) perceptual modalities, with the difficulty of the tracking tasks being manipulated across trials. The results revealed that performing two concurrent tracking tasks, whether they were in the same or different modalities, affected tracking performance as compared to performing each task alone (concurrence costs). Moreover, increasing task difficulty also led to increased costs in both the single-task and dual-task conditions (load-dependent costs). The comparison of concurrence costs between visual-visual and visual-auditory dual-task performance revealed slightly greater interference when two visual tracking tasks were paired. Interestingly, however, increasing task difficulty led to equivalent costs for visual-visual and visual-auditory pairings. We concluded that visual and auditory tracking draw largely, though not exclusively, on common central attentional resources.

A Customized DNA Microarray for Microbial Source Tracking ...

Science.gov (United States)

It is estimated that more than 160, 000 miles of rivers and streams in the United States are impaired due to the presence of waterborne pathogens. These pathogens typically originate from human and other animal fecal pollution sources; therefore, a rapid microbial source tracking (MST) method is needed to facilitate water quality assessment and impaired water remediation. We report a novel qualitative DNA microarray technology consisting of 453 probes for the detection of general fecal and host-associated bacteria, viruses, antibiotic resistance, and other environmentally relevant genetic indicators. A novel data normalization and reduction approach is also presented to help alleviate false positives often associated with high-density microarray applications. To evaluate the performance of the approach, DNA and cDNA was isolated from swine, cattle, duck, goose and gull fecal reference samples, as well as soiled poultry liter and raw municipal sewage. Based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis of results, findings suggest that the novel microarray approach may be useful for pathogen detection and identification of fecal contamination in recreational waters. The ability to simultaneously detect a large collection of environmentally important genetic indicators in a single test has the potential to provide water quality managers with a wide range of information in a short period of time. Future research is warranted to measure microarray performance i

Fecal pollution source tracking toolbox for identification, evaluation and characterization of fecal contamination in receiving urban surface waters and groundwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Ngoc Han; Gin, Karina Yew-Hoong; Ngo, Huu Hao

2015-12-15

The quality of surface waters/groundwater of a geographical region can be affected by anthropogenic activities, land use patterns and fecal pollution sources from humans and animals. Therefore, the development of an efficient fecal pollution source tracking toolbox for identifying the origin of the fecal pollution sources in surface waters/groundwater is especially helpful for improving management efforts and remediation actions of water resources in a more cost-effective and efficient manner. This review summarizes the updated knowledge on the use of fecal pollution source tracking markers for detecting, evaluating and characterizing fecal pollution sources in receiving surface waters and groundwater. The suitability of using chemical markers (i.e. fecal sterols, fluorescent whitening agents, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and artificial sweeteners) and/or microbial markers (e.g. F+RNA coliphages, enteric viruses, and host-specific anaerobic bacterial 16S rDNA genetic markers) for tracking fecal pollution sources in receiving water bodies is discussed. In addition, this review also provides a comprehensive approach, which is based on the detection ratios (DR), detection frequencies (DF), and fate of potential microbial and chemical markers. DR and DF are considered as the key criteria for selecting appropriate markers for identifying and evaluating the impacts of fecal contamination in surface waters/groundwater. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Applying open source data visualization tools to standard based medical data.

Science.gov (United States)

Kopanitsa, Georgy; Taranik, Maxim

2014-01-01

Presentation of medical data in personal health records (PHRs) requires flexible platform independent tools to ensure easy access to the information. Different backgrounds of the patients, especially elder people require simple graphical presentation of the data. Data in PHRs can be collected from heterogeneous sources. Application of standard based medical data allows development of generic visualization methods. Focusing on the deployment of Open Source Tools, in this paper we applied Java Script libraries to create data presentations for standard based medical data.

Open source tools and toolkits for bioinformatics: significance, and where are we?

Science.gov (United States)

Stajich, Jason E; Lapp, Hilmar

2006-09-01

This review summarizes important work in open-source bioinformatics software that has occurred over the past couple of years. The survey is intended to illustrate how programs and toolkits whose source code has been developed or released under an Open Source license have changed informatics-heavy areas of life science research. Rather than creating a comprehensive list of all tools developed over the last 2-3 years, we use a few selected projects encompassing toolkit libraries, analysis tools, data analysis environments and interoperability standards to show how freely available and modifiable open-source software can serve as the foundation for building important applications, analysis workflows and resources.

Application of iron and zinc isotopes to track the sources and mechanisms of metal loading in a mountain watershed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borrok, David M., E-mail: dborrok@utep.edu [Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, El Paso, TX 79968 (United States); Wanty, Richard B.; Ian Ridley, W.; Lamothe, Paul J. [US Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225 (United States); Kimball, Briant A. [US Geological Survey, 2329 W. Orton Cir., Salt Lake City, UT 84119 (United States); Verplanck, Philip L.; Runkel, Robert L. [US Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225 (United States)

2009-07-15

Here the hydrogeochemical constraints of a tracer dilution study are combined with Fe and Zn isotopic measurements to pinpoint metal loading sources and attenuation mechanisms in an alpine watershed impacted by acid mine drainage. In the tested mountain catchment, {delta}{sup 56}Fe and {delta}{sup 66}Zn isotopic signatures of filtered stream water samples varied by {approx}3.5 per mille and 0.4 per mille, respectively. The inherent differences in the aqueous geochemistry of Fe and Zn provided complimentary isotopic information. For example, variations in {delta}{sup 56}Fe were linked to redox and precipitation reactions occurring in the stream, while changes in {delta}{sup 66}Zn were indicative of conservative mixing of different Zn sources. Fen environments contributed distinctively light dissolved Fe (<-2.0 per mille) and isotopically heavy suspended Fe precipitates to the watershed, while Zn from the fen was isotopically heavy (>+0.4 per mille). Acidic drainage from mine wastes contributed heavier dissolved Fe ({approx}+0.5 per mille) and lighter Zn ({approx}+0.2 per mille) isotopes relative to the fen. Upwelling of Fe-rich groundwater near the mouth of the catchment was the major source of Fe ({delta}{sup 56}Fe {approx} 0 per mille) leaving the watershed in surface flow, while runoff from mining wastes was the major source of Zn. The results suggest that given a strong framework for interpretation, Fe and Zn isotopes are useful tools for identifying and tracking metal sources and attenuation mechanisms in mountain watersheds.

Open source intelligence: A tool to combat illicit trafficking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sjoeberg, J [Swedish Armed Forces HQ, Stockholm (Sweden)

2001-10-01

The purpose of my presentation is to provide some thoughts on Open Sources and how Open Sources can be used as tools for detecting illicit trafficking and proliferation. To fulfill this purpose I would like to deal with the following points during my presentation: What is Open Source? How can it be defined? - Different sources - Methods. Open Source information can be defined as publicly available information as well as other unclassified information that has limited public distribution or access to it. It comes in print, electronic or oral form. It can be found distributed either to the mass public by print or electronic media or to a much more limited customer base like companies, experts or specialists of some kind including the so called gray literature. Open Source information is not a single source but a multi-source. Thus, you can say that Open Sources does not say anything about the information itself, it only refers to if the information is classified or not.

Open source intelligence: A tool to combat illicit trafficking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sjoeberg, J.

2001-01-01

The purpose of my presentation is to provide some thoughts on Open Sources and how Open Sources can be used as tools for detecting illicit trafficking and proliferation. To fulfill this purpose I would like to deal with the following points during my presentation: What is Open Source? How can it be defined? - Different sources - Methods. Open Source information can be defined as publicly available information as well as other unclassified information that has limited public distribution or access to it. It comes in print, electronic or oral form. It can be found distributed either to the mass public by print or electronic media or to a much more limited customer base like companies, experts or specialists of some kind including the so called gray literature. Open Source information is not a single source but a multi-source. Thus, you can say that Open Sources does not say anything about the information itself, it only refers to if the information is classified or not

Vapor Intrusion Estimation Tool for Unsaturated Zone Contaminant Sources. User’s Guide

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-30

estimation process when applying the tool. The tool described here is focused on vapor-phase diffusion from the current vadose zone source , and is not...from the current defined vadose zone source ). The estimated soil gas contaminant concentration obtained from the pre-modeled scenarios for a building...need a full site-specific numerical model to assess the impacts beyond the current vadose zone source . 35 5.0 References Brennan, R.A., N

Strategy for fitting source strength and reconstruction procedure in radioactive particle tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosorov, Volodymyr

2015-01-01

The Radioactive Particle Tracking (RPT) technique is widely applied to study the dynamic properties of flows inside a reactor. Usually, a single radioactive particle that is neutrally buoyant with respect to the phase is used as a tracker. The particle moves inside a 3D volume of interest, and its positions are determined by an array of scintillation detectors, which count the incoming photons. The particle position coordinates are calculated by using a reconstruction procedure that solves a minimization problem between the measured counts and calibration data. Although previous studies have described the influence of specified factors on the RPT resolution and sensitivities, the question of how to choose an appropriate source strength and reconstruction procedure for the given RPT setup remains an unsolved problem. This work describes and applies the original strategy for fitting both the source strength and the sampling time interval to a specified RPT setup to guarantee a required accuracy of measurements. Additionally, the measurement accuracy of an RPT setup can be significantly increased by changing the reconstruction procedure. The results of the simulations, based on the Monte Carlo approach, have demonstrated that the proposed strategy allows for the successful implementation of the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle when designing the RPT setup. The limitations and drawbacks of the proposed procedure are also presented. - Highlights: • We develop an original strategy for fitting source strength and measurement time interval in radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique. • The proposed strategy allows successfully to implement the ALAPA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle in designing of a RPT setup. • Measurement accuracy of a RPT setup can be significantly increased by improvement of the reconstruction procedure. • The algorithm can be applied to monitor the motion of the radioactive tracer in a reactor

Development and small-scale validation of a novel pigeon-associated mitochondrial DNA source tracking marker for the detection of fecal contamination in harvested rainwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Waso, M; Khan, S; Khan, W

2018-02-15

The current study was aimed at designing and validating (on a small-scale) a novel pigeon mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) microbial source tracking (MST) marker for the detection of pigeon fecal matter in harvested rainwater. The pigeon mtDNA MST marker was designed to target the mtDNA Cytochrome b gene by employing mismatch amplification mutation assay kinetics. The pigeon marker was validated by screening 69 non-pigeon and 9 pigeon fecal samples. The host-sensitivity of the assay was determined as 1.00 while the host-specificity of the assay was 0.96. Harvested rainwater samples (n=60) were screened for the prevalence of the marker with the mtDNA Cytochrome b marker detected in 78% of the samples. Bayes' theorem was applied to calculate the conditional probability of the marker detecting true pigeon contamination and the marker subsequently displayed a 99% probability of detecting true pigeon contamination in the harvested rainwater samples. In addition, the mtDNA Cytochrome b marker displayed high concurrence frequencies versus heterotrophic bacteria (78.3%), E. coli (73.3%), total coliforms (71.1%) and fecal coliforms (66.7%). This study thus validates that targeting mtDNA for the design of source tracking markers may be a valuable tool to detect avian fecal contamination in environmental waters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crowd-Sourced Mobility Mapping for Location Tracking Using Unlabeled Wi-Fi Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mu Zhou

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the increasing requirements of the seamless and round-the-clock Location-based services (LBSs, a growing interest in Wi-Fi network aided location tracking is witnessed in the past decade. One of the significant problems of the conventional Wi-Fi location tracking approaches based on received signal strength (RSS fingerprinting is the time-consuming and labor intensive work involved in location fingerprint calibration. To solve this problem, a novel unlabeled Wi-Fi simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM approach is developed to avoid the location fingerprinting and additional inertial or vision sensors. In this approach, an unlabeled mobility map of the coverage area is first constructed by using the crowd-sourcing from a batch of sporadically recorded Wi-Fi RSS sequences based on the spectral cluster assembling. Then, the sequence alignment algorithm is applied to conduct location tracking and mobility map updating. Finally, the effectiveness of this approach is verified by the extensive experiments carried out in a campus-wide area.

Business intelligence tools for radiology: creating a prototype model using open-source tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Prevedello, Luciano M; Andriole, Katherine P; Hanson, Richard; Kelly, Pauline; Khorasani, Ramin

2010-04-01

Digital radiology departments could benefit from the ability to integrate and visualize data (e.g. information reflecting complex workflow states) from all of their imaging and information management systems in one composite presentation view. Leveraging data warehousing tools developed in the business world may be one way to achieve this capability. In total, the concept of managing the information available in this data repository is known as Business Intelligence or BI. This paper describes the concepts used in Business Intelligence, their importance to modern Radiology, and the steps used in the creation of a prototype model of a data warehouse for BI using open-source tools.

Graphical Environment Tools for Application to Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Todd, Richard A. [RIS Corp.; Radford, David C. [ORNL Physics Div.

2013-12-30

Highly segmented, position-sensitive germanium detector systems are being developed for nuclear physics research where traditional electronic signal processing with mixed analog and digital function blocks would be enormously complex and costly. Future systems will be constructed using pipelined processing of high-speed digitized signals as is done in the telecommunications industry. Techniques which provide rapid algorithm and system development for future systems are desirable. This project has used digital signal processing concepts and existing graphical system design tools to develop a set of re-usable modular functions and libraries targeted for the nuclear physics community. Researchers working with complex nuclear detector arrays such as the Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking Array (GRETA) have been able to construct advanced data processing algorithms for implementation in field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) through application of these library functions using intuitive graphical interfaces.

Windows Developer Power Tools Turbocharge Windows development with more than 170 free and open source tools

CERN Document Server

Avery, James

2007-01-01

Software developers need to work harder and harder to bring value to their development process in order to build high quality applications and remain competitive. Developers can accomplish this by improving their productivity, quickly solving problems, and writing better code. A wealth of open source and free software tools are available for developers who want to improve the way they create, build, deploy, and use software. Tools, components, and frameworks exist to help developers at every point in the development process. Windows Developer Power Tools offers an encyclopedic guide to m

TH-AB-202-03: A Novel Tool for Computing Deliverable Doses in Dynamic MLC Tracking Treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fast, M; Kamerling, C; Menten, M; Nill, S; Oelfke, U [The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London (United Kingdom); Crijns, S; Raaymakers, B [University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2016-06-15

Purpose: In tracked dynamic multi-leaf collimator (MLC) treatments, segments are continuously adapted to the target centroid motion in beams-eye-view. On-the-fly segment adaptation, however, potentially induces dosimetric errors due to the finite MLC leaf width and non-rigid target motion. In this study, we outline a novel tool for computing the 4d dose of lung SBRT plans delivered with MLC tracking. Methods: The following automated workflow was developed: A) centroid tracking, where the initial segments are morphed to each 4dCT phase based on the beams-eye-view GTV shift (followed by a dose calculation on each phase); B) re-optimized tracking, in which all morphed initial plans from (A) are further optimised (“warm-started”) in each 4dCT phase using the initial optimisation parameters but phase-specific volume definitions. Finally, both dose sets are accumulated to the reference phase using deformable image registration. Initial plans were generated according to the RTOG-1021 guideline (54Gy, 3-Fx, equidistant 9-beam IMRT) on the peak-exhale (reference) phase of a phase-binned 4dCT. Treatment planning and delivery simulations were performed in RayStation (research v4.6) using our in-house segment-morphing algorithm, which directly links to RayStation through a native C++ interface. Results: Computing the tracking plans and 4d dose distributions via the in-house interface takes 5 and 8 minutes respectively for centroid and re-optimized tracking. For a sample lung SBRT patient with 14mm peak-to-peak motion in sup-inf direction, mainly perpendicular leaf motion (0-collimator) resulted in small dose changes for PTV-D95 (−13cGy) and GTV-D98 (+18cGy) for the centroid tracking case compared to the initial plan. Modest reductions of OAR doses (e.g. spinal cord D2: −11cGy) were achieved in the idealized tracking case. Conclusion: This study presents an automated “1-click” workflow for computing deliverable MLC tracking doses in RayStation. Adding a non

TH-AB-202-03: A Novel Tool for Computing Deliverable Doses in Dynamic MLC Tracking Treatments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fast, M; Kamerling, C; Menten, M; Nill, S; Oelfke, U; Crijns, S; Raaymakers, B

2016-01-01

Purpose: In tracked dynamic multi-leaf collimator (MLC) treatments, segments are continuously adapted to the target centroid motion in beams-eye-view. On-the-fly segment adaptation, however, potentially induces dosimetric errors due to the finite MLC leaf width and non-rigid target motion. In this study, we outline a novel tool for computing the 4d dose of lung SBRT plans delivered with MLC tracking. Methods: The following automated workflow was developed: A) centroid tracking, where the initial segments are morphed to each 4dCT phase based on the beams-eye-view GTV shift (followed by a dose calculation on each phase); B) re-optimized tracking, in which all morphed initial plans from (A) are further optimised (“warm-started”) in each 4dCT phase using the initial optimisation parameters but phase-specific volume definitions. Finally, both dose sets are accumulated to the reference phase using deformable image registration. Initial plans were generated according to the RTOG-1021 guideline (54Gy, 3-Fx, equidistant 9-beam IMRT) on the peak-exhale (reference) phase of a phase-binned 4dCT. Treatment planning and delivery simulations were performed in RayStation (research v4.6) using our in-house segment-morphing algorithm, which directly links to RayStation through a native C++ interface. Results: Computing the tracking plans and 4d dose distributions via the in-house interface takes 5 and 8 minutes respectively for centroid and re-optimized tracking. For a sample lung SBRT patient with 14mm peak-to-peak motion in sup-inf direction, mainly perpendicular leaf motion (0-collimator) resulted in small dose changes for PTV-D95 (−13cGy) and GTV-D98 (+18cGy) for the centroid tracking case compared to the initial plan. Modest reductions of OAR doses (e.g. spinal cord D2: −11cGy) were achieved in the idealized tracking case. Conclusion: This study presents an automated “1-click” workflow for computing deliverable MLC tracking doses in RayStation. Adding a non

Low Cost Eye Tracking: The Current Panorama

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Onur Ferhat

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Despite the availability of accurate, commercial gaze tracker devices working with infrared (IR technology, visible light gaze tracking constitutes an interesting alternative by allowing scalability and removing hardware requirements. Over the last years, this field has seen examples of research showing performance comparable to the IR alternatives. In this work, we survey the previous work on remote, visible light gaze trackers and analyze the explored techniques from various perspectives such as calibration strategies, head pose invariance, and gaze estimation techniques. We also provide information on related aspects of research such as public datasets to test against, open source projects to build upon, and gaze tracking services to directly use in applications. With all this information, we aim to provide the contemporary and future researchers with a map detailing previously explored ideas and the required tools.

EUV sources for the alpha-tools

Science.gov (United States)

Pankert, Joseph; Apetz, Rolf; Bergmann, Klaus; Damen, Marcel; Derra, Günther; Franken, Oliver; Janssen, Maurice; Jonkers, Jeroen; Klein, Jürgen; Kraus, Helmar; Krücken, Thomas; List, Andreas; Loeken, Micheal; Mader, Arnaud; Metzmacher, Christof; Neff, Willi; Probst, Sven; Prümmer, Ralph; Rosier, Oliver; Schwabe, Stefan; Seiwert, Stefan; Siemons, Guido; Vaudrevange, Dominik; Wagemann, Dirk; Weber, Achim; Zink, Peter; Zitzen, Oliver

2006-03-01

In this paper, we report on the recent progress of the Philips Extreme UV source. The Philips source concept is based on a discharge plasma ignited in a Sn vapor plume that is ablated by a laser pulse. Using rotating electrodes covered with a regenerating tin surface, the problems of electrode erosion and power scaling are fundamentally solved. Most of the work of the past year has been dedicated to develop a lamp system which is operating very reliably and stable under full scanner remote control. Topics addressed were the development of the scanner interface, a dose control system, thermo-mechanical design, positional stability of the source, tin handling, and many more. The resulting EUV source-the Philips NovaTin(R) source-can operate at more than 10kW electrical input power and delivers 200W in-band EUV into 2π continuously. The source is very small, so nearly 100% of the EUV radiation can be collected within etendue limits. The lamp system is fully automated and can operate unattended under full scanner remote control. 500 Million shots of continuous operation without interruption have been realized, electrode lifetime is at least 2 Billion shots. Three sources are currently being prepared, two of them will be integrated into the first EUV Alpha Demonstration tools of ASML. The debris problem was reduced to a level which is well acceptable for scanner operation. First, a considerable reduction of the Sn emission of the source has been realized. The debris mitigation system is based on a two-step concept using a foil trap based stage and a chemical cleaning stage. Both steps were improved considerably. A collector lifetime of 1 Billion shots is achieved, after this operating time a cleaning would be applied. The cleaning step has been verified to work with tolerable Sn residues. From the experimental results, a total collector lifetime of more than 10 Billion shots can be expected.

Track finding and track reconstruction in the internal forward drift chamber of SAPHIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umlauf, G.

1993-03-01

A track finding algorithm has been developed for the inner forward drift chamber of the SAPHIR detector (at ELSA in Bonn) using the Principal Components Analysis as a tool for interpolating track coordinates. The drift chamber consists of twelve planar layers with six different inclinations and is being operated in an inhomogenous magnetic field. The task of track finding is basicly split into a primary stage that defines track candidates without the use of drift-time information and a second stage that serves to verify the track candidate and to resolve the intrinsic left-right ambiguities of the drift chamber signals. Tracks with at most three missing signals can be found. (orig.) [de

Decay of Fecal Indicator Bacterial Populations and Bovine-Associated Source-Tracking Markers in Freshly Deposited Cow Pats

Science.gov (United States)

Understanding the survival of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and microbial source-tracking (MST) markers is critical to developing pathogen fate and transport models. Although pathogen survival in water microcosms and manure-amended soils is well documented, little is known about...

Alpha-particle autoradiography by solid state track detectors to spatial distribution of radioactivity in alpha-counting source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishigure, Nobuhito; Nakano, Takashi; Enomoto, Hiroko; Koizumi, Akira; Miyamoto, Katsuhiro

1989-01-01

A technique of autoradiography using solid state track detectors is described by which spatial distribution of radioactivity in an alpha-counting source can easily be visualized. As solid state track detectors, polymer of allyl diglycol carbonate was used. The advantage of the present technique was proved that alpha-emitters can be handled in the light place alone through the whole course of autoradiography, otherwise in the conventional autoradiography the alpha-emitters, which requires special carefulness from the point of radiation protection, must be handled in the dark place with difficulty. This technique was applied to rough examination of self-absorption of the plutonium source prepared by the following different methods; the source (A) was prepared by drying at room temperature, (B) by drying under an infrared lamp, (C) by drying in ammonia atmosphere after redissolving by the addition of a drop of distilled water which followed complete evaporation under an infrared lamp and (D) by drying under an infrared lamp after adding a drop of diluted neutral detergent. The difference in the spatial distributions of radioactivity could clearly be observed on the autoradiographs. For example, the source (C) showed the most diffuse distribution, which suggested that the self-absorption of this source was the smallest. The present autoradiographic observation was in accordance with the result of the alpha-spectrometry with a silicon surface-barrier detector. (author)

Improved efficiency in clinical workflow of reporting measured oncology lesions via PACS-integrated lesion tracking tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Sevenster, Merlijn; Travis, Adam R; Ganesh, Rajiv K; Liu, Peng; Kose, Ursula; Peters, Joost; Chang, Paul J

2015-03-01

OBJECTIVE. Imaging provides evidence for the response to oncology treatment by the serial measurement of reference lesions. Unfortunately, the identification, comparison, measurement, and documentation of several reference lesions can be an inefficient process. We tested the hypothesis that optimized workflow orchestration and tight integration of a lesion tracking tool into the PACS and speech recognition system can result in improvements in oncologic lesion measurement efficiency. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. A lesion management tool tightly integrated into the PACS workflow was developed. We evaluated the effect of the use of the tool on measurement reporting time by means of a prospective time-motion study on 86 body CT examinations with 241 measureable oncologic lesions with four radiologists. RESULTS. Aggregated measurement reporting time per lesion was 11.64 seconds in standard workflow, 16.67 seconds if readers had to register measurements de novo, and 6.36 seconds for each subsequent follow-up study. Differences were statistically significant (p workflow-integrated lesion management tool, especially for patients with multiple follow-up examinations, reversing the onetime efficiency penalty at baseline registration.

A novel tracking tool for the analysis of plant-root tip movements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russino, A; Ascrizzi, A; Popova, L; Tonazzini, A; Mancuso, S; Mazzolai, B

2013-01-01

The growth process of roots consists of many activities, such as exploring the soil volume, mining minerals, avoiding obstacles and taking up water to fulfil the plant's primary functions, that are performed differently, depending on environmental conditions. Root movements are strictly related to a root decision strategy, which helps plants to survive under stressful conditions by optimizing energy consumption. In this work, we present a novel image-analysis tool to study the kinematics of the root tip (apex), named analyser for root tip tracks (ARTT). The software implementation combines a segmentation algorithm with additional software imaging filters in order to realize a 2D tip detection. The resulting paths, or tracks, arise from the sampled tip positions through the acquired images during the growth. ARTT allows work with no markers and deals autonomously with new emerging root tips, as well as handling a massive number of data relying on minimum user interaction. Consequently, ARTT can be used for a wide range of applications and for the study of kinematics in different plant species. In particular, the study of the root growth and behaviour could lead to the definition of novel principles for the penetration and/or control paradigms for soil exploration and monitoring tasks. The software capabilities were demonstrated by experimental trials performed with Zea mays and Oryza sativa. (paper)

Star-Mapping Tools Enable Tracking of Endangered Animals

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Software programmer Jason Holmberg of Portland, Oregon, partnered with a Goddard Space Flight Center astrophysicist to develop a method for tracking the elusive whale shark using the unique spot patterns on the fish s skin. Employing a star-mapping algorithm originally designed for the Hubble Space Telescope, Holmberg created the Shepherd Project, a photograph database and pattern-matching system that can identify whale sharks by their spots and match images contributed to the database by photographers from around the world. The system has been adapted for tracking other rare and endangered animals, including polar bears and ocean sunfish.

Developing an eye-tracking algorithm as a potential tool for early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia I Vargas-Cuentas

Full Text Available Autism spectrum disorder (ASD currently affects nearly 1 in 160 children worldwide. In over two-thirds of evaluations, no validated diagnostics are used and gold standard diagnostic tools are used in less than 5% of evaluations. Currently, the diagnosis of ASD requires lengthy and expensive tests, in addition to clinical confirmation. Therefore, fast, cheap, portable, and easy-to-administer screening instruments for ASD are required. Several studies have shown that children with ASD have a lower preference for social scenes compared with children without ASD. Based on this, eye-tracking and measurement of gaze preference for social scenes has been used as a screening tool for ASD. Currently available eye-tracking software requires intensive calibration, training, or holding of the head to prevent interference with gaze recognition limiting its use in children with ASD.In this study, we designed a simple eye-tracking algorithm that does not require calibration or head holding, as a platform for future validation of a cost-effective ASD potential screening instrument. This system operates on a portable and inexpensive tablet to measure gaze preference of children for social compared to abstract scenes. A child watches a one-minute stimulus video composed of a social scene projected on the left side and an abstract scene projected on the right side of the tablet's screen. We designed five stimulus videos by changing the social/abstract scenes. Every child observed all the five videos in random order. We developed an eye-tracking algorithm that calculates the child's gaze preference for the social and abstract scenes, estimated as the percentage of the accumulated time that the child observes the left or right side of the screen, respectively. Twenty-three children without a prior history of ASD and 8 children with a clinical diagnosis of ASD were evaluated. The recorded video of the child´s eye movement was analyzed both manually by an observer

Flight Activity and Crew Tracking System -

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — The Flight Activity and Crew Tracking System (FACTS) is a Web-based application that provides an overall management and tracking tool of FAA Airmen performing Flight...

Decision support tool for diagnosing the source of variation

Science.gov (United States)

Masood, Ibrahim; Azrul Azhad Haizan, Mohamad; Norbaya Jumali, Siti; Ghazali, Farah Najihah Mohd; Razali, Hazlin Syafinaz Md; Shahir Yahya, Mohd; Azlan, Mohd Azwir bin

2017-08-01

Identifying the source of unnatural variation (SOV) in manufacturing process is essential for quality control. The Shewhart control chart patterns (CCPs) are commonly used to monitor the SOV. However, a proper interpretation of CCPs associated to its SOV requires a high skill industrial practitioner. Lack of knowledge in process engineering will lead to erroneous corrective action. The objective of this study is to design the operating procedures of computerized decision support tool (DST) for process diagnosis. The DST is an embedded tool in CCPs recognition scheme. Design methodology involves analysis of relationship between geometrical features, manufacturing process and CCPs. The DST contents information about CCPs and its possible root cause error and description on SOV phenomenon such as process deterioration in tool bluntness, offsetting tool, loading error, and changes in materials hardness. The DST will be useful for an industrial practitioner in making effective troubleshooting.

Source Tracking of Nitrous Oxide using A Quantum Cascade Laser System in the Field and Laboratory Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Nitrous oxide is an important greenhouse gas and ozone depleting substance. Nitrification and denitrification are two major biological pathways that are responsible for soil emissions of N2O. However, source tracking of in-situ or laboratory N2O production is still challenging to...

Probabilistic analysis showing that a combination of bacteroides and methanobrevibacter source tracking markers is effective for identifying waters contaminated by human fecal pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Christopher; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N.; Gibson, Jacqueline MacDonald; Ufnar, Jennifer A.; Whitman, Richard L.; Stewart, Jill R.

2013-01-01

Microbial source tracking assays to identify sources of waterborne contamination typically target genetic markers of host-specific microorganisms. However, no bacterial marker has been shown to be 100% host-specific, and cross-reactivity has been noted in studies evaluating known source samples. Using 485 challenge samples from 20 different human and animal fecal sources, this study evaluated microbial source tracking markers including the Bacteroides HF183 16S rRNA, M. smithii nifH, and Enterococcus esp gene targets that have been proposed as potential indicators of human fecal contamination. Bayes' Theorem was used to calculate the conditional probability that these markers or a combination of markers can correctly identify human sources of fecal pollution. All three human-associated markers were detected in 100% of the sewage samples analyzed. Bacteroides HF183 was the most effective marker for determining whether contamination was specifically from a human source, and greater than 98% certainty that contamination was from a human source was shown when both Bacteroides HF183 and M. smithii nifH markers were present. A high degree of certainty was attained even in cases where the prior probability of human fecal contamination was as low as 8.5%. The combination of Bacteroides HF183 and M. smithii nifH source tracking markers can help identify surface waters impacted by human fecal contamination, information useful for prioritizing restoration activities or assessing health risks from exposure to contaminated waters.

Integrating eye tracking in virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation

OpenAIRE

Alves, Júlio Miguel Gomes Rebelo

2014-01-01

This thesis reports on research done for the integration of eye tracking technology into virtual reality environments, with the goal of using it in rehabilitation of patients who suffered from stroke. For the last few years, eye tracking has been a focus on medical research, used as an assistive tool  to help people with disabilities interact with new technologies  and as an assessment tool  to track the eye gaze during computer interactions. However, tracking more complex gaze behavio...

Tracking Reactive Nitrogen Sources, Chemistry and Deposition in Urban Environments Using Stable Isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Hastings, M. G.; Clark, S. C.; Chai, J.; Joyce, E.; Miller, D. J.; Schiebel, H.; Walters, W.

2017-12-01

Reactive nitrogen (Nr) includes compounds such as nitrogen oxides (NOx, HONO), ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), and organic nitrates. These compounds serve major roles in controlling the composition of our atmosphere, and have a direct impact on ecosystem health and water quality. Our research is focused on using stable isotopes of Nr to investigate variations in sources, chemistry, atmospheric transport, and deposition. Our aim is to fingerprint distinct emission sources - such as vehicles, power plants, aircraft, agriculature, wildfires, and lightning - and track their influence in the environment. We have recently characterized vehicle emission plumes, emissions from agricultural soils under different management practices, and (in the near future) wildfire plumes in the western U.S. Our approach targets characterizing the isotopic composition of NOx, HONO, and NH3 at both the emissions source and the plume scale. In contrast to large ranges found for individual tailpipe emissions of NOx, on-road plumes in the U.S. have a mean δ15N of -4.7 ± 1.7‰. The plume scale approach integrates across the typical U.S. fleet giving a representative value that can be used for tracking the impact of this emission source in the environment. NH3 also tends towards a narrow isotopic range when considered at the roadside scale compared to individual vehicles. In agricultural settings, the isotopes of NOx and HONO released from soils under different fertilizer practices is typically very negative in δ15N (-40 to -10‰) and appears to vary most with soil N properties rather than meteorology. Our work is now extending to discern sources influencing Nr deposition in an urban area at the head of New England's largest estuary. National monitoring of N deposition shows decreases in NO3- (but not NH4+) deposition over the last two decades, following better controls on NOx emissions. Wet deposition collected in an urban area exhibits N concentrations that are often 3

Magnet Tracking: a new tool for in vivo studies of the rat gastrointestinal motility.

Science.gov (United States)

Guignet, R; Bergonzelli, G; Schlageter, V; Turini, M; Kucera, P

2006-06-01

Digestive motility was studied in the rat using a miniaturized version of the Magnet Tracking system which monitored the progression of a small magnetic pill through the entire digestive tract. The dynamics of movement was followed and three-dimensional (3-D) images of digestive tract were generated. After a retention period in the stomach and rapid passage through duodenum, the magnet progressed along the small intestine with gradually decreasing speed and longer stationary periods. It remained in the caecum for variable intervals. In the colon, periods of progress alternated with long quiescent periods. Gastric activity oscillated at 5-6 min(-1). In the small intestine, two frequency domains coexisted, showing independent modulations and proximo-distal gradients (40 to >32 and 28 to >20 min(-1)). Caecal oscillations were of 1.5 min(-1). The data allowed the magnet location and calculation of gastric and small intestinal transit times (58 +/- 36 and 83 +/- 14 min respectively), both significantly prolonged by oleate administration (243 +/- 130 and 170 +/- 45 min respectively). Magnet Tracking is a non-invasive tool to study the in vivo spatial and temporal organization of gastrointestinal motility in the rat.

Using Open Source Tools to Create a Mobile Optimized, Crowdsourced Translation Tool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evviva Weinraub Lajoie

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In late 2012, OSU Libraries and Press partnered with Maria's Libraries, an NGO in Rural Kenya, to provide users the ability to crowdsource translations of folk tales and existing children's books into a variety of African languages, sub-languages, and dialects. Together, these two organizations have been creating a mobile optimized platform using open source libraries such as Wink Toolkit (a library which provides mobile-friendly interaction from a website and Globalize3 to allow for multiple translations of database entries in a Ruby on Rails application. Research regarding successes of similar tools has been utilized in providing a consistent user interface. The OSU Libraries & Press team delivered a proof-of-concept tool that has the opportunity to promote technology exploration, improve early childhood literacy, change the way we approach foreign language learning, and to provide opportunities for cost-effective, multi-language publishing.

Commissioning software tools at the Advanced Photon Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emery, L.

1995-01-01

A software tool-oriented approach has been adopted in the commissioning of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory, particularly in the commissioning of the Positron Accumulator Ring (PAR). The general philosophy is to decompose a complicated procedure involving measurement, data processing, and control into a series of simpler steps, each accomplished by a generic toolkit program. The implementation is greatly facilitated by adopting the SDDS (self-describing data set protocol), which comes with its own toolkit. The combined toolkit has made accelerator physics measurements easier. For instance, the measurement of the optical functions of the PAR and the beamlines connected to it have been largely automated. Complicated measurements are feasible with a combination of tools running independently

A simultaneous localization and tracking method for a worm tracking system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kowalski Mateusz

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The idea of worm tracking refers to the path analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes and is an important tool in neurobiology which helps to describe their behavior. Knowledge about nematode behavior can be applied as a model to study the physiological addiction process or other nervous system processes in animals and humans. Tracking is performed by using a special manipulator positioning a microscope with a camera over a dish with an observed individual. In the paper, the accuracy of a nematode’s trajectory reconstruction is investigated. Special attention is paid to analyzing errors that occurred during the microscope displacements. Two sources of errors in the trajectory reconstruction are shown. One is due to the difficulty in accurately measuring the microscope shift, the other is due to a nematode displacement during the microscope movement. A new method that increases path reconstruction accuracy based only on the registered sequence of images is proposed. The method Simultaneously Localizes And Tracks (SLAT the nematodes, and is robust to the positioning system displacement errors. The proposed method predicts the nematode position by using NonParametric Regression (NPR. In addition, two other methods of the SLAT problem are implemented to evaluate the NPR method. The first consists in ignoring the nematode displacement during microscope movement, and the second is based on a Kalman filter. The results suggest that the SLAT method based on nonparametric regression gives the most promising results and decreases the error of trajectory reconstruction by 25% compared with reconstruction based on data from the positioning system

Reviewing Automated Sensor-Based Visitor Tracking Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mygind, Lærke; Bentsen, Peter

2017-01-01

The method of timing and tracking has a long history within visitor studies and exhibition evaluation. With an increase in indoor tracking research, sensor-based positioning tool usage in museums has grown, as have expectations regarding the efficacy of technological sensing systems. This literat......The method of timing and tracking has a long history within visitor studies and exhibition evaluation. With an increase in indoor tracking research, sensor-based positioning tool usage in museums has grown, as have expectations regarding the efficacy of technological sensing systems...... methods in terms of obtained level of detail, accuracy, level of obtrusiveness, automation of data entry, ability to time concurrent behaviors, and amount of observer training needed. Although individual sensor-based and traditional, observational methods had both strengths and weaknesses, all sensor......-based timing and tracking methods provided automated data entry and the opportunity to track a number of visitors simultaneously regardless of the available personnel....

Plasma diagnostic tools for optimizing negative hydrogen ion sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fantz, U.; Falter, H.D.; Franzen, P.; Speth, E.; Hemsworth, R.; Boilson, D.; Krylov, A.

2006-01-01

The powerful diagnostic tool of optical emission spectroscopy is used to measure the plasma parameters in negative hydrogen ion sources based on the surface mechanism. Results for electron temperature, electron density, atomic-to-molecular hydrogen density ratio, and gas temperature are presented for two types of sources, a rf source and an arc source, which are currently under development for a neutral beam heating system of ITER. The amount of cesium in the plasma volume is obtained from cesium radiation: the Cs neutral density is five to ten orders of magnitude lower than the hydrogen density and the Cs ion density is two to three orders of magnitude lower than the electron density in front of the grid. It is shown that monitoring of cesium lines is very useful for monitoring the cesium balance in the source. From a line-ratio method negative ion densities are determined. In a well-conditioned source the negative ion density is of the same order of magnitude as the electron density and correlates with extracted current densities

Identification of the source of manufacture of obsidian through the dating with the method of fission track

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arias, C.; Bigazzi, G.; Bonadonna, F.P.; Radi, G.; Bernardes, C.; Hadler Neto, J.C.; Lattes, C.M.G.; Araya, A.M.O.; Oliveira, J.X.

1986-01-01

Identification of the source of manufacture of obsidian through the dating with the method of fission track. After a brief description of fission track dating method and of the problems related to its application to volcanic glasses, we show and discuss data about obsidians of geological origin from Mediterranean basin and Latin America and of archaeological origin found in prehistoric sites from Italian peninsula. The analysis of the results shows the excellent performance of fission track method to identify the provenance of obsidians of archaeological origin, provided important constributions both from the methodological pointo of view-excellent agreement between the two correction techniques of apparent ages, size-correction technique and plateau age -, as from the archaeological point of view - we could identify four possible sources of provenance in Italy, the obsidian from Monte Arci, Sardinia, the obsidian from Pahnarola island, the obsidian from Gabelloto, Lipari island and the obsidian from Balata dei Turchi, Pantelleria island; and it ca be shown that Lipari obsidian began to be used at a very antique phase of neolithic period. The data about Latin American samples, though fragmented, constitute in an inicial study promissing perpectives as it can be observed by the comparisions made with the data published by others authors about geologic and archaeologic samples from the same area. (Author) [pt

A new energy analysis tool for ground source heat pump systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michopoulos, A.; Kyriakis, N. [Process Equipment Design Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, POB 487, 541 24 Thessaloniki (Greece)

2009-09-15

A new tool, suitable for energy analysis of vertical ground source heat pump systems, is presented. The tool is based on analytical equations describing the heat exchanged with the ground, developed in Matlab {sup registered} environment. The time step of the simulation can be freely chosen by the user (e.g. 1, 2 h etc.) and the calculation time required is very short. The heating and cooling loads of the building, at the afore mentioned time step, are needed as input, along with the thermophysical properties of the soil and of the ground heat exchanger, the operation characteristic curves of the system's heat pumps and the basic ground source heat exchanger dimensions. The results include the electricity consumption of the system and the heat absorbed from or rejected to the ground. The efficiency of the tool is verified through comparison with actual electricity consumption data collected from an existing large scale ground coupled heat pump installation over a three-year period. (author)

Robust cell tracking in epithelial tissues through identification of maximum common subgraphs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kursawe, Jochen; Bardenet, Rémi; Zartman, Jeremiah J; Baker, Ruth E; Fletcher, Alexander G

2016-11-01

Tracking of cells in live-imaging microscopy videos of epithelial sheets is a powerful tool for investigating fundamental processes in embryonic development. Characterizing cell growth, proliferation, intercalation and apoptosis in epithelia helps us to understand how morphogenetic processes such as tissue invagination and extension are locally regulated and controlled. Accurate cell tracking requires correctly resolving cells entering or leaving the field of view between frames, cell neighbour exchanges, cell removals and cell divisions. However, current tracking methods for epithelial sheets are not robust to large morphogenetic deformations and require significant manual interventions. Here, we present a novel algorithm for epithelial cell tracking, exploiting the graph-theoretic concept of a 'maximum common subgraph' to track cells between frames of a video. Our algorithm does not require the adjustment of tissue-specific parameters, and scales in sub-quadratic time with tissue size. It does not rely on precise positional information, permitting large cell movements between frames and enabling tracking in datasets acquired at low temporal resolution due to experimental constraints such as phototoxicity. To demonstrate the method, we perform tracking on the Drosophila embryonic epidermis and compare cell-cell rearrangements to previous studies in other tissues. Our implementation is open source and generally applicable to epithelial tissues. © 2016 The Authors.

Managing research and surveillance projects in real-time with a novel open-source eManagement tool designed for under-resourced countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Steiner, Andreas; Hella, Jerry; Grüninger, Servan; Mhalu, Grace; Mhimbira, Francis; Cercamondi, Colin I; Doulla, Basra; Maire, Nicolas; Fenner, Lukas

2016-09-01

A software tool is developed to facilitate data entry and to monitor research projects in under-resourced countries in real-time. The eManagement tool "odk_planner" is written in the scripting languages PHP and Python. The odk_planner is lightweight and uses minimal internet resources. It was designed to be used with the open source software Open Data Kit (ODK). The users can easily configure odk_planner to meet their needs, and the online interface displays data collected from ODK forms in a graphically informative way. The odk_planner also allows users to upload pictures and laboratory results and sends text messages automatically. User-defined access rights protect data and privacy. We present examples from four field applications in Tanzania successfully using the eManagement tool: 1) clinical trial; 2) longitudinal Tuberculosis (TB) Cohort Study with a complex visit schedule, where it was used to graphically display missing case report forms, upload digitalized X-rays, and send text message reminders to patients; 3) intervention study to improve TB case detection, carried out at pharmacies: a tablet-based electronic referral system monitored referred patients, and sent automated messages to remind pharmacy clients to visit a TB Clinic; and 4) TB retreatment case monitoring designed to improve drug resistance surveillance: clinicians at four public TB clinics and lab technicians at the TB reference laboratory used a smartphone-based application that tracked sputum samples, and collected clinical and laboratory data. The user friendly, open source odk_planner is a simple, but multi-functional, Web-based eManagement tool with add-ons that helps researchers conduct studies in under-resourced countries. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Exploration of verbal repetition in people with dementia using an online symptom-tracking tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Reeve, Emily; Molin, Pierre; Hui, Amaris; Rockwood, Kenneth

2017-06-01

Online tools can be used by people with dementia and their caregivers to self-identify and track troubling symptoms, such as verbal repetition. We aimed to explore verbal repetition behaviors in people with dementia. Participants were recruited via an online resource for people with dementia and their caregivers. Respondents were instructed to complete information about symptoms that are most important to them for tracking over time. In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed data pertaining to individuals with dementia who had at least three symptoms selected for tracking. Of the 3,573 participants who began a user profile, 1,707 fulfilled criteria for analysis. Verbal repetition was identified as a treatment target in 807 respondents (47.3%). Verbal repetition was more frequent in individuals with mild dementia compared to those with moderate and severe dementia (57.2% vs. 36.0% and 39.9%, p < 0.01) and in those with Alzheimer's disease versus other dementias (65.2% vs. 29.7%, p < 0.001). Repetitive questioning was the most frequent type of verbal repetition (90.5% of individuals with verbal repetition). Verbal repetition was most strongly associated with difficulties operating gadgets/appliances (OR 3.65, 95%CI: 2.82-4.72), lack of interest and/or initiative (3.52: 2.84-4.36), misplacing or losing objects (3.25: 2.64-4.01), and lack of attention and/or concentration (2.62: 2.12-3.26). Verbal repetition is a common symptom in people at all stages of dementia but is most commonly targeted for monitoring and treatment effects in its mild stage. Much research is required to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms and the effect of different treatment strategies.

Sources of error in etched-track radon measurements and a review of passive detectors using results from a series of radon intercomparisons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahimi, Z.-F.; Howarth, C.B.; Miles, J.C.H.

2009-01-01

Etched-track passive radon detectors are a well established and apparently simple technology. As with any measurement system, there are multiple sources of uncertainty and potential for error. The authors discuss these as well as good quality assurance practices. Identification and assessment of sources of error is crucial to maintain high quality standards by a measurement laboratory. These sources can be found both within and outside the radon measurement laboratory itself. They can lead to changes in track characteristics and ultimately detector response to radon exposure. Changes don't just happen during etching, but can happen during the recording or counting of etched-tracks (for example ageing and fading effects on track sensitivity, or focus and image acquisition variables). Track overlap means the linearity of response of detectors will vary as exposure increases. The laboratory needs to correct the calibration curve due to this effect if it wishes to offer detectors that cover a range of exposures likely to be observed in the field. Extrapolation of results to estimate annual average concentrations also has uncertainty associated with it. Measurement systems need to be robust, reliable and stable. If a laboratory is not actively and constantly monitoring for anomalies via internal testing, the laboratory may not become aware of a problem until some form of external testing occurs, eg an accreditation process, performance test, interlaboratory comparison exercise or when a customer has cause to query results. Benchmark standards of accuracy and precision achievable with passive detectors are discussed drawing on trends from the series of intercomparison exercises for passive radon detectors which began in 1982, organised by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), subsequently the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Tools and techniques for schedule's controlling: tracking system and control of Urucu-Manaus gas-pipeline construction, stretch B1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuany, Valdenise Marques; Dias, Jose Luiz Gomes [CONCREMAT Engenharia e Tecnologia S/A, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2009-07-01

The goal is to show the monitoring systems and deadline control, using the PMBOK{sup R} project management tools, in the Construction and Assembly of the Coari-Manaus Gas-pipeline, stretch B1, which includes the cities of Coari, Codajas, Anori and Anama, in the state of Amazon, in the Northern Undertaking Implementation (IENOR), an Engineering division of the PETROBRAS System. This report presents the practical effects of the usage of three schedule control tools of the project: Performance Measurement, using the technique of the Earned Value Management (EVM), which integrates cost, schedule and physical progress of the enterprise to determine the variations of schedule and performance; Project Management Software, MSProject, which allows schedule's elaboration and makes the tracking of the planned dates possible (baseline) in relation to real dates and forecasts the trend level, the effects of changes in the project's schedule, demonstrating its utility as a schedule control tool; and Schedule Variance Analysis, which adopts practical data to reach the pessimistic, most likely and optimistic expectations. The implantation of these tools was based in the Work Breakdown Structure of the enterprise. The application of these three tools in the tracking and control of the enterprise demonstrates that, the use of information and techniques deriving from the planning and control can be an important support for project management and decision taking, comparing the results gotten in the implantation of the plan with its actual realization, defining, thus, the necessary corrective actions, generating learned lessons to use in future projects. (author)

VSEARCH: a versatile open source tool for metagenomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Rognes, Torbjørn; Flouri, Tomáš; Nichols, Ben; Quince, Christopher; Mahé, Frédéric

2016-01-01

VSEARCH is an open source and free of charge multithreaded 64-bit tool for processing and preparing metagenomics, genomics and population genomics nucleotide sequence data. It is designed as an alternative to the widely used USEARCH tool (Edgar, 2010) for which the source code is not publicly available, algorithm details are only rudimentarily described, and only a memory-confined 32-bit version is freely available for academic use. When searching nucleotide sequences, VSEARCH uses a fast heuristic based on words shared by the query and target sequences in order to quickly identify similar sequences, a similar strategy is probably used in USEARCH. VSEARCH then performs optimal global sequence alignment of the query against potential target sequences, using full dynamic programming instead of the seed-and-extend heuristic used by USEARCH. Pairwise alignments are computed in parallel using vectorisation and multiple threads. VSEARCH includes most commands for analysing nucleotide sequences available in USEARCH version 7 and several of those available in USEARCH version 8, including searching (exact or based on global alignment), clustering by similarity (using length pre-sorting, abundance pre-sorting or a user-defined order), chimera detection (reference-based or de novo ), dereplication (full length or prefix), pairwise alignment, reverse complementation, sorting, and subsampling. VSEARCH also includes commands for FASTQ file processing, i.e., format detection, filtering, read quality statistics, and merging of paired reads. Furthermore, VSEARCH extends functionality with several new commands and improvements, including shuffling, rereplication, masking of low-complexity sequences with the well-known DUST algorithm, a choice among different similarity definitions, and FASTQ file format conversion. VSEARCH is here shown to be more accurate than USEARCH when performing searching, clustering, chimera detection and subsampling, while on a par with USEARCH for paired

EEGNET: An Open Source Tool for Analyzing and Visualizing M/EEG Connectome.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Mahmoud; Shamas, Mohamad; Khalil, Mohamad; El Falou, Wassim; Wendling, Fabrice

2015-01-01

The brain is a large-scale complex network often referred to as the "connectome". Exploring the dynamic behavior of the connectome is a challenging issue as both excellent time and space resolution is required. In this context Magneto/Electroencephalography (M/EEG) are effective neuroimaging techniques allowing for analysis of the dynamics of functional brain networks at scalp level and/or at reconstructed sources. However, a tool that can cover all the processing steps of identifying brain networks from M/EEG data is still missing. In this paper, we report a novel software package, called EEGNET, running under MATLAB (Math works, inc), and allowing for analysis and visualization of functional brain networks from M/EEG recordings. EEGNET is developed to analyze networks either at the level of scalp electrodes or at the level of reconstructed cortical sources. It includes i) Basic steps in preprocessing M/EEG signals, ii) the solution of the inverse problem to localize / reconstruct the cortical sources, iii) the computation of functional connectivity among signals collected at surface electrodes or/and time courses of reconstructed sources and iv) the computation of the network measures based on graph theory analysis. EEGNET is the unique tool that combines the M/EEG functional connectivity analysis and the computation of network measures derived from the graph theory. The first version of EEGNET is easy to use, flexible and user friendly. EEGNET is an open source tool and can be freely downloaded from this webpage: https://sites.google.com/site/eegnetworks/.

ThinkHazard!: an open-source, global tool for understanding hazard information

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser, Stuart; Jongman, Brenden; Simpson, Alanna; Nunez, Ariel; Deparday, Vivien; Saito, Keiko; Murnane, Richard; Balog, Simone

2016-04-01

Rapid and simple access to added-value natural hazard and disaster risk information is a key issue for various stakeholders of the development and disaster risk management (DRM) domains. Accessing available data often requires specialist knowledge of heterogeneous data, which are often highly technical and can be difficult for non-specialists in DRM to find and exploit. Thus, availability, accessibility and processing of these information sources are crucial issues, and an important reason why many development projects suffer significant impacts from natural hazards. The World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is currently developing a new open-source tool to address this knowledge gap: ThinkHazard! The main aim of the ThinkHazard! project is to develop an analytical tool dedicated to facilitating improvements in knowledge and understanding of natural hazards among non-specialists in DRM. It also aims at providing users with relevant guidance and information on handling the threats posed by the natural hazards present in a chosen location. Furthermore, all aspects of this tool will be open and transparent, in order to give users enough information to understand its operational principles. In this presentation, we will explain the technical approach behind the tool, which translates state-of-the-art probabilistic natural hazard data into understandable hazard classifications and practical recommendations. We will also demonstrate the functionality of the tool, and discuss limitations from a scientific as well as an operational perspective.

Synchrotron light sources: A powerful tool for science and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlachter, F.; Robinson, A.

1996-01-01

A new generation of synchrotron light sources is producing extremely bright beams of vacuum-ultraviolet and x-ray radiation, poweful new tools for research in a wide variety of basic and applied sciences. Spectromicroscopy using high spectral and spatial resolution is a new way of seeing, offering many opportunities in the study of matter. Development of a new light source provides the country or region of the world in which the light source is located many new opportunities: a focal point for research in many scientific and technological areas, a means of upgrading the technology infrastructure of the country, a means of training students, and a potential service to industry. A light source for Southeast Asia would thus be a major resource for many years. Scientists and engineers from light sources around the world look forward to providing assistance to make this a reality in Southeast Asia

Synchrotron light sources: A powerful tool for science and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schlachter, F.; Robinson, A.

1996-01-01

A new generation of synchrotron light sources is producing extremely bright beams of vacuum-ultraviolet and x-ray radiation, powerful new tools for research in a wide variety of basic and applied sciences. Spectromicroscopy using high spectral and spatial resolution is a new way of seeing, offering many opportunities in the study of matter. Development of a new light source provides the country or region of the world in which the light source is located many new opportunities: a focal point for research in many scientific and technological areas, a means of upgrading the technology infrastructure of the country, a means of training students, and a potential service to industry. A light source for Southeast Asia would thus be a major resource for many years. Scientists and engineers from light sources around the world look forward to providing assistance to make this a reality in Southeast Asia

Maximum power point tracking algorithm based on sliding mode and fuzzy logic for photovoltaic sources under variable environmental conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Atik, L.; Petit, P.; Sawicki, J. P.; Ternifi, Z. T.; Bachir, G.; Della, M.; Aillerie, M.

2017-02-01

Solar panels have a nonlinear voltage-current characteristic, with a distinct maximum power point (MPP), which depends on the environmental factors, such as temperature and irradiation. In order to continuously harvest maximum power from the solar panels, they have to operate at their MPP despite the inevitable changes in the environment. Various methods for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) were developed and finally implemented in solar power electronic controllers to increase the efficiency in the electricity production originate from renewables. In this paper we compare using Matlab tools Simulink, two different MPP tracking methods, which are, fuzzy logic control (FL) and sliding mode control (SMC), considering their efficiency in solar energy production.

Current and future trends in fecal source tracking and deployment in the Lake Taihu Region of China

Science.gov (United States)

Hagedorn, Charles; Liang, Xinqiang

The emerging discipline of microbial and/or chemical source tracking (collectively termed fecal source tracking (FST)) is being used to identify origins of fecal contamination in polluted waters in many countries around the world. FST has developed rapidly because standard methods of measuring contamination in water by enumerating fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) such as fecal coliforms and enterococci do not identify the sources of the contamination. FST is an active area of research and development in both the academic and private sectors and includes: Developing and testing new microbial and chemical FST methods. Determining the geographic application and animal host ranges of existing and emerging FST techniques. Conducting experimental comparisons of FST techniques. Combining direct monitoring of human pathogens associated with waterborne outbreaks and zoonotic pathogens responsible for infections among people, wildlife, or domesticated animals with the use of FST techniques. Applying FST to watershed analysis and coastal environments. Designing appropriate statistical and probability analysis of FST data and developing models for mass loadings of host-specific fecal contamination. This paper includes a critical review of FST with emphasis on the extent to which methods have been tested (especially in comparison with other methods and/or with blind samples), which methods are applicable to different situations, their shortcomings, and their usefulness in predicting public health risk or pathogen occurrence. In addition, the paper addresses the broader question of whether FST and fecal indicator monitoring is the best approach to regulate water quality and protect human health. Many FST methods have only been tested against sewage or fecal samples or isolates in laboratory studies (proof of concept testing) and/or applied in field studies where the “real” answer is not known, so their comparative performance and accuracy cannot be assessed. For FST to be

Signal information available for plume source tracking with and without surface waves and learning by undergraduates assisting with the research

Science.gov (United States)

Wiley, Megan Beth

Autonomous vehicles have had limited success in locating point sources of pollutants, chemicals, and other passive scalars. However, animals such as stomatopods, a mantis shrimp, track odor plumes easily for food, mates, and habitat. Laboratory experiments using Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence measured odor concentration downstream of a diffusive source with and without live stomatopods to investigate their source-tracking strategies in unidirectional and "wave-affected" (surface waves with a mean current) flows. Despite the dearth of signal, extreme temporal variation, and meandering plume centerline, the stomatopods were able to locate the source, especially in the wave-affected flow. Differences in the two plumes far from the source (>160 cm) appeared to help the animals in the wave-affected flow position themselves closer to the source (fluid mechanics, and there was little evidence of learning by participation in the RAship. One RA's conceptions of turbulence did change, but a group workshop seemed to support this learning more than the RAship. The documented conceptions could aid in curriculum design, since situating new information within current knowledge seems to deepen learning outcomes. The RAs' conceptions varied widely with some overlap of ideas. The interviews also showed that most RAs did not discuss molecular diffusion as part of the mixing process and some remembered information from course demonstrations, but applied them inappropriately to the interview questions.

Self-Tracking: Reflections from the BodyTrack Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Anne

2016-07-06

Based on the author's experiences the practice of self-tracking can empower individuals to explore and address issues in their lives. This work is inspired by examples of people who have reclaimed their wellness through an iterative process of noticing patterns of ups and downs, trying out new ideas and strategies, and observing the results. In some cases, individuals have realized that certain foods, environmental exposures, or practices have unexpected effects for them, and that adopting custom strategies can greatly improve quality of life, overcoming chronic problems. Importantly, adopting the role of investigator of their own situation appears to be transformative: people who embarked on this path changed their relationship to their health situation even before making discoveries that helped lead to symptom improvement. The author co-founded the BodyTrack project in 2010 with the goal of empowering a broader set of people to embrace this investigator role in their own lives and better address their health and wellness concerns, particularly those with complex environmental or behavioral components. The core of the BodyTrack system is an open source web service called Fluxtream ( https://fluxtream.org ) that allows users to aggregate, visualize, and reflect on data from myriad sources on a common timeline. The project is also working to develop and spread peer coaching practices to help transfer the culture and skills of self-tracking while mentoring individuals in how to self-assess their own situation and guide the process for themselves.

Multi-year microbial source tracking study characterizing fecal contamination in an urban watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Bushon, Rebecca N.; Brady, Amie M. G.; Christensen, Eric D.; Stelzer, Erin A.

2017-01-01

Microbiological and hydrological data were used to rank tributary stream contributions of bacteria to the Little Blue River in Independence, Missouri. Concentrations, loadings and yields of E. coli and microbial source tracking (MST) markers, were characterized during base flow and storm events in five subbasins within Independence, as well as sources entering and leaving the city through the river. The E. coli water quality threshold was exceeded in 29% of base-flow and 89% of storm-event samples. The total contribution of E. coli and MST markers from tributaries within Independence to the Little Blue River, regardless of streamflow, did not significantly increase the median concentrations leaving the city. Daily loads and yields of E. coli and MST markers were used to rank the subbasins according to their contribution of each constituent to the river. The ranking methodology used in this study may prove useful in prioritizing remediation in the different subbasins.

Biomechanical ToolKit: Open-source framework to visualize and process biomechanical data.

Science.gov (United States)

Barre, Arnaud; Armand, Stéphane

2014-04-01

C3D file format is widely used in the biomechanical field by companies and laboratories to store motion capture systems data. However, few software packages can visualize and modify the integrality of the data in the C3D file. Our objective was to develop an open-source and multi-platform framework to read, write, modify and visualize data from any motion analysis systems using standard (C3D) and proprietary file formats (used by many companies producing motion capture systems). The Biomechanical ToolKit (BTK) was developed to provide cost-effective and efficient tools for the biomechanical community to easily deal with motion analysis data. A large panel of operations is available to read, modify and process data through C++ API, bindings for high-level languages (Matlab, Octave, and Python), and standalone application (Mokka). All these tools are open-source and cross-platform and run on all major operating systems (Windows, Linux, MacOS X). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pieces of the Puzzle: Tracking the Chemical Component of the ...

Science.gov (United States)

This presentation provides an overview of the risk assessment conducted at the U.S. EPA, as well as some research examples related to the exposome concept. This presentation also provides the recommendation of using two organizational and predictive frameworks for tracking chemical components in the exposome. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Computational Exposure Division (CED) develops and evaluates data, decision-support tools, and models to be applied to media-specific or receptor-specific problem areas. CED uses modeling-based approaches to characterize exposures, evaluate fate and transport, and support environmental diagnostics/forensics with input from multiple data sources. It also develops media- and receptor-specific models, process models, and decision support tools for use both within and outside of EPA.

Rapid development of medical imaging tools with open-source libraries.

Science.gov (United States)

Caban, Jesus J; Joshi, Alark; Nagy, Paul

2007-11-01

Rapid prototyping is an important element in researching new imaging analysis techniques and developing custom medical applications. In the last ten years, the open source community and the number of open source libraries and freely available frameworks for biomedical research have grown significantly. What they offer are now considered standards in medical image analysis, computer-aided diagnosis, and medical visualization. A cursory review of the peer-reviewed literature in imaging informatics (indeed, in almost any information technology-dependent scientific discipline) indicates the current reliance on open source libraries to accelerate development and validation of processes and techniques. In this survey paper, we review and compare a few of the most successful open source libraries and frameworks for medical application development. Our dual intentions are to provide evidence that these approaches already constitute a vital and essential part of medical image analysis, diagnosis, and visualization and to motivate the reader to use open source libraries and software for rapid prototyping of medical applications and tools.

An open-source optimization tool for solar home systems: A case study in Namibia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campana, Pietro Elia; Holmberg, Aksel; Pettersson, Oscar; Klintenberg, Patrik; Hangula, Abraham; Araoz, Fabian Benavente; Zhang, Yang; Stridh, Bengt; Yan, Jinyue

2016-01-01

Highlights: • An open-source optimization tool for solar home systems (SHSs) design is developed. • The optimization tool is written in MS Excel-VBA. • The optimization tool is validated with a commercial and open-source software. • The optimization tool has the potential of improving future SHS installations. - Abstract: Solar home systems (SHSs) represent a viable technical solution for providing electricity to households and improving standard of living conditions in areas not reached by the national grid or local grids. For this reason, several rural electrification programmes in developing countries, including Namibia, have been relying on SHSs to electrify rural off-grid communities. However, the limited technical know-how of service providers, often resulting in over- or under-sized SHSs, is an issue that has to be solved to avoid dissatisfaction of SHSs’ users. The solution presented here is to develop an open-source software that service providers can use to optimally design SHSs components based on the specific electricity requirements of the end-user. The aim of this study is to develop and validate an optimization model written in MS Excel-VBA which calculates the optimal SHSs components capacities guaranteeing the minimum costs and the maximum system reliability. The results obtained with the developed tool showed good agreement with a commercial software and a computational code used in research activities. When applying the developed optimization tool to existing systems, the results identified that several components were incorrectly sized. The tool has thus the potentials of improving future SHSs installations, contributing to increasing satisfaction of end-users.

Past, present and future of tourist tracking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatjana Thimm

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find out tourism movement patterns via the tracking of tourists with the help of positioning systems like GPS in the rural area of the Lake Constance destination in Germany. In doing so past, present and future of tourist tracking is illustrated. Design/methodology/approach – The tracking is realized via common smartphones extended by an app, with dedicated sensors like position loggers and a survey. The three different approaches are applied in order to compare and cross-check results (triangulation of data and methods. Findings – Movement patterns turned out to be diverse and individualistic within the rural destination of Lake Constance and following an ants trail in sub-destinations like the city of Constance. Repeat visitors and first-time visitors alike always visit the bigger cities and main day-trip destinations of the Lake. A possible prediction tool enables new avenues of governing tourism movement patterns. Research limitations/implications – The tracking techniques can be developed further into the direction of “quantified self” using gamification in order to make the tracking app even more attractive. Practical implications – An algorithm-based prediction tool would offer new perspectives to the management of tourism movements. Social implications – Further research is needed to overcome the feeling of invasiveness of the app to allow tracking with that approach. Originality/value – This study is original and innovative because of the first-time use of a smartphone app in tourist tracking, the application on a rural destination and the conceptual description of a prediction tool.

p- and n-induced U-fission tracks as possible error sources in the fission track dating of extraterrestric samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thiel, K.

1975-01-01

Using the fission track dating method by means of uranium fission tracks in meteorites and moon samples (according to the successful Apollo and Luna missions), special problems arise, as the samples frequently have a very great age and were subjected to the inmediate effect of primary cosmic radiation. To determine the share of induced fission tracks, an extended 'cosmic ray' simulation experiment was carried out on the p-synchrocyclotron in CERN, Geneva; the performance and results of the test with the proton flux and U fission track measurements are dealt with in detail. (HK/LH) [de

VSEARCH: a versatile open source tool for metagenomics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torbjørn Rognes

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background VSEARCH is an open source and free of charge multithreaded 64-bit tool for processing and preparing metagenomics, genomics and population genomics nucleotide sequence data. It is designed as an alternative to the widely used USEARCH tool (Edgar, 2010 for which the source code is not publicly available, algorithm details are only rudimentarily described, and only a memory-confined 32-bit version is freely available for academic use. Methods When searching nucleotide sequences, VSEARCH uses a fast heuristic based on words shared by the query and target sequences in order to quickly identify similar sequences, a similar strategy is probably used in USEARCH. VSEARCH then performs optimal global sequence alignment of the query against potential target sequences, using full dynamic programming instead of the seed-and-extend heuristic used by USEARCH. Pairwise alignments are computed in parallel using vectorisation and multiple threads. Results VSEARCH includes most commands for analysing nucleotide sequences available in USEARCH version 7 and several of those available in USEARCH version 8, including searching (exact or based on global alignment, clustering by similarity (using length pre-sorting, abundance pre-sorting or a user-defined order, chimera detection (reference-based or de novo, dereplication (full length or prefix, pairwise alignment, reverse complementation, sorting, and subsampling. VSEARCH also includes commands for FASTQ file processing, i.e., format detection, filtering, read quality statistics, and merging of paired reads. Furthermore, VSEARCH extends functionality with several new commands and improvements, including shuffling, rereplication, masking of low-complexity sequences with the well-known DUST algorithm, a choice among different similarity definitions, and FASTQ file format conversion. VSEARCH is here shown to be more accurate than USEARCH when performing searching, clustering, chimera detection and subsampling

Application of leftover sample material from waterborne protozoa monitoring for the molecular detection of Bacteroidales and fecal source tracking markers

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In this study, we examined the potential for detecting fecal bacteria and microbial source tracking markers in samples discarded during the concentration of Cryptosporidium and Giardia using USEPA Method 1623. Recovery rates for different fecal bacteria were determined using sp...

Applications of nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medveczky, L.

1980-01-01

The results of a scientific research-work are summarized. Nuclear track detectors were used for new applications or in unusual ways. Photographic films, nuclear emulsions and dielectric track detectors were investigated. The tracks were detected by optical microscopy. Empirical formulation has been derived for the neutron sensitivity of certain dielectric materials. Methods were developed for leak testing of closed alpha emitting sources. New procedures were found for the application and evaluation of track detector materials. The results were applied in the education, personnel dosimetry, radon dosimetry etc. (R.J.)

Cryptosporidium Source Tracking in the Potomac River Watershed▿

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wenli; Chen, Plato; Villegas, Eric N.; Landy, Ronald B.; Kanetsky, Charles; Cama, Vitaliano; Dearen, Theresa; Schultz, Cherie L.; Orndorff, Kenneth G.; Prelewicz, Gregory J.; Brown, Miranda H.; Young, Kim Roy; Xiao, Lihua

2008-01-01

To better characterize Cryptosporidium in the Potomac River watershed, a PCR-based genotyping tool was used to analyze 64 base flow and 28 storm flow samples from five sites in the watershed. These sites included two water treatment plant intakes, as well as three upstream sites, each associated with a different type of land use. The uses, including urban wastewater, agricultural (cattle) wastewater, and wildlife, posed different risks in terms of the potential contribution of Cryptosporidium oocysts to the source water. Cryptosporidium was detected in 27 base flow water samples and 23 storm flow water samples. The most frequently detected species was C. andersoni (detected in 41 samples), while 14 other species or genotypes, almost all wildlife associated, were occasionally detected. The two common human-pathogenic species, C. hominis and C. parvum, were not detected. Although C. andersoni was common at all four sites influenced by agriculture, it was largely absent at the urban wastewater site. There were very few positive samples as determined by Environmental Protection Agency method 1623 at any site; only 8 of 90 samples analyzed (9%) were positive for Cryptosporidium as determined by microscopy. The genotyping results suggest that many of the Cryptosporidium oocysts in the water treatment plant source waters were from old calves and adult cattle and might not pose a significant risk to human health. PMID:18776033

An Open-Source Tool Set Enabling Analog-Digital-Software Co-Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle Collins

2016-02-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an analog-digital hardware-software co-design environment for simulating and programming reconfigurable systems. The tool simulates, designs, as well as enables experimental measurements after compiling to configurable systems in the same integrated design tool framework. High level software in Scilab/Xcos (open-source programs similar to MATLAB/Simulink that converts the high-level block description by the user to blif format (sci2blif, which acts as an input to the modified VPR tool, including the code v p r 2 s w c s , encoding the specific platform through specific architecture files, resulting in a targetable switch list on the resulting configurable analog–digital system. The resulting tool uses an analog and mixed-signal library of components, enabling users and future researchers access to the basic analog operations/computations that are possible.

Performance Characteristics of qPCR Assays Targeting Human- and Ruminant-Associated Bacteroidetes for Microbial Source Tracking across Sixteen Countries on Six Continents

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Numerous quantitative PCR assays for microbial fecal source tracking (MST) have been developed and evaluated in recent years. Widespread application has been hindered by a lack of knowledge regarding the geographical stability and hence applicability of such methods beyond the regional level. This study assessed the performance of five previously reported quantitative PCR assays targeting human-, cattle-, or ruminant-associated Bacteroidetes populations on 280 human and animal fecal samples from 16 countries across six continents. The tested cattle-associated markers were shown to be ruminant-associated. The quantitative distributions of marker concentrations in target and nontarget samples proved to be essential for the assessment of assay performance and were used to establish a new metric for quantitative source-specificity. In general, this study demonstrates that stable target populations required for marker-based MST occur around the globe. Ruminant-associated marker concentrations were strongly correlated with total intestinal Bacteroidetes populations and with each other, indicating that the detected ruminant-associated populations seem to be part of the intestinal core microbiome of ruminants worldwide. Consequently tested ruminant-targeted assays appear to be suitable quantitative MST tools beyond the regional level while the targeted human-associated populations seem to be less prevalent and stable, suggesting potential for improvements in human-targeted methods. PMID:23755882

The Value of Open Source Software Tools in Qualitative Research

Science.gov (United States)

Greenberg, Gary

2011-01-01

In an era of global networks, researchers using qualitative methods must consider the impact of any software they use on the sharing of data and findings. In this essay, I identify researchers' main areas of concern regarding the use of qualitative software packages for research. I then examine how open source software tools, wherein the publisher…

CISUS: an integrated 3D ultrasound system for IGT using a modular tracking API

Science.gov (United States)

Boctor, Emad M.; Viswanathan, Anand; Pieper, Steve; Choti, Michael A.; Taylor, Russell H.; Kikinis, Ron; Fichtinger, Gabor

2004-05-01

Ultrasound has become popular in clinical/surgical applications, both as the primary image guidance modality and also in conjunction with other modalities like CT or MRI. Three dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) systems have also demonstrated usefulness in image-guided therapy (IGT). At the same time, however, current lack of open-source and open-architecture multi-modal medical visualization systems prevents 3DUS from fulfilling its potential. Several stand-alone 3DUS systems, like Stradx or In-Vivo exist today. Although these systems have been found to be useful in real clinical setting, it is difficult to augment their functionality and integrate them in versatile IGT systems. To address these limitations, a robotic/freehand 3DUS open environment (CISUS) is being integrated into the 3D Slicer, an open-source research tool developed for medical image analysis and surgical planning. In addition, the system capitalizes on generic application programming interfaces (APIs) for tracking devices and robotic control. The resulting platform-independent open-source system may serve as a valuable tool to the image guided surgery community. Other researchers could straightforwardly integrate the generic CISUS system along with other functionalities (i.e. dual view visualization, registration, real-time tracking, segmentation, etc) to rapidly create their medical/surgical applications. Our current driving clinical application is robotically assisted and freehand 3DUS-guided liver ablation, which is fully being integrated under the CISUS-3D Slicer. Initial functionality and pre-clinical feasibility are demonstrated on phantom and ex-vivo animal models.

Qualitative study to develop processes and tools for the assessment and tracking of African institutions' capacity for operational health research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallis, Selina; Cole, Donald C; Gaye, Oumar; Mmbaga, Blandina T; Mwapasa, Victor; Tagbor, Harry; Bates, Imelda

2017-09-05

Research is key to achieving global development goals. Our objectives were to develop and test an evidence-informed process for assessing health research management and support systems (RMSS) in four African universities and for tracking interventions to address capacity gaps. Four African universities. 83 university staff and students from 11 cadres. A literature-informed 'benchmark' was developed and used to itemise all components of a university's health RMSS. Data on all components were collected during site visits to four African universities using interview guides, document reviews and facilities observation guides. Gaps in RMSS capacity were identified against the benchmark and institutional action plans developed to remedy gaps. Progress against indicators was tracked over 15 months and common challenges and successes identified. Common gaps in operational health research capacity included no accessible research strategy, a lack of research e-tracking capability and inadequate quality checks for proposal submissions and contracts. Feedback indicated that the capacity assessment was comprehensive and generated practical actions, several of which were no-cost. Regular follow-up helped to maintain focus on activities to strengthen health research capacity in the face of challenges. Identification of each institutions' strengths and weaknesses against an evidence-informed benchmark enabled them to identify gaps in in their operational health research systems, to develop prioritised action plans, to justify resource requests to fulfil the plans and to track progress in strengthening RMSS. Use of a standard benchmark, approach and tools enabled comparisons across institutions which has accelerated production of evidence about the science of research capacity strengthening. The tools could be used by institutions seeking to understand their strengths and to address gaps in research capacity. Research capacity gaps that were common to several institutions could be

Source tracking swine fecal waste in surface water proximal to swine concentrated animal feeding operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Heaney, Christopher D; Myers, Kevin; Wing, Steve; Hall, Devon; Baron, Dothula; Stewart, Jill R

2015-04-01

Swine farming has gone through many changes in the last few decades, resulting in operations with a high animal density known as confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These operations produce a large quantity of fecal waste whose environmental impacts are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate microbial water quality in surface waters proximal to swine CAFOs including microbial source tracking of fecal microbes specific to swine. For one year, surface water samples at up- and downstream sites proximal to swine CAFO lagoon waste land application sites were tested for fecal indicator bacteria (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus) and candidate swine-specific microbial source-tracking (MST) markers (Bacteroidales Pig-1-Bac, Pig-2-Bac, and Pig-Bac-2, and methanogen P23-2). Testing of 187 samples showed high fecal indicator bacteria concentrations at both up- and downstream sites. Overall, 40%, 23%, and 61% of samples exceeded state and federal recreational water quality guidelines for fecal coliforms, E. coli, and Enterococcus, respectively. Pig-1-Bac and Pig-2-Bac showed the highest specificity to swine fecal wastes and were 2.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.03, 5.94) and 2.30 times (95% CI=0.90, 5.88) as prevalent proximal down- than proximal upstream of swine CAFOs, respectively. Pig-1-Bac and Pig-2-Bac were also 2.87 (95% CI=1.21, 6.80) and 3.36 (95% CI=1.34, 8.41) times as prevalent when 48 hour antecedent rainfall was greater than versus less than the mean, respectively. Results suggest diffuse and overall poor sanitary quality of surface waters where swine CAFO density is high. Pig-1-Bac and Pig-2-Bac are useful for tracking off-site conveyance of swine fecal wastes into surface waters proximal to and downstream of swine CAFOs and during rain events. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Semantic integration of gene expression analysis tools and data sources using software connectors

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background The study and analysis of gene expression measurements is the primary focus of functional genomics. Once expression data is available, biologists are faced with the task of extracting (new) knowledge associated to the underlying biological phenomenon. Most often, in order to perform this task, biologists execute a number of analysis activities on the available gene expression dataset rather than a single analysis activity. The integration of heteregeneous tools and data sources to create an integrated analysis environment represents a challenging and error-prone task. Semantic integration enables the assignment of unambiguous meanings to data shared among different applications in an integrated environment, allowing the exchange of data in a semantically consistent and meaningful way. This work aims at developing an ontology-based methodology for the semantic integration of gene expression analysis tools and data sources. The proposed methodology relies on software connectors to support not only the access to heterogeneous data sources but also the definition of transformation rules on exchanged data. Results We have studied the different challenges involved in the integration of computer systems and the role software connectors play in this task. We have also studied a number of gene expression technologies, analysis tools and related ontologies in order to devise basic integration scenarios and propose a reference ontology for the gene expression domain. Then, we have defined a number of activities and associated guidelines to prescribe how the development of connectors should be carried out. Finally, we have applied the proposed methodology in the construction of three different integration scenarios involving the use of different tools for the analysis of different types of gene expression data. Conclusions The proposed methodology facilitates the development of connectors capable of semantically integrating different gene expression analysis tools

Design and validation of an open-source library of dynamic reference frames for research and education in optical tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Alisa; Uneri, Ali; Silva, Tharindu De; Manbachi, Amir; Siewerdsen, Jeffrey H

2018-04-01

Dynamic reference frames (DRFs) are a common component of modern surgical tracking systems; however, the limited number of commercially available DRFs poses a constraint in developing systems, especially for research and education. This work presents the design and validation of a large, open-source library of DRFs compatible with passive, single-face tracking systems, such as Polaris stereoscopic infrared trackers (NDI, Waterloo, Ontario). An algorithm was developed to create new DRF designs consistent with intra- and intertool design constraints and convert to computer-aided design (CAD) files suitable for three-dimensional printing. A library of 10 such groups, each with 6 to 10 DRFs, was produced and tracking performance was validated in comparison to a standard commercially available reference, including pivot calibration, fiducial registration error (FRE), and target registration error (TRE). Pivot tests showed calibration error [Formula: see text], indistinguishable from the reference. FRE was [Formula: see text], and TRE in a CT head phantom was [Formula: see text], both equivalent to the reference. The library of DRFs offers a useful resource for surgical navigation research and could be extended to other tracking systems and alternative design constraints.

Active ultrasound pattern injection system (AUSPIS for interventional tool guidance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyu Guo

Full Text Available Accurate tool tracking is a crucial task that directly affects the safety and effectiveness of many interventional medical procedures. Compared to CT and MRI, ultrasound-based tool tracking has many advantages, including low cost, safety, mobility and ease of use. However, surgical tools are poorly visualized in conventional ultrasound images, thus preventing effective tool tracking and guidance. Existing tracking methods have not yet provided a solution that effectively solves the tool visualization and mid-plane localization accuracy problem and fully meets the clinical requirements. In this paper, we present an active ultrasound tracking and guiding system for interventional tools. The main principle of this system is to establish a bi-directional ultrasound communication between the interventional tool and US imaging machine within the tissue. This method enables the interventional tool to generate an active ultrasound field over the original imaging ultrasound signals. By controlling the timing and amplitude of the active ultrasound field, a virtual pattern can be directly injected into the US machine B mode display. In this work, we introduce the time and frequency modulation, mid-plane detection, and arbitrary pattern injection methods. The implementation of these methods further improves the target visualization and guiding accuracy, and expands the system application beyond simple tool tracking. We performed ex vitro and in vivo experiments, showing significant improvements of tool visualization and accurate localization using different US imaging platforms. An ultrasound image mid-plane detection accuracy of ±0.3 mm and a detectable tissue depth over 8.5 cm was achieved in the experiment. The system performance is tested under different configurations and system parameters. We also report the first experiment of arbitrary pattern injection to the B mode image and its application in accurate tool tracking.

Online characterization of planetary surfaces: PlanetServer, an open-source analysis and visualization tool

Science.gov (United States)

Marco Figuera, R.; Pham Huu, B.; Rossi, A. P.; Minin, M.; Flahaut, J.; Halder, A.

2018-01-01

The lack of open-source tools for hyperspectral data visualization and analysis creates a demand for new tools. In this paper we present the new PlanetServer, a set of tools comprising a web Geographic Information System (GIS) and a recently developed Python Application Programming Interface (API) capable of visualizing and analyzing a wide variety of hyperspectral data from different planetary bodies. Current WebGIS open-source tools are evaluated in order to give an overview and contextualize how PlanetServer can help in this matters. The web client is thoroughly described as well as the datasets available in PlanetServer. Also, the Python API is described and exposed the reason of its development. Two different examples of mineral characterization of different hydrosilicates such as chlorites, prehnites and kaolinites in the Nili Fossae area on Mars are presented. As the obtained results show positive outcome in hyperspectral analysis and visualization compared to previous literature, we suggest using the PlanetServer approach for such investigations.

Assessment of statistical methods used in library-based approaches to microbial source tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritter, Kerry J; Carruthers, Ethan; Carson, C Andrew; Ellender, R D; Harwood, Valerie J; Kingsley, Kyle; Nakatsu, Cindy; Sadowsky, Michael; Shear, Brian; West, Brian; Whitlock, John E; Wiggins, Bruce A; Wilbur, Jayson D

2003-12-01

Several commonly used statistical methods for fingerprint identification in microbial source tracking (MST) were examined to assess the effectiveness of pattern-matching algorithms to correctly identify sources. Although numerous statistical methods have been employed for source identification, no widespread consensus exists as to which is most appropriate. A large-scale comparison of several MST methods, using identical fecal sources, presented a unique opportunity to assess the utility of several popular statistical methods. These included discriminant analysis, nearest neighbour analysis, maximum similarity and average similarity, along with several measures of distance or similarity. Threshold criteria for excluding uncertain or poorly matched isolates from final analysis were also examined for their ability to reduce false positives and increase prediction success. Six independent libraries used in the study were constructed from indicator bacteria isolated from fecal materials of humans, seagulls, cows and dogs. Three of these libraries were constructed using the rep-PCR technique and three relied on antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA). Five of the libraries were constructed using Escherichia coli and one using Enterococcus spp. (ARA). Overall, the outcome of this study suggests a high degree of variability across statistical methods. Despite large differences in correct classification rates among the statistical methods, no single statistical approach emerged as superior. Thresholds failed to consistently increase rates of correct classification and improvement was often associated with substantial effective sample size reduction. Recommendations are provided to aid in selecting appropriate analyses for these types of data.

Jitter Studies for a 2.4 GeV Light Source Accelerator Using LiTrack

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penn, Gregory E.

2010-01-01

Electron beam quality is an important factor in the performance of a free electron laser (FEL). Parameters of particular interest are the electron beam energy, slice emittance and energy spread, peak current, and energy chirp. Jitter in average energy is typically many times the slice energy spread. A seeded FEL is sensitive not only to these local properties but also to factors such as shot-to-shot consistency and the uniformity of the energy and current profiles across the bunch. The timing and bunch length jitter should be controlled to maximize the interval of time over which the electron beam can be reliably seeded by a laser to produce good output in the FEL. LiTrack, a one-dimensional tracking code which includes the effect of longitudinal wakefields, is used to study the sensitivity of the accelerator portion of a 2.4 GeV FEL to sources of variability such as the radio frequency (RF) cavities, chicanes, and the timing and efficiency of electron production at the photocathode. The main contributors to jitter in the resulting electron beam are identified and quantified for various figures of merit.

Polar bears from space: Assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife

Science.gov (United States)

Stapleton, Seth P.; LaRue, Michelle A.; Lecomte, Nicolas; Atkinson, Stephen N.; Garshelis, David L.; Porter, Claire; Atwood, Todd C.

2014-01-01

Development of efficient techniques for monitoring wildlife is a priority in the Arctic, where the impacts of climate change are acute and remoteness and logistical constraints hinder access. We evaluated high resolution satellite imagery as a tool to track the distribution and abundance of polar bears. We examined satellite images of a small island in Foxe Basin, Canada, occupied by a high density of bears during the summer ice-free season. Bears were distinguished from other light-colored spots by comparing images collected on different dates. A sample of ground-truthed points demonstrated that we accurately classified bears. Independent observers reviewed images and a population estimate was obtained using mark- recapture models. This estimate (N: 94; 95% Confidence Interval: 92-105) was remarkably similar to an abundance estimate derived from a line transect aerial survey conducted a few days earlier (N: 102; 95% CI: 69-152). Our findings suggest that satellite imagery is a promising tool for monitoring polar bears on land, with implications for use with other Arctic wildlife. Large scale applications may require development of automated detection processes to expedite review and analysis. Future research should assess the utility of multi-spectral imagery and examine sites with different environmental characteristics.

Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seth Stapleton

Full Text Available Development of efficient techniques for monitoring wildlife is a priority in the Arctic, where the impacts of climate change are acute and remoteness and logistical constraints hinder access. We evaluated high resolution satellite imagery as a tool to track the distribution and abundance of polar bears. We examined satellite images of a small island in Foxe Basin, Canada, occupied by a high density of bears during the summer ice-free season. Bears were distinguished from other light-colored spots by comparing images collected on different dates. A sample of ground-truthed points demonstrated that we accurately classified bears. Independent observers reviewed images and a population estimate was obtained using mark-recapture models. This estimate (N: 94; 95% Confidence Interval: 92-105 was remarkably similar to an abundance estimate derived from a line transect aerial survey conducted a few days earlier (N: 102; 95% CI: 69-152. Our findings suggest that satellite imagery is a promising tool for monitoring polar bears on land, with implications for use with other Arctic wildlife. Large scale applications may require development of automated detection processes to expedite review and analysis. Future research should assess the utility of multi-spectral imagery and examine sites with different environmental characteristics.

Polar bears from space: assessing satellite imagery as a tool to track Arctic wildlife.

Science.gov (United States)

Stapleton, Seth; LaRue, Michelle; Lecomte, Nicolas; Atkinson, Stephen; Garshelis, David; Porter, Claire; Atwood, Todd

2014-01-01

Development of efficient techniques for monitoring wildlife is a priority in the Arctic, where the impacts of climate change are acute and remoteness and logistical constraints hinder access. We evaluated high resolution satellite imagery as a tool to track the distribution and abundance of polar bears. We examined satellite images of a small island in Foxe Basin, Canada, occupied by a high density of bears during the summer ice-free season. Bears were distinguished from other light-colored spots by comparing images collected on different dates. A sample of ground-truthed points demonstrated that we accurately classified bears. Independent observers reviewed images and a population estimate was obtained using mark-recapture models. This estimate (N: 94; 95% Confidence Interval: 92-105) was remarkably similar to an abundance estimate derived from a line transect aerial survey conducted a few days earlier (N: 102; 95% CI: 69-152). Our findings suggest that satellite imagery is a promising tool for monitoring polar bears on land, with implications for use with other Arctic wildlife. Large scale applications may require development of automated detection processes to expedite review and analysis. Future research should assess the utility of multi-spectral imagery and examine sites with different environmental characteristics.

Standalone visualization tool for three-dimensional DRAGON geometrical models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukomski, A.; McIntee, B.; Moule, D.; Nichita, E.

2008-01-01

DRAGON is a neutron transport and depletion code able to solve one-, two- and three-dimensional problems. To date DRAGON provides two visualization modules, able to represent respectively two- and three-dimensional geometries. The two-dimensional visualization module generates a postscript file, while the three dimensional visualization module generates a MATLAB M-file with instructions for drawing the tracks in the DRAGON TRACKING data structure, which implicitly provide a representation of the geometry. The current work introduces a new, standalone, tool based on the open-source Visualization Toolkit (VTK) software package which allows the visualization of three-dimensional geometrical models by reading the DRAGON GEOMETRY data structure and generating an axonometric image which can be manipulated interactively by the user. (author)

An online tool for tracking soil nitrogen

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J.; Umar, M.; Banger, K.; Pittelkow, C. M.; Nafziger, E. D.

2016-12-01

Near real-time crop models can be useful tools for optimizing agricultural management practices. For example, model simulations can potentially provide current estimates of nitrogen availability in soil, helping growers decide whether more nitrogen needs to be applied in a given season. Traditionally, crop models have been used at point locations (i.e. single fields) with homogenous soil, climate and initial conditions. However, nitrogen availability across fields with varied weather and soil conditions at a regional or national level is necessary to guide better management decisions. This study presents the development of a publicly available, online tool that automates the integration of high-spatial-resolution forecast and past weather and soil data in DSSAT to estimate nitrogen availability for individual fields in Illinois. The model has been calibrated with field experiments from past year at six research corn fields across Illinois. These sites were treated with applications of different N fertilizer timings and amounts. The tool requires minimal management information from growers and yet has the capability to simulate nitrogen-water-crop interactions with calibrated parameters that are more appropriate for Illinois. The results from the tool will be combined with incoming field experiment data from 2016 for model validation and further improvement of model's predictive accuracy. The tool has the potential to help guide better nitrogen management practices to maximize economic and environmental benefits.

SWISTRACK - AN OPEN SOURCE, SOFTWARE PACKAGE APPLICABLE TO TRACKING OF FISH LOCOMOTION AND BEHAVIOUR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steffensen, John Fleng

2010-01-01

including swimming speed, acceleration and directionality of movements as well as the examination of locomotory panems during swimming. SWiSlrdL:k, a [n: t; and downloadable software package (available from www.sourceforge.com) is widely used for tracking robots, humans and other animals. Accordingly......, Swistrack can be easily adopted for the tracking offish. Benefits associated with the free software include: • Contrast or marker based tracking enabling tracking of either the whole animal, or tagged marks placed upon the animal • The ability to track multiple tags placed upon an individual animal • Highly...... effective background subtraction algorithms and filters ensuring smooth tracking of fish • Application of tags of different colour enables the software to track multiple fish without the problem of track exchange between individuals • Low processing requirements enable tracking in real-time • Further...

Fission - track age of the Marjalahti Pallasite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondar, Yu.V.; Perelygin, V.P.

2006-01-01

Full text: Investigation of fossil charged-particle tracks in various mineral phases of extraterrestrial samples is a powerful method for research the early stages of the solar system. Over geological time, meteorites crystals have accumulated a record of tracks produced by heavily charged energetic particles from both internal (spontaneous fission of 238U and some other extinct isotopes) and external sources (galactic cosmic rays with Z>20). The fortunate fact that meteorite grains can accumulate latent and very long-lived tracks since soon after the end of nucleosynthesis in the solar nebula enables one to decode their radiation history and to detect any thermal events in the meteorite cosmic history by revealing these tracks through suitable etching procedures. Only a few minerals in meteorites (mainly phosphates) contain small amount of uranium; the fact that 238 U undergoes fission with fission-decay constant λ f ∼ 8.2x10 -17 yr -1 allows one to use this isotope as a chronometer. By measuring the U concentration in the crystals (by reactor irradiation) and the density of the spontaneous-fission tracks it is relatively easy to calculate the 'fission-track age' if 238 U is the main source of fission tracks. However the fission-track dating of extraterrestrial samples compared with the terrestrial ones has some peculiar features due to presence of a number of other potential track sources except the spontaneous fission of 238 U, such as the spontaneous fission of presently extinct 244 Pu, heavy nuclei of cosmic rays and induced fission by cosmic ray primaries. Only tracks from the spontaneous fission of U and Pu are suitable for fission-track dating. The competing effects of these fissioning elements, whose half-lives differ by a factor of ∼50, form a basis for a fission-track chronology for samples older than ∼ 4.0 Gyr. Over small intervals in time (∼ few x10 8 yr ) the track density from spontaneous fission of 238 U is nearly constant. However, the

Demonstrating High-Accuracy Orbital Access Using Open-Source Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbertson, Christian; Welch, Bryan

2017-01-01

Orbit propagation is fundamental to almost every space-based analysis. Currently, many system analysts use commercial software to predict the future positions of orbiting satellites. This is one of many capabilities that can replicated, with great accuracy, without using expensive, proprietary software. NASAs SCaN (Space Communication and Navigation) Center for Engineering, Networks, Integration, and Communications (SCENIC) project plans to provide its analysis capabilities using a combination of internal and open-source software, allowing for a much greater measure of customization and flexibility, while reducing recurring software license costs. MATLAB and the open-source Orbit Determination Toolbox created by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) were utilized to develop tools with the capability to propagate orbits, perform line-of-sight (LOS) availability analyses, and visualize the results. The developed programs are modular and can be applied for mission planning and viability analysis in a variety of Solar System applications. The tools can perform 2 and N-body orbit propagation, find inter-satellite and satellite to ground station LOS access (accounting for intermediate oblate spheroid body blocking, geometric restrictions of the antenna field-of-view (FOV), and relativistic corrections), and create animations of planetary movement, satellite orbits, and LOS accesses. The code is the basis for SCENICs broad analysis capabilities including dynamic link analysis, dilution-of-precision navigation analysis, and orbital availability calculations.

Creating an effort tracking tool to improve therapeutic cancer clinical trials workload management and budgeting.

Science.gov (United States)

James, Pam; Bebee, Patty; Beekman, Linda; Browning, David; Innes, Mathew; Kain, Jeannie; Royce-Westcott, Theresa; Waldinger, Marcy

2011-11-01

Quantifying data management and regulatory workload for clinical research is a difficult task that would benefit from a robust tool to assess and allocate effort. As in most clinical research environments, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMCCC) Clinical Trials Office (CTO) struggled to effectively allocate data management and regulatory time with frequently inaccurate estimates of how much time was required to complete the specific tasks performed by each role. In a dynamic clinical research environment in which volume and intensity of work ebbs and flows, determining requisite effort to meet study objectives was challenging. In addition, a data-driven understanding of how much staff time was required to complete a clinical trial was desired to ensure accurate trial budget development and effective cost recovery. Accordingly, the UMCCC CTO developed and implemented a Web-based effort-tracking application with the goal of determining the true costs of data management and regulatory staff effort in clinical trials. This tool was developed, implemented, and refined over a 3-year period. This article describes the process improvement and subsequent leveling of workload within data management and regulatory that enhanced the efficiency of UMCCC's clinical trials operation.

Tracking Dietary Sources of Short- and Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins in Marine Mammals through a Subtropical Marine Food Web.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Lixi; Lam, James C W; Chen, Hui; Du, Bibai; Leung, Kenneth M Y; Lam, Paul K S

2017-09-05

Our previous study revealed an elevated accumulation of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) in marine mammals from Hong Kong waters in the South China Sea. To examine the bioaccumulation potential and biomagnification in these apex predators, we sampled the dietary items of marine mammals and tracked the sources of SCCPs and MCCPs through a marine food web in this region. Sixteen fish species, seven crustacean species, and four mollusk species were collected, and the main prey species were identified for two species of marine mammals. Concentrations of ∑SCCPs and ∑MCCPs in these collected species suggested a moderate pollution level in Hong Kong waters compared to the global range. Lipid content was found to mediate congener-specific bioaccumulation in these marine species. Significantly positive correlations were observed between trophic levels and concentrations of ∑SCCPs or ∑MCCPs (p mammals was observed. This is the first report of dietary source tracking of SCCPs and MCCPs in marine mammals. The elevated biomagnification between prey and marine mammals raises environmental concerns about these contaminants.

Methods and tools to evaluate the availability of renewable energy sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angelis-Dimakis, Athanasios; Kartalidis, Avraam; Biberacher, Markus; Gadocha, Sabine; Dominguez, Javier; Pinedo, Irene; Fiorese, Giulia; Gnansounou, Edgard; Panichelli, Luis; Guariso, Giorgio; Robba, Michela

2011-01-01

The recent statements of both the European Union and the US Presidency pushed in the direction of using renewable forms of energy, in order to act against climate changes induced by the growing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this paper, a survey regarding methods and tools presently available to determine potential and exploitable energy in the most important renewable sectors (i.e., solar, wind, wave, biomass and geothermal energy) is presented. Moreover, challenges for each renewable resource are highlighted as well as the available tools that can help in evaluating the use of a mix of different sources. (author)

Parallel Tracks as Quasi-steady States for the Magnetic Boundary Layers in Neutron-star Low-mass X-Ray Binaries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erkut, M. Hakan [Physics Engineering Department, Faculty of Science and Letters, Istanbul Technical University, 34469, Istanbul (Turkey); Çatmabacak, Onur, E-mail: mherkut@gmail.com [Institute for Computational Sciences Y11 F74, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich (Switzerland)

2017-11-01

The neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are usually thought to be weakly magnetized objects accreting matter from their low-mass companions in the form of a disk. Albeit weak compared to those in young neutron-star systems, the neutron-star magnetospheres in LMXBs can play an important role in determining the correlations between spectral and temporal properties. Parallel tracks appearing in the kilohertz (kHz) quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) frequency versus X-ray flux plane can be used as a tool to study the magnetosphere–disk interaction in neutron-star LMXBs. For dynamically important weak fields, the formation of a non-Keplerian magnetic boundary layer at the innermost disk truncated near the surface of the neutron star is highly likely. Such a boundary region may harbor oscillatory modes of frequencies in the kHz range. We generate parallel tracks using the boundary region model of kHz QPOs. We also present the direct application of our model to the reproduction of the observed parallel tracks of individual sources such as 4U 1608–52, 4U 1636–53, and Aql X-1. We reveal how the radial width of the boundary layer must vary in the long-term flux evolution of each source to regenerate the parallel tracks. The run of the radial width looks similar for different sources and can be fitted by a generic model function describing the average steady behavior of the boundary region over the long term. The parallel tracks then correspond to the possible quasi-steady states the source can occupy around the average trend.

Physics analysis tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kunz, P.F.

1991-04-01

There are many tools used in analysis in High Energy Physics (HEP). They range from low level tools such as a programming language to high level such as a detector simulation package. This paper will discuss some aspects of these tools that are directly associated with the process of analyzing HEP data. Physics analysis tools cover the whole range from the simulation of the interactions of particles to the display and fitting of statistical data. For purposes of this paper, the stages of analysis is broken down to five main stages. The categories are also classified as areas of generation, reconstruction, and analysis. Different detector groups use different terms for these stages thus it is useful to define what is meant by them in this paper. The particle generation stage is a simulation of the initial interaction, the production of particles, and the decay of the short lived particles. The detector simulation stage simulates the behavior of an event in a detector. The track reconstruction stage does pattern recognition on the measured or simulated space points, calorimeter information, etc., and reconstructs track segments of the original event. The event reconstruction stage takes the reconstructed tracks, along with particle identification information and assigns masses to produce 4-vectors. Finally the display and fit stage displays statistical data accumulated in the preceding stages in the form of histograms, scatter plots, etc. The remainder of this paper will consider what analysis tools are available today, and what one might expect in the future. In each stage, the integration of the tools with other stages and the portability of the tool will be analyzed

Stem Cell Tracking Technologies for Neurological Regenerative Medicine Purposes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongtao Zheng

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The growing field of stem cell therapy is moving toward clinical trials in a variety of applications, particularly for neurological diseases. However, this translation of cell therapies into humans has prompted a need to create innovative and breakthrough methods for stem cell tracing, to explore the migration routes and its reciprocity with microenvironment targets in the body, to monitor and track the outcome after stem cell transplantation therapy, and to track the distribution and cell viability of transplanted cells noninvasively and longitudinally. Recently, a larger number of cell tracking methods in vivo were developed and applied in animals and humans, including magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine imaging, and optical imaging. This review has been intended to summarize the current use of those imaging tools in tracking stem cells, detailing their main features and drawbacks, including image resolution, tissue penetrating depth, and biosafety aspects. Finally, we address that multimodality imaging method will be a more potential tracking tool in the future clinical application.

Dynamic Ocean Track System Plus -

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — Dynamic Ocean Track System Plus (DOTS Plus) is a planning tool implemented at the ZOA, ZAN, and ZNY ARTCCs. It is utilized by Traffic Management Unit (TMU) personnel...

Determining the sources of fine-grained sediment using the Sediment Source Assessment Tool (Sed_SAT)

Science.gov (United States)

Gorman Sanisaca, Lillian E.; Gellis, Allen C.; Lorenz, David L.

2017-07-27

A sound understanding of sources contributing to instream sediment flux in a watershed is important when developing total maximum daily load (TMDL) management strategies designed to reduce suspended sediment in streams. Sediment fingerprinting and sediment budget approaches are two techniques that, when used jointly, can qualify and quantify the major sources of sediment in a given watershed. The sediment fingerprinting approach uses trace element concentrations from samples in known potential source areas to determine a clear signature of each potential source. A mixing model is then used to determine the relative source contribution to the target suspended sediment samples.The computational steps required to apportion sediment for each target sample are quite involved and time intensive, a problem the Sediment Source Assessment Tool (Sed_SAT) addresses. Sed_SAT is a user-friendly statistical model that guides the user through the necessary steps in order to quantify the relative contributions of sediment sources in a given watershed. The model is written using the statistical software R (R Core Team, 2016b) and utilizes Microsoft Access® as a user interface but requires no prior knowledge of R or Microsoft Access® to successfully run the model successfully. Sed_SAT identifies outliers, corrects for differences in size and organic content in the source samples relative to the target samples, evaluates the conservative behavior of tracers used in fingerprinting by applying a “Bracket Test,” identifies tracers with the highest discriminatory power, and provides robust error analysis through a Monte Carlo simulation following the mixing model. Quantifying sediment source contributions using the sediment fingerprinting approach provides local, State, and Federal land management agencies with important information needed to implement effective strategies to reduce sediment. Sed_SAT is designed to assist these agencies in applying the sediment fingerprinting

Holographic 3D tracking of microscopic tools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glückstad, Jesper; Villangca, Mark Jayson; Bañas, Andrew Rafael

2015-01-01

a plurality of dynamic coupling spots. In addition, we include our proprietary GPC Light Shaper before the diffractive setup to efficiently illuminate the rectangular shaped spatial light modulator by a Gaussian laser beam. The method is initially tested for a single WOW and we have experimentally...... structures. In this work we demonstrate the use of real-time diffractive techniques to create focal spots that can dynamically track and couple to the WOWs during operation in a volume. This is done by using a phase-only spatial light modulator to encode the needed diffractive phase patterns to generate...

‘PhysTrack’: a Matlab based environment for video tracking of kinematics in the physics laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Umar Hassan, Muhammad; Sabieh Anwar, Muhammad

2017-07-01

In the past two decades, several computer software tools have been developed to investigate the motion of moving bodies in physics laboratories. In this article we report a Matlab based video tracking library, PhysTrack, primarily designed to investigate kinematics. We compare PhysTrack with other commonly available video tracking tools and outline its salient features. The general methodology of the whole video tracking process is described with a step by step explanation of several functionalities. Furthermore, results of some real physics experiments are also provided to demonstrate the working of the automated video tracking, data extraction, data analysis and presentation tools that come with this development environment. We believe that PhysTrack will be valuable for the large community of physics teachers and students already employing Matlab.

Systems for tracking minimally invasive surgical instruments.

Science.gov (United States)

Chmarra, M K; Grimbergen, C A; Dankelman, J

2007-01-01

Minimally invasive surgery (e.g. laparoscopy) requires special surgical skills, which should be objectively assessed. Several studies have shown that motion analysis is a valuable assessment tool of basic surgical skills in laparoscopy. However, to use motion analysis as the assessment tool, it is necessary to track and record the motions of laparoscopic instruments. This article describes the state of the art in research on tracking systems for laparoscopy. It gives an overview on existing systems, on how these systems work, their advantages, and their shortcomings. Although various approaches have been used, none of the tracking systems to date comes out as clearly superior. A great number of systems can be used in training environment only, most systems do not allow the use of real laparoscopic instruments, and only a small number of systems provide force feedback.

Multiband Study of Radio Sources of the RCR Catalogue with Virtual Observatory Tools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhelenkova O. P.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available We present early results of our multiband study of the RATAN Cold Revised (RCR catalogue obtained from seven cycles of the “Cold” survey carried with the RATAN-600 radio telescope at 7.6 cm in 1980-1999, at the declination of the SS 433 source. We used the 2MASS and LAS UKIDSS infrared surveys, the DSS-II and SDSS DR7 optical surveys, as well as the USNO-B1 and GSC-II catalogues, the VLSS, TXS, NVSS, FIRST and GB6 radio surveys to accumulate information about the sources. For radio sources that have no detectable optical candidate in optical or infrared catalogues, we additionally looked through images in several bands from the SDSS, LAS UKIDSS, DPOSS, 2MASS surveys and also used co-added frames in different bands. We reliably identified 76% of radio sources of the RCR catalogue. We used the ALADIN and SAOImage DS9 scripting capabilities, interoperability services of ALADIN and TOPCAT, and also other Virtual Observatory (VO tools and resources, such as CASJobs, NED, Vizier, and WSA, for effective data access, visualization and analysis. Without VO tools it would have been problematic to perform our study.

Response of TLD-albedo and nuclear track dosimeters exposed to plutonium sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brackenbush, L.W.; Baumgartner, W.V.; Fix, J.J.

1991-12-01

Neutron dosimetry has been extensively studied at Hanford since the mid-1940s. At the present time, Hanford contractors use thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD)-albedo dosimeters to record the neutron dose equivalent received by workers. The energy dependence of the TLD-albedo dosimeter has been recognized and documented since introduced at Hanford in 1964 and numerous studies have helped assure the accuracy of dosimeters. With the recent change in Hanford's mission, there has been a significant decrease in the handling of plutonium tetrafluoride, and an increase in the handling of plutonium metal and plutonium oxide sources. This study was initiated to document the performance of the current Hanford TLD-albedo dosimeter under the low scatter conditions of the calibration laboratory and under the high scatter conditions in the work place under carefully controlled conditions at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). The neutron fields at the PFP facility were measured using a variety of instruments, including a multisphere spectrometer, tissue equivalent proportional counters, and specially calibrated rem meters. Various algorithms were used to evaluate the TLD-albedo dosimeters, and the results are given in this report. Using current algorithms, the dose equivalents evaluated for bare sources and sources with less than 2.5 cm (1 in.) of acrylic plastic shielding in high scatter conditions typical of glove box operations are reasonably accurate. Recently developed CR-39 track etch dosimeters (TEDs) were also exposed in the calibration laboratory and at the PFP. The results indicate that the TED dosimeters are quite accurate for both bare and moderated neutron sources. Until personnel dosimeter is available that incorporates a direct measure of the neutron dose to a person, technical uncertainties in the accuracy of the recorded data will continue

Response of TLD-albedo and nuclear track dosimeters exposed to plutonium sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brackenbush, L.W.; Baumgartner, W.V.; Fix, J.J.

1991-12-01

Neutron dosimetry has been extensively studied at Hanford since the mid-1940s. At the present time, Hanford contractors use thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD)-albedo dosimeters to record the neutron dose equivalent received by workers. The energy dependence of the TLD-albedo dosimeter has been recognized and documented since introduced at Hanford in 1964 and numerous studies have helped assure the accuracy of dosimeters. With the recent change in Hanford`s mission, there has been a significant decrease in the handling of plutonium tetrafluoride, and an increase in the handling of plutonium metal and plutonium oxide sources. This study was initiated to document the performance of the current Hanford TLD-albedo dosimeter under the low scatter conditions of the calibration laboratory and under the high scatter conditions in the work place under carefully controlled conditions at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). The neutron fields at the PFP facility were measured using a variety of instruments, including a multisphere spectrometer, tissue equivalent proportional counters, and specially calibrated rem meters. Various algorithms were used to evaluate the TLD-albedo dosimeters, and the results are given in this report. Using current algorithms, the dose equivalents evaluated for bare sources and sources with less than 2.5 cm (1 in.) of acrylic plastic shielding in high scatter conditions typical of glove box operations are reasonably accurate. Recently developed CR-39 track etch dosimeters (TEDs) were also exposed in the calibration laboratory and at the PFP. The results indicate that the TED dosimeters are quite accurate for both bare and moderated neutron sources. Until personnel dosimeter is available that incorporates a direct measure of the neutron dose to a person, technical uncertainties in the accuracy of the recorded data will continue.

Response of TLD-albedo and nuclear track dosimeters exposed to plutonium sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brackenbush, L.W.; Baumgartner, W.V.; Fix, J.J.

1991-12-01

Neutron dosimetry has been extensively studied at Hanford since the mid-1940s. At the present time, Hanford contractors use thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD)-albedo dosimeters to record the neutron dose equivalent received by workers. The energy dependence of the TLD-albedo dosimeter has been recognized and documented since introduced at Hanford in 1964 and numerous studies have helped assure the accuracy of dosimeters. With the recent change in Hanford's mission, there has been a significant decrease in the handling of plutonium tetrafluoride, and an increase in the handling of plutonium metal and plutonium oxide sources. This study was initiated to document the performance of the current Hanford TLD-albedo dosimeter under the low scatter conditions of the calibration laboratory and under the high scatter conditions in the work place under carefully controlled conditions at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). The neutron fields at the PFP facility were measured using a variety of instruments, including a multisphere spectrometer, tissue equivalent proportional counters, and specially calibrated rem meters. Various algorithms were used to evaluate the TLD-albedo dosimeters, and the results are given in this report. Using current algorithms, the dose equivalents evaluated for bare sources and sources with less than 2.5 cm (1 in.) of acrylic plastic shielding in high scatter conditions typical of glove box operations are reasonably accurate. Recently developed CR-39 track etch dosimeters (TEDs) were also exposed in the calibration laboratory and at the PFP. The results indicate that the TED dosimeters are quite accurate for both bare and moderated neutron sources. Until personnel dosimeter is available that incorporates a direct measure of the neutron dose to a person, technical uncertainties in the accuracy of the recorded data will continue.

Correction of head movements in positron emission tomography using point source tracking system: a simulation study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nazarparvar, Babak; Shamsaei, Mojtaba; Rajabi, Hossein

2012-01-01

The motion of the head during brain positron emission tomography (PET) acquisitions has been identified as a source of artifact in the reconstructed image. In this study, a method is described to develop an image-based motion correction technique for correcting the post-acquisition data without using external optical motion-tracking system such as POLARIS. In this technique, GATE has been used to simulate PET brain scan using point sources mounted around the head to accurately monitor the position of the head during the time frames. The measurement of head motion in each frame showed a transformation in the image frame matrix, resulting in a fully corrected data set. Using different kinds of phantoms and motions, the accuracy of the correction method is tested and its applicability to experimental studies is demonstrated as well.

USE OF COMPOSITE DATA SETS FOR SOURCE-TRACKING ENTEROCCOCCI IN THE WATER COLUMN AND SHORELINE INTERSTITIAL WATERS ON PENSACOLA BEACH, FL

Science.gov (United States)

Genthner, Fred J., Joseph B. James, Diane F. Yates and Stephanie D. Friedman. Submitted. Use of Composite Data Sets for Source-Tracking Enterococci in the Water Column and Shoreline Interstitial Waters on Pensacola Beach Florida. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 33 p. (ERL,GB 1212). So...

Momentum--"Evaluating Your Marketing Program: Measuring and Tracking Techniques."

Science.gov (United States)

Meservey, Lynne D.

1990-01-01

Suggests 10 tracking techniques for evaluating marketing performance. Techniques involve utilization rate, inquiry and source of inquiry tracking, appointment and interview tracking, enrollment conversion, cost per inquiry and per enrollment, retention rate, survey results, and "mystery shopper." (RJC)

Extending Track Analysis from Animals in the Lab to Moving Objects Anywhere

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dommelen, W. van; Laar, P.J.L.J. van de; Noldus, L.P.J.J.

2013-01-01

In this chapter we compare two application domains in which the tracking of objects and the analysis of their movements are core activities, viz. animal tracking and vessel tracking. More specifically, we investigate whether EthoVision XT, a research tool for video tracking and analysis of the

Quantification of larval zebrafish motor function in multiwell plates using open-source MATLAB applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yangzhong; Cattley, Richard T; Cario, Clinton L; Bai, Qing; Burton, Edward A

2014-07-01

This article describes a method to quantify the movements of larval zebrafish in multiwell plates, using the open-source MATLAB applications LSRtrack and LSRanalyze. The protocol comprises four stages: generation of high-quality, flatly illuminated video recordings with exposure settings that facilitate object recognition; analysis of the resulting recordings using tools provided in LSRtrack to optimize tracking accuracy and motion detection; analysis of tracking data using LSRanalyze or custom MATLAB scripts; and implementation of validation controls. The method is reliable, automated and flexible, requires plate format suitable for high-throughput applications.

Assessment of fast and thermal neutron ambient dose equivalents around the KFUPM neutron source storage area using nuclear track detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fazal-ur-Rehman [Physics Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia)]. E-mail: fazalr@kfupm.edu.sa; Al-Jarallah, M.I. [Physics Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Abu-Jarad, F. [Radiation Protection Unit, Environmental Protection Department, Saudi Aramco, P. O. Box 13027, Dhahran 31311 (Saudi Arabia); Qureshi, M.A. [Center for Applied Physical Sciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia)

2005-11-15

A set of five {sup 241}Am-Be neutron sources are utilized in research and teaching at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). Three of these sources have an activity of 16Ci each and the other two are of 5Ci each. A well-shielded storage area was designed for these sources. The aim of the study is to check the effectiveness of shielding of the KFUPM neutron source storage area. Poly allyl diglycol carbonate (PADC) Nuclear track detectors (NTDs) based fast and thermal neutron area passive dosimeters have been utilized side by side for 33 days to assess accumulated low ambient dose equivalents of fast and thermal neutrons at 30 different locations around the source storage area and adjacent rooms. Fast neutron measurements have been carried out using bare NTDs, which register fast neutrons through recoils of protons, in the detector material. NTDs were mounted with lithium tetra borate (Li{sub 2}B{sub 4}O{sub 7}) converters on their surfaces for thermal neutron detection via B10(n,{alpha})Li6 and Li6(n,{alpha})H3 nuclear reactions. The calibration factors of NTD both for fast and thermal neutron area passive dosimeters were determined using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) with and without a polyethylene moderator. The calibration factors for fast and thermal neutron area passive dosimeters were found to be 1.33 proton tracks cm{sup -2}{mu}Sv{sup -1} and 31.5 alpha tracks cm{sup -2}{mu}Sv{sup -1}, respectively. The results show variations of accumulated dose with the locations around the storage area. The fast neutron dose equivalents rates varied from as low as 182nSvh{sup -1} up to 10.4{mu}Svh{sup -1} whereas those for thermal neutron ranged from as low as 7nSvh{sup -1} up to 9.3{mu}Svh{sup -1}. The study indicates that the area passive neutron dosimeter was able to detect dose rates as low as 7 and 182nSvh{sup -1} from accumulated dose for thermal and fast neutrons, respectively, which were not possible to detect with the available active neutron

Terascale Simulation Tools and Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Xiaolin

2007-03-09

We report the development of front tracking method as a simulation tool and technology for the computation on several important SciDAC and SciDAC associated applications. The progress includes the extraction of an independent software library from the front tracking code, conservative front tracking, applications of front tracking to the simulation of fusion pellet injection in a magnetically confined plasma, the study of a fuel injection jet, and the study of fluid chaotic mixing, among other problems.

WannierTools: An open-source software package for novel topological materials

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, QuanSheng; Zhang, ShengNan; Song, Hai-Feng; Troyer, Matthias; Soluyanov, Alexey A.

2018-03-01

We present an open-source software package WannierTools, a tool for investigation of novel topological materials. This code works in the tight-binding framework, which can be generated by another software package Wannier90 (Mostofi et al., 2008). It can help to classify the topological phase of a given material by calculating the Wilson loop, and can get the surface state spectrum, which is detected by angle resolved photoemission (ARPES) and in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments. It also identifies positions of Weyl/Dirac points and nodal line structures, calculates the Berry phase around a closed momentum loop and Berry curvature in a part of the Brillouin zone (BZ).

Comparison of Microbial and Chemical Source Tracking Markers To Identify Fecal Contamination Sources in the Humber River (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and Associated Storm Water Outfalls.

Science.gov (United States)

Staley, Zachery R; Grabuski, Josey; Sverko, Ed; Edge, Thomas A

2016-11-01

Storm water runoff is a major source of pollution, and understanding the components of storm water discharge is essential to remediation efforts and proper assessment of risks to human and ecosystem health. In this study, culturable Escherichia coli and ampicillin-resistant E. coli levels were quantified and microbial source tracking (MST) markers (including markers for general Bacteroidales spp., human, ruminant/cow, gull, and dog) were detected in storm water outfalls and sites along the Humber River in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and enumerated via endpoint PCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Additionally, chemical source tracking (CST) markers specific for human wastewater (caffeine, carbamazepine, codeine, cotinine, acetaminophen, and acesulfame) were quantified. Human and gull fecal sources were detected at all sites, although concentrations of the human fecal marker were higher, particularly in outfalls (mean outfall concentrations of 4.22 log 10 copies, expressed as copy numbers [CN]/100 milliliters for human and 0.46 log 10 CN/100 milliliters for gull). Higher concentrations of caffeine, acetaminophen, acesulfame, E. coli, and the human fecal marker were indicative of greater raw sewage contamination at several sites (maximum concentrations of 34,800 ng/liter, 5,120 ng/liter, 9,720 ng/liter, 5.26 log 10 CFU/100 ml, and 7.65 log 10 CN/100 ml, respectively). These results indicate pervasive sewage contamination at storm water outfalls and throughout the Humber River, with multiple lines of evidence identifying Black Creek and two storm water outfalls with prominent sewage cross-connection problems requiring remediation. Limited data are available on specific sources of pollution in storm water, though our results indicate the value of using both MST and CST methodologies to more reliably assess sewage contamination in impacted watersheds. Storm water runoff is one of the most prominent non-point sources of biological and chemical contaminants which can

Simulation of an advanced small aperture track system

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Tommy J.; Crockett, Gregg A.; Brunson, Richard L.; Beatty, Brad; Zahirniak, Daniel R.; Deuto, Bernard G.

2001-08-01

Simulation development for EO Systems has progressed to new levels with the advent of COTS software tools such as Matlab/Simulink. These tools allow rapid reuse of simulation library routines. We have applied these tools to newly emerging Acquisition Tracking and Pointing (ATP) systems using many routines developed through a legacy to High Energy Laser programs such as AirBorne Laser, Space Based Laser, Tactical High Energy Laser, and The Air Force Research Laboratory projects associated with the Starfire Optical Range. The simulation architecture allows ease in testing various track algorithms under simulated scenes with the ability to rapidly vary system hardware parameters such as track sensor and track loop control systems. The atmospheric turbulence environment and associated optical distortion is simulated to high fidelity levels through the application of an atmospheric phase screen model to produce scintillation of the laser illuminator uplink. The particular ATP system simulated is a small transportable system for tracking satellites in a daytime environment and projects a low power laser and receives laser return from retro-reflector equipped satellites. The primary application of the ATP system (and therefore the simulation) is the determination of the illuminator beam profile, jitter, and scintillation of the low power laser at the satellite. The ATP system will serve as a test bed for satellite tracking in a high background during daytime. Of particular interest in this simulation is the ability to emulate the hardware modelogic within the simulation to test and refine system states and mode change decisions. Additionally, the simulation allows data from the hardware system tests to be imported into Matlab and to thereby drive the simulation or to be easily compared to simulation results.

Alignment of the ALICE Inner Tracking System with cosmic-ray tracks

CERN Document Server

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Piano, S; Piccotti, A; Pikna, M; Pillot, P; Pinsky, L; Pitz, N; Piuz, F; Platt, R; Pluta, J; Pocheptsov, T; Pochybova, S; Podesta Lerma, P L M; Poggio, F; Poghosyan, M G; Poghosyan, T; Polák, K; Polichtchouk, B; Polozov, P; Polyakov, V; Pommeresch, B; Pop, A; Posa, F; Poskon, M; Pospisil, V; Potukuchi, B; Pouthas, J; Prasad, S K; Preghenella, R; Prino, F; Pruneau, C A; Pshenichnov, I; Puddu, G; Pujahari, P; Pulvirenti, A; Punin, A; Punin, V; Putis, M; Putschke, J; Quercigh, E; Rachevski, A; Rademakers, A; Radomski, S; Räihä, T S; Rak, J; Rakotozafindrabe, A; Ramello, L; Ramírez Reyes, A; Rammler, M; Raniwala, R; Raniwala, S; Räsänen, S; Rashevskaya, I; Rath, S; Read, K F; Real, J; Redlich, K; Renfordt, R; Reolon, A R; Reshetin, A; Rettig, F; Revol, J P; Reygers, K; Ricaud, H; Riccati, L; Ricci, R A; Richter, M; Riedler, P; Riegler, W; Riggi, F; Rivetti, A; Rodriguez Cahuantzi, M; Røed, K; Röhrich, D; Román López, S; Romita, R; Ronchetti, F; Rosinský, P; Rosnet, P; Rossegger, S; Rossi, A; Roukoutakis, F; Rousseau, S; Roy, C; Roy, P; Rubio-Montero, A J; Rui, R; Rusanov, I; Russo, G; Ryabinkin, E; Rybicki, A; Sadovsky, S; Safarík, K; Sahoo, R; Saini, J; Saiz, P; Sakata, D; Salgado, C A; Salgueiro Dominques da Silva, R; Salur, S; Samanta, T; Sambyal, S; Samsonov, V; Sándor, L; Sandoval, A; Sano, M; Sano, S; Santo, R; Santoro, R; Sarkamo, J; Saturnini, P; Scapparone, E; Scarlassara, F; Scharenberg, R P; Schiaua, C; Schicker, R; Schindler, H; Schmidt, C; Schmidt, H R; Schossmaier, K; Schreiner, S; Schuchmann, S; Schukraft, J; Schutz, Y; Schwarz, K; Schweda, K; Scioli, G; Scomparin, E; Segato, G; Semenov, D; Senyukov, S; Seo, J; Serci, S; Serkin, L; Serradilla, E; Sevcenco, A; Sgura, I; Shabratova, G; Shahoyan, R; Sharkov, G; Sharma, N; Sharma, S; Shigaki, K; Shimomura, M; Shtejer, K; Sibiriak, Y; Siciliano, M; Sicking, E; Siddi, E; Siemiarczuk, T; Silenzi, A; Silvermyr, D; Simili, E; Simonetti, G; Singaraju, R; Singhal, V; Singh, R; Sinha, B C; Sinha, T; Sitar, B; Sitta, M; Skaali, T B; Skjerdal, K; Smakal, R; Smirnov, N; Snellings, R; Snow, H; Søgaard, C; Sokolov, O; Soloviev, A; Soltveit, H K; Soltz, R; Sommer, W; Son, C W; Song, M; Son, H S; Soos, C; Soramel, F; Soyk, D; Spyropoulou-Stassinaki, M; Srivastava, B K; Stachel, J; Staley, F; Stan, I; Stefanek, G; Stefanini, G; Steinbeck, T; Stenlund, E; Steyn, G; Stocco, D; Stock, R; Stolpovsky, P; Strmen, P; Suaide, A A P; Subieta Vásquez, M A; Sugitate, T; Suire, C; Sumbera, M; Susa, T; Swoboda, D; Symons, J; Szanto de Toledo, A; Szarka, I; Szostak, A; Szuba, M; Tadel, M; Tagridis, C; Takahara, A; Takahashi, J; Tanabe, R; Tapia Takaki, J D; Taureg, H; Tauro, A; Tavlet, M; Tejeda Muñoz, G; Telesca, A; Terrevoli, C; Thäder, J; Tieulent, R; Tlusty, D; Toia, A; Tolyhy, T; Torcato de Matos, C; Torii, H; Torralba, G; Toscano, L; Tosello, F; Tournaire, A; Traczyk, T; Tribedy, P; Tröger, G; Truesdale, D; Trzaska, W H; Tsiledakis, G; Tsilis, E; Tsuji, T; Tumkin, A; Turrisi, R; Turvey, A; Tveter, T S; Tydesjö, H; Tywoniuk, K; Ulery, J; Ullaland, K; Uras, A; Urbán, J; Urciuoli, G M; Usai, G L; Vacchi, A; Vala, M; Valencia Palomo, L; Vallero, S; van den Brink, A; van der Kolk, N; Vande Vyvre, P; van Leeuwen, M; Vannucci, L; Vargas, A; Varma, R; Vasiliev, A; Vassiliev, I; Vassiliou, M; Vechernin, V; Venaruzzo, M; Vercellin, E; Vergara, S; Vernet, R; Verweij, M; Vetlitskiy, I; Vickovic, L; Viesti, G; Vikhlyantsev, O; Vilakazi, Z; Villalobos Baillie, O; Vinogradov, A; Vinogradov, L; Vinogradov, Y; Virgili, T; Viyogi, Y P; Vodopianov, A; Voloshin, K; Voloshin, S; Volpe, G; von Haller, B; Vranic, D; Vrláková, J; Vulpescu, B; Wagner, B; Wagner, V; Wallet, L; Wan, R; Wang, D; Wang, Y; Watanabe, K; Wen, Q; Wessels, J; Wiechula, J; Wikne, J; Wilk, A; Wilk, G; Williams, M C S; Willis, N; Windelband, B; Xu, C; Yang, C; Yang, H; Yasnopolsky, A; Yermia, F; Yi, J; Yin, Z; Yokoyama, H; Yoo, I-K; Yuan, X; Yushmanov, I; Zabrodin, E; Zagreev, B; Zalite, A; Zampolli, C; Zanevsky, Yu; Zaporozhets, Y; Zarochentsev, A; Závada, P; Zbroszczyk, H; Zelnicek, P; Zenin, A; Zepeda, A; Zgura, I; Zhalov, M; Zhang, X; Zhou, D; Zhou, S; Zhu, J; Zichichi, A; Zinchenko, A; Zinovjev, G; Zinovjev, M; Zoccarato, Y; Zychácek, V

2010-01-01

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiment devoted to investigating the strongly interacting matter created in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC energies. The ALICE ITS, Inner Tracking System, consists of six cylindrical layers of silicon detectors with three different technologies; in the outward direction: two layers of pixel detectors, two layers each of drift, and strip detectors. The number of parameters to be determined in the spatial alignment of the 2198 sensor modules of the ITS is about 13,000. The target alignment precision is well below 10 micron in some cases (pixels). The sources of alignment information include survey measurements, and the reconstructed tracks from cosmic rays and from proton-proton collisions. The main track-based alignment method uses the Millepede global approach. An iterative local method was developed and used as well. We present the results obtained for the ITS alignment using about 10^5 charged tracks from cosmic rays that h...

ProteoWizard: open source software for rapid proteomics tools development.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessner, Darren; Chambers, Matt; Burke, Robert; Agus, David; Mallick, Parag

2008-11-01

The ProteoWizard software project provides a modular and extensible set of open-source, cross-platform tools and libraries. The tools perform proteomics data analyses; the libraries enable rapid tool creation by providing a robust, pluggable development framework that simplifies and unifies data file access, and performs standard proteomics and LCMS dataset computations. The library contains readers and writers of the mzML data format, which has been written using modern C++ techniques and design principles and supports a variety of platforms with native compilers. The software has been specifically released under the Apache v2 license to ensure it can be used in both academic and commercial projects. In addition to the library, we also introduce a rapidly growing set of companion tools whose implementation helps to illustrate the simplicity of developing applications on top of the ProteoWizard library. Cross-platform software that compiles using native compilers (i.e. GCC on Linux, MSVC on Windows and XCode on OSX) is available for download free of charge, at http://proteowizard.sourceforge.net. This website also provides code examples, and documentation. It is our hope the ProteoWizard project will become a standard platform for proteomics development; consequently, code use, contribution and further development are strongly encouraged.

M2Lite: An Open-source, Light-weight, Pluggable and Fast Proteome Discoverer MSF to mzIdentML Tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Aiyetan, Paul; Zhang, Bai; Chen, Lily; Zhang, Zhen; Zhang, Hui

2014-04-28

Proteome Discoverer is one of many tools used for protein database search and peptide to spectrum assignment in mass spectrometry-based proteomics. However, the inadequacy of conversion tools makes it challenging to compare and integrate its results to those of other analytical tools. Here we present M2Lite, an open-source, light-weight, easily pluggable and fast conversion tool. M2Lite converts proteome discoverer derived MSF files to the proteomics community defined standard - the mzIdentML file format. M2Lite's source code is available as open-source at https://bitbucket.org/paiyetan/m2lite/src and its compiled binaries and documentation can be freely downloaded at https://bitbucket.org/paiyetan/m2lite/downloads.

DeltaSA tool for source apportionment benchmarking, description and sensitivity analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Pernigotti, D.; Belis, C. A.

2018-05-01

DeltaSA is an R-package and a Java on-line tool developed at the EC-Joint Research Centre to assist and benchmark source apportionment applications. Its key functionalities support two critical tasks in this kind of studies: the assignment of a factor to a source in factor analytical models (source identification) and the model performance evaluation. The source identification is based on the similarity between a given factor and source chemical profiles from public databases. The model performance evaluation is based on statistical indicators used to compare model output with reference values generated in intercomparison exercises. The references values are calculated as the ensemble average of the results reported by participants that have passed a set of testing criteria based on chemical profiles and time series similarity. In this study, a sensitivity analysis of the model performance criteria is accomplished using the results of a synthetic dataset where "a priori" references are available. The consensus modulated standard deviation punc gives the best choice for the model performance evaluation when a conservative approach is adopted.

Tracking Accuracy of a Real-Time Fiducial Tracking System for Patient Positioning and Monitoring in Radiation Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shchory, Tal; Schifter, Dan; Lichtman, Rinat; Neustadter, David; Corn, Benjamin W.

2010-01-01

Purpose: In radiation therapy there is a need to accurately know the location of the target in real time. A novel radioactive tracking technology has been developed to answer this need. The technology consists of a radioactive implanted fiducial marker designed to minimize migration and a linac mounted tracking device. This study measured the static and dynamic accuracy of the new tracking technology in a clinical radiation therapy environment. Methods and Materials: The tracking device was installed on the linac gantry. The radioactive marker was located in a tissue equivalent phantom. Marker location was measured simultaneously by the radioactive tracking system and by a Microscribe G2 coordinate measuring machine (certified spatial accuracy of 0.38 mm). Localization consistency throughout a volume and absolute accuracy in the Fixed coordinate system were measured at multiple gantry angles over volumes of at least 10 cm in diameter centered at isocenter. Dynamic accuracy was measured with the marker located inside a breathing phantom. Results: The mean consistency for the static source was 0.58 mm throughout the tested region at all measured gantry angles. The mean absolute position error in the Fixed coordinate system for all gantry angles was 0.97 mm. The mean real-time tracking error for the dynamic source within the breathing phantom was less than 1 mm. Conclusions: This novel radioactive tracking technology has the potential to be useful in accurate target localization and real-time monitoring for radiation therapy.

Tracking sensitive source areas of different weather pollution types using GRAPES-CUACE adjoint model

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chao; An, Xingqin; Zhai, Shixian; Hou, Qing; Sun, Zhaobin

2018-02-01

In this study, the sustained pollution processes were selected during which daily PM2.5 concentration exceeded 75 μg/m3 for three days continuously based on the hourly data of Beijing observation sites from July 2012 to December 2015. Using the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) MICAPS meteorological processing system, synoptic situation during PM2.5 pollution processes was classified into five weather types: low pressure and weak high pressure alternating control, weak high pressure, low pressure control, high rear, and uniform pressure field. Then, we chose the representative pollution cases corresponding to each type, adopted the GRAPES-CUACE adjoint model tracking the sensitive source areas of the five types, and analyzed the critical discharge periods of Beijing and neighboring provinces as well as their contribution to the PM2.5 peak concentration in Beijing. The results showed that the local source plays the main theme in the 30 h before the objective time, and prior to 72 h before the objective time contribution of local sources for the five pollution types are 37.5%, 25.0%, 39.4%, 31.2%, and 42.4%, respectively; the Hebei source contributes constantly in the 57 h ahead of the objective time with the contribution proportion ranging from 37% to 64%; the contribution period and rate of Tianjin and Shanxi sources are shorter and smaller. Based on the adjoint sensitivity analysis, we further discussed the effect of emission reduction control measures in different types, finding that the effect of local source reduction in the first 20 h of the objective time is better, and if the local source is reduced 50% within 72 h before the objective time, the decline rates of PM2.5 in the five types are 11.6%, 9.4%, 13.8%, 9.9% and 15.2% respectively. And the reduction effect of the neighboring sources is better within the 3-57 h before the objective time.

Dual color single particle tracking via nanobodies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, David; Winterflood, Christian M; Ewers, Helge

2015-01-01

Single particle tracking is a powerful tool to investigate the function of biological molecules by following their motion in space. However, the simultaneous tracking of two different species of molecules is still difficult to realize without compromising the length or density of trajectories, the localization accuracy or the simplicity of the assay. Here, we demonstrate a simple dual color single particle tracking assay using small, bright, high-affinity labeling via nanobodies of accessible targets with widely available instrumentation. We furthermore apply a ratiometric step-size analysis method to visualize differences in apparent membrane viscosity. (paper)

An open source GIS-based tool to integrate the fragmentation mechanism in rockfall propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Matas, Gerard; Lantada, Nieves; Gili, Josep A.; Corominas, Jordi

2015-04-01

Rockfalls are frequent instability processes in road cuts, open pit mines and quarries, steep slopes and cliffs. Even though the stability of rock slopes can be determined using analytical approaches, the assessment of large rock cliffs require simplifying assumptions due to the difficulty of working with a large amount of joints, the scattering of both the orientations and strength parameters. The attitude and persistency of joints within the rock mass define the size of kinematically unstable rock volumes. Furthermore the rock block will eventually split in several fragments during its propagation downhill due its impact with the ground surface. Knowledge of the size, energy, trajectory… of each block resulting from fragmentation is critical in determining the vulnerability of buildings and protection structures. The objective of this contribution is to present a simple and open source tool to simulate the fragmentation mechanism in rockfall propagation models and in the calculation of impact energies. This tool includes common modes of motion for falling boulders based on the previous literature. The final tool is being implemented in a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) using open source Python programming. The tool under development will be simple, modular, compatible with any GIS environment, open source, able to model rockfalls phenomena correctly. It could be used in any area susceptible to rockfalls with a previous adjustment of the parameters. After the adjustment of the model parameters to a given area, a simulation could be performed to obtain maps of kinetic energy, frequency, stopping density and passing heights. This GIS-based tool and the analysis of the fragmentation laws using data collected from recent rockfall have being developed within the RockRisk Project (2014-2016). This project is funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and entitled "Rockfalls in cliffs: risk quantification and its prevention"(BIA2013-42582-P).

Performance of two quantitative PCR methods for microbial source tracking of human sewage and implications for microbial risk assessment in recreational waters

Science.gov (United States)

Before new, rapid quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods for recreational water quality assessment and microbial source tracking (MST) can be useful in a regulatory context, an understanding of the ability of the method to detect a DNA target (marker) when the contaminant soure has been...

MAGIC: A Tool for Combining, Interpolating, and Processing Magnetograms

Science.gov (United States)

Allred, Joel

2012-01-01

Transients in the solar coronal magnetic field are ultimately the source of space weather. Models which seek to track the evolution of the coronal field require magnetogram images to be used as boundary conditions. These magnetograms are obtained by numerous instruments with different cadences and resolutions. A tool is required which allows modelers to fmd all available data and use them to craft accurate and physically consistent boundary conditions for their models. We have developed a software tool, MAGIC (MAGnetogram Interpolation and Composition), to perform exactly this function. MAGIC can manage the acquisition of magneto gram data, cast it into a source-independent format, and then perform the necessary spatial and temporal interpolation to provide magnetic field values as requested onto model-defined grids. MAGIC has the ability to patch magneto grams from different sources together providing a more complete picture of the Sun's field than is possible from single magneto grams. In doing this, care must be taken so as not to introduce nonphysical current densities along the seam between magnetograms. We have designed a method which minimizes these spurious current densities. MAGIC also includes a number of post-processing tools which can provide additional information to models. For example, MAGIC includes an interface to the DA VE4VM tool which derives surface flow velocities from the time evolution of surface magnetic field. MAGIC has been developed as an application of the KAMELEON data formatting toolkit which has been developed by the CCMC.

Efficient DoA Tracking of Variable Number of Moving Stochastic EM Sources in Far-Field Using PNN-MLP Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoran Stanković

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An efficient neural network-based approach for tracking of variable number of moving electromagnetic (EM sources in far-field is proposed in the paper. Electromagnetic sources considered here are of stochastic radiation nature, mutually uncorrelated, and at arbitrary angular distance. The neural network model is based on combination of probabilistic neural network (PNN and the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP networks and it performs real-time calculations in two stages, determining at first the number of moving sources present in an observed space sector in specific moments in time and then calculating their angular positions in azimuth plane. Once successfully trained, the neural network model is capable of performing an accurate and efficient direction of arrival (DoA estimation within the training boundaries which is illustrated on the appropriate example.

An eHealth Diary and Symptom-Tracking Tool Combined With Person-Centered Care for Improving Self-Efficacy After a Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Substudy of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Axel; Fors, Andreas; Ulin, Kerstin; Thorn, Jörgen; Swedberg, Karl; Ekman, Inger

2016-02-23

Patients with cardiovascular diseases managed by a person-centered care (PCC) approach have been observed to have better treatment outcomes and satisfaction than with traditional care. eHealth may facilitate the often slow transition to more person-centered health care by increasing patients' beliefs in their own capacities (self-efficacy) to manage their care trajectory. eHealth is being increasingly used, but most studies continue to focus on health care professionals' logic of care. Knowledge is lacking regarding the effects of an eHealth tool on self-efficacy when combined with PCC for patients with chronic heart diseases. The objective of our study was to investigate the effect of an eHealth diary and symptom-tracking tool in combination with PCC for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This was a substudy of a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of PCC in patients hospitalized with ACS. In total, 199 patients with ACS aged eHealth tool, or both, for at least 2 months after hospital discharge. The primary end point was a composite score of changes in general self-efficacy, return to work or prior activity level, and rehospitalization or death 6 months after discharge. Of the 94 patients in the intervention arm, 37 (39%) used the eHealth tool at least once after the index hospitalization. Most of these (24/37, 65%) used the mobile app and not the Web-based app as the primary source of daily self-rating input. Patients used the eHealth tool a mean of 38 times during the first 8 weeks (range 1-118, SD 33) and 64 times over a 6-month period (range 1-597, SD 104). Patients who used the eHealth tool in combination with the PCC intervention had a 4-fold improvement in the primary end point compared with the control group (odds ratio 4.0, 95% CI 1.5-10.5; P=.005). This improvement was driven by a significant increase in general self-efficacy compared with the control group (P=.011). Patients in the PCC group who did not use the eHealth tool

RETRANS - A tool to verify the functional equivalence of automatically generated source code with its specification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miedl, H.

1998-01-01

Following the competent technical standards (e.g. IEC 880) it is necessary to verify each step in the development process of safety critical software. This holds also for the verification of automatically generated source code. To avoid human errors during this verification step and to limit the cost effort a tool should be used which is developed independently from the development of the code generator. For this purpose ISTec has developed the tool RETRANS which demonstrates the functional equivalence of automatically generated source code with its underlying specification. (author)

Emergency Brake for Tracked Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Green, G. L.; Hooper, S. L.

1986-01-01

Caliper brake automatically stops tracked vehicle as vehicle nears end of travel. Bar on vehicle, traveling to right, dislodges block between brake pads. Pads then press against bar, slowing vehicle by friction. Emergencybraking system suitable for elevators, amusement rides and machine tools.

An integrated, open-source set of tools for urban vulnerability monitoring from Earth observation data

Science.gov (United States)

De Vecchi, Daniele; Harb, Mostapha; Dell'Acqua, Fabio; Aurelio Galeazzo, Daniel

2015-04-01

Aim: The paper introduces an integrated set of open-source tools designed to process medium and high-resolution imagery with the aim to extract vulnerability indicators [1]. Problem: In the context of risk monitoring [2], a series of vulnerability proxies can be defined, such as the extension of a built-up area or buildings regularity [3]. Different open-source C and Python libraries are already available for image processing and geospatial information (e.g. OrfeoToolbox, OpenCV and GDAL). They include basic processing tools but not vulnerability-oriented workflows. Therefore, it is of significant importance to provide end-users with a set of tools capable to return information at a higher level. Solution: The proposed set of python algorithms is a combination of low-level image processing and geospatial information handling tools along with high-level workflows. In particular, two main products are released under the GPL license: source code, developers-oriented, and a QGIS plugin. These tools were produced within the SENSUM project framework (ended December 2014) where the main focus was on earthquake and landslide risk. Further development and maintenance is guaranteed by the decision to include them in the platform designed within the FP 7 RASOR project . Conclusion: With the lack of a unified software suite for vulnerability indicators extraction, the proposed solution can provide inputs for already available models like the Global Earthquake Model. The inclusion of the proposed set of algorithms within the RASOR platforms can guarantee support and enlarge the community of end-users. Keywords: Vulnerability monitoring, remote sensing, optical imagery, open-source software tools References [1] M. Harb, D. De Vecchi, F. Dell'Acqua, "Remote sensing-based vulnerability proxies in the EU FP7 project SENSUM", Symposium on earthquake and landslide risk in Central Asia and Caucasus: exploiting remote sensing and geo-spatial information management, 29-30th January 2014

Maximum power point tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enslin, J.H.R.

1990-01-01

A well engineered renewable remote energy system, utilizing the principal of Maximum Power Point Tracking can be m ore cost effective, has a higher reliability and can improve the quality of life in remote areas. This paper reports that a high-efficient power electronic converter, for converting the output voltage of a solar panel, or wind generator, to the required DC battery bus voltage has been realized. The converter is controlled to track the maximum power point of the input source under varying input and output parameters. Maximum power point tracking for relative small systems is achieved by maximization of the output current in a battery charging regulator, using an optimized hill-climbing, inexpensive microprocessor based algorithm. Through practical field measurements it is shown that a minimum input source saving of 15% on 3-5 kWh/day systems can easily be achieved. A total cost saving of at least 10-15% on the capital cost of these systems are achievable for relative small rating Remote Area Power Supply systems. The advantages at larger temperature variations and larger power rated systems are much higher. Other advantages include optimal sizing and system monitor and control

The railway track and its long term behaviour a handbook for a railway track of high quality

CERN Document Server

Tzanakakis, Konstantinos

2013-01-01

A proper quality of a track and other infrastructure objects represents a basic requirement for train safety and punctuality. Most of the physical systems and their components deteriorate over time. This affects performance and may lead to failures. Albert Einstein said, “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” Only if we understand how the whole system works, taking into account its imperfections and how they influence its quality and performance will we be able to learn the rules of the game and “play better.” The book provides the readers with the necessary functional knowledge of track behaviour and comprehensively covers the function of the various track components, their interaction as elements of the track system, as well as the interaction of the track with railway vehicles. By presenting important tools for a deep understanding of track-behaviour this book aims to be a reference guide for infrastructure managers and to help them to find way...

DETERMINING HOT SPOTS OF FECAL CONTAMINATION IN A TROPICAL WATERSHED BY COMBINING LAND-USE INFORMATION AND METEOROLOGICAL DATA WITH SOURCE-SPECIFIC ASSAYS

Science.gov (United States)

Microbial source tracking (MST) assays have been mostly employed in temperate climates. However, their value as monitoring tools in tropical and subtropical regions is unknown since the geographic and temporal stability of the assays has not been extensively tested. The objective...

A spectroscopic tool for identifying sources of origin for materials of military interest

Science.gov (United States)

Miziolek, Andrzej W.; De Lucia, Frank C.

2014-05-01

There is a need to identify the source of origin for many items of military interest, including ammunition and weapons that may be circulated and traded in illicit markets. Both fieldable systems (man-portable or handheld) as well as benchtop systems in field and home base laboratories are desired for screening and attribution purposes. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) continues to show significant capability as a promising new tool for materials identification, matching, and provenance. With the use of the broadband, high resolution spectrometer systems, the LIBS devices can not only determine the elemental inventory of the sample, but they are also capable of elemental fingerprinting to signify sources of origin of various materials. We present the results of an initial study to differentiate and match spent cartridges from different manufacturers and countries. We have found that using Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) we are able to achieve on average 93.3% True Positives and 5.3% False Positives. These results add to the large body of publications that have demonstrated that LIBS is a particularly suitable tool for source of origin determinations.

Identification of fecal contamination sources in water using host-associated markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Krentz, Corinne A; Prystajecky, Natalie; Isaac-Renton, Judith

2013-03-01

In British Columbia, Canada, drinking water is tested for total coliforms and Escherichia coli, but there is currently no routine follow-up testing to investigate fecal contamination sources in samples that test positive for indicator bacteria. Reliable microbial source tracking (MST) tools to rapidly test water samples for multiple fecal contamination markers simultaneously are currently lacking. The objectives of this study were (i) to develop a qualitative MST tool to identify fecal contamination from different host groups, and (ii) to evaluate the MST tool using water samples with evidence of fecal contamination. Singleplex and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to test (i) water from polluted sites and (ii) raw and drinking water samples for presence of bacterial genetic markers associated with feces from humans, cattle, seagulls, pigs, chickens, and geese. The multiplex MST assay correctly identified suspected contamination sources in contaminated waterways, demonstrating that this test may have utility for heavily contaminated sites. Most raw and drinking water samples analyzed using singleplex PCR contained at least one host-associated marker. Singleplex PCR was capable of detecting host-associated markers in small sample volumes and is therefore a promising tool to further analyze water samples submitted for routine testing and provide information useful for water quality management.

Development of requirements tracking and verification technology for the NPP software

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Chul Hwan; Kim, Jang Yeol; Lee, Jang Soo; Song, Soon Ja; Lee, Dong Young; Kwon, Kee Choon

1998-12-30

Searched and analyzed the technology of requirements engineering in the areas of aerospace and defense industry, medical industry and nuclear industry. Summarized the status of tools for the software design and requirements management. Analyzed the software design methodology for the safety software of NPP. Development of the design requirements for the requirements tracking and verification system. Development of the background technology to design the prototype tool for the requirements tracking and verification.

Development of requirements tracking and verification technology for the NPP software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Chul Hwan; Kim, Jang Yeol; Lee, Jang Soo; Song, Soon Ja; Lee, Dong Young; Kwon, Kee Choon

1998-01-01

Searched and analyzed the technology of requirements engineering in the areas of aerospace and defense industry, medical industry and nuclear industry. Summarized the status of tools for the software design and requirements management. Analyzed the software design methodology for the safety software of NPP. Development of the design requirements for the requirements tracking and verification system. Development of the background technology to design the prototype tool for the requirements tracking and verification

The MAJORANA Parts Tracking Database

Science.gov (United States)

Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; Avignone, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Bertrand, F. E.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Byram, D.; Caldwell, A. S.; Chan, Y.-D.; Christofferson, C. D.; Combs, D. C.; Cuesta, C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Doe, P. J.; Efremenko, Yu.; Egorov, V.; Ejiri, H.; Elliott, S. R.; Esterline, J.; Fast, J. E.; Finnerty, P.; Fraenkle, F. M.; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goett, J.; Green, M. P.; Gruszko, J.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Gusev, K.; Hallin, A. L.; Hazama, R.; Hegai, A.; Henning, R.; Hoppe, E. W.; Howard, S.; Howe, M. A.; Keeter, K. J.; Kidd, M. F.; Kochetov, O.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kouzes, R. T.; LaFerriere, B. D.; Leon, J. Diaz; Leviner, L. E.; Loach, J. C.; MacMullin, J.; Martin, R. D.; Meijer, S. J.; Mertens, S.; Miller, M. L.; Mizouni, L.; Nomachi, M.; Orrell, J. L.; O`Shaughnessy, C.; Overman, N. R.; Petersburg, R.; Phillips, D. G.; Poon, A. W. P.; Pushkin, K.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Rielage, K.; Robertson, R. G. H.; Romero-Romero, E.; Ronquest, M. C.; Shanks, B.; Shima, T.; Shirchenko, M.; Snavely, K. J.; Snyder, N.; Soin, A.; Suriano, A. M.; Tedeschi, D.; Thompson, J.; Timkin, V.; Tornow, W.; Trimble, J. E.; Varner, R. L.; Vasilyev, S.; Vetter, K.; Vorren, K.; White, B. R.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Wiseman, C.; Xu, W.; Yakushev, E.; Young, A. R.; Yu, C.-H.; Yumatov, V.; Zhitnikov, I.

2015-04-01

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an ultra-low background physics experiment searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of 76Ge. The MAJORANA Parts Tracking Database is used to record the history of components used in the construction of the DEMONSTRATOR. The tracking implementation takes a novel approach based on the schema-free database technology CouchDB. Transportation, storage, and processes undergone by parts such as machining or cleaning are linked to part records. Tracking parts provide a great logistics benefit and an important quality assurance reference during construction. In addition, the location history of parts provides an estimate of their exposure to cosmic radiation. A web application for data entry and a radiation exposure calculator have been developed as tools for achieving the extreme radio-purity required for this rare decay search.

The MAJORANA Parts Tracking Database

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abgrall, N. [Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguayo, E. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States); Avignone, F.T. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Barabash, A.S. [Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow (Russian Federation); Bertrand, F.E. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Brudanin, V. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Busch, M. [Department of Physics, Duke University, Durham, NC (United States); Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Durham, NC (United States); Byram, D. [Department of Physics, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD (United States); Caldwell, A.S. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD (United States); Chan, Y-D. [Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Christofferson, C.D. [South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD (United States); Combs, D.C. [Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, Durham, NC (United States); Cuesta, C.; Detwiler, J.A.; Doe, P.J. [Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics, and Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Efremenko, Yu. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Egorov, V. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Ejiri, H. [Research Center for Nuclear Physics and Department of Physics, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka (Japan); Elliott, S.R. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); and others

2015-04-11

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an ultra-low background physics experiment searching for the neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 76}Ge. The MAJORANA Parts Tracking Database is used to record the history of components used in the construction of the DEMONSTRATOR. The tracking implementation takes a novel approach based on the schema-free database technology CouchDB. Transportation, storage, and processes undergone by parts such as machining or cleaning are linked to part records. Tracking parts provide a great logistics benefit and an important quality assurance reference during construction. In addition, the location history of parts provides an estimate of their exposure to cosmic radiation. A web application for data entry and a radiation exposure calculator have been developed as tools for achieving the extreme radio-purity required for this rare decay search.

Cash Reconciliation Tool

Data.gov (United States)

US Agency for International Development — CART is a cash reconciliation tool that allows users to reconcile Agency cash disbursements with Treasury fund balances; track open unreconciled items; and create an...

jSPyDB, an open source database-independent tool for data management

CERN Document Server

Pierro, Giuseppe Antonio

2010-01-01

Nowadays, the number of commercial tools available for accessing Databases, built on Java or .Net, is increasing. However, many of these applications have several drawbacks: usually they are not open-source, they provide interfaces only with a specific kind of database, they are platform-dependent and very CPU and memory consuming. jSPyDB is a free web based tool written using Python and Javascript. It relies on jQuery and python libraries, and is intended to provide a simple handler to different Database technologies inside a local web browser. Such a tool, exploiting fast access libraries such as SQLAlchemy, is easy to install, and to configure. The design of this tool envisages three layers. The front-end client side in the local web browser communicates with a backend server. Only the server is able to connect to the different databases for the purposes of performing data definition and manipulation. The server makes the data available to the client, so that the user can display and handle them safely. ...

Eye-Tracking Study of Complexity in Gas Law Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Hui; Pienta, Norbert

2012-01-01

This study, part of a series investigating students' use of online tools to assess problem solving, uses eye-tracking hardware and software to explore the effect of problem difficulty and cognitive processes when students solve gas law word problems. Eye movements are indices of cognition; eye-tracking data typically include the location,…

TrackArt: the user friendly interface for single molecule tracking data analysis and simulation applied to complex diffusion in mica supported lipid bilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Matysik, Artur; Kraut, Rachel S

2014-05-01

acquired using particular algorithms on actual, "natural" samples whose diffusion behavior is to be extracted. It can also serve as a tool for demonstrating diffusion principles. TrackArt is an open source, platform-independent, Matlab-based graphical user interface, and is easy to use even for those unfamiliar with the Matlab programming environment. TrackArt can be used for accurate simulation and analysis of complex diffusion data, such as diffusion in lipid bilayers, providing publication-quality formatted results.

Gamma ray energy tracking in GRETINA

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, I. Y.

2011-10-01

The next generation of stable and exotic beam accelerators will provide physics opportunities to study nuclei farther away from the line of stability. However, these experiments will be more demanding on instrumentation performance. These come from the lower production rate for more exotic beams, worse beam impurities, and large beam velocity from the fragmentation and inverse reactions. Gamma-ray spectroscopy will be one of the most effective tools to study exotic nuclei. However, to fully exploit the physics reach provided by these new facilities, better gamma-ray detector will be needed. In the last 10 years, a new concept, gamma-ray energy tracking array, was developed. Tracking arrays will increase the detection sensitivity by factors of several hundred compared to current arrays used in nuclear physics research. Particularly, the capability of reconstructing the position of the interaction with millimeters resolution is needed to correct the Doppler broadening of gamma rays emitted from high velocity nuclei. GRETINA is a gamma-ray tracking array which uses 28 Ge crystals, each with 36 segments, to cover ¼ of the 4 π of the 4 π solid angle. The gamma ray tracking technique requires detailed pulse shape information from each of the segments. These pulses are digitized using 14-bit 100 MHz flash ADCs, and digital signal analysis algorithms implemented in the on-board FPGAs provides energy, time and selection of pulse traces. A digital trigger system, provided flexible trigger functions including a fast trigger output, and also allows complicated trigger decisions to be made up to 20 microseconds. Further analyzed, carried out in a computer cluster, determine the energy, time, and three-dimensional positions of all gamma-ray interactions in the array. This information is then utilized, together with the characteristics of Compton scattering and pair-production processes, to track the scattering sequences of the gamma rays. GRETINA construction is completed in

Could we do better? Behavioural tracking on recommended consumer health websites.

Science.gov (United States)

Burkell, Jacquelyn; Fortier, Alexandre

2015-09-01

This study examines behavioural tracking practices on consumer health websites, contrasting tracking on sites recommended by information professionals with tracking on sites returned by Google. Two lists of consumer health websites were constructed: sites recommended by information professionals and sites returned by Google searches. Sites were divided into three groups according to source (Recommended-Only, Google-Only or both) and type (Government, Not-for-Profit or Commercial). Behavioural tracking practices on each website were documented using a protocol that detected cookies, Web beacons and Flash cookies. The presence and the number of trackers that collect personal information were contrasted across source and type of site; a second set of analyses specifically examined Advertising trackers. Recommended-Only sites show lower levels of tracking - especially tracking by advertisers - than do Google-Only sites or sites found through both sources. Government and Not-for-Profit sites have fewer trackers, particularly from advertisers, than do Commercial sites. Recommended sites, especially those from Government or Not-for-Profit organisations, present a lower privacy threat than sites returned by Google searches. Nonetheless, most recommended websites include some trackers, and half include at least one Advertising tracker. To protect patron privacy, information professionals should examine the tracking practices of the websites they recommend. © 2015 Health Libraries Group.

Model-based evaluation of the use of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons molecular diagnostic ratios as a source identification tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsoyiannis, Athanasios; Breivik, Knut

2014-01-01

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) molecular diagnostic ratios (MDRs) are unitless concentration ratios of pair-PAHs with the same molecular weight (MW); MDRs have long been used as a tool for PAHs source identification purposes. In the present paper, the efficiency of the MDR methodology is evaluated through the use of a multimedia fate model, the calculation of characteristic travel distances (CTD) and the estimation of air concentrations for individual PAHs as a function of distance from an initial point source. The results show that PAHs with the same MW are sometimes characterized by substantially different CTDs and therefore their air concentrations and hence MDRs are predicted to change as the distance from the original source increases. From the assessed pair-PAHs, the biggest CTD difference is seen for Fluoranthene (107 km) vs. Pyrene (26 km). This study provides a strong indication that MDRs are of limited use as a source identification tool. -- Highlights: • Model-based evaluation of the PAHs molecular diagnostic ratios efficiency. • Individual PAHs are characterized by different characteristic travel distances. • MDRs are proven to be a limited tool for source identification. • Use of MDRs for other environmental media is likely unfeasible. -- PAHs molecular diagnostic ratios which change greatly as a function of distance from the emitting source are improper for source identification purposes

Magnetic pill tracking: a novel non-invasive tool for investigation of human digestive motility.

Science.gov (United States)

Stathopoulos, E; Schlageter, V; Meyrat, B; Ribaupierre, Y; Kucera, P

2005-02-01

A new minimally invasive technique allowing for anatomical mapping and motility studies along the entire human digestive system is presented. The technique is based on continuous tracking of a small magnet progressing through the digestive tract. The coordinates of the magnet are calculated from signals recorded by 16 magnetic field sensors located over the abdomen. The magnet position, orientation and trajectory are displayed in real time. Ten young healthy volunteers were followed during 34 h. The technique was well tolerated and no complication was encountered. The information obtained was 3-D configuration of the digestive tract and dynamics of the magnet displacement (velocity, transit time, length estimation, rhythms). In the same individual, repeated examination gave very reproducible results. The anatomical and physiological information obtained corresponded well to data from current methods and imaging. This simple, minimally invasive technique permits examination of the entire digestive tract and is suitable for both research and clinical studies. In combination with other methods, it may represent a useful tool for studies of GI motility with respect to normal and pathological conditions.

Empty tracks optimization based on Z-Map model

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Le; Yan, Guangrong; Wang, Zaijun; Zang, Genao

2017-12-01

For parts with many features, there are more empty tracks during machining. If these tracks are not optimized, the machining efficiency will be seriously affected. In this paper, the characteristics of the empty tracks are studied in detail. Combining with the existing optimization algorithm, a new tracks optimization method based on Z-Map model is proposed. In this method, the tool tracks are divided into the unit processing section, and then the Z-Map model simulation technique is used to analyze the order constraint between the unit segments. The empty stroke optimization problem is transformed into the TSP with sequential constraints, and then through the genetic algorithm solves the established TSP problem. This kind of optimization method can not only optimize the simple structural parts, but also optimize the complex structural parts, so as to effectively plan the empty tracks and greatly improve the processing efficiency.

Tracking Online Data with YouTube's Insight Tracking Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Kinsey, Joanne

2012-01-01

YouTube users have access to the powerful data collection tool, Insight. Insight allows YouTube content producers to collect data about the number of online views, geographic location of viewers by country, the demographics of the viewers, how a video was discovered, and the attention span of the viewer while watching the video. This article…

KiT: a MATLAB package for kinetochore tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Armond, Jonathan W; Vladimirou, Elina; McAinsh, Andrew D; Burroughs, Nigel J

2016-06-15

During mitosis, chromosomes are attached to the mitotic spindle via large protein complexes called kinetochores. The motion of kinetochores throughout mitosis is intricate and automated quantitative tracking of their motion has already revealed many surprising facets of their behaviour. Here, we present 'KiT' (Kinetochore Tracking)-an easy-to-use, open-source software package for tracking kinetochores from live-cell fluorescent movies. KiT supports 2D, 3D and multi-colour movies, quantification of fluorescence, integrated deconvolution, parallel execution and multiple algorithms for particle localization. KiT is free, open-source software implemented in MATLAB and runs on all MATLAB supported platforms. KiT can be downloaded as a package from http://www.mechanochemistry.org/mcainsh/software.php The source repository is available at https://bitbucket.org/jarmond/kit and under continuing development. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. jonathan.armond@warwick.ac.uk. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

A new tool fixation for external 3D head tracking using the Polaris Vicra system with the HRRT PET scanner

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Oline Vinter; Andersen, Flemming; Holm, Søren

-water studies for up to 75 min (3-8 injections) were registered by the Polaris system in 4 volunteers. The tracking tool was fixed. Scans were divided into subframes based on the registered movements and reconstructed using the 3D-OSEM PSF method. The reconstructed subframes were repositioned to a reference......Objectives: The Polaris Vicra system (Northern Digital Inc.) is used for external 3D head registration with the Siemens HRRT brain PET. Our new tool fixation using a standard bandaid with a velcro-strap implies an improved frame repositioning. Methods: Head movements during serial PET 15O...... position and pairwise similarity of subframes was evaluated before and after the repositioning. Results: Registered movements during scans were less than 4.3mm with. Images were compared before/after motion correction. Conclusions: Our new velcro band-aid fixation is suitable for clinical use: easy to use...

Advanced Alignment of the ATLAS Tracking System

CERN Document Server

Butti, P; The ATLAS collaboration

2014-01-01

In order to reconstruct the trajectories of charged particles, the ATLAS experiment exploits a tracking system built using different technologies, planar silicon modules or microstrips (PIX and SCT detectors) and gaseous drift tubes (TRT), all embedded in a 2T solenoidal magnetic field. Misalignments and deformations of the active detector elements deteriorate the track reconstruction resolution and lead to systematic biases on the measured track parameters. The alignment procedures exploits various advanced tools and techniques in order to determine for module positions and correct for deformations. For the LHC Run II, the system is being upgraded with the installation of a new pixel layer, the Insertable B-layer (IBL).

Personal Wellness Tools

Science.gov (United States)

... of Personal Stories Peers Celebrating Art Peers Celebrating Music Be Vocal Support Locator DBSA In-Person Support ... With this tool, you can track key health trends related to the following: Overall mood Mood disorder ...

Poisson point processes imaging, tracking, and sensing

CERN Document Server

Streit, Roy L

2010-01-01

This overview of non-homogeneous and multidimensional Poisson point processes and their applications features mathematical tools and applications from emission- and transmission-computed tomography to multiple target tracking and distributed sensor detection.

The Systems Biology Research Tool: evolvable open-source software

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wright Jeremiah

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Research in the field of systems biology requires software for a variety of purposes. Software must be used to store, retrieve, analyze, and sometimes even to collect the data obtained from system-level (often high-throughput experiments. Software must also be used to implement mathematical models and algorithms required for simulation and theoretical predictions on the system-level. Results We introduce a free, easy-to-use, open-source, integrated software platform called the Systems Biology Research Tool (SBRT to facilitate the computational aspects of systems biology. The SBRT currently performs 35 methods for analyzing stoichiometric networks and 16 methods from fields such as graph theory, geometry, algebra, and combinatorics. New computational techniques can be added to the SBRT via process plug-ins, providing a high degree of evolvability and a unifying framework for software development in systems biology. Conclusion The Systems Biology Research Tool represents a technological advance for systems biology. This software can be used to make sophisticated computational techniques accessible to everyone (including those with no programming ability, to facilitate cooperation among researchers, and to expedite progress in the field of systems biology.

Bug tracking and project management system application in an electronic design company

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sadık ARSLAN

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In this study, commercially available Bug Tracking and Management Information Systems has been investigated in a comprehensive manner. The systems that commonly used described in detail. Bug Tracking and Project Management Systems requirements analysis of medium-sized companies and Kentkart Ege Electronic which is an Information Technology company has been made. Obtained by the analysis requirements, the appropriate tools are selected for system application. JIRA that a product of Atlassian company was determined as a Bug Tracking and Project Management application tool. In this study, JIRA system adapted to the requirements, Bug Tracking and Project Management systems is designed in a structure which can be easily used by R&D employees. Cost-Benefit analysis is done and using this project was determined to be quite useful.

Pollutant Source Tracking (PST) Technical Guidance

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-01

in the context of heavy metals (lead, copper), is considered to be a minor process contribution to the source fingerprint. 3.7 RAPID SCREENING...limits (summarized in Table 2) support the use of ICP-AES (ICP-OES) for heavy metal determination in soils , sediments, wastewater and other matrices...are included here. Isotopic ratios of stable isotopes of the metal of interest can be used for source identification and apportionment in complex

Multi-modal imaging, model-based tracking, and mixed reality visualisation for orthopaedic surgery

Science.gov (United States)

Fuerst, Bernhard; Tateno, Keisuke; Johnson, Alex; Fotouhi, Javad; Osgood, Greg; Tombari, Federico; Navab, Nassir

2017-01-01

Orthopaedic surgeons are still following the decades old workflow of using dozens of two-dimensional fluoroscopic images to drill through complex 3D structures, e.g. pelvis. This Letter presents a mixed reality support system, which incorporates multi-modal data fusion and model-based surgical tool tracking for creating a mixed reality environment supporting screw placement in orthopaedic surgery. A red–green–blue–depth camera is rigidly attached to a mobile C-arm and is calibrated to the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging space via iterative closest point algorithm. This allows real-time automatic fusion of reconstructed surface and/or 3D point clouds and synthetic fluoroscopic images obtained through CBCT imaging. An adapted 3D model-based tracking algorithm with automatic tool segmentation allows for tracking of the surgical tools occluded by hand. This proposed interactive 3D mixed reality environment provides an intuitive understanding of the surgical site and supports surgeons in quickly localising the entry point and orienting the surgical tool during screw placement. The authors validate the augmentation by measuring target registration error and also evaluate the tracking accuracy in the presence of partial occlusion. PMID:29184659

A Benchmarking Analysis of Open-Source Business Intelligence Tools in Healthcare Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreia Brandão

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In recent years, a wide range of Business Intelligence (BI technologies have been applied to different areas in order to support the decision-making process. BI enables the extraction of knowledge from the data stored. The healthcare industry is no exception, and so BI applications have been under investigation across multiple units of different institutions. Thus, in this article, we intend to analyze some open-source/free BI tools on the market and their applicability in the clinical sphere, taking into consideration the general characteristics of the clinical environment. For this purpose, six BI tools were selected, analyzed, and tested in a practical environment. Then, a comparison metric and a ranking were defined for the tested applications in order to choose the one that best applies to the extraction of useful knowledge and clinical data in a healthcare environment. Finally, a pervasive BI platform was developed using a real case in order to prove the tool viability.

Maximum Power Tracking by VSAS approach for Wind Turbine, Renewable Energy Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nacer Kouider Msirdi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper gives a review of the most efficient algorithms designed to track the maximum power point (MPP for catching the maximum wind power by a variable speed wind turbine (VSWT. We then design a new maximum power point tracking (MPPT algorithm using the Variable Structure Automatic Systems approach (VSAS. The proposed approachleads efficient algorithms as shown in this paper by the analysis and simulations.

Designing and Developing Web-Based Administrative Tools for Program Management

Science.gov (United States)

Gutensohn, Michael

2017-01-01

The task assigned for this internship was to develop a new tool for tracking projects, their subsystems, the leads, backups, and other employees assigned to them, as well as all the relevant information related to the employee (WBS (time charge) codes, time distribution, certifications, and assignments). Currently, this data is tracked manually using a number of different spreadsheets and other tools simultaneously by a number of different people; some of these documents are then merged into one large document. This often leads to inconsistencies and loss in data due to human error. By simplifying the process of tracking this data and aggregating it into a single tool, it is possible to significantly decrease the potential for human error and time spent collecting and checking this information. II. Objective The main objective of this internship is to develop a web-based tool using Ruby on Rails to serve as a method of easily tracking projects, subsystems, and points of contact, along with employees, their assignments, time distribution, certifications, and contact information. Additionally, this tool must be capable of generating a number of different reports based on the data collected. It was important that this tool deliver all of this information using a readable and intuitive interface.

Simulation and Track Reconstruction for Beam Telescopes

CERN Document Server

Maqbool, Salman

2017-01-01

Beam telescopes are an important tool to test new detectors under development in a particle beam. To test these novel detectors and determine their properties, the particle tracks need to be reconstructed from the known detectors in the telescope. Based on the reconstructed track, its predicted position on the Device under Test (DUT) are compared with the actual hits on the DUT. Several methods exist for track reconstruction, but most of them do not account for the effects of multiple scattering. General Broken Lines is one such algorithm which incorporates these effects during reconstruction. The aim of this project was to simulate the beam telescope and extend the track reconstruction framework for the FE-I4 telescope, which takes these effects into account. Section 1 introduces the problem, while section 2 focuses on beam telescopes. This is followed by the Allpix2 simulation framework in Section 3. And finally, Section 4 introduces the Proteus track reconstruction framework along with the General Broken ...

Calibration of Nuclear Track Detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vukovic, J.B; Antanasijevic, R.; Novakovic, V.; Tasic, M.

1998-01-01

In this work we compare some of our preliminary results relating to the calibration Nuclear Track Detectors (NTD) with corresponding results obtained from other participants at the First International Intercomparison of Image Analyzers (III 97/98). Thirteen laboratories from Algeria, China, Czech Rep., France. Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia and Yugoslavia participated in the III A 97/98. The NTD was 'Tustrack', Bristol. This type of CR-39 detector was etched by the organizer (J.Paltarey of al, Atomic Energy Research Institute, HPD, Budapest, Hungary). Etching condition was: 6N NaOH, 70 0C . Seven series detectors were exposed with the sources: B(n,a)Li, Am-241, Pu-Be(n,p), Radon and Am-Cm-Pu. Following parameters of exposed detectors were measured: track density of different sorts of tracks (circular, elliptical, track overlapping, their diameters, major and minor axis and other). (authors)

Tracking environmental costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blahutova, Z.

2011-01-01

Tracking Environmental Costs and Investments in SAP will provide us with a managerial tool that will help us understand better the magnitude of the financial resources we are dedicating to environmental protection activities and investments. Environmental Cost Accounting is a new project in Slovenske Elektrarne that will be particularly valuable for the Company's environmental management initiatives, such as waste monitoring, cleaner production, eco-design and environmental management systems; its launch is expected in September. (author)

Interactive, open source, travel time scenario modelling: tools to facilitate participation in health service access analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Rohan; Lassa, Jonatan

2017-04-18

Modelling travel time to services has become a common public health tool for planning service provision but the usefulness of these analyses is constrained by the availability of accurate input data and limitations inherent in the assumptions and parameterisation. This is particularly an issue in the developing world where access to basic data is limited and travel is often complex and multi-modal. Improving the accuracy and relevance in this context requires greater accessibility to, and flexibility in, travel time modelling tools to facilitate the incorporation of local knowledge and the rapid exploration of multiple travel scenarios. The aim of this work was to develop simple open source, adaptable, interactive travel time modelling tools to allow greater access to and participation in service access analysis. Described are three interconnected applications designed to reduce some of the barriers to the more wide-spread use of GIS analysis of service access and allow for complex spatial and temporal variations in service availability. These applications are an open source GIS tool-kit and two geo-simulation models. The development of these tools was guided by health service issues from a developing world context but they present a general approach to enabling greater access to and flexibility in health access modelling. The tools demonstrate a method that substantially simplifies the process for conducting travel time assessments and demonstrate a dynamic, interactive approach in an open source GIS format. In addition this paper provides examples from empirical experience where these tools have informed better policy and planning. Travel and health service access is complex and cannot be reduced to a few static modeled outputs. The approaches described in this paper use a unique set of tools to explore this complexity, promote discussion and build understanding with the goal of producing better planning outcomes. The accessible, flexible, interactive and

White Paper on the Use of Team Calendars with the JIRA Issue Tracking System and Confluence Collaboration Tools for the xLPR Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klasky, Hilda B. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Williams, Paul T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Bass, Bennett Richard [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2012-09-01

ORNL was tasked by xLPR project management to propose a team calendar for use within the xLPR consortium. Among various options that were considered, the approach judged by ORNL to best fit the needs of the xLPR project is presented in this document. The Atlassian Team Calendars plug-in used with the Confluence collaboration tool was recommended for several reasons, including the advantage that it provides for a tight integration between Confluence (found at https://xlpr.ornl.gov/wiki ) and xLPR s JIRA issue tracking system (found at https://xlpr.ornl.gov/jira ). This document is divided into two parts. The first part (Sections 1-6) consists of the white paper, which highlights some of the ways that Team Calendars can improve com mun ication between xLPR project managers, group leads, and team members when JIRA is applied for both issue tracking and change-management activities. Specific points emphasized herein are as follows: The Team Calendar application greatly enhances the added value that the JIRA and Confluence tools bring to the xLPR Project. The Team Calendar can improve com mun ication between xLPR project managers, group leads, and team members when JIRA is applied for both issue tracking and change-management activities. The Team Calendar works across different email tools such as Outlook 2011, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, Google Calendars and Mac s iCalendar to name a few. xLPR users can now access the wiki Confluence (with embedded Team Calendars) directly from JIRA without having to re-validate their login. The second part consists of an Annex (Section 7), which describes how users can subscribe to Team Calendars from different calendar applications. Specific instructions are given in the Annex that describe how to Import xLPR Team Calendar to Outlook Version Office 2010 Import xLPR Team Calendar to Outlook Version Office 2007 Subscribe to Team Calendar from Google Calendar The reader is directed to Section 4 for instructions on adding events to the

LocusTrack: Integrated visualization of GWAS results and genomic annotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuellar-Partida, Gabriel; Renteria, Miguel E; MacGregor, Stuart

2015-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are an important tool for the mapping of complex traits and diseases. Visual inspection of genomic annotations may be used to generate insights into the biological mechanisms underlying GWAS-identified loci. We developed LocusTrack, a web-based application that annotates and creates plots of regional GWAS results and incorporates user-specified tracks that display annotations such as linkage disequilibrium (LD), phylogenetic conservation, chromatin state, and other genomic and regulatory elements. Currently, LocusTrack can integrate annotation tracks from the UCSC genome-browser as well as from any tracks provided by the user. LocusTrack is an easy-to-use application and can be accessed at the following URL: http://gump.qimr.edu.au/general/gabrieC/LocusTrack/. Users can upload and manage GWAS results and select from and/or provide annotation tracks using simple and intuitive menus. LocusTrack scripts and associated data can be downloaded from the website and run locally.

Advanced Alignment of the ATLAS Tracking System

CERN Document Server

Pedraza Lopez, S; The ATLAS collaboration

2012-01-01

In order to reconstruct trajectories of charged particles, ATLAS is equipped with a tracking system built using different technologies embedded in a 2T solenoidal magnetic field. ATLAS physics goals require high resolution, unbiased measurement of all charged particle kinematic parameters in order to assure accurate invariant mass reconstruction and interaction and decay vertex finding. These critically depend on the systematic effects related to the alignment of the tracking system. In order to eliminate malicious systematic deformations, various advanced tools and techniques have been put in place. These include information from known mass resonances, energy of electrons and positrons measured by the electromagnetic calorimeters, etc. Despite being stable under normal running conditions, ATLAS tracking system responses to sudden environ-mental changes (temperature, magnetic field) by small collective deformations. These have to be identified and corrected in order to assure uniform, highest quality tracking...

Interlaboratory comparison of three microbial source tracking quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays from fecal-source and environmental samples

Science.gov (United States)

Stelzer, Erin A.; Strickler, Kriston M.; Schill, William B.

2012-01-01

During summer and early fall 2010, 15 river samples and 6 fecal-source samples were collected in West Virginia. These samples were analyzed by three laboratories for three microbial source tracking (MST) markers: AllBac, a general fecal indicator; BacHum, a human-associated fecal indicator; and BoBac, a ruminant-associated fecal indicator. MST markers were analyzed by means of the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. The aim was to assess interlaboratory precision when the three laboratories used the same MST marker and shared deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extracts of the samples, but different equipment, reagents, and analyst experience levels. The term assay refers to both the markers and the procedure differences listed above. Interlaboratory precision was best for all three MST assays when using the geometric mean absolute relative percent difference (ARPD) and Friedman's statistical test as a measure of interlaboratory precision. Adjustment factors (one for each MST assay) were calculated using results from fecal-source samples analyzed by all three laboratories and applied retrospectively to sample concentrations to account for differences in qPCR results among labs using different standards and procedures. Following the application of adjustment factors to qPCR results, ARPDs were lower; however, statistically significant differences between labs were still observed for the BacHum and BoBac assays. This was a small study and two of the MST assays had 52 percent of samples with concentrations at or below the limit of accurate quantification; hence, more testing could be done to determine if the adjustment factors would work better if the majority of sample concentrations were above the quantification limit.

Rotational symmetric HMD with eye-tracking capability

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fangfang; Cheng, Dewen; Wang, Qiwei; Wang, Yongtian

2016-10-01

As an important auxiliary function of head-mounted displays (HMDs), eye tracking has an important role in the field of intelligent human-machine interaction. In this paper, an eye-tracking HMD system (ET-HMD) is designed based on the rotational symmetric system. The tracking principle in this paper is based on pupil-corneal reflection. The ET-HMD system comprises three optical paths for virtual display, infrared illumination, and eye tracking. The display optics is shared by three optical paths and consists of four spherical lenses. For the eye-tracking path, an extra imaging lens is added to match the image sensor and achieve eye tracking. The display optics provides users a 40° diagonal FOV with a ״ 0.61 OLED, the 19 mm eye clearance, and 10 mm exit pupil diameter. The eye-tracking path can capture 15 mm × 15 mm of the users' eyes. The average MTF is above 0.1 at 26 lp/mm for the display path, and exceeds 0.2 at 46 lp/mm for the eye-tracking path. Eye illumination is simulated using LightTools with an eye model and an 850 nm near-infrared LED (NIR-LED). The results of the simulation show that the illumination of the NIR-LED can cover the area of the eye model with the display optics that is sufficient for eye tracking. The integrated optical system HMDs with eye-tracking feature can help improve the HMD experience of users.

Real-Time Localization of Moving Dipole Sources for Tracking Multiple Free-Swimming Weakly Electric Fish

Science.gov (United States)

Jun, James Jaeyoon; Longtin, André; Maler, Leonard

2013-01-01

In order to survive, animals must quickly and accurately locate prey, predators, and conspecifics using the signals they generate. The signal source location can be estimated using multiple detectors and the inverse relationship between the received signal intensity (RSI) and the distance, but difficulty of the source localization increases if there is an additional dependence on the orientation of a signal source. In such cases, the signal source could be approximated as an ideal dipole for simplification. Based on a theoretical model, the RSI can be directly predicted from a known dipole location; but estimating a dipole location from RSIs has no direct analytical solution. Here, we propose an efficient solution to the dipole localization problem by using a lookup table (LUT) to store RSIs predicted by our theoretically derived dipole model at many possible dipole positions and orientations. For a given set of RSIs measured at multiple detectors, our algorithm found a dipole location having the closest matching normalized RSIs from the LUT, and further refined the location at higher resolution. Studying the natural behavior of weakly electric fish (WEF) requires efficiently computing their location and the temporal pattern of their electric signals over extended periods. Our dipole localization method was successfully applied to track single or multiple freely swimming WEF in shallow water in real-time, as each fish could be closely approximated by an ideal current dipole in two dimensions. Our optimized search algorithm found the animal’s positions, orientations, and tail-bending angles quickly and accurately under various conditions, without the need for calibrating individual-specific parameters. Our dipole localization method is directly applicable to studying the role of active sensing during spatial navigation, or social interactions between multiple WEF. Furthermore, our method could be extended to other application areas involving dipole source

Real-Time Localization of Moving Dipole Sources for Tracking Multiple Free-Swimming Weakly Electric Fish.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Jaeyoon Jun

Full Text Available In order to survive, animals must quickly and accurately locate prey, predators, and conspecifics using the signals they generate. The signal source location can be estimated using multiple detectors and the inverse relationship between the received signal intensity (RSI and the distance, but difficulty of the source localization increases if there is an additional dependence on the orientation of a signal source. In such cases, the signal source could be approximated as an ideal dipole for simplification. Based on a theoretical model, the RSI can be directly predicted from a known dipole location; but estimating a dipole location from RSIs has no direct analytical solution. Here, we propose an efficient solution to the dipole localization problem by using a lookup table (LUT to store RSIs predicted by our theoretically derived dipole model at many possible dipole positions and orientations. For a given set of RSIs measured at multiple detectors, our algorithm found a dipole location having the closest matching normalized RSIs from the LUT, and further refined the location at higher resolution. Studying the natural behavior of weakly electric fish (WEF requires efficiently computing their location and the temporal pattern of their electric signals over extended periods. Our dipole localization method was successfully applied to track single or multiple freely swimming WEF in shallow water in real-time, as each fish could be closely approximated by an ideal current dipole in two dimensions. Our optimized search algorithm found the animal's positions, orientations, and tail-bending angles quickly and accurately under various conditions, without the need for calibrating individual-specific parameters. Our dipole localization method is directly applicable to studying the role of active sensing during spatial navigation, or social interactions between multiple WEF. Furthermore, our method could be extended to other application areas involving dipole

Canonical harmonic tracking of charged particles in circular accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kvardakov, V.; Levichev, E.

2006-01-01

Harmonic tracking is a method used to study non-linear particle dynamics in a circular accelerator. The tracking algorithm is based on numerical solution of the Hamilton equations of motion. An essential feature of the method is the approximation of Hamiltonian perturbation terms by a finite number of azimuthal harmonics, which provides an effective tool for optimization of non-linear particle motion. The equations of motion are solved canonically, with the first-order prediction made using the explicit Lie transformation. The major features of harmonic tracking are presented and examples of its application are discussed

Canonical harmonic tracking of charged particles in circular accelerators

Science.gov (United States)

Kvardakov, V.; Levichev, E.

2006-03-01

Harmonic tracking is a method used to study non-linear particle dynamics in a circular accelerator. The tracking algorithm is based on numerical solution of the Hamilton equations of motion. An essential feature of the method is the approximation of Hamiltonian perturbation terms by a finite number of azimuthal harmonics, which provides an effective tool for optimization of non-linear particle motion. The equations of motion are solved canonically, with the first-order prediction made using the explicit Lie transformation. The major features of harmonic tracking are presented and examples of its application are discussed.

Open Source Web Tool for Tracking in a Lowcost Mobile Mapping System

Science.gov (United States)

Fissore, F.; Pirotti, F.; Vettore, A.

2017-11-01

alternative solution to other more expensive MMSs. The first objective of this paper is to report on the development of a prototype of MMS for the collection of geospatial data based on the assembly of low cost sensors managed through a web interface developed using open source libraries. The main goal is to provide a system accessible by any type of user, and flexible to any type of upgrade or introduction of new models of sensors or versions thereof. After a presentation of the hardware components used in our system, a more detailed description of the software developed for the management of the MMS will be provided, which is the part of the innovation of the project. According to the worldwide request for having big data available through the web from everywhere in the world (Pirotti et al., 2011), the proposed solution allows to retrieve data from a web interface Figure 4. Actually, this is part of a project for the development of a new web infrastructure in the University of Padua (but it will be available for external users as well), in order to ease collaboration between researchers from different areas. Finally, strengths, weaknesses and future developments of the low cost MMS are discussed.

Performance Evaluation of Block Acquisition and Tracking Algorithms Using an Open Source GPS Receiver Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran, Ganesh K.; Akopian, David; Heckler, Gregory W.; Winternitz, Luke B.

2011-01-01

Location technologies have many applications in wireless communications, military and space missions, etc. US Global Positioning System (GPS) and other existing and emerging Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are expected to provide accurate location information to enable such applications. While GNSS systems perform very well in strong signal conditions, their operation in many urban, indoor, and space applications is not robust or even impossible due to weak signals and strong distortions. The search for less costly, faster and more sensitive receivers is still in progress. As the research community addresses more and more complicated phenomena there exists a demand on flexible multimode reference receivers, associated SDKs, and development platforms which may accelerate and facilitate the research. One of such concepts is the software GPS/GNSS receiver (GPS SDR) which permits a facilitated access to algorithmic libraries and a possibility to integrate more advanced algorithms without hardware and essential software updates. The GNU-SDR and GPS-SDR open source receiver platforms are such popular examples. This paper evaluates the performance of recently proposed block-corelator techniques for acquisition and tracking of GPS signals using open source GPS-SDR platform.

Solutions Network Formulation Report. Integration of OMI and TES Aerosol Products into the EPA Regional Planning Organizations' FASTNET Aerosol Tracking and Analysis Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Knowlton, Kelly; Andrews, Jane C.

2006-01-01

Every year, more than 280 million visitors tour our Nation s most treasured parks and wilderness areas. Unfortunately, many visitors are unable to see the spectacular vistas they expect because of white or brown haze in the air. Most of this haze is not natural; it is air pollution, carried by the wind often hundreds of miles from its origin. Some of the pollutants have been linked to serious health problems, such as asthma and other lung disorders, and even premature death. In addition, nitrates and sulfates contribute to acid rain formation, which contaminates rivers and lakes and erodes buildings and historical monuments. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency RPOs (Regional Planning Organizations) have been tasked with monitoring and determining the nature and origin of haze in Class I scenic areas, and finding ways to reduce haze in order to improve visibility in these areas. The RPOs have developed an Internet-based air quality DST (Decision Support Tool) called FASTNET (Fast Aerosol Sensing Tools for Natural Event Tracking). While FASTNET incorporates a few satellite datasets, most of the data utilized by this DST comes from ground-based instrument networks. The problem is that in many areas the sensors are sparsely located, with long distances between them, causing difficulties in tracking haze over the United States, determining its source, and analyzing its content. Satellite data could help to fill in the data gaps and to supplement and verify ground-recorded air quality data. Although satellite data are now being used for air quality research applications, such data are not routinely used for environmental decision support, in part because of limited resources, difficulties with interdisciplinary data interpretation, and the need for advanced inter-agency partnerships. As a result, the validation and verification of satellite data for air quality operational system applications has been limited This candidate solution evaluates the usefulness of OMI

Introduction to the polymorphic tracking code Fibre bundles, polymorphic Taylor types and "Exact tracking"

CERN Document Server

Schmidt, F; McIntosh, E

2002-01-01

This is a description of the basic ideas behind the ``Polymorphic Tracking Code'' or PTC. PTC is truly a ``kick code'' or symplectic integrator in the tradition of TRACYII, SixTrack, and TEAPOT. However it separates correctly the mathematical atlas of charts and the magnets at a structural level by implementing a ``restricted fibre bundle.'' The resulting structures allow backward propagation and recirculation, something not possible in standard tracking codes. Also PTC is polymorphic in handling real (single, double and even quadruple precision) and Taylor series. Therefore it has all the tools associated to the TPSA packages: Lie methods, Normal Forms, Cosy-Infinity capabilities, beam envelopes for radiation, etc., as well as parameter dependence on-the-fly. However PTC is an integrator, and as such, one must, generally, adhere to the Talman ``exactness'' view of modelling. Incidentally, it supports exact sector and rectangular bends as well. Of course, one can certainly bypass its integrator and the user i...

Pose Tracking Algorithm of an Endoscopic Surgery Robot Wrist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, L; Yin, H L; Meng, Q

2006-01-01

In recent two decades, more and more research on the endoscopic surgery has been carried out [2]. Most of the work focuses on the development of the robot in the field of robotics and the navigation of the surgery tools based on computer graphics. But the tracking and locating of the EndoWrist is also a very important aspect. This paper deals with the the tracking algorithm of the EndoWrist's pose (position and orientation). The linear tracking of the position is handled by the Kalman Filter. The quaternion-based nonlinear orientation tracking is implemented with the Extended Kalman Filter. The most innovative point of this paper is the parameterization of the motion model of the Extended Kalman Filter

Using track detectors in neutron dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spurny, F.; Turek, K.

1977-01-01

The usage of track detectors of charged particles provides a new possibility of neutron dosimetry. Presented is a comparison of the main dosimetric characteristics of three various types of track detectots of fast neutrons, i.e. glass in the contact with 232 Th; KODAK LR115 cellulose nitrate; MAKROFOL E polycarbonate. Results of studing energy dependences of detectors are presented. Results obtained using phantoms under radiation fields of various sources of complex gamma-neutron radiation are discussed [ru

Medical Imaging for the Tracking of Micromotors.

Science.gov (United States)

Vilela, Diana; Cossío, Unai; Parmar, Jemish; Martínez-Villacorta, Angel M; Gómez-Vallejo, Vanessa; Llop, Jordi; Sánchez, Samuel

2018-02-27

Micro/nanomotors are useful tools for several biomedical applications, including targeted drug delivery and minimally invasive microsurgeries. However, major challenges such as in vivo imaging need to be addressed before they can be safely applied on a living body. Here, we show that positron emission tomography (PET), a molecular imaging technique widely used in medical imaging, can also be used to track a large population of tubular Au/PEDOT/Pt micromotors. Chemisorption of an iodine isotope onto the micromotor's Au surface rendered them detectable by PET, and we could track their movements in a tubular phantom over time frames of up to 15 min. In a second set of experiments, micromotors and the bubbles released during self-propulsion were optically tracked by video imaging and bright-field microscopy. The results from direct optical tracking agreed with those from PET tracking, demonstrating that PET is a suitable technique for the imaging of large populations of active micromotors in opaque environments, thus opening opportunities for the use of this mature imaging technology for the in vivo localization of artificial swimmers.

jSPyDB, an open source database-independent tool for data management

Science.gov (United States)

Pierro, Giuseppe Antonio; Cavallari, Francesca; Di Guida, Salvatore; Innocente, Vincenzo

2011-12-01

Nowadays, the number of commercial tools available for accessing Databases, built on Java or .Net, is increasing. However, many of these applications have several drawbacks: usually they are not open-source, they provide interfaces only with a specific kind of database, they are platform-dependent and very CPU and memory consuming. jSPyDB is a free web-based tool written using Python and Javascript. It relies on jQuery and python libraries, and is intended to provide a simple handler to different database technologies inside a local web browser. Such a tool, exploiting fast access libraries such as SQLAlchemy, is easy to install, and to configure. The design of this tool envisages three layers. The front-end client side in the local web browser communicates with a backend server. Only the server is able to connect to the different databases for the purposes of performing data definition and manipulation. The server makes the data available to the client, so that the user can display and handle them safely. Moreover, thanks to jQuery libraries, this tool supports export of data in different formats, such as XML and JSON. Finally, by using a set of pre-defined functions, users are allowed to create their customized views for a better data visualization. In this way, we optimize the performance of database servers by avoiding short connections and concurrent sessions. In addition, security is enforced since we do not provide users the possibility to directly execute any SQL statement.

jSPyDB, an open source database-independent tool for data management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierro, Giuseppe Antonio; Cavallari, Francesca; Di Guida, Salvatore; Innocente, Vincenzo

2011-01-01

Nowadays, the number of commercial tools available for accessing Databases, built on Java or .Net, is increasing. However, many of these applications have several drawbacks: usually they are not open-source, they provide interfaces only with a specific kind of database, they are platform-dependent and very CPU and memory consuming. jSPyDB is a free web-based tool written using Python and Javascript. It relies on jQuery and python libraries, and is intended to provide a simple handler to different database technologies inside a local web browser. Such a tool, exploiting fast access libraries such as SQLAlchemy, is easy to install, and to configure. The design of this tool envisages three layers. The front-end client side in the local web browser communicates with a backend server. Only the server is able to connect to the different databases for the purposes of performing data definition and manipulation. The server makes the data available to the client, so that the user can display and handle them safely. Moreover, thanks to jQuery libraries, this tool supports export of data in different formats, such as XML and JSON. Finally, by using a set of pre-defined functions, users are allowed to create their customized views for a better data visualization. In this way, we optimize the performance of database servers by avoiding short connections and concurrent sessions. In addition, security is enforced since we do not provide users the possibility to directly execute any SQL statement.

Pika: A snow science simulation tool built using the open-source framework MOOSE

Science.gov (United States)

Slaughter, A.; Johnson, M.

2017-12-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) is currently investing millions of dollars annually into various modeling and simulation tools for all aspects of nuclear energy. An important part of this effort includes developing applications based on the open-source Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE; mooseframework.org) from Idaho National Laboratory (INL).Thanks to the efforts of the DOE and outside collaborators, MOOSE currently contains a large set of physics modules, including phase-field, level set, heat conduction, tensor mechanics, Navier-Stokes, fracture and crack propagation (via the extended finite-element method), flow in porous media, and others. The heat conduction, tensor mechanics, and phase-field modules, in particular, are well-suited for snow science problems. Pika--an open-source MOOSE-based application--is capable of simulating both 3D, coupled nonlinear continuum heat transfer and large-deformation mechanics applications (such as settlement) and phase-field based micro-structure applications. Additionally, these types of problems may be coupled tightly in a single solve or across length and time scales using a loosely coupled Picard iteration approach. In addition to the wide range of physics capabilities, MOOSE-based applications also inherit an extensible testing framework, graphical user interface, and documentation system; tools that allow MOOSE and other applications to adhere to nuclear software quality standards. The snow science community can learn from the nuclear industry and harness the existing effort to build simulation tools that are open, modular, and share a common framework. In particular, MOOSE-based multiphysics solvers are inherently parallel, dimension agnostic, adaptive in time and space, fully coupled, and capable of interacting with other applications. The snow science community should build on existing tools to enable collaboration between researchers and practitioners throughout the world, and advance the

PLUS: open-source toolkit for ultrasound-guided intervention systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lasso, Andras; Heffter, Tamas; Rankin, Adam; Pinter, Csaba; Ungi, Tamas; Fichtinger, Gabor

2014-10-01

A variety of advanced image analysis methods have been under the development for ultrasound-guided interventions. Unfortunately, the transition from an image analysis algorithm to clinical feasibility trials as part of an intervention system requires integration of many components, such as imaging and tracking devices, data processing algorithms, and visualization software. The objective of our paper is to provide a freely available open-source software platform-PLUS: Public software Library for Ultrasound-to facilitate rapid prototyping of ultrasound-guided intervention systems for translational clinical research. PLUS provides a variety of methods for interventional tool pose and ultrasound image acquisition from a wide range of tracking and imaging devices, spatial and temporal calibration, volume reconstruction, simulated image generation, and recording and live streaming of the acquired data. This paper introduces PLUS, explains its functionality and architecture, and presents typical uses and performance in ultrasound-guided intervention systems. PLUS fulfills the essential requirements for the development of ultrasound-guided intervention systems and it aspires to become a widely used translational research prototyping platform. PLUS is freely available as open source software under BSD license and can be downloaded from http://www.plustoolkit.org.

PEPT: An invaluable tool for 3-D particle tracking and CFD simulation verification in hydrocyclone studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoffmann Alex C.

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Particle tracks in a hydrocyclone generated both experimentally by positron emission particle tracking (PEPT and numerically with Eulerian-Lagranian CFD have been studied and compared. A hydrocyclone with a cylinder-on-cone design was used in this study, the geometries used in the CFD simulations and in the experiments being identical. It is shown that it is possible to track a fast-moving particle in a hydrocyclone using PEPT with high temporal and spatial resolutions. The numerical 3-D particle trajectories were generated using the Large Eddy Simulation (LES turbulence model for the fluid and Lagrangian particle tracking for the particles. The behaviors of the particles were analyzed in detail and were found to be consistent between experiments and CFD simulations. The tracks of the particles are discussed and related to the fluid flow field visualized in the CFD simulations using the cross-sectional static pressure distribution.

Evaluating the microsoft kinect skeleton joint tracking as a tool for home-based physiotherapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Phommahavong Somphong

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In physiotherapy, rehabilitation outcome is majorly dependent on the patient to continue exercises at home. To support a continuous and correct execution of exercises composed by the physiotherapist it is important that the patient stays motivated. With the emergence of game consoles such as Nintendo Wii, PlayStation Eye or Microsoft Kinect that employ special controllers or camera based motion recognition as means of user input those technologies have also been found to be interesting for other real-life applications such as providing individual physiotherapy exercises and an encouraging rehabilitation routine. Due to the intended use of those motion tracking systems in a computer-game environment it remains questionable if the accuracy of the skeleton joint tracking hardware and algorithms is suflicient for physiotherapy applications. We present a basic evaluation of the joint tracking accuracy where angles between various body extremities calculated by a Kinect system were compared with a high resolution motion capture system. Results show promising results with tracking deviations between 2.7° and 14.2° with a mean of the absolute deviations of 8.7°.

Open source tools for the information theoretic analysis of neural data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robin A. A Ince

2010-05-01

Full Text Available The recent and rapid development of open-source software tools for the analysis of neurophysiological datasets consisting of multiple simultaneous recordings of spikes, field potentials and other neural signals holds the promise for a significant advance in the standardization, transparency, quality, reproducibility and variety of techniques used to analyze neurophysiological data and integrate the information obtained at different spatial and temporal scales. In this Review we focus on recent advances in open source toolboxes for the information theoretic analysis of neural responses. We also present examples of their use to investigate the role of spike timing precision, correlations across neurons and field potential fluctuations in the encoding of sensory information. These information toolboxes, available both in Matlab and Python programming environments, hold the potential to enlarge the domain of application of information theory to neuroscience and to lead to new discoveries about how neurons encode and transmit information.

Open source tools for the information theoretic analysis of neural data.

Science.gov (United States)

Ince, Robin A A; Mazzoni, Alberto; Petersen, Rasmus S; Panzeri, Stefano

2010-01-01

The recent and rapid development of open source software tools for the analysis of neurophysiological datasets consisting of simultaneous multiple recordings of spikes, field potentials and other neural signals holds the promise for a significant advance in the standardization, transparency, quality, reproducibility and variety of techniques used to analyze neurophysiological data and for the integration of information obtained at different spatial and temporal scales. In this review we focus on recent advances in open source toolboxes for the information theoretic analysis of neural responses. We also present examples of their use to investigate the role of spike timing precision, correlations across neurons, and field potential fluctuations in the encoding of sensory information. These information toolboxes, available both in MATLAB and Python programming environments, hold the potential to enlarge the domain of application of information theory to neuroscience and to lead to new discoveries about how neurons encode and transmit information.

The fission track method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, K.

1990-01-01

During the last decade fission track (FT) analysis has evolved as an important tool in exploration for hydrocarbon resources. Most important is this method's ability to yield information about temperatures at different times (history), and thus relate oil generation and time independently of other maturity parameters. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the basics of the method and give an example from the author's studies. (AB) (14 refs.)

Recent innovation in microbial source tracking using bacterial real-time PCR markers in shellfish

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mauffret, A.; Mieszkin, S.; Morizur, M.; Alfiansah, Y.; Lozach, S.; Gourmelon, M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► DNA extraction from intravalvular liquid is promising for microbial source tracking in oysters. ► Host-associated bacterial markers in shellfish digestive tissues were difficult to assess with real-time PCR. ► DNA extracts from shellfish flesh appeared to have low inhibitor levels but low marker levels. ► Protocol transfer from one shellfish species to another does not appear possible. -- Abstract: We assessed the capacity of real-time PCR markers to identify the origin of contamination in shellfish. Oyster, cockles or clams were either contaminated with fecal materials and host-associated markers designed from Bacteroidales or Catellicoccus marimammalium 16S RNA genes were extracted from their intravalvular liquid, digestive tissues or shellfish flesh. Extraction of bacterial DNA from the oyster intravalvular liquid with FastDNA spin kit for soil enabled the selected markers to be quantified in 100% of artificially contaminated samples, and the source of contamination to be identified in 13 out of 38 naturally contaminated batches from European Class B and Class C areas. However, this protocol did not enable the origin of the contamination to be identified in cockle or clam samples. Although results are promising for extracts from intravalvular liquid in oyster, it is unlikely that a single protocol could be the best across all bacterial markers and types of shellfish

Pose Tracking Algorithm of an Endoscopic Surgery Robot Wrist

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, L [Chinese-German Institute of Automatic Control Engineering, Tongji University (China); Yin, H L [Chinese-German Institute of Automatic Control Engineering, Tongji University (China); Meng, Q [Shanghai University of Electric Power (China)

2006-10-15

In recent two decades, more and more research on the endoscopic surgery has been carried out [2]. Most of the work focuses on the development of the robot in the field of robotics and the navigation of the surgery tools based on computer graphics. But the tracking and locating of the EndoWrist is also a very important aspect. This paper deals with the the tracking algorithm of the EndoWrist's pose (position and orientation). The linear tracking of the position is handled by the Kalman Filter. The quaternion-based nonlinear orientation tracking is implemented with the Extended Kalman Filter. The most innovative point of this paper is the parameterization of the motion model of the Extended Kalman Filter.

Track-a-worm, an open-source system for quantitative assessment of C. elegans locomotory and bending behavior.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sijie Jason Wang

Full Text Available A major challenge of neuroscience is to understand the circuit and gene bases of behavior. C. elegans is commonly used as a model system to investigate how various gene products function at specific tissue, cellular, and synaptic foci to produce complicated locomotory and bending behavior. The investigation generally requires quantitative behavioral analyses using an automated single-worm tracker, which constantly records and analyzes the position and body shape of a freely moving worm at a high magnification. Many single-worm trackers have been developed to meet lab-specific needs, but none has been widely implemented for various reasons, such as hardware difficult to assemble, and software lacking sufficient functionality, having closed source code, or using a programming language that is not broadly accessible. The lack of a versatile system convenient for wide implementation makes data comparisons difficult and compels other labs to develop new worm trackers. Here we describe Track-A-Worm, a system rich in functionality, open in source code, and easy to use. The system includes plug-and-play hardware (a stereomicroscope, a digital camera and a motorized stage, custom software written to run with Matlab in Windows 7, and a detailed user manual. Grayscale images are automatically converted to binary images followed by head identification and placement of 13 markers along a deduced spline. The software can extract and quantify a variety of parameters, including distance traveled, average speed, distance/time/speed of forward and backward locomotion, frequency and amplitude of dominant bends, overall bending activities measured as root mean square, and sum of all bends. It also plots worm travel path, bend trace, and bend frequency spectrum. All functionality is performed through graphical user interfaces and data is exported to clearly-annotated and documented Excel files. These features make Track-A-Worm a good candidate for implementation in

Collimatorless imaging of gamma rays with help of gamma-ray tracking

CERN Document Server

Marel, J V D

2001-01-01

In many gamma-ray detector systems that are built for imaging purposes Compton scattered photons are suppressed as much as possible. However, the information from photons that scattered inside a detector system can be used to reconstruct the tracks of the photons with help of gamma-ray tracking. Estimates of the incident directions of the photons can be made and an image can be created. Examples of potential applications for this technique are the use as a gamma-camera in medical imaging (e.g. SPECT) or as a detector for PET. Due to the omission of collimators, much higher detection efficiencies can be achieved, reducing the doses required for an image. A gamma-ray tracking method, called backtracking, has been developed for nuclear spectroscopy. The method tracks gamma-rays originating from a point source in the center of a spherical detector system consisting of position-sensitive germanium detectors. This method can also be used as a tracking technique for imaging of an unknown source distribution. With he...

A real-time tracking system for monitoring shipments of hazardous materials

Science.gov (United States)

Womble, Phillip; Paschal, Jon; Hopper, Lindsay; Pinson, Dudley; Schultz, Frederick; Whitfield Humphrey, Melinda

2007-04-01

Due to the ever increasing use of radioactive materials in day to day living from the treatment of cancer patients and irradiation of food for preservation to industrial radiography to check for defects in the welding of pipelines and buildings there is a growing concern over the tracking and monitoring of these sources in transit prior to use as well as the waste produced by such use. The prevention of lost sealed sources is important in reducing the environmental and health risk posed by direct exposure, co-mingling in the metal recycling stream, use in contaminated consumer products, and use in terrorist activities. Northwest Nuclear, LLC (NWN) and the Applied Physics Institute (API) at Western Kentucky University have developed a tracking technology using active radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. This system provides location information by measuring the time of arrival of packets from a set of RFID tags to a set of location receivers. The system can track and graphically display the location on maps, drawings or photographs of tagged items on any 802.11- compliant device (PDAs, laptops, computers, WiFi telephones) situated both outside and inside structures. This location information would be vital for tracking the location of high level radiological sources while in transit. RFID technology would reduce the number of lost sources by tracking them from origination to destination. Special tags which indicate tampering or sudden movement have also been developed.

An improved financial tool to replace BHT

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

In November, the BHT tool used to control financial data will be replaced by an improved and more powerful system, called CET for CERN Expenditure Tracking. The team in charge of CET. From left to right, sitting, Martyn Rankin, David McGlashan, standing, Per Gunnar Jonsson, James Purvis and Mikael Angberg. After 10 years of BHT at CERN, in order to face the challenges of the LHC era, and following the recommendations of the External Review Committee, the BHT application will be replaced by an improved and more powerful expenditure tracking tool called CET for CERN Expenditure Tracking. For those who are not familiar with it, the BHT, Budget Holders Toolkit, is a utility that provides a way to view CERN financial data. It is available for users who have access to at least one budget code. The new CET represents a tool that not only allows powerful analysis of the past, but also assists in forecasting the future. CET will offer significantly more functionality than BHT, including extended contract analysis, ...

GPU-accelerated 3-D model-based tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, J Anthony; Capson, David W

2010-01-01

Model-based approaches to tracking the pose of a 3-D object in video are effective but computationally demanding. While statistical estimation techniques, such as the particle filter, are often employed to minimize the search space, real-time performance remains unachievable on current generation CPUs. Recent advances in graphics processing units (GPUs) have brought massively parallel computational power to the desktop environment and powerful developer tools, such as NVIDIA Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA), have provided programmers with a mechanism to exploit it. NVIDIA GPUs' single-instruction multiple-thread (SIMT) programming model is well-suited to many computer vision tasks, particularly model-based tracking, which requires several hundred 3-D model poses to be dynamically configured, rendered, and evaluated against each frame in the video sequence. Using 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) rigid hand tracking as an example application, this work harnesses consumer-grade GPUs to achieve real-time, 3-D model-based, markerless object tracking in monocular video.

An Open-Source Web-Based Tool for Resource-Agnostic Interactive Translation Prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Torregrosa

2014-09-01

Full Text Available We present a web-based open-source tool for interactive translation prediction (ITP and describe its underlying architecture. ITP systems assist human translators by making context-based computer-generated suggestions as they type. Most of the ITP systems in literature are strongly coupled with a statistical machine translation system that is conveniently adapted to provide the suggestions. Our system, however, follows a resource-agnostic approach and suggestions are obtained from any unmodified black-box bilingual resource. This paper reviews our ITP method and describes the architecture of Forecat, a web tool, partly based on the recent technology of web components, that eases the use of our ITP approach in any web application requiring this kind of translation assistance. We also evaluate the performance of our method when using an unmodified Moses-based statistical machine translation system as the bilingual resource.

Tracking an oil slick from multiple natural sources, Coal Oil Point, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leifer, Ira; Luyendyk, Bruce; Broderick, Kris

2006-01-01

Oil slicks on the ocean surface emitted from natural marine hydrocarbon seeps offshore from Coal Oil Point in the Santa Barbara Channel, California were tracked and sampled over a 2-h period. The objectives were to characterize the seep oil and to track its composition over time using a new sampling device, a catamaran drum sampler (CATDRUMS). The sampler was designed and developed at UCSB. Chromatograms showed that oil originating from an informally named, very active seep area, Shane Seep, primarily evolved during the first hour due to mixing with oil originating from a convergence zone slick surrounding Shane Seep. (author)

Tracking an oil slick from multiple natural sources, Coal Oil Point, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leifer, Ira [Marine Sciences Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Luyendyk, Bruce [Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Broderick, Kris [Exxon/Mobil Exploration Company, 13401 N. Freeway, Houston, TX 77060 (United States)

2006-06-15

Oil slicks on the ocean surface emitted from natural marine hydrocarbon seeps offshore from Coal Oil Point in the Santa Barbara Channel, California were tracked and sampled over a 2-h period. The objectives were to characterize the seep oil and to track its composition over time using a new sampling device, a catamaran drum sampler (CATDRUMS). The sampler was designed and developed at UCSB. Chromatograms showed that oil originating from an informally named, very active seep area, Shane Seep, primarily evolved during the first hour due to mixing with oil originating from a convergence zone slick surrounding Shane Seep. (author)

Project Management Web Tools at the MICE experiment

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2012-01-01

Project management tools like Trac are commonly used within the open-source community to coordinate projects. The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) uses the project management web application Redmine to host mice.rl.ac.uk. Many groups within the experiment have a Redmine project: analysis, computing and software (including offline, online, controls and monitoring, and database subgroups), executive board, and operations. All of these groups use the website to communicate, track effort, develop schedules, and maintain documentation. The issue tracker is a rich tool that is used to identify tasks and monitor progress within groups on timescales ranging from immediate and unexpected problems to milestones that cover the life of the experiment. It allows the prioritization of tasks according to time-sensitivity, while providing a searchable record of work that has been done. This record of work can be used to measure both individual and overall group activity, identify areas lacking sufficient personne...

Circuit Simulation for Solar Power Maximum Power Point Tracking with Different Buck-Boost Converter Topologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaw-Kuen Shiau

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The power converter is one of the essential elements for effective use of renewable power sources. This paper focuses on the development of a circuit simulation model for maximum power point tracking (MPPT evaluation of solar power that involves using different buck-boost power converter topologies; including SEPIC, Zeta, and four-switch type buck-boost DC/DC converters. The circuit simulation model mainly includes three subsystems: a PV model; a buck-boost converter-based MPPT system; and a fuzzy logic MPPT controller. Dynamic analyses of the current-fed buck-boost converter systems are conducted and results are presented in the paper. The maximum power point tracking function is achieved through appropriate control of the power switches of the power converter. A fuzzy logic controller is developed to perform the MPPT function for obtaining maximum power from the PV panel. The MATLAB-based Simulink piecewise linear electric circuit simulation tool is used to verify the complete circuit simulation model.

Kit with track detectors aiming at didactic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cesar, M.F.; Koskinas, M.F.

1988-01-01

The kit intends to improve the possibilities in performing experiments of Nuclear Physics in Modern Physics Laboratories of Physics Course introducing the solid state nuclear track detectors. In these materials the passage of heavily ionizing nuclear particles creates paths (tracks) that may be revealed and made visible in an optical microscope. By the help of the kit several experiments and/or demonstrations may be performed. The kit contains solid state nuclear track detectors unirradiated and irradiated, irradiated etched and uneteched sheets; an alpha source of 241 Am and an instrution text with photomicrographs. To use the kit the laboratory must have an ordinary optical microscope. (author) [pt

CellProfiler and KNIME: open source tools for high content screening.

Science.gov (United States)

Stöter, Martin; Niederlein, Antje; Barsacchi, Rico; Meyenhofer, Felix; Brandl, Holger; Bickle, Marc

2013-01-01

High content screening (HCS) has established itself in the world of the pharmaceutical industry as an essential tool for drug discovery and drug development. HCS is currently starting to enter the academic world and might become a widely used technology. Given the diversity of problems tackled in academic research, HCS could experience some profound changes in the future, mainly with more imaging modalities and smart microscopes being developed. One of the limitations in the establishment of HCS in academia is flexibility and cost. Flexibility is important to be able to adapt the HCS setup to accommodate the multiple different assays typical of academia. Many cost factors cannot be avoided, but the costs of the software packages necessary to analyze large datasets can be reduced by using Open Source software. We present and discuss the Open Source software CellProfiler for image analysis and KNIME for data analysis and data mining that provide software solutions which increase flexibility and keep costs low.

Extending EGS With SVG for Track Visualization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cowan, R.

2004-01-01

The Electron Gamma Shower (EGS) Code System at SLAC is designed to simulate the flow of electrons, positrons and photons through matter at a wide range of energies. It has a large user base among the high-energy physics community and is often used as a teaching tool through a Web interface that allows program input and output. Our work aims to improve the user interaction and shower visualization model of the EGS Web interface. Currently, manipulation of the graphical output (a GIF file) is limited to simple operations like panning and zooming, and each such operation requires server-side calculations. We use SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) to allow a much richer set of operations, letting users select a track and visualize it with the aid of 3-D rotations, adjustable particle display intensities, panning and zooming etc. A considerable advantage of our method is that once a track is selected for visualization, all further manipulations on that track can be done client-side without requiring server-side calculations. We hence combine the advantages of the SVG format (powerful interaction models over the Web) with those of conventional image formats (file size independent of scene complexity) to allow a composite set of operations for users, and enhance the value of EGS as a pedagogical tool

MapSentinel: Can the Knowledge of Space Use Improve Indoor Tracking Further?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruoxi Jia

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Estimating an occupant’s location is arguably the most fundamental sensing task in smart buildings. The applications for fine-grained, responsive building operations require the location sensing systems to provide location estimates in real time, also known as indoor tracking. Existing indoor tracking systems require occupants to carry specialized devices or install programs on their smartphone to collect inertial sensing data. In this paper, we propose MapSentinel, which performs non-intrusive location sensing based on WiFi access points and ultrasonic sensors. MapSentinel combines the noisy sensor readings with the floormap information to estimate locations. One key observation supporting our work is that occupants exhibit distinctive motion characteristics at different locations on the floormap, e.g., constrained motion along the corridor or in the cubicle zones, and free movement in the open space. While extensive research has been performed on using a floormap as a tool to obtain correct walking trajectories without wall-crossings, there have been few attempts to incorporate the knowledge of space use available from the floormap into the location estimation. This paper argues that the knowledge of space use as an additional information source presents new opportunities for indoor tracking. The fusion of heterogeneous information is theoretically formulated within the Factor Graph framework, and the Context-Augmented Particle Filtering algorithm is developed to efficiently solve real-time walking trajectories. Our evaluation in a large office space shows that the MapSentinel can achieve accuracy improvement of 31 . 3 % compared with the purely WiFi-based tracking system.

Target-type probability combining algorithms for multisensor tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Wigren, Torbjorn

2001-08-01

Algorithms for the handing of target type information in an operational multi-sensor tracking system are presented. The paper discusses recursive target type estimation, computation of crosses from passive data (strobe track triangulation), as well as the computation of the quality of the crosses for deghosting purposes. The focus is on Bayesian algorithms that operate in the discrete target type probability space, and on the approximations introduced for computational complexity reduction. The centralized algorithms are able to fuse discrete data from a variety of sensors and information sources, including IFF equipment, ESM's, IRST's as well as flight envelopes estimated from track data. All algorithms are asynchronous and can be tuned to handle clutter, erroneous associations as well as missed and erroneous detections. A key to obtain this ability is the inclusion of data forgetting by a procedure for propagation of target type probability states between measurement time instances. Other important properties of the algorithms are their abilities to handle ambiguous data and scenarios. The above aspects are illustrated in a simulations study. The simulation setup includes 46 air targets of 6 different types that are tracked by 5 airborne sensor platforms using ESM's and IRST's as data sources.

Bacterial source tracking guides management of boat head waste in a coastal resort area.

Science.gov (United States)

Mallin, Michael A; Haltom, Mary I; Song, Bongkeun; Tavares, Mary E; Dellies, Stephen P

2010-12-01

Fecal contamination of water bodies causes a public health problem and economic loss. To control such contamination management actions need to be guided by sound science. From 2007-2009 a study was undertaken to determine the sources of fecal bacteria contamination to the marine waters adjoining the Town of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, USA. The research effort included sampling for fecal coliform and Enterococcus bacteria, sampling for optical brighteners, dye studies, and use of molecular bacterial source tracking techniques including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and terminal restriction fragment polymorphism (T-RFLP) fingerprinting of the Bacteroides-Prevotella group. Of the 96 samples collected from nine locations during the study, the water contact standard for Enterococcus was exceeded on 13 occasions. The T-RFLP fingerprint analyses demonstrated that the most widespread source of fecal contamination was human, occurring in 38% of the samples, with secondary ruminant and avian sources also detected. Optical brightener concentrations were low, reflecting a lack of sewage line leakage or spills. A lack of sewer leaks and lack of septic systems in the town pointed toward discharge from boat heads into the marine waters as the major cause of fecal contamination; this was supported by dye studies. Based on these data, the Town initiated action to have the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declare the coastal waters (out to 3 nautical miles), the nearby Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and its tributaries a no-discharge zone (NDZ) to alleviate the human fecal pollution. The Town garnered supporting resolutions from other local communities who jointly petitioned the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. This State regulatory agency supported the local government resolutions and sent an application for an NDZ to the EPA in April 2009. The EPA concurred, and in February 2010 the coastal waters of New Hanover County, NC, became the

Estimating true human and animal host source contribution in quantitative microbial source tracking using the Monte Carlo method.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dan; Silkie, Sarah S; Nelson, Kara L; Wuertz, Stefan

2010-09-01

Cultivation- and library-independent, quantitative PCR-based methods have become the method of choice in microbial source tracking. However, these qPCR assays are not 100% specific and sensitive for the target sequence in their respective hosts' genome. The factors that can lead to false positive and false negative information in qPCR results are well defined. It is highly desirable to have a way of removing such false information to estimate the true concentration of host-specific genetic markers and help guide the interpretation of environmental monitoring studies. Here we propose a statistical model based on the Law of Total Probability to predict the true concentration of these markers. The distributions of the probabilities of obtaining false information are estimated from representative fecal samples of known origin. Measurement error is derived from the sample precision error of replicated qPCR reactions. Then, the Monte Carlo method is applied to sample from these distributions of probabilities and measurement error. The set of equations given by the Law of Total Probability allows one to calculate the distribution of true concentrations, from which their expected value, confidence interval and other statistical characteristics can be easily evaluated. The output distributions of predicted true concentrations can then be used as input to watershed-wide total maximum daily load determinations, quantitative microbial risk assessment and other environmental models. This model was validated by both statistical simulations and real world samples. It was able to correct the intrinsic false information associated with qPCR assays and output the distribution of true concentrations of Bacteroidales for each animal host group. Model performance was strongly affected by the precision error. It could perform reliably and precisely when the standard deviation of the precision error was small (≤ 0.1). Further improvement on the precision of sample processing and q

Tracking and Finding Slow-Proliferating/Quiescent Cancer Stem Cells with Fluorescent Nanodiamonds.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hsin-Hung; Lee, Hsiao-Wen; Lin, Ruey-Jen; Huang, Chih-Wei; Liao, Yi-Chun; Chen, Yit-Tsong; Fang, Jim-Min; Lee, Te-Chang; Yu, Alice L; Chang, Huan-Cheng

2015-09-09

Quiescent cancer stem cells (CSCs) have long been considered to be a source of tumor initiation. However, identification and isolation of these cells have been hampered by the fact that commonly used fluorescent markers are not sufficiently stable, both chemically and photophysically, to allow tracking over an extended period of time. Here, it is shown that fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are well suited for this application. Genotoxicity tests of FNDs with comet and micronucleus assays for human fibroblasts and breast cancer cells indicate that the nanoparticles neither cause DNA damage nor impair cell growth. Using AS-B145-1R breast cancer cells as the model cell line for CSC, it is found that the FND labeling outperforms 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) in regards to its long-term tracking capability (>20 d). Moreover, through a quantification of their stem cell activity by measuring mammosphere-forming efficiencies (MFEs) and self-renewal rates, the FND-positive cells are identified to have an MFE twice as high as that of the FND-negative cells isolated from the same dissociated mammospheres. Thus, the nanoparticle-based labeling technique provides an effective new tool for tracking and finding slow-proliferating/quiescent CSCs in cancer research. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

When Personal Tracking Becomes Social: Examining the Use of Instagram for Healthy Eating

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Chia-Fang; Agapie, Elena; Schroeder, Jessica; Mishra, Sonali; Fogarty, James; Munson, Sean A.

2017-01-01

Many people appropriate social media and online communities in their pursuit of personal health goals, such as healthy eating or increased physical activity. However, people struggle with impression management, and with reaching the right audiences when they share health information on these platforms. Instagram, a popular photo-based social media platform, has attracted many people who post and share their food photos. We aim to inform the design of tools to support healthy behaviors by understanding how people appropriate Instagram to track and share food data, the benefits they obtain from doing so, and the challenges they encounter. We interviewed 16 women who consistently record and share what they eat on Instagram. Participants tracked to support themselves and others in their pursuit of healthy eating goals. They sought social support for their own tracking and healthy behaviors and strove to provide that support for others. People adapted their personal tracking practices to better receive and give this support. Applying these results to the design of health tracking tools has the potential to help people better access social support. PMID:28516174

When Personal Tracking Becomes Social: Examining the Use of Instagram for Healthy Eating.

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Chia-Fang; Agapie, Elena; Schroeder, Jessica; Mishra, Sonali; Fogarty, James; Munson, Sean A

2017-05-02

Many people appropriate social media and online communities in their pursuit of personal health goals, such as healthy eating or increased physical activity. However, people struggle with impression management, and with reaching the right audiences when they share health information on these platforms. Instagram, a popular photo-based social media platform, has attracted many people who post and share their food photos. We aim to inform the design of tools to support healthy behaviors by understanding how people appropriate Instagram to track and share food data, the benefits they obtain from doing so, and the challenges they encounter. We interviewed 16 women who consistently record and share what they eat on Instagram. Participants tracked to support themselves and others in their pursuit of healthy eating goals. They sought social support for their own tracking and healthy behaviors and strove to provide that support for others. People adapted their personal tracking practices to better receive and give this support. Applying these results to the design of health tracking tools has the potential to help people better access social support.

Identifying Sources of Clinical Conflict: A Tool for Practice and Training in Bioethics Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergman, Edward J

2015-01-01

Bioethics mediators manage a wide range of clinical conflict emanating from diverse sources. Parties to clinical conflict are often not fully aware of, nor willing to express, the true nature and scope of their conflict. As such, a significant task of the bioethics mediator is to help define that conflict. The ability to assess and apply the tools necessary for an effective mediation process can be facilitated by each mediator's creation of a personal compendium of sources that generate clinical conflict, to provide an orientation for the successful management of complex dilemmatic cases. Copyright 2015 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

Implementation of an adaptive training and tracking game in statistics teaching

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groeneveld, C.M.; Kalz, M.; Ras, E.

2014-01-01

Statistics teaching in higher education has a number of challenges. An adaptive training, tracking and teaching tool in a gaming environment aims to address problems inherent in statistics teaching. This paper discusses the implementation of this tool in a large first year university programme and

Total organic carbon, an important tool in an holistic approach to hydrocarbon source fingerprinting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehm, P.D.; Burns, W.A.; Page, D.S.; Bence, A.E.; Mankiewicz, P.J.; Brown, J.S.; Douglas, G.S. [Battelle Member Inst., Waltham, MA (United States)

2002-07-01

The identification and allocation of multiple hydrocarbon sources in marine sediments is best achieved using an holistic approach. Total organic carbon (TOC) is one important tool that can constrain the contributions of specific sources and rule out incorrect source allocations in cases where inputs are dominated by fossil organic carbon. In a study of the benthic sediments from Prince William Sound (PWS) and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), we find excellent agreement between measured TOC and TOC calculated from hydrocarbon fingerprint matches of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and chemical biomarkers. Confirmation by two such independent source indicators (TOC and fingerprint matches) provides evidence that source allocations determined by the fingerprint matches are robust and that the major TOC sources have been correctly identified. Fingerprint matches quantify the hydrocarbon contributions of various sources to the benthic sediments and the degree of hydrocarbon winnowing by waves and currents. TOC contents are then calculated using source allocation results from fingerprint matches and the TOCs of contributing sources. Comparisons of the actual sediment TOC values and those calculated from source allocation support our earlier published findings that the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background in sediments in this area comes from eroding Tertiary shales and associated oil seeps along the northern GOA coast and exclude thermally mature area coals from being important contributors to the PWS background due to their high TOC content.

MIDAS: an effective tool for work management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, D.L.; Billings, M.P.; McCargar, S.B.; Talbot, M.D.; Topping, C.F.

1985-01-01

The computerized Master Information Data Acquisition System (MIDAS) is used to control work at facilities that support the Liquid Metal Reactor (LMR) program on the Hanford Site at Richland, Washington. Functions of this software system are to: track authorized maintenance activities, enhance operational safety, track schedule, manpower, and material constraints during work preparation, provide a management tool for quality measurement techniques, and provide an overall repository for technical and safety-related information on components at the Hanford Site 400 Area facilities. This paper describes MIDAS and how it is used as a work management tool. 1 fig

Evaluation of a BGO-Based PET System for Single-Cell Tracking Performance by Simulation and Phantom Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Ouyang PhD

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A recent method based on positron emission was reported for tracking moving point sources using the Inveon PET system. However, the effect of scanner background noise was not further explored. Here, we evaluate tracking with the Genisys4, a bismuth germanate-based PET system, which has no significant intrinsic background and may be better suited to tracking lower and/or faster activity sources. Position-dependent sensitivity of the Genisys4 was simulated in Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE using a static 18F point source. Trajectories of helically moving point sources with varying activity and rotation speed were reconstructed from list-mode data as described previously. Simulations showed that the Inveon’s ability to track sources within 2 mm of localization error is limited to objects with a velocity-to-activity ratio < 0.13 mm/decay, compared to < 0.29 mm/decay for the Genisys4. Tracking with the Genisys4 was then validated using a physical phantom of helically moving [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose-in-oil droplets (< 0.24 mm diameter, 139-296 Bq, yielding < 1 mm localization error under the tested conditions, with good agreement between simulated sensitivity and measured activity (Pearson correlation R = .64, P << .05 in a representative example. We have investigated the tracking performance with the Genisys4, and results suggest the feasibility of tracking low activity, point source-like objects with this system.

Comparison of ergometer- and track-based testing in junior track-sprint cyclists. Implications for talent identification and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Tofari, Paul J; Cormack, Stuart J; Ebert, Tammie R; Gardner, A Scott; Kemp, Justin G

2017-10-01

Talent identification (TID) and talent development (TDE) programmes in track sprint cycling use ergometer- and track-based tests to select junior athletes and assess their development. The purpose of this study was to assess which tests are best at monitoring TID and TDE. Ten male participants (16.2 ± 1.1 year; 178.5 ± 6.0 cm and 73.6 ± 7.6 kg) were selected into the national TID squad based on initial testing. These tests consisted of two 6-s maximal sprints on a custom-built ergometer and 4 maximal track-based tests (2 rolling and 2 standing starts) using 2 gear ratios. Magnitude-based inferences and correlation coefficients assessed changes following a 3-month TDE programme. Training elicited meaningful improvements (80-100% likely) in all ergometer parameters. The standing and rolling small gear, track-based effort times were likely and very likely (3.2 ± 2.4% and 3.3 ± 1.9%, respectively) improved by training. Stronger correlations between ergometer- and track-based measures were very likely following training. Ergometer-based testing provides a more sensitive tool than track-based testing to monitor changes in neuromuscular function during the early stages of TDE. However, track-based testing can indicate skill-based improvements in performance when interpreted with ergometer testing. In combination, these tests provide information on overall talent development.

Visualizing Cloud Properties and Satellite Imagery: A Tool for Visualization and Information Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Chee, T.; Nguyen, L.; Smith, W. L., Jr.; Spangenberg, D.; Palikonda, R.; Bedka, K. M.; Minnis, P.; Thieman, M. M.; Nordeen, M.

2017-12-01

Providing public access to research products including cloud macro and microphysical properties and satellite imagery are a key concern for the NASA Langley Research Center Cloud and Radiation Group. This work describes a web based visualization tool and API that allows end users to easily create customized cloud product and satellite imagery, ground site data and satellite ground track information that is generated dynamically. The tool has two uses, one to visualize the dynamically created imagery and the other to provide access to the dynamically generated imagery directly at a later time. Internally, we leverage our practical experience with large, scalable application practices to develop a system that has the largest potential for scalability as well as the ability to be deployed on the cloud to accommodate scalability issues. We build upon NASA Langley Cloud and Radiation Group's experience with making real-time and historical satellite cloud product information, satellite imagery, ground site data and satellite track information accessible and easily searchable. This tool is the culmination of our prior experience with dynamic imagery generation and provides a way to build a "mash-up" of dynamically generated imagery and related kinds of information that are visualized together to add value to disparate but related information. In support of NASA strategic goals, our group aims to make as much scientific knowledge, observations and products available to the citizen science, research and interested communities as well as for automated systems to acquire the same information for data mining or other analytic purposes. This tool and the underlying API's provide a valuable research tool to a wide audience both as a standalone research tool and also as an easily accessed data source that can easily be mined or used with existing tools.

Tracking black holes in numerical relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caveny, Scott A.; Anderson, Matthew; Matzner, Richard A.

2003-01-01

This work addresses the problem of generically tracking black hole event horizons in computational simulation of black hole interactions. Solutions of the hyperbolic eikonal equation, solved on a curved spacetime manifold containing black hole sources, are employed in development of a robust tracking method capable of continuously monitoring arbitrary changes of topology in the event horizon as well as arbitrary numbers of gravitational sources. The method makes use of continuous families of level set viscosity solutions of the eikonal equation with identification of the black hole event horizon obtained by the signature feature of discontinuity formation in the eikonal's solution. The method is employed in the analysis of the event horizon for the asymmetric merger in a binary black hole system. In this first such three dimensional analysis, we establish both qualitative and quantitative evidence for our method and its application to the asymmetric problem. We focus attention on (1) the topology of the throat connecting the holes following merger, (2) the time of merger, and (3) continuing to account for the surface of section areas of the black hole sources

Open source tools for management and archiving of digital microscopy data to allow integration with patient pathology and treatment information.

Science.gov (United States)

Khushi, Matloob; Edwards, Georgina; de Marcos, Diego Alonso; Carpenter, Jane E; Graham, J Dinny; Clarke, Christine L

2013-02-12

Virtual microscopy includes digitisation of histology slides and the use of computer technologies for complex investigation of diseases such as cancer. However, automated image analysis, or website publishing of such digital images, is hampered by their large file sizes. We have developed two Java based open source tools: Snapshot Creator and NDPI-Splitter. Snapshot Creator converts a portion of a large digital slide into a desired quality JPEG image. The image is linked to the patient's clinical and treatment information in a customised open source cancer data management software (Caisis) in use at the Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank (ABCTB) and then published on the ABCTB website (http://www.abctb.org.au) using Deep Zoom open source technology. Using the ABCTB online search engine, digital images can be searched by defining various criteria such as cancer type, or biomarkers expressed. NDPI-Splitter splits a large image file into smaller sections of TIFF images so that they can be easily analysed by image analysis software such as Metamorph or Matlab. NDPI-Splitter also has the capacity to filter out empty images. Snapshot Creator and NDPI-Splitter are novel open source Java tools. They convert digital slides into files of smaller size for further processing. In conjunction with other open source tools such as Deep Zoom and Caisis, this suite of tools is used for the management and archiving of digital microscopy images, enabling digitised images to be explored and zoomed online. Our online image repository also has the capacity to be used as a teaching resource. These tools also enable large files to be sectioned for image analysis. The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/5330903258483934.

Open source tools for management and archiving of digital microscopy data to allow integration with patient pathology and treatment information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khushi Matloob

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Virtual microscopy includes digitisation of histology slides and the use of computer technologies for complex investigation of diseases such as cancer. However, automated image analysis, or website publishing of such digital images, is hampered by their large file sizes. Results We have developed two Java based open source tools: Snapshot Creator and NDPI-Splitter. Snapshot Creator converts a portion of a large digital slide into a desired quality JPEG image. The image is linked to the patient’s clinical and treatment information in a customised open source cancer data management software (Caisis in use at the Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank (ABCTB and then published on the ABCTB website (http://www.abctb.org.au using Deep Zoom open source technology. Using the ABCTB online search engine, digital images can be searched by defining various criteria such as cancer type, or biomarkers expressed. NDPI-Splitter splits a large image file into smaller sections of TIFF images so that they can be easily analysed by image analysis software such as Metamorph or Matlab. NDPI-Splitter also has the capacity to filter out empty images. Conclusions Snapshot Creator and NDPI-Splitter are novel open source Java tools. They convert digital slides into files of smaller size for further processing. In conjunction with other open source tools such as Deep Zoom and Caisis, this suite of tools is used for the management and archiving of digital microscopy images, enabling digitised images to be explored and zoomed online. Our online image repository also has the capacity to be used as a teaching resource. These tools also enable large files to be sectioned for image analysis. Virtual Slides The virtual slide(s for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/5330903258483934

Intraoperative navigation of an optically tracked surgical robot.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornellà, Jordi; Elle, Ole Jakob; Ali, Wajid; Samset, Eigil

2008-01-01

This paper presents an adaptive control scheme for improving the performance of a surgical robot when it executes tasks autonomously. A commercial tracking system is used to correlate the robot with the preoperative plan as well as to correct the position of the robot when errors between the real and planned positions are detected. Due to the noisy signals provided by the tracking system, a Kalman filter is proposed to smooth the variations and to increase the stability of the system. The efficiency of the approach has been validated using rigid and flexible endoscopic tools, obtaining in both cases that the target points can be reached with an error less than 1mm. These results make the approach suitable for a range of abdominal procedures, such as autonomous repositioning of endoscopic tools or probes for percutaneous procedures.

Using tracking software for writing instruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sane M. Yagi

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Writing is a complex skill that is hard to teach. Although the written product is what is often evaluated in the context of language teaching, the process of giving thought to linguistic form is fascinating. For almost forty years, language teachers have found it more effective to help learners in the writing process than in the written product; it is there that they could find sources of writing problems. Despite all controversy evoked by post-process approaches with respect to process writing, information technology has lately offered tools that can shed new light on how writing takes place. Software that can record keyboard, mouse, and screen activities is capable of unraveling mysteries of the writing process. Technology has given teachers and learners the option of examining the writing process as it unfolds, enabling them to diagnose strategy as well as wording problems, thus empowering teachers to guide learners individually in how to think about each of their trouble spots in the context of a specific product of writing. With these advances in information technology, metacognitive awareness and strategy training begin to acquire new dimensions of meaning. Technology lays open aspects of the writing process, offering unprecedented insight into creative text production as well. This paper attempts to explain how tracking software can influence writing instruction. It briefly examines the process and post-process approaches to assess their viability, explains the concept of tracking software, proposes methodology needed for the adoption of this technology, and then discusses the pedagogical implications of these issues.

Methane Tracking and Mitigation Options - EPA CMOP

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset contains the sub-model for EPA's MARKAL model, which tracks methane emissions from the energy system, and limited other sources (landfills and manure...

Software Tools Streamline Project Management

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Three innovative software inventions from Ames Research Center (NETMARK, Program Management Tool, and Query-Based Document Management) are finding their way into NASA missions as well as industry applications. The first, NETMARK, is a program that enables integrated searching of data stored in a variety of databases and documents, meaning that users no longer have to look in several places for related information. NETMARK allows users to search and query information across all of these sources in one step. This cross-cutting capability in information analysis has exponentially reduced the amount of time needed to mine data from days or weeks to mere seconds. NETMARK has been used widely throughout NASA, enabling this automatic integration of information across many documents and databases. NASA projects that use NETMARK include the internal reporting system and project performance dashboard, Erasmus, NASA s enterprise management tool, which enhances organizational collaboration and information sharing through document routing and review; the Integrated Financial Management Program; International Space Station Knowledge Management; Mishap and Anomaly Information Reporting System; and management of the Mars Exploration Rovers. Approximately $1 billion worth of NASA s projects are currently managed using Program Management Tool (PMT), which is based on NETMARK. PMT is a comprehensive, Web-enabled application tool used to assist program and project managers within NASA enterprises in monitoring, disseminating, and tracking the progress of program and project milestones and other relevant resources. The PMT consists of an integrated knowledge repository built upon advanced enterprise-wide database integration techniques and the latest Web-enabled technologies. The current system is in a pilot operational mode allowing users to automatically manage, track, define, update, and view customizable milestone objectives and goals. The third software invention, Query

A first approach to a neuropsychological screening tool using eye-tracking for bedside cognitive testing based on the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Jürgen; Krimly, Amon; Bauer, Lisa; Schulenburg, Sarah; Böhm, Sarah; Aho-Özhan, Helena E A; Uttner, Ingo; Gorges, Martin; Kassubek, Jan; Pinkhardt, Elmar H; Abrahams, Sharon; Ludolph, Albert C; Lulé, Dorothée

2017-08-01

Reliable assessment of cognitive functions is a challenging task in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients unable to speak and write. We therefore present an eye-tracking based neuropsychological screening tool based on the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS), a standard screening tool for cognitive deficits in ALS. In total, 46 ALS patients and 50 healthy controls matched for age, gender and education were tested with an oculomotor based and a standard paper-and-pencil version of the ECAS. Significant correlation between both versions was observed for ALS patients and healthy controls in the ECAS total score and in all of its ALS-specific domains (all r > 0.3; all p ALS patients and healthy controls in the ECAS total score (p ALS patients who are unable to speak or write.

Utilisation of Rep-PCR to track microbes in aerosols collected adjacent to their source, a saline lake in Victoria, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Munday, Chris I; O'Loingsigh, Tadhg; Tapper, Nigel J; De Deckker, Patrick; Allison, Gwen E

2013-04-15

Dust storms are a major source of aerosolized bacteria, especially in the drought conditions experienced in Australia in the decade to 2009. The major aims of this project were to identify the culturable bacteria in environmental samples and to genetically fingerprint all isolates using repetitive element PCR (Rep-PCR) to investigate the possibility of tracking isolates from their source into the atmosphere. Four field trips were conducted to a dry lake in western Victoria, Australia to sample aerosols and sediments. Aerosols were collected at heights up to 150 m using vacuum pumps with filters attached to a tethered helium balloon, while corresponding sediments were collected in sterile polypropylene tubes. Isolates were cultivated on Tryptic Soy Agar, R2 Agar and Marine Agar, and grown in dark conditions at ambient temperature. By sequencing the 16S rRNA gene of 270 isolates, fifteen different bacterial families were identified, with both the aerosols and sediments dominated by the Bacillaceae family. Four sets of Rep-PCR primers were tested, with the ERIC and (GTG)5 primers proving to be the most suitable for fingerprinting the cultured taxa. Rep-PCR revealed very high strain diversity in the samples collected, however some strains were still able to be tracked from sediments up to 150 m in height. This shows the potential of Rep-PCR, however very large reference databases would be required for the technique to be more useful. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Contribution of radon daughters plated-out in a cylindrical device by track-technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hafez, A.F. (Alexandria Univ. (Egypt). Dept. of Physics); Kotb, M.A. (Alexandria Univ. (Egypt). Biophysics Dept.); Toth-Szilagyi, M. (Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia, Debrecen (Hungary). Atommag Kutato Intezete)

1991-01-01

CR-39 plastic nuclear track detector is used to measure the fraction of alpha-particle tracks due to radon daughters activities plated-out on the internal walls of a cylindrical-shaped plastic can. Radium chloride solution is used as a radon source, the exposure time is ranged from 4 hours to 3 days. To assess the percentage of plate-out effect on CR-39 nuclear track detector, two different methods were used. In one experiment, a few circular parallel pairs of CR-39 sheets were hanged in the can device. In the other experiment, the estimation of the plate-out effect has been performed, after exposure to the radon source, by detecting tracks with a second unexposed sheet placed in close contact to the exposed wall and detectors. In the two methods, it was found that the chemically etched tracks related to plated-out activities contribute about 50% of the measured alpha-particles tracks. (orig.).

Incident Information Management Tool

CERN Document Server

Pejovic, Vladimir

2015-01-01

Flaws of\tcurrent incident information management at CMS and CERN\tare discussed. A new data\tmodel for future incident database is\tproposed and briefly described. Recently developed draft version of GIS-­‐based tool for incident tracking is presented.

An open-source software tool for the generation of relaxation time maps in magnetic resonance imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Messroghli, Daniel R; Rudolph, Andre; Abdel-Aty, Hassan; Wassmuth, Ralf; Kühne, Titus; Dietz, Rainer; Schulz-Menger, Jeanette

2010-01-01

In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, T1, T2 and T2* relaxation times represent characteristic tissue properties that can be quantified with the help of specific imaging strategies. While there are basic software tools for specific pulse sequences, until now there is no universal software program available to automate pixel-wise mapping of relaxation times from various types of images or MR systems. Such a software program would allow researchers to test and compare new imaging strategies and thus would significantly facilitate research in the area of quantitative tissue characterization. After defining requirements for a universal MR mapping tool, a software program named MRmap was created using a high-level graphics language. Additional features include a manual registration tool for source images with motion artifacts and a tabular DICOM viewer to examine pulse sequence parameters. MRmap was successfully tested on three different computer platforms with image data from three different MR system manufacturers and five different sorts of pulse sequences: multi-image inversion recovery T1; Look-Locker/TOMROP T1; modified Look-Locker (MOLLI) T1; single-echo T2/T2*; and multi-echo T2/T2*. Computing times varied between 2 and 113 seconds. Estimates of relaxation times compared favorably to those obtained from non-automated curve fitting. Completed maps were exported in DICOM format and could be read in standard software packages used for analysis of clinical and research MR data. MRmap is a flexible cross-platform research tool that enables accurate mapping of relaxation times from various pulse sequences. The software allows researchers to optimize quantitative MR strategies in a manufacturer-independent fashion. The program and its source code were made available as open-source software on the internet

An open-source software tool for the generation of relaxation time maps in magnetic resonance imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kühne Titus

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In magnetic resonance (MR imaging, T1, T2 and T2* relaxation times represent characteristic tissue properties that can be quantified with the help of specific imaging strategies. While there are basic software tools for specific pulse sequences, until now there is no universal software program available to automate pixel-wise mapping of relaxation times from various types of images or MR systems. Such a software program would allow researchers to test and compare new imaging strategies and thus would significantly facilitate research in the area of quantitative tissue characterization. Results After defining requirements for a universal MR mapping tool, a software program named MRmap was created using a high-level graphics language. Additional features include a manual registration tool for source images with motion artifacts and a tabular DICOM viewer to examine pulse sequence parameters. MRmap was successfully tested on three different computer platforms with image data from three different MR system manufacturers and five different sorts of pulse sequences: multi-image inversion recovery T1; Look-Locker/TOMROP T1; modified Look-Locker (MOLLI T1; single-echo T2/T2*; and multi-echo T2/T2*. Computing times varied between 2 and 113 seconds. Estimates of relaxation times compared favorably to those obtained from non-automated curve fitting. Completed maps were exported in DICOM format and could be read in standard software packages used for analysis of clinical and research MR data. Conclusions MRmap is a flexible cross-platform research tool that enables accurate mapping of relaxation times from various pulse sequences. The software allows researchers to optimize quantitative MR strategies in a manufacturer-independent fashion. The program and its source code were made available as open-source software on the internet.

Acquisition and tracking for underwater optical communications

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Andrew J.; Laycock, Leslie L.; Griffith, Michael S.; McCarthy, Andrew G.; Rowe, Duncan P.

2017-10-01

There is a growing requirement to transfer large volumes of data between underwater platforms. As seawater is transmissive in the visible band, underwater optical communications is an active area of interest since it offers the potential for power efficient, covert and high bandwidth datalinks at short to medium ranges. Short range systems have been successfully demonstrated using sources with low directionality. To realise higher data rates and/or longer ranges, the use of more efficient directional beams is required; by necessity, these must be sufficiently aligned to achieve the required link margin. For mobile platforms, the acquisition and tracking of each node is therefore critical in order to establish and maintain an optical datalink. This paper describes work undertaken to demonstrate acquisition and tracking in a 3D underwater environment. A range of optical sources, beam steering technologies, and tracking sensors have been assessed for suitability. A novel scanning strategy exploiting variable beam divergence was developed to provide robust acquisition whilst minimising acquisition time. A prototype system was assembled and demonstrated in a large water tank. This utilised custom quadrant detectors based on Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) arrays for fine tracking, and a Wide Field of View (WFoV) sCMOS camera for link acquisition. Fluidic lenses provided dynamic control of beam divergence, and AC modulation/filtering enabled background rejection. The system successfully demonstrated robust optical acquisition and tracking between two nodes with only nanowatt received optical powers. The acquisition time was shown to be dependent on the initial conditions and the transmitted optical power.

FDTD Seismic Simulation of Moving Tracked Vehicle

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ketcham, Stephen

2000-01-01

This paper describes the utility of a large finite-difference time domain (FDTD) simulation of seismic wave propagation from a spatially and time varying source that generically represents a moving tracked vehicle...

American-Soviet Track and Field Exchanges as a Tool of Shaping Bilateral Political Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał Marcin Kobierecki

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The aim of the research is to investigate the track and field exchanges between the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold War era, in search of their role in shaping bilateral relations between the two states. Particular attention has been paid to the motivation of respective subjects. The research allowed to test the hypothesis stating that the track and field exchanges were an attempt to bring the two countries closer and to achieve propaganda benefits simultaneously.

Electromagnetic tracking for treatment verification in interstitial brachytherapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bert, Christoph; Kellermeier, Markus; Tanderup, Kari

2016-01-01

Electromagnetic tracking (EMT) is used in several medical fields to determine the position and orientation of dedicated sensors, e.g., attached to surgical tools. Recently, EMT has been introduced to brachytherapy for implant reconstruction and error detection. The manuscript briefly summarizes...

Tracking Lithium Ions via Widefield Fluorescence Microscopy for Battery Diagnostics.

Science.gov (United States)

Padilla, Nicolas A; Rea, Morgan T; Foy, Michael; Upadhyay, Sunil P; Desrochers, Kyle A; Derus, Tyler; Knapper, Kassandra A; Hunter, Nathanael H; Wood, Sharla; Hinton, Daniel A; Cavell, Andrew C; Masias, Alvaro G; Goldsmith, Randall H

2017-07-28

Direct tracking of lithium ions with time and spatial resolution can provide an important diagnostic tool for understanding mechanisms in lithium ion batteries. A fluorescent indicator of lithium ions, 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)naphthoxazole, was synthesized and used for real-time tracking of lithium ions via widefield fluorescence microscopy. The fluorophore can be excited with visible light and was shown to enable quantitative determination of the lithium ion diffusion constant in a microfluidic model system for a plasticized polymer electrolyte lithium battery. The use of widefield fluorescence microscopy for in situ tracking of lithium ions in batteries is discussed.

Towards an IMU Evaluation Framework for Human Body Tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Venek, Verena; Kremser, Wolfgang; Schneider, Cornelia

2018-01-01

Existing full-body tracking systems, which use Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) as sensing unit, require expert knowledge for setup and data collection. Thus, the daily application for human body tracking is difficult. In particular, in the field of active and assisted living (AAL), tracking human movements would enable novel insights not only into the quantity but also into the quality of human movement, for example by monitoring functional training. While the current market offers a wide range of products with vastly different properties, literature lacks guidelines for choosing IMUs for body tracking applications. Therefore, this paper introduces developments towards an IMU evaluation framework for human body tracking which compares IMUs against five requirement areas that consider device features and data quality. The data quality is assessed by conducting a static and a dynamic error analysis. In a first application to four IMUs of different component consumption, the IMU evaluation framework convinced as promising tool for IMU selection.

ALPHACAL: A new user-friendly tool for the calibration of alpha-particle sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Timón, A Fernández; Vargas, M Jurado; Gallardo, P Álvarez; Sánchez-Oro, J; Peralta, L

2018-05-01

In this work, we present and describe the program ALPHACAL, specifically developed for the calibration of alpha-particle sources. It is therefore more user-friendly and less time-consuming than multipurpose codes developed for a wide range of applications. The program is based on the recently developed code AlfaMC, which simulates specifically the transport of alpha particles. Both cylindrical and point sources mounted on the surface of polished backings can be simulated, as is the convention in experimental measurements of alpha-particle sources. In addition to the efficiency calculation and determination of the backscattering coefficient, some additional tools are available to the user, like the visualization of energy spectrum, use of energy cut-off or low-energy tail corrections. ALPHACAL has been implemented in C++ language using QT library, so it is available for Windows, MacOs and Linux platforms. It is free and can be provided under request to the authors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of Open Source Tools and Resources in Virtual Screening for Drug Discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Karthikeyan, Muthukumarasamy; Vyas, Renu

2015-01-01

Advancement in chemoinformatics research in parallel with availability of high performance computing platform has made handling of large scale multi-dimensional scientific data for high throughput drug discovery easier. In this study we have explored publicly available molecular databases with the help of open-source based integrated in-house molecular informatics tools for virtual screening. The virtual screening literature for past decade has been extensively investigated and thoroughly analyzed to reveal interesting patterns with respect to the drug, target, scaffold and disease space. The review also focuses on the integrated chemoinformatics tools that are capable of harvesting chemical data from textual literature information and transform them into truly computable chemical structures, identification of unique fragments and scaffolds from a class of compounds, automatic generation of focused virtual libraries, computation of molecular descriptors for structure-activity relationship studies, application of conventional filters used in lead discovery along with in-house developed exhaustive PTC (Pharmacophore, Toxicophores and Chemophores) filters and machine learning tools for the design of potential disease specific inhibitors. A case study on kinase inhibitors is provided as an example.

Thinking Tracks for Multidisciplinary System Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerrit Maarten Bonnema

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Systems engineering is, for a large part, a process description of how to bring new systems to existence. It is valuable as it directs the development effort. Tools exist that can be used in this process. System analysis investigates existing and/or desired situations. However, how to create a system that instantiates the desired situation depends significantly on human creativity and insight; the required human trait here is commonly called systems thinking. In literature, this trait is regularly used, but information on how to do systems thinking is scarce. Therefore, we have introduced earlier twelve thinking tracks that are concrete and help system designers to make an optimal fit between the system under design, the identified issue, the user, the environment and the rest of the world. The paper provides the scientific rationale for the thinking tracks based on literature. Secondly, the paper presents three cases of application, leading to the conclusion that the tracks are usable and effective.

Tracing catchment fine sediment sources using the new SIFT (SedIment Fingerprinting Tool) open source software.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulley, S; Collins, A L

2018-09-01

The mitigation of diffuse sediment pollution requires reliable provenance information so that measures can be targeted. Sediment source fingerprinting represents one approach for supporting these needs, but recent methodological developments have resulted in an increasing complexity of data processing methods rendering the approach less accessible to non-specialists. A comprehensive new software programme (SIFT; SedIment Fingerprinting Tool) has therefore been developed which guides the user through critical data analysis decisions and automates all calculations. Multiple source group configurations and composite fingerprints are identified and tested using multiple methods of uncertainty analysis. This aims to explore the sediment provenance information provided by the tracers more comprehensively than a single model, and allows for model configurations with high uncertainties to be rejected. This paper provides an overview of its application to an agricultural catchment in the UK to determine if the approach used can provide a reduction in uncertainty and increase in precision. Five source group classifications were used; three formed using a k-means cluster analysis containing 2, 3 and 4 clusters, and two a-priori groups based upon catchment geology. Three different composite fingerprints were used for each classification and bi-plots, range tests, tracer variability ratios and virtual mixtures tested the reliability of each model configuration. Some model configurations performed poorly when apportioning the composition of virtual mixtures, and different model configurations could produce different sediment provenance results despite using composite fingerprints able to discriminate robustly between the source groups. Despite this uncertainty, dominant sediment sources were identified, and those in close proximity to each sediment sampling location were found to be of greatest importance. This new software, by integrating recent methodological developments in

A guidance and control algorithm for scent tracking micro-robotic vehicle swarms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dohner, J.L.

1998-03-01

Cooperative micro-robotic scent tracking vehicles are designed to collectively sniff out locations of high scent concentrations in unknown, geometrically complex environments. These vehicles are programmed with guidance and control algorithms that allow inter cooperation among vehicles. In this paper a cooperative guidance and control algorithm for scent tracking micro-robotic vehicles is presented. This algorithm is comprised of a sensory compensation sub-algorithm using point source cancellation, a guidance sub-algorithm using gradient descent tracking, and a control sub-algorithm using proportional feedback. The concepts of social rank and point source cancellation are new concepts introduced within. Simulation results for cooperative vehicles swarms are given. Limitations are discussed

A guidance and control algorithm for scent tracking micro-robotic vehicle swarms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dohner, J.L. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Structural Dynamics Dept.

1998-03-01

Cooperative micro-robotic scent tracking vehicles are designed to collectively sniff out locations of high scent concentrations in unknown, geometrically complex environments. These vehicles are programmed with guidance and control algorithms that allow inter cooperation among vehicles. In this paper a cooperative guidance and control algorithm for scent tracking micro-robotic vehicles is presented. This algorithm is comprised of a sensory compensation sub-algorithm using point source cancellation, a guidance sub-algorithm using gradient descent tracking, and a control sub-algorithm using proportional feedback. The concepts of social rank and point source cancellation are new concepts introduced within. Simulation results for cooperative vehicles swarms are given. Limitations are discussed.

An Open Source Tool to Test Interoperability

Science.gov (United States)

Bermudez, L. E.

2012-12-01

Scientists interact with information at various levels from gathering of the raw observed data to accessing portrayed processed quality control data. Geoinformatics tools help scientist on the acquisition, storage, processing, dissemination and presentation of geospatial information. Most of the interactions occur in a distributed environment between software components that take the role of either client or server. The communication between components includes protocols, encodings of messages and managing of errors. Testing of these communication components is important to guarantee proper implementation of standards. The communication between clients and servers can be adhoc or follow standards. By following standards interoperability between components increase while reducing the time of developing new software. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), not only coordinates the development of standards but also, within the Compliance Testing Program (CITE), provides a testing infrastructure to test clients and servers. The OGC Web-based Test Engine Facility, based on TEAM Engine, allows developers to test Web services and clients for correct implementation of OGC standards. TEAM Engine is a JAVA open source facility, available at Sourceforge that can be run via command line, deployed in a web servlet container or integrated in developer's environment via MAVEN. The TEAM Engine uses the Compliance Test Language (CTL) and TestNG to test HTTP requests, SOAP services and XML instances against Schemas and Schematron based assertions of any type of web service, not only OGC services. For example, the OGC Web Feature Service (WFS) 1.0.0 test has more than 400 test assertions. Some of these assertions includes conformance of HTTP responses, conformance of GML-encoded data; proper values for elements and attributes in the XML; and, correct error responses. This presentation will provide an overview of TEAM Engine, introduction of how to test via the OGC Testing web site and

Updates on resources, software tools, and databases for plant proteomics in 2016-2017.

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, Biswapriya B

2018-02-08

Proteomics data processing, annotation, and analysis can often lead to major hurdles in large-scale high-throughput bottom-up proteomics experiments. Given the recent rise in protein-based big datasets being generated, efforts in in silico tool development occurrences have had an unprecedented increase; so much so, that it has become increasingly difficult to keep track of all the advances in a particular academic year. However, these tools benefit the plant proteomics community in circumventing critical issues in data analysis and visualization, as these continually developing open-source and community-developed tools hold potential in future research efforts. This review will aim to introduce and summarize more than 50 software tools, databases, and resources developed and published during 2016-2017 under the following categories: tools for data pre-processing and analysis, statistical analysis tools, peptide identification tools, databases and spectral libraries, and data visualization and interpretation tools. Intended for a well-informed proteomics community, finally, efforts in data archiving and validation datasets for the community will be discussed as well. Additionally, the author delineates the current and most commonly used proteomics tools in order to introduce novice readers to this -omics discovery platform. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Decontamination and Decommissioning Equipment Tracking System (DDETS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, S.

1994-07-01

At the request of the Department of Energy (DOE)(EM-50), the Scientific Computing Unit developed a prototype system to track information and data relevant to equipment and tooling removed during decontamination and decommissioning activities. The DDETS proof-of-concept tracking system utilizes a one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) bar coding technology to retain and track information such as identification number, manufacturer, requisition information, and various contaminant information, etc. The information is encoded in a bar code, printed on a label and can be attached to corresponding equipment. The DDETS was developed using a proven relational database management system which allows the addition, modification, printing, and deletion of data. In addition, communication interfaces with bar code printers and bar code readers were developed. Additional features of the system include: (a) Four different reports available for the user (REAPS, transaction, and two inventory), (b) Remote automated inventory tracking capabilities, (c) Remote automated inventory tracking capability (2D bar codes allow equipment to be scanned/tracked without being linked to the DDETS database), (d) Edit, update, delete, and query capabilities, (e) On-line bar code label printing utility (data from 2D bar codes can be scanned directly into the data base simplifying data entry), and (f) Automated data backup utility. Compatibility with the Reportable Excess Automated Property System (REAPS) to upload data from DDETS is planned

Workflow-centred evaluation of an automatic lesion tracking software for chemotherapy monitoring by CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moltz, Jan Hendrik; Peitgen, Heinz-Otto [Fraunhofer MEVIS - Institute for Medical Image Computing, Bremen (Germany); D' Anastasi, Melvin [University Hospital Munich-Grosshadern, Department of Clinical Radiology, Muenchen (Germany); Kiessling, Andreas [University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Marburg (Germany); Pinto dos Santos, Daniel [University Hospital Mainz, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Mainz (Germany); Schuelke, Christoph [University Hospital Muenster, Institute of Clinical Radiology, Muenster (Germany)

2012-12-15

In chemotherapy monitoring, an estimation of the change in tumour size is an important criterion for the assessment of treatment success. This requires a comparison between corresponding lesions in the baseline and follow-up computed tomography (CT) examinations. We evaluate the clinical benefits of an automatic lesion tracking tool that identifies the target lesions in the follow-up CT study and pre-computes the lesion volumes. Four radiologists performed volumetric follow-up examinations for 52 patients with and without lesion tracking. In total, 139 lung nodules, liver metastases and lymph nodes were given as target lesions. We measured reading time, inter-reader variability in lesion identification and volume measurements, and the amount of manual adjustments of the segmentation results. With lesion tracking, target lesion assessment time decreased by 38 % or 22 s per lesion. Relative volume difference between readers was reduced from 0.171 to 0.1. Segmentation quality was comparable with and without lesion tracking. Our automatic lesion tracking tool can make interpretation of follow-up CT examinations quicker and provide results that are less reader-dependent. (orig.)

Online Sources of Competitive Intelligence.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagers, Robert

1986-01-01

Presents an approach to using online sources of information for competitor intelligence (i.e., monitoring industry and tracking activities of competitors); identifies principal sources; and suggests some ways of making use of online databases. Types and sources of information and sources and database charts are appended. Eight references are…

Open Source Tools for Assessment of Global Water Availability, Demands, and Scarcity

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X.; Vernon, C. R.; Hejazi, M. I.; Link, R. P.; Liu, Y.; Feng, L.; Huang, Z.; Liu, L.

2017-12-01

Water availability and water demands are essential factors for estimating water scarcity conditions. To reproduce historical observations and to quantify future changes in water availability and water demand, two open source tools have been developed by the JGCRI (Joint Global Change Research Institute): Xanthos and GCAM-STWD. Xanthos is a gridded global hydrologic model, designed to quantify and analyze water availability in 235 river basins. Xanthos uses a runoff generation and a river routing modules to simulate both historical and future estimates of total runoff and streamflows on a monthly time step at a spatial resolution of 0.5 degrees. GCAM-STWD is a spatiotemporal water disaggregation model used with the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) to spatially downscale global water demands for six major enduse sectors (irrigation, domestic, electricity generation, mining, and manufacturing) from the region scale to the scale of 0.5 degrees. GCAM-STWD then temporally downscales the gridded annual global water demands to monthly results. These two tools, written in Python, can be integrated to assess global, regional or basin-scale water scarcity or water stress. Both of the tools are extensible to ensure flexibility and promote contribution from researchers that utilize GCAM and study global water use and supply.

Open-Source tools: Incidence in the wireless security of the Technical University of Babahoyo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joffre León-Acurio

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Computer security is a fundamental part of an organization, especially in Higher Education institutions, where there is very sensitive information, capable of being vulnerable by diffeerent methods of intrusion, the most common being free access through wireless points. The main objective of this research is to analyze the impact of the open source tools in charge of managing the security information of the wireless network, such as OSSIM, a set of active and passive components used to manage events that generate tra c within the network. net. This research exposes the use of free software as a viable option of low cost to solve the problems that a ict student sta , such as lack of access to academic services, problems of wireless interconnectivity, with the purpose to restore confidence in students in the Use of the services offered by the institution for research-related development, guaranteeing free and free access to the internet. The level of dissatisfaction on the part of the students con rms the problem presented at the Technical University of Babahoyo, thus confirming the positive influence of the Open-Source tools for the institution’s wireless security.

SedInConnect: a stand-alone, free and open source tool for the assessment of sediment connectivity

Science.gov (United States)

Crema, Stefano; Cavalli, Marco

2018-02-01

There is a growing call, within the scientific community, for solid theoretic frameworks and usable indices/models to assess sediment connectivity. Connectivity plays a significant role in characterizing structural properties of the landscape and, when considered in combination with forcing processes (e.g., rainfall-runoff modelling), can represent a valuable analysis for an improved landscape management. In this work, the authors present the development and application of SedInConnect: a free, open source and stand-alone application for the computation of the Index of Connectivity (IC), as expressed in Cavalli et al. (2013) with the addition of specific innovative features. The tool is intended to have a wide variety of users, both from the scientific community and from the authorities involved in the environmental planning. Thanks to its open source nature, the tool can be adapted and/or integrated according to the users' requirements. Furthermore, presenting an easy-to-use interface and being a stand-alone application, the tool can help management experts in the quantitative assessment of sediment connectivity in the context of hazard and risk assessment. An application to a sample dataset and an overview on up-to-date applications of the approach and of the tool shows the development potential of such analyses. The modelled connectivity, in fact, appears suitable not only to characterize sediment dynamics at the catchment scale but also to integrate prediction models and as a tool for helping geomorphological interpretation.

OSS4EVA: Using Open-Source Tools to Fulfill Digital Preservation Requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heidi Dowding

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper builds on the findings of a workshop held at the 2015 International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPRES, entitled, “Using Open-Source Tools to Fulfill Digital Preservation Requirements” (OSS4PRES hereafter. This day-long workshop brought together participants from across the library and archives community, including practitioners, proprietary vendors, and representatives from open-source projects. The resulting conversations were surprisingly revealing: while OSS’ significance within the preservation landscape was made clear, participants noted that there are a number of roadblocks that discourage or altogether prevent its use in many organizations. Overcoming these challenges will be necessary to further widespread, sustainable OSS adoption within the digital preservation community. This article will mine the rich discussions that took place at OSS4PRES to (1 summarize the workshop’s key themes and major points of debate, (2 provide a comprehensive analysis of the opportunities, gaps, and challenges that using OSS entails at a philosophical, institutional, and individual level, and (3 offer a tangible set of recommendations for future work designed to broaden community engagement and enhance the sustainability of open source initiatives, drawing on both participants’ experience as well as additional research.

A Data Warehouse Solution for Analyzing RFID-Based Baggage Tracking Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahmed, Tanvir; Pedersen, Torben Bach; Lu, Hua

2013-01-01

spatio-temporal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking data. Analysis of this data can yield interesting results on baggage flow, the causes of baggage mishandling, and the parties responsible for the mishandling(airline, airport, handler,...), which can ultimately lead to improved...... with the appropriate tracking data from the data sources. The presented concepts are generalizable to other types of multi-site indoor tracking systems based on Bluetooth and RFID. The system has been tested with large amount of real-world RFID-based baggage tracking data from a major industry initiative...

Automatic counting of fission fragments tracks using the gas permeation technique

CERN Document Server

Yamazaki, I M

1999-01-01

An automatic counting system for fission tracks induced in a polycarbonate plastic Makrofol KG (10 mu m thickness) is described. The method is based on the gas transport mechanism proposed by Knudsen, where the gas permeability for a porous membrane is expected to be directly related to its track density. In this work, nitrogen permeabilities for several Makrofol films, with different fission track densities, have been measured using an adequate gas permeation system. The fission tracks were produced by irradiating Makrofol foils with a 252Cf calibrated source in a 2 pi geometry. A calibration curve fission track number versus nitrogen permeability has been obtained, for track densities higher than 1000/cm sup 2 , where the spark gap technique and the visual methods employing a microscope, are not appropriate for track counting.

4-D single particle tracking of synthetic and proteinaceous microspheres reveals preferential movement of nuclear particles along chromatin - poor tracks.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacher, Christian P; Reichenzeller, Michaela; Athale, Chaitanya; Herrmann, Harald; Eils, Roland

2004-11-23

The dynamics of nuclear organization, nuclear bodies and RNPs in particular has been the focus of many studies. To understand their function, knowledge of their spatial nuclear position and temporal translocation is essential. Typically, such studies generate a wealth of data that require novel methods in image analysis and computational tools to quantitatively track particle movement on the background of moving cells and shape changing nuclei. We developed a novel 4-D image processing platform (TIKAL) for the work with laser scanning and wide field microscopes. TIKAL provides a registration software for correcting global movements and local deformations of cells as well as 2-D and 3-D tracking software. With this new tool, we studied the dynamics of two different types of nuclear particles, namely nuclear bodies made from GFP-NLS-vimentin and microinjected 0.1 mum - wide polystyrene beads, by live cell time-lapse microscopy combined with single particle tracking and mobility analysis. We now provide a tool for the automatic 3-D analysis of particle movement in parallel with the acquisition of chromatin density data. Kinetic analysis revealed 4 modes of movement: confined obstructed, normal diffusion and directed motion. Particle tracking on the background of stained chromatin revealed that particle movement is directly related to local reorganization of chromatin. Further a direct comparison of particle movement in the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm exhibited an entirely different kinetic behaviour of vimentin particles in both compartments. The kinetics of nuclear particles were slightly affected by depletion of ATP and significantly disturbed by disruption of actin and microtubule networks. Moreover, the hydration state of the nucleus had a strong impact on the mobility of nuclear bodies since both normal diffusion and directed motion were entirely abolished when cells were challenged with 0.6 M sorbitol. This effect correlated with the compaction of chromatin

Developing Web-based Tools for Collaborative Science and Public Outreach

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman, A.; Pizarro, O.; Williams, S. B.

2016-02-01

With the advances in high bandwidth communications and the proliferation of social media tools, education & outreach activities have become commonplace on ocean-bound research cruises. In parallel, advances in underwater robotics & other data collecting platforms, have made it possible to collect copious amounts of oceanographic data. This data then typically undergoes laborious, manual processing to transform it into quantitative information, which normally occurs post cruise resulting in significant lags between collecting data and using it for scientific discovery. This presentation discusses how appropriately designed software systems, can be used to fulfill multiple objectives and attempt to leverage public engagement in order to compliment science goals. We will present two software platforms: the first is a web browser based tool that was developed for real-time tracking of multiple underwater robots and ships. It was designed to allow anyone on board to view or control it on any device with a web browser. It opens up the possibility of remote teleoperation & engagement and was easily adapted to enable live streaming over the internet for public outreach. While the tracking system provided context and engaged people in real-time, it also directed interested participants to Squidle, another online system. Developed for scientists, Squidle supports data management, exploration & analysis and enables direct access to survey data reducing the lag in data processing. It provides a user-friendly streamlined interface that integrates advanced data management & online annotation tools. This system was adapted to provide a simplified user interface, tutorial instructions and a gamified ranking system to encourage "citizen science" participation. These examples show that through a flexible design approach, it is possible to leverage the development effort of creating science tools to facilitate outreach goals, opening up the possibility for acquiring large volumes of

MASTODON: A geosciences simulation tool built using the open-source framework MOOSE

Science.gov (United States)

Slaughter, A.

2017-12-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) is currently investing millions of dollars annually into various modeling and simulation tools for all aspects of nuclear energy. An important part of this effort includes developing applications based on the open-source Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE; mooseframework.org) from Idaho National Laboratory (INL).Thanks to the efforts of the DOE and outside collaborators, MOOSE currently contains a large set of physics modules, including phase field, level set, heat conduction, tensor mechanics, Navier-Stokes, fracture (extended finite-element method), and porous media, among others. The tensor mechanics and contact modules, in particular, are well suited for nonlinear geosciences problems. Multi-hazard Analysis for STOchastic time-DOmaiN phenomena (MASTODON; https://seismic-research.inl.gov/SitePages/Mastodon.aspx)--a MOOSE-based application--is capable of analyzing the response of 3D soil-structure systems to external hazards with current development focused on earthquakes. It is capable of simulating seismic events and can perform extensive "source-to-site" simulations including earthquake fault rupture, nonlinear wave propagation, and nonlinear soil-structure interaction analysis. MASTODON also includes a dynamic probabilistic risk assessment capability that enables analysts to not only perform deterministic analyses, but also easily perform probabilistic or stochastic simulations for the purpose of risk assessment. Although MASTODON has been developed for the nuclear industry, it can be used to assess the risk for any structure subjected to earthquakes.The geosciences community can learn from the nuclear industry and harness the enormous effort underway to build simulation tools that are open, modular, and share a common framework. In particular, MOOSE-based multiphysics solvers are inherently parallel, dimension agnostic, adaptive in time and space, fully coupled, and capable of interacting with other

Electronic health record case studies to advance environmental public health tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Namulanda, Gonza; Qualters, Judith; Vaidyanathan, Ambarish; Roberts, Eric; Richardson, Max; Fraser, Alicia; McVeigh, Katharine H; Patterson, Scott

2018-03-01

Data from traditional public health surveillance systems can have some limitations, e.g., timeliness, geographic level, and amount of data accessible. Electronic health records (EHRs) could present an opportunity to supplement current sources of routinely collected surveillance data. The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program) sought to explore the use of EHRs for advancing environmental public health surveillance practices. The Tracking Program funded four state/local health departments to obtain and pilot the use of EHR data to address several issues including the challenges and technical requirements for accessing EHR data, and the core data elements required to integrate EHR data within their departments' Tracking Programs. The results of these pilot projects highlighted the potential of EHR data for public health surveillance of rare diseases that may lack comprehensive registries, and surveillance of prevalent health conditions or risk factors for health outcomes at a finer geographic level. EHRs therefore, may have potential to supplement traditional sources of public health surveillance data. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Kinetic Analysis of Dynamic Positron Emission Tomography Data using Open-Source Image Processing and Statistical Inference Tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawe, David; Hernández Fernández, Francisco R; O'Suilleabháin, Liam; Huang, Jian; Wolsztynski, Eric; O'Sullivan, Finbarr

2012-05-01

In dynamic mode, positron emission tomography (PET) can be used to track the evolution of injected radio-labelled molecules in living tissue. This is a powerful diagnostic imaging technique that provides a unique opportunity to probe the status of healthy and pathological tissue by examining how it processes substrates. The spatial aspect of PET is well established in the computational statistics literature. This article focuses on its temporal aspect. The interpretation of PET time-course data is complicated because the measured signal is a combination of vascular delivery and tissue retention effects. If the arterial time-course is known, the tissue time-course can typically be expressed in terms of a linear convolution between the arterial time-course and the tissue residue. In statistical terms, the residue function is essentially a survival function - a familiar life-time data construct. Kinetic analysis of PET data is concerned with estimation of the residue and associated functionals such as flow, flux, volume of distribution and transit time summaries. This review emphasises a nonparametric approach to the estimation of the residue based on a piecewise linear form. Rapid implementation of this by quadratic programming is described. The approach provides a reference for statistical assessment of widely used one- and two-compartmental model forms. We illustrate the method with data from two of the most well-established PET radiotracers, (15)O-H(2)O and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose, used for assessment of blood perfusion and glucose metabolism respectively. The presentation illustrates the use of two open-source tools, AMIDE and R, for PET scan manipulation and model inference.

Revisiting source identification, weathering models, and phase discrimination for Exxon Valdez oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Driskell, W.B.; Payne, J.R.; Shigenaka, G.

2005-01-01

A large chemistry data set for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and saturated hydrocarbon (SHC) contamination in sediment, water and tissue samples has emerged in the aftermath of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. When the oil was fresh, source identification was a primary objective and fairly reliable. However, source identification became problematic as the oil weathered and its signatures changed. In response to concerns regarding when the impacted area will be clean again, this study focused on developing appropriate tools to confirm hydrocarbon source identifications and assess weathering in various matrices. Previous efforts that focused only on the whole or particulate-phase oil are not adequate to track dissolved-phase signal with low total PAH values. For that reason, a particulate signature index (PSI) and dissolved signature index (DSI) screening tool was developed in this study to discriminate between these 2 phases. The screening tool was used to measure the dissolved or water-soluble fraction of crude oil which occurs at much lower levels than the particulate phase, but which is more widely circulated and equally as important as the particulate oil phase. The discrimination methods can also identify normally-discarded, low total PAH samples which can increase the amount of usable data needed to model other effects of oil spills. 37 refs., 3 tabs., 10 figs

Tracking the 10Be-26Al source-area signal in sediment-routing systems of arid central Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Struck, Martin; Jansen, John D.; Fujioka, Toshiyuki; Codilean, Alexandru T.; Fink, David; Fülöp, Réka-Hajnalka; Wilcken, Klaus M.; Price, David M.; Kotevski, Steven; Fifield, L. Keith; Chappell, John

2018-05-01

Sediment-routing systems continuously transfer information and mass from eroding source areas to depositional sinks. Understanding how these systems alter environmental signals is critical when it comes to inferring source-area properties from the sedimentary record. We measure cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al along three large sediment-routing systems ( ˜ 100 000 km2) in central Australia with the aim of tracking downstream variations in 10Be-26Al inventories and identifying the factors responsible for these variations. By comparing 56 new cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al measurements in stream sediments with matching data (n = 55) from source areas, we show that 10Be-26Al inventories in hillslope bedrock and soils set the benchmark for relative downstream modifications. Lithology is the primary determinant of erosion-rate variations in source areas and despite sediment mixing over hundreds of kilometres downstream, a distinct lithological signal is retained. Post-orogenic ranges yield catchment erosion rates of ˜ 6-11 m Myr-1 and silcrete-dominant areas erode as slow as ˜ 0.2 m Myr-1. 10Be-26Al inventories in stream sediments indicate that cumulative-burial terms increase downstream to mostly ˜ 400-800 kyr and up to ˜ 1.1 Myr. The magnitude of the burial signal correlates with increasing sediment cover downstream and reflects assimilation from storages with long exposure histories, such as alluvial fans, desert pavements, alluvial plains, and aeolian dunes. We propose that the tendency for large alluvial rivers to mask their 10Be-26Al source-area signal differs according to geomorphic setting. Signal preservation is favoured by (i) high sediment supply rates, (ii) high mean runoff, and (iii) a thick sedimentary basin pile. Conversely, signal masking prevails in landscapes of (i) low sediment supply and (ii) juxtaposition of sediment storages with notably different exposure histories.

Measurement of angular distribution of neutron flux for the 6 MeV race-track microtron based pulsed neutron source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patil, B.J., E-mail: bjp@physics.unipune.ernet.i [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India); Chavan, S.T.; Pethe, S.N.; Krishnan, R. [SAMEER, IIT Powai Campus, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Dhole, S.D., E-mail: sanjay@physics.unipune.ernet.i [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411 007 (India)

2010-09-15

The 6 MeV race track microtron based pulsed neutron source has been designed specifically for the elemental analysis of short lived activation products, where the low neutron flux requirement is desirable. Electrons impinges on a e-{gamma} target to generate bremsstrahlung radiations, which further produces neutrons by photonuclear reaction in {gamma}-n target. The optimisation of these targets along with their spectra were estimated using FLUKA code. The measurement of neutron flux was carried out by activation of vanadium at different scattering angles. Angular distribution of neutron flux indicates that the flux decreases with increase in the angle and are in good agreement with the FLUKA simulation.

Precise Head Tracking in Hearing Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Helle, A. M.; Pilinski, J.; Luhmann, T.

2015-05-01

The paper gives an overview about two research projects, both dealing with optical head tracking in hearing applications. As part of the project "Development of a real-time low-cost tracking system for medical and audiological problems (ELCoT)" a cost-effective single camera 3D tracking system has been developed which enables the detection of arm and head movements of human patients. Amongst others, the measuring system is designed for a new hearing test (based on the "Mainzer Kindertisch"), which analyzes the directional hearing capabilities of children in cooperation with the research project ERKI (Evaluation of acoustic sound source localization for children). As part of the research project framework "Hearing in everyday life (HALLO)" a stereo tracking system is being used for analyzing the head movement of human patients during complex acoustic events. Together with the consideration of biosignals like skin conductance the speech comprehension and listening effort of persons with reduced hearing ability, especially in situations with background noise, is evaluated. For both projects the system design, accuracy aspects and results of practical tests are discussed.

CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program in Action: Case Studies From State and Local Health Departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Eatman, Shana; Strosnider, Heather M

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program) is a multidisciplinary collaboration that involves the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data from environmental hazard monitoring, human exposure surveillance, and health effects surveillance. With a renewed focus on data-driven decision-making, the CDC's Tracking Program emphasizes dissemination of actionable data to public health practitioners, policy makers, and communities. The CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network), a Web-based system with components at the national, state, and local levels, houses environmental public health data used to inform public health actions (PHAs) to improve community health. This article serves as a detailed landscape on the Tracking Program and Tracking Network and the Tracking Program's leading performance measure, "public health actions." Tracking PHAs are qualitative statements addressing a local problem or situation, the role of the state or local Tracking Program, how the problem or situation was addressed, and the action taken. More than 400 PHAs have been reported by funded state and local health departments since the Tracking Program began collecting PHAs in 2005. Three case studies are provided to illustrate the use of the Tracking Program resources and data on the Tracking Network, and the diversity of actions taken. Through a collaborative network of experts, data, and tools, the Tracking Program and its Tracking Network are actively informing state and local PHAs. In a time of competing priorities and limited funding, PHAs can serve as a powerful tool to advance environmental public health practice.

X-ray pulse wavefront metrology using speckle tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berujon, Sebastien; Ziegler, Eric; Cloetens, Peter

2015-01-01

The theoretical description and experimental implementation of a speckle-tracking-based instrument which permits the characterisation of X-ray pulse wavefronts. An instrument allowing the quantitative analysis of X-ray pulsed wavefronts is presented and its processing method explained. The system relies on the X-ray speckle tracking principle to accurately measure the phase gradient of the X-ray beam from which beam optical aberrations can be deduced. The key component of this instrument, a semi-transparent scintillator emitting visible light while transmitting X-rays, allows simultaneous recording of two speckle images at two different propagation distances from the X-ray source. The speckle tracking procedure for a reference-less metrology mode is described with a detailed account on the advanced processing schemes used. A method to characterize and compensate for the imaging detector distortion, whose principle is also based on speckle, is included. The presented instrument is expected to find interest at synchrotrons and at the new X-ray free-electron laser sources under development worldwide where successful exploitation of beams relies on the availability of an accurate wavefront metrology

Automatic tracking of cells for video microscopy in patch clamp experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Peixoto, Helton M; Munguba, Hermany; Cruz, Rossana M S; Guerreiro, Ana M G; Leao, Richardson N

2014-06-20

Visualisation of neurons labeled with fluorescent proteins or compounds generally require exposure to intense light for a relatively long period of time, often leading to bleaching of the fluorescent probe and photodamage of the tissue. Here we created a technique to drastically shorten light exposure and improve the targeting of fluorescent labeled cells that is specially useful for patch-clamp recordings. We applied image tracking and mask overlay to reduce the time of fluorescence exposure and minimise mistakes when identifying neurons. Neurons are first identified according to visual criteria (e.g. fluorescence protein expression, shape, viability etc.) and a transmission microscopy image Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) or Dodt contrast containing the cell used as a reference for the tracking algorithm. A fluorescence image can also be acquired later to be used as a mask (that can be overlaid on the target during live transmission video). As patch-clamp experiments require translating the microscope stage, we used pattern matching to track reference neurons in order to move the fluorescence mask to match the new position of the objective in relation to the sample. For the image processing we used the Open Source Computer Vision (OpenCV) library, including the Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF) for tracking cells. The dataset of images (n = 720) was analyzed under normal conditions of acquisition and with influence of noise (defocusing and brightness). We validated the method in dissociated neuronal cultures and fresh brain slices expressing Enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein (eYFP) or Tandem Dimer Tomato (tdTomato) proteins, which considerably decreased the exposure to fluorescence excitation, thereby minimising photodamage. We also show that the neuron tracking can be used in differential interference contrast or Dodt contrast microscopy. The techniques of digital image processing used in this work are an important addition to the set of microscopy

Effect of track etch rate on geometric track characteristics for polymeric track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Naby, A.A.; El-Akkad, F.A.

2001-01-01

Analysis of the variable track etch rate on geometric track characteristic for polymeric track detectors has been applied to the case of LR-155 II SSNTD. Spectrometric characteristics of low energy alpha particles response by the polymeric detector have been obtained. The track etching kinematics theory of development of minor diameter of the etched tracks has been applied. The calculations show that, for this type of detector, the energy dependence of the minor track diameter d is linear for small-etched removal layer h. The energy resolution gets better for higher etched removal layer

The European source term code ESTER - basic ideas and tools for coupling of ATHLET and ESTER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, F.; Schuch, A.; Hinkelmann, M.

1993-04-01

The French software house CISI and IKE of the University of Stuttgart have developed during 1990 and 1991 in the frame of the Shared Cost Action Reactor Safety the informatic structure of the European Source TERm Evaluation System (ESTER). Due to this work tools became available which allow to unify on an European basis both code development and code application in the area of severe core accident research. The behaviour of reactor cores is determined by thermal hydraulic conditions. Therefore for the development of ESTER it was important to investigate how to integrate thermal hydraulic code systems with ESTER applications. This report describes the basic ideas of ESTER and improvements of ESTER tools in view of a possible coupling of the thermal hydraulic code system ATHLET and ESTER. Due to the work performed during this project the ESTER tools became the most modern informatic tools presently available in the area of severe accident research. A sample application is given which demonstrates the use of the new tools. (orig.) [de

Tools for Trade Analysis and Open Source Information Monitoring for Non-proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cojazzi, G.G.M.; Versino, C.; Wolfart, E.; Renda, G.; Janssens, W.A.M.; )

2015-01-01

The new state level approach being proposed by IAEA envisions an objective based and information driven safeguards approach utilizing all relevant information to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of safeguards. To this goal the IAEA makes also use of open source information, here broadly defined as any information that is neither classified nor proprietary. It includes, but is not limited to: media sources, government and non-governmental reports and analyzes, commercial data, and scientific/technical literature, including trade data. Within the EC support programme to IAEA, JRC has surveyed and catalogued open sources on import-export customs trade data and developed tools for supporting the use of the related databases in safeguards. The JRC software The Big Table, (TBT), supports i.a.: a) the search through a collection of reference documents relevant to trade analysis (legal/regulatory documents, technical handbooks); b) the selection of items of interests to specific verifications and c) the mapping of these items to customs commodities searchable in trade databases. In the field of open source monitoring, JRC is developing and operating a ''Nuclear Security Media Monitor'' (NSMM), which is a web-based multilingual news aggregation system that automatically collects news articles from pre-defined web sites. NSMM is a domain specific version of the general JRC-Europe Media Monitor (EMM). NSMM has been established within the EC support programme with the aim, i.e., to streamline IAEA's process of open source information monitoring. In the first part, the paper will recall the trade data sources relevant for non-proliferation and will then illustrate the main features of TBT, recently coupled with the IAEA Physical Model, and new visualization techniques applied to trade data. In the second part it will present the main aspects of the NSMM also by illustrating some of uses done at JRC. (author)

4-D single particle tracking of synthetic and proteinaceous microspheres reveals preferential movement of nuclear particles along chromatin – poor tracks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Athale Chaitanya

2004-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The dynamics of nuclear organization, nuclear bodies and RNPs in particular has been the focus of many studies. To understand their function, knowledge of their spatial nuclear position and temporal translocation is essential. Typically, such studies generate a wealth of data that require novel methods in image analysis and computational tools to quantitatively track particle movement on the background of moving cells and shape changing nuclei. Results We developed a novel 4-D image processing platform (TIKAL for the work with laser scanning and wide field microscopes. TIKAL provides a registration software for correcting global movements and local deformations of cells as well as 2-D and 3-D tracking software. With this new tool, we studied the dynamics of two different types of nuclear particles, namely nuclear bodies made from GFP-NLS-vimentin and microinjected 0.1 μm – wide polystyrene beads, by live cell time-lapse microscopy combined with single particle tracking and mobility analysis. We now provide a tool for the automatic 3-D analysis of particle movement in parallel with the acquisition of chromatin density data. Conclusions Kinetic analysis revealed 4 modes of movement: confined obstructed, normal diffusion and directed motion. Particle tracking on the background of stained chromatin revealed that particle movement is directly related to local reorganization of chromatin. Further a direct comparison of particle movement in the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm exhibited an entirely different kinetic behaviour of vimentin particles in both compartments. The kinetics of nuclear particles were slightly affected by depletion of ATP and significantly disturbed by disruption of actin and microtubule networks. Moreover, the hydration state of the nucleus had a strong impact on the mobility of nuclear bodies since both normal diffusion and directed motion were entirely abolished when cells were challenged with 0.6 M

4-D single particle tracking of synthetic and proteinaceous microspheres reveals preferential movement of nuclear particles along chromatin – poor tracks

Science.gov (United States)

Bacher, Christian P; Reichenzeller, Michaela; Athale, Chaitanya; Herrmann, Harald; Eils, Roland

2004-01-01

Background The dynamics of nuclear organization, nuclear bodies and RNPs in particular has been the focus of many studies. To understand their function, knowledge of their spatial nuclear position and temporal translocation is essential. Typically, such studies generate a wealth of data that require novel methods in image analysis and computational tools to quantitatively track particle movement on the background of moving cells and shape changing nuclei. Results We developed a novel 4-D image processing platform (TIKAL) for the work with laser scanning and wide field microscopes. TIKAL provides a registration software for correcting global movements and local deformations of cells as well as 2-D and 3-D tracking software. With this new tool, we studied the dynamics of two different types of nuclear particles, namely nuclear bodies made from GFP-NLS-vimentin and microinjected 0.1 μm – wide polystyrene beads, by live cell time-lapse microscopy combined with single particle tracking and mobility analysis. We now provide a tool for the automatic 3-D analysis of particle movement in parallel with the acquisition of chromatin density data. Conclusions Kinetic analysis revealed 4 modes of movement: confined obstructed, normal diffusion and directed motion. Particle tracking on the background of stained chromatin revealed that particle movement is directly related to local reorganization of chromatin. Further a direct comparison of particle movement in the nucleoplasm and the cytoplasm exhibited an entirely different kinetic behaviour of vimentin particles in both compartments. The kinetics of nuclear particles were slightly affected by depletion of ATP and significantly disturbed by disruption of actin and microtubule networks. Moreover, the hydration state of the nucleus had a strong impact on the mobility of nuclear bodies since both normal diffusion and directed motion were entirely abolished when cells were challenged with 0.6 M sorbitol. This effect correlated

Acoustic holography as a metrological tool for characterizing medical ultrasound sources and fields

Science.gov (United States)

Sapozhnikov, Oleg A.; Tsysar, Sergey A.; Khokhlova, Vera A.; Kreider, Wayne

2015-01-01

Acoustic holography is a powerful technique for characterizing ultrasound sources and the fields they radiate, with the ability to quantify source vibrations and reduce the number of required measurements. These capabilities are increasingly appealing for meeting measurement standards in medical ultrasound; however, associated uncertainties have not been investigated systematically. Here errors associated with holographic representations of a linear, continuous-wave ultrasound field are studied. To facilitate the analysis, error metrics are defined explicitly, and a detailed description of a holography formulation based on the Rayleigh integral is provided. Errors are evaluated both for simulations of a typical therapeutic ultrasound source and for physical experiments with three different ultrasound sources. Simulated experiments explore sampling errors introduced by the use of a finite number of measurements, geometric uncertainties in the actual positions of acquired measurements, and uncertainties in the properties of the propagation medium. Results demonstrate the theoretical feasibility of keeping errors less than about 1%. Typical errors in physical experiments were somewhat larger, on the order of a few percent; comparison with simulations provides specific guidelines for improving the experimental implementation to reduce these errors. Overall, results suggest that holography can be implemented successfully as a metrological tool with small, quantifiable errors. PMID:26428789

Acoustic holography as a metrological tool for characterizing medical ultrasound sources and fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Sapozhnikov, Oleg A; Tsysar, Sergey A; Khokhlova, Vera A; Kreider, Wayne

2015-09-01

Acoustic holography is a powerful technique for characterizing ultrasound sources and the fields they radiate, with the ability to quantify source vibrations and reduce the number of required measurements. These capabilities are increasingly appealing for meeting measurement standards in medical ultrasound; however, associated uncertainties have not been investigated systematically. Here errors associated with holographic representations of a linear, continuous-wave ultrasound field are studied. To facilitate the analysis, error metrics are defined explicitly, and a detailed description of a holography formulation based on the Rayleigh integral is provided. Errors are evaluated both for simulations of a typical therapeutic ultrasound source and for physical experiments with three different ultrasound sources. Simulated experiments explore sampling errors introduced by the use of a finite number of measurements, geometric uncertainties in the actual positions of acquired measurements, and uncertainties in the properties of the propagation medium. Results demonstrate the theoretical feasibility of keeping errors less than about 1%. Typical errors in physical experiments were somewhat larger, on the order of a few percent; comparison with simulations provides specific guidelines for improving the experimental implementation to reduce these errors. Overall, results suggest that holography can be implemented successfully as a metrological tool with small, quantifiable errors.

Quantitative tools for addressing hospital readmissions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lagoe Ronald J

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Increased interest in health care cost containment is focusing attention on reduction of hospital readmissions. Major payors have already developed financial penalties for providers that generate excess readmissions. This subject has benefitted from the development of resources such as the Potentially Preventable Readmissions software. This process has encouraged hospitals to renew efforts to improve these outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe quantitative tools such as definitions, risk estimation, and tracking of patients for reducing hospital readmissions. Findings This study employed the Potentially Preventable Readmissions software to develop quantitative tools for addressing hospital readmissions. These tools included two definitions of readmissions that support identification and management of patients. They also included analytical approaches for estimation of the risk of readmission for individual patients by age, discharge status of the initial admission, and severity of illness. They also included patient specific spreadsheets for tracking of target populations and for evaluation of the impact of interventions. Conclusions The study demonstrated that quantitative tools including the development of definitions of readmissions, estimation of the risk of readmission, and patient specific spreadsheets could contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes in hospitals.

ISAT: The mega-fauna acoustic tracking system

KAUST Repository

De la Torre, Pedro; Smith, Egan Lloyd; Sancheti, Ajay; Salama, Khaled N.; Berumen, Michael L.

2013-01-01

The acoustic tracking module of the Integrated Satellite and Acoustic Telemetry (iSAT) system is discussed in detail. iSAT is capable of detecting the relative direction of an acoustic source by measuring the order of arrival (OOA) of the acoustic

Coupled Finite Element/Boundary Element Analysis of a Vehicle Moving Along a Railway Track

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Lars; Nielsen, Søren R. K.

2004-01-01

Trains running in build-up areas are a source to ground-borne noise. A careful design of the track structure may be one way of minimizing the vibrations in the surroundings. For example, open or in-filled trenches may be constructed along the track, or the soil underneath the track may be improved...

Version 1.00 programmer's tools used in constructing the INEL RML/analytical radiochemistry sample tracking database and its user interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Femec, D.A.

1995-09-01

This report describes two code-generating tools used to speed design and implementation of relational databases and user interfaces: CREATE-SCHEMA and BUILD-SCREEN. CREATE-SCHEMA produces the SQL commands that actually create and define the database. BUILD-SCREEN takes templates for data entry screens and generates the screen management system routine calls to display the desired screen. Both tools also generate the related FORTRAN declaration statements and precompiled SQL calls. Included with this report is the source code for a number of FORTRAN routines and functions used by the user interface. This code is broadly applicable to a number of different databases

Using bio.tools to generate and annotate workbench tool descriptions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hillion, Kenzo-Hugo; Kuzmin, Ivan; Khodak, Anton

2017-01-01

- which have been registered in the ELIXIR tools registry (https://bio.tools) - into workbench environments by generating tool description templates. ToolDog includes two modules. The first module analyses the source code of the bioinformatics software with language-specific plugins, and generates...

Studies on nitrogen mapping by various CR-39 track detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Somogyi, G.; Varga, Zs.; Hunyadi, I.; Freyer, K.; Treutler, H.Ch.

1986-01-01

The use of CR-39 track detectors for nitrogen distribution measurements via the /sup 14/N(n,p)/sup 14/C reaction is studied. The proton detection properties of different CR-39 products have been analyzed. The variation of background track density induced in the bulk of detectors is examined under different conditions of neutron irradiation. Analysis of our experimental data has led to the conclusion that the sources of proton background tracks are the fast neutron component of the neutron source, chlorine impurities in the detector and nitrogen diffused from the air into the upper layer of the detector. Efforts have been made to decrease the nitrogen content of diffusion origin by removing the upper detector layer and by outgassing the CR-39 sheet in vacuum before irradiation. Finally the ''signal/noise'' ratio for a steel specimen and the sensitivity of nitrogen determination are given.

Improvements to Passive Acoustic Tracking Methods for Marine Mammal Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-02

separate and associate calls from individual animals . Marine mammal; Passive acoustic monitoring; Localization; Tracking; Multiple source; Sparse array...position and hydrophone timing offset in addition to animal position Almost all marine mammal tracking methods treat animal position as the only unknown...Workshop on Detection, Classification and Localization (DCL) of Marine Mammals). The animals were expected to be relatively close to the surface

Latent tracks in polymeric etched track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamauchi, Tomoya

2013-01-01

Track registration properties in polymeric track detectors, including Poly(allyl diglycol carbonate), Bispenol A polycarbonate, Poly(ethylen terephtarate), and Polyimide, have been investigated by means of Fourie transform Infararede FT-IR spectrometry. Chemical criterion on the track formation threshold has been proposes, in stead of the conventional physical track registration models. (author)

Quality of Slab Track Construction - Track Alignment Design and Track Geometry

Science.gov (United States)

Šestáková, Janka

2015-05-01

The slab track superstructure design (without ballast) is a perspective construction especially for building tunnels and bridges in the modernized sections of railway tracks in Slovakia. Monitoring of the structure described in this article is focused on the transition areas between standard structure with ballast and slab track construction.

Genome sequencing of bacteria: sequencing, de novo assembly and rapid analysis using open source tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Kisand, Veljo; Lettieri, Teresa

2013-04-01

De novo genome sequencing of previously uncharacterized microorganisms has the potential to open up new frontiers in microbial genomics by providing insight into both functional capabilities and biodiversity. Until recently, Roche 454 pyrosequencing was the NGS method of choice for de novo assembly because it generates hundreds of thousands of long reads (tools for processing NGS data are increasingly free and open source and are often adopted for both their high quality and role in promoting academic freedom. The error rate of pyrosequencing the Alcanivorax borkumensis genome was such that thousands of insertions and deletions were artificially introduced into the finished genome. Despite a high coverage (~30 fold), it did not allow the reference genome to be fully mapped. Reads from regions with errors had low quality, low coverage, or were missing. The main defect of the reference mapping was the introduction of artificial indels into contigs through lower than 100% consensus and distracting gene calling due to artificial stop codons. No assembler was able to perform de novo assembly comparable to reference mapping. Automated annotation tools performed similarly on reference mapped and de novo draft genomes, and annotated most CDSs in the de novo assembled draft genomes. Free and open source software (FOSS) tools for assembly and annotation of NGS data are being developed rapidly to provide accurate results with less computational effort. Usability is not high priority and these tools currently do not allow the data to be processed without manual intervention. Despite this, genome assemblers now readily assemble medium short reads into long contigs (>97-98% genome coverage). A notable gap in pyrosequencing technology is the quality of base pair calling and conflicting base pairs between single reads at the same nucleotide position. Regardless, using draft whole genomes that are not finished and remain fragmented into tens of contigs allows one to characterize

Nutrient Tracking Tool - A user-friendly tool for evaluating the water and air quality and quantity as affected by various agricultural management practices

Science.gov (United States)

Saleh, A.; Niraula, R.; Gallego, O.; Osei, E.; Kannan, N.

2017-12-01

The Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) is a user-friendly web-based computer program that estimate nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) and sediment losses from fields managed under a variety of cropping patterns and management practices. The NTT includes a user-friendly web-based interface and is linked to the Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) model. It also accesses USDA-NRCS's Web Soil Survey to obtain field, weather, and soil information. NTT provides producers, government officials, and other users with a fast and efficient method of estimating the nutrient, sediment, and atmosphoric gases (N2o, Co2, and NH4) losses, and crop production under different conservation practices regims at the farm-level. The information obtained from NTT can help producers to determine the most cost-effective conservation practice(s) to reduce the nutrient and sediment losses while optimizing the crop production. Also, the recent version of NTT (NTTg3) has been developed for those coutries without access to national databasis, such as soils and wether. The NTTg3 also has been designed as easy to use APEX interface. NTT is currently being evaluated for trading and other programs at Cheaseapea Bay regions and numerous states in US. During this presentation the new capabilities of NTTg3 will be described and demonstrated.

iPhone Open Application Development Write Native Applications Using the Open Source Tool Chain

CERN Document Server

Zdziarski, Jonathan

2008-01-01

Developers everywhere are eager to create applications for the iPhone, and many of them prefer the open source, community-developed tool chain to Apple's own toolkit. This new edition of iPhone Open Application Development covers the latest version of the open toolkit -- now updated for Apple's iPhone 2.x software and iPhone 3G -- and explains in clear language how to create applications using Objective-C and the iPhone API.

Fast symplectic map tracking for the CERN Large Hadron Collider

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan T. Abell

2003-06-01

Full Text Available Tracking simulations remain the essential tool for evaluating how multipolar imperfections in ring magnets restrict the domain of stable phase-space motion. In the Large Hadron Collider (LHC at CERN, particles circulate at the injection energy, when multipole errors are most significant, for more than 10^{7} turns, but systematic tracking studies are limited to a small fraction of this total time—even on modern computers. A considerable speedup is expected by replacing element-by-element tracking with the use of a symplectified one-turn map. We have applied this method to the realistic LHC lattice, version 6, and report here our results for various map orders, with special emphasis on precision and speed.

Creation of nanoscale objects by swift heavy ion track manipulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fink, D.; Petrov, A.; Stolterfoht, N.

2003-01-01

In this work we give an overview of the possibilities to create new objects with nanoscale dimensions with ion tracks, for future applications. This can be realized in two ways: by manipulation of latent swift heavy ion (SHI) tracks, or by embedding specific structures within etched SHI tracks. In the first case one can make use of irradiation effects such as phase transitions and chemical or structural changes along the tracks. In the latter case, one can fill etched SHI tracks with metals, semiconductors, insulating and conducting polymers, fullerite, or colloides. Wires and tubules with outer diameters, between about 50 nm and 5 μm and lengths of up to about 100 μm can be obtained. The most important production techniques are galvanic and chemical depositions. Ion Transmission Spectrometry has turned out to be an especially useful tool for the characterisation of the produced objects. Present studies aim at the construction of condensers, magnets, diodes, and sensors in etched tracks. An obstacle for the practical realization of smallest-size polymeric ion track devices is the statistical distribution of the ion tracks on the target areas, which yields some pixels without any track, and other pixels even with overlapping tracks on a given sample. In a first test experiment we demonstrate that one can, in principle, overcome that problem by taking self-ordered porous foils as masks for subsequent high-fluence SHI irradiation. (author)

Eye tracking a comprehensive guide to methods and measures

CERN Document Server

Holmqvist, Kenneth; Andersson, Richard; Dewhurst, Richard; Jarodzka, Halszka; Weijer, Joost van de

2011-01-01

We make 3-5 eye movements per second, and these movements are crucial in helping us deal with the vast amounts of information we encounter in our everyday lives. In recent years, thanks to the development of eye tracking technology, there has been a growing interest in monitoring and measuring these movements, with a view to understanding how we attend to and process the visual information we encounter Eye tracking as a research tool is now more accessible than ever, and is growing in popularity amongst researchers from a whole host of different disciplines. Usability analysts, sports scientists, cognitive psychologists, reading researchers, psycholinguists, neurophysiologists, electrical engineers, and others, all have a vested interest in eye tracking for different reasons. The ability to record eye-movements has helped advance our science and led to technological innovations. However, the growth of eye tracking in recent years has also presented a variety of challenges - in particular the issue of how to d...

Optical tracking of nanoscale particles in microscale environments

Science.gov (United States)

Mathai, P. P.; Liddle, J. A.; Stavis, S. M.

2016-03-01

The trajectories of nanoscale particles through microscale environments record useful information about both the particles and the environments. Optical microscopes provide efficient access to this information through measurements of light in the far field from nanoparticles. Such measurements necessarily involve trade-offs in tracking capabilities. This article presents a measurement framework, based on information theory, that facilitates a more systematic understanding of such trade-offs to rationally design tracking systems for diverse applications. This framework includes the degrees of freedom of optical microscopes, which determine the limitations of tracking measurements in theory. In the laboratory, tracking systems are assemblies of sources and sensors, optics and stages, and nanoparticle emitters. The combined characteristics of such systems determine the limitations of tracking measurements in practice. This article reviews this tracking hardware with a focus on the essential functions of nanoparticles as optical emitters and microenvironmental probes. Within these theoretical and practical limitations, experimentalists have implemented a variety of tracking systems with different capabilities. This article reviews a selection of apparatuses and techniques for tracking multiple and single particles by tuning illumination and detection, and by using feedback and confinement to improve the measurements. Prior information is also useful in many tracking systems and measurements, which apply across a broad spectrum of science and technology. In the context of the framework and review of apparatuses and techniques, this article reviews a selection of applications, with particle diffusion serving as a prelude to tracking measurements in biological, fluid, and material systems, fabrication and assembly processes, and engineered devices. In so doing, this review identifies trends and gaps in particle tracking that might influence future research.

Follow the money: A method for tracking electricity for environmental disclosure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biewald, B.; White, D.; Woolf, T.

1999-05-01

In order to account for the sources and attributes of power sold at retail, it will be necessary to establish a system for tracking electricity from each generation source to each retail electricity seller through complex wholesale markets. In January 1998 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided a grant to the New England Governor's Conference to investigate the development of an electricity tracking system for transactions in the New England Power Pool. The overall objective of the New England Tracking System (NETS) project was to develop a single, region-wide data collection and verification procedure to support compliance with, and enforcement of, environmental disclosure, RPS, GPS, green power standards, and other restructuring policies that might require accounting for the sources of electricity generation. The NETS method was designed to conform with the timing, contractual definitions, and rules and protocols that will be used by the New England Independent System Operator (ISO-NE) for financial settlement of the New England energy market. However, this method can be applied to other electricity control areas and power pools. In fact, establishing consistent methods across neighboring regions will help improve the accounting for the attributes of power that is sold between different regions. While there are many details and definitions underlying the NETS approach, there are two main steps in tracking electricity attributes. First, all transactions between market participants must be tracked, such that all electricity sold at retail is associated with a mix of generators. Second, the attributes of those generators (fuel type, air emissions, etc.) must be applied to the resource mix of each supplier. The first step--tracking the electricity from each generating unit to each load-serving entity (LSE)--is the focus of this article.

Tools for tracking progress. Indicators for sustainable energy development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.; Rogner, H.H.; Aslanian, G.

2000-01-01

A project on 'Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development (ISED)' was introduced by the IAEA as a part of its work programme on Comparative Assessment of Energy Sources for the biennium 1999-2000. It is being pursued by the Planning and Economic Studies Section of the Department of Nuclear Energy. The envisaged tasks are to: (1) identify the main components of sustainable energy development and derive a consistent set of appropriate indicators, keeping in view the indicators for Agenda 21, (2) establish relationship of ISED with those of the Agenda 21, and (3) review the Agency's databases and tools to determine the modifications required to apply the ISED. The first two tasks are being pursued with the help of experts from various international organizations and Member States. In this connection two expert group meetings were held, one in May 1999 and the other in November 1999. The following nine topics were identified as the key issues: social development; economic development; environmental congeniality and waste management; resource depletion; adequate provision of energy and disparities; energy efficiency; energy security; energy supply options; and energy pricing. A new conceptual framework model specifically tuned to the energy sector was developed, drawing upon work by other organizations in the environmental area. Within the framework of this conceptual model, two provisional lists of ISED - a full list and a core list - have been prepared. They cover indicators for the following energy related themes and sub-themes under the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable energy development: Economic dimension: Economic activity levels; End-use energy intensities of selected sectors and different manufacturing industries; energy supply efficiency; energy security; and energy pricing. Social dimension: Energy accessibility and disparities. Environmental dimension: Air pollution (urban air quality; global climate change concern); water

Sewage pollution in urban stormwater runoff as evident from the widespread presence of multiple microbial and chemical source tracking markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidhu, J P S; Ahmed, W; Gernjak, W; Aryal, R; McCarthy, D; Palmer, A; Kolotelo, P; Toze, S

2013-10-01

The concurrence of human sewage contamination in urban stormwater runoff (n=23) from six urban catchments across Australia was assessed by using both microbial source tracking (MST) and chemical source tracking (CST) markers. Out of 23 stormwater samples human adenovirus (HAv), human polyomavirus (HPv) and the sewage-associated markers; Methanobrevibacter smithii nifH and Bacteroides HF183 were detected in 91%, 56%, 43% and 96% of samples, respectively. Similarly, CST markers paracetamol (87%), salicylic acid (78%) acesulfame (96%) and caffeine (91%) were frequently detected. Twenty one samples (91%) were positive for six to eight sewage related MST and CST markers and remaining two samples were positive for five and four markers, respectively. A very good consensus (>91%) observed between the concurrence of the HF183, HAv, acesulfame and caffeine suggests good predictability of the presence of HAv in samples positive for one of the three markers. High prevalence of HAv (91%) also suggests that other enteric viruses may also be present in the stormwater samples which may pose significant health risks. This study underscores the benefits of employing a set of MST and CST markers which could include monitoring for HF183, adenovirus, caffeine and paracetamol to accurately detect human sewage contamination along with credible information on the presence of human enteric viruses, which could be used for more reliable public health risk assessments. Based on the results obtained in this study, it is recommended that some degree of treatment of captured stormwater would be required if it were to be used for non-potable purposes. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterizing the oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate sources to aquatic ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Young, M.B.; McLaughlin, K.; Kendall, C.; Stringfellow, W.; Rollog, M.; Elsbury, K.; Donald, E.; Paytan, A.

2009-01-01

The oxygen isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic phosphate (δ18Op) in many aquatic ecosystems is not in isotopic equilibrium with ambient water and, therefore, may reflect the source δ18Op. Identification of phosphate sources to water bodies is critical for designing best management practices for phosphate load reduction to control eutrophication. In order for δ18O p to be a useful tool for source tracking, the δ18Op of phosphate sources must be distinguishable from one another; however, the δ18Op of potential sources has not been well characterized. We measured the δ18O p of a variety of known phosphate sources, including fertilizers, semiprocessed phosphorite ore, particulate aerosols, detergents, leachates of vegetation, soil, animal feces, and wastewater treatment plant effluent. We found a considerable range of δ18Op values (from +8.4 to +24.9‰) for the various sources, and statistically significant differences were found between several of the source types. δ18Op measured in three different fresh water systems was generally not in equilibrium with ambient water. Although there is overlap in δ18Op values among the groups of samples, our results indicate that some sources are isotopically distinct and δ18Op can be used for identifying phosphate sources to aquatic systems.

A-Track: Detecting Moving Objects in FITS images

Science.gov (United States)

Atay, T.; Kaplan, M.; Kilic, Y.; Karapinar, N.

2017-04-01

A-Track is a fast, open-source, cross-platform pipeline for detecting moving objects (asteroids and comets) in sequential telescope images in FITS format. The moving objects are detected using a modified line detection algorithm.

A new three-dimensional track fit with multiple scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, Niklaus; Kozlinskiy, Alexandr; Kiehn, Moritz; Schöning, André

2017-01-01

Modern semiconductor detectors allow for charged particle tracking with ever increasing position resolution. Due to the reduction of the spatial hit uncertainties, multiple Coulomb scattering in the detector layers becomes the dominant source for tracking uncertainties. In this case long distance effects can be ignored for the momentum measurement, and the track fit can consequently be formulated as a sum of independent fits to hit triplets. In this paper we present an analytical solution for a three-dimensional triplet(s) fit in a homogeneous magnetic field based on a multiple scattering model. Track fitting of hit triplets is performed using a linearization ansatz. The momentum resolution is discussed for a typical spectrometer setup. Furthermore the track fit is compared with other track fits for two different pixel detector geometries, namely the Mu3e experiment at PSI and a typical high-energy collider experiment. For a large momentum range the triplets fit provides a significantly better performance than a single helix fit. The triplets fit is fast and can easily be parallelized, which makes it ideal for the implementation on parallel computing architectures.

A new three-dimensional track fit with multiple scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berger, Niklaus; Kozlinskiy, Alexandr [Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg (Germany); Institut für Kernphysik and PRISMA cluster of excellence, Mainz University, Mainz (Germany); Kiehn, Moritz; Schöning, André [Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg (Germany)

2017-02-01

Modern semiconductor detectors allow for charged particle tracking with ever increasing position resolution. Due to the reduction of the spatial hit uncertainties, multiple Coulomb scattering in the detector layers becomes the dominant source for tracking uncertainties. In this case long distance effects can be ignored for the momentum measurement, and the track fit can consequently be formulated as a sum of independent fits to hit triplets. In this paper we present an analytical solution for a three-dimensional triplet(s) fit in a homogeneous magnetic field based on a multiple scattering model. Track fitting of hit triplets is performed using a linearization ansatz. The momentum resolution is discussed for a typical spectrometer setup. Furthermore the track fit is compared with other track fits for two different pixel detector geometries, namely the Mu3e experiment at PSI and a typical high-energy collider experiment. For a large momentum range the triplets fit provides a significantly better performance than a single helix fit. The triplets fit is fast and can easily be parallelized, which makes it ideal for the implementation on parallel computing architectures.

Beam diagnostic tools for the negative hydrogen ion source test facility ELISE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nocentini, Riccardo; Fantz, Ursel; Franzen, Peter; Froeschle, Markus; Heinemann, Bernd; Riedl, Rudolf; Ruf, Benjamin; Wuenderlich, Dirk

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We present an overview of beam diagnostic tools foreseen for the new testbed ELISE. ► A sophisticated diagnostic calorimeter allows beam profile measurement. ► A tungsten wire mesh in the beam path provides a qualitative picture of the beam. ► Stripping losses and beam divergence are measured by H α Doppler shift spectroscopy. -- Abstract: The test facility ELISE, presently being commissioned at IPP, is a first step in the R and D roadmap for the RF driven ion source and extraction system of the ITER NBI system. The “half-size” ITER-like test facility includes a negative hydrogen ion source that can be operated for 1 h. ELISE is expected to extract an ion beam of 20 A at 60 kV for 10 s every 3 min, therefore delivering a total power of 1.2 MW. The extraction area has a geometry that closely reproduces the ITER design, with the same width and half the height, i.e. 1 m × 1 m. This paper presents an overview of beam diagnostic tools foreseen for ELISE. For the commissioning phase, a simple beam dump with basic diagnostic capabilities has been installed. In the second phase, the beam dump will be substituted by a more sophisticated diagnostic calorimeter to allow beam profile measurement. Additionally, a tungsten wire mesh will be introduced in the beam path to provide a qualitative picture of beam size and position. Stripping losses and beam divergence will be measured by means of H α Doppler shift spectroscopy. An absolute calibration is foreseen in order to measure beam intensity

The CSSIAR v.1.00 Software: A new tool based on SIAR to assess soil redistribution using Compound Specific Stable Isotopes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

de los Santos-Villalobos Sergio

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Soil erosion is one of the biggest challenges for food production around the world. Many techniques have been used to evaluate and mitigate soil degradation. Nowadays isotopic techniques are becoming a powerful tool to assess soil apportionment. One of the innovative techniques used is the Compound Specific Stable Isotopes (CSSI analysis, which has been used to track down sediments and specify their sources by the isotopic signature of δ13C in specific fatty acids. The application of this technique on soil apportionment has been recently developed, however there is a lack of user-friendly Software for data processing and interpretation. The aim of this article is to introduce a new open source tool for working with data sets generated by the use of the CSSI technique to assess soil apportionment, called the CSSIARv1.00 Software

The CSSIAR v.1.00 Software: A new tool based on SIAR to assess soil redistribution using Compound Specific Stable Isotopes

Science.gov (United States)

Sergio, de los Santos-Villalobos; Claudio, Bravo-Linares; dos Anjos Roberto, Meigikos; Renan, Cardoso; Max, Gibbs; Andrew, Swales; Lionel, Mabit; Gerd, Dercon

Soil erosion is one of the biggest challenges for food production around the world. Many techniques have been used to evaluate and mitigate soil degradation. Nowadays isotopic techniques are becoming a powerful tool to assess soil apportionment. One of the innovative techniques used is the Compound Specific Stable Isotopes (CSSI) analysis, which has been used to track down sediments and specify their sources by the isotopic signature of δ13 C in specific fatty acids. The application of this technique on soil apportionment has been recently developed, however there is a lack of user-friendly Software for data processing and interpretation. The aim of this article is to introduce a new open source tool for working with data sets generated by the use of the CSSI technique to assess soil apportionment, called the CSSIARv1.00 Software

Kinect-Based Moving Human Tracking System with Obstacle Avoidance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdel Mehsen Ahmad

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper is an extension of work originally presented and published in IEEE International Multidisciplinary Conference on Engineering Technology (IMCET. This work presents a design and implementation of a moving human tracking system with obstacle avoidance. The system scans the environment by using Kinect, a 3D sensor, and tracks the center of mass of a specific user by using Processing, an open source computer programming language. An Arduino microcontroller is used to drive motors enabling it to move towards the tracked user and avoid obstacles hampering the trajectory. The implemented system is tested under different lighting conditions and the performance is analyzed using several generated depth images.

Flying Boresight for Advanced Testing and Calibration of Tracking Antennas and Flight Path Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Hafner, D.

2015-09-01

The application of ground-based boresight sources for calibration and testing of tracking antennas usually entails various difficulties, mostly due to unwanted ground effects. To avoid this problem, DLR MORABA developed a small, lightweight, frequency-adjustable S-band boresight source, mounted on a small remote-controlled multirotor aircraft. Highly accurate GPS-supported, position and altitude control functions allow both, very steady positioning of the aircraft in mid-air, and precise waypoint-based, semi-autonomous flights. In contrast to fixed near-ground boresight sources this flying setup enables to avoid obstructions in the Fresnel zone between source and antenna. Further, it minimizes ground reflections and other multipath effects which can affect antenna calibration. In addition, the large operating range of a flying boresight simplifies measurements in the far field of the antenna and permits undisturbed antenna pattern tests. A unique application is the realistic simulation of sophisticated flight paths, including overhead tracking and demanding trajectories of fast objects such as sounding rockets. Likewise, dynamic tracking tests are feasible which provide crucial information about the antenna pedestal performance — particularly at high elevations — and reveal weaknesses in the autotrack control loop of tracking antenna systems. During acceptance tests of MORABA's new tracking antennas, a manned aircraft was never used, since the Flying Boresight surpassed all expectations regarding usability, efficiency, and precision. Hence, it became an integral part of MORABA's standard antenna setup and calibration procedures.

Finding the Right Fit: Understanding Health Tracking in Workplace Wellness Programs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chung, Chia-Fang; Jensen, Nanna Gorm; Shklovski, Irina

2017-01-01

Workplace health and wellness programs are increasingly integrating personal health tracking technologies, such as Fitbit and Apple Watch. Many question whether these technologies truly support employees in their pursuit of better wellness levels, raising objections about workplace surveillance...... and further blurring of boundaries between work and personal life. We conducted a study to understand how tracking tools are adopted in wellness programs and employees' opinions about these programs. We find that employees are generally positive about incentivized health tracking in the workplace, as it helps...... raise awareness of activity levels. However, there is a gap between the intentions of the programs and individual experiences and health goals. This sometimes results in confusion and creates barriers to participation. Even if this gap can be addressed, health tracking in the workplace...

CERN Expenditure Tracking: an improved financial tool for the LHC era

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2002-01-01

In order to face the challenges of the LHC era, and following the recommendations of the External Review Committee, CERN Expenditure Tracking (CET) will soon replace the Budget Holders' Toolkit (BHT) application as a versatile and user-friendly way to view CERN financial data. It will offer significantly more functionality than BHT. Pictured here is the team in Administrative Services division responsible for developing CET. From left to right: (standing) Per Gunnar Jonsson, James Purvis, Mikael Angberg; (seated) Martyn Rankin, David McGlashan.

Can Family Planning Service Statistics Be Used to Track Population-Level Outcomes?

Science.gov (United States)

Magnani, Robert J; Ross, John; Williamson, Jessica; Weinberger, Michelle

2018-03-21

The need for annual family planning program tracking data under the Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) initiative has contributed to renewed interest in family planning service statistics as a potential data source for annual estimates of the modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR). We sought to assess (1) how well a set of commonly recorded data elements in routine service statistics systems could, with some fairly simple adjustments, track key population-level outcome indicators, and (2) whether some data elements performed better than others. We used data from 22 countries in Africa and Asia to analyze 3 data elements collected from service statistics: (1) number of contraceptive commodities distributed to clients, (2) number of family planning service visits, and (3) number of current contraceptive users. Data quality was assessed via analysis of mean square errors, using the United Nations Population Division World Contraceptive Use annual mCPR estimates as the "gold standard." We also examined the magnitude of several components of measurement error: (1) variance, (2) level bias, and (3) slope (or trend) bias. Our results indicate modest levels of tracking error for data on commodities to clients (7%) and service visits (10%), and somewhat higher error rates for data on current users (19%). Variance and slope bias were relatively small for all data elements. Level bias was by far the largest contributor to tracking error. Paired comparisons of data elements in countries that collected at least 2 of the 3 data elements indicated a modest advantage of data on commodities to clients. None of the data elements considered was sufficiently accurate to be used to produce reliable stand-alone annual estimates of mCPR. However, the relatively low levels of variance and slope bias indicate that trends calculated from these 3 data elements can be productively used in conjunction with the Family Planning Estimation Tool (FPET) currently used to produce annual m

Stimulated leaks found with SmartBall tool

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

2011-05-15

Pure Technologies has developed a SmartBall leak detection tool which can be used in oil and gas pipelines. This tool contains acoustic sensors which listen for leaks and other problems in pipelines. Pig tracking units are used to track the tool along with receivers positioned on the pipe. With these technologies, SmartBall is able to detect small leaks that conventional methods would not detect and to assess their location accurately. Two runs on a Petrobras pipeline in Brazil highlighted the effectiveness of this technology, detecting three simulated leaks as small as 240mL/min. In addition, this system can give an estimation of the leak rate and traverse non piggable pipelines. Software is then used to analyze data and generate a report giving the size and location of the leaks identified. SmartBall is a technology capable of detecting small leaks and locating them in all sorts of oil and gas pipelines.

Progress in the application of solid-state track recorders to reactor physics experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besant, C.B.; Ipson, S.S.

1969-03-01

Heavily ionising particles passing through insulating materials cause tracks due to damage. These strain energy fields may be observed directly with an electron microscope or, after etching, the tracks may be seen with an optical microscope. The etching solution penetrates the damaged portion of the material and enlarges the hole if the etching is continued. This technique has been applied to detecting fission fragments from fissions taking place in a thin source of fissile material. The source, together with the insulating material is called a Solid-State Track Recorder and has been applied to the measurement of fission ratios in the fast critical assembly ZEBRA at Winfrith. The main disadvantage of the technique has been in counting tracks by eye which is laborious and subject to the human element. This has been overcome by counting tracks with a 'Quantimet' Computer Image Analyser. Absolute fission rate measurements are also discussed and it has been shown that measurements to an accuracy of better than ± 1% should be possible with this technique. (author)

Three options for citation tracking: Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakkalbasi, Nisa; Bauer, Kathleen; Glover, Janis; Wang, Lei

2006-06-29

Researchers turn to citation tracking to find the most influential articles for a particular topic and to see how often their own published papers are cited. For years researchers looking for this type of information had only one resource to consult: the Web of Science from Thomson Scientific. In 2004 two competitors emerged--Scopus from Elsevier and Google Scholar from Google. The research reported here uses citation analysis in an observational study examining these three databases; comparing citation counts for articles from two disciplines (oncology and condensed matter physics) and two years (1993 and 2003) to test the hypothesis that the different scholarly publication coverage provided by the three search tools will lead to different citation counts from each. Eleven journal titles with varying impact factors were selected from each discipline (oncology and condensed matter physics) using the Journal Citation Reports (JCR). All articles published in the selected titles were retrieved for the years 1993 and 2003, and a stratified random sample of articles was chosen, resulting in four sets of articles. During the week of November 7-12, 2005, the citation counts for each research article were extracted from the three sources. The actual citing references for a subset of the articles published in 2003 were also gathered from each of the three sources. For oncology 1993 Web of Science returned the highest average number of citations, 45.3. Scopus returned the highest average number of citations (8.9) for oncology 2003. Web of Science returned the highest number of citations for condensed matter physics 1993 and 2003 (22.5 and 3.9 respectively). The data showed a significant difference in the mean citation rates between all pairs of resources except between Google Scholar and Scopus for condensed matter physics 2003. For articles published in 2003 Google Scholar returned the largest amount of unique citing material for oncology and Web of Science returned the

Eye-Tracking as a Tool to Evaluate Functional Ability in Everyday Tasks in Glaucoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enkelejda Kasneci

2017-01-01

Full Text Available To date, few studies have investigated the eye movement patterns of individuals with glaucoma while they undertake everyday tasks in real-world settings. While some of these studies have reported possible compensatory gaze patterns in those with glaucoma who demonstrated good task performance despite their visual field loss, little is known about the complex interaction between field loss and visual scanning strategies and the impact on task performance and, consequently, on quality of life. We review existing approaches that have quantified the effect of glaucomatous visual field defects on the ability to undertake everyday activities through the use of eye movement analysis. Furthermore, we discuss current developments in eye-tracking technology and the potential for combining eye-tracking with virtual reality and advanced analytical approaches. Recent technological developments suggest that systems based on eye-tracking have the potential to assist individuals with glaucomatous loss to maintain or even improve their performance on everyday tasks and hence enhance their long-term quality of life. We discuss novel approaches for studying the visual search behavior of individuals with glaucoma that have the potential to assist individuals with glaucoma, through the use of personalized programs that take into consideration the individual characteristics of their remaining visual field and visual search behavior.

Global Radiological Source Sorting, Tracking, And Monitoring (GRADSSTRAM) Using Emerging RFID AND WEB 2.0; Paper at 2009 INMM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, Randy M.; Kopsick, Deborah A.; Gorman, Bryan L.; Ganguly, Auroop R.; Ferren, Mitch; Shankar, Mallikarjun

2009-01-01

Thousands of shipments of radioisotopes developed in the United States (U.S.) are transported domestically and internationally for medical and industrial applications, including to partner laboratories in European Union (EU) countries. Over the past five years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy (DOE), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)1 have worked with state first responder personnel, key private sector supply chain stakeholders, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracking and monitoring of medical, research and industrial radioisotopes in commerce. ORNL was the pioneer of the international radioisotope shipping and production business. Most radioisotopes made and used today were either made or discovered at ORNL. While most of the radioisotopes used in the commercial sector are now produced and sold by the private market, ORNL still leads the world in the production of exotic, high-value and/or sensitive industrial, medical and research isotopes. The ORNL-EPA-DOE Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring (RadSTraM) project tested, evaluated, and integrated RFID technologies in laboratory settings and at multiple private-sector shipping and distribution facilities (Perkin Elmer and DHL) to track and monitor common radioisotopes used in everyday commerce. The RFID tracking capability was also tested in association with other deployed technologies including radiation detection, chemical/explosives detection, advanced imaging, lasers, and infrared scanning. At the 2007 EU-U.S. Summit, the leaders of the US Department of Commerce (DOC) and EU European Commission (EC) committed to pursue jointly directed Lighthouse Priority Projects. These projects are intended to foster cooperation and reduce regulatory burdens with respect to transatlantic commerce. The

A method to harness global crowd-sourced data to understand travel behavior in avalanche terrain.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrikx, J.; Johnson, J.

2015-12-01

To date, most studies of the human dimensions of decision making in avalanche terrain has focused on two areas - post-accident analysis using accident reports/interviews and, the development of tools as decision forcing aids. We present an alternate method using crowd-sourced citizen science, for understanding decision-making in avalanche terrain. Our project combines real-time GPS tracking via a smartphone application, with internet based surveys of winter backcountry users as a method to describe and quantify travel practices in concert with group decision-making dynamics, and demographic data of participants during excursions. Effectively, we use the recorded GPS track taken within the landscape as an expression of the decision making processes and terrain usage by the group. Preliminary data analysis shows that individual experience levels, gender, avalanche hazard, and group composition all influence the ways in which people travel in avalanche terrain. Our results provide the first analysis of coupled real-time GPS tracking of the crowd while moving in avalanche terrain combined with psychographic and demographic correlates. This research will lead to an improved understanding of real-time decision making in avalanche terrain. In this paper we will specifically focus on the presentation of the methods used to solicit, and then harness the crowd to obtain data in a unique and innovative application of citizen science where the movements within the terrain are the desired output data (Figure 1). Figure 1: Example GPS tracks sourced from backcountry winter users in the Teton Pass area (Wyoming), from the 2014-15 winter season, where tracks in red represent those recorded as self-assessed experts (as per our survey), and where tracks in blue represent those recorded as self-assessed intermediates. All tracks shown were obtained under similar avalanche conditions. Statistical analysis of terrain metrics showed that the experts used steeper terrain than the

Risk assessment of soil compaction in Europe – Rubber tracks or wheels on machinery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lamandé, Mathieu; Greve, Mogens Humlekrog; Schjønning, Per

2018-01-01

Subsoil compaction is persistent and affects the wide diversity of ecological services provided by agricultural soils. Efficient risk assessment tools are required to identify sustainable agricultural practices. Vehicles should not transmit stresses that exceed soil strength. Wheel load is the pr......Subsoil compaction is persistent and affects the wide diversity of ecological services provided by agricultural soils. Efficient risk assessment tools are required to identify sustainable agricultural practices. Vehicles should not transmit stresses that exceed soil strength. Wheel load...... the magnitude of contact stresses, (ii) compare effects of traffic on soil physical properties using tires or tracks, and (iii) evaluate a state-of-the-art method for risk assessment of soil compaction beneath tracks or tires at the European level. We measured contact stress below a fully-loaded sugar beet....... The contact area was larger and the maximum and vertical stress smaller beneath the rubber track than beneath the tire. Nevertheless, stress distribution beneath the rubber track was far from uniform, presenting high peak stresses beneath the wheels and rollers. Dry bulk density was similar after traffic...

How to Track Adaptation to Climate Change: A Typology of Approaches for National-Level Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James D. Ford

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The need to track climate change adaptation progress is being increasingly recognized but our ability to do the tracking is constrained by the complex nature of adaptation and the absence of measurable outcomes or indicators by which to judge if and how adaptation is occurring. We developed a typology of approaches by which climate change adaptation can be tracked globally at a national level. On the one hand, outcome-based approaches directly measure adaptation progress and effectiveness with reference to avoided climate change impacts. However, given that full exposure to climate change impacts will not happen for decades, alternative approaches focus on developing indicators or proxies by which adaptation can be monitored. These include systematic measures of adaptation readiness, processes undertaken to advance adaptation, policies and programs implemented to adapt, and measures of the impacts of these policies and programs on changing vulnerability. While these approaches employ various methods and data sources, and identify different components of adaptation progress to track at the national level, they all seek to characterize the current status of adaptation by which progress over time can be monitored. However, there are significant challenges to operationalizing these approaches, including an absence of systematically collected data on adaptation actions and outcomes, underlying difficulties of defining what constitutes "adaptation", and a disconnect between the timescale over which adaptation plays out and the practical need for evaluation to inform policy. Given the development of new adaptation funding streams, it is imperative that tools for monitoring progress are developed and validated for identifying trends and gaps in adaptation response.

Three-Dimensional Triplet Tracking for LHC and Future High Rate Experiments

CERN Document Server

Schöning, Andre

2014-10-20

The hit combinatorial problem is a main challenge for track reconstruction and triggering at high rate experiments. At hadron colliders the dominant fraction of hits is due to low momentum tracks for which multiple scattering (MS) effects dominate the hit resolution. MS is also the dominating source for hit confusion and track uncertainties in low energy precision experiments. In all such environments, where MS dominates, track reconstruction and fitting can be largely simplified by using three-dimensional (3D) hit-triplets as provided by pixel detectors. This simplification is possible since track uncertainties are solely determined by MS if high precision spatial information is provided. Fitting of hit-triplets is especially simple for tracking detectors in solenoidal magnetic fields. The over-constrained 3D-triplet method provides a complete set of track parameters and is robust against fake hit combinations. The triplet method is ideally suited for pixel detectors where hits can be treated as 3D-space poi...

FREEWAT: an HORIZON 2020 project to build open source tools for water management.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossetto, Rudy; Borsi, Iacopo; Foglia, Laura

2015-04-01

tools for better producing feasibility and management plans; (ii) a set of activities devoted to fix bugs and to provide a well-integrated interface for the different tools implemented. Further capabilities to be integrated are: - a dedicated module for water management and planning that will help to manage and aggregate all the distributed data coming from the simulation scenarios; - a whole module for calibration, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis; - a module for solute transport in the unsaturated zone; - a module for crop growth and water requirements in agriculture; - tools for dealing with groundwater quality issues; - tools for the analysis, interpretation and visualization of hydrogeological data. Through creating a common environment among water research/professionals, policy makers and implementers, FREEWAT main impact will be on enhancing science- and participatory approach and evidence-based decision making in water resource management, hence producing relevant and appropriate outcomes for policy implementation. The Consortium is constituted by partners from various water sectors from 10 EU countries, plus Turkey and Ukraine. Synergies with the UNESCO HOPE initiative on free and open source software in water management greatly boost the value of the project. Large stakeholders involvement is thought to guarantee results dissemination and exploitation. Acknowledgements This paper is presented within the framework of the project FREEWAT, which has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement n. 642224. References MARSOL (2014). Demonstrating Managed Aquifer Recharge as a Solution to Water Scarcity and Drought www.marsol.eu [accessed 4 January 2015] Rossetto, R., Borsi, I., Schifani, C., Bonari, E., Mogorovich P. & Primicerio M. (2013) - SID&GRID: integrating hydrological modeling in GIS environment hydroinformatics system for the management of the water resource. Rendiconti Online Societa

Tracking nitrogen oxides, nitrous acid, and nitric acid from biomass burning

Science.gov (United States)

Chai, J.; Miller, D. J.; Scheuer, E. M.; Dibb, J. E.; Hastings, M. G.

2017-12-01

Biomass burning emissions are an important source of atmospheric nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) and nitrous acid (HONO), which play important roles in atmosphere oxidation capacity (hydroxyl radical and ozone formation) and have severe impacts on air quality and climate in the presence of sunlight and volatile organic compounds. However, tracking NOx and HONO and their chemistry in the atmosphere based on concentration alone is challenging. Isotopic analysis provides a potential tracking tool. In this study, we measured the nitrogen isotopic composition (δ15N) of NOx (NO + NO2) and HONO, and soluble HONO and HNO3 during the Fire Influence on Regional and Global Environments Experiment (FIREX) laboratory experiments at the Missoula Fire Laboratory. Our newly developed and validated annular denuder system (ADS) enabled us to effectively trap HONO prior to a NOx collection system in series for isotopic analysis. In total we investigated 25 "stack" fires of various biomass materials where the emissions were measured within a few seconds of production by the fire. HONO concentration was measured in parallel using mist chamber/ion chromatography (MC/IC). The recovered mean HONO concentrations from ADS during the burn of each fire agree well with that measured via MC/IC. δ15N-NOx ranged from -4.3 ‰ to + 7.0 ‰ with a median of 0.7 ‰. Combined with a similar, recent study by our group [Fibiger et al., ES&T, 2017] the δ15N-NOx follows a linear relationship with δ15N-biomass (δ15N-NOx =0.94 x δ15N-biomass +1.98; R2=0.72). δ15N-HONO ranged from -5.3 to +8.3 ‰ with a median of 1.4 ‰. While both HONO and NOx are sourced from N in the biomass fuel, the secondary formation of HONO likely induces fractionation of the N that leads to the difference between δ15N-NOx and δ15N-HONO. We found a correlation of δ15N-HONO= 0.86 x δ15N-NOx + 0.52 (R2=0.55), which can potentially be used to track the chemistry of HONO formation following fire emissions. The methods

TRACK The New Beam Dynamics Code

CERN Document Server

Mustapha, Brahim; Ostroumov, Peter; Schnirman-Lessner, Eliane

2005-01-01

The new ray-tracing code TRACK was developed* to fulfill the special requirements of the RIA accelerator systems. The RIA lattice includes an ECR ion source, a LEBT containing a MHB and a RFQ followed by three SC linac sections separated by two stripping stations with appropriate magnetic transport systems. No available beam dynamics code meet all the necessary requirements for an end-to-end simulation of the RIA driver linac. The latest version of TRACK was used for end-to-end simulations of the RIA driver including errors and beam loss analysis.** In addition to the standard capabilities, the code includes the following new features: i) multiple charge states ii) realistic stripper model; ii) static and dynamic errors iii) automatic steering to correct for misalignments iv) detailed beam-loss analysis; v) parallel computing to perform large scale simulations. Although primarily developed for simulations of the RIA machine, TRACK is a general beam dynamics code. Currently it is being used for the design and ...

Multiple-camera tracking: UK government requirements

Science.gov (United States)

Hosmer, Paul

2007-10-01

The Imagery Library for Intelligent Detection Systems (i-LIDS) is the UK government's new standard for Video Based Detection Systems (VBDS). The standard was launched in November 2006 and evaluations against it began in July 2007. With the first four i-LIDS scenarios completed, the Home Office Scientific development Branch (HOSDB) are looking toward the future of intelligent vision in the security surveillance market by adding a fifth scenario to the standard. The fifth i-LIDS scenario will concentrate on the development, testing and evaluation of systems for the tracking of people across multiple cameras. HOSDB and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) identified a requirement to track targets across a network of CCTV cameras using both live and post event imagery. The Detection and Vision Systems group at HOSDB were asked to determine the current state of the market and develop an in-depth Operational Requirement (OR) based on government end user requirements. Using this OR the i-LIDS team will develop a full i-LIDS scenario to aid the machine vision community in its development of multi-camera tracking systems. By defining a requirement for multi-camera tracking and building this into the i-LIDS standard the UK government will provide a widely available tool that developers can use to help them turn theory and conceptual demonstrators into front line application. This paper will briefly describe the i-LIDS project and then detail the work conducted in building the new tracking aspect of the standard.

CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program in Action: Case Studies From State and Local Health Departments

Science.gov (United States)

Eatman, Shana; Strosnider, Heather M.

2017-01-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program) is a multidisciplinary collaboration that involves the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data from environmental hazard monitoring, human exposure surveillance, and health effects surveillance. With a renewed focus on data-driven decision-making, the CDC’s Tracking Program emphasizes dissemination of actionable data to public health practitioners, policy makers, and communities. The CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network), a Web-based system with components at the national, state, and local levels, houses environmental public health data used to inform public health actions (PHAs) to improve community health. This article serves as a detailed landscape on the Tracking Program and Tracking Network and the Tracking Program’s leading performance measure, “public health actions.” Tracking PHAs are qualitative statements addressing a local problem or situation, the role of the state or local Tracking Program, how the problem or situation was addressed, and the action taken. More than 400 PHAs have been reported by funded state and local health departments since the Tracking Program began collecting PHAs in 2005. Three case studies are provided to illustrate the use of the Tracking Program resources and data on the Tracking Network, and the diversity of actions taken. Through a collaborative network of experts, data, and tools, the Tracking Program and its Tracking Network are actively informing state and local PHAs. In a time of competing priorities and limited funding, PHAs can serve as a powerful tool to advance environmental public health practice. PMID:28763381

Solar Radiation on Mars: Tracking Photovoltaic Array

Science.gov (United States)

Appelbaum, Joseph; Flood, Dennis J.; Crutchik, Marcos

1994-01-01

A photovoltaic power source for surface-based operation on Mars can offer many advantages. Detailed information on solar radiation characteristics on Mars and the insolation on various types of collector surfaces are necessary for effective design of future planned photovoltaic systems. In this article we have presented analytical expressions for solar radiation calculation and solar radiation data for single axis (of various types) and two axis tracking surfaces and compared the insulation to horizontal and inclined surfaces. For clear skies (low atmospheric dust load) tracking surfaces resulted in higher insolation than stationary surfaces, whereas for highly dusty atmospheres, the difference is small. The insolation on the different types of stationary and tracking surfaces depend on latitude, season and optical depth of the atmosphere, and the duration of system operation. These insolations have to be compared for each mission.